The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1340 Monster Warehouse

Chapter 1340 Monster Warehouse

"A theft? Is it the one they were talking about on the news today?"

"Yes, that thief specifically targets nearby jewelry stores and antique art shops; this is the fifth case this month."

"But this is an elementary school. It seems like there aren't any collectibles worth stealing at our school." After another tense and exciting day of elementary school life, Conan, who was texting Subaru Okiya to confirm the situation, walked to the school gate and heard a familiar voice.

He looked up and saw Shiratori Ninzaburo standing outside the reopened elementary school gate, talking to Kobayashi Sumiko who was standing inside the fence.

Sumiko Kobayashi was still wearing a full tracksuit. She was finishing her last task as a homeroom teacher, sending the children off from school. Naturally, she couldn't just leave.

So Shiratori's timing was truly perfect. It was like taking advantage of the time when the other person was doing the monotonous work that they were forced to do here, and then running over to chat for a few minutes. It didn't disturb the other person's private time, nor did it seem too deliberate or formal. It wasn't the kind of occasion that required setting aside time specifically to meet. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, and the conversation was very pleasant.

Or is it that the situation between Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru is purely a matter of Sato Miwako's preferences? With that kind of skill in pursuing people, even ten Takagis stacked together couldn't catch up to her.

"You can't think like that. There are bound to be valuables at school." Upon hearing Kobayashi Sumiko's words, Shiratori Ninzaburo put the police manual he'd pulled out back into his pocket, indicating that he was speaking as an individual, not a police officer. "The poor security situation is a very worrying thing. Not just at school, but even at home, you must be careful to lock your doors and windows and take precautions. If you notice anything unusual, feel free to contact me anytime, and I'll come immediately!"

"Ah, ah, okay————" Seeing his seriousness, Kobayashi Sumiko smiled. "Thank you."

Although she was naturally a bit eccentric, she wasn't truly stupid. Shiratori Ninzaburo's instructions were clearly out of concern for her, and she was happy to receive such an explanation.

"Why is Inspector Shiratori here again?" Mitsuhiko, who had come out, stood next to Conan. Following his gaze, he saw the two people talking at the door and couldn't help but remark, "He was here yesterday too, wasn't he?"

"What a kind-hearted police officer," Yoshida Ayumi, who had played a positive role in helping the police, exclaimed innocently, completely unaware of her own actions.

"After all, they are police officers who are supposed to protect citizens!" Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya said.

"No, that's not it." Ai Haibara shook her head slightly. "Inspector Shiratori and Inspector Megure are both from the First Investigation Division's Violent Crimes Unit, which, to put it simply, mainly handles murder cases."

Police officers have limited energy, and they specialize in different areas. Naturally, they can't call the same type of police officer for every case. There must be a reason why Conan and the others, as detectives, have become familiar with this group of police officers.

"Yes. The Third Investigation Division is actually in charge of theft cases, just like the bank robbery a few days ago, it was the officers from the Third Investigation Division who came." Conan thought for a moment and then added, "However, for crimes like those phantom thieves who send out advance notice, which are crimes that would cause a disturbance and have a greater impact, the Second Investigation Division would handle them."

Strictly speaking, since the Phantom Thieves of Hearts became involved in a large number of online activities, their cases could also be handled by the Second Investigation Division.

They belong to the Intelligent Crime Investigation Department, which specializes in handling special crimes, including high-tech crimes and intelligent crimes.

"Oh, I see. He wasn't in charge of that theft case at all. What's he doing here?" Genta Kojima scratched his head.

"What else could it be?" Ai Haibara raised her chin, gesturing to Ms. Kobayashi, who had her back to them. "She's his destined one."

"Destined?"

Although they had heard the story of Shiratori Ninzaburo falling in love with another girl at first sight when he was a child, the children did not connect this story with Ms. Kobayashi.

They repeated the somewhat exaggerated adjective in unison, which attracted the attention of Shiratori, who was still talking to Ms. Kobayashi. Shiratori looked up and looked over.

Upon realizing it was them, he quickly raised his finger to signal for silence, then clasped his hands together in a gesture resembling a plea for mercy.

It's romantic and beautiful to say this yourself, but it would be too embarrassing if the girl you're pursuing heard it from someone else.

"Didn't he ask us and Tang Ze to keep it a secret, saying he would find a chance to explain himself?" Conan shook his head, indicating that everyone should stop talking about it for now.

"You never learn," Ai Haibara said, watching his actions and pursing her lips. "Like the male protagonist in a romance manga, he's so tight-lipped, keeping the girl completely under his thumb, and hasn't confessed his feelings even after ten years of serialization—"

In real life, doing something like that could easily lead to being single for life.

Conan, feeling as if he'd been shot in the knee, twitched his eyebrows and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

"But putting those issues aside, Mr. Kobayashi and he are definitely a better match. Inspector Sato clearly prefers younger, impulsive, puppy-like types, and Mr. Kobayashi is quite fond of Edogawa Ranpo, isn't he a genuine mystery enthusiast? Being with a frontline police officer handling murder cases would probably be quite novel and fun."

"Hey, are you trying to change the subject?!"

While the two people were whispering to each other, the other children had already looked away, losing interest.

The idea of ​​a child having a romantic relationship with their homeroom teacher and a police officer they know is like seeing their parents or elders dating – it simply doesn't inspire any curiosity or interest in such a thing.

"Speaking of stealing treasure, Mitsuhiko, what was that thing you were talking about at noon?" Kojima Genta's interest shifted back to the after-school adventure.

For these kids who get out of school much earlier than high school students, the greatest joy is this little bit of free time before going home.

"The Yokai Warehouse, the Yokai Warehouse." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya repeated the name he had given it very seriously. "It's Takuma. He was playing hide-and-seek with his friends at his relative's house in Beika-cho 5-chome, but he couldn't find where they were hiding, so he climbed a tree and looked into his relative's old warehouse—"

"An old warehouse?" Conan was a little surprised to hear this. "Then his relatives must be quite wealthy."

5-chome is actually the street where the Mouri Detective Agency is located.

Kogoro Mouri's residence is part of the commercial district, but there are also residential areas in 5-chome, and they are definitely wealthy areas. The whole street is lined with Japanese-style buildings, each occupying a considerable area.

His relatives have trees to climb and an old warehouse, so they definitely can't be poor.

"I think so." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya scratched his head. "Anyway, Takuma said that when he went inside, he found a lot of expensive artworks, and it seemed like there were other people active in the shadowy parts that he couldn't see clearly."

"His friend hid in the warehouse?"

"Zhuoma thought so too, so he planned to go in and take a look, but when he called his friend's name, there was no response. When he got closer, he found that the warehouse door was locked, so he had to ask a relative to open it. But his relative said that it was a very old warehouse that hadn't been entered for many years, so it was impossible for anyone to have gone in."

"How did his friend get in?"

At this point, everyone's attention was drawn to Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya's words.

"He didn't know either, so Takuma asked the old man to open the door for him. When the door opened, it was completely empty. The old man said that their storeroom was cursed." As Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya recounted his story, fear crept onto his face. "He said that if you stored anything valuable here, it would disappear, swallowed up by this monster's storeroom!"

"Huh?! What about Takuma's friend? Has he gone missing?!" Even Ayumi Yoshida and Genta Kojima looked alarmed.

"No, not at all." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya shook his head. "His friend came from somewhere else later; it's just that he couldn't find him."

"Huh—what is this—"

The children's shoulders slumped.

If it were simply a matter of not finding the person, this ghost story would lack a bit of real horror and would be more like a sophistry by the loser of a game of hide-and-seek to maintain their dignity.

"But Takuma shouldn't be lying. He's terrified by this. He has nightmares every night, dreaming that something from the shadows crawls out and swallows him." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya stroked his chin. "He didn't even come to class this afternoon, did he?"

Although children's cognition often differs from that of adults, and they may indeed be so frightened by small things that they cannot live a normal life, if it has come to this extent, it at least proves that he is not talking nonsense, but has really been frightened by something.

"A gluttonous monster warehouse? That sounds like one of those strange worlds written by Edogawa Ranpo."

Startled by the sudden sound behind them, the three of them turned around at the same time and saw Kobayashi Sumiko bending down and leaning towards them.

The students in her class hadn't all left yet, so she definitely couldn't leave work at this time and remained standing there.

"Ms. Kobayashi, where's Inspector Shiratori?" Ayumi Yoshida looked around.

"He just got back. He was humming a song, seemed to be in a good mood." Kobayashi Sumiko smiled, then quickly waved her hand. "Never mind, that's not important. Since this matter has affected Takuma-kun's attendance at class, I think it's time for our Junior Detective Club to—"

She had just struck a detective pose when she looked down again, and the children at her feet had already vanished.

"Wait a minute! Don't ignore me, your advisor!"

"No way! If Ms. Kobayashi comes along, she'll say things like we can't just come in here and we should go home early—"

"Exactly! This is totally holding the detective back!"

Hearing this, Ai Haibara, who was jogging behind them with small steps, glanced at Conan a few times with a subtle expression.

"In this respect, they really have grasped the essence of detective work—"

These kids really know their stuff – if you don't follow the rules and do anything out of line, you can't be a detective.

"Don't act like it's all my fault," Conan protested. "They're just like that kind of kids."

Whether he's there or not, they're the type who'll cause trouble if you don't discipline them for three days. Rather than actually being detectives, the detective group is more like giving them a legitimate reason to wreak havoc on the house.

Conan himself, on the other hand, had no intention of destroying the house, yet he always ended up getting into trouble because of these mischievous kids.

"The problematic warehouse is in 5-chome, shall we go back there with you first?"

"Who knows how long the investigation will take? I should tell Xiaolan about it."

As the children ran happily toward 5-chome, Tang Ze, who was sitting in a chair reading a book downstairs at the Mori Office in 5-chome, suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes and looked up in the direction that was blocking his light.

And sure enough, everything went black.

"Hattori, what brings you here again? Although I know your grades are nothing to worry about, and your relationships are even less of a concern, but how did you manage to get into high school—" Tang Ze's lips twitched.

He knew that the concept of time in the world of Detective Conan was sometimes not linear, but even from a non-linear perspective, Hattori Heiji's recent refresh rate in Tokyo was a bit high.

You fly back and forth all the time, do you think plane tickets don't cost money?

"The way you're talking makes it sound like you're really unhappy to see me in Tokyo." Hattori Heiji chuckled and patted Tang Ze on the back a few times, his gaze naturally falling on the book Tang Ze was holding. "What are you looking at—"

"I'm looking at something related to neurology." Tang Ze didn't hide anything and spread the pages of the book open on the table.

Hattori Heiji took a closer look, and then felt as if he had been punched by ink on the paper, turning his head away in a hurry.

"What are all these things, string after string? They're making my eyes hurt!"

Good heavens, these are long strings of words! It's not just a matter of whether you can understand them or not. It feels like the author suddenly went mad and started typing away on the keyboard. Not only are they long and unfamiliar, but some of them need to be broken into lines to fit. The convoluted and winding style is a real headache.

"It's normal not to understand. English has so many sources, and they don't simplify things. They often add a new subject and bring in some language from its source. Many medical terms come from Latin. If you study abroad, no matter what your major is, you'll need to take a relevant professional English course." Tang Ze complained a bit about the coded logic of English, then turned the page. "I also learned it by rote memorization."

"It's hardly convincing for you to say that," Hattori Heiji said, rubbing his forehead. "What made you decide to look at medical books?"

"This is, after all, my parents' field of expertise. If I want to understand some of their research, I think it's necessary to read more academic works." Tang Ze said this while turning another page and pressing the sticky note tucked inside the book even tighter.

This is something we're going to use to convince Rum to pay for his noose. Even if it's a fake, it should at least look professional, right?

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