Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

The streets of Kyoto appear particularly enchanting under the neon lights.

A black van slowly pulled up in front of the opera house, and a red carpet stretched from the van door to the opera house entrance, with reporters holding long lenses and microphones standing on both sides.

The car door slid open, and Inspector Ayanokoji was the first to emerge.

His face was filled with a look of great alarm, his eyes scanning both sides.

Although he was surrounded by reporters with their long lenses and microphones, he always felt that there were some unseen real guns and cannons lurking in the shadows.

"Mr. Shoichi, please." Ayanokouji lowered his voice, his hand unconsciously resting on the pistol at his waist.

Masakazu looked at Ayanokouji and said, "You don't need to be so nervous."

The crowd ushered them into the magnificent hall.

Before they could even stand properly, the princess came to greet them, accompanied by her attendants.

She wore a silver-white evening gown today, with the skirt adorned with tiny diamonds that sparkled under the lights.

"Welcome, welcome." The princess's smile was exceptionally sincere. "It is truly an honor for the theater that Mr. Zhengyi could grace us with his presence."

"Your Highness is too kind." Zheng Yi bowed slightly. "Your singing is priceless in the capital. It is my honor to be able to appreciate it."

"Welcome, welcome, Miss Koyo."

The princess turned her head and shared some of her elegant and graceful smile with Hongye.

The princess gently took Hongye's hand and patted the back of her hand. "How is your grandfather's health? I caught a glimpse of him at the banquet in the palace the other day, and he seemed to be in good spirits and still as dashing as ever."

Hongye straightened her back and bowed politely, adopting the demeanor of a well-bred young lady: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My grandfather is in very good health."

"That's good," the princess said with a smile.

In the corner, Conan was yawning and rubbing his eyes.

After exchanging pleasantries, the princess gracefully gestured for them to enter, leading them through the long corridor to the VIP room.

Inspector Ayanokoji stood close behind Shoichi, vigilantly scrutinizing every passing waiter to see if Shoichi had given any orders to anyone before carrying out a terrible mission.

Ayanokouji's gaze swept over the princess and her attendants, and he suddenly realized that someone was missing.

Where is the prince?
Could it be that Zheng Yi has disposed of the body without anyone noticing, and the body is now lying in some abandoned warehouse?
"Where is His Highness?" Ayanokouji lowered his voice and leaned close to the attendant, his tone filled with unease.

The attendant handed over a note that had just come out of the fax machine, his face expressionless: "His Highness is unwell and will not be coming tonight. This was sent five minutes ago; he asked me to convey his apologies and wish everyone a pleasant viewing experience."

Ayanokouji took the fax and frowned even more as he looked at the cold, printed text.

Feeling unwell? That's such an old-fashioned excuse.

"Inspector Ayanokoji, don't be so tense."

Zheng Yi approached him at some point, smiling as he patted him on the shoulder.

Zheng Yi leaned close to his ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Maybe... he's scared?"

Ayanokouji was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Are you scared?"

“Yeah.” Zheng Yi shrugged.

Ayanokouji's lips twitched. During the day at the Sen-oku, the prince had acted very guilty and afraid, as if he was worried about what Seiichi might do to him.

He probably felt it was too dangerous to stay with Zheng Yi, fearing he might be 'killed' by Zheng Yi at any moment. So he simply stayed at home, hoping for peace.

That makes sense.

Moreover, Zheng Yi was under constant surveillance by cameras and recording equipment all day long, with someone guarding the door even when he went to the toilet, so there was no chance for him to make a move.

Unless he can command others to kill someone with his mind from dozens of kilometers away.

"Maybe... I'm just overthinking it," Ayanokouji muttered to himself, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Zheng Yi and the others, the princess, surrounded by her maids, turned and went backstage to change into her performance costume.

Everyone took their seats.

The stage lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the center of the stage.

Dressed in a magnificent performance costume, the princess, like a proud black swan, stood under the spotlight and sang the famous aria.

The singing was melodious and plaintive, as if it were telling a story of some unknown sorrow and despair.

Shiho sat in the velvet chair, picking at her ear listlessly.

Her gaze did not linger on the radiant woman on the stage, but instead occasionally glanced at Zheng Yi beside her.

Zheng Yi sat there upright, his eyes slightly closed, his head bobbing up and down in rhythm with the music.

"Hmm? So he was just dozing off." Shiho's doubts gradually dissipated, and she even felt like laughing.

She said that Zheng Yi could never appreciate such high art; he was just pretending to catch up on sleep.

Sitting on the other side, Momiji wasn't idle either; she secretly observed Shiho.

Hmph, instead of enjoying the opera at the theater, she keeps staring at Zheng Yi. This woman is definitely plotting something against Zheng Yi!

Shiho suddenly turned her head, and Koyo, who was engrossed in watching, unexpectedly came into Shiho's line of sight.

In that instant, Hongye's eyes blinked rapidly from side to side.

But she was, after all, a young lady from a prominent family, and with a strong mental fortitude, she quickly adjusted her expression, turned her head nonchalantly, and cast her gaze toward the princess who was taking her final bow on stage. She even clapped twice in cooperation.

Shiho did not immediately look away.

She squinted, her gaze lingering on Hongye's stiff profile.

She watched as Hongye's face grew redder and redder, and her clapping movements became increasingly stiff.

Only after seeing that Hongye's body had completely stiffened did he smile and shift his gaze.

Hongye clapped stiffly, and after what seemed like an eternity, she secretly glanced at Shiho and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Shiho wasn't staring at her.

Conan, however, couldn't sit still in his seat and kept scanning the entire audience.

"yawn--"

An uncontrollable yawn sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet theater.

Dr. Agasa quickly covered his mouth, his round cheeks turning slightly red with embarrassment.

He pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and secretly glanced around. Only when he found that no one was paying attention to them did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Sitting next to him, Conan turned his head helplessly, lowered his voice, and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear:

"Doctor, weren't you so happy when you got the tickets? You even said it was a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Princess. Why are you dozing off now?"

Professor Agasa rubbed his sore eyes and complained in a low voice, "That's true... but Conan, I really know nothing about high art like opera."

He pointed to the princess on stage, who was singing passionately with her eyes closed, and said with a bitter expression, "I'm just curious to see what that usually aloof princess is like on stage."

Who knew that this one scene would last almost an hour, and the plot wouldn't progress at all. Everyone just stood there singing "Ah—ah—" nonstop, it gave me a headache.

Conan couldn't help but chuckle, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Professor Agasa sighed and his body slid down uncontrollably.

"I thought this kind of event would inspire my artistic side, but... it was more like a lullaby. If I had known it would be this long, I should have had two strong cups of coffee before leaving home." The entire opera lasted two hours.

For Ayanokouji, those two hours felt like an eternity.

At first, he forced his eyelids open and cautiously looked around.

But as time went by, the melodious singing seemed to turn into a lullaby.

"It seems that tonight really is just a simple cultural event." Ayanokouji leaned back in his chair, his eyelids growing heavier. "Shoichi, although he's rather arrogant, wouldn't go so far as to kill someone from the Imperial Family. It seems that all my previous worries were unnecessary."

Two hours later, the curtain fell, and the audience stood up and applauded thunderously.

Zhengyi also stood up and clapped politely.

“The princess’s performance was absolutely brilliant.” Zheng Yi turned to the attendant beside him and said, “Please give her my congratulations.”

"Thank you for your praise, Mr. Zhengyi." The attendant bowed slightly, his expression respectful. "Although His Highness the Prince is not here, he would certainly be pleased to hear your evaluation."

"My pleasure."

After the performance, and a brief exchange of pleasantries with the princess, the group left the theater, got into the black van, and drove towards their residence.

The night was darker.

Inside the train carriage, Conan shook Professor Agasa's arm beside him and said with disdain, "Professor, wake up, don't fall asleep on the train, you'll catch a cold."

"Uh, okay." Professor Agasa suddenly woke up, took off his glasses, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well... I have absolutely no interest in opera. I watched it for two whole hours and almost fell asleep."

"Doctor." Conan sighed and rubbed his forehead. Honestly, he has absolutely no artistic talent.

At that moment, Shiho, sitting opposite him, reached out and poked Shoichi's arm with her finger. Shoichi didn't react at all, remaining leaning back in his chair, his breathing steady.

Shiho rolled her eyes and said, "The professor is much better than Shoichi. Shoichi has been asleep for a long time, sleeping like a log."

"Haha." Professor Agasa chuckled twice, looking at Shoichi's completely unguarded expression, and remarked, "Looks like I'm not the only one who's feeling bored."

Inspector Ayanokouji, sitting in the passenger seat, finally relaxed his tense back and leaned back against the seat.

He took off his hat, let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

The driver sitting next to him stretched his aching shoulders and said in a relaxed tone, "Yes, thankfully nothing happened tonight. After taking him home, our job will be successfully completed."

Ayanokouji nodded, her tone carrying a hint of relief: "That's right. I think tonight should be the last night."

He raised his voice so that Zheng Yi behind him could hear: "Once we safely take Mr. Zheng Yi back to his residence, our 24-hour close protection mission can be terminated."

Ayanokouji leaned back in her chair, secretly calculating: as long as Seiichi went home and stopped having contact with the prince, their mission would be complete.

As for what will happen next...

Even if His Highness the Prince were to suddenly die, that would be a headache for other departments, not for us.

We have done our best, monitoring the entire process and staying by your side at all times.

Zheng Yi had no chance to make a move. Even if he had extraordinary abilities, he couldn't kill someone from a distance.

With this in mind, Ayanokouji completely relaxed.

He even felt a bit sleepy; the tension of the night had drained him of too much energy.

"Drive faster," Ayanokouji said to the driver. "The sooner we finish the deliveries, the sooner we can call it a day."

The driver responded and pressed the accelerator slightly harder.

The people in the back seat also heard Inspector Ayanokoji's words.

Hongye breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's finally over. Otherwise, I wouldn't even dare to speak."

She looked at the recorder on Zheng Yi's body.

I wonder how many people will study what she said to Zheng Yi. Just thinking about it makes me feel very awkward.

"Don't worry, the prince is fine, so not many people are investigating what you said," Zheng Yi said.

"you're awake?"

"You woke me up." Zheng Yi stretched.

He called out to the front, "Officer Ayanokouji, may I take these things off?"

“Of course,” Ayanokouji said.

He just reported to the police department leadership via email about tonight's events, and they have agreed to withdraw Zheng Yi's protection.

Only after receiving permission did Zheng Yi remove the items from his body.

However, just as the car was almost home, Ayanokoji's cell phone suddenly rang.

The shrill ringing of the bell sounded particularly jarring in the quiet carriage.

Ayanokouji answered the phone, but before she could speak, a hurried and terrified voice came through the receiver:

"Inspector Ayanokoji! Something terrible has happened! Prince Takeda... His Highness... He... He was murdered at home!"

"what?!"

Ayanokoji almost dropped her phone.

"What happened?" Conan asked curiously.

After hearing his superior's instructions, Ayanokouji, feeling weak in the knees, put away his phone and answered Conan's question: "Prince Takeda was murdered in his own home."

"What!?"

Shiho and Momiji both looked at Shoichi.

Zheng glared at both of them.

I can't take the blame for this, don't get me into trouble.

Hongye casually looked away, but the small hand twisting the hem of her clothes was enough to prove her unease.

Shiho then turned her gaze to Conan.

Sure enough, Conan is still Conan; his aura doesn't diminish just because he's a prince.

After processing this devastating news, Ayanokouji said to Shoichi, "Mr. Shoichi, you need to put those devices back on."

"The person is dead, why am I still wearing these things?" Zheng Yi muttered in dissatisfaction, but still put them on.

Then, Ayanokouji said, "Mr. Shoichi, we need to take you to the Prince's house for questioning."

"Sure," Zheng Yi said nonchalantly.

Inspector Ayanokoji turned to the driver and said, "Turn around and head to the Prince's residence."

"Yes!" (End of Chapter)