BWDC:SDDK Chapter 36: That Damned Bat Freak!
At the Mouri Detective Agency.
Mouri Kogoro looked up in shock at the building across the street, then looked back down at the mysterious "coffee man" standing before him. He pointed a trembling finger at Ren Ichimonji, speaking in disbelief.
"You actually live right across from my house?! Why am I only finding out about this now?"
"Wait... you didn't move in here on purpose because of some evil plan, did you...?"
Stroking his chin, Mouri Kogoro stared at Ren Ichimonji with a face full of suspicion.
Ren Ichimonji: ?
How did you reach that conclusion? Do I really look like a villain to you? Just as Ren was wondering if there was something wrong with his appearance today, Mouri Ran happened to return.
Clutching her handbag, she pushed open the door to the Mouri Detective Agency and spotted Ren sitting on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought. She greeted him with a bright smile.
"Ren-san, I already heard about that matter from Sonoko!"
"Here is a ticket for the TWO-MIX concert tomorrow. Please, take it!"
TWO-MIX? What's that? Mouri Kogoro turned to Ran, his eyes clouded with confusion.
A concert? Is it a singer like Miss Okino Yoko? They must be far inferior to Miss Yoko, though. After all, a famous detective like Mouri Kogoro has never even heard of them. With a strange stage name like that, I'd know who they were if they were famous—
Wait, is something not quite right here?
"Whaaa!"
Mouri Kogoro practically rocketed out of his chair. He lunged toward Ran and asked excitedly, "No way! You and Sonoko got up early this morning to go shopping just to buy a ticket for this kid?"
"...Don't tell me you bought one for yourself too, and you're going with him tomorrow?"
Granted, he thought the moves Ren showed while dealing with Nagamitsu Mitsuaki last night were pretty slick—about on par with his own skills back on the police force... well, maybe a tiny bit worse—so it was natural for girls to like him. But for Ran to progress this far after meeting the guy less than three times? Isn't that a bit much?
She was just moping about that Kudo brat a few days ago!
Ran looked at her father with blank, "dot-eyes" in confusion. "What's wrong? I did buy one for myself. I'm a fan of TWO-MIX, after all."
She reached into her bag and pulled out another ticket.
Looking at the ticket in Ran's hand, Mouri Kogoro fell silent.
This... maybe I should make an appointment to see Eri and have her come to the agency so we can talk to Ran about this. Speaking of which, that Kudo brat has been gone for so long, it really does seem like...
"Thanks."
Ren took the ticket Ran had held out. With a quick glance, he memorized the seat number and other details, while simultaneously noting the seat on the ticket in Ran's hand.
Same row, but not adjacent seats. It looks like Ran intends to sit by herself.
Seeing how natural Ren was acting, Mouri Kogoro's brow furrowed even deeper. He shouted, "You damned Bat Freak! How exactly did you do it?!"
He had been right there the whole time Ran and Ren were interacting; how had he not noticed anything suspicious?
Baffled by his behavior, both Ran and Ren turned to look at Mouri Kogoro.
Ren & Ran: ?
When I give you a question mark, it's not because I have a problem; it's because I think you have a problem.
What the hell is a 'Bat Freak'?
If you called me 'Batman,' I'd just take it as a literal translation, but 'Bat Freak' is pushing it! You ignorant fellow, don't insult my intelligence with such nonsense!
Just as Ren was about to ask for an explanation, Ran finally realized what was going on. Her face instantly turned beet red, and she waved her hands frantically in explanation.
"No, Dad! It's not what you think!"
"Sonoko wanted to invite Ren-san to the concert, but she was too embarrassed to come over herself, so she asked me to deliver the ticket for her..."
"Also, Dad, did you secretly watch that recorded tape of the Masked Yaiba TV show last night?"
Ran's words immediately made Mouri Kogoro relax. However, at the mention of the Masked Yaiba show, the old man's face flushed.
"Ahem, well, that's..."
Mouri Kogoro coughed twice, looking embarrassed. "That's because the rerun of Miss Okino Yoko's performance wasn't airing until three in the morning."
"I was bored, so I watched a few episodes of Masked Yaiba that the Conan kid brought home... Anyway, enough! Since you got the ticket Sonoko sent, you should head back now."
As soon as he finished, he hurried to see the guest out, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
Ren didn't plan on lingering either. He knew that when there wasn't a murder case, Mouri Kogoro usually took small jobs like finding lost cats or dogs. Those definitely wouldn't trigger any "Public Security Tasks," and he wouldn't deign to do them!
Batman wouldn't be as idle as a Blue Boy Scout, saving kittens from trees! ...Except, perhaps, for those "kittens" who liked to mess with gold and silver jewelry inside other people's vaults or treasuries.
Ren turned to leave without hesitation. However, as his hand touched the doorknob, he suddenly turned back to the Father and Daughter, asking curiously:
"Where's Conan? Why isn't he here? Did he go to school?"
Unlikely. Usually, if Conan is at school, Ran would be at school too. So why hasn't Conan "spawned" at the agency at this hour?
Ren caught a faint scent of "Points."
He was quite short on points. Specialized items in the System Mall, like the custom micro-computer, cost at least a hundred points. He needed to save up, or he wouldn't be able to afford any useful new tools when they appeared.
Ran shook her head, looking a bit lost. She had gone to find Suzuki Sonoko early this morning to buy the TWO-MIX tickets; she had no idea.
Mouri Kogoro rubbed his chin, saying uncertainly, "Ah, that brat? I think his group of little friends came by to pick him up to go play."
"They've probably gone far. He'll likely call me this afternoon to pick him up. Honestly... what a pain!"
Little friends? The Junior Detective League?
Ren's eyes suddenly became sharp. The Junior Detective League suddenly asked Conan to go out and wander the streets? That's a guaranteed "Case Plot" trigger. It looks like today's points are taken care of!
"Mouri-san, if you need to pick someone up this afternoon, call me. I'll help!"
Mouri Kogoro: ?
Help with what? Why do you sound like someone's going to drop dead this afternoon and you're in a rush to solve the case?
End of Chapter
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