Evening.
Third floor, Mouri Detective Agency.
Dinner was over. Kogoro Mouri was on the phone with his Kyoto friend, recounting the afternoon's events and telling him to catch the news on TV or online.
"Hoshino, are you reading about yourself?"
Ran, having just cleared the small table, passed by Kurosawa Hoshino and noticed him browsing posts on his phone. Curious, she peeked—it was about the Shinkansen near-bombing.
"Ahem, just seeing what people are saying." Kurosawa Hoshino chuckled.
It's like overhearing others talk about you—most people would secretly listen, whether the comments are good or bad.
"Oh~" Ran drew out the sound, then headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Kurosawa Hoshino continued scrolling, reading the comments.
Soon, one username caught his eye: [I Don't Drink Sherry].
The profile picture was a white mouse bound hand and foot, with a pale hand holding a scalpel peeking from the side, as if about to dissect it.
Clicking into the profile: Gender—Female.
This person… could it really be Sherry?
Kurosawa Hoshino thought to himself, carefully reading the comments. The more he read, the more likely it seemed.
[I Don't Drink Sherry]: Heh, another high school detective. Hope he doesn't get too curious about men in black, or he might just vanish one day.
Is this about Conan?
Kurosawa Hoshino's fingers moved, typing a reply.
[I Really Didn't Cheat]: Do you know those two men in black from the Shinkansen today?
Meanwhile, in a pharmaceutical company lab in Toriya Town…
Miyano Shiho, having finished her workday, was browsing the internet and reading news.
She saw the Shinkansen near-bombing report, clicked in, and spotted the part about two men in black. Thinking of the missing Kudo Shinichi, she left a casual comment.
Unexpectedly, someone replied.
She ignored it, but the other person kept messaging. Finally, the last sentence successfully provoked her.
[I Really Didn't Cheat]: Hey, offline?
[I Really Didn't Cheat]: Not lurking, are you? Hehe, watch me leave another reply.
[I Really Didn't Cheat]: Hey, what were you barking about earlier?
Miyano Shiho was genuinely angered by the word "barking." She quickly typed a response.
[I Don't Drink Sherry]: You're the one barking.
[I Really Didn't Cheat]: Haha, there you are. So you were definitely lurking.
[I Don't Drink Sherry]: A clumsy provocation, matching your IQ. I feel sorry for you.
On the other side…
Kurosawa Hoshino looked at the replies and smiled. A bit sarcastic. The more I look, the more she resembles Ai Haibara.
For the next ten minutes, he felt like he'd rediscovered the thrill of arguing with netizens from his past life. They went back and forth, bickering happily.
Both showed restraint—attacking only each other, not bringing family into it. A strange, tacit understanding.
Beep beep beep~
Suddenly, the phone screen changed. A call notification appeared.
Kurosawa Hoshino glanced at the name and answered. "Inspector Megure, what's up?"
"Hoshino-kun, letting you know the interrogation results for those two guys. If you encounter them in the future, don't act rashly."
"What do you mean?"
"Actually, those two were imitating someone else's style today—trying to frame others."
"Hmm?" Kurosawa Hoshino's eyes narrowed.
"Those two belong to a criminal organization. But recently, their organization was extorted for a large sum by two people—distinguished by the outfits they wore today. Their higher-ups aren't willing to take it lying down, so they ordered these two to impersonate them and cause trouble, hoping we'd go after the real ones."
A criminal organization… got extorted?
Kurosawa Hoshino's lips twitched. He roughly understood.
The two were imitating Gin and Vodka's style. That meant the people who extorted their organization were Gin and Vodka.
Since shrinking Conan, Gin had been fundraising for this lab. Looks like they'd stepped on some local toes.
The local syndicates, afraid to confront them directly, tried indirect methods—hoping to use the police to eliminate them.
Unfortunately, their plan failed.
"Yeah, Hoshino. If you ever see two people dressed like that again, remember not to approach. Just call me. After all, they're the kind who dare to extort criminal organizations. Best not to provoke them."
"Thanks, Inspector Megure. I appreciate the heads-up."
"Haha, no problem. I won't disturb you further."
Kurosawa Hoshino hummed in acknowledgment, watching the call end. He'd lost interest in continuing the argument with Miyano Shiho, only finding the news rather amusing.
He never expected things to unfold this way. He wondered if Gin, knowing about this, would come knocking to extort them again.
Scene Shift: Miyano Shiho's Side.
After ten minutes of online sparring with Kurosawa Hoshino, she'd vented a fair bit of pent-up frustration. Seeing he hadn't replied, a hint of regret surfaced, followed by a smug smile.
Hmph. That's all you've got? In the end, you still can't out-argue me. Hehe. If I run into you next time, I'll curse you out properly. Still dare to provoke me?
She let out a long sigh, took out her phone, found Gin's number, and dialed directly.
When the other end answered, she said coldly, "My recent work phase is complete. I need to see my sister tomorrow."
"Tomorrow won't work." Gin's voice was indifferent.
"You… what do you mean? This was promised by that person. One condition per completed research phase. Are you disobeying that person's orders?" Miyano Shiho directly invoked the boss's name as a threat.
Unfortunately, Gin didn't respond. He simply hung up.
Damn it!
Miyano Shiho was so angry she wanted to smash her phone.
But the next second, Vodka called, forcing her to answer.
"Hey, Sherry." Vodka's voice sounded helpless. "The lab's expenses have been huge lately. Big Brother's busy raising funds. Your matter will have to wait a few days."
"How is that possible?" Shiho Miyano frowned, unwilling to believe the Black Organization could be short on funds.
Vodka said unhappily, "It's all because of some old-timer here. Relying on being a organization veteran, he disrespected Big Brother over a minor issue and deliberately delayed the lab's funding. I think that guy's not long for this world. Once Big Brother has time, he'll find an opportunity to deal with him."
"How many more days?"
"Soon. The local gangs have no manners. Big Brother is teaching them a lesson."