"Once the lots are drawn, the people who pull Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Akechi Mitsuhide must refer to one another by those names. As for the person who draws Oda Nobunaga, they are treated with the utmost respect as our Lord."
Fukushima Toshiaki took a moment to explain the rules of their little game to the group. In essence, the other members were responsible for looking after the 'Lord' for the duration of the day. To keep things fair, they redrew the lots every morning.
"However, there's a catch," added a short-haired woman wearing glasses. "The one playing Oda Nobunaga has to foot the bill for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu's dinner."
This was Katagiri Maho, 39. Her current role was Nene, the legal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
"You even have a Nene?" Ran asked, surprised by the level of detail.
"Yes. Whoever draws a blank lot has to play Nene," Katagiri explained with a nod. "That person is expected to watch over everyone else's antics with a broad, patient heart."
"But isn't it a bit sad for whoever draws Akechi Mitsuhide?" Kazuha noted, glancing at Fukushima, who wore the Mitsuhide crest. "Not only do they have to flatter Nobunaga all day, but they even have to pay for their own dinner."
"That's true," Fukushima replied, though he seemed quite cheerful about it. "But the one playing Mitsuhide has a special privilege. At any point during the day, he can choose to take over the role of Oda Nobunaga for exactly three minutes!"
"I see. So instead of the 'Three-Day Reign,' it's a 'Three-Minute Reign,'" Kogoro remarked, finding the game rather tedious.
Historically, Akechi Mitsuhide had betrayed Oda Nobunaga and seized power, only to be defeated and killed days later—a fleeting period known as the 'Three-Day Reign.'
"Ah, so this is where everyone went! I've been looking all over for you."
Right on cue, 'Oda Nobunaga' made his appearance.
Wakizaka Shigehiko, 35, walked up with a wide, easy-going smile. His eyes were crinkled into thin slits, giving him a friendly, almost dozy look—he lacked even a shred of the fierce, domineering aura one would expect from a legendary warlord.
"Lord Nobunaga, my apologies. Here is the Oolong tea you requested earlier."
"And I've successfully purchased the Osaka Castle postcards you wanted."
Kasuya Arihiro (Tokugawa Ieyasu) and Fukushima Toshiaki (Akechi Mitsuhide) both produced the items as if they were serving an actual emperor.
"Ah, sorry to trouble you guys! Thanks!" Wakizaka said, rubbing the back of his head with a bashful laugh.
Conan watched the exchange with a flat stare. This Nobunaga is way too humble.
"Wait, we're missing a key player, aren't we?" Tsuneo asked, ticking the names off on his fingers.
Ieyasu, Mitsuhide, Nobunaga, Nene.
For a group of Toyotomi Hideyoshi fanatics, it seemed impossible that no one was playing the man himself. Unless… Tsuneo thought, he's already dead.
Coming into contact with the Death-God Elementary Student usually meant a one-way trip to the morgue. It wouldn't be surprising if the 'Hideyoshi' of the day had already met his end.
"You're right. We haven't seen the most important one: Toyotomi Hideyoshi," Kazuha said, finding the roleplay quite charming.
"He was with us just a moment ago," Wakizaka explained, shaking his head. "But his phone rang, and as soon as he answered it, he rushed off somewhere in a huge hurry."
"Did he say where he was going?" Fukushima asked.
"No. He just told us to go ahead and have lunch without him."
Heiji, noticing Kazuha was about to strike up a longer conversation with these eccentrics, grabbed her by the arm and started leading her away. He had zero interest in chatting with a bunch of middle-aged history geeks.
"We should probably get some lunch ourselves," Kogoro added, ushering his daughter along.
"Conan-kun, let's go," Ikumi Kyoda said, standing beside Tsuneo and calling out to the boy.
"Coming!" Conan replied, playing the part of the obedient child perfectly. He took one last look at the four travelers before turning away. The world is full of strange people...
Once they reached the restaurant, the world became Tsuneo's playground. He engaged his 'Gourmet Vacuum' skill and effectively ordered half the menu.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Heiji found an excuse to pull Tsuneo and Conan outside for a private word.
"So, are you two really going to be okay?" Heiji asked, his voice low and secretive.
"About what?" Conan asked, glancing back through the restaurant window to make sure the others weren't listening.
"Tsuneo-san told me when I called him. Someone stole the case files for the investigations you two handled," Heiji said, giving Conan's head a rough, concerned rub.
"Hey!" The detective-turned-child ducked out of the reach of Heiji's hand, then shot a glare at Tsuneo.
Didn't we agree to keep this quiet? He hadn't even told Professor Agasa yet to avoid worrying him.
"He asked if I had any difficult cases on my hands lately," the mechanic said with a nonchalant shrug. "He asked, I answered. I didn't volunteer the info."
"Are you sure it's that organization?" Heiji asked. He knew better than anyone that anything involving Conan's true identity was a death trap. If the Black Organization was looking into them, everyone connected to 'Edogawa Conan' was in the crosshairs.
"Yes and no," Tsuneo said. He noticed the waiters starting to bring out the food through the window. He left them with that cryptic answer and turned back toward the door.
"?" Heiji looked at the little detective, bewildered. "What does that mean?"
"It means even he doesn't know for sure," Conan said, his eyes turning into weary slits.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that the mechanic was hiding something more...
Near Tenshu-kaku
The group spent the afternoon wandering the city. By the time they circled back to Osaka Castle, the sun had set, and they were hoping to catch some night-view photos.
"You dummy! How do you just 'lose' a wallet that was tucked inside your purse?" Heiji groaned, looking at Kazuha with pure exasperation.
The purse was perfectly intact. The wallet inside was gone. It was like some kind of supernatural pickpocketing.
"It's your fault! You were rushing me the whole time! 'Faster, Kazuha! Hurry up!' No wonder I can't remember where I left it!" Kazuha retorted, waving her purse at him.
Tsuneo and the others watched the show. These two were masters of the verbal spar, especially when it came to dredging up embarrassing childhood memories.
Kogoro stared at the sky, having long since lost the energy to intervene. Ikumi, on the other hand, rested her arm on Tsuneo's shoulder, watching the drama with genuine fascination.
"How much was in the wallet?" Heiji asked, his silhouette almost merging with the deepening night.
"Five thousand yen," Kazuha muttered.
"Forget the money. It's dark now; we'll never find it," Heiji said, glancing at her bag. It had been a long day; the wallet could be anywhere in Osaka.
"I can't just forget it! My lucky charm was in there!"
As they argued, dark clouds rolled in overhead, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Raindrops splattered against Heiji's face. For a brief, panicked second, he thought Kazuha had actually started crying over the wallet and felt a pang of guilt.
"This rain looks like it's going to settle in for a while," Kogoro said, looking up at the black sky.
"Good thing I brought an umbrella," Ran said, pulling a folding umbrella from her bag.
"See? No matter how bad things get, there's always a silver lining," Heiji said, shielding his head with his hands. He looked down at Conan, who was comfortably tucked under the umbrella with the three ladies. "The 'kid' gets the umbrella, and us three guys have to run for it in the rain."
"Heiji… Mouri-sensei…"
Tsuneo placed a heavy hand on each of their shoulders. His smile was blindingly bright, even in the gloom.
"This rainy weather is perfect for some… special training!"
"Wait, wait, wait…" Kogoro's face twisted in dread.
Whenever this brat called him 'Sensei' with that specific tone, nothing good ever followed.
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-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"