The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

"Hey, are you the new guests this morning? We rarely see new faces here... Madam, I'm not sure about this. She has lived abroad for more than 20 years. As you know, the older servants in the family all died in the fire..."

"As for this castle, I don't know. Actually, the castle is now registered under the name of the lady. Oh, about the lady's death, there is a saying in the family that the nobles who lived here before believed in exchanging their own lives for the lives of their descendants..."

After feeling how the servants of this castle spoke and did things when out of the sight of their master, there was no need for them to gather together to discuss. Almost all the members of the Phantom Thieves dispersed in twos and threes tacitly. On the surface, they said they wanted to observe the huge chessboard on the castle lawn from multiple angles, but in fact they were just dragging servants from various places to understand the situation.

After spending such a long time together, the members of the Phantom Thieves have already known each other's work styles and have tacitly developed several fixed partners who can ask targeted questions, process information, and integrate communication. It is very easy to get along well with a group of unguarded servants who stay in the old castle in the suburbs all day and live a bored and idle life.

When it was past noon, Professor Agasa and the Junior Detective League, who had returned empty-handed, drove the chubby little Beetle closer, what they saw was a completely unexpected scene.

"I forgot to bring the most important tent when I went out camping." Kojima Motota walked down from the passenger seat, taking one step at a time on the soft humus layer of the forest floor, still complaining, "The doctor's carelessness is really beyond imagination."

"We got lost on the way back. We don't even know where we are." Yoshida Ayumi, who was walking down with Haibara Ai, echoed, "If we hadn't discovered there's a castle here, we wouldn't know where we would sleep tonight. In the car?"

"It's all because of you guys. You've been chattering so much that I can't think straight..." Dr. Agasa patted his bald forehead, sighed loudly, and resignedly led the group of naughty children towards the castle, reminding them, "If you rashly go in, if this is a private residence, it will cause unnecessary misunderstandings..."

He turned around and looked through the huge iron gate at the front of the castle to the main building at the back, and was surprised to see a very familiar face.

Without caring about the children who were eager to touch the gate, he could not help but raise his voice and called out to the person who was talking to the gardener: "Tang Ze, what a coincidence! Why are you here!"

Tang Ze, who was not surprised, and who had been waiting here for a long time, turned his head, waved to a few people with a smile, and asked knowingly: "Doctor, Conan and Xiao Ai, and a few classmates, why are you here? Didn't you say you were going to camp by the lake?"

The members of the Junior Detective League were naturally very surprised to see him. Conan's expression was a little surprised, but after thinking for a few seconds, he seemed to have barely digested this sudden situation.

Only Haibara Ai walked through the gap in the fence, looked at Tang Ze's smiling expression, raised her finger and pointed in the air.

This guy knew the doctor's situation so well, and seemed to have anticipated the situation. She even suspected that they had gone to the next door and stole the doctor's tent from the car...

"Well..." Dr. Agasa's eyes wandered uncontrollably, and he scratched his head in embarrassment. "Accidents, accidents, just some small accidents... Um, are you here for fun? Then can you help ask the owner here if he minds if we stay here for a while? Or, can you provide a map and show us the way?"

"What's going on?" Holding a book in his hand, Mitsuru Mamiya, who seemed to be looking for a suitable place to read in the garden, reacted quickly and walked to the overly busy door. Looking at the row of small and large children hanging on the door, he hesitated and said, "Is today a special day? Why are there so many passers-by..."

Their castle is indeed inconvenient for external transportation, but after all, it is located in the middle of a woodland, and there are not many branches on the roads that can accommodate vehicles. It is not so easy to identify, but it is also an exaggeration to say that it is easy to get lost.

What kind of fate could have allowed two tour groups to be packed into this remote building on the same day...

"Well, we were passing by here and found such a magnificent castle here, so we couldn't help but come over to visit it." At this point, Dr. Agasa was too embarrassed to say that he had to find a place to stay because he was stupid, so he changed to a better way of saying, "I didn't expect to know someone here."

"Oh? Do you know these children and old people?" Mamiya Mitsuru looked at Tang Ze in surprise, with a subtle expression, and glanced at the other people who were also walking in the courtyard.

Because of the huge chessboard on the lawn, the open space of the Mamiya family castle was cut into pieces by sculptures, shrubs and other decorations, and the view was not wide, so it was difficult for people outside the door to see the situation in other places, but Mamiya Mitsuru standing on the stairs could see it clearly.

It was said to be a mystery research club of some university, but there was a large group of handsome men and beautiful women who looked like they were going to shoot for a magazine cover, and there was also a group of old men and elementary school students outside...

There are so many weird people today...

"Oh, I know him. The old man over there is an inventor with a PhD, proficient in mechanical circuit design and development. As for those kids, they seem to be some group of kids who call themselves the 'Junior Detective Team' and have been on the news. You know, we always have to pay attention to some relevant information..." Tang Ze curved his eyes and answered politely.

"Is that so?" After hearing the job introduction, Mamiya Mitsuru immediately stood in awe, "Well, you can all stay here for a night. I haven't seen children for many years, and it's rare for the castle to be so lively."

"Great!"

Several members of the Young Detective Team cheered carefreely. The unfortunate gardener adjusted his hat and resigned himself to getting the key to open the door again.

Having already guessed that there was something wrong here, Haibara Ai took small steps to Tang Ze's side and kicked his heel inconspicuously.

He said yesterday that he came out with the group. He stood in front of Kudo without any disguise...

She knew that Kudo was fooled by Tang Ze's fake identity trick, but was it really okay to not pretend at all? That guy was staring at this side the whole time.

Tang Ze raised his hand as if looking at the time, then gently tapped Huihara Ai's shoulder, signaling her to be patient.

He had already prepared for the possibility of an "accidental encounter", so how could it be possible that he really hadn't made any preparations?

"Brother Tangze?" Sure enough, within two seconds, Conan, with a suspicious look on his face, approached and pulled his trouser leg, half in confusion and half in defense, "Why are you here? Yesterday, Sister Xiaolan said that you had an inspection meeting to attend..."

Tangze looked around. Professor Agasa led a few children to spread out and touch the chess statues curiously. The three of them standing in the middle were not very conspicuous.

So he bent down, and cast his shadow oppressively over Conan's body, looking down at his face from top to bottom with his back to the light, and the red light in his eyes lit up in the shadow.

"Guess?" After the red light flickered in his eyes for a moment, Tang Ze curved his eyes and smiled as usual.

Conan, who has good eyesight, couldn't possibly miss such a close-up change. He looked horrified for a moment: "Hey..."

He wanted to shout out the word "joker" as soon as he opened his mouth, but he looked at the children who were screaming excitedly with caution, and changed his tone: "Amamiya, what are you doing...don't cause trouble for Tang Ze, he has an important meeting today, and he should be at the Metropolitan Police Department now, there is no way he can leave the city of Tokyo..."

While speaking, he quickly glanced at Haibara Ai who was standing on the other side. Seeing the indifferent reaction on her face, he guessed that she must have recognized something wrong with "Kang Ze" at first sight outside the door just now, and her gesture just now was to express that she saw through this.

"Isn't this just right? It's a better proof that I'm not here. There's no other way. A handsome guy who is too recognizable will be turned away." Tang Ze straightened up again, shrugged, and threw the blame away lightly. "Anyway, these kids don't know us, it doesn't matter."

What a joke! He doesn't even go to school in person. Does he have to go to the meetings during his protective observation period in person?

His nominal inspection officer now is Yuya Kazami, and as long as he doesn't carry an RPG to bomb the Metropolitan Police Department, there will generally be no problem with his protection and observation.

If there are any problems, they are Group Zero's problems, not his, so of course it is Tang Ze who has the final say on how to arrange it.

"Hey, hey, don't talk in Tangze's voice like that..." Conan was shocked by Joker's gorgeous and narcissistic Tangze voice. The corners of his mouth twitched. He wanted to continue to refute. After thinking for a few seconds, he found that it was true.

The current members of the Phantom Thieves, if I'm not mistaken, include Joker himself, Kitagawa Yusuke, the boy who calls himself Hoshikawa Teru, Miyano Akemi who was rescued without anyone noticing, and the rest should be Asai Narimi, Shimabukuro Kimie, and Noah's Ark, who he witnessed being taken away by the Phantom Thieves one after another.

Oh, and the last time he brought me here to defuse the bomb, the black-haired man with a cloak who was even more suspicious, wearing sunglasses and performing high-risk operations in the dark, and the former First Investigation Division police officer Jinpei Matsuda who was highly suspected to have been declared dead...

The cases of these people mainly involved Kogoro Mouri, and they had no connection with the carefree kids in the Junior Detective Team. Even if their real names were told directly, the kids would not react.

As for Tang Ze himself, whose account was suddenly hacked, he has been under the police's nose all day today, so what happened here has nothing to do with him.

Seeing the expression on Conan's face that showed he had convinced himself again, and hearing his protest, Haibara Ai silently pressed her forehead, speechless.

No, this is his real voice and speaking style.

She didn't need to worry about this issue. It was Kudo who was full of misunderstandings and over-beautification of Tang Ze...

While the three people were talking, the gardener Katsuo Tabata, who was acting as the tour guide again, had already patiently introduced the origin of the chess garden. He led the guests into the hall and introduced the family members of the Mamiya family.

"...The old master is a historian who has always liked to study buildings like castles. It was because of his request that he and his wife moved here." Tabata Katsuo raised his head and introduced the largest oil painting with emotion, "The old master, Sadaki, got along well with him, but his wife didn't agree. She often said to the old master Sadaki..."

"'Dad is just an intellectual who likes to make sense'. Right?"

A hoarse voice came from the side, and everyone turned their eyes over.

A wheelchair, carrying an old man who was hunched over and seemed almost completely deformed, slowly approached.

"Madam, why did you come out?" Katsuo Tabata looked at her in surprise, and quickly took off his hat and went forward to salute.

Even though he gossips behind people's backs, he still has to have the right attitude when facing the boss who pays his salary.

Mamiya Masuyo seemed to not hear his voice at all and continued to talk to herself: "The master also knows about this matter, and he doesn't take it as an offense. On the contrary, he has been very happy! The most important thing is that the child has his own life."

"I'm sorry for bringing back sad memories for you..." Katsuo Tabata lowered his head.

"How could that be? I've long been used to the days when he's not around. It's like constantly changing banknotes. I wasn't used to it at first, but after a while, it just became a part of me." Mamiya Masuyo sighed in a hoarse and ambiguous voice, pretending to be calm, "Time is just like that. No matter how many joys, sorrows, anger, or happiness you have, they will all fade away."

When she finished her sigh, which sounded like that of an old lady who had seen through the world, Dr. Agasa nodded in agreement, and the children also showed expressions of respect.

Only Conan lowered his eyes, looked at her legs covered by a rolled blanket, and touched his chin.

No matter how you look at it, this man with rough and loose skin, spotted face, and huddled body undoubtedly shows that he is an old man in poor health, like a candle in the wind.

But why does an old man who has been relying on a wheelchair for a long time have no signs of deformation in his legs and feet?

It was difficult to observe clearly through the thick cloth, and after Mamiya Masuyo finished speaking, she grabbed the wheelchair with her dry fingers, adjusted the direction, and did not let him continue observing.

"You're my son-in-law's scientist friend, so stay." Mamiya Masuyo nodded slowly, "You must work hard on solving the puzzles left by the old man. Where's my daughter? Hasn't she come back yet? Didn't she say she would come over to celebrate my birthday today?"

"Ah, Madam, Madam..."

"Okay, I get it. This girl never listens. When I get back, tell her to come to my room. She's late on such an important day. She should come and apologize to me."

After saying this, she pushed her wheelchair and left in the direction she had just come from.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Madam didn't mean it." Katsuo Tabata watched her walk away and immediately apologized to Dr. Agasa, "Madam has been like this since the fire, for many years. The doctor said it might be Alzheimer's disease, cognitive confusion or something..."

"Oh, maybe it was stimulated by the death of his daughter..." Dr. Agasa nodded in understanding and sighed twice.

Conan was thinking about the "puzzle" in the courtyard and was about to skip the lyrical part and ask directly if there was a room where he could directly see the puzzle, when he heard "Kangze" standing aside sneer.

He immediately turned his head away, his attention suddenly diverted from the puzzle: "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Compared to solving puzzles, the presence of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts makes him more nervous. After all, wherever the Phantom Thieves appear, something is bound to happen.

At the Shitara family, he hesitated for a moment because he had not investigated the situation clearly, and overnight, only Shitara Renki was left in the Shitara family.

There are only a few living people in the Mamiya family. If possible, it would be better to avoid causing trouble for them.

Tang Ze glanced at him and felt from his overly serious expression that this naughty kid might be slandering him in his heart. He immediately raised his question: "Don't you think it's strange? Let such an elderly person with limited mobility come and go at home alone. If she can only rely on a wheelchair to get around, then she can't even go to the bathroom."

Conan looked thoughtfully at the staircase connecting the first and second floors on both sides of the huge oil painting facing the hallway, and nodded slowly.

He had just seen two people fall to death in a hall with this design a few days ago. He himself would not believe that an old lady who looked to be in her seventies would not get into trouble here.

The castle looks grand, and its Rococo-style interior can be called magnificent, but it is really old. Not to mention retirement, even a normal young person would feel inconvenienced living here.

The elderly man suffers from Alzheimer's disease and has difficulty walking. There is clearly no shortage of servants at home, so how come there is not even a dedicated caregiver?

"Look over there again." Tang Ze held Conan's little shoulder and turned him to the corridor on the side of the first floor. "Look over there, at the end of the corridor, isn't there a window? Don't you think it's very strange? This corridor does not connect to any room, but it stands to the west side of the garden. Why not open a door or window to let it play a normal traffic role?"

This is exactly the direction that Masuo Mamiya left.

According to what she just said, her room is nearby.

Conan touched his chin and his brows slowly furrowed.

"There's something wrong with the layout of this castle..." Conan narrowed his eyes as he constructed the shape of the building observed from the outside in his mind and compared it with the structure he could see now.

It is not surprising that an ancient castle like this, which was once used by nobles, has some secret cellars, dungeons or storage rooms, but to say that it simply has a few more rooms does not seem entirely right.

Tang Ze raised his eyes and looked at the landscape oil painting hanging at the end of the corridor, and narrowed his eyes again.

He probably found where the "special world entrance" of this strange place was.