bookbashuk Page 161
Page 161
Following the bombing of the Beika City Tower, most media outlets suddenly turned their attention to him.
Although Matsuda suspected there was something wrong, his position prevented him from launching an investigation.
After all, if reporters find out, they might be accused of being a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department trying to retaliate against the media.
Hattori's sudden statement clearly indicates that he already knows something.
Matsuda was naturally quite impatient.
……
When Matsuda arrived at the Mori Detective Agency
Conan sat on the sofa, his face flushed and dazed.
"What's wrong with this kid?"
Although he was eager to know what was going on with Hattori, seeing Conan's expression, he obviously had to ask him first.
"Officer Matsuda, Conan just has a bit of a cold."
As Ran explained, she placed a cup of hot water on the table in front of Conan.
“Even a common cold wouldn’t cause this, would it?” Matsuda chuckled. “Judging from his current appearance, he looks like he’s drunk.”
"Hehe, this is all thanks to Hattori!"
Ran glared at Hattori Heiji, who was wearing a baseball cap and grinning smugly.
"He actually called Chinese liquor a cold medicine and made Conan drink it!"
"I'm not making this up. This kind of strong liquor is indeed used to treat colds in China."
Hattori Heiji replied with a serious expression.
Seeing how serious he was, Xiaolan began to doubt her own judgment.
"Is that really the case? I'm sorry..."
"Xiao Lan, don't listen to this kid's nonsense!"
Matsuda picked up the baijiu from the coffee table, unscrewed the cap, and took a small sip.
As that fiery sensation went down,
Matsuda shook the bottle and explained to the Mori family.
"This is just ordinary liquor. Even if people in China use it to treat colds, it's just like alcohol, applied to the body to help lower the fever."
"Hattori!" Ran was furious. "Conan is a child! How could you trick him into drinking like that!"
"Sorry, I was just trying to make a joke..." Hattori clasped his hands together and hurriedly begged for forgiveness.
"This bottle of wine was originally intended as a gift for Mr. Mori. I never expected that Conan would drink it down in one gulp without even smelling it."
"By the way, Officer Matsuda, actually, the reason I came here today is because..."
Hattori, fearing that Ran would continue to pursue the matter, quickly changed the subject.
But before he could finish speaking, the office door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
A woman with a face full of displeasure walked in.
"Hey, how long are you going to make me ring the doorbell? Is this how your detective agency treats its customers...?"
The woman's barrage of questions instantly silenced Hattori.
"Sorry, I was a bit busy just now, so I didn't notice the noise from the door," Xiaolan quickly got up and apologized.
Although the woman was still somewhat relentless, after grumbling a few more times, she finally revealed the purpose of her visit.
"You want to investigate your son's girlfriend's character?"
Mori took the documents the woman handed him and quickly flipped through them.
"But judging from the information, this girl is clearly an excellent student. So, what is it about her that you are dissatisfied with?"
"No, actually it's just..."
The woman stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything.
Seeing this, Hattori Heiji, who was leaning against a bench nearby, laughed.
"Perhaps it's because she's too perfect that I can't stand her. After all, humans are inherently suspicious and prone to jealousy..."
Hattori's words clearly angered the woman, who glared at Mori with displeasure.
"Who is this guy?"
"Sorry, this kid is my daughter's friend,"
While giving an awkward, apologetic smile, Mori punched Hattori on the head.
"This young man isn't very good at speaking, please forgive him, please forgive him..."
Although Conan was still a little confused, he immediately gloated when he saw Hattori get beaten up: "Serves you right!"
"...Damn it, I was telling the truth!"
Hattori pouted in resentment.
“You have to be careful what you say, there’s no right or wrong. You can’t talk to a customer like that,” Matsuda said with a helpless expression.
Hattori is incredibly astute when it comes to cases.
But in life, sometimes they are too straightforward.
Saying whatever comes to mind is not a good habit.
"you……"
The woman who had come to visit then noticed Matsuda speaking, and her expression immediately became somewhat strange, as if she were rather nervous.
“This is Officer Matsuda,” Mori hurriedly introduced. “I used to work at the Metropolitan Police Department, and Officer Matsuda is my junior. He has always admired me, so he came here specifically to visit me.”
"dad……"
Ran felt ashamed of what Mori said and could only helplessly cover her face.
"Officer Matsuda, I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, what Mori-senpai said is actually the truth,"
Matsuda didn't seem to care. Although Kogoro Mouri usually seemed a bit absent-minded,
But when someone close to him gets into trouble, he becomes incredibly shrewd.
For Matsuda, getting closer to the Mori clan would only be beneficial.
"In short, we can discuss the details with my husband once you get to my house," the woman said, standing up.
"So...should I go over now?" Mori asked, puzzled. "But if it's your husband's idea, why don't you and your husband come together?"
“As I just told you, my husband is a diplomat. If people find out he’s in a place like this…”
The woman explained, but as she spoke, her gaze kept drifting towards Matsuda beside her.
Mori was still busy getting business from the Happy Architects and didn't notice this.
But Matsuda, Hattori, and Conan, who were standing nearby, all noticed that something was off about the woman's expression.
"If a diplomat shows up at a detective agency and those reporters see him, it'll definitely be written as a scandal,"
Hattori Heiji picked up the conversation and said,
"Furthermore, this lady has been paying close attention to Officer Matsuda since the beginning, so she probably hopes that Officer Matsuda can come along as well, right?"
Chapter 199 You're too nervous, Madam
"What?" The woman hurriedly waved her hands. "No, I didn't..."
“Madam, you don’t need to be so polite,” Mori said, patting his chest casually. “Although Matsuda is known as a famous detective in the Metropolitan Police Department, he’s just an ordinary junior to me. If he goes with us, he might be able to help in some way.”
Um, Hattori and Mori, those two guys...
When did I say I was going to go with them?
Matsuda hurriedly shook his head in refusal.
"I'm sorry, Mori-senpai, I have some things to attend to, I'm afraid..."
“Officer Matsuda, you’d better come with us,” Hattori interjected. “It’s better to let Uncle Mori go alone and be suspected.”
"It would be better if all of us, including Ran and Conan, went to visit together. That way, there would be people of all ages, and they wouldn't suspect our purpose..."
"In that case, I'll leave it to you."
The woman nodded, glanced nervously at Matsuda, and then turned and walked out of the detective agency first.
Mori, along with Ran and Conan, hurriedly followed them out.
Hattori wanted to move closer to Conan, but Matsuda pulled him back.
So the two of them ended up at the very end.
"Hey, Hattori, what exactly are you up to?" Matsuda asked, frowning. "I already refused, why are you dragging me into this?"
“Hehe,” Hattori chuckled smugly, “Officer Matsuda, Kudo told me that you had a deduction contest with him yesterday.”
"Yes, it is, but that's actually because..."
Just as Matsuda was about to explain what happened yesterday, Hattori spoke up first.
"In that case, Officer Matsuda, let's have a deduction contest!"
"Kudo lost to Inspector Matsuda yesterday, so if I win today, it means I've beaten Kudo!"
Hattori said this and then burst into laughter.
Then, seemingly afraid that Matsuda would refuse, he hurriedly added,
"If Officer Matsuda agrees to a deduction contest with me, I will tell you what I know about the media's inside story regarding Officer Matsuda after this incident."
"In other words, if I don't agree, you won't say anything..." Matsuda said helplessly.
“No, even if Officer Matsuda doesn’t agree, I will definitely say so in the end,” Hattori said, clasping his hands together and pleading with Matsuda. “In short, please, Officer Matsuda, accept my challenge.”