Chapter 480 Detective Conan 46
The next morning, Haibara was suffering from a hangover.
"Ugh, my head..."
"Hey, don’t drink alcohol."
"Why not?"
When Haibara asked, I showed her the video I had recorded yesterday without any editing.
"..."
After watching it, she looked extremely shocked, her hands trembling.
She immediately pressed the delete button and, as if erasing it completely from her memory, smiled brightly and said.
"Nothing happened yesterday, right?"
"What are you talking about..."
As I tried to argue, Haibara’s expression suddenly changed, and she glared at me with terrifying eyes.
I had never seen that look from her before, and I was very taken aback.
"Y-yeah. Nothing happened yesterday."
"Good... That settles it. Nothing happened yesterday."
"..."
In the end, I couldn’t bring it up again after that day, and the drunken rambling was swept under the rug as if it never happened.
But one thing was certain—the affection level was accurate.
I went to the Mouri Detective Agency to check if Kogoro had returned safely.
"Dammit! I’ve told them over and over that I was just tied up at the gas station, but why won’t they listen! Useless cops!"
Just like in the original story, Kogoro had been arrested and apparently never even made it to the Karasuma mansion.
From what I gathered, the mansion owner had died as expected, and without Conan there, the riddle remained unsolved.
’The mansion will probably go up for auction soon.’
I was relieved things were going as expected.
But then Ran asked with a puzzled look.
"That’s strange, though. With something like that happening, it should have shown up in Jin’s fortune-telling, so why didn’t you see anything?"
"Oh, now that you mention it..."
At that, I laughed awkwardly and made an excuse.
"Ahaha, well, since you were just tied up and couldn’t even go to the mansion where the murder happened, maybe that’s why. Besides, you came back safe and sound without any trouble. So maybe that’s why nothing showed up..."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
"Besides, you earned 2 million yen from that incident, so you might as well take it as a good thing, right?"
"Well, 2 million yen is an amount that’s hard to earn even after taking on several cases. I guess I should take your advice and think of it positively. I was just sleeping at the gas station anyway, so I don’t remember anything."
I was glad Kogoro let it go, but on the other hand, it seemed he had gotten so used to losing consciousness that he didn’t think much of it anymore.
That was probably thanks to Conan as well.
’Poor Kogoro...’
After that, a month passed.
Ran had become quite accustomed to serving tea to clients, and she was gradually learning the names and locations of the martial arts from Haibara.
Meanwhile, the Mouri Detective Agency, thanks to Conan’s return, was successfully solving various cases and earning a pretty decent income.
"4.4 billion yen... 4.5 billion yen... Any more bids?"
Bang, bang, bang.
"Congratulations. Sold for 4.5 billion yen."
When I heard that the Karasuma mansion had finally been put up for auction, I took time off from school to participate.
And as expected, I was able to win the bid without much competition.
The property had a large lot and an antique mansion that, if properly appraised, could easily fetch over 5 billion yen, but because it was a mansion where a murder had occurred, the auction price was set quite low.
The reporters were also in a frenzy.
Since I was a public figure, I seemed to draw even more attention.
But that actually worked out well.
I immediately went to the mansion, used my [Life Magic] to clean the interior thoroughly, and even hired caretakers and security guards to strictly control outsiders entering the mansion.
I also called the press and held an interview.
"Why did you decide to purchase the Karasuma mansion?"
"The reason I bought this mansion is because I heard a rumor that the inheritance left by the wealthy magnate Karasuma Renya 40 years ago lies hidden here. Isn’t that interesting? If I find that inheritance, it all becomes mine."
"This is the first I’ve heard of such a story. But I understand this mansion has changed hands several times already. If such an inheritance really existed, wouldn’t the previous owners have found it by now? You could just be wasting your money."
"Well... That’s uncertain."
After the interview, the public reacted negatively to my purchase of a mansion worth 4.5 billion yen.
The school was naturally in an uproar as well.
"Jin, 4.5 billion yen is way too much! What if you don’t find anything, like the reporter said!"
Ran was especially worried.
Her father Kogoro had recently spent a large sum buying a yacht, leaving the family finances tight, which probably made her more sensitive to large expenditures.
"Don’t worry. I’m not planning to keep it forever—I’ll sell it later."
"Then promise me. If you don’t find the hidden inheritance within six months, you’ll sell it."
"Alright."
"It’s a promise."
At that, Sonoko made a fun suggestion.
"How about we all go to the mansion this weekend and have a treasure hunt?"
"Oh! That sounds interesting! Ran, what do you think?"
"It’s not a bad idea. We bought it anyway."
When Ran agreed, Sonoko was delighted.
"Then what about the prize? There has to be a prize for a treasure hunt."
"Hmm... I don’t know how much the inheritance is worth yet, but how about 3 million yen if we find it?"
"Oh! That’s generous! Great!"
Ran seemed unable to keep up with the wealthy people’s conversation and sighed deeply, shaking her head.
On the day of the event, Ran and Sonoko came, of course, along with my clone Morgan, Conan, Haibara, Kogoro, Professor Agasa, and even the Detective Boys.
"Really, if we find the treasure, you’ll give us 3 million yen?"
"Y-yeah."
"Everyone heard that, right? It’s time for the Detective Boys to shine! Let’s all do our best. There’s a huge 3 million yen prize on the line!"
"Whoa!"
Hearing that, Kogoro chuckled and said.
"Sorry, kids, but I’m a professional detective over here. Isn’t that 3 million yen obviously mine?"
At that, the Detective Boys bristled.
"We’re not going to lose either!"
Watching this, I said with a troubled look.
"Oh boy... I might need to buy more groceries."
"Sorry. I told Dad at the office, and Conan must have overheard."
"It’s fine. More people might help us find it faster."
At that, Sonoko also looked at Morgan and said, "Let’s do our best, couple."
"Y-yeah. Let’s do our best..."
We operated three cars in total.
I drove the Rangler with Ran and Kogoro.
Morgan drove the Hustler with just Sonoko.
And Professor Agasa’s Beetle carried Conan and the Detective Boys.
We stopped by a supermarket midway to buy a large amount of groceries and loaded them into the Rangler and Hustler.
After gathering the necessary supplies, we headed to the Karasuma mansion.
There was a broken bridge section on the way, but it wasn’t a problem—I had already reinforced it with a sturdy iron bridge as soon as I bought the mansion.
"Wow... It’s different from seeing it on TV. It’s a huge mansion, and it looks so old—like Dracula might show up."
As Ran said, the mansion was old, with cracks here and there and vines growing over it.
"The outside looks like that, but the inside is all cleared out and clean."
As we entered the mansion, the security guards and caretakers came out to greet us warmly.
"Welcome, Jin-sensei. The rooms are all prepared. You’ll be able to rest comfortably."
"Thank you for your trouble."
"It’s our job. Let us help you move your luggage."
"Please do."
We first assigned rooms, moved our luggage, and then transferred the groceries to the kitchen.
"Wow, you were right, Jin! The outside looked rough, but the inside is spotless and decorated in a lovely antique style."
"Right? I hired a cleaning company after buying the mansion."
"I see."
I gathered everyone and went over the rules.
"To be honest, I haven’t been here long, so I don’t know the mansion well either. So we need to set some rules. Always stay in groups of at least two so you don’t get lost. Don’t wander around at night except for the bathroom. And never be late for meals. If you break the rules, you won’t get the prize even if you find the treasure. Got it?"
"Yes~!!!"
The kids, as expected, had the best responses.
"By the way, dinner is in one hour, so don’t be late gathering in the dining room. The dining room is on the first floor, through the big door on the right. Don’t forget and make sure you find it. And since it’s late today, just hang out in the living room. We’ll start the real treasure hunt tomorrow."
"Got it."
With that, everyone took out the board games from the living room and started having fun.
I went down to the kitchen—I needed to start preparing for this many people.
Honestly, I could use my abilities, so preparing alone was much faster and more convenient.
Besides, Morgan was with the others, so I figured everything would be fine.
"Ooh~ something smells delicious."
While I was busy preparing the meal, everyone came down to the dining room early.
They must have been really hungry.
"Whoa, lobster! Looks delicious. But did Jin make this yourself? Didn’t you have a chef?"
When Sonoko asked, I answered.
"We do, but he only handles meals for the security and caretakers. I’m not staying here permanently anyway."
"Then maybe I should have helped? My mistake."
"No, I can’t have guests do that. Just eat and enjoy. Instead, find that treasure for me."
"Really? Alright."
While we were enjoying our meal, Haibara said something interesting to Ran.
"Why are you so good at poker? Were you a gambler?"
"No, I’m not. I just play a lot with friends."
"Still, starting with 1-yen coins and winning over 10,000 yen is hard to believe."
Then Sonoko chimed in, warning about Ran’s danger.
"Don’t play cards with Ran. Especially if money’s involved. Last time, a friend lost an entire week’s allowance. She’s a total gambling demon."
"Come on, Sonoko... I gave it back to them that time."
"That’s what hurts more. It’s like getting hit twice."
Hearing that, Haibara sighed.
"Ugh... I picked the wrong opponent. A complete shark, a shark."
"Come on, I told you I’m not."
That piqued my curiosity too.
"Ran is that good at poker? Then how about a game after dinner? I play too."
At that, Haibara and Sonoko tried to stop me.
"You’d better not. She’s a total shark."
"Yeah, yeah."
They were right.
Honestly, I had no idea it would be this bad.
"Yes! I won again!"
"Impossible..."
Of course, I didn’t use any abilities.
Using them would have hurt my pride.
So I played purely through math and skill—and I lost.
In my opinion, Ran wasn’t a lucky person.
Because Conan was always around, she had seen things she shouldn’t have and been through plenty of bad things.
But poker was different.
The way I kept drawing terrible hands made me almost think her luck was all funneled into gambling.
"See, I told you! She’s a total shark! You lost 10,000 yen, so you should stop."
"Sigh... You’re right. I have to admit it. I lost."
When I admitted defeat, Conan, who had been watching from behind, snickered.
He was probably getting vicarious satisfaction from seeing Ran beat me.
’That little brat!’
I looked at my watch, stood up, and said.
"It’s past 9 o’clock, so everyone should wash up and get to bed. The treasure hunt starts tomorrow, so rest up tonight."
Once again, the kids answered enthusiastically.
"Yes~!!!"
Room assignments were similar to the yacht trip.
I shared a room with Haibara, Ran with Sonoko, and Kogoro with Morgan.
Finally, the largest room was for Professor Agasa and the kids.
The professor’s room had two bathrooms, so even with multiple kids staying there, it didn’t seem too uncomfortable.
Plus, Ran and Sonoko helped with washing the kids, so the professor didn’t have to do everything alone.