Chapter 55: It's Decided—It's You, Conan!
“Uncle, do you have a grudge against Mr. Takahashi?”
Sumitomo Taro was taken aback for a moment and replied, “I don’t think so. Besides, he shouldn’t have any connection with our Sumitomo family.”
Masakazu nodded slightly.
He couldn’t fully trust his uncle’s words.
Takahashi’s malice was almost blatant; no normal person would behave like that.
But Masakazu no longer cared why he harbored such hostility.
Once Conan arrived, everything would return to dust and ashes.
All grudges and entanglements would be left behind.
Masakazu was not a man to hold grudges.
When the Mori family arrived, Masakazu’s warm welcome even made the usually unimpressed Kogoro Mori smile.
“Welcome, Mr. Mori. I’ll take you to meet my uncle,” he said.
“Oh, truly sorry for the trouble,” Kogoro replied.
As Masakazu led Kogoro to find his uncle, the latter was standing in a corner beside a guest who seemed to dislike crowds.
Ai was assigned by Masakazu to do something sneaky.
She stealthily held a voice recorder and quietly approached behind Conan and Ran.
Pressing the record button as they greeted Masakazu’s uncle, Ai caught the words:
“Vodka, you take out Takahashi using the same poison that killed that great detective last time.”
Startled by the voice on the recorder, Ai quickly regained her composure before anyone else heard it, concealed the device, and slipped away quietly.
Conan, hearing the voice, suddenly turned around.
Looking around and finding no suspicious figure, he grasped Ran’s hand and asked, “Ran, did you hear anything?”
“Hear anything?” Ran tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think I caught the word ‘poison’… not very clear.”
It was definitely more than just “poison.”
Vodka?
What kind of code name was that?
And poison that killed a great detective—the name made Conan’s heart race.
Takahashi?
Takahashi!
Conan pulled his hand free from Ran and went straight to Masakazu. Innocently, he asked, “Masakazu, was there anyone named Takahashi at the banquet?”
“Takahashi? I was just chatting with him a moment ago,” Masakazu said with a smile, pointing toward Takahashi’s direction.
“See that? The bald guy among that group is Takahashi.”
Conan looked where Masakazu pointed and saw a man shouting loudly at a group.
Judging by the expressions of those around, it seemed Takahashi was not speaking kindly.
Masakazu asked, “By the way, why do you ask?”
“Nothing much, just heard someone call that name, so I got curious,” Conan replied.
Masakazu nodded. “Reasonable explanation.”
He was very tolerant of children and respected others’ privacy, never prying too deeply.
“Don’t bother Mr. Takahashi. He has a bad temper—watch out, he might hit a kid,” Masakazu warned.
“Got it,” Conan said with a grin, rubbing his head.
To avoid interfering with Conan’s mischief, Masakazu invited Ran to meet a new friend, Momiji Ooka.
Having peers to talk with made things more engaging.
As for Conan, it was best to let the boy play on his own.
Masakazu swirled the juice in his glass absentmindedly, waiting for a scream.
“That expression—are you planning something mischievous?” Momiji teased.
“No way. This is my uncle’s birthday banquet—once in a lifetime. No matter how reckless I am, I wouldn’t cause trouble here,” Masakazu said.
Ai focused intently on the pastry in her hand.
She had already started scheming.
The recording she overheard made her shiver with fear.
Why did Masakazu play that recording for Conan?
Had he begun to suspect Conan’s identity and was testing him?
Ai felt uneasy.
If Conan’s identity was exposed, she would be in danger too.
“You’ve never been sensible,” Momiji teased again.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass rang out in the banquet hall.
A middle-aged man in a black suit collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Conan, who had been watching Takahashi closely, was stunned and immediately rushed over.
“Clear the way! Everyone, step back!” Heizo Hattori commanded the guests to make space.
Sumitomo Taro approached, a dark expression on his face.
Having a death occur at his own birthday banquet was truly ominous.
“Kids shouldn’t be in places like this,” Heizo Hattori said as he pulled Conan away, then examined Takahashi’s body.
“This young man, leave this to Kogoro Mori. He’s a great detective—you shouldn’t delay his investigation here,” Masakazu said as he walked over.
Kogoro Mori scratched his head. “Right, leave it to me.”
The guests whispered among themselves, many having heard of this famed Tokyo detective.
But some knew better—that he was a certain person’s lackey.
Heizo Hattori stood firm, not stepping aside.
If Mori was allowed to investigate, who knew what truths would be buried?
Heizo said, “Heizo, you…”
“I’m a fairly well-known detective in Osaka. I’m not the kind to cause trouble for anyone,” Heizo replied.
Kogoro cleared his throat and said confidently, “Leave it to me. You can follow and learn.”
Kogoro’s usual self-assurance was on display.
Heizo eyed Kogoro warily.
Before the police arrived, no one moved the corpse but questioned those who had spoken with Takahashi.
Everyone’s impression of Takahashi was negative.
From the moment he arrived, no one knew why, but he had argued with Masakazu, then insulted anyone he met—almost as if he were insane.
Heizo frowned and asked Masakazu, “Masakazu, did you have any conflict with Takahashi?”
“I don’t know,” Masakazu replied.
“You…”
“Heizo,” Masakazu interrupted. “Today, Takahashi clashed with many people. No one knows why he acted this way.”
Heizo frowned.
Others who had conflicts with Takahashi said the same, and Masakazu showed no abnormal behavior.
Perhaps he was simply biased.
Harboring malice and instinctively assuming someone is the culprit is not befitting a detective.
“Sorry,” Heizo said, shaking off his thoughts and continuing to examine Takahashi’s body.
Masakazu stood beside Heizo, watching the two detectives investigate.
“Kid, don’t cause trouble here,” Kogoro pulled Conan away.
Conan pouted.
If I don’t investigate, how will you solve the case?
This case involved the organization that shrunk him, not just an ordinary murder.