"Let's discuss the egg another day," President Suzuki cut off the transaction talk.
"Very well, I'll visit again later."
The four guests gathered their belongings, preparing to leave.
At that moment, the president's secretary, Mr. Nishino Masato, who had driven earlier, entered with a rectangular wooden box.
The first three passed him without issue, but Mr. Ryū Hanakawa's expression shifted upon seeing his face, and he hurriedly fled the office.
"Hattori, what's the deal between those two?" Tsuneo, standing off to the side with a clear view, caught Hanakawa's reaction.
"Seems like Hanakawa's scared of him," Hattori replied, rubbing his chin.
Some grudge or bad blood?
Doesn't quite fit.
As they spoke, Nishino placed the box on the table. "President, I brought the egg."
"Please, have a seat," Suzuki gestured to the group.
With the earlier four gone, the room felt more relaxed—mostly allies now.
"Can we see the egg?" Ran asked Sonoko.
"Sure, it's not much to look at. I used to play with it as a kid, like a regular toy," Sonoko said carelessly.
"That extreme?" Hattori whispered to Tsuneo.
Playing with it like a toy? That's wild.
"Whatever you're thinking, it's a hundred times worse," Tsuneo said, guessing Sonoko's "play" wasn't gentle.
Probably kicked it around…
Seated on the sofas, the group admired the 800-million-yen egg up close.
As Sonoko said, it wasn't much to look at.
The oval egg, about ostrich-sized, fit in one hand.
Green, with intricate silver relief patterns, it was delicate but dulled by age, lacking the expected sheen.
"Can it be opened?" Conan asked from beside the table.
"You know your stuff!" Suzuki smiled, lifting the top half to reveal its true form.
"Inside is a model of Emperor Nicholas' family, all crafted in gold."
A family of seven, including a baby, sat reading together, exquisitely detailed with masterful craftsmanship.
"Impressive, so intricate," even the brash Hattori praised sincerely.
"Now that feels worth 800 million," Tsuneo nodded.
"That's not all—it has an interesting mechanism." Suzuki produced a small key, inserted it into the base's lock, and wound it.
As the mechanism activated, the Nicholas family model rose slightly. With soft music, the central golden figure holding a book slowly turned its pages.
The sound was one thing, but the detailed hand movements and flipping pages were remarkable.
"Historical records mention this egg," Suzuki said, flipping open a nearby booklet on the table.
"It's called the Egg of Memories."
"Why does reading together represent memories?" Conan asked curiously.
It felt more like familial bonds than memories.
"Idiot, the emperor gathering his kids to read—that's their cherished memories," Mouri snapped, shutting Conan down.
The egg's name wasn't the only oddity; its embedded sparkling pieces were just ordinary glass.
Hardly matched its value.
"They say Russia faced a financial crisis when crafting this 51st egg, hence the glass," Suzuki explained, half-skeptical himself.
"A starving camel's still bigger than a horse," Tsuneo shook his head.
That excuse was nonsense.
Those tiny glass pieces? Swap them for diamonds, and a sliver from anything would've sufficed.
These weren't ordinary glass—they were worth more than real diamonds.
Still, in the heiress' hands, it was just a toy…
"More than that, I can't figure out the notice. Why would Osaka Castle glow as the 'radiant sky pavilion'?" Hattori mused.
"Dummy, Lord Taiko, who built Osaka Castle, saw its growth as Osaka's light. You don't get that?" Kazuha scoffed.
"Kazuka's got detective potential," Tsuneo admitted, despite it being their first meeting. Her far-fetched logic mirrored a certain uncle.
"Her?" Hattori's lip twitched, barely holding back a laugh.
If she were a detective, she'd let countless criminals slip daily.
"Kid will appear at Osaka Castle's Tenshu, no doubt," Superintendent Chaki declared, entering with Nakamori.
"But 'the clock without a second hand reaching the 12th word'—I still don't get it," Nakamori sighed.
"Isn't it just the 12th sound in the Japanese syllabary?" Kazuha answered instantly.
"The 12th sound…" Ran and Sonoko started counting on their fingers.
"'Si'—that's four o'clock!"
"No, Kid's riddles aren't that simple," Nakamori shook his head, unconvinced.
"Heh."
Mouri finally flashed his all-knowing confident smile.
Tsuneo was waiting for this.
The repairman pulled out his last snack pack, opened it, and prepared to munch while watching.
"I've got it, Officer. It's not the Japanese syllabary—it's the English alphabet!" Mouri declared his deduction.
The 12th letter is L.
On a clock, that's three o'clock sharp!
"Brilliant, as expected of a great detective!" Suzuki's eyes lit up, clapping in praise.
Honestly, Tsuneo didn't know why, but Mouri's words always carried an inexplicable conviction.
Even Chaki, standing nearby, instantly bought it: Kid's move was set for 3 a.m. on the 23rd.
"Hahahaha~~~" Mouri let out his triumphant, unrestrained laugh.
(End of Chapter)
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