BWDC:SDDK Chapter 64: Today's Second Public Security Mission
The second half of the TWO-MIX concert commenced as scheduled.
This time, Ren Ichimonji did not continue sitting in the staff-reserved section. Instead, he entered normally and sat in the same row as Suzuki Sonoko. Mouri Ran, who had originally been sitting diagonally in front of Sonoko, had moved to a different seat.
The members of the Junior Detective League were also present.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Mouri Ran had simply moved to the staff-reserved area to sit with Conan and the others. Although the position was slightly out of the way, the view was not much worse than her previous seat—in fact, it was arguably superior. For Ran, whose goal was simply to enjoy the performance, it was quite a satisfying spot.
"I say... Ren, how exactly did you manage to deal with those kidnappers so easily?"
Sitting in the seat next to Ren Ichimonji, Suzuki Sonoko asked with curiosity. During the break, she had heard Minami Takayama and the others mention how Ren had handled the kidnappers near the abandoned warehouse and rescued them.
However, she still had no idea how he had actually done it. The opponents were two habitual criminals who frequently committed crimes and were armed with firearms. How did Ren manage to take them down single-handedly without a scratch while saving the hostages?
"Is there some special trick to it?"
Facing Sonoko's question, Ren remained silent for a moment. Then, with a serious expression, he gave his answer:
"Because... I'm Batman!"
Sonoko: "?"
In reality, because Ren's own physical fitness and combat skills were limited, he had utilized quite a few gadgets to resolve the situation quickly and safely.
First, there were smoke bombs, then voice-recording balls, adhesive shockers, and a tranquilizer gun. After dealing with Miyahara Satoshi, he used a grappling hook gun to move rapidly and avoid the other kidnapper's line of sight. He even used the current-amplifying gloves created by Professor Agasa—the same model as Conan's power-enhancing sneakers.
Where strength and skill fell short, gadgets were needed to bridge the gap.
Ren pondered whether he should use his points to exchange for skill enhancements. This single security mission had granted him a whopping 150 points. Adding the 35 points he had left from before, he now had a total of 185 points. Exchanging for a Basic Combat Mastery skill would still leave him with 85 points.
However, he could exchange for skills at any time. Perhaps it wouldn't be too late to wait until a specific need arose?
"Um... that..."
Sonoko listened to the singing of TWO-MIX and stayed quiet for a while. However, her heart wasn't on the music at all. Her face turned slightly red as she asked:
"What you said to me earlier at the Teito Bank... was it true?"
"If it is... I wouldn't mind trying to date you for a while..."
Is that so?
Ren was momentarily stunned. He had assumed the mission was completed because Sonoko thought he was Kaito Kid and had temporarily given up on finding someone else to date. Now it seemed that wasn't the only reason.
Just like his answer when Conan had asked him earlier, Ren smiled and replied:
"It would be my honor, Miss Suzuki."
This time, the concert concluded smoothly without any further incidents, exactly as planned. After listening to a free concert and experiencing a violent incident firsthand, the members of the Junior Detective League felt the trip was well worth it and happily moved toward the exit of the Nippon Budokan.
Leading the children, Mouri Ran sighed and ruffled Conan's hair. How should she put it? Although they were all Conan's classmates and friends, Conan clearly felt much more reliable and less worrisome.
But then again... a group like the Junior Detective League is what normal elementary schoolers should be like, right? Conan feels so smart that he almost doesn't seem like a first-grader at all.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Ran's gaze gradually became suspicious. Immediately, Conan's instincts as a master detective screamed at him. He looked up and instantly noticed Ran's doubting eyes.
Conan: "?"
No way, starting again? It's been less than two weeks since I cleared the suspicion of being Kudo Shinichi. Is this starting up already? Is my acting as a kid... not convincing enough?
Conan's eyes darted quickly around the interior of the Budokan. Soon, he locked onto Suzuki Sonoko and Ren Ichimonji. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
Those two actually hit it off?
No, that wasn't the point. The point was that this could be used to divert Ran's attention! Conan immediately pointed toward the pair and played dumb:
"Ran-neechan, look! Ren-niichan and Sonoko-neechan are walking together!"
Hearing this, Mouri Ran followed the direction of Conan's finger. When she saw Sonoko and Ren clearly walking together, her face flushed. She quickly pressed Conan's hand down and whispered:
"I see it. Don't be so loud."
"Otherwise, your Sonoko-neechan will be very embarrassed."
As Sonoko's best friend, Ran knew her personality well. She might seem bold and boisterous, but if she were suddenly pointed out by an acquaintance in a situation like this, she would likely turn into a "steam engine" from blushing and run away. It would be a disaster if it caused some sort of misunderstanding.
Ran picked up Conan and hurried outside like a gust of wind.
Ren Ichimonji, who was currently explaining some fine points of magic performance to Sonoko, glanced to the side. Although Ran was moving very fast, a magician who practiced magic for long periods and possessed extraordinary dynamic vision could tell at a glance that the girl who just passed by was Mouri Ran.
However, Ren only took a single look before shifting his focus back to his conversation with Sonoko.
"What does Kaito Kid actually look like?"
"He looks exactly like Kudo Shinichi. You should have seen his face by now," Ren said casually.
However, Sonoko didn't believe it at all. How could there be two people in the world who looked exactly the same? Unless they were biological brothers, it was impossible.
Still, she didn't argue with Ren. Her admiration for Kaito Kid simply diminished for some mysterious reason. The thought of Kaito Kid acting cool while wearing Kudo's face made her passion for the phantom thief feel completely extinguished. They were childhood friends; she was almost sick of looking at that face. How could she be interested in someone with the "Kudo face," even if he was a magician thief like Kaito Kid!
"Besides that..."
Ren's words came to an abrupt halt. He looked at the system screen in front of him with some surprise. At this moment, the familiar Public Security Mission page had emerged on the holographic interface.
[Detecting a violent incident nearby threatening the security of Gotham City!]
[As Batman, you have the duty to maintain Gotham's peace. Please proceed quickly to the incident location and apprehend the criminal before they flee, or stop the crime while it is in progress!]
[Difficulty: Low. Completion reward: 20 points!]
End of Chapter
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