Slacker Assassin's Multiverse Daily

Altair was the name of the protagonist from the first Assassin's Creed game, and in Arabic, it meant "the flying eagle." Jiang Hang had come across that fact by accident while looking up guides when he played the game.

There was no Assassin's Creed game in this world, so Jiang Hang had named his eagle Altair in remembrance of it.

The sudden appearance of a majestic eagle in the agency initially made both Shizuka Sakaki and Koharu Yoshino somewhat afraid, worried that it might suddenly swoop down on them.

However, after a few days, once they realized it showed no aggression and was especially well-behaved around Jiang Hang, the two girls gradually relaxed.

Jiang Hang had originally planned to close the agency for the day and take Altair out for a flight, but before he could leave, Imai Midori, the literary girl he had met half a month ago, came running to his agency with a face full of admiration.

So I Can Be This Badass?

When Imai Midori entered the agency, ready to hand over the work she had put into over the past half month for Jiang Hang to review, the first thing that startled her was the eagle standing by the windowsill, its body nearly filling the entire window.

She was not like Shizuka Sakaki, who had been too scared to approach the eagle when she first saw it.

After confirming with Jiang Hang that the eagle was not dangerous, stars seemed to sparkle in her eyes as she approached the eagle named Altair.

After observing it from a distance for a while, Imai Midori asked Jiang Hang uncertainly, "Mr. Jiang Hang... this should be a golden eagle, right?"

Jiang Hang nodded, though he was somewhat surprised. He knew Altair was a golden eagle because the system had told him so. Most people would not know about eagle species unless they had studied them, would they?

After learning that the eagle really was a golden eagle, Imai Midori became excited. She immediately took out her phone and snapped several photos in succession, making even Altair somewhat uncomfortable. It flapped its wings at Imai Midori, then turned around and stopped facing the girl.

Only then did Imai Midori sheepishly put away her phone and explain to Jiang Hang, "I looked into this sort of thing a little while writing scripts before, so I happened to remember it. But I never thought I'd actually get to see a real golden eagle in person!"

She even took out a notebook on the spot and began asking Jiang Hang about golden eagles' habits, as well as any accidents that might occur during the feeding process.

It was only after asking Jiang Hang so many questions that she noticed there were only the two of them in the agency today.

She peeked into the guest room, then asked Jiang Hang curiously, "Mr. Jiang Hang, where are Senior Shizuka and Senior Yoshino? Are neither of them at the agency?"

"They received a commission and felt they could try handling it themselves. The agency is closed this afternoon and we aren't taking commissions, so they went out together to investigate," Jiang Hang answered her question.

Ever since both girls' information-gathering abilities had reached the beginner level through the system's training and their own efforts, Jiang Hang had begun assigning them some easier commissions. If they received a commission they were interested in, they could investigate it themselves as well.

Hearing Jiang Hang's words, Imai Midori was somewhat surprised. She had not expected them to be able to take commissions on their own so soon.

However, she did not dwell on that for long and simply handed the notebook in her hands to Jiang Hang.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, this is a story I wrote over the past half month based on the cases you've handled. I haven't turned it into a script yet, but please take a look!"

Imai Midori spoke respectfully, making Jiang Hang feel a little uncomfortable.

Looking at the thick notebook in Imai Midori's hands, Jiang Hang could only think that this girl was far too hardworking. She had written so much in just over half a month—was she some legendary writing machine?

Did his cases really have that much material worth writing about? Why did they seem so dull whenever he thought back on them himself?

He took the notebook from her and began flipping through it from the beginning.

In truth, the first case he had encountered was the Maple Gold Coin Case. However, Koharu Yoshino and Shizuka Sakaki had not yet come to the agency at the time. They only knew Jiang Hang had encountered such a case once, but Jiang Hang had never explained it in detail, so it had not been included in the case records.

For them, the first case they had come into contact with was the five-hundred-million-yen insurance fraud case.

Yet somehow, Imai Midori had heard about the Maple Gold Coin incident from somewhere. She had actually included it and titled it, "The Mysterious Nation's Eagle Eye Detective Makes His First Appearance."

Seemingly sensing Jiang Hang's surprise, Imai Midori hurriedly explained, "I asked Senior Shizuka about that case, then looked up some related news reports in newspapers and online before writing it. But my skills are limited, so I may not have been able to fully convey your brilliance, Mr. Jiang Hang..."

What brilliance could I possibly have? Jiang Hang muttered inwardly.

Wasn't the Maple Gold Coin Case just him using Eagle Eye to spot Conan playing a puzzle game and going over to join the fun? At the same time, he happened to notice Mafia members following them, so he called the police and had the whole group rounded up. Then, after Conan solved the puzzle and found the location where the Maple Gold Coins were hidden, Jiang Hang simply took Inspector Megure over to collect the prize. The whole case had been quite plain and unremarkable.

But in the story, Imai Midori had written it like this.

In the story, Jiang Hang, who had just arrived in Japan, happened upon a group of children playing a puzzle game. After solving the riddle left behind by the Italian Mafia, he realized the children might be in danger.

But in order to preserve the children's longing for treasure, Jiang Hang did not tell them about it. He even guided them bit by bit, helping them find the final treasure site.

At the same time, he had long since seen through the Mafia members' movements. In his plan, the Mafia members unknowingly fell into the trap he had constructed and were ultimately rounded up by the police.

After reading the whole story, Jiang Hang could only feel that he could actually come off as this badass?

At that moment, Imai Midori added, "Oh, right. I wrote a little character profile for you. You can take a look first—I based my portrayal of you on this profile. If there's anything you're dissatisfied with, I can revise it right away!"

As she spoke, she took out the character profile she had made for "Jiang Hang" and showed it to him.

Jiang Hang was utterly stunned.

Dressed in an understated black suit, holding an unremarkable cane in his hand, he completely concealed his sharpness whenever he had not received a commission, appearing no different from an ordinary person.

Yet whenever he encountered a difficult problem, his gaze became as sharp as an eagle's, allowing him to find the most crucial clue in places no one else could notice.

Whenever he solved a puzzle, he would prop up his cane with one hand and say in a voice brimming with confidence, "Then there can only be one answer," before effortlessly resolving the difficult problem.

Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the first part of the character profile, but when Jiang Hang saw his catchphrase, he could not help wiping his forehead.

He had only wanted to make a joke on a whim. Had it somehow become the greatest embarrassing stain of his life?

He gave a light cough, then looked at Imai Midori's expectant face. "Um... a catchphrase is a good idea, but how about we change it? For example, 'There is only one truth.' I think that sounds pretty good. Would you consider it?"

Am I About to Debut as the Center?

In the end, Imai Midori did not change "Jiang Hang's" catchphrase in the story.

"The phrase you mentioned was something that high school detective Shinichi Kudo said during a newspaper interview, wasn't it? I noticed him while gathering information before, but it seems there have recently been reports that he has gone missing," Imai Midori recalled the information she had found about Shinichi Kudo. "Actually, I also think your line, 'Then there can only be one answer,' has a similar charm to his 'There is only one truth.' But I still think your line, Mr. Jiang Hang, sounds more imposing!"

As she said this, she also asked whether Jiang Hang knew Shinichi Kudo and whether the two had ever worked together on any cases, but Jiang Hang vaguely brushed the matter aside.

"What a pity. I was thinking that if two great detectives like you worked together on a case, it would definitely be incredibly exciting. I'd really love to write a case like that into the story," Imai Midori lamented regretfully. "Like one detective running into danger during an investigation, only for the other to step forward and save him, and then the two great detectives joining hands to capture the culprit in the end... just thinking about that kind of plot is exciting!"

As for Imai Midori's fantasies at the moment, Jiang Hang muttered inwardly: Sorry, but the last case we worked on together was just him finding all the clues at the crime scene and calling me over to wrap things up. There was no danger at all.

Jiang Hang continued reading the story Imai Midori had spent half a month writing.

As a literature major who had set becoming a playwright as her life goal since middle school, Imai Midori had written quite a lot over the years.

Naturally, there was nothing wrong with her writing skills.

Take Abe Yutaka's insurance fraud case, for instance. Jiang Hang had merely checked the system bulletin board and discovered that the man intended to use him, so he had gone straight to tail and investigate him.

But in Imai Midori's novel, "he" had keenly deduced from Abe Yutaka's words during the consultation that the client was lying to him. He had then begun to suspect that the man had another motive, uncovered his plot through surveillance and investigation, and ultimately prevented a tragedy.

The entire story flowed smoothly. For the sake of drama, Imai Midori had even added a little extra difficulty for him. For example, Jiang Hang accidentally lost the target while tailing him, but later relied on small details he had noticed earlier to deduce where the man might be going, arriving just in time to stop the murderer at the very last moment.

Imai Midori also apologized sincerely to Jiang Hang. "I know these cases weren't difficult for you, but to make the story more exciting, I may need to slightly weaken your powers of observation or make the criminals a little more capable. I hope you can understand."

"I understand. It's all to make the story more compelling," Jiang Hang said, wiping his forehead.

Honestly, if the "Jiang Hang" in the story had been someone else, Jiang Hang would definitely have enjoyed reading it. But with himself as the protagonist, all he felt was embarrassment.

Forget the observation skills—if only I really had such awesome deductive abilities. Didn't you see how I got pushed into beating up a suspect over a simple code on Moon Shadow Island?

However, Imai Midori had her own interpretation of the Moon Shadow Island incident. "I think you must have solved the code hidden in that sheet music long ago, Mr. Jiang Hang. You simply wanted to cultivate Senior Shizuka and the others' abilities."

"You let Senior Shizuka and the others continue thinking independently and searching for the answer, while you, having already solved the puzzle, went directly to find the suspect from back then. You told him the truth about what happened and persuaded him to surrender to the police." Imai Midori had completely sunk into her own imagined scenario.

"I'd always worried whether Senior Shizuka could adapt to life as a detective's assistant, but I never expected that after only a month, she and the others would already be able to handle simple assignments. That must be thanks to your careful guidance and training, Mr. Jiang Hang. Just as expected of a famous detective!"

I'm not! I didn't! Jiang Hang really wanted to say that, but the girl before him was looking at him with such admiration that, in the end, he could only clear his throat a few times and steer around the topic.

"Ahem. Your story really is quite good. I have no objections, so just keep writing according to your own ideas. But you don't need to show it to me anymore. You can discuss it with Sakaki and Kiharu instead," Jiang Hang said. After holding it in until the end, all he could do was encourage her once again.

"I'm not a very fast writer, so your story has only reached the end of the Moon Shadow Island incident so far, Mr. Jiang Hang. I never expected that in just half a month, you would do so many more things—and even stop Kaito Kid's operation!" At the mention of Kaito Kid, inspiration seemed to burst from Imai Midori. She looked at Jiang Hang eagerly. "Did you know? Rumors are already spreading online that the strongest opponent Kaito Kid has ever encountered in his career is you."

The moment he heard about online rumors, Jiang Hang knew that old man Jirokichi Suzuki had definitely paid to stir up publicity. But shouldn't the focus of those rumors have been that he and Jirokichi Suzuki had faced Kaito Kid together? Why did Imai Midori's reaction seem so different from what he had expected?

"Those are just online rumors. In truth, Jirokichi Suzuki also contributed a great deal to stopping Kaito Kid this time. More accurately, the two of us worked together to stop him. After all, Kaito Kid isn't an ordinary thief," Jiang Hang said, giving Kaito Kid extremely high praise based on the principle that praising one's opponent was really elevating oneself.

"But there are rumors online saying that old man seemed to do nothing besides provide money and jewels. They even say that when Kaito Kid showed up, he was knocked out by Kaito Kid's sleeping gas, and in the end, it was you who forced Kaito Kid to retreat."

"There are also quite a few people online saying that if Jirokichi Suzuki hadn't held you back, you might have captured Kaito Kid already... Um, are those rumors about Jirokichi Suzuki true?" Imai Midori seemed especially curious about whether the rumors were true.

Jiang Hang was dumbfounded by what he heard. He had clearly only wanted to quietly make a fortune—hide behind a wealthy big shot like Jirokichi Suzuki, casually offer a few plans, and coast along. Why did it look like the online rumors were trying to forcibly push him into the spotlight?

Which idiot had spread that rumor? When it came down to it, only the security personnel present at the time would have known about this. Those guards were all from the Suzuki Conglomerate. Could there be a mole inside the Suzuki Conglomerate too?

At that thought, Jiang Hang could not help gritting his teeth.

He had never imagined that one day, he too would make his debut as the center of attention.

Let Me See Who Conan Will Bring Disaster Upon Today

Jiang Hang had calculated every possibility, yet he had never expected something like this to happen.

If Imai Midori had not still been in his agency, he would have called Jirokichi Suzuki to tell him that this was not how one waged a public opinion campaign.

Who spent money to clean up their own image only to make themselves look even worse?

It took Jiang Hang quite some effort to explain things clearly to Imai Midori: Jirokichi Suzuki had not held him back. He had been the most important link in the plan to capture Kaito Kid. It was simply that Kaito Kid was indeed no simple opponent, which was why he had managed to escape.

Just as Imai Midori had praised him, Jiang Hang now praised Kaito Kid in the same way, emphasizing that it was not because Jirokichi Suzuki was incompetent, but because Kaito Kid was too cunning.

"So Kaito Kid really is that impressive..." After Jiang Hang's string of praise, Imai Midori looked somewhat dazed. "Then Mr. Jirokichi Suzuki really can't be blamed. But since you were able to anticipate Kaito Kid's moves, I'm sure that even in Kaito Kid's eyes, you must be his greatest opponent!"

As she spoke, her train of thought cleared again. "That's right. A famous detective needs a powerful and cunning opponent like that. Mr. Jiang Hang, can you tell me in more detail about your encounters with Kaito Kid? I think this incident could definitely be written into the most captivating story!"

As she spoke, Imai Midori opened her notebook again. To make the story under her pen more compelling, she clearly had many more questions she wanted to ask Jiang Hang.

After barely answering some of Imai Midori's questions, Jiang Hang began to feel that he could no longer hold out.

Just after he had racked his brains to answer another question, his phone suddenly rang. Jiang Hang let out a breath of relief, greeted Imai Midori, and hurried aside to answer it.

Since the agency was closed that afternoon, Jiang Hang usually unplugged its phone line during breaks to avoid endless harassing calls. Not many people knew his personal number. Aside from acquaintances, they were generally clients such as the owners or wives of major companies and conglomerates.

And the person calling him now was the wife of a conglomerate chairman.

Jiang Hang had previously helped her find her pet dog. This time, she was calling in hopes that he could help her find a necklace she had lost sometime over the past few days.

This sort of assignment was exactly Jiang Hang's specialty. Besides, he was already overwhelmed trying to deal with Imai Midori's questions, so he readily accepted the job.

"Sorry, Imai. I just received an assignment. As for Kaito Kid and me, I've more or less told you everything already. If you have any more questions, I'll answer them after I finish this job."

"It's fine. I'm the one who disturbed you," Imai Midori said hurriedly, shaking her head. Then, as if recalling something, she said to Jiang Hang, "Um, if you don't mind, Mr. Jiang Hang, could you take me with you? Come to think of it, I've never personally seen how you solve a case. I think it would be valuable reference for my future writing."

Thus, at Imai Midori's own request, she temporarily became Jiang Hang's assistant and accompanied him to the home of the woman who had called him to learn about the situation.

When the woman saw that, after only two weeks apart, Jiang Hang had another beautiful female assistant by his side, her expression became noticeably subtle.

Although Jiang Hang could tell that the woman's gaze was strange, he did not deliberately explain anything. Instead, he directly asked when and where she believed she had lost the necklace.

Since she had only noticed the necklace missing within the last two days, finding it would not be too troublesome. He only needed to visit the places she had gone and check the transportation she had taken over those days, then use Eagle Eye to search for clues.

First, he confirmed the necklace's style and used Eagle Eye to inspect her home, making sure that the item had not simply been left somewhere in the house.

After being a detective for so many days, Jiang Hang had encountered plenty of clients like this. They would claim that their belongings had disappeared after they went somewhere or other.

Yet when Jiang Hang activated Eagle Eye, he would find the client's item sitting somewhere inconspicuous, merely forgotten by its owner.

However, Eagle Eye showed that the lost necklace was not in her home, and there were no signs that her house had been burglarized.

Jiang Hang had learned that she had visited Beika Shrine that very morning to pray, so he decided to check the shrine first for any new clues.

They left the client's house, and the entire questioning process had taken less than fifteen minutes. Imai Midori felt as though she had merely sat on the sofa listening to Jiang Hang ask a few questions, then watched him walk around the client's home before he directly led her out to search for the lost item.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, is it really okay to question her like that? What if her necklace was stolen? Or what if she simply misplaced it at home?"

"Don't worry. I already confirmed that the necklace isn't in her house." Koharu Yoshino had asked him the same question before. After he gave that answer and found the client's lost item, Koharu Yoshino never asked it again.

Imai Midori trusted Jiang Hang deeply, so after hearing his explanation, she nodded as though she understood, though not entirely.

Who knew what she would end up imagining.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the shrine.

The shrine usually did not receive many visitors, but it was quite lively today.

Jiang Hang took a look with Eagle Eye and discovered that a film crew was shooting near the shrine.

What surprised him was that he actually spotted Conan and the others among the crew!

Kogoro Mouri appeared to be discussing something with the director. It looked like this was the job Kogoro Mouri had taken on this time.

That little god of death had come over here to bring disaster upon another film crew?

Knowing full well that wherever Conan went, someone was bound to die, Jiang Hang paid closer attention to the crew. He planned to first check whether the client's necklace had been lost here, then go meet Conan and ask what was going on.

Imai Midori was rather curious about the film crew. After all, her future goal was to become a screenwriter. Although she wanted to make animation with her friends, perhaps one day she might also get the chance to participate in writing television dramas.

Her gaze drifted toward the crew as she tried to see what kind of drama they were filming.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hang began observing the surroundings once more.

At last, his gaze settled on a small grove behind the shrine, and a smile appeared on his face.