A quiet riverside.
"What's there to talk about?" Tsuneo pulled a small note from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it to Tooru Amuro.
The note held a time and place—slipped to him earlier in that bullet-riddled warehouse.
Amuro caught it, tore it to shreds, and let the pieces drift into the river.
The words weren't handwritten, and the time and place were arbitrary. Disposing of it like this posed no issue.
"How do you know who I am?" Amuro asked, turning to Tsuneo.
It was a deadly serious question.
If his identity as a Public Security agent had truly leaked, the consequences didn't bear thinking about.
"Can I lie?" Tsuneo asked, scratching his head.
"No!" Amuro snapped, pressing a pistol against Tsuneo's waist.
"I've got my own intel network. I know you were a star at the police academy and that you've got a codename in that Organization. Put those together, and it's not hard to figure out who you are, right?" Tsuneo gently pushed the gun barrel aside.
Amuro fell silent, mulling it over. Past records could be erased, but people couldn't be wiped away so easily…
"Does anyone else know?" he asked.
"You're not planning to silence me, are you?" Tsuneo tilted his head, eyeing him.
He'd heard that line in movies plenty of times—right before the questioned guy gets beaten to a pulp and dumped in a river.
Wait, did this guy pick a riverside on purpose?
"No one else can know about this," Amuro said with a sigh, his tone a warning.
"Got it," Tsuneo nodded.
Amuro paused, then asked, "What do you know about her?"
"She's dead," Tsuneo replied bluntly.
"I know that." Amuro looked up at the night sky, a faint smile crossing his face as if picturing that doctor.
Tsuneo studied Amuro, nearly blending into the darkness.
If he hadn't thrown out Elena Miyano's name back then, things might not have gone so smoothly.
No one could say how deep that bond ran.
"So, what's your deal with Akemi Miyano?" Amuro asked, snapping out of his reverie, his gaze fixed on Tsuneo.
"She pays, I work. Simple as that," Tsuneo said, spreading his hands.
"Heh, how much did she pay you to take on Gin?" Amuro chuckled.
That excuse was too simple—laughably so.
If Tsuneo knew about the Organization, he wouldn't act just for money.
Besides, Akemi returned the ten billion yen to the police. How much could she even offer?
"Trade secret. No comment," Tsuneo said, crossing his arms, refusing to answer.
He had a duty to protect his biggest client's confidentiality.
More importantly, he'd just deposited a million yen in the bank two days ago. What if Amuro traced it?
Seeing Tsuneo turn to leave, Amuro called out, "If I need your help, how do I reach you?"
"You'll figure it out," Tsuneo said with a grin, vanishing into the night.
Amuro slipped his helmet back on and walked off in the opposite direction.
He wasn't sure if letting this Dark Knight go without digging deeper was the right call.
Recalling that bullet-ridden warehouse, Amuro let out a soft laugh. "For now, I'll trust you…"
…
In the hotel room arranged for the drama crew.
Yoko Okino asked curiously, "Ran, why did Mr. Tsuneo leave without saying goodbye?"
"No idea. Probably busy with work," Ran said, shaking her head.
"Mr. Tsuneo sure has it tough," Yoko sighed, propping her chin.
"Does he?" Ran thought about the repairman's usual demeanor, then smiled. "Tsuneo's probably just looking for stuff to keep himself busy."
"What do you mean?" Yoko asked, blinking her big eyes.
Did Mr. Tsuneo have some hidden side?
"I remember him saying that if he wanted, he could lie around all day and still make millions a month. Shinichi even nodded," Ran recalled.
"That's amazing!" Yoko gasped, wide-eyed.
Mr. Tsuneo must be some kind of financial genius!
Conan smirked, watching them speculate.
Heh, that guy could probably make money lying down, but the truth's a far cry from what they're imagining…
"Ran, wanna hit the convenience store?" Yoko suggested, suddenly craving snacks.
Ran glanced at the clock. "It's pretty late. If someone recognizes you…"
Sitting across from her was a superstar. Getting into trouble at night would be bad news.
"No worries! A quick hairstyle change and a cap, and no one'll spot me!" Yoko said with a playful wink, clearly practiced at this.
"Alright," Ran agreed.
"Let's change and go!"
The two girls slipped off to swap outfits, completely ignoring the kid by the window.
Conan's expression froze, his face flushing like it'd been doused with boiling water. He was about to overheat!!
…
The trio reached the convenience store, and with Yoko's disguise holding up—no one recognized her—Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
Conan munched on a popsicle as they walked, finally cooling off.
"See? Told you it'd be fine," Yoko said smugly.
"That clerk didn't even bat an eye," Ran said, nodding with a smile.
Chatting, they passed Beika Shrine.
"AHH!!!"
A piercing, high-pitched scream tore through the shrine.
"What's going on?" Before Ran and Yoko could react, Conan tossed his popsicle and sprinted up the steps.
"Miss Myoko!"
Conan reached the shrine and saw the bride-to-be, Myoko Dougaki, sitting on the ground, her face pale with terror. She was frantically shaking her fiancé, Mr. Shimazaki, trying to rouse him.
The couple showed no visible injuries, and there was no blood on the ground. Conan let out a breath, but then he spotted a knife beside Myoko.
"What happened?"
Ran and Yoko caught up, their faces full of questions.
"Please, call an ambulance!" Myoko pleaded, her voice frantic.
"H-Help… me…" A weak, stuttering plea came from the darkness nearby.
Conan rushed over and found a man coughing up blood, lying a dozen meters away.
"Mr. Anzai?!"
Wasn't this the camera assistant who'd kneed him and Tsuneo earlier?
No way…
"Ugh…" Anzai Morio tried to speak but slumped, unconscious.
Did Tsuneo really beat this guy to a bloody pulp over half a sandwich?!
…
Ten minutes later.
Police and ambulances arrived.
Shimazaki was fine, just knocked out, and woke up quickly.
Anzai, however, was badly injured and rushed to the hospital.
"Can you tell us exactly what happened?"
"And what's with this knife?" Officer Megure asked, holding up an evidence bag, his expression stern as he questioned Myoko Dougaki.
"Well, Anzai's been blackmailing me. This knife…" Myoko trailed off, falling silent.
"Blackmail?"
Conan suddenly understood why Anzai had been beaten to a bloody mess…
Myoko paused, then recounted the night's events.
(End of Chapter)
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