From Friday morning onward, the sky had been pouring without pause.
By Saturday night, the rain still showed no sign of stopping.
Stepping out of Beika Station, Tetsu Watanabe looked at the world blurred by mist and rain.
He frowned slightly, then opened his umbrella and walked into the curtain of water.
Instead of staying home for the weekend, he had chosen to scout out nearby locations.
Of course, if he said he wanted to go out alone, Kogoro and Ran would never agree.
So he borrowed the name of his already "deceased uncle," telling them his uncle would be visiting and taking him out for two days.
Just as expected, Kogoro didn't object.
Night settled under the rain.
Shops along the street lit their signs one after another.
Tetsu stepped carefully over puddles reflecting neon lights.
Just one more turn and he would be home.
At a crosswalk, the signal turned red.
He stopped before the zebra stripes, eyes drifting idly over the darkened storefronts—
And then he froze.
Under the eaves of a closed shop, curled up in a corner, arms wrapped around her knees, sat Mrs. Yoshida.
She stared blankly at the rain, her thin clothes soaked and useless against the cold.
A gust of wind blew past, and she trembled violently.
"Mrs. Yoshida? Why are you here?"
The familiar voice made her snap back to reality.
She looked up at the boy holding an umbrella.
"T-Tetsu?"
"What happened?" Tetsu asked.
Gone was her usual elegance.
Droplets clung to her fringe; dirt marked her pretty face, and a bruise was visible along her cheekbone.
Her eyes were swollen, as if she had just been crying.
She pressed her lips together.
"…It's nothing."
"Let me take you home then."
She clearly didn't want to talk, so Tetsu didn't question her further.
Seeing she had no umbrella beside her, he simply offered to walk her back.
"No."
She refused instantly, shaking her head.
Softness flickered in her gaze as she said, "Tetsu, it's raining so hard—go home quickly, or your parents will worry. Auntie is fine. I just want to stay here for a little while."
If you stay any longer, you'll end up in the hospital…
Tetsu looked at her lips, already turning slightly purple.
He sighed quietly.
"Auntie… you fought with Uncle, didn't you?"
"Ah!" Panic flashed across her eyes.
"You left home, then realized you didn't bring money. You couldn't book a hotel, so you hid here from the rain. I'm right, aren't I?"
"I-I brought my wallet."
Mrs. Yoshida blurted out reflexively, "But then I remembered—I paid my insurance today. It only has my ID inside."
So running out after a fight is fine?
Tetsu held out his umbrella to her.
She blinked, thinking he was lending it to her, and quickly shook her head.
"No, Tetsu, go home. Auntie is really fine."
"I'm taking you to a hotel," Tetsu explained.
"I can't reach to hold the umbrella properly. Auntie, you carry it."
"To… a hotel? But—"
He knew what she was worrying about.
He smiled.
"It's fine. I brought money. Consider it a loan."
Mrs. Yoshida opened her mouth.
It felt strange—unsettling even—to accept help from a boy her daughter's age.
But she had no other options.
Going back home? She hadn't even considered it.
"Auntie, if we stay out here any longer, we'll both catch a cold," Tetsu said, tilting his small face up.
"A-ah… I'm sorry."
She quickly took the umbrella from him.
"Thank you, Tetsu."
"It's okay. Let's go, Auntie."
"…Alright."
She gently took his little hand.
Beika Hotel
After finishing the check-in process, Mrs. Yoshida turned to him.
"Tetsu, what about you? Are you going back alone? Maybe you should call your parents and ask them to pick you up."
Tetsu shook his head.
"They won't come. They passed away a few years ago."
"What?"
She had never known his background.
Shock—and a wave of sympathy—washed over her.
"Then who do you live with now?"
"My uncle is busy with work, so he left me with a detective. He was supposed to take me out today, but something came up and he left. And the detective uncle… also went to the countryside today."
"So if you go home… you'll be all alone?"
Her eyes widened.
Tetsu nodded softly.
"I'm used to it."