The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 898 The Value of a High School Detective

“Hahahaha… Oh my god, fans of Goro Akechi…”

Conan, who had his back to the others, glared at Hattori Heiji, who was laughing so hard, and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "Okay, stop laughing... If it was you who eavesdropped, you don't know how embarrassing it would be to say..."

What right does he have to laugh at himself, a guy who let his tongue slip several times and then interpreted the hundred homophones of Kudo?

At least I could think of a suitable excuse at that time, which showed some quick wit, okay?

"I understand the truth, but, 'Akechi Goro's fans'..." Hattori Heiji wiped away the tears from his eyes and repeated what the director said when Conan was sent back, "'No matter how much you like it, you can't disturb the adults at work!'"

"Hattori you...!"

Before Conan took a deep breath and really took action, Hattori Heiji finally controlled his unbridled laughter, adjusted his expression, and became a little serious.

"It's clear now, right? Mizuno Rena and Akechi Goro are not familiar with each other, but they definitely have some connection with the organization."

"It's not just them. I didn't have time to listen to the rest, so I don't know if they talked about any deeper topics. If they were discussing things related to the organization behind closed doors..."

Conan did not continue to describe this slightly crazy but very likely to come true conjecture.

What if, he meant what if, Amuro Toru, the nominal guardian of Tang Ze, was designed by the organization from the beginning, or was infiltrated by the organization along the way...

Hattori Heiji exchanged glances with him, and saw solemnity and determination in the other's eyes.

Regardless of the initial reason for participating in this variety show, this trip might actually be quite meaningful.

Before the two of them could finish their whispering, the door of the dressing room was pushed open again.

This time, there were more accompanying staff following the person who entered the room. Six or seven people squeezed in, attracting the attention of several detectives who were originally sitting in a corner of the room, leisurely and relaxing.

"…Who is this?" Hattori Heiji looked at the mixed-race face that walked in and narrowed his eyes. "He looks familiar. Have I seen him before?"

As he looked at the person coming in, Hattori Heiji suddenly realized something.

No wonder Toru Amuro proposed to discuss his treatment together with Goro Akechi. The TV station actually accepted such an outrageous request. It turns out that he and Goro Akechi have the highest national recognition in the entire group...

Conan immediately recognized the person who came in and his eyes twitched.

If he understood correctly, this person was one of the main culprits of this variety show.

If it weren't for the fact that he inexplicably ran back to Japan to go to school, causing him and Goro Akechi to have the same personality, and whether there would be conflicts and arguments about who is better, a TV station of the size of Nichiren TV would not have specially organized such an outrageous variety show project for no reason.

Bai Ma Tan, dressed in a suit, was adjusting his shirt cuffs not particularly skillfully. Just as he was about to introduce himself, he was interrupted by the staff behind him.

"Okay, everyone. Sorry for the long wait. We will put your makeup on right away and go to the studio to shoot a self-introduction. In order to ensure the effect, we may shoot it several times. The PD will confirm the process with you."

More staff members came over and pressed Hattori Heiji firmly into the makeup chair before he could protest.

Hattori Heiji has very dark skin, but no matter how dark a person's skin is, he still needs to wear makeup if he is going to appear on camera.

In order to achieve the best shooting effect, a large number of fill lights must be prepared whether in the studio or outdoors, especially inside the studio. Sometimes the spotlights on the stage will raise the temperature of the studio to a scorching level. No matter what skin color, it is destined to appear flat and lacking in details under such lighting, with no texture and complexion.

So, no matter how the unaccustomed Hattori Heiji protested, the makeup artist's big brush still swept across his face.

"Okay, Mr. Hattori, don't move. If you move any more, the powder will get into your eyes."

"Why do you still need to wear eyeshadow?!"

"It's not a decorative eyeshadow, it's mainly used to add details to the eyes, don't hide, kid..."

Conan, who was standing on the side, watched Hattori Heiji being tormented with a grin on his face. The next second, he himself was grabbed by the hood by the staff standing behind him.

"I almost forgot, Detective Hattori brought a kid with him. Anything that needs to appear on camera must be handled well, so hurry up."

"Wha, no, I don't need it, don't--"

An hour later, after being tidied up again and feeling that the glitter on their faces must be sparkling, Hattori Heiji and Conan stood in front of the studio door, looking at each other, silent and speechless.

They all understand the principle. It is impossible to be photogenic without makeup. The bright lights will smooth out all the differences and details on the face. No matter how good-looking a person is, they will all look pale and flat in the photo. But the actual experience is really uncomfortable.

"So, Akechi has to go through this process every day?" Raising his hand and wiping his cheek that was stained with the smell of powder, Hattori Heiji looked strange, "I suddenly admire him a little bit..."

"Thank you for the compliment. I don't hate your sentiments. Work is work. It's impossible to have everything go as planned."

Hattori Heiji turned around with a stiff expression, and sure enough, it was Goro Akechi who had arrived late. He was carrying his unmovable suitcase and looking at him with a half-smile.

He had not forgotten that an hour ago, this man was suspected of having contact with other people in the organization and was sitting in the dressing room next door, plotting something unknown.

"Okay, control your expression. Don't look like you've seen a ghost." Tang Ze adjusted his Akechi Goro suit and stood tall in front of the studio door. "Please give me your guidance from now on, the famous detective of the West."

----

"My name is Nanatsuki Koshimizu, and I'm a third-year high school detective from Fukuoka. I'm participating in this show as a representative of high school detectives in the southern part of the country." Nanatsuki Koshimizu put on his sunglasses again and smiled confidently at the camera. "Because I'm still a novice and not very famous, I've only solved about 100 cases, so please go easy on me."

Tang Ze, who was sitting across the table, slowly put down the teacup beside him and almost couldn't hold back the expression on his face.

Listen to yourself, is what you say human language?

As a newbie, you have solved 100 incidents. We will assume that you have a good event-handling physique. If you solve 100 incidents one by one a day efficiently without leaving problems overnight, it will take more than three months.

Do you know how many cases a district police station handles in a year?

However, apart from him, people in the scientific world seemed to be very accustomed to this exaggerated number. Not only did they not seem surprised at all, Tokatsu Junya even nodded naturally and continued speaking according to her speech format.

"My name is Tokizu Junya. Although I was born in Tokyo, I grew up in Hokkaido. Probably for this reason, I was invited here as a representative of the north. As for incidents, I have handled about 300 cases, of which at least 250 people were arrested and prosecuted. Of course, this number is not the accuracy of my judgment. There are indeed many cases where people resisted stubbornly before being arrested, and finally escaped or committed suicide..."

He said it nonchalantly, but he was obviously very proud of his achievements, and his body language was even more exaggerated.

Nanatsuki Koshimizu, who was sitting diagonally across from him, seemed to be hurt by the word "suicide" and the corner of her eye twitched.

Taking the current environment into consideration, she quickly controlled her expression and pretended to bring the tea to her mouth.

This guy who was so arrogant, showing off his excellent results in criminal cases, and describing his actions of forcing suspects into desperate situations as if they were medals, turned out to be a well-known high school detective...

When did the weight of life become so insignificant that it can be talked about as an achievement?

She now had some understanding of Goro Akechi's thought process.

Although the legal age of adulthood is 20, a person's mental maturity is sometimes not completely proportional to his or her age.

If there really is a jerk who squeezes into the ranks of high school detectives, he is using this preconceived and likable identity to cover up mistakes and crimes. The victims will be hurt, and so will the innocent detectives.

We cannot allow this kind of black sheep to have such a high social status and use chicken feathers as a token of authority...

Koshimizu Nanatsuki's sense of mission was ignited by his words, but Tokitsu Junya, who was unaware of it, just ended his introduction with a lingering feeling.

According to the speaking order, it was Hattori Heiji's turn.

"My name is Hattori Heiji. I'm a detective of some fame in Kansai." Hattori Heiji was modest for a moment, "As for the cases I've solved so far, well, let me think..."

He snapped his fingers, as if he was really calculating, and waved his hands after a moment.

"Oh, it seems that there are more than 1000 pieces. I can't count them all. Forget it."

"1000 pieces? Really?" Nanatsuki Koshimizu looked over in surprise.

"Then you are really amazing..." Tokatsu Junya turned his head and looked Hattori Heiji up and down, not quite believing it. "

Conan, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him in disbelief.

Why do I feel like I'm bragging? Hattori, you're not counting all the free commissions you've kindly accepted, such as helping people find lost cats and dogs, and investigating minor issues, to make up the numbers...

"Ah, I see. You are Hattori Heiji." Hakuba, who was sipping a cup of black tea, nodded in understanding. "I do often hear my father talk about you. I heard that you are a detective who is very sensitive no matter what situation you face..."

Tang Ze glanced at his profile and muttered to himself.

High emotional intelligence and keen sense.

Low EQ, empty brain.

As expected of someone who has lived in the UK for so many years, he is really good at speaking.

"Your father? Why does your father know about him?" Unexpectedly, there were unexpected lines, and Shijin Junya couldn't help but look sideways.

"Because they are in the same situation, both are from police families." Tang Ze, who was sitting at the end, interrupted and said, "The situations are very similar."

"Indeed. My father is the Superintendent General of the Police. What a coincidence that you, Hattori-kun, have a father who is the Chief of the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters." Hakuba Tan introduced himself with a smile, "My name is Hakuba Tan. Well, I'm sure you have heard my name recently."

He was not active in Japan in the past, so although he seemed to have solved many incidents in Europe, he was not well-known in the country.

Until he returned to Japan, he not only came back for a vacation, but even transferred his studies back. No one knew what new goals he had.

The case that happened in the villa during the blizzard a few days ago, which did not cause any substantial casualties in the end, was naturally blamed on the White Horse Detective, whose identity was the most public. He earned a lot of attention, so these days, the news and information about him have indeed increased day by day.

"So, how many cases have you solved so far?" Tokatsu Junya asked, who was very concerned about this issue.

"Well... I made a rough estimate when you were speaking, and it seems like there are around 500 items." Bai Ma tilted his head.

"That means it's only about half of mine?" Hattori Heiji, who was not sure whether it was a tongue twister or a genuine sigh, choked a little.

"Yes, but this only counts the incidents that happened in Japan." Hakuba shrugged, looking relaxed. "I've been studying in the UK for a long time, and I only go back to Japan during holidays. I can't help it, my nanny always thinks too highly of my abilities and will take on many requests for me without permission. However, isn't this program about selecting high school detectives limited to Japan? It wouldn't be fair if I counted the number of people from abroad as well."

"Oh, yes, I have heard of it. I knew it when you mentioned the name." Koshimizu Nanatsuki nodded, "So why would you, who is basically active abroad, be invited as a representative of the Eastern Region? I thought that even if it wasn't Kudo Shinichi..."

Her eyes flickered to the last person's face.

Tang Ze, who was drinking tea calmly, had to put down the cup and gave a familiar smile to the camera.

"Are you complimenting me? Then thank you for your recognition. My name is Goro Akechi, and you should have heard of my name more or less. As for the incidents..." Tang Ze tilted his head, pretending to think, and after a moment he spit out a number, "I haven't been in Tokyo for long, so the total number is 218."

The number, accurate to the single digit, immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

Conan stared at his face blankly, and the first thing he thought of was not the issue of quantity, but he recalled Maori Kogoro's complaints about the commission fees. Then he substituted Maori Kogoro's commission fees and roughly estimated Mingzhi's income.

...No wonder Toru Amuro has to follow him as his manager.

Even if this firm only takes one percent of the profit, it would have made a lot of money by now, right?

"I'm a little different from you all. After all, I make a living from this, and I can't forget my progress. That's what work is." Tang Ze curled his eyes, completing his skilled posturing, and looked back to the center of the round table. In order to cover the vase placed on the radio equipment, his eyes were quite clear.

Without considering Conan as an off-field factor, just the five people who spoke at the table now, except for Akechi, all of them are detectives who do not accept money and mainly do their hobbies in their spare time. But even if Hattori Heiji's figures are exaggerated, the real number is probably only about three or four hundred, and the total number has exceeded 1500 incidents. Add in Conan, who was able to earn the title of savior of the Japanese police in just one year, and Kudo Shinichi, the total number will definitely exceed 2000, most of which are criminal cases involving deaths.

The lineup on this table is almost like a set of sample books on criminal investigation. Tang Ze felt a chill and a chill. It turned out that these people were not focusing on the situation of the country and whether the public security of this society could be saved. Instead, they were seriously comparing the number of cases...

So what else can he say except smiling?