After the two of them flirted for a while, the two other individuals meant to be fed by Ran finally showed up.
However, only one serving of breakfast remained. Conan had paid for his food, and since he was a child, that portion rightfully belonged to him.
Having missed breakfast, Kogoro Mouri was extremely displeased. Just as he was about to grumble at Hoshimiya Yuu, Ran spoke up sternly, "Why did you get up so late? I called you very early."
Kogoro Mouri tried to argue, but seeing Ran's unfriendly expression, he wisely shut his mouth.
If he kept quiet, he would only miss one breakfast. If he didn't, he might lose meals for the next few days.
While waiting for Conan to finish eating, Kogoro Mouri went downstairs to buy something.
"Ran Nee-chan, Mouri Oji-san, are you guys going on a trip later?"
Noticing the difference in their usual routines, Conan quickly deduced that they were planning a trip out of town for a few days.
Ran knew Conan's obsession with cases and didn't want him to interrupt her alone time with Hoshimiya Yuu, so she hadn't intended to tell him about the request.
But Kogoro Mouri couldn't keep his mouth shut. After a loud laugh, he started proudly bragging.
After he finished showing off, Conan immediately deployed his combination of pouting, whining, and acting cute.
If she didn't know he was Shinichi Kudou, Ran would have surely softened, but now she just found it unbearable to watch.
Kogoro Mouri only found Conan annoying and was completely unmoved.
"Brat, go play your detective games with your little friends. Don't bother me."
Agitated by Conan's noise, he even punched him, making Conan clutch his head and shout in pain.
This was too much for Ran, who scolded him, "Dad, how can you hit a child like that!"
"Uh…"
Kogoro Mouri's movements froze, and he began to regret his earlier deliberate bragging.
Seeing no success with either the Mouri father or daughter, Conan turned his attention to Hoshimiya Yuu.
Hoshimiya Yuu naturally understood what he wanted and was considering whether or not to take Conan along.
But after careful thought, bringing Conan seemed to offer him no benefits.
Not only would it interrupt his quality time with Ran, but it would also become an obstacle to his plan to change Asai Narumi's fate later.
So, under Conan's resentful gaze, Hoshimiya Yuu and the other two packed their bags and set off for Tsukikage Island.
"Wow, there are so many people! It looks like a lot of people are heading to Tsukikage Island lately."
After boarding the ferry at the port, Ran looked around and said with some surprise.
The sea was foggy, so there wasn't much scenery to look at. Kogoro Mouri kept complaining on the deck about having to travel to a small island for work on his rare vacation day.
After showing off to Conan, all he had left was a belly full of grumbles.
The request was so strange that if the client hadn't paid half a million yen in advance and if Ran hadn't forced him to work, he would definitely have used this opportunity to go sightseeing and perhaps chat up some attractive ladies.
Since gaining the title of the Sleeping Detective thanks to Conan, Kogoro Mouri's luck with women had indeed flourished.
Seeing Ran's keen interest, Hoshimiya Yuu didn't have the heart to dampen her enthusiasm. He reluctantly gave up his plan to nap and forced himself to stay awake to talk to her.
Fortunately, they were staying on Tsukikage Island for a week, and it was two days before the full moon.
The case shouldn't break out the moment they arrive, so resting tonight should be fine.
On the other side, although Kogoro Mouri complained, the client had paid five hundred thousand yen in advance, so he wasn't worried about failing to find the mysterious client after arriving.
In fact, he was hoping he couldn't find the client.
That way, he could enjoy a free trip with five hundred thousand yen.
Tsukikage Island was located in the Izu Islands area. Hoshimiya Yuu and the others arrived on the island around noon.
Seeing that it was still early, Kogoro Mouri decided to find the client first.
If he found the client, the accommodation and meals for the entire week would be covered free of charge.
Unfortunately, the client named in the letter, Keiji Asou, had already died more than ten years ago.
Kogoro Mouri naturally couldn't find him, and mentioning Keiji Asou caused him to be disliked by some of the islanders.
Almost everyone slightly older on the island knew the true cause of Keiji Asou's death—Tsukikage Island had been a drug trafficking hub.
In the end, sacrificing the Asou family was how the entire small island was whitewashed.
Perhaps some felt guilty, but most were simply afraid of the truth coming out.
Failing to find the client, being frightened, and being unwelcome by the islanders, Kogoro Mouri was so enraged he almost returned immediately.
Ran, who was afraid of ghosts and the like, was also reluctant to stay after learning the client had been dead for over ten years, especially after hearing the rumors about the moonlight phantom.
Hoshimiya Yuu knew the truth, but now was not the time to expose it.
"Ran, Mouri Oji-san, if you want to go back, then go."
Hoshimiya Yuu didn't try to stop them. Although missing the date with Ran was a pity, acting alone would indeed be more convenient for him.
"I think this island is nice. Since we're here, we might as well stay for a few days. If you don't mind, you can give the commission to me. I can look for clues while I sightsee."
Kogoro Mouri was somewhat tempted. Going back now would be cutting his losses.
He would still have a few days of vacation left for flower viewing and meeting beautiful women.
"Fine, but I won't give you the commission fee."
"Don't worry, I'll consider this a self-funded vacation," Hoshimiya Yuu chuckled, taking the letter handed to him by Kogoro Mouri.
"Then I'm staying too," Ran said. "The commission fee can cover your living expenses for the next few days, Dad. If you spend it all before I get back, you'll just have to go hungry."
Five hundred thousand yen was more than enough for a week's food expenses.
But that wasn't necessarily true for Kogoro Mouri.
Drinking, betting on horse races, pachinko, and hitting on beautiful women were all very expensive habits.
Kogoro Mouri was uneasy about leaving Ran and Hoshimiya Yuu alone on the island, but he ultimately couldn't resist the desire for a solo, carefree time.
He could only repeatedly warn Ran not to let Hoshimiya Yuu take advantage of her and to use her karate to teach him a lesson if he stepped out of line.
Ran's face turned crimson from embarrassment, and she kept glancing at Hoshimiya Yuu, likely imagining some shameful scenes.
"Alright, Dad, you should leave now."
Finally, Ran was too embarrassed to listen anymore and said sternly, "If you don't leave now, you can't leave at all, and you'll have to stay and investigate the request properly."
"I'm going, I'm going."
Kogoro Mouri laughed awkwardly and went to buy a ferry ticket back to Tokyo for the afternoon.
After Kogoro Mouri left, Ran curiously turned to Hoshimiya Yuu and asked, "Hoshimiya Nii-san, did you discover something?"
As expected of the [Sixth Sense] orange-quality intuition talent. Hoshimiya Yuu hadn't thought Ran would notice something was off.
However, unlike Shinichi Kudou, he had no intention of keeping Ran naive and innocent, and this incident was the perfect starting point to shift her worldview.
His mind racing, Hoshimiya Yuu quickly formed a plan.
He looked at Ran and said seriously, "The postmark definitely came from Tsukikage Island, meaning someone on the island sent it. And since the commission fee was paid in advance, it must be very important. I feel it's necessary to stay and investigate."