An hour later, it was already four in the afternoon. They had played enough—it was time to say their goodbyes.
"Miss Chris, bye-bye! See you next time!" Ran and Sonoko waved.
Kurosawa Hoshino sighed and raised a hand to wave as well. "Yeah, see you next time."
Vermouth adjusted the brim of her hat, her aqua-green eyes behind the sunglasses sweeping over the three faces. This time, her gaze lingered on Kurosawa Hoshino's face a moment longer before she nodded and turned to leave slowly.
What an interesting little brother.
As she walked, Vermouth recalled the scene on the beach—Kurosawa Hoshino carefully picking the shell fragments from the wound on her foot. Though he'd pricked her twice, being tended to so attentively was a novel feeling. It was different from being saved by Ran and Shinichi Kudo in New York.
"Unfortunately, I'm not destined for a peaceful life," Vermouth murmured. She paused, glancing back at the trio chatting and laughing as they walked away, a faint smile touching her lips.
The next second, a cell phone rang from her bag.
Vermouth frowned, took out the phone, glanced at the number, and answered. "Rum, what is it?"
"The FBI is in Tokyo. Be careful lately."
"Shuichi Akai?"
"We haven't confirmed any intel on him yet, but a group of FBI agents has indeed arrived. However, you should still be prepared—there's a high chance Shuichi Akai will come."
Mouri Detective Agency, Second Floor
"I'm home." Ran entered to find her father wasn't there, but the door was unlocked.
"Upstairs?" Carrying the cosmetics she'd bought, she went up to the third floor.
She found Conan watching TV in the living room, and her father's bedroom door was open—he was rummaging through drawers and cupboards inside.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Ran put her things on the small table and went to the bedroom door.
"Ran, you're back just in time." Kogorō Mouri stopped searching the wardrobe and beckoned. "That suit I bought last year—I only wore it once. Where did you put it after?"
"It's in the wardrobe."
"Then why can't I find it?"
"Really?" Ran walked into the room, puzzled, and stood before the wardrobe. Seeing the mess of clothes inside, she shot her father a glare. She casually rummaged, then her gaze fell on the pile of clothes he'd thrown on the bed earlier.
She pulled out a suit from the pile. "Hey, isn't this it? Dad, you already found it, you just didn't see it."
"Hey, that's strange." Kogorō scratched his hair awkwardly, avoiding his daughter's gaze. Then he noticed something off and frowned. "Ran, why are your clothes wet?"
"Hehe, we went to the seaside park and played in the water on the beach for a while."
"Then go change." "I was going to anyway, but you called me over." Ran walked out of the bedroom and returned to her room.
Kogorō shook his head, put away the suit he planned to wear tomorrow, tidied the clothes on the bed, then went to the living room and sat cross-legged on the tatami. He glanced at the things Ran brought back—mostly cosmetics—and didn't pay them much mind.
"Conan, didn't Hoshino come back with you?" Kogorō asked Conan, who was watching TV.
"Uncle, Ran-neechan came back alone. I didn't see Hoshino-nii."
"Huh? You're confused. Ran went to her room to change, so that brat must have gone home to change too."
Just then, the door opened.
Kurosawa Hoshino entered after changing, slipped on his slippers in the entryway, and came to the living room. He greeted Kogorō with a smile. "Yo, Uncle Mouri. Not on duty upstairs today?"
"It's this late—no clients are coming. Can't be bothered to keep watch." Kogorō's business wasn't as good as in the original timeline. After all, Kurosawa Hoshino had stolen many cases from him, including his reputation, so he hadn't become famous.
Of course, his talent for infidelity investigations meant he wouldn't starve.
"Hoshino-nii, what did you guys do today?" Conan asked, playing the part of a child.
"I'd almost forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it." Kurosawa Hoshino smiled and sat beside him. "Conan, did you finish the homework I assigned for today?"
"..." Conan felt a headache coming on at the mention. This morning, he'd even tried to secretly follow them, but instead, Kurosawa Hoshino dragged him to Kogorō, handed over a workbook, and made Kogorō supervise him until he finished.
And it wasn't just him—Ayumi and the others had also been suffering through homework at home, filled with resentment toward Kurosawa Hoshino.
"Conan has finished," Kogorō chimed in from the side. "This kid might be naughty, but he's actually pretty good at studying. I checked it all today—he didn't get a single question wrong."
Hearing this, Conan raised his chin, a hint of pride on his face. After all, he was a shrunken high school student—first-grade homework was a piece of cake, right?
But he quickly realized his mistake. I'm so mad at Kurosawa Hoshino! What am I so proud of? What's so great about first-grade homework?
"Not bad, Conan. That's great. Keep it up." Kurosawa Hoshino smiled like a doting parent, gently patting his head.
Conan stared blankly, not wanting to say another word.
The door next to them opened, and Ran emerged in fresh clothes. "Dad, I forgot to ask—what do you need that suit for? Is something happening tomorrow?"
"I forgot to mention—tomorrow is your middle school music teacher's wedding. She invited our family."
"Your middle school music teacher?" Ran tilted her head, her expression gradually brightening as she eagerly asked, "Dad, is it Ms. Matsumoto Sayuri?"
"Yes." Kogorō nodded.
Tch, that strict woman. How did she even find a husband? Conan thought to himself, recalling how he was often scolded by Matsumoto Sayuri during music class for being terrible at it.
Kurosawa Hoshino remained silent. Of course, he knew the name—this episode was a classic and unforgettable. He wouldn't miss the chance to earn Origin Points.
So he said, "Uncle Mouri, can I come?"
"Of course! I forgot to tell you—Matsumoto Sayuri's father, Matsumoto Kiyonaga, is the Superintendent of the First Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau. When he called to invite me today, he specifically asked me to invite you too. After all, you've been a huge help to the Metropolitan Police lately, and a lot of people have been wanting to meet you for a while now."