Conan and Gin are both my brothers, what's wrong with meeting them once?

Chapter 416 Accompanying Someone Shopping and Delivering a Soul

Not only was Fusae Kinoshita excited, but Professor Agasa's expression was also somewhat moved.

He hadn't noticed anything wrong when Fusae walked over while he was sitting there, but when Fusae sat down and looked at him directly in the eye, and saw her somewhat familiar hat, Professor Agasa's heart skipped a beat.

This Ms. Kinoshita stirred up a long-ago memory for him.

When he was in sixth grade, he met a girl who was afraid of dogs. That girl liked to wear a hat like this, and she would pull the brim down very low.

The two were good friends for a while, but unfortunately the girl suddenly left.

Now that I think about it, that girl's hair was also a light blonde...

Dr. Agasa was moved by Fusa's hat and hair color, and couldn't help but fall into memories.

Before he could finish recalling, he heard Fusa ask his name again in a somewhat excited tone.

He looked up and could see the excitement and nostalgia in Fusa's eyes.

In that instant, Professor Agasa's heart inexplicably jumped into his throat.

This Ms. Kinoshita... could she be his old friend?

I wonder if she has a family now...

"Oh, it's Professor Agasa?" Fusae quickly composed herself and nodded to Professor Agasa. "Would it be convenient for you to have a cup of coffee with me after this is over?"

Even though we're in a coffee shop right now, why ask that? It's obvious they want to be alone together.

Before Professor Agasa could decide whether to agree, Kazuma Kudo said, "There shouldn't be any inconvenience, right? Anyway, you'll be doing your research alone at home anyway. As for Ai, I can help take care of her."

Having understood the meaning behind Kazuma Kudo's words, Fusae's eyes also held a hint of anticipation.

Dr. Agasa scratched his head: "Alright, if Ms. Kinoshita doesn't mind, then I'm fine with it too. Let's discuss the cooperation first."

When it came to cooperation, Fusae suppressed her surging emotions and looked at Kudo Kazuma: "President Edogawa, may I ask you a question first?"

After receiving Kazuma Kudo's approval, Fusa asked curiously, "As far as I know, after Bond was released, Kurosawa Software Company has been thriving and is in a period of great prosperity."

"Furthermore, it seems that your Kurosawa Software Company recently reached a cooperation agreement with Suzuki Advisor of the Suzuki Group regarding mobile phones, which has been widely reported in the newspapers."

"Under these circumstances, why would President Edogawa venture into businesses that have absolutely no connection to electronics and software?"

Kazuma Kudo glanced at Ai Haibara beside him, then chuckled, "Everyone has ambitions, right? Since we have talent and research plans in this area, we shouldn't waste them, should we?"

“I know that my sudden shift to such a distant industry seems like it could easily lead to trouble, and it’s understandable that President Kinoshita would be worried.” He took out a packaged box of skincare products. “So, I don’t plan to succeed on the first try regarding the collaboration.”

"This meeting is just to get acquainted. By the way, these are some skincare products we made. President Kinoshita should have heard of them from Ms. Hatsue Hiramoto, right? Consider this a small gift. You can use them for testing or analysis."

"It's not too late for us to discuss cooperation once you have a sufficient understanding and trust in our products."

This time, Kudo Kazuma didn't utter a single word of nonsense; everything he said was his true intention.

Anyway, the skincare products are made with high-quality ingredients, and their effects are definitely better than most skincare products on the market. Plus, with Dr. Agasa involved, this collaboration is inevitable.

As for this time, it's purely to help Fusae and Professor Agasa get together, and I'll just send them a set of skincare products as a side thing.

Fusa accepted the skincare products, and after briefly learning about some related matters, the business was considered finished.

After the business was finished, Fusa's assistant went back to the car to wait for her.

Meanwhile, Kazuma Kudo took Ai Haibara for a stroll.

Not all of Beika Hotel is for accommodation; at least the second and third floors have many upscale shops.

The third floor, in particular, has a number of luxury and high-end products, including a store of the Fusa brand.

"Let's go to the Fusa Hui boutique on the third floor. If there's a bag you like, I can buy one for you and use it to offset your wages."

Ai Haibara was speechless: "If you don't want to buy me a bag, you don't have to give it to me, but you can't deduct it from my salary."

"Alright then, let's put it another way." Kudo Kazuma shrugged. "Go upstairs to Fusae and see if there's a bag you like. You can buy one with your own salary."

Haibara Ai:"……"

She glared at Kudo Kazuma and headed towards the stairs, only to find a sign at the top of the stairs that read "Anniversary Sale, Half-price Cake All You Can Eat!"

Below the sign, a large arrow indicates the location of the shop.

When Kudo Kazuma saw the sign, his eyes lit up immediately.

Ai Haibara grabbed him: "No! Let's go upstairs and take a look around first. At least we have to check out our partner's specialty store, right?"

"That works too. We'll come down for cake after we buy the bag."

Kudo Kazuma readily agreed and walked with Haibara Ai up the other escalator to the third floor.

Of course, the real reason he readily agreed was that the cake shop was just too crowded—the queue stretched from the shop entrance all the way to the stairwell.

Although Ai Haibara said she "at least had to visit the partner's specialty store," she actually visited more than just Fusa's store.

There are quite a few designer handbag boutiques on this floor. Anyway, judging from the long line at the cake shop, they probably won't get to eat there. Why don't they hurry up and browse a few more stores to see if there are any handbags they like?

After browsing through several luxury stores on the third floor, Ai Haibara returned to Fusa's boutique, picked out the bag that she liked best after looking around, and went to pay for it.

Kudo Kazuma leaned against the window, bored, waiting for someone while glancing outside every now and then. In the parking lot downstairs, someone was backing up their car.

Then, in a moment of distraction, he saw a figure fall through the large glass window in front of him with a "whoosh" and a loud thud.

"Holy crap, what fell down there?"

Kudo Kazuma looked outside and saw a person lying slumped in the parking space on the ground, with blood flowing from beneath the person, and a black spiritual energy slowly dissipating from the person's body...

Kudo Kazuma was filled with awe.

Does this work?

Is it possible to give away a spirit while accompanying someone shopping?

Unfortunately, he probably won't be able to eat the cake...

The next second, screams rang out; it was the trio who had been reversing earlier.

Ai Haibara, having just paid the bill, hurried over: "What happened?"

"A murder case." Kudo Kazuma shrugged. "Let's go take a look."

If he were on the second floor, he could have barely reached that wisp of spirit, but unfortunately he was on the third floor, so he could only go down to take a look.

As Ai Haibara followed him quickly downstairs, she asked curiously, "How do you know it's a murder? It fell from upstairs; maybe it was suicide?"

Kazuma Kudo shrugged, unconvinced.

With Conan around, how could it be suicide?

Wait, Conan is here, right?

He stopped and carefully sensed it...

Then, in a confident tone, he said to Ai Haibara, "It certainly wasn't suicide."

After all, death is nearby.

The two of them, along with Ran, Sonoko, and a security guard, arrived at the crime scene almost simultaneously. Conan had already arrived before them.

A middle-aged woman wearing a green cardigan pointed to the top floor and asked, "Look, who is that?"

"Just now... there was a suspicious figure on the roof..."

Kudo Kazuma couldn't help but glance at her; this old lady was the one who was really suspicious, wasn't she?

He couldn't see anyone even with his eyesight. Was this woman deliberately misleading him?

Although the deceased's soul appeared drunk, during the occasional moments when he was lucid, his suspicious gaze always fell upon the woman in the green dress.

So she really is the murderer, right?

Without any special abilities, Conan didn't think about that for the time being, and simply asked in a deep voice, "Do you remember what that person looked like?"

"I...I've seen that dress before...or maybe it's someone I know..."

"Ran-neechan, you should notify the police as soon as possible, and then monitor this place with the security guard. Don't let any unauthorized people get close." Conan glanced at Kudo Kazuma and Haibara Ai who had followed him, and then looked at the trio who were backing up. "Because we need to go to the rooftop with these guys to take a look."

After absorbing the soul of the deceased, Kudo Kazuma squatted down and asked Haibara Ai, "What about you? Are you going up with me, or staying down here?"

Ai Haibara glanced at the top floor: "I'll stay down here. Maybe the Doctor and the others will come over in a bit."

When Conan heard them mention Dr. Agasa, he remembered that Kazuma had been discussing a collaboration with Fusa today, and it seemed to have happened right here.

Kudo Kazuma, Conan, and the three who were backing up immediately headed towards the elevator at the Beika Hotel.

While waiting for the elevator, Kazuma Kudo asked curiously, "Auntie, are you sure you saw someone upstairs?"

The woman in the green shirt looked bewildered: "Yes, yes, what's wrong?"

After entering the elevator, Kudo Kazuma gave her a thumbs up: "Your eyesight is really good. You can see people that none of us can see."

The woman in the green shirt frowned: "What do you mean by that?"

Kazuma Kudo spread his hands: "I'm praising you, don't you understand?"

The woman in the green dress clearly understood the sarcastic meaning behind Kudo Kazuma's words, and snorted unhappily before falling silent.

Conan, however, had already subtly focused his attention on the older woman when Kazuma Kudo mentioned eyesight—indeed, out of so many people, only this woman noticed someone on the roof? That was very suspicious…

Conan was leaning against the elevator wall, pondering the suspicious points of the case, when he heard a "ding" and the elevator arrived. Then, there was nothing behind him, and he stumbled backward.

If Kazuma Kudo hadn't caught him in time, Conan probably would have fallen to the ground.

This elevator actually has double doors, one at the front and one at the back.

Conan thought he was leaning against the inner wall of the elevator, but he was actually leaning against another door. When that door opened, he almost fell to the ground.

After Kudo Kazuma picked up Conan, he came out. The other two members of the three who were backing up also came out. However, the woman in the green clothes clung to the elevator door frame, looking worried and scared, and refused to move her feet.

The plump woman in the purple dress couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Zhouchuan, why aren't you coming out?"

"Please, please let me stay here? I'm a little scared..."

"Isn't that a bit much?" The only man in the trio hesitated. "It's the person Ms. Zhouchuan saw. If you don't go, how will we know who it is?"

"Okay... alright..." The woman in the green dress walked out of the elevator with a troubled look on her face. However, before the elevator doors were about to close, Kudo Kazuma pressed the down button on the outside, and the elevator doors immediately opened again.

"Huh?" Kudo Kazuma leaned halfway into the elevator and asked with feigned surprise, "Who pressed 6 and 2? Ma'am? You've been dawdling in there for so long, were you deliberately waiting for us all to come out before pressing the floor button? Is there some secret to the 6th and 2nd floors?"

Everyone looked at the woman in green, who was now genuinely panicked: "Tell me, what are you saying? Maybe you bumped into me accidentally when you were leaning against that spot?"

Conan immediately said in a high-pitched voice, "Then let's go to the 6th floor and see if there's any secret there!"

"Wait a minute!" The man in the trio looked puzzled. "Aren't we going to check the rooftop? What if that person on the top floor has escaped?"

Kazuma Kudo and Conan exchanged a glance, and quickly made a decision.

Taking advantage of his small size, Conan darted into the elevator and said in his cute childlike voice, "I'll go check out the 6th and 2nd floors first."

Kudo Kazuma shrugged at the group: "We'll handle the situation on the rooftop. Don't worry, if there's any culprit, I'll subdue him."

As the elevator doors slowly closed, the woman in green relaxed her furrowed brows. On the bright side, it was just a small child going to the 6th floor. A child that big probably wouldn't even be able to describe what he saw.

Driven by immense tension and a sense of wishful thinking, Ms. Hirukawa subconsciously ignored how calm Conan had been when he instructed Ran and the others to call the police and monitor the parking lot earlier.

When the four of them arrived at the rooftop, they found it deserted. The only thing there was a black coat resting on the rooftop railing, placed on top of a pair of neatly arranged shoes.

This situation is very similar to what people do when they are about to jump off a building in a TV drama—taking off their clothes and shoes and arranging them neatly.

So the man in the trio immediately spoke up: "This...this is suicide, isn't it?"

The woman in purple asked in confusion, "But who was the figure that Ms. Zhouchuan saw?"

"Perhaps it's this coat? If the wind blows it up, it would look like a person." The woman in green said nervously. "I think I was too nervous and scared, so I misjudged... It's all my fault. It's all my fault for saying those things that drove him to the brink of suicide..."

Kudo Kazuma scoffed, "He didn't commit suicide; it was clearly murder."

"Since you say it's your fault..."

He tilted his head and glanced at the woman in green, then said with a half-smile, "So, can I say that you were the one who killed her?"