That afternoon, they were back at the Mouri Detective Agency.
Before they even reached the top floor, a bald man stormed down the stairs, his face thunderous.
Mouri Kogoro blinked, then broke into a professional smile, ignoring the man's scowl. "Sir! Looking for a detective?"
The man scanned the group, his eyes landing on Hoshino. "Aren't you… the high school detective, Kurosawa Hoshino?"
Here we go, Ran thought. He's here for Hoshino. Dad's out of luck again.
Mouri's smile was already wilting when the man turned to him. "And you must be Mr. Mouri Kogoro?"
"That's right!"
"You're the one I need. Let's talk upstairs."
"Hah! Of course! Right this way, sir!"
Mouri's grin returned full force. He shot a triumphant, gloating look at Hoshino as he ushered the client up.
Ran watched them go, her pale purple eyes wide. "Hoshino… this feels like a trap. Something's off."
"I agree," Conan muttered. Logically, any client who recognized a famous high school detective on the spot would choose him over an unknown middle-aged one.
"Don't sell your dad short, Ran," Hoshino said with a smile. "What's his main line of work?"
"His main…?" Ran tilted her head, thinking hard. Then it clicked. "Oh! Infidelity cases!"
"Exactly." Hoshino shrugged. "My guess? That man's wife is cheating. And for that, you want the best. And Uncle Mouri's reputation in 'marital dispute resolution' is… legendary."
"That… is true," Ran admitted, recalling the steady stream of jealous spouses through their door over the years.
Conan's eye twitched. He had no words.
They stopped chatting and headed up. As they entered, they caught the tail end of the client's introduction.
"…my name is Denjiro Shimomaru. I've come because I wanted to—"
He cut himself off, eyeing the newcomers.
"Ahem." Mouri cleared his throat, putting on his serious-detective face. "Ran. You kids, scram. Go upstairs. We'll talk later."
"Okay…" Not wanting to ruin business, Ran led the way out.
Hoshino followed, hauling a reluctant Conan who was straining to listen. "Hoshino-niichan! Let go! Aren't you curious?"
"Curious about an infidelity stakeout?"
"Well… because…" Conan floundered, finding no good reason.
"Keep whining and I'll tickle you until you cry." Hoshino threatened. He'd been on his best behavior last night, but he could definitely handle a first-grader.
"…Fine." Conan surrendered, his curiosity temporarily defeated.
Half an hour of mindless TV later, they headed back down.
Shimomaru was gone. Only Mouri remained, slouched on the sofa, intently studying a photo of a woman.
"Dad, was it an infidelity case?" Ran asked.
Mouri pocketed the photo. "How'd you know?"
"Hehe. Hoshino guessed. He said it's your specialty."
"My specialty?!" Mouri glared at Hoshino. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Just stating facts, Uncle. It's a compliment to your… niche expertise."
"Hmph! Well, don't expect any dinner from me for the next few days. I've got a serious investigation to run." Mouri puffed out his chest. In the world of tailing cheating spouses, he was confident he had no equal in Tokyo.
"It's that urgent?" Ran asked.
"Of course! The fee is three million yen! I only have a week. I'm going all in. Letting that kind of money slip away would be a crime!" Mouri's eyes shone with monetary fervor. "No time to waste. Gotta move!"
He hurried off, presumably to grab his "surveillance kit" – a questionable trench coat and hat.
Ran and Hoshino looked at each other.
After a moment, Ran twirled a strand of her hair. "Hoshino… should I go help him?"
"How?"
"I could tail him! Then I'd see who he's tailing, and help keep watch. It's easy to lose focus when you're alone."
"What if he catches you?"
"I'll just apologize!"
"…"
Hoshino rubbed his temples. "I think we should stay out of it. We'd probably just make it worse."
Just then, Conan's phone buzzed. He stepped away to answer. "Professor Agasa?"
"Shinichi! Back from Saitama?"
"Yeah, at Ran's place."
"Come over when you can! I've got new gadgets for you. Very practical!"
"What is it this time?"
"Communication badges! Perfect for Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta. Bring them by sometime."
"…Right. Got it." Conan hung up, sighing. He had a feeling giving walkie-talkies to the Junior Detective League was a recipe for chaos.