"You've been a huge help, thank you." Jolyne thanked the girl and then sat down with Jotaro.
"My name is Mouri Ran, this is my father, Mouri Kogoro, he's a detective, and this is a relative's child staying with us," the girl named Mouri Ran introduced herself with sincerity and enthusiasm.
The little boy sitting next to Mouri Ran raised his hand. "My name is Edogawa Conan. What's your name, big sister?"
"My name is Jolyne."
"Jolyne?" Mouri Ran seemed excited. "That's a rare name! Oh, by the way, are you and this gentleman a couple? Even though this gentleman seems like the quiet type, I think you two look super compatible!"
Hearing this, Jolyne and Jotaro's faces simultaneously darkened.
"Huh? Did... did I say something wrong?" Mouri Ran instantly turned into a flustered mess, a big question mark hovering over her head.
Conan inwardly sighed. Hmph, these two might be physically close, but they don't look like a couple at all. What kind of eyes does Ran have?
"Big Sister Jolyne and this big brother are actually siblings, right?" It wasn't a question but a statement.
"Huh?" Mouri Ran was still confused. "Conan, how did you know they're siblings?"
"Ran, it's obvious at a glance, right?" Mouri Kogoro on the other side said with confidence. "You can tell just by looking at their faces. But then again—" Mouri Kogoro propped his chin on his hand, his sharp gaze shifting between the two. "If this guy weren't so young, I'd suspect you two were father and daughter."
That particular feeling between father and daughter was hard to describe, but Mouri Kogoro, being a father himself, could sense it.
Jolyne's inner thoughts: As expected of a detective, his intuition is spot on...
After saying that, Mouri Kogoro reached his arm around Mouri Ran, who was sitting in the middle, and gave Conan on the other side a sharp knuckle rap on the head. "You little brat, are you playing detective again? Show some manners!"
Jolyne and Jotaro silently watched the family drama unfolding across the table.
Soon, the dishes they had ordered arrived one after another.
"This is really delicious!" Conan let out a satisfied sigh.
"It really is! This beef tongue is super tasty!" Mouri Ran chimed in.
Jolyne speared a piece of beef tongue and put it in her mouth, instantly won over. The beef tongue was grilled perfectly—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Biting through the fragrant, charred outer skin released a burst of savory juices that flooded her taste buds!
"No wonder it's the signature dish of the Morioh Grand Hotel. It's too delicious!" Mouri Kogoro managed to squeeze out praise between wolfing down his food.
During a break, Conan wiped the corner of his mouth and asked casually, "Big Sister Jolyne, you're not Japanese, are you?"
Jolyne nodded. "Ah, you're right. I've always lived in America."
"Then, are you and your big brother here in Morioh on vacation?" Conan continued to press.
"Uh, well, yes, that's right. I heard the beaches in Morioh are famous, that sort of thing." Of course, she couldn't just tell people about dealing with Stand users. Jolyne casually lied.
But Conan didn't seem easy to fool. He continued enthusiastically, "Then, is it the same for Mr. Jotaro? Someone his age should have a job, right? It's hard for office workers to get vacations, isn't it?"
Jotaro's temper wasn't as good as Jolyne's. This brat was using his status as a child to brazenly probe into his and Jolyne's backgrounds. Whether it was out of curiosity or any other reason, he had crossed Jotaro's line.
Jotaro glared fiercely at Conan, his eyes full of warning, mixed with a hint of threat.
Conan shuddered in fear: That man is so scary!
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Mouri Ran looked guilty, stood up, and bowed at a 90-degree angle. "I am so sorry! Conan has been obsessed with detective games since he was little, so he tries to dig for information from everyone he meets. But please rest assured, Conan is a good kid; he means no harm!"
The atmosphere at the table instantly froze. Jotaro was unaffected, but Jolyne felt extremely uncomfortable. After all, they owed their seats to Mouri Ran's kindness.
"Please don't worry about it," Jolyne said. "My bro—ther has a bit of a temper, but he also means no harm." Then she gave Conan a smile. "My... brother is a doctoral student in marine biology. He came to Morioh to study marine life like dolphins in this area for his thesis, and incidentally to handle some family property dispute. I hope that satisfies the little detective's curiosity?"
Conan nodded blankly. Compared to her hot-headed older brother, Jolyne was really an angel...
Then Jolyne changed the subject. "I've told you so much, Little Brother Conan. In exchange, it's only fair I get some information from you too, right?"
Conan: "..."
I take back what I just thought. He inwardly refused vehemently but forced a smile on his face. "Of course, Big Sister Jolyne."
Conan looked reluctant, but Jolyne didn't care. She asked directly, "Just now, Ran said Mr. Mouri is a famous detective. So you're not just here on vacation, are you? Did a client commission you to investigate some case?"
"W-well, how should I put this..." Mouri Ran looked troubled, unsure if she should say, and cast a pleading look at her father.
"There's no harm in saying it." Mouri Kogoro looked indifferent. "This time, we came to Morioh at a client's request to investigate a murder case from ten years ago."
Conan's mouth twitched, and he nearly rolled his eyes. Does this drunkard uncle have any professional ethics left?!
A murder case?! Jolyne instantly thought of Mr. Eguchi, whom she had accidentally met at the cemetery. Was he the client?
Then Jotaro suddenly spoke. "Morioh's crime rate has remained high for nearly twenty years. There have been 48 criminal cases in the past 15 years, exceeding the national average by 23.7%. That means in this town with a permanent population of 100,000, an average of three people die by murder each year. You have your work cut out for you."
"Detective Mouri." Jotaro deliberately emphasized the title, layering on the sarcasm.
"Hey, you punk, do you know who I am?! I'm the famous 'Sleeping Kogoro'! There's no case I can't solve once I take it on!" Mouri Kogoro couldn't stand people doubting him and instantly lost his temper.
"Is that so? Then we'll see." Having said that, Jotaro stood up and left.
Jolyne followed closely behind. The moment they left their seats, an accident occurred.
"Ahhh!!!" A female guest by the window let out a piercing scream. Her eyes were empty, her expression twisted in horror. She seemed to have suffered a huge shock.
Across from her, her male companion had already collapsed under the table. Half of his body had turned into a pulp of flesh, merging with his expensive black suit.
The scene was excessively disturbing. The extreme visual impact and the spreading stench of rot and decay made most people who had just finished their meals vomit repeatedly.
The scene descended into chaos.
After the commotion, only Jolyne, Jotaro, and the Mouri group remained at the crime scene.
Jolyne took one look at the victim's nearly liquefied corpse and immediately understood it was a Stand attack.
Stand users have a range limit for their attacks. Clearly, the perpetrator wasn't far from the restaurant.
Even though Mouri Kogoro had seen all sorts of crime scenes, one with such visual impact was a first for him, and he felt a bit nauseous.
But before that, he covered Mouri Ran's eyes, made her turn around, and said in a deep voice, "Ran, take Conan and go outside."
Having said that, he reached to grab Conan by the scruff of the neck but caught empty air. Looking back, he saw Conan already squatting in front of the victim, fiddling around.
This little brat! Mouri Kogoro strode over in three steps and gave Conan a hard punch, then roughly picked him up and tossed him to Mouri Ran.
Before leaving, he gave a specific warning. "Next time you get close to a corpse, I'll lock you up at home!"
Jolyne stepped forward and carefully observed the victim, trying to find some useful information.
Sure enough, on one of the victim's relatively intact arms, she found a grayish-brown hair.
What was this?
Jolyne reached out and picked up the hair, examining it closely. She confirmed it wasn't cat hair. It was more like... a rat's hair.
But the Morioh Grand Hotel had strict hygiene controls, and the victim was a wealthy man who wouldn't be associated with rats. That left only one possibility—the perpetrator left it.
"Hey! Jolyne! Get away!" Jotaro shouted anxiously from behind.
But it was too late. When she approached the corpse, Jolyne had already entered the rat's range. Instantly, Jolyne's right arm began to rot, and the condition rapidly worsened.
"Star Platinum: The World!" Jotaro called out his Stand. Time began to stop.
Without hesitation, he picked up Jolyne and moved her out of the rat's range. He set Jolyne down. Three seconds remained.
His [Star Platinum]'s range was only two meters. Three seconds wasn't enough for him to run over and get the rat within range.
2 seconds.
1 second.
"Yare yare daze. Time resumes." In the end, Jotaro could only let the rat escape.
Mouri Kogoro, still in his original spot, was completely baffled. "Jotaro, when did you get over there? And Miss Jolyne, how did you...?!"
Seeing Jolyne sitting on the ground in pain, her arm rotting like the victim's, Mouri Kogoro was both shocked and deeply afraid. When did the culprit attack Jolyne?!
And what just happened? He swore Jotaro was standing right next to him. How did that guy end up over ten meters away without him even blinking?
None of this made any sense.
"Mr. Mouri, I don't have time to waste here." Jotaro picked up the injured Jolyne and left the hotel at the fastest speed possible.
He needed to find Josuke immediately and have him use [Crazy Diamond] to heal Jolyne.
Fortunately, taxis were never in short supply outside the hotel. Jotaro found the nearest one, pulled open the door, carefully placed Jolyne on the seat, got in himself, and closed the door.
"Where to, sir?" The driver released the brake and asked enthusiastically, though his enthusiasm vanished without a trace when he saw Jolyne's mangled arm in the rearview mirror.
"Northern Villa District 2-1-3, Morioh. Quickly." Jotaro offered no extra words.
The driver broke out in a sweat, swallowed, and tentatively suggested, "Sir, I think in this situation, it's better to go to a hospital."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he received a warning look from Jotaro and quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, Northern Villa District 2-1-3, right? I'll get you there right away."