LRAB Chapter 22: The Treasure Map and the Party Invitation
Chapter 22: The Treasure Map and the Party Invitation
Conan's lips twitched, and he looked at Akutagawa Hiko for help.
But he saw Akutagawa Hiko watching him leisurely, looking like he was enjoying the show. When he looked over, Akutagawa even grabbed the kitten's paw and waved it at him.
Conan took a deep breath and said in a high-pitched voice, "I'm sorry, Akutagawa-nii-san!!"
Akutagawa tightened the leash to prevent Tangbing from running away, but also remembered to help Conan out: "It's okay, it's okay, Conan is a good boy too."
The three children watched Akutagawa Hiko frantically trying to manage his mischievous pet while also trying to speak well of Conan, and then they thought of those awful adults who always found them annoying and spoke ill of them...
Big brother is such a good person!
Akutagawa Hiko certainly didn't find these kids annoying. If he remembered correctly, they could cause quite a few incidents when they got together, which he considered a huge amount of reputation points.
Moreover, it might even trigger some special missions or something.
Thinking this, Akutagawa Hiko's expression towards the children became even more amiable.
When the children visited the art museum, they saw the treasured artifacts and their interest in adventure and treasure hunting was instantly piqued.
In addition, Conan, the brains of the team, has also said that there are many undiscovered treasures in the world, so they are having a heated discussion about going treasure hunting.
Hiko Akutagawa then chimed in on their previous conversation: "The world is so big, you can't find treasure without a treasure map."
As if in response to Akutagawa Hiko's words, a piece of paper was sent to the five people by a gust of wind.
As Kojima Genta jumped up to catch the piece of paper torn from the loose-leaf notebook, Akutagawa Hiko also felt like he was being spied on.
"What is this?"
Genta Kojima examined the page intently: "Could this be a treasure map?!"
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya pointed to the patterns on it, clearly agreeing with Genta Kojima's prediction: "It really is! There are so many strange patterns on it!"
Although Ayumi Yoshida is a girl, she's clearly no ordinary person to have infiltrated the main group: "How about we go treasure hunting!"
Conan quickly stopped him: "Hey, hey, hey, how could that be!"
Before the other scientist elementary school student joined, Genta Kojima and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya had a strong sense of being sycophants in later generations, unable to bear Conan refuting Ayumi's words.
Conan, being watched by his two friends, quickly pulled Akutagawa Hiko out as a shield: "Akutagawa... your brother is a famous detective, he must know a lot. Let's see what Akutagawa-nii-san has to say!"
Akutagawa Hiko took the loose-leaf paper with some simple, unintelligible drawings: "Maybe it's true."
Conan clutched his head in pain.
Why are you messing around with these three people too?!
Upon receiving Akutagawa's affirmative reply, the three mischievous kids were so happy they almost jumped for joy.
Akutagawa Hiko remembered that there was indeed a treasure here, but it wasn't one of those unclaimed treasures that Kojima Genta and the others imagined, the kind that would belong to them once found.
Instead, the stolen 15,000 maple leaf gold coins were hidden in a building in the city.
This is indeed very tempting.
Even if Akutagawa Hiko wasn't short of money, those meticulously crafted gold coins were themselves exquisite collectibles.
Gold is something that not only dragons like, but humans also like.
Akutagawa patted Conan's head to comfort him, then pointed to the "ORO" next to the pattern made up of two rectangles and said, "In Italian, this means money and gold."
Leaving behind the fake kid brainstorming and the real kid excitedly deciding to form a Detective Boys club, Akutagawa subtly glanced at the three fugitives whose tracking skills were even worse than Conan's.
Akutagawa Hiko didn't remember all the information on the treasure map, but he didn't miss any of the key details: a building near a Ferris wheel whose signboard would display a pattern of two rectangles combined together at night.
Even if you search the entire place, it won't take long.
"Once I've transferred the gold coins away, I might as well call the police. That way, I can prevent Conan and the others from messing things up. I'm such a good person."
As for the gold coins, consider them a reward for the kind-hearted citizens who acted bravely and righteously.
"Akutagawa!"
Akutagawa Hiko was trying to figure out what day it was, and he kept running into acquaintances: "Oh, it's Ran, and this one too..."
Without needing Ran Mouri's introduction, the moment Sonoko Suzuki saw Hiko Akutagawa's face, she darted in front of him with a speed no less than Kogoro Mouri's when he saw a beautiful woman, and grabbed his hand.
No wonder some people said in my past life that the two families switched babies. Sonoko Suzuki's behavior is sometimes exactly the same as Kogoro Mouri's, though not completely unrelated.
"Hi handsome, I'm Ran's best friend, just call me Sonoko!"
Warm, spacious, and with a thin layer of skin, it's just like a handsome man's face, making people feel warm and reliable.
Sonoko Suzuki is a seasoned fan of good looks, having admired countless handsome men. She has met some of the most outstanding, and even those who are only moderately handsome don't stop her from having a good time.
Based on her years of experience, the handsome man in front of her was also top-notch.
It's not just her face, but also her aura.
Sonoko Suzuki is hard to describe precisely, but she is somewhat like her father, like a king who controls everything.
No, no, just based on that face, he should be the prince who managed to usurp the old king's power.
"Ahem, hello, my name is Akutagawa Hiko."
Akutagawa Hiko firmly but politely withdrew his hand and introduced himself.
Sonoko Suzuki rubbed her hands together regretfully, trying to savor the remaining warmth and touch, while trying to figure out how to strike up a conversation with the handsome guy. However, since they weren't familiar with each other, she didn't know what topics Akutagawa Hiko would like to talk about.
Ran Mouri knows her best friend's personality well. Despite being excellent in every way, she always manages to scare away handsome guys.
A frank and confident personality is great, but this is Japan, and not many people are like that. As for those who are after her family's wealth, Sonoko Suzuki will automatically stay away.
Ran Mouri quickly stepped forward: "Akutagawa-kun, are you going to get a pet?"
Akutagawa Hiko nodded and said, "Because the house is very quiet, I bought xiaolongbao and tangbing. This orange cat is named Xiaolongbao, and this husky is named Tangbing."
Xiaolan is quite knowledgeable in this area, and she's very confident in her cooking skills: "They're all delicious Chinese snacks!"
"Because I really like Chinese food."
"The xiaolongbao and tangbing are so cute, can I touch them?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Sonoko Suzuki listened attentively, noting down Akutagawa's preferences while extracting key information—single, aloof, and lonely.
What does this mean? On this Valentine's Day, the passionate Sonoko Suzuki has the opportunity to warm the heart of a handsome man who is lonely. This is a rare opportunity!
Sonoko Suzuki immediately extended a team invitation: "Akutagawa-kun, are you free on Valentine's Day? Our senior is organizing a Valentine's Day party, are you interested?"