A shiny red pickup screeched to a halt below the Mouri Detective Agency.
Conan struggled to open the door, stumbling out to retch on the curb.
Tsuneo whistled casually, grabbing the welder borrowed from Dr. Agasa and bounding up the stairs with long strides.
"Where'd this guy learn to drive so badly?!" Conan muttered, wobbling behind, head spinning.
He was starting to regret buying the car—had he unleashed a road menace on Mihama Town?
The great detective, who'd maxed out every skill in Hawaii, even flying planes, was done in by Tsuneo's driving.
"Ran, you look stunning today," Tsuneo said without glancing, a reflex for female clients.
It usually worked—familiar or not, women beamed at compliments, smoothing things over.
"No way, come in!" Ran, still in her school uniform, blushed easily.
Conan, oblivious to their exchange, trailed Tsuneo inside and collapsed on the couch, bookbag still on.
If he could turn back time, he'd never have gotten in that car.
"Conan, you okay?" Ran asked.
"Fine, Ran-neechan. Just need to lie down," he replied.
Ran touched his forehead, then quietly joined Tsuneo and her father chatting nearby.
"Uncle, you're something else, snagging a Lady Earth tape," Tsuneo said, nodding at the idols dancing on TV. Not bad.
"Haha, Yoko's in there—couldn't miss it!" Kogoro Mouri roared with laughter.
"That one's cute too. Yuki Yano, right?"
"Exactly! She's at NTV now, like Yoko, but their styles differ…" Kogoro's knowledge of idols was staggering, his insights profound.
Tsuneo was floored.
Kogoro, caught up in his spiel, didn't notice the unicorn-loving girl's face darkening.
"Dad!" Ran snapped, fed up with her father's leering in front of Tsuneo. She crushed an unopened beer can in one hand.
Tsuneo stepped back. He'd only meant to say hi, but the old man went on about skin and figures—stuff he had no business obsessing over.
"R-Ran, just talking!" Kogoro waved frantically, shooting Tsuneo a pleading look.
"Second-to-third-floor pipe leak, right? Fixed in no time!" Tsuneo grabbed the welder and bolted.
That old man needed a lesson.
The first floor was a café, the second and third were the Mouris'. Fixing the pipe meant no need to coordinate with upstairs.
Ran was thoughtful—the ladder was set, the leak marked in the bathroom.
Tsuneo plugged in the welder, donned goggles, and patched the leak quickly.
Lingering until the living room's father-daughter spat ended, he slipped out, ignoring Kogoro's resentful glare and ruffling Conan's hair.
"Your license isn't fake, right?" Conan flipped open his watch-dart, glaring threateningly.
"Bought it, obviously. Also got two submachine guns, fifty grenades, an attack chopper…" Tsuneo rambled.
Ding-dong!
The agency's doorbell cut him off.
The visitor, a high school girl, was lucky Kogoro was sober enough for business.
Ran's coffee was still warm, so Tsuneo stayed, listening in.
"My name's Ryoko Akagi. I need help finding someone," the girl said.
"He vanished suddenly, and I don't know what to do."
Ryoko was pretty, her voice gentle—until she pulled out a photo, shattering the room's calm.
"This is him. We used to date!"
"Pfft!" Not just Conan, Ran, and Kogoro—even Tsuneo spat out his coffee.
The boy in the photo was Shinichi Kudo.
Tsuneo recalled this was likely a kidnapping case.
"You dated Shinichi?!" Ran exclaimed.
"Yes," Ryoko said.
"How could Shinichi do that?" Ran's face was full of disbelief.
"It's a mix-up! Maybe they just look alike!" Conan stammered, panicking.
"No mistake. We even kissed!" Ryoko clenched her fists, doubling down.
"Besides kissing, did Shinichi ask for anything… more?" Tsuneo sipped his coffee, stirring the pot.
"More…" Ryoko, no kid, knew what he meant. Her face reddened, unsure how to keep up the lie.
Conan kicked Tsuneo hard.
This jerk didn't see how scary Ran's face was!
Kogoro, rubbing his chin with a sly grin, added, "That kid said it was a case, but he was off chasing girls."
"It's a mistake—" Conan waved his hands, but Ran cut him off.
"Adults are talking, kid. Shut it!"
Betrayed and fuming, Ran's aura rivaled Gin's—tearing apart a few detectives would be nothing.
"I just remembered I've got work. Catch you later," Tsuneo said, kicking the grim reaper kid aside, bolting downstairs to his truck without looking back.
(End of Chapter)
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