Chapter 392: Not Lying
However, Kogoro and Amuro's observations were completely accurate; the sheer frequency and duration of Conan's trips to the bathroom were undeniably suspicious. A crease formed between Mouri Ran's brows as she watched the boy. Perhaps she really ought to take Conan to the hospital for a thorough pediatric check-up.
Hearing the adults openly discuss his bathroom habits caused a bead of cold sweat to slide down the side of Conan's face.
'No, I can't let them stay on this topic,' he thought, panic flaring in his chest. He immediately widened his eyes, pitching his voice an octave higher to slip into his most innocent, childish persona.
"Wow! Did that scary illusionist mister really jump out the window?" Conan pointed a small finger toward the glass. "But we're so high up here! Jumping down would definitely cause a terrible accident. And it's super weird, isn't it? The employees at Miss Ningguang's company are so professional, they didn't even blink when they saw someone jump!"
As he spoke, he tilted his head, allowing the overhead lights to catch his lenses in an opaque flash of white. "Or could it be... that they didn't see anyone jump at all?"
He knew the truth. Through the hidden wiretap, he had heard everything. The assassin codenamed Spider, an operative from the so-called "Zoo" syndicate, hadn't leapt out of the window to make a daring escape. Instead, he had been swiftly subdued and taken away by a mysterious figure named Yelan who had materialized out of thin air.
Suzuki Sonoko crossed her arms, shooting the boy an annoyed glare. "What wild nonsense are you guessing at now, you little brat? It's perfectly normal that the employees didn't see anything. That Gunter von Goldberg II is a world-class illusionist, isn't he? Making sure ordinary people don't see him is basically his day job."
Keqing, who had walked over to the window to inspect the frame, turned back to the group. "Miss Suzuki makes a very logical point. Besides, the altitude here isn't an impossible obstacle. I've read reports that Kaitou Kid can dive from hundreds of meters in the air without a single issue. This is only a dozen or so floors up; for a professional thief or assassin, it is far from lethal."
Conan choked on his own breath, utterly speechless. Those two situations were entirely different! Kaitou Kid carefully prepared tools like his signature hang glider for his escapes. Spider, on the other hand, had oozed pure, arrogant confidence. The assassin clearly hadn't taken anyone in the room seriously. He likely never even entertained the possibility of being caught, which was exactly why he had let critical information slip just by being baited with a few casual questions.
Ganyu stepped forward, her gentle smile radiating a soothing warmth. "Conan, you're really overthinking things. When Spider escaped, both Mr. Amuro and I saw it happen. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to stop him before he slipped out of the lounge, and we let him get away. If you don't believe me, you can just ask your brother Amuro."
Toru Amuro cast an unreadable, sidelong glance at Ganyu. His jaw tightened imperceptibly. So, not only was he walking away empty-handed from today's intelligence gathering, but he was also being forced to provide a false alibi for the Teyvat organization.
Forcing his facial muscles to relax, Amuro twitched the corner of his mouth into a perfectly charming smile, smoothly backing up Ganyu's claim. "Yes, I saw him escape with my own eyes. I was just a step too late and didn't manage to restrain him in time."
Conan stared at them. '...'
Was lying as effortless as breathing for these underground organization members? They delivered their falsehoods with such flawless conviction that, had he not heard the exact sequence of events through his earpiece, he absolutely would have been fooled.
Wait... Conan paused, mentally replaying the audio he had intercepted. A sudden realization hit him. Bourbon and Ganyu weren't actually lying! They had simply omitted the most crucial context, selectively stating only a fraction of the facts to paint a completely different picture.
'Tsk, what cunning operators,' Conan grumbled internally.
As far as the official narrative was concerned, Spider had escaped, and for the time being, there was nothing anyone could do to apprehend him. They could only formally denounce his actions and prepare to submit the gathered evidence to Inspector Megure later, leaving the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to handle the fallout.
Realistically, the most the authorities could do was restrict the illusionist from re-entering Japan. He was a foreign national, and the only tangible evidence proving he had caused harm to innocent people was a single audio recording—hardly sufficient for an international arrest warrant. As long as Spider laid low for a while, the public impact of his stunt would fade into obscurity.
After Kogoro Mouri explained this likely legal outcome, the room fell into a quiet acceptance. Aside from Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, who both looked visibly frustrated by the lack of justice, the rest of the group remained perfectly calm, clearly having anticipated this exact result.
"By the way, Miss Ganyu," Kogoro began, clearing his throat and adjusting his tie to look more authoritative. "After I questioned those employees earlier, I discovered that some of them had received illicit communications from one of Ningguang's rival corporations. Based on my flawless deduction as a famous detective, I strongly suspect the mastermind behind today's incident is a coalition of those competitor companies. They must have pooled their funds to hire Gunter von Goldberg II to sabotage Ningguang's operations."
Despite his initial hesitation, Kogoro ultimately decided to share the fruits of his minor investigation. After all, he had been dragged all the way out here by the Suzuki girl specifically to assist Ningguang. If he made this entire trip, gained absolutely nothing, and the culprit was ultimately dealt with by someone else, his prestigious reputation as the great Sleeping Kogoro would take a massive hit.
Keqing blinked, slightly stunned by the sudden deduction, before offering a respectful nod. "I understand. Thank you for bringing this intelligence to our attention, Mr. Mouri."
Ganyu clapped her hands together lightly, her smile brightening with practiced admiration. "As expected of the famous Detective Kogoro Mouri! You truly don't let a single clue slip by. We had heard rumors that you used to be an exceptional police detective, but seeing you in action is something else entirely. You really are amazing at whatever job you take on, Mr. Mouri."
"Ah, well, I wouldn't say I'm quite that excellent, Miss Ganyu. I merely try my absolute best to see a job through to the end," Kogoro replied, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in an attempt to look deeply modest.
A second later, his composure shattered. "Gahahaha!" Kogoro threw his head back, bursting into his signature, booming laughter, completely shattering the serious atmosphere.
Ran buried her face in her hands, groaning at her father's embarrassing display, while Conan stared at the man with dead, half-lidded eyes.
With the immediate crisis resolved, Kogoro and his group decided it was time to leave, not wanting to disrupt Ningguang and her staff's busy schedules any further. They exchanged polite goodbyes and headed for the elevators.
As the doors prepared to close, Conan peered over his shoulder. Toru Amuro had chosen to stay behind, smoothly using the excuse that Kaeya was deeply worried about a mutual friend and needed to discuss the specific details of the situation. Despite the blond man's relaxed posture, Conan could see the tight, unwilling set of his shoulders. The mystery of the Teyvat organization was far from over.
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