Valentine's Day had arrived. Ren took Sonoko to a popular couples' restaurant for dinner.
"Aaaahhh—!!"
Just as the two were immersed in a romantic atmosphere, a piercing scream erupted from the direction of the private booths in the distance!
"What happened?" Sonoko was instantly jolted out of the sweet mood, turning her head toward the source of the noise.
At the entrance of one of the booths, a woman with matcha-colored hair was slumped on the ground in terror. One hand clutched her lips, her eyes wide with horror as she stared into the room.
While the other diners looked on in confusion, a small figure sprinted past them, shouting anxiously, "What happened?!"
The moment Ren saw him, a look of profound helplessness flashed in his eyes.
If I'd known this kid was here, I never would have picked this restaurant for dinner.
The figure rushing to the scene was none other than the "Death God Elementary Student" himself—Conan Edogawa.
"Isn't that the little brat staying at Ran's place? Why is he here?" Sonoko also spotted Conan, her face showing a mix of surprise and suspicion.
Ren waved a hand dismissively. "Probably on a date. Kids these days are precocious as hell."
He suddenly recalled that in the original story, the reason Ran and the others attended a Valentine's party was because Sonoko wanted to find a boyfriend and had forced Ran to go along. That led to the Valentine's murder case.
Specifically, the first Valentine's murder case.
However, in this timeline, Sonoko was already with Ren. She obviously wouldn't drag Ran to a random singles' mixer, and given Ran's personality, she wouldn't have gone on her own. Looking at it that way, it was actually somewhat "logical" for Conan to be here?
Logical my foot! I specifically picked a high-end restaurant to avoid trouble, and yet! You still managed to follow me here?!
With the appearance of Ran and Kogoro Mouri, the full cast was assembled. Next came the inevitable, high-octane deduction!
"The victim's name is Aoyama Ono, thirty-five years old. He came here to spend Valentine's Day with his mistress—that's the woman who screamed earlier," Conan whispered to Ren, filling him in on the details.
Ren rolled his eyes and whispered back, "Brother, why are you telling me this? Don't tell me you're planning to meddle in a murder case again."
Even though he knew Conan couldn't help himself, Ren still wanted to talk some sense into him. Working for free was a habit he really needed to break. At least get on the police payroll; you should be getting a commission for every case you solve, right?
Being a man of high moral character, Conan looked at Ren with disdain. "You... your head is truly nothing but money, isn't it?"
"Can't help it. I'm just a commoner who doesn't get out of bed without a profit. My ultimate goal in life is a car and a house. I'm not like some people who are 'noble' from head to toe, right down to their soul," Ren shrugged, completely ignored Conan's judgment. He continued, "By the way, why are you all here? Did you finally come clean to Ran and bring her here for a date?"
Hearing this, Conan's eyes turned into "dead fish" eyes, his mouth twitching. "As if! And besides, have you ever seen someone bring their father-in-law along on a date?"
"Oho? Already calling him father-in-law, are we?"
"You misheard me!"
While they were talking, Ran and Sonoko walked over. Ran looked at Conan with an apologetic face. "Sorry, Conan-kun. It looks like dinner is ruined."
"So this is the 'Conan' you mentioned?"
Another female voice came from behind them. A beautiful woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses and possessing a striking figure walked slowly toward them.
"Aunt Eri! Long time no see!" Ren greeted her politely.
Eri Kisaki smiled and nodded at Ren. "Yes, the last time we met, you were still in middle school. Back then, you hadn't even started dating Sonoko yet~"
Faced with the elder's teasing, Ren and Sonoko didn't show a hint of embarrassment. They weren't exactly running an underground romance; they were open and honest about it! Even the Suzuki family knew about their relationship and felt comfortable letting Sonoko stay at Ren's place. It was clear they had already accepted Ren's status.
Of course, this was also because the Suzuki family was relatively progressive. If it were any other wealthy clan, they likely wouldn't have agreed to let their daughter marry a penniless, powerless orphan.
Ren replied with a smile, "It's been years. Are you still not planning to make up with Uncle Mouri? Even if it's just a grudge, enough time has passed to let it go, hasn't it?"
Today was Valentine's Day, and both Eri Kisaki and Kogoro Mouri had appeared in the same couples' restaurant with Ran and Conan in tow. Even if Ren's memory of the original plot was a bit fuzzy, he could guess this was likely another of Ran's schemes to get her parents back together.
So, Ren decided to give the plan a little push.
Eri's smiling face stiffened for a moment. She then huffed and looked away with a classic tsundereexpression. "Who would want to make up with a man of such poor taste? If he wants me to forgive him, he'd have to kneel at my front door and beg. Only then would there be a tiny, tiny shred of a possibility!"
Ren and Sonoko laughed awkwardly. Ran, standing nearby, looked completely dejected. She knew today's plan had failed again; her parents still had no intention of reconciling.
Seeing that the conversation was turning toward casual small talk, Conan's feet "slipped," and he prepared to make a break for it. Chatting was nowhere near as fun as solving a murder!
But just as he was about to sneak away, the previously dismissive Eri Kisaki suddenly fixed her gaze on him. Looking at that face—a dead ringer for Shinichi as a child—the Queen of the Legal World felt a jolt in her heart.
Did that drug actually succeed?!
Though her mind was reeling, Eri remained calm on the surface. She called out to Conan with a smile. "Little boy, since you're living with Ran now, please look after her in the future~"
As she spoke, she kindly ruffled Conan's hair, turning his neat black locks into a messy bird's nest.
Conan's mouth twitched. But when his eyes met Eri's, a chill went down his spine for some reason. He quickly forced a laugh. "Hahaha! Well... that is... um..."
He stammered for a while, unable to get a full sentence out. Finally, Ran stepped in to help him out, and Conan successfully escaped to continue playing great detective.
"That kid is 80% likely to die alone," Ren grumbled under his breath.
Eri's gaze drifted inconspicuously across Ren, Sonoko, and Ran. From their expressions, she instantly had her answer.
I didn't expect that Ren—who usually acts like he doesn't care about anything—would be the first to discover Shinichi's identity. Ran, as his childhood friend, you actually lost to a man~
Ren had no intention of getting involved in the case. As he said, he didn't do free labor. He found a seat with Sonoko and continued eating fried lobster while waiting for the police work to finish.
"A murder just happened over there, and you still have an appetite..." Sonoko said, looking at him with disbelief.
"I've been hanging out with Shinichi for years. I've seen my fair share of crime scenes. This? Just another day at the office~"
By the time he was nearly full, Conan had successfully cracked the case. The killer was exactly who you'd expect: the cheating husband's wife.
After discovering her husband was having an affair, she had tried to turn a blind eye; after all, infidelity was common enough in Japan. But when she realized her husband was using their family savings to buy "romance" for another woman, her fury became uncontrollable. After several fruitless arguments, a fire had been lit in her heart.
While she was crying and confessing on the floor, Ren actually walked over to listen. The reason she chose to kill him today was that while she was busy at home dealing with their rebellious teenage children on Valentine's Day, her husband was out enjoying himself with a younger woman—at a couples' restaurant, no less!
In her rage, she lost her reason. While the mistress was in the restroom, she approached her husband with a glass of poisoned wine and offered a "couples' toast."
According to her, the husband was hesitant at first, but once she said, "If you don't drink this, you won't get what you're after tonight," the man drank it without a second thought.
Then he died. And then came the screaming.
After hearing the whole story, Ren was left speechless.
"A philanderer like that... he was a pure scumbag!"