Beyond the Truth: Mouri's Odyssey

Chapter 11: The Treasure Map Incident

The next morning, Kogoro Mouri took Conan to Teitan Elementary School to complete his enrollment. In Japan, enrolling children in school was relatively simple. As long as there was a guardian nearby and the necessary fees were paid, it was easily arranged—a very convenient process.

Inside the taxi, the radio broadcasted the morning's hot topics. A sweet female announcer's voice came through the speakers:

"...Last night, near the Tokyo Tower, the leader of the Italian robbery gang, Dino Cavane, was arrested. However, he has remained silent. The police are still tracking down Cabana's accomplices, but no leads have surfaced so far. Additionally, the 15,000 maple leaf coins they stole are still missing..."

"...The maple leaf coins were specially minted by the Italian government as commemorative coins, each weighing 12.41 grams. The front features a maple leaf design by a renowned artist, while the back depicts the Italian government office building. These coins hold significant collectible value. Each coin is now worth 40,000 yen, making the total value of the stolen coins a staggering 600 million yen..."

Kogoro Mouri stroked his chin, surprised that this treasure map incident had emerged so quickly. Six hundred million yen—a hefty sum! That would translate to over 3,9 Milion dollars, a substantial amount indeed.

Coincidentally, he had just promised Ran last night that he would ensure a better life for her, and now this treasure map case had appeared. It truly felt like divine providence. After all, taking ill-gotten gains wasn't unjust.

At that moment, the system chimed in:

[Mission released: Find the treasure. Reward: 1,000 points and one universal lottery ticket.]

The taxi driver, like drivers everywhere, began chatting endlessly:

"All these collectible prices are inflated by us in Japan. They're not worth nearly as much abroad. It's just like that big boss from the Suzuki Corporation, such a sucker! Who knows how much money he's wasted on foreign collectibles? And now, he's planning to hold some art exhibition..."

The driver's chatter was relentless. Meanwhile, Conan, sitting to the side, looked drowsy. Just thinking about having to go back to elementary school with a bunch of kids made him wince in pain and despair.

The radio continued its broadcast:

"...In Osaka, a serial murder case is spreading toward Kyoto. So far, five victims have been found. There appears to be no connection between them, except that they all ingested the same fatal poison. This case has been ongoing for over a month now. At a recent press conference, the Osaka Police Department issued an apology to the public. When will this serial murder case finally be solved..."

Hearing this, Conan immediately perked up. A serial murder case—this was intriguing.

Kogoro Mouri was also taken aback. A serial murder case lasting over a month? This was unheard of in the original anime. After all, Aoyama-sensei's manga was originally aimed at children, so cases this terrifying were never depicted.

How interesting—an entirely new type of case.

Just as Conan wanted to hear more details, the radio switched to another segment.

The driver up front complained, "Honestly, Japan's public safety is getting worse and worse. Serial murders—it's terrifying just to think about it. Osaka's police are completely useless. I just hope the killer doesn't come to Kyoto."

...

Under the verbal bombardment of the driver, they finally arrived at Teitan Elementary School. As Conan and Kogoro stepped out of the taxi, they couldn't help rubbing their ears, marveling at how chatty Kyoto's taxi drivers were—just like those in the bustling cities of their previous lives.

The two entered Teitan Elementary School and made their way to the faculty office. Kogoro had called ahead the previous night, so the director and a teacher were waiting for them.

"You must be Mr. Mouri, whom we spoke to last night. Nice to meet you. Let me introduce you to this child's homeroom teacher, Sumiko Kobayashi—Kobayashi-sensei."

Turning to look, Kogoro saw that the homeroom teacher was indeed a rare beauty.

In the original work, Sumiko Kobayashi looked almost identical to Miwako Sato—short hair, a round face, and round glasses. She wore a tracksuit and sported a cheerful smile, exuding a slightly tomboyish vibe.

Kogoro extended his hand to shake hers, wearing a mature man's smile.

"Kobayashi-sensei, I'll leave this child in your capable hands."

As he spoke, Kogoro leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "This kid is quite mischievous, and his parents aren't around. I hope you'll be strict with him. Feel free to use corporal punishment if necessary."

Conan, now wearing a deadpan expression, thought, 'What the heck? Whispering such loud "secrets" right in front of me—is this some sort of joke? Do you think I'm invisible?'

Kobayashi-sensei covered her mouth and laughed. "Mr. Mouri, you're quite humorous."

Then, she bent down, peering at Conan. Her glasses gleamed ominously as she adopted a fearsome expression. "Conan-kun, listen up. I've been given full authority by Mr. Mouri. In my class, you'd better behave and not cause trouble!"

The chubby director, sweating profusely, pulled out a handkerchief and chuckled nervously. "Mr. Mouri, rest assured—Teitan Elementary is a proper school. Kobayashi-sensei just has a strong personality."

Seeing Kobayashi-sensei's tiger-like demeanor, Kogoro was thoroughly satisfied. 'Conan-kun, enjoy your stay.'

After settling Conan's school arrangements, Kogoro left Teitan Elementary and headed to a nearby café. Unlike the original Kogoro, who loved gambling and drinking, he had no interest in those vices anymore.

Moreover, he needed to find those maple leaf coins worth 600 million yen. But everything depended on that little chubby kid, Genta, getting his hands on the treasure map.