Yukiko Fujimine dashed to Teitan High School's gate, waving across the street. "Shuichi, the reporters are here for you! Come quick!"
The bored reporters perked up at "Shuichi."
"Where's this Shuichi?" one asked.
"There," Yukiko pointed calmly, away from Hayashi Shuichi's group. "I saw him at that corner, scared off by you."
"Hurry! Class is starting, and he'll slip into school!" The reporters grabbed their cameras and chased.
Seeing the ruse, Hayashi, Kogoro, and Eri sprinted for the gate. Reporters couldn't enter without school permission.
Fifty meters… thirty… ten…
The Dean of Academic Affairs blocked them with his bamboo sword. "Hayashi Shuichi, no running at the gate!"
His shout drew the reporters back.
"Hayashi Shuichi's here!"
"We were tricked!"
"That girl fooled us!"
Yukiko slipped into the campus crowd. Hayashi's group tried to follow, but the Dean blocked them. "School rules ban running here. You could hit someone!"
"Are those rules real?" Kogoro whispered to Eri.
"How would I know?" Eri hissed. "I don't study rulebooks for college exams."
"You know why you're stopping us," Hayashi said, frustrated.
The Dean smirked, pushing Hayashi toward the reporters. "A chance to be famous, boy! If not for the principal's orders, I wouldn't bother."
Teitan's leaders leaked this, Hayashi realized, fuming. Only they and the police knew about the gym case. The police wouldn't humiliate themselves, so it was the school.
Reporters swarmed, cameras flashing. "Are you Hayashi Shuichi?"
"Did you solve the Teitan murder?"
"Tell us about it!"
Hayashi, flashing a polished smile from his past life as a detective, said, "Yesterday's case wasn't just me. It was teamwork with the Metropolitan Police. Their guidance was key. We prioritized Tokyo's safety, focusing on the murder…"
The reporters blinked, confused. They wanted a brash teen detective slamming the police, not praising them. No conflict, no story!
Eri and Kogoro watched from the crowd, uneasy. "His smile's creepy," Kogoro muttered. "Makes my skin crawl."
"Same," Eri agreed. "It's genuine but… fake."
Yukiko, nearby, was stunned. She'd thought Hayashi dodged interviews out of fear. Instead, he handled reporters like a pro. Her actor parents used similar fake smiles, a skill she couldn't master despite practice. They'd said it came with life experience, yet Hayashi, a high schooler, nailed it. Are my acting skills worse than his? Were my parents' praises lies? Her confidence crumbled.
Metropolitan Police Department, Conference Room
Toshio Odagiri, Investigation Division 1 manager, summoned Inspector Samezaki and Officer Sato to scold them over the Teitan case. He turned on the TV to replay the reporters' mockery but found them interviewing Hayashi Shuichi.
Expecting more jabs, Odagiri was shocked as Hayashi praised the police.
"He's smoother than me at reports," Samezaki muttered.
"They teach this in middle school now?" Sato gaped.
"If you two were half as poised," Odagiri snorted, "those reporters wouldn't have cornered you this morning!"