Unlike the two Uzo lackeys, one big and one small, the two high school girls beside them were very understanding of this collecting behavior. "So that's how it is! You really have a sense of ritual."
Conan quietly walked between them, separating Mouri Ran from James.
Then he tilted his head back to look at James, planning to seize this rare chance to toss out his next question—like asking about the last time he had seen this old man being taken away by the police at the magic hall.
But before he could speak, the experienced FBI agent struck first. He vigorously ruffled Conan's head, leaving the talkative elementary school student dizzy. "I remember now! You're that little friend who's always in the news with Jiang Xia, aren't you? No wonder you looked familiar. You're cool, just like the Baker Street Irregulars! Speaking of which, I was born on Baker Street too."
Seeing that Conan was about to recover, James added, "Meeting like this is fate. How about I treat you all to a meal?"
...During the meal, perhaps Akai could set up a trap, wait until that Hashimoto Maya was alone, then catch him and squeeze some clues out of him.
As this spur-of-the-moment plan flashed through his mind, he smiled and said, "I know an Italian restaurant. It's absolutely delicious!"
"!" Suzuki Sonoko had just been planning to find somewhere for lunch, and when she heard that, she said happily, "Then thank you very much."
James pondered over a suitable terrain for the capture. "It's a little far from here, so we'll have to drive there—I'll go bring over the car I rented. Please wait here for a moment."
With that, he turned and left, crossed the alley, and went to the parking lot by the street.
Once