In the Guest Room
Yuu Hoshimiya and Ran Mouri finished washing up and, hearing laughter, made their way to the living room.
"Teacher Hoshimiya!"
"Brother Yuu!"
A whirlwind rushed past, and Sonoko Suzuki was instantly clinging to Yuu's arm.
Little Ayumi Yoshida also spread her arms and ran toward Yuu with her short legs, aiming straight for his long legs!
However, halfway there, Ayumi sensed a chilling gaze.
The clever little girl immediately changed direction, ran to Ai Haibara's side, and dragged her along to ask Yuu for a hug.
Almost everyone present knew the true identities of Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara, except for the Detective Boys. Even if Kazuha Toyama and Shizuka Hattori didn't know, they didn't really care.
Perhaps because of the repeated experiments, Ai had started using her fake child identity to get close to Yuu in public.
However, she was still shy and often needed Ayumi's assistance.
Sonoko rubbed her head against Yuu's arm incessantly, causing Ran and Kazuha to frown.
There was a bit of jealousy, but they were more worried about the trouble if their relationship were exposed to outsiders.
That was the main reason Ran often stopped Sonoko from clinging to Yuu in public.
Yuu placed a hand on Sonoko's head to push her away from his arm and asked, "Sonoko, Professor Agasa, what are you doing here?"
Sonoko answered immediately, "The Professor was invited to a talk show at Nichiuri TV in Osaka! Since the brats got scared at the beach, we brought them along!"
Ai hadn't gone to the beach and hadn't been scared, but she couldn't resist Ayumi's pestering. Plus, she really wanted to see Yuu, so she tagged along.
"I only remembered Kazuha after I got here. When I called her, I found out you and Ran were in Osaka too!"
Thinking about this made Sonoko angry.
"Ran! You have no sense of loyalty! It's a holiday, you came to Osaka for a vacation, and you didn't even tell me! I went to your apartment and couldn't find you!"
Ran laughed dryly and waved her hands. "Sonoko, I just forgot! I didn't mean to!"
"Oh, you didn't mean to? I heard from Kazuha that you've been here for two days! When I called you yesterday, you didn't mention it. How is that not intentional?"
Ran had a quick wit and hurriedly explained, "Oh! We played all day yesterday and I was exhausted when we got back. I must not have heard you clearly then!"
"Is that so?" Sonoko raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Of course! Sonoko, why would I lie to you?"
"Fine, I'll forgive you this once!"
Hearing this, Ran hugged Sonoko's arm, and the two girls began to chat quietly.
At that moment, Shizuka Hattori walked out from the corridor. Wearing a warm smile, she spoke gently: "Mr. Hoshimiya, breakfast is ready. Everyone, please come and eat!"
Shizuka then turned to the children.
"You kids can come eat too!"
Her gentle voice startled the three Detective Boys.
Cold sweat dripped from Genta Kojima's forehead: Can this lady change faces? How did she become so gentle all of a sudden?!
The group followed Shizuka to breakfast. Whether it was because of Yuu's presence or not, Shizuka was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to her demeanor at the door earlier. Sonoko watched in bewilderment.
Breakfast was exquisite, featuring all of Osaka's specialties!
Even Heiji Hattori couldn't help but exclaim.
"Mom, breakfast today is way too fancy! I remember you only make this crab dish, box sushi, and Okonomiyaki for New Year's! This is too much!"
Shizuka covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Nonsense. don't I make these dishes often?"
Heiji wanted to say something, but seeing Shizuka's warning gaze, he wisely chose to shut up.
"By the way, Ku... Conan! Let me tell you, the day before yesterday I... and not only that, last night I also..."
Heiji began to brag to Conan, who listened with dead-fish eyes and a sense of helplessness.
Meanwhile, Ran asked Sonoko about the children getting scared.
"Seems they ran into a case at the beach."
Sonoko shrugged. "But I didn't go, so you'll have to ask the Professor."
Professor Hiroshi Agasa scratched his bald head and explained briefly.
Yuu listened while receiving intel from Noah.
Cross-referencing the information, he reconstructed the events.
The island Conan and the others visited was called Koumi Island.
It had legends of ancient ruins sunk beneath the sea, an underwater palace, and a treasure left by the real-life female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read from 300 years ago.
Two months ago, rumors spread that the treasure had been found, attracting a large number of tourists and treasure hunters.
The group encountered three treasure hunters at the shop responsible for their diving tour. while diving with a local guide, one of the men was attacked by sharks.
Despite the efforts of his two companions, the man died.
Conan discovered traces of a plastic bag under the man's wetsuit. Someone had deliberately placed fish blood in the bag; as he dove deeper, the pressure burst the bag, and the scent of blood attracted the sharks.
This incident brought Inspector Megure and his team to the island.
Fingerprints revealed one of the men was a world-famous treasure hunter and an international criminal wanted for multiple crimes.
The next day, the Detective Boys were taken hostage by the two treasure hunters.
Subsequently, Conan discovered that the innkeeper, Mr. Mima, was a former treasure hunter. With his help, they realized the treasure map from the game was based on the real one.
After solving the code, Conan learned the treasure was likely in the waters around the nearby Yorichika Island, but the entrance was too small for adults.
Kogoro Mouri and Conan went to Yorichika Island with Mima's help to rescue the children.
There was no signal in the underwater palace, so Yuu's agents couldn't follow them inside. He didn't know the specific details.
According to Agasa, the children were used as bait to distract the sharks, but Kogoro and Conan arrived in time to save them.
Being kidnapped and nearly eaten by sharks would scare anyone.
Then, Conan and Kogoro chased the two treasure hunters to the pirate ship, but there was no treasure.
The hunters tried to kill Kogoro and Conan to silence them, but a sudden earthquake caused the underwater palace to collapse.
Conan used methane to cause an explosion, breaking the palace roof and allowing the pirate ship to surface.
After the typhoon passed, the group waited at sea. The ship disintegrated upon surfacing due to age, and Megure's team rescued everyone from the water.
Conan's group gave their statements and returned, while the treasure hunters were sent to prison for life.
Originally, Ran and Sonoko were supposed to be involved, but because of Yuu, neither went. This slight change gave Yuu a tiny amount of experience.
But it was negligible.
Such a rich and twisty event was obviously the movie plot for "Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure."
Yuu hadn't seen this one in his past life, only heard of it.
He heard about it mainly because its name was similar to "The Fist of Blue Sapphire." With hindsight, he could confirm it was indeed Jolly Roger.
Speaking of which, The Fist of Blue Sapphire was now impossible.
Makoto Kyogoku was studying abroad somewhere unknown, and neither Sonoko nor Ran would go to Singapore casually.
After chatting for a while, everyone finished breakfast.
Kazuha looked at Yuu. "Teacher Hoshimiya, do you have any plans for today?"
Professor Agasa spoke up: "Why don't you come to Nichiuri TV to watch my recording?"
Agasa beamed with pride.
Kazuha chimed in: "Oh, right! I was planning to invite Teacher Hoshimiya to Nichiuri TV anyway. The Karuta competition is happening over the next two days, and someone from Kaiho High is participating! It's at the station too!"
"Teacher Hoshimiya, let's go together!"
Sonoko added, "Karuta competition? You mean the Satsuki Cup? That's the toughest competition in the country! If it's happening, we have to see it."
Heiji bragged, "Speaking of Karuta, my mom used to be the Karuta Queen!"
Shizuka laughed shyly. "That's ancient history. Why bring it up?"
Seeing Ran and Ai interested, Yuu agreed.
Everyone except Shizuka set off for Nichiuri TV in Osaka.
They had seen the station from Osaka Castle before; its unique design looked like a radiator from the front.
Yuu's group caused quite a stir upon entering the station.
The "Golden King" case had been heavily publicized yesterday, and today, one of the key figures appeared at the station.
The staff were pleasantly surprised, glancing sideways or taking photos with their phones.
Combined with the exceptional looks of Yuu and the girls, bystanders might have thought a superstar had arrived.
However, being TV staff used to seeing celebrities, they didn't overreact.
This calmness lasted until they reached the studio.
This studio was where Agasa would record his interview, but right now, a Karuta rehearsal was about to start.
As soon as they entered, a girl with glasses and pigtails wearing the Kaiho uniform approached them. She resembled Aoko's friend Keiko Momoi but was taller and slimmer.
This was Kazuha's friend and the president of the Kaiho High Karuta Club, Mikiko Hiramoto.
Mikiko gasped when she saw Yuu, pulling Kazuha aside excitedly.
"Kazuha! You really brought Teacher Hoshimiya! That's amazing!"
"Mikiko, you have to compete well for me later!"
Among women, especially young girls, Yuu was currently an idol of the highest tier.
The only difference was that Yuu hadn't officially debuted.
Mikiko looked fired up. A staff member notified her to start the rehearsal, and she headed to the stage.
Her opponent, a girl in a kimono, was already kneeling and waiting.
The children gasped. Genta spoke first.
"What a pretty big sister!"
Ayumi nodded in agreement.
Yuu looked up. The figure was very familiar. A quick recollection reminded him she was the busty girl he had seen at Osaka Castle.
Seeing her face now, she was indeed a beauty.
Short, wavy brown hair, a fair forehead, a high nose bridge, and spirited cat-like eyes.
She wore ruby stud earrings and had a tranquil expression, yet exuded a noble aura. Clearly, she was a young lady from a wealthy family.
But the most striking feature was her towering chest, which even the kimono couldn't hide. It rivaled mature beauties like Shizuka Hattori and Eri Kisaki.
Sonoko crossed her arms and scoffed, "That's Momiji Ooka, the heir to the Ooka family of Kansai. She's not that pretty!"
"Kazuha, do you know her?" Ran asked curiously.
"Mmm. I've seen her a few times at gatherings. The Suzukis of Kanto and the Ookas of Kansai—that's them. They're very powerful here!"
Yuu recalled Tomoko Suzuki mentioning that the expansion of her companies in Kyoto and Osaka wasn't going smoothly because of the Ooka family.
In the Conan world, the Ooka family had even produced a Prime Minister.
Momiji Ooka was the granddaughter of a former Prime Minister.
To grow a conglomerate, political involvement was necessary. The Suzuki family had fewer members and the heads were willful, so they hadn't produced a Prime Minister.
But they supported many of their own Diet members.
Their political power was no less than the Ooka family's.
Otherwise, the Suzuki family couldn't have grown to its current size and continued to expand.
Seeing Momiji Ooka and the Karuta competition, Yuu immediately realized what event this was.
It seemed his Osaka vacation wouldn't have a moment of rest; cases every day...
Its name: The Crimson Love Letter.
It made sense; Conan, Heiji, and the Detective Boys were all here.
It would be stranger if nothing happened.
Unfortunately, Yuu had only heard of this event because of its famous name and the involvement of the beautiful Momiji Ooka.
He hadn't watched it personally and knew very few details.
With the butterfly effect, who knew what changes would occur? Even if he knew the plot, he would have to improvise.
Fortunately, Yuu now had enough strength and confidence to solve any crisis.
At this moment, the staff began the rehearsal for the exhibition match. In reality, the match was supposed to be between Momiji Ooka and a man named Yajima.
But Yajima hadn't shown up yet, so Mikiko Hiramoto was drafted for the rehearsal.
The set was made of tatami mats. The two girls knelt and bowed to each other, and the rehearsal began.
The rules of Karuta were simple. There were one hundred poem cards; each player took twenty-five and arranged them in their territory.
A recording read the first half of a poem, and the players had to find the card with the second half.
If the card was in their own territory, they could swipe it away.
The first to clear their territory won.
If the card was in the opponent's territory, taking it allowed the player to send one of their own cards to the opponent.
This game tested vision, hearing, memory, and reaction speed.
The match began. Momiji and Mikiko held their breath as the recording played.
"In this spring palace, flowers bloom with fragrance!"
Both girls moved simultaneously, but Momiji was far faster than Mikiko. She instantly found the card corresponding to the poem in her own territory.
With a wave of her right hand, that card swept away five or six surrounding cards, clearing them all from the territory.
Those cards counted as cleared. The match was won by clearing one's own territory.
So, the winner could be decided in just a few rounds without reading all the poems.
After watching for a while, Yuu felt he couldn't appreciate the game. He picked up the equally bored Ai Haibara and sat at a nearby table with Professor Agasa.
Seeing Ai being carried away, Ayumi looked envious, but she and Mitsuhiko were soon distracted by the cameras.
The table was blocked by a white partition, so Momiji Ooka, who had turned her head, didn't see Yuu.
Professor Agasa looked nervous. Today, he was interviewing the head of the Achiwa Group, known as the Real Estate King of Naniwa—a huge figure.
Conan and Heiji were briefing Agasa.
Yuu was surprised. Why would a TV station invite a real estate tycoon to interview an obscure inventor?
They were completely unrelated figures; it was very strange.
Heiji introduced him:
"Mr. Kensuke Achiwa is also the President of the Satsuki Cup. The fact that the Satsuki Cup has become a national competition over the last twenty years is largely due to his support."
"I heard his Karuta skills are very high too. Maybe you can start the topic from there, Professor."
Conan was flipping through a magazine and found a page with some trivia. He handed it to Agasa.
"Professor, look. President Achiwa has a quirk: he likes to wash his car with his wife before a match. He cleans it thoroughly. It seems a bit superstitious; maybe that's a topic."
"It also says his wife's Karuta skills were even better. President Achiwa took over the Satsuki Cup after her. Maybe you'll be interviewing the couple together."
Heiji stopped him immediately: "That's impossible. Mrs. Satsuki died of illness three years ago."
"I heard President Achiwa and his wife were very close. The Satsuki Cup was founded for her. So don't open old wounds!"