6:00 PM. Metropolitan Police Department, Lobby.
The air was thick with the smell of cheap coffee and fading bureaucracy. Kurosawa Hoshino and his group lounged on stiff plastic chairs, the fluorescent lights humming a dull tune of waiting.
The door to the interrogation rooms finally swung open. Detective Sato Miwako strode out, her usual professional calm cracked by a spark of triumph.
"Hoshino-kun! We got them!" she announced, stopping before them. "They confessed. A robbery gang. Their boss was the guy arrested last night near Tokyo Tower."
"Tino Cabana?" Conan piped up instantly, his mind connecting yesterday's news to today's chaos.
"Exactly," Sato nodded. "That drawing on the paper is a treasure map. It leads to 15,000 Maple Leaf gold coins they stole a year ago. Their boss hid them, and this was the only clue."
"Gold coins?!"
"Treasure!"
"We can have unagi-don every day!"
The three kids—Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta—exploded into cheers, dancing a clumsy jig in the middle of the sterile lobby.
Kurosawa Hoshino watched them with an amused smile. "Detective, it's getting late. Shouldn't they be heading home?"
The joyful dance faltered. Three pairs of eyes swiveled to him, brimming with betrayal. This deceptively gentle, handsome big brother was their nemesis.
"I agree," Sonoko chimed in. "It's not safe for children to be out after dark."
Conan, however, couldn't let it go. The puzzle was still unsolved! "But we haven't found the coins yet! We can help!"
"Conan, you're children," Ran said gently but firmly. "What can you do?" Beside her, Tsukamoto Kazumi nodded in firm agreement.
The debate was cut short by a commotion at the main entrance.
Inspector Megure walked in, looking harassed, followed by a small crowd wielding cameras, microphones, and blinding lights. Their focus zeroed in on Hoshino's group.
"Ahem. Hoshino-kun," Inspector Megure sidled over, rubbing his hands together with an awkward, placating smile. He glanced at the elegant woman leading the media pack and lowered his voice. "She's from NTV. Must have a source here. The gang barely finished confessing before she showed up. The arrest of their boss last night was big news. Now that there's a treasure hunt sequel… they want the 'citizen hero' who cracked it."
The woman stepped forward smoothly. "Hello. I'm Rena Mizunashi, a reporter with Nippon TV News." Her smile was professional, her gaze sharp.
"Kurosawa Hoshino. A pleasure." Hoshino returned the greeting calmly. He had nothing to hide. Besides, he knew exactly who she was beneath the reporter's facade—CIA operative Kir.
"You're wearing a Teitan High uniform," she observed, microphone poised. "Do you happen to know Shinichi Kudo?"
A subtle probe. Conan's head dipped slightly, then he caught himself. I'm just a kid now. Relax.
"He's a classmate. I've known him for about a month," Hoshino answered easily, giving nothing away.
"What a coincidence. Now, Kurosawa-kun, could you tell our viewers how you discovered those three robbers?"
"It wasn't complicated," Hoshino shrugged, facing the camera with practiced ease. "I saw three suspicious men tailing some children. Thought they might be traffickers, so I called the police. During the arrest, their handguns fell out. That's all there was to it."
He delivered the entire dramatic story in three flat sentences. Rena Mizunashi's smile tightened slightly. This teenager was a master of the deadpan summary.
"Is that everything?" Hoshino asked, as if wrapping up a weather report.
This kid… Rena Mizunashi thought, mildly exasperated. But she had another card to play. "Actually, I heard there's a coded map involved. Have you deciphered it yet? Finding 15,000 gold coins would be explosive news. Perhaps we should call Shinichi Kudo to help solve it?"
Hoshino almost smiled. She'd handed him the perfect segue. His Origin Points still hadn't registered—the system likely required the treasure's discovery to close the loop. Now was the time.
"He hasn't been to school lately, so I'm not sure. But," Hoshino paused for effect, "I've already solved it."
"What?!" The exclamation came from Inspector Megure, Sato, and several officers at once.
The three girls with Hoshino exchanged worried glances. He'd been with them the whole time, only glancing at the paper a few times. How could he have solved it?
Impossible, Conan thought, his brow furrowing. I've been staring at it for hours!
Rena Mizunashi's eyes gleamed. She gave a subtle nod to her cameraman, who moved in for a tight shot.
Hoshino took the coded drawing and held it up to the lens. "The gang leader, Tino Cabana, was arrested near Tokyo Tower. The first symbol here," he pointed, "closely resembles Tokyo Tower. This crescent moon means the clue can only be read at night."
He let that sink in. "At night, what's most prominent around Tokyo Tower?"
"The neon lights!" Sonoko gasped, connecting the dots instantly. "The other patterns on the map… they're not pictures, they're neon sign layouts! We just need to find the buildings with matching neon lights!"
The children erupted in fresh cheers.
Inspector Megure snapped into action. "Sato! Take a team and sweep the buildings around Tokyo Tower! Check every neon sign!"
"Inspector," Rena Mizunashi interjected smoothly, "we'd like to accompany you to film. For the public's right to know."
"Fine, fine. Just don't get in the way."
As the police and news crew mobilized into a chaotic exodus, Hoshino quietly requested a patrol car to take his group home.
Once in the back of the car, the mood shifted.
"Hoshino-kun," Ran leaned forward, voice low with concern. "Are you sure you shouldn't have gone with them? What if they don't find it? You're on camera… it'll be all over the news."
"She's right," Sonoko agreed. "It's risky."
"Junior, maybe you should be there," Kazumi added, her protective instincts firing.
"Relax." Hoshino pulled out his phone, displaying a text chain with Sato Miwako. "I'm in touch with Detective Sato. If they hit a dead end, I'll guide them through it."
His tone was confident, final. As the police car moved through the evening traffic, Hoshino's eyes drifted to the side mirror. Another patrol car was supposed to be following, carrying the children home.
Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta were in it.
But Conan was not.
He slipped away when Sato's team left, Hoshino realized. Of course. He won't rest until he sees the mystery solved with his own eyes.
A faint, knowing smile touched Hoshino's lips as he looked away from the mirror, back to the worried faces of his friends. The hunt was on, and the little detective was already in pursuit.