567

When you overthink things, you'll find that many problems arise.

Moreover, these problems mostly stem from your imagination and are baseless.

Senichi naturally understood this principle, so when logic became contradictory, he even wondered if he was overthinking things.

What if he simply didn't want to offend Suzuki Jirokichi? What if he is just doing his job?

These are all entirely possible.

Based on the current situation, Senichi decided it was best to temporarily hold off on taking action.

Of course, this holding off only applied to not interfering too much with Director Hashiyama's actions; what needed to be investigated still had to be investigated.

Although the other party's move to invite an expert from Russia made it impossible to officially file a police report for investigation, it didn't matter much.

After all, besides himself, Conan was also present.

Having an assistant would have been great.

Alas, this is a bit hard on me. There are no reliable teammates to lend a hand. Even Sherlock Holmes had Watson as his partner, but here I am, having to rely on an elementary schooler for help.

This situation is truly tear-inducing.

"So, what do we do now?" Seeing Director Hashiyama leave, Sonoko frowned with her hands on her hips.

"Brother-in-law is definitely right. That jerk doesn't believe us. Maybe he's the culprit!"

"Director Hashiyama's actions were reasonable, and he even gave us some face from his point of view."

Ayako shook her head. "And when Senichi mentioned investigating on his own, he even contacted his secretary to cooperate with Senichi's investigation before leaving. I think he just had some reservations about not wanting to involve the police."

After all, she was now in charge of a burgeoning conglomerate. Since she didn't rely on her own preferences to deal with matters, understanding the other party's actions didn't seem excessive.

And the more famous a person is, the less they want to deal with the police. If this news got out, who knew how the tabloids would spin it the next day.

So, in Ayako's view, the other party's actions were all normal responses. Even Senichi couldn't see the true meaning behind Director Hashiyama's actions at the moment.

Whether it's a normal reaction or an attempt to cover something up, Senichi didn't know, so he chose to observe for the time being.

Of course, understanding aside, emotionally, Ayako still stood by her own people.

Faced with this situation, Ayako chose to rely on Senichi. "What do we do now? If we can't file a case temporarily, then we can't conduct a search."

"It's okay, I'll conduct the investigation personally," Senichi smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, just enjoy it like a normal visit. It's rare to have so many artworks here; just appreciate and enjoy them."

"Okay then, we'll leave it to you," Ayako unconditionally trusted Senichi's decision, especially in his area of expertise.

"I want to drink cola!" After the discussion, Conan whined in a childish tone from the side.

"Huh? Cola?" Ran looked around in distress. "There's no beverages or snacks for sale in the exhibition hall. How about I take you out to buy it..."

"Troublesome brat." Sonoko rolled her eyes at Conan, expressing her disdain.

But Conan knew that Sonoko would find him troublesome, so he used this as an excuse to create an opportunity for Senichi.

"It's okay, you guys go ahead and enjoy," Senichi smiled and smoothly took on the task. "I'll take him out to buy it."

"Then we'll trouble Detective Senichi," Ran smiled and then bent down to instruct Conan, "No causing trouble, understand? Listen to Detective Senichi."

"Ok~~ I got it." Conan obediently responded, then waved goodbye to the two.

"So, what do we do now?" After Ran and Sonoko left, Conan crossed his arms and began to analyze seriously. "Mirror Lake has been swapped. If it wasn't Kaito Kid, then it's likely an insider.

Otherwise, I can hardly imagine who could sneakily take it among such tight security.

After all, this museum houses nearly a hundred world-renowned masterpieces. In other words, this museum is like a pile of gold. Each piece is invaluable, so naturally, the security is top-notch.

To steal a painting unnoticed, it's unlikely to be anyone other than a master thief like Kaito Kid."

If it was one of these master thieves, it would actually be simpler because they would openly admit it.

For example, Kaito Kid would send a notice before taking something, and Lupin III would even leave a card at the scene to let you know who stole the item.

You could say these master thieves have their own "style", and they would leave a signature when stealing something.

So, in this regard, these thieves are all real men who dare to take responsibility for their actions, and their credibility in this regard can be trusted.

But this time, obviously, none of these master thieves have stepped forward. Without the involvement of "high-end talent," then it should be the perpetrator playing some trickery to complete the swap plan.

But no matter what trickery was used, the perpetrator must have been well-prepared to be able to easily carry out the "swap" under such strong security measures.

Looking at the situation overall, the possibility of the thief being an insider is greater, and only this way could they deceive the guards.

Naturally, Senichi understood this point. He thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to examine the behavior of people here; with so many guests arriving now, even if it were useful, it wouldn't be discernible.

Shall we go and see where the oil paintings are stored?"

"Although I doubt your nose will yield any results, examining the structure of the art gallery's storage room could be useful," Conan nodded slightly oddly, agreeing with Senichi's plan.

Senichi naturally understood the underlying sarcasm in Conan's earnest analysis and couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's normal if there's no result. If our analysis is correct, the likelihood of an inside job is high.

And there are many insiders, many of whom have had contact with the paintings. Even if I use my sense of smell, I won't be able to determine which one is the culprit."

After saying that, Senichi stopped dwelling on the topic with Conan. After sighing over the difficulty of having an elementary schooler as his assistant, he took out his phone and dialed the number given by Director Hashiyama earlier.

Soon, the call was answered by a crisp female voice on the other end.