Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

Kaori Nakahara's brain went blank for a second.

Realizing her fear, a scream escaped from her throat as Kaori Nakahara scrambled towards the bathroom and locked the door securely.

She suddenly knelt down on the floor, shrinking into the corner of the bathroom, hoping the small space would give her a sense of security.

What it is?

Kaori Nakahara's mind spun awkwardly under fear. She bit her tongue hard to bolster her courage with pain, but she still couldn't think calmly.

She looked around and found that the small bathroom was relatively safe, so she slowly stood up, pressing herself against the wall.

Suddenly, a cold sensation pressed against my temple.

Kaori Nakahara remained frozen in place, half-standing, not daring to move an inch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark gun barrel.

Seeing that she had stopped moving, the man with the gun pinched her cheek with one hand and gently twisted it, forcing Kaori Nakahara to turn her head and look at him.

The black metal mask revealed no emotion.

Kaori Nakahara felt a chill run down her spine; her legs trembled uncontrollably due to the bizarre posture and the fear in her heart.

Seemingly sensing her fear, the man in black made no further moves.

He simply shoved something into Nakahara Kaori's wide-open mouth.

"Remember, we are everywhere."

After leaving behind a cold, metallic voice, the man in black flicked his cloak and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Kaori Nakahara knelt on the ground as if all her strength had been drained, panting heavily.

It took a long time for him to regain his mobility, and then he realized that there seemed to be something in his mouth.

She opened her palm and spat the foreign object into it.

They found a completely black bullet and a piece of paper with a blue six-pointed star drawn on it—with a long string of bank card numbers written on it.

Kaori Nakahara stood there for a moment, then suddenly jumped up and rushed out of the room.

She ran downstairs, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Mihua Bank.

Kaori Nakahara sat in the taxi, listening to the driver's incessant ramblings, and only then did she feel a little more at ease.

Even if it means taking out a small loan, I have to pay it back as soon as possible.

It's so scary.

......

"Do you understand?" Tohno Toru flew back to the rooftop and found Tachibana Maya still staring blankly at the monitoring tablet he had given her.

"What's wrong?" Tohno nudged Tachibana Maya before she realized what was happening.

Maya Tachibana turned around and saw it was him. She composed herself, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't: "..."

After a long silence, she finally asked her first question, "...How did you create those scary effects?"

“It’s very simple, just a normal signal jammer.” Toru Tono thought Maya Tachibana was making a fuss over nothing. “Add this thing.” He pulled a projector-like object out of his pocket.

Portable Projector: A projector manufactured using a special process. It has a built-in sand table model and can simulate and project specific virtual scenes by inputting simple information.

Maya Tachibana took the item from Toru Tohno, tried it out, and found it to be somewhat magical.

Seeing that she was quite curious about these things, Tohno Toru simply took off his mask and cloak and stuffed them into Tachibana Maya's hands.

“Inherit my mantle, young lady. Just scare these people who are planning to skip out on their bills, just like I did, and collect the debts.”

"But be careful not to do anything that could kill someone—if you scare other customers and cause the products to go unsold, I will hold you responsible."

"So your daily job is to control the mechanical cat to run around and then come over and scare people?" Tachibana Maya, who had witnessed the whole thing, had a lot of complaints to make.

"If simply scaring her can achieve the goal, why not do it?"

"The problem is, what if the target is a ruthless and desperate criminal? They won't fall for that."

“The method will definitely vary from person to person. Desperados have very obvious physical and personality traits. First of all, I would most likely not sell things to such a high-risk target.” Toru Tono shared his experience with Maya Tachibana. “If you unfortunately encounter one who has slipped through the net, then first test him forcefully while ensuring your own safety. Generally, if he is not too obsessed, he will know that we are not easy to mess with and will most likely choose to pay money to avoid trouble.”

"If you encounter someone who is absolutely stubborn, you'll have to deal with them using special methods."

"I can't let others think I'm easy to bully, right? You know what I mean."

Maya Tachibana nodded thoughtfully.

"Actually, under normal circumstances, I can sell dozens of orders and not encounter a single customer who defaults on their payment... There's not much workload involved, so you don't need to worry too much."

"I'll give you my delivery robot cat later. You can use it for deliveries." Toru Tono yawned as he walked downstairs. "Since you're staying at my place, your primary job is definitely to protect my safety." Of course, that means acting as a lookout.

Can I trust you?

“Of course.” Tachibana Maya smiled. “My brother is waiting for you to figure something out.”

......

Tono House.

Tohno Toru delegated some of his work to Tachibana Maya and finally got a few good nights' sleep, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

He sat on the sofa and glanced at the calendar, discovering that today was the day Sonoko had invited him to her villa for Ayako Suzuki's class reunion.

With Conan, Ran, and Sonoko involved, this should be the beginning of a certain case.

Tohno Toru ate a pancake that Tachibana Maya had made, then got dressed and prepared to go out.

He only found out that Tachibana Maya was actually a pretty good cook after she moved into the villa.

Good, we're finally living a normal life.

Tohru Tohno gradually realized that hiring Tachibana Maya was a wise decision.

Not only is it free, but it's also incredibly cost-effective.

Chapter 23 Whose Mummy?

Tono Toru drove his Wuling Guang minivan with difficulty through the woods and arrived at Sonoko's villa.

He slammed the car door shut, then crouched down to inspect the tires, finding they were already worn to some extent.

Toru Tohno sighed and took out the intact spare tire from the trunk to change it. The mountain road was bumpy, and he needed to ensure the vehicle was always in optimal condition.

After all, the tire blowout rate of cars in this world is unusually high. If you break down halfway and have to change a tire, it would be much more troublesome than it is now.

Toru Tohno suddenly regretted not being a passionate car enthusiast before he transmigrated; if he had, he could have modified a Lamborghini himself.

Unlike now, where you can only modify small parts on the car and don't dare to be too blatant.

......

Tohru Tono arrived in front of the villa and looked at the suspension bridge connecting the two sides of the cliff leading to the villa. He felt that this kind of frequent visitor to the snow-covered mountain villa would hardly escape in this case.

He was just about to reinforce the poor suspension bridge when he saw that the villa gate on the other side had been opened and someone was waving at him from the doorway, "Tousang, over here!"

Tohru Tono could only wave back in response, quickening his pace.

Well, even if it's reinforced, it probably won't stop criminals from killing it. I'll just silently light a candle for it in my heart.

......

After crossing the suspension bridge, Toru Tono quickly arrived at the villa's entrance. He stepped onto the steps and asked, "Am I late?"

"No, not at all~ The timing was perfect." Sonoko happily reached out and shook his hand.

...In Japan, do friends shake hands when they greet each other? Toru Tono doesn't seem to have heard of such a custom anywhere.

"Hehe..." Conan, who had witnessed everything from the entrance hall, let out a relieved laugh.

He and Xiaolan arrived at the villa half an hour ago, but Yuanzi still complained that they were too slow.

If it were Toru Tono, who arrived even half an hour late, it would have been just right...

And why would you shake hands with someone for no reason?

Conan couldn't bear to look and turned away, his back looking somewhat lonely.

When will I, Shinichi Kudo, receive this kind of treatment?

......

Sonoko led Tono inside and found everyone sitting around a table drinking afternoon tea.

"Oh, it's perfect that everyone's here." Sonoko introduced Tohru Tono and Ayako Suzuki to their university film club members and friends, and also gave him a seat.

Tohru Tohno shook hands with everyone and patted Conan on the head, thus establishing their acquaintance.

"This is my older sister, Ayako Suzuki, Toru-san, you know her." Sonoko mentioned her older sister at the end because she remembered that Toru recognized her because she had met Ayako before.

Toru Tono looked at Ayako Suzuki and nodded in greeting.

Ayako Suzuki has squinty eyes and looks very strong.

However, her actual personality is very gentle and easy-going, unlike the typical eldest daughter of a wealthy family, which fits the common person's imagination of the term "lady of a prominent family".

From this perspective, while the Suzuki family's education may not be considered exceptionally good, it certainly isn't bad either.

Both heirs, Ayako Suzuki and Sonoko Suzuki, have the kind of personalities that make it difficult for them to double the family fortune, but also difficult for them to squander it all.

For a behemoth like the Suzuki Group, it's probably fortunate that the heir can manage to stay stable and not squander the family fortune.

......

Ayako Suzuki didn't really remember who Toru Kiyono was, but that didn't stop her from pretending to know him.

Moreover, Tohru Tono's face is very distinctive; she has a slight recollection of him.

I think I saw him at a banquet in Kyoto?

As the heiress of a conglomerate, Ayako Suzuki has attended countless social events and met people of all kinds, from princes of a duchy to commoners who accidentally sneak into banquets.

But in reality, there aren't many people she should remember.

Well, if it's a friend of Sonoko, then it counts.

As Sonoko's older sister, she was naturally aware of her younger sister's infatuated nature.

Therefore, she approaches the opposite-sex friends that Sonoko brings with a selective mindset—she will intervene early to exclude those with ulterior motives who are unsuitable to become the son-in-law of the Suzuki Group from Sonoko's social circle.