"Why is it still so feminine!!"
Conan inwardly screamed in frustration while looking at himself in the mirror.
And for the first time, he realized what it meant when people said, "Good-looking people look good in anything."
At this moment, no matter how you looked at him, he was a cute little princess. Even wearing a cool and stylish outfit couldn't hide "her" cuteness.
"Damn it, you jerk!! Why put so much effort into this!! Couldn't you have spent this time making a few ordinary masks!"
Conan scratched his head impatiently and expressed dissatisfaction with the elaborate face mask that Senichi had put so much effort into creating.
The long night stretched on, and outside the window, the night sky was adorned with falling snow.
We still don't know how Conan dressed as a girl felt about himself in front of the mirror on that day.
But even if he was dissatisfied... the reality of that moment wouldn't change.
After finally settling his emotions, Conan continually self-hypnotized with reasons like "safety first," "everything is for the mission," and "gathering important information is crucial" to convince himself.
"Oh well..." Conan slapped his face with a serious expression. "Can't waste any more time; we still have to go to Gunma Prefecture. Let's speed up."
But as Conan opened the room door with a serious expression, there were bursts of "clicking" sounds.….
And his mindset exploded….
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Conan covered his face with his hands and roared in despair. "What are you guys doing!!"
"Oh my, the world-famous great detective doesn't know what we're doing right now?"
Haibara continued to be sarcastic while maintaining her expressionless demeanor. "Isn't it obvious? Taking pictures."
After saying this, Haibara turned the phone screen toward Conan, revealing the just-taken photos for him to see.
And that slight curve at the corner of her mouth, almost imperceptible, betrayed that Haibara was not as indifferent as she appeared at the moment.
'Hold it in, gotta hold it in!'
Haibara clenched her fist, reminding herself, "Don't burst into laughter!"
But with his sister's light laughter and Senichi's hearty laughter, Haibara finally couldn't help but start laughing too.
So, Conan, dressed in a girl's outfit, looked at the group of people with dead fish eyes drooping. He felt lifeless.
Ahhh!!
'I've noted down this grudge. Senichi, you old rascal, just wait for me!!!'
"Finished taking pictures? If you're done, hurry up and leave."
Although Conan was screaming internally, his expression remained calm because he knew that the more intense his reaction, the longer the teasing would last.
So, with a calm expression, he looked at everyone and even turned around to educate Senichi, "There's still work to be done. Can't we be a bit more mature now that we're all grown-ups?"
To this, Senichi chuckled, "No, these photos will be beautiful memories in the future. Next time, I'll show them to Mrs. Yukiko, she should like them a lot."
"..."
Silence. A heavy silence followed, and with it came Conan's fierce roar, "You dare!!"
Seeing Conan lose his composure, Senichi sneered but did not continue to press his advantage. Instead, he said with a serious expression, "Enough of the commotion. Let's leave now."
After this statement, the expressions of Haibara and the others became serious, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat heavy.
They all knew that the formidable opponents the two would face next were terrifying. However, with the previous "banter," the worries of the three were somewhat dispelled.
"You... really know how to liven up the atmosphere..." Conan also realized something, seemingly understanding that Senichi's previous actions were meant to relax everyone, including himself.
"If only the one being teased wasn't me." Conan rolled his eyes and silently lamented. Most of his previous displeasure had dissipated.
Meanwhile, Senichi just chuckled as he tacitly accepted the other's statement while secretly reveling in his success.
This kind of playful teasing, followed by a serious face, was an old routine which ensured that the aftermath of the "teasing" wouldn't lead to retaliation. Truly a well-executed plan!
Compared to him, Heiji's methods are really not up to par.
Just brute force, no finesse, no tricks – that's why he and Conan are "mortal enemies."
Although Senichi played a trick on Conan, he elevated the meaning behind his actions during the playful banter.
As for if Mrs. Yukiko got hold of these photos...
Sorry, I didn't know, She just accidentally discovered it – a series of excuses would wrap it up.
Anyway, at that time, it would be Conan's mom overseeing things, so even if her son got tricked, what could he say?
After the laughter, the two disguised individuals drove towards the villa located in Gunma Prefecture, owned by Itakura.
The snowflakes falling from the sky grew larger, and even the ground in Tokyo began to accumulate snow.
As the car headed towards the outskirts, the snow on the road became thicker.
However, it hadn't reached the point where it was impossible to drive. The two of them successfully arrived at Itakura's villa.
"We finally made it."
Conan looked at the sign hanging in front of the villa with the characters "Itakura" on it and felt uplifted. "Now, let's see how we can enter the villa..."
Recalling the contents of the diary, Conan lowered his head and examined the stairs. "I remember the diary mentioned - he received a call from a friend who he hadn't seen for five years from the villa...
Which means, there must be a key hidden around here..."
Satisfied with his deduction, Conan felt a bit joyous inside. After all, Senichi didn't react at all, suggesting that this time, his reasoning might be superior...
But just as he was about to lift his head to tease and taunt Senichi and ask for his help in finding the key, Conan's mouth, which had just opened, couldn't close...
Senichi casually opened the door with his right hand while folding up something in his hand.
"It's... not locked!?" Conan exclaimed. "The villa door..."
"What are you thinking?" Senichi said impatiently. "I picked it, Let's go in."
"You can do this too!?" Conan exclaimed in astonishment. "If I didn't know you were a detective, I would think you're a thief!"
"I know a little, it's just a skill. In the detective profession, you encounter all sorts of situations, having an extra skill isn't a bad thing," Senichi said without much patience as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Besides, this lock isn't that high-tech, a little skill is enough to open it."
Although Senichi's lockpicking skills were only a year old, the lock on the villa door was indeed not a high-tech lock, just an ordinary door lock for the current era.
As everyone knows, locks are constantly updated with technological advancements, and Senichi's lockpicking skills are ahead of the times. In gaming terms, using his skill to open a lock from this era is like having a skill bonus.
So, while Conan was still pondering how to deduce and find the key, Senichi saw that the difficulty of the door lock was not high and effortlessly opened the door with the specially prepared tools.