Chapter 126 The Crow's Laughter

Step off the train.

What hits you is the lively atmosphere.

The basic color of a city can always be seen at a glance. Compared with Tokyo's implicitness and politeness, Osaka appears more straightforward and enthusiastic.

There is no superiority or inferiority, it can only be said that each has its own characteristics. However, due to historical reasons, the two cities are always fighting and despising each other.

But compared to the familiar places we are accustomed to, fresh culture and senses can always stimulate people to secrete dopamine.

Several children from the detective team seemed particularly excited. They lingered in the shops and stalls near the station, and soon they had a lot of things in their hands.

Conan rolled his eyes and followed behind.

He just wanted to get to the competition venue as soon as possible and discuss with Hattori how to intervene in the bacteria search.

But he couldn't say this reason in front of Xiaolan, so he could only follow everyone and fall into the rhythm of shopping.

"Look, Conan! Does it look good?"

A brown and yellow lion keychain suddenly dangled before my eyes.

Conan raised his head, looked at Xiaolan who was bending over to ask him, and said honestly: "It looks very ordinary. I remember... it seems to be sold at Tokyo Station. Why do you have to buy it here?"

“How can it be the same!”

Xiaolan pointed at the sign in the lion's hand and said, "The sign will only record the name of the place where the goods are sold. Each station sells unique goods!"

She was a little unhappy that she was not recognized, but she stood up and immediately paid the merchant enthusiastically: "Great! I have always wanted to collect them all!"

Conan had nothing to say about this.

After walking and stopping for a while, we finally left the vicinity of the station.

At this time, Jiang Shouhuang, who had nothing in his hands, became particularly conspicuous.

Yuan Tai asked curiously: "Huh? You didn't buy anything?"

"Ah."

The little fat man nodded: "I don't want anything."

Don’t you have enough money with you?

Xiaolan seemed to be thinking about something.

She took off the keychain, squatted down and handed it to him, smiling, "Xiao Huang, can I call you that? Today is the first time we meet, please take this as a greeting gift!"

The lion in the white palm looks silly and cute.

Jiang Shouhuang subconsciously wanted to refuse.

But in that gentle smile, for some reason, he stretched out his hand.

"Thank you." The little fat boy pursed his lips and said softly.

Xiaolan touched his head and smiled more gently: "As long as you like it."

Feeling someone gently caressing his palm, the little fat boy was in a trance for a moment, with mixed feelings in his heart.

"……Please wait for me!"

He suddenly shouted loudly, then turned around and ran back to the crowded street behind him.

After a while, Jiang Shouhuang came back panting.

He handed the clenched hand to Xiaolan, and when he opened it, he found an identical keychain that had not been opened yet.

“This is my return gift!”

Xiaolan was stunned, but immediately took it seriously: "Thank you, I will treasure it."

"......Hmm!" Jiang Shouhuang scratched his head unnaturally.

The warm wind blew by, seeming to freeze this moment in time.

But Yuan Tai next to him suddenly broke this natural state.

"That's great!" he said enviously, "I want Sister Xiaolan's gift, too!"

Mitsuhiko quickly pulled him and said, "This is a meeting gift, Yuantai. Didn't Sister Xiaolan give it to you?"

"It's ok."

Xiaolan waved her hands and smiled, "I'll buy you whatever you want."

"Long live Sister Xiaolan!" Yuantai cheered and ran back first: "I want to eat teppanyaki!"

Looking at everyone returning the same way, Conan sighed tiredly.

We walked around for a long time.

Conan looked at Jiang Shou who was unhappy and unmotivated and suggested: "If you really don't want anything, you can bring some gifts back to Mr. Jiang Shou."

The fat boy's body stiffened, and he said dryly: "No... no need, I... my dad doesn't like these things."

Conan frowned calmly.

Although Jiang Shouhuang reacted quickly, he still saw the anxiety and panic in the other party's eyes at that moment.

what happened?

Did the father and son have a fight?

Conan was slightly suspicious.

He recalled Jiang Morikazu's calm reaction when Ogura Junka died. Although his reasons were sound, it always gave people an awkward feeling, like the discordant notes in a piece of music, which was very unnatural.

Want to investigate?

He was thinking about it in his mind.

But at this moment, another pendant began to dangle in front of his eyes.

Conan raised his head helplessly.

"how about this?"

Xiaolan's cheeks were blushing with shyness. She glanced over and asked, "The boss said there are only two left... Do you want them, Shinichi?"

She said the last two words softly.

Conan noticed the crescent-shaped necklace hanging around Xiaolan's neck, then looked at the same one in her hand, and red steam suddenly emerged from his face.

He took it mechanically and said "hmm" in a voice quieter than a mosquito.

……

Finally, after a while of commotion.

Several people got in a taxi and drove to the venue where Hattori was competing.

About 20 minutes later, the car stopped at the destination.

Conan immediately noticed several police cars parked in a remote corner.

After some inquiries, I found out that during this period, Hattori Heiji solved a murder case.

Looking at the criminal being pushed into the police car, Conan became more and more depressed - if he hadn't wasted too much time at the station, he would still have had time to get a break.

"Yeah, you guys are here!"

Hattori, wearing a black kendo uniform and with a small scar under his right eye, walked out from the side, greeted them with a smile, and gave Conan a subtle provocative look.

Conan twitched his lips and pretended not to see it.

After leading them to the audience, Hattori suddenly grabbed Conan by the collar and said, "Just watch first. I'll take this kid to the toilet and be back soon."

Without giving others time to react, they quickly disappeared into the crowd.

After turning several turns, the number of people gradually decreased.

"Hey! Hattori!"

After arriving at a remote corner, Conan spoke first: "Do you know about the bacterial leak at the research institute?"

"Oh, of course I do!"

Hattori put him on the ground, squatted down and put his head close to his: "How is it? Can you get some information from the confused uncle?"

"what?"

Conan looked confused.

"Why?" Hattori asked in confusion, "Isn't Uncle Confused involved in the investigation? I clearly recommended him to Officer Otaki!"

"……and many more!"

Conan grabbed his hair and said, "Are you saying that it was you who recommended Officer Dalong to come to see Uncle Maori?"

"Yes!"

Hattori nodded, then stretched out his left cheek with a bit of frustration, pointed his finger and asked: "You should still be able to see, right?"

Conan stared at her carefully for a long time, and then tentatively asked uncertainly: "You mean... you got a tan because of sword practice?"

"Idiot! It's red and swollen! It's red and swollen!"

Hattori was very angry: "That day when I wanted to join the investigation, my old man slapped me hard. It still hurts now!"

He rubbed his face and said helplessly, "Besides, this old man kept a tight watch on me and didn't let me know any intelligence... I had no choice but to recommend Uncle Confused to Officer Otaki, thinking that if Uncle Confused was involved, you might be able to get specific information from him."

Conan was speechless.

Before he came, he was thinking about relying on Hattori's connections!

The two of them just stood there staring at each other.

After a moment, Hattori said in disbelief: "You didn't manage it?!"

"Of course not!"

Conan rolled his eyes: "You didn't tell me anything, how do I know what you are thinking?" Hattori was mad: "I thought you would be interested in this case and install a bug! Where are your weird props?"

“…I thought you would know the inside story of the case!”

The two looked at each other and cursed at the same time: "You bastard!"

##
The sun and the moon pass.

Amid the clanging sounds of the kendo competition, a hint of red clouds hung in the distant sky.

After a whole day, it's finally time to get off work and go home from school.

The trains in Tokyo are always crowded with all kinds of people at this time.

Adults leaned on their seats or held the handrails, driving away the fatigue of the day from their empty minds, while children were still laughing and playing energetically between the carriages, adding a touch of freshness to the lifeless world.

This scene happens every day and is very common.

But disaster!
In this ordinary time, it came silently...

No one noticed that in the gaps between the seats, several opened culture preservation tubes were dripping with liquid.

"Mom, what is this?"

Finally, a little child lay down and saw it, then reached out and picked it up.

The mother next to him scolded sternly: "Throw it away! Don't just pick things up from the ground!"

"……Oh."

The child responded with a grievance and threw the glass tube back to the ground.

As it rolled, more and more liquid spilled out.

The mother continued to scold her son.

Everything was a very ordinary scene, and others would just smile knowingly when they saw it.

suddenly……

It seems that the wind outside the window blew in the dust...

The sound of a sneeze was heard from far away in the tram.

The mother frowned and put on a mask for her child.

then……

I subconsciously scratched my itchy arm.

……

Under the gradually darkening sky.

A few crows flew towards the bright red sunset.

A faint "quack" sound could be heard between heaven and earth.

only……

That was the laughter of crows after all.

Or maybe.

Is it a mourning for impending death?
##
"Delicious! This hot pot is delicious!"

At the dining table of Hattori's house, Genta was stuffing food into his mouth frantically, and he didn't slow down even though he was screaming in pain from the heat.

Mitsuhiko sat upright, his hands frantically pulling at Yuanta's clothes under the table, and whispered to him, "Don't do that! Pay attention to your image, Yuanta!"

But Yuantai was so absorbed in the food that he didn't react at all.

"It's okay, everyone, relax a little, the Hattori family doesn't have so many rules."

Hattori Heiji's mother, Hattori Shizuka, was wearing a kimono, waving a fan in her hand and speaking with a smile.

Because the case of the red Siamese cat has not been concluded yet and Hattori Heizo is still in the police station, she is the only one who entertains Conan and others.

Since the hostess didn't mind, everyone naturally didn't need to be polite, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed.

"By the way, Hattori."

Hattori Shizuka suddenly asked, "Didn't you say you would represent Kaikata High School? Why haven't I seen you?"

"Ah...this..."

Hattori Heiji was speechless.

But before he could think of a good reason, He Ye beside him had already complained bluntly: "Because of a certain irresponsible general who abandoned the game to catch the murderer, Kaikata High School was eliminated in the first few rounds!"

"Such a nagging!" Hattori muttered softly.

Hattori Shizuka frowned and said seriously: "Since it is your fault, then remember to apologize to the other members of the Kendo Club who lost the game because of you!"

Hattori Heiji nodded: "...I know, I would do it even if you don't tell me!"

The atmosphere was a little heavy for a moment, but thanks to Yuantai's enthusiastic eating, it soon became lively again.

the next day.

As soon as the sun shone on the earth, Hattori couldn't wait to wake everyone up.

"So early...what are you doing?" Conan yawned loudly.

Hattori seemed very energetic: "Time is tight. There are many fun places in Osaka. Of course I have to hurry up and show you around!"

Conan was too tired to complain.

Soon, the children gathered together listlessly, and then were led by Hattori to set off.

The circular Osaka Castle Hall, the bustling Osaka business district, the most famous landmark in Osaka, the News Bureau, the symbol of Osaka, Osaka Castle...

In just one morning, I visited all these places.

"Ah! I can't walk anymore!"

Yuantai sat down on the ground and gasped heavily. He had never thought that the tour would be so tiring!
"This is just the beginning, kid!"

Hattori leaned over his waist and said loudly, "We haven't been to the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters right in front of Osaka Castle yet! We haven't visited the new building that is almost completed yet."

"forgive me!"

Yuan Tai's face turned pale when he heard this: "I really don't have the strength anymore!"

"Really? You're a boy. If you're not in good health, you need to exercise more!"

Hattori pulled him up with all his strength.

He Ye hurriedly stopped him and said, "Okay, don't force him anymore. How about we take a rest here?"

"Agree!"

Yuan Tai raised his hands.

Several people stood in the castle tower, leaning on the railings and admiring the scenery.

During the trip, we also met a tour group that was obsessed with role-playing.

There are five people in the tour group. After breakfast every morning, they draw lots to decide the roles they will play.

Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Meiji Mitsuhide, and Nene, a total of five characters.

The two parties met by chance and just had a brief conversation before parting ways.

The day passed quickly as we visited and had fun.

In the evening, there was a rumbling sound in the sky. After a few thunders, the rain began to pour down.

"Oops! I only brought one umbrella!"

Xiaolan took out a black umbrella from her bag and looked at the people around her with embarrassment.

Jiang Shouhuang took off the backpack behind him: "It's okay, I have one here too."

His bag was packed by Su Beixun when he went out in the morning. It contained not only everything, but also a lot of medical supplies.

Bang~ sound.

Umbrella open.

There was an extra shield over everyone's heads in an instant.

Thankfully, this umbrella is the oversized type!
“That’s really helpful!”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Several people huddled under the only two umbrellas, waiting for the taxi to arrive.

Sudden.

When he turned his head, Hattori saw the tour group he had met during the day. They were in a panic and no one knew what they were talking about.

Hattori walked forward holding Xiaolan's umbrella and asked, "Did something happen?"

"Ah, yes... the Toyotomi Hideyoshi we mentioned, where did he go?"

The young man with small eyes spoke.

The old man with the Mediterranean look followed suit: "We have searched the entire Osaka Castle, even the toilets, but we couldn't find him."

Missing?
Hattori frowned and was about to say something...

But suddenly there was a loud "boom"!
Right on the eaves of the castle tower, a blue-white light suddenly expanded.

Then, a scream was heard!
Everyone looked up.

I saw a long-haired young man with fire all over his body rolling down from the roof!

(End of this chapter)