The sudden information left Conan momentarily confused. He was unsure of the intentions of the man he had just encountered.
"Well, don't worry," Senichi said as he observed Conan's dark expression with a smile. "Before you guys arrived, I had a chat with him. He doesn't seem like a bad person to me."
Conan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after hearing Senichi's subtle hint.
Though he was uncertain about Senichi's criteria for judgment, at least Senichi didn't show any signs of concern or seriousness, indicating he had confirmed the man wasn't an enemy.
However, Conan couldn't immediately inquire about Senichi's reasons with Ran present, even if he understood the implied meaning.
After instructing the two to wait, Senichi paid for parking and drove over to them.
Snowflakes filled the night sky and grew denser, creating a beautiful scene under the lights.
Ran and Conan bid farewell to Senichi upon reaching the Mouri Detective Agency and watched his car disappear into the distance.
Once home, Ran entered the kitchen to don an apron, while Conan took the opportunity to leave her a note saying he was going to Professor Agasa's to play video games before slipping away.
When Ran finished preparing ingredients and asked Conan what he wanted to eat, he was long gone.
"Really! That kid, off playing video games again!" Ran complained while looking at the note. "Wait till he comes back; I'll teach him a lesson!"
Conan could almost predict Ran's reaction, but at this moment, he had other priorities.
After jogging across the street, Conan opened the door of the car which was parked on the side and sat in the passenger seat.
And after buckling up, He said, "Let's go to Professor Agasa's house first and check the information recorded on the disk!"
At this moment, excitement filled Conan's heart.
Mr. Itakura, who had encounters with the Black Organization member Tequila two years ago, had recorded a diary. Conan couldn't wait to see the contents of the disk.
However, before delving into that, he remembered the man he had encountered before and turned to ask Senichi, "By the way, Detective Senichi, about that man from earlier..."
"You don't need to worry about that man," Senichi replied with eyes on the road. "He's not an enemy but a friend."
"Huh?"
Conan was puzzled and couldn't understand. "Why are you so sure? In the bus hijacking case, he was present, and Haibara was really scared back then. Weren't you always eager to believe in Haibara's instincts about the Black Organization? Why..."
"Well, if you have to put it that way, it's a detective's intuition," Senichi said with a slight smile.
"Intuition?"
Conan retorted with a deadpan expression, "Intuition, that baseless thing? Don't speak so confidently about it!"
"Anyway, he's not a threat," Senichi looked at the clear road ahead as he stepped on the gas pedal. "Let's focus on what's in front of us for now."
After speaking, Senichi accelerated again and sped through the streets.
Although it was snowing, the ground had little accumulation compared to the outskirts due to the furnace-like urban environment and higher temperatures.
At this moment, there were only some puddles on the ground. With Senichi's seasoned driving skills, they quickly reached Professor Agasa's house.
"Oh, why are you here at this time? Is there something going on?" Akemi Miyano opened the door and asked with a smile. "Are you here for dinner? I'm planning to make spicy curry. Want some?"
"Professor, let me borrow the computer!" Impatient Conan didn't pay attention to Akemi Miyano's words. After taking off his shoes, he hurriedly ran towards the house.
"Sure, sure." Senichi unhurriedly took off his overcoat and said, "It's getting cold, and eating something spicy is quite comforting. I won't hold back."
Moreover, if he didn't eat now, he probably wouldn't get a chance later tonight. He knew what was going to happen tonight, and it was destined to be a sleepless night.
While Conan opened the computer to search for and filter important information, Senichi borrowed paper and a pencil from Haibara and started sketching.
"What are you... drawing? a portrait?" Haibara watched Senichi continuously move the pencil and was somewhat curious. "Who are you planning to draw? Isn't the A4 paper a bit small?"
"This size is enough; I'm just sketching a quick portrait. A smaller size saves time," Senichi's hands moved swiftly while replying to Haibara, "As for the person I'm drawing, you already know. The man in the bus hijacking case, the one who was wearing a knitted hat."
With the master-level painting skills, Senichi quickly outlined the appearance of the man they had encountered earlier. "Today, Conan and I happened to encounter him again."
"!!!"
Haibara couldn't help but have her pupils sharply contract after seeing the man on the paper. Even though it was just a portrait, under Senichi's superb skills, the simple lines on the paper seemed to bring the image to life.
Especially the depiction of those sharp eyes, it made Haibara feel a chilling sensation even though she knew it was just a portrait .
At that moment, Haibara's intuition kicked in, as if the man in the portrait would take away her most precious possession.
This kind of intuition was inexplicably strange but left Haibara in a moment of panic.
"Found it!!"
Just as Senichi rapidly sketched the appearance of Shuichi Akai with lines, Conan suddenly shouted, "Come quickly, Detective Senichi!"
"I'm coming"
Senichi responded while placing the just-finished portrait on the table.
This action was, of course, intentional!
After so many days, it was time for Akemi Miyano to know the real identity of her boyfriend.
In the original plot, Akemi never knew Shuichi Akai's real name even before her death, which was truly a tragic situation.
Living together with her sister after being saved by Senichi was already a beautiful enough ending. However, Senichi thought it wasn't sufficient.
Meeting again needed another opportunity, but at least Akemi should know the real name of her boyfriend!
So, Senichi planned to compile this information taking advantage of today's opportunity.
And there was another benefit to this – it would help Conan ease up, preventing him from engaging in intellectual battles with allies.
Moreover, Senichi was curious. If the two reached a completely different ending from the original story with his guidance, would he still receive a reward?
After all, if Shuichi Akai and Akemi Miyano recognized each other and eventually came together, it would be a significant deviation from the original trajectory of fate.
Senichi was full of anticipation for this.