The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan

"Ah? Uncle, you were invited by the daughter of the Shijing Group because of the previous commission?"

"Yeah, I think her name is Yotsuigaki Rika, and she seems pretty." Maori Kogoro adjusted his tie in front of the mirror and answered casually, "Actually, it can't be considered a commission I completed..."

"I just happened to meet her dog on the way home." Mao Lilan took over the conversation, "It just so happened that my father saw the commissioned photo the day before and found that the dog was playing with other dogs in the park, so he called them."

"I see..." Conan touched his chin and said uncertainly, "I seem to remember that Sister Sonoko mentioned this Yotsuga Reika..."

He didn't say much, just looked at Mao Lilan with a subtle look.

After all, they were the host who invited them to the banquet, so it was embarrassing to say some harsh words, but Suzuki Sonoko was not polite at all.

"Oh, I think I said that..." Mao Lilan, who also remembered it, nodded her chin uncertainly.

Suzuki Sonoko said that she was a young lady with a bad temper. She only looked dignified on the surface and was very difficult to get along with. Even though she knew that Suzuki Sonoko's family background was not something that the Four Wells Group could touch, after feeling that Suzuki Sonoko was not a lady at all, she still showed a sense of superiority on her face...

"What do you think? Is it possible that she didn't ask the uncle to come over because the commission was completed, but she just wanted to invite Uncle Maori, but was unwilling to take the initiative to formally express this tendency..." Following these contents, Conan couldn't help but expand on the conspiracy theory.

Well, after all, formally inviting Kogoro Mori is not an easy thing to do now.

As several waves of mentally ill prisoners inexplicably drove up the market price, Kogoro Mouri's wealth has increased compared to before. After sitting on the golden platform built by mentally ill people such as Ito Suehiko, a wealthy family that wants to formally invite Kogoro Mouri now even has to wait in line.

But if it was just a casual request to find a dog, and if Kogoro Mouri happened to accept the invitation, things would be a little different. He could be invited to add weight to the banquet at his home.

"If you put it that way, it seems that there is no problem." Maori Kogoro touched his chin and couldn't help thinking, "Well, could it be that there is some internal strife in their family, or there are some disputes that need to be resolved by finding a detective, but they are unwilling to formally pay for an invitation, so they came up with this compromise..."

"That's a possibility. Looking for the dog, but the dog is not lost. It just happens to be playing in a park near the office..."

"But, Yotsuika is indeed going to have a birthday, right?"

After the three of them whispered for a while, Kogoro Mouri straightened his back inexplicably and chose an expensive watch and put it on.

"Forget it, let's just go, it's not bad to just go and have dinner."

"Now that you mention it, I suddenly want to invite Kitagawa to go with me..."

"Why invite him? To eat up all the food at the banquet?"

The three of them walked downstairs and headed towards the car that Kogoro Mouri had just rented - it was indeed a bit inappropriate to drive an SUV to a banquet, so he rented a car again for a rare occasion - and prepared to set off for the banquet at the Shii family.

"It's obviously a birthday party, but they chose such a remote villa. It takes an hour to drive there. I really don't know what these rich people are thinking."

"I guess it's because there won't be any party participants who don't have a car, right?"

"Ha, that sounds really arrogant."

Conan sat in the back seat and glanced at the Polo Cafe downstairs when closing the door.

It was the time when students were getting out of school, and Polo Cafe, a well-known coffee shop on Rice Flower Commercial Street, was now at its peak traffic period. The booths facing the street and several outdoor tables outside were filled with young people.

I took a quick glance but didn't see Karasawa and Amuro Toru who usually appeared here.

Hiss, this is so strange, why do I feel like Tang Ze is often absent recently? He is obviously on duty every day...

At the same time, in another car heading to the same destination, Tang Ze was adjusting his cuffs to make them wrinkle-free, while chatting with a dark-skinned young man who was also sitting in the back seat.

"...Anyway, don't be fooled by Shijing Lihua's pretty face. That woman is a hedonist."

"I heard that she is the only daughter of the Shijing family. In other words, if she chooses you as her husband, it means you can take over the entire Shijing Group, right?" Tang Ze raised his head and smiled. "Mifune, your company has just passed the start-up stage and needs this help. Why are you not interested in this?"

"What kind of interest do you have?" Mifune Takuya rolled his eyes unceremoniously. "Even if you are interested at first, once you really get to know her, you will quickly understand why the Yotsuba family would acquiesce to her husband becoming the future heir of the Yotsuba family."

Although he didn't make his words particularly clear, considering the sarcastic tone he used, it was already quite impolite.

It is not only a mockery of Shijing Lihua herself for having no business acumen and being unable to run a company well, but also saying that without the entire Shijing Group as a dowry, someone like her would probably find it difficult to find a partner with excellent conditions.

"You seem very unwilling to have anything to do with her. Then why did you go to the banquet?" Tang Ze weighed the pros and cons, adjusted his smile to a just-right teasing tone, and nudged Mifune Takuya with his elbow, "Don't be so pretentious."

Takuya Mifune is indeed in the start-up stage, but since he was noticed by Yotsuba Reika, he is not a poor boy who has made his fortune from scratch, but can be considered a young master.

When dealing with this guy, you can't be too arrogant. You have to act a little more like a playboy so that he will be more accepting of you.

Sure enough, Mifune Takuya was very pleased. He stretched out his arm and patted Tang Ze's shoulder vigorously: "Hahaha, okay, I am still a little moved, but I am just very moved by the Shijing Group. You will know when you get there. Her father dotes on her without any bottom line. Everyone can see that if we catch her, the entire Shijing Group will be in our pocket."

"In that case, it's not surprising that she's spoiled." Tang Ze spread his hands, "Young ladies are always like this."

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. Your 'young lady' is so much better than her." Mifune Takuya showed the classic expression when discussing the opposite sex behind their backs, and patted Tang Ze again, "They all say that Suzuki Sonoko is touching you like this because she has some crush on you, right? Is this true or not?"

"Of course that's impossible." Tang Ze shook his head and denied, "I can't marry into another family, and the Suzuki family won't allow her to marry an American."

"Is that so? I feel relieved then." Drawing a conclusion from his firm attitude, Mifune Takuya quickly smiled playfully, "If Shii Reika comes over later, I'll drag you out to deal with her. Don't blame me for being unkind, okay?"

Tang Ze pretended to be displeased and made a strange expression, but he knew everything in his mind.

At first glance, Takuya Mifune looks like a pure playboy. His hobbies and interests are all very expensive and in areas that ordinary people cannot access. He seems to have a big heart, but his basic nature is still that of a businessman from a business family.

First of all, Takuya Mifune really had no interest in Yotsuba Reika. He just needed to maintain a good relationship with the Yotsuba Group for the sake of his own startup and family dealings, so he had no way of refusing Yotsuba Reika's invitation.

He didn't want to offend the Shijing Group, but he also didn't want to be a lapdog of Shijing Reika. When he met Akechi Goro, a "pretty boy" detective who had many rumors about him, he was of course relieved and hoped to divert Shijing Reika's attention so that he wouldn't be really chosen by her.

But at the same time, he didn't want to offend the people behind Goro Akechi, especially the Suzuki family, so the question just now was meant to test Suzuki Sonoko's true attitude towards him.

Not only Takuya Mifune was aware of these twists and turns, but Karasawa was also aware of them, and he knew that there was a high probability that Takuya Mifune could guess what he knew.

He is clear-headed and talks business, and can even be a little cold-blooded when necessary. This is why Tang Ze chose Takuya Mifune as the opportunity to get involved in this banquet.

"After all this time, you invited me here just for this?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you that Lihua isn't a bad person, but she's still pretty, and her family background is not bad..."

"It's so good, why don't you fight for it yourself?"

"Hey, don't be so cold. There are other people you know at the party. Can't you just do me a favor and deal with her?"

"That's not a favor that can be offset by just treating me to a meal."

"Don't worry, I will remember your kindness."

Although they each had their own plans in mind, they still looked like good brothers on the surface, joking around.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Kenji Hagiwara pressed down the bridge of his sunglasses, glanced at the two men strangely through the rearview mirror, and then looked at the mobile phone displaying the navigation map.

【Trigger: Wow, this is disgusting. It's a pity that Tang Ze can just smile and pretend to be nice.】

【Lunar: From a certain perspective, the organization's judgment of him was not wrong.】

[Karma: Indeed, this is the episode that is most accurate in judging people. ]

[Spy: Why do I feel like you're praising gin? I feel a little sick...]

Looking away, Kenji Hagiwara shook his head silently.

But does Tang Ze’s preparations stop there?

Because of Karasawa's own age problem, in order to ensure that Mifune Takuya would be willing to take him to Yotsuba Reika's party, he even prepared a backup option, Kenji Hagiwara, using the other party's excellent talent and learning ability in driving to quickly get started. He met and got to know Mifune Takuya at the yacht club, and was soon introduced to Mifune as a close friend, and they had a great conversation...

We have to admit that the organization may have misunderstood Tang Ze in many aspects, but on this level, they are really not wrong.

If Tang Ze thought about it, not to mention his outrageous abilities, his words and guidance skills alone were enough to control many forces beyond imagination.

...But then again, when did Tang Ze learn how to drive a yacht? How come no one noticed?

Getting out of Takuya Mifune's car, Tang Ze looked at the smooth streamlined body of the Porsche, raised his hand and patted its hood meaningfully.

It's a nice car, but it's really hard for you to come to this place.

Although Tang Ze knew very well the reason why Shijing Lihua's birthday party was held in this remote manor, standing in front of the door of this manor, he had to admit that there was still a bit of gimmick in it.

The manor surrounded by mountains and forests has a very regular Victorian architectural style. The color is much brighter and more gorgeous than the dark structures of traditional manor buildings. It is indeed a luxury house that suits the aesthetic tastes of young people.

With Kenji Hagiwara acting like a bodyguard, Karasawa followed Takuya Mifune into the manor, and then, under the latter's gaze, he began to socialize with them freely.

Although not all the guests in the hall were wealthy or noble, there were also many employees or related personnel of the Sijing Group. All the participants at least changed into more formal dresses.

Since the banquet was mainly for the birthday celebration of the daughter of the Shijing family, there were obviously more young people coming.

Therefore, Goro Akechi, who has already been doing very well in the circle of wealthy people, especially the young rich second generation, couldn't be more comfortable standing among these people.

Almost every few steps he took, he would be stopped by someone he knew to chat with, so that by the time he reached Sijing Lihua, more than ten minutes had passed, as if he was recognized by everyone in the world.

"Mifune, you're here." Shii Reika, who was wearing a slim-fitting dress, nodded faintly at Mifune Takuya. When she turned her head to look at Tang Ze, the expression on her face was already quite interested. "I haven't seen you before, you look so young. Mifune, won't you introduce me to him?"

Seeing that Yotsuigami Rika's attention was immediately shifted to Akechi Goro as he wished, Mifune Takuya breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time he pursed his lips a little uncomfortably, but he still managed to finish his opening remarks of greeting with strength.

"Happy birthday, Lihua. Congratulations on turning 24. As a gift, I have already..."

"Just put it on the table over there." Shii Rika waved her hands wrapped in black silk gloves, her eyes not even turning towards Mifune Takuya, "Thank you for your gift, you are thoughtful. Ah, take a closer look, I think I recognized you. You are Goro Akechi, right? The one who is very famous recently? The one from Suzuki, oh, I mean, the one who is often hired by the Suzuki Group, I have heard of your name for a long time..."

She didn't finish her words, but Tang Ze could clearly sense the slight intimacy in her words.

She was alluding to Goro Akechi, who was also a follower of Suzuki Sonoko, and was like a fish farmer.

"...You're welcome." Tang Ze fully understood the meaning of her words and smiled without any strange expression on his face. "Yes, I'm Akechi Goro. Nice to meet you."

He stretched out his hand wearing a black leather glove and shook hands with the other person's hand, which was also covered in a black glove. He clearly felt her thumb sliding affectionately across the back of his hand twice, and the smile on his face grew a little bigger.

I knew this would be the result, so I didn't want to approach her directly.