[Conan Doujin] The Mystery of Theseus

Puzzle24 can you see me?

The train is running forward, and the sharp air cut by the speed is isolated from the window, together with the sharp or low roar.Inside the compartment, the enclosed air slowly flows with warmth.At this moment, whether you are looking out of the car window with dull eyes, or drowsy with your back leaning on the soft seat that adapts to the contours of the human body, passengers do not need to worry about not being able to reach their destination.The timetable accurately marks the arrival time of the train. The arrival time will be more or less delayed due to the weather, but it will never be too early.

For railway nerds, a train that fails to arrive on time is the same as a figure with a wrong painting, and you won’t fall in love with it because of this unique little flaw—not to mention that most people don’t like not being on time.

Since there is no need to worry, then go to sleep with peace of mind, and you will definitely be woken up by your companions when you arrive at the station.

however……

Kaito Kuroba has been staring out the window indifferently for more than 10 minutes, which is too long for modern people who cannot get access to fresh information for a period of time, like entering a vacuum and unable to breathe.Aimless daze, meaningless thinking... Instead of spending 10 minutes like this, it is better to close your eyes and fall into a sleep like a different world, so as to make up for the poor spirit caused by waking up early for utilitarianism.

"Are you okay?" During these 10 minutes, Edogawa, who cared about the reactions of his neighbors, didn't realize that he had also spent 10 minutes meaningless.He took out the pineapple bun that Hattori forced him from his carry-on bag, and pouted at this too girly snack for breakfast. "Would you like something to eat? Or..." He looked over the front seat to the end of the car, "...Do you want a bento?"

Seemingly switching back to the channel in an instant and facing the radio waves, Kuroba came back to his senses. "It's breakfast time, why don't you eat bento..." He turned his gaze back, "I'm fine, I'm really fine."

Without further questioning, Edogawa threw the pineapple bun onto the lap of the neighbor, and continued to take a bite of his own sandwich.After a period of time, the taste is no longer the original taste. "Although the gemstone was exhibited last night, the gemstone itself has always been there." He tried to propose a remedy for the gemstone that the strange thief missed, "If the notice letter is issued in the past two days, there is still a chance-- "

"The peak of attention has passed," Kuroba denied the proposal without thinking, "It seems that the announcement letter is just a sad way to catch the heat." He shrugged helplessly, "Such a business that hurts self-esteem , I don't want to do it."

"You also care about things like 'getting hot'?" Looking at the "Internet celebrity" who was sitting next to him and biting a pineapple bun, Edogawa put down his sandwich, "When you saw a new exhibition in the past Just sending out the notice letter, isn’t it also just rubbing the heat?”

"That can't be helped." Swallowing the pineapple bun in his mouth, Hei Yu sighed helplessly, "I need heat."

Sooner or later, the notice letter is issued, which is closely related to the spread of the news and the focus of people's attention.If it was later, it might have been robbed of the headlines by the louder news.Phantom Thief needs an audience, and inciting an audience requires strategy.A careless move of chess may allow the police or others to take advantage of the situation and isolate all the audience who love him from the performance area. It will be a big disadvantage to develop to that point.

"That's right." After quickly figuring out the reason, Edogawa felt that he really didn't need to be entangled in this issue, "If you can't gather enough spectators, you won't be able to create a safe enough crowd to sneak in and escape. He nodded understandingly, "I understand, I understand."

"Since you know it, don't say it out loud..." After eating the pineapple buns, Kuroba folded the remaining packaging bags into small cubes and prepared to throw them away later, and looked out the car window again. "Well, I'm not going to risk that gem anyway—"

"Are you really going to give up?" The detective who pursued this question felt that he was instigating crime, "but..."

"If it's rewarding to come out this time, it's nothing to miss a gem or two." Without looking at Edogawa, Kuroba waved his back to him, "So," he turned his face slightly, "Did you draw any new conclusions this time?"

If the hypothesis that the little detective wants to prove is true, then everything they do now will not be as irrecoverable as sugar dissolved in water.Grasping the thread stripped from reality and constantly exploring back, trying to see the original appearance of the truth from the most fundamental cause and effect, this should be a rather great job, isn't it?Just pulling the thread all the way back to the source, they may be able to use this small flaw to tear the falsehood wrapped outside the reality, escape from the world constructed by the informed information, and stand in the name of "Truth" on the ground.

If everything is really like that, neither the case nor the organization, nor the gem called Pandora, will seem less important.

After receiving a question from his companion, Edogawa was silent for a while.After organizing the language, he spoke again.

"What we assumed at the beginning was that 'the specific requirements were not met', or in other words, if there was no 'fixed reason', the person who should have been seen could not be seen." He put his chin on his hand, "Even if the other party is standing in front of you also……"

"It's like...there is no way to trigger the plot without receiving the mission in advance?" Kuroba understood the words in his own way, "Because we didn't notify Hattori this time, and created a situation for him that we will never go to." The illusion of looking for him, while deceiving him, also eliminated the possibility that he would actively contact us... Is that right?"

"Basically that's it," Edogawa lowered his gaze, "but what I didn't expect was that not only Hattori himself, but also the place where he was, couldn't be reached."

"This, it's simple," continued Kuroyuliu's comprehension mode, and Kuroyu's sleep-deprived brain was very active at the moment, "Because the mission has not been unlocked, the mission location cannot be opened. In order to prevent players from arriving at that area in advance Spoiler, the system sometimes locks the entire map where that area is located." He nodded proudly for his explanation, "So, after we unlocked the illustrated book of Hattori, by the way, You can even enter his house~"

What kind of analogy is this... Edogawa couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard a lot of explanations about the same game settings.But... there is nothing wrong with the accident.And they stayed overnight at Hattori's house afterwards, which was also rewarding. "Is the illustrated book unlocked..." he repeated, "But even if the illustrated book is unlocked, you can't see it when you can't see it."

Hearing what he said, Hei Yu, who was excitedly trying to substitute the entire game setting into reality for deduction, paused. "You mean..." He pointed to himself, "What about me?" He turned his gaze, "Yes, even if we are in the same city, sometimes you may not be able to find me."

"So the key is not the 'illustrated book', but the task list..." Suddenly realizing that his thinking mode has been taken away by Kuroba, Edogawa shook his head under the gloating gaze of the other party, "Ah Ah no! I mean, the key lies in the 'reason'." He combined this experimental contact trip to try to deduce the answer, "There is also a possibility that we have no reason to contact Hattori, and Hattori has no reason to bother on a whim Our original plan," he raised his eyes, his eyes were as serious as when facing the case, "that's us, there are things that should (accent) be done."

"Originally? Should?" For such mandatory words, Hei Yu, who is more willing to let go of himself than rules and regulations, is a little uncomfortable.

"You missed that gem, didn't you?" Although he was reluctant, Edogawa had to repeat the old story, "If you hadn't come with me this trip, you might have inspected that gem. Without looking at Kuroba's expression, he continued, "And I, if I'm not in Osaka..."

Probably will follow the uncle to investigate the case.He was about to say so.

"I said..."

But he didn't finish his sentence.

"I mean, if..." After this series of discussions, the answers to the questions they wanted to discuss should have gradually surfaced, but Kuroba interrupted him hesitantly, as if what he wanted to do next Saying that will make everything they have experienced before come to naught.

"If it's really like what you said, a detective, everyone has their own things to do, and there is no specific reason or trigger specific conditions, neither strangers nor friends can meet," he pursed his lower lip, looking away , "If that's the case..."

"Then how empty this world looks like."

At this time, there was the sound of steam, and the moving train stopped slowly.The car door opened, some people left the car in an orderly manner with their luggage, and some people rushed into the car door holding on to their hats, everything was in order.The end of some people is the starting point of others, and this kind of picture is staged every day.

Obviously these people are so vividly alive, and their figures are so clearly reflected in the field of vision.

Obviously... they are all just passers-by.

Perhaps, suddenly at a certain moment, the whole world becomes empty, the noisy human voices and almost inaudible whispers all disappear together, and everything returns to the tranquility of nothingness.But when I come back to my senses, everyone stays in their original position, writing a life that cannot be crossed with each other either vigorously or in a bland manner.

When the train started again, the backs of those people who had never seen or communicated with them leaving the station were also far away in the field of vision. The two who were still talking just now suddenly realized that in more than an hour, they It is also about to reach the end of this trip.

In the end, I still have to go back to the place where I started... .

Edogawa didn't speak any more.

And this trip, which was initiated temporarily to expose something, is indeed coming to an end.