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

Heiji Hattori's eyes were deep and serious, and he looked even sharper than when he was in Tokyo.

However, these were things that Kitagawa Isao didn't care about at all.

Anyway, he has already done what he needed to do, so he has nothing to worry about now.

After politely greeting Osaka Black Chicken, the group exchanged a few more pleasantries downstairs at the art museum. Then, led by Masato Nishino, they arrived at the top floor of the museum to Shiro Suzuki's room.

Here, several invited guests had already arrived and were sitting at the table talking to Shiro Suzuki. When they saw Kogoro Mouri and the others arrive, they quickly stood up and were introduced to them by Shiro Suzuki.

The 51-year-old Shiro Suzuki was a fat man with a build similar to Professor Agasa. Although he was Japan's richest man, he had a kind and amiable smile on his face and was not pretentious at all. After pulling Kogoro Mouri to sit down, he began to introduce the other guests present.

“Mr. Mori, this is Mr. Siryuev, the secretary of the Russian Embassy; this is art dealer Inui Shoichi; this is Ms. Pu Siqinglan, a scholar of the Romanov dynasty; and this is Mr. Hanchuan Long, a freelance photographer.”

With a few simple and convenient words, Shiro Suzuki then introduced Kogoro Mouri, Ran, Conan, and Heiji Hattori to everyone. However, when it came to Isao Kitagawa, Shiro Suzuki hesitated a little upon first meeting him.

However, Sonoko took over the conversation, saying, "This is Isao Kitagawa, a friend of Detective Mouri, and also a very skilled detective."

These were naturally just polite words from Sonoko. Kitagawa Isao hadn't handled any well-known cases yet, and his record was quite mediocre, so she could only start by talking about his friendship with Kogoro Mouri to avoid making the atmosphere awkward.

Even so, Kogoro Mouri's status as a friend was enough to make the people in front of them take him seriously. After all, if we were to compare, the connections behind this top detective in Japan would leave most people speechless.

After chatting for a while and confirming the next preparations, the guests soon left to rest under the guidance of the secretary.

At this moment, Masato Nishino also brought over the alley containing the Egg of Memories, and Kogoro Mouri and the others gathered around and sighed again.

"By the way, Mr. Suzuki, is there any progress on the announcement regarding Kaito Kid?"

Hattori Heiji, being impatient, only glanced at the Egg of Memories a few times before grabbing Suzuki Shiro and asking him about the current situation.

Facing the son of the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief, Suzuki Shiro couldn't be presumptuous. After answering a few questions honestly, everyone quickly started making guesses.

After just a few words, there was still no clue whatsoever.

In the end, they had no choice but to temporarily follow Kogoro Mouri's suggestion and set the time for Kid's operation around midnight.

……

In the afternoon, Kogoro Mouri wanted to take Isao Kitagawa to discuss things with the police again.

However, Kitagawa Isao said that he was not very knowledgeable, so he stayed with Haibara Ai for the time being and left with a few young people.

Their destination was the nearby Hotei Shrine, where fortune-telling slips are said to be very accurate, and several girls wanted to try their luck.

As expected, Ran and Ai Haibara both drew a "Great Fortune" card, while Conan Edogawa received a "Small Fortune" card.

Looking at the slip of paper that foreshadowed the exposure of his identity, Conan Edogawa's expression couldn't help but turn somewhat grim.

But Kitagawa Isao, seeing his conflicted expression, suddenly had a thought.

He seemed to have come up with a way to earn more reward points...

"What's wrong? Kitagawa-kun, aren't you going to give it a try? I see you standing here in a daze. Are you worried that you'll draw a bad lot, so you're afraid to try?"

While Kitagawa Isao was lost in thought, Haibara Ai, who had received the Daikichi (a lucky charm), came to his side with a light laugh.

The fortune slip that Ai Haibara just drew was excellent. It not only predicted that everything would go smoothly for her in the future, but it also mentioned some of her romantic fortune.

So, while the little girl was in a good mood, she also came over and teased Kitagawa Isao a few times.

Kitagawa Isao, however, was oblivious to this. Still absorbed in his own plans, he simply said, "I'm not interested in these things like seeking divine guidance. After all, fate is in our own hands. If we ask the gods for our fortune, wouldn't that be a denial of the results of our own efforts?"

Kitagawa Isao originally just going to give a perfunctory reply, because due to his background, he still had some reverence for such talk of ghosts and gods.

If I were to reveal my true identity at this time, things would get very complicated.

However, Kitagawa Isao did not expect that his unintentional perfunctory words would fall into Haibara Ai's ears, and the little girl's mood would suddenly become a little bad.

"Should we take our own destiny into our own hands? But if someone is already cursed by fate, will their efforts really be of any use?"

It's obvious that Ai Haibara was thinking about her own situation.

As someone who was forced to immerse herself in darkness from birth, Ai Haibara always had a pessimistic view of her fate. In addition, when she was in the organization, her parents were often gossiped about behind their backs.

Suddenly, her mood became heavy again, wondering if she could escape the organization's pursuit.

However, before Ai Haibara could think any deeper, a large hand gently stroked her head, slowly massaging it with a very gentle touch.

Startled by the sudden action, Ai Haibara quickly looked up and saw Isao Kitagawa smiling at her.

"No one can ever be certain about fate, but I have heard an old saying, 'Man can conquer nature.' I have never heard of anyone giving up hope as soon as they are born. Besides... life is full of variables, so who can make a premature judgment about their own fate?"

At this point, Kitagawa Isao squatted down and looked directly at Haibara Ai.

"Ai, I know you've always had some negative thoughts because of your background, but don't forget, you're not alone in this world anymore. I've become your family. No matter what happens in the future, I'll face it with you, so you have to be strong."

"Um……"

Ai Haibara smiled gently, feeling a warmth in her heart, but she didn't forget to slap the guy's large hand away...

……