The next day.
Noon.
In the living room on the third floor of the Mouri Detective Agency, Kurosawa Hoshino yawned, leaning on the kotatsu. He glanced at Ran, who was sitting lost in thought beside him.
"Is Uncle still not awake?"
"Hmm~" Ran nodded, her lips forming a slight pout. "I wonder how much he drank yesterday. He's showing no signs of waking up at all. Sigh..."
"How about we go out for lunch?" Hoshino suggested.
They had assumed Mouri Kogoro would be up by morning, so they hadn't bought any groceries, waiting for him before the planned trip to Kyoto.
But it was already noon, and Kogoro was still dead to the world in his room. He might not need to eat, but the two of them did, so going out was their only option.
"Okay." Ran agreed. "Where's Conan?"
"He said Professor Agasa called for him. He left in a hurry and told us to wait. He should be back soon—he's been gone two hours."
Just then, two doors opened simultaneously.
The entrance door, and the bedroom door.
A bleary-eyed, unshaven Kogoro Mouri stumbled out, coming face-to-face with Conan, who had just stepped inside.
"I'm home~" Conan said softly.
"Ran, is there any food? I'm starving." Kogoro plopped down next to Hoshino.
"..." Ran's expression darkened. "Dad, I got a call last night. One of your friends in Kyoto is getting married tomorrow. They invited you."
"Who? In Kyoto?" Kogoro's eyes were foggy with sleep.
"Yeah. They said you'd 'know who it was the moment you heard Kyoto.'"
"Uh..." Kogoro paused, then his eyes shot wide open. He leaped up and scrambled back toward the bedroom. "Oh no! I remember! Ran, stay here, I gotta catch the Shinkansen!"
"No way, I'm going too!"
"My friend's getting married. Why should you go? Give me one good reason."
"I'm your daughter. Isn't that reason enough?"
"..."
Kogoro poked his head back out the doorway, looking at his indignant daughter. His gaze then shifted to Hoshino and Conan. "What about you two?"
"Uncle, I paid rent. If Ran goes, no one will cook for me. Of course I'm going." Hoshino flashed a brilliant smile.
Conan, needless to say, if Hoshino was going, he was definitely going too.
"Sigh..." Kogoro rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Fine, fine, go ahead. Oh, and kid, get me a suit. It'll look more formal."
"I'll go back to my place and change." Hoshino stood and walked out.
A little past 1 PM.
They boarded the Shinkansen bound for Kyoto.
The four of them sat in facing pairs: Kogoro Mouri with Conan, and Kurosawa Hoshino with Ran.
"Dad, what's the big rush? You're even shaving on the train." Ran watched her father put down the electric razor, utterly speechless.
Kogoro held up a small mirror, examined himself carefully, nodded in satisfaction, and then answered his daughter. "Don't fuss. You're getting more and more like your mother, always nagging."
"Hmph, I won't bother with you then."
Ran said that, but then she reached over, tucked her father's shirt collar flat, and began tying his tie for him.
Kogoro let his daughter fuss over him, keeping his mouth shut, a trace of affection in his eyes.
But what he saw next made his expression stiffen, his face clouding over.
"Hoshino, your tie is crooked. Let me fix it for you."
Ran noticed the slightly askew tie against Hoshino's shirt. She couldn't help but smile and gently reached out to carefully adjust it for him.
To an outsider, the scene looked exactly like that of a doting young wife.
"Thanks."
Hoshino had barely finished speaking when he felt two intensely sharp gazes on him.
Looking up, he met Kogoro's murderous glare and Conan's deadpan stare from beside him.
"All done."
Ran withdrew her hand, looking at the perfectly straight tie now sitting neatly under Hoshino's collar, quite satisfied with her handiwork.
Kogoro gritted his teeth. "Ran, watch your behavior. What's with you tying his tie for him?"
"Huh?" Ran blinked, confused. "Dad, Hoshino isn't some stranger. Besides, we're friends. What's the big deal if I fix his tie? Don't make a fuss about nothing."
"Exactly, Uncle. You're being too old-fashioned," Hoshino added, giving Kogoro a look that said he was being a fuddy-duddy.
"..."
Kogoro's rage simmered, his fists clenching. But it was such a trivial matter. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down.
"Heh."
Hoshino chuckled softly, deciding not to provoke the father any further. He twisted his neck, and without thinking, his hand went up to his tie, intending to loosen it a bit.
"Ah-ah, don't move. I knew it."
The moment his hand rose, Ran caught his wrist, a sweet, knowing smile on her face.
"It's always like this when you don't wear ties often—you can't help but want to tug at it. Hoshino, you have to resist. You'll get used to it in a little while."
"Ahem, it was just a subconscious move."
"I'm holding your hand for now, otherwise you'll mess it up again without thinking."
Ran was deadly serious, seemingly determined to help Hoshino break the habit. She held his left wrist firmly, with no intention of letting go anytime soon.
Damn it!
Conan screamed internally. Watching his childhood sweetheart being intimate with another guy—even if he knew it wasn't that kind of intimacy—filled him with unbearable jealousy. He wanted to stop it, but...
He was just a child now. He had no excuse to intervene and could only watch helplessly, feeling utterly powerless and pathetic.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
Wait...
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two men in black passing through the aisle—one with long, flowing hair, the other burly and tall.
They looked exactly like the two men he had tailed at the amusement park that day.
A mix of excitement and dread surged within him. He strained to peer toward the seats they were heading to.
Across from him, Kurosawa Hoshino also noticed the two men in black. He paused for a moment before realizing who they were.
I almost mistook them for Gin. Their outfits really are similar. Looks like we've officially stepped into a storyline today. Right, I remember those three kids from the original, but they didn't board with us this time.
But my danger sense hasn't triggered. It seems Conan can handle this even without my intervention.
Even knowing Conan would likely resolve it, a thread of unease still coiled in Hoshino's heart. He could never truly entrust his safety to someone else's hands.
Most importantly... there were Origin Points to be earned.