Kazawa took the photo from the girl's hand, casting a sideways glance at Conan, who was frequently looking up the stairs.
"I'm not! I didn't!" Conan silently mouthed with wide eyes.
Kazawa kept staring at him with the expression one would use for a scumbag boyfriend. Only when sweat started beading on Conan's forehead did he stop teasing and waved his hand toward downstairs. "I don't think I've heard him mention having a girlfriend… How about you go wait downstairs in the shop? I'll give him a call and ask. Oh right, Conan—this."
Kazawa handed over the fan in the gift box he was carrying and pointed toward the detective agency. "Help me give this to Miss Mouri. We still have to go buy books later. I'll meet you back at the store after you deliver it."
Conan caught on to the hint, his eyes lit up, and he loudly replied, "Got it!" before clutching the box and running upstairs like he was escaping.
Kazawa smiled, then politely gestured for the young lady to go first, following her down the stairs like a gentleman.
The moment he heard this girl call herself Kudou Shinichi's girlfriend, Kazawa already understood what was going on.
A football player named Akagi Hideo had a younger brother who was kidnapped. The criminal threatened Akagi Hideo to throw the next match, lose on purpose. If he reported to the police or sought help from a detective, they'd kill the hostage.
Unable to alert the criminal but desperate to save the boy, this girl carried a photo of Kudou Shinichi, claiming to be his girlfriend and going around places he used to frequent, trying to get a message to him and ask for help.
As if guided by fate, she accidentally hit a nerve and set off Ran Mouri, who had been secretly anxious for days after not seeing Shinichi. Consumed by jealousy, Ran launched into a full chase—no, search—kicking down a reinforced security door with both the frame and hinges still attached as a bonus move.
Nobody died. Except for the poor door, nothing else got hurt. If Conan hadn't come asking for help, Kazawa would've quite enjoyed the show.
The two sat down at a table outside the café. While waiting for Conan to come back, Kazawa casually struck up a conversation with the girl. "Mind telling me your name? I'll write him a quick message." He took out his phone as if to send an email.
"I-I'm Akagi Ryouko," she mumbled nervously, head lowered. "Um, Shinichi and I have been dating for a while now… You can get in touch with him, right? Please, ask him to meet with me."
Meeting someone like Kazawa was a relief for Akagi Ryouko. She wasn't sure whether the culprit might be watching her too. She didn't expect the place she tracked down to be a detective agency either. If the culprit thought she was trying to seek help from a detective, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Akagi Ryouko… Judging from your uniform, you're not a student at Teitan. How do you know Kudou-kun?" Kazawa kept tapping on his phone, asking casually.
"I'm a first-year at Beika High. Um, we met by coincidence…" Ryouko stared nervously at Kazawa's phone, her voice stammering, "Just tell him… I really need to talk to him. It's urgent."
"Okay, I've sent it." Kazawa tapped "send" and shot off a message to Conan:
"This girl is named Akagi Ryouko. I think she's in trouble—maybe personal danger or something serious. It seems urgent. Get down here fast."
Not even two seconds passed before he got a reply.
"He said he knows and he'll get here ASAP." Just as Kazawa finished saying that, a series of hurried footsteps came from the staircase. Conan dashed down with his little backpack bouncing, short legs pumping as he ran straight to Kazawa's side.
Kazawa ruffled his hair without hesitation. Conan glared up in protest, but said nothing. Kazawa stood up and turned to Ryouko. "Alright, the person I was waiting for is here. Would you like to wait here for someone, or come along with us?"
Sunlight poured down, making Kazawa's blue eyes look like a patch of clear sky. The pale blue of his irises gave his gaze an almost piercing clarity. Under that insightfully sharp look, Akagi Ryouko clenched her hands tighter. She had a feeling that Kazawa already figured something out—or maybe the message he received said more than she thought...
That little kid was right after all—Kudou Shinichi's friend is indeed amazing.
She bit her lip, then stood and bowed. "Then I'll be in your care."
Not knowing the situation yet, Conan looked around at both of them, unsure, and could only grab onto Kazawa's coat sleeve like a little accessory as they all walked off together.
"Wow, Kazawa-kun's not bad at all," said Enomoto Azusa with a playful smile as she watched Kazawa walk away with the cute Akagi Ryouko through the floor-to-ceiling café window. "He's only been transferred here a few days, and he's already meeting adorable girls."
"Yeah, looks like he's making friends," Amuro Tooru replied, raising his eyebrows while looking at the trio, though his focus landed on the short figure of Conan.
He didn't think Kazawa was the type to hit on girls, especially with the whole 'juvenile offender' label hanging over him. Other than the time he got approached by Suzuki Sonoko—and by extension, Mouri Ran—Kazawa never initiated contact with others. It was surprising that he got along with the kid upstairs so quickly.
Maybe Kazawa unexpectedly has a way with children?
Thinking that, Amuro gave up on the idea of tailing him.
Even if that bastard Rye was probably lurking nearby, as long as Kazawa wasn't alone, Rye wouldn't risk making a move and drawing attention.
Tch. Besides, he had unfinished work to deal with. He still needed to collect all the news coverage from yesterday's case that Kazawa was involved in, to make sure his name didn't appear in any report.
Ever since he started working at this café, the workload had only gotten worse...
——
"So, what exactly happened, Miss Akagi Ryouko?" Kazawa asked gently as they walked side-by-side down the road. "You don't even have Kudou's contact information, and Kudou's never mentioned you to us either. He's not the kind of person who'd be that irresponsible. You probably don't really know him, do you?"
Conan, still holding onto Kazawa's coat, blinked and looked up at him with slight admiration. He didn't expect Kazawa to have such a high opinion of him.
Stop dreaming. That was deduction, not praise, Kazawa thought silently as he flicked Conan's forehead.
Ryouko looked around carefully, making sure no one else was within earshot, then finally lost control of her emotions. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Please come with me. I-I didn't mean to deceive you. I was just really desperate. The match has already started. I want to ask for your help—both of you! Please, save Mamoru, and help Hideo!"
Akagi Ryouko led them in the direction of her home, pulling a letter out of her commuting bag.
"We've got your brother.
If you want him back safe, throw the next match.
No faking injuries. No skipping the game. Don't tell the police or any detectives.
Or else your brother dies."
"This morning, I got up to cook for Mamoru, but he was gone. Then I found this fax." Ryouko's voice trembled as she tried to hold back tears. "Mamoru's older brother is Akagi Hideo…"
"Akagi Hideo!" Conan lit up, the football fan in him reacting instantly. "The 'God-Leg A-Hiro' from Tokyo Aoyama FC?!"
Pssst! The Patreon is already on chapter 55! Join to get 30+ chapters!
patreon.com/TonyTranslations