Conan: I'm Really Not the Manipulator

Speaking of this, Kotomine Joanna shuddered. She gritted her teeth, looked at Hojo Toika with worry and seriousness, and her expression gradually became unbearable.

"Teacher, you... I know you are very sad about losing your brother, but I don't want you to do anything stupid... After all, he is an existence we cannot afford to offend."

"..."

Hojo Iris was speechless.

But this was a kind reminder from the other party, not malicious, so she comforted him: "It's okay, I can handle it."

Kotomine Jonah still looked at her worriedly.

At this time, the waiter brought their orders one by one. Hojo Tobiko ordered fruit pudding and persimmon Basque cake, while Kotomine Janna ordered a larger sponge cream cake.

Kotomine Joanna used a fork to cut the cake into two, while Hojo Tobiko put away the file bag, picked up the spoon and started eating.

Poisoning cases often occur in Conan, but she is not afraid at all. The protective aura given by the system can not only defend them from most physical damage, but also make them immune to poison.

However, it is limited to poisons; sleeping pills and anesthetics are not within the scope of defense.

"how have you been?"

With the help of fans, Hojo Toika also showed some concern for their recent situation.

"My parents have plans to immigrate...or return to Ireland. My dad met my mom when he went there to study."

Kotomine Jonah slowly ate half of the cake: "I want to go with them, but before that, I have to finish the work at hand."

"Interview scientists?" asked Hojo Tobika.

"Not all of them." Kotomine Joanna said, "I also visited Professor Moriya Teiji of the Department of Architecture before. He is... Next I have to interview an expert in pharmacology."

"He is a member of the Japan Academy and a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He has won many medical awards and is a world-class researcher on cancer... But he has a weird personality. All other journalists who wanted to interview him were turned away. I don't know if I can succeed."

Hojo Toika asked curiously, "After you went to Ireland, did you still work as a reporter?"

"No, I'm going to be a painter."

As Kotomine Joanna said this, she took out another thick book from her bag. She opened it to the last page, handed it to Hojo Tobiko, and smiled at her embarrassedly.

"This is my latest work. I really like the extra stories you wrote, so I drew their characters without permission..."

After hearing the extra chapter, Hojo Toika felt a little guilty for some reason, and she glanced at Kotomine Jhona.

——There was no change in the expression on that pretty face, only her eyes were sparkling, and she was looking at him with great anticipation.

Hojo Ibiza looked at the album again and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the characters clearly. Several characters had names marked below them, and their appearances did not match their real-life counterparts at all.

Although the style of painting is not as refined as the comics in the chat room, this is normal. The uploaded comics must have been refined, and the pictures in front of us are just hand-drawn.

"It looks very beautiful." Hojo Ibisuka was very happy.

----

Kotomine Joanna looked at the pair of pearl earrings that were so close to her and matched the necklace on her neck, and her internal organs seemed to be in a turmoil.

Anger flowed like blood through every corner of her body, but she still had a smile on her face.

The pictures that Hojo Toika was looking at were drawn by herself.

Not only did she take on another name of her sister, she also tried hard to imitate her sister's abilities.

When doing these things, Kotomine Joanna didn't feel like she was her sister's shadow at all. Instead, she was very happy because it was like her sister was alive in her...

Her throat was blocked, and her voice was normal: "Teacher, will these extra chapters be published?"

Hojo Toika shook her head: "I don't have any plans for now. The editor said that the sales of my last book were too low, and I may not be able to do it in the future..."

Kotomine Joanna smiled. It was the most sincere smile she had ever shown since she entered this dessert shop.

"Have you ever considered printing it at your own expense?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Hojo Toika's face, Kotomine Joanna explained, "It's the kind that's shown at comic conventions. You do the typeset yourself and find a factory to print it. Normally, a few dozen copies are enough, and they're only circulated among a small circle of like-minded people."

"I know this. I've bought it before."

Hojo Ibiza frowned. "But I don't know how to do it. Proofreading, typesetting, book cover design, how many copies to print... I left it all to the editor before, and I'm very busy lately."

"I can help you."

She ate only half of the cake and left the other half.

……

The door of the dessert shop opened again.

The man who had been afraid to enter before finally came in for the mission. He sat in a position where he could hear them talking but not be seen by them.

At the same time, he couldn't see Kotomine Jonah, and he didn't notice that the smile on her face deepened.

……

The two young women talked about self-publishing for a long time until Hojo Toika handed over a series of tasks to Kotomine Jona.

By the time the two left the dessert shop, it was already dark.

This dessert shop is located in a remote location, at the back of a commercial street, with not many passers-by around.

They walked further and further away, and Kotomine Joanna, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and looked at the glass outside the convenience store. There was a hint of trembling in her voice.

"——It seems like someone is following us."

Chapter 120 Utilization (Part )

track?

...Is he a perverted pervert? !

A cold wind blew by, and Hojo Toika shivered silently as she stood on the dark and quiet street.

Compared with men, women are more likely to encounter this kind of crime. There is an original episode in Conan that touches on this, and she felt angry and disgusted when she watched it.

Seeing her expression change, Kotomine Jonah whispered, "Teacher Hojo, can we walk faster... maybe I'm just thinking too much?"

Hojo Tobiko nodded, and the two continued walking forward, speeding up at the same time.

Da da da……

They were all wearing high heels, and the sound of their footsteps was very clear, but there seemed to be some other noise mixed in.

Hojo Toika started to get nervous when she realized that they were the only two people on the road - the dessert shop chosen by Kotomine Joanna was too remote - and this was the first time her heart beat so fast since she entered the game.

After walking for a distance, Kotomine Joanna took out a makeup mirror from her pocket, opened it and looked behind her.

Hojo Toika noticed that at the corner behind her, there was a long black shadow dragging silently on the ground.

"!!!"

Hojo Iris' eyes widened.

——This is not a passerby who happened to be passing by, this is a stalker with unknown intentions! He was hiding behind the wall at the corner because he was worried that they would find him!

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Even though she had almost supernatural skills, she still felt fear instinctively when faced with such a thing.

"Teacher Hojo..."

When she was scared, Kotomine Jonah spoke.

"There's a fork in the road ahead. I can help you divert the stalker behind you. You can take this opportunity to call the police..."

Her voice was trembling. Facing the look from Hojo Toika, she tried to force a smile: "I'm a very fast runner, nothing will happen to me. You run first."

Hojo Toika was stunned.

She saw her slightly trembling body and determined eyes, and her heart was suddenly deeply moved.

Even though he was so scared, he didn't think of leaving me behind. Instead, he thought of letting me escape first...

At this moment, the last bit of dissatisfaction that Hojo Toika had towards Kotomine Jhona in her heart also disappeared.

"don’t worry."

The player with special skills looked back, and after a brief moment of fear, her eyes were filled with confidence in her own skills and abilities.

"I'll take care of this guy!"

……

After he came out of the dessert shop, he was still following his target, Kotomine Janna.

Maybe this road is quite remote, she and her female companion became alert. He had to delay a few steps, but he didn't dare to go too far.

Most of the people in the dessert shop just now were women, and a man going in alone would attract attention, so he waited outside for a while. But when he saw that they didn't come out for a long time, he finally went in.

I don’t know if I missed something important…

The tracker from the official agency frowned slightly, and at this moment, he suddenly found that the two people in front of him were gone!

He was startled and quickened his pace to rush forward. When he passed the fork in the road, a foot suddenly stretched out from below and tripped him hard!

"!!"

He rolled over skillfully and stood up, but before he could get into an attacking stance, he met a pair of eyes.

The next second, his mind went blank.

……

"Is this hypnosis?" asked Kotomine Joanna.

"...So be it."

Hojo Tobiko carefully glanced at her expression.

Kotomine Joanna didn't seem to be suspicious. She just looked at the stalker who was standing there stupidly with worry, her fingers tightly clasped on the phone, and then quickly opened some interface.

When encountering such a situation, many people would contact their family or trusted relatives and friends as soon as they are safe. Hojo Toika didn't care. She stared at the stalker and said, "Next, I just need to ask him to stop following me..."

"Wait a minute."

Kotomine Joanna raised her head, and the phone screen cast a bright light on her face.

"I've been to the detention center to interview some criminals. This stalker doesn't look like a pervert." She pointed at his clothes and his calloused hands. "He looks more like a professionally trained ..."

The rest of the words were not spoken.