I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 747 Participating in the Game
Steam rose gently above the spacious open-air hot spring pool, filling the air with the faint scent of sulfur and the fresh aroma of herbs. After a pleasant day of activities, Shiraishi, Ran, and Sonoko felt completely relaxed soaking in the warm hot spring water.

The water rippled gently as Shiraishi leaned against the smooth rock wall of the pool, enjoying the tranquility. Gazing at the sparse stars in the night sky, he casually brought up a topic: "Speaking of which, have you ever heard of a game called 'Cocoon'?"

Xiaolan, who was next to her, buried half her face in the hot water and let out a comfortable sigh. Hearing this, she shook her head, her wet hair sticking to her cheeks, and her voice had the languidness unique to taking a bath: "'Cocoon'? Never heard of it... Is it a new game?"

"Ah! I know that!" Sonoko immediately perked up, excitedly slapping the water's surface, splashing a few drops. "This is a major investment project for our Suzuki Group! I heard it uses the latest virtual reality technology to create a fully immersive game, touted as a revolutionary product! The launch event was a huge success!"

As she spoke, she turned curiously to Shiraishi E, her eyes shining brightly in the steam of the hot spring: "Shiraishi, why are you suddenly asking about this? Are you interested in this game?"

Shiraishi smiled slightly amidst the misty steam and readily admitted, "Hearing you say that, it really sounds amazing. A groundbreaking virtual game... it sounds intriguing, and I'd like to see it for myself."

"Hehe, that's easy!" Upon hearing this, Sonoko immediately waved her hand generously, displaying the quintessential Suzuki Group heiress style. "They gave me an internal testing qualification. Anyway, I'm not really interested in these kinds of fighting or brain-teasing games, and I was just wondering what to do with them! If you want it, you can have mine!"

Shiraishi E knew perfectly well that Sonoko's words were neither politeness nor a lie. According to the "plot" he knew, she would have normally given up her spot to Ran because she wasn't interested. Her current straightforwardness was consistent with her usual personality.

So he didn't pretend to refuse and readily accepted, saying, "Since Miss Sonoko is so generous, then I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you."

"What's the point of just saying thank you?" Sonoko winked mischievously, deliberately drawing out her words with a playful provocation. "If you really want to thank me, you'll have to show it with some real actions!"

Seeing this, Shiraishi E stopped talking and directly expressed her gratitude with practical actions.

With a snap, a two of bamboo appeared on the glass wall.

Just as Xiaolan was enjoying herself, she soon became the next player to play the two of bamboo.

She couldn't understand why she was being dragged into this mess when it had nothing to do with her.

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After receiving confirmation from Vermouth, Shiraishi E did not delay, but went straight to the Kudo residence after school the next day.

After Conan invited the other person in, he asked curiously, "Shiraishi, what brings you here?"

Emi Shiraishi didn't beat around the bush. She sat down on the single sofa next to her and said bluntly, "Vermouth contacted me."

He paused, watching Conan's body tense up instantly, before slowly revealing the crucial information, "She said there's a way to open that USB drive."

"What?!" Conan jumped up from the sofa as soon as he sat down, rushed to Shiraishi E, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and urgency: "What plan? Tell me quickly!"

“She asked me to attend the launch event for a virtual game, ‘Cocoon,’” Emi Shiraishi said succinctly.

“'Cocoon'?” Conan immediately pulled out his phone and quickly swiped his fingers across the screen to search.

A moment later, a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. "The Mihana City Hall, this weekend! Okay! I'll definitely go!"

However, when he saw the small print below stating "Limited to fifty specially invited guests for the trial," his brows immediately furrowed, and his tone became serious: "Only fifty spots... these internal testing qualifications are probably not easy to obtain."

"Really?" Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E laughed heartily.

He slowly pulled a finely designed, metallic badge from his jacket pocket and proudly waved it in front of Conan. "You mean this?"

The badge reflected a dazzling light in the setting sun, and the clear "Cocoon" logo on it made Conan's eyes widen.

He practically pounced on her, asking incredulously, "How...how did you get that?! And in just one day!"

“It was Sonoko who gave it to me.” Shiraishi E put away the badge, her tone as casual as if she were saying that the weather was nice today. “The Suzuki Group also invested in this project, so it’s not difficult for her, as the young lady of the family, to get a spot.”

Seeing Shiraishi E's relaxed expression, Conan felt a surge of intense envy and jealousy. He grabbed Shiraishi E's arm: "Then hurry up! Get Sonoko to make me another one! Please!"

However, Shiraishi E shook her head, a mysterious smile on her face: "No need."

Seeing Conan's puzzled look, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret: "Why don't you just ask your dad to get one for you?"

"My dad?" Conan was stunned, his face full of surprise. "Yusaku Kudo? He... can he get his hands on him?"

Shiraishi patted Conan on the shoulder, her tone confident, carrying a sense of "you know nothing about your dad's power": "Trust your dad's influence! This little thing is probably just a phone call away for him." As she spoke, she stood up from the sofa and straightened her clothes. "Alright, the message has been delivered, and the method has been explained to you. Well then, see you again at the game launch event."

After saying that, he waved his hand casually and turned to leave the house without waiting for Conan to say anything more.

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Inside the Mihana Municipal Building, the launch event for the game "Cocoon" was a dazzling spectacle.

As Shiraishi E and Conan entered the venue with the crowd, he looked around and noticed that Conan's surroundings were unusually "quiet," which made him raise an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Shiraishi asked Conan, "Why is it so quiet today? Where are Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko? How could they miss such a lively occasion?"

Conan adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses sharp and calm. He shook his head, his tone resolute and unwavering: "How could I possibly bring them into danger or even... cause trouble for something so important and with such an unclear situation?"

He deliberately emphasized the last two words, clearly aware of how much trouble the Junior Detective League's boundless curiosity could sometimes cause.

"Ah, this..." Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E scratched her head subconsciously, a thought rising in her mind: This plot progression is different from what I remember in anime.

For this very reason, Conan simply didn't let those three clowns come over.

He secretly pondered that without Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko, the difficulty of clearing the game would probably increase dramatically if Conan were to fight alone.

However, this thought only passed by for a moment.

Shiraishi E thought for a moment and realized that with her around, Conan's ability to complete the game seemed to be pretty much guaranteed; she could just complete it herself!
As the two men stood at the edge of the somewhat noisy venue, each lost in their own thoughts, observing their surroundings, an elegant figure carrying champagne gracefully walked through the crowd and approached them.

It was Vermouth. She wore a form-fitting black evening gown, her makeup was exquisite, and her temperament was outstanding, both clashing with and strangely blending into the surrounding technological atmosphere.

"Good evening, two handsome young gentlemen." She smiled slightly, raised her glass in greeting, and glanced at Shiraishi E and Conan.

Conan instantly went on high alert, his small body tensing, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He impatiently lowered his voice and demanded, "Vermouth!! What exactly is your purpose in having us attend this press conference?"

“Hehe…” Vermouth let out a pleasant chuckle, showing no displeasure at his hostility.

She reached out her silk-gloved hand and gently pinched Conan's tense cheek, the gesture intimate yet undeniably assertive. "Don't look at me like that, Cool Guy. Relax. In a way, I'm working for your father right now."

"Working for...working for my dad?" These words were like a thunderbolt, instantly stunning Conan. His wariness was replaced by immense astonishment and embarrassment, and his tone became somewhat unnatural. "Is...is that so? I...I didn't know about this."

Vermouth straightened up, swirling the champagne glass in her hand, her eyes ambiguous, her tone even more inscrutable: "Our 'cooperative relationship'... is very secretive, so secret that even your mother doesn't know about it."

Conan's expression immediately became incredibly complicated. He opened his mouth, his brows furrowed, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle, wanting to press for answers but also feeling that it was inappropriate to continue.

Seeing that Vermouth's "teasing" of Conan was about to affect the serious matter, Shiraishi E interjected at the right time, bringing the topic back on track: "So, what should I do? Just go over there and line up to try out that game, right?"

Vermouth gave Shiraishi E an approving look, then nodded with a light laugh: "That's right, the process is simple. However..."

She changed the subject, took out an extremely small object from her handbag that looked like a high-end contact lens case, and elegantly handed it to Shiraishi E. "You need to wear these specially made contact lenses."

She lowered her voice: "What we need is encapsulated here. Once you enter the game, the AI ​​called 'Noah's Ark' will likely detect the anomaly and give you special 'attention'."

Her eyes held encouragement mixed with a hint of seriousness: "When the time comes, your task will be to hold on the longest."

Shiraishi E took the box, held it in his hand, his expression unchanged, and nodded calmly: "Understood, no problem!"

Conan, who had just recovered from his shock, immediately asked, "What about me? Aren't I entitled to any of this?"

Hearing this, Vermouth laughed again, as if amused by his eagerness. She took out another identical small box and handed it to Conan: "Of course, boy. I always treat you all the same. Have... fun playing the game."

After speaking, she raised her glass to the two of them, leaving a meaningful smile, and just as she had appeared, she turned gracefully and blended into the crowd of people amidst the interplay of light and shadow, as if she had never been there at all.

(End of this chapter)