What Era Is It, Still Writing Traditional Diaries

"The mystery before you is a realm that Holmes, Poirot, and Queen, as well as your father Yusaku Kudo, those world-renowned detectives, have never ventured into. Are you truly willing to give up on it?"

Conan stared intently at this "himself." This man knew him very well, and his words stirred a genuine impulse within him.

But the more Conan looked at the other man's face, the more something felt off.

"This isn't your original appearance, is it? In fact, nothing about you seems to be your true self. If you want my help, shouldn't you at least show me your real face?"

Miyauchi Hiyage shrugged, not denying it. "The villains who want to overturn the world are all cunning and treacherous. If we, the righteous characters, aren't even more cunning and cautious, how can we defeat them?"

"Didn't you choose to stay at the Mouri Detective Agency precisely to use their detective status as a cover to investigate that Black Organization? And you haven't revealed your identity to your friend Ran in the past month or two, have you?"

Although Conan was a bit displeased that the person in front of him was comparing him to himself, Conan, who hadn't revealed his identity to Ran yet, felt a pang of guilt.

Miyauchi Hiyage continued.

"If you want to know my identity, then try to investigate it yourself. However, there's one thing I can tell you, and it's definitely not a lie," Miyauchi Hiyage decided to tell Conan a real truth. "I've been paying attention to you since around 2008."

2008? He was still in elementary school then. This person had noticed him since that long ago?

Conan frowned. Had this person been watching him for so long, and he had never even noticed their existence?

However, regarding the other person's identity, the conversation had reached its limit. Conan fell silent for a moment before continuing to question him. "I need to know more. About what I just saw, the lens in your hand, and the enemies you mentioned."

Seeing Conan take the bait, Miyauchi Hiyage immediately started explaining these things to him.

From Grudges to Cursed Spirits, from Exorcists to Sorcerers, Miyauchi Hiyage briefly explained each to him. He also casually mentioned the possibility of Magicians.

Finally, regarding the lens, Miyauchi Hiyage took it out. "This is a tool specifically designed to deal with those Grudges. Once assembled, those with spiritual power can input their spiritual energy into it to dispel Grudges and evil spirits. For someone like you, without spiritual power... it will consume some of the holder's life energy."

Noticing Conan's nervous expression, Miyauchi Hiyage waved his hand. "Life energy can be restored through eating and some exercise. It's not as scary as you think. Besides, the lens I'm giving you doesn't have the function to exorcise spirits; it just allows you to see those things."

"Normally, it's just like eating an extra bowl of rice... But you haven't had dinner tonight, and you've been locked up here for so long. You might catch a slight cold for a day or two. Honestly, though, if you do catch a cold, it might actually be a good thing for you. I happen to have something suitable for you to take when you have a cold."

Conan was a little confused by his words. A cold would be a good thing for him? How could that be?

But he had just received so much information that his adrenaline was pumping, and he didn't feel tired at all.

Perhaps only after he slept and woke up would he be able to feel his body's true condition.

"Anyway, that's enough for now. You've just been exposed to another side of the world. If I tell you too much at once, you'll get confused."

Although Miyauchi Hiyage could see the confusion on Conan's face, he still stopped the conversation. "You can ponder these questions slowly. When you next share your thoughts on these matters, I'm looking forward to seeing what surprises your intellect can bring me."

"For now, as a reward, I can tell you a little about yourself. Is there anything you'd like to know?"

Because of this question, Conan instantly recalled his current predicament.

He first asked for confirmation: "What exactly is going on with me right now?"

He was still bothered by whether his body had shrunk or if his memories had been transferred to another body.

While the latter seemed more "scientific," after tonight's events, witnessing a hideous Grudge being eliminated by a super-powered mouse, he was gradually rebuilding his worldview.

"APTX4869. That's the name of the poison you ingested. Although in most cases it causes death by cardiac arrest, in very rare instances, it can cause a reverse-aging phenomenon in the user's body."

"As for whether there's supernatural power involved in this drug, that's something for you, the detective, to investigate."

"Then what does that organization want to do to me?" Conan looked at the two sleeping figures outside the room.

"Do you want to confirm their identities? Then go ahead," Miyauchi Hiyage spread his hands. "As long as you don't make too much noise, they won't wake up."

Chapter Seventy-Two: There Are Far Too Many People Who Look Like You

Conan didn't hesitate this time and walked directly to the masked man lying on the sofa.

Not long ago, he had heard from this very person that he was to be secretly disposed of by the Organization. He desperately wanted to know the true face beneath the mask.

Then, as he held his breath and lifted the man's mask, he was once again shocked, almost suffering cardiac arrest!

How could the masked man be his father?!

No, his father should be in America right now, he couldn't possibly be here!

Conan seemed to realize something and quickly looked back at the "himself" behind him, who wore a knowing, half-smile, wanting to know if this was a prank orchestrated by the other party.

Although he had only known this man for less than an hour, Conan had already recognized his unreliable personality.

If this was truly something the other party had deliberately designed, it would actually seem normal.

Miyauchi Hiyage couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This expression was indeed the most brilliant one he had seen on Conan's face tonight.

"It seems you don't really read your father's works," Miyauchi Hiyage shook his head. "Haven't you realized yet that his attire is exactly the same as your father's most famous character, the 'Night Baron'? This is the biggest clue your father left you."

Hearing this, Conan suddenly remembered that his father did have a famous character like that.

His expression instantly became bewildered.

Could the person sleeping on the sofa now truly be his father?

Then why would he kidnap himself?

"By the way, if you peel off that woman's face, you'll see your mother's face. However, both of them have been put to sleep in a special way by me, and they'll probably sleep until tomorrow morning before they wake up," Miyauchi Hiyage unhesitatingly exposed the Kudo couple's plan.

Conan's sense of reality was further shaken.

His mother was involved too?

Did they all know that he had shrunk?

So this whole thing was a prank orchestrated by his parents?

To pretend to be fierce kidnappers, throw him in this run-down place to put psychological pressure on him – is this something normal parents would do?

"Because they want to tell you that the organization that turned you into this state is truly capable of doing such things," Miyauchi Hiyage shook his head and continued.

"Your strong curiosity about all mysteries is your strength, and it's why I invited you to join my team. But at the same time, that overly vigorous curiosity is also your greatest weakness. You really aren't worried about your identity being noticed. If you were to turn back into Shinichi Kudo right now, would you just go back to normal school as if nothing happened?"

Miyauchi Hiyage walked up to Conan and looked down at him with Shinichi Kudo's face.

"The organization behind the person who gave you that poison is a massive multinational criminal organization. For decades, governments around the world have been trying to infiltrate this organization and figure out their goals, but even now, those countries haven't been able to ascertain what that organization truly wants."

"You know your father's identity. Besides being a mystery novelist, he's also an excellent detective with acquaintances all over the world. He probably knows more about that organization than you do right now."

"Do you know that because your body wasn't found, your current status on that organization's list of administered substances is not 'deceased' but 'unknown'? They are still searching for Shinichi Kudo's whereabouts and even conduct secret searches at your home. If they discover that your childhood clothes were recently disturbed, what do you think they will assume?"

"At that point, Shinichi Kudo, everyone around you will be implicated by you, even killed!"

"I think your parents appeared before you in this manner precisely because they considered this possibility. This is both a test and a reminder for you."

After severely lecturing Conan and seeing his flustered state, Miyauchi Hiyage felt much better.

After waiting for Conan to reflect for a few minutes, Miyauchi Hiyage spoke again.

"Of course, you don't need to worry. I have a relatively clear understanding of that organization's situation, and I've made arrangements for these matters. As long as you don't do anything foolish yourself, no one will notice you in the short term."

"If we cooperate well in the future, I can gradually share information about that organization with you."

"However, you should try to use the Stun-Gun Wristwatch less in the future. 'The Sleeping Kogoro'... that title itself easily attracts attention. It would be better if you just came clean to your sister Ran, revealed your identity to her, and let her proactively cooperate with you as your spokesperson."

"I..." Conan hesitated, still unwilling to expose Ran to such danger.

Miyauchi Hiyage waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to hear about it.

At the same time, he muttered to himself: Still hesitating, huh? One day when you catch a cold, I'll lock Ran in with you, shove a bottle of baijiu into your mouth, and then let's see how you can argue your way out of it.

"In any case, you now understand the situation. Whether you directly expose your parents' test and tell them your thoughts, or play along with their plan and trick them in return, that's something you need to consider for yourself."

"As for my business..."

Before Miyauchi Hiyage could finish, Conan spoke up first: "This is a collaboration between you and me. I won't reveal your affairs. If they notice the abnormality tonight, I'll tell them that you, like me, are a victim of that organization and are secretly assisting me."

Regardless of how much truth there was to the "savior" the other party mentioned, this kind of matter was clearly less suitable for the people around him to know about compared to the Black Organization.

Seeing Conan's reaction, Miyauchi Hiyage nodded with satisfaction.

"Then, if I need to find you in the future, Jerry will appear before you. You should know what to do then," Miyauchi Hiyage said, extending his hand to Conan. "I cannot tell you my real name at the moment. As for a name, you can call me 'Tom' for now."

"I hope you'll have a different face the next time we meet," Conan said, shaking hands with "himself" with a sense of incongruity.

"That's truly regrettable. There are quite a few people in this world who look exactly like you. Among the people I'm paying attention to, there's one person who looks exactly like you, except for their hairstyle, and even their voice is very similar."

"According to my predictions, that person will likely appear before you soon. And at that time, they might even directly use your identity to appear in front of others. If you can't get used to it, your future might not be very comfortable."

Conan looked at Tom with suspicion. Could the person he was talking about be himself?

Chapter Seventy-Three: Expel All Grudges

Regardless, Conan kept in mind the people who looked exactly like him mentioned by the other party.

After all, Shinichi Kudo's identity was very sensitive right now. If someone were to impersonate him, it would not be good if the Black Organization noticed.

Although Tom possessed mysterious powers, Conan did not want to seek Tom's help for everything.

Seeing "Tom" showing signs of leaving, Conan seized the opportunity to ask him a few more questions.

For example, the impact of the existence of those Grudges on Beika Town, and whether he could learn that method of dispelling Grudges.

He clearly remembered that before revealing the truth to him, the other party had specifically mentioned the crime problem in Beika Town. These two clearly had some connection.

In response, Miyauchi Hiyage gave a brief answer.

"People who cannot see Grudges are generally not attacked by them. However, they are not clean things after all. If they linger around someone for a long time, they will inevitably have some subtle influence on humans."

"For example, they become more prone to negative emotions. What might have been minor conflicts could escalate due to their influence, ultimately leading those people down the path of crime."

"And Beika Town has been one of the gathering places for Tokyo's Grudges since a long time ago. Therefore, the high crime rate in Beika Town today is also significantly catalyzed by those Grudges."

Miyauchi Hiyage knew that with Conan's personality, he certainly wouldn't stand by after learning about such things.

"As for cultivation, your current physical condition definitely doesn't allow for it. Even if I gave you talismans now, you'd probably need to lie in bed for several days to dispel a common Grudge. But you don't need to be the one to handle exorcism and dispelling."

"You should play to your strengths and solve problems with your mind."

"Where do Grudges come from? Why do they madly attack those who can see them? And why do they gather in Beika Town? These are the things you, as a detective, should figure out."

Speaking of this, Miyauchi Hiyage once again revealed the lens in his hand.

"I'll give you this item after your life energy recovers in a few days. I believe you will have made up your mind by then."

Upon learning about the catalytic role Grudges played in murder cases, Conan visibly clenched his fists.

He had encountered many criminals with extreme personalities who killed others over trivial matters.

He hadn't thought much of it before, but now knowing that these criminals might have been influenced by Grudges, just as Miyauchi Hiyage had thought, he couldn't just ignore it.

He had to figure out why those Grudges appeared and lingered in Beika Town, and then find a way to pacify or dispel them!

However, he still needed to deal with his own situation before he could consider those things further.

After all, his parents were still lying on the sofa outside. Although he felt a bit helpless about his parents' behavior of "setting him up," he couldn't just let them keep sleeping there, could he?

Under these circumstances, Conan had no intention of staying in this place any longer to continue acting out the rest of the scene with his parents.

With ghosts existing in the world, who would bother acting for people?

So, Conan directly took his father's phone and called Professor Agasa from afar, asking him to come pick up his family of three and take them back.

One could imagine the look on Professor Agasa's face when he received a call from Yusaku Kudo, intending to confirm tomorrow's schedule, only to hear Conan's voice from the other end.

Meanwhile, Miyauchi Hiyage had also quietly left before Professor Agasa arrived.

Conan was currently on his side. At least regarding the matter of grudges, they both still agreed.

"It's a shame. I even specifically mentioned Relic Technology to Conan, but why didn't that guy ask about it?"

Miyauchi Hiyage felt a slight regret.

The reward Miyauchi Hiyage received today for writing in his diary came from a cyberpunk world and was intricately linked to Relic Technology, which could allow souls to exist eternally.

The predecessor to Relic Technology was Soul Killer Technology, which could extract souls and either digitize or destroy them.

Compared to Relic Technology, this technology was less stable and safe, and it also hadn't yet solved the problem of data loss during consciousness transfer.

The greatest use of this technology was naturally to pry into the deepest secrets of others' hearts by digitizing their consciousness, as no one could falsify their data-digitized consciousness.

However, after obtaining this technology, Miyauchi Hiyage's first thought wasn't to use it on people, but to try and see if it could be applied to those grudges and yokai.

If he could complete a data interface that worked on grudges and yokai, then they would have no secrets from him.