Conan: The Heart Thief

……

After the school festival ended, Teitan High School resumed its normal teaching days.

That day, Lin Xiao noticed that the class monitor Takei Naoko was absent for no reason. With her serious personality, she shouldn't be absent for no reason.

Moreover, she has been absent for two consecutive days, which is really worrying.

In the afternoon, after school, Lin Xiao asked Xiaolan if she knew about the situation.

"Xiaolan, have you noticed that Takei Naoko hasn't come to class these past two days?"

"Ah. I noticed that, too."

"Takei Naoko, have you asked for leave?"

"It seems not..." Xiaolan recalled what happened in the past two days, "My father received a commission from the Takei family yesterday. I wonder if it has anything to do with Takei Naoko?"

"Didn't your father tell you the content of the commission?"

"No... Dad won't disclose anything casually when he receives a job commission."

"That's it..."

Lin Xiao tried to recall the plot. It seemed that Takei Naoko was also involved in the incident. Could it be now?

"Ran, do you know where Takei-san lives?"

"I know." Xiaolan's eyes curved, "Lin Jun, you want to visit Naoko, right? I think so too."

"In that case, let's go visit Takei-san's house now."

"Ok!"

After finishing the afternoon class, Lin Xiao and Xiaolan went directly to Takei Naoko's house.

Lin Xiao and Xiaolan visited the Takei family and were greeted by Hanai Akiko, the secretary of Takei Katsuhiko, the father of Takei Naoko.

Katsuhiko Takei was reluctant to meet the two at first, but when he heard that Lin Xiao was a new high school detective in Tokyo, he decided to meet him.

The living room of the Takei family.

"Are you the high school detective Lin Xiao?" Katsuhiko Takei looked at Lin Xiao.

"Yes." Lin Xiao nodded, "I am Takei Naoko's classmate. Takei Naoko was absent suddenly, Xiaolan and I were very worried, so we came to visit."

Mao Lilan also politely greeted Takei Katsuhiko: "Uncle, I am Mao Lilan, and I am a good friend of Naoko. Because Naoko was absent for no reason, I came to visit and disturb her. I just want to give her some advice on her situation."

After hearing Mao Lilan's self-introduction, Takei Katsuhiko's expression became obviously unhappy and his tone was sad.

"My daughter Takei Naoko was kidnapped, so I asked the police for help and commissioned Detective Mori. However, the police and Detective Mori were helpless. I really regretted notifying them because just yesterday, the kidnappers drove their car into the bottom of a turbulent river in front of them, and Naoko was in the car at the time..."

"Ah? Dad!" When Xiaolan heard that her father couldn't help, she suddenly felt ashamed.

Hearing such sad news, Lin Xiao remained calm.

"Mr. Takei, you don't have to be so pessimistic. In my opinion, Takei Naoko is still alive. We have every chance of rescuing her."

"Detective Lin, do you have any evidence?"

Katsuhiko Takei was surprised. Seeing that the young man was so confident, he wondered where the young man got the confidence from.

"Mr. Takei, I'm sorry I can't answer you. After all, you didn't tell us the truth, did you?"

Even though Lin Xiao did not know the plot in advance, he could tell from Takei Katsuhiko's expression that Takei Katsuhiko was lying and there was something else behind the kidnapping.

Suddenly, Lin Xiao discovered that a little mouse was peeping from the second floor of Wu Ju's house.

The little mouse was discovered by Lin Xiao and tried to escape.

Lin Xiao was equipped with the personality mask Shan Ling. Under the astonished gazes of Takei Katsuhiko and Hanai Akiko, he jumped to the second floor in a flash and easily picked out a little boy wearing glasses.

Several people downstairs looked at the boy Lin Xiao was carrying in surprise.

"Conan!" Xiaolan covered her mouth in surprise.

"Are you the Conan from yesterday?! Why are you here?!" Katsuhiko Takei and Akiko Hanai both recognized Conan. He was the child who followed the famous detective, Kogoro Mouri, who came to accept a commission yesterday. The two were wondering why Kogoro Mouri brought the child here.

Lin Xiao carried Conan back to the first floor.

Conan covered his head with a look of despair. Yesterday, he secretly followed Maori Kogoro to the Takei family, wanting to help Maori Kogoro solve the kidnapping case, but Maori Kogoro and the police were fooled by the criminals, so he had to come alone to investigate.

Under the gaze of everyone, Conan awkwardly pretended to be crazy and stupid, trying to get away with it.

Lin Xiao and Xiaolan had no choice but to apologize to Katsuhiko Takei and then left with Conan.

As soon as he walked out of the Takei family, Conan seemed like a different person, which really scared Xiaolan.

Lin Xiao had expected this: "Tell me, Conan, what did you find?"

Conan said seriously: "Brother Lin Xiao, you are right, Takei Naoko is still alive! The criminals threatened Takei Naoko's father, Mr. Takei Katsuhiko, to pay a ransom of 500 million yen to redeem Takei Naoko!"

Mao Lilan then asked: "Conan, do you know where to deliver the ransom?"

Conan shook his head: "I was planning to hide and follow Katsuhiko Takei to the delivery location, and then you guys came."

Mao Lilan looked at Lin Xiao and asked, "Then, should we hide and follow Takei Katsuhiko?"

Lin Xiao said: "No need. We can go earlier."

After learning the whole story, Lin Xiao sent out the personality mask Pixie, who easily found the location of Takei Naoko. She was tied up in an abandoned warehouse in an old building in Beika Town.

Under the setting sun, Lin Xiao brought Xiaolan and Conan, and the three of them found Takei Naoko and rescued her.

When Conan asked Takei Naoko who the criminal was, Takei Naoko seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Lin Xiao reminded: "Be quiet, someone is coming, let's hide quickly."

The four of them hid in the dark corner of a warehouse full of miscellaneous items, and saw Katsuhiko Takei arriving with Akiko Hanai.

Because the kidnappers had asked Katsuhiko Takei to exchange Takei Naoko for a ransom of 5 million yen, he rushed here according to the kidnappers' agreed location.

However, inside the safe he brought was 5 million yen in fake money that Hanai Akiko had prepared. Only the top sheet of each stack of paper money was real money, and the rest were all practice notes...

He was simply reluctant to spend 5 million yen. If he really took out 5 million yen in exchange for his daughter Takei Naoko, his company would collapse in an instant due to the broken capital chain, which was something he could not accept.

His company was acquired through hard work, although much of this hard work involved using unethical mergers and acquisitions, but this is how society is and the weak cannot survive.

Chapter 51: Kudo Yusaku cheated, Kudo Yukiko complained to her son

Katsuhiko Takei was filled with anxiety at the moment. He looked at his watch and said, "I have arrived at the agreed time. Why haven't the kidnappers shown up yet?"

"In fact... people have already arrived..."

Hanai Akiko, who had been standing behind Takei Katsuhiko, suddenly pushed him to the ground.

"Hanai, what are you doing, you idiot? You twisted my foot and it hurts so much. You don't want to do it anymore, right?"

Being pushed unexpectedly by Hanai Akiko, Katsuhiko Takei fell into the garbage pile in the warehouse, holding his foot and sweating profusely.

"Takei Katsuhiko!" Hanai Akiko screamed, her beautiful face twisted. "You're screaming at this little pain? Can it compare to the pain you've caused my family? You bought my father's company and forced him into a desperate situation. Do you remember?!"

"What did you say?" Takei Katsuhiko showed a look of fear. "You, you are..."

"After I graduated from college, I changed my name and joined your company just for revenge." Hanai Akiko became ferocious because of anger, "Takei Naoko was kidnapped by me. I thought that if you, as a father, were willing to pay the ransom for your daughter, I would release Takei Naoko. It's a pity that you are too cold-blooded!"

Akiko Hanai picked up the safe and poured all the counterfeit money inside on Katsuhiko Takei, who was unable to move due to his leg injury. She also picked up a bucket of gasoline that had been prepared in advance from the side and poured it all on Katsuhiko Takei.

Then, she took out a lighter and lit the flame...

"Stop! I can give you money, but don't kill me..." Katsuhiko Takei was so scared that he wet his pants.

"It's too late! Bastard, take your precious 'money' and go to hell!" Hanai Akiko laughed in revenge.

Lin Xiao, who was hiding in the dark, was also frightened. Hanai Akiko was too cruel. With such a fire, Takei Naoko, who was tied up in the warehouse, would also be burned to death. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and the debt has its creditor. Don't let the family be affected by the disaster!

Lin Xiao rushed out first and knocked down Hanai Akiko. Xiaolan followed Lin Xiao's steps and assisted Lin Xiao in subduing Hanai Akiko.

On the other side, Takei Naoko and Conan rescued Takei Katsuhiko from the garbage dump together.

Soon after, the police arrived and arrested Akiko Hanai.

Katsuhiko Takei apologized to Naoko Takei with a guilty look on his face: "I'm sorry, daughter...but money is really important to me..."

Takei Naoko sighed softly: "Dad, I don't mean to blame you. I just want to advise you not to do things that hurt others for money. Good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished!"

Katsuhiko Takei was very touched by his daughter's understanding, but no one knew whether he listened to his daughter's advice or not.

Night, Metropolitan Police Department.

After cooperating with the police to record their statements, everyone came to the neon lights outside the Metropolitan Police Department...

Although the incident has been completely resolved, the person involved, Takei Naoko, has been in a very low mood. Lin Xiao and Xiaolan stayed by her side and comforted her.

Naoko Takei confided her worries to two of her classmates.

"I have a very good relationship with Hanai Akiko. I have always regarded her as my mother and sister. Now she is in prison because of my father and me. I am really sad..."

As she was speaking...Takei Naoko threw herself into Lin Xiao's arms and began to sob.

Lin Xiao naturally hugged Takei Naoko and comforted her. Xiaolan, who was standing next to him, felt that she was superfluous and disturbed them...

……

[Hua Po: A legendary tree spirit that lives on a tree where many people have hanged themselves. It looks like a beautiful girl in white, but its body is much smaller than a human.

Special ability: Whip of Burning Branches. 】

Lin Xiao returned home, opened the system space, and combined multiple personality masks.

Personality Mask: Lamia.

Personality Mask: Black Slime.

Personality Mask: Bicorn.

Personality Mask: Flower Soul.

What kind of surprises will the synthesis of the four personality masks bring? Lin Xiao is full of expectations.

[Okuninushi: According to Japanese mythology, he is the god of Izumo Province who accomplished the great feat of nation-building.

In order to fight for the rule of the country and the concubine, he fought with 80 brothers and sisters, and finally took the sword of Jutsu from Susanoo who lived in the country of Hades, defeated his brothers and sisters, and became the lord of a country.

Exclusive ability: The majesty of the ruler. 】

"Personality Mask Okuninushi!"