Although several days had already passed since the Queen Sallybeth incident and neither the Night Baron nor Kaito Kid had been captured, the repercussion was still immense. Heiji, in particular, had shot to fame overnight, becoming gradually known throughout Japan and becoming a representative figure of the new generation.
"A new and great contemporary detective, comparable to Sherlock Holmes."
"The most promising high school student of the 21st century."
"Miracle! The prodigious boy from Osaka confronts two great thieves."
"An unexpected turn! The pearl of darkness, lost and recovered."
"A superior intellect, a terrifying insight, an unparalleled deductive ability: he is the Sherlock Holmes of Osaka, Heiji Hattori."
"Damn it, this Hattori brat has stolen all my spotlight."
Kogoro Mouri slammed the newspaper on the table in annoyance. Every single page was about Heiji Hattori.
Conan put down his backpack, with a frustrated expression.
"You're back, Conan. Hey, did you not have a good day at school?" Ran asked, confused.
[Heh, heh, how am I supposed to be happy when I've spent the whole day hearing about the exploits of that guy, Hattori?]
Conan rolled his eyes and then rested his chin in his hand: Why was Hattori so careless as to be attacked from behind by the Night Baron while chasing Kaito Kid? Was it on purpose or unintentional?
In the corridor of the Queen Sallybeth, there was nowhere to hide. If he had been chasing him, and the Night Baron had been in front, Kaito Kid would have seen him too. But if the Night Baron attacked him from behind, then Heiji was too careless, which doesn't fit with the personality he had shown so far.
Precisely for that reason, Conan was suspicious. Of course, for now, it was just a slight doubt, and he hadn't gone so far as to think that Heiji was the Night Baron.
Osaka's Kaiho Academy!
"Look, it's Heiji Hattori!"
"So handsome!!!"
"To be able to ruin the plans of both Kaito Kid and the Night Baron, it's incredible."
"I want to be his girlfriend."
"Me too. I'm so cute, I'm sure I'm worthy."
On campus, wherever Heiji went, these comments were heard. People turned their heads to look at him one hundred percent of the time; it was no exaggeration to say he was the center of attention.
"How annoying! How can those girls be so shameless?"
Kazuha came running up, pouting in discontent.
Heiji smiled slightly and tapped Kazuha's nose: "Silly, let them say what they want, what do you care?"
"But, Heiji, have you seen your locker?" Kazuha said, still pouting.
"No, don't you always clean it for me?"
"Every day it's stuffed with love letters, with photos attached. Many are from very cute girls," Kazuha said, somewhat dejected.
"Oh, really? And where are those letters now?"
Heiji looked very interested.
"I've burned them."
Kazuha suddenly lifted her head and looked at Heiji defiantly.
Heiji couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at? Don't laugh! I am your girlfriend, Heiji. I won't allow any other girl to get near you," Kazuha said possessively.
"Well, if you burned them, you burned them. It's time to go home."
Heiji walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. Kazuha followed happily by his side, her beautiful eyes occasionally glancing at her boyfriend, shining with deep happiness.
The evening light stretched the shadows of the two.
Hattori Residence!
"Hello, Hattori residence."
"Hello, is Mr. Hattori there, please?"
A pleasant voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
"Yes, he is. Do you need something from him?"
"Yes, it's very important. Could you please ask him to come to the phone?"
The voice seemed somewhat nervous.
Shizuka Hattori frowned: This son of mine... Kazuha isn't enough for him, and on top of that, he's going around messing with other girls. It seems I'll have to have a serious talk with him.
"Heiji, it's for you."
Heiji felt a bit bewildered. Why was his mother's tone so strange?
"Hello, this is Heiji Hattori."
"Heiji, it's Sonoko!" the voice on the other end of the phone was full of joy.
"Oh, Sonoko. What's up?"
Beside him, Shizuka Hattori pricked up her ears. Heiji was instantly speechless.
"It's nothing, it's just that Saturday is my birthday and I wanted to invite you and Kazuha to my party. It doesn't matter that you're in Osaka, I can send a helicopter to pick you up."
[A helicopter?]
Shizuka Hattori looked at Heiji in surprise. The girl on the phone was very rich.
"No need. It's only a few hours from Osaka to Tokyo. I'll ask Kazuha if she wants to go and I'll let you know."
"Kazuha already said she's going, I just need you to tell me if you're going."
Sonoko replied immediately over the phone, giving Heiji no chance to hesitate.
Heiji thought for a moment. He didn't seem to have anything to do on Saturday and Sunday.
"Okay, when is the party?"
"Saturday at eight in the evening. But during the day I'm going shopping, so you have to arrive at ten in the morning, don't you dare be late... It's settled then, bye!"
After spitting out a barrage of words, Sonoko hung up directly.
Hearing the busy tone, Heiji's face darkened. This woman, Sonoko...
"You, scoundrel. You have a girl as adorable and sensible as Kazuha and you're still not satisfied. These last few days girls keep calling. I'm warning you, I will only recognize Kazuha as my daughter-in-law. No matter how cute the others are, I won't accept them."
As soon as Heiji hung up the phone, Shizuka Hattori started lecturing him non-stop.
Half an hour, she lectured him for a whole half hour.
"In short, you can't hurt Kazuha, understand?"
Finally, Shizuka Hattori got tired and, leaving a completely stunned Heiji, went back to her room.
"Hahaha, did the lady really say that to you?"
The next day, after Heiji told Kazuha about the previous night, the girl burst out laughing.
"Getting your future mother-in-law's approval makes you very happy, doesn't it?"
Hearing Heiji's joke, Kazuha instantly stopped laughing and glared at him, blushing.
The train sped along. No incidents occurred on the way; after all, Heiji didn't have the attribute of attracting death.
A few hours later, they finally arrived at Beika station.
"Heiji, Kazuha, here... over here!"
Sonoko waved enthusiastically from outside the station. Beside her were a smiling Ran and a frustrated Conan.
"Ran, Sonoko, and Conan!"
Kazuha's face lit up with joy and she ran to meet them.
Heiji followed with his hands in his pockets and a serene expression, a slight smile of confidence on his lips.
At that moment, a tall and sexy woman, with shoulder-length orange hair, walked past Heiji, followed by several men in black who were walking in a hurry.
-----------------------
Unlock 400+ chapters across 7+ different novels on Patreon!
This Detective Conan novel alone already has 170 chapters available right now on Patreon, so if you want to support the project and enjoy even more exclusive content, I'll be waiting for you on Patreon!
We're entering one of the most mysterious phases of the Detective Conan project — cases that finally connect, secrets that can no longer stay hidden, and plot threads that have been building up for hundreds of chapters are beginning to tie together.
Every clue matters now, and every revelation hits harder than the last 👀
And yes — this project also includes exclusive R18 content.
And of course — many more projects are already in progress!
There's always something new to read.
If you ever spot a mistake or inconsistency, feel free to drop a comment — your feedback helps me improve the story and polish every chapter!
📌 Also, if you write a review or show support for the novel, it helps me a lot — and I'll keep uploading more chapters for those who do. Your support in any form truly motivates me to continue!