After the explosion concluded, Yuu Hoshimiya and Miwako Sato headed straight home, taking a half-day off to rest and recover.
Miwako had made a mistake during the incident, but who could blame her? She was the Flower of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Beautiful women always enjoy privileges, especially when they stand out as the lone blossom.
Moreover, she had connections. For the sake of her late father, the esteemed Detective Sato who died in the line of duty, Inspector Juzo Megure wouldn't truly punish her.
As for Wataru Takagi, that foolish rookie...
A written apology and report were unavoidable; otherwise, it wouldn't appease the rest of the force!
...
Having secured a half-day off, Yuu went to where he parked his car and first drove Miwako home.
Then, he dropped the Detective Boys off at their school so they could continue practicing their performance for the New Year's fair.
The erratic timeline had unknowingly shifted to early spring again. It was currently spring break, which explained why the kids were exploring an abandoned building yesterday.
If he were still teaching at Teitan High School, Yuu would have had these few days off as well. Unfortunately, he now had to clock in for work almost every day.
And when emergency cases arose, overtime was mandatory.
Honestly, Yuu didn't particularly enjoy this lifestyle. The only thing keeping him motivated was that he got to spend almost every day with Miwako Sato.
Well, now he had to add the charming beauty from the Traffic Division, Yumi Miyamoto, to that list.
Since the escaped prisoner incident, Yuu and Miwako's relationship had progressed significantly. They commuted to and from work together, making many male officers green with envy.
What infuriated the male officers even more was that not only were Yuu and Miwako practically inseparable, but later, the sexiest and prettiest officer in the Traffic Division, Yumi, also joined their commute.
The three of them had a great relationship. As best friends, Miwako and Yumi weren't jealous of each other; instead, they were both very close to Yuu.
To the onlookers, it looked like Yuu had a woman in each arm, and they happened to be the two most beautiful police flowers in the MPD.
But only Yuu understood the true nature of this "修罗场" (shuraba/carnage field).
Although the two women were best friends with a deep bond and wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics, it didn't mean they wouldn't compete.
And because they were so close, they often brought things up directly, forcing Yuu to take a stance.
Questions like: Who is prettier? Who has a better figure? Who has a better personality? Who does he like more?
Caught in the middle, Yuu experienced the agonizing thrill of the shuraba, trying to please both sides and smooth things over.
To be fair, both women had their unique strengths and were equally matched in every aspect.
While he smoothed things over, he never lied.
After every shuraba, Yuu became more determined to conquer both women as quickly as possible.
Deceit and ambiguity only lead to suffering in endless shurabas. Only through honesty and sincerity could he unlock a happy crystal harem.
This was what Yuu had always believed, and it was how he acted.
Yuu's happiness and distress were unknown to outsiders.
Faced with Yuu—who crushed them in ability, strength, looks, and even internal MPD connections—the male officers could only watch with envy, not even daring to show a sour face.
When facing Yuu, they had to pretend to be enthusiastic; looking for trouble was out of the question.
The only exception was perhaps the naive rookie, Wataru Takagi, who always wore a resentful expression.
But given his personality, he wouldn't dare cause trouble for Yuu either.
Yuu couldn't be bothered to care. He couldn't exactly forbid people from feeling envious or resentful in their own hearts, could he?
Life at the MPD was much more fulfilling and busier than at Teitan High.
Especially in the Conan world, where cases happened almost every day.
Today, the MPD received a report of a bank robbery; the culprits were currently fleeing in a car.
Inspector Megure gathered his men and quickly set up blockades and pursuits.
But the culprits' driving skills were excellent. After chasing them for over half an hour, not only had the police failed to close the distance, but they were also on the verge of losing them entirely.
Inspector Megure exploded in anger over the public radio channel. "What is going on? I understand if you can't catch them, but you can't even tail them?!"
"Inspector Megure, maybe we should call Officer Sato..."
An officer suggested weakly.
Miwako Sato's driving skills were universally acknowledged within the police force. She even had a nickname among street racers: "The Screaming Witch of the Fog."
When street racing in the foggy mountains, the friction of tires against the asphalt during her brakeless drifts sounded like a mountain witch screaming.
She was now a legend among street racers.
It happened to be Miwako's day off today, and since they weren't short-handed, there was no need to call her in for overtime.
But no one expected the pursuing police cars to fail so miserably, even coming close to losing the target.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Despite his scolding, Inspector Megure picked up his phone, preparing to call Miwako for help.
"There's no need, Inspector Megure. I'll handle it."
Yuu replied over the public channel and began to accelerate.
He had planned to slack off, but he didn't expect these police officers to be this useless, even threatening to interrupt Miwako's day off.
Coincidentally, he had never experienced the thrill of driving at full speed. This legal street race was a great opportunity.
Inspector Megure hesitated. "Brother Hoshimiya, can you do it?"
"Don't worry, Inspector Megure."
Yuu didn't say more. Driving his Lexus, he broke away from the convoy and began pursuing the fleeing criminals' car alone.
To be fair, the perks of being a public servant were indeed good.
When using a personal vehicle for official business, not only were fuel costs reimbursed, but any damages incurred would also be covered.
Yuu wasn't short on money, but a free perk was a free perk.
With these thoughts in mind, he began to steadily increase his speed.
120 km/h.
130 km/h.
140 km/h.
155 km/h...
Just as Yuu was about to accelerate further, a loud bang echoed, and the car tilted violently.
Relying on his absurd strength and reaction time, he stabilized the steering wheel just in time and hit the brakes.
Half a minute later, the car came to a steady stop by the side of the road.
Yuu got out to inspect and discovered that one of the rear tires had blown out due to the high-speed, high-load drifting.
It wasn't surprising. He had bought this car solely for commuting; its overall performance was rather average.
A tire blowout during high-speed drifting was completely within reason.
There was a spare tire in the car, but he didn't have time to change it.
He had just talked big, only to have his car break down. This was too embarrassing...
He would have Noah track them for now and figure something out.
After giving Noah her instructions, Yuu looked around for a vehicle he could temporarily "borrow."
The next moment, he saw a female traffic officer standing in front of a car at the intersection ahead, issuing a parking ticket.
She wore a uniform, her long hair reaching her back, a few bangs peeking out from under her blue cap. She had big eyes on a melon-seed face and curved willow eyebrows—it was Yumi Miyamoto.
Seeing an acquaintance, Yuu immediately rushed over, grabbed Yumi's small hand, and pulled her toward her patrol car.
"Hey, what are you doing? Hey, Yuu-kun?"
Seeing Yuu, Yumi's face instantly lit up with pleasant surprise.
While pulling her along, Yuu said, "Yumi, it's great running into you. I need your help."
The two quickly got into the patrol car. Yuu sat in the driver's seat, slammed on the gas, and shot forward.
The car's speed skyrocketed instantly, and Yumi, in the passenger seat, immediately began to scream!
The scream was incredibly piercing, making even Yuu feel it was a bit unbearable.
He couldn't help but reach out and cover Yumi's small mouth. Her lips were very elastic and felt excellent to the touch, like touching jelly.
Yumi's face instantly turned red. She stopped paying attention to the accelerating car and instead glared at Yuu with shy annoyance.
Even driving with one hand, Yuu was incredibly fast. The patrol car soon reached its top speed.
Seeing that Yumi had stopped screaming, he pulled his hand back, a light purple lip print visible on his palm.
"You scream way too loud. I think the title 'Screaming Witch' should belong to you!"
Looking at the traffic whizzing by outside, Yumi felt a bit scared. She grabbed the seatbelt and strapped it across her chest.
The seatbelt strapped tightly across the center of her chest, instantly highlighting the two full mounds.
She retorted, "Who told you to drive so fast? I never drive over thirty miles per hour! The speed limit in the city is forty!"
Speaking of this, Yumi's eyes lit up, and she smiled playfully.
"Oh right, Yuu-kun, you've violated traffic rules. Hehe, now I have dirt on you!"
Hearing this, Yuu couldn't help but roll his eyes at her.
"But, Yuu-kun, what are you in such a frantic hurry for?"
"Catching criminals. The bank robbers' car is just ahead. Miwako is off today, and the other police can't catch them, so I have to do it."
Hearing this, instead of being afraid, Yumi was thrilled, her big eyes sparkling. "That's great! I finally ran into a big case! I'm so sick of writing parking tickets every day!"
"If I hadn't failed one test back then, I would be a detective like Miwako right now, instead of a lowly traffic cop!"
Yuu quickly reminded her, "These are bank robbers. They have guns!"
"That's exactly why the great Yumi needs to step in!"
Yumi was brimming with confidence, looking very eager.
Yuu ignored her and let her be. With him around, mere firearms were nothing. Even if they had bombs, he could retreat safely with Yumi.
Gradually, Yumi got used to the car's speed and was no longer afraid.
She rode in Miwako's car often enough; she had that much adaptability.
As for her claim of never exceeding thirty miles per hour...
Just listen to it; whoever believes it is a fool!
If she really drove that slow, how could she catch speeders and issue them tickets?
Usually, Miwako was around. Now that they were rarely alone together, Yumi's bold, little-devil personality resurfaced.
Her small hands began to restlessly explore Yuu's body.
At first, she just wanted to pull a prank, but as she kept touching, she became a bit entranced.
It was a long while before Yumi realized she had almost reached into Yuu's waistband.
Her small face turned bright red instantly. She quickly pulled her hand back and said, trying to cover it up, "Yuu-kun, don't overthink it! I was just joking!"
Hearing this, Yuu chuckled softly.
Looking at the sexy, curvaceous police flower in her traffic uniform, he said slowly, "I didn't overthink it at all."
These clearly ambiguous words made Yumi's face blush even deeper.