Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

She probably came to her senses afterward and was too ashamed to face him.

He raised his finger and sent a message.

I've gone deep into the mountains. There's a high chance of no cell phone signal there, so you'll have to handle things on your own if anything happens.

Ran Mouri is making a disguise mask.

This time, the face was done on Shiratama Akiko, but compared to her previous focus, she was always absent-minded these past two days, constantly glancing at her phone to see if any messages had come in.

I unlocked my phone again, and it was completely silent; there were no messages on it.

Her eyebrows drooped, and she looked somewhat dejected.

Why haven't you contacted her yet...?

But if I take the initiative to chat with Qingze, I always remember my lewd words from that night, and my face burns with embarrassment.

She puffed out her cheeks, but in the end, longing overwhelmed her expression. She picked up her phone, ready to send a message to Qingze.

I just opened the chat window when a message came in.

It's hard to describe what this feeling is like.

Just like when I'm thinking of you, you're thinking of me too.

As joy spreads, a sweet feeling seems to rise in one's heart.

Going into the mountains? Shouldn't we be at school today? Why are we in the mountains?

Thinking about it, she sent her question over.

Seeing Ran Mouri's instant reply, Aoze's lips curled slightly.

Your father received a request, so we went together.

What kind of request is it? Is it to investigate a case or something else?

[Searching for treasure...]

……

The car arrived at the client's address around noon.

This is a villa in the mountains. It looks like it hasn't been lived in for a while. The shrubs in the garden, which should have been well-trimmed, are now growing exceptionally lush.

The client's name was Oda Sanpei, an average-looking middle-aged man.

The car drove into the yard, and the three people got out of the car.

The client looked surprised to see Kogoro Mouri arrive with his family of three for a service request.

"Mr. Mori, who are these two?"

"These are my wife and daughter," Kogoro Mouri briefly introduced to his client.

"I hope it won't be a problem if I bring them along?"

"It won't have any impact... it's just that this house has been unoccupied for a while, I don't know if Ms. Kisaki and Ms. Mori will be comfortable with it..."

Eri Kisaki looked around the unkempt yard and smiled, "It's alright, we're not delicate people."

Oda Sanpei's eyes flickered, and he smiled as he welcomed the three into the house.

Qingze glanced at the client again.

After some communication and inquiry, Kogoro Mouri received a sketch that looked like a simple line drawing.

The sketch depicts simple mountains and rivers, marked with three red dots in different locations.

“This was left to me by my father, and I feel it must be related to the treasure he mentioned.”

"This sketch is way too hasty!"

Kogoro Mouri was puzzled by the children's doodle.

Who knows what that means?

Eri Kisaki glanced at it and asked:

Do you have a paper map?

"some."

Oda Mimura quickly brought over a paper map.

Eri Kisaki and Kogoro Mouri compared the sketch with the paper map, discussing the positions of several red dots.

Qingze glanced around but didn't look, and simply strolled around the house and yard for a bit.

After strolling around for a while, he casually asked, "Mr. Oda, don't you live here?"

“My father liked to live here when he was alive, but it’s too remote for me. I only come here occasionally.”

The girl stood with her hands behind her back, somewhat wistfully remarking, "Such a big villa, cleaning it must be exhausting."

"Yeah, it took me all day to clean and tidy up yesterday, I'm exhausted."

Oda Sanpei instinctively took the bait, then immediately realized something and changed the subject, "This mountain isn't suitable for living in, it's too inconvenient."

"Indeed, it took us quite a while to drive here..."

Watching the couple studying the map, Oda Sanpei smiled and remarked, "I never expected Mr. Mori to bring his family along when commissioning a project."

Their job was to kill Kogoro Mouri.

With two more people suddenly, it's a bit of a hassle.

Chapter 341 The Approaching Killing Intent

"I was just killing time at home anyway, so I came along." Qingze tilted her head to look at him, her girlish eyes clear and bright. "Is Mr. Oda surprised?"

"Yes, I only prepared enough groceries for two people for three days. I need to go out and buy some this afternoon..."

"Mr. Oda's father has been gone for a while now, why are you only now thinking about finding treasure?"

Oda Sanpei looked troubled. "I wasn't initially very interested in this treasure, but recently my family company suffered a huge loss, and our cash flow dried up. I can only rely on this 'treasure' to tide me over..."

He looked at Kogoro Mouri as if he were looking at the person on whom he had placed all his hopes.

He clasped his hands together, his expression exceptionally sincere:

"If no new funds are injected, my company will go bankrupt. So, please, Mr. Mori, help me find them!"

Kogoro Mouri was immediately put under pressure, but he couldn't guarantee anything about solving the mystery.

"If this clue is correct and the treasure really exists, I will definitely help you find it."

The couple studied the puzzle by referring to the map. Oda Sanpei went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, and Aozawa offered to help.

"There's no reason to ask a customer for help. I'll do it myself."

Qingze's eyes crinkled into crescents, and despite his refusal, she rolled up her sleeves.

"It's okay. I can't help Dad with deduction and puzzle-solving, but I'm very good at cooking."

Oda Sanpei had no choice but to ask him for help, and the two of them cooked a simple lunch together.

Lunch was ready, and the couple had marked the locations on the map, preparing to visit each place one by one in the afternoon.

After lunch, the three of them went into the mountains.

The three locations marked on the map, in order of the route, are the waterfall, the cave, and the old shrine.

After watching the Mori family of three enter the forest, Oda Sanpei took out his communicator.

"The target is a family who have already entered the mountains."

"Huh? This detective brings his family along when he takes on a case?"

Should we contact the employer to inquire?

"How do we contact him? The employer only contacts us through one channel. If he doesn't contact us, we can't find him at all."

"This employer is really good at hiding things!"

Different voices came through the communicator, but because it was a radio, it was unaffected by the cell tower.

"I guess it's some rich and powerful person. These big shots like to hide when they hire someone to commit murder."

"As for those who aren't part of our target, let's just take care of them too. The employer is paying a good amount anyway. If we're satisfied this time, we can work together again next time."

"Agreed! It's just a matter of two more bullets."

"Then it's decided. Silver Fox, you're the most agile, so stay far away from them and don't let them spot you."

"yes, Sir."

……

This mountain forest is not a pristine forest; there are paths worn into the mountains by people, likely created by nearby villagers or tourists.

In some places, even bluestone paths have been built to connect the old shrines in the mountains.

Walking along the mountain path, seeing Kogoro Mori engrossed in a map puzzle, completely unaware of Sanpei Oda's strange behavior, Aozawa proactively spoke up to remind him:

"Dad, I feel like there's something wrong with that Mr. Xiaotian. We need to be careful in the mountains."

Kogoro Mouri, who was looking at the map, looked up and frowned. "Something's not right?"

Is there something wrong with the client? Isn't he just an ordinary client?

Aozawa sometimes really thinks Kogoro Mouri is quite slow-witted. Putting aside his reasoning ability, his observation skills are really lacking.

That villa had clearly been uninhabited for a long time; it had only been temporarily cleaned in the last few days.

The cleaning wasn't done properly; they only gave the surface a quick wipe.

These could also be explained as the client cleaning temporarily to accommodate Kogoro Mouri, but someone with such a large villa and a company would need to hire several servants to clean.

Do I need to clean it myself?

Even if there are problems with the family's cash flow, it shouldn't be so bad that they can't even afford a part-time maid and have to cook for themselves.

Oda Sanpei's behavior is seriously inconsistent with his stated identity.

The girl looked troubled, unable to explain why, "It just feels a bit off, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Eri Kisaki seemed to be deep in thought; her observational skills were far superior to Kogoro Mouri's.

"I also think there's something wrong with the client. Anyway, let's be careful!"

If your daughter and wife both think there's something wrong, then this client probably really does have a problem.

Kogoro Mouri reached for the gun at his waist; he'd been carrying it with him at all times lately.

So far, he has not drawn a gun.

Honestly, the feeling of waiting for revenge is awful.

We must be on guard at all times, fearing that danger might appear at any moment.

Is this retaliation from that organization? Or is it someone else trying to use him to find treasure?

Aozawa noticed Kogoro Mouri's actions and felt somewhat relieved.

He had already witnessed Kogoro Mouri's marksmanship at the shooting range, and even if he encountered an assassin, he should have no problem dealing with him one-on-one.

He needs to take extra care to protect Eri Kisaki.

The three continued on their way according to plan.

If it is not completely certain that the client has a problem, then the engagement must continue.

Having already entered the mountains, a sudden and unusual turnback would only raise suspicion.

Besides, they have to make the other side take action before they can retaliate, right?

With a gun on him, Kogoro Mouri wasn't worried at all.

The three of them arrived at the waterfall first.

Because the water flow decreases in winter, the rocks behind the waterfall are exposed, and shallow water flows down from above without any abnormalities.

He looked around the pool below the waterfall and searched the surrounding area, but found no place where the treasure could be hidden.

Are waterfalls considered streams?