Chapter 57: Love at First Sight? No, You're Just Lusting After His Body
In the backroom of the cocktail bar.
"Vodka, you've drunk so much—why don't you take off your sunglasses?"
Even at this point, Vodka stubbornly refused to remove his sunglasses, swatting away Natsukawa's outstretched hand.
Alright, confirmed. The sunglasses are permanent.
Gin always wore his hat, and Vodka never removed his sunglasses.
Vodka had drunk considerably—the guy must have been holding back his stress. He and Natsukawa had each consumed an entire bottle of gin.
Natsukawa sat to the side, contemplating. This guy really is devoted to Gin—he only drinks gin when he drinks.
Vodka had impressive alcohol tolerance, and his drunk behavior was surprisingly controlled.
Natsukawa had hoped to extract information after getting him drunk, but Vodka became unexpectedly quiet once intoxicated. He silently turned on the TV in the surveillance room, sat upright, and intently watched recordings of Yoko Okino's programs.
Natsukawa hadn't expected there to be a TV hidden in the surveillance room.
It seemed Vodka frequently sneaked in here to watch Yoko Okino's shows—there were several videotapes stashed behind the television.
This was the first time Natsukawa had truly witnessed Yoko Okino's widespread appeal. From ordinary citizens to government officials, police officers, and yakuza members—Yoko Okino's fanbase spanned all of Japan.
Even Vodka was captivated. What kind of charisma did she possess?
However, the evening hadn't been entirely fruitless.
Although he hadn't obtained the most critical information, Natsukawa had managed to glean considerable basic intelligence indirectly.
For example: the temporary and permanent Organization locations within Tokyo; Gin's Porsche with falsified plates registered in another prefecture; Pisco's three goddaughters in Tokyo; and Miyano Akemi's infiltration of Beika Bank.
There had been information about locations outside Tokyo as well, but by that point Vodka was slurring his words so badly that nothing was comprehensible.
The most frustrating part was that he couldn't discover Sherry's location.
However, according to Vodka, Tequila knew where the research facility was.
Natsukawa: ...
That's awkward.
This also confirmed that Tequila's status in the Organization was decent—at least he wasn't some clueless grunt.
For now, Natsukawa could only confirm the research facility was somewhere in Beika Town, since Sherry had collapsed in front of the Kudo residence after escaping.
How far could a child run? She had to be near Beika Town.
The Kudo house was in 2-chome, so Sherry was most likely in Beika Town's 1st through 3rd chome districts. If the scope expanded further, the neighboring areas around Beika were also possible.
Any farther was unrealistic—how far could a feverish little girl run on a rainy night?
When Natsukawa left, Vodka was already passed out on the floor, completely unconscious. Compared to Tequila, who had maintained some level of awareness despite his alcohol poisoning before death, Vodka was slightly less vigilant.
After hauling him onto the conference table, Natsukawa departed from the cocktail bar.
The information extracted from Vodka was sufficient for now.
At least he wouldn't face the embarrassing situation of Vodka telling him to go somewhere and not being able to find it.
As for whether to hand over the specific locations of these hideouts to the authorities? Absolutely not.
Tokyo was Gin's primary base of operations in Japan. While there might be minor issues, exposing everything would definitely derail the storyline, and his impersonation of Tequila would likely be discovered.
That wasn't the outcome he wanted.
The Next Day
Because Anya wasn't home, Natsukawa skipped his breakfast-making duties and slept until noon, only to be awakened by Anya's energetic chatter.
"You're back."
Natsukawa, still wearing pajama bottoms and a short-sleeved shirt, rubbed his eyes and stumbled into the living room.
"Papa!" Anya was clearly in excellent spirits, happily hugging Natsukawa's leg and refusing to let go.
"Mr. Natsukawa." Yor, sitting properly on the sofa, immediately stood to greet him.
Her hands clasped below her waist, her polite and gentle smile instantly energized Natsukawa.
Miss Yor is here?
Natsukawa's body stiffened, and he rushed back upstairs to his bedroom, returning in less than ten seconds fully dressed in proper attire and seated on the sofa.
"That was so fast!"
Anya stared in disbelief. She'd only ever heard Conan mention such speed before, saying Uncle Kogoro only moved that quickly when he saw a beautiful woman.
"Welcome back! How was the Stellar Night Festival?"
"It was great!"
Anya answered enthusiastically, pulling Saitama Prefecture souvenirs from her small bag.
"Papa, these are souvenirs Anya and Miss Yor brought back for you!"
They even brought me souvenirs?
Natsukawa nodded in satisfaction, looking expectantly at the items in Anya's hands.
"What... is this?"
Natsukawa accepted the wheat stalks and leaves from Anya's hands, hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "These are souvenirs?"
"The purpose of the Stellar Night Festival is to pray for a bountiful harvest. These wheat stalks are auspicious symbols of prosperity and happiness blessed by the festival."
After hearing Yor's explanation, Natsukawa nodded, surprised that these small wheat stalks held such cultural significance.
He held them to his nose and inhaled—they carried a faint, pleasant wheat fragrance.
"And the leaves?"
"Leaves?"
Yor's eyes widened, a question mark practically appearing above her head as she looked at Anya. She didn't remember bringing any leaves.
"Maybe I accidentally put them in my pocket." Anya scratched her head, but immediately thought of an explanation. "These are leaves from the Saitama mountains—we can keep them as mementos!"
"I see."
Natsukawa's expression was peculiar. So they really did attend the festival.
"Did you encounter any cases while traveling with Uncle Kogoro and the others?"
Natsukawa expected the usual script—the trip would be interrupted by a case halfway through, the investigation would begin, and the vacation would end prematurely.
"Cases?"
Yor placed her finger to her lips, thinking for a long moment before responding. "I think so? But when we first arrived at the scene, Anya pulled Ran and me away. Later, when we returned to the hotel, we heard from the others that a case had occurred, but it was already solved by the time we got back."
"I see."
I knew it. If the Grim Reapers went somewhere without encountering a case, it would be a disservice to their reputation. It turned out Yor and Anya had simply managed to avoid it.
"But speaking of which, Miss Yor, thank you so much for accompanying Anya on this trip."
"Not at all! Anya is so adorable—I like her very much too. Besides, I was on vacation anyway, so it was no trouble."
Yor replied, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Before returning this morning, she had specifically called and chatted at length with Miyamoto Yumi from the Traffic Division.
During their conversation, Yumi had told her this wasn't love at first sight.
Just as she felt relieved, Yumi's final words had shocked her: "Love at first sight? No, you're just lusting after his body."
So... I'm lusting after Mr. Natsukawa's body?
These thoughts raced through her mind, and Yor's blush deepened.
"Do you have a fever?"
Long, slender fingers touched Yor's forehead, lingering for a few seconds before withdrawing.
Her face was flushed, but it didn't seem like a fever—yet her skin was undeniably hot.
"N-nothing!" Yor waved her hands frantically, somewhat flustered.
"Are you sure...?"
Natsukawa studied her with concern, wondering if the trip had exhausted her.
(End of Chapter 57)
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