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"Hattori-kun, there's something I want to talk to you about," Ōoka Momiji said, lying in the hospital bed with her left leg in a cast, her kimono still not changed.
"Me? Miss Ōoka, are you talking to me?" Hattori Heiji, who was about to leave with Conan, pointed at himself, looking bewildered.
"That's right, I'm talking to you, Hattori-kun." Ōoka Momiji, with her leg propped up, nodded gently.
Hattori Heiji found it a bit strange. He wasn't familiar with Ōoka Momiji. The Ōoka family was no ordinary family. Although they had only developed in Kyoto in the last hundred years, they were still incomparable to families like the Fujiwara family, which had existed for generations.
However, the Ōoka family had managed to enter the upper echelons of politics within a hundred years, and in this generation, the Ōoka family's patriarch had even become the Prime Minister.
Regardless of whether the old man had committed some crime to become Prime Minister, as long as you achieved this position, it meant your family had become a truly political dynasty. The future generations would have many more opportunities to climb to the top.
Although the Hattori family was also an ancient noble family and had served Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Hattori family had already declined along with the Tokugawa shogunate.
The family Hattori Heiji belonged to was merely a branch of the original Hattori family, and most of the inheritance had not been passed down.
Hattori Heiji was not familiar with Ōoka Momiji. He was quite surprised to see Ōoka Momiji calling him alone now. "Hattori-kun, do you still remember participating in a karuta competition when you were little?" Ōoka Momiji swallowed, then asked.
At this moment, she was extremely anxious. If it were before the bombing incident, she would have eagerly hoped Hattori Heiji remembered this. But after the bombing incident, she hoped even more that Hattori Heiji wouldn't remember. This way, she would have a reason and an excuse not to bother with the promises she made when she was little.
Hattori Heiji looked up, recalling, then clapped his hand and said, "Now that you mention it, Miss Ōoka, I remember. Back then, my mother and I were in Kyoto, and there was a karuta competition for kindergarteners, so I just went along and participated."
Seeing that Hattori Heiji actually still remembered that karuta competition, Ōoka Momiji subconsciously clenched her fists, her voice lowered: "Then, do you still remember that little girl you met in the finals?"
Hattori Heiji clapped his hand again: "Of course I remember. That little girl lost to me and cried loudly. I even went over to comfort her a few words."
"Wait, that little girl wouldn't happen to be you, Miss Ōoka?" Hattori Heiji asked in surprise.
Ōoka Momiji's heart instantly flared with anger. Why do you still remember? Why would you remember?
No, why do you suddenly remember after my reminder? If you really have amnesia, then you should have remembered when you saw me at the Fujiwara residence. But instead, you just remembered it now. You're playing with my feelings! I clearly don't like you, but you still want me to keep my promise?!
Ōoka Momiji resented Hattori Heiji.
But on the surface, she remained calm and composed, saying, "Mm, that girl was me."
At this moment, Conan suddenly understood. Could it be that this Miss Ōoka remembered meeting Hattori-kun when she was little, and has had a crush on Hattori Heiji ever since?
Thinking this, Conan felt a little sad and a little bit jealous.
Although in his heart, Ran was the most beautiful and radiant. But as a normal male, Conan had to admit that this Miss Ōoka truly possessed a noble and elegant temperament, beautiful as a fairy. That faint pride and composure weren't something an ordinary girl could possess.
Only a woman truly born into a wealthy family, who had enjoyed a privileged upbringing from childhood and undergone strict etiquette education, could possess such a noble and elegant temperament.
Ōoka Momiji took a deep breath. She lowered her voice and asked, "Hattori-kun, do you still remember the promise you made to me back then?"
Hattori Heiji laughed heartily: "Of course I remember. When I saw Miss Ōoka crying, I went to comfort you and said we would compete again next time we met."
"Miss Ōoka, you wouldn't still remember that after all these years, would you? Karuta is just a casual game for me. Now, compared to you, I'm absolutely no match." Hattori Heiji waved his hands repeatedly, his words carrying a hint of embarrassment.
She mumbled softly, "Compete with me again next time?"
In her misty-eyed state, this sounded very similar to "marry me next time we meet," only missing one syllable. Ōoka Momiji finally realized that she had misheard back then.
For so many years, Ōoka Momiji had always remembered this matter. Did she truly like Hattori Heiji? Ōoka Momiji felt deeply aggrieved. After all, she and Hattori Heiji had never had any contact, and they didn't know each other.
It was just Ōoka Momiji's personality that she would always fulfill something she had agreed to do.
Therefore, Ōoka Momiji believed that since she had accepted Hattori Heiji's 'proposal' when she was little, she should abide by it.
Not long ago, however, she discovered that she had genuinely developed feelings—feelings for Fujiwara Tetsu.
But her 'agreement' from childhood made her feel like she would be breaking her word, causing her great distress. She had even just considered making Hattori Heiji himself voluntarily say that the childhood agreement was null and void, so she wouldn't have to abide by that promise anymore.
But now it seemed, it was all her own overthinking, her own random thoughts.
There was no such thing as a "marriage agreement" at all; some things were just misunderstandings.
Great, this is truly great. Ōoka Momiji became excited. At this moment, she suddenly seemed to have understood something.
All the promises made when she was little were just children's words. There was no need to take them seriously at all.
I should live for myself. I should actively pursue my own happiness!
Even if her family opposed it, even if the road ahead was filled with thorns, she would clear them away and never give up.
Thinking of this, Ōoka Momiji couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her laughter startled Hattori Heiji: "Miss Ōoka, are you alright?"
Ōoka Momiji wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, which were from laughing, and said, "I'm sorry, Hattori-kun, I suddenly understood some things."
"You probably still have things to do, so I won't keep you here. I'm also a bit tired and want to get some sleep." Hattori Heiji understood that this was Ōoka Momiji politely asking him to leave.
"She's truly a strange woman." He muttered to himself.
Seeing that Ōoka Momiji was hurt, Hattori Heiji shook his head and left with Conan.
When only Ōoka Momiji was left in the room, she began to scheme in her heart. "That Yotsui Kaguya is Kirigami's fiancée, but from her attitude towards Yotsui Kaguya, she doesn't seem to care about this engagement. Hmph, she's truly a woman who doesn't know how blessed she is."
Ōoka Momiji had a small hint of jealousy towards Yotsui Kaguya.
"I heard my father say that I was originally supposed to be engaged to someone from the Fujiwara family. Our two families were the most suitable for marriage. It's just that I'm an only daughter, so I can't marry into the Fujiwara family."
"Truly a bunch of old pedants. What era is this, and they're still clinging to these things?"
Ōoka Momiji looked displeased, but she also knew that this family inheritance could absolutely not be broken.
"So, I need to find a way in this regard. Should I coerce my parents into having another child? Or are there other ways? Anyway, all the Ōoka family needs is an heir, isn't it?"
Ōoka Momiji instantly made a plan.
Oh, Yotsui Kaguya, since you don't cherish him, then hand him over to me. I just hope that one day in the future, you won't be kneeling on the ground, crying and saying, 'Please don't go, I'm willing to do anything for you.'
"... Ahaha..." Yotsui Kaguya rubbed her nose.
"Miss Kaguya, are you catching a cold?" Hayasaka Ai asked with concern.
Kaguya shook her head: "I don't think it's a cold. I guess someone's talking bad about me."
At a certain house in Kyoto, Hattori Heiji rode his motorcycle, bringing Conan to this place.
The signboard on the house read 'Haieji Fujio'.
Hattori Heiji said, somewhat distracted: "Through the information we got earlier, I can roughly figure out that these cases and the president of the Tsukimisou company are related to his secretary. We just lack sufficient evidence."
"Hattori, what are you thinking? Are you still thinking about that young lady from earlier?" Conan asked slyly.
Hattori Heiji straightened up and laughed: "How could that be!"
Although he said that, Hattori Heiji indeed felt a strange sense of loss. He suppressed this feeling and pressed the doorbell.
"Kudo, let's first meet this Mr. Haieji Fujio and see if we can find any evidence." After pressing the doorbell a few times, no one came to open the door.
Hattori Heiji asked suspiciously, "Strange. Is there no one home?"
At this moment, Conan crept to the door and sniffed with his nose, his expression turning grave: "There's the smell of blood!"
Hattori Heiji heard this and immediately kicked open the main door of Haieji Fujio's house.
The door was kicked open, and the thick smell of blood grew stronger.
The two quickly rushed into a room on the first floor. They saw Haieji Fujio sitting wide-eyed on the sofa, and there was a gunshot wound on his forehead.
"Dead! Shot dead!"
Neither Hattori Heiji nor Conan destroyed the scene. They just wanted to search here for any clues.
Conan noticed a computer open nearby. He said, "I saw a camera at the door. Perhaps there are some images left on the computer."
Hattori Heiji put on gloves. While he told Conan to call the police, he searched for camera files on the computer. Soon, Hattori Heiji found the document storage location. He opened a video, and from this video, he and Conan clearly saw the killer.
It was a foreign man with short golden hair, wearing black clothes and a black top hat.
Upon seeing this person, Conan's pupils suddenly constricted.
It was him, that member of the Black Organization who performed the limb amputation surgery on him: 'Marcodini'?!
He killed Haieji Fujio, so his next target should be the president of Tsukimisou company, Achikuro Kenichi!
Conan didn't even think; he quickly rushed out.
At this moment, the case wasn't important anymore. Finding the whereabouts of the Black Organization was the most important thing!
"Kudo!" Hattori Heiji saw this and also quickly followed him out.