"What's wrong with your throat?"
Mingmei signaled for Ayumi to open her mouth wide, and Dr. Agasa walked over to take a look.
"Her tonsils are swollen."
"She's running a slight fever, too."
"Could it be a cold?"
The two adults were examining Ayumi as they spoke.
"If it's a cold, just eat some eel rice, and it'll clear up in no time!" For Genta, every problem could be solved with eel rice.
"Not everyone's like you…" Mitsuhiko said, rolling his eyes.
Genta insisted he was telling the truth…
"Ayumi, I think you should head home for today. Tsuneo can drop the rest of us off, too," Conan said, shifting his attention from Tsuneo's phonebook to Ayumi.
Ayumi, sucking on the throat lozenge Mingmei had given her, nodded listlessly.
"Let's go. After I drop you kids off, I've got some real business to take care of!"
Tsuneo tucked his phonebook back into his toolbag and stood up.
"Real business?" Conan tilted his head, curiosity piqued.
Hey, you're not planning to go catch that robber yourself, are you? And then bury him under the Beika Shrine?
The more the famous detective thought about it, the more plausible it seemed…
"Dr. Agasa, I'm borrowing your car to drop them off!" Tsuneo called out, grabbing the keys from the nearby table.
His pickup truck would be a bit cramped for four kids.
…
Tsuneo smoothly dropped off the three kids at their homes, finally pulling up to the Mouri Detective Agency with Conan.
"What's this 'real business' of yours, anyway?"
Conan clung to the door handle, clearly reluctant to get out.
"Fixing something. Wanna come along?" Tsuneo said with a grin.
Ready to see the world?
Today's client was a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner!
Though, she was the type to keep several guns hidden around the house.
"Nah, I'll pass. But let me remind you: if you find the culprit, take him straight to the police station. Don't go tossing him into Beika Shrine…"
Conan opened the passenger door, turning back to say more, only to be yanked out by Tsuneo.
"Close the door for me, thanks!"
The repairman stared straight ahead, not sparing Conan a glance.
SLAM!
Conan vented his frustration on Dr. Agasa's beloved car door.
Tsuneo casually popped a cassette tape into the player, music filling the car as he floored the gas and drove off.
Twenty minutes later.
An apartment building.
Tsuneo, toolbag slung over his shoulder, rang the doorbell.
"Hey!" The door swung open to reveal a foreign woman with short, straight blonde hair.
She wore comfortable silk pajamas, making no effort to cover up, exuding beauty and confidence.
Her Japanese sounded a bit awkward—apparently, she hadn't been living here long.
"…" Tsuneo glanced at the flickering television, the gaming console still plugged in and lit up.
This was Ms. Jodie, who had recently started teaching at Teitan High School.
Her business card had been passed along by Ran and Sonoko.
This was the repairman's second visit.
Last time, the gaming console had some mysterious issue, and he'd taken it back to Dr. Agasa for repairs.
Now the TV was broken… again.
On purpose, huh?
This FBI agent might have some ulterior motive!
"What's wrong?" Jodie asked, noticing Tsuneo's pause and wondering what he was thinking.
"Nothing. How's Ms. Jodie settling in at Teitan High?"
Tsuneo unplugged the power cord and began inspecting the TV.
"It's been fun. The students really like me!" Jodie nodded with a smile.
And some of the video games are super fun!
Tsuneo glanced back at her.
If it were me, back in my teenage years, I'd have liked a teacher like her, too.
No, scratch that—even at eighty, I'd still like a teacher like her…
Jodie chatted about her life as they went.
From her words and actions, she really seemed like a foreign teacher new to Tokyo, brimming with excitement.
The repair took nearly half an hour.
Only after Tsuneo climbed back into Dr. Agasa's car did he let out a long breath.
Her casual questions somehow always hit the mark, and it was hard to say whether she'd deliberately gotten a broken TV.
"But judging by her demeanor, she hasn't dug up much yet," Tsuneo said with a smile.
With the FBI entering the scene, things were getting more and more interesting…
…
The next day.
Teitan Elementary, Class 1-B.
"Stand up!"
"Good morning, teacher!"
"Good morning, everyone," Ms. Kobayashi greeted the class.
As the students sat down, she continued, "Before we take attendance today, I need to let you all know that Ayumi Yoshida's mother just called. Ayumi has a cold and will be staying home to rest today."
"She really did catch a cold, huh?" Mitsuhiko said, a bit worried.
"Seriously, did Ayumi even eat any eel rice?" Genta expressed his concern in his own way.
"She looked pretty out of it yesterday," Conan said, recalling how lifeless Ayumi had seemed at Dr. Agasa's house.
Xiao Ai caught the look on the famous detective's face and smirked. "What, worried about her?"
And so began their usual bickering routine.
Meanwhile, at Ayumi's house.
"Ayumi, Mommy's stepping out for a bit, okay?"
"I'll finish my errands as quickly as I can and be back before noon. You be good and rest, got it?"
Mrs. Yoshida stood by the bed, her tone gentle as she spoke to her daughter tucked under the covers.
"Okay, I got it… cough, cough…" Ayumi's voice was terribly hoarse, punctuated by a couple of weak coughs.
"It's okay. Once the swelling in your throat goes down, you'll be able to talk normally again," Mrs. Yoshida said, patting Ayumi's forehead reassuringly before heading out to run her errands.
The door closed, and the house fell silent. Ayumi closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
She slept so soundly that she didn't even hear the phone ringing.
Eventually, it switched to the answering machine.
Oddly, the caller left no message, hanging up after about ten seconds.
Roughly ten minutes later.
The doorbell rang.
This time, Ayumi vaguely heard it in her groggy state.
Mom's back!
Her throat was so swollen she could barely speak, but she jumped out of bed to open the door for her mother.
As she reached the door barefoot, hearing the doorbell followed by the sound of the lock being turned, she suddenly froze.
Wait, that's not Mom!
…
At a riverside campsite in Beika Town.
Tsuneo stood on the grass, tending to the barbecue.
Today, he, Dr. Agasa, and Mingmei—the idle trio with nothing better to do—had come out to have some fun.
When it came to a barbecue, the repairman would drop everything.
"Ugh, the fishing spot's too far away," Dr. Agasa grumbled. Fishing wasn't allowed here; you had to go to a designated area.
"Dr. Agasa, maybe you should sit this one out. I already asked Mingmei to buy some fish…" Tsuneo said, exasperated.
By the time you catch something, it'll be midnight.
Just then, the detective badge in Tsuneo's jacket pocket started ringing.
It was playing a melody…
(End of Chapter)
------------------------------
Thank you for enjoying my stories! If you want to go further and support my work, Patreon is the best way to do it — many of the newest chapters will be posted there!
👉 pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ