The next morning.
Tsuneo rose early, found a massive tree in the forest, and subjected it to a merciless thrashing.
The tree, thicker than Dr. Agasa's waist, shook violently, bark flying everywhere.
Having stood peacefully in the deep woods for decades, the poor tree never imagined it'd face such treatment in its lifetime…
Around seven o'clock.
Tsuneo, drenched in sweat, returned to the campsite and splashed his face with cold stream water.
"Morning, Mr. Tsuneo!"
Akemi emerged from her tent, greeting him with a smile. She glanced at Ayumi, still fast asleep, gently zipped the tent shut, and tied on her apron to start breakfast.
"No need to stress too much. The doctor's pretty lonely living by himself," Tsuneo said, toothbrush in mouth, words muffled.
Having someone around to keep an eye on that genius scientist and chat with him wasn't a bad deal.
No need to burden herself with guilt or keep so busy.
"I know. I actually like this life," Akemi said, setting up a pot to cook porridge, smiling.
"Alright then," Tsuneo nodded, not forgetting to ask her to stir-fry yesterday's leftover beef.
"Leave it to me!" Akemi said, rolling up her sleeves.
…
After breakfast, Tsuneo and Conan carefully placed the parchment back in its hiding spot.
Then, the two vehicles left the campsite, one behind the other, heading back to Beika Town.
As they parted, Genta, noticing Tsuneo's warmth toward Mitsuhiko, was puzzled. "Mitsuhiko, what kind of magic did you use?"
"This!" Mitsuhiko grinned mysteriously, pulling a stack of business cards from his pocket to show off.
"Oh! I remember getting one of these," Genta said, taking a card, recalling how Tsuneo handed them out to everyone during the Yoko Okino case.
"So, if something breaks, we just call Tsuneo-nii to fix it?"
Genta, after hearing Mitsuhiko out, sank into thought, clutching the card as he headed home.
With Conan and Dr. Agasa's connection, they saw each other often. What kid wouldn't want the same treatment?
…
That afternoon.
"Tsuneo-kun, is the showerhead fixed?" a beautiful, curvy woman wrapped in a white bath towel asked softly from the bathroom doorway.
She looked like she'd been mid-shower, her hair dripping wet, water droplets rolling down her fair skin.
"Almost done, almost done," Tsuneo said.
He glanced behind her at the husband, glaring with hawk-like eyes, and even with his martial arts skills, sweat beaded on his forehead.
This job was getting tougher by the day.
Ten minutes later.
Tsuneo finally escaped the apartment, slumping in his car with a long sigh.
Just then, his phone rang.
"Hello, Mr. Tsuneo? This is Kojima Tavern. The exhaust fan's acting up. Can you come by to fix it?"
Tsuneo paused. Wasn't that Genta's family's place?
"Got it. I'll be there in about ten minutes."
"Great."
After hanging up, the plump Mrs. Kojima looked at her son helplessly. "He's coming to fix it. Happy now?"
It was just a small fan issue—her husband could've handled it easily that evening, but Genta insisted on calling someone else…
"Awesome!" Genta cheered.
…
Beika Town, Kojima Tavern.
Tsuneo stood on a chair, inspecting the exhaust fan. He glanced at Mrs. Kojima sweeping outside and chatting with neighbors, then turned to the chubby kid nearby. "Genta, what's the deal?"
For a minor fix like this—just swapping a fan blade—most people, except maybe pampered housewives, would do it themselves.
"Huh? I didn't break it!" Genta said, waving his little hands.
When he got to the tavern and heard his mom mention the fan, he'd handed over the business card. No sabotage here!
"Fine," Tsuneo said.
He stepped down, told Mrs. Kojima he'd grab a new blade, and headed out.
"That young man's pretty handsome. A relative of yours?" a neighbor asked with a grin.
"Nah, he's a friend of Genta's. A pro repairman," Mrs. Kojima said, shaking her head.
"Got his number? If something breaks at my place, I'll call him."
"Write me down for one too!"
Mrs. Kojima: …
A bit later.
When Tsuneo returned, the ladies were still chatting outside. He nodded in greeting, entered the tavern, and started replacing the fan.
"Lately, these streets have been noisy at night with motorcycles zooming around. Can't sleep."
"Yeah, I heard a kid got clipped the other day."
"The kid okay?"
"Just some scraped skin, but they were pretty shaken."
The women at the tavern door gossiped about everything from celebrities to neighborhood scandals, wrapping up with the local biker gang.
"Genta, let's go. I'm treating you to ice cream," Tsuneo said with a smile as he finished.
"Sweet!"
Genta told his mom and followed Tsuneo to the corner convenience store, where they grabbed ice creams and sat outside, one big, one small.
"Next time, call me when something actually needs fixing, got it?" Tsuneo said, lightly tapping Genta's head.
"I know, you already said that!" Genta grumbled, rubbing his head.
"It's gonna rain," Tsuneo said, looking up at the overcast sky, a grin tugging at his lips.
Wonder if those bikers will come out to play tonight.
Heh, they're in for a rough time!
…
In the rainy night.
A small, barefoot figure staggered toward a place from her memories.
Wrapped in an oversized white lab coat, her short, wavy brown hair framed a face that carried an expression no seven- or eight-year-old should have.
She trudged barefoot through the alleys, finally reaching a mansion with "Kudo" written on it.
"Looking for someone?"
Suddenly, a man in black appeared behind her, his voice cold.
The frail girl turned slowly, facing the tall figure clad entirely in black.
Someone from the Organization…?
Whatever…
Her head spun, and she collapsed in the rain-soaked alley.
"…"
The man in black scratched his head, puzzled.
She didn't faint from me scaring her… did she?
(End of Chapter)
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