Reiko Akiba had already collapsed into Yuu Hoshimiya's arms, her soft, full breasts resting against his chest, the sensation truly wonderful.
However, this music seemed to have the effect of cleansing the soul. Yuu didn't make any further moves with his hands; he just quietly held Reiko.
Just then, Reiko's phone rang, instantly breaking the magical atmosphere between them.
Reiko quickly sat up straight from Yuu's embrace and answered the call. It was Kazuki Domoto calling to inform her that it was time for rehearsal.
After hanging up, Reiko said to Yuu, "Yuu-kun, come to the concert hall with me and listen to our rehearsal."
"Of course, no problem!"
The two stood up together, but as soon as Reiko stood straight, her legs gave out, and she fell back down. She was still a bit weak from the kissing.
Yuu immediately reached out and caught her, but his large hand seemed to have grabbed an inappropriate spot, landing squarely on her soft breast. The sensation was wonderful, plump and round, almost too big for one hand to hold.
Yuu smirked. "Miss Reiko, do you need me to support you?"
Reiko's small face, which had just lost its blush, turned red again. Feeling the large hand on her chest hadn't left, she couldn't help but glare at Yuu.
"Yuu-kun, I think I misjudged you before! Let go immediately."
Yuu played dumb. "What am I holding?"
His large hand gave a squeeze, then, as if suddenly waking up, he moved his hand away and smiled. "Oops, Miss Reiko, I think I grabbed the wrong spot."
The assaulted Reiko covered her chest, glared at Yuu with her scarlet eyes, and walked out the door, seemingly a bit annoyed.
Yuu hurried after her, and the two walked side by side down the corridor.
Yuu asked, "Miss Reiko, what did you mean when you said you misjudged me before?"
Reiko shot Yuu a coquettish glare. "I thought you were a gentleman before. Now I see you're just a pervert."
Hearing this, Yuu grabbed Reiko's fair hand and domineeringly pinned her against the wall.
His hot, large hand brushed across Reiko's exquisite face. His eyes were full of an aggressive gaze, and a sunny smile appeared on his face.
"Miss Reiko, you're right but also wrong. Being a gentleman and being lustful don't conflict."
Yuu thought of his past life, where "gentleman" had basically become synonymous with "pervert," and found it somewhat amusing.
But that meme didn't exist in the Conan world, so he could only add, "I am a gentleman, but I also really like beautiful women."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuu forcefully kissed Reiko's slightly swollen red lips, and his large hand unhesitatingly covered her soft peaks.
Reiko's scarlet eyes contracted continuously, but soon an intoxicated look appeared in them.
Her fair arms wrapped around Yuu's waist, and, just like in the practice room, she gradually began to respond.
Soon, under Yuu's kissing skills and teasing, Reiko gradually lost herself in it, and what little temper she had dissipated.
Hearing footsteps coming from around the corner of the corridor, Yuu's large hand finally withdrew from her peaks.
He released Reiko's small mouth and looked with smiling eyes at the beauty in front of him, who had become as gentle as water. "Miss Reiko, are you still mad at this pervert?"
Reiko let out a nasal hmph, as if waking up, and hurriedly said, "I'm not playing around with you anymore. Mr. Domoto is still waiting for me to rehearse. If we delay any longer, we'll be late."
With that, Reiko broke free from Yuu and walked ahead, though her pace wasn't fast, seemingly waiting for Yuu to catch up.
The two soon walked out of the teaching building side by side and headed toward the concert hall.
The concert hall was an oval-shaped building. Yuu and Reiko walked into it, talking and laughing.
But soon, Yuu heard Sonoko Suzuki's voice coming from around the corner ahead.
"You brats, behave yourselves when we go in. It took a lot of effort for me to get you all in here to listen to the rehearsal. Don't disturb other people's practice, understand?"
"Yes!" x4!
These were the voices of the four Detective Boys, excluding the aloof fake loli.
Yuu and Reiko walked over and saw Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, Ai Haibara, Professor Hiroshi Agasa, and the rest of the Detective Boys.
"Ran, Sonoko, aren't you supposed to be at school? And Professor Agasa, what are you doing here?"
Yuu was somewhat puzzled. He had personally watched them leave for school this morning.
He thought the trajectory of fate had changed and this incident might not involve the girls. It seemed he had underestimated the converging force of the timeline.
Hearing Yuu's voice, everyone immediately turned around. Ran, Sonoko, Ai, and Ayumi all looked pleasantly surprised.
"Brother Yuu, what are you doing here?"
Seeing another great beauty walking beside Yuu, the girls' expressions all became somewhat strange.
Not long ago, two police flowers had joined their large family. It had only been a few days, and now there was going to be a new "sister"?...
Although they thought this, having experienced it so much, they were somewhat used to it. Soon, Ran and the other two girls forgot about it and returned to normal expressions.
Reiko turned to look at Yuu. "Yuu-kun, do you know them?"
"Yes, this is my girlfriend, Ran Mouri. Beside her is her classmate. The family members of those two little girls are good friends of mine, and those are their classmates. The oldest one is Professor Agasa. And this is the famous soprano singer, Reiko Akiba."
After Yuu's introductions, everyone greeted each other politely.
Seeing outsiders present, especially Yuu's official girlfriend, Reiko's expression immediately turned cold. Her greeting was just a nod, like an iceberg queen.
The relationship between Ran and Yuu was practically official; anyone who looked into it even slightly would know.
And Yuu's relationship with Sonoko, or rather, his connection with the Suzuki Corporation, as well as his playboy behavior, was no secret either; anyone with a few connections would know.
And as for his playboy behavior...
In upper-class circles, it really wasn't a big problem, as long as you didn't get caught with evidence and exposed to the public.
As a famous singer, and having long been interested in Yuu, Reiko was naturally aware of all this.
She had also gone through a period of internal struggle, ultimately choosing to follow her heart after considering factors like age, external influences, and her feelings after personal contact with Yuu.
Of course, having made a decision was one thing, but she didn't know the true nature of Yuu's relationships with his many confidantes. So, in front of outsiders, especially Ran, she proactively maintained her distance from Yuu.
In fact, it wasn't just her. When they all appeared together in public, as long as Ran was present, Sonoko and the other beautiful girls would consciously keep their distance from Yuu.
With her bold personality, Sonoko would sometimes do something out of line, but she was usually reprimanded by Ran.
It wasn't out of jealousy, but because if they were photographed doing that, it would be troublesome for both Yuu and them.
However, now that Noah was around, this situation was virtually eliminated. Ran now rarely used "violence" to stop Sonoko's explicit behavior.
After everyone had briefly gotten to know each other, Sonoko said, "Consultant Hoshimiya, Ran and I aren't skipping class today. We're here to teach these brats how to sing."
"It just so happens that the Suzuki Corporation helped build this Domoto Concert Hall, so we had the opportunity to get in. We brought them here to experience true music."
"Right, kids?"
"Yes!" The kids looked full of energy, but Ai scrutinized Reiko with a cold expression.
"Then let's go in together. Kids, you can't disturb others once we're inside!"
Yuu instructed the kids, and the large group marched into the concert hall.
But soon, at the entrance to the concert hall, they encountered another group of people.
It was Inspector Megure, leading Officer Shiratori, Officer Takagi, and Officer Sato.
Wataru Takagi looked much worse for wear compared to when they last saw him. But Miwako Sato's eyes immediately lit up when she saw Yuu.
Seeing these people, Reiko's expression instantly turned somewhat ugly.
Officer Shiratori stepped forward and asked Reiko, "Miss Reiko, could we take up a bit of your time? We have some questions we'd like to ask you."
"I've already told you everything I should. Why are you guys back? But not now. Mr. Domoto is waiting for me to rehearse. Ask me after the rehearsal is over!"
Reiko simply brushed past them and walked into the concert hall.
Inspector Megure and the others looked helpless and could only follow her inside.
However, seeing Yuu's group, Inspector Megure couldn't help but say, "Brother Hoshimiya, you're here for the case too, right? Why did you bring so many people to investigate?"
Yuu smiled. "These guys aren't with me. They came on their own to listen to the music. It has nothing to do with me."
Hearing this, Ran, Ai, and Sonoko looked suspicious. Had they misunderstood earlier?
Yuu coming here today and accompanying a beautiful singer were all for the sake of investigating a case?
Everyone walked into the concert hall and took their seats. The entire hall was magnificent, with red seats and carpets.
The center of the stage was resplendent, and the chandelier hanging from the ceiling was extremely high-end.
But the most eye-catching feature was the large pipe organ above the stage, soaring a full three stories high.
The pipe organ has a history of over two thousand years and is a large European keyboard instrument.
By pulling out various stops, it can simulate the timbres of various orchestral instruments. Its volume is massive, its presence majestic. A single pipe organ can rival the harmony of a full symphony orchestra.
Standing on the stage were the principal members of this concert.
Reiko also walked among them.
As soon as Yuu sat down, Miwako, in the row behind, leaned her small head forward, close to Yuu's ear, almost touching his head.
She helped introduce them. "That square-faced man surrounded in the middle of the stage is the founder of this music academy, Kazuki Domoto. He used to be an internationally renowned pianist but switched to playing the pipe organ two years ago."
"The bald foreigner next to him is his pipe organ tuner. He's German, named Hans Müller."
"The middle-aged man with Beethoven-style curly hair acting as a translator is Kazuki Domoto's son, Genya Domoto."
"The silver-haired old man with glasses next to him is Takumi Fuwa. He was Mr. Domoto's former piano tuner and is also the new director of this newly completed Domoto Concert Hall."
"That red-haired woman is the understudy for the soprano in this concert, Rara Chigusa. She's Mr. Domoto's pupil and a student from the academy's ninth graduating class."
"As for the girl holding the Stradivarius violin, looking timid and constantly biting her fingernail, her name is Shion Yamane, also a student from the academy's ninth graduating class."
Miwako poured everything she knew into Yuu's ear. Officer Shiratori, sitting next to her, looked entirely jealous seeing the two of them so close.
Wataru Takagi, on the other hand, had a look of utter gloom.
The people on stage seemed to have finished their discussion. Kazuki Domoto walked up the curved staircase, sat at the pipe organ, and began to play. A majestic musical sound immediately rang out.
It was Amazing Grace!
Shion Yamane walked to the front of the stage with the Stradivarius violin, ready to start playing.
In the back row, Takagi showed a hint of interest and said, "We finally get to hear a live performance of a Stradivarius violin."
And Shiratori next to him said, "Honestly, I prefer an Amati."
Then Shiratori began showing off knowledge he had read from some superficial music theory book somewhere, loudly proclaiming the greatness of an Amati to Takagi, bluffing him into nodding repeatedly.
Shiratori hoped to attract Officer Sato's attention this way.
Unfortunately, Officer Sato ignored him completely. Her small head was almost resting on Yuu's shoulder in the front row.
These two men didn't have a single musical bone in their bodies, yet they insisted on pretending to be cultured. It was quite comical.
On stage, Shion Yamane began to play the violin. Fluid notes rang out, but Yuu and Reiko, listening carefully below the stage, both shook their heads simultaneously.
The notes weren't out of tune, and to ordinary people, it sounded extremely pleasant.
But to Yuu and Reiko, who had perfect pitch, it sounded very awkward.
It was the feeling of knowing it could be played better, that the sound could be more perfect, but failing to achieve it, giving a deep sense of inadequacy.
Soon, Kazuki Domoto stopped playing and shouted, "No, this won't do at all! What have you been doing this past week? Haven't you been practicing?"
Below, Reiko also sighed and said, "If this continues, you won't be able to accompany my performance at all."
Shion Yamane bowed continuously on stage, apologizing.
The audience below, however, couldn't detect any anomaly. Ran asked in confusion, "Why is Miss Shion apologizing? It sounded very nice!"
Yuu explained gently, "Because Miss Shion hasn't brought out the true tone of this violin. Just playing a piece isn't difficult; the difficult part is bringing out the violin's true tone."
"You have to understand that the status of a Stradivarius among violins is actually similar to Mozart's status among musicians."
"The most important thing is to inspire an unnameable divine passion in the music, like the soft whispers of a child's breath, yet also like a hunting horn in the forest. When played to the extreme, the sound can turn into joyous cheers, inspiring people."
"This level is very difficult to reach. After all, Shion Yamane hasn't had this violin for long and hasn't had enough time to get familiar with it, which is why it turned out like this."
Hearing Yuu's explanation, Miwako looked at him with admiration. "Yuu, you know so much!"
In the back seat, Officer Shiratori, who had just been touting the Amati, could only smile awkwardly.
The music started again. Kazuki Domoto and Shion Yamane on stage resumed playing, continuously adjusting to each other. This time, it finally sounded pleasing to Yuu.
However, Yuu listened intently to the sound of the pipe organ and didn't detect any anomalies.
Clearly, the explosion sensors from his memory hadn't yet been installed in the organ's pipes.
An hour passed, and the performance on stage stopped. Reiko also sang during this time, and it was indeed stunning.
To Yuu's sharp senses, there were no flaws whatsoever.
This perfect pitch, combined with Reiko's innate musical talent and her tireless, day-and-night practice, made her current achievements and fame well-deserved.
Kazuki Domoto was getting old, after all. Playing continuously for an hour made him a bit tired, so he got up and left the concert hall.
Officer Takagi immediately went up to question Reiko. Looking impatient, Reiko followed the police officers to the side.
"Miss Akiba, what did the message Miss Soko Kawabe sent you before the explosion mean?"
The brat Conan had long since sneaked over to eavesdrop.
Yuu didn't follow them. Instead, he carefully observed everyone present, especially the silver-haired old man with glasses, Takumi Fuwa—the paranoid culprit who didn't hesitate to use a thousand lives as collateral.
To be so psychopathic and ultimately be 'Talk-no-Jutsu'd' into repentance...
Yeah, very Conan-esque.
Although the girl named Shion Yamane seemed suspicious among these people, in Yuu's view, it was just the characteristic sensitivity of a musician, nothing that required extra attention.
As Yuu quietly observed the venue, Ai was pulled by Ayumi toward the stage, and Professor Agasa followed them.
Sonoko pulled Ran up there too, to observe the large pipe organ.
...
Before long, Reiko told Inspector Megure and the others everything she knew and returned to her seat.
She was about to drink a beverage specifically designed to protect the vocal cords from her water bottle when opening it attracted Genta's attention.
Genta asked greedily, "What's that? Is it drinkable? Can I have a sip?"
Reiko frowned, flatly refused, and put the cap back on the bottle.
Ayumi, standing nearby, said, "If you drink this, can you sing really well? If so, I want to drink it too! Then we can win first place at the Teitan Elementary School festival."
At this, Mitsuhiko suddenly remembered something and said to Reiko with a serious face, "Could we please ask you to help us practice the Teitan Elementary School song?"
Genta's eyes also lit up. "Yeah! Sister Ran already agreed to accompany us on the piano, but the person teaching us to sing seems very unreliable, so could we ask you?!"
"Please!" Ayumi put her hands together in a pleading gesture.
"You brats, who are you calling unreliable?!" Sonoko, who happened to hear Genta, looked displeased. She walked over and pulled Genta's ear.
"Ouch!" Genta immediately started struggling.
"I went out of my way to bring you guys here to see the world, and you talk about me like this behind my back."
Ran hurried forward to stop Sonoko's violent act.