Chapter 25: Eye Contact
While Frank was still cursing, Natsukawa had already returned to Beika Town 5-chome.
Instead of going home, he turned right and headed toward the Mouri Detective Agency.
Because of the Tequila situation, he'd told Ran beforehand that he'd be home late, so Anya was having dinner at the Mouri household.
It seemed he really needed to hire a housekeeper. If Natsukawa couldn't make it home on time, at least someone would be there to take care of Anya.
No!
Natsukawa shook his head. This matter needed further consideration. A spy couldn't have too many attachments. If he got married again, he'd definitely become distracted.
Neither the original Natsukawa nor his current self had ever been in a serious relationship, so he both anticipated and feared the possibility.
Although he'd dated mission targets or women close to them during his spy work, it had all been fake. Natsukawa maintained that it was strictly business—purely physical encounters. His heart had remained unbreakable.
The lights were on at Café Poirot downstairs from the Mouri Detective Agency. Through the glass windows, staff could be seen bustling about inside. Many people liked to take evening strolls after dinner, and couples would stop by for coffee.
Natsukawa had grabbed coffee here a few times himself. Spies were notorious for pulling all-nighters, so coffee was practically part of their DNA. Though he'd cut back considerably since coming to Japan.
The same went for smoking. He basically didn't smoke at home anymore, afraid Anya would smell it.
The waitress in the café was Azusa Enomoto, and the waiter wasn't Amuro Tooru. At this time, Amuro probably hadn't arrived in Japan yet. This guy was a college student from a nearby university working part-time.
"Azusa-san, could I get two cups of cocoa to go?"
The few customers in the café were all couples, probably having stopped by spontaneously after an evening walk, just as he'd guessed.
Wait—there was one woman sitting alone, drinking coffee.
This woman was somewhat unusual, immediately catching Natsukawa's attention. He sensed a refined tranquility about her—almost dangerous in its calmness.
She had long black hair reaching her waist, secured with a cute white headband. An elegant oval face, fair skin, and bright reddish-brown eyes.
She wore a red off-shoulder jumpsuit that revealed her delicate collarbones and graceful neck. The jumpsuit ended just below her hips, paired with sheer black tights and heels.
Quite attractive, especially those cone-shaped earrings—rather unique.
This woman definitely fit his aesthetic preferences. But sorry, lady—I'm a spy.
If she were an ordinary civilian, he might have already asked for her number.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, the woman turned to look at him.
Her reddish-brown eyes met Natsukawa's directly, her brows slightly furrowed as if she'd just been deep in thought.
Natsukawa smiled sheepishly. How embarrassing—caught red-handed.
The woman ignored his apologetic expression, looked away, and returned her attention to her coffee cup, gently stirring it with a spoon.
Impressive.
She'd actually detected his surveillance. He'd been extremely discreet, mostly using peripheral vision, yet she'd still noticed.
"Natsukawa-san, the cocoa is ready. Anya-chan likes sugar, so I added extra to her cup."
Azusa's voice interrupted his thoughts.
He was a regular here, as was Anya, so Azusa knew their preferences well.
Two cups of cocoa sat on the counter, steam rising from small holes in their lids.
Natsukawa nodded in acknowledgment, but after a moment's thought, his paternal instincts kicked in. "Next time, secretly add a little less sugar. Too much sugar is bad for her teeth."
Azusa smiled and nodded. "Okay."
Watching Natsukawa leave, Azusa breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head.
"What's wrong?" the male waiter asked.
Azusa gave a helpless smile. "Anya-chan knew Natsukawa-san would ask me to reduce the sugar. She told me several days in advance not to listen to him."
"She really has foresight, doesn't she?"
The two exchanged amused glances. Such a lovely father-daughter pair. It was just a bit strange—they'd known them for so long, but hadn't seen Natsukawa-san's wife yet.
With such a cute daughter, the mother must be a beautiful woman, probably with flowing pink hair.
"Huh?"
Azusa looked at the male waiter quizzically. "What's wrong?"
The male waiter thought for a moment. "I remember Mouri-san and his family went out just now. Didn't he tell you earlier that if Natsukawa-san came by, you should let him know? Anya-chan went with them too."
"Ah!" Azusa's eyes widened in realization.
She'd been so busy she'd completely forgotten!
"Natsukawa-san!"
She rushed toward the door.
"Natsukawa?" The woman who'd just met his gaze murmured, glancing out the window.
So his name was Natsukawa?
That man's eyes were sharp, even when he'd smiled at her.
But she'd seen the scrutiny behind that smile—the gaze of a predator.
What kind of person would have such eyes?
Was he an assassin like her?
At the entrance, Natsukawa had just been about to head upstairs when he heard Azusa call out. He turned back. "What is it, Azusa-san?"
"Mouri-san went out. He's not in the office right now."
Gone?
Natsukawa looked up at the second floor. The office lights were still on, but there was no sound.
If Anya were there, there'd definitely be noise.
And this was usually the time when Kogoro Mouri would be watching Yoko Okino's variety shows, complete with his lecherous laughter.
But now—nothing.
"He probably forgot to turn off the lights when he left." Azusa tapped her finger against her lips thoughtfully. "Oh, right! There was a guy with a Kansai accent with him. When he came upstairs to find Mouri-san, he stopped to ask me about him first."
"A Kansai guy? What did he look like? Build and features?"
A Kansai accent?
Tequila? His Kansai dialect was very pronounced.
After all, he'd just been following the man today, so it was natural to make that connection.
If it was Tequila, he'd be easy to identify—his features were quite distinctive.
"Hmm, dark-skinned, with an Osaka accent, probably around 175 centimeters tall. It seemed like there was some kind of case. I saw a middle-aged woman too, probably the client."
Natsukawa understood immediately. If that was the case, it should be Hattori Heiji!
"Oh, right! He said he's a famous high school detective from Kansai, and he's in Tokyo looking for Kudo Shinichi."
That guy.
Hattori Heiji was way too concerned about his reputation. He introduced himself to everyone as a "famous high school detective" from Kansai. Why not just say "high school detective"? Adding "famous" was pure bragging.
Still, Natsukawa didn't actually dislike Hattori Heiji.
If he was looking for Kudo Shinichi, then today might be the day Conan temporarily transforms back into Shinichi for the first time?
Just thinking about it made him a little excited!
Should he go watch?
Of course he should!
"Okay, did Mouri-san say where they were going?"
Natsukawa vaguely remembered the diplomat murder case where Conan first transformed back into Shinichi, but he couldn't recall the perpetrator's name.
He only knew the victim was a diplomat. There were thousands of diplomats in Japan—with just that title alone, Natsukawa would never be able to track them down.
"Yes, this is the address Mouri-san gave me beforehand." Azusa pulled a small slip of paper from her pocket and handed it over.
Natsukawa took the note and glanced at it.
Oh? It's not even in Beika Town.
The Grim Reaper's curse was spreading beyond Beika's borders.
Natsukawa pocketed the note and nodded his thanks to Azusa.
When Azusa returned to Café Poirot, Natsukawa turned to look through the café's floor-to-ceiling windows, met the woman's gaze once again, and nodded apologetically.
How awkward.
[End of Chapter 25]