BWDC:SDDK Chapter 55 Ren Ichimonji: What's All This Chattering? I've Almost Settled It!
Tokyo Budokan.
A commotion erupted from behind the crowd of fans waiting for their tickets to be checked.
Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, who had just bought a bouquet at a nearby flower shop intending to present it to Minami Takayama after the concert, instinctively turned toward the noise. They saw several police cars parked there.
"I wonder what happened?" Suzuki Sonoko asked, puzzled.
Mouri Ran, standing beside her, was equally unable to provide an answer.
The two watched as Inspector Megure led the members of the Junior Detective League straight through the entrance and into the backstage area of the Budokan.
"What did you say? Miss Takayama and Mr. Nagano have both been kidnapped?"
"That's impossible! Weren't they just in the preparation room...?"
In the Tokyo Budokan central control room, the manager spoke with total disbelief. However, a nearby staff member whispered an update:
"No, sir... I just checked. They really don't seem to be in their room."
The manager froze.
There was less than an hour until the concert started. The audience was about to begin entering. And now, you're telling me the lead singers of the concert skipped out one after the other to enjoy themselves and ended up getting kidnapped?
Are you even conscious?
The manager's expression shifted instantly, looking as though he had suffered a great personal tragedy. He grabbed Inspector Megure's hand and pleaded tearfully:
"Inspector Megure, this concert has reached a point where it's impossible to cancel!"
"I beg of you, you must find Miss Takayama and Mr. Nagano!"
Inspector Megure fell silent, momentarily speechless. Your attitude just now wasn't like this at all. From arrogance to humility in seconds—it was almost laughable.
Fanning him off with a few perfunctory words, Inspector Megure shifted his focus back to the situation regarding the two members of TWO-MIX. He asked seriously:
"I suspect the culprits kidnapped Minami Takayama and Shiina Nagano for money. Have you received any ransom calls from the kidnappers yet?"
The staff members exchanged looks, completely in the dark.
However, just as Inspector Megure sighed and prepared to inspect the dressing rooms, the landline in the control room suddenly rang. Without a word, the Inspector snatched up the receiver.
On the other end, a voice that sounded roughly eighty percent like Mouri Kogoro's echoed:
"Minami Takayama, Shiina Nagano, and that little brat are all in my hands."
"Go ahead and call the police. I want to speak with them directly right now."
The kidnapper's tone was incredibly arrogant.
Inspector Megure glanced at the three members of the Junior Detective League who had followed him in and immediately replied:
"This is Inspector Juzo Megure of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division. What do you want for their release? Money? We can negotiate!"
Inspector Megure's voice was stern. However, the response from the other end was beyond his expectations.
"I don't want money. But, I have a bit of a fetish for certain objects."
"What I love most are girls' things—for instance, that original demo tape Minami Takayama took out at the restaurant."
"I want that. And, I want those three brats who were at the restaurant to deliver it personally."
The kidnapper's words made the Inspector's brow furrow. He retorted sharply without a second thought:
"Impossible! I absolutely will not agree to use children as bargaining chips! If that is your condition, I cannot accept!"
The kidnapper's voice turned cold.
"If that's the case, I'll kill the kid first, and then TWO-MIX can become ONE-MIX."
"Inspector Megure, you wouldn't want the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to face such a scandal in the news, would you?"
The atmosphere instantly became a deadlock. Inspector Megure refused to let children venture into danger, while the kidnapper insisted on the Junior Detective League bringing the tape. Neither side would budge.
At this critical moment, Genta from the Junior Detective League suddenly spoke up:
"It's okay! Leave it to us, the Junior Detective League!" Genta shouted bravely. "We will definitely bring Miss Takayama and the others back before the concert starts!"
Ayumi and Mitsuhiko shared the same sentiment, their small faces filled with resolve.
Seeing this, Inspector Megure was finally moved by the determination of the young detectives. He whispered back:
"Fine. We agree to your terms. Where do we meet you?"
Hearing this, the kidnapper laughed triumphantly. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just start with that?"
"First... go to the subway station. Take the train three stops ahead. As for the rest, I'll tell you when you get there!"
The call ended.
Inspector Megure clenched his fist, then slowly let go. He crouched down, placing his hands on Genta's shoulders, and said seriously:
"You must prioritize your safety. Tell us immediately if anything happens!"
"I'll put a transceiver in your backpacks in a moment, and our men will be following behind, understood?"
Genta replied earnestly, "I understand! Leave it to the Junior Detective League!"
The resolve of the children began to make the atmosphere quite sentimental. But just as the Inspector and the kids were sharing this emotional moment, the Inspector's phone rang.
He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and flipped it open. It was a call from Ren Ichimonji.
Inspector Megure pressed the answer button and said in a low voice:
"Sorry, Brother Ren, I'm currently handling a violent kidnapping case."
"If you're calling to report a crime, I can't come over right now. I'll transfer you to the Headquarters so they can notify other nearby officers to go to the scene."
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, Ren Ichimonji's voice came through:
"What's all this chattering? I've almost settled it!"
"What did you think I called you for? I've already found the location of Conan, Minami Takayama, and Shiina Nagano! Please come over right now to make the arrests—otherwise, these kidnappers might end up in a very miserable state!"
Inspector Megure: ?
Wait, what? You've already found the location of the kidnappers and the hostages?
Is this the efficiency of Batman?
Then what was I doing just now, engaging in a battle of wits with the kidnappers and getting all emotional with the Junior Detective League? Was I just acting for nothing? Also, why would the kidnappers be in a miserable state? What are you planning to do to them?
Inspector Megure hesitated for a second before replying, "Understood. I'll bring the team over."
The call ended.
Inspector Megure looked at Wataru Takagi next to him and gave orders without hesitation.
"Takagi, take some men and follow those children to the train. I'll take a team to the location Brother Ren mentioned."
"Takagi, the safety of those children is in your hands!"
He was playing both sides. Although Brother Ren was very capable, he wasn't yet as much of an authority on cases as young Kudo. Rather than putting all his eggs in one basket, the Inspector chose to believe only half. If anything went wrong, at least he had a backup plan!
Ren Ichimonji checked Conan's location on the tracker one last time.
He put the tracker back in his pocket, looked up at the abandoned warehouse in front of him, and frowned slightly. So far, he still didn't see where the "High Difficulty" aspect of this mission was supposed to manifest.
Regardless, he would deal with the kidnappers here first.
Flicking back a corner of his coat, the Batman belt on Ren's waist was revealed.
However, unlike a normal belt, Ren's belt looked quite special—it was about 1.5 times as thick as usual. In fact, it was the result of two belts being nested together.
He wasn't sure if the storage belt provided by the system would keep its special effects after being modified, so he had asked Professor Agasa to build a new interlocking belt. He filled it with gadgets developed by the Professor and mounted it directly on top of the original storage belt.
Now, it was time for Ren Ichimonji to test the combat effectiveness of this Batman utility belt!
End of Chapter
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