On the train.
"Heiji, come on, just come to Nagoya with me."
Kazuha had assumed Heiji was coming with her to Nagoya, but it turned out he was only going as far as Tokyo.
"Not happening," Heiji said firmly.
"Hmph, fine! Don't come crying to me if you fail your mock exams."
Kazuha hugged Heiji's arm tightly, but her lips were in a deep pout.
Heiji just smiled gently, letting the little woman beside him grumble. If it weren't for the system's mission, he wouldn't even have left the house.
Sleeping in felt like an impossible luxury.
Beika Station
"Heiji, Kazuha, over here!"
Sonoko and Ran were waving from a short distance away.
Kazuha quickly pulled Heiji along to meet them.
"Sonoko, why are there two cars? Are a lot of people going?"
Kazuha was surprised to see a black car and a pink car parked next to them.
"Nope, the other one is for Heiji," Sonoko said, tossing him a set of keys. "When my dad heard Heiji didn't have a car, he bought this for him immediately. Said it was a gift."
"A gift for Heiji?!" Kazuha exclaimed in shock.
"A gift for me?" Heiji looked at the black Mercedes-Benz. "A GLS-class AMG. Market price is over 24 million yen. He's really giving this to me?"
"T-twenty-four million yen?!"
Kazuha and Ran's eyes went wide as they stared at the black SUV.
"Oh, so you know cars, Heiji. Then it's perfect," Sonoko said cheerfully, unfazed by the price.
"But... Sonoko, this is too much, we can't..."
Kazuha was at a loss for words. She didn't mind small gifts, but a car this expensive felt like something out of a dream.
"Relax, I'm not the one who bought it. Not that I could afford to," Sonoko said, reassuring her. "It's only twenty-four million yen, my dad doesn't think twice about that amount. He wanted to get you a hundred-million-yen supercar, but he was worried it would attract too much attention."
"Only twenty-four million..."
"A hundred-million-yen supercar..."
Kazuha and Ran felt like they were dreaming.
Heiji didn't really care about supercars, but having a car would be nice.
Although he was rich now, he couldn't use that money under his current identity. Getting a free car was definitely a good thing.
"Sonoko, please tell President Suzuki thank you for me."
Heiji dangled the keys, ready to get in.
"Heiji, but..."
Kazuha tugged on his arm, worried they'd get scolded by Heizo and Shizuka back home.
"Don't worry," Heiji said, knowing what she was thinking. "My identity has nothing to do with my father's position. The media won't make a big deal out of this."
She was worried people would think the Suzuki Financial Group was bribing a high-ranking police official like Heizo Hattori, using his son as a go-between.
In reality, no one with a brain would make an issue of it.
Even ignoring the Black Star incident, what Heiji did at Sonoko's birthday party alone was worth more than 24 million yen.
A large corporation's reputation couldn't be measured in money.
"Alright, you guys go have fun."
Heiji drove off in his new ride, leaving them in the dust.
"Hey! We're the ones going to study. You're the one going to play," Kazuha grumbled as she watched the black SUV disappear.
Heiji sped down the highway. The novelty of a new car had worn off for him in his previous life.
Protect Ai Haibara? What is this system up to?
He thought about the special B-rank mission.
Could the Black Organization have discovered her identity?
The vague mission was frustrating. "There's no other way. I'll have to ask Akemi Miyano."
Currently having a meal with Ai, the woman known as Ame felt a jolt. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes as she quickly went to answer her phone.
"Hello, it's me."
That familiar, husky voice came through the line.
"Of course I know it's you. You're the only one who has my number," Ame said happily.
Heiji was silent for a moment.
"Is something wrong?" Ame sensed that something was off.
"Is your sister with you?"
Ame froze, instinctively glancing at Ai, who was still eating. She partially covered the receiver. "Yes."
"Don't let her wander off. It's going to be dangerous for the next couple of days."
"What?" Ame's heart tightened. She nodded seriously. "Okay, I understand."
"Do you still have enough money?"
She expected the mysterious man to hang up abruptly like he always did, but the question surprised her.
A gentle look appeared in Ame's eyes. She smiled elegantly. "Don't worry, I can earn my own money now. I don't need a rich boss keeping me in a golden cage..."
The line went dead. After a moment of stunned silence, a beautiful smile spread across Ame's face.
"Ai, today let's..."
Her joyful expression froze. Ai, who had been sitting at the table, was gone.
She hurried over and found a sticky note on the chair.
"I won't disturb you and your boyfriend. I'll be staying at Professor Agasa's tonight. - Ai."
The neat handwriting reflected Ai's cool demeanor.
Remembering the mysterious man's warning, a worried look crossed Ame's face. She grabbed her bag and rushed out the door to find her sister.
At Professor Agasa's front door.
"Ai? She just went out with Conan and the others."
"Did she say where they were going?" Ame asked anxiously.
"I think she said the Beika Department Store."
Ame and Ai are both acting so strange today.
Professor Agasa shook his head in confusion as he watched Ame hurry away.
While Ame was searching everywhere for Ai, Heiji, who was on his way to her house, ran into a familiar group on the street.
It was Ai, Conan, and the rest of the Detective Boys.
What is that Akemi Miyano woman doing?
Heiji couldn't help but frown.
"Hey, Haibara," Conan said, looking at Ai. "Why the long face today?"
"It's nothing," Ai said flatly.
"You say that, but it's easy to get distracted when you're upset. You've almost been hit by a car three times, you've jaywalked twice, and your shoelaces are tied wrong."
"Kudo, you'll never get a girlfriend with lines like that."
Ai quickened her pace to catch up with Ayumi and the others.
Heh. Conan thought, unconcerned.
Beep beep!
Suddenly, a black Mercedes-Benz SUV pulled up beside them.
"Hey there, little Conan. Where are you kids headed? Need a ride?" Heiji said, rolling down the window.
Conan's eyes widened in shock.
"Hey, I know you! You're the big brother from the newspaper, the really smart one!" Ayumi shouted.
"Yeah, I remember now!" Mitsuhiko added.
"Wow, your family must be super rich! This car must have cost a lot of money!" Genta exclaimed.
"A Mercedes GLS-class AMG. It's the newest model. I think it costs over twenty million yen," Mitsuhiko recalled.
[Over twenty million?!]
Conan stared at Heiji in disbelief. Where did Hattori get that kind of money? His dad is just a police officer.
But upon seeing Heiji, Ai stood frozen in place, muttering under her breath.
"Brother-in-law???"
---
There are 120 advanced chapters on Patreon, which I'm currently rewriting and polishing for a better reading experience. Thank you for your support and patience.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396