Chapter 51: A Love Triangle?
10:30 PM - Closing Time
Café Poirot was already past closing time.
Actually, Azusa had been quite accommodating, letting the three of them stay a bit longer. Normally, Café Poirot started ushering people out after 10 PM.
"Auntie, take care! Let's meet again another day~"
Anya kept waving her flip phone enthusiastically.
She and Yor had just exchanged numbers and agreed to hang out again next time.
She'd had a wonderful time today. Setting aside the fact that Yor was Bond's prophesied mama, just being around her gave Anya a very relaxed feeling. This potential mother figure gave her a sense of security and reliability.
As for the occasional flashes of Yor being an assassin that sometimes surfaced in her mind readings, Anya had automatically filtered them out.
Was it wrong for Papa to be a spy and Mama not to be an ordinary person?
No problem! It makes perfect sense!
She was even a little excited about it. Her father was a spy, her mother an assassin, Uncle Franky was an information broker, and Mr. Mouri, Ran, and Conan were all extraordinary people in their own ways.
Life should be this colorful—it's so interesting!
At first, she'd been somewhat shocked by the revelation, but she was quickly won over by Yor's gentle head pats and soothing presence.
Aunt Yor's embrace was so comfortable, warm, and reassuring.
However, Aunt Yor seemed a little slow on the uptake, appearing somewhat dazed and repeatedly saying she'd come to Café Poirot for an appointment, but when asked for details, she couldn't remember anything specific.
"Miss Yor, shall I drive you home?" Natsukawa checked the time—10:30 PM. It wasn't safe outside at this hour. Apparently, a notorious pervert called the "Beika Wolf" had recently appeared in Beika Town, and yakuza organizations were still quite prevalent in Japan. It wasn't safe for young women to walk home alone at night.
"N-no, it's alright." Yor felt a little flustered. Letting Mr. Natsukawa drive me home...
She'd heard from her colleagues at city hall that only boyfriends would drive their girlfriends home.
No, wait—it seems like men who are pursuing women would also do that.
So, does Mr. Natsukawa... No way, no way.
"It's already 10:30. Beika Town isn't very safe at this hour. I heard there's a predator targeting women who walk alone. Please, let me take you home."
"Yes, Auntie!" Anya nodded frantically. "Papa has a car. He can get you home safely and quickly!"
Papa finally gets it! All that effort acting cute and charming all night wasn't for nothing.
And Bond—he's put in so much work too. He deserves recognition. I'll give him extra treats tomorrow.
"Alright then, thank you so much, Mr. Natsukawa."
"Not at all." Natsukawa nodded. "Wait here for just a moment. I'll go get the car."
With that, Natsukawa crossed the street toward his apartment building on the other side.
When Natsukawa reached home, Bond was already back, lying by the door. He looked up at Natsukawa, wriggled slightly, then continued lounging.
Walking himself was exhausting, especially having to constantly watch out for the Beika Wolf. He was just a dog—he definitely couldn't fight a wolf.
Outside the Café
"The Beika Wolf?"
Yor's expression darkened, her gaze turning toward the end of the street. Such a predator has appeared in Beika Town? I need to find him sometime. This kind of person deserves to be eliminated.
Cut off all three limbs, and don't leave him with his hands either. Better yet, make him suffer before bleeding out.
Yor's mind was already planning the Beika Wolf's gruesome demise in meticulous detail.
Anya stood beside her, eyes wide, utterly speechless.
Auntie is terrifying... Thankfully, she'd never do that to me.
Relieved but worried, Anya's heart went out to the Beika Wolf.
It would be best if the police caught him first. If Auntie Yor catches him... things would be very, very bad.
"Get in the car."
The GTR's window rolled down, and Natsukawa leaned over, looking puzzled.
He'd been idling for several seconds—what were these two thinking about? They showed no signs of getting in.
"Oh, oh, coming!" Yor finally snapped back to reality, taking Anya's hand and moving toward the car.
She'd just been meticulously planning everything from capturing the Beika Wolf to dismembering him and disposing of the body, ensuring he would deeply regret ever earning that title.
"Auntie, sit in the front!"
Anya reminded her as she saw Yor about to open the back door.
"The front seat? Is there a difference?"
Although puzzled, it was Anya's request, which she dismissed as a child's preference, so she didn't question it and opened the passenger door instead.
The moment she settled into the seat, a subtle fragrance drifted to Natsukawa's senses.
It wasn't the scent of body wash or shampoo—it was the natural fragrance some women possessed.
He'd encountered many women with naturally pleasant scents during his missions.
However, Yor was the most unique. Her scent was different from other women's, possessing both a soft gentleness and an untamed wildness. It was captivating and unusual.
Anya immediately slipped out of Yor's arms after getting into the car and climbed into the back seat.
Natsukawa was both amused and exasperated but said nothing.
He remembered Anya saying that the passenger seat was reserved for her and her mama.
Now it seemed Anya had given Miss Yor her highest approval.
However, he remained conflicted.
A strange, powerful attraction was growing within him, but the issue of their respective identities remained a difficult obstacle to overcome.
Anya knew her father's thoughts perfectly, but she couldn't tell him that her potential mother's true identity was actually an assassin.
Even if she did, Papa wouldn't believe her, and even if he did believe her, how would she explain how she knew?
She had no intention of telling anyone about her telepathic ability.
Not even Papa and Mama. She had to protect her secret of mind-reading—never tell anyone.
To protect herself, and to protect Bond.
The GTR's engine roared to life, accelerating smoothly but powerfully. The intense acceleration made Anya squeal with delight.
Exciting! Papa, true to his spy reputation, drives amazingly!
In the Shadows
In the shadows beside Café Poirot, a sharply dressed figure trembled slightly, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.
His teeth ground together audibly, as if his beloved family member had been stolen away.
"Natsukawa, is it? Just you wait. I'll find out everything about you."
Yuri had seen Natsukawa emerge from the building across the street, so he naturally knew both his name and address.
With the address, the surname, and the license plate number, investigating him would be easy.
"I hope you're a decent person, otherwise I'll make you pay dearly."
Yuri shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave, his expression darker than the night sky.
Upstairs - Mouri Detective Agency
Upstairs, Conan opened his window and watched the departing GTR, then observed the young man whose face seemed to crack with every aggressive step he took. A thoughtful expression crossed Conan's features.
A love triangle?
He'd been watching the situation below ever since he'd heard Anya's voice. That man's demeanor... could he be planning something violent?
After all, this was Beika Town—it wasn't entirely impossible.
With this thought, Conan prepared to head downstairs to investigate.
The Aoyama Car Rental lead had gone nowhere—he'd even asked Uncle Mouri, but he didn't know of it either. The trail had gone cold, and with his detective instincts having nowhere to focus, he was feeling rather restless.
"Conan, what are you doing?"
Ran fixed Conan with a stern look. He'd been incredibly troublesome today, and a sense of impending doom seemed to radiate from behind her.
Conan had suddenly disappeared at the Mantendo event that evening, causing her to search for him extensively. Although he'd eventually returned, he was covered in filth, looking like a street urchin.
She was the one who'd had to wash Conan's clothes, and seeing them so dirty, she'd almost thrown them all away in frustration.
Before she could even properly scold Conan, he'd snuck out again after his bath, not returning home until 9:30 PM.
And now he was trying to go out again?
Didn't he even check what time it was? And did Conan really have no respect for her at all?!
Ran was on the verge of exploding. The veins in her hands were bulging visibly. If Conan weren't essentially her little brother, she would have already delivered a left hook followed by a devastating right cross.
"Ran-neechan, can I step outside for just a second? I think I dropped a limited-edition Kamen Yaiba gold card earlier."
Cold sweat trickled down Conan's forehead. He knew Ran was genuinely angry, but his detective's stubborn nature made him act recklessly anyway.
"Is that so?"
Ran narrowed her eyes dangerously. It was as if Mount Fuji itself was erupting behind her, the scorching heat practically blowing Conan's hair back.
"Actually, it doesn't matter—it's just a card... I... I'm going to bed now!"
Conan fled in panic, his detective's stubbornness evaporating completely under Ran's volcanic display of emotion.
He could only wait for another opportunity.
I'll comfort myself with this: Mr. Natsukawa is pretty capable. Maybe he can handle that young man's murderous intent on his own.
(End of Chapter 51)
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