Chapter 9: What a Coincidence, You're Going to Kyoto Too?
Entering the small shop, the group ordered their food at the counter and found a large table to sit down at. Outside, the bustle continued, and the music from the parade was still audible.
"Was that girl from earlier your friend? Aren't you going to call her over?" Hattori Heiji asked. Hikigaya noticed that this fellow was sizing him up with a searching gaze.
Recalling that Hattori had asked if they'd met before the moment he opened his mouth, Hikigaya had a few guesses.
"No need. She came here specifically to play. But Hattori-kun, have you really seen me somewhere before?"
Simply by virtue of his identity as the Lord of Yomi, Hikigaya Hachiman believed he was certainly on file with the Japanese government. He just wasn't sure if the police system had his data as well; if they did, it proved that the History Compilation Committee had set up several sets of identities for him in Japan.
Hattori Heiji's father was a high-ranking official in the police system. Perhaps Hattori had seen files on one of Hikigaya's identities in his father's office. And don't say his father wouldn't let him look—for a high schooler like Hattori Heiji to make such a splash in the Kansai detective world, his own ability was important, but his family environment was a crucial factor.
His father didn't even need to open back doors for him; just letting him glimpse files at home, having his father's colleagues turn a blind eye, and chatting casually during off-hours gave Hattori resources most detectives could only dream of. Not to mention that because of his father, the Kansai police viewed him as an insider, letting him wander in and out of police stations as he pleased.
Kudo Shinichi wasn't an ordinary person either, though he wasn't as "professionally aligned" as Hattori. Ultimately, both these high school detectives were resource-heavy titans. Otherwise, the petty office politics and red tape of that circle alone would be enough to give two high schoolers a hard time.
Even in an organization as pure as Yomi, such petty issues were unavoidable. Hikigaya's master back then was one of the "One Shadow Nine Fists," yet he had still encountered such things a few times; his graduation exam had been to kill all those people.
"Ah... caught me. But I really feel like Hikigaya-kun is very familiar." Hattori Heiji scratched his head sheepishly, but his gaze became even more suspicious. "Strange, why can't I remember? Could it be you wrote a love letter to Kazuha? This girl always loves showing those things to me."
Hikigaya curled his lip. "I'm a Tokyoite. Why would I write love letters to a girl living in Kansai?"
"True, hahaha..." Hattori's laugh died halfway. There was a murderous aura on his girlfriend's face.
"Honestly, just a bunch of brats! You should be focusing on your studies!" Mori Kogoro watched these young people constantly handing out "dog food" (displays of affection) and felt quite sour—especially regarding his precious daughter, who had been infatuated with a snot-nosed brat since childhood. The thought of it filled him with rage.
"Mr. Mori, I have already graduated." Hikigaya shook his head and glanced at the "juvenile" Conan on the side. "So there's no problem with me dating or getting married. Your daughter, however, can't—and little Conan certainly can't."
Conan immediately shot a glare over. That didn't matter, though, because another quite cute little girl also looked very unhappy.
Ah, I forgot. There's a little fangirl of Conan-kun here too.
So, Hikigaya smilingly twisted the knife: "Because girls should observe more while they're young. Men are very treacherous. The most treacherous ones are those who seem honest as kids but become dishonest when they grow up."
"Conan isn't like that!" The little girl's melancholy look vanished; she seemed to have total confidence in Conan.
It seemed Kudo Shinichi was not only good at faking being a child but was also a man deeply trusted and relied upon by primary school girls. Fortunately, he lacked the "tools of the trade" currently, otherwise, if things got out of hand, he'd be having a long chat with the police.
After a few more quips, Hikigaya stopped picking on that one sheep and pulled the topic back to Hattori Heiji.
"Hattori is an Osaka local?"
"Yeah."
"If I recall correctly, Hattori is also a detective?"
"That's right. But I'm not here for a case today. It's rare for my friends to come to Osaka, so I'm acting as their guide."
"That's good." Hikigaya took a sip of coffee. "Is Hattori familiar with Kyoto?"
"Hikigaya-kun is going to Kyoto?" Hattori's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence, we're going to Kyoto tomorrow as well."
"Quite a coincidence indeed." Hikigaya thought to himself that someone was likely going to die in Kyoto. However, with a massive horde of yokai about to invade the city, a few more unlucky ghosts wouldn't matter much. Most people taken by the "Death God" primary schooler weren't good people anyway.
And a man needs a broad perspective. Looking at the whole planet, there's a daily quota of over a hundred thousand deaths; plenty of those are unlucky people who shouldn't have died.
In the Yomi organization, hundreds or thousands of people died every day. Conan killing one person a day on average was just a light drizzle.
"I'm not in that much of a hurry. I plan to stay in Osaka for a few days before going," Hikigaya said. "And I have my own things to do, so I won't be able to join you."
"Is Hikigaya-kun going to Kyoto for work?" Hattori asked curiously. "Speaking of which, what kind of work is it?"
"Simple work. It's related to Kyoto's traditional culture. I also do some work promoting traditional martial arts."
Hikigaya swore every word he said was the truth. As for whether Hattori Heiji could grasp the meaning, that wasn't his problem. He was a Campione who spoke the truth, but even truth-telling requires the art of language, doesn't it?
"Oh! Hikigaya-kun is also a fan of Kendo?"
"No, my studies are quite varied. I know a bit of unarmed martial arts and weapon fighting."
"That's also impressive. Actually, we're going to Kyoto mainly to solve a case," Hattori sighed. "But since the kids are here, we came to play first. Once the kids are settled, we'll head to Kyoto."
"Oh? Sounds serious. Mind sharing a bit?" Hikigaya searched his memory; there didn't seem to be a plot point in his memory involving this many people going to Kyoto.
"It's not inconvenient, since it's been on the news." Hattori ate a few bites of food and said casually, "Hikigaya-kun should have seen it—murders occurred in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. It's an internal conflict within a certain theft ring."
Mori Ran added from the side: "As for our side, it's because Dad received a commission to find a Buddhist statue stolen eight years ago."
"I say it was all done by 'Genji-botaru' (The Genji Fireflies). Once I find the killer on my end, Mr. Mori's commission will naturally be resolved," Hattori said with a grin, winking at Conan. "Right, Conan? When we get to Kyoto, come move with Big Brother; Big Brother will teach you how to be a detective!"
Hikigaya ignored the eye-rolling Conan and slowly recalled the details. He confirmed he had zero memory of this. Perhaps it was an original plot from the TV anime? Since he was primarily a manga fan, he hadn't seen it?
Regardless, it didn't matter.
"Then I wish you all success." Hikigaya raised his cup. "Though I'm not a detective, I should be able to pull some strings at the temples and shrines in Kyoto. If you need help, you can contact me."
"Yo! Alright then, I'll count on you if the time comes!" Hattori Heiji raised his cup cheerfully and clinked it with Hikigaya's.
However, he was thinking: When I get home, I'm going straight to Dad's study. I've definitely seen this guy! Otherwise, he wouldn't look so familiar!
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