Conan: No, why aren't you following the script?

For Kitagawa Isao, sabotaging this case would not be particularly difficult.

However, compared to completing the mission, he had another thing to do...

That is, how can he sabotage the case while simultaneously ruining Ai Haibara's first impression of Conan Edogawa?

This is the thing he absolutely must accomplish right now.

If Ai Haibara were to develop an interest in Conan Edogawa, as in the original storyline, wouldn't he end up with nothing to show for it?

Kitagawa Isao never liked doing things that benefited others, especially when it involved Ai Haibara...

You should know that he's not exactly a magnanimous guy.

……

Before we knew it, it was afternoon.

Bored at home, Kitagawa Isao put all the clothes he had accumulated into the washing machine and finally had a rare opportunity to be alone.

No need to worry about appearance or regular schedule.

He leisurely did his housework until one or two o'clock in the afternoon, when Kitagawa Isao finally opened the door and went downstairs to find a ramen restaurant to solve his lunch problem.

Although he had prepared a lot of ingredients at home in advance, eating at a restaurant was always a much more enjoyable experience compared to those things.

At least he doesn't have to wash the dishes by himself anymore.

"Boss, one tonkotsu ramen, please."

He waved towards the counter, and soon a freshly made, still steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of Kitagawa Isao.

After finishing the battle in the blink of an eye, having eaten and drunk his fill, he calculated the time, took out the few remaining banknotes from his pocket, slapped one of them on the table, and then got up and left.

It was almost time for Teitan Elementary School to let out.

He needs to do this before the Junior Detective League officially begins their operation to have a chance to change the plot.

According to his recollection, at this point, a little boy named Shunya made a request to the Detective Boys to find his missing brother. Then, led by Conan Edogawa, they searched all the way to the counterfeit money gang's hideout near Otoma Station, where they began a series of conflicts with the criminals.

During this time, Ai Haibara witnessed Conan Edogawa's exceptional deductive abilities and his attitude towards the organization, which gradually sparked her interest in him.

Hmph, he's just a reckless brat. Why would he deserve Ai Haibara's attention?

Kitagawa Isao chuckled inwardly a few times, returned to the apartment building, started his car, and sped off to the home of the boy named 'Junye'.

Junye's address was something he had already investigated beforehand.

She lives in Beika Town, has two children, and three generations of her family live together...

With all these factors combined, finding out their exact address wasn't a particularly difficult task for Kitagawa Isao.

After finding a quiet spot to park his car, Kitagawa Isao took a pair of sunglasses from his vehicle, along with a long black trench coat…

……

'Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~'

"Coming, coming! Um, may I ask who you are?"

Junye's mother, who was cooking, heard the doorbell ring and rushed to open the door.

She then saw a man dressed entirely in black, wearing sunglasses, standing indifferently at their doorstep.

"I am a detective,"

Kitagawa Isao taciturnly handed over his disguised business card, "I heard that your young master has been missing for several days. I wonder if Madam has any news of him?"

"detective?"

Junye's mother was somewhat confused. Almost instinctively, she took the business card, and only then did she belatedly realize what was happening. She looked at the other person with a wary expression and asked, "You... how did you know my child was missing?"

"Madam, that's not important..."

Kitagawa Isao chuckled lightly, calmly retrieving his business card. "The important thing is, do you want to know where your young master is?"

"You, could it be that you gave Tatsuya to..."

Tatsuya, naturally, refers to Toshiya's older brother, a member of the high school art club who excels at imitating famous paintings.

Seeing the terrified look on Junya's mother's face, Kitagawa Isao smiled mysteriously and shook his head slightly at her:

“As I said, I am a detective, not a kidnapper, so Madam, you don’t need to worry so much… In fact, I already know the whereabouts of your son, and I came here today to tell you so that you don’t need to worry.”

"What did you say?!"

Upon hearing the news of the birth of her son, Junye's mother was overwhelmed with emotion. This seemingly ordinary housewife had her two sons as her entire world.

She had initially assumed her son was murdered after seeing that the police had made little progress over the past few days, but she never expected this...

Overwhelmed with emotion, Junya's mother quickly wiped away her tears and looked at Kitagawa Isao with a face full of excitement:

"Um... Detective, I really... I don't know what you need us to do right now? Or do you need us to pay you any kind of reward?"

"No need for payment. I'm not interested in these things. The police will be here to investigate you later, so please cooperate as usual. I'm just here to let you know in advance. You will be able to see your son by tonight at the latest. Please make sure to prepare a sumptuous dinner for him to calm his nerves."

(To all the students in the comments section: In this situation, how much money can you possibly get before even finding the person? It's easy to be misunderstood as a scam. Obviously, not asking for money creates an air of mystery, which makes it easier to proceed with the next step. Seriously, I'm speechless. This isn't a lack of social experience; it's a lack of emotional intelligence.)

"Yes, of course..."

Junye's mother nodded vigorously. Although she still didn't know who this young detective in black was, since he said he could bring her son back, he probably wouldn't pose any threat to them.

He doesn't take the opportunity to extort money, nor does he expect gratitude from them; he might just be someone who helps those in need.

As for the police who will be coming to investigate later...

Junye's mother had actually received the news a long time ago, but now that Kitagawa Isao mentioned it so casually, she had some guesses in her mind.

I had heard that the Metropolitan Police Department had a bad reputation, and many cases were solved with the help of detectives in Tokyo.

Perhaps this young detective is one of them, and seeing that the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation has made little progress, he wanted to secretly step in and help solve the case.

However, I've heard that there are quite a few young officers in the Metropolitan Police Department now, and their relationship with the detectives isn't very harmonious; it seems there's a lot of backstabbing and infighting going on behind the scenes...

Otherwise, when the police arrive later, she shouldn't mention that the detective is helping her, right?

If this causes the young police officers to become resistant and less attentive when handling cases, that would be very bad...

Although Kitagawa Isao had promised to bring her son back safely, Junya's mother still felt that it was better to be prepared for any eventuality, as this was a matter of life and death.

In dealing with people, it's always good to be tactful and considerate of others' feelings...