A Bowl of Wontons from Decades Ago / Let's Go Eat Barbecue~

Seeking out those hidden truths, even if not everyone could accept them.

Because the suspect had turned herself in and caused no actual losses, Jiang Hang left the villa after giving a simple statement to Takagi Wataru.

As he walked out of the villa, he glanced at the sky. It looked overcast, but it probably would not rain anytime soon.

Stopping a tragedy should have been something worth celebrating, but after learning about Ikemura Kimie's circumstances, he simply could not feel happy.

He headed toward his agency, but someone soon caught up with him from behind.

"Please wait!"

Jiang Hang recognized the voice immediately. It was Heiji Hattori. He turned around to face him.

Heiji Hattori still looked somewhat confused, as though he had not figured out how Jiang Hang had accomplished all this.

"If I'm not mistaken, you noticed something was wrong with her back at the agency, which was why you deliberately followed her here... What clue did you use to discover that she wanted to kill her own husband?"

Heiji Hattori really was the same sort of detective as Conan. Before receiving Jiang Hang's "education," he had been exceptionally obsessed with uncovering the truth behind everything, while also being deeply curious about anything he did not understand.

But when it came to combat ability, without gear bonuses, Heiji Hattori was still far stronger than Conan. If he had replaced Conan on the night Gin drugged him and turned him into a child a month ago, he might have avoided Gin's first ambush. But if he had forced Gin to pull out a handgun, he probably would have ended up worse off than Conan.

In other words, in some respects, he was even more likely to get himself killed than Conan.

Now that Heiji Hattori stood before him with that eager, questioning expression, Jiang Hang gave a simple answer. "I'm just more sensitive to certain details, so I became suspicious. I didn't expect her to really do something like that."

"At the end of the day, it was only basic deduction."

That famous Sherlock Holmes line was devastating against Conan, but Heiji Hattori was not buying it.

"Personally, I prefer Ellery Queen to Sherlock Holmes." He shook his head and looked at Jiang Hang. "I only believe in my own eyes and my own mind."

"Although I came to Tokyo because of Kudo's disappearance and have been gathering information about him, I've also been keeping an eye on Ms. Ikemura. Yet I never noticed anything wrong with her. On that point, I lost!"

Heiji Hattori frankly admitted his shortcomings. "Stopping a murderer before she committed the crime—you really are an impressive detective. I apologize for doubting you before!"

Jiang Hang had not expected him to come over just to apologize. In that regard, Heiji Hattori really was much more straightforward than Conan.

He waved a hand, indicating that he did not care. "It was what I should have done. There's nothing more to say."

Jiang Hang shifted the topic to Heiji Hattori. "What are you planning to do next? Keep looking for clues about Shinichi Kudo in Tokyo, or go home?"

Heiji Hattori sighed. "While we were having tea, I tested Uncle Mori a little, but he really did seem not to know where Kudo was. As for Ran Mori, she only looked worried. If Kudo had contacted her, she wouldn't have looked like that if she knew anything about him. So this lead has basically run dry."

"Didn't you suspect Detective Mouri of solving cases through Kudo's connections? You don't think that anymore?" Jiang Hang was rather curious about how he viewed Kogoro Mouri now.

Heiji Hattori frowned slightly. "Honestly, I find it strange too. Whether it's his appearance or his personality, he doesn't seem like a qualified detective. But perhaps that is a deliberate disguise."

Because he had previously misjudged Jiang Hang's abilities, he could no longer accurately judge what kind of detective Kogoro Mouri really was.

Resting his chin on his hand, he muttered to himself, "Could it be that I was completely wrong before? I heard Uncle Mori used to be quite an impressive police officer... Maybe Shinichi Kudo was never some great detective from the very beginning. Maybe Uncle Mori had been guiding him behind the scenes, helping him solve cases. And now that Kudo has disappeared, Uncle Mori has no choice but to act personally?"

Hearing his muttering, Jiang Hang's mouth twitched.

Detectives really did have wild imaginations. Conan had previously imagined him as a member of the Black Organization, and now Heiji Hattori was imagining Kogoro Mouri as some final boss lurking behind the scenes.

"But at least one thing is certain. Kudo must have run into serious trouble. He might even be in danger already." After imagining all that, Heiji Hattori still could not make any substantive deductions, so he could only shake his head at Jiang Hang.

"Anyway, there aren't any new leads for me to investigate if I stay in Tokyo. And after what happened this time, I realized I still need more training on the path of detective work. So I'm planning to return to Osaka shortly."

As he said that, Heiji Hattori suddenly pointed at Jiang Hang, his expression especially resolute. "The next time we meet, I won't be like I was today!"

Did that mean that next time they met, he would not be standing off to the side eating snacks while Jiang Hang solved the case?

Hearing Heiji Hattori's words, Jiang Hang could not help but make that sarcastic remark to himself.

A Bowl of Wontons from Decades Ago

After stopping Ikemura Kimie from killing someone, the system issued the reward for this three-star case.

From this mission, Jiang Hang received the skill "Theft (Beginner)." That meant that as long as he underwent training from the system, he could become a thief with proficient hands.

Though theft was considered part of an assassin's core craft, Jiang Hang looked at the skills he had gained recently—disguise, theft, Lockpicking, Rope Dart...

"Why do I feel like my abilities are overlapping more and more with Kaito Kid's?" Jiang Hang could not help complaining to his system. "Do you know I'm about to run into Kaito Kid, so you deliberately gave me a theft skill to help me know myself and know my enemy?"

The system did not respond to Jiang Hang's pointless question, and he set the matter of the skill aside.

He planned to ask Koharu Yoshino and the others about their progress.

Jiang Hang was not particularly optimistic about it. After all, it was a wonton shop from decades ago. Eagle Eye would not be much help with this kind of matter. If they wanted to find it, they could only rely on luck. And if the owner had met with some accident over those decades, there would be even less they could do.

But when he contacted Koharu Yoshino and the others, he discovered that the two girls had fairly good luck.

Although the process had been rather winding, they had eventually found a video store that had been open for decades. They paid the owner a little for information and obtained a key lead, then asked several elderly people along the way. In the end, after spending several tens of thousands of yen, they successfully found the owner of that old wonton shop.

Compared to the two-million-yen reward for this commission, that expense was nothing.

Jiang Hang also checked Koharu Yoshino's ability chart and found that her information-gathering ability had improved considerably again. If she kept it up, she would probably advance to the intermediate level before long.

However, Jiang Hang also learned that because the wonton shop owner did not think his old wontons had tasted all that good, and was worried that the head of the Takashiro Group might do something unpleasant to them if he was dissatisfied with the wontons, he was still hesitating and had not agreed.

Upon hearing that, Jiang Hang had initially wanted to ask whether they needed his help. But in the end, he let them continue handling the matter. After all, he had assigned this task to the two girls. Since they had not asked for assistance, he decided to wait for good news from them.

About half an hour after Jiang Hang returned to the agency, Koharu Yoshino and Shizuka Sakaki came back, both looking exhausted.

Compared to Jiang Hang casually stopping a murder case, the two girls who had spent the entire afternoon running around had been far busier.

They had run everywhere gathering clues and asking questions, then spent ages persuading the two elderly people.

But after putting in so much effort, they had finally gotten a good result.

"That old man refused completely at first. Even when I said we could give him half the reward for this commission, he still wasn't very willing." Koharu Yoshino took a bottle of cold cola from the refrigerator and drank a mouthful before recovering even a little desire to talk.

"In the end, his children also needed money. They joined us in persuading him, and only then did he agree. We've already contacted the client. The day after tomorrow, we'll go make him a bowl of wontons. But Jiang Hang will have to step in then." After all, the client had come looking for them because of Jiang Hang's reputation, so Jiang Hang naturally had to make a personal appearance for the final step.

Jiang Hang nodded. Then, as someone interested in all kinds of food, he rubbed his chin. "Still, I'm rather curious what wontons that people remember for decades actually taste like."

But Shizuka Sakaki, standing beside him, remained pessimistic about Jiang Hang's curiosity.

"Before coming to us, the client had already found many wonton masters from Japan and abroad to make wontons, but he threw all of them out in the end." Thinking of that, Shizuka Sakaki could not help shaking her head. "And when we were asking around about that wonton shop, all the elderly people who remembered it said the shop's wontons were nothing particularly delicious."

"I think that back then, he probably happened to eat a bowl of those wontons while he was down on his luck or starving. Then after all these years, his memories beautified their flavor, which is why he can't stop thinking about them."

Jiang Hang cut off Shizuka Sakaki's pessimistic speculation. "In any case, that person really is the owner of the wonton shop from back then. As long as that is not a problem, it's fine. Our commission was only to have that owner make the client a bowl of wontons. As for whether the client has idealized the memory, there's nothing we can do about that."

He told Shizuka Sakaki to think positively. "Maybe he simply has wonderful memories connected to those wontons. Sakaki, you probably have experiences like that too, right? When you hear a song or eat something, you naturally remember some happy moments. Anyway, don't overthink it. Just wait patiently for the day after tomorrow."

After hearing Jiang Hang's words, Shizuka Sakaki gradually stopped dwelling on it.

Two days was not a long time, but it was enough for many things to happen.

Just as Jiang Hang had expected, the story of a diplomat's wife trying to kill her husband was sensationalized and caused a considerable stir. It even appeared on the morning news today.

Jiang Hang asked Officer Takagi about it and learned that the diplomat had also been temporarily suspended around noon today. It seemed that he would not have an easy time for a while.

Originally, Jiang Hang had wondered whether he needed to give that diplomat, who had climbed to his current position through schemes and framing others, a little "push." But it seemed there was no need now.

As for Ikemura Kimie, Jiang Hang called Chihiro Ayasato and explained the general cause and course of events. Then he told Chihiro Ayasato that if she had time, she could go meet Ikemura Kimie.

At this point, Ikemura Kimie's case was finally completely over.

And now, Jiang Hang had arrived on the Takashiro Group's territory.

Although this old gang with a history of several decades had a sizable estate, everything about it gave off a sense of decay.

The estate had clearly not been properly cleaned in a long time, and there were pitifully few members in the residence. More importantly, there was the aged group leader, who seemed close to death.

Seeing the bleak atmosphere within the Takashiro Group, Jiang Hang made no comment.

His attention was now focused on the elderly shop owner.

To be honest, the old man's techniques were not particularly refined, and the ingredients were ordinary as well. But seeing the group leader's expectant expression, Jiang Hang patiently waited nearby for the final result.

Let's Go Eat Barbecue~

Finally, when a bowl of wontons that looked utterly unremarkable was brought out, Jiang Hang turned his attention to the group leader.

Even the leader's underlings were hesitant.

After all, so many masters had made wontons that failed to satisfy their boss. Could this bowl, which looked completely unremarkable, really be any different?

Even Jiang Hang was curious.

He wondered whether the man could not forget the wontons because he had idealized them in his memories, or whether the bowl held major significance for him.

The group leader ignored his members' feelings and scooped up a spoonful of wontons with trembling hands before eating it.

Then he slowly chewed the wontons in his mouth, as though recalling their flavor from years ago.

Just as the old shop owner watched nervously, apparently ready to kneel and apologize at any moment, an unusual gleam appeared in the old group leader's eyes.

"This really is the flavor... the flavor I'll never forget for the rest of my life..."

It was as if he had been granted a final burst of vitality. His previous sickly appearance vanished completely.

Seeing him devour that bowl of wontons, the underlings gathered around him all revealed delighted expressions.

After finishing the bowl in front of him, he looked at the still-timid shop owner. "It tastes exactly like it did back then. Give me more, and all of you should have some too!"

Only then did the old shop owner finally breathe a sigh of relief. He answered with overwhelming joy and began making more wontons.

It did not take long before not only the Takashiro Group's underlings, but even Jiang Hang and the two girls behind him, were served steaming bowls of wontons.

Seeing those underlings stuffing themselves with wontons as well, Jiang Hang felt as though the estate's previously dejected, decaying atmosphere was gradually dissipating.

Under the group leader's watchful gaze, Jiang Hang also ate his bowl of wontons.

But honestly, the wontons could only be called average. Almost the instant they entered his mouth, Jiang Hang could taste the overwhelmingly heavy seasonings.

Who knew how much MSG had been added? A little might have been tolerable, but after eating a whole bowl, he felt that this artificial "savory flavor" would linger in his mouth until evening.

Yet seeing the group leader looking so energetic now, even Jiang Hang, a Poison Master, could not help feeling confused.

Since when did MSG have the effect of a stimulant?

Was it because of nostalgia? Or had the man's sense of taste declined in old age, making him think these wontons tasted good instead?

Or was there an even deeper reason...

After everything was over, the old shop owner left with a large sum of money at the price they had previously agreed upon, looking somewhat frightened. The remaining one million yen in compensation went into Jiang Hang's hands.

After receiving the money, the reinvigorated Takashiro Group leader questioned Jiang Hang when no one else was around.

"What did you think of the wontons? I imagine they weren't especially delicious to you."

"To be honest, they really were only average," Jiang Hang said truthfully, his gaze resting on the man. "But I imagine you, Leader Takashiro, were pretending to be sick before. You went to such great lengths to eat those wontons because there was some other reason, wasn't there?"

But Jiang Hang saw the aged group leader shake his head. "You're only half right. I was indeed pretending to be ill, but that bowl of wontons was also truly something I had always wanted to eat again."

His gaze drifted into the distance, though it seemed more like he was reminiscing about his past.

"Fifty years ago, before I became the leader of the Takashiro Group, I was just an ordinary street punk. I didn't have much money, and the only thing with even a little more meat that I could afford was wontons. Their wontons weren't especially tasty, but the portions were bigger than other places, and they used more seasoning, so they tasted more flavorful." A smile appeared on his face. "Back then, I would often receive word while eating wontons that I had to go fight somewhere. So I would hurriedly finish my wontons and go brawl with the others."

"Later, I slowly became a leader. After that, I left to establish my own group, and I had more money in my hands, so I stopped going there for wontons. By the time I remembered it again, I discovered the shop had been transferred long ago."

"At the time, I only felt a little regret. I never expected that after I grew old, that old regret would become stronger and stronger. That bowl of wontons became something I could never stop thinking about. Now that I've eaten them again, I have no more regrets." He laughed heartily a few times. "Detective, I originally wanted to keep you for dinner as thanks. But after eating those wontons, I feel full of energy. There are still many things within the group that need handling, so forgive me for being a poor host."

As he spoke, the aged group leader strode out of the room as though he had returned to his youth.

After leaving the Takashiro Group, Jiang Hang looked back at the old residence that had stood for decades.

He suddenly understood what the old group leader had meant.

When he had been young, he ate wontons before going out to fight, and eventually that small-time thug became the group leader.

Now that he was old, the Takashiro Group had likely encountered some powerful opponent. He could only pretend to be sick in order to show weakness.

The reason he had wanted so badly to eat another bowl of those over-seasoned wontons was probably to recover his fighting spirit from back then.

Looking at the Takashiro Group's current situation, that meal of wontons was probably their last supper.

Jiang Hang did not tell the two girls his conjecture. The first thing he did after leaving the Takashiro Group was find a nearby convenience store and buy several bottles of water so he and the two girls could rinse their mouths.

Jiang Hang did not care about fighting spirit or anything like that. His mouth was full of seasoning flavor now, and he had already been holding back his discomfort inside the Takashiro Group.

"So you thought those wontons were too heavily seasoned too," Koharu Yoshino muttered quietly. "By the end, they were making me feel a little sick."

"Good thing you didn't show it. Otherwise, they might have thrown us out." Jiang Hang smiled, then handed the one million yen in his hand to Koharu Yoshino. "This is what we agreed on before—the payment for your commission this time."

Koharu Yoshino and Shizuka Sakaki exchanged glances as they looked at the one million yen in Jiang Hang's hand.