I forced myself to pick up the phone despite the exhaustion and saw that the caller was Ran.
Ran usually wouldn't call me unless something important happened, especially on a holiday morning.
If there's no accident, there's usually an accident.
I wondered what incident this was...
If it wasn't a crucial Fated Event, Hoshimiya Yuu didn't intend to get involved.
"Hoshimiya Nii-san, do you have time today?"
Ran's gentle voice spoke, but the matter she brought up wasn't so gentle.
"Dad just received a request in the mailbox. The words were cut out from newspapers. It asks for a reward of one million yen, but he needs to go to a small island called Tsukikage Island to investigate…"
Hearing the three words "Tsukikage Island," Hoshimiya Yuu was instantly wide awake.
Excluding the movies and main plot arcs, among the ordinary cases, the Tsukikage Island case was definitely the most important Fated Event.
The background of the case was complex, the culprit's method was meticulous, and although the alleged truth was deduced in the end, Conan neither produced evidence nor caught the culprit.
There was even debate over whether the culprit, Asai Narumi, was a man or a woman.
Although the official stance was that Asai Narumi was a man cross-dressing as a woman, and the deductions within the case supported this, many details felt illogical.
More importantly, Asai Narumi never admitted it herself throughout the entire process.
In the end, Asai Narumi chose to throw Conan out of the burning building, then accompanied the flames to the tune of the Moonlight Sonata, seemingly perishing in the fire.
This didn't look like someone afraid of being caught; it seemed more like someone who had lost all purpose and chose an elegant yet cruel way to end her own life.
Of course, there was also a theory that she originally intended to hire a detective to expose the truth and stop herself from committing the crime.
But Kudou Shinichi failed to do so.
Thus, after completing her revenge, she felt she was a murderer undeserving of life and chose to self-immolate.
However, Hoshimiya Yuu found the second theory completely untenable.
If that were true, why wouldn't she simply expose the truth about the drug trafficking on Tsukikage Island? The police would then handle the investigation.
Simply put, she wanted to take revenge herself, which led to the subsequent serial murders.
The various details of the Tsukikage Island case flashed through Hoshimiya Yuu's mind. Even without the System reward, he had to get involved in this event.
Asai Narumi's death was truly regrettable.
Hoshimiya Yuu hadn't had the chance before, but this time, he was determined to save her.
And while he was at it, he wanted to personally confirm Asai Narumi's gender. If she was indeed a woman, as he suspected, he would try to contract her—she would make another powerful assistant.
Asai Narumi was an extremely intelligent student, with notable achievements not just in medicine but also in biology.
While not a genius on the level of Shiho Miyano, she was certainly a genius among ordinary people.
After Ran finished describing the situation, she invited him, "Dad plans to leave this afternoon. This is a perfect opportunity! I thought we could go together. While Dad is working on the case, we can enjoy Tsukikage Island."
Perhaps because business had been slow, the three drug dealers controlling Tsukikage Island planned to switch professions.
With aggressive promotion, the scenic, well-preserved, and sparsely populated Tsukikage Island had recently become a popular tourist destination.
It was understandable that Ran had this idea.
Hoshimiya Yuu naturally didn't refuse. Although he was still mentally exhausted, he could rest on the ferry to Tsukikage Island.
By the time they reached the island, even if he wasn't fully recovered, his state wouldn't ruin Ran's enjoyment or interfere with his plan to save Asai Narumi.
Seeing Hoshimiya Yuu agree, a smile blossomed on Ran's face on the other end of the phone.
"Then it's settled, Hoshimiya Nii-san. You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I've prepared a portion for you too. We'll leave right after we eat."
"Sounds good."
The mention of food finally made Hoshimiya Yuu realize he was starving.
He barely ate dinner last night, followed by a whole night of strenuous activity; his stomach was completely empty.
Before, he was too sleepy to notice, focusing only on resting, but now…
Hoshimiya Yuu immediately got out of bed and rushed to the Mouri Detective Agency without a second thought.
He hoped Ran had prepared enough breakfast, or someone might go hungry today.
Although Conan didn't live at the agency, Professor Agasa clearly couldn't handle Conan's three meals a day.
So, on weekdays, Conan usually came for breakfast before going to Teitan Elementary School.
He would come back for dinner after school, then return to Professor Agasa's house.
He would also visit on holidays, just a little later.
Of course, all of this was contingent on Conan's parents, who were in America, paying Mouri Kogoro for the food expenses.
Otherwise, Mouri Kogoro, who disliked Conan immensely, would never agree.
If Kogoro knew that his recent rise to fame as the Sleeping Kogoro was entirely thanks to Conan, he probably wouldn't fuss over the meal expenses.
If Conan didn't constantly hang around the agency, Mouri Kogoro wouldn't have been able to stumble into so many cases.
When Hoshimiya Yuu arrived at the agency, Ran was just carrying the breakfast out from the kitchen.
It was a classic Japanese breakfast: white rice served with grilled fish and natto, along with some side dishes.
While it didn't have the aroma of Chinese steamed buns, soy milk, or fried dough sticks, Hoshimiya Yuu ate it with great relish.
Ran's cooking skill was the main factor, but Hoshimiya Yuu was also genuinely famished.
Hoshimiya Yuu ate more than half of the breakfast portions meant for four people before stopping.
He could still eat, as his elevated physical talents had increased his appetite significantly.
This was without systematic training; otherwise, he would eat even more.
After all, a strong body requires energy to sustain itself.
But eating too much after a long period of hunger is unhealthy, so Hoshimiya Yuu stopped when he was about eighty percent full.
"Hoshimiya Nii-san, are you full?"
Ran ate in small, delicate bites. Seeing Hoshimiya Yuu look like he wanted more, she said caringly, "You can keep eating. It's fine for Dad and Conan. If it's not enough, they can just grab something from the convenience store downstairs."
"I've had enough, thank you. Eating too much isn't good either."
Hoshimiya Yuu smiled, gazing at Ran's beautiful face. "You, on the other hand, need to eat more, Ran. I feel like you've lost weight recently."
"No way…"
Being stared at by Hoshimiya Yuu, Ran couldn't help but feel a little shy, but she was also slightly pleased that Hoshimiya Yuu said she had lost weight.
She had actually been trying to diet recently.
She wasn't fat at all, but ever since her relationship with Hoshimiya Yuu grew closer, she subconsciously wanted to be more beautiful for him.
"Seriously, Ran, you are already thin enough."
Hoshimiya Yuu said earnestly, "I actually think you'd be prettier and have a better figure with a little more flesh."
Hoshimiya Yuu had a broad appreciation for beauty.
From the elegant orchid to the vibrant chrysanthemum, and whether one was slender or voluptuous, each had its merits, and he adored them all.
But if forced to prioritize, a more curvaceous figure would certainly come first.
As the saying goes, next to sexiness, cuteness is worthless.
(Excluding those who like lolis.)
Ran was Eri Kisaki's biological daughter, so her future potential was undoubtedly high; she just hadn't fully developed yet.
Combine that with her kind, gentle personality and her pure, beautiful oval face…
Having recently broken his virginity, little Yuu was much more sensitive than before.
Hoshimiya Yuu quickly shut down his wicked thoughts, or he wouldn't be able to stand up straight later.