Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

"Could it be that the neighbors next door are...?"

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but lower her left hand.

……

The next morning

Upon hearing the knock, Kazuha quickly got dressed, rubbing her eyes as she walked to the door.

After seeing Ran through the peephole, Kazuha opened the door.

"How are you feeling, Kazuha? Are you feeling any better?" Ran asked with concern, looking at Kazuha in front of her.

"Um...um! Thank you so much!"

"That's good! Speaking of which, why do you have some dark circles under your eyes?"

Ran was puzzled when she saw that Kazuha seemed to be half asleep.

Yesterday, when she and Ryūno escorted Kazuha to her room, it was not yet 10 p.m., but now it is already past 9 a.m.

So she must have slept for at least a dozen hours, why does she still look like she hasn't woken up yet?

Upon hearing Ran's words, Kazuha's hand, which was rubbing its eyes, visibly paused for a moment.

After a moment, Kazuha's expression flushed slightly: "N-nothing! Haha, it's probably just that the effects of yesterday's alcohol haven't worn off yet!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan nodded in understanding.

At this moment, Kazuha looked around and asked in confusion, "Ran, where's Ryūno?"

"Oh, he went downstairs to check out first. But don't worry, we can leave after you've finished packing."

Seeing Xiaolan's radiant appearance, He Ye remained silent for a moment before asking, "Xiaolan, where did you rest yesterday?"

"Us? We're right next door to you~" Xiaolan pointed to the room next door and smiled.

Upon hearing this, He Ye's expression changed drastically.

Sure enough! She wasn't wrong!!!

But...why do you look so energetic? You barely slept last night, right?!

I heard you crying all night...

Thinking of this, Kazuha's face instantly turned bright red.

I don't know if it was a sense of shame about eavesdropping, or about my actions at the time...

Seeing Kazuha's suddenly flushed face, Ran quickly asked, "What's wrong, Kazuha?! Why is your face so red?! Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's nothing. It's probably just the alcohol!"

"Really... If you feel unwell, please let me know right away!"

"Uh-huh!"

Half an hour later, Longye and his group walked out of the hotel.

Kazuha rubbed her hands awkwardly and asked, "Ryūno, how much money did you spend these past two days? I..."

Before Kazuha could finish speaking, Ran, who was standing next to her, smiled and took Kazuha's hand: "It's okay~ You took us to play in Osaka, and we haven't thanked you yet! How could we ask you for money?"

"But it's all because of me..."

Seeing Kazuha's guilty expression, Ryuno said, "It's alright~ It didn't cost much at all, don't worry! Ran is right, we'll have to trouble you to show us around here these next few days~"

“That’s right, Kazuha, don’t worry about it!” Ran added.

Seeing their firm stance, He Ye smiled sheepishly and said, "Let me show you around for the next couple of days! It's on me!!"

After speaking, Kazuha looked firmly at Ryuno and the other two, and clenched his fist.

Seeing this, Xiaolan smiled and said, "Well, then I'll leave it to you, Kazuha~"

Soon after, the group flagged down a car and prepared to go to the Hattori residence.

After getting into the car, Kazuha carefully observed Ryuno and found that Ryuno's mental state was the same as Ran's, and he also looked radiant.

She was quite shocked when she discovered this.

Are these two... really that fit?!

I only listened for two hours and I already feel so tired. If I had been next door yesterday, I probably would have been...

"Clap!"

Thinking of this, He Ye immediately patted his face, trying to get this strange thought out of his mind.

Ran, who was standing nearby, narrowed her eyes slightly when she saw this: "Kazuha...you really are feeling unwell, aren't you?"

……

Soon after, the group arrived at the Hattori residence by car.

Upon seeing Ryūno and his group, Hattori Heiji and the others immediately greeted them.

Having resolved a major case that had been pending for many years yesterday, Hattori Heizo decided to take a half-day off. Therefore, he stayed home.

Upon seeing Longye, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He walked up to Longye and said, "Longye, if you're free right now, would you like to practice your swordsmanship with me for a bit?"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Shizuka immediately spoke up to stop them: "Please, they're here to have fun, who wants to practice swordsmanship with an old man like you?!"

"You're right... I'm so sorry!" Hearing his wife's words, Hattori Heizo smiled gently and nodded to Tatsuno.

"It's alright, Auntie. Uncle is right, I really don't have much to do right now. Besides, opportunities to spar with the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters Chief are rare~"

Chapter 194 Taking advantage of his illness, I took him...

Upon hearing that Ryūno had agreed to his request, Hattori Heizo immediately went inside and took out two wooden swords used for training.

"Kid, let's practice in this courtyard!" After saying that, he threw a wooden sword in his hand to Longye.

After receiving the wooden sword, Ryūno and Hattori Heizo walked into the courtyard and found a relatively flat open space.

Xiao Lan and the others sat inside, ready to watch the two's "practice".

Conan glanced at Hattori Heiji beside him and asked in confusion, "Hattori, how good is your father's kendo?"

Hattori Heiji rubbed his hair, sighed softly, and hesitated slightly before saying, "I hate to admit it, but I've never beaten my dad. But if the opponent is Takeda, he'd probably find it quite troublesome, wouldn't he? After all..."

Although he didn't finish his sentence, Conan understood what he meant.

Whether it's dodging bullets or stopping a car by hand... Longye has done all of these things that are impossible for ordinary people.

Although we don’t know exactly how good Ryūno’s kendo skills are, just the fact that he was able to defeat Okita Sōji and win the kendo championship shows that Ryūno’s kendo skills must be ridiculously strong!

Compared to Heiji and Conan, Hattori Shizuka and Ran on the other side didn't seem to care much about the outcome.

They had witnessed Longye's swordsmanship firsthand, and although the three of them didn't say it aloud, they all believed that the outcome of this "practice" was already predetermined.

—Tatsuno will definitely win.

That level of swordsmanship is way beyond the capabilities of a normal human being!

Especially Shizuka, who was well aware of Hattori Heizo's strength, didn't think her husband had any chance of winning. His swordsmanship was even slightly inferior to her own.

Even she herself couldn't tell how strong the boy was, let alone her husband.

Moreover, Hattori Heizo has been busy with work all these years and has rarely had time to practice kendo...

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tatsuno and Hattori Heizo had already gotten into position and were fully prepared.

"Aren't you going to attack first? If it were Heiji, he would have charged in already!"

Hearing his father's words, Hattori Heiji rubbed Conan's head unhappily.

What does your competition have to do with me?

Sensing the movement above him, Conan looked up and glanced disdainfully at Hattori Heiji.

What does your dad say have to do with me? Why are you rubbing my hair?!

A few seconds later, seeing that Ryūno was standing quietly opposite him without revealing any flaws, Hattori Heizo's eyes showed a hint of appreciation.

The boy was more mature and calm than he had imagined.

The reason he asked to practice with Ryuno was not only because he was itching to try it himself, but also because he wanted to get to know Ryuno better.

He understood a principle well: to truly understand a person, you can't just listen to what they say, but you have to look at their "actions".

Rather than sitting and chatting, using "kendo" to understand the other person is the best approach. Words can lie, but subconscious actions do not.

If it were the impatient Heiji, after staring at himself for so long, he would definitely not be able to resist making a move.

But the boy did not; his movements remained exactly the same as at the beginning, without any change.

Thinking of this, Hattori Heizo made the first move. He quickly stepped forward and swung his sword at Tatsuno's face.

Seeing the opponent's simple attack, Longye immediately understood that the opponent was testing him.

He immediately raised his hand to block the opponent's attack, and then drew his sword to slash at the opponent's waist.

"boom"

As expected, Tatsuno's attack was easily blocked by Hattori Heizo.

After receiving the attack, Hattori Heizo stopped probing and gradually increased the power and speed of his attack, continuously assaulting Tatsuno.

three minutes later

Hattori Heiji stared in disbelief at Hattori Heizo's relentless attacks and Ryuno's effortless parrying of them.

Although he thought Ryuno would win, he didn't expect Ryuno's swordsmanship to be so high!

As someone who was often "beaten" by his father with kendo, he discovered that his father's current strength was much higher than when they fought each other.

Although it was unclear whether the father had used his full strength, the opponent, Longye, clearly hadn't used his full power either, and seemed to easily withstand all the attacks.

Thinking of this, Hattori Heiji gritted his teeth.

Damn it! Takeda! Aren't you a karate practitioner?! Why is your kendo...?

After witnessing the two's attack and defense, Conan suddenly remembered something and looked at Ryuno with a serious expression.

Unlike Hattori, who lived in the Kansai region, he had always lived in the Kanto region and seemed to have heard about it during his first year of high school...

—During his first year of high school, an urban legend circulated widely. There was an incredibly skilled individual who relentlessly challenged various school clubs and dojos. The terrifying thing was, that guy seemed never to lose…