19. Conan Was a Real Pain!

Chapter 19: Conan Was a Real Pain!

Tsukamoto Kazumi stood up, looking delighted as she greeted him. "I didn't expect you to come here, Yunwen. Are you done with your work?"

Shu Yunwen scratched his head. "Not yet. I saw these four kids near Tokyo Tower. Since it was almost noon, I invited them to lunch."

"Hello, Big Sister Kazumi! Hello, you two!" the four kids greeted them politely.

"Hello to you, too!" Tsukamoto Kazumi replied. Then she said, "Yunwen, Matsushita, and you four little ones, please sit down. The food at this family restaurant is really good."

The table was long enough to seat seven or eight people, so even with six adults and children altogether, Shu Yunwen and the others weren't crowded.

Once everyone had sat down, a waiter came over and bowed slightly. "What would you like to order?"

Shu Yunwen pointed at the four kids. "Do you have a children's meal? If so, get one for each of them."

"Yes, sir," the waiter replied. "Four children's meals, then?"

Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi all sighed. "Are the children's meals the only big meals?" Genta emphasized, "I won't get full on that at all."

Shu Yunwen ignored the three kids' complaints. Tsukamoto Kazumi smiled and said, "The tonkatsu and pickles here are really good, and they can serve them on separate plates if you ask."

"Then get two servings of each, and bring them out separately for the four kids," Shu Yunwen said casually. He and Matsushita ordered their own meals, then waited for the food.

Taking the opportunity, Tsukamoto Kazumi pointed to the two classmates beside her and introduced them. "This is Matsushima Kōran, and this is Kawasaki Sayuri. They were both in your class when you were in your first year of high school."

"Really? I'm sorry, but I've forgotten a lot since I woke up," Shu Yunwen apologized quickly.

Matsushima Kōran and Kawasaki Sayuri said, "Don't worry about it, Shu-san."

After they chatted for a while, Tsukamoto Kazumi suddenly said, "By the way, earlier, you asked where Genta and the others were when you were outside the art museum. You looked so worried that I thought you needed to find them for something..."

Shu Yunwen smiled and interrupted her. "Actually, I was just passing by and thought I'd check."

The curious Conan took the opportunity to ask, "Brother Yunwen, you went to the art museum and specifically asked where we were?"

"That's right!" Tsukamoto Kazumi replied.

Matsushima Kōran added, "Shu-san really did look worried at the time..."

Conan pressed on. "Can you tell me exactly how Brother Yunwen asked?"

Shu Yunwen rolled his eyes and tugged at Conan's cheek. "You're awfully curious, little guy!"

This kid asked way too many questions.

As they talked, the food finally arrived. Meanwhile, the three members of the bandit group who had been following them sat at a table farther away, still keeping an eye on Shu Yunwen and the others while pretending not to.

Shu Yunwen wasn't particularly concerned. Unless those three were out of their minds, they wouldn't do anything in front of so many people. He'd just treat it as a little dinner entertainment.

Shu Yunwen and the others chatted as they ate. Just as he was nearly finished, the mobile phone beside Matsushita suddenly rang. Matsushita quickly answered it, murmured a few times, then covered the receiver and said to Shu Yunwen, "Lord Yunwen, the call's from the office. Secretary Adachi says that Yamagishi Eiichi, Miss Ono Yoko's manager, is at the office now. He seems to want to discuss Miss Ono, and he looks very anxious..."

"Yamagishi Eiichi?" Shu Yunwen froze for a moment.

Of course he remembered him!

Ono Yoko's manager had gone to the office. That meant Ono Yoko's situation probably wasn't looking good.

Well, it looked like a job had come their way.

Shu Yunwen took the phone. "Hello, this is Shu Yunwen. Vice President Matsushita and I will return to the office right away. Please tell Yamagishi Eiichi to wait."

"Certainly, Lord Yunwen," Secretary Adachi replied.

After hanging up, Shu Yunwen looked apologetic. "Kazumi, I'm really sorry, but we have a client waiting at the office, so I have to head back right away..."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Tsukamoto Kazumi's face, but she still smiled. "It's all right, Yunwen. The office comes first. Go ahead."

She'd thought she might get to spend the afternoon with Shu Yunwen, too.

"I'm really sorry," Shu Yunwen said again, then turned to Genta, Conan, and the others. "Also, about Genta and the others. I saw on the news today that members of an Italian bandit group are on the run in Japan. It's too dangerous to let a bunch of kids wander around on their own..."

"If you're worried, Yunwen, you can leave them with me," Tsukamoto Kazumi said with a smile. "I'll make sure they get home."

Getting the answer he wanted, Shu Yunwen immediately said, "Really? That's too much trouble, Kazumi. I'll cover the bill this time. And if we get the chance, I'll treat you to coffee to thank you."

Those three bandits were still sitting right there. The first thing to do was get the four kids home.

"Hey! We don't want to go home!" Genta protested at once.

"This afternoon, we're going to search for our treasure!" Mitsuhiko said.

Ayumi chimed in, "Ayumi wants to use the money from the treasure to travel around the world!"

Conan, however, backed Shu Yunwen up. "It really is dangerous for kids to be out without an adult watching them, so..."

But Genta and the other two completely ignored Conan.

Tsukamoto Kazumi asked in surprise, "You kids are going treasure hunting?"

Mitsuhiko took out the treasure map. "That's right! We found it outside the art museum. There's definitely a huge treasure!"

Tsukamoto Kazumi took the map and looked it over. Seeing the simply sketched figures, she smiled with narrowed eyes. "It really does look like there could be a huge treasure! How about I go treasure hunting with you this afternoon?"

Beside Tsukamoto Kazumi, Matsushima Kōran and Kawasaki Sayuri both frowned. "Kazumi, we still have homework to do. We have to go home and work on it this afternoon."

"That's okay. You can go home first. I've already finished my homework, so I can keep the kids company," Tsukamoto Kazumi said.

"In that case, I'll leave them in your hands, Kazumi," Shu Yunwen said after a moment's thought. With Tsukamoto Kazumi accompanying them, they should be safe enough. Besides, even if he sent the kids home, they might sneak out again to keep searching. Better to have Tsukamoto Kazumi go with them than risk trouble later.

Besides, once it got dark, he could use his memory to find the treasure faster than Conan and the others.

The three bandits would surely keep watching Conan and the others. Once the treasure was in hand, Shu Yunwen could find out where the kids were, call the police, and let the officers put an end to the danger.

Shu Yunwen turned and told Genta and the others to behave, then handed his mobile phone to Tsukamoto Kazumi. "Kazumi, keep this phone with you for now. It'll be handy if anything happens. My pager number is XXXXXXXX. If you need anything, just call me, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Um... all right." Tsukamoto Kazumi took the phone.

After a little more conversation, Shu Yunwen and Matsushita Heisaburo hurriedly left. Before going, Shu Yunwen glanced casually at the three bandits. They were still watching the piece of paper in the kids' hands, and hadn't noticed him looking at them.

Once they were outside the family restaurant, Shu Yunwen and Matsushita Heisaburo got into the car. After it started, Shu Yunwen took out the photograph he'd snapped with his Polaroid and studied it carefully, trying to recall the details.

Matsushita Heisaburo glanced at Shu Yunwen, puzzled. "Lord Yunwen, is that piece of paper they have the clue to the Maple Leaf Gold Coins? But aren't you being a bit too cautious? They're just kids. Even if you took a picture in front of them, they wouldn't have minded, would they?"

Shu Yunwen smiled and put the photograph away. "Matsushita-kun, they are just kids. But one of them is a real handful. If I left any clues in front of him, he might keep chasing after them..."

Kudo Shinichi—no, Conan—was a detective, after all!

When detectives came across a mystery, they'd pursue it relentlessly.

When it came to the Maple Leaf Gold Coins, Conan was a real pain.