Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm dappled patterns on Hakuba Saguru's desk.

He was intently reading a foreign-language mystery novel.

Kaito Kuroba slid into the seat opposite him with a grin, his arm braced against the table.

Kaito: "Hey, Hakuba, can I borrow your math notes from yesterday?"

Hakuba Saguru's fingers never paused as he turned the pages, as if the other person were invisible.

He neither looked up nor showed any sign of being disturbed; he simply turned the page at a steady pace.

Kaito waited a moment, his smile unchanged, and leaned forward again.

"I gave you some very important information, and you're just going to ignore me like this??"

Hakuba Saguru's fingertips paused almost imperceptibly at the edge of the page before returning to normal.

He picked up the black tea beside him, took a small sip, and kept his eyes glued to the book.

A silent refusal is more powerful than any words.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the other person's unyielding attitude.

He simply closed the book that Hakuba Saguru was reading.

This distance has crossed normal social boundaries.

Hakuba Saguru finally responded.

He didn't look at Kaito, but instead frowned slightly, as if bothered by some annoying mosquito.

He closed the book, leaned back in his chair, and propped his forehead with one hand, cleverly avoiding Kaito's gaze.

He gently closed his eyes and let out a barely audible, weary sigh.

There was no anger in that sigh, only a sense of helplessness from being constantly tormented.

Kaito finally pouted, looking somewhat bored.

"...That's so boring. At least give me some reaction, okay?"

Hakuba Saguru pulled a piece of paper from the drawer, took out a pen and wrote "I can't speak" on it, then handed the note to Kaito.

"You can't speak? What does that mean?" Kaito looked at Hakuba Saguru in confusion.

Damage or compression of the nerves that control vocal cord movement can lead to vocal cord paralysis, preventing the vocal cords from vibrating and producing sound.

Kaito blinked.

"How is this going?"

The doctor said it's a specific neurotoxin.

[It is a toxin that can temporarily and selectively act on motor nerves.]

"So, you've been poisoned?" Kaito said.

But this poison is really strange; does it only make people mute?

Kaito asked with a curious look, "Who poisoned me?"

[Shoichi has a laboratory in Tokyo.]

Hakuba Saguru wrote down his guesses.

Kaito was taken aback.

So when Zheng Yi said "shut up," he really meant to shut up.

He thought that Zheng Yi would kill Bai Ma Saguru and then shut him up forever.

It seems that Master Zhengyi is still kind-hearted.

No wonder.

Today, all the provocations are like pebbles sinking into the sea, leaving no echo.

This feels awful.

It's like meticulously preparing a magic trick only to find the audience completely empty.

So you're saying you'll never recover?

Hakuba Saguru shook his head.

The doctor said the nerve damage wasn't serious and would fully recover in one or two months.

Kaito nodded.

Master Zhengyi is still too kind-hearted.

He only asked you to shut up for a month or two; he's such a good person.

After explaining, Hakuba Saguru pulled his novel from Kaito's hands and continued reading while leaning back in his chair.

Losing one's voice forces individuals to adjust their communication methods.

Hakuba Saguru temporarily loses the desire to communicate with others.

While reading, his fingertips unconsciously tapped the table, the rhythm losing its usual precision.

Hakuba Saguru's gaze fell on the pocket watch on the table, the ticking of the second hand amplified infinitely in the silence.

Hakuba Saguru took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Language is just one tool; the truth will not change because of silence.

He gently closed his pocket watch, locking away all the noise and resentment in silence.

"Looks like you should learn sign language," Kaito said rudely.

Hakuba glanced at Kaito.

His calm and unfazed gaze made Kaito lose interest in teasing him.

He suggested to Hakuba Saguru, "Why don't you go ask Akako? Maybe she can help you recover sooner."

Hakuba Saguru shook his head.

Write down on the paper: "[Hongzi also works in Zhengyi's laboratory]".

Kaito blinked.

Well, you're pathetic.

After pitying Hakuba Saguru, Kaito turned around with a strange expression and began to flatter Akako.

Hakuba Saguru puts down his mystery novel.

He turned his head and glanced at Nakamori Aoko, who was furiously poking at her notebook with a pencil, and a cold smile crept onto his lips.

What's so good about being a lackey of the Zhengyi sect?
Hakuba Saguru leaned back slightly, allowing Nakamori Aoko to get a better look at Kaito's expression.

Then he picked up a novel and buried his face in the book.

Kaito Kuroba!

"Huh? Aoko?"

"Come here for a second, I need to talk to you!"

Aoko grabbed Kaito by the collar without any regard for reason and dragged him out of the classroom.

……

Selling a TV station in Japan.

The police arrived at the scene quickly.

Inspector Megure frowned as he glanced at the two dead bodies.

"Who are these two people?" Inspector Megure asked.

"One is our program's host, and the other is our invited guest, Mr. Nakagawa," the director said as he walked over.

The director then explained the details of the incident to Inspector Megure.

Officer Megure nodded.

He subconsciously looked around but didn't see a single detective.

Inspector Megure rubbed his hands together.

Although there's no detective, there's also no Zheng Yi.

This is a good thing.

"Chōmō, examine the body," Inspector Megure said.

"Yes."

Inspector Megure gave Nagamune a deep look.

Since Zheng Yi isn't here, can you at least tell the truth?
Inspector Megure then said to Takagi, "Takagi, go check the equipment and see if anyone has tampered with it."

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Takagi led several officers to inspect the equipment.

"Sato, go ask the witnesses and see if they have any clues."

"Yes!"

After giving his instructions, Inspector Megure also began to observe the scene.

He asked the director, "What did Ms. Sakata and Mr. Nakagawa do before they were murdered?"

"We've had a few rehearsals," the director said. "Everyone rehearsed together, which is normal."

Inspector Megure frowned.

He continued, "Is there anything else you've done?"

"Um, there is one." The director nodded.

The director said to Inspector Megure, "Before we started recording, Mr. Nakagawa borrowed a computer and transferred a file."

Meanwhile, Princess Sakata had a private conversation with Mr. Nakagawa for a while, and no one else knew what they were doing.

Inspector Megure raised an eyebrow.

Doesn't this provide a clue?
He said to the director, "Come on, take me to that computer."

"Yes."

The director nodded and led Inspector Megure to the computer. (End of Chapter)