March 3rd was a day off for students and some office workers.
Ritsu had finally managed to get a day off, only to end up babysitting a group of children at a soccer match.
His eyelids drooped with boredom, his face clearly showing zero interest in the game. The stadium was far too noisy, even taking a nap with his eyes closed was impossible.
"Who was the player that just scored? He was amazing!" Ayumi exclaimed excitedly.
Mitsuhiko held up his phone, which was streaming the live broadcast. At that moment, the cameras happened to be focused on Tokyo Spirits' number 11, Hideo Akagi, as his teammates enthusiastically ruffled his hair in celebration.
"That's Hideo Akagi from Tokyo Spirits! Naoki crossed the ball to him from the middle, and Hideo headed it straight into the net. It was incredible!" Mitsuhiko praised.
Having absolutely no interest in soccer, Ritsu lazily yawned. His gaze drifted over to Conan, who was enthusiastically explaining the game.
'This kid has completely blended in with the elementary school crowd lately...'
Completely oblivious to the fact that he'd slipped up, Conan awkwardly scratched his cheek and laughed.
"Well, it can't be helped! Ever since I was little, it's been my dream for Japan to make it into the World Cup!"
Genta blinked in confusion.
"What are you talking about, Conan? You are a little kid!"
Mitsuhiko looked suspicious.
"Since when have you been watching soccer? Don't tell me you're actually just really short and lied about your age so you could attend elementary school."
Hearing that, Ritsu covered his mouth and chuckled.
Looking at Conan's barely-over-one-meter height, he really was awfully short for an elementary school student.
"Pfft."
Conan had been trying to think of a way to explain himself when he heard someone laugh behind him.
Frowning, he turned toward the brown-haired girl wearing sunglasses, who had come to the soccer match carrying a fashion magazine.
"What are you laughing at?"
Haibara lowered her gaze back to the magazine.
"Oh, nothing. I was just laughing because even the great detective becomes an ordinary little kid the moment soccer is involved."
As naturally as if it were second nature, she reached out and poked Ritsu in the waist before pointing at a newly released designer handbag in the magazine.
"I like this one."
Without hesitation, Ritsu reached into his pocket, took out his bank card, and handed it over with practiced ease. It was obvious this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.
Watching the two of them, Conan rolled his eyes. He suddenly felt as though he'd just bitten into a lemon.
After all, his carefree parents traveling overseas still hadn't left him any spending money. Living under someone else's roof really wasn't easy.
Haibara accepted the bank card just as naturally.
Back in the Organization, she had often used the supplementary card he'd given her to make purchases.
Her older cousin also had an enormous source of income within the Organization. If she didn't spend the Organization's money, who would?
There was absolutely no reason to feel guilty about spending the Organization's funds.
"You actually like soccer, don't you?" Ritsu leaned down and quietly asked beside Haibara's ear.
She froze.
'Did he notice me secretly glancing at the field while pretending to read the magazine? Nothing ever escapes him...'
"Pisco already knows what I looked like as a child. In a place like this that's full of cameras, if one of them happens to capture me during the broadcast, and someone high up in the Organization just happens to see it, do you know what could happen?"
Ritsu naturally understood why she was being so cautious.
He hadn't expected there to be members of the Organization who still remembered what she looked like as a child.
Then again, it made sense.
She had been sent to the United States for advanced studies when she was only four years old. There would undoubtedly have been guardians accompanying her, so people knowing her childhood appearance wasn't surprising.
He took out his phone, opened the live broadcast, and held it in front of her.
"But technology's pretty advanced now. You could just watch the livestream on your phone."
"...I just don't want to look interested."
She shot him a deadpan look.
"If I do, they'll drag me into playing soccer. It's exhausting."
As a tech geek, she had no interest whatsoever in sweating through outdoor sports. Besides, playing outside meant getting tanned.
Ritsu smiled helplessly.
"A moderate amount of exercise is good for your—"
"My medical knowledge isn't any worse than yours, so you can stop talking."
"...Okay."
Truthfully, Ritsu hoped his little cousin could simply enjoy life.
She had never experienced the carefree innocence a child was supposed to have. Perhaps... becoming a child again really had been a blessing for her.
His gaze drifted back toward the field, watching Hideo Akagi and his teammates sprint across the pitch with all their might.
'Youth really is wonderful.'
Back then, he'd even been scouted by a professional baseball team. After all, left-handed pitchers were always in high demand.
"What the heck?" Genta frowned in frustration.
"Why does that referee keep picking on Tokyo Spirits? They didn't even foul anyone!"
"Yeah!" Ayumi agreed worriedly. "And are they arguing with him? Hideo-san looks really upset about that yellow card!"
Although she didn't fully understand soccer's rules, she knew that receiving a yellow card wasn't a good thing.
Being the resident soccer expert, Conan immediately explained,
"That referee is Masato Aoki. He's a veteran official who loves handing out warnings to players. He gives out so many cards that people even call him Card Man."
Then, remembering something, he lowered his voice.
"Oh, and his younger brother, Shinta Aoki, is the current coach of Tokyo Novaru. So you can probably figure out why he's been targeting the Tokyo Spirits players."
Genta's strong sense of justice flared immediately.
"What?! Someone like that shouldn't be allowed to referee!"
"Exactly!" Ayumi huffed, even little wrinkles formed between her brows.
"A referee's supposed to be fair! Hasn't any adult criticized him?"
Mitsuhiko, who knew a bit about the matter, spoke quietly.
"I heard that Referee Aoki is dating the daughter of the soccer club's chairman. He probably has powerful connections, so no one dares say anything."
Hearing that, Ritsu couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
'A referee with influential backing who isn't impartial. He really sounds like the kind of person who ends up being the murder victim.'
Haibara apparently arrived at the exact same conclusion. Closing her fashion magazine, she looked at Ritsu with a smile.
"You'd better be careful today. Don't go wandering around."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid that if you wander off, your day off will turn into overtime."
The moment he heard those words, a chill ran down Ritsu's spine.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the Detective Boys, who had already become completely absorbed in watching the match.
'If I remember correctly, these kids have an unusually high chance of stumbling into murder cases.
This is bad... A curiosity-driven little detective, the perpetually unlucky Detective Boys... and me, the hardworking detective who's always putting in overtime at murder scenes.
That's an absolutely cursed combination!'
Unable to stop himself, he looked toward the field at the referee dressed in bright yellow, Masato Aoki, and silently prayed,
'Hang in there, buddy. If you can just make it through today, you'll have won.'
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