Conan: The Phantom Heart Thief

"Ms. Hirota Masami? She hasn't left yet..." Conan hid behind the sofa, peeking out at the people talking. He asked curiously, "Why are you asking about her? Is something wrong with her?"

"It's good that she hasn't left yet." Joker's voice over the phone was colder than usual, and judging by the wind noise in the background, he seemed to be running at full speed. "Keep an eye on this case. The moment she leaves, send me a message. Got it?"

"Hmm..." Conan reluctantly replied, narrowing his eyes at Hirota Masami's back in confusion. "Okay..."

After one last reminder, Kazawa hung up, took a breath, swung the hook in his hand, and continued leaping between the rooftops.

He had to rush back to the office before Miyano Akemi slipped away into the crowd.

Luckily, Amuro Toru had been dragged into a mission earlier today and had only just left the docks—no risk of running into Miyano Akemi yet.

Kazawa knew her. He'd seen her in the organization. If they crossed paths, he'd have no choice but to get involved.

"This is such a hassle..." Kazawa muttered, swinging across an overpass and landing with a thud. He rotated his neck to shake off the stiffness.

"Joker!" A shout came from a distance. A red Porsche screeched to a halt at the curb, and Hoshikawa Teru stuck his head out the window, waving at Kazawa.

"Finally." Kazawa let out a breath of relief as the hook retracted and transformed into a scarf that wrapped itself around his neck. He still wasn't used to this Spider-Man-like method of getting around.

Thankfully, at least as a driver, Xingchuan Hui was much more reliable now.

"How's the other world navigation going?" Kazawa asked as he climbed into the passenger seat, catching his breath.

"Not well." Xingchuan Hui smiled bitterly and floored the gas, racing toward the café. "The layout there keeps changing... How do you find your way?"

I don't—I have a system map.

But Kazawa couldn't exactly say he had a cheat system, so he just shrugged. "I guess I go by instinct. A sense of direction?"

"You've got an ability like that?" Xingchuan Hui sighed with envy but didn't press further.

That was also one of the reasons Kazawa had been sure Xingchuan Hui was a mask user. Ever since that day, an "alternate world navigation" app had appeared on his phone.

In the worldview of Persona 5, that meant he'd been chosen.

Even though he hadn't awakened a mask yet and couldn't enter without Kazawa, at least Xingchuan Hui was now capable of driving on his own. He didn't need to be dragged along anymore.

He sped all the way to the drop-off point near the office, then turned the Porsche around and drove off without complaint.

This Porsche had been bought by Kazawa and stored at the base. Xingchuan Hui couldn't just show up with it out of nowhere. That'd cause a panic. He needed to return it to the garage.

Kazawa quickly dismissed his thief form and started taking off his disguise and fixing his appearance.

Across the street, Conan peeked out the window and spotted Joker—hood up—standing in the alley entrance. As soon as Joker spotted him, he raised a hand in greeting.

Conan: "…"

He actually showed up.

Inside, Hirota Masami had stopped crying under Mouri Ran's comfort.

"Please, I beg you. He's my only family... If there's any news, please let me know right away. I really, really beg you!"

She bowed deeply to Mouri Kogoro.

"Don't worry, Miss Yami!" Mouri Ran patted her shoulder gently, smiling. "My dad is a top-class detective. We'll definitely find him."

"I'll keep in touch with you every day. Don't worry too much, Miss Masami," Mouri Kogoro assured her, putting on a serious, dependable expression.

"Thank you!" Hirota Masami pushed up her round glasses, tears still glistening in her eyes, and smiled softly. Her smile, delicate like a daisy blooming in the rain, struck Ran as both strong and gentle. "Then, I'll leave it to you, Detective Mouri... I'm sorry for getting emotional. I hope I didn't waste too much of your time. I'll head out now."

"Wait for our good news!" Ran called after her warmly from the doorway. She clearly had a good impression of her.

"She's had it rough," Ran said, cleaning up the teacup on the table and sighing. "So young, and she had to come all the way here alone to look for her only family... I hope she finds her dad soon."

"Don't worry, it's on me." Kogoro Mouri patted his chest with full confidence.

That much was true. Conan glanced sideways.

When it came to standard detective tasks—finding pets, investigating affairs, catching cheaters, or searching for missing people—Kogoro Mouri was actually quite competent.

So what was Joker being so serious about?

Why was he paying attention to such a seemingly routine case?

Conan turned back to the window and spotted Hirota Masami adjusting her braids as she passed by the café, walking toward the shopping street.

Joker, standing across the street, instantly noticed her. He lowered his hood deeper over his white hair and began following her at a discreet distance.

Joker's tailing her?

Did he recognize her right away? Has he seen her before?

Questions raced through Conan's mind. His fingers hovered over his phone, tempted to call.

...No, if I call him now, I might ruin his tracking.

Joker, generally speaking, was still someone with a basic sense of justice. Sure, he played the occasional prank—like dressing up to mess with Xiaolan or impersonating someone to catch Kaito Kid—but nothing malicious.

Still, the thought made Conan a little uneasy for some reason.

He thought about Joker's past actions, then his current reliability.

Eventually, Conan clenched his jaw, put the phone down, and chose not to interfere.

Forget it. I know where Joker lives now. I'll have plenty of chances to question him later. No need to rush.

Across the way, Kazawa's eyes were fixed on Hirota Masami. With the breath mask Conan had given him, he melted into the crowd, blending in completely as he tailed her.

Watching her carefully, Kazawa couldn't help but admire Miyano Akemi's skills.

She should be 25 this year—young, yes, but it wasn't easy to convincingly play a 15- or 16-year-old girl.

To deceive a reasoning expert like Conan with nothing but a change of clothes and tone? That took talent. Her voice, her movements—everything was like a timid high school girl new to the big city.

At the very least, her acting was leagues better than Hoshikawa Teru's.

As he analyzed her, Kazawa found himself evaluating Miyano Akemi like a recruiter watching a potential new hire.

She was competent, proactive, and had a good personality. Not just anyone in the organization could raise one billion yen. And setting aside the fact that she was technically his cousin... recruiting her didn't sound like a bad deal at all.