Soon, Ran and her group arrived at the hotel restaurant.
Despite her age, Grandma Juzi—the elderly woman missing several teeth—was still the busiest person in the restaurant.
She and her sister ran the hot spring hotel, and wherever there was work to be done, one of them was sure to be there.
The moment Grandma Juzi spotted Conan, her wrinkled face stretched into a wide, toothless grin—like an old chrysanthemum blooming.
Conan visibly shuddered.
Not this again!
It was like being thrown into a nightmare all over again.
The memory of that humiliating moment—being forced to perform the little elephant dance by Grandma Juzi—was seared into his soul.
A tragedy beyond words!
Little did he know, standing beside him was Akashi, a young boy who had suffered a similar fate.
The difference? His tormentor was none other than Ran herself!
Despite Conan's unwilling sacrifice, his misery had secured the group an extravagant seafood feast.
Lobster, abalone, octopus, scallops—every kind of fish imaginable!
Under the warm glow of the restaurant's lights, with the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore, the moment truly felt like a vacation.
However, one person remained unfazed.
At the table, little Haibara sat with her usual cold expression, her face unreadable.
Shiho, once accustomed to the darkness of an underground organization, found it difficult to relax.
And then there was Akashi.
For some reason, he seemed to enjoy teasing Haibara.
Just like in the organization, where he used to pester Shiho relentlessly, now he had taken a liking to annoying the only person in the group smaller than him.
At first, his taunts didn't have much effect.
Haibara, composed and rational, simply ignored him.
She had no interest in engaging with him, especially when he was acting childish.
But Akashi had no sense of martial ethics.
Armed with his "God's Right Hand," he launched a sneaky attack—poking her waist and back when she least expected it.
『God's Right Hand』lvl2: Using your right hand to touch someone of the opposite s'x can induce euphoria, with a small chance of sending them into a divine state of bliss.
That, unfortunately, proved to be very effective.
Her calm exterior shattered in an instant.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment, Haibara sprang up, her small legs chasing Akashi around the restaurant.
"I'll kill you, you pervert brat!"
The once cold and calculatinggenius scientist, feared within the organization, had now transformed into an ordinary little girl.
The two of them bickered and ran in circles, their playful chase bringing unexpected warmth to the atmosphere.
Like childhood sweethearts… it was an oddly charming sight.
Watching them, Ran couldn't help but chuckle.
For once, Akashi actually looked like a normal kid.
Not like before…
As that thought crossed her mind, her cheeks suddenly turned red.
Something felt sinful about the memory, though she wasn't sure why.
Meanwhile, Conan had no time to notice Ran's reaction.
Instead, his eyes constantly darted toward Grandma Juzi, his whole body tense—half-expecting the old woman to pounce at any moment.
His PTSD was real!
Downstairs, the group feasted and played, laughter filling the air.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the annex, Kogoro and his classmates had gathered to play table tennis.
Noriko Ayashiro, her high ponytail swaying as she adjusted her glasses, turned to Yumi Horikoshi with a smirk.
"Yumi-chan, it's been ages since we played table tennis together."
"Let me see if our judo club's Madonna still has her skills!"
Yumi picked up a paddle and scoffed.
"Ugh, stop calling me Madonna. That title is ancient history."
She sighed dramatically.
"Now, I'm just an old woman nobodywants."
Noriko blinked, realizing she might have struck a nerve.
"Oh… I didn't mean—"
Before she could finish, Yumi swiftly snuck in a serve.
First point!
Noriko gasped.
"Yumi! That was so sneaky! Fine, now I'm taking this seriously!"
The match intensified, the two women exchanging swift volleys.
A group of men stood nearby, watching with great interest.
Among them, Kogoro was the most excited.
"Ahh, this is the kind of match I love to watch!"
Unfortunately, when it came to playing the game himself…
"Damn it, where did the ball go?!"
His eyes simply couldn't keep up.
The bald man, Kazushi Nakamichi, draped an arm around his old classmates' shoulders as he watched the game.
"Next month, I'm getting married!"
"You all have to come to my wedding!"
At the news, the group erupted in congratulations, offering their heartfelt blessings.
Jun Omura, the chubby man among them, dramatically covered his face as if wiping away fake tears.
"Unbelievable! Our dear Kazushi, practically an adopted son to us, is finally tying the knot. I'm so moved!"
"Screw you!"
Kazushi Nakamichi shot him an annoyed glare before playfully smacking Omura's round belly.
Meanwhile, on the table tennis table, Yumi was struggling to keep up.
Despite her efforts, she kept missing the ball, unable to match Noriko's focused intensity.
Once Noriko got serious, she dominated the game, scoring multiple points in a row.
The short-haired man, Yukio Ayashiro, watched the match and smirked.
"Well, looks like Yumi is the only one still single among us!"
Before he could even blink, a ping-pong ball came flying straight at his head.
"What's wrong with being single?!" Yumi huffed.
"Being a free woman is a blessing! You wouldn't understand!"
She crossed her arms, her tone sharp.
"If I hadn't wasted my time on a scumbag, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
She wiped some sweat off her forehead and sighed.
"Ugh, I don't want to keep playing. I'll be drenched in sweat at this rate."
"You guys carry on—just call me when it's time for dinner."
With that, she tossed her paddle onto the table and turned to leave.
Noriko let out an exasperated sigh.
"Yumi, you're so cunning! I was about to win!"
Kogoro shrugged and chuckled.
"Well, what did you expect? You kept rubbing it in that she's single."
He rolled up his sleeves, stepping forward with a grin.
"Oh well, let's not let that ruin the fun. Who's up for a match?"
Despite Yumi's departure, the atmosphere remained lively.
The old classmates continued playing, breaking a sweat as they battled it out at the table tennis table.
Meanwhile, Yumi stood near the doorway, glancing back at the room with indifferent eyes.
Then, without another word, she turned and headed back to her room.
On the other side of the hotel, Ran was busy taking care of the children, making sure they ate well while staying out of the adults' affairs.
After finishing the sumptuous seafood dinner, Conan—desperate to avoid another encounter with Grandma Juzi on the first floor—came up with an excuse.
"I think I'll go check out the table tennis match!"
And with that, he slipped away.
With Conan gone, the remaining three—Ran, Haibara, and Akashi—felt much more at ease.
Following Akashi's suggestion, the three of them made their way to the steam room on the first floor.
Soaking in the hot spring before heading into the steam room was a true luxury.
The heat helped expel cold from the body, promoting relaxation and healing.
For most, this would be the ultimate way to unwind.
But for Akashi, the young succubus, the steam room's temperature was nothing.
Thanks to his constant training with the Immortal Grip, his physique had soared beyond normal limits.
Even in his child-sized form, his body stats were far above ordinary humans—at least four times stronger than the average person.
High heat resistance.
Low-temperature resistance.
Resistance to pressure, injury, and fatigue.
Rapid recovery speed.
Akashi was simply built different.
While Ran and Haibara were drenched in sweat, barely able to endure the heat, Akashi was… jogging in place.
"Ah, this ukiyo-e painting is quite detailed."
The young succubus admired the traditional artwork on the walls of the steam room, looking completely unbothered.
Not a single drop of sweat on his forehead.
After finishing his art appreciation session, he turned around—only to be met with an entirely different kind of masterpiece.
Ran and Haibara had collapsed onto the large bench, exhausted from the heat.
Their bathrobes had come slightly undone, revealing their smooth, fair thighs.
Tiny beads of sweat glistened on their soft, porcelain-like skin.
Their flushed faces, tinted pink from the heat, made them look even more radiant.
It was a sight more captivating than any ukiyo-e painting on the wall.
Akashi's eyes immediately lit up.
This… this is ART!