The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

"To choose the best high school detective in Japan? Such a boring thing."

Looking at Hattori Heiji and the other man who had suddenly come to stay with him, Maori Kogoro rolled his eyes disrespectfully and commented sharply, "Even if the competition really came to a conclusion and one of you won, it's impossible for anyone to acknowledge the first place with so many qualifiers."

What's more, for the sake of a good name and convenience of the program flow, this so-called "high school detective" selection, except for the eastern region, has not yet been determined. Each region only selects one high school detective who meets the requirements. The TV station program team is responsible for selecting and inviting people, which is even more of a joke.

"You little brats, it's time to grow up. If you really consider detective as a career, what's the point of caring about some titles?" Maori Kogoro sneered very rudely, "If you ask me, the one who can really be called the best is Akechi Goro. He knows better than you that reputation is meaningless if it can't be converted into substantial commercial value and social status. That kid's commission fee is now higher than mine."

Hattori Heiji, who was ready to take action because of the so-called representative matter of the southeast, northwest and northeast regions, narrowed his eyes.

No matter who he praised, he didn't like to hear people praising Goro Akechi.

How can such a guy with a suspicious identity, no bottom line, and a pretentious attitude towards fame be compared with himself? No matter how I think about it, I feel that there is something wrong with this society!

"You sound too greedy." Hattori Heiji made a fanning gesture and immediately hit back, "It sounds like something an old man would say."

The veins on Maori Kogoro's forehead suddenly popped out. "You brat who comes to other people's houses to eat and drink has no right to look down on this and that! You can be a detective without worries, isn't it because your family is well-off? Others don't have such a leisurely time like you!"

"Hmph, at worst I won't eat yours. I'll go downstairs and eat at Karasawa's restaurant." Hattori Heiji crossed his arms, not wanting to be outdone. "Karasawa's cooking is much better than yours!"

"He's already living under someone else's roof, and you're not ashamed to eat his food!"

"What's wrong? It's not like I don't want to pay! I also brought souvenirs when I stayed at your house!"

……

"…That's it." After explaining what happened in the morning, Hattori Heiji spread his hands to the speechless Tang Ze, "I was kicked out. So, before the variety show officially starts, I have to make do with your place."

Tang Ze sank into his soft bean bag sofa, looking at Hattori Heiji who was sitting carelessly on his bed, and sighed heavily.

That's the annoying thing about guys who are too familiar.

They must be good friends now, but it is really too inconsiderate for them to suddenly show up with their bags and ask to share a room with you without even saying hello.

Well, it's not a big deal to really take him in for a day or two. The problem is, you, Hattori Heiji, have to prepare to participate in a variety show, so don't I, Akechi Goro, need one too?

Tang Ze slapped his head and said helplessly: "This is where I live now, but in the end I'm just a tenant... and there's only a single bed here..."

"It's okay. I asked Kazuha. She will send a quilt over soon and I can sleep on the floor." Hattori Heiji waved his hand. "It's just sleeping on the floor of the attic. I don't mind."

Is it a question of whether you mind or not?

And why were Yuanshan and Ye able to move in safely, but you were kicked out? Do you want to seriously reflect on this issue?

As expected, he could not deal with this type of guy the most. No matter how things happened, he would be the one who was troubled.

Tang Ze looked at the grinning Hattori Heiji and said faintly, "Yeah, you definitely don't mind. It's not like you haven't slept in a loft before. Maybe you really like this kind of environment."

Hattori Heiji was stunned for a moment before he realized that Tang Ze was referring to the last time he came to investigate but was ambushed and beaten up and locked in the attic by the black-hearted lawyer's accomplices.

"I really have to thank you for that time. If you and Kudo hadn't come to me on your own initiative, even if I was able to escape, I might have been seriously injured." He touched his chin. Not only did he not understand Tang Ze's cunning, he actually thanked him sincerely.

Tang Ze, an outstanding Kyoto man, was rarely speechless and slapped his forehead helplessly.

Forget it, why bother talking to this big-headed sunny idiot...

"Forget it, it's up to you. You can use the sofa and the cabinets as you like, but don't go through my things. I'll go ask Mr. Amuro."

"Yes, then the performance fee is settled. You should have seen our contract. The film needs to be reviewed by our agency before it is officially broadcast... Yes, that's right... I'm sorry, but this concerns our brand reputation..."

Seeing Tang Ze coming down, Amuro Toru first raised a finger to ask him to wait a moment, and continued to maintain a leisurely attitude in talking to the person on the other end of the phone. Tang Ze, who had heard a little bit of the key words, had already guessed what he was doing.

Tang Ze didn't know whether the working emperor Toru Amuro could be an excellent agent and head of the agency, but what he did know was that just based on his relaxed and well-controlled conversation skills, the program staff on the other end of the phone was really unlucky to connect with Toru Amuro.

Who better to negotiate than a good undercover agent?

The intensity of business negotiations pales in comparison to the pressure of operating behind the scenes in a criminal organization.

"Okay, no problem. Thank you for your understanding. I will wait for you to communicate the interim results. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

After hanging up the phone, Toru Amuro immediately put away the hypocritical business smile on his face, and when he saw Tang Ze pretending to be innocent, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"You have so many jobs at Nichimi TV, why do you have to participate in this kind of weird variety show?" Amuro Toru was very annoyed that he had to do more work for no reason. "I think you just want to have fun. The same goes for the previous shows."

By now, the period when Goro Akechi consolidated his image has long passed. This "genius detective" has become a household name in Tokyo. Except for the fact that he is still young and cannot catch up with the heyday of Kudo Shinichi, he has long become a representative figure of the new generation of detectives.

In fact, now Goro Akechi, apart from concentrating on taking commissions and solving cases, does not need to care so much about his connections in the entertainment industry. However, it seems that Tang Ze has some unique obsession and would rather increase his workload several times than give up this part of the business.

Amuro Toru fully suspected that this guy might have participated in too many variety shows and eaten too much gossip in the entertainment industry, and was worried that he would not have any gossip to eat after he quit this industry... Considering that Tang Ze sometimes loved to watch the fun, this speculation was not groundless...

"You really wronged me this time." Tang Ze raised his hands. "There is someone else who wants to organize the game this time. At best, I can only be regarded as helping him a small favor and taking advantage of the situation to test the strength of Keel."

You were wronged this time, which means you were not wronged before.

Amuro Toru retracted his death stare and wiped the coffee pot in his hand: "That means that there may be a case or something like that in this variety show."

"It should be said that it was born because of the case." Tang Ze sat down at the bar and took the coffee handed over by Amuro Toru. "How should I put it? It's okay to tell you. The focus of this variety show invitation can be on the remuneration. As for the script and direction of the show... Don't worry, it won't be broadcast."

It is true that the Phantom Thieves accidentally solved the dilemma of the death of Nanatsuki Koshimizu's friend, and to a certain extent eliminated Nanatsuki Koshimizu's own murderous intentions - as can be seen from the fact that she has not yet developed any trauma - but the victims of this case more or less deserved to die.

As for Tang Ze, considering the number of cases that the other party has solved, regardless of whether Nanatsuki Koshimizu will be so angry that she wants to smash the Dogecoin to death after meeting him, no one knows whether another resentful victim will pop up from somewhere.

If the world thinks that a guy who tarnishes the reputation of a high school detective should not be alive, Tang Ze can only say that some people deserve to die, but the good local social security and the higher quality of the people around them have temporarily postponed the execution of the death penalty.

With some emotion, Tang Ze briefly picked out the key points, hiding the identity of Nanatsuki Koshimizu, and started from the moment when the Phantom Thief of Heart accepted her request for help, and introduced the cause and effect. "...Originally, she had no intention of seriously planning a program." Tang Ze shrugged, "But after listening to her, I think she can definitely try to find Nichimi TV. They are famous for risking their lives for topics, and they dare to try any outrageous plan. Having a public media platform will also help her."

Originally, Nanatsuki Koshimizu's murderous intention was very resolute and thorough.

After screening out the possible murderer, she found the housekeeper who bore the unshirkable responsibility for the death of her friend, pretended to be a staff member of the program crew, and sent several candidate detectives to an uninhabited island.

At that time, she had the mentality of a water ghost who would take everyone down with her if she couldn't find the specific murderer. She didn't consider the aftermath at all, or in other words, she didn't consider how to survive.

It is not the case now. Nanatsuki Koshimizu has no resources or connections, so it is impossible for her to convince major TV stations to sponsor a variety show with her, but Karasawa does!

During the time he worked as Goro Akechi, he had a good time at the TV station.

He is very popular, photogenic, capable, and has a sense of variety. If you don't call him a detective, you can definitely call him a popular idol.

Considering his rather special identity, his background is not simple no matter how you look at it. Let alone just taking the lead in starting a project, if he suddenly has an idea and wants to be the MC of a variety show himself, the Japanese TV station may even make a time slot for him.

"She selected the specific candidates, saying that the local reports on the case did not give exact names, only a few vague descriptions. In fact, there was no need to call me, as I was no longer on the suspect list. But people should still finish what they start. Since I was the one who started this... hm?"

As he was speaking, Tang Ze looked up and was caught in the fixed gaze of Amuro Toru, who had a frown on his face.

Toru Amuro, who had a relaxed expression just now, now had the expression of a worried guardian, as if Tang Ze had said something extraordinary.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not hiding anything this time. I'm telling the truth."

Toru Amuro did not lower his arms. "So, this time you want to see the outcome because of this empathy?"

Because of the detective's faulty reasoning, the person who initiated the variety show, judging from the personal pronouns used by Tang Ze, was a lady. Her friend was identified as a suspect in the murder case by the police, and she was ruthlessly pressured and interrogated as if she were the real murderer.

Although it has not reached the level of violence, this kind of pressure may be worse than direct violence.

For a young person, the feeling of being treated as a criminal by the police is very terrifying. In this regard, I am afraid no one has a deeper understanding than Tang Ze.

Although Tang Ze's special identity allowed him to escape the constraints of the protective observation period, facing this victim who was somewhat similar to him, was Tang Ze once again triggered to have certain emotions...

"Mr. Amuro." Tang Ze laughed dumbly, "I've already said that I really have no problem with the police."

These are the words that Hattori Heiji heard as he stepped on the last two steps of the stairs after coming down from the attic.

Seeing that Tangze had not responded for a long time after going downstairs, he suspected that he was just using the excuse of saying hello to his guardian, but actually did not want to face him so he ran away secretly. Hattori Heiji thought for a moment and remembered that Tangze just asked him not to move things, and did not tell him to stay still, so he immediately got up and walked down from the attic.

"Even though I sometimes laugh at detectives and policemen, I actually admire this kind of career." Tang Ze stirred the coffee in the cup and said calmly, "Of course, if you really let me do this job, I might not be able to accept it. I don't like a life with too many rules and regulations. I prefer to be busy at my own pace. But I really admire this kind of career."

Ever since he had completely revealed his true colors to Rei Furuya, Tang Ze has been much more relaxed when speaking in front of him, a bit like the way he was in the Phantom Thieves' base. In fact, because the other party has a more unique identity than the Phantom Thieves, Tang Ze sometimes speaks more than he does in the base.

For example, now, he is not reluctant to share some of his heartfelt thoughts with the other party.

Law enforcement officers are first and foremost an agency of violence, but for an ordinary peaceful society, the meaning of their existence is to maintain order and fairness.

Even if justice may not be fully implemented and enforced for various reasons, this is also a sharp sword that will not go towards kindness and softness. It is because of this concept that he chose the police academy with such good grades in his previous life. You have to know that with his grades at that time, he still had a chance to be in the top 2.

...He really didn't want to go to school in this life. Perhaps it was partly because he was injured in his previous life.

Who would want to go back to high school?

Although Tang Ze had never worked as a policeman for a few days and had never reported for work in his entire life, it would be a lie to say that he had no pride or honor in his profession.

Tang Ze recalled those distant memories and described how he made his career choice.

"Maybe it's because I don't have a strong sense of justice. I have a sense of justice, and I know what is right, but I lack the energy to regard it as a lifelong creed. My world is actually very narrow. I admire people who have such a fire in their hearts. If possible, I also want to be such a person. I find that you seem to have some misunderstandings about me, thinking that I am also such a guy. I think that I just try my best to imitate them because of my admiration."

Whether in the previous life or this life, the initial driving force that drove Tang Ze forward has always been hatred, and then the weight that was slowly imposed on him in the process.

No one is born full of enlightenment, but because of the process of transformation, he admires from the bottom of his heart those young souls who possess this power.

"As for that young lady..."

Tang Ze was about to continue speaking when Leon's magnetic and soft voice suddenly rang out.

"I am you...you are me..."

"You are here to gain a new contract."

……

Tang Ze stopped talking and turned around to meet Hattori Heiji who had a shocked face.

He was about to speak, but Leon's words made the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

【cooperation Kenji Hagihara】

【Arcana: Justice Rank 1】

Tang Ze: “……?”

Wait? Who? What? Where?

Why is it Kenji Hagiwara? What kind of tortuous and bizarre route is this?