After hanging up the phone, Ran laughed. "It's a teacher named Kamimori Michiko. She said she's running a cooking class at her house in Beika Town. The first day is free, and she told me to try it out and see if it suits me. It starts at 6:30 PM and ends at 9:30 PM."
"At night? Then I have no chance. My mom will never let me go out." Sonoko sighed, and she was telling the truth. She could play around during the day, but she had to report if she didn't go home at night. Suzuki Tomoko would approve it depending on the situation. Sonoko didn't need to ask to know that her mother would not agree to her going to learn cooking at night. It was even possible that she would directly hire a tutor to come to her house, and Sonoko would have to learn obediently under her mother's nose. Just thinking about it made her feel terrified.
Vermouth said, "I'm also interested in French cuisine. Ran, I'll go with you tonight."
"That's great!" Ran was very happy. Having someone to accompany her was the best thing ever.
Kurosawa Hoshino glanced at Vermouth, surprised that this woman had so much free time. Or perhaps the Black Organization hadn't had any missions lately?
After this belated lunch, everyone parted ways. Kurosawa and Ran returned to the Mouri Detective Agency. Sonoko went home. Vermouth, thinking that she would be going to learn French cuisine with Ran that evening and would have plenty of time to spend together, wasn't in a hurry to finish the afternoon and went back to her temporary hotel.
"Hoshino, are you full?" Ran asked softly downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency.
"Don't you know my appetite?" Kurosawa retorted.
Ran stuck out her tongue. "That's how French cuisine is. Actually, I wasn't full before."
"Then why did you say you wanted to learn?"
"But it's really made so exquisitely. I feel like learning wouldn't be a bad idea. I'll make it for you—I'll definitely make a big portion."
"Would it look nice to display the larger portions?"
"Then let's make a small portion as a sample first, and then eat the larger portions when we have dinner." Ran's eyes lit up as she finished speaking, feeling that her idea was excellent. It seemed like a really good solution.
Kurosawa chuckled and was about to go upstairs when he couldn't help but glance at the Harley motorcycle parked by the roadside. He had seen it when he came back earlier but hadn't paid much attention then. Now that he thought about it, it seemed to be the Harley motorcycle from the famous scene where Kudō Yukiko had stuffed Conan into her chest.
They're back? Thinking this, Kurosawa and Ran walked upstairs together.
"Huh, the door isn't locked?" Ran opened the door to the second floor and said in surprise when she found that it could be opened. When she had left in the morning, Ran clearly remembered that she had locked the door—she couldn't have been wrong.
Click. Ran opened the door and walked in with Kurosawa, seeing the situation inside.
Seated on the sofa were Kogorō Mouri, Kudō Yukiko, and Kudō Yusaku, with Conan standing to the side.
"Ran, Hoshino, you're back!" Yukiko greeted them with a smile.
"Aunt Yukiko," Kurosawa and Ran responded politely.
Then Ran turned to her father and asked quietly, "Dad, didn't you say you were going to find the cat? Did you find it? You're back so soon."
Kogorō blushed slightly, coughed, and said nonchalantly, "Of course I found it. Don't you believe in my abilities?"
Ran turned her face away, too lazy to expose her father's lie, deciding to save him some face.
Kurosawa, on the other hand, looked at Kudō Yusaku, who had a mustache and wore glasses, exuding a mature and refined air of sophistication. Yusaku seemed to notice Kurosawa's scrutiny. His gaze suddenly met Kurosawa's eyes, and he gave a gentle smile. "Kurosawa-kun, I've heard of you before. It's a pleasure to meet you today."
"Mr. Kudō, I've also heard of you—the world-renowned bestselling mystery novelist." Kurosawa replied naturally, not at all like someone a generation younger.
"I can't compare to you, Kurosawa-kun. I've read the news about you countless times. Your quick case-solving methods still impress me. Even in my latest mystery novel, there's a supporting character—the former God of Detectives—based on you."
Conan's face turned green with anger upon hearing his father's words. What did that mean? Was this a tacit admission that Kurosawa was already the God of Detectives?
Kogorō exclaimed in surprise, "Yusaku, isn't that inappropriate?"
Yusaku waved his hand. "He's just a fictional character. Everyone knows he's fictional. It won't have any impact."
"Then thank you, Mr. Kudō. I will continue this momentum and strive to become the true God of Detectives." Kurosawa didn't mince words, following the conversation with a relaxed expression.
Yusaku smiled, his words carrying a deeper meaning. "If you want to become the God of Detectives, you'll face many more rivals in the future. Not just from Tokyo, but from other regions, and even from overseas." There was something Yusaku didn't say: He's one of the rivals too. If he couldn't even get past him, then Kurosawa shouldn't even dream of becoming the God of Detectives.
"Alright, Yukiko and I just brought Conan back. Now, we should leave."
"Want to have dinner again?" Kogorō tried to persuade him to stay.
"No, I have other things to do." Yusaku didn't linger, leaving Conan alone, and left with Yukiko.
Conan sighed, lamenting being alone again. However, thinking about the case he had solved that morning, his mood improved considerably, and he wasn't as depressed as before. He felt that he still couldn't live without cases, and when he encountered a case in the future, he would still have to compete with Kurosawa. That feeling of cornering the culprit, forcing them to confess, and having everything under control was simply too exhilarating.
"Conan, where did you and Aunt Yukiko go?" Ran asked.
Hearing this, Conan proudly raised his head, glanced at Kurosawa, and without hiding anything, told her about solving the case. Of course, he mentioned talking to "Shinichi-nii" on the phone, saying that "Shinichi-nii" had solved the case over the phone, and so on.
"Ran-neechan, wasn't Shinichi-nii amazing?" Conan wasn't about to miss this rare opportunity to show off.
Ran shook her head, saying seriously, "Not amazing. If it were Hoshino, he couldn't possibly have solved the case overnight—only by the next morning."
Snap. Conan seemed to hear the sound of his heart breaking—and it came from right in his own chest.
Kurosawa winked at Ran, a slight smile playing on his lips.