In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 276 Conan's Exaggerated Acting Skills

Chapter 276 Conan's Exaggerated Acting Skills

When Akutagawa learned of the developments, he was having dinner at the Starlight Hotel. His backup plan had come in handy; the stalker didn't return to Shizuoka Prefecture immediately but instead broke into Ms. Nishitani's house.

People are always wary of the unknown, and a bonsai that can grow up instantly and knock out intruders is a bit too advanced for Miss Nishitani.

In short, Tatsuya Nagai was knocked unconscious in self-defense after attempting to kill someone with a knife while trespassing on a private residence. He will inevitably face legal punishment.

As for his parents, they certainly couldn't control him; they were overwhelmed with their own problems, and it was questionable whether the steel mill could even continue operating. His competitors, on the other hand, wouldn't let go of the opportunity to seize market share.

This can be seen as punishment for their failure to properly raise their children.

"Okay, I understand. Once the final payment for the commission is transferred, you can come and collect the potted plant. It can probably be used twice more. You can take it home if you need it."

Hearing the cautious inquiry from the other end about what to do with the bonsai, Akutagawa Hiko shook his head with amusement.

He could mass-produce this kind of thing, although the conditions for using it were rather demanding, as it combined sealing techniques, wood release, puppetry techniques, and tailed beast chakra, but the consumption was really low, and he could easily make a whole bunch of them.

For Akutagawa Hiko, this thing was actually less valuable than an explosive tag.

Subaru Okiya, if you want it, then take it. Consider it an employee benefit.

Akutagawa Hiko glanced back at the restaurant.

When it was revealed that avant-garde flower arrangement artist Rika Okano plagiarized her ideas from her former teacher, the Red Flower Group, as a collaborator, was naturally affected to some extent.

However, as the largest and most luxurious hotel in Beika Town, it shouldn't be crippled.

"Conan, Uncle Mori brought you out to eat, but he didn't even feed you properly?"

Looking at Conan wolfing down his food, Akutagawa Hiko was full of doubt.

Kogoro Mouri may not be rich, but he usually doesn't care much about the cost when eating out. So why does Conan look like he's been starved to death?

Conan choked on his rice ball and couldn't speak, so he quickly grabbed a drink to gulp it down, rolled his eyes, and complained, "Don't even mention it! Uncle Mori took Ran and me out to eat, and all he ordered was a bunch of snacks to go with drinks!"

Fortunately, I met Akutagawa Hiko today, otherwise I would definitely have gone hungry.

-

Akutagawa Hiko laughed and said, "Hehehe, very much in the style of Uncle Mori."

After eating and drinking his fill, Conan climbed onto a chair, looked around, and then leaned close to Akutagawa Hiko's ear, pointing to a middle-aged man who looked flustered and had ordered a bunch of things but hadn't touched a single one.

"That person seems to be in trouble. Should we go check on them?"

Akutagawa glanced at him and already had a plan in mind: "You go ahead. If it's a kidnapping or something, the kidnappers might be monitoring him and risk killing him if they see me."

Conan thought about it and realized it made sense. After all, Akutagawa Hiko was a celebrity, and it was very likely that he would be recognized. In comparison, he, as an elementary school student, was much better off and didn't have to worry about the other party resorting to desperate measures.

So he quietly slipped up to the middle-aged man and, taking advantage of his height, weaved between the man's legs and the chair legs, just as the middle-aged man received a phone call from the kidnapper.

The middle-aged man looked flustered, carefully covering his mouth with his hand, as if worried that others would hear his voice: "Hey, it's Endo, yes, yes, I'm alone."

"What did you say?!"

Endo suddenly stood up, attracting the attention of the others.

He gave an apologetic smile to the people around him and walked to the decorative bushes on the side, which conveniently made it easier for Conan, who was hiding nearby, to eavesdrop.

"Why cancel it?"

"I've already prepared the money, and I haven't reported it to the police!"

"Please wait a moment, let me hear Keita's voice again, hey hey hey!"

Conan pondered for a moment and felt that it was almost certainly a kidnapping case. He didn't expect that Akutagawa Hiko's casual remark would match up so perfectly. Luckily, he was cautious enough.

Akutagawa Hiko simply told the somewhat drunk Kogoro Mouri to take Conan away and hailed a taxi: "Driver, please follow the car in front."

"Aren't you the famous detective Akutagawa? Is there some case you're involved in?!"

The taxi driver looked excited and, before Akutagawa Hiko could reply, said to himself, "I know the rules, it has to be kept secret. I've been a taxi driver for ten years, and my driving skills are finally going to come in handy."

As he spoke, the car shot off like an arrow, landing steadily behind the taxi in front. It didn't seem like they were deliberately following it, and it was unclear what the taxi driver did for a living.

Conan sat in the car and recounted everything he had just seen and heard.

"Hmm, it seems that someone was indeed monitoring Mr. Endo at the restaurant. I wonder if they're keeping an eye on him at home. Driver, get out of the car a little further away when it stops."

The taxi driver came to his senses. Although he was disappointed that he wasn't chasing a criminal, he had indeed been involved in a case, which would definitely give him something to brag about in the future, so he didn't think too much about it.

"Leave it to me."

After getting out of the car, Akutagawa Hiko and Conan glanced at Mr. Endo's house in the distance and said, "That looks like a dental clinic. It must be run by a dentist—"

With their abilities, the two of them could easily sneak into Mr. Endo's house without anyone noticing, but since they were unfamiliar with the surrounding terrain, they might still be discovered by the kidnappers hiding nearby.

Conan was pondering how to approach without drawing attention when he saw Akutagawa Hiko looking at him thoughtfully.

Upon learning of Akutagawa Hiko's plan, Conan immediately became hesitant: "Is it really okay?"

Akutagawa Hiko nodded: "No problem. Playing a crying child with a toothache shouldn't be a problem for you."

Conan's acting skills aren't exactly outstanding; he often gets away with it by relying on his childlike appearance. However, today he's playing what he excels at: a child. He's just adding the prefix "toothache," so it shouldn't cause any problems.

He took a deep breath, covered one cheek, and began his performance.

"My teeth hurt so much, brother, it hurts so much!"

Conan was crying and jumping up and down, which seemed a bit too much, but considering that children are sometimes more sensitive and prone to making a fuss over nothing and acting pitiful, his acting skills were still quite commendable.

"Okay, okay, just bear with it a little longer, I'll go ask the doctor right away."

While Akutagawa was pretending to comfort him, Conan seemed to be having a blast, howling and screaming without any concern for disturbing the neighbors.