Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

—For example, when I attacked Kuroba Touichi before, I obtained the B-level skill, Voice Changing.

And so on.

However, the reward offered by this gang leader was surprisingly "love from a steel pipe".

God-stomping steel pipe's love.

Longye looked at the thug leader lying on the ground, grabbed his collar, and shook him violently, saying, "Who gave you the guts? Do you even know who you're trying to kidnap? With this level of skill, you dare to try kidnapping others?"

"N-no, I don't know. We...we just took someone else's commission." The gang leader was clearly traumatized by Longye and dared not hide anything, answering Longye's question with a trembling voice.

Longye wanted to ask for clarification, but he found that a group of burly men wearing sunglasses and black suits had suddenly appeared beside him. They tied up all the thugs who had just fallen to the ground in pairs.

The sound of police cars could be heard from the street not far away.

One of the men walked up to Longye and exclaimed, "Little guy, you're amazing! You're a little monster!"

We'll handle the rest. Kid, are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?

After learning that Longye was alright, the man took out a phone from his pocket and respectfully reported, "Chairman, everyone has been captured."

"Yes, that little boy is alright too. He beat up all those thugs. The police will be here soon. Should we leave one of us behind...? Okay, I understand!"

After finishing his call, the man greeted Longye and then left with his men.

Chapter 12 First Encounter with the Suzuki Family (Part 2)

After listening to the man's conversation, Longye thought a lot.

These burly men in front of me are probably the private security team of Shiro Suzuki, the chairman of the Suzuki Group.

That's not a problem. The problem is that these people are appearing too quickly.

Judging by the time, Sonoko should have just arrived at the hotel at the latest. Even if Shiro Suzuki sent someone immediately, they would not have arrived so quickly.

This suggests that these people may have been nearby from the beginning, but they simply didn't notice them.

It seems that even without my intervention, Sonoko and the others will be safe and sound.

But... is all of this really a coincidence? The Suzuki Mansion clearly has its own team of chefs, but today they decided to dine at the Beika Hotel.

Sonoko and her sister are usually driven around by a driver, but today they were given a day off as a celebration.

Moreover, Ryūno absolutely refused to believe that Suzuki Shirō and Suzuki Tomoko, as the heads of the Suzuki Group, would so easily withdraw the security forces around their daughter.

If things go as expected, the Suzuki couple may have done it on purpose.

They might be fishing for the "fish" around them.

What a hassle...

Longye stopped thinking about it and opened his system inventory to check the skills he had just acquired.

He wanted to see what that seemingly unreliable skill was all about.

—【D: The Love of Steel Pipes: A steel pipe can be pulled out from a world full of steel pipes at any time.】

[Note: Only one steel pipe can exist at a time.]

"..."

After reading the skill descriptions, Longye didn't know where to begin his critique.

But thinking about it carefully, this skill isn't entirely useless... Maybe it can be quite useful in certain situations?

Well, since I'm already here, I might as well make the best of it. Longye decided to stop thinking about this skill.

However, Longye couldn't help but complain to the system, "To actually get such a skill, this luck is unbelievable."

[This has nothing to do with your luck; rewards are randomly distributed based on your opponent's ability.]

"Huh!? System, you can talk now?"

【…】

Longye was surprised that the system actually replied to him.

When did you start talking?

[Shortly after you complete ten tasks.]

"Then why didn't you say so sooner?!"

You didn't ask.

Forehead…

Just as Longye was about to continue his conversation with the system, an anxious voice came from not far away—

"Takeda-kun, how are you? Are you injured?"

Longye had no choice but to pull himself out of his thoughts and look at what was in front of him.

Ayako Suzuki ran up to him and began to examine his body.

Not long after, Sonoko ran back from a distance.

After discovering that Ryūno and her sister were both alright, Sonoko threw herself into her sister's arms and cried her heart out.

...

Mihua Hotel

In a quiet room

A slightly overweight man hung up the phone, his eyes filled with surprise.

After a while, he picked up the phone and dialed another number: "Hello, it's me. Help me investigate someone..."

After hanging up the phone, the man walked to the French windows, looked out, and seemed lost in thought.

The woman standing nearby spoke up at this moment: "Honey, what's wrong? Why are you investigating Sonoko's classmates?"

"That classmate from the garden took down those thugs before our people could even make a move."

Hearing the man's words, the woman's tone also held a hint of surprise: "What? That kid Sonoko always mentions? An elementary school student..."

"Yes, that's why I had someone investigate this impressive young man. Anyway, they should be here soon."

"We should also thank him properly, after all, he stepped forward to save our daughter."

After saying that, the man walked to the table, sat on the stool next to it, and looked at his wife with tender eyes.

...

Mihua Hotel lobby

Led by Sonoko, Tatsuno and his two companions headed toward the room that Suzuki had reserved.

What had just happened made Tatsuno somewhat curious about the Suzuki couple, who seemed harmless in the original story.

After all, the two were only supporting characters in the original work and were not described in much detail.

But often, the more harmless a creature appears on the surface, the sharper its hidden claws are.

Not to mention that these two are the actual controllers of top-tier conglomerates, their methods and wisdom... are definitely extraordinary.

Not long after, Longye met the two of them.

Both Shiro Suzuki and Tomoko Suzuki look very young.

The two greeted Longye with smiles, but Longye could sense that beneath their friendly exteriors lay a deep curiosity.

At the dinner table, the Suzuki couple first thanked Tatsuno for saving Sonoko and Ayako, and then kept asking Tatsuno what dishes he liked to eat, while also taking the opportunity to subtly ask him some random questions.

They talked about where they learned karate, what their dreams were, and so on.

After the meal, as everyone was preparing to say goodbye, Tomoko Suzuki specifically asked if he needed a ride home.

Longye finally managed to find an excuse to decline.

After saying goodbye to the Suzuki family, Tatsuno turned to look at the Beika Hotel and sighed.

Today, he originally wanted to enjoy the food alone, but so many unexpected things happened.

Just now at the dinner table, the Suzuki couple kept chatting with him about random things, which prevented him from having time to properly savor the dishes. Some of the delicious-looking food was swallowed whole by him.

Hmm! I'll come alone next time to really enjoy it.

……

Under the cover of the night sky, Longye found a secluded alley.

After confirming that no one was around, he summoned mechanical wings and instantly flew into the sky.

Since acquiring the mechanical wings, he uses them whenever he has the chance.

He was captivated by the feeling of flying freely.

After using it many times, he was able to adjust the flight speed and direction at will.

Protected by wings, even at altitudes of tens of thousands of meters, there will be no discomfort.

Recently, every night, Longye would put on his wings and fly around in the sky for a while, enjoying the freedom and speed.

The only regret is that he cannot use these wings openly; he can only use them at night or in secluded environments.

"System, can these wings be detected by radar or something?"

【Won't. 】

Upon hearing the system's answer, Longye stopped thinking about it and, looking at the twinkling lights of the city below, slowly flew home.

After returning home, Longye washed up and lay in bed, starting to plan for tomorrow.

"It's Saturday again. Tomorrow I'll teach Xiaolan first, then compete with the coach to rack up rewards. Perfect!"

...

Late night

Suzuki family study

After listening to his subordinate's report over the phone, Shiro Suzuki sighed deeply.

Suzuki Tomoko, who was standing nearby, asked curiously, "How did it go?"

"I've found out almost everything. That classmate of Sonoko's is truly an admirable young man! His parents passed away a year ago, and he's been living alone ever since. No wonder he seems so mature in his speech and actions..."