The next morning, Ren Kuroda attended class as usual.By lunchtime, he grabbed his bento and went to eat with Ran Mouri and the others.
As they opened their lunchboxes, Ran suddenly suggested, "Hey, Shinichi, Kuroda-kun, Sonoko—how about coming over to my place for dinner after school today?"
"Eh?! I wanna go!" Sonoko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "It'd be so lively with everyone there!" But then her face fell. "But… I'm still grounded. I'm not allowed to leave the school grounds yet."
Ran sighed regretfully. "That's too bad, Sonoko. It'd be so much more fun if you could come."
She turned hopefully to Shinichi next—but he didn't even look up from his bento.
"Tch, I'll pass," he muttered. "If I go, Mouri-ojisan will just accuse me of stealing his work again."
He stabbed his chopsticks into his rice with clear irritation. "It's not my fault he's out of shape. But somehow, everything's my fault!"
Ran rubbed her temples. This was exactly why Shinichi rarely came over—her dad and him clashed like oil and water. Every meeting ended in a shouting match.
Ren chuckled softly. "You can all hang out after the tournament. A proper get-together will be more fun once everyone's free."
"Yeah… I guess you're right." Ran nodded with a sigh. She couldn't think of any better solution anyway. Just the thought of mediating between Shinichi and her father gave her a headache.
The problem weighed on her mind the entire afternoon.Even during karate training, she couldn't focus.
Ren noticed right away but didn't comment. Instead, he waited for the perfect moment—then suddenly threw a punch straight at her face.
"Ah—!" Ran flinched, startled as his fist stopped an inch from her nose.
"Can you focus now?" Ren asked calmly, withdrawing his hand.
"Y-yeah," Ran mumbled, blushing in embarrassment.
"Good," he said, gesturing for her to attack. A moment later, she lunged—only to end up thoroughly beaten again, enough to snap her back to full awareness.
After practice, as they walked home together, Ran bowed apologetically. "I'm really sorry, Kuroda-kun. I wasn't concentrating today."
She looked genuinely guilty. After all, he was taking time out of his own day to train her, and she'd just drifted off mentally.
Ren smiled faintly. "Learning to stay focused is part of the lesson too." Then, after a pause, he added, "What were you thinking about, anyway?"
"I was wondering…" Ran hesitated before continuing softly, "why Shinichi and my dad can't get along. Every time they meet, they end up arguing."
Ren blinked. That's it? He'd expected something serious.
Chuckling, he said, "No father likes seeing the daughter he raised get stolen away by another guy."
He leaned back with a knowing smile. "And when that guy acts cocky toward him—while his daughter takes the guy's side? Yeah, that's bound to sting. I'd be mad too."
Ran froze, her eyes widening slightly. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Ah… I get it now."
She looked up at him anxiously. "Then… what should I do?"
Ren shrugged. "You can't fix it. It's up to Shinichi to figure out how to get along with your dad."
Then he added pointedly, "But you should also stop taking sides. You always defend Shinichi, even when your dad's not wrong."
Ran bit her lip, looking down. "I… I know."
She wasn't stupid—just a teenager whose emotions ran wild whenever Shinichi was involved.Her attention naturally gravitated toward him, even if it meant forgetting about her father's feelings.
After a brief silence, she glanced up shyly. "Um, Kuroda-kun… are you coming over for dinner again tonight? My dad was really happy yesterday after you came. I haven't seen him in such a good mood in ages."
Ren smiled. "You don't even have to ask. I was planning on it. Your dad and I get along great."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Ran beamed, genuinely thrilled. Then, remembering something, she frowned slightly. "But this time, don't buy any alcohol, okay?"
"Got it."
Of course, later that evening, as soon as Ran started cooking, Ren and Kogoro were already knocking back beers together.
Please. How are two men supposed to bond without drinks? Ren thought. Conversation, connection, progress—all fueled by alcohol!
Besides, he'd just spent fifty thousand yen on a new System item: [Drunk a Thousand Cups Without Falling]. It would've been a crime not to test it out.
"Dad, Kuroda-kun—dinner's rea—wait, are you two drinking again?!" Ran called down the stairs, half exasperated, half resigned.
Kogoro immediately defended himself. "It's just beer! Five percent alcohol—barely counts as drinking! It's basically flavored water! Might as well be tea!"
Ren tried not to laugh as Kogoro ushered him upstairs for dinner.
During the meal, Ren praised her cooking with genuine admiration. "Ran, your Chinese dishes are incredible—better than most restaurants! Authentic, flavorful… you nailed it."
"Really?" Ran's face lit up. "Then eat as much as you like!"
Once he'd buttered up the atmosphere, Ren made his move. "Actually, I was wondering… would it be okay if I came here for dinner more often? I'll pay for the food, of course."
He had to admit—her cooking was too good to pass up. And with all the money he'd been making lately, why waste time cooking when he could just show up here?
"Huh?" Ran blinked, caught off guard—but also clearly pleased that her skills were appreciated.
Before she could answer, Kogoro spoke up. "Of course! Come by anytime after school! As for food money, just give ten thousand yen a month."
It wasn't much—just enough to make it official.
Ren recognized the kindness behind the offer and nodded. "Deal."
Money wasn't an issue. He'd just make it up later with a few gifts.
Dinner ended on a cheerful note, with Kogoro and Ren soon deep in conversation again—swapping jokes, trading cop stories, and laughing like old drinking buddies.
But midway through their banter, Ren's phone buzzed.
He glanced down—and his eyes lit up. It was a message from Akemi.
She'd just intercepted an important lead: in one hour, there would be an illegal trade taking place at Beika Wharf.
Ren's pulse quickened. Finally—action.
He didn't waste a second. With a quick apology to Kogoro, he slipped out the door and headed straight for the meeting point.