Chapter 98: The King of Sharp Tongues
Time flies like an arrow.
Before they knew it, afternoon had arrived.
As the sun began to set, a group of six stood at the Tsukikage Island pier, carrying bags of various sizes.
Whoosh~
The luxury cruise ship gradually docked, and Anya couldn't help but widen her eyes in amazement.
"Papa, I want one too! A luxury cruise ship just like this!"
Anya's eyes sparkled, her heart and mind filled with endless envy.
Natsukawa: "..."
"Don't be silly. This luxury cruise ship isn't anything special. The happiness of the wealthy is too superficial. We should aspire to a free life instead."
It wasn't that Natsukawa couldn't afford it—freedom was simply more cost-effective.
As they spoke, two people disembarked. The tall, burly man at the front immediately approached them.
Beside him was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. As he walked, his carefully arranged combover was inadvertently blown up by the sea breeze, and he frantically tried to smooth it down.
Then it was blown up again.
Smooth it down, damn it!
The balding man was probably about the same height as Franky.
But at least Franky wasn't overweight—this guy was both short and rotund. Quite pitiful, really.
But the worst part was definitely his balding scalp!
"Natsukawa-san, I'm Hatamoto Shoji. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Hatamoto's respectful demeanor piqued Conan's curiosity.
He began scrutinizing Natsukawa once more. This guy was definitely the son of some ultra-wealthy conglomerate.
He'd long suspected something was off about Natsukawa's story—all those distant relatives sounded like excuses to appease Uncle Mouri.
"That's me. Thank you for your assistance, Hatamoto-san." Natsukawa smiled and shook hands with both of them.
Yesterday, Natsukawa had used his Tequila identity to make contact. He was now an external member of the Organization, carrying out a covert mission assigned by Tequila.
The mission was now complete, and he was returning to Tokyo.
Upon receiving the notification, Hatamoto immediately investigated the situation on Tsukikage Island.
Then he discovered the case involving Kuroiwa Tatsuji and his associates.
After reading the information, Hatamoto's legs trembled.
Three people had died in a single day. Not only were their bodies brutally mutilated, but their remains had even been thrown down the mountain to be fed to wild dogs—such ruthless methods.
Was this a warning from Tequila?
If they didn't comply, they might suffer the same fate.
How terrifying.
"This is my friend, Mouri Kogoro. The six of us will be relying on you both this time."
The portly man cheerfully chimed in. "No problem at all! The cruise ship is spacious, and there aren't many people aboard. A few more passengers won't hurt."
"Besides, it's Shoji who does the cooking—it won't be any trouble for us. We'll just need to ask Suzuki the butler to prepare a few extra rooms."
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. I've already informed Suzuki-san."
"And this is?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce him properly. This is my brother-in-law, Hatamoto Kitaro."
The group chatted as they boarded the cruise ship. The ship's horn sounded, and the Hatamoto family's luxury vessel set sail in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Hatamoto Shoji's preparations were quite thorough. The six of them were assigned rooms immediately upon boarding.
After settling in, the group made their way to the deck.
Enjoying the sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening—life couldn't be better.
Mouri Kogoro turned and nudged Natsukawa's arm. "Natsukawa, what about that special sake we were promised? I can't wait any longer."
Natsukawa glanced toward Hatamoto Shoji.
"Yes, please wait just a moment. These chairs were specially prepared for you all."
Hatamoto finished speaking and departed, his expression and movements as respectful as a servant—an attitude that aroused Conan's suspicion.
It wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with Natsukawa, but rather the detective's innocent thirst for knowledge was at play.
Conan's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he'd discovered the meaning of life itself.
More than the beautiful sunset, he wanted to uncover why Natsukawa was treated with such reverence.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the sunset, Conan stealthily followed Hatamoto away.
In the sake storage room, Conan suddenly appeared beside Hatamoto. "Oji-san, let me help you with that!"
Hatamoto was already on edge, and Conan's sudden appearance startled him, nearly causing him to drop the sake bottle.
"Oh, you're the little one who came with Natsukawa-san. What brings you here?" Hatamoto smiled nervously, carefully steadying the sake bottle before handing it over.
On the way back, Conan asked, "Hatamoto-san, how did you and Natsukawa-san meet?"
Hatamoto Shoji glanced down at Conan, having no intention of revealing the truth. Even to a child, the Organization's affairs couldn't be casually disclosed.
He'd witnessed the ruthlessness of Tequila's operations firsthand. Wasn't Natsukawa's presence on the ship today a warning to him?
Killing three people and disposing of the bodies to provoke the police—this organization's brutality exceeded his imagination.
"Actually, this is my first time meeting Natsukawa-san as well. He's a friend of an elder I greatly respect."
"An elder you respect?"
Conan was about to probe further when he heard a commotion coming from outside the cabin door—it sounded like an argument.
"What's wrong with you?! Don't you know I don't like strangers aboard my ship? Why did you let people you don't even know board?!"
Hatamoto Gozo's voice was steady and powerful. If he weren't about to be murdered, he'd probably live another ten years.
The fact that a seventy-two-year-old man could be so vigorous made Hatamoto Natsue's background even more suspicious.
Was she a daughter or a granddaughter? Hard to say.
Natsukawa shook his head, dismissing these chaotic thoughts.
He also ignored the furious ship owner.
This was something Hatamoto Shoji could handle. He didn't want to get yelled at.
Hatamoto Gozo was a notoriously foul-mouthed figure in Tokyo's business circles, and Natsukawa feared he might be unable to tolerate the man's profanity and end up throwing him into Tokyo Bay.
Mouri Kogoro and Ran were sweating nervously.
Seeing Natsukawa remain calm and unmoved, they followed his lead. Some gazed at the sea, others chatted quietly.
This scene ignited Hatamoto Gozo's fury even further.
These outsiders were truly impolite! Instead of apologizing, they acted as if they hadn't noticed anything—their skin was too thick, completely disregarding him, the current head of the Hatamoto family!
"Father, there's nothing we can do about it. They're all friends of Shoji's. The ferry service to Tsukikage Island happens to be suspended today. Their only options are to wait three days until service resumes, or take our cruise ship."
Hatamoto Kitaro looked embarrassed. Shouldn't the old man be resting in his quarters at this hour?
Why did he suddenly emerge, and in such a foul mood?
He should have told these outsiders to hide in their cabins first. What rotten luck!
"Aren't you afraid your high blood pressure will spike and kill you?"
The woman beside Hatamoto Kitaro spoke up, hands on her hips, looking thoroughly irritated. Her husband had been rebuked, causing her to lose face. There were outsiders watching, yet the old man didn't seem to care about appearances at all.
He was getting old, that much was certain—his temper was becoming unstable.
Since that was the case, she wouldn't hold back either. Their relationship was already strained to begin with.
(End of Chapter 98)
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