Chapter 18: Detective, Yokai, and Martial Artist
Watching the little shorty whose wings flapped with a soft puchi-puchi sound whenever he got angry, Hikigaya found it quite amusing. He hadn't expected the Great Tengu to have a "Big-Headed Son" type of design; it was a far cry from the tall, majestic, and fierce image found in Japanese folklore.
But that was through Hikigaya's perspective. Hattori Heiji and Conan were already staring dumbfounded.
Conan was slightly better off, having been forcibly taken on a flight through the sky before, but Hattori Heiji was completely stupefied.
"What... what is this thing?" Hattori had rubbed his eyes so hard they were turning red. He felt like he must be dreaming.
Then, a sudden realization hit him—otherwise, how could a criminal be so arrogant? Coming out in broad daylight to kill a detective investigating a case? And using a bow and arrow—what was the deal with that? Was this a movie set? It definitely had to be a dream!
Tsk! How disappointing. He'd been quite happy thinking he'd caught an important suspect just by going for a stroll.
"You're the 'thing'! You brat, how rude!" The Great Tengu hopped up angrily and gave Hattori Heiji a sharp rap on the head. Then, seeing Hikigaya watching him, the Tengu zipped away a long distance, landing and crouching on a tree branch, watching Hikigaya with a very wary gaze.
Hikigaya was speechless. What kind of habits did this Tengu have? If he was so scared, he shouldn't have come out...
"Hiss! That hurts! So it's not a dream?" The pain nearly brought tears to Hattori's eyes, but his face remained a mask of disbelief. Still refusing to give up, he said to Conan, "Kudo, you're so un-cute even in my dreams. Give me a hit, let's see if I can wake up."
Conan rolled his eyes at him.
"It's not a dream, Hattori." Conan took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, which was a bit sore from the weight. He let out a sigh. "This guy was always this strange. I told you before not to take his business card."
"So... there really are Tengu in this world?" Hattori's gaze was a bit glazed. The shock was too much; his mind was currently filled with the thought, 'Holy crap, I actually met a Tengu,' to the point where he'd forgotten Hikigaya was even there.
"Nonsense. How can there be monsters in this world?" Conan denied it flatly.
"No matter how you look at it, that's a Tengu! A human couldn't fake that! Look at that face, and the voice sounds like an old man's! Plus, the guy can fly!"
"The voice could be a voice changer. Being short with a big red head and a long nose... maybe he was fed the same medicine I was. As for the flying, it's probably some kind of equipment." Conan's tone was steady and his face expressionless. "Don't you think that, aside from the flying, everything else about him is just like me?"
Hattori Heiji: "..."
'That actually sounds logical?'
Wasn't the Kudo Shinichi standing before him exactly like that—turned into a child and carrying a bunch of weird gadgets, including a voice changer? He began to doubt himself again.
"That's how it is, Hattori. Let's go back, I'm hungry." Seeing that the ruse was working, Conan adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down slightly. He then led the way, starting to walk back.
The next second, he was hoisted back by the collar by Hattori Heiji.
"Hungry my foot! You're even leaving the suspect behind? That's nothing like your usual self! As I thought, this isn't a dream at all!"
"You idiot, let's just leave first!" Failing his attempt to bluff, Conan got anxious and started struggling. Unfortunately, being held mid-air by Hattori, no matter how fast his short legs pedaled, he couldn't run away.
"Hey! Bratty kids!" The Great Tengu on the branch saw that Hattori was still standing there and got annoyed. "Listen to the other kid and get lost!"
To be honest, he really hadn't wanted to come out. But he had lived at Kurama-dera for many years and hated it when people messed around in his home. According to the news from the Karasu Tengu serving him, the contemporary Rakshasa King below wasn't the type to go on a "demon-slaying" spree just because he saw a yokai. However, a Rakshasa King was a disaster magnet as much as a danger; the further away, the better. He only hoped these people would leave quickly.
Hearing this, Hattori—who had intended to play dumb, pretend nothing happened, and just take the suspect away—felt his heart tremble. Unlike the "fake" Hikigaya, he was a Japanese through and through. Furthermore, unlike Conan, he had grown up in the culturally rich atmosphere of Kansai. Although he was a guy with excellent deductive skills, he didn't lack the "superstitious" thinking an average person has.
When a yokai—a legendary Tengu at that—actually appeared, his state of mind was hard to describe. Hearing the Tengu's order to leave, he immediately wanted to bolt. Unfortunately, he also suffered from professional habits.
In an instant, he thought of a way to have the best of both worlds. He would pretend he didn't see any Tengu, pretend nothing happened, and pretend there were only him and Conan there. He'd just take this masked suspect away.
"Fine, fine, Conan, I give up." Hattori mastered the Conan-style deadpan expression. He set Conan down, walked over to the still-unconscious man, and reached for the mask. "Let's take this guy to the police station first."
Conan's eye twitched. To be honest, seeing Hikigaya made his heart race, and he'd momentarily forgotten the suspect lying there.
'Fine, let's just pretend we don't see that guy. Let's take the man and get out of here.'
Then he heard Hattori let out a cry of pain.
The masked man had woken up and instinctively kicked Hattori away, sending him landing hard on his backside.
"Ga-ga-ga! What a stupid brat!" The Great Tengu on the branch seemed to find this scene hilarious and let out a wide-mouthed laugh. But he looked confused for a second before reverting to his angry look. "Why haven't you gotten lost yet?"
His wings flapped as if he was planning a dive at any moment. As for Hattori, he was dizzy from the kick and didn't notice. He was furious.
"You still dare to resist!?" Hattori sprang up from the ground with a kip-up, intending to go forward for a "chat" with the guy.
But his anger vanished instantly, replaced by a profound calmness. First, because the Great Tengu was glaring at him from the branch, huffing and puffing. Second, because he noticed that many people had appeared in the forest ahead at some unknown time.
These people were dressed in black tactical gear, and most of them held various cold weapons. Real ones!
Hattori instinctively felt something was wrong and took a step back, pulling the equally stunned Conan behind him. Before he could speak, however, Conan tugged at his pant leg.
'At a time like this, you're pulling my pants?'
Hattori looked back, and his already dark complexion turned even darker. In the forest behind them, another group of people was slowly closing in. They were surrounded!
Only then did Hattori remember Hikigaya Hachiman was also here. Seeing Hikigaya still standing there motionlessly, he shouted, "Hey, brother! Come over here! Something's wrong!"
In the time it took to say that sentence, the Yomi martial artists coming from all sides had formed a circle, surrounding everyone and closing in step by step.
"I appreciate the concern," Hikigaya smiled and made a hand gesture. The Yomi warriors who were pressing in immediately halted their steps.
The expressions on Hattori and Conan's faces changed instantly. Even if they were fools, they could see that these people didn't just know Hikigaya—they seemed to be his subordinates.
Conan, especially, looked at Hikigaya as if he were seeing him for the first time.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting