The executive lounge of the Sakuramori Hotel was on the 30th floor.

A bright red bar counter and surrounding copper brewing barrels set the basic tone of the space. Just turning back, one could see through the floor-to-ceiling windows a breathtaking high-altitude view stretching from the adjacent Shiba Park almost to the Tokyo Skytree.

Though it wasn't nighttime, hiding here to smoke and drink was as comfortable as it got.

Daisuke Jigen crushed his cigarette butt into the ashtray, extinguishing it.

"Drinking whiskey in broad daylight? Is the bodyguard job really that relaxed?"

Hayashi Yoshiki pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.

Jigen immediately chuckled, "Compared to the guy juggling multiple roles, this job is ridiculously easy."

"Would you like something to drink, sir?"

The bartender behind the bar asked softly.

Hayashi Yoshiki didn't react oddly to Jigen's words and asked the bartender,

"Are the drinks here mainly served neat?"

"Yes, but we do have some basic cocktails."

"Then just a glass of juice for me."

"That's right, make sure it's orange juice."

Jigen curved his lips and grabbed the whiskey glass in front of him.

Orange flavor.

That was the base note of Cointreau.

"You really are a troublesome bunch."

Hayashi Yoshiki responded calmly.

Lupin's gang was like that—ubiquitous and seemingly omnipotent.

Not only had they thoroughly uncovered the identities of Conan Edogawa (Shinichi Kudo) and Ai Haibara, but even the never-exposed Kaito Kid was mocked by Lupin as a mere high school brat.

The bartender placed a glass of orange juice in front of Hayashi Yoshiki.

"Troublesome folks don't get to complain about others being troublesome."

Jigen lit another cigarette and took a drag.

"Gunter von Goldberg II."

The name left Jigen's mouth along with the smoke was a distant memory for Hayashi Yoshiki.

"Seems like after I retired, that guy got quite capable... but ended up dying mysteriously in the US. Poor fellow."

"Yeah, I even asked for his autograph back then. Too bad I carelessly lost it somewhere."

Hayashi Yoshiki smiled as he replied.

Jigen laughed heartily, holding his hat.

Hayashi Yoshiki didn't pay attention to the laughter and took a sip of his juice.

Freshly squeezed orange juice with a touch of sugar, perfectly balanced, sweet and sour.

He didn't look at Jigen, who was leaning back laughing, but after putting down the glass, he asked,

"So, no clue where the ore is?"

"But even if we don't find it, following the Cherry Sapphire afterwards won't be a problem."

Jigen settled back into his seat.

He crushed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, glanced at Hayashi Yoshiki, and said,

"Troublesome... and dangerous guys like you are the most annoying."

"But actually, I'm pretty well-liked."

"Tch!"

Jigen scoffed, but his eyes grew a little serious as he looked at the cigarette butts in the ashtray.

This time, Lupin's gang appeared in Japan because the invisible ore of the Kingdom of Vespania was stolen.

Yes, the very special ore that can't be detected by radar on any missile or vehicle had been stolen and brought to Japan.

To protect Queen Sakura and her heir, Princess Mira, Lupin came to Japan with a detailed plan.

Not only did Jigen appear as the bodyguard of the popular idol Emilio Barretti, but Lupin's theft of the Cherry Sapphire from the bank was also part of his plan.

But how did this guy know all this?

Jigen's gaze briefly flicked to Hayashi Yoshiki.

Discovering Hayashi Yoshiki's hidden identity wasn't hard for them, but the intelligence they got still surrounded him with a veil of mystery.

Was he good or evil?

They found it difficult to decide.

The "illusion" trick Hayashi Yoshiki used at Tsukishima River Pier the night before last also caught them off guard.

But that wasn't really their concern.

After all, their group consisted of killers, thieves, and swindlers... not exactly saints.

Jigen hadn't expected Hayashi Yoshiki to know Lupin's full plan without direct contact with them... and wasn't sure if that would affect the situation.

He figured he should tell Lupin about it.

"Your son is here."

"Huh?"

Jigen looked up to see Conan Edogawa approaching.

Jigen was very curious about being hired as Emilio's bodyguard, so he decided to come here to find out what they were really up to—if possible, he wanted to catch Lupin.

"Hayashi brother is here too~"

Conan called out in a childish tone when he saw Hayashi Yoshiki sitting at the bar.

"Not anymore."

Hayashi Yoshiki, annoyed by Conan's tone, immediately stood up.

Though Conan was puzzled by how fast Hayashi Yoshiki left and wondered if he'd learned something unknown to him... he decided to ask anyway.

"Dad~"

He deliberately called Jigen in a cute kid voice.

Putting aside Jigen's cockroach-eating-like reaction, Hayashi Yoshiki turned and left after secretly recording the scene on his phone and sending the video to someone's email.

Moments later,

Kudou Yusaku: ["...Shinichi must have some plan to accomplish, right?"]

Hayashi Yoshiki: ["No, he seemed pretty happy. Now he's drinking iced coffee with that guy."]

Kudou Yusaku: [...]

After sending a series of ellipses, Kudou Yusaku didn't reply anymore—whether he stayed by the computer doubting life was unknown.

When Hayashi Yoshiki left the lounge and came to the entrance, his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, it's me."

"What?"

"You said Mr. Emilio ran off?"

"...Skytree, right?"

"Okay, I'll inform Inspector Megure and Uncle Mouri. Yeah, you two just watch each other carefully and don't overdo it."

On the other end, Ran's voice sounded a bit embarrassed.

She and Sonoko had wanted to check out the Sakuramori Hotel, but found Emilio fully geared up and about to sneak off while climbing the stairs.

...Kind of like that time with Princess Mira, huh?

Having experienced something like that, Ran felt a bit like complaining.