Beika Town, Block 5, Mouri Detective Agency.
The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting the large characters for Mouri Detective Agency onto the floor.
Mouri Kogoro sat with his legs crossed, slumped in his office chair, yelling at the horse racing program on TV, several empty beer cans beside him.
"Argh! Lost again! My luck is terrible today!"
He scratched his head in annoyance, let out a boozy burp, and took another gulp of beer.Conan, meanwhile, sat on the sofa, scratching his head while doing the math Olympiad test Rin had sent, his face full of helplessness, almost on the verge of tears.
The math Olympiad test Rin had sent weighed a full 5 jin (2.5 kg).
Ran, adhering to the principle of not letting someone's good intentions go to waste, forced him to do it every day until it was finished.
Just then, "knock knock knock," a knock sounded.Conan deduced that a client had arrived and pricked up his ears.
"Coming, coming!"
Mouri Kogoro responded with a hint of impatience, put on his slippers, and walked over to open the door."It better be a case, to make up for my horse racing losses…"
The door opened.
Two visitors stood at the entrance, and their combination instantly sobered Mouri Kogoro up considerably.Leading the way was a young girl, appearing to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with a petite figure and long, orange-red hair like a burning flame.
Standing behind the girl was an extremely tall and burly man. He wore a Belobog Heavy Industries uniform, and a scar Ran across his face, making him look incredibly formidable.
At this moment, he was guarding the girl like a giant bear protecting its cub.
Mouri Kogoro was stunned by this strikingly contrasting pair, his drunkenness completely gone. "Who… who are you?"
The red-haired girl nodded slightly, her voice clear. "Hello, forgive our intrusion. I am Koleda Belobog. This is my financial manager, Ben Bigger. We would like to commission Detective Mouri to investigate something."
"A commission? Please, come in, come in!"
Upon hearing "commission," Mouri Kogoro immediately put on his professional smile and warmly welcomed the two in, while secretly glancing at the burly man named Ben, instinctively swallowing.
What kind of financial manager is this? He looked more like a thug than an actual thug.
Koleda walked steadily into the agency, while Ben silently followed a step behind her.
Conan put down his pen, curiously observing the two clients.This girl's demeanor was too mismatched for her age, and that financial manager looked far too fierce.
After they were seated, Mouri Kogoro rubbed his hands and asked, "So, Belobog-san, what would you like me to investigate?"
"Just call me Koleda."The girl corrected him, then took a transparent bag containing a printed letter from a briefcase she carried. "Please, take a look at this first."
Mouri Kogoro took the file bag, and Conan immediately leaned over. The content of the letter was in a printed font:
To the President of Belobog Heavy Industries:
I am Tachibana Maya, a professional assassin. Recently, I received a commission, the target of which is your life.
However, in my subsequent investigation, I discovered that you are a minor. I operate under my own principles and do not accept orders involving minors.
Therefore, I have decided to abandon this mission. But the commission already exists, and even if I abandon it, others may still take it up.To resolve this matter completely, I wish to speak with you in person. Tonight at 9 PM, Room 2104, Beika City Hotel. Please come alone, and I will inform you of the client's relevant information so that you may deal with it yourself.
—Tachibana Maya
After reading the letter, Mouri Kogoro gasped, his eyes wide. "A professional assassin?! A death threat letter?! The target is you?! You are the president of Belobog Heavy Industries?!"
He looked at the young girl with a childish face in disbelief, unconsciously using honorifics.
Belobog Heavy Industries had developed rapidly and was now a well-known enterprise in Japan, vast in scale. How could its president be a little girl?
"Wait!"
Mouri Kogoro suddenly remembered something. "I recall that the president of Belobog Heavy Industries was a Anton-san, wasn't he? I received his business card before…"
Ben, standing behind Koleda, explained in a deep voice. "Anton is the acting president. Miss Koleda is the sole legitimate heir of the Belobog family, the true president of Belobog Heavy Industries. She was previously abroad handling family affairs and completing her studies, and only recently returned to Japan to officially take over the company."
Koleda nodded, confirming Ben's statement, and continued. "This letter was placed directly on my office desk, which proves that the other party is not joking."
Mouri Kogoro's expression became serious. He stroked his chin. "Directly placing a warning letter on the office desk indicates that this assassin indeed has some capability. So, Miss Koleda, what is the content of your commission?"
"I hope Detective Mouri can assist me in investigating this matter."
Koleda looked directly at Mouri Kogoro. "Find this assassin named Tachibana Maya, and ultimately discover who is behind hiring her to threaten my life. As for tonight's meeting,"
She paused, "I originally intended to go alone and meet this principled assassin."
"That's too dangerous!" Mouri Kogoro immediately objected. "The other party is an assassin, after all! What if it's a trap?"
"However,"
Koleda changed her tone, "an acquaintance strongly recommended you, Mouri Kogoro-san. She said you are Tokyo's foremost great detective, a hundred times better than Japan's police savior, Kudo Shinichi.She believes you are especially skilled at handling such tricky cases. She thinks with your assistance, it will be much safer."
"Oh? An acquaintance? Which friend has such good judgment?"
Mouri Kogoro immediately became interested, his vanity greatly satisfied, and he proudly adjusted his tie.
"It's Rin" Koleda replied.
"Rin?!" Mouri Kogoro and Conan both froze simultaneously.
"So it was that girl! I wondered who had such good judgment? It was her after all."
Mouri Kogoro immediately burst into laughter, slapping his thigh forcefully. "That's thoughtful! Truly thoughtful! I'll have to treat her to a good meal later! Hahahaha!"
Conan, meanwhile, gave him a half-moon eye from the side. Heh heh, what good judgment? How is this clueless uncle stronger than me…
After laughing, Mouri Kogoro suddenly slammed the table and said decisively. "Yoshi(alright)! kono, Mouri Kogoro, accept this commission! Don't worry, Koleda-san, I will definitely protect your safety and drag that bastard hiding in the shadows out!"