Chapter 30: The Wedding Venue
The morning sun cast a brilliant golden hue over the towering spire of the church. By the time the group arrived at the wedding venue, the sprawling courtyard was already buzzing with a dense crowd of guests.
Natsume swept her gaze across the gathered attendees, her sharp eyes catching subtle anomalies hidden within the festive cheer. While many guests wore standard formal attire, a significant number of the men in plain suits carried themselves with a rigid, disciplined posture. Their eyes constantly scanned the perimeter, and the faint, blocky bulges beneath their tailored jackets practically screamed concealed firearms.
'Undercover cops,'Natsume deduced, her brow lifting slightly.'To have this much security detail blending into the crowd... one of the families getting married today must have some serious weight in the police force.'
"Hey, Natsume!" Ran called out, breaking her train of thought. She held up a bulky, silver camcorder, adjusting the lens cap. "Sonoko and I are heading inside to record the bride getting ready. Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure, let's go together," Natsume agreed smoothly, falling into step beside them. "I'm actually quite curious to see what this music teacher you two keep talking about looks like in a wedding dress. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll even get to hear that beautiful singing voice of hers. Besides, it's only polite to greet the bride properly."
"Mhm, exactly!" Sonoko chimed in, linking her arm through Ran's. "Our teacher's singing voice is absolutely wonderful. And it is a stark contrast to a certain tone-deaf detective who never sings in key and constantly gets on her nerves by hitting all the wrong notes." She rolled her eyes dramatically, clearly aiming her complaints at a certain arrogant high schooler who hadn't bothered to show up.
"Shinichi's singing isn't... well, it isn't that bad. Ahaha..." Ran laughed, her voice trailing off into a distinctly guilty pitch as she scratched her cheek.
Walking a few paces behind them, Conan's jaw locked. A vein pulsed faintly at his temple.
'That Sonoko is going way too far! Actually calling me tone-deaf right out in the open!'Conan grumbled internally, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.'And Ran, why do you look so guilty about it?! Is my singing really that unbearable?'
He kicked at a stray pebble on the pavement, feeling thoroughly indignant. He was going to see for himself today just what kind of poor, unfortunate soul would willingly marry that fierce, terrifying music teacher.
"Oh? I didn't expect Kudo to be tone-deaf," Natsume remarked, a dry, amused smile playing on her lips.
Conan shot her a flat glare. 'Great. Just great. Now there's one more person who thinks I'm tone-deaf. Sonoko really has a massive mouth.'
The group continued their lively chatter as they handled the echoing halls of the church, finally stopping before the heavy oak door of the bridal dressing room.
Ran knocked gently before pushing the door open.
The moment they stepped inside, the breath caught in their throats.
Standing before a full-length mirror was the bride, draped in a pristine, flowing white gown. The delicate lace caught the morning light filtering through the stained-glass window, making her look almost ethereal. It was often said that a woman was at her most beautiful on her wedding day, and seeing the radiant, overflowing happiness in the bride's eyes, the phrase felt entirely inadequate. Her smile held a mixture of pure joy and breathless anticipation.
Watching her, a cold knot of worry tightened in Natsume's chest. She knew the cruel reality of Beika City all too well. She absolutely refused to let this radiant woman, who was looking forward to a bright future, become just another tragic chalk outline in today's inevitable case.
'I need to keep a very close eye on the surroundings,' Natsume resolved, her pragmatic instincts sharpening.
Snapping back to the present, she realized Ran was already gesturing toward her.
"Teacher, this is our friend, Natsume," Ran introduced with a warm smile.
Natsume stepped forward, offering a polite nod. "Hello, Miss Matsumoto. I apologize for crashing your wedding today, but I have to say, you look absolutely stunning."
"Oh, it's completely fine!" Sayuri Matsumoto waved her hand dismissively, her boisterous personality shining through the elegant attire. "You're a friend of Sonoko and Ran, so I'm thrilled you could come with them." She planted her hands on her hips, leaning in slightly. "Though, I certainly didn't expect such a gorgeous woman like Natsume to be the one accompanying these two today. I fully expected that arrogant brat to show up. I was really looking forward to shoving this beautiful wedding dress in his face!"
Conan stared at her, his eyes half-lidded in a deadpan expression. 'Heh. Kudo didn't show up, so you're disappointed. But you still managed to show off anyway, even if you don't realize it.' Clearly, this woman still had a massive bone to pick with him.
"Hi, Teacher! Please look over here!" Ran called out, lifting the camcorder to her eye. "We're officially in charge of the behind-the-scenes photography today!"
Sonoko leaned into the frame, flashing a mischievous grin. "Make sure you think really carefully about the pose you're going to use when you two kiss later!"
Sayuri didn't flush or shy away. Instead, she puffed out her chest confidently. "Don't you worry about that. Leave the dramatic flair to me!"
Just then, the heavy door behind them clicked open. A young woman in a modest dress stepped into the room, holding a chilled can.
"Sayuri, I bought the lemon tea you wanted."
Hearing the familiar voice, Sayuri's face lit up. She carefully lifted the heavy skirts of her wedding dress and hurried over, taking the bright yellow can with a delighted gasp. "Thank you so much, Kazumi!"
She popped the tab with a sharp hiss and raised the can to her lips.
"Wait, no!" Kazumi Takenaka reached out, quickly stopping her. "If you drink it directly from the can, you'll ruin your lipstick." Reaching into her purse, Kazumi pulled out a plastic straw, peeled back the wrapper, and slipped it into the open tab before handing it back.
Natsume's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, tracking the bright yellow can. 'Lemon tea?'
"Does Miss Matsumoto really like lemon tea that much?" Natsume asked casually, her tone light and conversational.
In her experience, if someone specifically requested a mundane convenience store drink on their wedding day, it wasn't just a casual preference. It held special significance. And in the dangerous, convoluted world of Beika City, a highly specific item with sentimental value was almost always the focal point of a murder plot. Natsume probed the topic, hoping to extract a crucial clue before the invisible timer ran out.
"Eh?" Sayuri blinked, clearly taken aback by the sudden question. A faint, rosy blush crept up her neck, contrasting with her white veil. Her fingers slowly caressed the cold aluminum of the can. "Yes... I really do like lemon tea."
Suddenly, her playful demeanor returned. She winked her right eye at Natsume, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Actually, the reason I love lemon tea so much is directly tied to my first love~"
"First love?!" Sonoko and Ran shouted in unison, their voices echoing off the dressing room walls.
Even Conan jolted in surprise. 'Eh?! This terrifying, fierce gorilla of a teacher actually has a first love?!'
Seeing her students' utterly shell-shocked expressions, Sayuri couldn't help but burst into a melodic laugh. "Yes, my first love."
She tapped her chin with her index finger, her gaze drifting toward the stained-glass window as she waded into her memories. "He lived right near my house when we were kids. Whenever the neighborhood kids bullied me, he would always rush out of nowhere to protect me. I never really understood why. And afterward... he would always sneak warm lemon tea out of his house for me to drink."
A soft, wistful smile graced her lips. "That sweet and sour taste... I drink lemon tea often just so I never forget those memories. Whenever I taste it, I feel like it gives me courage."
Sonoko leaned in close, her eyes practically sparkling with romantic excitement. Seeing her teacher pause, she eagerly pressed, "Teacher, and then? What happened between you and the boy after that?!"
Ran quickly grabbed Sonoko's arm, pulling her back. "Sonoko!" she hissed. This was the teacher's wedding day, after all. Digging into past romances right before she walked down the aisle was incredibly rude.
But Sayuri merely shook her head, not offended in the slightest. Her smile faded into a quiet sigh. "Later... that boy suddenly moved away. Even now, I have no idea where he went."
"But, Teacher, haven't you met someone wonderful to entrust your heart to now?" Ran asked softly, stepping forward to comfort her. "I know you're going to be incredibly happy in the future."
Hearing Ran's earnest words, Sayuri's bright smile returned. "That's very true. But you absolutely must not tell Toshihiko—oh, that's my fiancé, today's groom—what I just told you. He doesn't know a thing about my first love."
Saying this, she turned her head toward Kazumi, who had been standing quietly to the side, listening with a polite smile.
"Kazumi... I'm really sorry," Sayuri whispered, her tone dropping into something heavy and sincere. "About Toshihiko."
Kazumi froze. Her mouth parted slightly in genuine shock, the polite smile vanishing. For a split second, the air in the room grew completely still. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, Kazumi let out a loud, sharp laugh.
She stepped forward and slapped Sayuri hard on the shoulder, the force of it making the bride stumble a half-step forward. "What on earth are you talking about?!"
Kazumi leaned in close, her expression shifting into something uncomfortably serious, her voice dropping to a low murmur. "At this point, you still haven't realized? I'm planning to stand up during the ceremony and expose the fact that the groom is my ex-boyfriend."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]