Jodie remained in the shower for quite some time.
Left to their own devices, Tsuneo and the two detectives huddled on the sofa, engrossed in a video game.
"I have to say, you really make yourself at home," Conan remarked, shooting a sideways glance at the Repairman.
Tsuneo was currently munching on their host's fruit and playing her games with zero hesitation, acting as if he owned the place.
"My clients are all good people," Tsuneo replied calmly. His fingers blurred over the controller, his character pinning Heiji's into a corner and systematically dismantling him.
Tsuneo had spent his spare time "studying" various secret moves and combos; he wasn't about to lose to a high schooler.
When the two boys had called him earlier to ask for the address, Tsuneo knew exactly what they were up to—they were coming for a reconnaissance mission. Coincidentally, Jodie had called him to fix a leak. Whether the leak was real or an excuse to see him didn't matter; he had packed his tools and showed up regardless.
"Hey, everyone! Are you enjoying my new game?" Jodie asked as she stepped out of the bathroom. Seeing them huddled around the console, she spoke with her usual sing-song cadence and exaggerated excitement.
"Yeah!"
Conan nodded vigorously. He had to show at least some polite enthusiasm.
"Wait just a moment. I'll go change, and then we can head out," Jodie said, spinning around and heading back into her bedroom.
"Finally, that round is over," Heiji sighed with relief, setting his controller down. He hadn't played this game before and had spent the entire session being unilaterally bullied by Tsuneo.
"I'd estimate we have at least another fifteen to twenty minutes," Tsuneo said, shoving the controller back into Heiji's hands.
As for the 'Great Detective,' Conan was currently wearing his deep-in-thought expression; it was best not to disturb him.
Sure enough, it took a full twenty-five minutes before Jodie re-emerged from her room.
And, true to form, the English teacher's sense of style remained... provocative. She wore a lavender short-sleeved top that was strikingly daring.
To be precise, the neckline ended somewhere just above her navel.
"Looks like you two have become quite the fans of her 'curves,'" Tsuneo teased.
"Stop talking nonsense!" both boys barked in unison.
"Are you acquainted with Mr. Mouri and the others as well?" Jodie asked Heiji as they waited for the elevator, noticing the new addition to the group.
"Yeah, we just saw each other a little while ago," Heiji replied with a nod.
"I must say, Cool Kid, I didn't realize you were so close with foreign friends," Jodie said with a smile, patting Conan on the head after he pushed the elevator button for her.
"Foreign friends?" Heiji glanced around.
Cool Kid clearly referred to Conan. But who was the 'foreign friend'?
Tsuneo shot Heiji a look filled with hidden amusement.
"Your skin is quite a bit darker than most people's, and your accent is very strange," Jodie explained, letting out a bubbly laugh.
"Pfft!"
Looking at Heiji's dark, indignant face, Conan was the first to break. He clapped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking as he tried to stifle a roar of laughter.
"I've noticed he's getting darker lately, too," Tsuneo added. He couldn't tell if Jodie was faking her ignorance or not, but her comment about his accent was genuinely hilarious.
"Getting darker?"
"Oh! Do you have a habit of visiting tanning salons?" Jodie clapped her hands, her tone bright with surprise, as if she had discovered a new species.
"Hey, hey, hey! You two are taking this too far!"
"This is just an Osaka accent! It's an Osaka accent, damn it!" Heiji's head felt like it was going to explode.
"What was that? Are you a friend from the place called 'Osaka-accent'?" Jodie looked toward Tsuneo and Conan with a look of pure confusion.
"I give up..." Heiji muttered, defeated.
"Pfft... it's a dialect, Jodie-sensei. Just like how America has Southern accents," Conan managed to explain between snickers.
"Yes! The accents are different!" Jodie nodded repeatedly, appearing to finally understand. "But why does he want to be so tan?"
"It's probably a tactic to attract girls," Tsuneo suggested.
"..."
Heiji watched as the English teacher and the Repairman continued their ridiculous banter. He retreated to the corner of the elevator, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the conversation.
Please, you two... change the subject...
As they stepped out of the apartment building, Tsuneo instinctively glanced at Heiji, who was standing in the shadows. The boy was so dark he was practically invisible in the night.
Click!
The sound of a camera shutter cut through the air.
"Isn't that the person from before?" Conan noted. He recognized the woman standing a short distance away, taking photos of the building.
"That's the girlfriend of my neighbor, Mr. Takai," Jodie noted.
"What is there to take a picture of?" Heiji asked, hands in his pockets as he looked up toward the top of the tower.
"We should move, quickly," Tsuneo said, his eyes narrowing. With his sharp vision, he had already spotted something.
If they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to leave at all.
A split second later, a flip-style mobile phone tumbled from the sky. Conan, ever the curious one, dashed forward to pick it up.
"Danger!!!"
Heiji lunged, grabbing Conan and rolling them both across the pavement just in time.
CRASH!
A man wearing a red shirt followed the phone's trajectory, slamming into the ground with sickening force.
Based on the impact, anyone watching likely wouldn't want to look at a bowl of tofu for a very long time.
Tsuneo stood several yards away, keeping his distance to ensure he wasn't splattered by any... biological debris.
"Dead on arrival..." Heiji said, forcing himself to steady his nerves as he moved closer to inspect the body.
Conan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the victim.
"That man... he's my neighbor, Mr. Takai," Jodie said, leaning over to confirm the identity of the deceased.
"What?!"
"It can't be... this isn't real..." The woman who had been taking photos just a moment ago came running over, her face pale with horror. Upon seeing the body, she collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbing hysterically.
Given her reaction, there was no doubt the victim was indeed Mr. Takai.
"You've got something on your pants," Tsuneo said, standing behind the woman and pointing toward a fresh stain.
The woman instinctively looked down, let out a shriek of terror, scrambled backward, and continued to wail.
"..."
Conan and Heiji looked at the Repairman with flat expressions. Seriously? Now is the time you choose to scare her?
"Excuse me," Heiji began, addressing the woman. "When you and those two other men left Mr. Takai's apartment earlier, was he still inside?"
He and Conan remembered the trio leaving Room 2103 just after they had rung Jodie's bell.
"Yes... he was drunk and sleeping in the room. But... but why would he commit suicide?!" The woman gasped out between sobs, wiping away her tears.
"Why? Why do you assume it was suicide?" Jodie asked, standing beside her. "Isn't it possible someone pushed him?"
"Because he was the only one in the room! I even double-locked the door when I left, just to be safe!" Shimada Chika cried out.
There were only two keys. If the door was locked from the outside, it was supposedly impossible for anyone to have entered and murdered the sleeping Takai.
Tsuneo, meanwhile, had already pulled out his phone.
"Inspector Megure? It's me."
"Yes, yes... another case."
"No, the 'Plague God' isn't here today. We just have a 'God of Death' instead."
"What's that?"
"A murder, of course!"
Tsuneo hung up. Heiji didn't visit often; it was only right that Beika Street welcomed him with its most famous local specialty.
(End of Chapter)
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