Conan: One Kick Shouldn't Kill Him, Right?

Fujino naturally understood what Conan meant; he had simply figured something out and wanted to team up to investigate the case.

To be honest, he wasn't really interested in investigating cases.

In his opinion, this matter should be left to Conan to investigate; there was absolutely no need for him to get involved.

After all, there are able-bodied workers on site; wouldn't it be a waste not to use them?

As a qualified entrepreneur, Fujino is well-versed in the principles of good fortune.

The case was handed over to Conan to investigate, and the work was also handed over to Conan to do.

Once everything is done, he'll pull off another mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and all the credit will ultimately be his.

Compared to painstakingly investigating a case, wouldn't it be wonderful to solve it while strolling around tourist attractions and singing songs?

That afternoon, the group didn't go far. They wandered around the temple area until it got dark. After spending the night at Kannō-ji Temple, the next day arrived.

The next morning, after having breakfast at Kannō-ji Temple, Mori Kogoro stayed at the temple to continue deciphering the code, Fujino went sightseeing in Kyoto with a group of girls, while Conan left Kannō-ji Temple alone, saying he was going to go fishing with the children he had just met.

On the five bridges.

Conan stood on the pedestrian walkway by the bridge, holding a photocopied code in his hand. He passed over the stone bridge railing and looked towards the river in the distance, where cherry blossoms were in full bloom on both sides. "Genji Hotaru... Speaking of Yoshitsune Benkei, it should be Gojo Bridge, but there doesn't seem to be anything related to the code here."

Conan sighed, also feeling that the code was a bit too difficult, and he had no clue what to do for the time being.

To be honest, he really wanted Fujino to come and help.

For example, that detective might suddenly have a flash of inspiration and be able to find something...

But why was that guy so decisive in refusing this time?

Is it really true that one forgets righteousness for the sake of beauty?

Conan rubbed his chin together and thought about it carefully.

Although Fujino was a bit mean, he made the right choice when faced with matters of principle.

He doesn't seem like the kind of person who indulges in debauchery and neglects state affairs for the sake of beauty...

But what is the purpose of this operation?

Conan frowned, somewhat puzzled as to what the other person was thinking.

It should be said that he never saw through the other party from the very beginning.

"Da da da..."

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.

As Conan was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if some great terror was approaching.

This feeling... it's all so familiar...

It made him recall the night he was knocked unconscious by the man in black and did something unspeakable.

Instantly, Conan's adrenaline surged, and his mind began to race.

This sense of crisis is not something that can be triggered by ordinary people; the one who comes must be an extremely powerful being.

But in Kyoto, this kid disguised as a child had no enemies.

Unless...

Is it that old fox Fujino trying to trick me?

Conan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the shadow of the person approaching from behind, as well as the stick-like object within the shadow, which made him even more certain.

On the surface, he was going sightseeing in Kyoto with the group of girls, but in reality, he secretly slipped away halfway through, intending to launch a surprise attack.

As expected of Fujino, the sixth brother!

Conan suddenly understood, as if he had seen through the truth of the matter.

Since he's trying to trick him, he can retaliate in kind, right?

Yes, that makes sense!

Thinking this, Conan squatted down and adjusted the knob of the Power Shoes to the medium setting.

This level is the level at which someone gets kicked away.

One kick shouldn't be enough to kill him, right?

After all, it's Fujino's abnormal constitution.

Yeah, he probably wouldn't die from the kick.

Thinking this, Conan quickly turned around, leaped into the air, and kicked out...

"Crack!"

The soccer shoe collided with the Wooden Sword, and in an instant, the Wooden Sword shattered from the tip, and the bamboo and wood exploded in a flash of electricity.

"Huh?!"

Conan was stunned for a moment when he saw the Wooden Sword explode in front of him.

He remembered that Fujino's Wooden Sword should be black.

And it's even more durable than this...

Could it be?

Thinking this, Conan took a closer look at the person.

Then, I saw a dark-skinned young man dressed casually and wearing a hat:

"Heiji?!"

However, once the kick is delivered, it cannot be taken back.

Amidst bursts of exploding electric sparks, Hattori Heiji was kicked away by Conan, along with the broken Wooden Sword.

It spun around in mid-air before crashing to the ground.

Hattori Heiji on his face, grumbled as he got up, clutching his chest and groaning, "What are you doing? Ouch!"

Conan landed and looked at Hattori Heiji in front of him, asking in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Hattori Heiji clutched his chest. "Who kicks someone as soon as they turn around?"

Conan was speechless for a moment. "You have the nerve to say that? Apart from Fujino, where else would you find a decent person sneaking around with Wooden Sword and launching a sneak attack from behind?"

"Fujino?"

Hattori Heiji Fujino. He then took a deep breath to ease the pain in his chest. "That guy came too?"

"Of course."

Conan replied, "Uncle Mori received a request from Kannō-ji Temple, and Ran and I came along too."

"That guy must be here for Genji Hotaru, right?"

Hattori Heiji recalled, "I remember Otake saying that he seemed to have been involved in the joint investigation as well."

"Then you might be disappointed."

Conan shook his head slightly. "He's already gone to Kyoto with Ran and the others. Oh, Kazuha went with them too."

"Kazuha... Oh right, I heard her talking about bringing people to play or something, so it was you guys..."

Before Hattori Heiji could finish speaking, a child's voice came from behind him. "Big brother, hurry up and give me back my Wooden Sword!"

Hattori Heiji: "..."

He glanced back at the trio of children at the head of the group, who had fair skin, a middle parting, and wore kendo uniforms. Then he looked at the Wooden Sword in his hand that had been kicked and shattered, and fell silent.

"Remember to practice your kendo diligently..."

Hattori Heiji tucked his empty wallet into his inner pocket, giving instructions to the child who had run off into the distance, looking somewhat on the verge of tears.

Damn it, things were already tough enough, and now they're making things even worse!

Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful. "It's all your fault, Kudo. You'd better remember to pay me back for this Wooden Sword. You're the one who broke it!"

Conan stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, couldn't help but roll his eyes at Hattori Heiji, and couldn't help but complain, "So why did you steal that kid's Wooden Sword?"

"How dare you say that..."

Hattori Heiji clutched his chest. "Who kicks people indiscriminately? Your lousy shoe kicked me and my chest is still throbbing!"

"That's what you deserve. Who told you to secretly imitate Fujino for no reason?"

Conan felt no pity for his unexpected friend and instead asked, "So, you didn't come to Kyoto just for the Genji Hotaru case, did you?"

"More or less."

Hattori Heiji walked and talked, he said, "Actually, the owner of the takoyaki shop in Osaka in the serial murder case is an acquaintance of mine. Although he is a member of a gang of thieves, I have been going to that shop since junior high school and have received a lot of help from him. I have to find the murderer and avenge him."

"So that's why you made a special trip to Kyoto?"

Conan glanced at Hattori, then pulled out a photocopy of the coded message from his pocket and handed it to him. "In that case, I have something good here that might be of help to you."

Hattori Heiji took the cipher and examined it, but he had no clue either. However, he saw through Conan's thoughts. "So, as long as we decipher the cipher on this, we can find the Buddha statue and also get information about the villain. And since it's Genji Hotaru, we can find clues by Yoshitsune to places related to Yoshitsune and Benkei... So, what did Fujino say?"

What else can I say?

Conan's face darkened at the thought, "That guy went shopping with the girls and didn't even try to break the code."

"That shouldn't be the case, right?"

Hattori Heiji rubbed his chin, recalling the last time Old Silver Coin colluded with his father to trick him, and pondered seriously, saying in a low voice, "Given that guy's personality, he's probably plotting something behind the scenes. Maybe we've already fallen into his trap."

"Aren't you overthinking it?"

Conan chuckled, "That's what I was thinking too. I thought you were Fujino, coming to trick me."

"So that's why you kicked me?"

Hattori Heiji's already dark face darkened even more. He sighed helplessly and asked earnestly, "So you still don't understand that guy. Since you can think of this, do you think he can't?"

As he spoke, Osaka Black Chicken gradually became more ecstatic, muttering, "If you ask me, that guy must have discovered something, and he's already been planning this for a while now, even you and I are part of the plan!"

Conan frowned upon hearing this, his expression turning serious.

He thought Heiji was right. If he could think of that, then there was no reason why old man Fujino couldn't.

Was he genuinely surprised, or was he pretending?

This wicked guy is definitely plotting some shady scheme again!

Thinking this, he nodded slightly in agreement. "But even if we knew what his plan was, we wouldn't know for sure. Let's just take it one step at a time."

The two dogs looked at each other, nodded in agreement, and gradually became accustomed to each other.

Kiyomizu-dera on the other side.

Above the mountain peak, a vast expanse of azure blue meets a verdant green below. A tower is partially obscured by the trees covering the mountainside, with only half of its spire peeking out.

The mountains and fields are covered with lush green maple leaves, interspersed with a few cherry blossoms. The spring breeze blows and the treetops sway, the petals fluttering in the wind.

"Achoo!"

On the observation deck of Kiyomizu-dera, Fujino leaned on the railing, looking at the scenery before him, when suddenly his nose itched and he couldn't help but sneeze.

Then he began to wonder which respectable young woman was talking about him again.

Ran, who was a little further away, was completely absorbed in the scenery and couldn't help but exclaim, "So beautiful..."

"If Shinichi were here too, that would be wonderful..."

Sonoko, feigning the demeanor of a demure housewife, seemed to have been triggered and couldn't help but tease, "Is that what you really think?"

Ran blushed and said in embarrassment and indignation, "Sonoko!"

Momiji stood to the side, silently watching the two playfully bickering, and asked, "Shinichi- san, I heard Fujino say that he's Ran's childhood friend?"

"It's like this..."

Ran still had a slight blush on her face. "It's true that we've known each other since we were little."

"I see, they're quite a good couple."

Momiji smiled slightly, "Just like me and Fujino."

"Miss Momiji!"

Ran blushed again and explained softly, "No, Shinichi and I aren't boyfriend and girlfriend."

"That's right, that's right."

Sonoko nearby, nodded silently, feeling indignant for her best friend. "They haven't confessed to each other yet, and Shinichi has disappeared somewhere. He did come back once recently, but then he left Ran to go off and have fun by Ran... How awful."

"The Sonoko is ready."

Ran smiled helplessly, "Shinichi has something to do."

"What could possibly be wrong with him?"

Sonoko pouted. "Isn't Fujino- Senior also Great Detective? How come he's never as busy Shinichi Senior?"

This time, Ran remained silent, lowering her eyes and head without uttering a word.

Ooka Momiji, standing to the side, gave Ran a deep look, then turned to Fang Jing outside Kiyomizu-dera and softly recited. "The rapids break on the cliff, we are separated by fate, but we will meet again someday, my sorrow and longing only deepen..."

Upon hearing this, Ran looked up at Momiji and asked in confusion, "Miss Momiji, are you referring to the contents of the karuta?"

"Um."

Momiji explained softly, "As long as our hearts are connected, it doesn't matter how far apart we are. After all, the longer we are apart, the more indescribable the joy of seeing each other again becomes..."

"Is that so?"

Ran murmured something, as if she had remembered something, and asked Ooka Momiji, "Since you just said that, Miss Momiji, does that mean you and Fujino- Senior have already...?"

"Well..."

Momiji felt a little embarrassed. "He already told me a long time ago that he wanted me to marry him."

"So that means it's not there yet."

Sonoko, standing to the side, gave him a deadpan look. "So, after all these years, can you still be sure that you really like Fujino- Senior, and that it's not because of some promise?"

"There can't be any mistake."

Momiji crossed her arms and said earnestly, "Even after all these years, the person I still love is him."

Sonoko narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then his Senior might not necessarily like you, after Senior, he seems to have forgotten about this matter."

Momiji narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then I'll make him fall in love with me."

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

The two exchanged a glance, a flicker of fire flashing in their eyes.

Ran: "..."

The atmosphere was so relaxed just a moment ago, how did it suddenly become so dangerous?

Will they start fighting?

Ran paused for a moment, then looked around, trying to find another topic to talk about.

Then, she happened to see a person leaning against the railing, deep in thought, with a worried look on his Kazuha.

After thinking for a moment, she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Kazuha, why do you look unhappy? Did you have a fight with Hattori?"