🎉SCIAW: Chapter 211/213

Chapter 211: Detective Full of Curiosity

"Miss Hayasaka."

Mariko Hatamoto was unusually humble at this moment. She knew the girl in front of her, despite being younger than her son and serving as a maid, held an extraordinary identity.

The maid of the Shinomiya family's princess, and the eldest daughter of the Hayasaka family.

Compared to their own family, the Hayasaka family was a giant. She didn't dare to maintain her previously arrogant attitude.

"After my husband and I woke up, we went to look for Ichiro, but we couldn't find him in his room. The space on this cruise ship is quite large, so we'd like to ask for your help in finding him."

"Mr. Hatamoto Ichiro?"

Hayasaka's voice was flat and emotionless, which only made the couple more uneasy.

"If you want to look for him, now is not an appropriate time."

"Not appropriate?"

Mariko and Kitaro didn't understand what she meant.

"I do know where Mr. Ichiro Hatamoto is. But for now, he can only remain there until we disembark."

Hayasaka's cold tone made the couple even more unsettled.

Suppressing the unease in her heart, Mariko still forced herself to ask:

"Miss Hayasaka… did Ichiro do something inappropriate last night and offend you?"

Hayasaka shook her head slightly.

"Mr. Ichiro Hatamoto didn't offend me. He did something even more outrageous."

"Since you are Mr. Hatamoto's parents, I'll give you a clear answer."

"Just last night, Mr. Hatamoto held a kitchen knife and nearly stabbed Mr. Gozo to death."

At that moment, Mariko and Kitaro's breathing stopped. The shock nearly made them faint on the spot, and their legs went weak as though they were about to kneel.

They knew very well how furious the old man would be if something like that happened.

And now they were hearing that their son almost stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife?

These words were far too extreme. So extreme that the couple could hardly believe their son was capable of such a thing.

But neither dared to say so.

After all, the Hatamoto family was not the Shinomiya family. The Shinomiyas had no reason to joke about something like this, especially not on their own cruise ship.

This likely meant it was true.

Their son really had confronted the old man with a knife and nearly committed murder.

"This… this…"

Mariko simply couldn't believe that her son—self-effacing and somewhat timid—was capable of something so insane.

Hayasaka could fully understand the couple's shock and disbelief, but reality was cruel.

"This was also infuriating for the Shinomiya family."

"What was supposed to be a pleasant weekend trip nearly turned into a murder scene on the return journey. Fortunately, Mr. Gozo wasn't stabbed. Otherwise, it would have been a very traumatic memory for Miss Kaguya."

"Furthermore, Mr. Gozo has already decided to turn Mr. Ichiro Hatamoto over to the police for attempted murder."

Those words struck the couple like thunder.

It was over.

That was the only thought in their minds. Right now, they felt as if the sky had collapsed.

"Allow me to remind you both, it was the Shinomiya family who provided the evidence."

Hayasaka's final reminder shattered what little hope the couple had left.

If it had just been the old man's personal matter, they might have tried pleading for leniency.

But if it was the Shinomiya family who had the evidence, then there was nothing they could do.

Causing a scene would only make things worse for them.

The Shinomiya family's power far exceeded what they had imagined.

The couple was completely crushed.

Seeing them collapse, Hayasaka felt no sympathy.

Frankly speaking, their son's actions were deeply connected to them. The root of Ichiro Hatamoto's madness may well have stemmed from their marriage.

With this matter settled, Hayasaka no longer paid attention to the collapsed couple. She glanced toward the far end of the corridor, then returned to Kaguya's side.

At the far end of the corridor, a child was leaning against the wall, one hand over his chest, which was beating violently.

Their eyes met.

Even at such a distance, he had still been discovered.

Conan had to admit, the maid of a major family was something else. That cold, scrutinizing gaze felt like it had completely seen through him. It was deeply unsettling.

But what surprised him more was that, despite being so careful, he had still been noticed.

He had heard that the Hayasaka family had always served the Shinomiya family. Despite being a high-status lady herself, she still worked as a maid.

From his perspective, this maid was clearly more than just a maid. She was likely also acting as a bodyguard.

Conan felt his guess was probably right.

But this arrangement wasn't particularly unusual. After all, Hayasaka was Kaguya's exclusive maid. It was natural for her to have some combat training.

Still, the idea that Ichiro Hatamoto had nearly murdered his own grandfather… was deeply shocking.

And the Shinomiya family even had evidence. Well, with all the hidden surveillance cameras on this cruise ship, that wasn't surprising.

This didn't surprise Conan either. Given that the cruise ship belonged to the Shinomiya family, it was entirely reasonable for them to install surveillance cameras throughout for security purposes.

As for the charge of attempted murder against Ichiro Hatamoto, there was no issue at all. With clear evidence and no forgiveness from the victim, he was definitely going to prison for at least ten years.

Of course, that outcome wasn't something Conan needed to be concerned with.

But what was the motive?

What kind of grudge would drive a grandson to try and kill his own grandfather?

Conan shook his head at the thought.

There didn't always have to be a reason. As long as it wasn't a murder case, it wasn't his concern.

The detective in him couldn't help but ponder the question. But since this wasn't a full-on murder and hadn't resulted in irreparable harm, he hesitated, then chose to let it go.

The inner workings of wealthy families were always complicated. As an outsider, he didn't need to think too deeply about it.

But what piqued Conan's curiosity more… was Amamiya Ren.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to Vester 1 for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 212: The Great Detective’s Eye

Amamiya Ren, a student in Class C of the second year at Teitan High School, had above-average grades, but wasn't particularly outstanding in other areas. He wasn't good at socializing and rarely interacted with classmates. In short, he wasn't a very sociable person.

He had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. On weekends, he worked part-time to earn money and had always lived a very disciplined life.

When Conan reviewed this information, it all seemed very ordinary.

At best, it was the inspirational story of a hardworking student from a humble background.

He admired people like that. According to the information he'd asked Dr. Agasa to investigate, it really hadn't been easy for Ren to make it this far.

He was supported by the orphanage in the beginning, but after it closed, he lived alone. He worked to earn a living while continuing his studies, without engaging in any social activities. This steady routine had lasted more than six years.

From an objective standpoint, his life was admirable.

However, beginning in his second year of high school—or more precisely, about a month ago—Ren's situation changed completely.

Conan didn't know how Ren's social life was at school, but he did confirm that he had joined a club.

The Occult Research Club. This club felt extremely strange to him.

Because Conan was sure of one thing, Ran had always disliked and feared anything related to the occult. So her joining this kind of club was suspicious.

Ran was already a member of the Karate Club. Why would she join the Occult Research Club for no apparent reason?

The club's membership was also questionable.

Besides Ren and Ran, most of the other members were high-society young ladies.

This, too, was unusual.

While it wasn't strange for Ran to be drawn into Sonoko's social circle, how had someone as ordinary as Amamiya Ren gotten involved?

It couldn't be that he was actually related to Sonoko… right?

Based on what he'd investigated and his natural curiosity as a detective, Conan couldn't help but grow increasingly interested in the hidden truths surrounding Ren.

Perhaps asking directly would've been a viable approach.

Unfortunately, after losing the identity of Kudo Shinichi, he had also lost the right to ask directly.

All he could do was investigate and analyze through the eyes of a detective.

Leaning against the wall, Conan took out his notebook and pen, flipping to the relevant page in his notes.

So far, none of the evidence directly pointed to any hidden secrets behind Ren. However, the possibility of Sonoko being in a relationship with him remained.

And not just Sonoko. The possibility existed for others too.

Why did he think that?

Because according to the data he gathered, the Occult Research Club hadn't opened recruitment to outsiders. Almost all of its members were invited personally.

Under these circumstances, Conan was certain that Ren had either done something special to earn the invitation or had formed a romantic relationship with one of the existing members.

The most likely candidate? Sonoko.

Not because of anything concrete, but simply because he understood Sonoko well enough and also didn't dare look too deeply into the other young ladies.

Investigating girls from powerful families could very easily lead to trouble.

He didn't believe those heiresses were like Sonoko. They weren't raised casually. Digging into their background recklessly might lead to being counter-investigated.

After recording today's speculations, Conan carefully left the area.

There were still many surveillance cameras on the cruise ship. It was best not to act too suspicious.

Just as he thought, a pinhole camera was recording the corridor from a hidden spot, its feed routed directly to the monitoring room.

"Miss, the child has left."

The security staff had been watching him the whole time. Once he started acting suspicious, they had increased surveillance and notified their young lady by phone.

"Understood. Continue monitoring him. Make sure the child doesn't engage in any suspicious activity on the cruise ship. Also, compile and organize all footage for me before we disembark."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Hayasaka put away the phone and looked at the two people in front of her.

"It seems he's grown curious about Ren."

Kaguya sighed, looking both helpless and exasperated.

"Hasn't he learned his lesson from last time?"

"Don't get involved in what you shouldn't. Don't investigate what you're not supposed to. Doesn't he understand such a basic principle?"

Ren appeared calm. More accurately, he knew exactly what kind of person Conan was.

"Curiosity is a detective's flaw."

"I think it's because my surface-level information is too plain. Then I show up around a group of elite young ladies, which is why he's intrigued."

Ren pulled a maple leaf gold coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air with his thumb. The head side faced up.

"Well, looks like I guessed right."

In truth, this outcome wasn't surprising. Even Ren himself knew that his presence in the club made him stand out far too much.

"What a troublesome person."

At that moment, Kaguya truly felt that being a detective was an incredibly inconvenient profession.

"A detective is someone who's curious about everything. But don't worry too much. I've suddenly been surrounded by a lot of people, and with Sonoko and Ran involved, it's natural he'd take notice."

"He's probably wondering why someone like me would be around a bunch of high-society girls."

As Ren spoke, he flicked the maple leaf gold coin again. It landed heads up once more.

"Seems like he's still just curious for now."

"With my ordinary identity, he's definitely wondering why I joined the Occult Research Club. From his perspective, he's likely starting his investigation with me."

He flipped the maple leaf gold coin once more. Again, the head side faced up.

The answer was clear. The repeated confirmation through divination made his deduction even more solid.

Ren smiled, showing no concern over the detective's curiosity about him.

"Don't pay too much attention to what he's doing."

"To someone who believes in science, everything we do is irrational. Let him keep theorizing like a good little detective."

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to Vester 1 for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉

Chapter 213: The First Believer

The Hatamoto clan soon learned what had happened with Hatamoto Ichiro, but neither of the central figures, Hatamoto Gozo nor Hatamoto Natsue, left their room. That in itself made their position very clear.

"…"

Hatamoto Mariko and Hatamoto Kitaro were unusually silent on their way back.

Because they both knew very well that the old man would not spare Ichiro this time. The charge of attempted murder was enough to make Ichiro waste his best years in prison.

A conservative estimate for this charge was up to ten years.

But the key issue wasn't the ten years—it was the old man's attitude.

This time, Gozo had clearly decided to teach Ichiro a lesson by letting him rot in prison for a decade. That alone meant the old man had already made up his mind to take action against the rest of them as well.

And once they came to that conclusion, neither of them dared to speak further. They didn't even dare to stir up trouble again, fearing they'd be made into public examples by the old man's wrath.

However, by noon, Hatamoto Gozo and Hatamoto Natsue finally stepped out of the room.

The old man's face was frosty, his expression unreadable.

Seeing this, the members of the Hatamoto clan, already feeling the weight of impending consequences, didn't even dare to breathe.

Takehiko, who had been ostracized from the Hatamoto family, had his gaze locked solely on Natsue.

Natsue was different today.

Takehiko knew Natsue far too well.

In order to pursue her, he had studied her carefully—her personality, her preferences, everything. Otherwise, how could he have gotten so close?

But now, with all that familiarity, Takehiko could immediately tell that today's Natsue was not the same as the one he'd known yesterday.

Hatamoto Gozo slowly led his granddaughter over to Shinomiya Kaguya. The old man began by showing the utmost respect.

"Miss Shinomiya, thank you for your rescue yesterday. The favor is already heavy, and for what happened last night, I must express even more gratitude."

Gozo knew that he had been saved by his granddaughter yesterday, but the way she had suddenly erupted with power was obviously not normal.

And immediately after, the Shinomiya family's bodyguards had rushed in, making it clear that even if his granddaughter hadn't acted, the Shinomiya bodyguards would have saved him.

So, this gratitude was beyond question.

Kaguya accepted the thanks with grace. She didn't act proud, simply nodding slightly.

"Mr. Hatamoto is too polite. It wasn't anything major."

"Perhaps not to you, Miss Shinomiya, but it was certainly major for me. Once again, I thank you."

Kaguya gave a slight nod. She could overlook many things, but still hoped that others would understand where the lines were.

She then turned her gaze toward the already demoralized Hatamoto clan.

"Mr. Hatamoto should handle internal matters properly. Don't waste this hard-earned opportunity."

Hatamoto Gozo understood this well. After facing death the previous day, he had made a decision in his heart. He could no longer tolerate these parasites. If he did, they would eventually become a major obstacle for Natsue's future.

"Of course."

Some reminders were enough. Kaguya didn't believe Gozo was a fool.

A fool couldn't turn a company into a powerful conglomerate.

And what nearly happened yesterday was no trivial matter. It was enough to make anyone abandon sentimental ties.

Seeing that the conversation had run its course, Hayasaka, who had been standing behind Kaguya, stepped forward to shift the topic.

"Mr. Gozo, the cruise ship will arrive at the Port of Tokyo in two hours. Please get some rest during this time."

"Preferably in a secure location."

This was a polite but necessary suggestion. After all, there really was a madman among the Hatamoto family who had done something insane. In such circumstances, security was a top priority.

"Of course."

Gozo didn't think those fools would try anything reckless, but he had misjudged Ichiro the day before. He wasn't about to take any chances this time. He wouldn't risk Natsue's or his own safety.

From now on, he would be much more vigilant about the rest of those useless relatives.

"Then, I'll take my leave for now."

"Grandfather, I still have something to say."

Just as he was about to leave with Natsue, Gozo paused when he heard her speak. He was slightly surprised, but still nodded and walked over to a seat nearby.

Once seated, Hatamoto Gozo turned his attention to his granddaughter.

Because of the distance and the quiet voices, he couldn't hear what was being said. But what he needed now wasn't to hear, it was to see who she was speaking to.

Following Natsue's line of sight, he noticed she was looking at a boy among the group of high-society girls, someone Gozo didn't recognize.

"Miss Hatamoto, do you believe in faith now?"

"I do."

This time, Natsue answered without the slightest hesitation.

The reason faith often fails to spread is because miracles are rare.

But once a miracle does appear, faith becomes the fastest thing to propagate.

Hatamoto Natsue had never believed in gods. Her elite scientific education had made her skeptical, even dismissive of such notions.

But once a miracle actually happened—one that saved her grandfather—she immediately accepted the existence of divinity.

And the boy standing before her was the god who had descended to this world.

That devout faith was evident in her eyes. Ren could see it without needing to confirm it.

"The knowledge in your mind and the power you've received are gifts of your faith. You made the right choice. You changed your destiny, and also your grandfather's. For me, this was a successful trial."

"I'm curious to see what choices you'll make next."

"If you still wish to change things, very well. Then begin with your family."

"Spread my name. Bring in more believers. If you succeed, I'll grant you greater rewards."

"How does that sound, Miss Hatamoto?"

"Of course, I'm willing… god."

To Hatamoto Natsue, the boy before her had already become a true god. She would naturally accept any mission granted by him.

"Hmm… the name 'god' is a bit excessive. Let's go with this instead. From now on, Miss Hatamoto, you may call me 'The Fool.'"

"Yes, Mr. Fool."

(To be continued.)