Chapter 14: That Was My Line
'Wasn't it supposed to be 300,000,000 yen?'
'Could prices have gone up here too?'
Makoto glanced at his iPhone 12 Pro Max—definitely not a product of the 1990s.
Times had clearly changed.
'Inflation, sky-high prices—even kidnapper ransoms had ballooned several times over.'
"Demanding 1,000,000,000 in cash?"
"Sir, surely you've got it wrong—kidnappers wouldn't ask for money."
"There must be some mistake somewhere!"
Butler Aso startled and asked in a hurry.
"Shut your mouth! Just shut it!"
"This is all because of you—you're the reason my daughter got kidnapped!"
President Tani erupted into curses, too furious to notice anything off.
"Got it wrong?"
"Whoosh!"
A bolt of lightning flashed through Conan's mind.
Thought after thought flashed in rapid succession, and the conclusion came quickly.
He raised his hand, small fingers pointing—straight at Butler Aso.
"You're the kidnapper, aren't you?"
"Aso-san."
Makoto said flatly.
"Swish!"
In an instant, everyone froze.
Eyes landed on him—surprise, confusion, panic—all kinds, all at once.
Conan, who had just opened his mouth, was left choking on the words.
He stood frozen in place, not a single word coming out.
'That was my line!'
"A-Aso-san?"
Kogoro's cheek twitched as he looked at the old butler in front of him.
Such a kind, gentle face—he looked like a good person at a glance.
"W-w-what are you saying?"
"How could I possibly have kidnapped the young lady?"
Aso started to explain, expression frantic.
"Aso is the kidnapper?"
"Aren't you mistaken about something?"
President Tani wore an expression of sheer disbelief.
As the long-serving butler of the Tani household, Aso had served them for decades.
His daughter Akiko had grown up under Aso's care—he cherished her more than a granddaughter.
How could he have kidnapped Akiko?
"Just now, when Aso heard the kidnapper was demanding 1,000,000,000 yen, he said something."
Makoto pressed the playback button on his phone and the recording played out.
"Sir, surely you've got it wrong—kidnappers wouldn't ask for money."
"There must be some mistake somewhere!"
The first time it played, everyone blinked.
But by the second and third playback, even Kogoro's eyes had gone wide.
"Of course—now I understand! I finally understand!"
"The kidnapper really is you, isn't it, Aso-san!"
Kogoro caught him in a reverse hold and pinned the old butler to the floor.
"Quickly—let go!"
"I can't breathe!"
Butler Aso lay face-down on the floor and pleaded with what little breath he had.
"Then tell me—where is the young lady?"
Kogoro held him in a lock, knee pressing into his back, bearing down on the butler's full center of gravity.
He hadn't worked as a detective in years, but the technique was as sharp as ever.
"Mr. Mouri, what on earth is going on?"
President Tani was utterly lost and asked immediately.
"President, it's actually quite simple."
"A kidnapper demanding a ransom is entirely normal—otherwise, why bother kidnapping your daughter?"
"But Aso said the kidnapper couldn't possibly want money."
"Why?"
"Why would he know the kidnapper wouldn't demand a ransom—and be so certain of it?"
Kogoro looked down at the butler beneath him and said with satisfaction, "Because he is the kidnapper."
"He planned the kidnapping, orchestrated it—so he knew there would be no ransom demand."
"So when the kidnapper did demand a ransom, he was so startled he said something very strange."
"Buzz!"
Like a thunderclap, it clicked for everyone at once.
A kidnapper demanding ransom was completely normal—one who didn't was the strange thing.
If it were anyone else, hearing a kidnapper demand 1,000,000,000 yen wouldn't feel unusual at all.
But Butler Aso hadn't believed it—he'd even assumed President Tani had heard wrong.
That was a glaring contradiction.
The only thing that could explain it was this—Aso was the kidnapper.
He knew the kidnapping's purpose, so when the situation turned out different from the plan, he showed shock and skepticism.
"Aso!"
President Tani ground the name out through clenched teeth, his glare locked on him, fierce and unrelenting.
"Ye—yes."
Aso dropped his head in shame.
"Though the plan wasn't supposed to go like this."
"It was the young lady who wanted to spend time with you, sir—so she asked me to come up with this kidnapping scheme, to get you to close the company for a month, hoping you'd work less and spend more time with her."
"But any ransom, any 1,000,000,000 yen—that truly wasn't me."
Aso raised his head and pleaded his case with everything he had.
The demands the kidnapper had put forward were nothing like his original plan.
"You… you…"
"Just tell me—where is Akiko?"
President Tani raised a fist, but he was too furious to even form words.
"At a nearby hotel."
"The Hilton—room 2708. I booked the best suite for the young lady."
Aso said, face red with shame.
"Hahaha… case closed!"
"There's no case that can't be solved once Mouri Kogoro, Great Detective, is on it!"
Kogoro let out an exaggerated laugh.
"Oh, Dad!"
Ran, off to the side, flushed a little with embarrassment.
Her father really had no dignity as an adult.
…
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Aso — Tani family butler. Series: Detective Conan.
Edogawa Conan — Shinichi's alternate identity. Series: Detective Conan.
Higashino Makoto — Protagonist. Transmigrated.
Mouri Kogoro — Ran's father. Series: Detective Conan.
Mouri Ran — Shinichi's childhood sweetheart. Series: Detective Conan.
President Tani — Tani Akiko's father. Series: Detective Conan.
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Translated by CheapBiscuit.
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