"B-But that person is already dead…" Ayumi tried to protest in a small voice.
Surprisingly, the three kids were completely united when it came to the treasure.
"Heh, little girl, you're still too naive," the square-faced man sneered. "Whether he's dead or alive, those gold coins belong to us. If he were still breathing, we might've bothered playing by the rules."
Almost no one believed him.
Shimizu Koji certainly didn't.
Gold coins tied to dirty money—especially the kind that's hard to cash out—were basically a harmless, overfed pig.
A pig that had already fried itself golden brown.
Anyone could take a bite.
These robbers really had no idea how badly they were thinking this through.
"So if we help you find the gold, you'll let us go?"
Koji asked calmly.
The square-faced man nodded. There was no need to lie about that.
Killing people and robbing money were two different things. The three bodies on the ground were already dead—no point worrying about them. But the people standing in front of him clearly had legitimate identities.
His organization was already under pressure lately. He wasn't stupid enough to invite more trouble.
And even if Koji and the others reported this later, there'd be no evidence. And even if there were… it wouldn't really matter.
So murder had never been part of the plan.
Unless Koji intended to fight back while dragging a group of kids along—which was obviously impossible.
"H-Hey, Koji, you—"
Conan instinctively grabbed Koji's sleeve, but when Koji lowered his head and met his gaze, Conan froze, unsure what to say.
"Why? Do you want the treasure too?"
Koji asked.
He found Conan hard to read.
Or maybe this was exactly what was normal.
Conan hesitated, then shook his head and stayed quiet.
To be honest, he didn't want to hand over the treasure either.
Not because he wanted it for himself—but because stolen money should be turned over to the police.
Still, given the situation, they had no real choice. Koji's plan was clearly the best possible outcome.
The enemy outnumbered them badly, and aside from Koji, everyone on their side—including Conan himself—was basically dead weight.
"Well?" the square-faced man pressed. "Decide yet?"
Koji didn't answer.
Instead, he raised his hand and fired a shot straight at the pitch-black ceiling.
The sudden gunshot made the thugs jump—but they immediately understood what he was doing.
Crash!
A large cloth sack dropped from above, bursting open as it hit the floor. Even in the darkness, gold coins scattered everywhere, gleaming brightly.
The square-faced man looked shocked.
Koji holstered his gun and explained casually,
"Your men searched everywhere. The place isn't that big. If it wasn't on the ceiling, there was nowhere else it could be."
The bag had been suspended by some kind of mechanism. Strangely enough, it might've been easier to spot in daylight—yet no one had noticed.
Koji guessed the former boss probably moved the stash regularly… or had hidden it there not long ago.
"Tch. Damn good aim," the square-faced man remarked.
His men were already scrambling on the floor, gathering up the coins.
"Just good eyesight," Koji replied. "So, can we leave now?"
"Be my guest."
The man stepped aside, even deliberately moving farther away to make his intentions clear.
The Detective Boys and Conan headed down the stairs one by one. Koji stayed behind to bring up the rear.
Just as Koji was about to follow, the square-faced man called out again.
"Wait."
He tossed something through the darkness.
Koji caught it easily—it was a small cloth pouch. Heavy. Filled with coins.
He weighed it in his hand. Definitely gold.
Before Koji could speak, the man added,
"Consider it payment. You did us a favor."
Koji said nothing. He simply accepted the unexpected windfall.
Then he led the children away from the trouble behind them.
"Boss, why'd you give them money? We need cash right now—"
one of the men protested.
The square-faced man waved him off casually. The orange glow of his cigarette flared in the dark.
"It's fine. It was only a little. And don't forget—those are the rules. They helped us more than you think."
"I… I get it."
There was something he didn't say out loud.
He'd spent years in the underworld and met all kinds of people—including some truly dangerous ones.
Shimizu Koji looked young, but he was anything but simple.
Surrounded by more than a dozen men, Koji never wavered. The square-faced man had a gut feeling—if Koji hadn't been worried about the kids, and if he'd actually wanted the treasure…
Things wouldn't have ended so peacefully.
Remembering Koji's calm, bottomless eyes, he shook his head and pushed the thought aside.
As for Koji, he barely thought about the gold at all.
To him, it was practically free money. He hadn't even worked that hard for it.
Safely getting the kids out was already a win.
Feeling unusually generous, Koji paid for taxis to send Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi home. He and Conan walked back to Beika Town together.
After all, the kids' taxi fares could be paid on arrival.
His and Conan's? That came straight out of his pocket.
"Hey," Conan finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity,
"what did they give you in the end?"
"A small bag of gold coins."
Koji didn't bother hiding it. The clinking sound when he caught the pouch had been pretty obvious.
"Let me see!"
Conan immediately leaned closer, eyes wide.
After everything they'd gone through, he hadn't even gotten a clear look at the treasure.
But Koji didn't hand it over like before.
"I've got a bad feeling that letting you see it would be a mistake."
Conan froze.
All along, he had been thinking about reporting everything to the police—and the gold Koji carried was the best evidence.
He'd planned to relax Koji's guard through casual conversation, but he got impatient.
And Koji saw right through him.
Pure instinct—breaking the plan before it even happened.
Grinding his teeth, Conan made up his mind.
"Just let me see it. I promise I won't call the police."
"Looks like my intuition was right," Koji said flatly.
"You were thinking about reporting it. So no. Still not happening."
Conan's eyes widened. He hurried ahead and stood in front of Koji, staring at him like he was seeing him for the first time.
But he had to see it. That was his loot!
"I—I'll buy it!"
"No, wait—Shinichi! Shinichi likes this kind of thing! I can have him buy it!"
Koji stopped walking.
Under Conan's confused gaze, Koji reached into his jacket.
Then—flick.
A single gold coin bounced off Conan's forehead.
"Ow!"
"Take it," Koji said. "A souvenir. And a lesson.
You're smart, kid. No doubt about that. But if I hadn't been there today, you and your friends might've ended up saying goodbye to the world."
Conan rubbed his forehead, wincing.
He wanted to argue—but couldn't.
Because Koji was right.
Still… Conan realized something.
Koji wasn't quite what he'd imagined. Not antisocial at all—if anything, he had a slightly twisted sense of humor.
And despite it being stolen money, Koji looked completely at ease holding onto it.
Watching Koji wave without turning back and walk into his house—clearly not inviting him in—Conan suddenly felt something strange well up inside him.
A strong feeling.
One he didn't quite know how to describe.
A kind of… NTR feeling.