"Care to take a guess who in this banquet hall will be the first to die?" Tsuneo asked, looking down at Director Conan.
The great detective was frowning at the man before him, a supposed disciple of Teiji Moriya.
This man's design philosophy is completely asymmetrical. How could he be a disciple of that man?
Did he design it this way just so he could blow it up?
"Why would anyone have to die…?" Hearing the mechanic's words, Conan wore a look of exasperation.
"Quick, you can see Mt. Fuji from here!"
The three little ones had already run excitedly to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
From this vantage point, the distant white mountain peak was in full, unobstructed view. It was truly a magnificent sight.
"Wow, this scenery really is beautiful!" Uncle Mouri exclaimed, only just now noticing the spectacular view.
It seemed this was quite a prime piece of real estate.
"You can also see Mt. Fuji from here at night," Mio Tokiwa said with a smile.
"…What does that mean?" Standing at a distance, Conan couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind her seemingly random comment.
"An adult hint, probably," Tsuneo guessed.
'I want to watch Mt. Fuji with you late at night' is basically the same as 'I want to wake up with you in the morning.' It's just a more poetic way of saying it.
"Professor, Sis, let's get away from this person," Ai said, turning to the two.
Just standing next to this mechanic felt like it would contaminate your mind.
"Heh heh heh…" Director Conan gave a helpless chuckle and followed the group to another set of windows on the other side.
The slightly shorter Building B next door was a commercial tower, with shops on the lower floors, a hotel above them, and an indoor swimming pool on the top floor.
"The dome-like roof can be opened, turning it into a massive open-air pool," Mio Tokiwa explained with a smile.
"By the way, could I stay there this weekend?" The bald councilman walked over, struck by a sudden impulse to stay in the hotel in Building B.
Mio Tokiwa seemed a bit troubled. After all, the grand opening hadn't happened yet, and the staff and other preparations weren't ready. But seeing the unpleasant look on the councilman's face, she agreed.
"I will have the suite on the sixty-seventh floor prepared for you."
The floor number alone was enough to indicate the room's high class.
"Heh heh, if possible, I'd also like to have dinner with you," Iwumatsu Oki said with a smirk, stepping closer to Mio Tokiwa.
"See that? That's a blatant, adult hint," Tsuneo said as he ruffled Conan's hair.
Such a dark, sleazy exchange of power for favors…
"…"
Noticing everyone's eyes on him, Conan wanted nothing more than to run away.
"And who are you?" Councilman Oki said, his expression souring as he slanted his eyes at the young man in a tracksuit.
You see it, but you don't say it. A word of advice to someone wearing such cheap clothes: you'd be wise to speak less.
"Don't mind me. I'm just explaining things to the kid," Tsuneo replied with a smile.
Conan: …
I don't want to hear it! I don't want to know anything…
"Hmph. Irrelevant people should make themselves scarce. This isn't the kind of place a minor character like you should be," Councilman Oki said dismissively, waving his hand. The disdain in his voice was practically overflowing.
Uncle Mouri frowned. It was true that the mechanic was a bit too blunt, but it was also a fact that this councilman was tipsy in broad daylight and making explicit advances toward a woman. His conduct was truly shameless.
"A man on the verge of rot."
"Hmph. We minor characters should probably take our leave." Ai broke the tense silence. Crossing her arms, she turned and led the way toward the elevators.
"Rot?" Conan glanced back at the councilman.
"Mr. Hara, I'll be visiting next week with the children," Tsuneo said, his own expression unperturbed. As he was leaving, he even waved goodbye with a smile to the genius programmer.
A councilman from Nishitama City. Just a minor character, already starting to rot.
"Sonoko, are you and Ran heading back too?" Genta asked, looking up as they all stepped into the VIP elevator.
"Yeah. Ran and I decided to just leave that old man to his own devices. Let him do whatever he wants," Sonoko said casually.
It was best to stay far away from that councilman.
"How can you just let Dad do whatever he wants…?" Ran said, exasperated.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Miss Tokiwa seems like a very shrewd woman," the Professor remarked with a smile, turning his head from the view outside the elevator.
A woman that shrewd would never fall for some bumbling detective…
The Professor was in a sharp, sarcastic mood today.
"I agree with that," Ai stated in her usual flat tone.
"A clever one, indeed…" Tsuneo breathed onto the glass and started drawing a little bear.
Even when he had openly mocked the situation, Miss Tokiwa's expression had barely changed. Her composure was remarkable.
"What are we having for lunch?" Genta asked, patting his stomach and looking at his big-eater brother. It was about that time.
"Why don't we eat here in Nishitama City?"
"My treat!" Sonoko proposed.
"Sonoko is the best!" Genta's eyes filled with visions of eel rice bowls dancing in the air.
"Agreed!" Mitsuhiko and Ayumi nodded enthusiastically.
"You little flatterers…"
Back in the banquet hall.
As the others departed, Uncle Mouri turned to Mio. "Mio, I'm sorry about what happened just now."
"It's nothing. Was that man one of your disciples?" Mio Tokiwa asked with a smile.
His public interruption had actually prevented the councilman from pressing the issue further. Otherwise, she would have had to find another way to decline Oki's invitation.
"Er, well, he's just a straightforward kind of guy," Uncle Mouri said, before going on to warn his former junior to be careful.
Mio Tokiwa nodded and formally invited the rapidly rising star of the detective world to her grand opening ceremony.
After seeing off her many guests, she gazed at Building B, a smile gracing her lips.
I'm getting older, after all. Opportunities like that are best left to younger people who are more willing.
You have your schemes, and I have my countermeasures. There's a solution for everything.
As the head of the massive Tokiwa Corporation, she was no simple woman.
Of course, as for a constantly drunkard like him… once he lost his value or took things too far, he might suddenly find himself drowning in scandals. Or perhaps one day, he might just end up dead from drinking…
"What?!"
"You're saying that Yoshiaki Hara is…?"
On the way back to Beika Town, Conan overheard this shocking piece of information from a phone call the mechanic had put on speaker.
Yoshiaki Hara was a member of that organization!
"No, I only said they've been in contact," Hiroki's voice clarified through the phone.
It was just like the case of the software engineer Itakura Suguru, who had also had dealings with the Black Organization.
"By the way, I should also tell you that Gin and Vodka were spotted near the Twin Towers today as well."
Tsuneo thought for a moment and asked, "Did Yoshiaki Hara refuse some demand from the Black Organization?"
"It's not just that…"
(End of Chapter)
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