The moment the words left her mouth, Ran's phone rang.
She answered, and Mouri Kogoro's voice came through.
"Ran, I just took a kidnapping case! It seems a rich man's daughter was abducted by a man in black!"
"I'm rushing to handle it now, and I don't know when I'll be done. Lock the doors and windows yourself when you get home."
After speaking in a rush, Mouri Kogoro was about to hang up.
However, Kudou Shinichi, upon hearing the words "man in black," reacted as if triggered, immediately leaping up, snatching Ran's phone, and asking, "A man in black! Where is it? I'm coming too!"
"Why is there a child's voice?" Mouri Kogoro asked, confused. "Ran, where are you now?"
"Dad, I'm at Shinichi's house. The one who just spoke is…"
Ran's voice hesitated; she didn't know how to introduce the current Kudou Shinichi.
Kudou Shinichi, thinking quickly, pretended to be an innocent and adorable child, and chirped sweetly, "I'm Shinichi Nii-san's distant cousin, named Conan Edogawa."
"Oh, is that so?"
Hearing that it was related to Kudou Shinichi, Mouri Kogoro instantly lost interest.
Just as he was about to hang up, Ran asked, "Dad, where is the client? I'll come find you later, and we can go home together. I've already had dinner anyway."
Ran was a woman of her word. Although she felt it was impossible to be such a coincidence, she asked for the address and took Conan along to the client's house.
Hoshimiya Yuu naturally went along as well.
He knew this was the Chairman's Daughter Kidnapping Case, which involved no real danger—it was merely a farce.
Upon arriving at the scene, Mouri Kogoro's face immediately fell when he saw Conan and Hoshimiya Yuu.
He had finally landed a decent case, yet it felt like a family outing.
Mouri Kogoro complained a few times, but seeing Ran's displeasure, he quickly shut up.
If he upset Ran, and she decided to move in with Eri Kisaki, he would have to do his own cleaning, cooking, and laundry.
Comparing that future to his current life of constant drinking and leisure…
Mouri Kogoro decided to focus on the commission.
To save face, he made a pretense of warning Hoshimiya Yuu and the other two not to disturb him.
Hoshimiya Yuu had no intention of interfering; he was merely accompanying Ran.
He also wanted to see if ordinary cases counted as Fated Events.
If so, he needed to know what level of participation was required to gain a reward.
Hoshimiya Yuu stood with Ran, watching the shrunken Kudou Shinichi—now Conan—from the corner.
They watched Conan collect clues everywhere, occasionally glancing at the butler and the chauffeur, then flashing a knowing smile.
On the other side, Mouri Kogoro finally discovered the truth, thanks to a hint from Conan.
Just as the false kidnapping farce was about to end, a phone call came through.
The voice of the client's daughter, Akiko Tani, calling for help, was heard on the line.
The chairman, whose daughter had actually disappeared, was either desperate or had been convinced by the butler, who was afraid the initial farce would escalate, to hire the unreliable Mouri Kogoro.
But unexpectedly, the case had now turned into a genuine kidnapping.
Hoshimiya Yuu watched silently; the course of events was almost identical to his memory.
After a moment of thought, he decided not to intervene.
In his memory, Akiko Tani was rescued safely in the end, so his intervention wasn't necessary.
Soon, Conan found a clue and rode Akiko Tani's large Doberman, setting off alone to find the kidnapper.
Since Ran and Hoshimiya Yuu were focused on Conan, they noticed immediately.
Seeing Conan act alone, Ran and Hoshimiya Yuu exchanged glances and shrugged in unison.
Was the situation truly so urgent that there wasn't even time to inform the others or say a few words?
As expected, even after almost being killed by Gin and shrinking into a child, he still hasn't learned his lesson.
He really lives up to his title as the 'Little Master of Self-Destruction'.
Even if he found the kidnapper alone, what good would that do? It would just be one more person to put in danger.
This time, however, Ran noticed that she didn't feel the familiar anxiety and disappointment; it was mostly resignation.
She pursed her lips and then informed Mouri Kogoro of the situation.
If Conan liked to court danger, let him. But the little girl was innocent.
Akiko Tani still needed to be rescued.
Afterward, Hoshimiya Yuu and Ran found Conan first.
When they arrived at the scene, Conan was sitting on the ground, and the kidnapper was raising a baseball bat, intending to strike.
Although Hoshimiya Yuu wanted Conan to suffer a little setback, that blow might genuinely cause permanent damage to Conan's still-healing head.
So, Ran quickly ran a few steps and delivered a flying side-kick that accurately hit the kidnapper's head.
The rapid side-kick came so fast the kidnapper had no time to react.
The baseball bat in his hand slipped, dropping to the ground, and the entire person was sent flying.
The kidnapper formed a parabola backward, finally crashing heavily onto the ground, silent and unmoving.
Hoshimiya Yuu stared wide-eyed. Ran's side-kick force was incomparably stronger than his kick against the blonde man.
The idea of intensifying his training to increase his combat power became even more resolute.
"Hahaha, the wicked kidnapper has been captured by me, the great detective Mouri Kogoro!"
Seeing the kidnapper fall, Mouri Kogoro, who had just arrived, flashed an exaggerated grin and immediately claimed all the credit.
"Not only the commission fee, but my reputation will also get a boost!"
Conan rolled his eyes on the side.
He didn't do anything; what a shameless old man.
However, seeing Ran and Hoshimiya Yuu remain silent, he decided not to show his frustration.
Of course, the main reason was that he was currently a child and couldn't stand out too much.
Returning to the chairman's house, they safely returned Akiko Tani.
The case was officially closed, and Hoshimiya Yuu successfully received the System notification.
[Successfully participated in the 'Chairman's Daughter Kidnapping Case'. No reward gained.]
After collecting the commission fee, Hoshimiya Yuu and the others took a taxi home.
Ran went with Mouri Kogoro, while Hoshimiya Yuu was responsible for taking Conan back to Professor Agasa's house.
By the time Hoshimiya Yuu returned to his apartment, it was already ten in the evening.
After talking briefly on the phone with Ran, confirming their safety and saying goodnight, he started his evening routine while contemplating the System.
He currently had one Copy opportunity and one Draw opportunity remaining.
He wasn't in a rush to use the Draw opportunity; the key was the Copy opportunity.
Draw opportunities were relatively easy to obtain, but Upgrade, Copy, and Plunder were much rarer.
Therefore, he needed to choose carefully.
Based on the Chairman's Daughter case, Hoshimiya Yuu realized that ordinary cases also counted as Fated Events, but the probability of gaining a reward, even by participating, was very low.
It might be related to the level of participation, but Hoshimiya Yuu couldn't alter the development and outcome of every case.
Furthermore, he couldn't participate in every case.
For example, cases involving the Detective Boys.
He had no interest in hanging around with a group of children; it would draw unwanted attention, he would have to look after the kids, and there was no guarantee of a reward in the end.
The Copy opportunity definitely had to be used on a Red-quality talent, and it had to be from a target Hoshimiya Yuu could physically interact with.
Copying required physical contact with the target, maintained for at least three seconds.
Currently, Hoshimiya Yuu had only identified Red-quality talents in Ran and Kudou Shinichi.
Ran possessed [Goddess of Fortune's Favor], and Kudou Shinichi had [Protagonist's Halo].