"Master." Musashinosuke knocked on the door and called out.
The conversation inside the room immediately ceased. After a long while, a voice finally came out. "Come in."
Musashi gently opened the door and led everyone inside.
Kurosawa Hoshino immediately saw two elderly men—one leaning against the pillows on a large bed, the other sitting in a chair beside it. Both were quite old. Especially the one in the chair: though he looked robust, his full head of white hair proved he wasn't young.
Not only the two of them, but a third person was also in the room—a woman in business attire, clearly a secretary.
"You've come~" The old man on the bed showed a kind smile and began chatting very talkatively.
Not long after, Kurosawa and the others learned his name: Nagato Dozan. They also learned the other old man's name—Yama Kenzo—and Nagato's secretary's name, Hyuga Yuki.
"Yama Kenzo? Pisco?" Kurosawa was surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter the veteran executive who had been killed by Gin in the original story—here of all places.
"Brother Nagato." Yama Kenzo stood up from his chair. "Since so many people have come, I'll go back. Think about my proposal. I guarantee you won't lose anything."
"Wait, Brother Yama. Today is my birthday. Why not celebrate with me?"
"This—" Yama was still thinking about taking over the Nagato Group, but he agreed to this small request. "Alright. By the way, I'm a little sleepy. I want to rest."
Hearing this, Nagato nodded to Musashi.
"Mr. Yama, please come with me." Musashi led Yama out and brought him to a room at the end of the corridor.
"Mr. Yama, please rest assured. I'll call you when it's time for dinner."
"Okay." Yama nodded, went inside, and closed the door. Just as he took off his coat, his phone rang.
He took it out, glanced at the number, frowned, but still answered.
"Did you get the money?" A cold voice came from the other end.
Yama said impatiently, "Gin, you should have thought about money when you burned down that pharmaceutical company. Suddenly demanding such a large sum from me—and in such a short time—how can I possibly produce it? I'm working on the plan I told you about before. Don't rush me."
"Your company doesn't have money?"
"Hmph, Gin, I'll say it one last time. I'm working on the plan I told you about. I'm at the Nagato Group chairman's house right now. If he agrees to cooperate with me, the money will come soon. Understand?"
"Heh." Gin sneered. "Nagato Dozan is only sick, not dead. Would he agree to your plan?"
"He doesn't have a suitable successor. If you don't rush me, once he dies, I have plenty of ways to bring down the Nagato Group and take over. How about we wait a while—until he dies? As for the equipment issue for the new company, talk to that person and ask for an extension."
"Three days. If there's no result in three days, you'll have to give me half of your company's funds."
"What? Gin—" Yama was about to retort when he realized the other end had hung up. Enraged, he slammed his phone onto the bed.
Meanwhile, more people had arrived at Kurosawa's location. Nagato Dozan's two daughters and their husbands. The eldest sister, Nagato Nobuko, and the younger sister, Nagato Yasue, along with Yasue's husband, Nagato Mitsuaki.
However, Nagato Nobuko had a bad temper—especially toward her secretary, Hyuga Yuki. She verbally abused her, calling her a vixen and even slapping her.
A sharp smack rang out. Hyuga Yuki fell onto the bed, and a stained pen slipped from her body. Ignoring the pain on her face, she quickly grabbed the pen, clutching it tightly.
"Why are you still holding that filthy pen? I don't care if it's your father's keepsake—it's disgusting to look at." Nagato Nobuko finished speaking, turned, and left with her younger sister. Nagato Mitsuaki gave Hyuga Yuki a deep look before following them out.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hyuga. I'm truly sorry." Nagato Dozan couldn't move his lower body and couldn't discipline his unreasonable daughter, so he could only apologize on her behalf.
"I'm fine." Hyuga shook her head, got up, and carefully placed the pen in her jacket pocket.
Nagato sighed. "Go back to the company first. After I announce your relationship with Hideomi tonight, I think Nobuko won't misunderstand you anymore."
"What about your matter, Chairman?"
"Don't worry. Go ahead. I'll talk to them myself."
"Okay." Hyuga nodded and left the room.
Kurosawa feigned ignorance. "President Nagato, who is this Hideomi you mentioned earlier?"
"He's my son. When he was in high school, he was injured in a fire while rescuing people. His face was burned. He's always kept it bandaged and rarely shows his face. Actually, plastic surgery could fix it, but for some reason, he's always refused."
After Nagato finished, Kogorō asked, "President Nagato, what brought us here?"
"Mr. Mouri, I've heard you're particularly skilled at finding people. So I wanted you to help me find my first love. But now, it seems that's no longer necessary."
Kogorō's eyes widened. He said anxiously, "President Nagato, why is it no longer necessary? I'm really good at finding people, and my fees aren't expensive."
Nagato shook his head. "Mr. Mouri, don't misunderstand. It's not about the money. It's just that it's really no longer needed. I have my own reasons. In fact, I feel that your arrival might have brought me good luck. I will pay the commission fee as usual."
Kurosawa's lips twitched. Is the arrival of a Grim Reaper really good luck?
Kogorō was bewildered by Nagato's actions, unsure whether to laugh or show some other expression. It seemed he'd earned a commission fee for free—which was indeed something to laugh about—but the fact that he'd earned it inexplicably left him very confused.
"President Nagato." Kurosawa spoke up. "I noticed your shocked expression when Miss Hyuga's pen fell out. Could it be that the reason you haven't contacted your first love is related to that pen?"
Nagato paused, looked at Kurosawa, and finally laughed. "Kurosawa-kun, you truly live up to your reputation as the fastest and strongest high school detective. You even noticed that. Indeed, that's the reason."
Hattori Heiji opened his mouth, wanting to say he didn't acknowledge Kurosawa as the strongest high school detective—but the thought of never having beaten him made him unable to utter the words.