"So that was why you came back to Japan. People online were all saying you returned for Kaito Kid, and also..."
Heiji Hattori spoke bluntly, glancing at Tangze from the corner of his eye, but he at least swallowed the rest of his words.
He did not finish, but many people present understood perfectly well. Because Saguru Hakuba and Akechi Goro had such highly overlapping character profiles, many people speculated that Akechi Goro's rise had greatly squeezed Saguru Hakuba's room to operate. And no matter how many years he had lived in England, Saguru Hakuba, whose father was a high-ranking figure in the police world, would most likely still have to return to Japan to develop his career.
A comparison between the two was inevitable. It would be better to bring that contest forward to now.
That was why many people guessed that Saguru Hakuba had returned to Japan. Some even said it was one of the reasons this program had passed the television station's approval.
It was a current hot topic. No media professional could resist that.
"Utter nonsense." Saguru Hakuba chuckled. "I am indeed somewhat interested in Kaito Kid, but I am not the sort of detective who cares about a phantom thief who causes no real social harm. The only reason a detective changes his schedule is to investigate a case."
Conan, who had just finished a cup of soda and was secretly taking a new drink from a staff member while the cameras were pointed elsewhere, cast him a subtle glance.
Kaito Kid was a phantom thief, and the Phantom Thief of Hearts were phantom thieves too. His words carried a bit of double meaning.
At the very least, after their last encounter, Saguru Hakuba had probably categorized both Kaito Kid and Joker as people not