Chapter 266
Hattori Heiji was extremely shocked, but Edogawa Conan just had his mouth twitch.
"Samukawa-kun is joking again, right... The consultant that Heiji-niisan is asking about isn't a Metropolitan Police consultant, it's a criminal consultant, you know?"
Unlike Hattori Heiji, who had just met Samukawa Shinryu and had been unconscious for half the time, Edogawa Conan had already experienced Samukawa Shinryu's dark humor deeply.
Being a decent person and liking to make nasty jokes weren't contradictory. Edogawa Conan no longer took Samukawa Shinryu's words at face value so easily!
Watching the startled Hattori Heiji, Edogawa Conan even felt somewhat nostalgic... Had he been like this before too? Really not composed at all.
Hattori Heiji came to his senses and remembered Samukawa Shinryu's penchant for jokes.
...And the jokes were really nasty and not funny at all. The only funny thing was his reaction.
Hattori Heiji felt very helpless, though his heart had indeed calmed down from the intense beating caused by the shock: "Samukawa-kun..."
Samukawa Shinryu shook his head: "Children shouldn't be concerned with these matters."
"I'm not a child anymore!" Hattori Heiji was more justified than Edogawa Conan when saying this. "I'm at least a somewhat famous detective. Even if I dropped out of school now, I could make a living as a detective. Please don't treat me like a child. If you know something, please tell me."
"A detective..." Samukawa Shinryu pondered. "If you're a detective, it would be better to investigate on your own, right? If you can't investigate it, then it means you're not yet suitable to be involved in such matters."
Hattori Heiji pleaded persistently: "Even just a hint would be fine! Samukawa-kun!"
Samukawa Shinryu refused.
Watching Samukawa Shinryu's departing figure again, Edogawa Conan said quietly: "Samukawa-kun definitely knows something."
"Even if he knows something, he won't tell us... Damn it, is age really that important?!" Hattori Heiji was heartbroken. "If only I were a few years older!"
Edogawa Conan thought of something and couldn't help but look away: "I think it might not be an age problem."
"Huh? Then what's the problem?"
"...You nearly died today." Edogawa Conan said helplessly. "If Samukawa-kun hadn't been there, you'd probably already be in the sea right now. You might not have been chopped into pieces by the propeller, but drowning unconsciously and being eaten by fish was also possible... In his view, you don't know how to protect yourself at all and could get yourself killed at any time. It's normal for him not to dare let you get involved with these dangerous existences. If something happened to you, he might blame himself."
Hattori Heiji was startled, thinking of Samukawa Shinryu's kindness and consideration that completely contradicted his appearance. He felt Edogawa Conan's guess made a lot of sense.
"That's true... but today was just an accident! I'm usually very careful."
Edogawa Conan rolled his eyes: "You nearly got yourself killed on your first meeting with Samukawa-kun today. If you tell him you weren't like this before, would he believe you? Forget it. Actually, Samukawa-kun not answering is no different from before anyway. Let's go back and ask your father."
Because this cruise invitation was so sudden, and Hattori Heiji hadn't expected to see Edogawa Conan so quickly, he hadn't had time to ask his father about [the Criminal Consultant] before running over here directly.
Thinking there was still this option, Hattori Heiji felt much better and became more accepting: "That's right, I hope dad knows something."
The two chatted harmoniously, categorizing Samukawa Shinryu as "someone whose methods have some problems, but who's actually quite decent."
Uh, maybe not just some problems—it could even be called extreme—but compared to the first impression Samukawa Shinryu gave people, they suddenly felt this level was acceptable!
As long as they set their standards low enough, any good performance from Samukawa Shinryu would be a pleasant surprise!
What was originally supposed to be a several-day trip ended after the captain went full speed ahead due to this incident, returning to Tokyo the next day and handing the person over to the Metropolitan Police.
Inspector Megure, who came to receive the criminal, looked at the dazed Mr. Kujii who was muttering to himself "So Furukawa Dai was actually Hacai San," and fell silent: "What's wrong with him...?"
Since they were all on the same side now—just police and detectives—and everyone knew Samukawa Shinryu's personality, former Officer Samezaki answered directly: "Samukawa was also on the ship."
Inspector Megure: "Understood."
Watching Hattori Heiji & Edogawa Conan: "..........."
Inspector Megure was so practiced... Did the Metropolitan Police really just let Samukawa Shinryu toy with criminals whenever he felt like it?!
Seeing Hattori Heiji's expression, former Officer Samezaki couldn't help but quietly explain, trying to salvage the reputation of Kanto police: "It's not what you think. Actually, many times we don't know how to stop it and can't react in time, because Samukawa likes to act on his own..."
Mouri Kogoro muttered: "Last time at the game launch event, a bunch of police just watched Samukawa give orders and command, and I didn't see him disappear."
Although former Officer Samezaki wasn't clear about what happened at the game launch event, he continued defending based on his experience: "...Well, sometimes Samukawa indeed doesn't disappear, but we have no idea whether the things he has us do are meant to draw out the culprit, find evidence, or for other reasons, because he doesn't like explaining!"
After it happened multiple times, everyone became numb. Even when they could stop it, they couldn't react in time. It was very normal! Everyone was human! Everyone made mistakes!
Hattori Heiji showed a sympathetic expression: "I see, no wonder Samukawa-kun needs a narrator."
While former Officer Samezaki and others were whispering, Mr. Kanie was finally wheeled out in a wheelchair.
There was no choice—the man had become demented and was drooling. Without the wheelchair, just supporting him wouldn't work!
Inspector Megure's gaze fell on Mr. Kanie, and his expression changed: "Did Samukawa make him stupid or disabled? Did he finally mess up?!"
Sato Miwako said decisively: "Impossible! This person must have been stupid originally!"
Hattori Heiji: "Um, he was made stupid by Mr. Kujii giving him too large a drug dose..."
Inspector Megure breathed a huge sigh of relief: "I knew Samukawa couldn't make such a low-level mistake. He knows what he's doing."
Edogawa Conan: "..........."
That's not what you said just now... I don't even know if this counts as trusting or not trusting Samukawa Shinryu!
Samukawa Shinryu leisurely came out last. Inspector Megure felt a bit guilty, but still went up to greet him: "Samukawa, did you solve this case again?"
Samukawa Shinryu: "Samezaki-senpai said he'd handle the written statement and report."
Inspector Megure really couldn't hold back and complained: "Just once, could you write a report yourself?"
Samukawa Shinryu politely defended himself: "I did write one myself before, but it was sent back by my senior, and in the end my senior helped me write it. If the Inspector doesn't mind the trouble..."
Inspector Megure: "..........."
Former Officer Samezaki quickly came to smooth things over: "Since I invited him, I'll do it! I'll do it! I know everything! Hattori-kun knows too! Mouri knows too! The three of us are enough!"
Hattori Heiji: "...?"
Wait, only Samukawa-kun doesn't have to?!
How did this person get through those years as a police officer?! Was it really that comfortable?!
Hattori Heiji reasonably suspected that Samukawa Shinryu's unwillingness to explain was also a way to avoid oral reports, and that report that got sent back was probably deliberately botched...
With former Officer Samezaki taking care of the follow-up, Samukawa Shinryu was satisfied and put his hands in his pockets: "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first, Inspector."
Inspector Megure said helplessly: "...Actually there's still quite a lot to do... but you go ahead!"
He was already used to it.
Samukawa Shinryu politely bid farewell to the others, then hailed a taxi and left.
Mouri Kogoro: "Then I..."
"Mouri, please come back to the Metropolitan Police with Samezaki and us." Inspector Megure said. "We'll see if there's anything that needs to be supplemented."
Although Mouri Kogoro hadn't really planned to leave, thinking about Samukawa Shinryu's treatment just now, he couldn't help asking: "...??? Can't I go back first too?"
Inspector Megure frowned: "Mouri, this incident is so big... and this is technically a case from when you were still a detective. You definitely have to come."
Mouri Kogoro: "..........."
The logic was sound, but this differential treatment was a bit hurtful! Wasn't this also a case Samukawa Shinryu was handling?!
Being an outsider who wasn't required to participate, Hattori Heiji was exasperated.
He understood.
Samukawa-kun's survival wisdom was truly remarkable—immediately let everyone know you don't want to do this and don't want to do that, and when you do it you'll mess it up so others have to do it anyway. From then on, everyone defaults to not asking you to do it...
Anyway, he could solve cases—that was his core competency. Others could handle everything else, and they might even rush to help.
How to put it—this kind of cunning and dark humor might be a bit questionable on someone else, but on Samukawa-kun, he didn't dislike it at all. He even felt it could dilute some of the dangerous, terrifying aura around Samukawa-kun, making him feel more like a "normal person," which was actually a good thing.
And the person whom Hattori Heiji was musing "Samukawa-kun is also an ordinary person" was currently replying to emails in the taxi.
[Still haven't found Sherry? That's very normal! Gin did it on purpose! But because I complained to the Boss, he knows he's under suspicion. Believe it or not, in a few days he'll say he has news about Sherry, and might even have other people witness Sherry to vouch for him, but after all that trouble they still won't be able to catch her?]