Chapter 6: Why are you in my car?

"I..."

"I know you have no living relatives in Japan, but don't be too sad. Just settle in here with me comfortably. You can pay the money back slowly, and you can treat Miss Yuko like an older sister," Shoichi said.

*I can also be your father.*

"Uuu..."

Ai swallowed her words.

'Ai Haibara' had no other relatives; if she said she wanted to find Shinichi Kudo, it would be far too suspicious.

Ai buried her face in Yuko's embrace and cried.

What should she do? Was she really going to live in the house of a member of the Organization?

What if her identity was discovered?

Ai felt as if her life had turned pitch black.

Crying had exhausted her so much that she actually fell asleep in Yuko's arms.

Patting Ai's back, Yuko said, "Her physical condition is too poor right now."

"Take her to the bedroom to rest first. I have to go to work," Shoichi said.

"Alright, Mr. Shoichi."

With a new "money-swallowing beast" in the house, Shoichi had to work hard.

Changing into a suit, Shoichi rode his motorcycle to work.

Not having a driver's license was a hassle. For an employee of a bank as large as Sumitomo Bank, what would people think of someone commuting on a motorcycle?

"Good morning, Manager Shoichi."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Manager Shoichi."

"Morning."

After greeting the staff he encountered, Shoichi arrived at his office and brewed a cup of coffee.

He turned on his computer and the radio to listen to stock market news, then leaned back lazily in his chair to play on his handheld game console.

"Hello, this is Shoichi."

"The money is wrong."

Shoichi sat up straight and asked, "What's wrong with the money?"

"Why can I only withdraw one hundred million yen?" The voice on the other end of the line was cold; Shoichi could clearly sense his fury.

"That's just normal attrition," Shoichi said.

"Normal attrition?"

Gin's voice sounded like he wanted to kill someone.

Since when did the attrition become this high? If it were this much every time, would the Organization even need you?

"Ahem, the scandal regarding Sumitomo Bank laundering Yamaguchi-gumi black money was exposed not long ago. I have to be mindful of the impact," Shoichi said.

"Besides, I've only just arrived in Japan and haven't prepared everything yet. Once I'm prepared, there certainly won't be such high attrition."

"I hope so!" The words sounded as if Gin were speaking through gritted teeth.

Eight hundred million yen had turned into one hundred million; even normal taxation wouldn't result in such a loss.

"Don't worry," Shoichi said.

After hanging up the phone, Shoichi let out a bored yawn.

There was no future in the underworld; after all the effort and risk of robbing a bank of a billion yen, it all ended up being eaten away by massive cuts from others to clean the money.

However, he could only do this once; if he did it too often, Gin wouldn't play with him anymore.

Taking a sip of coffee and looking at the view outside the window, Shoichi was in a good mood.

Sitting in a luxurious office like this was much better than being one of Gin's men, risking life and limb.

However, even if he wasn't in the underworld, he still needed to have connections.

Seeing that the price of copper on his computer had dropped to $2,800 per ton, Shoichi gloomily shut down his computer.

That "hammer" was unreliable; the price of copper was going to keep falling.

After spending the whole day at the bank, he headed home after work.

"This strange weather. It was raining yesterday, and today it's snowing this heavily," Shoichi said, shrinking his neck.

That was just how the world of Conan worked; there was no helping it.

One had to keep clothes for all four seasons ready, as one could experience spring, summer, autumn, and winter all within a single week.

After getting on his motorcycle, Shoichi lowered his helmet again.

With so much snow on the road, it would definitely be slippery. What if I fall off the bike?

For his own safety, Shoichi planned to call a taxi.

"Hmm?"

Shoichi suddenly saw a green car parked by the roadside. The door was open, and even the keys were left in the ignition.

There was actually a stray car here?

"Thank you so much for your care. I will repay you in the future."

The plump Fumiyo Edogawa was currently thanking Ran Mouri and Kogoro Mouri.

"Um, Ma'am..."

"What is it, Ran? Are you going to miss Conan? Don't worry, I'll have him write to you," Fumiyo Edogawa said.

"No, it's..."

"Are you reluctant to say goodbye? Then say your goodbyes to the child properly."

"It's your car, Ma'am... it drove off by itself," Ran said, pointing at the receding vehicle.

"Huh?"

Fumiyo Edogawa turned around in surprise, only to find that the car that had been behind her was gone.

In its place, there was only a blank check.

"Where is my car!?" Fumiyo Edogawa said, bewildered.

*My son is still in the car!*

"Auntie, what exactly are you... uh?"

Once the car started moving, Conan wanted to question who that woman was and why she was impersonating his mother, but when he turned his head, why was it a man?

Was he an accomplice of that auntie?

"Why are you in my car?" Shoichi asked back.

"Your car?"

Conan's mind went blank.

Wasn't this the auntie's car? How did it become your car?

Shoichi said angrily, "If it's not my car, whose is it? Tell me, why are you in my car, you brat?"

"I... I don't know."

Hearing Shoichi's certain and angry tone, Conan wasn't sure anymore.

The man spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

*I was clearly sitting in that auntie's car, and she was just outside talking to Uncle Mouri and the others. Did I lose part of my memory?*

*Damn it, could it be a side effect of that drug? Making me lose a segment of my memory directly.*

*What on earth have I been doing during this time?*

Conan was very troubled.

"Can you let me out of the car first?" Conan asked.

"No problem."

As Shoichi pulled the car to the roadside, before he could even open the door, a white-gloved hand knocked on the window glass.

"Hello, illegal parking. Please show your driver's license."

Shoichi rolled down the window and flashed a shy smile.

The traffic officer also flashed a kind smile, reached into the car, and grabbed Shoichi's arm.

"Open the door!"

Conan watched the scene in a daze.

Wasn't this a check for illegal parking? Why was the person being dragged out directly?

"You're driving without a license again. Tell me, where did you steal this car from this time?" Miwako Yamamura asked.

"What do you mean 'steal'? You really aren't very civilized in your speech."

Miwako Yamamura didn't care about being civilized; she turned to Conan in the car and asked, "Little boy, where did Shoichi steal this car from?"

"I don't know," Conan's brain hadn't caught up yet.

He hadn't had time to think about what was happening.

Miwako Yamamura asked, "Then what is your relationship with Shoichi?"

"I don't know him."

"Fine! Now you're even kidnapping children!" Miwako Yamamura looked at Shoichi indignantly.

She had heard that people from wealthy families tended to have quite perverted personalities.

"I'm being framed!"

*I didn't do it today.*

*I did it yesterday.*

(End of Chapter)