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'Seeing Yukino like that will definitely be fun.'
Yukino had no clue what Haruno was up to. When her older sister started giggling for no reason, Yukino just shot her a look of obvious annoyance.
Every time Haruno played a prank on her before, she wore that same smile. Yukino was sure she was up to no good.
"Let's head inside!" Too lazy to deal with Haruno's antics, Yukino led Kai straight to the banquet hall.
"Hmm? Wait for me!"
By the time Haruno snapped out of her daze, her sister and Kai were already about to go in. She quickly called out and hurried after them.
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The Yukinoshita family wasn't one of the biggest conglomerates. They were better known as a regional family. But their new real estate project in Tokyo was almost finished. Anyone with good connections knew what that meant.
The Yukinoshitas were about to secure their place in the capital.
Because of this, several smaller conglomerates came to show their respect. Many business partners also didn't dare turn down the invitation. So even though it was called a "family dinner," the banquet was huge. The place was packed.
"Mother!" Haruno called out.
Even Haruno held back her playful side for an event like this. She walked up to her mother with a perfect, elegant smile.
"Mother," Yukino greeted, following right behind her sister.
Yukino just didn't have her older sister's natural social skills, especially in a place like this.
"Mhm..." Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded.
She looked at both of her daughters. Haruno always impressed her, but her younger daughter still had some maturing to do. Still, since they were in public, Mrs. Yukinoshita kept her thoughts hidden behind a polite smile.
"You must be Kai-kun," Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly turned her attention to Kai.
They hadn't officially met, but someone as sharp as her could figure things out quickly.
"Thank you so much for your help regarding our recent... situation."
If Kai hadn't stepped in, their Tokyo project wouldn't have gotten back on track so fast. She didn't know how he did it. To Mrs. Yukinoshita, it meant he was either very capable or had powerful support. Either way, she respected him for it.
"You're too polite, Madam." Kai could tell what she was thinking, but he just smiled and let it go. "Both Yukino and Haruno are my friends. Besides, handling that matter wasn't much of a hassle for me anyway. There's no need for thanks."
Kai's relaxed answer made both Haruno and Yukino smile for real.
"Regardless, I still owe you my gratitude. Thank you for attending tonight."
Just then, someone else spoke up and interrupted them—
"These two lovely ladies must be your daughters. They clearly inherited your excellent genes. They're gorgeous!"
A stylish woman in an expensive dress walked over with a wine glass, giving Haruno and Yukino a graceful look. She was about the same age as Mrs. Yukinoshita, but looked like she was still in her late twenties.
"Tomoko!" When she saw who it was, Mrs. Yukinoshita's smile became warmer and more excited. This wasn't just her usual polite act.
She couldn't help it. This woman's status was on another level. Mrs. Yukinoshita never thought someone so important would show up at a simple family dinner.
To be honest, just one word from this woman could remove every obstacle facing the Yukinoshita family's business in Tokyo.
"Hmm?" Kai kept quiet, but when he looked at the woman, real surprise showed in his eyes.
Tomoko Suzuki!
She was the head of the Suzuki Financial Group from the Detective Conan universe.
In this big anime crossover world, the Suzuki Group was a leading conglomerate, on par with the Shinomiya Group.
When Kai first heard the name "Tropical Land," he realized Detective Conan was part of this world. He didn't think he'd meet the characters so soon, and seeing her here was a real surprise.
It's not that Kai looked down on the Yukinoshita family—okay, fine, he definitely did look down on them.
Compared to the Suzuki Group, the Yukinoshitas were like ants. The difference in power was huge, and Kai couldn't imagine how their families ever met.
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"Phew..."
Once Tomoko Suzuki finally mingled her way into the crowd, Haruno let out a long sigh of relief.
Talking to someone that important was overwhelming for her. Once she caught her breath, she turned to her mother.
"Mother, why is someone so important from the Suzuki family at our dinner?" What she really wondered was if they even deserved such a guest.
"..."
Mrs. Yukinoshita wasn't blind. She knew exactly what her daughter was implying.
She gave Haruno an annoyed look. The power gap was big, but there was no reason to put their own family down.
"The actual head of the Suzuki family didn't come!"
The real head of the family was Shiro Suzuki, Tomoko's husband, but he wasn't here. Only Tomoko had come.
"As for Tomoko... we used to be classmates." After a brief hesitation, Mrs. Yukinoshita admitted the truth.
They hadn't been best friends, but they knew each other well enough to be considered acquaintances.
"Classmates?" Haruno's eyes grew wide in shock. "If you had a connection like that, why didn't you ever use it?"
This was what really confused Haruno.
If the Suzuki Group had stepped in, the Yukinoshita family could have avoided years of tough corporate battles. They wouldn't have needed to struggle so hard to get where they were.
"What do you know!" Mrs. Yukinoshita snapped.
Favors came at a price. You couldn't hand them out without thinking.
Even if they had been close friends, Mrs. Yukinoshita would never ask Tomoko Suzuki for help.
"I get it now." Watching her mother's fierce reaction, Haruno suddenly realized things had clicked into place. "I didn't realize you had such a stubborn, prideful streak, Mother!"
Mrs. Yukinoshita has always been a fiercely independent woman.
She had turned the Yukinoshita family from a small rural clan into a major regional power, and finally got them into the Tokyo market. All of it was thanks to her hard work.
With that kind of great pride, she would never ask anyone else for help. To her, that would be the same as showing weakness.
For some reason... Seeing this stubborn side of her mother made the usually distant matriarch seem much more human.
"Quiet!" Mrs. Yukinoshita glared at Haruno, annoyed that her daughter was teasing her about it.
However...
Lately, she had seen the distance growing between her and her two daughters. It wasn't that she didn't want to fix it.
After staring at Haruno for a moment, Mrs. Yukinoshita simply shook her head and dropped the issue.
"In reality, Tomoko wasn't the one who wanted to come. It was her daughter."
"Her daughter?"
"Yes. Sonoko Suzuki. You must have heard of her."
It would be strange if she hadn't heard of the heiress to such a powerful company. Sonoko was well known in high society for never acting arrogant. People said she behaved like a regular, boy-crazy teenager and was easy to get along with.
To Haruno, it just meant the girl had been really sheltered.
It made sense. The Suzuki Group was already on top. They didn't have to push their daughter into an arranged marriage for political reasons.
Also, Shiro and Tomoko Suzuki were known as very progressive parents. Letting their daughter live a carefree life was something they could easily do.
"Don't tell me this Suzuki heiress just likes being in crowds, and that's why she brought her mother here?" Haruno asked. She really was just like the rumors said.
"Anyway, this is a great chance to network. You two are coming with me!"
Since Tomoko Suzuki was here, a bunch of other elite families had come to mingle. These were important connections they needed to make.
Yukino hated this kind of fake socializing, but she wasn't about to let her sister win. She gave Kai a hesitant look.
"Don't worry about me. Go on!" Kai waved her off with a reassuring smile.
Seeing that little moment, Mrs. Yukinoshita frowned. She narrowed her eyes and studied Kai.
From Yukino's reaction, it was obvious her daughter liked him!
She was grateful that he helped their family... but when it came to her daughter...
There was no way Mrs. Yukinoshita was going to sit back and let this slide without a thorough interrogation.
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