RyuGin Restaurant, Hibiya, 7th Floor, Yurakucho, Chiyoda District, Tokyo.
"This restaurant has held three Michelin stars for ten consecutive years and is known as one of the 'World's 50 Best Restaurants.'"
"The reason I hadn't invited you before, Fujiwara-kun, is because it's always fully booked. I finally managed to get a reservation today."
"Since we closed another big deal, it's the perfect time to celebrate with you."
"You lived in America for a while, right? You must be tired of Western food. It's a good time to enjoy some Japanese cuisine."
At RyuGin, Eri Kisaki casually introduced the restaurant as she and Toru were led to their reserved table.
The decor had a strong Japanese flair. The atmosphere was quiet, with dark brown carpeting. Seated by the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could even enjoy the night view outside.
"Ms. Kisaki, you're very thoughtful."
After they were seated, Toru smiled as he spoke.
A meal here typically cost tens of thousands of yen per person. For an ordinary student, the prices alone would be enough to make their knees weak.
But for people like Toru and Eri, this kind of money was hardly an issue.
Eri ran her own law firm and was one of Japan's top lawyers. With an annual income in the tens of millions, she had long since stepped beyond the middle class.
Money wasn't the issue. What mattered more was that she had taken his preferences into consideration, which showed genuine care.
Eri took off her coat, revealing a snug knitted top that emphasized her mature figure, exuding feminine charm.
"Excuse me, are you Ms. Kisaki?"
A waiter approached and asked.
"That's me."
"You reserved for three people?"
"Yes, one more will arrive shortly."
"Understood. I'll inform the chef to begin preparations."
The waiter handed them warm towels and tea, then bowed and left.
Downstairs, Ran, dressed in a casual long dress and freshly groomed, looked helplessly at the child following her.
"Conan, why are you insisting on tagging along?"
Conan quickly put on a bright smile, pretending to be an innocent grade schooler. "Uncle Mouri only knows how to drink and can't cook. I didn't know what to eat, so I had no choice but to follow you."
"You could have gone to Dr. Agasa's place."
"Dr. Agasa eats instant noodles every day. I'm kind of tired of that."
Hearing that this little kid had nothing to eat but unhealthy instant noodles every day, Ran's maternal instincts kicked in hard.
She could only nod in defeat. "Alright, but remember, this meal was arranged by my mom. Don't speak out of turn."
Ran gave Conan a warning.
Conan quickly nodded.
Even though pretending to be a child made him feel gross, it was undeniably effective in moments like this.
'Damn it, what exactly is Ms. Kisaki planning? Is this a blind date?'
Conan gritted his teeth, but after glancing down at his pint-sized body, he could only lower his head in frustration.
In his current state, he couldn't do anything!
Ran led Conan to the seventh floor. As they entered the restaurant, they immediately spotted Eri and Toru sitting by the window, chatting happily.
If not for the age difference, Ran might have thought her mom had found a new boyfriend.
She walked over quickly and called out cheerfully, "Mom!"
Despite her calm appearance, Ran had always felt sad about her parents' divorce.
But she had no say in their affairs. With Eri always busy with work, their time together was rare. That's why Ran treasured every chance to see her.
"Ran, you're here! Let me take a look. Have you grown taller? Hmm, no, your hairstyle got taller."
When Eri saw her daughter, she stood up with a warm smile. The woman who always seemed strong and invincible softened completely in front of her child.
Even though the relationship with her ex-husband had long deteriorated and she had no plans of reconciling, she still felt guilty toward her daughter.
"Mom, who's this?"
After exchanging a few happy words with Eri, Ran looked curiously at Toru.
He seemed a few years older than her, tall and handsome, with a polite smile that left a good first impression.
At the very least, as a high school girl, Ran had to admit that he was the kind of guy who could easily make a girl's heart skip a beat.
If she weren't the type to hold back easily, her heart might've already been racing.
If Sonoko were here, she'd definitely be shouting "hot guy" with excitement.
"Ran, let me introduce you. This is one of Mom's clients, Fujiwara Toru. He used to live in America, stayed in Japan last year, and got into Tokyo University. He even served as the freshman representative."
"You really should learn from him. You, ah..."
Eri shook her head. Like most parents, she was always worried about her daughter's academic future.
If it were any other teen, they might've rolled their eyes or started rebelling at this point. But Ran was gentle and understanding. She loved her mother deeply and never got upset over such things.
Instead, she said in awe, "Tokyo University? That's incredible, Fujiwara-kun."
Then she looked at Eri again and said honestly, "...Mom, I'm just average. Getting into Tokyo University is way too hard for me."
Eri smiled. "I'm not asking you to aim that high. You're not suited for academics. I'd be happy if you could just get into a decent university."
At that moment, Toru reached out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you."
Ran hadn't expected him to be so formal and quickly reached out to shake his hand.
Conan stared at their joined hands, his heart aching.
Damn it, I haven't even held Ran's hand yet! You damn guy, let go right now!
That was when Eri finally noticed Conan and frowned. "Ran, why did you bring this child?"
Ran quickly explained, apologizing to Toru as well. "Sorry, I didn't say anything beforehand."
Toru shook his head, showing he didn't mind.
He could tell without needing to think that Conan had followed her here on his own.
Wait... don't tell me a murder is about to happen?
Toru became alert and scanned the surroundings.
He really didn't want to play detective.
"Aunt Kisaki. Fujiwara-nii!"
Even though he didn't want to, Conan still greeted Eri and Toru politely with a sincere look.
If he acted rude, both Eri and Ran would be mad at him.
Eri explained to Toru, "This child is a relative of my friend, Kudo Yukiko."
Toru pretended to be surprised. "Kudo Yukiko? The one who retired at the height of her fame in her early twenties, breaking the hearts of countless men?"
Hearing Toru speak of his mom like that, Conan felt strange inside for some reason.
"Fujiwara-kun, you know Yukiko too? I thought she wasn't popular anymore."
"I'm pretty familiar with Chris Vineyard in America. Her mother, Sharon Vineyard, and Kudo Yukiko are said to be fellow disciples."
Toru smiled as he spoke.
"Chris Vineyard? You know her, Fujiwara-kun?"
Ran lit up and jumped in excitedly.
As a world-famous actress, Vermouth had countless fans.
"Yeah, we're on good terms. If she comes to Japan someday, I'll make sure you get to meet her."
Toru's words made Ran visibly more cheerful, and she suddenly became much more talkative.
Toru then added, "If he's a relative of Kudo Yukiko, then he must be related to Kudo Shinichi too, right?"
"I've seen Kudo Shinichi on TV. Looking at this child now, they do look pretty similar."
Conan, who had been silently watching Ran and Toru chat with rising irritation, suddenly froze.
When he met Toru's smiling eyes, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.
(To be continued.)