Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World Chapter 188: Completely Erasing the Traces

"Ms. Suzuki, thank you very much for your help."

An elderly man with white hair bowed deeply to Sonoko, expressing his gratitude with utmost respect.

He was dressed in a traditional kimono, a dark blue haori with a light gray lining and a pale yellow hakama.

Sonoko, who was being thanked, waved her hands dismissively.

"Oh, old man, I've already told you, this cruise ship doesn't belong to . It's Shinomiya's."

"If you want to thank soone, you should be thanking Shinomiya."

The old man, with his sowhat stiff deanor, didn't consider his behavior shaful.

"No, I will thank Miss Shinomiya in person later."

His rigidness gave Sonoko a headache.

"Grandpa, your stubbornness really hasn't changed at all."

The old man had always been this stiff and traditional, even when upset. He was also very formal with people.

No matter how young soone was, if they weren't from the sa social class, his attitude toward them would beco extrely respectful, almost excessively so.

This was a way of humbling oneself before the higher-ups.

Sotis, knowing when to bow your head was an art form.

Being arrogant in front of soone more powerful rarely ends well—attitude often determines the success or failure of a deal.

Is this a kind of condescension? Of course it is.

Is it flattery? Absolutely.

But when one's own abilities or even one's family's capabilities are lacking, then humility becos a type of currency. All that deference is part of the transaction.

While Sonoko was dealing with the old man, Ran was staring at her father in curiosity and helplessness.

"Dad, how did you and this kid end up out at sea?"

"I should be asking you that."

Kogoro couldn't help but ask the question back.

"I brought this kid along because I accepted a commission on a nearby island. But wouldn't you know it, we stumbled into a murder case."

"After we finally wrapped it up and were preparing to leave, we ran into a ship in the harbor with engine trouble."

"If we hadn't been taken in by another cruise ship, we'd have been stranded on that island for at least half a month."

The island was that remote, ships only stopped by once every two weeks. Without help, Kogoro would've been stuck there for quite a while.

He nearly broke down just thinking about it.

Luckily, they encountered a large cruise ship chartered by a wealthy family. But even then, things didn't go smoothly, there was another malfunction at sea.

If it weren't for the second cruise ship that happened to pass by, Kogoro suspected he and Conan would've ended up on a sea survival trip.

And then, unexpectedly, he saw his own daughter on that second cruise ship. That gave Kogoro all kinds of feelings.

"By the way, what are you doing on a cruise ship over the weekend?"

"And what's with the 'Shinomiya' that the second young lady ntioned earlier?"

Ran explained.

"This ti, I'm on the cruise because it's one of our club's outdoor activities."

"The Occult Research Club does these excursions when we have free ti. We investigate mysterious cases and do so fieldwork."

"Outdoor excursions?"

Kogoro looked at her like she was crazy.

"Last ti it was Tsukikage Island, and now it's a cruise ship. Ran, is your club even operating legally?"

"Would the principal of Teitan High School even approve of sothing this ridiculous?"

Seriously!

As a forr high school student himself, Edogawa Conan was very familiar with how strict Teitan High's standards were. There was no way a club like that would get approval.

Ran gave a small smile.

"Well, that's thanks to Shinomiya-san."

"She made a donation to the school when she enrolled."

Kogoro's expression changed instantly. That was sothing only a rich heiress could pull off.

"And all the club expenses are paid by the mbers. The school doesn't pay a single yen."

"What?!"

Kogoro's eyes popped open.

"Don't tell you're paying too?"

"What are you talking about? My allowance isn't even enough to cover snacks."

Ran grumbled, then clarified.

"It's Sonoko, Shinomiya-san, Sanzenin, and Saginomiya who pay."

Kogoro was stunned by the last three nas.

"Uncle, Shinomiya is from the Shinomiya Group, rival of the Suzuki Group."

"Sanzenin belongs to the Sanzenin Group, the one that stirred up trouble a while ago. Didn't the rumors say they tried to wipe out the Shinomiya Group?"

Conan's mind was spinning. From just the surnas—Shinomiya, Sanzenin, and Saginomiya—he quickly figured out which zaibatsu stood behind them.

They were all colossal corporations.

So how did all these elite heiresses end up at Teitan High School?

This question puzzled him deeply.

Back when he was at Teitan High, he had never seen any heiresses of this level transfer in. How had things changed so much in the short ti he'd been away?

"Oh~ As expected of the second Shinichi."

"..."

Conan, naturally, wasn't laughing. Facing her gaze, sharp and unmistakably aid at him, he could only grit his teeth and step forward.

"Sister Ran, I'm Edogawa Conan—not Shinichi."

"That's true."

Ran's eyes remained cold, until her lips curved into a smile.

"Edogawa Conan... yes, that's right."

"It's Edogawa Conan."

Conan, hearing his own na being spoken, felt strangely hollow inside.

He could clearly sense that sothing incredibly important had just vanished, as if it had been lost forever.

Kogoro, noticing the subtle change in his daughter's mood, imdiately changed the subject.

"Ran, when did all these young ladies start transferring to Teitan High?"

"I thought girls like that would all be attending exclusive academies."

His shift in topic worked, Ran's attention moved on.

"Well, Sanzenin and Saginomiya used to attend Hakuo."

"Hakuo? Hiss..."

Kogoro took a sharp breath. Hakuou was a top-class elite academy, well-known even among aristocratic schools.

"As for Shinomiya, she studied at Shuchiin before."

"That's another elite school."

Kogoro widened his eyes further. So he was right, all of these girls originally ca from high-society schools.

But that only raised a new question.

Why would these elite heiresses transfer from prestigious private schools to a public high school like Teitan?

(To be continued.)

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