I don't want to be an elf!

Although this senior is rigid and short-tempered, he is undoubtedly a very reliable and considerate senior who cares about his comrades.

To date, the Armed Detective Agency has helped Atsushi Nakajima thwart several arrest attempts by the Port Mafia.

Although there were several very dangerous moments, and I almost lost my life while trying to protect myself, I managed to get through them all without serious injury.

Even though the Armed Detective Agency isn't as large as the Port Mafia, it has the advantage of having more elite members who work together seamlessly.

Having been a member for some time, Atsushi Nakajima had a general idea of ​​the Armed Detective Agency's strength.

"But this time..."

Atsushi Nakajima swallowed hard, and looking out the window at the Tokisaki Kurumi and her entourage that filled almost the entire street, he became even more terrified.

How many clones are there besides the main body?

There are already twenty visible to the naked eye, and there are probably even more clones hidden in the shadows.

Each of them has the exact same superpower as Tokisaki.

Not only can it fire energy bullets that are completely undefendable, but it can also fight in the air and sneak into the shadows to launch surprise attacks.

Atsushi Nakajima looked around at himself.

With Dazai Osamu and Fukuzawa Yukichi temporarily absent, and Miyazawa Kenji and Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, two important combatants, unable to return for support in the short term due to being away on a mission, the only company members currently by his side are himself, Kunikida Doppo, Yosano Akiko, and Edogawa Ranpo.

Four superpowered individuals versus at least twenty superpowered individuals?

Not to mention that Yosano Akiko's ability is a medical type, so she can only use a machete for physical attacks in battle. Edogawa Ranpo's ability is a deductive type, so he has no combat ability at all, and we have to send someone to protect him at the start of the battle!

Based on this calculation, the Armed Detective Agency only has two usable combat personnel!

What Nakajima Atsushi could think of, Kunikida Doppo could naturally think of as well; his furrowed brows revealed his current anxiety and unease.

Atsushi Nakajima clutched his clothes tightly, so desperate he could hardly breathe.

Why does it have to be me?

What did I do to provoke such a behemoth as the Port Mafia?

After being kicked out of the welfare home, I finally found a warm place to stay, but why am I being targeted again?

"Dun, don't overthink it."

Kunikida Doppo placed his strong hand on Nakajima Atsushi's shoulder: "You are a member of the Armed Detective Agency, and we will never abandon you."

“But, Mr. Kunikida, how are we supposed to fight off so many clones, and the Nightmare itself?” Atsushi Nakajima asked in a trembling voice. “If the entire Detective Agency were here, we might have a chance to win, but with Mr. Dazai, President Fukuzawa, Mr. Tanizaki, and little brother Miyazawa not around, how are we supposed to fight them off?”

Kunikida Doppo opened his mouth, but could not give any answer.

Even he was helpless in the face of this situation.

Kurumi Tokisaki chose the perfect moment to attack the Armed Detective Agency, leaving them with no chance to resist.

"Mr. Ranpo, do you have any ideas?"

Unable to find a way out of the impasse, Kunikida Doppo could only look to the Armed Detective Agency's ace with his last hope.

At this moment, Edogawa Ranpo's mind was racing.

Countless possibilities intertwined, and with his powerful reasoning ability and the limited information he possessed, they ultimately coalesced into a plan.

A direct confrontation is definitely not an option.

Even if everyone's abilities are used to the maximum extent, it is still impossible to overcome the overwhelming numerical superiority.

Therefore, he only has one choice left.

"Are you willing to believe me?" Edogawa Ranpo opened his eyes and looked solemnly at the people around him.

“Of course, Mr. Ranpo is the ace of the detective agency, and we will never doubt any of your decisions,” Kunikida Doppo replied.

"I'm just a doctor. I'll leave the brain-teasing stuff to you. You tell us what to do, and we'll do it," said Yosano Akiko, who was carrying a machete.

“Everyone believes in Mr. Ranpo, so naturally I believe in Mr. Ranpo as well.” Atsushi Nakajima nodded with difficulty.

"Very good, I will lead you out of this deadlock...in the end."

Feeling the trust from his companions, Edogawa Ranpo took a deep breath.

He took the megaphone from Kunikida Doppo and went to the window.

Countless eyes were fixed on him, and under immense pressure, he shouted, "Nightmare! Let's talk!"

"There's nothing to discuss. I only want Atsushi Nakajima."

“I know, that’s why we need to talk.” Edogawa Ranpo licked his dry lips, gritted his teeth as if he had made up his mind, “If you can agree to our demands, the detective agency can give up resistance and hand over Nakajima Atsushi to you.”

"Oh? That's interesting."

A strange smile appeared on Tokisaki Kurumi's lips.

"Then let's talk."

Chapter 75 The Deal with the Detective Agency

Having received a formal invitation, Kurumi Tokisaki slipped through the window of the Armed Detective Agency from the outside.

She herself hadn't expected that the Armed Detective Agency would have the audacity to invite her into their office.

For them, facing such a numerical disadvantage, shouldn't they hold their ground and wait for reinforcements?

If they can wait for the members who went out to return, or for reinforcements from the Special Abilities Agency to arrive, their chances of winning will increase.

However... even if you add some more to a zero win rate, it's still almost zero.

It seems that Edogawa Ranpo also realized this, which is why he decided to negotiate with Tokisaki Kurumi.

She wouldn't mind giving Edogawa Ranpo a chance to speak.

Ultimately, she never wanted to kidnap Nakajima Atsushi. The reason she had to take the initiative today was because Mori Ougai had given her a final deadline. In order not to fall out with this cheap boss, she reluctantly came here.

Initially, her plan was to wait until the group themselves came to Yokohama so that she could complete the second side quest.

In addition, if the group can come to Yokohama as she plans, it will be of great help to her in completing the main mission.

The fastest way to complete the main quest and become Yokohama's nightmare is to leverage the influence of the group.

But the current situation doesn't allow her to continue slacking off, so she has no choice but to abandon the first option and switch to the second.

They kidnapped Nakajima Atsushi, first appeased Mori Ougai, then applied to be his bodyguard escorting him to North America, and then beat up all the members of the group once they arrived.

Since she can't form a group, she'll go to the other side.

Although it's more troublesome and the risks are much higher, and you might encounter attacks from people with unknown superpowers in a foreign country, it's still better than failing to complete the mission.

As for the main quest, she would have to find other ways.

Therefore, when Kurumi Tokisaki attacked the Armed Detective Agency today, she truly had no intention of holding back.

But Edogawa Ranpo has come up with some solution in this desperate situation. If he can offer a deal that benefits Tokisaki Kurumi, she might agree.

"So, Mr. Edogawa, what would you like to talk to me about?"

Kurumi Tokisaki sat gracefully in front of the Armed Detective Agency members, ignoring the weapons in their hands, and asked calmly.

At the same time, she had already prepared for the possibility of switching places with her clone.

If this is part of the Armed Detective Agency's plan to trap them like turtles in a cage, she will show these detectives through her actions that tricks are useless.

When Kurumi Tokisaki heard Edogawa Ranpo's suggestion, she planned to send in a clone, which would be safer. Even if the clone was destroyed, it would only take a little more time to summon it again.

After all, if it were her original body that died, then it would truly be game over.

However, she thought again that the Armed Detective Agency was not a criminal organization like the Port Mafia that made killing a daily activity. In the story, they had never killed anyone, not even bad guys. There was no danger for her to go to the appointment in person, so she came in person.

"Nightmare," I'll get straight to the point.

Edogawa Ranpo's face was devoid of its usual playful smile, replaced by a solemn expression bearing the weight of his comrades' lives: "Your target is the North American supernatural organization, the Guild, right?"

Upon hearing this, Kurumi Tokisaki's eyes twitched slightly.

How come everyone knows my goal is to form a group?

Mori Ōgai guessed it, and you deduced it too.

I don't think I've leaked much information to you guys. It's understandable that Mori Ougai guessed it, since we've been together for so long, but I've never even met you. How did you deduce that?

Kurumi Tokisaki was speechless. Although she knew about Edogawa Ranpo's abilities, she didn't expect him to be able to do this.

Edogawa Ranpo's special ability, or rather, what others perceive as his special ability, is called Super Deduction.

However, what outsiders don't know is that Edogawa Ranpo actually doesn't have any special abilities.

In this armed detective agency full of superhumans, he was the only ordinary person who could be described as having no physical strength whatsoever.

Hyper-reasoning exists, yet it does not exist.

Because his so-called super deduction is not a special ability, but merely a simple skill.

The reason Edogawa Ranpo is considered the greatest detective of this century is not because of his exceptional abilities, but entirely because of his reasoning and observation.

In this detective agency filled with anomalies, Edogawa Ranpo is the most unusual of all the anomalies.

"His reasoning ability is so bug-like, now I can only hope that one day he won't figure out that I'm a time traveler."

While praying silently, Tokisaki Kurumi nodded in agreement, acknowledging his statement: "Yes, my goal is indeed the group."

"Ever since Mori Ōgai assigned you the task of capturing Nakajima Atsushi, you haven't carried out a single mission, which already struck me as odd. Today's surprise attack was because Mori Ōgai gave you a final deadline, right?"

"As you said."

"You originally planned to drag things out until the group came to Yokohama to arrest them, but now you have to change your plans and prepare to arrest Atsushi Nakajima and use him as bait to lure the group here?"

"Generally speaking, that's correct."

“In that case, I have a better suggestion.”

"Appreciate further details."

“Our Armed Detective Agency wants to know why the group has put a bounty on Atsuko. I can take the liberty of handing Atsuko over to you, but you must tell us which transport ship Atsuko will take and from which route. We will intercept it en route and rescue Atsuko.”

"Hmm...not bad plan. In this way, I have completed my mission, Mori Ougai has received the bounty, you have rescued the man-tiger, and only the injured world of the duo is finished."

Kurumi Tokisaki nodded slightly and continued, "The group that received the news that Atsushi Nakajima had been kidnapped will be furious after losing both his person and his money, and will rush to Yokohama immediately. In this way, my goal will also be achieved."

An agreement was reached with Edogawa Ranpo, which not only ensured that the group would come to Yokohama as in the original story, but also allowed Tokisaki Kurumi's initial plan to continue.