Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

Edogawa Conan was well-acquainted with Beika City and knew of several affordable temporary hotels.

He took Hattori Heiji to a reasonably priced hotel in Beika.

The room had all the basic amenities, including a single bed, a clean and spacious bathroom, and a separate toilet. It was fully sufficient for short-term accommodation.

"Oh~ This place feels pretty good."

Hattori Heiji looked around the room. It was clean, well-equipped, and free of any strange odors. The price was reasonable too. All in all, a solid choice.

As the guide, Edogawa Conan smiled faintly, then quietly leaned closer to Hattori Heiji and whispered:

"The roller coaster murder case at Tropical Land, two months ago."

Hattori Heiji's expression remained unchanged, and he only gave a slight nod.

"Hattori, don't go too far. Those people are dangerous."

After saying that, Edogawa Conan turned around with a friendly smile on his face.

"I'll come back in two days. Don't forget you promised to take me to the amusement park."

"Yeah, I'll definitely keep my word."

Once the door shut, Hattori Heiji walked over and began drawing the curtains.

Huh... I didn't expect Kudo Shinichi's situation to be this complicated.

But he must've gotten involved for a reason. Two months ago... the one who triggered Kudo Shinichi's downfall probably showed up then.

If he wanted to investigate the truth behind Kudo Shinichi, he'd have to do so without alerting others—especially those connected to Kudo Shinichi.

And that kid…

Hattori Heiji recalled the child who just gave him that clue.

Was he related to Kudo Shinichi too?

Is this "two days" timeframe just a way to test whether I can be trusted before giving me more clues?

If so, then that kid's identity definitely isn't simple.

Hattori Heiji took a deep breath and calmed himself. Over the next two days, he had to gather as much information as possible. After that, he'd have a proper conversation with his father.

Meanwhile, Edogawa Conan, having left the hotel, was also lost in thought.

Can Hattori Heiji be trusted?

And… is it time to let him in on part of the truth?

He simply didn't have enough power to handle this alone.

Even though he acted as his uncle's assistant at the detective agency, helping him solve cases, and had his parents' support to maintain his "genius" identity, it didn't change the fact that he couldn't handle this situation by himself.

Kogoro often brought him along to investigations, and in turn, provided him with a protective cover.

It was like the relationship between Holmes and Watson, except in this case, he was the hidden Sherlock who needed his Watson to take the spotlight so he could solve the case from the shadows.

Kogoro understood his intentions. That's why he always spoke to him more than he let on.

Conan was genuinely grateful for Kogoro's shelter and support. That's why he knew he couldn't recklessly put him or Ran in danger.

Because of that decision, he couldn't act under Kogoro's name in certain situations. He needed outside help.

Hattori Heiji, with his father as the chief of the Osaka police headquarters, might be a good option.

But investigating those people was extremely dangerous, and some things needed to be made clear to Hattori Heiji first.

He also needed to prepare. The deadline was two days from now.

After leaving the Mouri Detective Agency, Ran immediately called Ren.

"Ren, do you know a high school detective named Hattori Heiji?"

"Hattori Heiji… did he come to our place?"

"Yeah, he seems to have noticed something's wrong with Shinichi, so he came straight to our house."

"Well, since Kudo hasn't appeared in the news for two weeks, it makes sense for Hattori Heiji to show up once he noticed something off. Even if it's a bit nosy, he's pretty direct."

Hattori Heiji's appearance surprised Ren slightly, but considering he and Kudo Shinichi shared the same profession, it wasn't that unusual.

For a detective, being suspicious was only natural.

"Will this affect Dad?"

That was what Ran was most worried about…

"No. Hattori Heiji's father told him to investigate on his own. That sets up a buffer for Mr. Mouri to remain uninvolved. Otherwise, why would his father make such a request?"

"Hattori Heiji only got suspicious because he hadn't seen Kudo Shinichi for two months. So of course he'd come to Tokyo and look around where Kudo was last active. If he finds anything from old clues, that's on him. It doesn't involve anyone else."

"Mr. Mouri had Edogawa Conan reach out to Hattori Heiji. In a way, it's like giving him clues through Conan."

"But like I said, children are easily overlooked."

"As long as those two people don't find out about the side effects of the poison, the organization won't think to start investigating children."

That's a relief… Ran finally felt at ease.

"Also, Mr. Mouri is extremely cautious. He knows the situation behind Kudo Shinichi is complicated, so he has no intention of investigating."

"But Edogawa Conan is more dangerous. He's like a walking time bomb. Still, he clearly understands the risks better than before, and his actions have become much more measured."

"In the end, no one really courts death in real life. Edogawa Conan knows his situation is extremely dangerous, so he's not going to do anything reckless."

Ren trusted his judgment.

Maybe before he was knocked out and drugged, Edogawa Conan was overconfident. But after that incident, he'd definitely grown more cautious.

If he moves too conservatively, he might miss the chance to gather certain information. But it's still better than getting killed.

When someone has things to protect, they naturally become more careful.

Right now, Edogawa Conan had too many variables to consider. Most importantly, his parents who arranged everything for him, and Mouri Kogoro who took him in.

He may be proud, but he's not so arrogant that he'd throw everything away.

(To be continued.)

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