This time, since it was a cooperative matter with the police, Ichiro Takayanagi didn't bother seeing Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi off.
Once the two officers had left, Reika and Kaoru Tohsaka emerged from one of the rooms. Ichiro looked at them and said, "Those two officers weren't here because of you. There are plenty of rooms here—each of you pick one, and then we'll go out to buy some daily necessities."
"Alright," Reika nodded, handing Ichiro a book. "I found this on the table and picked it up for you."
"Thanks." Ichiro took the book, while the mother and daughter went off to choose their rooms.
When they had first arrived, Reika had prepared tea, while Kaoru had stayed put. Hearing the voices earlier, the two had hidden together in a room. Now, they finally had the chance to look over Ichiro's Tokyo residence.
The book in Ichiro's hands had already been in the house—it was most likely left by Yuko Ikezawa. Flattening it in his hands, he opened to a particular page that had been turned to many times. Inside was a note.
It was indeed a message Yuko had left before she departed. After Ichiro left for the Takayanagi family's countryside estate, Yuko had tidied up the place, left the note, and gone. She had also taken the one million yen he had left for her.
However, she hadn't returned the house key—perhaps intending to come back someday. Ichiro didn't have her contact information, so that would be a matter for later.
As for the note, it was likely that Reika and Kaoru had read it already, but he didn't mind.
…
It didn't take long for Reika and Kaoru to choose their rooms—two adjacent ones, close to Ichiro's master bedroom.
"Let's go buy some things," Ichiro said.
"Okay," Kaoru replied happily, taking Ichiro's arm, already excited for life in the big city.
Reika didn't stop her daughter from being close to Ichiro—after all, they would both be relying on him from now on. The three went to a nearby shopping center to pick up essentials.
On the way back, Reika noticed a car parked in front of the building, with a woman smoking inside.
"Kaoru, let's head up first," Reika said, clearly intending to give Ichiro some space.
"You go ahead. I'll bring these things up later," Ichiro said, not objecting to her consideration.
After setting the bags aside, he approached the smoking woman's car. When he drew near, the window rolled down.
"Miss Hotta Miki, are you waiting for me to finalize the loan matter?" The woman in the driver's seat—Hotta Miki—was actually Vermouth in disguise, though Ichiro didn't mention it, simply asking her purpose here.
"Now that the Takayanagi family matter is resolved, I think it's time to conclude my loan request. I trust your people have verified that shareholding contract," Vermouth said directly.
"Alright, I'll transfer the money to your account tomorrow. But I'd like this transaction to remain between just the two of us," Ichiro said meaningfully.
"Of course. This is a personal matter for me," Vermouth replied, subtly acknowledging the subtext in his words while wondering exactly what he knew.
"Good. Expect the payment tomorrow—now, I'll head back."
There was no need for an actual loan contract; this was clearly a cash-for-shares exchange. Ichiro was sure Vermouth had handled any loose ends on the telecom company's side—incidents like Conan slipping through the cracks were rare.
Once Ichiro went upstairs, Vermouth drove off.
Across the street, however, a small figure had seen their entire interaction clearly.
"Conan, Ayumi just called. Since tomorrow's a day off, they all want to come play with you," Ran's voice sounded behind him.
"I don't want to play with them," Conan replied.
"You can't say that. You just transferred to Teitan Elementary—you need friends. I already told Ayumi you'd join them," Ran said firmly.
Conan's face was full of reluctance. He truly didn't want to spend time with those three kids, but with Ran's tone, there was no room to argue.
"Alright, I'll go… What about you, Ran-neechan?"
"I'm planning to visit Ichiro-oniisan. Haven't seen him in a couple of days," Ran replied, leaving Conan even more exasperated.
(End of Chapter)
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