A few days later.
It was a day off, and the group found themselves aboard the Shinkansen bound for Osaka.
"I bet Heiji-niichan stumbled onto some massive case," Conan muttered, his voice thick with suspicion. He'd learned the hard way that an invitation from the high school detective of the West usually came with a side of homicide.
"I think the cases only show up because you're going," Tsuneo quipped. He plucked a piece of fruit from the container Ikumi was holding and popped it into his mouth. "Think about it. Where you go, a storm of blood follows."
Conan shot a nervous glance at the woman sitting across from them.
Hey, is it really okay to talk to a 'normal' primary schooler like that?
"Oh? I always heard it was because of Detective Mouri," Ikumi Kyoda said with a light chuckle. She had certainly heard the rumors regarding the Sleeping Detective's less flattering nickname: the God of Misfortune.
Still, she found herself increasingly curious about this unusually sharp-eyed little boy.
"Hey! Last time Ran-neechan went to the movies, she specifically didn't take Uncle Kogoro just to avoid a scene!" Conan added, nodding emphatically.
Okay, she didn't take me either…
But then again, that same day, Kogoro had dragged Conan along to meet a client, and—surprise, surprise—someone had ended up dead.
Osaka Castle, Tenshu-kaku Observation Deck
"That circular building over there is the Osaka-jo Hall," Kazuha explained, pointing toward the horizon. "And those towering skyscrapers across from it? That's the Osaka Business Park. Also, right behind those buildings—though we can't see it from here—is the news bureau, one of Osaka's most famous landmarks!"
She turned back to the group with a bright, hopeful smile. "How is it? Not bad, right?"
Kazuha had taken her role as tour guide seriously today. Compared to their usual outings, a peaceful day without a corpse in sight felt like a breath of fresh air.
"Everything you just said is exactly what I told them last time," Heiji said, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He looked thoroughly unimpressed. "Besides, I already took them to Tsutenkaku for the high-altitude view. Your tour is a total bust."
"Well, excuse me! But when we came last time, the Tenjin Festival was already over, so you only showed them the castle grounds, didn't you?" Kazuha shot back, her annoyance bubbling over.
"These two?" Ikumi Kyoda murmured, watching the bickering pair with an amused smile.
"Quite the couple, aren't they?" Tsuneo nodded in agreement.
Students their age were often like this—the constant back-and-forth was just their way of showing affection.
"Wh-wh-what are you talking about?! Who's a couple with a guy like this?!"
It was hard to tell if Heiji was blushing because of his dark complexion, but Kazuha's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. Despite their protests, their synchronized reaction only proved the point.
"I agree with his assessment," Ikumi said, turning her gaze back to the distant city skyline with a playful glint in her eyes. They really are a perfect match.
"So, if it were up to you, where would you be taking us?" Kogoro asked, turning to Heiji.
He'd been to Osaka several times now, and Heiji's tours were starting to feel a bit repetitive.
"If it were me, I'd take you straight to the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters right in front of the castle," Heiji said, standing beside Conan and pointing toward the massive building currently nearing completion. "The new headquarters is almost finished. We could probably get a tour of the interior."
Only Heiji would think that taking his friends to a police station counted as a fun tourist activity.
Conan, ever the fellow mystery geek, immediately broke into a wide, appreciative grin.
"Please! Only a dummy like you would think a police station is a 'tourist spot'!" Kazuha said, her hands on her hips. "Why not just borrow some handcuffs and a squad car while you're at it?"
"What about you, Tsuneo-san? Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?" Heiji laughed, turning his attention to the other couple.
He was honestly still a bit surprised that the mechanic had managed to snag a famous detective as his girlfriend.
"The two streets we visited last time were great," Tsuneo said. He wasn't much for scenery, but his memory of the food was vivid. "The food was top-tier."
"You want to go there again…?" Heiji felt a phantom headache coming on.
He remembered their last trip vividly—specifically the part where the mechanic had slammed someone's head into a bowl of noodles, resulting in a trip to the local precinct.
"But seeing the interior of the Tenshu-kaku in person is so much better than seeing it on TV or in photos!" Ran said, trying to be supportive of Kazuha's efforts.
"Exactly! And since the renovation, it looks brand new," Kazuha added, nodding gratefully. "The Tenshu-kaku hasn't been updated since its reconstruction sixty years ago."
"Actually, it was seventy years ago."
A new voice cut through the conversation. A bald, elderly man had stepped up to the railing.
He was roughly the same age and build as Professor Agasa, and he seemed to have stepped straight out of a history documentary.
"The original Tenshu-kaku was built in 1599," the old man explained, eyes sparkling with historical fervor. "It was rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1629. The people of Osaka didn't begin work on this third-generation tower until seventy years ago—in 1931."
"Whoa, old-timer, you sure know your dates," Heiji noted.
Unless you were a student cramming for an exam, people rarely remembered the specific years of architectural history so precisely.
"Of course I do. Taiko Hideyoshi is the historical figure I admire most," the old man said with a proud nod.
"Then what about that pin on your chest?" Heiji asked, leaning in. His sharp eyes had caught the design. "That mitsuba-aoi pattern… isn't that the crest of the Tokugawa clan?"
Heiji smirked. Doesn't seem to match your 'Hideyoshi fan' claim.
"Here we go. The case is starting," Tsuneo muttered, casting a side-eye at the old man.
The man hadn't even introduced himself before diving into a lecture. In this world, characters like that weren't just passing extras—they were either victims or suspects.
"Don't be ridiculous. There aren't that many cases," Ikumi said, though she couldn't help but smile at the mechanic's cynicism.
"About that…" Kasuya Arihiro began, looking down at his pin as if to explain, but he was interrupted as another man rounded the corner.
"Brother Ieyasu! What are you doing? Our Lord has been waiting for quite some time."
The newcomer looked to be in his thirties with a plain, unremarkable face.
"Ah, my apologies, Brother Mitsuhide. I completely lost track of time," Kasuya replied with a sheepish laugh.
Brother Ieyasu?
Brother Mitsuhide?
Tokugawa Ieyasu and Akechi Mitsuhide? And they had a 'Lord' waiting?
The group exchanged bewildered looks. Are they roleplaying for a period drama or something?
"'Hideyoshi's Eight-Day Journey'?" Kogoro asked, reading the brochure the younger man was holding. He hadn't expected a tour group with such a bizarre name.
"We're all Toyotomi Hideyoshi enthusiasts," the man playing 'Mitsuhide' explained with a friendly smile. "We met on the internet and decided to form a group. We started in Nagoya, where Hideyoshi first rose to power, moved through Kyoto, and finally arrived here in Osaka."
"And those names you called each other? And the crests?" Kogoro gestured toward their lapels.
"It's just a game we play. Every morning after breakfast, we draw lots to decide which historical figure we'll roleplay for the day. Then we pin on the corresponding crest."
The pins represented the family crests of the most famous figures of the era: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Akechi Mitsuhide.
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