Conan: Becoming the Boss Starting with Winning Over Ran

Page 81

"I don't care where he is a celebrity. You're quite bold to make a decision without asking my opinion. You're really something."

This old man is the father that Hatamoto Hokuro just mentioned, the head of the Hatamoto family, Hatamoto Gozo. He is terrifying when he gets angry, his face full of violence.

Kitaro Hatamoto apologized continuously.

Hatamoto Gozo glanced at Hatamoto Hokuro, then at Hatamoto Ichiro who was drawing away, and said, "The father is useless, and the son is a good-for-nothing. To think that such unrealistic fantasies can be realized is simply wishful thinking."

With his pockmarked face, Ichiro Hatamoto gripped his paintbrush tightly, his head bowed.

He turned and walked into the cabin on the first floor, saying as he went, "I'll call Xiao Wu to my room later."

The old man left, and everyone on deck breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, a rather handsome young man appeared. He was Xiao Wu, the young lady's fiancé. As soon as he appeared, another blond man said, "Xiao Wu, the old man wants you to go to his room to find him."

Xiao Wu glanced apologetically at Hatake Natsue, then followed her into the cabin.

The blond-haired man was leaning against the railing with a rather domineering-looking woman in his arms. This was Hatamoto Kame-o, Hatamoto Natsue's brother-in-law, and the woman he was embracing was Hatamoto Natsue's sister, Hatamoto Akie.

Despite the freezing weather, Akie Hatamoto wore a backless and armpit-revealing dress, seemingly unfazed by the cold.

110 Incident & Feud

In Japan, the upper-class families operate similarly to the practice of marrying into the family in China. To prevent their wealth from flowing out of the country, these men who marry women from the Hatamoto family all change their surname to Hatamoto.

Even Hokuro Hatamoto, a bald fan of Kogoro Mouri, changed his surname because he married Mariko, the eldest daughter of Gozo Hatamoto.

The two young women, Akie and Natsue, are the daughters of Hatamoto Shoichi, the eldest son of Hatamoto Gozo, who died.

Just then, Hatamoto Gozo's eldest daughter, Hatamoto Mariko, and second son, Hatamoto Shoji, heard the commotion and came out as well.

Shoji Hatamoto, dressed in a white suit and quite burly, said to the bald man, Kitarou, "Don't mind him. Dad was in a bad mood after eating my cooking, which is why he's like this. It's also my fault for being a bad cook and making Western food, which Dad hates the most."

Hearing this, Xia Jiang came over and gently comforted him, "Uncle, your cooking is very good. Everyone likes it."

Shoji Takumoto smiled and said, "Xia Jiang, don't try to comfort me."

The eldest daughter of Hatamoto Gozo, a plump middle-aged woman in a kimono, Hatamoto Mariko, said to the bald man, "Darling, just bear with it a little longer. Anyway, Dad is getting old and won't live much longer. Once he's gone, the entire Hatamoto family's property will be yours."

She didn't shy away from telling others at all and spoke her mind directly.

Qiu Jiang, who was being held by the blond man, sneered and said, "Aunt, you're probably being too naive."

Mariko's expression immediately changed drastically: "What do you mean by that? Do you know something?"

A smile appeared on Akie's face as she leaned close to Mariko's ear and whispered something.

Seeing this scene, Xing Gongyu was speechless. It was another melodramatic family feud and property dispute, and this time the kind where they completely tore off their masks.

Of course, what's more important is that this fateful event was exactly the same as he remembered.

In that case, he can start thinking about how to win over Hiramoto Natsue.

The bride-to-be, Xia Jiang, shook her head upon seeing this scene, left the group again, and approached the deck. The sea breeze blew her black hair, revealing her melancholy eyes, which seemed to be glistening with tears.

Seeing this, Hoshimiya Yu quickly grabbed two glasses of red wine and approached Hitomoto Natsue, saying, "It's really puzzling that a bride-to-be who's getting married tomorrow is showing such a sad expression."

"Mr. Hoshimiya".

Natsue Hatomoto and Ran got along very well, and she learned a lot about Hoshimiya Yu from Ran.

"You recognize me, hmm, let me guess, what's bothering you?" Hoshigumi Yu rested her chin on her hand, pretending to be thinking.

Hatamoto Natsue couldn't help but show a look of curiosity. She wanted to see if Hoshimiya Yu was as amazing and outstanding as Ran had said.

"Hmm, are you missing your parents who died in a car accident last year? That doesn't seem right. Is it because you're disgusted by the infighting within your family? That doesn't seem right either. Oh, is it because you feel that the groom you're getting married to tomorrow isn't a good match for you?"

With each reason Xing Gongyu gave, Xia Jiang's expression of surprise grew. With each additional reason, the surprise intensified until, in the end, his mouth was slightly agape, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

Hoshino Yu handed her a glass of red wine, a gentle smile on his face.

"cheers."

Hatamoto Natsue smiled and shook her head, took the red wine, and took a sip.

"It's amazing, Mr. Hoshimiya. Is this our first meeting? You saw right through me at a glance."

Xing Gongyu smiled, his face looking exceptionally handsome in the setting sun.

He turned to look at Xia Jiang, "I'm not that amazing, perhaps it's just that I understand you, Miss Xia Jiang!"

At that moment, Natsue Hatamoto's heart beat faster, and her face turned a little red. She said, "Mr. Hoshimiya, you're really funny!"

Quietly, Hoshimiya Yu and Hatamoto Natsue drew closer and began to chat and laugh in the sea breeze.

……

Ran, Hitomi Kujo, and Conan were eating fruit salad at a table in the distance.

Kujou Hitomi clearly saw it, but didn't care at all.

When Conan saw Hoshimiya Yu hooking up with another woman, his resentment as a single man exploded. He channeled his grief and anger into his appetite, and with a ferocious expression, he devoured the fruit salad in front of him.

Only Ran saw Hoshimiya Yu and Hatamoto Natsue chatting happily, and her face turned slightly cold.

Honestly, Yu-ge is flirting with girls again. This is a bride-to-be who's getting married tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Xiaolan got up from her chair and walked to Hoshimiya Yu and Hatamoto Natsue's side, taking the initiative to join the conversation.

Xiao Lan took Xing Gongyu's arm and asked, "I just heard Mr. Bei Lang say that Miss Xia Jiang is the bride who will be getting married tomorrow?"

Hatamoto Natsue nodded and said, "Yes, thanks to Grandpa's matchmaking, I'm finally getting married. My fiancé is Xiao Wu, whom Grandpa just called over."

Looking at the handsome and beautiful Ran and Hoshimiya Yu, Hatsue Hitomoto's newly stirred thoughts once again fell silent.

Seemingly reluctant to discuss this topic, Hatamoto Natsue glanced at the sky; the sun had already quietly dipped below the horizon.

She said, "I'm a little hungry. Let's go back to the restaurant and talk."

Not long after Hoshiguma Yu and her two companions arrived at the restaurant, the rest of the group gradually entered as well.

The bald man, Hatamoto Hokuro, the plump auntie, Hatamoto Mariko, and her pockmarked son, Hatamoto Ichiro, sat at a table.

Backless woman Akie Hatamoto and blond man Kamemoto were sitting at a table.

The second son, the burly Hatamoto Shoji, stood aside helping the Suzuki butler tidy up the tableware.

Finally, it was Xiao Wu who arrived late. He immediately sat down next to Hatamoto Natsue.

Akie Hiromoto couldn't help but say, "It's so late, why hasn't Grandpa arrived yet? Butler Suzuki, go and call him."

The old butler heard the instruction, put down the tableware, and then walked towards the room.

Not long after, the old butler's scream came from the direction of the room. Everyone's expression changed immediately, and they hurriedly ran towards Hatamoto Kurama's room.

The old steward collapsed outside the door, while inside, Hatamoto Kōte, dressed in a kimono, had a wound on his abdomen, blood flowing freely, his body stiff, and his face showing disbelief.

Everyone's expression immediately changed drastically. Xia Jiang screamed in disbelief and tried to run into the room, but Xing Gongyu grabbed him.

After nodding to Hoshimiya Hato, Kogoro Mori immediately shouted sternly, "No one is allowed to enter this room without my permission."

A former police officer and now a famous detective, Kogoro Mouri is still much more professional than the average person when it comes to cases.

With him around, or rather, with Conan around, Hoshimiya Hagoromo doesn't need to get involved.

Just as Hoshimiya Yu remembered, the truth behind Hiramoto Gozo's death was still unknown, but all the suspects present started arguing amongst themselves.

The plump auntie, Mariko Hatamoto, spoke first, pointing the finger directly at the blond man: "I've heard that Turtle Man has a huge debt outside. Could it be that you killed your father so you could quickly inherit the Hatamoto family's assets to pay off the debt?"

Hatamoto Kame repeatedly denied it, but Hatamoto Akie, protective of her husband, couldn't help but say, "Aunt, I think you're the one who really wants Grandpa's inheritance. You made it so obvious on the deck just now. And Uncle has wanted to leave the Hatamoto Group to go it alone for a long time, but Grandpa has always stopped him. And Ichiro, Grandpa even tore up his award-winning painting. Your whole family must have held a grudge against Grandpa for a long time. It's not unreasonable for the three of you to conspire to kill him!"

At this moment, Shoji Hatamoto, dressed in a white suit, spoke angrily: "Enough! Aren't you ashamed enough? Your father just died, and you're talking like this?"

The plump auntie, Mariko Hatamoto, sneered, "Shoji, what are you pretending to be a good person for? We're helping to find the murderer. Don't think I don't know that your restaurant is losing money badly. You wanted to borrow money from Dad, but he scolded you severely. You could very well have killed Dad because of that."

Suddenly, Mariko Hatamoto seemed to remember something: "Oh, right, I almost forgot, we have an outsider here, Takeshi, don't you want to say something?"

Xiao Wu waved his hand: "What should I say?"

Mariko's face instantly turned extremely gloomy: "I overheard everything just now. What Dad called you over to talk about, Xiaowu, I never expected that you were actually the son of Zai Shiro Yuu, who died ten years ago."

111 attacks

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all looked terrified!

The bald man, Qi Benbeilang, looked incredulous. "Xiao Wu, have you come back for revenge? Because ten years ago, your father seized the assets of your Caicheng Consortium, drove your father to his death, and caused your mother to die of depression the following year, leaving you an orphan. So you've come back today for revenge?"

Xia Jiang's pupils contracted rapidly: "Xiao Wu, tell me, is this true? Are you Cai Cheng Yongfu's son?"

Xiao Wu's expression kept changing. Looking at the wary looks on everyone's faces, he couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

“That’s right. Now that you’ve all recognized me, there’s no point in hiding anymore. I am Takehiko Zaijo, the only son of Yuuji Zaijo, who was forced to his death by you. I admit that I had ulterior motives when I approached Natsue at first, but Natsue, I truly love you, and I didn’t kill this old man.”

Upon hearing Xiao Wu's confession, Xia Jiang immediately burst into tears. She no longer believed what Xiao Wu said and turned to run away.

"You little brat, still trying to argue!"

Wearing a white suit, Hatamoto Shoji grabbed Xiaowu: "Besides you, who else would want to kill your father? And your identity has just been exposed by your father. Tomorrow is the wedding. If you don't act today, your father will cancel the wedding tomorrow, and you will have no chance to enter my Hatamoto family and take back your Caicheng Group's assets."

"Yes, and you were the last one to show up at dinner just now, so you had plenty of time to kill someone."

Qiu Jiang couldn't help but echo his agreement.

"I already told you I'm not the murderer, let me go!" Xiao Wu struggled incessantly.

Although she knew this scene would happen, Hoshiguma Yu couldn't help but sigh when she saw it with her own eyes.

What a show! It's got all the elements of a wealthy family feud and a melodramatic revenge plot.

In other film and television works, it would be unreasonable to not make it into thirty or four episodes; only in Detective Conan can it be finished in just two episodes.

After a heated argument, under the speechless gazes of Hoshimiya Yu and her group, Hatamoto Shoji said to Mouri Kogoro, "Detective Mouri, we all believe that this outsider killed my father. What is your opinion?"

Mariko Hatamoto also spoke up, saying, "I think the murderer is this Takeshi Kobu. He was forced to kill someone after his identity was exposed."

Akie Hatamoto and Kameko Hatamoto echoed in agreement.

Kogoro Mouri's expression stiffened, and his professional ethics made him want to say that this was inappropriate.

But faced with the menacing Hiramoto family, he finally wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and tacitly accepted this explanation.

Once you get here, the situation becomes clear.

For these large families, it didn't matter who killed Hatamoto Gozo.

They value property, so using this outsider as a scapegoat is the best option and can eliminate future troubles.

What a despicable and filthy bunch of people! No wonder Hiromoto Gozo preferred to choose the youngest Hiromoto Natsue to inherit the family business rather than them!

Thinking about it this way, it's truly remarkable that Natsue Hitomoto could retain her kind nature in this environment.

Unfortunately, sometimes being naive and kind isn't necessarily a good thing.

Looking at Hatsue Hiramoto, who was silently weeping and grieving for her grandfather's passing, Ran seemed to see a reflection of her past self.

She wanted to go over and comfort her, but didn't know how to start.

Xing Gongyu silently squeezed Xiaolan's hand and gave her a reassuring look.

He wanted to win over Hatsue Hiramoto from the beginning, but his experience over this period of time made him realize that he couldn't judge a person based on his memory alone, so he only had superficial contact with her before and did more observation.

Now that things have progressed to this point, and Hatsue Hiramoto's behavior is as kind and innocent as I remember, she is indeed a beauty worth winning over, so it's time to officially begin making moves.

Besides her good personality, good looks, and great figure, Hoshimiya Yu also values ​​Hoshimiya Yu's status as the heir of the Hoshimiya family.

Now that Hiromoto Gozo is dead, and there is a will, Hiromoto Natsue is the future head of the Hiromoto family, and no one can shake that position!

Even if it exists, Xing Gongyu will nip it in the bud from now on!

In order to achieve his goal, even though he knew Xiao Wu was innocent, he could only make him suffer by being locked up for a while.

Of course, if the murderer is not found, then Xiao Wu will definitely be put in prison by the Yabumoto family.

However, solving the case is Kogoro Mouri and Conan's job. For now, all Hoshimiya Hayao should do is quietly accompany Hiramoto Natsue and silently build up her favorability.

Conan followed behind Kogoro Mouri, and the two searched all the rooms on the ship, but unfortunately they didn't find any particularly useful clues.

At this moment, the group that had just imprisoned Xiao Wu returned to the restaurant, where they were talking and waiting for dinner.

The plump aunt Mariko was the happiest. She said to the bald man next to her, "Dad is dead, Kitaro. The entire Hatamoto Group is yours now. Ichiro can focus on his painting studies and inherit the Hatamoto Group in the future."

The blond-haired Kame-oka spoke up with dissatisfaction, "Auntie, you wouldn't be planning to take all the inheritance for yourselves, would you?"

Mariko laughed, her face glowing: "Of course not, we'll share some with you too."