Chapter 51
Mother's Friend
"I just saw it in the restroom. It was the human skin mask and clothes he used to impersonate Sonoko's father. The police have started investigating now."
At this point, Conan glanced at Hyuga Gen and couldn't help but sneer inwardly when he saw that Gen was still in the same state.
"Let's see how long you can keep up this act."
Conan then looked around again, and still couldn't see Ran. He said, somewhat puzzled, "..."
"Strange, where is Sister Xiaolan?"
After hearing Conan's words, Kogoro Mouri said with a helpless expression:
"You have the nerve to say that? Xiao Lan went to look for you when she saw you were missing, and you haven't come back yet. I don't know what you've been running around for all day."
"Could she have been captured by that phantom thief, number 1412?"
After saying that, Kogoro Mouri looked at Conan expectantly, hoping to see a look of panic on his face.
"He's not number 1412, he's called Phantom Thief Kid."
Just then, a deep voice appeared in Kogoro Mouri's ear, startling him greatly.
Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man with a beard, who suddenly spoke loudly to him:
"Please don't make this mistake again, okay? You call yourself a famous detective?"
Kogoro Mouri was clearly a little confused. After the middle-aged man left, he leaned close to Tomoko Suzuki's ear and whispered:
"Who is that guy? I haven't seen such an arrogant person in a long time."
"He is Inspector Nakamori of the National Police Agency. He was in charge of the Phantom Thief Kid case. To be honest, he and you are both the hope of our family, knights who can protect the Dark Star."
Hearing Suzuki Tomoko praise him like that, Mouri Kogoro scratched the back of his head, feeling a little smug, but he quickly remembered his purpose for today.
"On another note, Madam, there are over five hundred people here today, all wearing that fake Black Star. You need to let me know which one is real so you can protect them."
Tomoko Suzuki shook her head, not intending to tell Kogoro Mouri where he really was.
"If you look closely, you can see some differences."
At this point, Suzuki Tomoko suddenly noticed that the Black Star worn by Hinata Gen was a bit crooked, so she went over and bent down to straighten it for him.
Smelling the alluring fragrance emanating from Suzuki Tomoko, Hyuga Gen involuntarily took a step back. Speaking of which, Aunt Suzuki still retains her charm, especially that beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
Hyuga Gen shook his head, knowing he couldn't let his imagination run wild; this was his mother's friend, and he couldn't afford to mess with her.
"Yuan, don't move."
Seeing that the Dark Star was almost pulled off by her because of Hyuga Gen's sudden backward movement, Suzuki Tomoko's eyes twitched slightly. Then she pulled the retreating Hyuga Gen back in front of her and continued to tidy up.
At this point, Hyuga Gen was too embarrassed to move anymore and could only let Suzuki Tomoko tidy him up.
Suzuki Sonoko's eyes widened when she saw that her mother and Hyuga Gen's actions seemed somewhat ambiguous.
Then she remembered that her mother always acted similarly whenever Hyuga Gen came to visit, so she felt relieved.
"What are you thinking? Your mother is an adult, how could she possibly be with that guy?"
A moment later, Suzuki Tomoko helped Hinata Gen adjust the black star pinned to his chest, then patted his shoulder and leaned closer to him.
"Remember what I just told you."
Thinking of what Suzuki Tomoko had just said, Hyuga Gen smiled wryly:
"Aunt Pengzi, you're overthinking it. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Hyuga Gen, Suzuki Tomoko sighed softly.
"Oh, you're so carefree. Just let us know if you ever need anything. Our family is your most reliable support."
Hyuga Gen couldn't help but feel a little touched. Although Suzuki Tomoko suspected that the butler had ulterior motives, he knew that was impossible.
However, Suzuki Tomoko meant well, so there was nothing he could say.
Just then, the butler seemed to notice that Suzuki Tomoko was talking badly about him, and he also came over with a wine glass to catch up with Suzuki Tomoko.
Although Suzuki Tomoko had just spoken ill of the butler, she didn't seem at all awkward when chatting with him, and the butler did the same.
As for what each of them was thinking, that was beyond Hyuga Gen's knowledge.
Seeing the butler and Suzuki Tomoko begin a conversation between important people, Hyuga Gen, who couldn't understand, said to Conan:
"Alright, little one, now that we've found your family, I'll be going now."
After saying that, Hyuga Gen pretended to leave, but Conan couldn't let him disappear from his sight. He quickly grabbed Gen's sleeve and said pitifully:
"But we haven't found Sister Xiaolan yet. Can you come with me to look for her?"
Hyuga Gen feigned impatience and said:
"I'm very busy, you know. Am I not allowed to leave until I can find you, Ran-neechan? Mr. Mori, please discipline me."
Knowing that Hyuga Gen was a real person, Kogoro Mouri immediately came over and grabbed Conan's ear after hearing his words.
"Don't bother them anymore. Let Sonoko go with you to find Ran."
Sonoko Suzuki, who was standing next to her, nodded in agreement. She was also a little worried that Ran might be in danger.
Seeing that Hyuga Gen was about to leave, Conan became anxious. If this guy was out of his sight, he was definitely about to take action. After all, they only had three hours at sea, and almost an hour had already passed.
But Conan's ears were in Kogoro Mouri's hands, so he couldn't move them and could only watch helplessly as Gen Hyuga walked away into the distance.
Seeing that Hyuga Gen had walked away, Mouri Kogoro let go of Conan. Just as Conan was about to leave, Suzuki Sonoko grabbed him.
Sonoko Suzuki said reproachfully:
"Hey Conan, that smug brat won't take you with him, but Sonoko will take you to find Ran."
After the two left, the butler chatted for a few more minutes before also departing, leaving only Kogoro Mouri smiling at Tomoko Suzuki and saying:
"Madam, that young master from the Hyuga family seemed to have a very good relationship with your family."
A look of reminiscence crossed Tomoko Suzuki's face as she said with a sigh:
"Yes, we have a very good relationship with his parents."
Thinking of Hyuga Gen's father and mother who had died, Suzuki Tomoko felt extremely sad.
Although I didn't win the competition to become the Demon Ninja back then, I never resented her. After all, she was so outstanding, and so was that other person.