[Translated] A murderer? I'm a model citizen of Beika!!!

by Anonymous

Summary:

Shirakawa Shu transmigrated.

Thinking he had just come to a normal world, he focused on making money honestly, lived a peaceful life... until he encountered a legendary creature – the Elementary School student of Death – Edogawa Conan.

When facing an unpleasant guest, Shirakawa Shu suddenly lost control of himself, flashed a sickly, gloomy smile, held a knife in his hand, and laughed evilly: "You pitiful insect, I will definitely kill you..."

Eh? What? What am I doing? Why am I laughing so strangely?! Also... why is the knife in my hand?!

Shirakawa Shu, calm down!!!

Original name is 名柯: 刀人? 我可是米花好市民 by 孤风一醉 on ixdzs8.com (I can't link the fic because of whatever reason, so if you want to look for the original work, please just search this name!)

Notes:

Translated work. Original name is 名柯: 刀人? 我可是米花好市民 by 孤风一醉 on ixdzs8.com

Total chapter: 420 (Completed)

Salvaging the Police Academy squad, but at the same time, they too saved the protagonist.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Shirakawa Shu transmigrated.

 

Thinking he had just come to a normal world, he focused on making money honestly, lived a peaceful life... until he encountered a legendary creature – the Elementary School student of Death – Edogawa Conan.

 

When facing an unpleasant guest, Shirakawa Shu suddenly lost control of himself, flashed a sickly, gloomy smile, held a knife in his hand, and laughed evilly: "You pitiful insect, I will definitely kill you..."

 

Eh? What? What am I doing? Why am I laughing so strangely?! Also... why is the knife in my hand?!

 

Shirakawa Shu, calm down!!!

 

—

 

Later, Shirakawa Shu that he had transmigrated into Detective Conan's world, became a criminal, and also had an outstanding talent for crime – he could learn other people's crime skills by just a glance.

 

Even the passive skill when meeting the main character is unable to restrain the urge to… stick a knife into someone.

 

And the more detectives he meets, the more intense his desire to commit crimes becomes.

 

Shirakawa Shu: …What? The psychopathic criminal is me???

 

—

 

But that was only the beginning.

 

Shirakawa Shu found out that he really was just living unknowingly, that there was an invisible hand that had been secretly manipulating both his past and future.

 

Every choice, every memory… were all products of a plan that was bigger than he thought.

 

If being a good person can’t suffice, there was no need to pretend anymore.

 

It’s time to turn the tables.

 

—

 

What do the characters say?

 

Conan: “Shirakawa-san is a good person!… He just laughs strangely sometimes.”

 

Gin: “That guy? The same kind as me, but likes to act moral. Ironic.”

 

Amuro Tooru: “What is this? Where is my gentle classmate???”

 

__

 

A criminal with a good conscience, 

 

A detective with a ruthless will, 

 

A world where good and evil have no boundaries.

 

Will Shirakawa Shu become the villain, the hero, or… both?

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Uh oh, first day at work and I already… want to stab people

Summary:

The yet-to-be famed Cafe Poirot has a new manager. Some say he's a bit... weird.

Notes:

erm... before we start (if you're not already aware):
- DID: dissociative identity disorder - a mental illness where a person has two or more personalities
- tenchou: a honorific used by staffs to address the manager of a shop/restaurant
any problems you see or encoutered, please comment!! ^^

“Ding–”

 

The coffee’s door bursted open, Enomoto Asusa flashed a familiar service smile. “Welcome to Cafe Poirot, may I ask what you’d like to have?”

 

It was a hot summer afternoon. The steaming heat from outside the streets appeared to yet have invaded the chilling space inside the cafe. Inside, a few customers silently were enjoying the atmosphere as a piano track played, soothing their spirits.

 

Shirakawa Shu glanced at the delicately placed decorations around the shop and nodded approvingly in his mind.

 

This place is near the center of Beika city, with convenient traffic and a pretty comfortable environment.

 

“Greetings, I’m Shirakawa Shu, I’ll be the manager of Cafe Poirot from today onwards.” Shirakawa grinned while introducing himself, “I believe the previous manager has informed you of this?”

 

Surprised, Emonoto Azusa gazed at the man in front of her and quickly stepped out of the reception booth. “Ah, you’re the new manager? Welcome, welcome! Yes, the previous manager told me, I was waiting for you. I’m Enomoto Azusa, a server of the cafe.”

 

The man possessed short white hair, a pair of golden eyes and strikingly handsome features that make people unable to tear their eyes away, maybe even secretly praising the work of nature.

 

Only that his expression was a little pale, his body was also slim, giving people the thought that his health wasn’t very good.

 

He looked like a gentleman.

 

…That’s the first impression Azusa had.

 

“It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Both shook hands and exchanged pleasant smiles. But before they could chat further, a few people entered the shop.

 

“Azusa-san, please take care of the customers first. I'll go around and examine the shop." Shirakawa said.

 

“Yes, please go ahead.” Azusa did not have time to greet her new manager as she hurriedly returned to work.

 

The new guests seemed to be acquaintances of Azusa's. She beamed and greeted the three of them before preparing to take orders. Shirakawa noticed that among them, a boy in a blue vest was turning around, observing him from head to toe.

 

Ah? Why do I find this kid a little familiar...

 

Shirakawa was a little put off. Something felt strange, although out of politeness, he still smiled and nodded to the boy.

 

"Ding–"

 

The shop door opened again. A middle-aged man carrying a stack of documents walked in.

 

“I have urgent work, take my order first.” Going straight to the counter, he didn't even pay any attention to the three customers in line, but spoke directly to Azusa.

 

Azusa looked at the middle-aged man and forced an apologetic smile. “My apologies Ueshita-san. There are three other customers before you who have ordered, you will have to wait about ten minutes.”

 

“They're in no hurry, make mine first. An iced Americano, lots of ice. Hurry up, it's damning hot." Ueshita Mitsuo waved his hand as if he was shooing flies away, paying no mind to Azusa’s words.

 

Azusa's smile became even more strained.

 

The mustachioed man standing next to him couldn't help shouting loudly. "What do you mean we're not in a hurry? Do you know what 'first come, first served' means? Do you understand what politeness is?!”

 

Ueshita Mitsuo glanced at him. “Who are you? I'm not talking to you.”

 

The mustachioed man’s anger flared and his face turned red, he immediately rolled up his sleeves. “You cut in line and still ask me who I am? This guy, really is–”

 

"Dad!" The girl next to him tried to pull her father back.

 

“Mori-san, please calm down.” Enomoto Azusa also rushed to stop him.

 

Faced with Mori Kogoro's overwhelming energy, Ueshita Mitsuo was scared into taking half a step back. Despite that, upon observing that Mr. Mori was being held back by his daughter, he became even more arrogant, his tone turning more and more domineering.

 

“Where is the owner? Do you know I’m his friend? Call him out here! These people need to be blacklisted and banned from coming to this shop from now on!” As he spoke, Ueshita kept pointing, his chubby finger waved around so much that it almost touched Mori Kogoro's nose.

 

Mori Kogoro: Aiya, this hot temper of mine–

 

“Sorry, sorry dear customers, please calm down a bit.” 

 

Just as the atmosphere was about to explode, a gentle voice interrupted, calming the situation. Shirakawa Shu stepped out and stood between the two, gently blocking them.

 

As soon as they saw the white-haired young man, the whole crowd was stunned. Beauty always attracts people's attention, regardless of gender. And this person… is so beautiful that it makes people feel pleasingly pleasant.

 

“Sir, if you are really in a hurry, we can cancel your order and give you a coupon for next time.”

 

Shirakawa glanced at Azusa and gave the signal to continue preparing the order while he dealt with this troublemaker.

 

Ueshita gave Shirakawa a contemptuous look, peering back and forth. “And who are you? This is between me and the owner, why are you interfering? Go away, I want to see the manager here.”

 

“It's me.” Shirakawa kept an unwavering smile, gently saying, “If there's any problem, just tell me.”

 

“You?” Ueshita was a little taken back.

 

The other three were also quite surprised.

 

Cafe Poirot... has changed its owner?

 

“Yes, so if there is any problem, please discuss it with me directly.” Shirakawa walked to the booth, took out a stack of coupons and gave them to each person, not even forgetting to give them to the boy who had been staring at him.

 

"Thank you." Mori Ran and Conan received the tickets, immediately feeling sympathy for this gentle new manager.

 

Ueshita glanced at the coupon, not paying any attention to it, and waved Shirakawa's hand away. “Stop with that nonsense. There are two of you in the bar, right? Go get me a drink. Hurry up, I'm in a hurry!”

 

“Your order will be ready soon. We sincerely apologize for the unpleasant experience.” Shirakawa bowed slightly, his attitude still extremely modest.

 

Shirakawa Shu gazed at the coupon that fell on the floor, his brows furrowed slightly, but his face still carried an usual smile. He bent down to pick up the coupon, put it back on the cash register, then walked over to Enomoto Azusa to help her make coffee.

 

Luckily, Shirakawa knew how to make drinks. He picked up a glass and got to work. Though as he passed Azusa, his eyes stopped at the cutting board beside her. On it, the fruit knife used to cut fruit lay quietly, gleaming with cold steel.

 

"Those annoying customers... just die already..." Shirakawa stared at the knife, muttering in a barely audible voice.

 

"Daring to shake my hand away… talking rudely..."

 

"Telling me to get lost? Okay, I'll let him pay for insulting me..."

 

His hand slowly reached out, gripping the hilt of the knife.

 

His face still held a smile, however little by little, it twisted the originally gentle face into a strange curve, revealing sharp, even teeth. Like a shark from the deep sea that finally revealed its fearsome teeth, seeking out a prey. His golden eyes, seemingly dyed the crimson shade of blood.

 

"How should he die? A stab straight to the heart? No, that would be too easy... let's see, it has to be the most painful, torturous death..."

 

"He must be sent to hell to repent, so he knows I am not the person he wants to offend..."

 

"Go die... kekekekekekeke..."

 

"Shirakawa…tenchou?" A hand waved in front of Shirakawa's face.

 

Enomoto Azusa stare at him suspiciously, who had been standing motionless with a knife in his hand. “Are you using the knife, tenchou? I need to cut some cherry tomatoes...”

 

Shirakawa Shu was jolted back to reality.

 

His eyes widened, and then immediately – thanks to the reflection of the blade – he saw his face clearly... the same face was curled into a strange, creepy, and a not-at-all-human smile.

 

Shirakawa Shu: !!!

 

Amidst his disbelief, he immediately dropped the knife and covered his mouth with his hand.

 

Just now... that "kekekekeke" laughter... came from my own mouth?

 

What the hell is going on?

 

Why am I standing there with a knife in my hand, muttering about murder, and laughing like that?!!

 

Holy shit!!! Don't tell me... I have DID???

 

Hahaha, I’ve finally gone crazy!!

Notes:

i did this one in class, school is truly boring

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: What? It turns out that I’m a predestined murderer?

Summary:

One accident after another. Except the previous one wasn't really one.
Shirakawa Shu found out about the nature of this world that he should have realized a long time ago.

Notes:

'Xiao Hei' - a Chinese slang, 小黑 - Xiǎo hēi. Literal meaning is 'little black', but like blackened is another term for murderer, Xiao Hei is used by fans to endearingly address the culprits

“My apologies, everyone, the food is ready.” Enomoto Azusa pushed the food tray in front of Mori Kogoro and the others, “Please enjoy your meal.”

Shirakawa Shu took a deep breath, then also placed the iced Americano in front of Uekusa Mitsuo, trying to force a smile. “Sir, your coffee is ready. I sincerely apologize for making you have a bad experience.”

But Uekusa Mitsuo continued to be as thick as a rock. “There isn’t enough ice. I told you, I want more ice, right? Look, there are not many ice cubes…”

Shirakawa: “……”

For some reason, the desire of wanting to kill someone started to rise in him again, and this time it was even more intense than before. 

Although this guy really deserved a beating… but, just cursing out internally is enough, who would actually kill someone…

Wait – hey, right hand, what are you doing?!

Shirakawa peeked down, horrified to find that his right hand had once again reached out on its own accord… and grabbed the clean knife that had been placed beside him.

Wait! Why is this happening?

The corners of his eyes twitched slightly. He was afraid that if he kept doing this, he would really lose control, so he immediately dropped the knife, circled around the bar, and walked straight in front of Uekusa Mitsuo. 

This time, he didn’t bring a weapon. Surely nothing would happen… right?

“I sincerely apologize. This is already the maximum amount of ice the shop can add. If you add any more, it will affect the taste.” Shirakawa deliberately lowered his head, avoiding staring directly at the other person’s face, trying to keep his mind clear.

On the other side, the Mori family was also preparing to leave.

“Goodbye, Azusa-san.” Ran smiled and waved.

Azusa nodded. “Goodbye, Ran-san, Mori-san, and Conan-kun too.”

She glanced at Uekusa Mitsuo, then leaned over to Ran and whispered. “It’s not convenient today… I’ll treat everyone to ice cream tomorrow.”

Ran nodded, not refusing. “Yes, thank you.”

Mori Kogoro also glanced at the Uekusa guy, snorted in annoyance, and then took the lead to leave the shop.

Normally, they would eat right there, but with this kind of customer… Well, it’s better to go upstairs to eat. So under Azusa’s gentle farewell, the three members of the Mori family left the Cafe Poirot.

Afterwards, Azusa also went to assist Shirakawa in apologizing to the customer. In the end, thanks to the efforts of both of them, they were able to send that unpleasant customer away safely.

Shirakawa Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

That's how service is. A smile must be plastered on the face. Pain must be swallowed inside.

But what puzzled him more right now was that unconscious, haunting feeling of wanting to kill someone. Shirakawa returned to the cutting board, staring intently at the fruit knife placed on it. His eyes turned serious.

Could it be... it was because of this knife?

However — staring at the knife for a long time, his mood gradually stabilized. There was no longer that crazy feeling of wanting to rush over and stab someone like before.

How strange.

So what is it...? Maybe I should... make an appointment to see a psychiatrist?!

Having realized that he was ill, Shirakawa Shu, on the contrary, felt... extremely relieved. He wasn’t the type of person who “wouldn’t go to the doctor when he was ill.” If he was ill, he had to get treatment – it was that simple!

Shirakawa said goodbye to Enomoto Azusa, then left the Poirot Cafe. As soon as he stepped out the door, he heard the girl’s voice from upstairs.

“Conan! You haven’t finished eating yet! Where are you going?”

“I have something urgent to do! Ran-neechan please put the food in the fridge for me!” A boy said as he hugged his skateboard and rushed down the stairs.

Co...nan...

Shirakawa halted his steps.

In his mind, something like a fog suddenly pierced with a “ding” sound, as if something was about to rise above the surface of the memory. Instinctively, he slightly walked forward – wanting to take a closer look at the boy who had just been called Conan.

Then exactly one second later, the two of them crashed into each other.

“Bam—!!!”

Conan was pushed down to the ground, whereas Shirakawa lost his balance, his left foot accidentally stepping on the skateboard that Conan had dropped. And so, in his field of vision – the whole world suddenly spun crazily.

Amidst the terrified screams of the people around him, the white-haired boy slammed to the ground with a thud, the back of his head hitting the hard floor, making an extremely discernable and agonizing sound.

“Bam—!!!”

The surrounding crowd immediately felt a chill down their spines. With such a hit, a good head could still be handsome, but maybe... the brain would no longer be usable. 

Right before his consciousness faded away, Shirakawa only had time to think:

Alright whatever, I can sign up for a psychiatric examination as I’m hospitalized... killing two birds with one stone.

———

“Ding— Activated the system ‘Xiao Hei – Golden Finger’!”

Host: Shirakawa Shu

Current title: Useless Rookie Xiao Hei (even using “Xiao Hei” is an exaggeration).

Title evaluation:

“What? Only know how to stab people like a mentally ill patient? You’re the disgrace of the criminal world! (There isn’t even a need for Conan to do anything, a rookie at the Metropolitan Police Department would be enough to drag you into jail.)”

Talent:

Crime Mastery (With just one look, you can automatically learn any criminal’s skills, no need for a teacher!)

Learned Skills:

Crazy Explosive Expert

(Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosion is art! Maybe we should hold an unprecedented “firework” show in Beika City…?)

Current progress:

“That rude customer is really tarnishing your criminal aesthetic. Quickly swing the fruit knife and teach him some manners! ...Huh? Haven’t done it yet? It seems like your brain is starting to resemble a deep-thought Xiao Hei! Then, use that tiny brain to think of a way to make him kneel down and beg for forgiveness! Kekekeke…”

———

Shirakawa Shu stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, the system interface before his eyes was like a virtual screen floating in the air, stable and non-disappearing. his body stiffened. His brain felt like it had been crushed by a rock.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

However, when his eyes dried out, Shirakawa Shu finally closed them. It was just that the expression on his face at this moment wasn't one of relief, but of… utter hopelessness, as if his soul had been sucked out.

“So… I transmigrated into the world of Conan…”

“Moreover… I’m also a predestined murderer in this world…”

Shirakawa Shu, originally from China, due to a serious car accident, transmigrated to Japan, and landed in the body of a young man with the exact same name. This body also had the name Shirakawa Shu, the only difference was that in China “Bai” (白) was the family name, while in Japan Shirakawa was the family name, “Shu” was the given name.

Originally, the original owner of this body had passed the Police Academy’s exam and was in the training phase at the Academy, with a bright future as a to-be police officer. And then, it’s unanswered what kind of drug this guy took… He climbed the wall and escaped from school in the middle of the night, drunk, racing, and crashed straight into the pillar of the Tokyo White-Red Bridge.

Result: died on the spot.

And Shirakawa Shu from China was the one who picked up that corpse. Right before the body was sent to the crematorium, he woke up. From then on, he was officially the Shirakawa Shu of Japan. 

It sounds like he "got a second chance at life", but the pile of trash the real person left behind... was truly a battlefield.

First, because of the wall-climbing – drinking – racing – causing a serious accident, he was expelled from the police academy, his career as a civil servant was basically over.

Second, the accident caused severe damage to the White-Red Bridge – whether it was because the construction was too shoddy, or because his head was made of cement – half of the pillars collapsed, causing the entire bridge to be closed for a long time for safety reasons.

And the entire compensation cost…

“Congratulations! It’s all on the head of the dead man!”

And that “dead man” is now him. The original Shirakawa Shu’s parents had long since passed away, so the entire astronomical debt was placed squarely on the head of this reluctant body inheritor.

Third… was the ruined body he had no choice but to accept. Even if he was lucky enough to survive, his body was almost completely paralyzed and he had to grit his teeth and endure every pain, doing physical therapy bit by bit to gradually recover his body’s functions.

All of this… was seven years ago.

Now, Shirakawa Shu had paid off all his debts, and his body had also recovered well after many years of persistent recuperation.

He thought:

Finally… I’ve left the shadow of the past. I can start a new life in Beika City.

And then The System landed on him from nowhere:

[Hello, you’ve been designated as a potential murderer in the world of Detective Conan!]

Shirakawa: “……”

Are you kidding me???

Then what do the past seven years of mine count as?

The part-time diary of a not-yet-graduated murderer???

Notes:

sympathizing with Shu-chan here... service is hell :')

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Bad news, I’m a ticking bomb, one touch away from blowing up

Summary:

Shirakawa Shuu isn't as enthusiastic about his role as the System, though, he has no control over this!!!

Notes:

nothing for this one!...I think?

The world of Conan has never lacked two types of people.

 

One is called detectives, the other type is criminals – or as Conan fans affectionately call it – “Xiao Hei”.

 

[They are the indispensable existences of the world of Conan! They are half the pillars of the plot, the ones who constantly ‘donate experience’ to the main character, the reason why the name of the ‘Death’ has become famous…]

 

The praising voice echoed in the ears, the mechanical sound of the system sounded both powerful and eloquent. If there was also a majestic background music playing, it would be no different from standing on the stage of a glorious awards ceremony.

 

Shirakawa Shu closed his eyes, frowning as he heard those words.

 

If this were an awarding speech, Shirakawa Shu would definitely not hesitate to praise and applaud the “Xiao Heis” who worked hard, and would even be willing to give the most sincere compliments.

 

But if the one who receives the prize is him, then sorry, he won’t be happy.

 

[Host, don’t be discouraged! Even though you haven’t officially become a murderer yet, fortunately you’ve activated me – the only criminal supporting system in the world! You even possess the rare ‘Crime Mastery’ talent that is one in ten thousand! In the future, you will definitely become someone who makes the entire Beika population tremble at the mere mention of his name!]

 

“…Ha ha.” Shirakawa Shu half-heartedly opened his eyes, replying coldly.

 

You really have my deepest thanks, but I really don’t need these things.

 

“What’s going on? Why do I want to kill people every time I see Conan?”

 

[Because your current body is the future version of a murderer. The plot will unknowingly affect your thoughts.] the System replied calmly.

 

“So I can’t escape the influence of the plot?” Shirakawa Shu was visibly unhappy, “So I have to obediently follow your script, ending all those who have ever annoyed me?”

 

[Not following our arrangements. I am the system, and the script is the script. I am just a tool to support you] it explained in a serious tone.

 

Then–

 

[But isn’t that great? Constantly accumulating experience, then gradually becoming a pinnacle of existence that even the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is afraid of, and then all of them tremble under your blade! Ahahahaha–!]

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…”

 

What?

 

Hey System, don’t you have even more delusions of grandeur than me?

 

Do I seem like a reckless and aggressive criminal?

 

As if hearing the words from the bottom of his heart, the System spoke again. [You must know, not everyone has the talent ‘Crime Mastery’. You have it before activating the system, proving that you really have the potential.]

 

A talent with potential, nothing else.

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…”

 

He turned to lie on his side, hugging his small, petit and definitely-not-capable-of-murder body.

 

The door to the hospital room was pushed open. Mori Kogoro dragged Conan, followed by Mori Ran who entered.

 

“Ah, Shirakawa-san, you’re awake? Are you okay? How do you feel?” Mori Ran hurriedly walked over and showed her worry.

 

“I’m fine, just a little dizzy.” Shirakawa Shu sat up. His skin paled to the point that it resembled that of porcelain doll’s, both fragile and beautiful.

 

Mori Kogoro lightly tapped on Conan’s head. “This brat is really running around carelessly. I’ve already taught him a lesson- What are you still standing there for, quickly apologize!”

 

Conan lowered his head and sheepishly apologized. “Sorry, Shirakawa-san…”

 

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I was careless on the street… But Conan, you weren’t hurt, were you?” 

 

Shirakawa Shu felt a little guilty. At the time, he did hear Conan’s footsteps running down the stairs. But the name “Conan” was too familiar, causing him to momentarily not be able to help but rush forward a few steps – and thus bumped into the boy. Having considered all that, it was still his fault.

 

“This kid is as strong as a buffalo!” Mori Kogoro said as he lightly hit Conan’s head.

 

“I’m fine,” Conan replied curtly.

 

Shirakawa Shu was about to say something when the door to the hospital room was pushed open once again.

 

“Sorry, I need to bother you for a moment. May I ask how Shirakawa-san is feeling?” A young nurse walked in.

 

“I’m fine.” Shirakawa Shu replied.

 

“Then please prepare to be discharged. This hospital bed will be used for someone else soon.”

 

“Yes, thank you, I’m sorry for the trouble.” 

 

Shirakawa Shu got off the bed. He had been examined, it was just a mild concussion, a little rest would be fine, no need to continue occupying the hospital bed.

 

Mori Ran immediately went forward to help him.

 

“Thank you.” Shirakawa Shu looked at the young woman in front of him, suddenly feeling a vortex of emotions.

 

The last time he watched Conan was more than ten years ago. The plot in his head was long disfigured and only vaguely remembered. Now that the anime characters appeared vividly before him, he really felt unfamiliar. It was also his fault, busy making a living and taking care of his health, not realizing that there was anything strange about this world.

 

And now, without any precautions, he almost became… a culprit.

 

“Hurry up, hurry up!” The call from the hallway echoed again as a slightly plump nurse walked in.

 

She glanced at Shirakawa Shu, didn't say anything to him but turned to urge the nurse from earlier:

 

“Hurry up and make the bed. We are short on beds, don't waste other people's time."

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his eyebrows.

 

The young nurse didn't say anything, just nodded.

 

Beside him, Mori Kogoro snorted and laughed coldly.

 

"Saying for us to hear." It was not like he didn’t understand.

 

Mori Ran glanced at the temporary hospital beds set up in the hallway, somewhat sympathizing with the hospital’s approach.

 

Shirakawa Shu also had no intention of continuing to occupy medical resources, so he lifted his feet and began walking out. It’s just that… after only a few steps, Shirakawa Shu suddenly stopped, unable to move his feet.

 

He was a patient after all, what was with that nurse’s attitude? What kind of sarcastic, sarcastic tone was that?

 

What kind of attitude was that? Do they think that he wasn’t going to pay the hospital bill?

 

Shirakawa Shu always thought of himself as a calm, easygoing person. But for some reason, at this moment, he was really angry.

 

“What’s wrong? Are you still not feeling well, Shirakawa-san? Why don’t you sit down and rest for a while?” Mori Ran quickly noticed his unusual expression and hurriedly asked with concern.

 

Shirakawa Shu tried to force out a smile. “I’m fine.”

 

No, something is clearly wrong with him!

 

At that moment, the system panel suddenly popped up before his eyes:

 

[The head nurse heartlessly kicked you out of the hospital? Can’t she see that your face is paler than a corpse? She really has no professional ethics! This kind of scum should go to hell to repent! (Choose your way to make her scream in agony, hehehe~)]

 

Shirakawa Shu: …

 

He couldn’t help but turn his eyes white.

 

I’m not a barrel of dynamite, I won’t explode at the slightest touch. Although her attitude is really infuriating, it’s not to the point of deserving death, right?

 

What kind of system is this, isn’t this one hell of an embarrassing reason to murder…

 

Damn it, why am I still standing here like this!

 

Where’s my knife!?

 

Shirakawa Shu grinned through clenched teeth, turning around. “Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom for a bit. I really bothered everyone today. Everyone go back first.”

 

Mori Ran looked at Shirakawa Shu’s twitching face, feeling that something was very… odd, making her hesitated a bit. “Shirakawa-san, are you really okay?”

 

“Hehe—I’m fine, I’m very fine~” Shirakawa Shu quickly covered his mouth with his hands, promptly preventing the sinister smile that was characteristic of the “Xiao Hei” in Conan’s world from appearing on his face.

 

Conan also approached, raising his head worriedly. “Shirakawa-san?”

 

Was that… Shirakawa-san laughing just now? But why did he make such a weird sound? It sounded… evil somehow?

 

No matter what, this Shirakawa-san was really strange. He exuded a vague aura that made people feel uncomfortable… Even though this was their first time meeting, Conan was inexplicably attracted to this man.

 

If Shirakawa Shu knew what Conan was thinking, he would definitely shout: “That’s the detective’s intuition towards the murderer!!”

 

“I have some work to do, I’ll go first, goodbye–!” Not paying attention to the other three’s bewildered expressions, Shirakawa Shu turned around and ran away.

 

If he didn’t run, he felt like he was about to transform into Xiao Hei!!

 

The three of them could only watch Shirakawa-san’s back disappear at the end of the hallway.

 

Mori Kogoro scratched his head, baffled. “Shirakawa-san… seems like he really has something urgent to do. Maybe… he really needs to pee.”

 

Mori Ran: “…”

 

Conan: “…”

Notes:

done with 3 chapters for the first day! :3
I'll do more tmr, too much working today

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Shh- There’s another ‘Xiao Hei’ on the job (1)

Summary:

An incident happened. Shirakawa Shu has his first experience of what considered to be the nature of this world.

Notes:

i'm still experimenting with the styles. so if there's any inconsistencies, it's my bad :')

At the hospital’s restroom.

 

Shirakawa Shu turned on the faucet, frantically washing his face with cold water. The sound of rushing water echoed throughout the restroom, making the surrounding space even more quiet, as though separated from the outside world.

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his head, wiped the water from his face, tossed his wet hair back, and then seriously observed himself in the mirror.

 

The light in the restroom was a bit dim, only a glint shone on half of his face, highlighting the sharp lines and a hazy murk, as if his face was completely divided between light and darkness. There was still a shade of bright, deep crimson in the young man's eyes, that red color wrapped around the golden pupils, seemingly wanting to swallow the reason and the struggle hidden deep within. Immersed in the darkness, his expression became distorted, the corners of his mouth raised high, as if an evilness sealed in the mirror was sinisterly grinning at the prey that was about to be taken.

 

If the bright half of the face was the gentle and kind “Shirakawa-san”, then the other half was the ruthless murderous devil.

 

The person in the mirror was him, but also not him at the same time. Alike some kind of terrifying power, once released, it would make him fall into an endless abyss.

 

At that moment, Shirakawa Shu heard the system’s voice again in his ears.

 

[Accept the truth and stop resisting.]

 

——

 

Shirakawa Shu dejectedly walked out of the bathroom, once again bumping into the head nurse from earlier. At this moment, the head nurse was talking to another nurse, not paying attention to him.

 

Shirakawa Shu reflexively turned his head away, not daring to look at her directly. However, when he turned his head away, he found that he no longer had the same urge of wanting to pick up a knife and slash someone like he did just now.

 

He hesitated for a moment, before cautiously looking back–

 

His and the head nurse’s eyes met. Shirakawa Shu took a deep breath, his heart felt like it was being squeezed.

 

Please, please… don’t, don’t–

 

The head nurse frowned slightly, only glanced at him once before immediately turning away, completely ignoring this seemingly weak young man. Shirakawa Shu breathed a sigh of relief, only after a long while did he come to his senses and pat his cheeks.

 

“How strange…” He muttered.

 

That feeling came fast and left just as quickly. Maybe… should I go to the psychiatric ward to get it checked out? The system, Conan, and even murder… maybe it was all just hallucinations.

 

Shirakawa Shu clasped his hands together as if praying. “Please, please let it be an illness…”

 

He is able to take one more medicine, really! He had been taking medicine for seven years anyway, so one more pill wouldn’t hurt. 

 

Before he could finish praying, someone rudely pushed him away.

 

“Why are you blocking the way? If you’re sick, go get treatment!”

 

Shirakawa Shu staggered, turned around, and saw a big man. It turned out that he was blocking the bathroom door, preventing others from entering.

 

The man glanced at him from head to toe, and muttered unceremoniously, “With your face so pale, why don’t you just block the women’s bathroom door?”

 

Shirakawa Shu: “……”

 

I have to be the one who’s talking, dude, I’m really unhinged now, if you make me feel unpleasant I’ll grab a knife and thrust into you.

 

But as Shirakawa Shu stared at the big man, his heart was completely indifferent.

 

Annoyed? Of course he was annoyed by being told that, but even though he had the image of a “little devil” stabbing the other guy dozens of times in his mind, the uncontrollable bloodlust from earlier was nowhere to be found.

 

Could it be that the heavens have eyes, he had already woken up from his illusion?

 

However, the system’s voice shattered that fragile hope. [Stop dreaming, Xiao Hei also needs to rest. If you don’t rest, how can the population balance be maintained? This effect only happens when Conan is present.]

 

Hearing that, Shirakawa Shu hurriedly opened the system panel to look. Sure enough, his mission progress had been refreshed, the target to be “dealt with” had been changed from Ueshita Mitsuo to a completely unfamiliar name. Based on the name, it was probably the head nurse from earlier, the one who had made him feel murderous.

 

So that was it.

 

Shirakawa Shu breathed a sigh of relief. How fortunate, otherwise he would have to live in a state of constant caution in the future.

 

“Shirakawa-san!” A voice called from afar.

 

Shirakawa Shu turned his head and saw Mori Ran running over, her face full of anxiety. He was stunned, “Mori-san? Didn’t you guys leave?”

 

“A murder just happened in the hospital. I was worried about Shirakawa-san’s condition so I came back to check.”

 

Shirakawa Shu was surprised. “Murder?”

 

Another Xiao Hei has started “working”! Should I go to the scene to learn from my future colleagues? Hah! What learning, you just want to hear the gossip! I’ve never seen the real-life version of a Conan murder case!

 

Shirakawa Shu quieted down his emotions and said to Mori Ran, “I feel much better now, how about we go to the scene and take a look?”

 

Mori Ran nodded, “Okay.”

 

So the two of them returned to the old path and arrived at the crime scene.

 

The crime happened in the stairwell area, and the scene had been sealed off by the police. Perhaps because Mori Ran was so familiar with the scene, the police did not stop them, and the two of them just walked along the path and stood next to the body. Shirakawa Shu poked his head out to take a look.

 

Hmm, that roundy guy over there definitely is Megure Juzo… And the short-haired girl over there must be Sato Miwako, and that tall, skinny, stiff-faced guy is unmistakenably Takagi Wataru…

 

Shirakawa Shu scanned through the list of characters in his head.

 

Perfect! Although I have forgotten all the content, the character recognition ability was still very accurate! Megure Juzo is a veteran police officer, judging by his shape, he probably can’t run very fast, if ran into him, I can use a long-distance running strategy to win. Sato Miwako has some fighting spirit, it’s best to use a trick to deal with her… cough cough cough!

 

Shirakawa Shu immediately shook his head vigorously.

 

What the hell, why did I even think of the running posture?! Shirakawa Shu, you’re a good citizen! A good person! Don’t think about such criminal activities!

 

Mori Ran noticed that he seemed to be not well, “Shirakawa-san, you can’t see the body?”

 

“It’s okay.” Getting reminded by Ran, Shirakawa Shu remembered to take a look at the corpse lying on the ground.

 

It was a middle-aged man, dressed in a neat black suit, eyes wide open, mouth half closed, astonishment filled his expression, like he had witnessed something extremely unbelievable before his death. He was lying on his back in a pool of blood, his arms bent abnormally, hanging down at his sides.

 

At first glance, there was nothing special.

 

Shirakawa Shu quickly analyzed, his eyes narrowed.

 

Something is wrong. Very wrong.

 

There was a lot of blood under the victim’s head, consistent with a situation where he fell backwards and hit his head on the floor, leading to death. But his arms showed obvious signs of struggle, just like the type of person who falls face down and reflexively puts his hands on the ground to support himself.

 

If he fell while going up the stairs, then leaned back and hit his head, it would be impossible for both arms to be broken like that.

 

If he fell while going down the stairs, then a broken arm would be reasonable, but that doesn’t explain the wound on the back of the head, nor the supine position of the body.

 

In other words, there’s a contradiction.

 

Shirakawa Shu continued to observe the victim’s chest and open hands. The shirt was slightly wrinkled, but there was no obvious dust on it, the arms were outstretched, palms facing up, no scratches – meaning the body had not been turned over.

 

This detail had obviously been discovered by others. Conan was staring intently at the body, when the adults weren’t paying attention, the boy put on gloves and quietly lifted the victim’s arm to check.

 

Wow, as expected of Conan.

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his eyebrows, secretly praising.

 

I didn't feel anything when watching movies before, but seeing the scene with my own eyes now, Conan's actions were so obvious! Um…

 

He looked back and forth, seeing that no one around him was surprised.

 

Alright, as long as you guys are happy, I guess… But, are there really no cameras here? This is truly an unchanging tradition in the world of science in Conan!!!

Notes:

hi... it's been almost a week. I was kinda busy so sorryyyy ToT

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Shh- There’s another ‘Xiao Hei’ on the job (2)

Summary:

If things were different, this tragedy could've been prevented.

Wasting no time, the police quickly identified the victim.

 

His name was Towa Kuniyoshi, an insurance salesman. The reason he was here was to advertize his company's insurance plan. According to the police's preliminary investigation, he arrived at the hospital this morning to promote his business, and after leaving at noon, no one saw him again until the body was discovered.

 

The scene showed that the victim seemed to have died from an accidental fall, so the police are currently leaning towards the direction of an accident.

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his eyebrows.

 

Needless to say, it was clearly intentional. However, he had no intention of participating in the investigation. After observing the crowd for a while, Shirakawa Shu silently retreated and followed the stairs to the upper floor.

 

If the victim’s arm wasn’t broken by the fall, then he must have tried to catch something…

 

Shirakawa Shu stopped in the middle of the stairs, raised his head to look at the window next to him.

 

The staircase of this hospital was designed to be very airy. Not only was the walkway spacious, but the outer wall was also made entirely of glass. The lower part was a large glass panel, the upper part was divided into small glass frames. This design was beautiful, helped to take advantage of natural light, which is a very popular decoration style nowadays. Of course, each hospital would have its own design depending on the actual conditions. But what caught Shirakawa Shu’s attention was that the glass wall on this floor was so clean that it was transparent.

 

In other words: unusually clean.

 

Everyone knew that the inside of the glass could be cleaned regularly, but the outside could only be cleaned once a year at most.

 

Shirakawa Shu went up and down several floors to compare, and it was true that only this floor had clean, shiny glass.

 

There’s no way the hospital would clean just one pane of glass, even the outside was spotless. He stood in front of the window, taking a vague guess.

 

——

 

“Shirakawa-san also noticed it?” A boy’s voice suddenly rang out beside him.

 

Shirakawa Shu was startled. “Conan?!”

 

Where did this boy come from? It is truly a style of that in a ghost story.

 

Conan kept his calm as if nothing had happened, squatting in front of the glass, pointing to a spot and looking up at Shirakawa Shu, “Shirakawa-san, you also saw traces here, right?”

 

Shirakawa Shu looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, he saw traces of glue on the edge of the glass.

 

Or rather, this glass had just been installed recently. Even… might have been right after the murder!

 

“Ah… ha ha, that’s right.” Shirakawa Shu didn’t know what to say, he could only smile awkwardly.

 

Conan intently stared at Shirakawa Shu, his eyes sparkling, “Shirakawa-san also likes deducing?”

 

Shirakawa Shu shook his head… then nodded.

 

Shaking his head was because he didn’t really deduce anything. It was just that for some inexplicable reason, his mind had automatically simulated the entire crime scene and the killer’s actions. Nodding was because… he didn’t want Conan to question him further on why he crawled up here.

 

“Then Shirakawa-san must have known who the killer was.” Conan pushed up his glasses, eyes filled with admiration and… fighting spirit.

 

Shirakawa-san in front of him, discovered the clues faster than him. What a… formidable opponent!

 

Shirakawa Shu had no idea how to respond, he could only scratch his head, vaguely saying, “Maybe so…”

 

He hadn’t even seen the face of any of the suspects, how the hell could he know who the culprit was.

 

“Sure enough, Shirakawa-san has seen through the truth!” Conan clenched his small fists.

 

It seems like I really have to be serious.

 

Shirakawa Shu could only watch as Conan rushed down the stairs at an extraordinary speed as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and gently raised his hand to remind him weakly, “Um… be careful… don’t slip down the stairs–”

 

——

 

When Conan entered a state of “maximum capacity”, it was almost impossible for anyone to keep up. In less than a few minutes, the case was solved perfectly. 

 

“The culprit is you! Kiyomori Eita!” Kogoro dozed off, suddenly raising his hand and pointing.

 

“What?” Everyone turned their heads, their eyes focused on the first person to discover the body and call the police – Kiyomori Eita.

 

With just one sentence from Kogorō Mori, Kiyomori Eita's face immediately turned pale as ashes. He didn't even say a word in rebuttal.

 

Megure Juzo understood immediately – the other party's mentality was shattered by that sentence, "Why did you kill someone?"

 

He had clearly committed murder, yet he pretended to be a good person passing by, proactively reporting the case… It was truly strange.

 

Kiyomori Eita held his head, choking up and crying, "I just didn't expect… he wouldn't remember who I was… I really couldn't control myself…"

 

"You two know each other?” Takagi Wataru was a little surprised, flipping through his notebook. Because according to the preliminary investigation results, the two people had absolutely no clear connection.

 

"Three years ago, he sold us a health insurance plan that was advertised as very popular." Kiyomori Eita slowly recounted his story, "It said it covered many common diseases in hospitals. He told me that if I bought this insurance plan, I wouldn't have to worry about minor or major illnesses in the future."

 

But when his daughter actually got sick, Kiyomori Eita discovered that the insurance package was full of loopholes and binding terms. For a simple and crude example, if he broke his left arm and went for treatment, the insurance company would reply: "The contract only covers a broken right arm. The left arm is not covered."

 

What if he broke his right arm?

 

The company would say: "This suture treatment is not included in the approved plan, exceeds the contract limit, so it is not covered."

 

Of course, this example is just an exaggeration for ease of understanding. The reality is much more complicated — involving diagnosis, treatment, drugs not covered… and a series of other technical factors. Humans, how can they meet each clause to enjoy benefits?

 

At that time, Kiyomori Eita did not know. He thought that buying insurance for the whole family would add a layer of protection. As for those hidden terms, Towa Kuniyoshi never mentioned it. Only when the tragedy broke out did Eita understand the truth behind it. The daughter's illness had completely devastated the family. The last hope was also shattered. 

 

Kiyomori Eita then held a grudge against Towa Kuniyoshi in his heart.

 

——

 

Eita was originally a repairman. Today, he came to the hospital to replace a glass panel in the stairwell area. He unexpectedly met Towa Kuniyoshi by chance. Perhaps because of the many years of struggle, Eita's face had become haggard. That caused Towa Kuniyoshi to not recognize the person standing in front of him.

 

In a complicated mood, Eita took the initiative to talk. Not only did Towa Kuniyoshi not recognize him, but he also happily considered Eita a potential customer to invite to buy insurance.

 

Repairmen are prone to injury, having insurance is a good thing – he immediately marketed it like that.

 

The two stood at the landing of the stairs, chatting for a while. Eita was carrying an extremely large and heavy piece of glass at about 50kg, long and thick, unable to be put in the elevator, only able to carry it up the stairs on his shoulders.

 

Towa Kuniyoshi had good intentions, walking behind Eita to help support the wrapping paper, reducing the pressure on his shoulders. This action was actually extremely dangerous, but Eita did not object.

 

Halfway there, Eita suddenly asked, “Do you remember me?”

 

After so many years of dealing with customers, Towa Kuniyoshi completely could not remember who that man was. And so… tragedy happened.

 

“I really did not expect that he would not remember me.”

 

"At that moment, I was going crazy…"

 

"So I let go, letting the glass fall on him…"

 

Eita held his head, his voice choked with grief.

 

——

 

It turned out that Eita had intentionally slipped the glass off his shoulder, letting it fall straight onto Towa Kuniyoshi behind him. Towa instinctively reached out to support the falling glass, trying to catch it. That pushback that made him lose his balance, and then he fell down the stairs.

 

"When I ran down to check, he was already dead." After telling everything, Eita gently closed his eyes, smiling bitterly, "Until now, I still can't believe I chose to act like that…"

 

But it seemed like God was helping him. After that collision, the glass was completely unbroken. So, Eita decided to continue installing the glass as usual, then proactively called the police, creating for himself the cover of an innocent person…

Notes:

in Japan, criminals can't get the punishment of death. so is it wrong to punish those who deserve it?

Chapter 7: Chapter 6: System: [Host, when will you have your first kill?]

Summary:

Host is disappointed at the System.
A rather familiar inconvenience showed up, Shirakawa Shu is not happy.

This case was not too complicated, and with Conan's secret help, it was solved very quickly.

 

However, after hearing Kiyomori Eita's account of the whole incident, Shirakawa Shu fell into a long silence. Before Eita was escorted to the police car, Shirakawa couldn't help but step forward.

 

"Excuse me, can I ask him a question?"

 

Seeing the handsome young man suddenly approaching, Takagi Wataru, who was escorting Eita, was a little surprised,

"You are...?"

 

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." Shirakawa smiled and politely said,

"I am Shirakawa Shu, the owner of the cafe downstairs from Mr. Mori's house. I'm also a little interested in deductions."

 

This sentence of his was not only an introduction, but also intentionally mentioned the Mōri family, implicitly implying to Takagi that he had a deep acquaintance with them.

 

Takagi immediately understood, patting his forehead, “Oh right, I saw you at the scene just now. You were with Ran-chan, right?”

 

He held out his hand and said with a smile, “I’m Takagi Wataru. If you’re an acquaintance of Mr. Mori’s and like to speculate, then feel free to ask.”

 

It’s just… the name Shirakawa Shu sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?

 

“Thank you.” Shirakawa nodded slightly, his eyes shifting to Kiyomori Eita.

 

Kiyomori Eita was also a little surprised when he looked at the young man in front of him.

 

To be honest, he hadn’t met many people in his life who were both handsome and had this kind of charisma. But that kind of person, he shouldn’t have any connection with him – a middle-aged man who had just killed someone and was a complete failure. Moreover, he had already told him everything, so what else did he want to ask?

 

“Hello, Kiyomori-san.” Shirakawa Shu stared at him, his golden eyes shining with sharpness and seriousness, "I just want to know… before you killed Towa Kuniyoshi, what was going on in your mind?"

 

Kiyomori was stunned.

 

Before I killed him, what was I thinking?

 

In actuality, what Shirakawa wanted to ask was, "At that time, did you feel like you were being driven by some strange force? As if killing was no longer a choice, but a necessity?"

 

Were you, like me… controlled by the power of ‘plotline’?

 

Kiyomori was silent for a long time, and finally spoke, "I remember my daughter… but she died half a month ago."

 

"My wife, unable to bear the shock, also died last week."

 

Shirakawa was silent.

 

Kiyomori chuckled lightly, his voice hoarse, "Maybe not today, then tomorrow, or the day after... This Beika is too small. If I meet him again even then, I'll probably do the same thing."

 

"Humans, they always need something to blame. Otherwise, I can only blame myself."

 

"I said I was possessed by a demon just now... I was actually comforting my long-dead conscience."

 

When he took the initiative to talk to Towa, in fact... he had already made up his mind.

 

The middle-aged man had a hunched back from carrying burdens all his life, as if he had never been able to stand up straight. After speaking, he nodded to Shirakawa, then took the initiative to follow Takagi Wataru into the police car.

 

Shirakawa stood still, watching the car leave, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

 

——

 

[They... are not like you.] At that moment, the system jumped out to speak again.

 

"I was just thinking about Conan's influence on people like them."

 

The system laughed as if it had just heard a farce, [If the insurance company hadn't deliberately set a trap, if Eita's daughter had been treated in time, the tragedy might not have happened.]

 

[Do you think this is Conan's fault?]

 

Shirakawa shook his head.

 

[Or did Conan incite him to kill?]

 

Another shake of the head.

 

[They kill out of hatred. As for you—you're not the original owner. You have no grudge, no motive. What makes you abnormal is that the plot is trying to force you to integrate.]

 

[As for Conan, you can just think of him as an unlucky person, always serving as a witness to other people's tragedies.]

 

The system said coldly, [Instead of caring about other people's fates, why don't you set a small goal: kill someone and get it over with!]

 

Shirakawa's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. There was no doubt, he knew it. This system, whenever it opened its mouth, it would not have a single decent sentence.

 

"So you've been talking all this philosophy, just to tell me to... go kill people?"

 

The system used a 'coaxing' tone, [Host, you have to have the will to progress! I'm here to assist in your success! If you just lie around like this, how can I support your career!]

 

Shirakawa: "......"

 

I thought you would threaten me. Who would have thought you were this weak-willed. Let's see… What a soft persimmon, pinch it and it will deflate.

 

Shirakawa yawned loudly, "You're right. I'll go back to bed."

 

System (collapsed), [Host, please don’t! o(╥﹏╥)o]

 

——

 

The next morning, Cafe Poirot.

 

Shirakawa Shu just happened to walk in at the official opening time.

 

A familiar greeting rang out, "Good morning, Shirakawa-san!"

 

Enomoto Azusa was preparing hot water, and when he heard the door open, she raised his head to greet him.

 

"Good morning, Enomoto-san." The white-haired young man slightly tilted his head, lips still carrying a fleeting smile, "I scared you yesterday, I'm really sorry."

 

Yesterday when he fell, Enomoto Azusa rushed out to help, but since the cafe couldn’t be left without anyone, she didn’t escort him to the hospital.

 

“As long as Shirakawa-san is okay, that’s fine.” Enomoto smiled as he stood by the coffee machine and asked, “Do you want anything to drink, Shirakawa-san?”

 

“Just a cup of warm water,” Shirakawa Shu replied.

 

“Okay.” Enomoto poured warm water into a glass cup and pushed it in front of Shirakawa.

 

“Thank you.” Shirakawa took a sip from the cup and started a conversation with Enomoto, “How long have you been working here, Enomoto-san?”

 

“I came here last June, it’s been a year now.”

 

Enomoto is a girl full of vitality, her personality is also very pleasant, she talks gently, the topic never dies down. Shirakawa conversed with her for a while and felt like he was less gloomy and his spirits was restored.

 

Ah, no matter the time, seeing someone full of vitality makes one feel refreshed.

 

“Ding–” 

 

The door of the cafe was pushed open once again. The two people who were chatting happily stopped at the same time.

 

It was Ueshita Mitsuo, the hateful guy from yesterday.

 

Enomoto Azusa whispered into Shirakawa’s ear, “It seems like Ueshita-san has been having trouble at work lately, so his temper is really bad, and he often causes trouble for the surrounding stores.”

 

Shirakawa frowned. It turned out that this wasn’t the first time, Ueshita Mitsuo often vented his anger about work on the employees of the nearby stores, and was known throughout this street as a guy with a bad reputation.

 

“Go to the kitchen and prepare some fruit.” Shirakawa patted Enomoto’s shoulder, “I’ll handle this.”

 

Enomoto hesitated, “But he…”

 

The owner was gentle, not looking like the type of person who could confront Ueshita Mitsuo. 

 

Enomoto considered herself quite gentle, but if she was really provoked by him, she would also respond without mercy. Before, because of her relationship with the old owner, she was still a bit afraid, but now that the new owner had taken over the shop, she didn’t need to hold back.

 

“It’s okay.” Shirakawa smiled, pushed her into the kitchen, and walked towards the cashier.

 

“Good morning, what would you like to order?”

 

Ueshita Mitsuo looked very tired today, glanced at the menu and said, “An iced Americano, the more ice the better.”

 

“Too much ice will dilute the flavor, are you sure?”

 

“Hurry up, hurry up!” Ueshita waved his hand, and plopped down at the bar counter.

 

Shirakawa’s lips curved upwards still, “Sir, I just want to confirm, adding too much ice will affect the quality and taste of the coffee, this is something we cannot guarantee. Are you sure?”

 

“If I told you to do it, then do it! Why ask so much? It is definitely your fault for ruining the taste, think of a way to fix it yourself! Ask, ask, ask, you can make it instead of asking!” Ueshita knocked on the table, his eyes wide with anger.

 

Shirakawa’s smile immediately faded away.

 

It was obvious that they had argued about this yesterday, and now it’s like this. He knew it, this guy wanted to cause trouble again.

 

Hearing the noise, Enomoto anxiously ran out to see the situation. Shirakawa waved her hand to signal her to go back to the kitchen to continue working.

Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Send help! The manager of Cafe Poirot is a psychopath!

Summary:

Shirakawa Shu taught his troublesome customer a lesson.

Shirakawa Shu was still smiling, but his gaze towards the man in front of him gradually darkened, the yellow in his pupils flashed with an unpredictable gloom.

 

“System, can I activate my passive skill?”

 

System: [Eh? Is Host finally enlightened? This guy is really hateful, should have dealt with him long ago!]

 

Although the system’s voice carried a mechanical tone, Shirakawa could still hear the extreme agitation.

 

But he did not answer and instead asked back, “The problem is, can it be activated?”

 

The system hesitated for a few seconds, [Um… if it’s called a passive skill, then I’m afraid it’s impossible…]

 

Shirakawa leisurely raised his voice, “Conan is right upstairs.”

 

The system choked, [Well… but… still not…]

 

Shirakawa drew out the syllables, “Oh, then forget it, I’ll go back and continue lying around. After all, this customer… doesn’t deserve death–”

 

System, [Ding—!]

 

Immediately, a strong killing intent surged in Shirakawa’s heart like a tidal wave.

 

The system quickly informed, [I can’t control the plot’s power, but I can simulate the temperament of a detective, temporarily activating the passive state in your body.]

 

Shirakawa lowered his eyes, silently picked up the knife placed beside him, his voice as light as a breeze, “That’s enough…”

 

“I sincerely apologize, the quality of our coffee really can’t be changed according to that request. If you’re not satisfied, you can go to another shop.”

 

When he raised his head again, Shirakawa’s smile carried an unique oddity, his bright golden eyes now flashing with a terrifying red light.

 

“What do you mean?” Ueshita Mitsuo immediately shouted, “What? Running a business and also chasing away customers? You bastards are really–”

 

Before he could finish his string of vulgar words, someone grabbed his collar. The pull was so strong that he collapsed onto the table, and immediately after, a shiny knife was pressed against his eyes like lightning.

 

Ueshita’s survival reflex caused his pupils to contract, and all the dirty words were immediately swallowed into his stomach.

 

The entire cafe fell into a dead silence.

 

Ueshita stared at the shiny knife before him, swallowing his saliva with difficulty, feeling as if if he blinked, the knife would stab straight into his eyeball.

 

“W-what are you going to do?!”

 

Ueshita opened his eyes wide, trying to maintain his composure, but his voice was clearly trembling, “You crazy man, you dare—”

 

“Thwack!”

 

The knife was strongly thrusted into his hand.

 

“Aaaaaaa–!!” Mitsuo Ueshita screamed loudly, his whole body going limp.

 

The white-haired man curled his lips. His golden eyes, which were originally bright and temperate, now consisted of only indifference and madness as he looked down from above.

 

It was like a silent madman had taken off his gentle mask.

 

Shirakawa waved the knife in front of Ueshita, his expression as if he was playing with a fun toy.

 

Under the light, the sharp blade was clean, without a drop of blood on it. In the end, the knife had just pierced between Ueshita’s fingers.

 

“Ueshita-san.” The cold blade slid across his cheek, Shirakawa’s hoarse voice was like a venomous snake spitting venom.

 

“If you dare to come here again to cause trouble– hmph.” He didn’t finish, but it was the unfinished words that sent a chill down one’s spine.

 

Ueshita was just an ordinary office worker, used to bullying the waiters on a daily basis. Now, facing such a person, his whole body trembled, only feeling the phantom pain in his palms even more clearly.

 

“I, I understand…” He hurriedly opened his mouth, as if he would lose his life if he was even a second later.

 

This guy, he was truly a madman!

 

“Do you understand?” Shirakawa whispered softly, pulling him closer, close to his face.

 

Because the front was blocked by the bar counter, Ueshita looked as if he was being pulled into the air, his legs wobbling, his round belly rolling like a potato being pulled out of the ground.

 

“Do you understand…?” Shirakawa asked again, his voice slow and dangerous.

 

Ueshita Mitsuo nodded repeatedly, his voice already choked with tears.

 

“I understand! I understand!”

 

However, Shirakawa Shu frowned, his voice clearly carrying disappointment.

 

“How could you understand so quickly? Understanding so early… how can you remember for long?”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Shirakawa reached out and poured a full glass of ice into the man’s mouth.

 

“Ugh–!” Ueshita’s eyes widened, waving his hands wildly, trying to push the glass away. But as soon as his hand moved up, the knife in Shirakawa’s hand “thwacked” and stabbed straight down into his hand.

 

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

 

Shirakawa didn’t blink, his movements were lightning fast, his hands barely needed to think, and each stab landed right on the edge of Ueshita’s arm – just enough to scare him without touching his skin.

 

In an instant, Ueshita didn’t dare move anymore.

 

The other party could “mistaken” as many times as they wanted, but his hands… weren’t enough to bet on!

 

In the end, Ueshita obediently swallowed each ice cube, and even when the ice fell from his mouth, he frantically caught it, not daring to let it fall.

 

In no time, his mouth was full of ice, and his hands were also holding a large handful.

 

The ice was the kind that had just been taken out of the freezer, so cold that it was numbing. He trembled and shivered, his mouth already frozen, his hands already cold.

 

However, after the “gentle persuasion” just now, he didn’t dare to move.

 

Looking at that scene, Shirakawa chuckled, looking extremely satisfied. He picked up the knife, while Ueshita’s fearful eyes were still glued to his every move, and stabbed the man’s hand again.

 

“Ugh—!!”

 

Ueshita shuddered again, but then… realized that the knife had simply pierced a stone in his hand.

 

Shirakawa didn’t even bother to look at him again.

 

The white-haired man lifted the knife, completely devoid of the madness he had before, his golden eyes turned cold again, staring intently at the stone as if he were admiring a strange piece of glass art.

 

“Get lost.” He commanded coldly.

 

As if Ueshita was pardoned, he hurriedly carried the pile of ice cubes and rushed out of the shop without daring to look back.

 

The manager of this place is really a madman!

 

——

 

[Ding —— [Irrational Customer] progress completed: 90%.]

 

[Evaluation: Still not killing him? You are truly pathetic. A benevolent butcher will never receive respect, hehehehe…]

 

Shirakawa closed his eyes and laughed coldly. “I’m asking, those sarcastic notes in this system board… were they written by you? It looks like they deserve a punch.”

 

The system mumbled, [It’s not me…]

 

Shirakawa snorted, not bothered to believe it.

 

The system quickly counterattacked, [And you! Why didn’t you kill him? I already unlocked the passive skill for you!]

 

Shirakawa shrugged, casually tossed the stone still stuck on the knife into the trash can, then put the knife down.

 

“I didn’t say I was going to kill him.”

 

System: […You liar.]

 

Shirakawa chuckled, “The mission is progressing anyway.”

 

System was unwilling, [But if you don’t kill anyone, the mission will never be completed!]

 

Shirakawa rubbed his chin, “What do you get if you complete the mission?”

 

System was full of confidence, [Accumulate experience, receive a higher title, become a top figure in the criminal world of Beika!]

 

Shirakawa, “…That means there is no reward.”

 

System voice was tiny, [Becoming an urban legend, doesn’t that make you excited? Who doesn’t want to leave their mark, prove that they existed.]

 

Shirakawa sighed, “You mean like…Joker in Gotham?”

 

System, [Huh? Who?]

 

Shirakawa raised his hands in surrender, “…Consider I didn’t say anything.”

Notes:

the system was right! Shu-chan does have talent in killing, but he simply doesn't choose to do so. have any speculations on why?:)

Chapter 9: Chapter 8: He was ‘famous’ in the Police Academy then.

Summary:

The unerasable past of Shirakawa Shu.

Enomoto Azusa came out of the kitchen with a tray of fruit.

 

The annoying Ueshita Mitsuo had finally left, and their new manager was sitting in front of the bar, looking as if he was in a deep melancholy.

 

“Eh? Ueshita-san is gone?” Azusa tilted his head and asked in surprise.

 

“Yeah.” Shirakawa Shu sat up straight, his voice calm, “I used my feelings to influence him, and used logic to analyze him. Now he has deeply realized his mistake and has taken the initiative to leave.”

 

“Eh?” Azusa was incredibly surprised. Based on what she knew, Ueshita-san was not the type of person who would listen to her so easily.

 

“Really.” Shirakawa seriously affirmed, nodded and said, “He even asked me to apologize to you on your behalf, saying that he would seriously reflect on his actions.”

 

“…Is that so…” Azusa put down the fruit tray, still wondering why Ueshita-san had such a sudden change in temperament. Her gaze unconsciously glanced at the bar counter… then immediately stopped.

 

“Eh, EH?!” She was stunned, immediately rushing over to check, “Why are there so many holes on the counter?!”

 

Although it wasn’t some kind of high-quality wood, the hardness of this counter had always been enough, why did it suddenly become a sieve?

 

“Cough cough, it must have been… gnawed by a mouse.” Shirakawa coughed, “Anyway, this counter should have been replaced a long time ago. I always felt that it didn’t match the decoration style of the shop, it looked too garish. We can use this opportunity to change it.”

 

Azusa worried, “But taking it all off, it’ll probably cost a lot of money…”

 

Shirakawa put his hand on his chest, covering his bleeding heart, trying to hold back his laughter, “It’s okay, it’s okay… It’s an investment.”

 

“Just in time–” His eyes glanced at the corner next to the bar, “Recently, I’ve seen many shops start selling cakes, afternoon tea sets, and so on… Or maybe we can put a display cabinet here, make some sweets, it’ll definitely attract customers.”

 

When he first arrived, Shirakawa had surveyed carefully, there were no cake shops or dessert shops on this street yet. If they were the first to do it, they would definitely have an advantage.

 

Azusa also thought it was a good idea. It’s just that…

 

She hesitated a bit, “But I only know how to make simple baked goods… like bread, cookies… but I’ve never made cakes.”

 

Oh, I forgot that the only employee in the shop didn’t have full points yet…

 

Shirakawa thought for a moment, “Then let’s install a display cabinet first, even if it’s just for pudding-like items. We’ll think about it later.”

 

Azusa nodded, “Yes! I’ll try to learn more and expand the menu.”

 

“You’ve been working hard, Azusa-san!” Shirakawa patted her shoulder with satisfaction. Having such an employee really makes one feel secure.

 

“Shirakawa-san, you can just call me Azusa.” Azusa smiled and said.

 

Shirakawa immediately changed his tone, “Okay, Azusa.”

 

After the incident just now, the relationship between the two gradually became closer. Shirakawa was in charge of taking orders and cashiering, Azusa was in charge of making coffee and serving.

 

Except for one strange thing, the ice in the shop sold out extremely quickly today, the ice bucket was almost full and then empty.

 

Azusa turned around and went to the kitchen to get more ice, muttering, “Why did you use so much ice today… I should prepare more this afternoon.”

 

At that moment, Shirakawa, who was at the cashier, suddenly sneezed repeatedly.

 

He rubbed his nose and looked up at the air conditioner, “It seems like the temperature is too low. Hmm… I should raise it a bit.”

 

——

 

At the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

 

Takagi Wataru sat at his desk, resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

 

“What’s the matter? I’ve seen you having something on your mind all day.” Sato Miwako sat down, looking at Takagi Wataru with a doubtful gaze.

 

“Did something happen on your side of the case?”

 

“No, no, it’s nothing.” Takagi sat up straight, quickly waving his hand to explain, “Sato-keibu, do you remember the white-haired boy who was with Ran yesterday at the crime scene?”

 

Sato Miwako pondered for a moment.

 

He didn’t have much of a sense of existence, yesterday she was so busy that she didn’t have any contact with him, she only vaguely remembered that there seemed to be someone like that.

 

“Yeah, then what?” She asked reflexively.

 

“He said his name was Shirakawa Shu… I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before…” Takagi scratched his head, his expression troubled, “But I’ve been thinking about it all day and still can’t remember.”

 

A police officer felt that a name was familiar, this was absolutely abnormal. Takagi thus continued to ponder, trying to dig through his memory to see where he had heard that name.

 

“Shirakawa Shu?” Sato Miwako was bamboozled, her eyes filled with shock, “Are you sure that person’s name is Shirakawa Shu?”

 

Takagi nodded, “The surname Shirakawa is rare, I remember it very clearly.”

 

“Did you forget?” Sato Miwako frowned, her voice filled with reproach, “Didn’t the teachers tell you when you were in the police academy?”

 

Takagi’s eyes widened, the hazy memories in his head suddenly seemed to have been turned on by someone, lighting up in an instant.

 

“So it’s… him?!” Takagi blurted out, unable to hide his shock.

 

“It’s him! The only person in the classes who was publicly expelled by the police academy study!’” Sato Miwako nodded in confirmation, then added, “No… to be exact, for the past seven years, it’s been just him!”

 

During those years, there were people who dropped out of school, some who changed majors, and some who even died in the line of duty. But the only one who was expelled from the school for committing a crime was Shirakawa Shu!

 

He immediately became a typical example to warn the entire school. To the point that many years later, when mentioning this name, the instructors still shook their heads in dismay, calling it “the biggest stain in the training career”.

 

Why did Sato Miwako remember it so clearly? Because Shirakawa Shu was in the senior class right before hers!

 

His incident caused the school to reform the regulations, causing her class to be managed so strictly that… it could be called “perverted.” The instructors kept bringing that name up as an example to deter, causing the students to suffer countless times. Even now, the consequences still remain. Even the young police officers who joined the profession later, whenever they mentioned that name, would grit their teeth.

 

“It seems that back then you were truly a model obedient student, only knowing how to bury your head in your studies, not paying attention to anything outside.” Sato Miwako shook her head and sighed, “Everyone knows that. Just ask the new recruits in the department, they know better than you!”

 

Takagi scratched his head in embarrassment, “Back then, my physical strength was poor, I spent all day in the physical training room, so I didn’t pay attention to things outside…”

 

Sato didn’t blame him, but this made her start to get interested in that “legendary character”, “Hey Takagi, what does he look like? I didn’t pay much attention yesterday.”

 

The tall, thin, cold figure of that person appeared in her mind, making it hard for people to forget. Takagi reflexively replied, “Very handsome!”

 

That was truly a very attractive young man.

 

Sato heard that answer without hesitation, and immediately raised her eyebrows in disbelief. She was also present at the scene yesterday, if there was such a handsome man, how could she not notice? With such a striking aura, anyone would instinctively look at him. It was human nature to love beauty.

 

“Really? Why don’t I have any impression at all?”

 

Takagi rested his chin in thought, “It’s strange… Before he took the initiative to talk to me, I didn’t notice him either…”

 

But he had clearly followed Ran around the crime scene, and even when Detective Mori was solving the case, he had stood there listening from beginning to end.

 

Thinking of this, Takagi suddenly shivered, unconsciously hugging his arm, “The person I saw yesterday… was he real?”

 

“Stop it!” Sato Miwako didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and slapped him on the forehead, “There are people who are born with difficulty attracting the attention of others. Don’t scare yourself!”

 

“Aiya–” Takagi held his head, whispering, “I know, I know…”

 

“But, about Shirakawa Shu…” Sato Miwako pursed her lips slightly, and the stories she had heard from… someone else appeared in her mind.

 

Her eyes turned complicated.

Notes:

poor Shu-chan having to compensate for something he didn't do... though, isn't it a little odd?

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Ding ding- “Relaxing drink Detective Mori”

Summary:

Economic strategies from a modern transmigratee!

The next morning, the new bar that Shirakawa Shu had custom-made was finally delivered.

 

He stood at the door instructing the installers, and as soon as he turned around, he saw Ran and Conan coming down from the upper floor.

 

“Good morning, Shirakawa-san!”

 

“Good morning, Ran-san, Conan-kun.” Shirakawa leaned back slightly in a very skillful manner, a grin on his lips.

 

Ran looked curiously at the workers who were disassembling and assembling, “Are you renovating the cafe?”

 

“No, it’s just that the bar counter tabletop was broken so I replaced it with a new one.” Shirakawa explained gently.

 

Conan raised his head, just in time to see a few workers carrying the heavy old wooden board out. On the tabletop, there were several very clear knife marks.

 

Conan’s eyes immediately changed, his initial indifference replaced by vigilance, he stared intently at those cuts.

 

“Hey~ that’s strange.” The childish voice rang out, causing Shirakawa’s nerves to twitch slightly.

 

Both of them turned around.

 

Conan pointed at the knife marks on the table, and asked doubtfully, “Did you use a knife to cut the table? There are so many cuts.”

 

“Eh?”

 

Shirakawa paused for a moment, then quickly bent down to pat Conan’s head, smiling gently,“Conan-kun’s observation is really good! Well, actually, yesterday there was a customer who was a bit… impolite. There was a misunderstanding between him and me, so he got angry and stabbed the counter with a knife.”

 

Ran and Conan were both surprised, “That’s outrageous!”

 

“Are you and Azusa-san okay?” Ran worried. Hearing this made her shiver.

 

Shirakawa waved his hand, “It’s okay, he just poked the table a few times and left.”

 

Conan asked immediately, “Did you report it to the police? People like this must be dealt with! It’s too much!”

 

Today he stabbed a table, tomorrow he might stab someone, this kind of violence cannot be underestimated.

 

“Well, he left too quickly. Moreover, he didn’t cause any injuries to us, so I didn’t pursue it. After all, I do business, bumping into all kinds of people, just consider it a side problem, not worth reporting to the police to make a big deal out of it.” Shirakawa Shu shrugged, his voice somewhat reluctant.

 

Ran sighed, “You’re too kind…”

 

Shirakawa just smiled, not saying anything more.

 

He stood on the side of the road, his tall and thin figure standing out, looking very gentle as he chatted with the two people. But in that pale yellow gaze, a cold ray flashed past like lightning and disappeared.

 

Ueshita Mitsuo, who was going this way to work as usual, suddenly encountered that emotionless gaze and was startled, retreated, turned around and crossed the street, and ran around to another neighborhood in a panic.

 

He swore he would never go near that madman again! Never!

 

Looking at the figure of the man running away, Shirakawa Shu contentedly withdrew his gaze, the smile on his lips became even more sincere.

 

“Ah, are you two going to Nippon TV?” Shirakawa tried to search his memory, but he had forgotten most of the content related to Conan, and for the moment, he couldn’t remember what they were going there for.

 

“Yes, it’s about time, Conan and I will go first.” Ran said politely.

 

“Okay, be careful.” Shirakawa smiled and waved goodbye.

 

After the two figures, one big and one small, had disappeared, Shirakawa Shu turned around, pondered for a moment, and then handed the driver a wad of cash, “Please help me take these disassembled items to the disposal station.”

 

The driver glanced over and said, “Sir, this tabletop is actually still in good condition. I think I can get some money back if I sell it as used items.”

 

“Thanks to you.” Shirakawa just smiled and replied, “This tabletop is a bit… unlucky. Just consider it as getting rid of bad luck.”

 

Hearing the spiritual reason, the driver didn’t ask any more questions and nodded in agreement.

 

The new bar counter used high-quality marble, which was both durable and luxurious, making the space of the cafe seem to have been elevated to a new level. The only thing that made Shirakawa heartbroken was that the price was also very “high-end”.

 

Looking at Enomoto Azusa happily cleaning the shiny new tabletop, Shirakawa hugged his empty wallet and forced a happy smile.

 

It’s okay, it’s okay… it’s just some money…

 

Actually, if possible, he wanted to move out of the Beika area tonight, to get as far away from Conan and those detectives as possible.

 

Unfortunately, the wallet didn’t agree.

 

[Destroying evidence of a crime is a basic skill that a qualified criminal should have. The host doing so shows that he has become more mature, please don’t be too sad.]

 

The system spoke up to comfort him, but it was extremely… untimely.

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…Thank you.” The more he listened, the more heartbroken he became.

 

Perhaps realizing his despair, the system seriously suggested.

 

[Since the host is so short of money, why not plan a bank robbery? It will solve the emergency, gain experience, and you can even become a wanted criminal in Beika!]

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…No one told you to shut up, but if you keep quiet, I’ll be grateful.”

 

System: (′⊙ω⊙`)

 

The system was silent again, feeling aggrieved.

 

Shirakawa Shu once again put his face down on the table, feeling endless sorrow.

 

In the late afternoon, preparing to close the shop for a break, he took the billboard outside the door and went inside. As soon as he raised his head, he saw that the Mori Detective Office was pitch black.

 

He wondered: “Today, Mori-san isn’t home?”

 

It felt like he hadn't seen them all day.

 

But Enomoto Azusa didn’t seem surprised:

“Mori-san and the others usually go out to play or do commissions. Sometimes they don’t come back for several days, it’s normal.”

 

Shirakawa Shu muttered: “It’s good to go out and travel around…”

 

Can’t let Beika bear the ‘destructive nature’ of the cases, other places should also share the burden a little.

 

However, Shirakawa Shu couldn’t help but admire them: “They live like this… isn’t it too free?”

 

Azusa replied: “Detective Mori is very good at deduction, normally many people come to him to help solve cases. He must make quite a bit of money.”

 

“Oh, how envious…” Shirakawa Shu looked into the distance, an idea suddenly flashing in his mind, “Azusa, what do you think if I cooperate with the Mori Detective Agency?”

 

Enomoto Azusa was surprised: “Huh?”

 

Shirakawa Shu clapped his hands excitedly: “I can do a joint campaign!”

 

Azusa looked at him curiously: “A joint campaign?”

 

“I can completely use Detective Mori’s reputation, turn our shop into a famous check-in spot online.” Shirakawa sat up straight.

 

This world developed about twenty years slower than his old world, but perhaps due to the influence of the Conan story, Shirakawa Shu recently realized that the timeline he was living in was somewhat abnormal.

 

Time seemed to have stopped, but the world was still moving very fast, narrowing the gap with his old world, and it wouldn’t be long before it caught up.

 

At that time, technology and the economy would both undergo great changes.

 

As an experienced person, Shirakawa knew well the power of a ‘collab.’

 

“We can provide free coffee to Detective Mori’s office. So the customers who come to see Detective Mori will get to drink coffee from Poirot's! The number of people coming will increase, and we'll have a reputation. We can even launch a new product called 'Detective Mori Relaxing Coffee'. Later, detective fans will hear about it and come to drink coffee like Detective Mori, and earn more money!"

 

Although he had little contact with the concept of ‘collab’, Enomoto Azusa still felt that the idea that manager Shirakawa had come up with had great business prospects.

 

She raised her hand curiously and asked, "But why is it called 'Detective Mori Relaxing Coffee'? Isn't coffee supposed to wake you up? Why is it called a sedative?"

 

"That's a good question!"

 

Shirakawa smiled brightly, placed an empty glass on the counter in front of Azusa, and pointed at the glass, "Isn't Detective Mori called 'Sleepy Kogoro Mori' outside? Then our ‘sober’ coffee is to help detectives reach the realm of solving cases in ‘sleep’, doesn’t that sound cool!”

 

Hearing Shirakawa’s confusing explanation, Enomoto Azusa could only nod, not fully understanding but not refuting.

 

“Oh well, it’s just a fun name, to create a highlight, mainly to stimulate other people’s curiosity. For example, Azusa-san has been asking why we named it like that, right?”

 

Azusa tilted her head: “Yes.”

 

“Buy a cup and you’ll know right away. Who knows, maybe I’ll have the chance to experience the realm that Detective Mori has reached~”

 

Shirakawa pushed the glass towards Azusa, his tone slightly inviting, as if that ‘divine’ cup of coffee was right in front of him.

 

If the cup wasn’t empty, Azusa would have been curious enough to buy a real cup.

 

She couldn’t help but clap her hands and praise: “Wow! You’re so clever, techou! How did you come up with those ideas?”

 

Shirakawa snorted: “It’s business, I used to think about these things too.”

 

“But we can’t be hasty. We have to think carefully…”

 

Moreover, this world especially worships detectives. If Mori Kogoro’s name could be pushed a little higher, who knows, this whole cafe might really take off.

Chapter 11: Chapter 10: [A a a, my idol, Gin-sama!!!]

Summary:

First encounter with the Black Organization.
Someone raised their hand: Gin knew Shirakawa Shu???

While Shirakawa Shu was still unaware of the main events, elsewhere, Conan once again initiated a new confrontation with the Black Organization.

 

This time, because he forgot to retrieve the wiretap, Conan accidentally discovered that the female announcer of Nichiuri TV – Mizunashi Rena – was a member of the Black Organization codenamed ‘Kir.’

 

In a joint operation with the FBI, their red faction successfully captured Kir and destroyed the Organization's assassination plan.

 

However, what Conan did not expect was that despite all odds, Gin discovered the wiretap stuck to Mizunashi Rena's shoe sole, and immediately changed the target, aiming the tip of the knife at the Mori Detective Agency...

 

——

 

At the Poirot Cafe.

 

The rain that had been pouring all day finally stopped. Shirakawa Shu immediately picked up the sign and placed it back in front of the shop's door. At that moment, Mori Kogoro happened to pass by wearing headphones listening to the live horse racing report.

 

“Good afternoon, Mori-san, you’re back.” Shirakawa greeted him naturally, “You look radiant today, did something good happen?”

 

Just as he had won another bet, Mori Kogoro’s face lit up like a headlight, unable to close his mouth in laughter: “Good afternoon, Shirakawa-kun! I bet on three horse races yesterday, and won all three! Who knows, I might win big again today! Hahaha–”

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…Haha, then congratulations to Mori-san first.”

 

Really, he had to admire Mori Kogoro. He clearly earned a decent amount from many commissions, but in the end, he spent it all on horse racing and drinking, to the point of still having to drive a rental car, and not being able to live well.

 

Of course, Mori Kogoro didn’t know that Shirakawa was silently criticizing himself in his heart. He was still completely focused on the horse race, listening to the radio as he walked, and slowly returned to the office.

 

Shirakawa shook his head: “There’s no cure for him.”

 

——

 

Back at the cafe, Enomoto Azusa brought out a tray of freshly baked cookies: “Manager, come and try the one I just researched.”

 

Shirakawa Shu stepped forward: “Thank you Azusa, you’ve worked hard.”

 

He took a cookie and put it in his mouth, his eyes immediately lit up.

 

“Is it chocolate? It’s delicious!” After saying that, he took another one.

 

Seeing him eat it savourishingly, Enomoto Azusa breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest: “That’s great! Looks like my skills haven’t deteriorated.”

 

“Yeah, I just happened to buy a box of bags yesterday, I’ll wrap them up and give them as gifts to customers later if you don’t mind.” Shirakawa told her.

 

Enomoto Azusa naturally nodded in agreement: “That’s a good idea, I can also listen to the customers’ opinions and see if there’s anything that needs to be improved.”

 

While the two were talking, the landline in the cafe suddenly rang.

 

Shirakawa, who was standing nearby, picked up the phone, “Hello, this is Poirot Cafe, how can I help you?”

 

“Shirakawa-san, it’s me! Conan.”

 

Shirakawa was a little stunned, “Conan? Why are you calling–”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Conan quickly interrupted, “Sorry, Shirakawa-san, I have an urgent matter to discuss with Kogoro-ojisan, but he hasn’t picked up the phone. Could you help me see if he’s in the office?”

 

There was no need to look at this, because Shirakawa had just finished talking to him: “Mori-san is up there, probably watching the horse race so he didn’t answer the phone. Is there something urgent? Let me deliver  it for you.”

 

A chance to increase the intimacy rate! It would be easier to suggest his ‘brand cooperation’ plan later, hehe…

 

Conan was silent for a few seconds, then finally said, “Mori-san seems to have offended someone in a previous case. Now they want to kill him. Please, Mr. Shirakawa, help me send a message to tell him to be careful, especially don’t sit by the window to watch the horse race!”

 

Eh? Which scene is this?

 

Shirakawa replied, “Okay, I’ll go right away.”

 

Hang up, Shirakawa conveniently took a pack of cookies Azusa had just prepared, “Azusa, I’ll go find Mori-san for a bit, I’ll leave the shop to you.”

 

Enomoto Azusa: “Yes, techou, you can go ahead.”

 

——

 

Before leaving the shop, Shirakawa stood at the door and looked over the roof of the building opposite. Conan had emphasized ‘don’t stay near the window’, so it was very possible that the other side had a sniper. But the more he looked, the colder his spine became.

 

On that roof… was a familiar figure. Silver hair, black clothes…

 

Childhood memories suddenly surfaced.

 

It was that man!

 

The one who made Kudo Shinichi become Conan, the one who, even though the ‘wine factory’ had changed to a ‘water factory’, still worked hard and devotedly, constantly ‘laying the foundation’ for the organization’s cause, is the shadow that had haunted the minds of many children for many years—

 

Gin!

 

Hmph, it’s over, he’s right here in the main story!

 

The footsteps that were about to step out were silently withdrawn. Shirakawa began to regret agreeing to help Conan. He was already unsafe, and now he was involved in the main story… 

 

Before he could decide whether to retreat or not, the system’s voice rang in his ears.

 

System: [A a a, it’s Gin-sama! A a a, standing like that is so cool! A a a! Sniff sniff sniff–]

 

Shirakawa Shu never thought that one day he would be able to hear the sound of… drooling from an excited mechanical voice.

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…What’s wrong with you? Did you get a virus?”

 

System: [Sniff sniff, it’s Gin! My idol!!]

 

Shirakawa Shu’s face was full of question marks: “Huh? You, an idol?”

 

The system immediately retorted, his voice full of dissatisfaction: [What? I can’t have an idol? Gin-sama is the pinnacle of intelligence and capability in this world! The villain of all villains! The ideal model for me to strive to follow! I dare not imagine, if he was the one who activated me, I would definitely have become a bright and cheerful system!]

 

Shirakawa Shu: …

 

He pouted, “If you want then follow him, I won’t stop you.”

 

The system's voice dropped: [But you were the one who activated me, so from now on I can only follow you…]

 

There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in that voice...

 

Shirakawa Shu: ...You mean you feel at a disadvantage following me?? 

 

The innocent one here, isn’t it me!? Very good, you've aroused my competitive spirit.

 

Shirakawa Shu rolled up his sleeves, opened the door of the cafe, and angrily rushed straight to the second floor of the Mori Detective Agency.

 

——

 

On the rooftop, Vodka, who was watching attentively below, suddenly let out a soft cry: "Big boss, there's a white-haired brat coming out of the cafe across the street, he's going up to the second floor, into Mori Kogoro's office."

 

Chianti, who was looking at Mori Kogoro through the scope, pouted: "Then let me deal with that guy first, and then take care of that white-haired brat."

 

Gin watched the figure passing by below, his eyes suddenly narrowed: “Wait.”

 

Vermouth stood beside him, feeling a little uneasy, her arms crossed and she said with surprise: “What’s going on? Who is that guy?”

 

“That guy…”

 

The man’s dark green eyes flashed a glint of chilliness, his gaze fixed on the second floor of Detective Mori’s office.

 

——

 

Knock knock—

 

The office door was always slightly open. Shirakawa Shu knocked twice and pushed the door open to enter.

 

“Sorry to bother you, Mori-san.”

 

Shirakawa Shu walked over and took the newspaper from Mori Kogoro’s hand.

 

Mori Kogoro, who was intently watching the Marseille football match, was startled and jumped up, looking up to see the white-haired young man suddenly appear, his face full of confusion: “Shirakawa-san? What are you doing up here?”

 

Shirakawa Shu: “It was Conan who asked me to come up.”

 

He thought for a moment, then walked to the window and pulled the curtains.

 

Mori Kogoro: “?”

 

At the same time, the people on the terrace also saw his face clearly.

 

Short white hair, pale yellow eyes, a delicate face but with a faint sickly look. The corners of his mouth still seemed to carry a faint smile, the slightly pointed fangs exposed when smiling, further enhancing a strange, unforgettable temperament.

 

Just looking at it once, it would be impossible to forget that face.

 

Gin suddenly clenched his fists, his voice cold as ice:

 

“Chianti, kill him first.”

Notes:

that's 7 new chapters updated as I'm eating lunch rn
man I wish I could just do things I like all day

Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Unexpected variable from three years ago (1)

Summary:

Gin's first encounter with Shirakawa Shu.

Gin still clearly remembers what happened three years ago.

 

After completing the mission, he had just brought people back to base when he suddenly received an email from that ‘esteemed sir.’

 

****: Scotch has a problem. Deal with him.

 

Scotch joined the organization a few years ago and was one of Gin's snipers. His marksmanship far surpassed that of veterans like Chianti and Korn. Not only was he strong, he was also sensible and knew how to read the situation – the type of person who was capable but not stupid, which Gin highly valued.

 

Unfortunately, a rat is still a rat. Sooner or later its tail will show.

 

The man was previously leaning against the window, silently smoking a cigarette. After reading the email, his eyes abruptly lit up with bloodthirsty murderous intent.

 

“Vodka.”

 

Vodka immediately bowed: "Big boss."

 

Gin stubbed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse: “Where is Scotch now?”

 

Vodka thought for a moment and replied, “He is on a mission with Rye. Are you going to give them a new mission?”

 

Rye – another member under Gin – also had substantial strength. Within the organization, many people believe that he would be the ‘second Gin.’ The only thing was, Gin disliked those who ‘climb up thanks to women’ like that of him.

 

Gin sneered: “Right on time. Tell them to come to Beika after completing their mission. I have another mission to assign.”

 

He turned and walked away, his strides wide: “Call Chianti and Korn, bring your guns. We're going to Beika.”

 

Vodka still didn't understand what was happening, just nodded: "Yes, big boss."

 

At the same time, elsewhere, Rye and Scotch simultaneously frowned upon receiving the message.

 

Scotch gently tapped his finger on the edge of the car window, his usually gentle face now colder: "This is the first time Gin has given us an unplanned mission."

 

Rye kept driving, unconsciously slowing down a bit: “It is indeed a bit unusual.”

 

“You're so familiar with Gin, can't you guess what's going on?” Scotch both teased and probed.

 

Rye chuckled, not answering but asking back: "I'm close to Gin? Then you aren’t?"

 

Scotch did not reply, only feeling a vague unease in his heart.

 

It feels like something is about to happen.

Unfortunately, beside him was Rye – an extremely cautious person. In this situation, it was inconvenient for him to take out his phone to investigate.

 

So all along the way, they were unusually silent.

 

When they arrived at Beika at the appointed time, they both received a message at the same time. Scotch flipped open his phone, but didn't read the contents just yet. Instead, he secretly glanced to the other side. Rye's face was expressionless, looking at his phone, his reaction was no different than usual. Scotch opened his message skeptically.

 

GIN: There will be a temporary transaction at Beika Square. You two go and set up equipment in the surrounding area. If you find anything unusual, report it to me immediately.

 

Temporary transaction?

 

Scotch squinted. His usually gentle cat eyes now narrowed, becoming sharp like a phoenix's.

 

Beika Square is only two streets away from the administrative center. Why did Gin choose such a location that is close to the government to hold the transaction? Something is not right… but it is hard to find fault.

 

Scotch was secretly alert, but remained calm on the outside, stuffing the phone into his pocket. Beside him, Rye – although his face remained cold as usual – was already in a state of turmoil.

 

GIN: Scotch is a rat. Get rid of him.

 

Rye was completely flabbergasted. Scotch was also a spy?!

 

Rye, whose real name is Shuichi Akai and whose real identity is a federal agent of the FBI.

 

Rye quietly put away his phone. This… was really awkward. His eyes discreetly scanned his surroundings, then his heart suddenly felt heavy.

 

The message had been sent as soon as they arrived, indicating that the organization had already set up an ambush in the area. He and Scotch were both under surveillance.

 

Gin pretended to let him deal with Scotch, but in reality he was testing him.

 

If he let Scotch go, Gin would definitely become suspicious, and he might even be exposed.

 

But if he did not…

 

Rye lowered his eyes, hands in his pockets, palms clenched unconsciously.

 

Scotch still hadn’t noticed anything unusual, just staring at the map. He pointed to a location: “These are the best shooting spots in Beika Square. I think this place is fine. What do you think?”

 

Rye followed Scotch's pointing finger, his eyes lowered, stopping at another point.

It was indeed an optimal sniping position, but behind it was a taller building, perfect for setting a trap.

 

Maybe Gin and other members were already lying in ambush there. It was no surprise that Gin had guessed the place we would choose. So that was why he called us to Beika…

 

Rye pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Fine."

 

And so the two men, carrying gun bags disguised as guitar cases, headed towards the location Scotch had just pointed out.

 

It was a large shopping mall, the building was always bustling, selling all kinds of goods inside, famous throughout Beika City for its cheap prices and wide variety of goods.

 

Scotch even remembered that when he was still in the Police Academy, he followed his roommate here to buy groceries. Four years… have passed in the blink of an eye.

Scotch looked up at the sign on the building, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

 

Rye stopped and turned to look at him: "What?"

 

Scotch shook his head: “Nothing.”

 

At the back of this building there is an outdoor iron staircase that leads directly to the top floor. Normally there is hardly any traffic, except when a technician comes up for maintenance or inspection. What they needed to do now was to go around the front and use the stairs behind the building to get to their hiding place.

 

“Hello, are you interested in a gig at the basement bar?”

 

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out. Scotch’s steps halted.

 

A white-haired young man, who looked somewhat familiar, smiled brightly, stood in front of Rye, and held out a flyer.

 

Rye was also looking for an excuse to stall for time, so he stopped.

 

Shirakawa Shu completely ignored Scotch who was standing behind Rye. Seeing the long-haired man in front of him stop, he immediately excitedly continued:

 

“Sir, I see you play guitar too, right? You might want to consider it! We own the basement bar, you just need to perform from 9pm to 2am, just five hours, the salary is much higher than that of the average, and if you do long-term cooperation, we can even organize a mini live show for you at the bar in the future…”

 

So it was the guitar bag on his back that caught this guy's attention. Rye thought.

 

No way… it's really him!

 

Scotch was stunned. There was no mistaking it, the young man before him was his roommate from the police academy, Shirakawa Shu!

 

Why is he here?

 

Shirakawa Shu still didn’t realize the complicated feelings between the two people. He just stared at the long-haired man in front of him, his eyes filled with anticipation:

“What do you think? Can you consider it?”

 

This face, this figure, plus that long, black, melancholy hair… Tsk tsk, exactly like a musician!

 

Shirakawa bet: it doesn’t matter if this guy plays guitar or not, as long as he agrees to be the bar's regular musician, the bar will be guaranteed to be sold out every night!

 

Scotch took a deep breath and slowly walked forward: “Sorry, my friend and I are not interested.”

 

Shirakawa heard the sound and turned around.

 

Huh? Another handsome guy! Those cat-like blue eyes are truly unbeatable… and all he needs is a little beard adjustment– Wait?

 

Look a little… familiar?

 

Shirakawa's eyes widened.

 

Huh? Isn't this guy the original owner of this body's roommate when he was in the Police Academy???

Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Unexpected variable from three years ago (2)

Notes:

ojosama - used to address a young lady of a wealthy/pretigious family, or an endearment

"Hey– you–"

 

Shirakawa Shu was about to continue speaking when Scotch reached out and took the flyer from his hand: “Is this enough? We have stuff to do, don't get in the way–”

 

Shirakawa was stunned for a moment, then pouted: "Fine, but you can also look at the content of the flyer, our bar's treatment is really good!"

 

Scotch breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Luckily, Shirakawa understood what he meant.

 

Rye narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold.

 

That moment just now… didn't feel like someone who didn't know Scotch at all.

 

He began to observe this strange young man closely. The young man had short white hair, a handsome face, a skinny body, and looked somewhat weak. Compared to the street-side flyer distributors, he was more like a rich kid experiencing life.

 

Scotch's companion?

 

Rye shook his head slightly in his mind.

This guy was too outstanding, completely unlike the type of person in his memory.

 

Rye didn't think much more, just politely refused: "We have urgent business, sorry."

 

As the two continued walking, Rye slowly said: "Scotch, I didn't know you were in such a leisurely mood."

 

Scotch casually threw the flyer into the corner of the wall and replied expressionlessly: "People who hand out flyers are the most annoying type. Especially someone with a smooth mouth like him. It's better to have one less problem than one more problem. Why waste words?"

 

Rye squinted and chuckled, his voice hoarse: "You have a point."

 

The two of them left quietly, leaving Shirakawa Shu with his chin in his hands, thinking: "This guy... really quit the police to become a guitarist?"

 

However, Shirakawa did not believe that was the truth. Perhaps because he had heard too many stories like this in the ‘previous world’... a word suddenly popped into his mind – spy.

 

No wonder there's been no news for four years…

 

While Shirakawa was thinking, a tall, muscular hoodlum suddenly blocked in front of him. The guy was covered in tattoos, his eyes were slanted fiercely, his voice was hoarse and fierce: "What are you advertising? Let me see!"

 

With that, he snatched the flyer from Shirakawa's hand.

 

"Hey hey–!" Shirakawa was stunned.

 

Who is this guy?

 

He reached out to snatch it back: "It's just a normal advertisement, what are you doing?"

 

The thug shook Shirakawa's hand off and examined him from head to toe, his eyes full of scrutiny: "What did you say to those two guys just now? What was it? Do you think I'm ugly and not worthy of receiving your flyer?"

 

The two people were arguing, causing the bustling entrance to suddenly become empty. Everyone around saw the tattoos on his body and immediately moved away, no one dared to stay.

 

Shirakawa frowned: "You–"

 

"What are you doing?!" A loud female voice rang out, a girl with a ponytail walked forward, her hands on her hips, demeanor filled with energy.

 

"Xiao Shu, are you okay?" Lin Zhao Zhao asked in Chinese, "What's wrong?"

 

Shirakawa also replied in Chinese: "I don't know, he just came to cause trouble."

 

The gangster stopped when he heard Chinese, looked at the two people again, his voice less fierce, and a bit wary: "Are you two Chinese?"

 

Lin Zhao Zhao crossed her arms, her aura overwhelming: "That's right! I warn you, don't cause trouble, or I'll call the police now."

 

Shirakawa also nodded, playing along.

 

The thug immediately deflated and handed the flyer back to Shirakawa: "You can't hand out flyers here. I'll let you off this time, but don't get caught next time."

 

With that, he turned and left, just as suddenly as he appeared.

 

Shirakawa's eyes fell on the super small tactical earphone beside his ear, and the depths of his eyes suddenly sank.

 

Lin Zhao Zhao was still frozen, wondering:
"Huh... why is he going right away?"

 

Looking at that guy's appearance, demeanor, and tattoos, she thought it was a big deal.

 

Shirakawa pondered: "Maybe he is…"

 

Is probing the relationship between him and Morofushi Hiromitsu.

 

The thug turned a corner, leaned over, and whispered into the earpiece: "Vodka-sama, you heard it too. They were just Chinese people handing out flyers and happened to block Scotch and Rye's way. There's nothing suspicious about it."

 

"Are they Chinese? Then don't touch them."

 

Vodka cut off the call and said to Gin in a low voice: "They’re Chinese, no problem.”

 

From the dawn of time, the Chinese have always been known to be difficult to deal with, even the organization has to be wary of them.

 

Gin smoked, withdrew his gaze from the sight, and quietly exhaled: "Then leave them alone. Let's deal with Scotch first."

 

Vodka: "Roger."

 

——

 

"A Shu?” Lin Zhao Zhao's voice pulled Shirakawa back to reality.

 

She tilted her head and looked at him in confusion: "What are you thinking about? Are you still scared about what just happened?"

 

Shirakawa came to his senses and replied: "Nothing, I was just thinking about what to do with the remaining flyers."

 

Lin Zhao Zhao calmly took the stack of flyers from Shirakawa's hand: "It's okay, let's move to another place to distribute them!"

 

She puffed out her chest, her spirit soaring: "This young lady must definitely build a career in this land of Japan!"

 

Then go back to my country to enlighten those people!

 

Shirakawa smiled bitterly: "Ojosama, as I remember, you have a test the day after tomorrow, right? Have you finished reviewing?"

 

Lin Zhao Zhao's face immediately fell: "Shirakawa-sensi, if we hadn't mentioned that, we would still be good friends..."

 

Shirakawa shook his head and smiled: "Lin-san, I still have things to take care of. You should go back to school to study for the exam."

 

Lin Zhao Zhao, the eldest daughter of the Lin family in the port city of China, is currently studying Finance at Dongdu University. And Shirakawa Shu is currently her Japanese teacher.

 

Today after class, Shirakawa was dragged by Lin Zhao Zhao to do ‘forced labor’, unexpectedly he met that person by chance...

 

Coldness glinted through his golden eyes, so fast that it was barely perceptible, but the young lady before him was completely unaware.

 

Thinking about the upcoming troublesome exam, Lin Zhao Zhao sighed helplessly: "Alright..."

 

She looked up and complained to the sky: “Why did I choose to study finance in the land of cherry blossoms?! It's such torture!”

 

——

 

At the same time, two ‘fake wine bottles’ also arrived at the designated location.

 

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, the wind on the rooftop howled, causing the hems of their clothes to flutter. Thick black clouds rolled in, as if they were secretly plotting a great storm.

 

Scotch stood on the rooftop, looking down to see the streets were just lit up, people and vehicles were bustling about. Beika Park in the distance was brightly lit with colorful lights, standing out in the magnificent night scene.

 

“Okay, this place is suitable. We can start preparing now.”

 

Confirming the target's location, Scotch took off the guitar case on his back. Rye followed suit, but he just stood silently behind Scotch without making any movements.

 

Scotch's hand that was about to zip up paused slightly.

 

So it was really…

 

He slowly reached into his pocket, clutching the gun hidden inside.

 

Rye's voice rang out behind him, low and indifferent: “Scotch, are you with the police?”

 

Scotch stood up straight, turned to look at the man in front of him, his eyes flashing with obvious vigilance: “Yes, I am from the police. So what?”

 

Rye looked intently at the young man with cat eyes, his gaze complicated, and finally just sighed: “So… you're from the Public Security Bureau, right?”

 

Scotch didn't blink once, just chuckled in disbelief: “Rye, isn't it a bit too much to joke like that at this hour?”

 

Rye stared at him, his voice cold as steel: “Scotch... you know very well, I never joke.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Scotch abruptly pulled out his gun, the gun’s cold muzzle immediately pointed straight at Rye.

 

At the same time, a red light flashed in the distance, the hungry wolf that had been lurking for so long finally revealed its sharp claws.

 

The bullet flew through the air, accurately shooting the gun out of Scotch's hand. Immediately after, another bullet whistled, hitting him straight in the thigh.

 

Scotch cried out in pain, but did not slow down for a second. He charged straight at the man in front of him.

 

Rye took a slight step back, using one hand to block the incoming punch, then nimbly turned back, delivering a quick, clean blow to Scotch's stomach.

 

The punch was accurate, with a heavy ‘thud’ sound, causing Scotch to let out a soft, dry cough: “Cough... cough...”

 

He closed his eyes, hiding away his despair then pounced again, continuing to wrap around Rye in a fierce struggle.

 

“Cough–”

 

Scotch cleared his throat, lowered his eyes, hiding the steely determination in his gaze, then once again rushed in, wrapped tightly around Rye, not letting go.

 

On the other side, Gin sharply observed the scene below, then ordered Chianti, who was eager for action: “Stop shooting.”

 

Chianti was very excited, listening to Gin, she was a bit disappointed and shouted: “Why? I wanted to finish him off myself!”

 

Scotch and Rye stole all the spotlight from her as soon as they appeared, and their sniping skills were far superior. Chianti had carried resentment for a long time.

 

Gin stood in a higher position, looking down at the two people below, his voice cold: “Scotch was shot in the thigh, he couldn't escape, and the one who killed him must be Rye.”

 

Chianti clicked her tongue slightly, reluctantly released the trigger, and continued to look intently through the scope.

 

Notes:

that one 'Lin-san' I was debating to whether use Lin-san or Lin classmate because the latter is not as funny in English :')

Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Unexpected variable from three years ago (3)

Summary:

Something unexpected happened.

On the rooftop, the battle was over. Scotch was clutching the revolver he had just snatched from Rye, panting, looking quite pathetic.

 

Rye raised both hands: “As expected of you, Scotch.”

 

He really knew how to retreat to advance, and even sneakily took my gun.

 

Scotch said nothing, just stood there staring at the man in front of him.

 

At this point, he had no way to escape.

 

...Good thing Zero isn't here.

 

Rye deftly moved a little, using his body to shield Scotch, in case the sniper in the distance was still firing. He looked at the person in front of him, his voice unwavering: “Before you pull the trigger, can you listen to me say a few words…?”

 

Scotch chuckled lightly: "This gun, I didn't snatch it to shoot you."

 

He pivoted the gun, pointing it straight at his chest.

 

Rye's eyes immediately became serious, he rushed forward, his hand blocking the barrel of the gun. With the barrel clamped down like that, no matter how hard Scotch tried, he couldn't pull the trigger.

 

The two of them retreated together due to inertia, Scotch hit the wall behind him hard, and Rye looked at Scotch intently, his voice low: "Scotch, someone like you, shouldn't die here."

 

Scotch looked at the man in front of him in surprise: “What...?”

 

The other person's eyes were sincere and his voice was stern: "I am an FBI agent, Akai Shuichi. Like you, I am also a predator. Once I have my eye on my enemy's throat, I will never let go."

 

“Put down your gun and listen to me, given the current situation, I can still let you go if you cooperate...”

 

Faced with that determined gaze, Scotch could not distinguish between truth and falsehood, but his instincts never told him that this person was on his side.

 

Thinking of his teammate walking on the same path, Scotch's eyes became even more determined.

 

If so, then it is even more impossible to get in the others’ way.

 

Whether for yourself or for others, death is the best choice at this time.

 

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairs behind the two.

 

Taking advantage of Rye's distraction, Scotch pulled the trigger without hesitation–

 

“Boom!”

 

A terrible explosion shook the entire building, both Scotch and Rye staggered, the ground beneath their feet began to collapse in mass.

 

“Boom!”

 

Another loud bang, everyone on the other floor clearly saw the rooftop where Scotch and Rye were standing start to fall apart, then was swallowed by the sudden explosion, sinking down creating a large, deep hole filled with rubble.

 

“Ah, what the hell?” Chianti was both worried and surprised: “Scotch and Rye exploded!”

 

Gin took a few steps forward, looking at the building devoid of light after the explosion, his eyes filled with suspicion.

 

“Big boss, there are terrorists who planted bombs in the building. Not only the upper floors, but also the middle floors and the parking lot were destroyed! Now the whole building is in chaos!”

 

Gin's eyes were cold, sneered: "What a coincidence, huh?"

 

Chianti shouted: “What else? We saw the explosion under their feet! Scotch and Rye are definitely dead!”

 

Vodka added: “Bourbon is already on the scene, let him check it out.”

 

Gin nodded, no longer interested in standing here watching, turned around and headed downstairs: "Let's go, let them handle it themselves."

 

Down below, Bourbon had just reached the top floor when he only saw two silhouettes, then suddenly they fell into the deep hole together, completely disappearing.

 

Bourbon was both anxious and worried, and rushed over, but only saw Rye clinging to the edge of the rubble.

 

The explosion engulfed the entire building into darkness. The man was clinging to the edge of the rubble with one hand, his face covered in dirt and blood, his feet in a pitch-black abyss that seemed to want to swallow everything.

 

Hearing the noise, Rye raised his head to look at Bourbon, his face still calm: “Bourbon, you're here.”

 

Bourbon did not reply, just stared into the darkness of the ruins.

 

Rye also lowered his head, looked into the distance, and said to Bourbon: “Scotch died on the spot, his body might not even be intact. The police will be here soon, we should retreat now.”

 

Hearing the news of his friend's disrupted death, Bourbon took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he clenched them, trying not to let his true emotions show.

 

“Bourbon?” The man held out his hand to him.

 

Looking at the person on the edge of the rubble, Bourbon forced a smile on his face.

 

He didn't know how much willpower he used to not pull the trigger when Rye was off guard, and at the same time raised his hand to pull the other person up.

 

"Let's go." Rye whispered, then left without looking back.

 

Bourbon bowed his head and replied softly, his purple-gray eyes staring into the abyss for a long time, his fingers clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh without him even realizing it.

 

——

 

The penultimate floor of the building is a furniture supermarket, the entire floor is full of large items. Although the demand is not huge but occasionally there are still customers coming up to look, this floor was quite busy.

 

Unfortunately, the explosion has now plunged the entire building into darkness, and everyone on the upper floors has run downstairs to escape.

 

There was only one strange-looking white-haired young man, going against the flow of people, heading straight to the inner floor.

 

The explosion directly penetrated the ceiling of this floor, and one could even see the sky outside clearly. Debris was scattered everywhere. Shirakawa Shu skillfully avoided the debris, determined the location and began digging.

 

Soon, a human hand beneath the rubbles. Shirakawa breathed in deeply, wiped the sweat from his face, and continued digging, first his arms, chest, then head… Finally, he exhausted himself pulling the man from the ruins.

 

The man was covered in blood, but most of the wounds were just scratches from the rock fragments, not life-threatening, only the wound on his thigh was still bleeding steadily, seemingly very horrible.

 

Shirakawa checked the man's nose and mouth, making sure there were no debris blocking them, then quickly used a bandage to temporarily stop the bleeding, patting his cheek: "Morofushi, Morofushi Hiromitsu, wake up."

 

Morofushi finally woke up. Looking at the young man in front of him, he was not surprised at all.

 

“Cough cough–”

 

Morofushi coughed a few times: “I knew it was you when I heard the explosion.”

 

Today is a fateful day, but Shirakawa is the only factor that changes it.

 

Shirakawa chuckled: “The ingredients for the bomb have to be purchased on site, so it's a bit slow.”

 

Luckily, it was in time.

 

Morofushi looked around and smiled bitterly: “You're making too much noise.”

 

Shirakawa rubbed his nose a little embarrassedly: “I guarantee no one is injured by the explosion!”

 

Morofushi was helpless: “I don't know anything.”

 

His life was saved by Shirakawa, he knew he couldn't blame anyone.

 

Shirakawa’s mouth curved up, carrying Morofushi on his back: “It's chaotic outside, I'll take the opportunity to take you to the hospital.”

 

Morofushi hesitated: “In my condition, it is not convenient to go to the hospital.”

 

Shirakawa: “Then where else can you go?”

 

Morofushi was silent.

 

His identity was revealed, but the reason for it was unknown. He did not know that there was a mole in the police, or that the organization had used other tricks.

 

The latter was difficult to guard against, and he was helpless. But if it was the former–

 

Morofushi is especially worried about Zero.

 

If that guy has access to information about Zero... Zero will be in danger!

 

Thinking about that, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

 

Right now, he could be considered dead. Even if the organization suspected something, they would think he was dead. As long as he handled it properly, he could hide in the Public Security Bureau and the organization, continuing to investigate the mole.

 

Morofushi's eyes became even more determined: "Take me to clinic number 31 Beika Street, the doctor there is someone I secretly trained, he will help me."

 

Shirakawa: “Okay.”

 

“Thank you,” Morofushi whispered.

 

Shirakawa gazed down, his eyes gentle: “No need to thank me.”

 

When Shirakawa woke up in his hospital bed, everything was already set in stone. The police academy had kicked him out, his creditors were lurking around, and his body was so weak he could barely walk.

 

If it weren't for the help of a few close friends, he probably would have chosen to die on the rooftop.

 

So, no matter how much time passes, Shirakawa will never forget that favor.

Chapter 15: Chapter 14: This world really is a clumsily put together play

Summary:

Shirakawa Shu was not as simple as they thought.

[Ding! Warning! Danger is approaching!]

 

Along with the system's announcement, Shirakawa Shu immediately knelt down.

Immediately, a bullet went through the glass door and hit the ground.

 

“There's a sniper!” Shirakawa Shu shouted, while Mori Kogoro also immediately stopped, flinched, and pulled Shirakawa Shu to a position hidden from the window.

 

Gin looked down, his eyes cold.

 

Vodka was a little suspicious: "Big boss, why do we need to kill that brat first?"

 

Gin glanced at Vodka and replied coldly: “He was there when Scotch was killed.”

 

As Gin reminded him, Vodka immediately remembered this: “Oh right, it was that guy who handed out flyers!”

 

Vodka felt a little worried: "But he has no problem?"

 

This is the very thing he sent people to investigate.

 

Gin snorted: “I suspected something was wrong with Scotch's death back then. Now that he's appeared here, I don't believe this is a coincidence.”

 

In his view, two coincidences meeting each other cannot be considered a coincidence. But as soon as he finished speaking, the wiretap in his hand was shot away by the bullet, and everyone in the organization immediately turned around to look–

 

In a position further behind them, a man lay there, his sniper rifle gleaming as if signaling death and threat.

 

“Akai Shuichi–” Gin stared at the man in the scope, his expression dark, full of anger and murderous intent.

 

However, they were completely outclassed by Akai Shuichi and left in a completely passive position. Gin immediately gave the order: “Retreat.”

 

Chianti was not convinced: "Didn't we need to kill Mori Kogoro?"

 

Hundreds of thoughts were swirling in Gin's head, his doubts about Mori Kogoro and that brat didn't lessen at all, but he just curled his lips and coldly shouted: "It's all an FBI ploy, Mori Kogoro is just a pawn. Let's go–"

 

After that, he didn't explain further, used his hand to cover the gunshot wound, pulled Vodka and hurriedly left.

 

“What the hell!” Chianti muttered angrily, being dragged away by Korn, Vermouth smiled as if enjoying the chaos, then hurriedly followed.

 

At this time, at the Mori Kogoro detective office, the two people who had been hiding realized that the sniper seemed to be no longer there.

 

“Kogoro-ojisan–” Conan's voice echoed from downstairs.

 

Mori Kogoro poked his head out to look over.

 

Conan stood downstairs and waved: "Kogoro-ojisan, it seems like it's safe now!"

 

Mori Kogoro also seriously raised his head to observe, confirming that the sniper on the other side was no longer there.

 

“Shirakawa-kun, are you okay? Thank you, you really saved my life just now!” Mori Kogoro took Shirakawa Shu’s hand and sincerely thanked him.

 

Shirakawa Shu knew that the bullet was aimed at him, but did not elaborate, just smiled cleverly: "It is my honor to be able to help Mori-san."

 

In reality, he was confused: Why is this happening? Mori Kogoro and I were together, why did the organization want to kill me first?

 

What did I do to attract those insane people?

 

——

 

Eventually, things calmed down. Shirakawa Shu had only come to help deliver a message, and the incident had little to do with him (except that the bullet was aimed at him), so after completing the police procedures, Shirakawa Shu quickly returned to Cafe Poirot.

 

Perhaps because of the shooting, the cafe didn't have many customers today, Enomoto Azusa had finished handing out cookies today and was cleaning the counter.

 

“Techou.” She called out, “I heard Mori-san was shot, are you guys okay?”

 

Shirakawa Shu shook his head: “It's okay.”

 

He looked at his watch, it was already six o'clock in the evening, most of the guests had left.

 

“We should probably call it a day, there's no one else here.”

 

"Okay."

 

When Enomoto Azusa finished cleaning up and left, Shirakawa Shu sat down and asked the system: “System, do you have a warning function again?”

 

The system smugly snorted: [I am a golden hand system, these small matters are naturally not a problem.]

 

Shirakawa Shu's face was full of questions: "I thought you were forever immersed in the halo of a villain."

 

The system replied seriously: [It's not the same, work is work, idols are idols, I can't quit my job because of idols.]

 

Shirakawa Shu: “…Wow, you are the epitome of a modern-day hardcore fan.”

 

The system started to get curious again: [But what did you do? Why did the villains notice you first?]

 

Shirakawa Shu spoke up in grievance: “I don’t know either. So what should we do now?”

 

He paused for a moment, then asked tentatively: “System, you don't know? Or maybe you can find clues from the main plot…”

 

The system is silent.

 

Shirakawa Shu vaguely guessed something: “You also don't know the next main plot?”

 

[That... I, of course, know!] the system loudly replied.

 

However, sometimes, the louder the voice, the less confident it seems.

 

Shirakawa Shu just made an ‘oh’ sound, not really interested: "If you don't know, then forget it."

 

[I really know it!] The system tried to emphasize its ‘golden hand’ status.

 

Shirakawa Shu: “Yeah, so do you know where Karasuma Renya lives?”

 

System: “……@#￥%￥#”

 

It chose to use encryption to fake it.

 

Shirakawa Shu: “Tsk.”

 

The system immediately showed weakness: [Alright, when I came I forgot to bring it with me…]

 

Shirakawa Shu: “????”

 

Huh? Wait, what did you just say? Oh no, I forgot, you're not human!

 

“You forgot to bring even this?!”

 

The system panicked: [You are my first host, I was too agitated, so the data is not complete, even the system interface is just copied from another system…]

 

No wonder the system interface and the sharp taunts he saw before were not like the style of this foolish system, it turned out to be copied from another system.

 

Shirakawa Shu closed his eyes.

 

Indeed, this world is just a clumsy play.

 

[Host, don't be disappointed, I'm borrowing data from the world next door, although the parallel world is a bit different, but it will definitely have some useful points…]

 

Shirakawa Shu: “When will it be done?”

 

System: […Still borrowing.]

 

Shirakawa Shu rolled his eyes.

 

——

 

On the other side, in the organization's safe base, the man sat on the sofa, quietly smoking.

 

His upper body was bare, the wound was bandaged with cloth, but there was still a faint trace of blood oozing out. In the air filled with cigarette smoke, there was a discernible smell of blood.

 

The man closed his eyes, the bullet wound on his face had gradually scabbed over, his sharp face was shrouded in darkness, surrounded by a pressure that made one hold their breath.

 

Vodka carefully walked over and gave the investigation documents to Gin: “Big boss, I checked again, this brate really did trick us, he is a Tokyo native, and was a student at the Police Academy seven years ago, but was later expelled from the police academy for violating the rules.”

 

Gin held the cigarette in his hand, leaning comfortably on the sofa, receiving the documents from Vodka and scanning through them.

 

“Over the years, he has been doing all kinds of jobs, but his work has never been stable, changing places every six months. What’s puzzling is that the bosses of every job he has done have always praised him, and are even willing to pay him a high salary to invite him back, but he has always refused.”

 

“The Pulton family in America was one of them.”

 

Gin paused for a moment, his hands stopping flipping through the documents.

 

The Pulton family in America, the family of the current president. A family with such a background would extend an olive branch to this kid?

 

When Gin looked at the work he did, it felt ridiculous.

 

Chef, assistant, secretary, driver, gardener… even housekeeper, tutor.

 

These jobs, if the employer is willing, can be purely cosmetic.

 

"I didn't expect him to be such a versatile person." Gin scoffed.

 

Vodka bowed his head, not daring to look at Gin's face.

 

“Why was he expelled?” Gin asked coldly.

 

Vodka: “Shirakawa Shu has a bad reputation in the police force, and the informants know about it too.”

 

Vodka then recounted how Shirakawa Shu drove drunk and caused the collapse of the White-Red Bridge.

 

Gin listened, unfazed, the mocking smile on his face becoming more obvious.

 

“So this is a cop…”

 

The man leaned his head back, extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray, his thin lips curled up, revealing a chilling smile.

 

“A bunch of idiots.”

Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Gin visited at the middle of the night – the bringer of misfortune (1)

Summary:

Uninvited guests that Shirakawa Shu *unfortunately* has to serve.

That evening, the cafe was unusually crowded. By the time Enomoto Azusa and Shirakawa Shu finished their work, the clock hands had already pointed exactly to nine o'clock in the evening.

 

Shirakawa Shu asked a little worriedly: “Azusa-san, is it okay to come back this late at night?”

 

Enomoto Azusa replied: “It's okay, techou. I'm renting a house nearby.”

 

Shirakawa nodded: "Remember to let me know when you get there."

 

Azusa smiled and waved: “Yes, don't worry techou! See you tomorrow!”

 

“See you tomorrow.”

 

The cafe door closed, and the footsteps gradually faded away. Shirakawa Shu bent down and prepared food and water for Captain who was right outside the door.

 

Oh yeah, almost forgot to introduce, this calico cat named ‘Captain’ is the new resident of Cafe Poirot. Its previous owner was allergic to cats so it was sent here. 

 

Shirakawa Shu doesn't hate cats, so Captain naturally becomes a new member of the bar.

 

Normally, Captain is not often at the shop, it usually wanders around playing with the other cats in the area, only coming back at night to sleep and eat some cat food. Not sure if it was because of his born free nature or not, Shirakawa always felt that Captain was getting fatter and fatter, smoother fur, relaxed appearance, akin to an otherworldly wanderer.

 

Looking at the cat squatting and licking its fur in front of the door, Shirakawa couldn't help but sigh: "Luckily you're neutered, otherwise I would have been worried you'd go out and flirt with other women."

 

As if hearing Shirakawa's muttering, the Captain suddenly stood up, its whole body tensed up in alertness, throat emitting a threatening growl, as if sensing something terrifying.

 

Shirakawa frowned: “What's the matter, Captain?”

 

The cat bristled, claws out, turned straight toward the door and growled incessantly. Shirakawa raised his head, his pupils constricting subconsciously.

 

“Hold that damn cat tight, or I don't guarantee it won't live to scream again.”

 

The man wore a black hat, his long silver hair covering almost half of his face. Only his dark green eyes, as cold as ice, stared straight at Shirakawa. His signature black windbreaker fluttered in the night wind from the street outside. Next to him was Vodka, also wearing a black hat, and sunglasses in the middle of the night.

 

Before Shirakawa could even tease Vodka about wearing sunglasses at night, he quickly stepped forward, quickly hugged Captain, and comforted it in his arms.

 

“Excuse me, you are…?” Shirakawa kept a smile on his face, but inside his heart was starting to beat drums.

 

“Two iced Americanos–”

 

The man walked past Shirakawa and straight into Poirot's. And Vodka pulled out a wad of money, stuffing it into Shirakawa's hand.

 

Shirakawa: “……?”

 

The infamous villains couldn't sleep so they went out for coffee?

 

The System in his head screeched like a chicken whose throat had been cut: [AAAA Gin is coming to find you! Oh my god! I never thought a day like this would come, ahhh, I’m so excited–!]

 

Shirakawa: “……”

 

He took a deep breath, placed Captain in front of the shop, shooed it away, closed the door, and walked to the counter where the two customers were already seated.

 

“Sorry, the shop is closed and is not accepting any more customers.”

 

The man was silent. Vodka beside him spoke up: “You should know who we are, don’t pretend to be naive. Tonight, Gin and I came personally, just to see how you react.”

 

The smile on Shirakawa's face faltered slightly.

 

“I don't quite understand what you two mean…”

 

Before he finished speaking, his forehead was pressed against the cold barrel of a gun. Gin raised the Beretta, his gaze like a predator teasing its prey, both contemptuous and amused:

“Do you understand now?”

 

Shirakawa slowly raised both hands, the corners of his mouth curved deeper, only his dark golden eyes still carried a chilly and arrogant look: "Now I understand."

 

He turned around, walked to the counter, and began dutifully making an iced Americano.

 

Despite having just had his life threatened, the silver-haired young man still moved leisurely, his posture straight, his lazy and charming demeanor, as if the other two were just ordinary customers.

 

“No ice, can I use cold water instead?” He tilted his head and asked again.

 

Vodka was silent, glancing at the eldest brother.

 

Gin narrowed his eyes: “Fine.”

 

Shirakawa continued his work.

 

Meanwhile, in a corner where no one could hear, the System was frantically muttering: [It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!!! Why is the boss villain here! I’m dying! Is my first host about to die? Huhuhu, I don’t want to…]

 

Shirakawa frowned: “They haven't done anything yet, what are you panicking about? I'm not panicking yet.”

 

System: [Wah wah wah, I told you to hurry up and gain experience! If you learned some criminal skills, you wouldn’t be in this situation! You have a rare talent for crime, yet you only care about lying around, wah wah why is my life so miserable–]

 

Shirakawa: ……

 

He sighed.

 

“Don’t be afraid. Gin must have investigated my true identity before he came here, so he decided to recruit me.”

 

The system cried out: [What identity?! I’m unfamiliar with it! Aren’t you just a weak, brainless rookie Xiao Hei who has never killed anyone? How could such a powerful organization target you?!]

 

Shirakawa Shu slightly curled his lips: “That… is not certain.”

 

Two cups of coffee were made in no time. He carried the tray towards Gin and Vodka, placed the cups in front of them, and said politely: “You two have been waiting for a long time. Please enjoy.”

 

Vodka didn't move, just tilted his head to look at the boss, waiting for a signal.

 

Gin glanced at Vodka with a half-smiling, half-mocking look and slowly said: “The coffee is ready, just drink it.”

 

Then he reached out and took the first sip.

Vodka immediately followed suit.

 

Shirakawa stood behind the bar, silently observing the two.

 

The music in the cafe had been turned off, and the atmosphere was oddly quiet. Even the sound of Vodka gulping down coffee could be clearly heard. No one spoke, but a dangerous aura still lingered in the air – not obvious, but always present.

 

In no time, Vodka's coffee cup was empty. Gin's was... almost untouched.

 

To be more precise, he had not drunk a drop.

Shirakawa Shu said indifferently: "It seems my coffee is not to your taste."

 

Gin put the coffee cup down on the table, his voice sarcastic: “The smell is terrible, as if there are always dead rats in the house that can never be cleaned up, making others nauseous.”

 

Shirakawa frowned: “Oh?”

 

The young man burst out laughing, quickly wiped away his tears of laughter, then boldly reached out and poured Gin's cup of coffee straight into the sink beside him.

 

“What are you doing–!” Vodka immediately pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at Shirakawa.

 

“If you don't like it, then you don't have to drink it anymore." Shirakawa's eyes were cold, a coldness that neither Enomoto Azusa or Conan had ever seen before, like a god mocking the world, now revealing his egoistic and haughty nature.

 

Vodka laughed coldly and sarcastically said: “My big boss hasn't said anything yet, you really don't want to live anymore–”

 

Shirakawa grinned, his eyes still unwavered.

 

Suddenly Vodka felt a flash of silver light, then a sharp knife stabbed straight into his hand that was holding the gun.

 

This time it really hit.

 

“Ah...” Vodka screeched in pain, trying to pull the trigger, but Shirakawa Shu tilted his head to the side, his wrist gently turning back–

 

“Bam!”

 

The man who was sitting suddenly grabbed Shirakawa Shu's wrist, locking his every move. Shirakawa immediately felt a needle-like pain piercing through his wrist, then Gin pressed him down hard on the table.

 

“Bang!”

 

His head hit the table with a loud bang, making Shirakawa dizzy. Before he could react, his temple was once again blocked by Gin's Beretta.

Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Gin visited at the middle of the night – the bringer of misfortune (2)

“Big boss–” Vodka hugged his wrist that had just been stabbed through the palm by Shirakawa Shu, his face still filled with fear, hiding behind Gin.

 

Just now, if Gin hadn't grabbed Shirakawa Shu's wrist in time, the fruit knife would have sliced ​​half of Vodka's hand open.

 

Gin's face was cold as ice, the Beretta pointed straight at the young man's temple, his dark voice filled with murderous intent:

 

“Don’t think that just because you have a little bit of talent you can act up. Your dirty tricks are so funny that others can’t bear to look at them.”

 

However, the young man who was brutally suppressed, his head pressed firmly against the table, could not stop laughing.

 

“Ha ha ha ha, that’s really interesting. Very hilarious. Didn’t my little trick also injure that idiot? You only carry that type of people with you? Ha ha ha, it looks like you’re not doing any better.”

 

He was laughing so hard that he was shaking, as if he could hardly breathe because of the laughter. Even though he was on the verge of death, he still kept poking at Gin's weak points.

 

Gin leaned close to his ear, his voice hoarse:

“Shirakawa Shu, you don't think I won't kill you, do you?”

 

“Hmp hmp hmp, I'm not as stupid as you think.” Shirakawa glanced at Gin, his voice choking from being forced down: “Let's bet, you won't be able to kill me tonight.”

 

Gin laughed sarcastically: “Do you know Scotch?”

 

Shirakawa: “I don't know.”

 

Gin: “So how much do you know about Mori Kogoro and Sherry?”

 

Shirakawa chuckled.

 

Without another word, Gin gripped the trigger without hesitation–

 

“Rrr– Rrr–”

 

The phone rang from Gin's pocket. The finger on the trigger paused.

 

Shirakawa Shu laughed arrogantly: "Looks like I won."

 

Gin snorted coldly: "I could have killed you first before answering the phone."

 

Shirakawa blinked, his pale yellow eyes were not gloomy at all, bright and brilliant like the sun, burning away the madness from earlier.

 

He returned to his gentle, friendly, trustworthy boss self:

 

“You won't do that, because you respect me and want to take advantage of me.”

 

Gin narrowed his eyes, let go of Shirakawa's wrist, and picked up the phone right in front of him.

 

“Gin, don't touch Shirakawa Shu.”

 

A mechanical voice rang out from the other end, it was the boss.

 

Gin glanced at Shirakawa: “Yes, sir.”

 

“Try to recruit him. If you fail… go back.”

 

After ending the call, Gin's face became even colder, but in the end he still didn't lift the gun.

 

Shirakawa was still smiling, a bruise was clearly visible on his forehead, one hand supporting the other wrist, his voice excited: “What? Do you still want to kill me now?”

 

Gin looked at him for a long time: “The matter in America… was it your doing?”

 

…The Pulton family.

 

Shirakawa blinked, feigning innocence: “I don't understand what you're saying.”

 

As expected of Gin. Even though Karasuma Renya hadn't said anything specific, he was still able to get some clues from that little information.

 

How scary.

 

Gin stared at Shirakawa, without saying a word, put away his gun and turned to leave.

Vodka hugged his bloody hand and hurriedly chased after him.

 

Shirakawa saw the two to the door, humming:

“Not leaving a name? So I can return the favor~”

 

"Gin."

 

The man's low voice melted into the night, Shirakawa laughed, bowed deeply towards the two retreating figures, polite yet full of pretense:

 

“Dear guest, take your time and come back again next time~”

 

The glass door was pushed open and closed, the whole cafe fell into a deadly silence. Shirakawa straightened up, the smile on his lips gradually fading, leaning back in his chair, as if all his strength had been drained.

 

He looked down at his wrist.

 

Gin had not held back at all just now, the force of his grip was so strong that it almost crushed his wrist bones. Looking back now, his entire wrist was red and swollen, almost twice its normal size. Under his pale skin, it was even more prominent, a mixture of purple and blue, seemingly very severe.

 

The system shouted: [Oh heavens, Gin actually didn’t kill you! What a miracle! How did you do that?! This is so weird!]

 

Shirakawa lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips raised yet without any expression: "Probably... because he's kind."

 

System: [No way! That's Gin, not some charity worker!]

 

Shirakawa laughed: “Maybe... it's because he's stingy about losing talent.”

 

System: [Huh huh huh? Host, are you joking? Don’t we all know that you’re just an ordinary, upstanding citizen, just paid off your debts, used all your money to buy Cafe Poirot… You’ve never even killed anyone! Gin even has his eyes on you?]

 

Up until now, the title the system gave him was still [Useless Rookie Xiao Hei], not even a little bit altered.

 

Shirakawa shrugged, looking at the system meaningfully: “So that means... you only know basic information about me, right?”

 

If not, why is it still like a blank sheet of paper?

 

System: [Eh? That’s right! I have to give the host some privacy anyway! But don’t worry, host, just that basic information is enough for me to help you reach the pinnacle of criminals!]

 

Shirakawa laughed.

 

Naive, foolish

 

…But also cute.

 

System: [And that momentum you had just now, wow! That was the crazy demeanor of a real criminal! A knife stabbed me in the heart! Awesome! Even Vodka is afraid of you!]

 

Shirakawa: “Yeah, yeah, luckily Conan was sleeping upstairs, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to activate my passive skill!”

 

System: [Exactly! How lucky! Luckily I was able to fool Gin, the host's acting is really great!]

 

Hearing the system speak, Shirakawa didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He just looked at his swollen wrist, then suddenly muttered: “System, you're right.”

System: [Huh? What?]

 

“I can’t keep lying still any longer,” Shirakawa said, “I should at least learn some self-defense skills. If I encounter something like this again and I still can’t fight back… won’t my criminal temperament value plummet?”

 

The system was extremely excited when it heard this. If it had a heart, it would have jumped up and down:

 

[Awesome! So awesome! The host finally understood! Otherwise, next time Gin will press you down on the table again, how embarrassing!]

 

Shirakawa: “…Don't mention the story about me being pinned down on the table again.”

 

It really makes one want to bury themselves in the ground. He originally thought he could at least struggle a little, making Gin look at him with different eyes, but unexpectedly, the moment they met, he was completely suppressed, unable to fight back…

 

The gap between them is really that big.

 

Cough, it's really a black mark in history, best to forget it as soon as possible.

 

——

 

On the other side, Gin sat in the driver's seat, Vodka sadly bowed his head and admitted: “Sorry, big boss… It was my mistake.”

 

Gin slowly took out a cigarette, lit it with the lighter in the car, and said calmly: “I don’t blame you. That guy is crazy. With your ability, you couldn’t have prevented it.”

 

Vodka was both resentful and unwilling: "Don't worry, big boss, next time I will make sure I won't let that guy take advantage again!"

 

Gin sneered: “Just you?”

 

He tilted his head and glanced at Vodka from head to toe, the other person was scared and shrank back.

 

Gin turned his head back, blew out a hazy stream of cigarette smoke, squinting as he watched the smoke drifting in front of him: “Do you know what it is like to kill someone?”

 

Vodka: “…”

 

He didn't understand why his boss asked that, looked at him cautiously, and replied in a low voice: “Use a gun? A knife?”

 

Gin shook his head in contempt: "Stupid."

 

Vodka gritted his teeth and asked softly: “So… big boss, what is it?”

 

Gin's voice was indifferent:

 

“Use human nature.”

 

Human nature is both the most elusive and most controllable thing in the world. Greed, lust, love, hate, kindness… all can become a person's weapon.

 

And then–

 

Live as if they’re already dead.

Notes:

haha I hope you're not as silly as this system and realized Shu-chan is really not simple...

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: A call from afar

Summary:

Someone is about to arrive.
And--
An unsurprising event happened.

“Good morning… Ah!”

 

As soon as Enomoto Azusa saw Shirakawa Shu's face, she jumped and rushed over in panic: "Tenchou! What happened to your face?!"

 

Shirakawa's skin was already pale due to his condition, now with a huge bruise right in the middle of his face, he looked extremely prominent and miserable.

 

“Good morning, Azusa.” Shirakawa waved, looking nonchalant, “It's okay, I just tripped on the way home.”

 

But that very waving motion exposed his wrist, causing Azusa to panic even more and cry out: “Oh my god, your hand too, tenchou!!”

 

Shirakawa's right hand was bandaged to the point that it looked like a giant pig's hoof, both tragic and comical.

 

“How did you fall like this? Leave the broom there, let me do it!” Azusa quickly took off her crossbody bag and walked over to take the broom from his hand.

 

“Haiz, how unfortunate.” Shirakawa smiled bitterly and scratched his head, “Last night on the way home, I slipped and somehow hit my head on an electric pole. My hand hit the ground and broke a bone.”

 

Azusa couldn't hide her worry after hearing that: "How did this happen... Then you didn’t need to come to the shop today, you should’ve rested at home."

 

Shirakawa sighed: “It’s okay. I’ll just have nothing to do at home.”

 

He glanced at his watch: "Looks like Ran is about to come down, right?"

 

Azusa also looked down at her watch: “Normally, she would be down here at this time–”

 

Sure enough, Mori Ran appeared with her school bag on, going down to buy croissants for breakfast at Cafe Poirot.

 

“Good morning, Ran-san.”

 

Seeing the wounds on Shirakawa's face and hands, Ran was immediately stunned: "Shirakawa-san! Your face and hands..."

 

Shirakawa beamed: “It's okay, just tripped a little.”

 

While Azusa was wrapping cakes for Ran, Shirakawa asked casually: “Does Mori-san have any cases recently? Did the last shooting incident affect him?”

 

Ran sighed in annoyance: “My dad doesn't consider the shooting incident a big deal… but these days he's obsessed with horse racing and won't take on any cases.”

 

He nodded, seeming to understand: “So that's how it is…”

 

“Here are your cakes.” Azusa handed the bag of cakes to Ran.

 

“Thank you.” Ran took it and left.

 

After that, Shirakawa leisurely sat back in his chair, with nothing to do.

 

System voice: [Good opportunity, host! The Mori family is all free right now, isn't this the right time to commit a crime and become the culprit in the next case?!]

 

Shirakawa: “……”

 

Sometimes I just want to sigh.

 

“I still have to learn some skills, right? If I mess up, I have a way out.”

 

The system nodded: [That’s right… The host is too weak, only has the skill of a crazy bomber so far…]

 

Its tone could not hide the contempt.

 

Shirakawa muttered: “...It's good enough.”

 

Well… it was unintentional.

 

The system immediately suggested: [How about the host create a big explosion? Maybe a building, or a railway… depending on the skills we have!]

 

Hearing about the building explosion, Shirakawa suddenly felt guilty, glanced away, and was embarrassed: “That’s not okay… Besides, I have two friends who are still working in the bomb disposal team, it wouldn’t be good if it affected their work.”

 

System: [???]

 

Faced with a host who kept hesitating, the system let out a long sigh, no different from a eunuch anxiously representing the emperor: [When will the host be able to become 'Beika's number one culprit'…]

 

It began to groan sadly again.

 

Shirakawa: “……”

 

Three sentences relating the task, truly diligent to the point of fear.

 

The phone rang. Shirakawa looked at the screen, somewhat surprised, then pressed answer: “Hello?”

 

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then a low voice said: "How have you been doing lately?"

 

Shirakawa grinned brightly: “Everything is fine! I have settled back in Beika. If you come back, you can come to Cafe Poirot to find me.”

 

A deep laugh rang out: "Yes, I will definitely come."

 

It was late at night on the other end of the phone. The man stood on the street in a foreign land, silently looking at the bright lights in the distance: “My mission is complete. I should be able to return soon.”

 

Shirakawa raised an eyebrow: “Really? That… you can tell me?”

 

Morofushi Hiromitsu's voice was gentle as he replied:

“It's fine. I've already obtained some things. By the time we return, none of them will be able to escape.”

 

Shirakawa breathed a sigh of relief: “That's great.”

 

Three years ago, after that farewell, Morofushi Hiromitsu started working underground, following the old clues to trace back. Who would have thought that the more he investigated, the more complicated it became, to the point of involving the US.

 

After careful consideration, he decided to go to America to take action.

 

He told almost no one about this. Apart from Shirakawa, who knew he was still alive, only a high-ranking member of the Police Department received the report. Even Zero – Amuro Tooru, who was undercover in the organization – was unaware.

 

Not because he wanted to hurt Zero, but because this matter involved a big figure in the Ministry of Public Security, Morofushi Hiromitsu wasn't sure he could return alive. If so, it was better to let everyone think you’re dead. That way, if anything happens, your family and friends won't have to suffer any more.

 

After briefly explaining the recent situation, Shirakawa hesitated. Even though he didn't know the specific mission, he couldn't help but worry and advise: “You have to be careful."

 

Hiromitsu: “Definitely.”

 

Just as the call was about to end, suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass from upstairs. Then, a figure wearing a sports hoodie flashed past outside the store.

 

This was followed by Mori Kogoro's angry shout: “Aaa damn you! I just replaced the glass door! If I catch you, don't blame me!”

 

The sound of hurried footsteps followed. Shirakawa hurriedly said goodbye to Hiromitsu, hung up the phone, and looked out the window.

 

The first person to chase after him was Conan who hadn't reached school yet, followed by Mori Kogoro with toothpaste still stuck on his mouth.

 

“Damn it! Stop!” Mori Kogoro shouted as he ran across the street to chase after them.

 

The incident made everyone in the cafe curious and craned their necks to look.

 

Even Azusa, who was making coffee, got distracted: “Eh? Did someone break Mori-san's window?”

 

Shirakawa was also surprised: "It seems so."

 

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

 

“I'll go check it out too. Azusa-san, please look after the shop.”

 

Azusa nodded: “Yes. But be careful, your hand is still injured.”

 

"Rest assured!" Shirakawa said and immediately ran in the direction Mori Kogoro had chased.

 

But the vandal ran around in circles like a stray cat. Shirakawa chased him through several turns but still couldn't find Mori Kogoro anywhere. He bent over, breathing heavily. 

 

After years of nursing, the condition of this body is still too poor.

 

Shirakawa glanced at the side path and said to the system: “System, help me see where they went?”

 

System: [? How would I know.]

 

Shirakawa rubbed his forehead: "Try to sense Conan's aura."

 

System: [Ding—turn left.]

 

Without hesitation, Shirakawa immediately turned left and continued running. But what he didn't expect was that after only a few steps, he saw a crowd of people surrounding him.

 

Looks like something serious is going on.

 

Shirakawa quickly squeezed in to see what was going on. And then, he saw Mori Kogoro and Conan, both of them had a rare serious expression on their faces. 

 

In front of them was a white car, its front end covered in blood. Not far from the car, a body lay sprawled – it was the man who had smashed the window of Detective Mori’s office.

 

He was killed by a car.

Notes:

unsurprising because it's detco!! haha... get it?

Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Ding! A new skill has been activated

Summary:

I think the title is self-explantory...

“…That's how it is.” Mori Kogoro recounted, then scratched his head in frustration, "Who would have thought that just by turning away for a moment, that guy would have been hit by a car."

 

How unjustly.

 

The driver of the white car, named Takebayashi Momoki, a tall and thin man, his face was also frowning at this time, he quickly explained to the police: 

 

"I really didn't do it on purpose. I just lowered my head to look down a bit, then he came out of nowhere, and I hit him..."

 

He was partly responsible, but he was also unlucky.

 

After listening to the testimony of those present, Megure Juzo nodded slightly, turning to look at the scene of the accident: "Are there any other witnesses at the scene?"

 

Takagi Wataru shook his head: "The people around just heard the noise and ran over. When the accident happened, there were basically only these people there."

 

Megure Juzo pondered: "It seems that, up to now, it was truly an unexpected accident."

 

But Mori Kogoro was still confused: "So who is that guy? Why did he break my office window?"

 

That's a new window you know!!!

 

Megure Juzo reassured: "Don't worry, Mori-kun, we will definitely investigate carefully."

 

However, when police proceeded to examine the body, they pulled down the hoodie and mask, revealing a familiar face.

 

Takebayashi Momoki's eyes widened and he quickly walked over: "Nakatsu-kun!"

 

Megure Juzo immediately realized something was wrong, walked closer and asked: "You know the dead person?"

 

Takebayashi Momoki's face instantly turned pale.

 

Conan put his hand on his chin, looking thoughtful.

 

There's no reason to break the glass door and run away, only to be crashed to death by an acquaintance... This is getting interesting.

 

Very quickly, through Takebayashi Momoki's story, everyone also knew the victim's identity.

 

The deceased's name was Nakatsu Kyuhei, he had just turned thirty and was a long-distance runner. Coincidentally, Takebayashi Momoki was his coach. The two had known each other for more than ten years and had a very close relationship. No one expected that Takebayashi Momoki would accidentally cause an accident that killed his friend.

 

Mori Kogoro suddenly understood: "No wonder that guy runs so fast, turns out he's a professional athlete! No wonder I almost couldn't catch up."

 

And beside him, Shirakawa Shu – who had been silent until now – silently flashed a glint of light in his eyes.

 

Conan pulled Takebayashi Momoki's shirt and asked innocently: "Ojisan, why did you bow your head while driving?"

 

Takebayashi Momoki was stunned for a moment, then replied: "It was Nakatsu-kun who texted me, saying he left his lighter in my car, so I bent down to take a look."

 

"You mean, the dead person still texted you normally before he died?" Conan quickly discovered something unusual.

 

Takagi Wataru, still taking notes, also frowned: "But according to Mori-san's testimony, at that time everyone was chasing the victim, yet he still had the mind to run and text you while running?"

 

Takebayashi Momoki was slightly puzzled: "Really! If you don't believe me, I can show you my phone!"

 

Having said that, he took out his phone to show everyone.

 

[A few minutes ago] Nakatsu: “I left my lighter in your car right? Please keep it for me.”

 

Afraid that people would misunderstand, Takebayashi quickly explained: "The messages on my phone were automatically transferred through the car's audio system, so as soon as I heard them, I looked down immediately."

 

If you are accused of looking down at your phone, the responsibility will be even heavier.

 

Takagi checked his phone, then found Nakatsu Kyuhei's phone, then nodded to Megure: "It was indeed sent by Nakatsu-san."

 

Takebayashi Momoki breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Mori Kogoro doubted: "Then isn't it Nakatsu-san who caused his own death?"

 

Everyone was silent.

 

Looking at it from this angle, it seems true that most of the responsibility lies with Nakatsu Kyuhei.

 

Takagi continued to ask: "Excuse me, Takebayashi-san, do you know why Nakatsu-san came to Mori Detective Agency and broke the glass door?"

 

Takebayashi looked bewildered: "I'm sorry, I really don't know that."

 

"Maybe he came to ask Kogoro-ojisan to investigate something." A childish voice rang out. Takebayashi looked down at Conan, seeming to understand something.

 

"If I really had to guess, it could be that Nakatsu-kun always suspected a teammate of using banned substances during competition. He once said he wanted to report it, but since he didn't have any evidence, he only complained to me privately."

 

He looked at Mori Kogoro: "Maybe he came to the detective agency to ask for that investigation."

 

Mori Kogoro still couldn't accept this reason, he put his hands on his hips and said angrily: "Then why did you have to break my window?!"

 

That doesn't make any sense!

 

Takebayashi shrank back: "Sorry, I really don't know that. I'm just guessing."

 

Looking at the scene, it seemed simple, but thinking about every suspicious detail in the incident, Megure Juzo did not dare to rush to conclude that this was just an accident. He rubbed his forehead and sighed:

"First, contact the victim's family."

 

"And about the drug that Takebayashi-san mentioned, please tell us more clearly."

 

——

 

Shirakawa Shu stood from afar quietly watching the scene, with absolutely no intention of rushing forward to play the role of detective to solve the case.

 

The system immediately started complaining again: [Host, look at those people, how hard those other Xiao Heis work. Then look at yourself, sigh–]

 

Shirakawa Shu: "…That's a bit of a harsh comparison."

 

System: [Only when you compare do you see the pain.]

 

Shirakawa was too lazy to pay attention to the invisible bombardment in his ears, turned around and walked back to the beginning of the street, back to the intersection where he had asked the System earlier.

 

It was a narrow alley. On the left was the entrance to the Beika Gymnasium, which was also the scene of the accident. On the right was the road leading to the city center.

 

Shirakawa Shu stood at the intersection, looking both ways.

 

System: [What are you doing?]

 

Shirakawa: "Recreating the killer's method of committing the crime."

 

System: [Huh? You know how to do that too?]

 

Shirakawa rested his chin on his hand: "The killer's idea matches mine. Once you've figured out the direction, it's not hard to guess how to do it."

 

[Ding~ Activating the talent 'Crime Mastery'. The system is currently updating the skill table.]

 

System: [???] What did the host do again?

 

—

Host Name: Shirakawa Shu

 

Current title: Rookie Xiao Hei has some knowledge (Having skills but not using them is like being useless.)

 

Title Evaluation: Learned a few tricks, but still useless. (A Xiao Hei that only knows how to run away but not kill is not a good Xiao Hei. Don't tell me you don't know how to kill, only know how to run. Keke, how embarrassing.)

 

Talent: Crime Mastery (Just look once, any criminal skill you can learn, but on you, it's a waste of natural resources.)

 

Skills Learned: Mad Explosives Expert, Master of Escape (Escaping is also an art. Physical strength and endurance are the basic foundation. With your weak body, you can at most exert half of your power.)

 

Current progress: Not updated yet.

—

 

[AAAAAA!] The System shouted excitedly, [Updated! Updated! Host finally learned a new skill! Amazing!]

 

Shirakawa Shu's eyes also revealed a satisfied look. He opened the system interface, ignored the stinging sarcastic reviews and focused on the brand new skill – [Escape Master].

 

Seeing the ‘could only half-function’ note, Shirakawa was a bit disappointed. His body had always been unhealthy. He thought that learning this skill would automatically increase his stamina and physical strength, but it was still limited by his body.

 

The system still hadn't noticed the host's mood drop, and continued to flatter: [How could host do that? You’re the best!]

 

Shirakawa slightly retracted his gaze, not hiding anything: "Because the murderer is a long-distance runner."

 

The other guy used his professional skills to commit the crime, while he stood by and watched like a VIP. Thanks to his criminal talent, he also learned his professional skill.

 

At first, he just wanted to test the limits of ‘system cheating’, but he didn't expect it to bring a real surprise.

Chapter 20: Chapter 19: How pitiful! A certain detective… has to go to school!

Summary:

An observation, a conversation and a failed attempt at convincing.

“Shirakawa-san.” When he reached the intersection, Conan was a bit stunned when he saw Shirakawa Shu, especially when he saw the bruises on his face and his right hand wrapped in bandages.

“Shirakawa-san, what happened to you?”

 

The man turned back and nodded to the child: “Is it Conan? It’s okay, I just fell on the road. Why aren’t you with Mori-san?”

 

Conan scratched his head unnaturally: "Kogoro-ojisan had some doubts so he asked me to come check."

 

He looked down at him, his golden eyes seemed to have seen through everything.

 

Conan blinked.

 

He wasn't very close to this man named Shirakawa, but he always felt that there was something strange about this man, particularly today when he was injured…

 

Conan decided to take the initiative first: “If Shirakawa-san is also interested in the case, why don’t you go to the scene and take a look? Maybe you can converse with Kogoro-ojisan and the others.”

 

Just now he saw Shirakawa Shu standing outside observing, probably also curious about the case.

 

Shirakawa Shu chuckled, bent down to stroke Conan's head with his good hand: "Forget it, my abilities are limited, looking at it won't help the police. On the contrary, if I cause trouble, I'll be hated even more."

 

“Huh?” Conan was a little surprised.

 

More hated?

 

What does that mean?

 

“But the situation here is a bit strange.” 

 

Shirakawa Shu pulled Conan to stop at the intersection, deliberately not explaining what he said before. Conan suppressed his doubts and followed him.

 

“Look at this position, there are obstacles on both sides of the intersection, even after turning, we can’t immediately determine which direction the victim ran. So how do you know he ran to the left?”

 

Conan raised his hand and pointed to the opposite side: "At that time, the store across the street had not opened yet. Through the glass door, one could vaguely see Nakatsu-san's figure running."

 

Nakatsu was running very fast, almost leaving them behind, and the road had many turns that made it difficult to distinguish directions. Fortunately, Conan spotted the reflection of a person on the side of the road in time, otherwise he and Mori would have lost track of him at this intersection.

 

“In other words, you only saw his shadow turn from the window, but did not see him get hit by the car with your own eyes.”

 

Conan nodded. That's why he found it suspicious.

 

There were no cameras on the curves and intersections, and their vision was partially blind at the time. If someone switched victims during that time, or if someone took the opportunity to strike…

 

“I see.” Shirakawa Shu said in a casual tone, as if he was just asking casually, “I hope Mori-san can solve this case.”

 

Conan: “You don't have any clue, Shirakawa-san? I thought you…”

 

Got the answer…

 

Just as he said this, Sato Miwako arrived from afar.

 

“Conan, shouldn't you be going to school? Mori-san asked me to take you to school.” She shaked the car keys in her hand.

 

Conan's face stiffened.

 

Oh… I almost forgot I had school today!

 

Shirakawa Shu tried to hold back his laughter.

 

Ha ha ha, our brave and smart detective is still bothered by school.

 

Tsk tsk, so funny.

 

“Eh?” Sato Miwako noticed Shirakawa Shu, especially his striking white hair, and immediately remembered what Takagi Wataru had told her.

 

“You are… Shirakawa-senpai?” She was surprised, “Your face and hands…”

 

Shirakawa paused for a moment, then chuckled: “Stop calling me senpai, I know my reputation well in your team. And as for this, I just fell.”

 

Sato Miwako had to admit, Takagi was right, even if there was a bruise on his face, it wouldn't affect this person's beauty.

 

She awkwardly changed her words: “Hello Shirakawa-san, I am Sato Miwako.”

 

“Hello, Sato-san.”

 

Shirakawa patted Conan's head: "Studying is still more important, Conan be good, follow Sato-san to school."

 

Conan: “Ah, uh… this–”

 

His scalp began to tingle. He only had a rough understanding of the case, how could he rest assured and go to school now!

 

Sato Miwako saw Conan's hesitation, but it was only natural for children to not want to go to school. She gently reached out, intending to hold his hand: "Let's go, Conan, if you're any later, you’ll miss the entire second period."

 

Conan tried to resist: "But I want to stay and investigate the case!"

 

If it was Takagi Wataru in front of him, Conan might have been able to whine and act spoiled to skip school today. But unfortunately, today in front of him was Sato Miwako who was much more rational and determined.

 

“Let's go.” Sato Miwako lifted Conan up with all her might, smiled politely at Shirakawa Shu, then led him towards the police car parked across the street.

 

Shirakawa Shu stood there watching the whole process, clicking his tongue slightly: “This is really tragic.”

 

As a former student, he knew very well that no matter what happened tomorrow, as long as school was still in session, parents would definitely force their children to go to class.

 

Even Conan is no exception.

 

Shirakawa Shu had no intention of being a good person, so he tactfully kept silent and just stood there watching the police car drive away.

 

Glancing at the clock– Oh, maybe he’ll actually make it to the second period.

 

Even the system couldn't help but gloat: [Conan is no longer here, I'm afraid this case is at a dead end.]

 

As a criminal system, seeing the detective being led around by the nose is something that makes it extremely gratifying.

 

[Host, now that we have the skills, let's go back and plan a brilliant and sophisticated case?] The system whispered schemingly.

 

But Shirakawa Shu thought for a moment, then lifted his feet and walked towards the crime scene.

 

At this moment the scene began to get noisy again.

 

The athlete that Takebayashi Momoki had mentioned had arrived, a man of slightly short stature but with extremely well-developed leg muscles, one could tell at a glance that he was in a sports-related profession. According to the police investigation, his name was Oguchi Yuuki.

 

Oguchi was called in urgently, still wearing a sports hoodie and sweatpants, his face still covered in sweat, looking like he had just come from running.

 

His face was full of anger and frustration: “What does it have to do with me? If he suspects, then report him! What's the use of talking behind my back?!”

 

Takebayashi Momoki was also very angry: “Yes, he originally intended to get evidence to accuse you! But now he's dead! Who knows if you were afraid that he would expose your dirty deeds so you killed him to silence him!”

 

Oguchi pointed and scolded: “Don’t talk nonsense! You drove the car, you hit the person, how can you have the face to blame me?”

 

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with hatred: “Moreover, I heard that because of horse racing betting, he owed you a large sum of money. Lately, you have been asking him to pay you back. Who knows, maybe because he didn't pay, you felt resentment and intentionally sent him to death?”

 

Takebayashi was immediately hit on the sore spot, and was so angry that he shouted: “What nonsense are you talking about! It's not like he won't pay! What good will it do me if he dies?!”

 

Meanwhile, Megure Juzo and the others stood by and watched the two confront each other, letting them expose each other.

 

This is also a way of investigation. When suspects argue, the police can indirectly get a lot of information. For example, the victim Nakatsu Kyuhei owed Takebayashi a large sum of money because of gambling – a fact that the police were completely unaware of.

 

The case seems simple, but if personal grudges are added, along with unexplained suspicious points… the police certainly will not end the investigation so easily.

 

In another corner, the victim's wife, Nakatsu Mina, was sobbing, Takagi Wataru could only carefully hand over tissues.

 

This is perhaps a characteristic of the Conan world – suspects are summoned on the spot, bodies are identified on the spot, and cases are solved on the spot.

 

But anyone familiar with criminal investigation knows that reality is not like that at all.

 

However, Shirakawa Shu did not care about such trivial details. He walked straight towards Takagi Wataru.

Chapter 21: Chapter 20: The case is solved

Summary:

Meitaitei is out of commission. Guess who will take up his role?

Notes:

Nakatsu-san is refering to the husband (victim) so I used Mina-san to address the wife bc otherwise it'd be confusing

In front of Nakatsu Mina, a tissue was handed. She raised her head, somewhat surprised to see a white-haired young man suddenly appear.

 

“Shira–” Takagi Wataru was also a little stunned, then remembered Shirakawa Shu's reputation within the police, so his greeting also lowered a lot, “Shirakawa-senpai.”

 

“I'm not a police officer, so there's no need to call me senpai.” Shirakawa Shu shook his head helplessly.

 

“Your wounds...”

 

Shirakawa Shu sighed: “I just fell, it's okay.”

 

Today is really too tiring, everyone is making me explain! Damn Gin, next time I will definitely get him to pay this debt!

 

Without looking at Takagi anymore, his eyes turned to Nakatsu Mina: “Mina-san must love her husband very much, right?”

 

Nakatsu Mina paused for a moment, tears continuing to roll down her face. 

 

Actually she is quite beautiful, just too skinny, the bones in her arms and shoulders almost stick out, giving the feeling of being extremely weak and sickly.

 

“Sorry, my emotions are really a bit out of control…” Nakatsu Mina wiped her tears, her voice choked, as if just a light touch would shatter her.

 

“Regarding your husband, I offer my condolences. But–” Shirakawa Shu squinted his eyes and smiled, “Mina-san is probably preparing for a divorce, right?”

 

Nakatsu Mina froze, tears welling up: “I...”

 

“Oh my, this brat, how can you rub salt on someone's wound like that!” Out of pity for the beauty, Mori Kogoro hurriedly stopped Shirakawa Shu's indecent action.

 

Takagi Wataru also hesitated a bit:
“Shirakawa-san, what you mean by that is... you discovered something?”

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his eyebrows.

 

Oh, there are still sane people.

 

“Nothing, I just saw that Nakatsu-san was still wearing a wedding ring on his hand, but Mina-san’s hand was completely bare. That's why I thought—maybe there's a problem with the relationship between the two of you.” Shirakawa Shu's words caused all eyes to simultaneously turn to Nakatsu Mina's hand.

 

There was nothing on it, really.

 

Nakatsu Mina unconsciously pulled her hand back, but realizing that doing so would be suspicious, she calmly opened her hand and said: “It's all my fault, I accidentally lost the ring a few days ago.”

 

Shirakawa Shu drawled, and said softly, “Oh,”
“Could it have been lost near this area?”

 

Everyone's expression changed slightly, even the two people arguing over there stopped and followed Inspector Megure forward.

 

“What's going on here?”

 

Inspector Megure looked at the strange young man with a serious face: "May I ask who you are?"

 

Shirakawa Shu: “I am Shirakawa Shu, the owner of the cafe downstairs from Mori Detective Agency.”

 

Inspector Megure turned to look at Mori Kogoro.

 

Mori Kogoro immediately nodded and explained: “Megure-keibu, it was him who saved me from the sniper's rifle last time. If it weren't for him, I would have been shot through the head!”

 

Inspector Megure's expression softened: "Ah, so it's Shirakawa-san."

 

“But Shirakawa-san, what do you mean by what you just said? Mina-san is the victim’s family so please be careful with your words and don't hurt her further.”

 

Facing the serious gazes, Shirakawa Shu was extremely unhurried: “I didn’t mean anything else. It’s just that a while ago, at the cafe, I happened to see someone break the glass door of Detective Mori’s office and run away. And I can confirm, that person wasn’t wearing a ring on his hand at that time.”

 

Everyone was shocked.

 

Mori Kogoro exclaimed: “Shirakawa-kun! You saw it with your own eyes? Then that person isn’t Nakatsu-san?”

 

Shirakawa Shu: “Even though the figure is very similar, and the face is covered by a mask and hoodie, I'm very sure that I didn't see a wedding ring.”

 

Inspector Megure pondered for a moment, then asked Nakatsu Mina: “Mina-san, do you remember where you lost the ring?”

 

Nakatsu Mina's face turned pale for a moment, she lowered her head and sobbed: "I don't remember anymore... Besides, if someone was impersonating my husband, it would be normal for them not to wear a ring."

 

“But to be exact, to be able to prepare the exact same outfit and pretend to be Nakatsu with a taller build than theirs, among the suspects, only you have the ability to do it.”

 

The athlete suspect, Oguchi Yuuki, was not tall, but he was very muscular, and could not have been impersonating Nakatsu at all.

 

Shirakawa Shu crossed his arms:b“Coincidentally, I just called Enomoto Azusa-san from our shop to help us observe outside. As a result, do you know what's strange? Before Mina-san arrived at the scene, she ran to the Mori Detective Agency, circled around downstairs a few times, and then hurriedly left...”

 

He looked at Nakatsu Mina with a half-hearted gaze, his voice still fleeting, but each word was like a blunt knife, slowly penetrating her heart.

 

“What? How could there be such a thing?!”

 

Everyone was shocked.

 

Takagi Wataru tapped his cheek with his pen, as if thinking: “I just looked it up, it seems that Mina-san was also a professional athlete.”

 

Everyone's eyes changed instantly.

Takeshi Momoki, with a complicated expression, also confirmed Takagi's words: "That's right, Mina was an excellent track and field athlete when she was young. It's just that later, in order to wholeheartedly support her husband, she retired early."

 

It's just that Nakatsu Mina is too skinny now, not looking like someone who has ever exercised at all.

 

“Nakatsu-san has a habit of jogging in the morning, right?” Shirakawa Shu pressed again, “Do you know what route he usually runs?”

 

Nakatsu Mina didn’t say anymore word.

 

Shirakawa Shu smiled: “Don’t say you don’t know~ Don’t even think about lying or hiding it. Everyone around here knows about Nakatsu-san’s jogging habits.”

 

After a moment of silence, Nakatsu Mina finally opened her mouth: “Of course I know. He often runs on the circuit around the stadium nearby, that route is his familiar way back.”

 

Mori Kogoro suddenly understood: “So after turning that corner, the person we were chasing was really Nakatsu-san!”

 

In fact, after entering the intersection, both Mori Kogoro and Conan were spun around. The person who threw the rock and broke the window had already escaped and went around to the alley on the other side.

 

Just then, Nakatsu returned from his morning run and passed by. Conan mistook him for the rock thrower, so he pulled Mori to chase after him. 

 

At that time, Nakatsu was completely unaware of anything and was still running forward. As soon as he entered Mori and Conan's blind spot, the hidden culprit jumped out and pushed Nakatsu into the oncoming car.

 

Coincidentally, Takebayashi was looking down at his lighter at the time, so after the accident, no one could determine for sure whether there was a third person at the scene or not.

 

And now…

 

Still can’t be determined.

 

Nakatsu Mina said coldly: “Sir, please be careful with your words. Without evidence, please do not make wild speculations.”

 

Shirakawa Shu shrugged: “Sorry Mina-san, I'm just recounting what I observed, these are all personal speculations, not representing any conclusive arguments.”

 

Nakatsu Mina secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

"But-" 

 

Shirakawa Shu took out a handkerchief, opened it, and inside was a ring.

 

Nakatsu Mina's whole body instantly stiffened.

 

“This ring must be many years old, right? Back then, Mina-san wasn’t so thin, so the ring was loose and fell off so easily. And yet it fell off at such a crucial moment… Don’t you think so, Mina-san?”

 

Nakatsu Mina tried to force a smile, but her face was pale, and even Inspector Megure could easily see her guilt.

 

But Shirakawa Shu seemed not to notice, grinning brightly, a few sharp white teeth alike shark's teeth also appeared, appearing as if he was about to swallow someone:

 

“So then, Mina-san, take a guess... Where did this ring end up?”

Notes:

anddd that's 10 chapters!!!
I think I made mistakes somewhere so if u found them pls inform me ;)

Chapter 22: Chapter 21: A strange gaze

Summary:

Shirakawa felt someone watching him. It may or may not be someone familiar.
He is also reminded of his economic situation.

Notes:

senpai: a honorific refering to a upperclassman, a senior, a predecessor, etc

[Aaah, hosttt, why are you helping them solve the case!]

 

Shirakawa Shu watched as Nakatsu Mina was escorted into the car by the police, when in his ears was the bewildered System’s whispering voice.

 

"Making a good impression with the police a little helps to disguise oneself better. Isn't that considered a clever survival strategy for criminals?"

 

System: [...That makes some sense.]

 

Faced with the most crucial piece of evidence, Nakatsu Mina finally succumbed to the pressure and confessed. Her reason for killing was simple: she couldn't accept her husband's gambling addiction and constant borrowing everywhere. She had suggested divorce, yet her husband attacked her, mocking her as a housewife incapable of leaving him, only resorting to use the word ‘divorce’ as a threat.

 

Who could possibly remember that back then, Nakatsu Mina was also an exceptionally promising athlete? However, due to marriage and family, she chose to retire at the peak of her career, quietly staying at home as a housewife, eventually becoming confined to her home, no longer venturing onto the runway or participating in competitions.

 

Ironically speaking, Nakatsu Kyuhei has been relatively quiet and unremarkable in recent years, failing to achieve anything significant. In contrast, after Nakatsu Mina decided to kill Nakatsu Kyuhei, she underwent intense training for several days, allowing her to easily outpace Mori Kogoro and Conan, and even have enough energy to circle around a large residential area and stake out the scene.

 

And the message that made Takeyoshi Momoki bow his head was indeed sent by Nakatsu Mina, who was sitting there waiting.

 

After surveying the area, she knew Takeyoshi Momoki would be driving past at that moment. Therefore, the night before, she deliberately unplugged Nakatsu Kyuhei's mobile phone charger while he was sleeping, causing him to leave his phone at home to charge this morning and not bring it with him.

 

She only needed to throw that phone on the crime scene as the same time she pushed Nakatsu Kyuhei into the roads, people would naturally think that he brought it with him on his morning run.

 

Even the Mori Detective Agency's broken office window was all something Nakatsu Mina had planned well in advance.

 

Nakatsu Kyuhei did indeed suspect Oguchi Yuuki of using drugs and hired a detective to investigate. Detective Mori's presence could help Nakatsu Mina prove that the person who broke the window was ‘Nakatsu Kyuhei,’ and could also shift the suspicion towards Oguchi Yuuki, while she, as the victim, could remain low-key and hide.

 

Shirakawa Shu pouted and clicked his tongue: "Count she unlucky, choosing Mori Kogoro over any other detective."

 

Criminals in the Conan world are really bold.They all know of Mori Kogoro's remarkable reputation, yet they often try to use Mori Kogoro to achieve their criminal goals.

 

Tch tch.

 

System: [That spirit of defiance is truly commendable! Without that reckless generation of pioneers, how could we build our brilliant and glorious criminal civilization?]

 

Shirakawa Shu's lips twitched: "Hah… as long as you're happy."

 

If things continue like this, can the prison possibly have the space to confine them all…

 

Suddenly, his eyes sharpened, gaze diverting to the other side of the street. Over there, there was the usual flow of pedestrians and shops open for business – everything was as normal, and there was nothing unusual. 

 

Shirakawa Shu narrowed his eyes, a nameless, obscure glint flashing in his golden irises before quickly disappearing: "...System, did you detect any danger?"

 

System: [Huh? No, what's wrong, host?]

 

Shirakawa Shu: "I feel like… someone is secretly watching me."

 

System: [Hah? Really? Host, how did you sense it? I didn't feel anything at all.]

 

Shirakawa Shu frowned slightly, glanced at it several times, and finally averted his gaze.

 

"Perhaps I'm being too sensitive," he muttered softly.

 

Then, Megure Juzo arrived with Takagi Wataru.

 

"Today is really unfortunate that you’re here, Shirakawa-san." Megure Juzo smiled and shook hands with Shirakawa Shu, his gaze lingering on Shirakawa Shu's other hand as he inquired with concern, "Shirakawa-san, is your hand alright?"

 

Shirakawa Shu: Alright, another person ask…

 

"It’s nothing serious, I just tripped and fell."

 

"That was unexpected, your detective skills are pretty great!" Mori Kogoro said cheerfully, patting Shirakawa Shu on the shoulder.

 

Shirakawa Shu: "I was simply lucky to find the evidence the culprit dropped, and that's how I managed to uncover the truth."

 

Megure Juzo: "No matter what you say, Shirakawa-san has made a great contribution this time."

 

Megure Juzo had graduated from police school many years ago, so the matter concerning Shirakawa Shu hadn't reached his ears. Therefore, Megure Juzo's attitude towards Shirakawa Shu was basically that of an elder showing care for a junior.

 

After a brief hearty conversation, Shirakawa Shu successfully managed to get into a police car and returned to Cafe Poirot with Mori Kogoro.

 

As the police car gradually drove away, a young man wearing a baseball cap emerged from around the corner, his grayish-purple eyes silently gazing at the end of the street, as if deep in thought.

 

After a long while, the young man pulled down the brim of his hat, a wisp of blond hair flashed beneath the sunlight, and then his figure also disappeared  somewhere down the street.

 

——

 

On the way back, Megure Juzo was in a good mood, and seldomly, he chatted in the car: "This Shirakawa-san is not bad, he spotted the key clue even faster than Mori-kun. I think he'll become an excellent detective in the future."

 

Takagi Wataru observed Megure Juzo's reaction and immediately understood that Megure Juzo hadn't known Shirakawa Shu before. However, Takagi Wataru wasn't a talkative person, and his experience at the Police Academy wasn't that deeply ingrained in his memory, so he had no reason to bring up Shirakawa Shu's past to Megure Juzo.

 

But then, the old police officer driving the car suddenly tilted his head and asked, "Was that young man who helped the police solve the case just now named Shirakawa Shu? Why does that name sound so familiar to me?"

 

Megure Juzo: "Huh? Do you know him?"

 

The old police officer, named Tsunoda Ryozo, had served under Megure Juzo for a long time. He had no particular skills, his main job was driving and providing some security at crime scenes.

 

He thought for a moment, then replied: "He seems to be the same person who the Sakura Police Academy expelled."

 

Megure Juzo was perplexed: "Expelled? It was that serious?"

 

Those who enter through the national examination have already undergone a rigorous selection process, and those who do are basically exceptionally talented individuals from Japan, who will all become important resources for the nation's police force in the future. To be directly kicked out of the police force... then how grave offense had to be.

 

"It seems like he arbitrarily left the school, then drunk drove leading to a major car incident," Tsunoda Ryozo said jokingly while driving. "Because of him, the Police Academy's regulations and discipline reformed. Causing suffering to several next classes of students."

 

Megure Juzo frowned: "If it was that grave..."

 

If that's true, then his character truly has some problems...

 

Takagi Wataru, however, mustered up the courage to say, "I heard from others that the events of that year weren't as simple as they seemed."

 

Tsunoda Ryozo chuckled softly, saying in an experienced tone: "Takagi-kun, you're still too young so you easily let those rumors lead by the nose! That incident back then was defined by our Metropolitan Police Department. This stuff can only be said here for fun, if other people heard it, it would be problematic."

 

Saying that is basically equivalent to saying that the Metropolitan Police Department's leadership has problems, and if the leadership finds out, who knows what they might be thinking.

 

Megure Juzo also spoke seriously: "Takagi-kun, some of those words should be kept to oneself, don’t go around spreading it."

 

Takagi Wataru, feeling a little lacking in confidence, shrank back: "Sorry, it was my mistake. Thank you, Tsunoda-senpai, for the reminder."

 

——

 

At Cafe Poirot.

 

Shirakawa Shu, oblivious to the fact that several people in the police car were discussing his past, returned to the cafe and continued to rest in his manager's chair.

 

Enomoto Azusa looked up and handed the tray of freshly made cookies to Shirakawa Shu: "Tenchou, can you try the new goods?"

 

"Yes, thank you." He took a bite and commented, "The taste isn't bad. Azusa-san, your culinary skills are getting better and better."

 

Enomoto Azusa sighed:"It's a shame I can’t make cakes yet…"

 

The display cabinet has been empty for several days, but the finished product hasn’t been finished.

 

Shirakawa Shu noticed Enomoto Azusa's anxiety, and after much deep thought, he finally made a decision.

 

"If it really won't do, we need to recruit someone else."

 

Recently, the shop was doing pretty well, with Enomoto Azusa constantly bustling around, and as the shop manager, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing, so he had to join in the busy work. Ideally, he finds another worker that can make sweet desserts, and he returns to being a manager who lazes around.

 

Enomoto Azusa, however, subtly reminded him: "But tenchou, we've only recently started making a profit. Can we afford to hire new workers?"

 

Although Shirakawa Shu didn't usually say anything, Enomoto Azusa could vaguely sense that the store manager seemed to be… in a bit of a predicament.

 

Shirakawa Shu, being poked right in the sore spot: “......”

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Two best friends come looking

Summary:

Shirakawa Shu learnt of a competitor for business.
Then--
Two good friends of his visit, reminding him of past memories.

Notes:

-sama: a honorific used to address a really honorable person, a person with high status, or a person you respect, etc.

Due to financial constraints, the recruitment of new store staff has been temporarily put on hold.

 

Only that, Shirakawa Shu had heard another cafe was planning to be opened near their shop. Initially, Enomoto Azusa was the one who brought the news, followed by Mori Ran and Conan.

 

So today everyone is sitting together and chatting.

 

"Their shop has been renovated for quite some time, and they only recently unveiled the sign. Before that, they kept it all so mysterious, making a lot of people blind guessing about what it was," told Enomoto Azusa.

 

Conan: "I've looked at their decorations and arrangements, and they seem really nice."

 

Driven by a sense of detective work and curiosity, he even spent a considerable amount of time observing the situation. Shirakawa Shu, who had been laying his back casually, slowly straightened his body upon hearing Conan's words.

 

Whether it was intentional or not, that coffee shop was on the same side of the street as theirs, even less than 200 meters apart. A few steps and you’re already in front of it, exactly the kind of true competitors.

 

Coffee shops aren't really restaurants, they cater to a limited customer base, and in non-commercial areas on the streets, even one such establishment is enough. Normally, under normal circumstances, a smart business owner would not open a similar store next to one that is already doing well and developing steadily. This was very odd, maybe even inexplicably irritating.

 

Making money is extremely important to Shirakawa Shu, he doesn't want to see his customers being lured away by that new shop.

 

Once again, a murderous intent surged uncontrollably in Shirakawa Shu's chest, and his eyes turned a vivid red.

 

"When will they open?"

 

"For now, it seems like they haven't announced anything yet, but judging by the renovations, it should be quick. The facilities inside the shop are basically finished," Conan replied.

 

"So that's how it is..." Shirakawa Shu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them wide and smiled at them, "Thank you for bringing the news. I'll go check it out sometime."

 

"Don't worry, tenchou, our Cafe Poirot has been open here for so many years, and our reputation and prestige have always been excellent. Not any shop can steal our business," Enomoto Azusa reassured Shirakawa Shu, thinking he was worried.

 

"Nothing to worry about, I also trust our Poirot."

 

Shirakawa Shu was actually fine, he just couldn't control his urge to… stab the owner of that new coffee shop.

 

Perhaps it was fortunate that he hadn't seen the person in person yet, so this kind of murderous feeling was still somewhat controllable. After taking a few deep breaths, Shirakawa Shu felt much better.

 

Moreover, the system progress bar wasn't showing up at this moment. Shirakawa Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

——

 

Another peaceful day passed, and today Cafe Poirot received two very special guests.

 

Wearing sunglasses and with curly hair, a stern-faced man pushed open the door, his expression serious, resembling a gangster, and glared menacingly around the cafe. Following behind him was a handsome man with half-long hair, also dressed in casual black attire, his posture lazy, arms crossed, leisurely observing, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

 

Enomoto Azusa, startled and somewhat apprehensive, stood up: "You two are…?"

 

"Shira! Kawa! Shu!"

 

The curly-haired man suddenly let out a loud yell, startling Shirakawa Shu, who was still sitting and yawning on the chair. Seeing Matsuda Jinpei rushing towards him, he asked in a panicked voice, "How did you two find your way here!?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei laughed menacingly, rolling up his sleeves: "Well done, so you've been hiding here–"

 

"Y-you two, what do you want to do?" Seeing this scene, Enomoto Azusa instinctively pulled out her mobile phone and quickly dialed the police’s number.

 

It’s not out of the blue, really, this guy with the sunglasses is really too aggressive, she feels like he could beat her manager to death at any moment.

 

"Sorry for scaring you. We’re long time friends, just joking around with each other." Hagiwara Kenji promptly interrupted Enomoto Azusa's actions.

 

Meanwhile, Shirakawa Shu, unable to escape in time, was grabbed by Matsuda Jinpei, who then frantically rubbed his head–

 

"You little brat, you sneaked back to Tokyo without telling anyone! That's a heinous crime, an unforgivable one! I'm going to punish you by making you go out and drink with us while wearing this nest-like hairstyle!"

 

"Aiya, I was wrong, I was wrong, Matsuda-sama please forgive me!"

 

Shirakawa Shu flailed his arms, attempting to escape Matsuda Jinpei's demonic claws, but the poor, weak, and helpless man was no match for the Great Demon King Matsuda, and his hair was instantly turned into a bird nest.

 

It's unclear whether it's curly hair meeting curly hair, but after being trampled on by Matsuda Jinpei, Shirakawa Shu’hair which was originally smooth and soft, completely transformed into a mess of curliness. Combined with his handsome face, he literally resembled a beautiful, bullied white curly-haired kitten.

 

Seeing this scene, Enomoto Azusa finally breathed a sigh of relief, then stifled a laugh: "So you're tenchou’s friends, would you like something to drink?"

 

"Two glasses of plain water will do," Hagiwara Kenji winked at Enomoto Azusa, "Sorry for startling the beautiful lady."

 

Enomoto Azusa's face turned red: "It’s nothing, it’s nothing."

 

Handsome guys always hang out with other handsome guys, it's really true!

 

After comforting Enomoto Azusa, Hagiwara Kenji finally deliberately walked over.

 

Matsuda Jinpei sat opposite Shirakawa Shu, adopting an interrogating posture, glaring menacingly at Shirakawa Shu, who in turn cautiously peeked at Hagiwara Kenji: "I haven't been here long, really. If you don't believe me, go ask my employee."

 

Hagiwara Kenji then noticed Shirakawa Shu's face and the wounds on his hands: "Shirakawa-chan, what happened? Were you beaten up?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei scoffed: "That guy, he tripped and fell while walking, and this is what happened to him."

 

Hagiwara Kenji: “……”

 

He couldn't help but also laugh aloud: "No wonder you didn't contact us, you were afraid of being ridiculed."

 

Shirakawa Shu had a gloomy face: "It's good that you know."

 

Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji, former classmates of the original owner when he was in the Police Academy. Rumors have it that they were very close back then.

 

When Shirakawa Shu woke up, he faced the fate of not having money for treatment and being about to be discharged from the hospital. It was them who pooled their money together and allowed him to continue staying in the hospital to receive treatment. Later, when the bridge's compensation was sky-high, debt collectors kept harassing Shirakawa Shu, it was these few close friends that took turns guarding him, keeping those people outside the hospital room. 

 

At that time, several of his good friends had just graduated. One of them, named Furuya Rei, seemed to have never shown up for a particular reason, Shirakawa Shu didn't even know what he looked like. However, he was the one who contributed the most money.

 

Morofushi Hiromitsu often brought nourishing food and health-promoting medicines. He cooked delicious meals, had a great personality so Shirakawa Shu automatically had a great impression of him. But later Morofushi Hiromitsu seemed to have his own affairs, often going on business trips, and rarely appeared in public.

 

Class president Date Wataru was an exceptionally strong and masculine man who often brought his girlfriend’s dishes and shared them with everyone. It's said he joined the Criminal Investigation First Division, and is extremely busy investigating cases. Furthermore, he has a girlfriend who needs his company, so he usually comes to visit on weekends.

 

Meanwhile, Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei were in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department bomb squadron. Normally, as long as there weren't any major explosion incidents, their lives were relatively peaceful. Moreover, both were single, so they could sleep anywhere. Therefore, Shirakawa Shu had the most contact with those two in the hospital room.

 

Because of their frequent interactions, Shirakawa Shu once again became good friends with them.

 

When Shirakawa Shu first transmigrated, he couldn't find the original owner's memories at all, so he could only pretend to have amnesia. Fortunately, Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji gave him a brief overview of the original owner's situation, though they were unclear about the car accident’s exact details.

 

However, they believed that Shirakawa Shu (the original owner) would not do such a thing.

 

Even before Shirakawa Shu regained consciousness, they had repeatedly reported and protested to the school administration. Unfortunately, this time the matter escalated too far, the upper leadership who was usually slow as a snail surprisingly came to a fast decision that Shirakawa Shu was guilty and his name was removed from the Academy. Shirakawa Shu was almost even ‘gifted’ a hefty prison sentence.

 

At that time, the situation was unclear, and Shirakawa Shu couldn't determine whether the original owner was truly guilty. Therefore, at his persistent pleas, his friends finally stopped, letting the matter pass and becoming a permanent stain on Shirakawa Shu's life.

Chapter 24: Chapter 23: The first criminal skill – [Crazy Explosive Expert] (1)

Summary:

Another fateful day.
Shirakawa confirmed one of his suspicion.

Notes:

osananajimi: childhood best friend

"Eh? So you guys heard about me from the Criminal Investigation First Division?" Shirakawa Shu was somewhat puzzled.

 

Matsuda Jinpei folded his arms, his expression slightly darkened: "That's right, weren't you the one who helped Megure-keibu solve a murder case a few days ago? Now, every soul at the Metropolitan Police Department knows that you opened a cafe called Poirot in Beika. We also found out about it by chance through a friend."

 

Hagiwara Kenji discreetly raised his hand over his mouth, winking at Shirakawa Shu as he added: "It’s his ex-girlfriend."

 

Shirakawa Shu's eyes lit up: "Who? When did this happen???"

 

Matsuda Jinpei actually had a girlfriend? How infuriating! I didn't even know! This Matsuda kid truly doesn’t have any friendship spirits!

 

Matsuda Jinpei instantly glared at Hagiwara Kenji and loudly explained: "We only knew each other for three days, how can you say ‘ex-girlfriend’?!"

 

Aside from eating and sleeping, the actual time they spent together didn't even reach 24 hours!

 

Hagiwara Kenji lifted and shook his finger back and forth, gesturing with extraordinary seriousness: "That's not right, Jinpei-chan, three days is enough to be considered ex-girlfriend. You can't possibly deny this point, that would be too unmanly!"

 

Matsuda Jinpei snorted coldly and turned away in anger.

 

Shirakawa Shu genuinely considered Matsuda Jinpei a friend. He blinked at Hagiwara Kenji and whispered: "What's the situation? What happened?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei also lowered his voice, speaking in a cold tone: "I heard it!"

 

Shirakawa Shu, completely ignoring Matsuda Jinpei's words, directly covered the latter’s mouth: "I want to hear Hagiwara's storytelling, you shut up."

 

Matsuda Jinpei: "Um um!"

 

He extended his hand and gave Shirakawa Shu a thumbs-down, but Shirakawa Shu simply didn’t care.

 

Hagiwara Kenji chuckled as he looked at Matsuda Jinpei, showing no respect whatsoever for his osananajimi, and directly brought up the events of that year: "Shirakawa-chan, do you remember that incident seven years ago when we were almost blown up?"

 

Shirakawa Shu was slightly startled, and then a sudden surge of memories pulled him back to seven years ago–

 

Back then, his physical condition had improved somewhat, and he could move around somewhat in a wheelchair. Therefore, being short of money, he immediately decided to leave the hospital and move into the apartment that Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji jointly rented for a while.

 

At the same time, out of respect for the original owner, Shirakawa Shu still considered returning to the original owner's house to take a look. The original owner’s house resided in Asai villa area, near Yoshioka, is an apartment his parents left behind. Yet unfortunately, it has now been confiscated and auctioned off, and most of the belongings inside are missing.

 

Shirakawa Shu didn't know if there were any clues related to the original owner's car accident left there, and he felt a little uneasy. However, when he opened the apartment door and went inside, he couldn't help but be stunned due to nothing else but the fact that the entire apartment building was in disarray, as if it had been ransacked by robbers.

 

Household items, furniture, decorations... Basically, all the valuable objects were removed, leaving only empty spaces on the floor to prove their original existence. The original owner's room was even more exaggeratedly empty, essentially a blank space.

 

Shirakawa Shu stared in astonishment at the empty room, which was devoid of even dust, his eyes wide with disbelief. If what happened before was just speculation, now it can be confirmed – the original owner must have gotten himself into serious trouble. All clues have been destroyed, not even a bedsheet was left for him…

 

He rolled around in his wheelchair, refused to believe it and paced back and forth in the room, only to sadly discover that those people's methods were incredibly clean. He didn't even know what the original owner had done before, what his connections were, his hobbies, his reading habits... He knew absolutely nothing!

 

Hey you people, you wouldn't even let me keep photos of my parents, and you even took my kindergarten diploma?

 

That's absolutely insane!

 

Shirakawa Shu clutched his chest, feeling overwhelmed with anger.

 

But what else can I do? Let’s just accept it.

 

He quickly regained his composure.

 

In any case, the one whose spirits should be crushed is the original owner, and it has nothing to do with him.

 

After thinking this through, Shirakawa Shu felt that he was in a good position again. The wheels stopped moving in the room of the original’s parents. Shirakawa Shu clasped his hands together and spoke softly to the empty room:

 

"Although I don't know who you are, I guess you've already reunited with the real Shirakawa Shu. I hope you'll be well up there, and bless me to get through this difficult time. When I can stand again, I will definitely find a way to investigate the truth of the car accident and clear your child's name."

 

He then gestured wildly with his hands, as if bowing to the original owner's parents in this world using the methods of his own world, before turning his wheelchair and heading out the door.

 

This apartment was on the 20th floor. Shirakawa Shu, in his wheelchair, moved the wheels and headed down the hall toward the elevator.

 

The elevator outside the lobby was extraordinarily empty, its decor somewhat resembling a reception hall. A thick carpet covered the floor, and the entire lobby was extremely quiet; even the sound of Shirakawa Shu's wheelchair scraping against the carpet was very faint.

 

Something was a bit strange – the elevator button didn't work, and it was slow to go up.

 

Shirakawa Shu sat in his wheelchair for a while, staring blankly as the elevator went from the 1st floor to the 25th floor, then automatically descended from the 25th floor back to the 1st, passing the 20th floor many times, yet never stopping at the twentieth floor.

 

Shirakawa Shu's jaw dropped slightly.

 

Is the 20th floor’s button broken? This is a bit troublesome.

 

He turned his wheelchair, intending to find the building management's phone number. But just as he turned his head, he saw a man dressed in a building management staff uniform, crouching in front of a decorative fireplace in the lobby, fiddling with something.

 

"Hello."

 

Shirakawa Shu tilted his head slightly, maneuvering his wheelchair forward: "The elevator button on this floor is broken. Are you a worker of this building? Could you take a look? Or perhaps call someone to fix it?"

 

The man was extremely impatient, and without even looking up, he replied: "The elevator button on this floor is broken and can't be repaired temporarily. You'll have to go down one floor yourself."

 

Shirakawa Shu: “???”

 

What nonsense are you talking about?

 

Shirakawa Shu: "Brother, you look at me like this and tell me to ‘walk down on my own’?"

 

The man turned his head.

 

Huh–

 

The man was unusually silent.

 

Because of the man's leaning motion, Shirakawa Shu also saw the small box he was toying with in front of him.

 

Shirakawa Shu raised his eyebrows: "Brother, what are you doing here?"

 

The man subtly shifted his position and said, "I'm repairing the electrical box in this fireplace."

 

Shirakawa Shu gave an “oh”: "Then don't fix that yet, fix the elevator first, I want to go downstairs."

 

The man: "Wait a moment."

 

He stood up and forcefully pushed Shirakawa Shu back towards the elevator: "You stay here for a moment."

 

He then turned around and continued to playfully mess with the gearbox.

Shirakawa Shu: “……”

 

The thing I just saw was a time bomb, right? This guy thought that I’myoung so I’m easy to deceive, right?

 

Although the box looked very much like an ordinary electrical box, those strange wiring routes still clearly indicated that it was ‘not ordinary.’

 

Shirakawa Shu felt that he was truly unlucky.

 

What do I do now? I have nowhere to run even if I want to.

 

After hesitating for a moment, he quietly meowed and took out his mobile phone.

The only option is to ask for help.

 

But behind him, a shadow fell.

 

Shirakawa Shu's whole body stiffened.

 

"Thump–"

 

The back of his head was struck hard, his mobile phone fell to the ground, the young man lowered his head, slumped weakly in his wheelchair, completely losing consciousness.

 

The man frowned, picked up the young man's mobile phone, looked around, quickly pulled the slender young man up, shoved him into a counter next to the fireplace, and then pushed the wheelchair into the restroom not far away.

 

Having finished, he sat up, seemingly unaffected, and returned to the fireplace in the wall, continuing to fidget with the ‘electric box.’

Chapter 25: Chapter 24: The first criminal skill – [Crazy Explosive Expert] (2)

Shirakawa Shu woke up feeling groggy. 

 

He opened his eyes wide in a daze, vaguely seeing the man toying with the time bomb through the slightly narrow gap in front of him. Perhaps having just woken from a coma, his consciousness was still somewhat muddled. Staring at those hands rapidly toying with the road ahead, Shirakawa Shu seemed to vaguely hear a voice–

 

[Ding— Talent ‘Crime Mastery’ activated, is learning the skill…]

 

Shirakawa Shu narrowed his eyes, a mixture of panic and confusion on his face, as if the voice he had just heard was merely an illusion.

 

"Hey? I’m almost finished, I'll come down immediately." The man lowered his voice, which came through the central microphone.

 

"I've thought about it a bit, and I still want to add a few more things, at least to ensure their lives are in our hands."

 

"Okay, okay, it's almost ready."

 

"Don't worry, they absolutely won't find out. I'm just adjusting a few wires, haha–"

 

Shirakawa Shu held his breath slightly, perhaps because the man's words were too provocative. He strained to stay calm, widening his eyes to watch the man's movements, trying to find a way to counteract it.

 

Whether it was a psychological effect or not, he felt as if he had instantly learned many things, as if he had only glanced at them, and those things he had never encountered before were naturally learned. He could even understand intricate routes and complex bomb deployment methods without any instruction.

 

The steps that man did were nothing new to him, he can also do them!

 

That hit might have actually cracked my head.

 

Shirakawa Shu thought, unfortunately, his body was too weak; he didn't even have the strength to move a muscle. Looking around, he felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier–

 

No, I can't sleep… 

 

Cannot…… Sleep……

 

The young man closed his eyes and once again fell unconscious.

 

——

 

"Captain, all the residents in this building have evacuated."

 

Hagiwara Kenji finally took a puff of his cigarette, pulled out a pack from his pocket, and calmly said, "Since that's the case, we can take our time..."

 

Shirakawa Shu gently moved his fingers, slowly withdrawing them as he pondered.

 

That sounds like Hagiwara Kenji's voice.

 

Ah, right. This place was rigged with bombs. As a member of the bomb squadron, Hagiwara Kenji definitely came to dismantle the bomb.

 

“……the mercury column measuring the pressure……modify the red wire……”

 

"Do do do–" Someone outside answered the phone.

 

"Jinpei-chan, what's up?" Hagiwara Kenji laughed as he received the phone call.

 

"Three minutes? That's a bit difficult. This bomb has many traps, and I think the kidnappers are focusing their attention here."

 

"Explosion-proof suit? Haha, that stuff is too hot, I wouldn't even think about wearing it." Hagiwara Kenji chuckled awkwardly, his laughter tinged with a hint of guilt.

 

"You bastard! You don't want to live anymore!" Matsuda Jinpei's furious voice pierced through the mobile phone, so clearly that even Shirakawa Shu at the counter could hear him.

 

Shirakawa Shu was also amused by this guy's laughter, thinking to himself that he definitely needed to teach this guy a good lesson. He suddenly pushed aside the counter and rolled out with all his might.

 

The counter was located right next to the fireplace in the wall, not far away, but because there was always a chair there, and the counter was often empty, basically no one would notice that someone was hiding there.

 

"Thud–"

 

The cabinet door slammed violently against the chair with a loud bang, and everyone stared in astonishment as a thin, frail young man tumbled out from behind the counter. His face was deathly pale, his hair, long from prolonged hospitalization, hung down as he knelt on the ground, his hair almost obscuring his face. The excruciating pain of partial paralysis forced him to half-crawl towards the fireplace, making him look remarkably like a female ghost suddenly appearing to take his life.

 

Some people shouted, some scattered, and it seemed as if everyone's heart skipped a beat.

 

Only Hagiwara Kenji didn't leave the bomb, he was still squatting there, holding up his phone, watching the ‘ghostly’ figure crawling towards him. His mouth almost formed an ‘o’ shape and he couldn't help but exclaim:

 

"Shirakawa-chan!?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei, on the other side, was also startled, and let out another loud roar: "What!? How is that Shirakawa guy there too!?"

 

Shirakawa Shu glanced at the bomb in front of him, his heart pounding with shock.

 

As expected, that guy used a trick!

 

"Shirakawa-chan, how come you're here!?"

 

Hagiwara Kenji felt like his head was about to burn out. Seeing this, the others finally realized that this wasn't some kind of female ghost, but the captain's friend!

 

"No time to explain!" Shirakawa Shu reached out, "Give me a pair of scissors!"

 

The others were all astonished, and quickly intervened: "No, this is too dangerous! Let us take you away from here."

 

Hagiwara Kenji was also startled, staring in surprise at Shirakawa Shu's sudden appearance.

 

Shirakawa Shu's heart burned with anxiety: "The bomb is faulty! I saw making the bomb! Trust me!"

 

"This is not so simple–"

 

An unceremonious team member retorted, "Do you know what you're doing? Are you crazy!?"

 

"This is no joke, quick, have them personally escort him away. This man seems to have some mental issues."

 

Someone tried to pull Shirakawa Shu away, but Shirakawa Shu just looked at Hagiwara Kenji, his eyes filled with a determination and seriousness he had never shown before.

 

Hagiwara Kenji met those pure golden eyes, put down his phone, and said nothing, simply silently taking a small pair of scissors from his clothes and handing them to Shirakawa Shu.

 

He then stood up, using his own body to separate the others from Shirakawa Shu, and shouted loudly: "He's not well! Don't pull him! Let go!"

 

"Hagiwara Kenji, are you insane?!"

 

"Don't touch the bomb!"

 

"What is he doing! That red wire can't be cut! Stop–"

 

Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as they watched this young man, who appeared to have mental health issues, sever the most important thread of the bomb.

 

Immediately afterward, the entire respiratory space came to a standstill.

 

Those who tried to stop Shirakawa widened their eyes, their necks stiffened as if their throats had been squeezed, their mouths agape, unable to utter a word. The others felt their breathing become difficult, almost suffocating.

 

Fortunately, nothing happened.

 

Hagiwara Kenji turned his head and looked towards Shirakawa Shu, a smile appearing on his face.

 

Shirakawa Shu also let out a soft sigh, raised the scissors, and gestured towards Hagiwara Kenji, giving a slight chuckle.

 

But the next second, the countdown screen on the bomb beside him lit up again–

 

“6–”

 

“5–”

 

"The bomb is about to explode!!" a member shouted, making the whole room fall into a chaotic state.

 

“4–”

 

Hagiwara Kenji's face showed astonishment, but his body instinctively lunged forward to embrace the bomb, shouting at Shirakawa Shu:

 

"Protect yourself!"

 

After that, he didn’t hesitate to run in the opposite direction of the crowd.

 

“3–”

 

Shirakawa Shu reached out his hand in astonishment—

 

"Hagiwara!!"

 

“2–”

 

Hagiwara Kenji raced forward with all his might, his eyes filled with unwavering determination to face death. From the moment he gave the pair of scissors to Shirakawa, he was ready. 

 

He completely trusted Shirakawa Shu, but he would never let anyone else carry the weight of that trust!

 

Therefore, if anything unexpected were to happen, he would risk his own life and absolutely would not allow others to be harmed!

 

The further he ran away, the safer everyone else would be!

 

It's just a pity that...

 

“1–”

 

Sorry, Jinpei-chan, Shirakawa-chan–

 

"Beep–"

 

Along with the resounding, haunting beeping sound, everyone crouched down, clutching their heads, preparing to receive the next powerful wave of heat from the explosion.

 

For a brief moment, the entire room fell silent, each face stiffened, their eyes filled with unshakeable grief and terror.

 

Only Hagiwara Kenji’s phone, which had fallen to the ground, echoed Matsuda Jinpei's desperate, hoarse cry: 

 

"Hagiwara!!!"

Notes:

now that you know where the 'crazy explosive expert' came from, what do you think, dear readers? :)

Chapter 26: Chapter 25: “It’s not me who saved everyone, but Hagiwara.”

Summary:

Three good friends, not standing together, because one of them can't walk.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, and the imagined explosion hadn't materialized. Everyone, still anxious, looked up, their faces a mixture of relief and bewilderment at having narrowly escaped death.

 

Hagiwara Kenji bowed his head, staring blankly at the bomb clutched to his chest, the screen showing the number "0", also having a questioning look on his face.

 

He suddenly turned his head–

 

Shirakawa Shu remained seated on the ground, slowly lowering his extended hand, his expression complex yet restrained: "Uh, actually, I wanted to say that I've cut the most important detonator wire..."

 

Therefore, even if the countdown ended, a large explosion was unlikely.

 

For a brief moment, Hagiwara Kenji didn't even know what expression he should be making.

 

He simply held the bomb, maintaining his usual distance from everyone, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Really?"

 

Shirakawa Shu knew that the other person was panicked to the point of being confused, and felt a strange sense of guilt: "You can check it for yourself."

 

Defusing the bomb without wearing an explosion-proof suit? Let's see if you dare to do it again next time!

 

Hagiwara Kenji suddenly remembered that he himself was also an expert, so he quickly bowed his head and carefully examined the wires on the bomb, only then finally breathing a sigh of relief.

 

"Nothing's wrong."

 

He suddenly sat down, perhaps from exhaustion, or perhaps from the adrenaline rush going away that made his legs weak, but he simply smiled at Shirakawa Shu and gave a thumbs-up.

 

"As expected of my Shirakawa-chan!"

 

Shirakawa Shu also gave a thumbs-up, laughing and scolding: "Just wait until Matsuda comes up, then you'll be in trouble!"

 

——

 

A few minutes later, Matsuda Jinpei, breathless, rushed to the 20th floor. He saw the team members who were busy reorganizing their bomb disposal tools, and he quickly advanced, running straight towards Hagiwara Kenji, who was surrounded by them.

 

"Hagiwara Kenji, are you tired of living?!" 

 

Matsuda Jinpei grabbed Hagiwara Kenji by the collar, his fists clenched tightly, his teeth gritted, and his eyes blazed with rage.

 

Having found his way back to the wheelchair and sat down again, Shirakawa Shu immediately grabbed Matsuda Jinpei's arm: "Forget it, you can deal with him later. We have to clean up the scene first."

 

Seeing Matsuda Jinpei's worried and frantic expression, Hagiwara Kenji felt extremely guilty. He raised his hand and solemnly swore: "I'm so sorry. Next time I'll definitely wear it!"

 

Defusing bombs is a dangerous job, but the safety cautions can definitely not be overlooked. This is experience gained through the blood and tears of countless predecessors.

 

This kind of explosion-proof suit, while it can't guarantee survival at the most crucial moment, is indispensable. To put it bluntly, if something bad does happen, it can at least help preserve a roughly intact body.

 

Matsuda Jinpei snickered, wanting to punch his friend in the face, but ultimately didn't land the blow. His expression, however, was extremely unpleasant.

 

Hagiwara Kenji looked at him cautiously: "We still need to finish things here. How about you, Jinpei-chan, take Shirakawa-chan downstairs and wait for me?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei stared coldly at him: "Put on your explosion-proof suit properly and I'll go down."

 

Hagiwara Kenji froze under the intense stare, hastily nodding: "I'll wear it, I'll wear it immediately!"

 

Under Matsuda Jinpei’s sharp – alike a predator hunting its prey – gaze, Hagiwara Kenji, with the help of several team members, properly donned his explosion-proof suit.

 

Matsuda Jinpei, seemingly satisfied, brought Shirakawa Shu downstairs.

 

——

 

After a thrilling and nerve-wracking mission to defuse the bomb, the mission concluded successfully.

 

Shirakawa Shu's face was still extremely pale, but out of concern for his friend, he waited patiently for Hagiwara Kenji to safely come downstairs.

 

Together with Hagiwara Kenji, a team member approached Shirakawa Shu, bowing and expressing his gratitude: "Thank you, and I'm extremely sorry about what happened just now."

 

They meant that they had just stopped Shirakawa Shu's actions, and even suspected that he had mental problems. Afterwards, while cleaning up the scene, they finally understood what had happened.

 

That time bomb had a manually activated detonator added to it, and because there were so many booby traps, they didn't immediately notice the problem. If Shirakawa Shu hadn't suddenly appeared, the bomb would have most likely been detonated at the last minute…

 

Leaving aside Hagiwara Kenji, everyone else at the scene might have also been affected. Some of the team members were so embarrassed that their faces turned red and their ears flushed.

 

Shirakawa Shu, however, replied: "There's no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank your captain. It was him who gave me absolute trust, and you all saw the situation at the time. He was willing to sacrifice himself rather than let you be affected."

 

Shirakawa Shu genuinely felt that he didn't consider himself these people’s saviour, and certainly wouldn't blame them. He was an unfamiliar person who appeared there, no normal person would let him casually defuse such a dangerous bomb. 

 

Only Hagiwara Kenji dared to let him do that. Even from his subsequent actions, it was clear that Hagiwara Kenji was mentally prepared to carry the consequences.

 

So, to put it another way, Hagiwara Kenji was the person that saved them.

 

"Regardless of the circumstances, you deserve this apology and this thank you." One of the team members spoke, and then some people bowed again, then left carrying tools of various sizes.

 

Hagiwara Kenji also came closer.

 

Having just taken off his explosion-proof suit, he was drenched in sweat, his originally half-grown hair plastered to his cheeks. Wiping the sweat from his brow with one hand, he grinned at Matsuda Jinpei: "Jinpei-chan, can I have a piece of paper?"

 

Matsuda Jinpei frowned and snorted, but still pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Hagiwara Kenji.

 

Hagiwara Kenji smiled in acceptance, drawing out the word: "Thank you, Jinpei-chan~"

 

Matsuda Jinpei roared angrily: "Stop that childish behavior! I won't let you off easily, I'm definitely not going to let this go!"

 

He folded his arms, his voice icy: "I've asked the Criminal Investigation First Division. It was the reporters who published the news too soon, which the bomber's accomplice saw. Therefore, he sought revenge on the police and pressed the detonator button."

 

Matsuda Jinpei grew increasingly angry as he spoke, clenching his fists: "I will definitely make those loudmouthed fools pay a heavy price!"

 

He looked towards Shirakawa Shu and asked in a low voice, "Shirakawa, did you see that guy's face?"

 

Shirakawa Shu squinted his eyes and confidently replied: "Although he's covering more than half of his face, I can basically reconstruct his appearance."

 

"Good." Matsuda Jinpei's face darkened, "This can’t be let go of easily. Sooner or later, I'll drag that guy out of the dark."

 

Hagiwara Kenji was still smiling mischievously, putting his arm around Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder, trying to ease the tension: "I'm the victim of this whole thing. Next time I see him, let me take care of him. Jinpei-chan, don't try to steal him from me."

 

Matsuda Jinpei “hmph”ed, glared at Hagiwara Kenji, and used his shoulder to push his friend’s hand away: "Let's see how you behave in the future."

 

Hagiwara Kenji persisted relentlessly: "Okay, let's work together next time."

 

Shirakawa Shu giggled: "Then remember to pay him back for that sneaky attack he gave me. I'm still getting a headache from it."

 

Hagiwara Kenji immediately said: "I should take you to the hospital for a checkup first, just in case there are any lingering effects."

 

Matsuda Jinpei also stepped forward, pushing Shirakawa Shu towards the police car behind: "I'll escort you. You go back and write your self-criticism."

 

Shirakawa Shu agreed: "A ten-thousand-word self-criticism is best, if it's not enough then rewrite it."

 

Hagiwara Kenji reluctantly scratched his head.

 

This is really tragic. Angered both of my good friends at once.

 

He let out a long sigh.

 

Next time… I really won't dare.

Notes:

surprise new chapters... haha i'm supposed to be studying...
anyways that's 5 chapters done! if you found the translation to be different from the past 20 chapters that's because i used a different method to translate these!!! (also i rewrote more so it carried more of my writting style)
probably no new chapter for the next 10 days because my term finals are just around the next week ToT

Notes:

hi!! please call me Misha, I don't mind any pronous!
this is one of my favourite works so I really want to talk about this with someone! I'm not sure if the international community is as interested in this type of story as Chinese people, but I'm really desperate ToT

please comment!! I'd love to hear your thoughts or that you have any criticism for me (this is my first time translating)

update once a few days depending on how many I got done, but probably >=5 chapters

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Misha's Collection of Translated/Translate-related Works