Mitsubishi Bank, Beika Branch.
"What?!"
"Ten billion yen stolen?!" Kogoro Mouri gaped, holding up all ten fingers as if to confirm the number.
"Yes, they say the money was being transported from the main branch to various sub-branches, and it was all taken," Officer Megure confirmed with a grave nod.
"Ten billion yen…" Kogoro's mind wandered, likely calculating how many years it would take him to earn such a sum.
Megure leaned down toward the small figure clutching a skateboard. "Conan-kun, you're sure about that license plate number you gave me?"
"Absolutely certain," Conan replied firmly.
Just moments ago, a ten-billion-yen armored truck heist had unfolded right here.
The Mouri family, as luck would have it, had once again found themselves witnesses to the crime.
Two culprits—one wielding a handgun, the other a shotgun—had fled in a car with ten billion yen in cash. Conan, chasing on his skateboard, had come up empty-handed but managed to catch the license plate number and pass it to the police.
Of the three security guards on duty, two had been knocked unconscious. The third, a man with shoulder-length hair, emerged unscathed but gave a statement that didn't align with what Conan had seen and heard.
He claimed the armored truck was shot at first, and after calling out to his colleagues in the driver's cabin with no response, he was forced at gunpoint to open the door.
But Conan, who'd heard the gunfire and shattering glass, had rushed to the bank's rear parking lot immediately. By then, the long-haired guard was already moving cash-filled suitcases under the threat of a gun.
Meanwhile, at the counter, the bank manager was berating an employee named Masami Hirota.
"Where the hell were you during such a critical moment?!"
Masami Hirota lowered her head slightly. "I'm so sorry, I was on my lunch break during the shift change."
"Lunch break? Do you even know what time it is? Is your watch broken?!" The balding manager wasn't about to let her off easily, his tirade continuing.
Conan studied Masami Hirota, her glasses catching the light, and began to consider another possibility.
"Inspector Megure!"
Officer Takagi burst in, reporting that the police had found the getaway vehicle abandoned by a riverbank.
"Good, let's head there now!"
"Mouri, old buddy, come with us," Megure added before leaving, not forgetting his trusty consultant.
Kogoro grunted in agreement, then turned to his daughter. "Ran, take Conan and head home."
"Got it."
Ran nodded, but when she turned around, Conan was nowhere to be found…
…
"Find any clues in that car?" Tsuneo asked casually, dipping into a hotpot.
The broth, a sumo-style recipe crafted by Dr. Agasa, blended soy sauce with chicken stock simmered for hours. It was rich, fragrant, and bursting with umami.
Conan, noticing the beef in the pot dwindling, dove in with his chopsticks, snatching a small piece from between two pairs. "Seriously, you two! Taking advantage while I'm talking!"
"Shinichi, I didn't ask you anything," Dr. Agasa said with a grin, absolving himself. "That's all Tsuneo."
Conan shot a withering look at the scientist, whose mustache was now stained with sauce, and continued talking about the robbery.
They'd found a black mask and gloves left behind by the culprits at the scene. The mask even had a trace of lipstick.
But the lipstick mark was too far from the eyeholes.
Conan's prime suspect, Masami Hirota, didn't have a face long enough for that mask to fit her properly—it didn't seem like hers.
"And there was no fragrance on the mask. Something's definitely off," Conan said, shaking his head.
The lipstick color seemed similar, but something wasn't right.
"Doctor, isn't that what they call 'scenting the lady'?" Tsuneo teased, glancing at Dr. Agasa.
"Bingo!"
The doctor snapped his fingers playfully.
"You two! I'm talking about cosmetic fragrance!" Conan growled, savagely biting into the hard-won piece of beef.
Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of creep!
Tsuneo slurped down a bowl of noodles and leaned back lazily on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"Doctor, what's with him?"
Conan couldn't shake the odd feeling from Tsuneo's half-smile.
"Oh, today he—"
Dr. Agasa started, but Tsuneo cut him off.
"Doctor, didn't we agree not to tell him?!"
"Huh?" Dr. Agasa's face twisted in confusion. He didn't recall any such agreement.
Conan eyed Tsuneo, who was grinning at him, and felt an itch like a cat scratching at his mind. He couldn't even focus on his food.
"You pick up some cash or something?"
"Nope."
"Another client slip you a tip?"
"Nada."
"Don't tell me you stole that ten billion yen?"
"Pfft!"
Tsuneo, watching the detective scratch his head, scoffed. "Tch, how crass! You think I'm the type to get giddy over a little pocket change?"
"Right…" Conan's lips twitched.
Says the guy who practically danced home after some superstar idol tipped him an extra ten thousand yen.
If you're not that type, then who is? Me?
"Alright, alright, Tsuneo-kun, just tell him," Dr. Agasa said, chuckling as he waved off the bickering between the two overgrown kids.
"Fine, since he's so desperate to know." Tsuneo's grin widened. "I got into a fight with someone really tough today!"
"Huh?" Conan blinked, his face a canvas of question marks.
What was this guy even talking about? Doesn't he go out brawling in the middle of the night all the time?
"They were seriously impressive," Dr. Agasa nodded.
They'd run into the guy while grocery shopping, and Tsuneo had insisted on picking a fight…
"How tough could they be?" Conan asked, already losing interest.
"What do you think?" Tsuneo rolled up his sleeve, revealing his left arm.
On his well-defined forearm was a deep, dark bruise.
Conan frowned. It was rare to see Tsuneo injured.
"Pretty incredible, right? Took me out with one kick," Tsuneo said, leaning back lazily on the sofa.
"One kick?" Conan glanced at Dr. Agasa.
"Yup," the doctor confirmed.
He'd been a bit dazzled at the time, barely catching when the guy raised his leg. Tsuneo had reacted fast, blocking with his left arm, but the kick still sent him staggering back five or six steps. If not for the wall, he'd have hit the ground.
Then the tall, bespectacled guy had coolly said, "That's enough," and walked off.
"What a terrifying guy…" Tsuneo mused, gazing at the ceiling with a wry smile.
(End of Chapter)
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