The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1024 Smooth Combo

"The atmosphere feels so subtle when they are discussing this person..." Mao Lilan, who was sitting next to them, whispered.

It seems that not only does everyone know about the death of the editor named Akibari, but they all have some opinions about it.

Compared to Zhu Kou Yigui, who had worked with this editor for a long time, the sadness on the faces of the others was more obvious.

"Maybe there is something fishy about his death." Tang Ze replied.

Upon hearing this, Mao Lilan couldn't help but look at him.

Although Mingzhi used the uncertain word "probably", his tone of voice was quite certain, which made her curious.

In addition, the reactions of everyone present were quite strange, especially Zhukou Yiqi's own attitude.

Although his tone was full of praise for the deceased editor, he mentioned the other person's death repeatedly, which was very intriguing. It didn't seem like he was commemorating him at all.

Conan, who had already sent the email, frowned when he saw the reply on his phone.

His father's reputation in the publishing industry must be greater than that of Morokuchi Yoshiki. Naturally, he would ask Kudo Yusaku if he had any news about such a thing.

The answer he got was totally beyond Conan's expectations.

The topic of conversation among the people over there happened to be here.

"Not to mention, Akibaba's death was very strange. Few people would commit suicide like that, right? The police just ruled out the possibility of homicide, so they defined it as suicide." Morokuchi Masuki raised his hand, and the bright light of the diamond ring flickered between his fingers. "For mystery novels, this is a very common and effective entry point."

Anabuki Haruei pursed his lips, Dejima Kakuji gently turned his eyes away, and even the photographer Tarumi Wataru, who had never spoken a word and seemed to be just there to complete the mission, kept his head down and fiddled with his camera, without saying a word.

Tang Ze observed the people present again and felt very sure.

Even if there is someone present who needs to change his mind, that person is not the one who gets the upper hand.

Judging from the death of the editor alone, he was a person who loved to abuse his power. Just by using his social status as a writer and his advantage over the magazine, he had forced a person to death.

Is it really necessary for such a person to repent? Not to mention his unclear relationship with the organization.

In addition, he might not be fully aware of what kind of organization he is cooperating with is. Anyway, he doesn't care. As long as it can provide him with what he wants, he will not delve into it as to who provides it, and he has no moral shackles.

It has no intelligence value, let alone social value. The only creative ability in its body is accompanied by the persecution of others.

I feel like it would be a waste to send it to Group Zero, I really want to just let him die.

The only people who have suffered psychological trauma because of him, or even gone on a path of no return because of this pain, are people other than him.

Seeing that other people stopped refutation and did not respond, Zhukou Yigui seemed to have finally said enough and stood up with a smile.

"Well, now that everyone is here, Detective Maori and Mr. Akechi, let's have a meal together. I think my cooking skills are pretty good."

As he said this, he began to take off the ring on his finger very deliberately.

This ring, which really looks like a sewing thimble, is wide and large, and the ring is made of gold. It is definitely inconvenient when working and needs to be taken off.

Everyone understands the truth, but no matter how you look at it, Zhukou Yigui is just showing off.

"...Do you need a hand?" Maori Kogoro obviously sensed the boasting, his eyebrows twitched, and he asked, "There are so many people here, it would be a bit hard for you to prepare the meal by yourself."

As he spoke, he stood up and, not wanting to be outdone, began to adjust his suit cuffs.

There, the cufflinks that Kisaki Eri gave him were also shining.

This was a return gift for one of their recent formal dates.

The gift he gave was not expensive, just perfume and a CD with a report and video explanation of a case he had worked hard to solve. But the gift that Kisaki Eri chose in return was very exquisite and valuable, a pair of sapphire cufflinks.

The blue light danced on his cuffs, successfully fading the expression on Zhukou Yiqi's face.

Sapphire is not actually a blue gemstone, but a general term for all corundum gemstones except red corundum.

And the pair of cornflower blue gem cuffs that Kogoro Mori wears are among the more expensive top-grade colors. Even if there is only a small gem inlaid in the center as an embellishment, the price is definitely not cheap.

Zhu Kou Yigui values ​​these material possessions, so he is naturally a connoisseur of their value.

"Very beautiful cufflinks. It seems that Mr. Maori's detective career is really in full swing." Morokuchi Yoshiki's smile was not as big, but he still complimented.

"Oh, not really. This is a gift from my wife to commemorate some, um, more personal anniversaries." Maori Kogoro smiled implicitly, "At this age, it's a bit corny to still have this kind of ritual, right? I think so too."

This is an extra way to show off his family connections.

The outside world was basically unaware that Kogoro Mori and Eri Kisaki decided to reconnect and rebuild their relationship after their divorce.

Due to their long-term separation, it has been many years since Kisaki Eri changed her name back to her mother's surname. No one would have guessed that the two of them would make a choice that looked like family relationship therapy and reconstruction.

One is a souvenir that I customized for myself, and the other is a gift prepared by my wife on our anniversary.

In comparison, Zhukou Yigui, who is divorced and lives alone, seems a bit pitiful.

Not to mention that Eri Kisaki is well-known as the Queen of Law, which means that this cufflink was bought for Kogoro Mouri with her own income, which is even more unusual.

"...You and your wife have a very good relationship." Zhukou Yigui raised the corners of his mouth again, and this time, his smile was a fake one. "I heard before that you have been separated for many years. I thought you were facing a marriage crisis like me."

This sentence seems to be a bit self-deprecating, but in fact it has a strong taste of sarcasm.

Of course Kogoro Mori, who was not at all lacking in experience in this area, understood.

He lowered his head and smiled helplessly, "We have indeed been separated for many years. My daughter was only in elementary school at that time. There was nothing we could do. We both had our own career choices. We are not willing to give up our heads. Neither of us is willing to sacrifice our own plans for the family. We are both too busy and cannot maintain the traditional family model. It is a pity that we did not succeed in running-in."

Versailles, the most standard Versailles.

It seems that he is complaining about the relationship between husband and wife, but in fact he is boasting that he and his wife have not left the workplace and have strong personalities, so they chose to separate.

But judging from the fact that Kisaki Eri could give him such expensive cufflinks, their relationship is still very good, so the previous discussion makes the content particularly sincere.

As a result, Zhukou Yigui's smile faded even more.

"Your life is pretty much like that of a bachelor, no wonder you can cook just like me. For dinner, I'll ask Detective Maori to show off his cooking skills. It's really hard to cook for so many people alone."

"This is not entirely due to the separation. Mainly, my wife really has no talent for cooking. During the time I lived with her, I didn't have any problems with the food. I was surprised myself."

"So, you learned to cook on your own?"

"That's about it. After I started cooking, I unexpectedly discovered that I actually have a talent for cooking. You cook for yourself, too, so you can understand that, right? Don't think of it as a chore, but as another hobby, and you'll find it's also very interesting..."

The two people seemed to be in a friendly relationship on the surface, but they were actually having a very sarcastic conversation, which left Conan and others sitting on the side dumbfounded.

"I didn't know that Uncle Maori could be so talkative." Conan whispered in a voice that only they could hear, "Is he fighting back against Moroku Yoshiki?"

Part of what Kogoro Mori said was true, and the other part was processed.

For example, he started learning cooking after Karasawa came to Tokyo. Another example is that he and Kisaki Eri had divorced and had been separated before, and their relationship was on the verge of breaking up at one point.

But after his modification, it sounds completely different.

"Mr. Morokuchi, are you not married?" Mao Lilan, who also sensed something, asked in a low voice.

"He was married, but he became famous as a writer after he was 30. Before he became famous, he was divorced." Conan, who knows a lot about mystery novel writers, gave an explanation.

Of course, mystery fans or people in the publishing industry who discuss this issue are not primarily mocking Zhukou Yigui.

For someone like Zhukou Yiqi who has become a best-selling novelist, it is not his place to be ridiculed because his status is there.

The tone of their discussion was one of envy for Zhukou Yigui.

He divorced his ex-wife early, and the works he wrote during that period were not popular. Even if he divided the intellectual property rights equally with his ex-wife after the divorce, it would not affect his income.

After he became famous, whether considering the evaluation of his profession as a writer or considering Morokuchi Yoshiki's assets, in their discussions, Morokuchi Yoshiki, who was in his 30s and about to turn 40, would definitely not lack new partners for love and marriage.

However, it turned out that the discussants still underestimated the extent of Morokuchi Yoshiki's distorted personality, so that Morokuchi Yoshiki, who is 52 years old this year, has never had a stable marriage and love relationship since that marriage.

"I see..." Mao Lilan nodded suddenly, and then, rarely, she felt some admiration for her father.

Taking into account Morokuchi Yoshiki's personal situation, this counterattack is simply a focus on his weaknesses.

As she thought of this, a faint fighting spirit ignited in her. She stood up, adjusted her skirt, and walked gently and ladylike towards Maori Kogoro and Morokuchi Masuki who were standing up to go to the kitchen together.

"Do you need help with cooking?" She said softly, "I can help a little. There are eight people in the house today. It would be really hard without help. Mr. Zhukou seems to be the type who is more accustomed to doing things by himself. He really takes life very seriously."

Zhukou Yiqi's eye twitched noticeably.

They are now in Morokuchi Yoshiki's villa in Okutama.

This is where the villa of the two painters last time is located. It is a rare natural scenic spot near Tokyo. It has beautiful scenery and pleasant environment. It is indeed a good choice for retirement.

But correspondingly, for this kind of remote villa, even if you want to hire servants, you have to look for a residential type. Otherwise, the distance between it and the city and the commuting time would discourage most people.

But Zhukou Yiqi is a neurotic, sensitive writer with obsessive-compulsive disorder and compulsive behavior, and he would never allow anyone to live in his house for a long time.

In other words, he takes care of most of these trivial matters in life by himself, or he asks the editor to do it for him. He really lacks help in normal times.

Does that mean he wants to be serious? That means he can’t recruit anyone.

"...How can we let a guest take care of such a thing?" Morokuchi Yoshiki forced a smile and turned his slightly gloomy gaze to Anabuki Haruei, "Just let editor Anabuki help. Although she is not very good at cooking, she can handle small things like dishes."

"It's okay. It's already a lot of trouble for you to host us." Mao Lilan smiled. "Or can I help make some desserts? I often bake a lot of things, and everyone should like them."

Zhukou Yigui's cheeks twitched twice, and it looked like he was secretly grinding his back teeth.

Now that things had come to this, he certainly couldn't refuse anymore. He could only lead the Maori father and daughter out of the reception room.

Conan stared at the father and daughter's coordinated fight in amazement: "..."

When did Xiaolan and Uncle Maori become so close?

This has reached the point where they are all trying to embarrass each other, what on earth is this...

"Let's go, little detective." Tang Ze stood up and withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, reaching out to touch Conan's upturned hair, "It's time to go eat, and it's time to go, 'help'."

The relationship between the Mori father and daughter also began to improve as Kogoro Mori started cooking for himself and Ran Mori began to learn some additional knowledge.

It cannot be said that the two of them had no feelings for each other in the past, but that kind of implicit confrontation and compromise was like a common family pattern.

They absolutely love each other, but they absolutely cannot get closer. There is a gap in their hearts.

Seeing the current situation, everyone is slowly changing in a tacit state, and Tang Ze feels a great sense of accomplishment.

Conan instinctively shook off his gloved hand, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

We've already beaten them like this in mixed doubles, how can we help?

After all, they are here to participate in the dialogue, not to compete in the competition. If they continue to squeeze them, they will really become enemies.

Then, Conan soon realized how harmful Akechi's so-called help was.

"You really have a skilled knife skill. You must have been cooking for many years, right? Oh, more than ten years. That's really the resume of a master chef."

"In fact, compared to rings, Mr. Zhukou is more suitable for accessories such as necklaces. Hand accessories still have a great impact on work. Hmm? No, I'm not talking about cooking. The main thing is that you are not a writer, right? Whether you write with a pen or input with a keyboard, those are not convenient..."

Of course, Karasawa would not go straight into the kitchen. After all, half of Kogoro Mouri's cooking skills were learned from Karasawa.

It would not be difficult to hide his kitchen habits from Kogoro Mori, but Karasawa did not want to put so much pressure on himself.

His main purpose was to show his support, so he sat outside the bar and chattered non-stop, with the emotional value reaching its maximum.

Cooperate with the previous attack of Maori father and daughter, a set of silky small combos, and the combo is full.

It seemed that Morokuchi Yoshitaka was blushing, and Conan, who was holding a kitchen knife, was about to evolve into a murderer's expression: "..."

You better stop talking. I'm really afraid that he will turn around and stab you with a knife...