Akechi... Goro.
Conan tightened his grip on the book in his hands.
"Going downstairs to read with Brother Tang Ze" was his most common and most effective excuse. Conan had slipped out using the same excuse today, and the book he was holding was the very copy of The Fiend with Twenty Faces Tang Ze had given him when they ran into Eri Kisaki.
As a die-hard mystery novel fan, Conan had naturally read Edogawa Ranpo's books and was very familiar with the Great Detective "Akechi Kogoro" created by Edogawa Ranpo.
Even the "Junior Detective Agency" he had formed with several elementary school classmates had taken its name from that series. Conan had suggested it, and the little brats had eagerly agreed.
Akechi Goro noticed Conan's movement and openly pointed at the book in his hands. "Have you read this too, little brother? My father was a devoted reader of this series, so he gave me a name very similar to the detective in the book."
Hearing that, Conan put on a simple-minded grin, but he did not completely believe him.
He recalled the night he had shrunk. Ran had come looking for him at his home, and in his panic, he had glanced at the bookshelf and given himself the alias "Edogawa Conan."
The way this man had explained his name did not sound like an introduction at all. It sounded just as much like an alias casually invented after seeing the book in his hand.
"I'm back... Huh?" While Conan was still awkwardly smiling at Akechi Goro face-to-face, a familiar voice came from the doorway.
Tang Ze had returned.
Akechi Goro immediately turned toward the voice and swept his gaze over Tang Ze as he entered, scrutinizing him.
The moment Tang Ze saw Akechi Goro's face, every trace