Tang Ze took the photograph from the girl's hand and glanced sideways at Conan, who kept looking upstairs.
"I'm not! I didn't!" Conan mouthed, his eyes wide.
Tang Ze still gave him a condemning look usually reserved for scumbags for a few seconds. Only when Conan was sweating at the temples with anxiety did he stop teasing him and wave downstairs. "I don't think I've ever heard him mention having a girlfriend... Why don't you sit in the shop downstairs for a while? I'll call him and ask. Oh, Conan, this."
Tang Ze handed Conan the fan in its gift box and pointed toward the detective agency. "Help me give this gift to Miss Mouri. We're still going to buy books together today, right? Meet me at the shop after you've delivered it."
Conan caught his hint, his eyes lighting up. He took Tang Ze's box and loudly answered, "Okay!" Then he hugged the box and ran upstairs as if fleeing for his life.
Smiling, Tang Ze gallantly gestured for the lady to go first and followed the girl down the stairs.
The moment he heard this girl claim to be Shinichi Kudo's girlfriend, Tang Ze knew what was going on.
The younger brother of a soccer player named Hideo Akagi had been kidnapped. The criminal had threatened Hideo Akagi, demanding that he throw his next match. If they called the police or sought help from a detective, the hostage would be killed immediately.
Unable to alert the criminal but wanting to find someone to help save the boy, the girl had taken a photo of Shinichi Kudo and claimed to be his girlfriend. She went to the places he frequented, hoping he would hear the news and contact her so she could ask him for help.
By some twist of fate, she had struck right at the heart of the matter, instantly setting off Ran Mouri, who had been secretly growing restless after not seeing him for days. In a burst of jealousy, Ran had put on a spectacular display of chasing down—no, searching for—Shinichi Kudo by kicking a security door, frame and all, to pieces in one blow.
No one had died, and aside from the unlucky door, nothing else had been harmed. If Conan had not come looking for them, Tang Ze would have been quite looking forward to that show.
The two sat at a table outside the café. While waiting for Conan to come down and join them, Tang Ze struck up a conversation with the girl. "May I ask your name? I'll send him a message first." With that, he took out his phone and pretended to compose an email.
"M-My name is Ryoko Akagi." Ryoko Akagi lowered her head uncertainly. "Um, we've been dating for a while... You can contact him, right? Could you ask him to meet me?"
Having run into Tang Ze, Ryoko Akagi relaxed somewhat. She was not sure whether the criminal was watching her too, nor had she expected one of the places Shinichi Kudo was said to frequent to be a detective agency. If the criminal thought she was seeking help from that agency, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Ryoko Akagi... Judging from your uniform, you're not a Teitan student. How did you meet Kudo-kun?" Tang Ze tapped at his phone as he continued chatting casually.
"I'm a first-year student at Beika High School. Um, we met by chance..." Ryoko Akagi stared nervously at Tang Ze's phone, stumbling over her words. "Just tell him that I urgently need to see him."
"All right, I've sent it." Tang Ze tapped the send button and sent Conan the message he had typed: "This girl's name is Ryoko Akagi. I think she's in trouble—some kind of threat to her safety. She seems desperate. Get down here quickly."
Less than two seconds later, a reply arrived.
"He says he understands and will get here as soon as possible." The instant Tang Ze finished speaking, pounding footsteps sounded from the stairwell. Conan, carrying a small bag and rushing down in a panic, pumped his short legs and ran to Tang Ze's side.
Tang Ze casually ruffled Conan's hair, then stood under his indignant but silent glare and said to Ryoko Akagi, "All right, the person I was waiting for is here. Are you going to wait here, or would you like to come with us?"
The bright sunlight turned Tang Ze's blue eyes the vivid blue of a clear sky. His pale irises gave his gaze a piercing quality. Under that seemingly all-knowing stare, Ryoko Akagi clasped her hands tightly, instinctively feeling that Tang Ze had guessed something—or that the email he had received said something...
That little boy had been right. Shinichi Kudo's friend was impressive too.
She gritted her teeth, rose to her feet, and bowed to Tang Ze. "Then please, I'm counting on you."
Still unclear about what was happening, Conan looked from one to the other. All he could do was grab Tang Ze's coat sleeve and follow the two of them like a dangling accessory.
"Well, Tang Ze is pretty good, isn't he?" Azusa Enomoto watched Tang Ze and the cute-looking Ryoko Akagi walk away through the floor-to-ceiling window, a suggestive smile appearing on her face. "He hasn't even been here for a few days, and he's already met such a cute girl."
"Yes, he's made a friend." Tooru Amuro raised an eyebrow at the trio's retreating backs, though his gaze rested on the small Conan.
He did not think Tang Ze was the sort to flirt with girls. Especially with the label of juvenile offender hanging over him, Tang Ze never took the initiative to speak to anyone except Sonoko Suzuki, who had approached him herself, and Ran Mouri, whom she had brought along. He had not expected Tang Ze to get so familiar with the kid upstairs so quickly.
Maybe Tang Ze was unexpectedly good with children?
After thinking it over, Tooru Amuro dismissed the idea of following them.
That bastard Rye was surely lurking around nearby, but as long as Tang Ze was not alone, he would not dare act recklessly. It would be too easy for things to spiral out of control.
Tch. Besides, he still had new work to finish. He had to gather news reports about the case Tang Ze had been involved in yesterday and make sure Tang Ze had not been mentioned in any coverage.
Ever since he started working at this café, he had been getting more and more work...
"What exactly happened, Miss Ryoko Akagi?" Tang Ze asked softly as they walked side by side. "You don't even have Kudo's contact information, and Kudo has never mentioned you to us. He's not that irresponsible a person. You probably don't know him at all, do you?"
Conan, who was clutching Tang Ze's trench coat sleeve, froze and looked at Tang Ze with a touch of emotion. He had not expected Tang Ze to think so highly of him.
Don't get carried away. That's deduction, not praise. Tang Ze wordlessly raised a hand and flicked him on the forehead.
Ryoko Akagi looked around to make sure no one else could hear. Finally unable to contain her emotions, tears welled in her eyes. "Please come with me. I-I didn't mean to deceive you. I was just desperate. The match has already started. I want to ask you, and Shinichi Kudo too—please save Mamoru. Please help Hideo!"
Ryoko Akagi led them toward the Akagi home and pulled a letter from her commuter bag.
"Your little brother is in our hands.
If you want him to return home safely, you must lose this match.
You are not allowed to deliberately sit out, nor are you allowed to notify the police or a private detective.
Otherwise, your little brother's life will be forfeit."
"I went to make breakfast for Mamoru this morning, but he wasn't home. Then I found this fax." Ryoko Akagi said, trembling as she fought back tears. "Mamoru's older brother is Hideo Akagi..."
"Hideo Akagi!" Soccer fan Conan reacted immediately. "The Tokyo Aoyama Team's 'Kicking Ace'?"
Before you continue