Chapter 43: The Deadly List
After dropping the two kids off at Teitan Elementary School, Natsukawa rushed home.
Today, he needed to disguise himself as Tequila to complete the transaction at the game company's launch event.
Knowing in advance what Tequila would have gone through in the original timeline, he needed to prepare carefully.
Tequila's trading partner was named Hideaki Nakajima, an employee of Mantendo's development department. If he remembered correctly, someone wanted to kill Nakajima today. The would-be killer was probably one of the other two members of the development department, though Natsukawa couldn't recall exactly which one.
He only remembered that one of them had switched Nakajima's coat check number, secretly swapping it with the number for a briefcase containing a bomb. As a result, Nakajima—planning to trade with Tequila—would have handed over the tracking number for the explosive briefcase to Tequila, who would then be blown up.
An unjust death, but who told Tequila to make his transaction in a place where Conan and Kogoro Mouri were present? With those two around, danger was practically guaranteed.
Natsukawa prepared a disguise mask, height-enhancing prosthetics, and several explosive devices in advance.
The deal involved a list of world-renowned software engineers, which Franky had overheard during Vodka's phone call with Tequila.
Vodka had ordered Tequila to eliminate Hideaki Nakajima after the deal was completed. While the engineers' software development skills were decent, they weren't quite at the level where the Organization would want to recruit them. Since it was only a one-time transaction, killing them afterward would save on expenses.
Needless to say, this was Gin's idea.
Gin went to great lengths to economize for the Organization's budget.
That Afternoon - Beika Hotel
The first floor of the Beika Hotel was packed.
The scene was bustling, filled with suited men sporting the telltale signs of their profession.
These plaid-shirted engineers were unmistakably software developers.
The shinier their heads, the more skilled they were—or so the stereotype went.
Natsukawa successfully spotted Kogoro Mouri clutching his stomach near the lobby.
Ran stood nearby, and just then, Conan walked in.
He must have come straight from school.
Natsukawa, disguised as Tequila, adjusted his hat and turned away, waiting for Nakajima's arrival.
With this disguise, he definitely couldn't walk up and greet Kogoro Mouri.
Meanwhile, Natsukawa headed to the front desk to confirm Franky's position.
After verifying that Franky, disguised as the coat check manager, was indeed stationed at the desk, Natsukawa handed over a pre-prepared Mantendo-branded briefcase and received a claim ticket in return.
Inside the briefcase were three unassembled detonators—now it was Franky's turn to work his magic.
After completing this exchange, Natsukawa headed straight to a seat near the entrance.
After sitting in the lobby for a while, something strange occurred to him: despite being dressed entirely in black, no one gave him a second glance.
He stood out dramatically among the crowd of people in plaid shirts.
He'd been slightly worried at first, but now it seemed his concerns were unnecessary.
Soon, Hideaki Nakajima appeared in his field of vision. Dressed in a gray suit, Nakajima immediately began looking around nervously, a Mantendo briefcase clutched tightly in his hand.
Only after spotting Natsukawa's Tequila disguise did he breathe a sigh of relief, then gave a discreet nod before heading toward the coat check.
Next, Koji Ueda and Hironobu Takeshita, also from Mantendo's development department, came into Natsukawa's view. He'd seen their photos beforehand—they were also his targets today.
However, their role was merely to provide misdirection.
None of the three were balding, which was apparently why the Organization hadn't recruited them.
If they'd had hairstyles like Professor Agasa's, they might have been recruited as peripheral members.
The reason Ueda, Nakajima, and Takeshita all had to die was simple: if only Nakajima died, it would inevitably attract focused attention. But if all three members of the development department died, the police would suspect that Mantendo's competitors were behind it.
Furthermore, he remembered that one of them had sent a threatening letter to the company president. Connecting these dots, the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation would likely veer off toward corporate espionage rather than the Organization.
Even if Conan investigated, with all three killed, he wouldn't get any solid clues. Where would he even begin? There would be no clear trail to follow. Even the great detective himself would struggle to piece it together.
Soon, the press conference began in earnest.
The time for Tequila's deal with Nakajima was scheduled during the trial period after the press conference.
At that time, with many people around playing the new games, the exchange would be less likely to be noticed.
Although thanks to Franky, Natsukawa could easily obtain Nakajima's briefcase without the formal exchange, he still felt it necessary to go through the proper procedures to avoid arousing suspicion.
After all, Conan was watching closely, and Natsukawa remained cautious.
Conan had somehow ended up standing with Nakajima, along with Ran and the two other development team members from Mantendo—Ueda and Takeshita.
It's about time.
Having confirmed the timing, Natsukawa silently stood up.
At the Press Conference
At the game demo area, Conan stared in shock at the numbers displayed on the punching machine's screen.
Was that reading in pounds or kilograms? Regardless, this force was far beyond what any normal person could generate.
He'd just heard Ran shout someone's name when she threw the punch.
Her resentful expression, the afterimage of her fist, and the astronomical numbers on the screen sent chills down his spine.
"Ran-neechan, you're amazing!" Despite his inner terror, he still had to praise her.
"Hehehe, it's nothing really. I was just thinking about Shinichi, and before I knew it, I used all my strength."
Ran blushed, a little embarrassed that so many people had witnessed her display.
Such a cute girl, yet she could achieve a score of 400—terrifying!
Hearing this, Conan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, unconsciously taking a protective step backward.
Note to self: never make Ran angry. Ever.
"I didn't expect Miss Ran to be so strong."
Nakajima, standing beside them, was equally astonished. This seemingly delicate girl possessed such incredible strength, and it seemed she hadn't even used her full power. If they were to fight, he probably couldn't withstand a single punch.
As expected, the daughter of the Sleeping Kogoro was no ordinary person.
Her punching power alone would be rare even among professional athletes nationwide.
And 400 was definitely not Ran's limit—it was just the maximum the machine could register.
"It's okay. By the way, Conan, do you want to try it too?"
Conan visibly shuddered and waved his hands frantically.
Please, at my current height, I can't even reach the target on the punching machine.
"I need to use the bathroom."
Conan felt that only a bathroom break could relieve his psychological pressure and give him time to think of a way to dispel Ran's resentment toward Shinichi.
He really didn't understand why Ran's resentment had grown so strong when he'd only been gone a short time.
Could it be because he hadn't said goodbye properly when he left her at Tropical Land?
Nakajima's heart skipped a beat—he knew this was the opportunity for the deal. "Actually, I need to go too. Let's go together."
"Okay!"
The two followed the signs in the Beika Hotel to find the restrooms.
"Where is it exactly?"
Conan looked around, then up at the directional sign, somewhat confused by the hotel's layout.
"This is my first time here too. Let me look around some more," Nakajima Hideaki said, though he wasn't actually searching for the restroom.
Soon, his eyes locked onto the black-clad man walking directly toward him.
Tall, with a cold, sharp gaze, he exuded an intimidating aura even from a distance.
That's him.
Tequila.
Nakajima Hideaki's heart tightened.
He had painstakingly collected this list of software engineers. If it weren't for his crushing debt, he would never have done something so dangerous.
And knowing what was on the list, he understood what these people intended to do with it.
He figured that after handing over the list, those engineers would disappear one by one.
Perhaps killed, perhaps arrested for illegal activities.
But none of that mattered to him. He only wanted the money!
One hundred million yen.
That was the agreed-upon transaction amount. Tequila should have already deposited it in the coat check locker.
Thinking of this enormous sum, Nakajima's heart raced, and a forced smile crept onto his lips.
A mere list, selling for such a high price—it's like winning the lottery!
Greed blinded him completely, leaving him utterly unaware of his impending doom.
The so-called list of world-renowned software engineers was a deadly list that would cost him his life.
The countdown to death had quietly begun.
(End of Chapter 43)