Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 770: The reputation is always there
As if choked by this sarcastic remark, while Kyogoku Makoto was brainstorming, Karasawa, who had been protesting, fell into a brief silence.

After laughing a few times in triumph, Adachi Toru was still not satisfied, and took advantage of the victory to continue, saying, "Although your friend caused me to lose my job, by some strange coincidence I got the opportunity to return to Tokyo. That's great, Karasawa-kun. But I'm actually hesitant about whether I should return to Tokyo. It's not bad to stay in the countryside of Kyoto. What do you think?"

These words seemed to sting Tang Ze all of a sudden. It was almost visibly that the boy walking in front slightly bent his back and curled up.

"I, that's not what I meant..."

After a few seconds of silence, Tang Ze replied with something with struggle, but because his voice was not loud, Kyogoku Makoto, who was a few steps away, could not hear it clearly.

He took two steps forward and was about to continue listening to the conversation between the two, but he saw the man in the black suit changed direction and forcefully pulled Tang Ze around the street stalls and towards another fork in the road where there were few pedestrians.

After leaving the bustling crowd, the difficulty of following the two people increased suddenly. There was a high possibility that he would be noticed by the two people in front of him, which made Kyogoku Makoto pause and hesitate.

Just as he stopped, Adachi Toru, who had been holding his arm around Tang Ze's shoulder, suddenly turned around.

He pulled down his sunglasses, revealing his raven-blue eyes. His gaze was accurately fixed on Kyogoku Makoto. He looked him up and down with a considerate look, and then smiled kindly at the stunned Kyogoku Makoto.

Staring at Kyogoku Makoto, he was still talking to Tang Ze in a gentle tone, as if he was really using his life experience to teach the young man.

"Don't be like this. Didn't we get along very well before? As for why I went back to Tokyo... After going through so much, don't you understand, Tang Zejun? If you want to live a stable life, it's better for people to stay out of other people's business."

Clearly sensing the hidden meaning of his words, Kyogoku Makoto frowned, but ultimately stopped trying to follow him.

Although he felt that the atmosphere between the two of them was very subtle and he always felt that it might not be safe to let the boy named Tang Ze be taken away by the other party, but since he had been discovered, as a stranger, he had no position to follow him further.

Facing Adachi Toru's seemingly gentle gaze, Kyogoku Makoto stood where he was, watching the two of them disappear around the corner of the street in an almost hostage-like posture, and could not help but clench his fists.

Damn it, this feeling of knowing something bad might happen but being unable to do anything...

Taking a deep breath, he turned around, quickened his pace, and headed towards the hotel.

His pace became faster and faster, and soon it was almost running.

He had no right to get involved in the grudges of a stranger, but the others who came with that boy definitely did!
----

As soon as he turned the corner, Matsuda Jinpei's full-powered hermaphrodite state instantly dissipated.

His posture changed from carrying Tang Ze forward to half leaning on Tang Ze. He adjusted his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and sighed complainingly: "Oh, I'm so tired. The lines you designed are really embarrassing."

Jinpei Matsuda, who fully understood the character but had not yet found his acting sense, used the conversation ideas sorted out by Keimitsu Morifushi for the previous dialogue.

Simply put, Toru Adachi is a nihilist who speaks and acts with an indifferent attitude and has no expectations for the future.

However, in order to survive in the world and to barely integrate into this identity and environment that he does not like, he will maintain basic social etiquette and deal with his current life with a negative attitude.

This is not a typical bad guy, but a typical rotten guy, with an alternative arrogance and madness in his bones. Let alone acting, it took a lot of effort for Jinpei Matsuda to accept this logic.

"The acting is quite realistic." Tang Ze commented, "In fact, he could have been a little more reserved. If it were Adachi Toru, he wouldn't normally be so sharp when speaking, and would be more like a corporate slave who's been beaten down by life. However, there's nothing wrong with the lines today. It's not surprising that he would show a bit of arrogance when facing me, the 'victim' he easily defeated."

Matsuda Jinpei thought about it for a moment and answered honestly, "I think I understand a little bit, but I don't think I understand at the same time."

"Like your father." Tang Ze said bluntly.

Feeling that Tang Ze was a bit rude, but unwillingly realizing that he had found an idea in an instant, Matsuda Jinpei: "..."

"Okay, what happened?" Looking at the choked look of Matsuda Jinpei, Tang Ze suppressed the smile on his lips and asked seriously, "Didn't you say we would meet in the afternoon? Why did you rush to see me just after noon?"

Moreover, it was Jinpei Matsuda who was forced to do it at the last minute, using an unskilled pseudonym to find a reason to take him away directly.

If it was just a minor problem, they would definitely choose to let Noah come over to inform them and be done with it.

"Oh, it's the one driving the car, uh, his name is Asai-kun." Matsuda Jinpei shook his head, getting rid of the image of Asai Narimi dressed as a city beauty from his mind, and said seriously, "He said that he felt that the 'atmosphere' nearby was not right."

"Atmosphere? What atmosphere?" Tang Ze frowned.

They would come to him specially to save the situation, so this description must be closely related to the cognitive world.

"The atmosphere 'over there'." Matsuda Jinpei nodded his sunglasses. "I felt it a little bit, too. It's a bit weird. Do you want to take a look for yourself?"

Tang Ze opened his "third eye" as he was told, and an alternative vision appeared in his field of vision.

There was no bright color prompt in front of him, but a fine and dense red mist suddenly surged up, causing Tang Ze to dodge back involuntarily.

"We feel something is not right. Perhaps it is related to the serial murder case you mentioned before you set out." Matsuda Jinpei pulled Karasawa who was shrinking back. "Ms. Shimabukuro Kimie said that this might be a kind of... murderous intent? Anyway, the world over there must have changed a little."

Tang Ze, who had never seen this scene but had experienced two outrageous island owners, nodded thoughtfully.

"She's probably right. That guy must have killed more than one or two people."

----

"Tang Ze! Are you okay?"

After helping Matsuda Jinpei to adjust his disguise and discussing Adachi Toru's situation and the murderer's profile, it was more than an hour later that Karasawa returned to the Wawu Ryokan.

As soon as he walked through the door, Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran, who were pacing anxiously in the hall, immediately rushed over, grabbed his arms one by one, and turned him around, as if to make sure that he was indeed intact.

"If it weren't for the kindness of the guy in the hotel, I wouldn't have known that you seemed to be unhappy after leaving with him." Suzuki Sonoko put her hands on her hips and said dissatisfiedly, "If you didn't want to be alone with him, you should have found an excuse to refuse. We will definitely stand on your side!" "What can I do..." Tang Ze asked back pretending to be confused, and at the same time cast an inquiring look in the direction of Kyogoku Makoto.

A dark-skinned boy, whose upper face was blurred by thick glasses, was wiping the table at the front desk. Feeling Tang Ze's gaze, he pushed his glasses up as if to calm himself.

This was a bit beyond Tang Ze's expectations.

According to his understanding, Kyogoku Makoto is indeed a strong and upright person, but looking at the few scenes in which he appears, he can be considered a love-brained person.

He does fight against evil and does have a sense of justice, but most of his actions are for Suzuki Sonoko.

It’s not that he is not a just and enthusiastic person, but his world is indeed quite pure and narrow, and cannot accommodate anything other than his goals.

Tang Ze was not surprised that as a man who appeared around Suzuki Sonoko, he would be targeted and followed by Kyogoku Makoto. However, he was still quite surprised that Kyogoku Makoto would overcome his shyness and go directly to Suzuki Sonoko just because he witnessed a scene where he seemed to be threatened.

It turns out that people cannot be categorized with simple labels.

"But, it seems like you and that policeman are not getting along very well." Mao Lilan was still worried, and as she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Conan who was approaching quickly.

In her eyes, who didn't know that Conan became smaller because she got close to him and offered herself to be killed, the reason why Kudo Shinichi became like this was the shady case involving Karasawa.

Now a strange policeman who seemed to know Tang Ze suddenly appeared, it was hard for her not to think too much in that direction.

Conan obviously thought so too.

"That policeman seems to be very familiar with you, Brother Tang Ze." Conan prepared himself mentally before he faced Mao Lilan's gaze and asked in an innocent tone, "Is he a friend you knew before?"

"…He was a policeman I met in Kyoto." Tang Ze sorted out his words and said ambiguously, "Because of the case, um, that case, he had some contact with me."

Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran didn't have any special reaction, but Conan suddenly became alert.

Tang Ze's case was a complete frame-up, but because the perpetrators spared no expense, they spent a lot of manpower and material resources on this case, and even tampered with the memory of Tang Ze, the victim himself, causing the entire case to be like a ball of wool with no end found.

Even with the assistance of Hattori Heiji, even with the help of many forces, unless Tang Ze completely gives up his identity and starts a new life in another place, this stigma that affects his entire life will be firmly pinned on him and accompany him for the rest of his life.

The other party fabricated a false case of injustice through illegal means. They want to overturn it, but they can only confront it head-on using legal means. This is very unfair, but this is the current situation.

Hattori Heiji tried his best but couldn't find any people involved in the case, but this guy suddenly showed up and as soon as he appeared, he set his target on Karasawa.

If Toru Adachi is related to that case, his identity would be very suspicious.

"Don't be like this, I'm fine." Tang Ze showed an open-minded smile, "As for Mr. Adachi...it's normal for him to have a problem with me. I can't blame him, probably."

"Hmm?" Suzuki Sonoko nasally said in confusion, "Is he the police officer involved in your case? But you are the one who was wrongly accused, why would he have a problem with you?"

"Because, Kudo-kun and Hattori-kun are trying to overturn my case. He was implicated and punished. He lost his public office and was dismissed from the police force." Tang Ze blinked and threw out the prepared script in an orderly manner. "There's nothing I can do about it. Who made me arrested by him?"

"what?!"

----

"You didn't let him notice me at noon, was it because that person was related to the organization?"

Conan was holding the fairy wand that was forced into him by Mouri Ran and shaking it to light up the stars. Seeing Tang Ze sitting aside and looking very relaxed, he suddenly asked.

The fireworks display had already begun. After the excitement had passed, Suzuki Sonoko, who still wanted to hook up with a handsome guy, dragged Mao Li Ran to visit the stalls without saying a word.

So Conan, who might be a bit of a hindrance, was handed over to Karasawa, who was also a bit of a hindrance, and was placed on the viewing lawn as a left-behind child.

Therefore, he finally had the opportunity to carefully question this new character who suddenly appeared.

Logically, there doesn't seem to be any big problem with the appearance of this former policeman. It is the detective who lost his job and went to Izu to relax. But deep down, he always felt that it was no coincidence that this person met Tang Ze.

If his and Hattori's reasoning is correct, this is another police officer who is suspected to be related to the organization...

Now that they have been infiltrated by the organization to this extent, can we really still keep these police officers?

"...I don't have any evidence, but I do suspect this." Tang Ze nodded, having been prepared. "He was the police officer who arrested me. That's what my memory tells me. But you've also heard what Okita said. It's very likely that I was directly controlled by the organization that day."

Conan nodded, feeling that Tang Ze's statement was consistent with his own thinking.

It is reasonable for Souji Okita, who has a good relationship with Tang Ze and is probably one of his few close friends in the past 18 years, to lie about this issue. The biggest possibility is that there is something wrong with Tang Ze's memory, and what Souji Okita saw was the truth of that day.

But if this is the case, then Adachi Toru, the arrester in Karasawa's memory, appeared in front of him so naturally according to the image and identity in Karasawa's memory, as if he really was the one who arrested Karasawa. This is a big problem.

"Not only that," Tang Ze added fuel to the fire before Matsuda Jinpei had a chance to officially appear, "In my memory, he was also the one who mainly used violence against me."

It's not entirely a lie.

The policeman who was dug out by Hattori Heiji and captured by Amuro Toru was indeed the image in Karasawa's memory.

Then it's okay to let Toru Adachi, who replaced him, take the blame, right?

"A-choo--" Not far away, Jinpei Matsuda, who was spreading a picnic blanket outside the RV with the members of the Phantom Thieves, sneezed loudly.

(End of this chapter)