"I haven't known Sonoko that long," Ren Kuroda replied carefully, dodging Ran's question with the tact of someone stepping around a landmine. "We haven't spent much time together, so I don't really know her that well yet."
"That makes sense." Ran nodded knowingly, then a sly spark flickered in her eyes. "So… what you're saying is, you don't dislike Sonoko, right?"
"Yeah. Of course I don't dislike her," Ren said without catching the teasing tone in her voice.
When they reached the intersection, he didn't part ways with her as usual but instead continued walking alongside her down the road toward her home.
"Eh? You're not heading home?" Ran asked, tilting her head.
"I am," Ren said casually. "But I need to stop by the supermarket first."
Lately, he'd been trying to find a restaurant near his apartment that suited his tastes. He'd gone through just about every place in the neighborhood, but none of them had really hit the mark. So, he'd resigned himself to cooking his own dinners.
Ran assumed he was just going to grab a pre-made bento box or something simple to heat up at home. But when she saw him skillfully sorting through fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat like a pro, she blinked in surprise.
"Kuroda-kun, are you… actually going to cook dinner yourself?"
"Yeah." He nodded offhandedly, not thinking much of it.
"That's amazing!" Ran said, genuinely impressed. "Shinichi can't cook at all! He just buys convenience store bentos, heats them up, and says, 'I don't want to waste time cooking.'"
Hearing that, Ren paused for a second. It struck him again—he wasn't in his old world anymore. Here, something as ordinary as cooking your own dinner was considered impressive.
Seriously? People praise you for being able to feed yourself? he thought, a little bemused.
Then Ran suddenly brightened with an idea. "Hey, Kuroda-kun! Why don't you come eat dinner at my place tonight?"
"Huh?" Ren blinked. He hadn't expected that.
"You've been teaching me karate so seriously," Ran said, a little shyly. "I just thought I should at least thank you properly with a meal."
She meant it sincerely. Ren could see she felt awkward about getting all this training for free.
He almost said, Just buy me tea sometime, but stopped himself. Her allowance was probably limited, and she didn't have much free time lately anyway. Besides, meeting Kogoro Mouri ahead of time wouldn't be a bad idea. Most cases in this city somehow circled back to that guy anyway.
So Ren nodded. "All right, I'll come."
"Yay!" Ran cheered, delighted that she could finally do something nice in return. "So, Kuroda-kun, is there anything you especially like to eat?"
"Yeah. Chinese food." Ren paused, remembering the local "fusion-style" restaurants that butchered authentic flavors. "Real Chinese food, though. Can you make that?"
"I can!" Ran said eagerly, puffing up with confidence. "I learned a few dishes online! I'll make some of my best ones tonight!"
She immediately started picking out ingredients, scanning the aisles with the same focus she used during sparring. It took them about ten minutes to gather everything, and when she was finally satisfied, they headed to the checkout.
But right after they left the store, Ren suddenly called out, "Ran, wait a sec."
"Hm? What's wrong?" she asked, hugging the bag of ingredients.
"I'm meeting a friend," Ren said, turning toward the supermarket entrance.
A moment later, a salaryman emerged, carrying a small bag. Ren walked up to him, handed over some cash, took the bag, and thanked him before returning to Ran.
"All right, let's go," he said easily.
Ran glanced curiously at the bag in his hand as they walked. "What's that?"
"Just a small gift for your dad," Ren said smoothly. "Can't show up empty-handed."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "That… shape. Is that—alcohol?"
"Yeah," Ren admitted without hesitation.
Ran immediately pieced it together. "Wait—you asked that guy to buy it for you?!"
"Yep," Ren said simply. Then, seeing the scolding rising in her expression, he quickly added, "It's for Detective Mouri, not for me. I don't drink."
Ran exhaled in relief at that—but her sense of justice wouldn't let her stay quiet. "Still… Kuroda-kun, that's technically illegal, you know! If the police catch you—"
"Ran," Ren interrupted before she could finish, his tone calm but strategic. "You're not going to tell anyone, right? I mean, you wouldn't want me to get arrested for buying your dad a gift, would you?"
Ran froze, her moral compass spinning helplessly. "Ugh… fine. I won't say anything. But just this once! Don't do it again!"
"I promise," Ren said immediately.
Of course, promises like that were always binary—either you never broke them, or you broke them endlessly.
When they reached the Mouri Detective Agency, Ren followed Ran up to the second floor and came face-to-face with the legend himself—Kogoro Mouri.
The man was sprawled on the couch, scruffy and unshaven, sipping from a can of beer while watching TV. His shirt was half-untucked, his hair a chaotic mess.
A perfect picture of a washed-up middle-aged man.
The office looked like a typhoon had blown through—cigarette butts, beer cans, files, and crumpled paper scattered everywhere. The air reeked of alcohol and smoke.
In short, it was chaos incarnate.
"Dad! I just cleaned this place yesterday! How is it this messy again?!" Ran practically screamed.
She immediately regretted bringing a classmate over.
"I was looking for a file," Kogoro said, taking a swig of beer, "and things… got a little out of hand."
Ran's face turned bright red. "Honestly! Can't you clean up after yourself?!"
Mortified didn't begin to cover it. Having a friend—a male friend—see her home like this was her worst nightmare.
"What's the point of cleaning if no one's visiting?" Kogoro grumbled, then squinted toward the doorway. His eyes landed on Ren, and his expression shifted into something half-suspicious, half-prying. "Huh? Ran, who's this? Your boyfriend? What are you doing dating already?! I told you—no relationships in high school! Study first!"
Before he could keep ranting, Ran grabbed a shoe from the floor and chucked it square at his face.
"Stop drinking and stop spouting nonsense!" she snapped, cheeks blazing. "This is Kuroda Ren—the classmate I told you about! He's been helping me train for karate practice!"
Kogoro blinked, rubbing the shoe print off his cheek. "…Oh."
Ren just smiled politely, the unopened bottle of sake still dangling from his hand.