Chapter 390: Conan-kun Wants to Know the Truth

"Ah, I'm full, I'm full!"

After lunch, Dr. Agasa, Haibara and Akemi returned to the room to rest, leaving Senichi, Conan and Heiji in the living room to discuss the afternoon visit.

Lying on the sofa, Hattori Heiji patted his stomach and lazily said, "Just this meal alone makes me feel like I didn't come here for nothing."

"Really? That's good then." Senichi picked up his teacup and took a sip, saying, "I'll trouble you later."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Hattori Heiji patted his chest and said, "No matter what secrets she's hiding, I promise to expose her true colors!"

"Well, it's still better to be cautious." Despite knowing there's no danger this time, Senichi still reminded him.

"I know, discretion is key." Hattori Heiji's expression turned serious. "Rest assured, I understand the importance of it."

"Well, and it's not clear whether Jodie-sensei has any problems." Conan smiled and said, "Don't be so serious; maybe she's just a regular English teacher."

At this point, Hattori Heiji, with a sly look, nudged Conan and said, "I saw online that your school's students say she's a beauty. Is that true?"

"Well, it's true." Conan nodded, then saw Hattori Heiji take out a digital camera from his bag and exclaimed, "No way, Heiji! Are you planning to..."

"No, no!" Hattori Heiji waved his hand impatiently. "I'm not that foolish. How could I visit for the first time and take pictures of the other person? I'm not a journalist."

"Then why do you have a digital camera?" Conan pointed to the camera in Hattori's hand and asked.

"Well, for some things~" Hattori Heiji turned to look at Senichi, and the two exchanged a knowing smile without saying anything.

"What kind of secret game are you two playing?" Conan, seeing their exchanged smiles, couldn't help but show a suspicious look. "Something's up..."

"You're overthinking it!" Hattori Heiji nonchalantly waved his hand, stood up, and handed the digital camera to Senichi. "I'm going to the restroom. You can familiarize yourself with this camera."

"No problem." Senichi took the camera and said, "Thanks for bringing it all the way here."

"Do you want to shoot something?" Seeing this, Conan asked.

"Well, kind of. I haven't used a digital camera before." Senichi said while fiddling with the camera.

"That's no reason to have Hattori specially bring it from Osaka," Conan complained. "If you want to try it out, just borrow one from someone."

"Hehe, this is the latest model of the camera."

Hattori Heiji, wiping his hands, walked over and said, "Yesterday, Detective Senichi called. After we finished discussing official matters, we chatted for a while. Senichi knew I bought the latest digital camera, so he wanted me to bring it to see the shooting effects."

"Oh... that's why."

"Enough about that. There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time." Hattori Heiji put his arm on Conan's shoulder, pulled him close, and teased, "I heard you want to know the meaning of 'X'?"

"What! How did you know?" Conan was surprised by Hattori Heiji's words, then quickly turned to look at Detective Senichi with some frustration. "Detective Senichi, you told him, didn't you?"

"Well, Hattori inquired about your recent situation." Senichi, fiddling with the camera, explained, "So I told him that you were troubled by this 'puzzle.' But don't be angry. Hattori knows the meaning of 'X,' and you can ask him."

"You know too?" Conan, hearing Senichi's words, looked at Hattori Heiji with an incredulous expression, somewhat questioning life.

What's going on? I'm the only one who didn't know?? Has the mighty 'Great Detective of the East' fallen this far?

"Hehe, Kudo, this time I'm one step ahead." Hattori Heiji rubbed Conan's head with a smug smile.

"Cut it out. I bet you're just as clueless as I am." Conan, displeased with the teasing from his good friend, revealed, "You probably asked someone else too. My guess is with Kazuha, right?"

"It's definitely not!" Although Hattori Heiji refuted with confidence, his tone was a bit guilty. After all, the first half of Conan's guess was right; he really didn't know the meaning of 'X.'

But the answer to this puzzle wasn't obtained by asking Kazuha; it was something Detective Senichi told him last night.

Thinking of this, Hattori Heiji glanced at Detective Senichi. Seeing that the camera in his hands was already adjusted, they exchanged a brief, tacit understanding.

"Alright, enough about this." Hattori Heiji, seeing that Conan was still unwilling to accept it, quickly rubbed his head and said, "How about it? Do you want me to tell you the meaning of 'X'?"

"Just say it!" Conan, having been fooled by Detective Senichi earlier, had long lost patience with this group of teasing friends and said impatiently.

"What's with your attitude?" Hattori Heiji rolled his eyes and said, "Forget it, just answer me one question, and I'll tell you."

"Really?" Conan looked skeptical. "You're not messing with me, are you?"

"I promise I'm not!" Hattori Heiji patted his chest and assured, "And I guarantee it's not nonsense; it's the true meaning of 'X.' Just answer this question for me."

"Just tell me what you want to ask." Conan said impatiently.

"Alright, here's the question." Hattori Heiji grinned, putting his arm around Conan. "Has Mouri-san ever sent you a text with 'X' in it?"

"Is that it?" Conan looked at Hattori Heiji with a face full of suspicion. "I can't shake off this feeling that something's not right."

"You're overthinking it, really."

Hattori Heiji waved his hand and said, "I just want to know if you've received a text with 'X.' If not, even if you know the meaning of 'X,' it won't be of any use."

Conan expressed doubt in response to Hattori Heiji's words, but the condition wasn't particularly difficult. Moreover, the curiosity about the meaning behind 'X' kept growing. The feeling of everyone else knowing it while he remained in the dark wasn't pleasant.

After a brief internal struggle, Conan nodded and said, "Yes, I've received it."

"Received it?" Hattori Heiji's spirits lifted. "You got a text from Mouri-san with 'X'?"

"Yeah, I did!" Conan said impatiently. "I've answered your question; now, you should tell me the meaning of 'X.' You're not planning to ask about the content of the message, are you?"

"Hehe, if you don't mind, I'd like to know." Hattori Heiji grinned mischievously. "But I know you won't tell me, so I'll tell you. However, before that, there's a small 'ritual' to perform; otherwise, it won't have any meaning~"

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