After Shinji Nagayama asked his question, Ikumi Kyoda remained silent for a moment.
At that exact time, Conan walked into the room carrying a ceramic flowerpot roughly the size of a soccer ball.
"It's this, isn't it?" The Great Detective asked with a knowing smile.
"This?" The old butler, Mr. Ono, stepped forward to take a look. This flowerpot was indeed quite old; it seemed to have been bought many years ago, but its value shouldn't be high, right?
"I remember when Grandfather was still alive and healthy, he used to water this pot frequently," Shinji Nagayama recalled. In his memory, nothing had ever been planted in this pot—it was always just bare soil.
"I suspect this was just something your grandfather offhandedly referred to—a treasure to be guarded for generations," Ikumi Kyoda said, reaching out to feel the soil.
Sure enough, the answer was likely the soil itself. In the diary, there were multiple mentions of watering the flowerpot in the backyard. Such an ordinary, mundane task, yet recorded so clearly. And when he wrote those words, his tone seemed exceptionally happy.
A scholar's romance? Tsuneo himself didn't care much for such things. However, looking at the expression on a certain someone's face, she must have searched through this flowerpot long ago.
"I understand. If that person comes back asking for the treasure, I'll just hand this flowerpot over," Shinji Nagayama said after a long silence, taking the pot. It was remarkably heavy.
"It looks like Mr. Nagayama doesn't want to pursue the matter further?" Conan asked, resting his chin on his hand.
The three of them hadn't chosen to stay at the Nagayama residence. Fairy Island had nice scenery and two small inns open for business, so they stayed there instead.
"No, on the contrary, he might jump up in the middle of the night and strangle her," Tsuneo chuckled. The calmer things appeared on the surface, the more dangerous they often were.
The entire incident was a self-directed drama staged by Mrs. Nagayama, who had a change of heart. From the conversation with the butler, it was clear that the two Nagayama children didn't have a good relationship with their young stepmother. She was young and beautiful; perhaps she had long grown tired of life on the island.
Clearly, following Ikumi's hint, Shinji Nagayama realized immediately that it wasn't his wife's first time visiting the old storage room. As for what happened next—whether the lady had a lover or not—it didn't matter. Using his children to threaten him was something no father could tolerate.
"Regardless, I'm glad that's over," "Director" Conan said, flopping onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. If the daughter abroad had truly been targeted by criminals, it would have been a real headache.
The name tag in the third threatening letter was Mrs. Nagayama's handiwork, so there was nothing to worry about. After all, if you've seen the object, you can forge it. She likely turned to such a clumsy tactic out of desperation to find the "treasure," or perhaps she was following someone's bad advice. She probably assumed her husband was hiding a fortune from her.
"Alright, you stay here and overthink things by yourself," Tsuneo said, standing up and walking toward the door. Someone was waiting for him next door; who would want to share a bed with this "Hound Detective"?
"Prizing romance over friends..." the Great Detective muttered a curse.
A few days later.
Early morning, before the sun had fully risen.
"Did you upset her again?"
In the small park where Tsuneo frequently exercised, Ran and Conan had appeared once more after a long absence. However, today the karate girl's strikes seemed sharper and more aggressive than usual.
"It's probably because of the Uncle and Lawyer Kisaki thing," Conan said, groggily shaking his head. He had been dragged out for morning practice before he was even fully awake.
"Hehe, those two are indeed a headache," Tsuneo smiled, turning back to continue punching the tree. Neither of them would yield an inch to the other.
Lawyer Kisaki was a textbook "strong woman" after the separation—nothing but work, the top lawyer in the industry. As for Master Mouri... it was truly impressive how many charming "Mama-sans" he knew.
Conan glanced at Ran, who was lying on the grass catching her breath, then turned back to Tsuneo. "You're pretty much in the same boat as him."
Don't forget, there's a whole group of housewives who voted you the 'Best Repairman.'
"How can he even compare to me?" Tsuneo looked exasperated. "I go there to make money every time. That old man pays out of pocket to drink and doesn't even get any 'benefits.' He's weak."
"Yes, yes, you're the greatest, no one can match you," Conan sighed, finding no interest in such "skills" as he boredly dribbled a soccer ball. He had to go to school soon; he'd have to catch up on sleep during class.
"A grudge that old won't be resolved in a day or two. But man, that lawyer's cooking is truly terrible," Tsuneo critiqued.
"Tell me about it..." Conan's lip twitched. Just hearing about it was terrifying. Even someone like the repairman, who hated wasting food, would run away from her cooking.
"Anyway, with such a long-standing issue, what is there to worry about?" Tsuneo didn't quite understand. Through various cases, one could still see their underlying feelings for each other.
However, given the Uncle's behavior, it was no wonder no one could stand him. Being pent up for too long after a separation can cause problems.
"Hey, that's a very creepy smile you've got there..." Conan felt Tsuneo's grin was anything but funny.
"Ahem, I'll tone it down..." Tsuneo cleared his throat and went back to the tree. Young people shouldn't spend all their time on Sherlock Holmes; they should look at something more physically and mentally pleasing once in a while.
You and Hattori are the same. You should borrow more 'study materials' from classmates. If you did, your path to romance wouldn't be so rocky.
"Yesterday they were talking about going out together, but it seems neither side agreed," Conan added, though he hadn't heard the full conversation. In short, they both refused to appear on the same "screen."
"In a situation like this, if one side got a terminal illness, maybe it would soften things," Tsuneo nodded, imagining a dramatic scene.
"Hey, hey, hey..." the Great Detective immediately cut him off. The conversation was getting way too dark.
The sun rose fully, and the morning practice ended. On the way home:
"Conan, are you and Brother Tsuneo hiding something from me?" Ran was still curious. How did a pair with a ten or twenty-year age gap have so much in common to talk about?
"No way! Brother Tsuneo just often teaches me about detective stuff," Conan waved his hands frantically, rubbing the back of his head with a childish laugh.
"Really?" Ran leaned in close, staring him down.
"Really..."
The two of them talked all the way back to the agency. Unsurprisingly, it was just past seven, and the Uncle was still sprawled out on the bed, snoring away.
After washing up, the Suzuki family car arrived downstairs. Yawning, Conan followed Sonoko and Ran as they walked slowly toward school.
"Conan-kun!"
After crossing two streets, the three kids from the Detective League ran over, waving.
"Hey, you little rascals! There's a game launch event in a few days. Do you want to go see it for yourselves?" Sonoko asked with a mysterious smile.
"A game launch?" "What kind of game is it?" The three kids were instantly energized.
"In short, get your clothes ready and expect to attend in formal wear!" Sonoko winked, refusing to reveal more as she and Ran headed toward Teitan High.
"Cocoon," Conan said, seeing the three of them staring at him for answers.
The media had been in a frenzy about it lately; they must have heard of it.
"Really?!" Mitsuhiko's voice jumped an octave, his face full of shock.
The game known as "Cocoon"—where players enter a cocoon-like capsule to play in a virtual world. This was top-tier technology!
"Is it that impressive?" Genta hadn't seen the reports yet.
"Of course it is!" Mitsuhiko nodded and began educating the group.
"Can we play it too?" Ayumi asked expectantly. Ms. Sonoko is so amazing!
"I doubt it. Even for the Suzuki Foundation, they probably can't give out that many trial slots," Mitsuhiko said realistically, shaking his head. Such slots were likely reserved for the elite long ago. Still, just being there to see it was great.
"..." Conan watched the noisy trio and suddenly thought of a certain repairman.
That guy... he would probably roll on the ground and throw a tantrum just to get a chance to try it out...
(End of Chapter)
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