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

Since he and Conan have been living together, it seems reasonable for Shinichi Kudo to ask Conan directly instead of himself...

"I'll have to ask Conan about this later... No, I need to go check on Conan right away!" Ran suddenly remembered that Conan was still in the next room, so she hurriedly said goodbye to Tohru and walked towards the door.

Halfway there, a hand suddenly braced itself against the door frame in front of her.

Then a high school student in a blue suit came into her view.

"Shinichi?!" Ran exclaimed in surprise.

Tono glanced sideways.

So, I guess I really have to go out for a stroll?

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen Shinichi Kudo in his complete form. He was completely different from Conan and looked incredibly cool.

No wonder Xiaolan never easily associates the two of them together.

......

After entering, Shinichi Kudo simply greeted Ran and then quickly walked towards Heiji Hattori and Toru Tono.

"Are you Shinichi Kudo?" Heiji Hattori asked an obviously pointless question.

Shinichi Kudo nodded: "It's me. You're Heiji Hattori, right?"

The two high school detectives looked at each other for a while, feeling a sense of mutual respect.

"Hello, Tohru Tono, nice to meet you."

Tohru Tono couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward to reach out his hand to Shinichi Kudo.

What are those two defeated opponents trying to prove with such profound thoughts?

"Ah, hello, I've heard so much about you." Although they met often, Shinichi Kudo pretended not to recognize him, extended his hand to shake his, and then asked the question the man was eager to know: "Has the case been solved?"

"I have fulfilled my mission," Tohno replied.

"!" Shinichi Kudo was somewhat shocked. It was Toru Tohno who solved the case? He had only just come in, less than two minutes ago.

Shinichi Kudo turned his gaze to Heiji Hattori. "I thought you were a pretty good detective. How did you get so easily defeated by Tohno Toru?"

Hattori Heiji blushed slightly, but the blush was completely hidden by his dark skin.

"...It's true that I'm not as skilled as him." Hattori Heiji couldn't come up with anything else after struggling for a long time. Tohno Toru's speed in solving cases was really too exaggerated. How could he, a paying player, compare with someone who was cheating?

"Just lucky." Tohru Tohno maintained his gentle and humble persona to the end, without showing any smugness to provoke the two detectives.

“You’re still high school students. With a few more years of experience, you might find out the truth faster than I do.”

Shinichi Kudo curled his lip. He remembered that Tohru Tono was only two or three years older than him. What was he pretending to be, a senior?

"It seems I'm still not skilled enough; your reasoning skills are superior to mine," Hattori Heiji sighed. "Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to have a direct confrontation with you, Kudo Shinichi, this time."

"However, I think you're no match for Tohno Tooru, right? It seems the real master detective in Kanto is someone else."

?

A question mark popped up above Shinichi Kudo's head.

Why do you have to drag me into this when you've already lost?

"There's no such thing as winning or losing in deduction; there's only ever one truth." Although he knew it wasn't appropriate for him to say this from his own perspective, Shinichi Kudo still said it to Heiji Hattori.

Shinichi Kudo, like Heiji Hattori, was once obsessed with winning and losing, believing that reasoning should be divided into different levels... But after transforming into Conan, the various setbacks and a series of cases he experienced gradually caused some changes in his heart.

Although he still harbored a stubborn competitive spirit, his desire for the truth and his reflections on how to seek the truth after the Moonshadow Island case overshadowed those less important competitive desires.

Shinichi Kudo hoped that Heiji Hattori could understand these things, so that he wouldn't suffer the same lifelong regret as him...

......

"Shinichi, I was saying—" Shinichi Kudo chatted with the two detectives for a few minutes when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He turned around and saw Xiaolan standing behind him. Although she was looking down and he couldn't see her face, he could seem to see the flames burning behind her...

"How long are you planning to stay this time?" Although Ran was angry that Shinichi Kudo had ignored her, she hadn't seen him for a long time, and Shinichi Kudo looked like he was sick, so she had no choice but to suppress her anger and ask.

“This time… I think…” Shinichi Kudo opened his mouth, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, his bones seemed to tremble, and his muscles felt like they were about to dissolve.

He clutched his heart in anguish and knelt on the floor.

"Shinichi?" Ran looked at him in alarm. "What's wrong with you?!"

Seeing that Shinichi Kudo's forehead was covered in cold sweat and his expression was one of great pain, she quickly ran out of the room, leaving behind only the words, "I'll go and call a doctor for you!"

"Hey, Kudo, you don't look like you have a simple cold." Hattori Heiji looked at Kudo Shinichi's face and thought he looked like he was having a heart attack, which was quite frightening.

"I'm fine... You guys go ahead and make your statements, don't worry about me..." Shinichi Kudo forced himself to endure the pain and walked towards the door.

"Hey..." Hattori Heiji wanted to chase after her to say something, but Tohno Toru grabbed his shoulder.

"There must be a reason why he doesn't want us to follow, right? Let's not bother him."

"Oh...you really are very understanding." Hattori Heiji nodded, suddenly realizing that Tohru Tohno was a really good person.

He turned his baseball cap around, put his arm around Tono Toru's shoulder, and continued talking about the previous topic.

......

After the statement was taken, Toru Tono indeed discovered that Shinichi Kudo next to Ran had been replaced by Conan Edogawa.

The child looked very uncomfortable with a bad cold, so Xiaolan took a taxi and sent him to the hospital.

Speaking of which, Conan is an unregistered resident... How does he get medical insurance reimbursement?

Given how frequently Conan gets sick, if Kogoro doesn't reimburse him, he'll be broke...

Tohru Tohru doesn't understand; there might be some special operation involved. The Kudo family is quite powerful.

Yusaku Kudo is a famous novelist who can get along well even in a place like the FBI. It shouldn't be a problem for him to get medical insurance for undocumented immigrants or to give Conan a verifiable identity.

Chapter 37: What the heck is "Full of Heaven"?

Having shaken off Heiji Hattori's entanglement, Tohno Toru returned to the villa on his own.

The affection between boys of the same age is always so pure and passionate. In just a short chat during a case, Hattori Heiji, who speaks with an Osaka accent, had already regarded him as a good buddy.

It was just pandering to his tastes, saying he liked Ellery Queen's novels based on his impression of the original work... Why keep rambling on and on?

I guess it's because his idol is relatively niche in a world where everyone is a Sherlock Holmes fan, and he couldn't stop talking once he met another enthusiast.

It's like telling Conan that you like Sherlock Holmes.

Perhaps all idol detectives are like this, but the unconventional detective Kogoro Mouri wouldn't be like this.

...No, if I told him I liked Yoko Okino, he'd probably go on and on about it...

......

The next day, Toru Tono, as usual, took out a huge pile of invitations from his mailbox at the same time and sat on the sofa to pick and choose.

These were all sent by the contacts he had built up when he was doing sales, including invitations to various cocktail parties, technology exhibitions, and gatherings.

Although most of the invitations are from Kyoto and are about trivial matters, there may still be invitations related to the case, such as Matsumoto Sayuri's wedding banquet.

Therefore, it is necessary to check it every week.

Unfortunately, Toru Tohno has yet to receive an invitation to directly commission him to solve a case.

Speaking of which, since he came to Beika Town, he has assisted the police in solving many cases, so he should have gained some fame by now, right?

But for some reason, the reporters had no intention of publishing his story in the newspaper.

—Is the title of "Technology Detective" not catchy enough? Impossible. This title should be full of hype, much better than some supernatural event like "Sleeping Kogoro."

Tohru Tono couldn't understand the reporters' thought process. If Shinichi Kudo could be in the newspaper, why couldn't Tohru Tono?

......

Maya Tachibana squatted in a corner of the sofa with her legs drawn up, watching Toru Tono sort through the letters. Unable to contain her curiosity, she went over and helped him read a few letters.

Then, looking disgusted, it shrank back.

"Are you serious about believing this?" Tachibana Maya opened five envelopes in total, two of which had lipstick marks on the signature at the end. "What exactly did you do before...? It couldn't be...?"

"Ugh~" Tachibana Maya looked disgusted.

Tohno glanced at her and couldn't help but say, "When I was little, I didn't know any better. Because I was a minor, I couldn't work, so I fell into the trap of sales in order to earn some living expenses—not the kind of industry you're thinking of."

"This is all karma."

Maya Tachibana raised an eyebrow. "Is the sales pitch you're talking about the one I'm thinking of?"

However, I can understand it for the sake of making a living... As the saying goes, people laugh at poverty but not prostitution. Making good use of one's own resources is also a skill... We are all business people, making money is nothing to be ashamed of.

Tohno could tell from her teasing expression that this person had misunderstood, but he was too lazy to pay attention to her.

He shook the envelope in his hand and found that the letter invited him to attend a press conference of a company called Full Paradise... To be honest, the name of the company sounded familiar, like a game company from a previous life.

The projects showcased at the press conference included...

"Kogoro Mouri's Mystery Mansion?"

Tono Tomo, this game project doesn't look very reliable. Can it really make money?

And with the arrival of Kogoro Mouri's family, the company will soon become a dangerous building...

......

The Mori family was standing in a long line in the lobby of the Mantria Company.

For security reasons, company policy requires that before entering the venue, passengers must deposit their personal belongings, such as suitcases, in lockers in the lobby through the front desk.

Because the press conference was about to start, there were so many people trying to get into the venue that the few tellers at the front desk couldn't handle it all, and long queues formed behind them.

"Honestly... last night you insisted on celebrating early and drank so much." Ran complained to Kogoro, who was leaning against the wall with his head down and looking dejected.

"I only drank five or six cups..." Kogoro Mouri counted on his fingers, "...just gin and vodka..."

Toru Tono, who was passing by, was also surprised to hear Kogoro Mouri say that.

Uncle Mori is quite the player, drinking gin with vodka.

If you don't get drunk, who will?

"Oh, Tousan? You're here for the Full Heaven press conference too?"