Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

"I'm very sorry! To be honest, I'm here to observe you."

“Heiji has been coming here a lot lately, and every time he comes back he’s covered in injuries. Last time he even got into a car accident and ended up in the hospital.”

"So I wanted to see for myself what kind of person the friend he often mentioned really was."

"It's a pity I didn't get to meet Kudo."

At this point, Hattori Shizuka gave a gentle smile: "Heiji is lucky to have friends like you. I'm counting on you all~"

After she finished speaking, she bowed slightly.

Xiao Lan quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "You're too kind. We're just your juniors!"

Seeing this, even Longye was somewhat amazed.

As everyone knows, there are many beautiful ladies in the world of Detective Conan~

But it seems that only the one in front of us can be called a Yamato Nadeshiko.

In contrast, while Eri Kisaki also gives off a quiet vibe, she exudes a serious and aloof aura.

As for Yukiko...

After their conversation, Hattori Shizuka bid farewell to the two of them, explaining that she had already booked her flight and planned to return to Osaka that evening.

……

2 hours later

Osaka

Hattori Residence

Hattori Heiji was standing at the main entrance, looking into the distance, seemingly waiting for someone.

Soon after, Hattori Shizuka came into his sight.

"Hey! Auntie, what are you doing in Tokyo behind my back?"

"Oh? How did you know I went there?"

"Tch! You left without any luggage, which means you plan to be back today. Plus, Dad said you booked a plane ticket. Do I even need to guess?"

"It must be because I've been going there a lot lately, and you're worried and want to go check on me, right?"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Shizuka looked at her son with satisfaction, a slight smile playing on her lips.

“That’s right, I want to meet Kudo and Takeda, whom you often mention. Oh, and that detective Mori.”

Hattori Heiji leaned against the door: "And then, what happened?"

"They're all good kids, I'm relieved."

"It's that Ryūno..."

"Takeda? What happened to him?"

"He reminds me of your father when he was young."

"???"

Ignoring Hattori Heiji's strange expression, she continued, "His swordsmanship might be similar to your father's."

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji's heart skipped a beat: "What? Kendo?! He knows kendo?!"

"Ah? Don't you know?"

"..."

Chapter 147 Only adults don't have shadows!

The next day

Early in the morning, Ryūno received a phone call from Conan.

During the phone call, Conan casually mentioned that Uncle Mori had already rented a car and they were going out for a few days to handle an "expensive request" they had received earlier.

Upon hearing this news, Xiaolan immediately grabbed Longye's arm.

Longye immediately understood what Xiaolan meant and nodded to her.

Since it's a long holiday anyway, staying at home all the time is really not very interesting.

Besides, it wasn't just Ran. Ryūno was also very curious about who was willing to pay 500 million yen to commission Uncle Mori.

Furthermore, the client transferred an advance payment of 100 million yen to Detective Mori without even meeting him in person.

After hanging up the phone, the two quickly finished their breakfast and headed to the office.

Shortly after, Ryūno and Ran happened to run into Uncle Mori and Conan, who were about to drive out, downstairs at the agency.

Under Uncle Mori's surprised gaze, the two calmly opened the car door and got into the back seat.

"You guys... sigh, never mind."

Uncle Mori initially wanted to refuse their "ride," but after seeing the ambiguous smiles on Ryuno and Ran's faces, he sighed and acquiesced to their actions.

Soon after, the car was driving on the road.

Noticing the direction the car was heading, Tatsuno asked, "Uncle, isn't that client supposed to live in Gunma Prefecture? Where are we going now...?"

Xiao Lan looked at her father with a puzzled expression.

Gunma Prefecture is clearly to their north, but at this moment they are heading west.

Kogoro Mouri glanced at the rearview mirror and explained with a smile, "I arranged to meet my client the day after tomorrow, so we'll head to Yamanashi Prefecture today."

"Yamanashi Prefecture?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm going to handle another case first."

After he finished speaking, he reached into the storage compartment in the center console, took out a letter, and handed it to Ryuno and the other person in the back seat.

Longye and Xiaolan immediately opened the letter.

"—Respectfully yours, Mr. Kogoro Mouri. This letter comes as a great surprise. To get straight to the point, a strange thing has suddenly happened at my house. Therefore, I would like to ask you, the renowned detective, to solve the mystery..."

After reading the letter, Longye and Xiaolan roughly understood the contents of the request.

The client's name is Nakamura Misao.

He had just moved into the house left by his grandfather, and very strange things were happening in the house every day.

In addition, his grandfather had told him before he passed away that this villa was very special, something that had always bothered him.

And recently, he has often felt like he is being spied on, which is why he wrote to ask Detective Mori for help.

After reading the letter, Longye frowned. The letter felt very familiar to him.

The fact that he has this feeling means there must be something special about this case.

Thinking of this, Longye crossed his arms and lowered his head to recall.

Just then, Uncle Mori, who was driving, suddenly shouted excitedly.

"You wait here, Miss Cao~ I'm coming!"

"She must be a young woman in her twenties or thirties, with an incredibly lonely heart!"

Upon hearing his words, Xiaolan narrowed her eyes: "Really? I thought the other person should be a man in his thirties."

"Idiot~ If that were the case, why would I rent a car on a perfectly good Sunday? My sixth sense tells me that the client must be a woman!"

The argument between the two reminded Longye of something.

Since the letter did not show the client's personal information, they could only guess the gender of the person in question.

Conan, in the passenger seat, joined the discussion: "Uncle, why don't you just call her and find out?"

"Pshaw, her family doesn't even have a phone. Besides, only if I suddenly appear in front of her can I move her to tears~ Hahahaha!!"

Upon hearing this, Longye and Xiaolan exchanged a glance.

No wonder Uncle Mori didn't tell the two of them about his departure this time; it turns out that's the reason.

……

Soon after, the group arrived at the mansion where the client was located.

Looking at the symmetrical houses in front of him, Longye thought of that man again.

Looking at the somewhat quaint villa before him, Uncle Mori chuckled, "The beautiful sunshine and the melodious chirping of birds, combined with this antique villa, doesn't it lift one's spirits?"

"Perhaps this is a wonderful beginning for me and Miss Xiaocao!"

Hearing this, Xiaolan clenched her fists.

But after thinking for a few seconds, she loosened her fist, turned to look at Longye beside her, and said helplessly, "To be honest, I can finally understand why Mom didn't want to continue being with him..."

Ryūno glanced at Uncle Mori, who was straightening his clothes, and nodded silently.

After tidying his clothes and tie, Uncle Mori went up and knocked on the door.

"dong dong"

Soon after, footsteps could be heard inside the house.

"Click"

The door opened, and a plump middle-aged man came out of the house.

"It's Mr. Mori! Please come in!"

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Uncle Mori's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

After a long pause, he finally asked dejectedly, "Excuse me, did you write this letter...?"

"No. He's three years younger than me..."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Mori's eyes immediately lit up again: "Your sister!?"

At that moment, a man wearing a red shirt with a bandage on his right arm came out.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the slightly overweight man gestured and introduced, "This is my younger brother, Ah Cao~"

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Uncle Mori's face immediately fell again.

The speed at which he changed his expression amazed even Longye.