In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 52: Conan, you've been caught!

Akutagawa Detective Agency.

Today, instead of sitting on the sofa waiting for cases to come to him as usual, Akutagawa Hiko went to the hospital with a fruit basket.

Because of the bandaged monster's extremely ferocious behavior, Ayako Suzuki was so frightened that she developed a high fever. She also felt guilty, thinking that none of this would have happened if the party hadn't been held, and is currently hospitalized.

Logically speaking, Akutagawa Hiko and Suzuki Ayako were not yet familiar enough to visit each other in the hospital, but with Suzuki Sonoko acting as an intermediary, there was no problem.

……

After reluctantly saying goodbye to Sonoko Suzuki, I walked out of the hospital room and unexpectedly saw a familiar figure just by glancing at my watch.

They are his fellow detective Kogoro Mouri, Ran Mouri wearing a light blue coat with her single horn becoming increasingly prominent, a middle-aged man in a brown suit, and Conan, who is never absent.

This setup made Akutagawa Hiko momentarily speechless; it definitely felt like some kind of case had occurred.

"Conan, Ran, Uncle Mori, and this one..."

Holding a pot of morning glories, Dr. Ogawa faced the enthusiastic and somewhat familiar young man and quickly freed one hand to say, "My surname is Ogawa, and I am a doctor at this hospital."

When a voice called out from the side, "Akutagawa, what are you doing here?" Dr. Ogawa suddenly realized where that sense of familiarity came from.

Isn't this the famous detective who's been making headlines lately? He subscribes to every issue of the newspaper out of curiosity about those high-profile cases.

Although this one is young, he seems more reliable than the middle-aged detective next to him.

With that in mind, Dr. Ogawa enthusiastically began to describe what had happened to him.

About two years ago, almost three years ago, Dr. Ogawa would receive a package every month containing secondhand toys and one million yen.

Every year on August 3rd, a pot of morning glories is also included.

Unfortunately, the sender's name and address were fake, so I didn't know where to send it back. I could let my son play with the second-hand toys, but I didn't dare touch a single penny of the money.

So far, a total of 25 million yen has been sent.

This is no small amount.

Moreover, the envelope containing the money this time also contained a letter signed by Tanaka Taro, which was puzzling yet intriguing.

I have already paid 25 million yen, and in exchange, I am here to collect something of equal value.

This letter is filled with accusations of coercion and carries a subtle hint of malice.

In short, after receiving the letter, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and found the Mori Detective Agency, which had a decent reputation.

According to Kogoro Mouri's analysis, it's very likely that someone came to the hospital together because they wanted to buy the painting that Dr. Ogawa had inherited from his grandfather and was hanging in his office. The painting was worth about 20 million yen.

Just now, a nurse brought this pot of morning glories, also from the sender who used the pseudonym Tanaka Taro.

Kogoro Mouri and Conan, one tall and one short, stared intently at Hiko Akutagawa. One felt like he was about to lose a customer, while the other thought his upcoming crime-solving experience might not be very pleasant.

However, a gaze filled with suspicion and struggle was fixed on Conan, who was showing signs of not being a child for the first time.

Akutagawa Hiko stroked his chin and began to analyze in a detective-like manner: "The meaning of sending flowers is nothing more than a few things. First, there's gratitude, respect, and care, but since they've been hiding in the shadows, let's rule that out for now."

Then, Akutagawa Hiko raised two fingers: "That usually leaves two situations, such as love."

Ran Mouri, who has some knowledge of flower language, interjected, "The morning glory symbolizes illusory love."

Akutagawa nodded in approval.

Ran Mouri was greatly encouraged by Akutagawa's approving look, and the frustration she had been feeling because of her suspicion that Conan was Shinichi Kudo dissipated considerably.

Akutagawa asked knowingly, "Is there someone who secretly loves you? You could also interpret 'illusion' as 'hopeless'."

Kogoro Mouri, who was particularly astute in this regard, gave Dr. Ogawa a suspicious look: "Could it be that you haven't settled your old emotional debts yet?"

Dr. Ogawa's head was practically spinning: "That's impossible! My wife and I grew up together, there's never been a third party involved."

Hearing these words, which sounded like childhood sweethearts finally getting married, Ran Mouri's gaze towards Conan became even more strange.

Unfortunately, Conan, engrossed in solving cases, was completely unaware of this, not to mention that he was not exactly perceptive when it came to such matters.

Akutagawa Hiko didn't make things difficult for Dr. Ogawa, but instead quietly pushed things forward: "In that case, there's only one possibility left, and that's a memorial service."

"A memorial service?!"

Dr. Ogawa looked horrified. There were no dead people in their family, yet they were sending flowers to the living as a form of mourning. The thought of it was chilling.

At the same time, a sense of relief welled up inside me.

As expected of the detective praised so highly by those harsh reporters, he analyzed so much in such a short time. Now we'll definitely be able to find the sender and ask him directly what he means.

"Yes, you said you used to send morning glories on August 3rd, right? That day isn't a special day to send flowers. It would make sense if it were someone's death anniversary."

Holding the script, Akutagawa Hiko prompted, "Since toys were also sent, it must be related to children. In addition, there are flowers for the memorial service. Did a child unfortunately pass away in the hospital on August 3rd?"

Dr. Ogawa's face turned pale instantly at Akutagawa's behavior, which was practically slapping the answer in his face.

August 3rd, August 3rd...

That day, a child was indeed taken to the hospital, but because too much time was wasted before arriving at the hospital, the child died despite all efforts to save him.

The sight of a young life slipping away before his eyes, and the angry accusations from the distraught parents, left a deep impression on him.

The morning glory was thrown to the ground, but Dr. Ogawa didn't care and rushed straight to the archives.

Seeing this, Kogoro Mouri immediately followed, and Ran Mouri also took off to catch up.

Conan, who is usually at the forefront, struggled with his legs several times before realizing something was wrong: his short legs had no foothold.

Looking down, he saw that his legs were already dangling in the air.

Akutagawa put Conan down and said earnestly, "Don't rush. Besides this case, there's something very important I need to remind you of."

Seeing Akutagawa's serious expression, Conan knew the gravity of the situation and quickly asked, "What is it?"

"Xiao Lan is already suspicious of your identity."

Conan breathed a sigh of relief.

What I was thinking back then was doubt...

What?!

Conan: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ