Kazuha returned to the room in thin pajamas. She saw Heiji was still sleeping. She felt a bit playful.
She crawled onto the bed quietly. She used a lock of hair to touch Heiji's nose. She wanted to make him itch.
A pair of large hands suddenly grabbed her waist. Heiji pulled her into the blankets with force.
She let out an "Ah" sound. Her lips were covered. After a few seconds, she gave in completely.
Heiji let go of Kazuha. He smiled at her. "Dummy. Next time, open the door quietly. You opened it so loudly. How could I not wake up?"
Kazuha's face turned red. She gave Heiji a look. She put her arms around his waist.
She moved closer into his chest. She closed her eyes comfortably. "Heiji," she hummed.
Slowly, she became quiet. Heiji looked down and laughed. This girl had fallen asleep again.
Last night, Kazuha and Eri Kisaki talked until very late. In the next room, Eri was also sleeping deeply.
It was nine o'clock! When Heiji opened his eyes again, Kazuha was gone. He heard laughter from downstairs.
He washed up and went down. Eri Kisaki gave him a graceful smile.
"Lawyer Kisaki, is Osaka more fun than Tokyo?" Heiji asked.
"It is the same. When I am working, every place is the same," Eri said with a sigh.
"Oh? Do you have work today?" Heiji asked.
"Heiji, I am going to work with Teacher today. I heard she is a legal advisor for the Imperial Family. It is a good chance for me to learn," Kazuha said.
"A legal advisor for the Imperial Family? Is it a permanent job?" Heiji asked in surprise.
Eri shook her head and smiled. "It is only for the time they are in Osaka. I do not have the skill to be their permanent advisor."
"Teacher is just being humble. Otherwise, she would have been an assistant for a cabinet member long ago," Kazuha said proudly. She wanted to show off her teacher to her boyfriend.
Heiji was surprised. He looked at Eri. He did not know about that.
Eri smiled. "It was just a casual mention. Maybe they were just being polite."
But the words of a cabinet member are never just polite talk.
"Mrs. Shizuka, thank you very much for your help," Eri said. She bowed slightly to Shizuka Hattori.
"I should thank you. Thank you for taking care of Kazuha," Shizuka said politely.
Kazuha held Heiji tightly. She felt very happy.
Eri smiled. "I like Kazuha very much too." After talking for a bit, Eri and Kazuha went out.
"Mother, did Father not come home last night?" Heiji asked.
"He said it was an emergency. He might not be home for a few days," Shizuka said. She was used to it.
Heiji nodded. "I am going out too."
He went to the garage and sat in his car. An emergency? It probably was not about the Night Baron.
That case was not big enough to make him forget to eat or sleep. Did something else happen? He needed to find out.
The cat and mouse plan had not started yet. He needed a reason to make the Osaka police and Yusaku Kudo get involved.
Just then, Yukiko Kudo went out too.
"Heiji, where are you going?" Yukiko asked. She saw Heiji driving. She ran over to him.
Heiji looked at Yukiko. She looked normal. It seemed she had recovered.
"I am going to the Osaka Police Station. Mr. Yusaku is there. Do you want to go?" Heiji asked.
Yukiko paused. She shook her head. "I do not want to see him. You go by yourself." Then she left.
Heiji shrugged. He drove past her. "Lawyer Kisaki is in Osaka. Kazuha is with her. Maybe you can find her."
Yukiko watched the car leave. She sighed and made a phone call.
The traffic on the road suddenly became heavy. Heiji frowned.
"Today is a workday. People should be at work. Why are there three times more cars than usual? Is there a traffic jam ahead?" Heiji asked.
He drove for a while, but the traffic stopped completely.
"Damn it. It was in the news last night. How could I forget? I should have woken up earlier," a driver said nearby.
Heiji's heart moved. He rolled down his window. "Mister, do you know what happened up ahead?" Heiji asked.
"Didn't you see the news yesterday?" the man asked in surprise.
"The news said the Yasakani no Magatama will be shown in Osaka. It is tonight. They are moving it now. That is why there is a traffic jam."
"Are they closing the roads?" Heiji asked with a frown.
In this country, closing roads would cause protests because it affects people's lives.
"No. There are just too many people. That is why the traffic is bad," the driver said.
Heiji nodded. He gave the driver a polite smile. "Thanks, Mister."
"It seems I have my reason now," Heiji whispered to himself.
After waiting for half an hour, the traffic finally moved. He turned his black Mercedes. He went in another direction.
He did not need to go to the police station anymore. Collecting information was the next thing to do.
The treasure being shown must be a fake. But even a copy is treated with great care. The work must be very detailed.
An item from the Imperial Family would not be a cheap copy. Even a copy is something normal people cannot have.
Heiji needed to find out where and when the exhibition would be. He also needed to know how they would show it.
To play cat and mouse, he needed bait. Otherwise, the mice would not come.
He drove to a place where many people gathered. He parked his car and walked into the crowd.
These people came to see the Imperial Jewel. They probably knew a lot of things.
"I thought it was the real treasure. It is just a copy," a woman said with disappointment.
"Even a copy is too expensive for us. I heard it is worth ten billion yen."
"Ten billion?" People shouted in surprise.
Heiji listened quietly. But he did not hear anything useful. Suddenly, he smelled a nice scent.
A white hand patted Heiji's shoulder.
"Oh my. Heiji, you said you were going to the police station. But you are here looking at jewelry. Am I that unwelcome?" Yukiko asked.
Heiji turned around. Yukiko was standing there. She pouted her lips and looked hurt.
Why is this woman here?
"Yukiko, didn't you call Lawyer Kisaki?" Heiji asked.
"Eri is working nearby. I saw so many people and felt bored. So I came to look." Yukiko gave him a look.
"Whatever. You are paying for lunch today," she said.
Heiji looked at her strangely. "Did you forget your money?"
Yukiko looked embarrassed. She glared at him. "Paying for a lady's meal is what a gentleman does. Do you want people to say bad things about you?"
It seemed this woman was still acting like herself.