It was a leisurely weekend, and Kogoro Mouri was sitting in his detective agency, reading the newspaper.
There had been no business lately, which was starting to get to him.
Thankfully, he had a lot of money saved, so he could spend freely. Even without any work, he wouldn't be too embarrassed.
Ran Mouri, next to him, was passionately recounting a recent rumor:
"Apparently, the armor in this art museum moves by itself at midnight. The news has spread around the neighborhood. It sounds really interesting. How about we all go check it out?"
Kogoro Mouri peeked out from behind the newspaper and burst out laughing:
"Armor moves by itself? That's hilarious, hahahaha!"
Conan was also amused and quipped:
"Ran-san, that's a story the art museum made up to attract customers, just to fool kids. Don't believe those rumors."
What? You're a kid too, and you're lecturing me?
Seeing their dismissive attitude, Ran raised her fist.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed as the iron office desk was punched in.
The desk was completely startled, inexplicably receiving a punch, leaving a dent in its corner.
"So, are we going now?"
This physical persuasion was very effective. How could they refuse?
Conan looked helpless. That's just how Ran was, violent when she didn't get her way.
Kogoro Mouri also felt a headache coming on. He knew he shouldn't have let his daughter learn karate.
"Alright, it's settled. We'll go at 2 p.m."
…
Suzuki Byakuya was on vacation today with no plans for the morning.
He was lying on the sofa at home, doing nothing, like a useless fish.
On television, a rerun of Yumi Kusuda's variety show was playing.
This young idol had been quite popular recently, seemingly becoming a top star in Mita City.
But the waters of the entertainment industry were truly deep.
Behind the dazzling glamour, there were always unknown transactions.
Things like being kept, mistresses, and group activities happened all the time.
Rich people sought excitement, and their depraved behavior was practically boundless.
Suzuki Byakuya had a pretty good understanding of the entertainment industry.
If you said that some female artist was hugely popular because she was beautiful, it wasn't a valid argument.
There were plenty of beautiful women in the entertainment industry. Why was she the chosen one?
Behind every business operation, there were certainly profit deals involved.
He didn't know when, but in both his past and present worlds, female artists had become commodities.
Their looks, physique, and skills were all considered secondary values of the commodity.
Whether the capital backers behind the scenes wanted to make this commodity popular, they often looked more at the connections behind the commodity, or what kind of profit they could get from the commodity. Only then did it have value for cultivation and development.
Around noon, Byakuya went out.
After lunch, he went to a communications store and bought a new phone card.
He didn't need his old card anymore. He canceled it right there.
Since he couldn't remember his past, he might as well start fresh.
He sent a group message to everyone he knew from after he transmigrated, leaving his new phone number.
As for what his original self had done, Byakuya didn't care.
He didn't want to be connected to his past friends. It would be awkward if they chatted and he revealed something out of place.
He heard from his cousin that he was born into a branch of the Suzuki family.
His relatives had perished in a fire, and only he survived. He disappeared for a few years before reappearing.
Suzuki Sonoko was now the heir to the Suzuki conglomerate. Building a good relationship with her would lead to a lot of benefits later on.
Seeing that he had plenty of time, Byakuya went to a hair salon.
After all, he was handsome now. He had to pay attention to his appearance and couldn't be as unkempt as before.
He finished his hair just in time. Byakuya arrived at the Nakase Art Exhibition punctually.
"Ding-dong."
He felt his thigh vibrate and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
It was a call from Suzuki Sonoko, and she had canceled their meeting:
"Sorry, Byakuya-kun, my parents are back. I have to go see them. I probably won't be able to go to the art exhibition today. You can go see it by yourself first. We'll reschedule it for another time."
"No problem. We can reschedule. By the way..."
Byakuya deliberately paused.
Sonoko asked curiously:
"What's wrong, Byakuya-kun?"
"I remember you said at the villa last time that your dad would bring back the family heirloom?"
At the villa for the magic enthusiasts gathering, Conan said that Toichi Takagi was Kaito Kid.
Sonoko mentioned the jewel in front of him, which would inevitably draw attention.
As expected, Kaito Kid would release an announcement, and the Black Star would be stolen.
Currently, all the items (abilities) in the system mall were from Ran Mouri, Shinichi Kudo, and Kaito Kid.
To improve his strength and complete the main quest, Byakuya had to discover more abilities from them.
He had met Ran Mouri several times, and there were no more items to dig up.
The scumbag Kudo Shinichi had disappeared, and his whereabouts were unknown.
The best option currently was to find Kaito Kid.
Besides his magic skills, he should have many abilities that didn't conform to scientific laws.
"Yeah, we'll have a cruise ship exhibition at home later."
"Can I come along?"
"Sure, I'll talk to them later. I'll let you know if I get an answer."
"No problem. Thanks in advance."
"Don't mention it. I'll hang up now, Byakuya-kun."
It was inevitable that his cousin would bail on him.
He was already here, so he might as well go inside.
Suzuki Byakuya bought a ticket and entered the art museum hall.
Art was quite magical.
Depending on their experience, everyone could understand different things.
The basic attributes of painting were actually quite simple.
Using paper, ink, paint, and other media, it conveyed a certain thought of the artist through visual effects.
It was similar to recording methods like novels, audio, and photography. In essence, they were all about transmitting information.
The difference was that painting, novels, and photography all used visual impact, while music used auditory impact.
All four could express a certain thought of the artist, and thus evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
As everyone knew, the price of paintings was many times higher than that of novels, audio, and photography.
The paintings of famous masters were even more expensive, selling for hundreds of millions of yuan.
Despite their similar nature, the extra value was added artificially.
Just like how outsiders often joked about it, saying that paintings were worth more after a person died.
Suzuki Byakuya didn't come here just to cultivate his temperament.
He was simply bored. He had nothing to do at home, so he went out to see things.
He could use this as a talking point later when flirting with girls, bragging a bit.
"Suzuki-san, what a coincidence!"
The voice sounded familiar.
Byakuya turned his head and saw Ran Mouri waving to him. Next to her were a reluctant Conan and Kogoro Mouri.
Mita City was really too small. He ran into them here?
…