Outside the Suzuki Art Museum, Hattori turned to the group. "Since we're in Osaka, let me play host. Where do you want to go first?"
It was the 19th, still days away from the 23rd, when that phantom thief would strike.
"Let's eat and wander," Tsuneo suggested.
He'd only had three bento boxes on the train at noon and was already hungry.
"You're still eating?" The girls chatted nearby, while Uncle Mouri stayed back at the president's office. Only the three boys stood together. Conan, relaxed now, shot Tsuneo a sidelong glance.
It'd only been two hours, and all those bentos were gone?
"This trip's fully reimbursed. If we're not eating or having fun, what, solving cases?" Tsuneo tapped the detective's head.
"Speaking of cases, I could lend a hand," Hattori said with a cryptic smile.
"Planning to commit one yourself?" Tsuneo quipped.
Why not a showdown? One commits the crime, the other solves it. That'd be a spectacle.
"I'd never…" Hattori rubbed his forehead.
Plenty of work to stir up at the police station, anyway.
"Heh…" Conan gave a dry chuckle.
Instead of bantering, why not crack that thief's code and catch him?
"Pingci, I'm taking them to the shrine. You guys?" Kazuha, Ran, and Sonoko had finished their discussion.
"Namba Hotei Shrine?"
"It's close. No issue starting there," Hattori nodded. That shrine's fortunes were famously accurate.
…
At the shrine.
"Ward off misfortune! Ward off misfortune!"
"May my clients stay safe and die naturally," Tsuneo declared earnestly.
Conan: …
Hattori: …
"I paid for this. If it doesn't work, you're in trouble," Tsuneo warned.
"Don't believe me? Ask your peers at Mihama Shrine," he added.
"What's with Mihama Shrine?" Hattori found this prayer style… odd.
Threatening the gods?
"Nothing," Conan shook his head, not mentioning the repairman who dug pits to bury people.
Too brutal…
"I drew Great Luck!" Ran unfolded her fortune, beaming.
"Let me see!" Kazuha and Sonoko crowded over.
"The one you await will reunite with your beloved."
"That's about Shinichi, right?" Sonoko caught on instantly.
"Great! This time, I'll finally meet him!" Ran said.
Kazuha, curious about this "Kudo" Pingci always mentioned, nodded eagerly.
Conan: I'm right here…
Tsuneo glanced at his fortune, a smile spreading across his face.
Smart move, gods.
After lingering at the shrine, the group split up. Hattori took Tsuneo and Conan to eat and explore, while Kazuha led Ran and Sonoko shopping.
"Did you see what he drew?" Conan asked Hattori, who was taller.
Tsuneo's grin suggested something good.
"Wishes come true," Hattori said, marveling at the repairman's luck.
"Tch, probably just eating and drinking," Conan muttered, eyeing Tsuneo munching ahead.
"What about yours?" Hattori asked.
Conan pulled his fortune from his pocket. Minor Luck.
But the travel note was odd: "Secrets will be exposed. Do not go."
Secrets…
No way.
"They say these fortunes are spot-on," Hattori teased, seeing Conan's expression.
"No way!" Conan snapped back.
"It's true."
"Look at Tsuneo—believes it like his life depends on it," Hattori laughed.
"His wish? Too easy," Conan scoffed.
Just then, Tsuneo called back, "You two, queue up here. I'm checking out the place next door!"
The okonomiyaki shop looked good, but seats were scarce. Perfect job for these idle guys while he grabbed some takoyaki.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Wishes-Come-True," Conan said, hands in pockets, standing in line with his backpack.
The detective was usually compliant. A little nudge, and he'd be even more useful.
…
The trio ate from afternoon to evening.
Tsuneo devoured everything at first, but by the end, he switched to smaller portions, sampling more flavors. Conan and Hattori, meanwhile, were defeated, slumping outside a restaurant, unwilling to enter.
"Enough already?" Hattori sat on a waiting chair, rubbing his stomach.
"He's almost done. Next, you're in for it," Conan said, glancing at Hattori with pity.
Excited for training? After eating, that guy won't let you off.
"…" Hattori rubbed his face.
Exhausted. Stuffed. Sleepy.
Osaka's Black Rooster peered through the restaurant's glass window.
Suddenly, he froze, mouth agape, pointing inside, speechless.
Why are you pressing that guy's head into a ramen bowl?!
Performance art?!
"Kudo!" Hattori stammered.
"What?" Conan, bored, glanced inside.
?!
He saw a man, half his face in a ramen bowl, flailing. Tsuneo held his head down, muttering something.
"Hattori, save him!" The dog-headed detective reacted fast, shoving the sliding door open and rushing in.
Hattori, bewildered, followed.
What's going on?
…
Ten minutes later, a police car pulled up.
"So, you pressed his head into the bowl because he stole your ramen?" Officer Otaki held a notebook, glancing at the soup-soaked man nearby, unsure where to start.
"Exactly. People like him? Immediate execution, no process needed," Tsuneo said, arms crossed.
No respect for first-come, first-served. Acting tough because of a pretty waitress? Wrong guy to mess with.
The other man, early twenties, hair a garish mix of colors, looked disheveled but unrepentant. "You bastard, want to die?!"
Even with police present, he didn't back down.
(Chapter End)
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