Conan: The Phantom Heart Thief

"I don't have the flu, I just caught a cold," Conan protested with a heavy nasal voice.

Kazawa pinched his nose and thought to himself, If you could just nag a bit less, maybe I wouldn't have caught it at all.

"You're so young, yet already in poor health. Catching a cold like this..." Hattori Heiji said as he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a wrapped bottle with a grin. Then he poured out two small cups of liquor. "Want to try something strong? This is a special remedy I swear by."

My goodness... that strong alcoholic aroma...

Kazawa, who had a history of alcoholism, twitched his nose at the familiar, mellow scent. For a moment, his expression glazed over, and he almost showed a look of desire.

But in the next second, he quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of it.

He had finally quit drinking. He couldn't let himself backslide over something like this…

Of course, that one time in the Velvet Bar didn't count. That was a dream. Dream-drinking can't be considered real drinking, right?

Conan, whose nose was completely stuffed and couldn't smell anything, took the cup without a second thought and brought it to his lips.

Kazawa watched his movements, hesitated for a brief moment, and ultimately didn't stop him.

He had many ways to alter the plot… but thinking about it again, after longing for it for so long, finally having the chance to change back — wouldn't it be unfair to block that opportunity?

Forget it. Let's try something else instead.

Conan, whose sense of taste was dulled, took two sips of the baijiu. His face immediately scrunched up from the burn, and he broke into a violent cough.

Kazawa then moved the cup in his hand further away and turned his head from the contents in the glass. "This isn't cold medicine. It smells like alcohol..."

Hattori Heiji took the bottle out of its wrapping and tapped the label that looked very familiar to Kazawa. "Yeah, this is Baiganer from China. So? Pretty strong, huh?"

Conan swayed dizzily for a moment before falling back into the quilt.

"You let a child drink something like this?!" Ran Mouri's eyes widened as she held the now completely dazed Conan in her arms.

Kazawa tossed the cup away like it had burned his hand and exhaled in relief.

By the way, is there a member in the Black Organization codenamed Old Baigan…? If you want to dream of drinking something strong, maybe there'll be a codename like German Dark Beer next.

Though his mind was full of these chaotic thoughts, his hands were steady and practiced. He touched Conan's burning forehead, then moved to boil water and heat a towel.

"Sorry, the kids are being noisy." After shooting a helpless glance at the teens, Mouri Kogoro handed a cup of tea to Tsujimura Kimie, sat upright at his desk, and asked, "So, what exactly do you need me to investigate?"

"This is a photo of my son's girlfriend." Tsujimura Kimie took a folder out of her handbag and placed it on the desk. "Her name is Katsuragi Sachiko, 24 years old, currently attending Toudou Medical College."

Kogoro picked up the document. The first page was a resume with a photo clipped to it. The girl in the photo had a bright, gentle smile — she looked friendly and sweet at first glance.

"Hm…" Not knowing the client's attitude, Kogoro glanced cautiously at Tsujimura Kimie and made a neutral comment. "Judging from her resume, she's a very impressive young lady. Is there something about her you're dissatisfied with?"

"It's not dissatisfaction," Tsujimura Kimie said as she elegantly adjusted her gloves and lifted the teacup. "I'm just... a little concerned."

"I get it, I get it. You don't like her because she's too perfect, right?" Hattori Heiji jumped in without being asked and walked over to look at the photo. "People are like that — the more perfect someone seems, the more you suspect there's a façade to uncover. Am I right, ma'am?"

"Don't butt into my discussion with the client!" Mouri Kogoro, who was focused on the teacup, refrained from slamming the desk and just glared at Hattori unhappily.

"My husband, Tsujimura Isao, is a diplomat. As you can see, our family is quite well-off... So wanting to thoroughly investigate the woman who might become my daughter-in-law isn't too much to ask, is it?" Tsujimura Kimie wasn't angered by Hattori's presumptuous guess and simply shifted her gaze to Kogoro.

"I don't think it's what you guessed." Kazawa had approached the desk at some point, staring at Katsuragi Sachiko's photo with interest. "Excuse me, are you and your son related by blood?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Mouri Kogoro's expression twitched.

Tsujimura Kimie's elegant motion of lifting the cup froze the moment Kazawa spoke. She silently set it back down.

"Ah, maybe I'm just too observant when it comes to people's appearances," Kazawa pretended to ponder, then deliberately glanced at Hattori Heiji. "It's like how no one seems to notice how similar the two high school detectives from the East and West look... In the same way, don't you think this girl — Miss Katsuragi Sachiko — has facial features that resemble yours quite a lot, Miss Tsujimura?"

At that moment, Tsujimura Kimie's face changed completely. Even her heavy makeup couldn't cover the sudden loss of color.

She abruptly stood up, tightened the strap of her handbag, and stared at Kazawa with a hint of unease in her voice.

"Hm? Did I guess wrong?" Kazawa blinked innocently. "But you really do look alike."

Honestly, although Kazawa only knew about her complicated relationships from spoilers, he had to wonder — maybe his facial recognition ability had improved after unlocking his disguise skills. One way or another, the moment he looked, he was sure: Tsujimura Kimie and Katsuragi Sachiko were mother and daughter.

Kazawa glanced around the room full of confused faces. No one seemed to share his insight.

Is everyone in the science world... face-blind?

Could this be why disguise is so hard to master? And why only a few people can inherit the legacy of Kaitou Kid? Facial recognition requires talent. Without it, you can't even draw an accurate face!

Tsujimura Kimie stared at Kazawa for a long while, then suddenly said, "These matters are extremely sensitive. I must protect the reputation of the Tsujimura family… Let's discuss the rest of this at my home."

That response practically confirmed Kazawa's theory, though she didn't say it directly. The expressions in the room became quite complicated.

Her son wanted to marry someone who shared blood ties with her… Tsujimura Kimie secretly hired a detective to investigate, saying she had to protect her family's name...

At that moment, scenes from melodramatic dramas — illegitimate daughters, affairs, secret siblings — flooded everyone's imaginations.

"You come along too," Tsujimura Kimie pointed directly at Kazawa, then glanced at the rest of the young people. "And all of you as well. My husband is extremely careful about appearances. If I only bring a private detective home, it might raise suspicion. Let's call it a private dinner among friends."

"A diplomat's family, huh... really something else," Hattori Heiji sighed, who knows what he was imagining.

Ran Mouri looked at Tsujimura Kimie with interest. She wasn't particularly nosy, but when invited to dinner in the middle of drama like this, it was hard to refuse.

But… she looked back in hesitation at Conan, who now had a warm towel resting on his forehead.

"You should come too. You're Kudo's woman. Maybe if you're there, Kudo will show up again," Hattori said meaningfully. Then he grabbed Conan, who was dazed from his fever, with one hand. "If you're worried about the kid, bring him too."

Kazawa immediately stepped forward and snatched Conan out of his hand. "This isn't good for the patient."

"It's okay, Brother Kazawa," Conan shook his head and forced himself to stay alert. "I want to go to Auntie's house too!"

No, this black guy who suddenly appeared is spouting nonsense. If we leave him unchecked, who knows what chaos he'll cause…

Thinking that, Conan glanced at Kazawa's hand on his shoulder and relaxed.

It's better if Kazawa tags along. He knows my identity and can help cover for me if anything happens.

So this is what it feels like to have reliable teammates... What a strange experience.

Conan sniffled and leaned gently against Kazawa's supporting hand.

And his "reliable teammate," Kazawa, simply smiled and stared at Hattori Heiji, thinking: How can I get this guy to drive Coop? Should I bet him something about Kudo Shinichi…?