"Brother Heimen, what happened?"

Conan peeked out of the doorway and looked at Haruya Kuromon, who was standing alone in the hallway.

The premise of investigating the incident is to gather intelligence. He originally planned to start with the easy-going old man, but when he passed by the stairwell, he accidentally heard a suspicious voice. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Brother Heimen.

Heimen Yaoye lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought: "On my way back just now, I saw a guy dressed as the Dark Baron, acting suspiciously."

"Dressed up as the Dark Baron..."

Conan noticed the difference in their descriptions. If it were his father in disguise again, Kuromon should have been able to recognize him. The fact that he could distinguish between the two meant...

"It's because this Dark Baron has some distinct differences."

“That’s right,” Kuromon Haruya affirmed. “The level of detail in that disguise is nowhere near as good as Mr. Yusaku’s. Besides, I always felt that the actor playing that role was rather restrained and reserved in his movements.”

Conan nodded and deduced, "That guy might be the organizer of this detective tour. Is he pretending to be the Dark Baron to set up a mystery for us?"

"I'm afraid it's more than that. Shinichi, I think that guy seems to have his eye on you."

Haruya Kuromon led Conan to the spot where they had been standing, showing him the situation they had just witnessed:

"Didn't I go to the bathroom to wash my hands earlier? When I came out, I saw a suspicious figure trying to sneak up behind you, but he was very alert and immediately pretended to be passing by after he noticed me coming out, and went upstairs."

"So that's how it is!" Conan exclaimed in realization. "I thought you were really intimidated by my mom and Ran, Kuromon-kun."

Haruya Kuromon smiled and patted Conan on the shoulder: "Of course I trust your abilities, Shinichi."

"However, Fujimine-sensei did consider forcibly taking you away back then."

Although Yukiko Kudo has now married Yusaku Kudo and taken her husband's surname according to Japanese custom, Haruya Kuromon, as a junior in the photography world, still refers to her by her original name, Yukiko Fujimine, as a sign of respect.

"I don't know why the organizers chose me as their target."

With a confident and smug smile, Conan said expectantly, "But doesn't this also mean that we detectives and the truth are heading in the same direction?"

Click click click.

Upon hearing the camera shutter sound, Haruya Kuromon smiled apologetically, set the modified mode to silent, and then continued taking pictures.

At first, Conan would get angry and protest against this behavior, but now he's gotten used to it.

It's just taking pictures, there's really nothing to be surprised about once you get used to it. Kuromon's technique is really good, he always manages to bring out the wisdom and handsomeness hidden in his young body.

After seeing those photos, Ran even changed the picture of the two of them from her phone's background... I really don't understand, is Shinichi Kudo not as attractive as a brat?

Having already developed a natural flair for the camera, Conan changed poses a few times and remarked:

"Heimen, you really love taking pictures. No wonder you rented a separate room to store them."

"Because beautiful moments should be captured immediately."

Haruya Kuromon nodded to indicate that the photo was taken, and followed Conan toward a man passing by in the distance.

"There's a saying that goes, 'You can't step into the same river twice,' so I might as well bring some bottles to fill up the river water."

"That's a really interesting perspective."

The man had a distinctive long face, and his slightly long, black bangs covered his right eye, giving him a somber and aloof appearance. He clearly recognized Conan, and carrying a laptop, he stepped forward to introduce himself:

"Hello, I am Shiro Konno, and like this little brother, I am a member of the detective tour group."

"Hello, I'm Conan's friend, my name is Kuromon Haruya, I'm just an ordinary companion."

Shiro Konno pressed the Enter key and looked at the recorded time on the screen. "His reaction time to the questions and answers is 1.08 seconds. He seems to be a very sharp assistant."

"After all, a photographer needs to precisely capture the beauty of a fleeting moment," Kuromon Haruya explained, raising his camera with a composed yet assertive attitude, standing beside Conan.

"He's hardly an outside helper; my assistance would be too much of a game-breaker. Don't let his small size fool you; he's got a head for brains that rival any adult!"

Conan seized the opportunity to continue the conversation and launched an investigation: "Uncle, are you also here to find that computer virus thing?"

"Little brothers, don't you understand?" Konno-sensei's tone was noticeably better, seemingly because of Kuromon Haruya's slow reaction time.

"There was once a virus program that could infiltrate the databases of major companies, causing damage and theft. Because this virus appeared and disappeared mysteriously, just like a phantom thief, the industry nicknamed it the Dark Baron."

To prevent Conan from misunderstanding, Shiro Konno added, "Anyone who understands computer programming has basically heard of it."

After a moment's thought, Conan tilted his head and asked curiously, "Uncle, did you come here because your computer was also infected by this virus?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

These words were like chopsticks piercing his throat, or his toes hitting a corner of a wall—a precise strike right into the heart of a minefield. Konno Shiro pointed directly at Conan's nose and shouted:

"Satomi was not defiled by that piece of crap program!"

"S-Satomi?"

Conan blinked, completely bewildered by what this person was saying and why he suddenly seemed so angry, as if he had been scolded!

“Rimi is the name of my mother who died last year.”

Warninged by Kuromon Haruya's unfriendly gaze, Konno Shiro realized that there was a guardian present, so he couldn't lash out. "Show some respect. I don't want to hear any more slander against her."

Watching Shiro Konno walk away with his notebook in hand, whispering sweet words of comfort, Conan felt a chill run down his spine.

"Seriously, how can someone name a computer after its mother?!"

“But Shinichi,” Kuromon Haruya crouched down and patted Conan’s head, then looked away, “the question you just asked was really hellish.”

If he hadn't felt guilty, things would have been fine. But now that he did, Conan felt like he had actually told someone a truly hellish joke.

Just as Conan calmed down and began to doubt himself, he heard Haruya Kuromon whisper in his ear:

"So tell me, was his computer hacked or not?"

"what?"

Conan turned his head and looked at the person next to him with a scrutinizing gaze, who might truly have a perverse sense of humor.

As Kuromon Haruya was deep in thought, pondering the clues, she noticed Conan's silence and looked up at him with a clear, innocent gaze:

"Because, if the treasure this tour group is trying to unlock is that virus program, then besides us, the unexpected replacements, there are only a few possibilities for why the organizers gathered so many people:"

1. An attempt to resell the program on a large scale again in order to make money;

Second, having obtained a clue, they wanted to use this opportunity to acquire the virus;

Third, in order to investigate the truth about the virus and its perpetrators.

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