I started a business in Detective Conan Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is the longest break for Japan students, usually starting in mid-July and ending in early September, lasting for about 5 to 6 weeks.

During this summer vacation, Shinichi and Ran were invited to New York.

Keita and Sonoko stayed behind.

This was an opportunity.

Normally, Sonoko and Ran were always together, so Keita hadn't had a chance to start pursuing Sonoko.

The previous night, Keita had straightforwardly called Sonoko, confirming their plans for the day.

Sonoko, coming from a wealthy family, had a plan to take her to some ordinary places. They would meet at Rice Flower Park, spend some time there, visit a roadside café when they got tired, have dinner at a familiar restaurant in the evening, and finally, Keita would see her home.

That was the plan.

However, Keita was a complete novice.

Meeting Sonoko, he felt a bit flustered.

"Hey, Sonoko."

"Hello, Keita-kun."

A bit of an awkward moment.

Think, use your clever brain. You've seen grand scenes, how hard can a simple date be?

"Why didn't you go to New York with Ran?" Ah, you fool, why bring up another girl.

"Recently, Ran has been busy designing costumes for the fairy clan, and Shinichi is always off solving cases. They haven't spent much time together for a while. So, I thought I shouldn't disturb them this time." Sonoko's tone carried a hint of melancholy.

"Sonoko, you're so kind. I really envy Ran. She has a friend like you who cares so much about her."

"Of course, Ran can be a bit lacking in self-confidence. Back when we were in middle school, when Shinichi was still a member of the soccer team, the team's manager was a talented and capable, both in looks and skills, kind big sister. Ran thought Shinichi's first love interest was her. She couldn't compare to her at all. It's really needless worry, that Shinichi only has eyes for Ran. And most importantly, Ran doesn't need to compare herself to others. It's enough for her to maintain her innocence and kindness."

While talking about Ran, Sonoko's face lit up with a pleased smile. This kind of Sonoko must also be an angel. Keita just kept looking at Sonoko, listening to her talk animatedly about Ran's past.

"Don't... don't keep staring at me like that." Sonoko snapped out of her thoughts, feeling a bit shy.

"This side of you has a certain charm, and I like it."

Keita abandoned the plan and went straight to the point, speaking honestly. After all, he was a newcomer, so he might as well be himself.

The initial awkward atmosphere between them dissipated as they found common topics to discuss.

And so, their first date began.

After a while, they got tired and randomly found a dessert shop. Sonoko loved sweets and devoured a large portion of strawberry buffet.

Recharged with energy, they resumed strolling around the city.

On Rice Flower Commercial Street, they each bought cellphone charms for each other.

Keita gave Sonoko a small sparrow, while Sonoko gave Keita a little Doraemon.

For dinner, they chose a Szechuan restaurant on China Street called "Sichuan Flavor." Remember Keita's mom, Yosida Asami's amazing Szechuan dishes? This restaurant was opened by Yosida's master.

Keita could only eat authentic Chinese cuisine here, as the other restaurants on China Street had already been adapted to the Japan taste.

"Can you handle spicy food?"

"I can, but not too spicy. I've heard of the 'Sichuan Evil Spirit Chili,' and it sounds terrifying."

Sonoko was a bit hesitant, it seemed she might have had Szechuan cuisine before.

Kung Pao Chicken, Twice-Cooked Pork, Mapo Tofu, Dry Pot Cauliflower, and a bowl of West Lake Beef Soup.

Keita skipped dishes with organ meat, as he was worried that Sonoko might not be used to them.

A simple meal of four dishes and one soup, enough for two people.

"Among all the restaurants on China Street, this one is the most authentic. I often come here. The head chef at this restaurant was my mother's master. If you want to eat Chinese cuisine, I recommend coming here often."

"Keita-kun, do you like Chinese cuisine?"

"Yes, I enjoy all kinds of good food. I thought you might not eat Chinese food very often, so I brought you here to give it a try."

"I don't get to eat it often. My mom and sister are more into French cuisine."

After dinner, Keita escorted Sonoko home.

"Goodbye, see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye." Sonoko cheerfully walked into her mansion.

Watching her enter her home, Keita hailed a taxi and headed towards Professor Agasa's house.

Today was the day the miniaturization of the game pod was successful. While having dinner earlier, Keita had received a message from the professor.

Arriving at Agasa's house, an excited Keita asked the professor, "Professor, is it really successful?"

"Keita, it's successful. I just tested it, and consciousness can directly enter the virtual world."

"Let me try it." It wasn't surprising that Keita was excited. The virtual world had always been one of humanity's most sought-after dreams. How many scientific fantasies had been born around entering the virtual world during sleep? It would greatly extend human life.

Agasa handed Keita something that looked like a motorcycle helmet, with several long data cables connected to the back.

There was no "Link Start!" like in Sword Art Online, and Keita's consciousness immediately entered an open square.

"Future, start the program with 'Link Start!'"

Keita called out to Future, as Sword Art Online's servers were at Future Group's headquarters, and Future was monitoring the game data.

Keita squatted down, touching the ground. The coldness of the stone, the real sensation, he sniffed, the fresh air entered his nose.

"I've arrived in this world. Awoo~"

Keita howled like a child, loudly announcing his presence, like a wolf's howl.

Keita ran through the city, exploring the streets. Fruit stands, weapon shops, snack stores, restaurants – there were all sorts of fantasy-style buildings.

Unfortunately, there was no one around.

Future was still intensively developing NPC intelligence.

The city was quiet, with only Keita moving through it.

After a while, Keita said, "Future, teleport me to the outskirts. Summon only one monster. I want to test the combat experience."

A flash of light, and Keita appeared in a plain on the outskirts.

Rustle~ Cracks in space appeared in front of him, and three goblins materialized out of thin air. Seeing Keita, they raised their wooden clubs and charged at him.

"Here they come. Bring it on~"

Keita started with a defensive stance, grabbing the arm of a goblin that got close, lifting it up and using it as a pivot to deliver a flying kick that struck the second goblin. Then he performed a shoulder throw, using the goblin in his hand to smack down the third goblin. 

All three goblins were taken down, though they weren't fatally injured.

The goblins staggered to their feet, shaking their heads and growling, provoked to attack once again.

The first goblin swung its club wildly, and the second threw its club at Keita while lunging at him, trying to grab him. The third goblin took advantage of the confusion to attack from the side. Their coordination was quite decent.

A few hits landed on Keita's body, the pain making him angry.

Keita grabbed the club of the first goblin, pulled it away, and raised it, smashing it down on the first goblin's head. After knocking it out, he took hold of the second goblin's neck and applied pressure, cracking its neck. He then pulled the second goblin down and used it to knock over the third goblin. 

The battle ended, Keita was a bit worse for wear, with a large bump on his head. This was why he hadn't let Sonoko come today; the fight wasn't graceful at all. He could try being a black-clothed swordsman next time.

"Phew~ That was tougher than expected. But Future, I told you to summon one monster. Why did you bring three?"

"Program error." Future was concise.

Nonsense, how could it be a program error? Had he somehow offended Future lately? Keita silently recalled if there was any place he might have upset Future.

Not really, except for that time when he was born and said Future was being silly. After that, he had been helping develop the program, so he couldn't think of any reason to upset Future.

Masaka, did Future remember that silly comment he made at birth? Was Future that petty? Keita didn't remember setting that up for Future.

Keita commended in his mind, "Well done, well done. The battle system is great, the operating space is extensive, and I could even snatch the monster's weapon. But can you turn down the pain a bit? After all, players aren't looking for punishment. Whatever, let's add an adjustment option to let players set it themselves."

The experience was good this time, so Keita exited the game.

He had been in the game world for over an hour, but only about ten minutes had passed outside.

This technology could accelerate time by up to five times.

This was why Noah was able to claim that one year in the game was equivalent to five years for humans.

Beside him, Professor Agasa was waiting. "How was it, Keita?"

"Not bad, it exceeded my expectations completely. Professor, I have a feeling our game is going to sell really well. Your dream of becoming a billionaire is finally going to come true." Keita was bursting with enthusiasm.

"Hehe, billionaire, billionaire..." Professor Agasa was lost in his billionaire dream.

Future Group's subsidiary, Future Technology Game Corporation, had been established. Keita held 49% of the shares with Future's technology, Sonoko held 35% of the shares with the game pod's interface technology and her private funds, Professor Agasa held 15% with miniaturization technology, and Ran had 1% of the shares.

"Professor, wake up, it's getting bright."

"Ah, Keita. What's up?"

"Tomorrow, we're going to the company, arranging for the factory to produce the game helmets, and taking care of other matters like game launch and operation. We need to complete everything as soon as possible. Then we can prepare for a big press conference, inviting many media outlets and broadcasting on television. At the press conference, we'll unveil this groundbreaking VRMMORPG game (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game)." Keita painted a vivid picture of the press conference, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"A press conference, billionaires..."

The professor was delirious.