In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 136

“Sure enough, in the eyes of the general public, my manuscript looks very low-class!” Ariel Kruger asked them softly.

"How should I put it...?" Takada Yuuki squinted at the manuscript in front of him, a look of doubt on his face that he shouldn't have. "I'd say it's second-rate..."

"This story has a lot of flaws, and the content isn't exactly mainstream these days," Miwako Sato remarked casually after watching for a while.

Ariel Kruger nodded. "People have said the same thing to me before, that I should go out and see the world instead of sticking to my own ideas."

“Of course, that’s why I felt so happy when I saw you all.” Ariel Kruger looked at Yuuki Takada in front of her and immediately reached out to shake his hand.

"I feel that you, Takada Yuki-senpai, have a unique charm. I would like to ask you to be the model for the male protagonist in my creation."

"Ah..." Upon hearing what the other person said, Yuuki Takada immediately sensed that something was wrong.

“Um…” Takada Yuki immediately retorted, “I’m very sorry, I know you admire me, but this is a time for travel.”

"Can't you think of a way?" Ariel Kruger leaned closer, two snow-white clouds swaying in front of him.

"This is troublesome," Yuuki Takada murmured softly.

"Ahem..." Sato Miwako glanced coldly at Takada Yuki, as if to say to him, "I'm telling you, do you think that what we said before is no longer important?"

Then, Miwako Sato suddenly stood up and said, "Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

"Miwako..." Yuuki Takada was about to call out to her, but unfortunately, she had already walked far away.

Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Yuuki Takada glanced at Miss Ariel Kruger in front of him and said softly, "I'm sorry, Miss Ariel, I'm currently a tourist here with my company, so I really can't help you."

"Moreover, we came to Paris, France this time with our company, so we didn't have much free time."

“If I have time, I still plan to go shopping with my friends,” Takada Yuki said, pulling Miyamoto Yumi to his side.

Upon hearing this, Miyamoto Yumi's expression changed instantly. She glanced at him and said softly, "Wait a minute, Takada-senpai, what are you saying!"

"You'll have to cooperate for now." Yuki Takada looked at Yumi Miyamoto beside him and immediately muttered in a low voice, "So, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have much time to help you."

"I'm really sorry."

Ariel Kruger lowered her head in disappointment. "You know, I can't make things difficult for you in this matter."

"Of course, if you need any guidance in the future, I will naturally support you," Yuuki Takada said to her casually. "Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you, I've already paid the bill." After exchanging contact information with Yuuki Takada, Ariel Kruger left the cafe.

After she left, Miyamoto Yumi immediately leaned close to Takada Yuuki and whispered, "Takada-senpai, do you really not know what Miwako wanted to talk to you about?"

Yuuki Takada shook his head slightly, naturally understanding why Miwako Sato had gone into the restroom.

Taking a sip of the freshly delivered lemonade, Yuki Takada said softly, "Yumi, if you know anything, feel free to tell me."

"Well..." Miyamoto Yumi smiled mysteriously.

"I think it's better for her to tell you herself. But I can give you a hint: it's related to a case you worked on together before."

case?

Takada quickly searched his memory.

He and Miwako Sato had worked together on many cases. Yuki Takada vaguely remembered taking a long leave of absence while carrying out a mission for the Black Organization. During that time, Miwako Sato cracked a major case involving an international art smuggling syndicate.

They eventually solved the case, but during the pursuit, could something have happened?

"Could it be..." Yuuki Takada pondered.

Just then, the door to the café was pushed open, and the bell hanging on the door rang crisply.

Yuuki Takada subconsciously looked up and saw three men in dark coats walk in.

Their steps were synchronized, their eyes quickly scanning the entire café before finally settling on their table by the window.

Takada Yuki's professional intuition told him that these people were not ordinary.

Their posture, gaze, and movements all revealed signs of rigorous training.

"What's wrong, Takada-senpai?" Miyamoto Yumi noticed the change in Takada's expression.

"It's nothing." Yuuki Takada withdrew his gaze, picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, but his eyes never left the three men.

They sat down in a corner at the other end of the cafe, ordered drinks, and began to talk in hushed tones.

Yuki Takada tried hard to catch snippets of their conversation, but they were too far away, and he could only occasionally hear a few indistinct words.

Miwako Sato returned to her seat, her expression much more relaxed than before: "Sorry to keep you waiting. By the way, where is Ariel Kruger? I remember seeing her just now, how come she's suddenly disappeared?"

Seeing this, Yumi Miyamoto immediately chimed in, saying, "Didn't Takada-senpai just refuse her, and then she left the coffee shop?"

"Tomorrow morning is free time, and we'll visit the Louvre in the afternoon. It's already booked," Yuuki Takada replied, while noticing a man in the corner glancing in their direction seemingly unintentionally.

This feeling of being watched made Takada uneasy.

He recalled his superior's instructions before he left: "Although this trip is ostensibly a reward trip for outstanding employees of the Metropolitan Police Department, you must remain vigilant."

"Recent intelligence indicates that an international criminal organization is planning an operation targeting Japanese civil servants."

At the time, Yuki Takada didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a routine warning.

But now, considering the three suspicious men and the blonde woman's meaningful reminder, he had to reassess the situation.

Chapter 174 Tracking

"I have some things to do and need to go out." Yuuki Takada suddenly stood up and walked towards the counter.

Sato Miwako nodded, and then she told Miyamoto Yumi what had happened after she went into the restroom.

This angle allowed him to observe the three men more clearly.

One of them had a noticeable scar on his left little finger, while the other's suit jacket had a slight bulge at the hem, as if it were hiding something.

Yuki Takada's heart sank—the shape was very likely a gun holster.

While setting off firecrackers outside, Yuki Takada secretly took photos of three men with his mobile phone and sent them to his colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Department's International Cooperation Division, with the message: "Check the identities of these people. I encountered them in Paris and their behavior is suspicious."

Only after putting down his phone and seeing that the group did not behave strangely did Yuuki Takada finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

Back in his seat, Yuki Takada tried to maintain his usual calm: "Let's go. I've heard the sunset in Montmartre is beautiful. Let's not miss it."

Sato Miwako and Miyamoto Yumi readily agreed.

As the three left the cafe, Yuuki Takada noticed that the three men also got up to pay their bill after they left.

Walking along the ancient streets of Paris, Yuki Takada deliberately slowed his pace, letting his two female colleagues walk ahead while he kept a close eye on what was happening behind him.

Sure enough, the three men followed behind at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

"Senior, why are you walking so slowly?" Sato Miwako asked, turning around.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired." Yuki Takada forced a smile.

Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a reply from the International Cooperation Department: "The individuals in the photo have been identified as a former member of the Foreign Legion and an employee of an international private security company, respectively. They have no criminal record, but it is recommended that they maintain distance..."

"Also, we have received anonymous intelligence that there may be theft gangs targeting Japanese tourists in your area. Please be vigilant."

Theft gang?

Yuki Takada was skeptical of this explanation. Former Foreign Legion members and private security employees coming to Paris in groups to steal from tourists?

This is making a mountain out of a molehill.

The accident happened when we reached the bottom of the wide steps in front of the Sacred Heart Church.

A group of street performers suddenly started performing, attracting a large number of tourists to stop and watch. The crowd quickly gathered and swept the three people up in the crowd.

“Takada-senpai! Look at that.” Sato Miwako called out to him from the crowd.

Yuki Takada tried to move in her direction, but the crowd was too dense.

Just as he was struggling forward, a thick hand suddenly grabbed his arm.

Turning around, I saw one of the three men in the coffee shop.

“Mr. Takada, I suggest you stop here,” the man said in a low voice with an accented Japanese. “There’s danger ahead.”

"Who are you?" Yuki Takada asked calmly, his right hand already subtly gripping the baton he carried with him.

“We are Miss Ariel’s men, sent to protect you,” the man replied curtly. “Please trust us and return to the hotel immediately.”

Yuuki Takada looked directly into the other person's eyes, and in those grey-blue pupils, he saw not deception, but a serious warning.

"Takada-senpai!" Sato Miwako's voice came again, this time with a hint of panic.

Yuki Takada turned around and saw Miwako Sato being blocked by another man, while Yumi Miyamoto stood helplessly to the side.

"Get out of the way!" Sato Miwako shouted at the man in English, her hand already reaching for the pepper spray she carried.

"Sato, wait!" Yuuki Takada called out to stop him.

Amidst the chaos, Yuuki Takada caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye—the blonde woman was standing by the railing in front of the Sacred Heart Church, calmly observing the scene.

When she realized that Takada had noticed her, she didn't look away. Instead, she nodded slightly, raised her hand, and pointed in the direction of the Seine.

What does it mean?

Does this imply that they should evacuate immediately?

Yuki Takada's brain was working at lightning speed.

And why would Ariel Kruger send these "bodyguards" to protect them?

Everything right now seems very unusual.

As dusk settled over Paris, dangerous undercurrents were surging beneath the city's glamorous exterior.

Yuki Takada knew that this so-called reward trip was far more complicated than it appeared.

"Sato, Yumi, let's go back to the hotel." Yuuki Takada made the decision, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"But senior..."

“Now is not the time for explanations.” Yuuki Takada interrupted Miwako Sato’s question, his gaze sweeping over the direction where the three men and the blonde woman were. “I believe we will get some answers when we get back to the hotel.”

As dusk deepened, the streetlights of Paris lit up one by one, like stars on the earth.

The crowd in front of the Sacred Heart Church did not decrease as darkness fell; on the contrary, it became even more bustling as the lights came on.

But this bustling night scene was shrouded in a dangerous shadow in Takada Yuuki's eyes.

The three men were clearly well-trained; they quickly formed a loose triangular formation, with two in front and one behind.