Chapter 17: I Bought That Hotel
The Tani mansion.
"Dad, it was this big brother who saved me!"
Tani Akiko threw herself into her father's arms and pointed at Makoto.
"All the credit goes to Uncle Mouri."
"Thanks to him, the kidnapper was subdued in no time at all."
Makoto smiled.
"Ahem, ahem…"
"Think nothing of it—this is simply what I, as a detective, am here to do."
Kogoro cleared his throat and said with complete seriousness.
"Thank you—thank you both so much."
"Thanks to the two of you, Akiko made it back safe—I can't express how grateful I am."
President Tani wiped his eyes, his emotions too full to settle.
"Thank goodness!"
"The young lady is safe—thank goodness!"
Butler Aso was moved to tears as well.
"Oh, and Dad—please don't blame Aso for any of this. It was all my idea—it's all my fault."
Akiko rushed to add.
"Though Akiko is safe, a punishment is unavoidable."
President Tani looked at him steadily, his tone firm. "Your punishment—plan a one-week trip. I'm taking Akiko to Australia."
"W-what?"
"Sir, I—I…"
Butler Aso was moved to tears.
That was hardly a punishment at all.
"How wonderful."
Ran said softly.
"It really is, isn't it."
Conan rested his chin in his hands, looking deflated.
Kogoro and Makoto had cracked the case, caught the culprit, and rescued Tani Akiko.
President Tani got his daughter back safe.
Aso received no real punishment.
Everyone got a clean, happy ending.
Everyone except him—after a whole night of effort, he had nothing to show for it.
"I'm not sure that's quite enough, though."
A cool voice cut through the warm atmosphere.
Every eye turned.
It was Higashino Makoto.
"You're right—it isn't. Let's dock three months' pay as well."
President Tani thought it over and added a bit more.
After all, his only precious daughter had nearly lost her life.
Compared to that, three months' wages was a truly negligible punishment.
"Yes! Yes!"
"I absolutely deserve to be punished!"
Aso gave firm, remorseful nods.
"That's not what I mean—I mean he should go to prison."
Makoto shook his head and said calmly.
Prison?
In an instant, everyone froze.
Like a spell breaking, the air around them turned cold and still.
"Still—prison seems a bit much, doesn't it?"
President Tani gave an awkward laugh.
After all, this old butler had served their household for so many years—no great deeds, perhaps, but years of loyal toil.
"That's right."
"Higashino, what on earth are you on about?"
Kogoro also asked, puzzled, unable to follow his thinking.
"Kidnapping a hostage and demanding a ransom—one as high as 1,000,000,000 yen."
"For a crime this serious, even ten years in prison would be the minimum, wouldn't you say?"
Makoto said with a cold smile.
"K-kidnapping?"
President Tani froze.
His eyes went wide, and he looked back and forth between Makoto and Butler Aso in shock.
"What are you saying?"
"Aso was only playing along with Akiko's game—the real kidnapper was already caught, wasn't he?"
"And that man said he had no accomplices and acted alone."
Kogoro explained.
"That's right."
Conan nodded too.
"Uncle—do you remember where we went before heading to the school storeroom?"
Makoto asked with a smile.
"Before the school storeroom?"
"Oh, right—we stopped at a hotel. The Hilton, the one you were all talking about."
Kogoro stroked his mustache and suddenly recalled.
"Swish!"
In an instant, Butler Aso's face went white as a sheet.
"That's right—I went to the hotel and asked the front desk."
"They said no girl of that age had checked in today, and they hadn't seen any elderly gentleman matching Aso's description either."
Makoto looked over at the old butler.
"This—this might be…"
"They probably made a mistake!"
Aso laughed and started to explain his way out.
"A large, full-service five-star hotel with guests coming and going every day—a mistake is completely possible."
Conan chimed in, though his eyes never left Makoto.
"Right, right—so many guests, of course someone got it wrong."
Aso nodded quickly.
"Big brother, Akiko never made it to the hotel—the bad people grabbed me before I could get there."
Akiko explained.
"In that case, it all checks out."
"Akiko never arrived, so of course the front desk wouldn't have seen either of them."
President Tani nodded.
"That's right—exactly!"
Aso agreed immediately.
"But!"
"That Hilton Hotel doesn't have a room 2708."
"Swish!"
The moment Makoto said it, everyone froze.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to solidify—still, cold.
Aso had never gone to the Hilton Hotel, and had never booked any so-called room 2708.
Which meant…
He was lying.
Conan's eyes went wide, as if something had just clicked—his mind began spinning at full speed.
"I—I might have got it wrong."
"Right—it was room 2701!"
"Haha… memory's not what it used to be at my age."
Aso gave an awkward laugh, trying to smooth it over.
"No point making things up—you never booked any room at all."
Makoto said calmly.
"Nonsense! Complete nonsense!"
"A five-star hotel's guests have absolute privacy."
"Except in a police investigation, there's no way an outsider could possibly know whether I booked a room—so how do you know I didn't?"
Aso's face flushed red as he argued his case at full volume.
"Ha!"
Makoto cracked a grin. "Because… I bought that hotel."
…
…
Aso — Tani family butler. Series: Detective Conan.
Edogawa Conan — Shinichi's alternate identity. Series: Detective Conan.
Higashino Makoto — Protagonist. Transmigrated.
Mouri Kogoro — Ran's father. Series: Detective Conan.
Mouri Ran — Shinichi's childhood sweetheart. Series: Detective Conan.
President Tani — Tani Akiko's father. Series: Detective Conan.
Tani Akiko — President Tani's daughter. Series: Detective Conan.
…
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Translated by CheapBiscuit.
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