Chapter 150: Unknown Forces
At Inspector Megure's house.
"Finally, a peaceful day!"
Inspector Megure sighed with relief. Ever since his colleague Mouri had become famous, cases in Tokyo had been piling up at an alarming rate.
Although he had Mouri as a reliable asset for solving cases, there were simply too many incidents, and he was overwhelmed by the daily burden of writing reports.
Come to think of it, today seemed to be his only day off in months, and it really felt wonderful.
It had been far too long since he'd enjoyed a proper dinner at home.
"What a delicious meal, Midori!" Inspector Megure looked at his wife affectionately.
She'd suffered so much over the years, especially recently. The situation had been painful, and he didn't know when it would end.
Fortunately, nothing much had happened today. Tokyo had been quiet all day—no murders had occurred, and even Beika, the most frequent hotspot for incidents, had been silent.
If there was any case worth mentioning, it was only Kaitou Kid's announcement about stealing the Ekoda Clock Tower jewel under Inspector Nakamori's jurisdiction.
But since it wasn't a murder case, it had nothing to do with him, and he wouldn't bother getting involved.
"You should eat proper dinners at home more often. Look at you—you've gotten thinner." Midori patted Inspector Megure's round belly, feeling somewhat sorry for him.
"Actually, the bento you bring me every day tastes just like home-cooked meals, Midori."
"Eating at home and eating out are never the same." Midori smiled and continued, "How many dishes fit in a bento compared to a proper home-cooked dinner?
Speaking of which, I wonder when you'll be able to eat at home again regularly. What's wrong with Tokyo these past couple of years? Cases keep happening more and more frequently.
Look how much property values in Beika have dropped! Do you think Beika has bad feng shui, or is it cursed?"
Inspector Megure waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry too much about superstitions. The high number of cases in Beika is just a statistical anomaly. Besides, both Mouri and Kudo are in Beika, so even if cases occur, they can be solved quickly."
Midori rolled her eyes internally. She thought it was precisely because there were so many detectives in Beika that so many murders had occurred. Didn't anyone notice that people died wherever Mouri Kogoro went?
A while ago, Inspector Megure had even fainted from exhaustion due to the sheer volume of cases.
The issue wasn't whether cases could be solved—it was that there were too many of them! Even if they could be resolved immediately, they still appeared at a minimum frequency of one per day.
Solving cases was quick, but the subsequent statements, case documentation, and coordination with the judicial department were extremely troublesome. Writing reports alone was enough to exhaust Inspector Megure completely.
Knowing that his wife was concerned about him, Inspector Megure didn't elaborate further and said with a smile, "I'm free today—I'll watch TV with you."
Midori smiled and nodded contentedly.
Ring ring~
The smile Inspector Megure had just displayed immediately vanished. A call at this hour—he didn't need to think twice to know it was from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Although Midori loved her husband who was a police officer and understood his dedication, she still had some complaints, though she mostly kept them to herself.
After all, it had been her own choice, and their relationship existed because of Inspector Megure's identity as a police officer.
"I'll take this call." Inspector Megure smiled awkwardly and sighed. Being a police inspector was rewarding, but the work was exhausting.
"Hello!!"
Hearing the resentful tone on the phone, Shinichi Kudo was completely taken aback.
"It's me, Inspector Megure."
Inspector Megure didn't feel like talking. Who was calling wasn't important—what mattered was that his rare rest had been disturbed. He'd just said he was having a peaceful evening, and now this happened.
And it was Shinichi Kudo calling, which only made things worse.
A call at this hour meant there must be a case. What a nuisance!
"Inspector Megure, are you still there?" The silence on the other end was making Shinichi anxious. It was already eight o'clock, and he was worried that if he delayed any longer, Kaitou Kid might act prematurely.
Besides, he didn't know if the effects of the sake were permanent or temporary.
If permanent, all the better. But if temporary, he had no idea when he'd revert to his child form.
"Shinichi, where have you been all this time? I haven't seen you in months! Why are you calling me all of a sudden? Has another case occurred?"
Inspector Megure asked the question with difficulty, silently praying for divine intervention.
"There's no murder case, but..."
He was only familiar with Inspector Megure in the Metropolitan Police Department. This case was being handled by Inspector Nakamori of Division 2, but because of that nightmarish encounter last time, Shinichi Kudo didn't have a favorable impression of Inspector Nakamori. So he decided to give Inspector Megure the credit for potentially capturing Kaitou Kid.
Inspector Megure was an exceptionally tolerant person—his magnanimity wasn't just talk. He called everyone "brother," and who wouldn't appreciate such a friendly superior? The key was that he actually listened to advice.
Inspector Nakamori was different. Shinichi had heard that Inspector Nakamori was reluctant to let others participate in his cases, and the last incident was still fresh in his memory.
"But what? Missing person, robbery, or theft?"
Inspector Megure was growing annoyed. If you have something to say, just say it! Don't interrupt my rare quality time with my wife! I finally have a day off, and he's bothering me at this hour? I don't even want to be an inspector anymore!
"It's about the Kaitou Kid case."
"Kaitou Kid is handled by Division 2. If you have information to report, shouldn't you contact Inspector Nakamori directly?"
Inspector Megure rubbed his temples, giving his wife a reassuring look indicating it was nothing serious. He just needed to put in a good word for Shinichi Kudo to get involved in the Kaitou Kid case.
"Inspector Megure, you should know about the 'Azure Wonder' incident, right?" Shinichi said gravely. "An unknown armed force got involved in that case. Although no body was found, I heard there was significant bloodshed at the scene.
Therefore, I believe the Kaitou Kid case doesn't just belong to Division 2—it requires a joint investigation with Division 1.
That force might reappear tonight. They're heavily armed thugs with access to helicopters for transportation. This is definitely a dangerous illegal armed organization."
Dressed in black, Conan suspected that group was connected to the tall-and-short duo who'd drugged him!
Inspector Megure pondered for a moment. He felt Kudo's reasoning made sense.
"Unknown forces..." Inspector Megure nodded seriously. "I understand. I'll mobilize my team immediately. Are you at the scene?"
"I'm on my way to the Metropolitan Police Department now, Inspector Megure. See you soon."
Inspector Megure hurriedly left under his wife's resentful gaze.
It seemed like another day of nonstop work.
Natsukawa was unaware that Conan had temporarily reverted to Shinichi Kudo, nor that Yor was bringing Anya to Ekoda to join Kid's fan club.
The Ekoda Clock Tower was surrounded by Kaitou Kid fans—some holding banners, others wearing headbands, and even small vendors selling Kaitou Kid merchandise on the spot.
Three helicopters hovered overhead. This was Inspector Nakamori's ace in the hole for tonight.
The clock tower's jewel was embedded in the hands of the clock. To obtain it, one would need to operate from the air. The helicopters were positioned very close to the clock tower, which would interfere with Kaitou Kid's hang glider.
Unable to approach from the air, the only option would be to reach the clock position from inside the tower, greatly increasing the chances of capture.
A fallen angel is just a mortal, and as long as he's mortal, I can arrest him, Nakamori Ginzo thought confidently.
Natsukawa moved through the crowd and quickly spotted the anti-fan Nakamori Aoko. Her sign proclaiming victory over Kid was blatantly obvious.
Fortunately, this wasn't Beika—otherwise Nakamori Aoko might have been confronted by Kid's die-hard fans.
He glanced at her twice before losing interest. His main focus was finding Koizumi Akako.
He wondered if he'd be able to witness Koizumi Akako's magical performance today. It was a real shame he'd missed the spectacle on Valentine's Day, given the grand scale of that event!
He figured he should be able to see something. If he made things a bit more difficult for Kaito, given Koizumi Akako's personality, she'd definitely step in to help him.
After walking around for a while without spotting Koizumi Akako, he checked the time—still an hour before the scheduled heist—and reluctantly gave up the search.
Oh well, it was fine if he didn't get to tease Kaito tonight.
(End of Chapter)
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