Inside the Mouri Detective Agency, Ran had just seen Conan off and was preparing to head out to buy ingredients for dinner when her phone suddenly rang.
Pulling it out and seeing that the call was from Onizawa, she answered immediately,
"Onizawa-san, do you have news about Shinichi?!"
The words Ritsu had been about to say got stuck in his throat when he heard the hope in her voice. Swallowing them back down, he explained,
"Apologies, Mouri-san. The reason I called was to ask whether Conan went out with someone."
Suppressing the disappointment in her heart, Ran replied,
"He didn't go out with someone. Conan's mother came and took him home. I think they're going overseas."
'Conan's mother?!'
Edogawa Conan was a fake identity invented by Shinichi. A nonexistent person shouldn't have any family members.
'Damn it!'
To avoid worrying Ran, Ritsu simply said, "I see. Looks like we won't be seeing that smart little guy anymore."
"Don't worry, Mouri-san. If I hear anything about Kudo, I'll let you know immediately. Though I think he'll find some way to contact you himself."
"Okay. Thank you, Onizawa-san."
After hanging up, Ritsu immediately dialed Gin's number.
His goal was simple, to find out whether this was Gin's doing.
If it wasn't...
Then the situation was truly troublesome.
...
Gin was leaning against his car smoking when he saw Augier's name appear on his phone.
After answering, he asked directly, "What do you want?"
"Can I only call when I need something?"
Forcing himself to remain calm, Ritsu spoke in a relaxed tone. "I stopped by Kudo Shinichi's house to investigate. There are no signs that anyone has been living there."
'Kudo Shinichi? Oh, that detective brat I'd fed the poison to.'
"Knowing how cautious you are, you'll probably check again."
The moment he heard Gin's response, Ritsu understood.
This wasn't Gin's doing. His fist tightened involuntarily, but he forced his voice to remain steady.
"Yeah. I'm planning to bring Sherry with me next time. Women tend to notice details more easily."
"Anything else?"
Gin's tone grew impatient. "Don't tell me you called over something this trivial."
"I wanted your opinion."
Ritsu sounded completely serious. "Between fugu hot pot and Italian food, which should I eat tonight? I can't decide."
Without changing expression, Gin hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
Nearby, the convenience store's automatic doors opened with a cheerful Welcome!
Vodka walked over carrying a plastic bag.
"Boss, the boxed lunches were half-price today. Do you want pork cutlet or ginger pork?"
"..."
Gin's mind replayed Augier's infuriating question. That bastard had definitely called just to brag about eating at a restaurant.
Frowning, Gin crushed out his cigarette.
"Neither."
"Huh? Boss, if you skip dinner you'll get hungry later."
"Go back to your safehouse."
"Eh?"
Gin opened the car door and got inside.
"You cook."
At the moment, he had absolutely no desire to eat terrible convenience-store food.
If dining at restaurants didn't attract so much unwanted attention, he wouldn't have to rely on Vodka to cook for him at the safehouse.
It wasn't that Vodka's cooking was bad. The problem was that it took forever.
For a workaholic like Gin, time was money.
...
Meanwhile, listening to the busy tone on the other end of the line...
Normally, Ritsu would have laughed. But right now, he wasn't in the mood.
His mind raced.
'If Gin didn't give the order, then who did? Has someone been watching me? Or watching Kudo all this time?'
Neither possibility was good.
In fact, they were absolutely disastrous.
Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against the steering wheel. After a moment of thought, he made up his mind.
He was going to rescue Shinichi. Worst case scenario, he'd simply kill whoever was involved and clean up the mess afterward.
Starting the engine, Ritsu headed toward Beika Town 2-Chome.
Based on Shinichi's way of thinking, the only person he could rely on right now should be Professor Agasa, the only person besides Ritsu who knew that Conan was actually Shinichi.
Unfortunately, by the time he reached the intersection, he was already too late.
With his own eyes, he watched the overweight woman press a handkerchief over Conan's nose and mouth, rendering him unconscious before carrying him into the car.
'She didn't kill him immediately? Could her goal be to use the shrunken Kudo as a human test subject?'
Memories of what he himself had suffered one year ago surfaced in his mind.
Unconsciously, he clenched his teeth and pressed a hand against the faint ache in his chest.
'Rum. Could this be you?'
Knowing the other party likely possessed some degree of counter-surveillance awareness, Ritsu maintained a reasonable distance while tailing them.
Eventually, they entered a residential district in Beika Town 8-Chome. He had no choice but to park at an outdoor parking lot and begin searching house by house.
At last, he arrived in front of a three-story villa.
The dark-green Nissan sedan was parked in the yard. Looks like Shinichi is being held inside this inconspicuous villa.
A thin layer of snow had already accumulated throughout the yard.
That posed a problem.
Any footprints he left behind would immediately reveal that someone had entered the property. He was hesitating when the villa's front door suddenly opened.
Besides the overweight woman with glasses, another figure stepped out.
A man?
Black suit.
Dark-blue cape.
Tall top hat.
And most ridiculous of all, a grinning white mask that concealed his face.
The level of chuunibyou energy was off the charts.
'...Since when did Organization members have this much fun?'
As the two of them got into the car and drove away, Ritsu remained hidden behind a shrub.
He chose not to follow.
Instead, after confirming there were no outdoor surveillance cameras, he immediately ran toward the villa.
Judging by their appearance, neither of them had taken Conan with them. He needed to confirm whether Conan was alive or dead.
But at that moment, the villa door opened again.
Realizing it might be another accomplice, Ritsu instantly drew the revolver from his holster.
"Hm?"
The person who stepped outside wasn't an adult. It was a perfectly unharmed Conan.
Seeing the dark muzzle pointed directly at him, Conan was so startled that he fell backward onto the ground.
But after recognizing who was holding the gun, he shouted:
"Sen— I mean, Onizawa-nii!!"
He forcibly swallowed the word teacher halfway through, creating the strange title of "big brother."
Truly impressive.
"Conan, you're not hurt, are you?"
Ritsu crouched down and asked with concern.
Conan shook his head.
"Onizawa-nii, why are you here?"
Naturally, Ritsu already had an explanation prepared. Without the slightest flaw, he replied,
"When I was passing through Beika Town 2-Chome, I saw a strange woman grab you and stuff you into a car. I thought it might be a kidnapping, so I followed them here."
"Right! This isn't the time for that!"
Conan suddenly exclaimed. "Someone's going to be murdered!"
"Murdered? Who's killing whom?"
"The bad woman who kidnapped me was talking with her partner. I overheard them. They're planning to kill the person they're meeting during a transaction!"
"The meeting location is the Beika Grand Hotel, and the target is the owner of the car parked in space number thirty!"
'The Organization actually revealed the transaction location that openly?'
Apparently those two weren't codename members.
If they were merely lower-ranking operatives, dealing with them would be much easier.
Ritsu patted Conan lightly on the head. "Alright. I'll head over immediately."
Then his expression became serious. "But Conan, you should go home. What happens next isn't suitable for you."
"Huh?"
Conan immediately protested. "But the agency is really far from here! How about I wait in your car instead?"
He looked up innocently. "You drove here, right?"
There was no way Conan intended to miss an opportunity to gather information on the Organization.
Besides, Onizawa didn't know about the Organization. If he went along, maybe he could help.
"Fine."
Ritsu nodded. "But you have to behave yourself."
He guessed Shinichi believed his kidnappers were Organization members.
This was something Shinichi would inevitably have to face. If he wanted to come along, then so be it.
After all, as long as Ritsu was there, nothing would happen to him.
"Okay~! I'll be good!"
Both of them smiled.
Each carrying their own hidden agenda.
Soon afterward, they climbed into the car and drove away toward their shared destination,
The Beika Grand Hotel.
----
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