"Hi! Coolkid?~ And Senichi-kun, we met again~!"
On the bus.
Accompanied by a neon-lit voice with a slightly unusual tone, Jodie's enthusiastic smile appeared before everyone.
"Hey~," Senichi greeted Jodie with a smile, playfully asking, "Are you out on a date with your boyfriend today?"
"Dr. Tomoaki is taking me to the Art Museum for a date~" Jodie replied with a smile, wrapping her arm around Tomoaki in a straightforward manner.
"Not true!"
Tomoaki had been wanting to retort since Genta mentioned it, but he got interrupted by Jodie and the others' conversation and never got the chance to speak up.
Seeing that if he didn't respond, Jodie was about to "close the case" for him, Dr. Tomoaki sat down in the seat in front of Conan and the others, waving his hand repeatedly as he explained, "It's not what you guys think. Jodie-sensei and I just happened to bump into each other at the bus stop."
"Oh! Not giving a lady face isn't a gentleman's behavior, you know!" Jodie expressed her dissatisfaction with Dr. Tomoaki's denial.
"If rumors about us spread at school, it would be troublesome for both of us, right?"
"Oh! Yes!"
Jodie, as if just realizing it after hearing Dr. Tomoaki's words, quickly nodded.
Meanwhile, Haibara, who had switched seats with Conan and was now huddled and trembling in the corner by the window wearing a hat.
Her keen sixth sense related to the winery sensor told her that one of those organization guys was lurking on this bus!
Senichi, too, had noticed a tall man following the two of them onto the bus—this man was wearing a deep blue knitted hat and coughing occasionally behind a mask.
Clearly, this was a crucial supporting character with exceedingly high popularity in Conan's world—Shuichi Akai.
Just how important was he?
Shuichi Akai had once infiltrated the Black Organization as "Dai Moroboshi" and was given the codename "Rye". After his cover was blown, due to Shuichi's formidable strength, the organization considered him the "Silver Bullet" that could threaten the organization's survival.
Conan, after a series of performances, was eventually dubbed by Vermouth as the "Second Silver Bullet" capable of destroying the organization.
In other words, Conan, the protagonist, was given the title of "the second of someone" in order to play up each other's strengths and showcase both parties' prowess.
This alone is enough to illustrate the point.
Of course, after briefly taking notice of the other party, Senichi quickly averted his gaze. This wasn't only because lingering too long might attract unwanted attention, but also because Senichi had already noticed the two men who had boarded the bus last.
Their attire was quite attention-grabbing. Despite being on a bus, they were already wearing hats and protective goggles, with their mouths covered by raised collars. They were also holding long ski boards.
"Hey, everyone, take a look!"
Genta pointed at the two men who had just boarded the bus and exclaimed, "Can you believe it? These two are already wearing ski gear on the bus. It seems like they're really looking forward to skiing!"
As Genta marveled at this, Senichi stood up and walked straight toward the two newcomers.
"Hey... Officer Senichi, we haven't reached our stop yet..."
Just as Conan was about to question Senichi's actions and stop him, the two men standing by the bus door saw someone approaching them, seemingly wanting to get off.
Witnessing this, one of the men immediately pulled out a gun from his ski bag!
And just as the gun-wielding right hand was about to aim directly at Senichi, Senichi made his move!
The slightly heavy poker card was slammed straight into the man's face. In the next moment, Senichi's arms clamped down like iron pincers on the man's hands, and a fierce knee strike hit the man's abdomen.
"Gah..."
Despite the thick ski suit providing some cushioning, facing Senichi's unrestrained full-force knee strike, the man still lost all his strength in an instant.
This scene had been practiced countless times in Senichi's mind. He swiftly snatched the gun from the man's limp right hand.
"Bang!!"
It wasn't until the sound of the gunshot echoed that the passengers on the bus witnessed the fight before them, and snapped out of their daze and began screaming in panic.
"Ahhhh!!"
Amidst the chaotic screams, mixed in with the passengers' shrieks, was a wail that even surpassed the terrified cries of the many passengers.
While Senichi was fighting with one of the criminals, the other criminal, seeing the situation turning dire, immediately attempted to draw his gun to subdue Senichi.
However, unfortunately for him, Senichi, who had already rehearsed countless scenarios in his mind, was well aware of the potential actions of the other person that could turn the tables.
As Senichi snatched the firearm from the criminal's hand, his terrifyingly keen reflexes had already anticipated the man's movements. Therefore, in the split second that Senichi grabbed the gun, he pulled the trigger without hesitation!
Although Senichi only had three years of firearm experience, facing a target that was practically face-to-face and less than a meter away, even a complete novice who had never held a gun before couldn't possibly miss.
From the muzzle that spewed flames, a bullet hit the firing pin, igniting the gunpowder inside the bullet. The tremendous kinetic energy propelled the bullet to swiftly embed itself into the right arm of the other armed criminal.
"Thud!"
The heavy firearm clattered onto the bus floor, while the man who had previously intended to engage Senichi froze as he heard the gunshot and then saw the now-blackened muzzle pointed at him. He stood there motionless.
"Don't... don't shoot..."
Hearing the agonized cry of his companion beside him, the criminal who had been fighting Senichi unsteadily tried to raise his hands, but in the next moment, he was kicked down by Senichi. He crashed into the other criminal who was holding his arm and howling in pain.
After all, Senichi was alone, and facing a pair of criminals who were relatively close and still capable of resisting, wasn't safe at all. So, keeping them down was the best option.
"Don't move! Just stay down quietly!" Senichi's voice was cold as he held the gun. "If there's any significant movement, I won't hesitate to shoot!"
Under his stern command, the two criminals with the black gun barrels pointed at them remained sprawled on the ground, too afraid to move.
It wasn't until this moment that the passengers present realized that someone had apparently attempted to hijack the bus, and someone had suppressed the criminals.
Everything had happened so quickly that the passengers didn't realize what had just happened until all the dust settled.
As the tension eased while Senichi restrained the criminals, no one expected that the next moment, Senichi would slowly squat down, pick up the other dropped gun from the ground, and then aim it directly at the passengers on one side of the bus.
Seeing this, the atmosphere that had just begun to relax immediately tensed up again.
What's happening?
From the wolf's den into the tiger's lair?
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member, if possible!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
~⭐NEW⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - +32 advance chapters
~Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
~Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +127 advance chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------