Chapter 47 We Detectives Rely on Our Brains

Chomei Training Gym.

Gao Mo stored his belongings in a locker and, after waiting only a short while, saw the rather displeased mustached man approaching.

Accompanying him was Ran, who was glaring intently at the mustache. Conan was uncharacteristically absent.

"Honestly, why did you have to tag along? I already told you I'm only here to teach Kido judo."

"That's Conan's living allowance, so of course I have to keep a close eye on you. Besides, I wanted to practice karate anyway..."

"Why not just practice at school?"

"Mr. Kido!"

Spotting Gao Mo waiting by the entrance, Ran brushed off the mustache's complaints and waved cheerfully.

"Sonoko asked me to pass this on to you," Ran said, pulling two thick envelopes from her shoulder bag. "It's the commission fee from last time. She originally wanted to give it to you in person, but she was too shy and didn't dare come."

Gao Mo took the envelopes in slight bewilderment.

He knew Sonoko liked to swoon over handsome guys, but what was this about being too shy to show up?

Just as he was about to open the envelopes to check their contents, a strong wave of malice suddenly washed over him from the passersby around him.

Gao Mo's gaze swept across the seemingly normal pedestrians, but even with his hawk-like perception, he could detect nothing unusual.

Better check them back at home.

The passersby in this world were a bit hardcore.

***

Inside the gym.

After paying the fee, Gao Mo reserved an independent training room for two hours, agreeing to cover any overtime later.

On the other side, the mustache had already changed into his training gear. "I haven't practiced judo in years. How nostalgic... But are you sure you want me to teach you? There are professional judo instructors here, you know."

"I'm sure."

Gao Mo had actually inquired about that earlier.

Whether it was judo or anything else, the instructors here weren't cheap.

Why not use a free option when it's available?

Besides, the mustache might have let his physique go to seed, but his actual judo prowess probably hadn't declined all that much.

"W-Well, alright," the mustache said helplessly. "Let's get one thing straight though: starting to practice judo now might not yield you much of a result."

"Then just teach me some moves to subdue criminals first..."

***

In the gym lobby.

To save money, Ran hadn't rented a training room, choosing instead to wait in the lounge area while keeping track of the time.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a thin mustache and squinted eyes walked past. He exuded a sharp aura, his very eyebrows and mustache looking like unsheathed swords.

"Mr. Suwa..."

Accompanied by a receptionist, the squinting man walked toward the inner rooms with a cold expression.

A few female receptionists whispered among themselves: "I heard Mr. Suwa sold his ancestral treasured sword a while ago."

"No way? I heard it was just mortgaged..."

"Even a guy like that runs out of money?"

"Who knows? Word is he's trying to keep his family's kendo dojo afloat..."

Ran pricked up her ears in curiosity, but when she turned her head, she saw her father and Gao Mo emerging from their room.

"Ow, my lower back," the mustache wheezed, breathing heavily from physical exhaustion. "I'm done for. I really can't keep up with you young folks anymore... And it's not just me saying this, Kido kid, you really aren't cut out for judo."

"What's wrong, Dad?" Ran hurried over to support him.

Gao Mo wore an awkward expression.

It seemed he genuinely lacked any talent for judo. Simple movements just wouldn't click for him, and he had nearly sprained his wrist in the process.

"I'm exhausted," the mustache complained bitterly. "Are you training or am I? If you really want to deal with criminals, I think you'd be better off just honestly building up some muscle."

"Dad, you're so useless," Ran said, nearly lifting her father up with one hand. "You always just drink and never exercise—now you know how out of shape you are, right?"

"What kind of talk is that? We detectives rely on our brains! Besides, it's not my fault this Kido kid is too strong... How does that instructor of yours, Kageyama, do it? He was half-dead before..."

"Excuse me, could you please make way?" The squinting man walked down the corridor, frowning slightly when he saw Gao Mo and the others blocking his path.

Not only was his presence imposing, but his voice was also quite cold, devoid of much emotion.

"Oh, oh."

Gao Mo pulled the mustache aside to clear the way.

It was his first time encountering such a sharp-edged character.

Such a powerful aura.

Both of them were squinty-eyed, but while Suzuki Ayako was gentle and elegant, this guy gave off the feeling that he might open his eyes and kill someone at any moment.

"He seems to be the master of a kendo dojo," Ran whispered by way of explanation.

"Hmph, what's so great about that? This isn't some kill-or-be-killed society anymore," the mustache muttered, disliking that type of person.

"Look who's talking," Ran slapped her father's aging lower back. "What detective is as frail as you? It's time you finally quit drinking!"

"That's one thing I can't quit... Though I wouldn't mind meeting that instructor Kageyama sometime."

The mustache checked the time and, suddenly remembering something, stood blankly for a second before his expression turned to shock.

"I almost forgot! This afternoon is my scheduled meeting with a client... At this rate—Ran, I might not go home tonight, you go take care of that brat."

"I'm the one taking care of him anyway..."

Gao Mo followed them to the locker room to change his clothes. Seeing the mustache's panicked state, he asked casually, "Isn't it still just noon? What kind of client is in such a hurry?"

"It's an affair case involving the wife of a wealthy conglomerate executive," the mustache groaned in frustration. "The tricky part is I haven't figured out who the other man is yet. I was hoping to check this morning... Crap, crap, it's definitely too late now."

"When it comes to affair investigations, there's no need to uncover everything all at once, is there? Just tell them you've already found evidence but need to investigate deeper. There's no strict deadline, right?"

"T-That's true."

The mustache snapped out of his panic and let out a light sigh of relief.

"I almost lost my mind there... But you really know your way around this stuff, kid."

Gao Mo buttered him up, "I learned it all from you, Uncle."

"Ahahaha," the mustache was in high spirits. "This client is the president of the Maru Corporation, and the retainer alone is 300,000. We're going to make a killing! When we get paid, we'll find an excuse to head over to Ginza."

He's already thinking about the hostess bars in Ginza, huh?

Gao Mo glanced sideways at the leering, sleazy-looking man.

He honestly couldn't tell if this guy was just putting on an act or what.

Still... the Maru Corporation. Rich people who hired the mustache rarely ever had a good ending.

Gao Mo stared at the mustache. As he focused his attention, the entire locker room grew noticeably chilly.

The phantom sound of turning pages echoed faintly in his ears, like someone catching the scent of death itself.

The system hadn't given him any role-play missions these past few days, so he would just have to track down some murder cases on his own.

"If it's an affair investigation, could you take me along? I'd love to observe the great detective Mori Kogoro at work."

"Observe? Didn't you mention before that you wanted to become a detective?" Kogoro's mustache twitched upward proudly. "This line of work isn't easy, you know. Don't look at me now that I've made a name for myself; I spent years wandering in obscurity before that.

"Take this affair investigation for instance—there are so many nuances to it. I went through plenty of hardship when I first started out."

Gao Mo's mind conjured up the image of the mustache's *Detective Journal*.

Of course he knew; he had read the mustache's journal from cover to cover purely for entertainment... almost every case where he suffered setbacks was meticulously recorded in there.

"Still," the mustache said, looking at him oddly, "didn't you say you hate being in the spotlight?"

"Let me go back and put on some makeup."

Gao Mo decided to dust off his "Kindaichi" disguise. Since it was an identity already tied to the mustache, it would be a quick way to build up his reputation.

Once his detective agency opened, he would use that persona for publicity.

Thinking of Kudo Yusaku, Gao Mo felt a sudden burst of inspiration.

He didn't need overly complex makeup—the more complex it was, the easier it was to slip up, and the less durable it became.

All he needed was to age himself slightly and alter his features a bit. With his current skill level, it would be an absolute breeze.