Chapter 52: Women—Indeed, a Deadly Poison
Beika Town 4-chome - Yor's House
This was Yor's residence—an ordinary two-story house, smaller than Natsukawa's apartment building, but even in the expensive city of Tokyo, such a property wasn't cheap.
"Mr. Natsukawa, thank you very much."
Yor bowed gracefully in gratitude, one hand pressing her pink coat against her chest, the other hanging naturally at her side. Her long hair cascaded down as she bowed, flowing smoothly, making her appear incredibly elegant.
"It's nothing at all. I'm truly happy to have made friends with Miss Yor." Natsukawa lowered his head and stroked Anya's hair affectionately, then added, "Besides, Anya likes you very much. Don't you, Anya?"
Although Yor was somewhat absent-minded, she understood the subtle meaning in his words. Her face flushed instantly, as if she'd consumed alcohol.
Had Mr. Natsukawa just subtly revealed his feelings?
At that moment, Yor's face burned with embarrassment. She forgot all about proper etiquette, straightened abruptly, and practically fled toward her door.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
"Thank you, Mr. Natsukawa!"
A clear, melodious voice came from behind the door, tinged with nervousness and uncertainty.
Yor leaned against the door, her fists clenched against her chest, the blush on her face showing no sign of fading.
Is this what the married women at city hall meant by love at first sight?
Yor took a deep breath, biting her lower lip as she recalled everything that had happened that evening.
Normally, she would never be like this. She shouldn't have sat down for coffee with a strange man and his daughter, chatting for so long that she'd completely forgotten her original purpose for being there.
But Natsukawa and Anya both gave her a completely different feeling.
Her wariness had vanished, her guard had disappeared entirely, and her heart was beating strangely—was this love? She'd actually fallen for a single father with a young daughter. How strange. How sudden.
Yor thought she should ask one of the married women at city hall sometime, to understand what this feeling really meant.
Right, I could ask Yumi-san! Although she's not married, she seems to understand relationships between men and women very well.
"Goodbye, Auntie!" Anya waved enthusiastically, her clear voice echoing through the Briar family home.
Yor inside hummed in acknowledgment, not particularly caring whether Anya heard her response.
Back in the Car
Back in the GTR, Anya displayed pure joy and happiness, excited the entire drive home.
"Papa, you should pursue Aunt Yor! Anya wants Aunt Yor to be her mama!"
Natsukawa stared straight ahead, silent for a long moment, then softly hummed in agreement.
Damn this flutter in my heart.
This feeling was somewhat similar to what he'd felt when he first adopted Anya.
Meanwhile at Yor's House
Yor was already sitting on her sofa at home. Her coat had been removed, revealing her delicate collarbones. A beige, high-waisted knit dress covered her mid-thighs. She leaned back against the cushions, one arm hugging a pillow, the other gulping down water.
After finishing the entire glass, Yor's complexion finally softened, and her racing heartbeat gradually calmed.
Why do I have such a strange feeling after just having a cup of cocoa with a man?
Eating with Yuri never gives me this feeling.
Right—Yuri!
Yor pressed her finger to her lips, racking her brain, trying to remember what she'd forgotten.
What was my original purpose for going to Café Poirot?
A few minutes later, Yor's eyes widened suddenly as she finally remembered why she'd gone to Café Poirot today.
Yuri had invited me!
Yor quickly grabbed the phone from the table and dialed Yuri's number.
The phone rang for what felt like ages before being answered, followed by Yuri's somewhat dejected voice.
"Hello? What's up, Sis?"
"Yuri, why didn't you come to the café?"
"Sorry, I suddenly had urgent work come up. I was too busy to make it. I'm really sorry I forgot to tell you, Sis."
Yuri lay on a bench in Beika Park, his head resting on the armrest, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
Sis finally remembered me?
"Oh, it's alright, Yuri. Work is important."
Yor relaxed considerably. She'd been worried that something might have happened to her brother on his way there.
After all, Natsukawa had just mentioned the Beika Wolf.
Although the Beika Wolf supposedly only targeted women, her younger brother was an adorable boy—it was possible he might have been targeted too.
They chatted for a few more minutes before Yor hung up.
The Next Morning - Mouri Detective Agency
Spring was in full bloom, with a gentle breeze blowing.
Birds chirped cheerfully in the trees.
In the lobby of the Mouri Detective Agency, Anya sat upright on the sofa, swinging her legs excitedly, looking forward to today's outing.
"Papa, are you really not going to come?" Anya turned to look at Natsukawa standing beside her, somewhat disappointed.
Just then, Kogoro Mouri emerged from his room with luggage in tow. "That's right! Saitama Prefecture's 'Greatest Night Festival' is a famous folk event throughout all of Japan. I heard you can see many beautiful women there. Are you really not going to reconsider?"
Kogoro Mouri had originally intended to invite Natsukawa along.
Natsukawa had helped him earn a full twenty million yen during the Shikishima gold incident, and to express his gratitude, Kogoro planned to treat him to a trip.
All meals and accommodation included—a rare act of generosity from the famous detective Kogoro Mouri—but unexpectedly, Natsukawa had declined.
"It's all Dad's fault! I told you to invite Natsukawa earlier! You can't just invite someone at the last minute like this!" Ran complained as she finished packing.
Yesterday, she'd asked her father to extend the invitation in advance, and he'd readily agreed. But then the TV had switched to Yoko Okino's commercial, complete with beer, and the great detective had forgotten everything else.
"Hahaha, how was I supposed to know? I thought inviting him today would be fine!"
Kogoro Mouri laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.
Natsukawa was clearly unemployed, so he'd thought inviting him today wouldn't be too late. But it turned out Natsukawa had other obligations.
It's truly baffling what a stay-at-home dad could possibly be doing that's so urgent he'd leave his child behind.
"It's perfectly alright," Natsukawa smiled and shook his head. "It's good that Anya gets to have fun. I'm busy today and won't have time to accompany her. It's wonderful that she can go to the Saitama Prefecture's Greatest Night Festival with Uncle Mouri—at least she won't be bored staying home alone."
"Dad's so unreliable! He bought five tickets, and now that Natsukawa isn't going, one of them is completely wasted!"
Ran was still irritated.
Her father had wasted an entire ticket.
Each ticket cost 10,000 yen, which wasn't particularly expensive, but it wasn't cheap either.
It seemed that Dad had become quite extravagant since earning that 20 million yen, drinking every single day. He'd spend it all at this rate.
Sure enough, without Mom at home, Dad can't save any money. He hasn't even bought a car yet—spending it all on alcohol instead!
"In that case, can I invite Aunt Yor?" Anya skipped over to Ran's side and tugged at her sleeve.
"Aunt Yor?" Ran looked down curiously. "Is she Anya's relative? We have an extra ticket now. If Anya's aunt agrees to come, we'd be happy to have her."
"Right, Dad—"
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Kogoro Mouri's family status had plummeted after his blunder, and he didn't dare disobey his daughter at this moment.
"That sounds fine, but Anya, you should contact Miss Yor first. She might have to work today."
"No need! Aunt Yor is off today!"
Anya had already finished making the call earlier.
Natsukawa considered this and felt there was no problem with the arrangement, though the whole situation made him want to avoid certain... distractions.
Just thinking about Miss Yor's hair flip, graceful movements, and gentle smile made him swallow hard.
Ahem. Twilight, you can't lose your composure.
Natsukawa shook his head, trying to banish the image of Yor from his mind.
Women—indeed, they're a deadly poison.
But there was no helping it. He genuinely couldn't go to the Greatest Night Festival with the Mouri family. Franky had already coordinated with the IRS to secure a helicopter for today.
There was also the Organization matter to handle, and the Kyogi Enterprises business needed to be dealt with today as well.
He was extremely busy, so he couldn't take Anya out himself.
Besides, going out with the Shinigami duo wasn't really "playing"—it was more like "solving murder cases."
He still vaguely remembered the Greatest Night Festival episode from the original series.
"Alright then." Natsukawa glanced at Anya's small suitcase, then at the three larger suitcases belonging to the Mouri family.
"Uncle Mouri, I probably won't need my car today, so please take my GTR. That way you can save on rental costs."
Since Anya was bringing along Yor—someone the Mouri family didn't know—Natsukawa offered his car as a gesture of goodwill and apology.
"That's wonderful!"
Kogoro Mouri laughed heartily. This way they could save a substantial amount of money.
Actually, when he'd initially invited Natsukawa, he'd had this possibility in mind—saving on car rental costs would free up enough funds to treat both Natsukawa and his daughter to the entire trip.
Car rentals weren't cheap these days, so saving money was always prudent.
Conan appeared before them at that moment, sporting dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly dejected as if he hadn't slept well all night.
In fact, he hadn't slept a wink.
The Black Organization and that baby-faced young man from the previous night had kept him tossing and turning, unable to rest.
Unable to sleep, he'd gotten up and reread A Study in Scarlet again, finally dozing off around 5 AM.
"Conan, whose wall did you climb over last night? Why are you so exhausted?"
Natsukawa teased.
"Hehe," Conan forced a weak smile. "I was just so excited about going to the Greatest Night Festival today that I couldn't sleep."
"So fake!"
Anya muttered quietly, seeing right through the lie.
**(End of Chapter 52)