In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 252 Teacher's Kindness and Disciple's Filial Piety

Chapter 252 Teacher's Kindness and Disciple's Filial Piety

The banquet lasted until the moon was high in the sky. Tsuchiya Masuko, who couldn't resist drinking too much, got completely drunk and fell fast asleep on the side. It was fine for the men to sleep on the floor, but not for Tsuchiya Masuko.

Those present knew that once Tsuchiya Masuko got drunk, she slept like a log, and no matter what, it was impossible to wake her up before she sobered up.

In this respect, Kogoro Mouri, who is often drunk and has a hangover, is obviously more experienced. He can not only sober up quickly, but also has a much higher alcohol tolerance than the others present.

All of these combined can't outdrink anyone else.

Hiko Akutagawa thought that if Kogoro Mouri could publish a book on how to quickly sober up, he would definitely make a fortune.

"Let me take the young mistress back to her room."

Arita Yoshihiko, with his long chin, picked up Tsuchiya Masuko around the waist and left quickly after Kikuemon nodded. He returned a few minutes later, swaying slightly.

It's a wonder he didn't knock Tsuchiya Masuko over after drinking so much; if she had hit her head, things would have gotten quite interesting.

To be honest, this incident didn't escalate to the point of murder. It's fair to say that Masuko Tsuchiya brought this upon herself by choosing this path in order to make money.

In fact, given the value of Kikuemon's works, she didn't need to sell imitations by her apprentices at all; selling just one piece in the exhibition hall would have been enough to live comfortably for quite some time.

Not everything is off-limits.

What's truly remarkable in this incident is the genuine teacher-student relationship, especially considering that his disciple, Ryuichi Seto with his wide chin, is a bit too stubborn.

As long as this matter is mentioned to Kikuemon, he will be fine, since it was Tsuchiya Masuko who took it upon herself to sell his work as Kikuemon's genuine work.

Her threat was actually baseless. After all, how could she possibly expel someone from the sect without Kikuemon's permission? This Mediterranean old man was not the kind of person who would side with his own people regardless of right or wrong.

So Akutagawa put down his wine glass and said to Kikuemon, who was drinking happily, "Speaking of which, you said that you only produce two or three masterpieces a year in recent years, and even fewer have been released to the public, but last year at least a dozen people claimed to have bought your work."

For nouveau riche who desperately need recognition from others, since they have acquired a work by a national treasure-level master, wouldn't it be a shame not to show it off, for example, by inviting relatives and friends to their homes to admire it?

In other words, aside from detective work and solving cases, Kikuemon paid no attention to outside affairs and only focused on pottery making and teaching his apprentices; otherwise, he should have noticed something amiss long ago.

Seto Ryuichi's mind went blank, but how could he, in his drunken stupor, possibly stop the still-sane Akutagawa Hiko? Besides, he hadn't expected the detective to bring up the old story again.

"What?! Such a thing exists?!"

Kikuemon knew that because of his great fame, many people imitated his works, but the problem was that the quality of those imitations varied greatly.

Moreover, masters who can master his techniques and produce similar pottery have no need to imitate his work.

Those who try to imitate his work are really bad at it; anyone with a discerning eye can tell that it's a fake.

So although counterfeits have always existed, they haven't caused much of a stir.

However, judging from Akutagawa Hiko's tone, this time it seems to be very different. Not only is the imitation very similar, but even industry professionals did not recognize it and mistook it for his new work.

Of all the people he knew, only his apprentice, Ryuichi Seto, possessed this ability.

But he knew his own apprentice well enough to know that he would never do something like betraying his master and ancestors.

Human emotions and thoughts are infused into the fired pottery. His apprentice may lack a bit of spirituality, but he will not lack respect and admiration for him, which is fully reflected in his works.

How could such a person tarnish art?

Akutagawa nodded. When he was researching, he did find that in recent years, there had been a surge in nouveau riche claiming to own works by the national treasure-level master Kikuemon, even though they might not even know the master's real name.

While Masuko Tsuchiya may not be the best person, she is undeniably an expert in appreciating ceramics. The fact that she has sold so many imitations without a single expert recognizing them as genuine is a testament to her and Ryuichi's abilities.

"That's absolutely right—"

Akutagawa handed his phone to Kikuemon, which displayed news about "Master Kikuemon's New Work" and a collection of more than ten of his works from the past year.

"This is utterly absurd!"

Even Kikuemon was somewhat angry at this moment.

At that moment, he felt like a wealthy man who had suddenly seen a group of strangers using the guise of his children to swindle and cheat people, and he wanted nothing more than to rush into the screen and smash these works.

The other two apprentices were also indignant, since judging from their master's demeanor, they could easily guess that all those things were fake.

Only Ryuichi Seto remained silent.

The others were focused on the fact that the counterfeit was selling for a higher price than the genuine article, and their attention was clouded by alcohol. Apart from Akutagawa Hiko, no one noticed his figure with his head bowed.

"Master, we must fight back!"

Arita Yoshihiko swung his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, wishing he could find the mastermind behind it all and beat him up.

Kaoru Otani quickly chimed in, "We can contact the media and expose this. We can't let others make money using Master's name, otherwise it will damage Master's reputation."

The issue of counterfeits is not difficult in itself; the problem is that no one else can tell that it is a counterfeit, and it sells for more money than the real thing, far exceeding the market price of Kikuemon.

If some envious rivals make a fuss about this, it could seriously damage his reputation.

"I'm certainly not as familiar with the ceramics world as you are. Do you know anyone with such skill that they can fool many professionals?"

As soon as Akutagawa finished speaking, the three of them couldn't help but turn their attention to Seto Ryuichi, who was unusually quiet. After all, they were quite aware of the quality of his previous imitations.

It was just a subconscious action, but unexpectedly, Seto Ryuichi lowered his head even further, looking as if he dared not look at Kikuemon.

Kikuemon couldn't believe his apprentice had done such a thing. He even plucked a few strands from his usually pampered beard. His voice trembled slightly as he forced a smile: "Hahaha, Ryuichi must be tired. Go back to your room and sleep—"

Seto Takamoto wanted to just admit it, as this matter had been a heavy burden on his mind.

But when he thought of Masuko Tsuchiya, the instigator, he got up and left without saying a word.