Chapter 16: The Power of Technology
"Higashino—what are you doing here? Aren't we supposed to be going after the kidnapper?"
Kogoro asked, puzzled.
"Uncle, just give me a moment—there's something I need to look into."
"It won't take long."
Makoto said and broke into a brisk jog toward the front desk.
Within moments, a cluster of front desk staff had practically jumped to attention in front of him, answering his questions with complete deference.
"The kidnapper won't wait around forever."
Kogoro glanced at his watch.
The sharp anxiety he'd been feeling dissolved instantly in the Rolex's gleaming gold.
Tall and handsome, sharp mind, sharp instincts, excellent family background, respectful to elders, generous to a fault…
He mentally listed off Higashino Makoto's many good points and suddenly found himself wondering whether his daughter was actually good enough for the man.
"Even Eri, picky as she is, would have to approve of this one."
Kogoro murmured, watching Makoto's back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Makoto came back with a relaxed smile.
"Done with the hotel—let's go find the kidnapper."
For once, Kogoro's face was completely serious, no trace of his usual grin.
"Should be in the school storeroom across from here."
Makoto pointed toward the school directly opposite the hotel's side.
In the darkness of night, it sat utterly still and silent—nothing about it looked like a school.
"Hirakawa Middle School."
"That school's been old and run-down for a while now—heard it's set to be torn down and rebuilt this year, with all the students and teachers relocated."
"No wonder the kidnapper chose its storeroom."
Kogoro recalled the previous day's newspaper.
As a former detective and now a private detective, he'd never dropped the daily habit of reading the paper and watching the news to stay on top of current events.
"Then this is the place."
Makoto nodded.
An abandoned school—storeroom doors left wide open.
A man in work clothes, eating instant noodles, a smug grin on his lips.
Beside him, a small girl, her body bound with rope.
Taking in the scene, Makoto let out a quiet breath of relief.
Aside from the roles switching—Conan and Mouri Ran replaced by himself and Mouri Kogoro—nothing had changed.
If anything, this was more advantageous.
"You—taste my iron fist of justice!"
Kogoro charged in with a shout.
A judo master since high school, with years as a detective on top of that, he put the kidnapper down with a few quick moves.
"It's all right now."
Makoto untied the girl's ropes and said quietly.
"Wahh…"
"Th-thank you!"
Tani Akiko sobbed, tears streaming, then let out a sudden wail.
She'd clearly been terrified.
"It's over now."
"That uncle and I were both hired by your father to rescue you."
"Everything's fine—we'll take you home right away."
Makoto reassured her.
"Okay!"
"Mm-mm!"
Akiko wiped her tears and gave a firm, vigorous nod.
In the pale moonlight, her bright little eyes locked onto the face in front of her, committing it to memory.
"Tch—with moves like that, you've got nerve kidnapping anyone."
Kogoro dusted off his hands.
The man in work clothes now lay sprawled on the ground like a dead pig, both hands bound behind him with rope.
"Any accomplices?"
Makoto asked.
"Accomplices?"
"What accomplices? It was just me!"
The kidnapper said, face bruised and swollen, with zero good humor.
"I've checked the whole area."
"Just him—no accomplices."
Kogoro said with certainty.
From the traces in the storeroom, it was clearly a solo job—there was no sign of a second person.
"That confirms it."
Makoto gave a slight smile—it matched what he'd expected.
In no time!
Four patrol cars came screaming up, sirens wailing, and pulled into the school grounds.
The man in work clothes was handcuffed and loaded into a car by officers.
Inspector Megure, perpetually in his trenchcoat, was all smiles as he thanked Kogoro.
"So it was here after all!"
"Damn it—why did he find it so fast?!"
Conan rolled up on his tricycle, gasping for breath, and stopped at the school entrance.
It wasn't until he passed the Hilton Hotel that it suddenly hit him—what Akiko had called a "big smokestack" was probably not a smokestack at all, but the side of the hotel building.
But by the time he found this school, it was already too late.
The suspect had already been loaded into a patrol car.
Just then, the man seemed to catch sight of him and reached out to point at a billboard by the road.
"That's…"
Conan looked over.
In an instant, his whole world went blank.
Google Street View.
So that was it.
He'd been running himself into the ground, cycling around comparing smokestacks to schools.
And what had Makoto done?
Pulled up a street view app and found the answer on his phone in minutes.
"This…"
"This isn't detective work at all!"
Conan was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.
…
…
Edogawa Conan — Shinichi's alternate identity. Series: Detective Conan.
Higashino Makoto — Protagonist. Transmigrated.
Mouri Kogoro — Ran's father. Series: Detective Conan.
Tani Akiko — President Tani's daughter. Series: Detective Conan.
…
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Translated by CheapBiscuit.
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