The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

While bandaging Kaoru's wounds in the car, Ran kept apologizing.

The incident had just happened, and she hadn't had time to react to the menacing thugs. She just watched helplessly as the two men took her hands, and the guilt in her heart was almost overwhelming.

I remember that in the original work, many people criticized Xiaolan for being useless, saying things like "she's practiced karate for nothing" and other sarcastic remarks.

But please don't forget that Ran isn't Conan with superhuman mental fortitude; she's just a high school girl, and no amount of fighting prowess can change that.

And don't be fooled by Numabuchi Kiichiro's thin frame and seemingly harmless appearance.

But he was a real, armed fugitive murderer. His vicious eyes and murderous aura were things that a girl like Xiaolan shouldn't have to endure.

Moreover, the positioning at the time was problematic. Ran was squatting in front of Conan, giving him instructions. There was simply no time to stand up and react, not to mention the fear of being stared at by a murderer.

Kaoru Kazama has always liked Ran. He admires her strength, her persistence, and her kindness.

She has always been a girl who thinks too much about others, often neglecting her own feelings.

Now, she felt even more resentful because it was her fault that Kazama Kaoru suffered such a serious injury.

Kaoru Kazama also noticed the worried look in Uncle Mori's eyes. His serious gaze was completely different from his usual listless demeanor.

It seems this unexpected incident has given this doting father a real shock.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

It's really hard to comfort a heartbroken girl; Kaoru Kazama is feeling incredibly emotionally drained right now.

"Damn it, this is clearly Kudo's job, why am I being made to do it?"

"Never mind, the important thing now is to interrogate Numabuchi Kiichiro."

Inspector Otaki has started interrogating Kiichiro Numabuchi. After being kicked three meters away by Kaoru Kazama, he was trembling all over and screamed in fear whenever a policewoman approached. It must be quite a psychological trauma for him.

"What? The real culprit is Sakata?"

Despite his mental breakdown, Numabuchi Kiichiro was quite cooperative and soon found out who was in charge. It turned out that the person who had locked him up here was Officer Sakata, who had been accompanying them around Osaka all day.

"Call Xiaoping right away and tell him about this."

Otaki's voice was trembling with anxiety. Heiji was probably with Sakata right now, and they might be attacked. If something happened to him, he would have no way to explain it to his superior, Hattori Heizo.

"I've already warned him, but it seems like he already knew."

Kaoru Kazama waved his phone; he had already called Heiji Hattori to warn him when he saw the handcuffs.

However, judging from the confident tone of the guy on the other end of the phone, he probably found out about this through some channel.

He also told him that he wanted to try his best to make Sakata realize his mistakes and turn himself in.

Meanwhile, Inspector Otaki had already driven to Councilor Goji's residence. After all, Sakata was a serial killer, and Hattori Heiji's life could not be put on the conscience of a murderer.

Hattori's close friend and caretaker, Officer Otaki, hurriedly drove off, followed shortly by Uncle Mori in Kaoru Kazama's car, taking them and the others with him.

They didn't care, but the uncle was a bit pitiful; he was so hungry he couldn't even feel his stomach.

He had been heading to Hattori Heiji's house for dinner from the very beginning, but halfway there, Officer Otaki, who was in charge of dropping him off, received a radio notification and changed his destination to Minomori Mountain. He thought he could have dinner after picking up Hattori Heiji.

When they arrived, they discovered that Hattori Heiji had been slightly injured while stopping Sakata from committing suicide out of guilt, but it was nothing serious and he had already been taken away by ambulance.

However, Uncle Mori's dream of a grand meal was completely shattered. After all, the head chef was Hattori Heiji's mother, and her son was in the hospital. He couldn't just go to eat at her place without a care in the world.

The group could only make do with a meal by the roadside. Kaoru Kazama could have gone to the Osaka Prefectural Police's victory celebration, but it would have been too disloyal for him to go out for a big meal under the circumstances. He originally wanted to take the uncle and the others with him.

As a result, Xiaolan rejected him, and rejected him firmly.

There's no way around it; the purpose of the island nation's men's gatherings is very clear: to drink. These kinds of places are a paradise for drunkards like Uncle Mori. If Uncle Mori is allowed to go tonight, Conan and the others won't be able to go back tomorrow.

Over the next few days, Kaoru Kazama was unable to enjoy a proper meal in Osaka as Inspector Megure called him back early the next morning.

After all, the Metropolitan Police Department is simply not enough manpower. Although there seem to be a lot of people, there are too many cases, and many of them are complex, high-IQ crimes. In general, in such cases, Inspector Megure and his core team have to take the lead.

It's not because they have the highest average IQ, but because this group has the highest probability of running into Uncle Mori and Conan.

This is a secret that the Metropolitan Police Department has kept hidden for many years.

"Oh, my dream of a grand feast!"

Kaoru Kazama, who hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep, was woken up early by a barrage of calls from Inspector Megure. He took the first flight from Osaka to Tokyo that morning and set foot on Tokyo soil an hour later.

"Miwako, I'm already back, and you didn't even come to pick me up at the airport. I'm so disappointed in you."

Driven by a wicked desire for revenge, Kaoru Kazama made a phone call and woke up Miwako, who was still sleeping.

As it happened, she was on the night shift yesterday and was half asleep when she was startled awake by a phone call from Kaoru Kazama. She shouted into the phone without even opening her eyes, truly showing that she was always ready.

"Xiao Xun, you..."

I thought Sato would get angry, but after waiting for a while, I heard snoring coming from the other side. He must be asleep.

"That's strange. Boss Megure doesn't usually rush me like this. Could it be that something urgent has happened? If that's the case, then there's no reason why workaholic Sato would still be sleeping. He should have been working non-stop by now, right?"

Actually, he didn't call entirely for a prank. He mainly wanted to talk to Sato beforehand and ask why Boss Megure was in such a hurry to call him over.

Judging from Miwako's leisurely demeanor, it's highly unlikely that any serious murder case could have occurred.

Confused, Kaoru Kazama took a taxi directly from the airport to the Metropolitan Police Department. When she arrived, she learned that Superintendent Matsumoto wanted to talk to her about her business trip to Osaka—or rather, about coordinating the investigation.

In the end, it was nothing much. It was just rambling, offering encouragement and a few gentle reminders. Isn't that all the leadership does?

However, at the end, Manager Matsumoto mentioned something quite important: it seemed that he was really going to be promoted. He had entered the probationary period for promotion to police inspector. As long as he accumulated more experience and solved a few more cases, he would most likely be promoted.

In the real world, it might take a long time to gather enough major cases, but in the world of Detective Conan, where the crime rate is unusually high, it's not a difficult task at all.

Chapter 167 The Best Way to Shatter the Goddess Image

Fortunately, Inspector Megure still had a conscience. After urgently summoning Kaoru Kazama, he surprisingly granted him a full two days of leave.

It's not surprising that leave was granted; in fact, the mental and physical pressure that police officers endure is extraordinary.

Therefore, proper relaxation and stress reduction are necessary, but Kaoru Kazama is an exception.

His laid-back work style ensures that his mental stress will never exceed normal levels. Moreover, because he is so frequently late and leaves early, his vacation days will probably be deducted until the release of the 28th Conan movie. How could he possibly voluntarily grant leave?

Therefore, Kaoru Kazama kept thinking about this question on his way home, wondering if he was preparing some big move.

As for promotion, he wasn't very interested.

He does have a sense of justice, but he can't compete with the level of incompetence.

He would definitely help if he encountered such a case, but he wasn't interested in following Conan around all day just to stumble upon one. He wasn't that free.

"I am back!"

Welcome back!

Akemi very considerately helped Kazama Kaoru hang her coat on the hanger. Kazama Kaoru glanced at her watch; it was only nine o'clock.

At this time, Ai is usually asleep, Akemi is watching TV, and he is just lounging around at the Metropolitan Police Department.

"Cuckoo"

"Mingmei, is there any food left at home?"

Kaoru Kazama, exhausted from her journey, hadn't even had breakfast yet, and her stomach was already rumbling.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming back today, so I only made enough for two people. There are still ingredients in the refrigerator, but if I make it now, it will probably take longer. I'll go buy them for you now."

"No, no need. You can do it yourself and have plenty to eat and wear. I'll take this opportunity to let you two taste my cooking."

Kazama Kaoru suddenly became interested; he realized it had been quite a while since he had cooked for himself.

Having Mingmei in the family is like having a treasure.

Not only do they take care of all the housework, but they also thoughtfully bring you lunch when you go to work. It's like the service of a five-star hotel.

More importantly, without such terrifying combat power, there's no need to worry about furniture being damaged inexplicably.

Of course, he has a mad scientist sister who can make poison in a heartbeat and turn you into a bald man.

Hmm, I really can't mess with them.

Without further ado, I opened the refrigerator and saw that it was fully stocked with ingredients, which Mingmei must have just done today.

It has to be said that the delivery service in island nations is truly amazing now. You can even buy fresh vegetables online. What can't they do?

"By the way, Akemi, I have a few days off. You can talk to Ai about where you want to go. I'm free now, so I'll take you out for some fun. You've been cooped up at home for months, haven't you?"

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a period of time has passed since the Miyano sisters escaped from the Black Organization.

During this period, just to be on the safe side, the two of them almost never left the house.

Ai is alright; she's a homebody by nature. As long as she has an internet connection and a computer, she can stay home even if it's the end of the world.

Kazama Kaoru was actually a little worried. He was so busy with work (are you kidding me?), so it would be better to let Ai stay with the professor. At least she could go out and have fun every now and then.

Basically, Conan goes out and wreaks havoc every few dozen episodes, with varying degrees of success.

It could be a serial murder case, a dismemberment case, a body disposal case, or any other terrifying and bizarre case.

The occurrence of this phenomenon precisely demonstrates the multiple manifestations of the power of death.

Sometimes it manifests in quantity, and sometimes in the degree of perversion.

"I ran into Professor Agasa earlier. He said he's going camping in the next couple of days, somewhere around Dongdu Shanxichang. Do you guys want to go check it out?"

"It's your decision, I hope it won't cause you any trouble."

Mingmei smiled and said, still as considerate and virtuous as ever.

"Then let's decide on this. There's no need to ask Ai's opinion. When it comes to things like going on a trip, a homebody like her has no say. Anyway, she definitely doesn't want to go."

"That's true. She always doesn't want to go out, and I don't know what to do. It's fine this way; we can just take her with us when the time comes."

(Ai: "Is this really my biological sister? I want a refund, I want a refund, I'm going to buy another one on Singles' Day.")

The clanging of the kitchen knife was quite noisy, but thanks to Kaoru Kazama's persistent efforts, Ai Haibara was finally awakened from her slumber.

"Sister, why are you cooking so early? It shouldn't be past midnight yet, right?"

According to her daily routine, she usually stays up until six o'clock in the morning, eats a meal that is hard to tell whether it is breakfast or midnight snack as quickly as possible, and then goes back to her room to sleep.

I made sure I slept for six hours by 12:30 pm so that I could be energetic enough to stay up all night.

I don't know how this top student majoring in biology could completely ignore the harm that staying up late does to the body.

Kazama Kaoru's decision to act first and inform her later was actually intended to force her to change her bad habits.