After messing with Amuro, Toru walked out of his office, ready to grab a cup of coffee and space out for a while in the store.
As a newly opened cafe, it wasn't very popular.
Moreover, the first floor was a Live House, and most of the people who came to practice in bands or do karaoke were students.
Students always had limited funds and needed to be frugal, so naturally, there weren't many customers at Toru's place, which priced itself like a business cafe.
Toru didn't care. He never planned to make money from the cafe in the first place, that would take way too long.
Besides, if he really wanted to, he could just do some publicity and announce he was the owner. Countless people would rush in and boost his numbers instantly.
A few high school students were sitting in the cafe in twos and threes, chatting idly.
Compared to the quiet cafe, the Live House downstairs was much livelier, with many junior and senior high school girls coming in to rent equipment for band practice.
Toru casually scanned the store and spotted a girl with pink hair, her back facing him.
He recognized her. It was Anon, the girl he had met at the airport when he returned from England.
However, since Toru had too many things going on and had met countless excellent girls in real life, even though he had her Line contact, he never messaged her proactively.
Sitting across from Anon was a tall girl with a graceful and elegant air. She also looked young, but her figure was overly full.
At least compared to Anon across from her, it felt like they belonged to two different worlds.
Since he saw someone he knew, Toru walked over, intending to say hello.
...
Right now, the three biggest trends in Japan were Karate, girl bands, and detectives.
As a high school girl with a bit of vanity, Anon naturally wanted to be involved in trending things.
That was the only way to have topics to talk about with classmates and friends, and the only way to blend in and make more connections.
But she couldn't do Karate, and she couldn't be a detective. In girls' high schools, the most popular trend was obviously girl bands.
To gain more attention, Anon wanted to debut as the center.
But after searching through existing bands and finding none that lacked a center, she came up with the idea of forming her own band.
If I'm the one creating the band, then being the lead vocalist and center is completely reasonable, right?
Girl bands were insanely popular now. Almost all her classmates were in bands.
Whether they were just doing it for fun or seriously practicing, finding members was still difficult.
Anon was never afraid of challenges. After putting in a lot of effort, she finally got her classmate Tomori to join the band.
Although the process was messy and she was almost overwhelmed by the other party's pressure, Anon still relied on her own strong "quality" and made it work.
Getting her first member gave Anon a big confidence boost.
Today, she came straight from school to Ikebukuro Station, planning to find more band members at the Live House. That was when she happened to meet Nagasaki Soyo from the elite girls' school Tsukinomori.
Seeing that the girl was carrying a bass, Anon took the initiative to ask her. After finding out she wasn't in a band, she eagerly invited her.
What Tsukinomori lady? Anon didn't care about that at all.
If I hadn't gone to England, I could've gotten into Tsukinomori too after junior high, okay?
Anon thought she'd have to persuade her a lot, maybe even bug her constantly, to get the girl to join. But surprisingly, the girl agreed very easily.
"That's great! I love you, Soyo-se~!"
Anon's eyes sparkled as she acted cute and spoiled.
Soyo's mouth twitched slightly. Although she was a bit disgusted at being called "Soyo-se," for the sake of her own goal, she endured it.
She responded in a clearly fake sweet voice, "Since Anon-chan invited me so sincerely, it would be too heartless to say no."
After her sweet response, Soyo immediately asked what she really wanted to know.
"...Anon-chan, the other day I saw you inviting Takamatsu at the entrance of this store. Did she agree to join the band?"
Anon had only met Soyo through Tomori, so she wasn't surprised they were acquainted.
She didn't notice any hidden meaning behind Soyo's words and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, she agreed. So now it's you, me, and her, three people."
"If we can find one more, we can form a band. Two would be even better. But even just the three of us would be fine."
"I can be the lead vocalist and guitarist, Soyo-se will be the bassist, and I'll ask Takamatsu what she can play."
Anon was already imagining herself standing center stage, basking in everyone's attention.
Soyo watched her delusion with a gentle smile, though deep down she sneered.
This Anon clearly has no idea how to form a band, nor does she understand how hard practice actually is.
But it doesn't matter. As long as I use you to rebuild CRYCHIC, I'll kick you out immediately.
"Hang in there, Anon. I'll help you find members too. I actually have a few candidates I can recommend."
Soyo continued speaking in her sugary voice.
"Wow, Soyo-se, you're amazing~"
Just as Anon was getting excited, a cold, boyish voice rang out. "Your black tea."
Shiina Taki slammed down two cups of black tea in front of Anon and Soyo, her eyes cold.
"What kind of attitude is that!" Anon said unhappily.
"What attitude? You're the one who made Tomori cry!"
Taki got angrier just thinking about it.
She had seen this girl outside the store yesterday, making Tomori cry out of anger.
"I told you it wasn't like that! And what, are you Tomori's dad now? Why are you being so nosy?"
"You made Tomori cry. That's just wrong."
"Hey, watch your words. If you keep that attitude, I'll file a complaint."
Anon smugly pulled out her trump card.
"Huh?"
The move worked instantly. Taki was stunned.
I can't get a complaint. I finally found a chill part-time job with great pay and a perfect location. I don't want to get fired.
Taki's face turned red as she struggled to decide if she should swallow her pride and apologize. Just then, she glanced up and froze. "Bo... Boss?!"
She straightened up immediately. Besides being her boss, Toru was also someone she admired deeply.
He was the kind of man who could take down violent criminals barehanded, save innocent lives, and stay calm even after getting stabbed.
High school girls were naturally prone to idolizing people. Add in Toru's good looks, and it was no surprise Taki had already made him her idol.
Anon also froze.
Crap, is Taki really about to get fired? If someone lost their job because of her, Anon would feel kind of guilty too.
Toru walked over and said, "Taki, I saw you arguing with a customer. Something happen?"
"I, I... no, nothing..." Taki panicked, afraid Anon would say something that would get her in trouble.
Anon stood up at that moment. Under Taki's nervous gaze, she said, "We weren't arguing. We're actually friends, just joking around."
Taki breathed a sigh of relief.
Anon, who had turned to explain to Taki, froze when she saw who had arrived.
No wonder the voice sounded familiar. This was actually Fujiwara-kun. He was the boss of this place?
Toru was already super famous. Even though Anon had his Line, she had never dared send a message. She was afraid he'd think she was chasing clout.
Worse, what if he deleted her? That would be way too awkward.
As long as she didn't message him first, he couldn't delete her.
This time, she had brought Soyo to the cafe because she had seen Toru here before.
Now, seeing him again was a pleasant surprise.
But she was nervous. What if he didn't remember her?
If she greeted him and he had forgotten her, that would be incredibly embarrassing.
Just as Anon was panicking, Toru greeted her first. "What a coincidence, Anon. Didn't think I'd run into you here."
"Fu, Fujiwara-kun, you still remember me?"
"I haven't gotten Alzheimer's yet. I wouldn't forget the cute girl I met at the airport."
"Cu, cute..."
Anon's face turned red, her hands fidgeting.
Taki frowned at the sight of them. The boss knew this pink-haired girl? And it seemed like they were close. That made her uncomfortable.
How could her idol know her enemy?
Soyo also recognized Toru at that moment. Wasn't this the man she had seen in those videos?
She quickly stood up and said in a sweet voice, "Good afternoon. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Fujiwara here."
"Mr. Fujiwara saved my friend Shiroishi during the library incident. I'm truly grateful."
"Shiroishi?"
Toru thought for a second and said, "...Oh, the girl who posted that video on X, right?"
Soyo nodded quickly. "Yes, that's her. Is Mr. Fujiwara the owner of this place? C-Can I bring Shiroishi next time? She's always wanted to thank you in person."
"This is a cafe, after all. Anyone's welcome. But I'm not here every day. I still have school, so I just stop by occasionally."
Soyo pursed her lips and, as expected of a Tsukinomori girl, praised him modestly. "You're a top student at Tokyo University, so your schedule must be really packed."
Anon chimed in. "Fujiwara-kun, I'm about to form a band and will be practicing here soon. I'll definitely support your business."
"If you stop by, Anon, I'll give you a 20% discount."
"Really?"
"Of course. Do you think I'd lie to you?"
"Wow, Fujiwara-kun, you're so kind! C-Can I take a photo with you?"
If she got a picture with him, she'd have something to brag about at school.
Toru didn't refuse.
Anon immediately ran to his side, took out her phone, switched to the front camera, and snapped a photo.
Then she started chatting with Toru excitedly, her face full of joy.
Chatting with cheerful high school girls put Toru in a good mood too.
But as more and more customers showed up, many of them also looking like they wanted photos, Toru had to politely excuse himself and leave for a while.
The girls understood and didn't think he was being stuck-up.
At the counter, Taki hesitated and said, "Boss, that girl Nagasaki Soyo... she didn't use to talk like that. She wasn't all sugary."
"I'm not trying to badmouth her, I just think... she's acting way too green tea. You should be careful."
Toru smiled and nodded. "Since you said so, I'll be careful. Thanks, Taki."
Though usually outspoken, Taki was actually shy. Her fair cheeks flushed, and she muttered, "You don't need to thank me for that kind of thing..."
It was almost dinner time. Toru said goodbye to Anon and got ready to head home. He still needed to discuss with Haibara how to catch Kudo Shinichi.
Anon waved at him enthusiastically.
Soon after, she and Soyo left the store together.
Walking down the streets of Ikebukuro, Anon said excitedly, "I didn't expect Fujiwara-kun to be the boss of that store. I'm definitely coming here more often."
Soyo, walking beside her with a bass on her back, glanced over.
She hadn't expected to see that man here either, someone she had only seen in videos and who was now regarded as a national hero.
She had also decided to come to this store often.
Besides the great location, she also wanted to let her friend know and bring her along.
...
At the western-style house in Tokyo's North District, Toru returned home to find Haibara had already made dinner.
She followed the recipe and reproduced it precisely, like she was conducting a chemistry experiment.
It couldn't be called delicious, but it wasn't bad either. It could only be described as decent.
"Is the plan to capture Kudo Shinichi ready?"
While eating, Haibara asked.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)