The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

Kaoru glanced at the time and realized it was already 7:30. Shouldn't the epitome of a virtuous wife and loving mother be at home cooking by now? Why was she still out strolling around with Sonoko?

"Oh, we were planning to buy some things today so we can visit Sonoko's villa tomorrow."

"By the way, Xiaoxun, do you want to go? My sister's classmates are all going tomorrow, and there are quite a few outstanding guys from Tokyo among them. Maybe you'll have some wonderful memories."

"Um, let's not reminisce. But are you two going together tomorrow?"

Kazama Kaoru was unsure which case Sonoko was referring to, so she asked for more details.

"Oh, no, that's not it. I'm going to my sister's villa tonight. Your master Ran is going tomorrow with Conan. I really don't know why she likes to bring that kid along as a burden. It's a great opportunity for a date."

"Sonoko, don't say that. Conan is still young, and I'd worry about leaving him home alone. Besides, Dad has work tomorrow and won't have time to take care of him. And it's not a problem to bring Conan along, right, Kaoru-nee?"

Xiaolan knew her best friend's character very well. She had nothing on her mind except handsome guys, and although she acted very boldly, she was actually very timid and always tried to drag Xiaolan into her troubles.

"Oh, it's something like Sonoko-neechan's class reunion."

When Sonoko mentioned this, Kaoru Kazama knew which case it was. It should be the dismemberment murder at the Bandage Manor. This was also a very significant case, as Ran's karate would become ineffective when encountering demons or monsters.

If that's the case, then he'd really like to go and take a look.

And so, Kaoru Kazama and Ran agreed to meet at the entrance of the detective agency early the next morning, and then Kazama would drive Conan and Ran to the villa resort.

Ran hesitated at first, as she never liked to cause trouble for others. But it was also Kogoro Mouri's fault; he always charged a lot for his services, yet he couldn't even save up enough for a car.

Perhaps it was bad luck to follow the car. Kaoru Kazama remembered that in the movie, Kogoro Mouri had a stroke of good luck and won a convertible sports car worth at least several million yen, but in the end, the members of the Detective Boys bravely drove it into the swimming pool, which was an extremely tragic experience.

After that, this guy kept renting cars, and it seemed like even the cars he rented would have accidents every now and then. I really don't know how those car rental companies could continue to rent cars to this scoundrel.

After finishing dinner at the Apollo restaurant downstairs, Kaoru Kazama took his newly-adopted cat for a walk on the street, racking his brains for a name.

Do you have a name?

"Meow~~"

Kaoru Kazama, who is terrible at naming things, stared at the cat, realizing that a cat could never possibly say its own name.

"In that case, you can be called Fat Tiger from now on!"

Meow~~ Meow~~ Meow~~

Kaoru Kazama, who was really at a loss for what to name, just casually suggested a name, but the person didn't accept it and called it three times in protest, seemingly emphasizing its importance.

"Then, Nobita?"

Kaoru Kazama tentatively asked:

Meow~~ Meow~~ Meow

The response was the same again, this time even turning her head away, seemingly speechless at Feng Jiaxin's naming abilities.

"Xiaofu?"

"Meow~~~"

"Phew, then let's just call you Little White. Anyway, you're white, so it's decided."

Kazama Kaoru's tone left no room for argument. Shiro, who had been inexplicably given a dog's name, was speechless and in tears. He began to regret whether he had lost his mind to find such an unreliable person to be his pet owner.

"Well, Xiaobai, your cat bed is all set up. As for the cat tree, let's buy it when we get back tomorrow. Why don't you go in and try it out first?"

While shopping, I bought a cat bed for Shiro. It wasn't very heavy, but it was quite big. When I picked it up, it almost completely blocked Kazama Kaoru's body, which looked a bit funny.

At this moment, he began to regret not having spatial abilities or a spatial ring or something similar. If he did, he could make a living even if he quit his job and performed magic tricks that made objects disappear.

Looking at the cat bed she had worked so hard to build, and the little white cat lying inside, Kazama Kaoru was in a great mood. She even took a picture and used it as her desktop wallpaper.

God knows he had never done anything so sentimental before; this was the first time.

"This finally feels a bit like home!"

Kaoru Kazama, lounging on the sofa like a couch potato, sighed. After Shiro moved in, the empty studio apartment seemed to have a bit more life in it. Of course, this feeling only lasted until he cleaned the apartment for Shiro.

Chapter 70 Attracting Hatred

Because of her promise to Ran, Kaoru Kazama got up very early the next day. After having breakfast, she went to the pet store again and left Shiro with them.

It's impossible to bring him to the resort; who knows if I'll even have time to take care of him after the murder.

It was rare for Kaoru to finish breakfast so early, around 7 a.m. Kazama drove to the detective agency, adjusted the seat, and planned to close his eyes and rest for a while.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, Sister Xiaoxun."

After waiting for about thirty minutes, they finally saw Conan and Ran wearing Little Red Riding Hoods at the door.

Upon seeing Kaoru Kazama's car parked in front of her house, Ran ran up to him and apologized profusely without saying a word.

"It's nothing, Xiaolan, it's only 8:30. Have you had breakfast yet? Would you like to try my cooking?"

Kaoru Kazama pointed to the insulated box next to the driver's seat, which contained the wontons he had made that day. It was better to eat something light for breakfast.

"Then we won't stand on ceremony."

It's probably because something got in the way that Xiaolan was in such a rush that she didn't even have breakfast.

Seeing how happily the two of them were eating, Kaoru Kazama smiled, then started the car and headed towards Sonoko's villa.

------------

"Xiaolan, are you sure this is the right way?"

Because it was a mountain road and the surrounding area was all forest, Kaoru Kazama didn't drive the car up the mountain, but parked it at the foot of the mountain.

On one hand, it was due to the road conditions, and on the other hand, it was for the safety of his own car. Who knows if this bandaged monster might suddenly decide to blow up his car? Such things happen quite often in the world of Detective Conan.

So everyone had no choice but to walk to Sonoko's villa, and Kaoru Kazama and Conan followed Ran around and around.

"Um, let me see, this is the road shown on the map, right? How come I can't find it?"

Ran looked at the map with a troubled expression. Kaoru Kazama wondered why such a large corporation as the Suzuki Group would build a villa in such a secretive way. It wasn't like they were conducting espionage activities; why would they need a paper map to find it?

"Who is it? Who is it? Come out here!"

Kaoru Kazama, who had been relaxed, suddenly frowned. In this seemingly deserted jungle, he sensed a blatant malice and very clear traces of living energy, indicating that someone was hiding here.

"What? Is someone over there?"

Ran was frightened by Kaoru Kazama's sudden angry shout. This high school student was a karate champion with explosive fighting power, but once she encountered something that resembled a demon or monster, she immediately regressed into a little girl, the kind who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Immediately afterwards, a strange man wearing a cloak, with his face wrapped in bandages and only one eye showing, darted out from the other side of the jungle.

"That look in your eyes is terrifying!"

Moreover, this person's eyes were extremely cold, looking at Kazama and the others as if they were objects, without any warmth whatsoever.

"Is this person a resident who lives around here?"

Ran still didn't see this person as a bad guy, just thinking that he might be someone with a strange appearance. However, Conan's expression was more serious, and it's believed that this bandaged strange man had left quite a few doubts in his mind.

Without saying a word, the man ran quickly toward the villa and disappeared in a short while. His movements were very agile, unlike that of a fat man.

"Ran, Conan's villa is right in front of us. Let's go first and not worry about this person for now."

Kaoru Kazama's voice interrupted Conan's reverie and Ran's daze. The two of them had just acted in perfect sync. No wonder they were childhood friends who had grown up together. Kaoru Kazama, standing to the side, had to swallow a big mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing a couple's public display of affection).

------------

"Why are you so slow? Where did you go, Xiaolan and Xiaoxun?"

By the time Kaoru and the others crossed the suspension bridge, Sonoko had already been eagerly waiting in the entrance hall for quite some time. Before they even reached the door, Sonoko impatiently opened it and complained loudly:

"I'm so sorry, Sonoko, something came up on the way and I was delayed."

"I bet you've gotten lost again. I finally managed to invite you to my villa, but you're still late. Honestly."

As expected of Xiaolan's best friend of many years, he knows very well Xiaolan's terrible sense of direction. Someone who can get lost in a shopping street would be hard to find her way in a deep mountain forest.

"Hey, you really brought the kid along after all. This time I'm going to introduce you and Sister Xiaoxun to a lot of great guys. Bringing this burden along will only get you in the way."

"And Conan, don't you feel embarrassed at all?"

Sonoko bent down and looked at Conan with disdain. Sure enough, these two have been bickering for ages. Whether they are Shinichi Kudo or Conan, they have never changed. It's just that after Conan shrinks, he can only mutter a few "MMP"s in his mind.

"Alright, Sister Xiaoxun, this is your first time visiting this villa, right? The rooms have been prepared for you, so please go in quickly."

Although he complained, he still did his best to prepare a place for Xiaolan and the others to stay.

"Your villa is truly understatedly luxurious!"

Kaoru Kazama entered the villa and saw its exquisite decorations, various antiques, and decorative paintings. With the Suzuki Group's financial resources, it was impossible for them to buy fakes. The villa imitated German castle architecture, but the exterior decoration was in a European style. It was clear that the villa was designed by a team, not just one person.

From the decorations to the furniture, everything reflects the owner's taste and status. This is the essential difference between a nouveau riche and a true family. It's a gap in spiritual and cultural values ​​that money can't bridge, but rather something passed down through generations.

"Hey, Sonoko, where are those guys you mentioned? It seems like there's no one in the lobby. Haven't all the nice guys you talked about arrived yet?"

Xiaolan heard Yuanzi talking a lot outside and thought the villa would be full of people, but when she walked in, she found the hall empty and there was no one there.

"I think they must have arrived here a long time ago. You can tell by the shoes left in the entrance hall. Besides, we've been wandering around in the mountains for so long, there shouldn't be anyone later than us."

"Bingo, Sister Xun got it right! Xiao Lan, you guys are really too slow. Those people have already arrived and are resting in their rooms on the second floor. Oh right, your rooms are all on the second floor. Go and put your luggage away."

It seems that Sonoko's villa is really big; even with an outsider like Kaoru Kazama, there are still plenty of rooms.

"Click, oh, I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry."

Because Kaoru Kazama was at the very back, when he came up, he saw Ran constantly opening other people's doors and then closing her eyes to apologize.

"Honestly, Xiaolan, couldn't you at least knock on the door first?"

Seeing this, Kaoru Kazama quickly walked to Ran's side, but Ran still managed to push open the door. Inside was a bespectacled man changing clothes. He was of medium build and Ran looked extremely nervous when she saw him. Kaoru Kazama's heart started racing as she heard him.

"I'm sorry, he didn't mean it. Please continue."

Compared to Ran's panic, Kaoru Kazama seemed quite unhurried. He didn't panic at all when he saw the bespectacled man changing clothes. He slowly closed the door and even caught a glimpse of the fierce expression on the bespectacled man's face the moment he closed the door.

Kaoru Kazama did this on purpose, to see if he could attract Ran's hatred. After all, with his beastly instincts, he couldn't possibly be hurt by an ordinary person with heavy breathing and unsteady steps. But Ran, who was frightened and unable to use her fighting skills, might be a different story.

When traveling, it's our duty to protect the girls traveling with us, because who knows what might happen?

With this thought in mind, Kazama Kaoru pushed open the door next to Ran. Ran and Conan were staying in a double room, while Kazama Kaoru had a large bed all to herself. Although it was a bit strange to have a king-size bed in a small room, Kazama Kaoru naturally wouldn't refuse if she could sleep better.