The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

"Yes, really? Then you must find Conan, Sister Xiaoxun!"

"Yes, please, Sister Xiaoxun, we'll help too."

After eating and drinking their fill, Genta and Mitsuhiko finally remembered the fear of being dominated by Conan—or rather, the joyful times they spent with Conan—and began to worry about Conan's whereabouts.

Chapter 175 New Weapon, A Flash of Lightning

"The bag you requested is ready."

A maid suddenly came up and handed Ayumi a transparent plastic bag. Genta and Mitsuhiko on either side saw it and were very surprised. They were then told that it was for Conan so that he wouldn't go hungry.

As she spoke, Ayumi stuffed her own bread into the bag. Genta and Mitsuhiko followed suit and stuffed their own bread into the bag as well. Kazama Kaoru saw that all the bread in front of her had been stuffed into the bag, so she could only hand over a bottle of jam.

"Ayumi, here, this is for you, so Conan won't choke on his bread."

"Are you talking about that boy with glasses? Where did he go?"

Upon hearing this, the square-faced man, Mitsuru Mamiya, asked in confusion. Conan's presence was quite strong; after all, whenever he heard about cases or mysteries, he would exude a feeling of being out of place with children, making it difficult not to notice.

"We haven't been able to find the child since just now, and we were planning to go look for him after dinner."

Upon hearing this, Professor Agasa looked up and said to Mitsuru Mamiya with a hint of doubt.

"This castle has quite a few traps and mechanisms. I think we might have gotten lost somewhere."

Noble Mamiya echoed this sentiment, saying that such ancient European castles do indeed have many unknown mechanisms, some of which even the owners might not know about.

If this castle was indeed brought over as a package, then the only person who would know the intricacies of its mechanisms is probably the deceased patriarch.

Then, Mamiya Mitsuru began to talk about the strange things that had happened inside the charred tower. Upon hearing this, everyone lost their appetite and went out to look for Conan.

But after looking around, he didn't find a single person. Kazama Kaoru wasn't in a hurry. He planned to wait until the family was asleep before opening the mechanism to go in and find Conan. While strolling along the road, he witnessed the love-hate relationship between two little girls.

Ayumi asked Ai with a conflicted look, "Do you like Conan?"

Kaoru Kazama's hearing was incredibly sharp; even though he was ten meters away from the two little girls, he could hear every single word clearly.

You can even see the subtle expressions on Ai's face. When she heard Ayumi Yoshida say those words, Ai Haibara's first reaction was surprise and disbelief, but she didn't have the psychological stress response of being called out.

"Mingmei, what do you think your sister's emotional inclinations are?"

Kazama Kaoru was watching it alone, but he even called Akemi over.

It doesn't matter that Akemi can't see, because Kaoru Kazama is providing her with a live broadcast, and she can also see the situation on the scene to some extent.

Gossip is the fourth greatest human instinct, and even the gentle and virtuous Mingmei is no exception, especially when it comes to her sister's gossip, which she finds even more interesting.

"It's unbelievable that such a young girl would be thinking about these things. It's truly remarkable."

"Wow, elementary school students these days are amazing. I heard they've already broken up three or four times by first grade. I can't compare to them."

"Are they talking about Conan right now? I never realized Conan was so attractive to little girls. I thought he was really into his childhood friend."

Akemi, or rather, Akemi now, looked surprised. She didn't actually know much about Conan's situation; she had only heard from Ai that he had a childhood friend and was currently in unrequited love for her.

(From Conan's perspective, he is indeed in unrequited love, because Ran likes Shinichi Kudo.)

"So Ayumi was asking Ai Haibara if she doesn't like Conan?"

"So what was Ai's answer?"

Akemi's expression became even more excited. It seemed that the gossip about her younger sister was incredibly attractive to her. After all, Ai always acted so maturely, and there was never much to gossip about from childhood to adulthood. In some ways, Akemi, as the older sister, felt similarly to Yukiko, the mother, in that she didn't feel much of a sense of accomplishment.

"She's playing with Bu Mei, but judging from the way she looks, she probably doesn't like it."

Kazama Kaoru heard the exact words: "Don't worry, I'm not interested in those clueless detectives who only know how to deduce and solve mysteries." However, he added that he was interested in innocent little girls like you, but he didn't dare tell Akemi that.

Who knows how Ai's interests have become so peculiar? But teasing people has always been her third greatest hobby, besides being sarcastic and reading magazines. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so like-minded with Kaoru Kazama.

"You two little girls should go inside quickly. It's raining outside, be careful not to catch a cold. There are several adults here."

Seeing the children looking so distressed and unable to help, Kaoru Kazama quickly urged them to go back, warning them that if Conan didn't find them and they got lost too, it would be a real problem.

"Then I'm counting on you for Conan, Kaoru-neechan. Please, you absolutely must find him!"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely find it. You guys should go to sleep; it's getting late."

"That's what I mean, kids. If he really ran into the forest, we won't be able to find him anytime soon, especially with this heavy rain. Let's wait until tomorrow and have the police come to look for him."

Nobleman Mamiya also came over to persuade them, and the children reluctantly went back. It seems that they still have a deep affection for Conan.

"Young Master Mamiya, Conan has really been a lot of trouble for you."

"You are all guests, so this is only right."

Nobleman Mamiya always had a smile on his face, which was quite different from his gloomy grandmother. He was very easygoing in dealing with people.

"Then we'll go back and rest. You should all go to sleep early too."

The doctor had already taken the children back to their room. After Kaoru finished speaking, she pulled Akemi and Ai back.

"When are you planning to go? I think Conan must be in real trouble, otherwise he wouldn't have been gone for so long."

"I guessed so, but I do know where the secret passage leads. I'll change my clothes and go find him later; it's not convenient to go into the passage dressed like this."

"How about I go with you? I have a feeling this family is strange, not as simple as they seem. It would be troublesome if you ran into something again."

"Am I really that unreliable? We're still in someone else's house. If two people suddenly disappeared, it would be impossible for them not to notice. I'll be out soon, don't worry."

Fearing that things might change if they waited too long, Kaoru Kazama handed his phone directly to Ai Haibara.

"If I'm not back in an hour, I'll call the Metropolitan Police Department to report it, but I'll get out as soon as possible."

Although there is a telephone inside, it's inconvenient since we're in someone else's castle, so it's more reliable to bring a mobile phone.

After giving his instructions, Kaoru Kazama returned to his room and changed into a black trench coat. This served two purposes: firstly, to provide some camouflage, and secondly, of course, to protect Kirito's abilities.

He then opened the things he had brought with him, besides toiletries and a change of clothes, and found a steel knife.

However, there is only one hilt now, which he had specially made for the doctor.

It's really strange, but this PhD student who specializes in mechanical dynamics also has some knowledge of weapon manufacturing, and helped Kazama Kaoru forge this telescopic steel sword.

Although the material is average, its conductivity is the highest.

After all, Misaka Mikoto's abilities shouldn't be wasted. Although they're a bit too powerful, they're still pretty good for subduing opponents.

His sword handle contains a miniature transformer, which helps Kaoru Kazama control the voltage.

Otherwise, if he were to act recklessly, the opponent would likely be reduced to a charred mess in a flash.

The doctor named it "Lightning Flash," although its design concept is closer to that of a self-defense device.

Chapter 176 A Sense of Smell Beyond Humanity

After packing his equipment and checking if the system was activated—a reminder of his transmigrator identity—he went out.

He walked quickly to the room where Conan had been before, even though he had to walk across the roof.

There's nothing you can do about it; wealthy families like to make things difficult for people. Even late at night, there are still quite a few servants cleaning outside. If you were to walk by openly, you'd probably be discovered in no time.

Being a thief doesn't involve so many worries. Luckily, the room markings were clear enough, right above the chess pieces, chessboard, and lawn. Genta almost fell off there that morning, and he still vividly remembers that embarrassing incident.

He pulled out his other phone from his pocket. Luckily, he was smart enough to bring two phones with him this time since he was going out.

In the darkness, he vaguely glanced at the chess pieces laid out on the lawn. Clearly, if the lord had indeed hidden a mystery in the castle, the clues could only be found in this chess set.

He tiptoed into the room, then went around to the hallway and saw the clock that Conan had turned that morning.

Judging from the time elapsed between Conan's disappearance and his departure, this mechanism shouldn't be too complicated; turning it once should be enough.

"Click-clack"

This damn clock is really noisy when it's ticking at night, so Kaoru Kazama can only take it one step at a time.

"Boom!"

After finally completing one rotation, the wall beneath the clock suddenly spun around, just like a revolving door in a hotel. Could it be that the person who designed this secret passage entrance had actually traveled through it?

Kaoru Kazama ventured into the secret passage and turned on her wristwatch-shaped flashlight, a gift from the doctor when he invented the steel knife, which now proved quite useful.

"I wonder if Conan is here. It's quite dark, and there's a strange smell, like mold. Could it be because it's raining outside?"

Shining the flashlight down, I discovered a skeleton on the ground. It looked like a woman's skeleton, as there was white hair and an old man's hat on it.

"This looks familiar."

Although the body had decomposed into a mummified corpse, the silk outer garment was not so easy to rot, and the type and style of the clothing and hat could still be identified. Moreover, a thick head of white hair was still attached to the head, clearly indicating that it was a female corpse.

What's underground? Bloodstains?

After his nose adjusted to the strange smells in the dark passage, Kaoru Kazama was able to identify a relatively fresh scent: a subtle, recent bloody odor.

Kazama Kaoru was completely unaware that she had gradually transitioned into a police dog. Her wild instincts and enhanced senses were premium skills published by the system and would evolve with use. Now, Kazama Kaoru's sense of smell could be said to have surpassed that of humans.

"Could Conan have been ambushed?"

The door behind him slammed shut with a click, startling the tense Kazama Kaoru so much that he almost turned around and slashed at it with his sword.

Kazama Kaoru is currently at the beginning of a long and deep staircase, while the female corpse is at the bottom of the stairs, looking in the direction her head is facing. She must have wanted to get out before she died, since this is the exit.

Thinking of this, he looked back and carefully shone his wristwatch-shaped flashlight on the wall. Sure enough, he touched something that was different from the surrounding walls. After twisting it slightly, a rumbling sound rang out again. This was indeed the switch for the secret passage.

After discovering the exit, Kaoru Kazama became much bolder in exploring the secret passage.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they found Conan lying unconscious on the ground. Judging from the wound on his head, he must have been knocked out.

"Conan, wake up! Conan, someone's committed murder!"

"Huh? Where, where has a murder occurred?"

Conan, who was lying unconscious on the ground, jumped up instantly, but then covered his head, probably suffering a mild concussion.

"Alright, you're already acting like this, don't you know how to be careful? A murder case isn't like a gourmet meal, why are you so excited?"

"Hey, Kazama... Kaoru-neechan, what are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

Conan changed his mind halfway through his sentence after seeing Kazama Kaoru's dangerous look, clearly having learned a painful lesson.

"I think... I've been knocked unconscious?"

Conan's tone still carried a question, clearly indicating that he was stunned and a little bewildered after being hit.

"Isn't the bloodstains on the ground enough to illustrate this point?"