Chapter 11: Coach, She Is Charging with the Ball (Please Vote, Please Favorite)

Combining the words of Butler Aso, Seimei Suzuki had already recalled the general plot of this kidnapping case.

If Seimei’s memory served him correctly, this kidnapping had actually been orchestrated by the kidnapped girl herself, with the help of Butler Aso. Akiko Tani had planned it simply because she believed that if her father’s company were to shut down, he would finally have time to play with her. It was precisely for this reason that the butler had persuaded Mr. Tani to hire a private investigator to resolve the matter rather than calling the police. However, what Butler Aso had not anticipated was that while he had told Akiko to wait at a nearby restaurant, real kidnappers had taken notice of her, turning a staged kidnapping into a genuine one. It was a classic case of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes."

Although Seimei remembered the gist of the plot, he could not recall the exact location of the kidnappers and Akiko, only vaguely remembering it was something like a school warehouse. After all, the *Detective Conan* anime spanned over a thousand episodes and had been updated for more than twenty years. The plot of the first few hundred episodes was something Seimei had watched in his childhood during his previous life; the fact that he could still remember the rough outlines was already quite impressive.

Kogoro Mouri pondered for a moment, then turned to the two maids and asked, "By the way, besides Mr. Aso, did anyone else hear the culprit's voice or any other unusual sounds?"

The two maids thought for a moment and replied, "No. Other than hearing Mr. Aso shout that the young lady had been taken, we didn't hear anything else."

"Arie-rie~ Sister Ran, don't you think that's strange?" A gleam flashed in Seimei’s eyes as he deliberately adopted a tone of innocent naivety.

Ran Mouri leaned down and asked, "Seimei, did you notice something?"

"Sister Ran, look at the corner of the courtyard over there. There is a large dog tied up, yet when the culprit snuck into the yard, it didn't bark at all. The guard dogs I have at home bark as soon as they see a stranger~"

"That’s it! I understand now! The culprit is you—Butler Aso!" A flash of inspiration struck Kogoro Mouri. He pointed his finger at the guilty-looking butler and declared, "The maids have made it very clear: aside from your shouting, there were no other sounds or barking in the yard. Therefore, the culprit who kidnapped the young lady is you, an inside job!"

Mr. Tani grabbed the butler by the collar and shouted in a rage, "Aso, you bastard, why would you do this? Have I ever mistreated you in all these years? Who put you up to this?"

"M-Master, I am truly sorry. This matter was actually..."

"Master, it's terrible! The kidnappers are calling again!" Before Butler Aso could explain, a maid ran over, looking panicked.

"What?!"

Butler Aso’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Mr. Tani barked furiously, "You scoundrel, you actually have accomplices!"

"No, Master! I only collaborated with the young lady to stage a fake kidnapping. I arranged for her to wait at a nearby restaurant; there are no other accomplices!" Realizing something was wrong, the butler hurriedly explained the sequence of events.

"What did you say? Then this guy is..."

"Daddy, please come save me! I'm so scared... mmm, mmm..."

Hearing his daughter’s plea for help over the phone, Mr. Tani could no longer remain calm. He begged in a desperate tone, "Please, don't hurt Akiko! I will agree to whatever you want!"

"Very good! If you want to keep your daughter alive, hurry up and prepare three hundred million in ransom. I don't have much patience; I'm giving you half an hour. Once time is up, I don't know what I might do!"

"Hello? Hello? Hello..."

Listening to the dial tone, Mr. Tani was frantic. He instinctively turned to Kogoro Mouri as if he were his last hope, "Mr. Mouri, please, save my daughter!"

Kogoro Mouri remained composed, "Don't panic. Just in case, follow the kidnapper's instructions and prepare the three hundred million in cash. In the meantime, I will find a way to rescue your daughter."

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Mouri."

"Woof, woof, woof..."

A burst of barking suddenly drew everyone's attention. Seimei Suzuki was holding a pink rubber ball, waving it in front of the waist-high Dogo Argentino.

"Seimei, don't be naughty, it's too dangerous." Seeing this, Ran Mouri ran over without a second thought, scooped Seimei into her arms, and pulled him away from the fierce-looking dog.

Seimei said helplessly, "Sister Ran, I wasn't being naughty. I was wondering if we could use this guard dog to find the kidnapped girl."

"That's right! The dog must be very familiar with Akiko Tani; it might actually be able to find her location." Reminded, Kogoro Mouri reacted instantly. He rushed forward to untie the dog and ran out, following it.

"Daddy..."

Ran Mouri was stunned for a moment, but then she took off running. Even while carrying Seimei, her speed was no less than Kogoro’s.

"Pat, pat, pat..."

Held in Ran Mouri’s arms, Seimei felt a bit jostled and his face felt a little sore. *Coach, she's colliding with the ball!*

Because this kidnapping was a last-minute improvisation by the culprit, he definitely wouldn't have gone too far while dragging a child. The guard dog led the three of them for over ten minutes, winding through several streets, before finally charging into the Erqiao Middle School.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

The kidnapper, hiding in the school warehouse, turned pale upon hearing the barking outside. The reason he had taken Akiko to the school warehouse was that the students had already left, so he didn't have to worry about attracting attention. If he let the dog keep barking outside, it might draw the attention of nearby residents, which would be very troublesome.

A cold glint flashed in the kidnapper's sinister eyes. He picked up a baseball bat and walked viciously toward the warehouse entrance.

"Damn stray dog, get lost..."

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The moment the kidnapper opened the warehouse door, a flurry of punches erupted like raindrops, landing squarely on his chest and abdomen, sending him flying into the air.

"BANG!!!"

Ran Mouri suddenly raised her right leg, delivering a beautiful roundhouse kick that landed heavily on the kidnapper's head. He was sent flying several meters away, crashing to the ground and losing consciousness on the spot.