He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

Toko remained silent for a few moments, then sighed softly, her tone quite sorrowful, "I'm sorry, I really didn't expect Kogoro's reaction to be so strong."

Xiaolan didn't actually want to ask about this, but since the other person brought it up, her eyes showed a bit of complexity.

“My dad said you’re a peddler.”

"Guest... Ha, guest... Kogoro would even tell you this?"

"I heard it when he was drunk, Miss Toko, is it really possible for someone in your profession to actually 'sweep away' customers?"

"If I said that night, I just hugged that man and we didn't do anything, would you believe me?"

Xiao Lan remained silent.

"See, that's how it is." Toko smiled lightly, but a hint of desolation was clearly visible. "Once you step into this place of pleasure, what difference does it make between purity and impurity? So-called perseverance is nothing but self-deception."

"The one who cleans himself cleans himself."

"Ha, do you even believe that yourself, little girl?"

In all my years in this industry, I've seen far too much. Of course, many people have bottom lines and principles, but it's just that the customers aren't willing to pay enough.

Those with average looks, if they persist, might be able to escape unscathed.

She couldn't sustain a relationship with anyone who was even slightly attractive.

Even if she can hold on for a while, she will eventually succumb to this environment if she doesn't leave it.

There are too many temptations in this world.

Xiao Lan remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

Are there no exceptions?

"That kind of thing also exists, of course."

"Who?"

Chapter 25: The Game!

"Ah……"

Toko chuckled and said, "Little girl, why are you asking this? What's the point of such an isolated case?"

"I'm just curious," Xiaolan said.

"Never be curious, curiosity is the beginning of ruin. Stay away from it. That's all I have to say."

"You've misunderstood, I have no interest in it."

"Let's get back to your father, Kogoro. He did call to make an appointment with me that night, but another customer who came to the store specifically asked for me. After I refused, he said he could pay double the price, so I went to drink with him."

I admit I was a bit dishonest about this, but firstly, Kogoro is usually very easygoing, and secondly, he was always on another call when I called him that night.

I figured he was probably busy, so I planned to meet him later.

"Aren't you the boss's wife?"

“It’s not like it’s a huge venue that we can’t handle. If a customer specifically requests me, of course I’ll sit at their table. Your father does that; he’s an old friend of theirs.”

The mere mention of this stirred up a fire within Xiaolan, and even the empty room no longer seemed so offensive.

The night before last, her knee hadn't fully healed when she received a call from Inspector Megure. Enduring the pain, she took a taxi to the Metropolitan Police Department, where she found Kogoro Mouri sitting dejectedly in the detention room. His first words were:

"Ran, don't tell Eri about this."

Ran didn't know what had happened at the time and didn't respond. When Inspector Megure briefly recounted what had happened, she connected it to Kogoro Mouri's usual behavior of drinking and partying with prostitutes...

I wanted to explode on the spot!

However, she still hoped that her parents would reconcile. Seeing Kogoro Mouri's pained and remorseful face, she hesitated for a long time, then her heart softened and she agreed.

The next day, someone died, and the matter escalated. Eri somehow found out about it.

then……

Even now, when Xiaolan recalls the expression on her mother's face when she "comforted" her last night, her heart still aches faintly!

In the end, it was she who was comforting her mother.

Xiaolan took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions.

"Miss Towako, please continue."

"Ok."

Toko sighed softly.

"I drank with that customer until about nine o'clock, and we were both a little drunk. He suggested that he take me out, but I declined."

He said he couldn't do anything, but I looked a lot like his deceased wife. He wanted to take me to a beauty salon to get my hair done, and then go shopping in the shopping district. He said I could leave anytime if he did anything inappropriate.

I hesitated for a moment, then used Kogoro as an excuse.

He then ordered two more girls from our shop to serve Kogoro when he arrived.

I figured Kogoro wouldn't mind if someone treated him, and the guest's generosity was enough to show his sincerity, so I agreed.

He didn't do anything, just treated me like a dress-up doll, instructing me on makeup and changing my clothes, trying his best to resemble his deceased wife. When we returned to the shop two hours later, I looked almost completely different.

He asked, "Can I hug you? If I feel uncomfortable, I can call for help anytime."

So I took him to the lounge.

About twenty minutes later, Kogoro barged in for some reason and tried to attack without saying a word. Behind him was a bald, middle-aged man, Yamada Okao, who would die the next day; he held onto Kogoro tightly.

I wanted Kogoro to calm down and talk things out, but another drunk customer passing by picked up an ashtray and hit Kogoro on the head.

Kogoro, bleeding from his head, broke free from Yamada Okao and attacked the guests, causing the situation to spiral out of control and gradually escalate into a chaotic brawl.

"You know what happened next, little girl."

After listening to Toko's story, Ran was deeply moved and couldn't calm down for a long time. The words Shinichi Kudo had yelled at her that morning echoed in her ears again...

"This is no accident, Xiaolan! This is a setup!"

Uncle Mori is indeed innocent, but his innocence isn't the kind you're thinking of! You know nothing! Go back to school, I'll handle things here!

Shinichi says this is a setup, but who is it targeting?

So where does the problem lie?

Dad, Shinichi, Inspector Megure...

They told her nothing, so how could she not "know nothing"?

"Miss Towako, what was your makeup like back then?"

"Heh, that high school detective also asked about that."

You all think that the customer dressed me up to resemble Ms. Kisaki, and that Kogoro has mistaken me for someone else, right? But unfortunately, the difference is huge. The makeup makes me look younger, and my hairstyle is different from Ms. Kisaki's.

The only thing that matches is probably a pair of non-prescription, half-rimmed glasses.

That's it...

Where is that guest?

"He's still in the hospital and hasn't woken up yet. It seems like Kogoro's over-the-shoulder throw hit the back of his head."

"!!!"

Another unknown situation. Just how many stupid things has Dad done?!

Was he drunk at the time?

"I definitely need to drink more than usual."

Xiao Lan felt a slight sense of relief... no, she couldn't relax at all; the situation was still extremely bad.

When Dad got drunk, didn't he just sleep?

What exactly happened to him that night?

"Did the police tell you who that guest was?" Xiaolan asked again.

"He said he was just a low-level employee in Shibuya. His wife did die two months ago, but she didn't actually look much like me."

Shibuya, a junior office worker...

Xiaolan kept thinking, but in the end she could only realize with frustration that she might really not have any detective talent.

You can't tell anything from this at all.

"Shinichi, the high school detective, did he ask any questions after that?"

"He asked me some details about my interactions with that guest. Inspector Megure asked him why, and he said he wanted to analyze the guest's usual behavior patterns to see if he was acting under someone else's instructions that night."

"And the conclusion?"

"He deduced that the customer probably wouldn't spend money so extravagantly on a normal day, so he asked the police to investigate the customer's financial situation. I don't know what happened after that."

"Did he come straight to you that night?"

"No, he looked at all the girls in the shop before finally choosing me."

Xiao Lan pondered for a moment, "Miss Toko, could you call the police and ask about the follow-up?"

"Sigh, okay, I'll ask under the pretext of whether or not to return that money. But why don't you ask yourself? You're practically a party to this, aren't you?"

“They all treated me like a burden and didn’t tell me anything.”

"Just as I expected, that wicked male chauvinism."

Shihezi hung up the phone, and about five minutes later, she called back.

"The police have investigated and found that after the customer's wife died, he spent his days drinking at izakayas. Two days ago, he borrowed a large sum of money at high interest rates and began frequenting various entertainment venues. The police suspect that he may have already had suicidal thoughts."

"usury?!"

A word suddenly flashed through Xiaolan's mind, and she quickly asked:

"Is it Mikan Credit Co., Ltd."