At the inn!
In the women's onsen, four figures were faintly visible beneath the water.
In the men's bath next door, Heiji was soaking alone. Hearing the bright laughter coming from the other side, he relaxed a little.
"You two, I'm sorry, but this entire inn has been booked by someone else."
"What? Booked?"
Kogoro Mori stared at the landlady with wide eyes.
"Yes. So, please find another inn, gentlemen."
"But my daughter is staying here."
Kogoro checked the inn's name. It was the one Ran had mentioned—there was no mistake.
"May I ask your name, sir?"
"Huh? You seriously don't recognize me?"
Kogoro felt irritated.
The landlady shook her head, confused.
"My name is Kogoro Mori. Surely you know it now?"
When the landlady still looked blank, Kogoro's shoulders drooped in defeat.
[Heh, this isn't Tokyo. Of course she wouldn't know you, Uncle.]
Conan's mood had improved a lot. At least he felt like teasing Kogoro again.
"Dad, Conan! You're finally here—come in quickly."
Just then, Ran stepped out in a bathrobe that covered her properly. When she saw them, her face lit up.
"Miss Ran, do you know them?"
"Yes, Ms. Narumi. This is my father, and this is Conan."
"Then, Miss Sonoko…"
The landlady hesitated. After all, Sonoko was the one who had booked the entire inn.
"It's fine. I'll talk to Sonoko."
The landlady glanced at Ran and nodded. "Alright. Then I'll leave it to you, Miss Ran."
As Kogoro passed by the landlady, he pointed at himself again, still hopeful. "You really don't know who I am?"
Her expression made him feel even more hopeless.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
Ran found Kogoro's behavior strange.
[He really took a hit this time. He always thinks being a famous detective means everyone knows him… heh.]
Conan followed behind with a smug look.
Ran led the two of them toward a room. Before they even entered, they could already hear cheerful laughter.
The door opened.
Everyone inside was wearing thick bathrobes. They were gathered around a table, sipping sake and eating small dishes.
"Wow, a beautiful woman!"
Kogoro's eyes lit up as he stared at Vermouth.
[Who is this woman?]
Conan frowned. The feeling Vermouth gave him was strangely familiar.
"Uncle Mori—and you too, Conan—you're finally here," Sonoko said.
"Hello. My name is Kogoro Mori. I'm a famous detective."
Kogoro immediately put on a charming act and started flirting with Vermouth.
Vermouth glanced at him calmly. "Detective Mori, we've met before. Don't you remember?"
Kogoro stared at her for a moment, then his face brightened. "You're Ms. Vermouth? I didn't expect that after all this time, you'd still be so beautiful."
Vermouth gave a faint smile. "Detective Mori, after all this time, you haven't changed either."
[Still just as shameless.]
Conan mentally added the rest for her.
"Kogoro, Conan, hurry up and eat. The food here is really good," Yukiko said warmly.
"Heiji, eat this."
"Heiji, try this one."
Kazuha and Sonoko were on either side of Heiji. He barely needed to reach for anything—his bowl kept getting piled up.
"Come on! Let's drink!"
Kogoro spent most of the time drinking.
Ran took care of Conan, picking food for him. Sometimes she passed tasty dishes to Yukiko and Vermouth. As for Heiji, Kazuha, and Sonoko, she didn't need to help at all.
Conan kept his head down, still lost in thought.
Vermouth occasionally looked at Conan. Seeing how serious he was, a sharp glint flickered in her eyes. It was unclear what she was thinking.
Yukiko ate quietly. Her gaze shifted now and then—toward Heiji's group, then Ran, then Conan. Her eyes looked complicated.
Later, Yukiko changed back into her regular clothes and walked to the room Kogoro and Conan were staying in.
Conan opened the door, and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Mo— A-Auntie Yukiko, you…"
"Hmm???"
Yukiko's gaze turned frightening.
"Auntie Yukiko… what do you need from me?" Cold sweat formed on the back of Conan's head.
"Oh my, what a cute Conan. The night is nice, so I thought I'd go for a walk with you," Yukiko said with a bright smile.
Conan looked exhausted. "But I want to sleep."
"You can sleep a little later. Hurry up—get dressed and come with me."
A cold light flickered in Yukiko's eyes.
"…Okay. I'm coming."
A chill ran down Conan's back, and he hurried to get dressed.
There were no streetlights along the road. Yukiko and Conan—one tall, one small—walked down the path, looking oddly mismatched.
"Auntie Yukiko… why did you come looking for me?"
Conan knew Yukiko would not come for him without a reason.
"Shinichi, how long has it been since you last called Ran?"
Yukiko's voice was steady and calm, completely different from her earlier tone.
"Ran? I see her every day. Why would I need to call her?" Conan asked, confused.
Yukiko glared at him and smacked him hard on the head.
"Ow! That hurts!" Conan grabbed his head and looked up at her. "What was that for?!"
"Oh my… I really don't know what to do with you." Yukiko's voice rose with anger. "You know Ran is fine, but Ran doesn't know you're fine. And she doesn't know that you know she's fine! If you don't contact her for so long, how is she supposed to know you care about her? And how is she supposed to feel at ease about you?"
Conan froze, then gave her a helpless look. "She won't care about things like that."
"You…" Yukiko almost laughed from anger. "You're not Ran. How do you know she won't care? Honestly… you're exactly like that mystery-novel maniac. You're making me furious."
Conan hurriedly tried to change the subject. "Speaking of Dad… when are you going back to Los Angeles with him?"
"Don't change the subject." Yukiko put her hands on her hips and glared at Conan. "Right now—call Ran."
"She's probably asleep. I'll do it tomorrow."
Conan actually did want to call.
"She's out with Heiji and the others. She won't be asleep yet."
"…Why is Ran getting so close to Heiji?"
Jealousy surfaced in Conan's voice.
"Ask yourself that," Yukiko said sharply.
Conan pulled out his phone and looked down. "Why is it off?"
He turned it back on.
The first thing that popped up was a missed call.
"Look at that!" Yukiko snapped. "Ran was in a bad mood today and called you—and your phone was off!"
"Auntie Yukiko… I was in a bad mood too. I didn't want anyone bothering me."
"You… you're unbelievable!" Yukiko was so angry she turned and walked away. Her voice drifted farther and farther into the darkness. "I'm done with you!"