"This is the place..."
After hearing the location from Nakajima Hideaki, Conan didn't bother listening to the emotionally wrecked killer, Takeshita Hiroshi. He immediately dashed out of the hall, rushing straight toward the Daikoku Building.
The towering commercial building had more than twenty floors. Conan entered the elevator, staring anxiously as the numbers climbed.
Once he reached the top floor, he raced along the signs leading to the "Cocktail" bar.
As Conan ran into the elevator on the left, the elevator on the right—which had just arrived at the ground floor—opened, and Amuro Tooru stepped out, head bowed under a beret.
He exited the building and got into a car parked by the street, picking up his phone to make a call.
"BOOM——!"
Another deafening explosion erupted. A column of black smoke burst from the top floor, with building debris raining down from over twenty stories high into a deserted junkyard behind.
Only after confirming there were no civilian casualties or property damage did Amuro start the car, driving off to switch back to his own Mazda at a nearby lot.
[Kazawa has already sent Tarazawa back to the café. He's conducted a quick ID of the suspects involved in this case. No confirmation on the investigator yet, but the lawyer claiming to represent the Tarazawa couple has been identified.]
[Good.]
Amuro finally let out a breath, lazily sent Gin an email saying the mission was complete, and leaned back in the driver's seat with a can of soda. He wasn't in the mood to return to the café just yet.
He didn't know where Gin had stockpiled all that gunpowder, but Amuro figured he might as well use up the entire stash—better to blow it all now than leave it lying around as a future risk. At least this way, the explosion was controlled under his own arrangements, minimizing harm to public safety.
While the dedicated agent enjoyed a brief moment of stolen peace, Conan—only halfway there—could only stare blankly at the blazing ruins of the bar, eyes filled with fury.
Once again—so close to the truth, and yet...!
He pounded the ground with a clenched fist in frustration.
The neon sign reading "Cocktail" collapsed into the blazing wreckage, the light vanishing into black smoke and raging flames. The bar was now nothing but scorched rubble, swallowed once again by darkness.
————
Meanwhile, back at the café, Tarazawa wasn't staying put.
Using the excuse of going shopping, he walked into an empty alleyway, opened the system map, and habitually scanned the Tarot locations—just to check if Akai Shuichi was lurking nearby. But his finger froze before tapping the screen.
Can someone please explain why Amuro Tooru's Tarot and Conan's Tarot were so close together?
Kazawa replayed the timeline of the case in his head—and fell silent.
Could it be... since Amuro's in Tokyo right now, the Organization forced him into bombing the bar?
Poor Conan. He's probably losing his mind right now...
These "Red Team" members really had a talent for sabotaging each other...
Speechless at his dysfunctional allies, Kazawa tapped the navigation button.
The world twisted before his eyes. Already used to this sensation, Kazawa closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them, the familiar Poirot Café had transformed into a movie theater.
He walked to the theater's front entrance, looking up at the glowing neon sign:
"ZERO CINEMAS"
Still wearing his trench coat and not immediately changed into a phantom thief outfit, it seemed the owner of this domain wasn't hostile or wary toward him.
Kazawa followed the carpeted steps and joined the queue of shadows at the entrance, entering the theater unimpeded.
The decor was almost identical to a real-life movie theater. From the high ceilings hung dazzling chandeliers that lit up the posters on the walls.
"'Mission Impossible,' 'The Police Wars'... All spy thrillers and crime films, huh." Kazawa chuckled at the wall of familiar faces. "Amuro's inner world is more dramatic than I thought."
Just then, he paused.
In front of the ticket counter stood a circle of display cases lit by spotlights, like a merchandise booth selling movie memorabilia.
But unlike the crowded queues, no shadowy figures came near this spotlighted area. Only Kazawa approached it, quietly.
"Welcome, customer."
As soon as he stepped into the light, a man behind the register raised his head and smiled warmly. "These items are not for sale, I'm afraid."
The man had soft black hair and a charming, flirtatious face that women would probably adore. Kazawa instantly recognized him.
Hagiwara Kenji—Amuro's police academy classmate.
Kazawa studied his face, then returned a friendly smile. "May I take a look around?"
"Be my guest." Hagiwara shrugged, stepping aside. "Feel free to ask me if you have questions. All of these are authentic props used in the movies—one-of-a-kind items!"
Kazawa gave him another glance before shifting his focus.
He guessed that Amuro's service-mode smile had been copied straight from this guy—the angle and arc were practically identical, like a textbook formula.
Kazawa walked onto the golden-carpeted display floor, examining the items one by one.
A five-petal cherry blossom police badge gleamed inside a velvet-lined case, next to a cracked ten-inch photo showing five young officers in uniform laughing and hugging.
A bloodstained toothpick, placed solemnly in a transparent box, was surrounded by white tulips, like a bridal bouquet arranged with painful care, dewdrops glimmering like tears in the spotlight.
A natural wood guitar hung on the display wall, with a blurred handwritten card beside it.
To its side stood a podium-like display with a shattered phone, riddled with bullet holes...
Kazawa took a deep breath and stopped looking closely, just sweeping his gaze around the golden, deserted exhibition hall.
"Leaving already, customer?" Hagiwara asked in surprise as Kazawa turned to go.
"No, just heading in. The movie's about to start."
Smiling politely, Kazawa walked toward the ticket queue.
As he stepped up to the counter, he wasn't surprised to meet a pair of bright blue eyes.
The man wore a tailored three-piece suit. He blinked when he saw Kazawa, cat-like eyes curving in a gentle smile.
"Not many guests have the same blue eyes as me. Sorry, I got distracted... The 3 o'clock showing is just about to start. You're still in time. Would you like any snacks with your ticket?"
"Yes. A large popcorn."
Kazawa glanced at the name tag reading Morofushi Hiromitsu, then looked away.
"Alright."
Hiromitsu turned to get a big tub of popcorn and handed it to Kazawa along with a ticket. "Your ticket and popcorn, sir. Enjoy the movie."
Kazawa accepted both and asked, "Do you enjoy working here, sir?"
"Hmm?"
Caught off guard, Hiromitsu looked puzzled, then smiled. "I do. It's a very relaxing place. And I love movies."
"That's good."
Kazawa tightened his grip on the popcorn and walked toward the ticket gate.
He'd only come to scout the place and maybe peek into this undercover agent's mental landscape...
"How did I end up almost getting emotionally wrecked myself," Kazawa muttered.
"You really can't afford to be this fragile, Kazawa."