Detective Conan: Becoming a Tycoon in Tokyo! [22]

At the bar, Shōichi sat casually on a stool in his white shirt and ordered a juice from the bartender.

Before long, a blond-haired delinquent walked in with his lackey.

Shōichi passed the glass of milk beside him to the blond.

Gin accepted it naturally, paused when he noticed what it was, took a small sip, then set it back down.

“What did you call me here for?” he asked flatly.

Shōichi swirled his orange juice, eyes fixed on the singer performing on stage. Tilting his head slightly toward Gin, he replied, “The Organization has some money that needs your help,” Gin said.

“No problem,” Shōichi answered easily.

“Hopefully your ‘losses’ this time won’t be as large as last time,” Gin added.

“Of course not.”

Shōichi nodded. “I’m planning to enter the entertainment industry.”

Gin ordered a vodka without comment.

Where Shōichi wanted to go or what he wanted to do didn’t matter to him. As long as the money was clean when it came back, that was all that mattered.

“Gin, are you interested in underground idols?” Shōichi suddenly asked.

“Underground idols?” Gin frowned slightly. What’s that supposed to be?

Next to him, Vodka’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Never mind,” Shōichi said with a shake of his head. “You definitely wouldn’t be interested, so I won’t bother preparing anything for you.”

Gin didn’t care, though Vodka’s hopeful expression fell instantly.

“Just hurry and wash that money. The Organization needs it to rebuild the research facility,” Gin said.

“Got it.” Shōichi nodded.

...

“Dad! I’ve decided to enter the entertainment industry!”

“The entertainment industry? Excellent!” Sumitomo Saburō nodded approvingly.

Finally, he thought. My son’s returning to a life of proper leisure and indulgence. Entertainment’s much better than trying to do business.

Construction was tough. Every company there had deep roots and massive influence. His son would only get crushed trying to compete. But the entertainment world—that was different.

Full of idols and actresses. Wonderful.

Maybe in a few years, he’d even get to hold a grandchild.

“Then give me some resources,” Shōichi said.

“What kind of show? How about being a mentor on a girl-group audition program?” Saburō offered eagerly.

“I said I want to run an entertainment business, not be a celebrity,” Shōichi corrected.

Saburō’s smile slowly faded. Stroking the cat in his arms, he muttered, “You know the Sumitomo Group’s always stuck to traditional industries. We don’t touch entertainment.”

Another three-minute passion, huh?

Your construction company’s not even stable yet, and now you’re jumping to something completely different? Who runs businesses like this?

“Really nothing?” Shōichi asked, doubtful.

“Nothing,” Saburō said firmly.

“Bye, then.”

Without another word, Shōichi turned and left.

Saburō sighed deeply.

Forget it. He’d wait until his son went bankrupt and then mock him to his heart’s content.

A spoiled heir should just stay spoiled. Entrepreneurship clearly wasn’t his thing.

The construction firm he’d just acquired hadn’t even been absorbed yet, and already he wanted to dive into entertainment. He’d hit a wall soon enough.

Better set up a trust fund—otherwise this kid might actually starve someday.

...

When Shōichi got home, Haibara was once again pretending to study diligently.

He couldn’t understand it.

Is high school in Japan really that demanding? Why was Haibara always doing homework? Ran seemed relaxed enough—she was always out traveling.

And those other two, Kudō Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito—one spent his time chasing murderers, the other stealing jewels.

“Haibara, how about you just quit school?” Shōichi asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

Haibara gave him a look. What strange idea has he come up with now?

Shōichi walked over, gently patted her head, and said softly, “You’re too cute for school. It’s a waste of your talent.”

“What talent am I wasting, exactly?” she asked dryly.

“Want to be an actress?” he asked.

“...An actress?”

“Yeah. On TV, in movies—let more people see you,” Shōichi said, sounding genuinely excited.

Haibara shook her head hard.

The last thing she wanted was more people seeing her.

Gin was terrifyingly good at recognizing faces. If he spotted her on a screen—it would be over.

“I just got an investment from a kindhearted person,” Shōichi went on. “Enough to make a big movie starring you.”

Haibara raised her textbook like a shield. “I’d rather just go to school,” she muttered.

“School won’t stop you from being a child star,” Shōichi insisted. “Other high schoolers find time to be detectives, thieves, even witches. Time’s like water in a sponge—you just have to squeeze a little harder. You’ll have plenty of time to act.”

But the new entertainment company definitely couldn’t be left in Miyano Akemi’s hands.

Once he’d decided to step into the industry, Shōichi moved fast.

Even though his father hadn’t given him much support, he’d at least helped by funding a few experienced talent managers.

Soon, the company’s structure was in place.

Shōichi’s ambitions were grand: the new company would handle talent management and film production first, then branch into music and variety shows.

When he’d taken over Takeda’s firm and entered construction, he’d nearly drained his personal savings.

Luckily, a generous investor had appeared at just the right time—enough to build the foundation of his entertainment empire.

...

In a quiet, discreet restaurant, Shōichi’s guests arrived.

“Hello, Shōichi-san.”

A man and a woman entered—the woman strikingly beautiful, the man… passably so.

“Miss Okino Yōko, I’m a fan,” Shōichi said warmly, extending his hand.

“I’ve heard much about you.” Yōko smiled politely, looking a bit tense.

Being invited by a Sumitomo heir was enough to make anyone nervous—and this one, in particular, had a reputation.

After receiving the invitation, she’d done some discreet digging and learned that Shōichi was practically a synonym for ruthless.

Haibara sat quietly beside them, munching away.

She had no idea why Shōichi had brought her to meet an idol.

“I heard your contract’s expiring soon, Miss Okino?” Shōichi asked with an easy smile.

“Yes,” Yōko nodded hesitantly. “But I’ve already agreed with my company—I plan to renew.”

She didn’t know what he was getting at, and it made her uneasy.

“How about joining my new company instead?” Shōichi asked bluntly.

Before Yōko could even respond, her manager jumped in, voice brimming with excitement.

“Does that mean the Sumitomo family is entering the entertainment industry?”

Her manager, Yamagishi Eiichi, looked thrilled.

The Sumitomo family was one of Japan’s great zaibatsu, traditionally rooted in heavy industry.

If such a powerhouse really entered entertainment, it would cause a massive stir—and if Okino Yōko could join right now, the benefits would be enormous.

---

This is a fan translation of 柯南：我在东京当财阀 by 倒霉的菜狗. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!