i am just a student? in Conan world

"Besides you, we also hired Detective Kogoro Mori. However, my husband handled the negotiations with him," Tomoko Suzuki paused before continuing. "The reason we hired both detectives is that our family made a bet."

"A bet?"

"That's right."

Tomoko nodded, "When it comes to dealing with Kaito Kid, Ayako, Sonoko, and I have more faith in you. But my husband believes in Detective Mori more, so in the end, we decided to hire both of you and make a bet… to see which detective can protect the 'Egg of Memories.'"

"I see."

Fujino silently placed his teacup on the table in front of him. "In that case, we should also discuss the commission fee."

"This time, the Suzuki family will pay a commission of 5 million yen to protect the 'Egg of Memories,'" Tomoko said with a slight smile. "However, Ayako and I don't mind adding an extra 2 million yen for the 'Black Detective,' given that your skills are well-known."

"An additional 2 million yen?" Fujino narrowed his eyes. "If that's the case, I certainly won't let you down, Mrs. Suzuki."

Tomoko's offer was tempting. She even mentioned adding a personal bonus of 2 million yen. The intention was clear—to ignite his determination to win the bet.

Was this a woman's competitive nature at play? Terrifying. But, with money involved, he was all in.

...

After discussing the details with Tomoko, Fujino returned home with the 7 million yen commission. This job from the Suzuki family gave a nice boost to his bank account, and feeling a bit more comfortable financially, he went ahead with two cheap ten-draw lotteries. Although he didn't get anything particularly good, he did manage to stock up on reinforcement cards.

...

The next day, on August 19th, Fujino, following Inspector Ginzo Nakamori, arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's meeting room.

He glanced around the room, which could accommodate dozens of people. A large screen was embedded in the wall at the front, much bigger than the one in his own home. On either side of the screen were angled podiums where Ginzo Nakamori and Shintaro Chaki, the commanders of this operation, were seated.

Fujino turned and looked toward the back. The seats at the rear were filled with tired, unshaven, and fierce-looking elite officers. In the last row sat Detective Kogoro Mori, who looked like he wanted to wave in greeting but awkwardly put his hand down after noticing the serious atmosphere.

Fujino found an empty seat at the back and sat down quietly.

...

The meeting began. Shintaro Chaki, who was seated at the right podium, stood up and introduced the purpose of the meeting: the "Special Operation for the Search of Kaito Kid."

During the briefing, Chaki went over Kaito Kid's impressive criminal record, stating that the total value of the stolen items had reached an astonishing 38.7 billion yen. The screen displayed Kaito Kid's latest heist notice.

At the mention of Kaito Kid, the exhausted police officers immediately perked up. Ginzo Nakamori, however, remained calm, his composed demeanor so unusual that Fujino began to wonder if it was Kaito Kid himself in disguise.

Once the basics of Kid's plan were covered, Chaki handed over the task of decoding Kid's latest heist notice to Nakamori. Being a veteran in the chase, Nakamori quickly deciphered it:

"From the lion at dusk to the maiden at dawn."

Leo represents the period from July 23 to August 22, while Virgo spans August 23 to September 22. Given that the 'Egg of Memories' would be exhibited at the Suzuki Modern Art Museum on August 23, Nakamori believed that Kaito Kid would strike between the evening of August 22 and the dawn of August 23.

He deduced that the crime would occur when the clock without a second hand reached the 12th hour, though the exact time remained unclear. As for the location, he guessed it to be the castle keep, based on the clue of the glowing tower.

This meant Kaito Kid would likely make his move from the castle keep on the night of August 22 or early August 23 to steal the 'Egg of Memories.' Nakamori's analysis earned him a round of applause from the audience.

...

"This time, we will be conducting a joint operation with the Osaka police," Shintaro Chaki said as he pointed toward Fujino and Kogoro Mori. "At the request of Mr. Suzuki, we've specially invited detectives Fujino and Kogoro Mori to assist in the investigation."

All eyes turned toward Fujino and Mori. Mori gulped nervously, feeling overwhelmed by the intense stares of the officers. Though he had been a cop before, this situation was still highly unusual. Fujino, on the other hand, stood up calmly, nodded slightly, and sat back down.

"You're that high school detective named Fujino?" a fierce-looking officer in his forties asked, clearly taken aback.

Other officers nearby turned to look at Fujino as well. Ever since he entered with Nakamori, they'd assumed he was a colleague newly assigned to the investigation.

"I am," Fujino replied. "I'll be counting on your cooperation during this operation."

Just then, Shintaro Chaki's voice boomed again: "As Detective Fujino said before, our mission is to protect the treasure and prevent the crime from happening." Quoting Fujino's earlier words to the media, he continued, "This time, we must guard the treasure with our lives. Even if we let Kaito Kid escape, protecting the treasure means victory!"

"No way we're letting that scumbag get away!" Ginzo Nakamori suddenly grabbed the microphone from Chaki and shouted, "The treasure is secondary! We'll stake our pride and honor as police officers to make sure we lock that bastard behind bars this time!"

"Understood!"

The officers, who had been seated, now stood up, brimming with enthusiasm. They seemed ready to take down Kaito Kid on the spot. Fujino, observing the officers' fervor, raised an eyebrow. Was this supposed to be a special operations meeting, or a war rally?

There wasn't much useful information, but the atmosphere was certainly charged.

(End of Chapter)