Detective Conan: The System Takes Me to Zero's World

The warm sunlight penetrated into Room 204, casting a soft glow on the furnishings inside and making the temperature inside milder.

Ogasawara Ryo also sat on the sofa, staring at the tightly wrapped man across from him, and laughed heartily: "Why are you still dressed like this? With the hat pulled down so low and the mask covering half your face, do you really think you can hide it from anyone?"

"I'm so annoyed. I don't want you to mind my business!" Kondo Hideho pulled off his mask, his tone full of impatience, but he still lowered his voice to ask, "By the way, as long as I pay, can you really delete those photos and data in front of me?"

Ogasawara Ryo also pulled a calculator from his briefcase and tapped the keys rapidly. He then turned the screen towards him and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Of course! But you have to pay this amount."

"Fifty, fifty million?!" Kondo Hidefuji's pupils suddenly shrank. "Didn't they say twenty million before? How did it suddenly double?"

"The market has changed," Ogasawara Ryo said nonchalantly, leaning back on the sofa. "You're known as the 'Old Tanuki of the Political World,' so you should be able to come up with this little money, right? Just send it here before I check out tomorrow at noon. I'm staying at this hotel anyway, so I'll be waiting for you anytime."

Kondo Hideho's face paled and sank. "Got it. Is there any ice water in the fridge? I've been talking for so long my throat is practically smoking."

He stood up and walked towards the minibar.

The frosted glass door of the bathroom was not closed tightly, and the conversation in the living room leaked into the gap. The sound of running water actually served as a cover, allowing her to hear every word about "50 million" and "photos".

Kondo Hidehide left clutching the bottle of ice water. Ten minutes later, there was another knock on the door.

Domoto Kyosuke pushed the door open and saw Ogasawara Ryouya sitting on the sofa. Just as he was about to speak, he was stunned by the offer he made. He froze in place: "Fifty million... This is too far from the amount we agreed on, right?"

"I can't help it." Ogasawara Ryoya folded his arms, his eyes fixed on the back of his chair. "I lost a fortune in the stock market and I'm desperate to fill the hole. Of course, you can refuse if you want. If your 'private photo' is published on the front page of tomorrow's sports newspaper, it will definitely be a big deal. By the way, you are staying at this hotel too, right?"

"Yeah." Domoto Kyosuke subconsciously clutched the corner of his clothes. "I don't know what happened, but the front desk said they couldn't find my reservation record. I just had a quarrel with them."

"That's perfect." Ogasawara Ryo also raised his chin slightly. "Just think about it slowly in this room and give me an answer before noon tomorrow."

"Wait a minute—" Domoto Kyosuke stared at the numbers on the calculator screen. Suddenly, he bent over, holding his stomach, his face instantly drained of color. "Can I use the restroom? I just had half a bottle of iced coffee on an empty stomach while arguing with the front desk staff, and now I'm having a severe stomach cramp."

"There's a bathroom in the room, use it." Ogasawara Ryo also waved his hand and complained casually, "The female companion who came with me is taking a shower in the bathroom. It's too slow for her to take so long."

The bathroom door clicked open.

Nomura came out wrapped in an off-white bath towel, holding a dry towel in her hand and wiping her wet hair, the ends of her hair still dripping with water: "Sorry, I was delayed a while adjusting the water temperature just now. I kept you waiting."

Domoto Kyosuke almost stumbled into the bathroom, and the door panel hit the door frame with a dull sound.

Ogasawara Ryo also glanced at the closed door and sneered at Nomura: "Look at how flustered he is, it seems like he is really scared."

Nomura put the half-wrung towel on his arm, turned around and walked towards the bedroom to change clothes.

After a while, she changed her clothes and came out, carrying a canvas bag, and waited for Ogasawara to get ready to go out together.

The bathroom door was pushed open again, and Domoto Kyosuke's voice tightened: "I'll go back and think about it first. I will give you an answer before noon tomorrow."

Without waiting for a response, he walked out the door and his footsteps disappeared in the corridor in an instant.

"He's sensible." Ogasawara Ryo also stood up and tapped the table with his knuckles. "Let's go to the restaurant downstairs to eat something."

Nomura Rina put on her canvas bag and took his arm. When they walked side by side to the street, she sighed softly, "I never thought that a photo like that could fetch so much money."

"That's a real treasure photo." Ogasawara Ryoya chuckled.

"But didn't the editor-in-chief stop it long ago? He clearly said it couldn't be made public." She paused, her brows furrowed slightly. "And they even asked us to write that inexplicable letter of guarantee."

"The letter of guarantee is just a formality." He waved his hand nonchalantly. "The photo was only used as a threat, not to be published."

Nomura Rina's fingertips tightened, her nails digging into his arm: "You've made such a huge fortune, isn't it time to split it with your wife? We..."

"I'm sorry." Ogasawara Ryo interrupted her, his tone suddenly colder. "I just had a second child a while ago. I won't divorce until the child grows up—at least for another four or five years."

"It's just like that!" Nomura Rinna suddenly shook off his arm, anger welling up in his eyes, "No wonder you haven't been with me lately, so this is why!"

She bit her lip, her tone full of resentment at being deceived, "Since you choose this, I also have my own way."

"Hey, hey, don't rush into any harsh words." Ogasawara Ryoya raised an eyebrow and mocked, "Are you going to send our photos to my wife? Forget it, I've already gotten rid of those in your phone."

"It was you who did it!" Nomura's voice rose, and his knuckles clenched the canvas bag strap tightly.

"But I still have some in my phone..." Ogasawara Ryo also reached into his inner pocket, but his fingertips only touched empty fabric.

His face instantly darkened, his fingertips fumbled in his pockets repeatedly, and he cursed under his breath: "Oh no, I forgot my phone in the room!"

Just now, Nomura Rina was changing clothes in the bedroom. He casually put his cell phone on the bedside table. His mind was full of Domoto Kyosuke's compromise, and he forgot to take it with him.

The sweet aroma of snacks still lingered in their noses as Kudo Yuki and her group of five slowly walked along the hotel corridor to digest their food.

"The high tea just now was so delicious!" Mao Lilan gently held her cheeks with both hands, a satisfied smile in her eyes, and her tone was full of aftertaste, "Especially the scone, with the clotted cream, it melted in the mouth. I still feel happy when I think about it now."

Suzuki Sonoko came over and agreed, her fingertips gently tapping her chin as she recalled, "That's right! The silver tray, the three-tiered dessert stand, even the tea spoons are exquisite. I finally got to experience authentic British style. I must take a picture and post it on WeChat Moments to show off when I get home."

Sera Masumi, hands casually tucked into the pockets of his slacks, walked a half-step ahead. He glanced sideways at the two of them. "If you like, you can learn more about the background next time. High tea was invented by working people in 19th-century Britain. It was originally used to alleviate evening hunger, and later it gradually developed into the sophisticated style it is today."

While everyone was chatting, Kudo Yuki's gaze quietly passed over Sera Masumi's shoulder and fell on the corner of the corridor in front.

She paused, her brows raised slightly. "If I remember correctly, if I turn a corner, it should be Room 204 that the receptionist mentioned, right?"

Conan paused when he heard the words "Room 204." He looked up at Sera Masumi, who was walking in front of him, with a searching look in his eyes behind his glasses. "So... can you remember where you saw that journalist? Do you have any new clues?"

Sera Masumi slowed down his pace, a look of annoyance on his face. "I've been trying so hard to think of it the whole time, but my mind is like a fog. If I could get some specific hint, like a certain scene or action, maybe I could remember it."

Kudo Yuki's gaze inadvertently swept across the red fire hydrant on the side of the corridor.

His gaze fixed on the outline of the fire hydrant, and a sense of familiarity crept into his heart: "The layout of this corridor, the location of the fire hydrant...why does it all resemble a scene I stumbled upon before? That's how Mr. Wuwu had been hiding in a similar corridor, quietly observing Machun and Aunt Mary from a few meters away, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity of emotions."

Almost at the same time, Sera Masumi's eyes also fell on the fire hydrant.

To be more precise, it was the small white alarm icon printed on the side of the fire hydrant. That icon was like a key, instantly prying open the floodgates of her memory.

The blurry fragments in my mind suddenly became clear: "Alarm bell! Yes, that alarm bell! Last time, outside another hotel, when an emergency occurred and we needed to disperse the crowd, Ogasawara Ryo was holding up his phone, filming the crowd non-stop. The reflection from his sports watch on his wrist caught my eye!"

As soon as the thought came to his mind, Sera Masumi's pace became hurried. He immediately turned around and ran towards Room 204.

The hands that were originally in his pockets also dropped down, and his fingertips were slightly clenched, obviously eager to confirm a certain guess.

"Sera?" Mao Lilan was startled by her action and subconsciously took a half step forward, her face full of confusion. "Why did you suddenly run? What happened?"

Sera Masumi didn't look back, but quickened his pace. A voice came from the front, with a hint of deliberately concealed urgency: "I, I left something in the restaurant just now!

It seems to be the notebook next to the seat, I have to go back and get it! Sister Xue, please come with me and help me look for it! "

Sera Masumi didn't look back, but quickened her pace: "I, I left something in that restaurant just now! It seems to be a notebook left next to the seat, I have to go back and get it! Sister Xue, please come with me and help me look for it!"

Conan noticed something was wrong: [There was a flaw in Sera's tone. Who would run so fast if they forgot to take something?]

He looked at Mao Lilan, winked at her secretly, and moved his lips silently: "I have to go over and take a look. There must be something wrong. You guys go to the front desk and wait for us first. Don't wander around."

Kudo Yuki took advantage of the moment when Mao Lilan was still in a daze to speak, trying to keep her tone natural: "Sonoko, Xiaolan, you two go to the front desk and wait for us first. I'll accompany Shiliang to get the things and then come to find you, so that you don't have to wait here too long."

Mao Lilan didn't think much about it. She looked at Shiliang's gradually receding back and nodded gently: "Okay, then you can go quickly and come back soon. We will wait for your news at the front desk."

After saying that, he pulled Suzuki Sonoko, who was still muttering "Why is the notebook so important", and walked towards the front desk at the other end of the corridor.

"Room 204, right here - the journalist's room." Masumi Sera put his fingertips against the door, his voice firm.

"By the way, why did you follow me?" She put her hands in her coat pockets, leaned forward slightly, and her eyes fell on Conan beside her.

Conan had his usual chuckle on his face, but his tone was serious: "I do mind this matter very much."

Ogasawara Ryo also hurried over, his tone somewhat anxious: "You are the one just now... Do you remember me?"

"Of course, my memory is not bad. Besides, I am a detective after all," responded Sera Masumi.

Ogasawara Ryo also quickly took out the access card from his pocket and stuck it on the door lock. After a light "click" sound, the door opened.

"Detective... I just came back to get something I forgot to bring. Please wait for me for a moment." As he said this, he turned sideways to enter.

Waiting was like a stretched cotton thread, and the room was abnormally quiet.

Conan rubbed the edge of his watch with his fingertips, frowning slightly: "He has been in the room for more than ten minutes, isn't that too strange?"

"Something is indeed not right." Sera Masumi ran his fingertips across the phone screen, glanced at the time, and raised his eyebrows.

Nomura Rina didn't say anything more. She immediately took out her spare access card and placed it on the sensor area. "Then let's go in and confirm the situation." As she pushed open the door, her voice was somewhat tentative: "Hey, are you in there?"

Conan's phone suddenly vibrated.

He lowered his eyes to look at the lit screen, and said in a lighter tone: "It's an email from Sister Xiaolan."

"It seems that they are worried that you, the 'little devil', have been running around for too long." Sera Masumi slightly bent the corner of the Spring Festival couplet, her tone full of ridicule.

Nomura Rina's scream pierced the air: "Wow-!"

Kudo Yuki rushed in and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Nomura's face was pale, and his fingers trembled as he pointed at the desk in the back of the room. His voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper: "There, there..."

The three of them looked in the direction of her finger - there was dark blood on Ogasawara Ryōya's forehead, and he was lying on the ground, one hand still tightly gripping the wheel of the stool.

Sera Masumi immediately squatted down to check for breath. After a moment, she withdrew her hand and said in a deep voice, "It's no use. She's dead."

"How could it be..." Nomura Rina's voice was trembling so much that it almost fell apart.

Conan's pupils suddenly contracted, and all the ease on his childish face instantly faded, replaced by a solemnity far beyond his age.

He squatted half a meter away from the corpse, his eyes scanning every detail on the ground.

There were scattered pens, a notebook opened to a certain page, and the stool wheel that the deceased was holding tightly in his hand. There seemed to be faint fingerprints on the metal surface.

To be continued...