"Hey, where did that brat go?"
As the police led the true culprit, Tahara Toshiaki, away, Mouri Kogoro finished his conversation with Inspector Yokomizo, only to suddenly realize the repairman had vanished without a trace.
"Brother Tsuneo said he's waiting for you outside the villa!" Conan said with a cheeky grin.
"Waiting for me?"
"What for?" Mouri asked, looking completely baffled.
"Oh, he said he wanted to ask his teacher for some pointers on Judo," Conan laughed out loud.
Did you really think you could take advantage of the repairman that easily?
"I'm really sleepy..." Mouri muttered, already looking for an escape route.
There was no way he was going to practice Judo in the middle of the night with a monster like that.
"He might publicly condemn you as a teacher next time if you don't..." Conan shot him a sideways glance.
Don't doubt it—that guy was definitely capable of doing something like that.
There was no escape!
"What kind of mess is this!" Mouri shook his hands in frustration, his face a picture of despair as he trudged out of the villa.
"Little boy, where has Mr. Tsuneo gone?"
The beautiful manager, Tanigawa Noe, walked down the stairs and asked Conan.
It was strange; everyone seemed to be looking for the repairman tonight.
"He went to take care of something," Conan said with a smile.
As for when he would be back, that depended entirely on Mouri Kogoro's physical endurance...
Early the next morning.
"Dad!"
"Dad, wake up! It's time to go back!" Ran shook her father, who was still snoring loudly.
She didn't know where he had gone last night, but he hadn't returned to the room until the latter half of the night, covered in dirt...
"Ran-neechan, is Uncle not up yet?" Conan pushed open the slightly ajar door and walked in.
The repairman had gone out to exercise at five in the morning.
It was already eight o'clock, and this one still hadn't risen.
"No. Conan, do you know what happened last night?"
"Did Dad and the others go out to check on something again?" Ran felt that her father looked a bit too wretched.
"I-I don't think so. I went to sleep really early!" Conan almost let it slip.
She had watched him fall asleep with her own eyes. If she found out he had been faking it...
Since Mouri was completely drained and still in a daze, Tsuneo naturally took the driver's seat.
"Mr. Tsuneo, Mr. Mouri, you two must consider our next drama series!" Producer Nagatsuka Katsuaki leaned against the car window, pleading.
These two were genuine famous detectives. With just a little hype, they would become instant hits.
Then, his job would be secure!
"Why don't you film something like Momotaro and let this kid play the lead?" Tsuneo smiled speechlessly, pointing a thumb at Conan in the back seat.
This guy certainly had a talent for acting.
"Heh heh heh..." Conan shot him a deadpan stare.
If I play Momotaro, you can play the boss of the demons.
"Mr. Mouri, if you agree to star in it, we can title it The Sleeping Famous Detective. It will absolutely be an overnight sensation!"
Seeing that Tsuneo wasn't interested, Nagatsuka looked expectantly at Mouri instead.
"That actually sounds pretty good!" Hearing this, Mouri wasn't sleepy anymore; his spirits lifted instantly.
A big star and a famous detective?!
"Brother Tsuneo, drive!" Ran felt it was better for her father not to step into that circle.
The repairman didn't hesitate; he slammed on the gas, and the car shot forward.
"Mr. Tsuneo!"
"Mr. Mouri!"
Nagatsuka chased after the receding car, shouting a few times.
"Hey, hey, hey! I could have become a big star!" Mouri protested from the passenger seat.
"Teacher Mouri, let's just go back and focus on practicing Judo," Tsuneo chuckled.
Those messy affairs didn't suit him.
"Eh?!" Mouri hadn't expected there to be a sequel.
Looking at his expression, he really wanted to jump out of the car and flee.
"Teacher?" Ran was puzzled.
She had gone to sleep early last night—how had her father become a teacher?
"He's the teacher teaching him Judo..." Conan clarified.
"No, I meant reasoning! Reasoning!" Mouri shouted frantically.
Honestly, at my age, why do I have to practice Judo with you?
"I will publicly condemn you," Tsuneo threatened.
Mouri: "..."
Just destroy me already. Do whatever you want.
"By the way, did that manager not look for you?" Conan poked his head through the gap between the front seats, turning to ask the repairman.
After the case was wrapped up last night, she had asked him about it.
Maybe she wanted to turn Tsuneo into her next cash cow.
"She looked for me this morning," Tsuneo nodded.
The three members of the Mouri family tilted their heads, waiting for the rest of the story.
What did you talk about?
Are you really going to debut as an actor?
"What are you looking at?"
Tsuneo glanced at the three of them sideways, refusing to tell them a story.
"Forget it, I don't want to know anyway." Mouri tilted his head back, leaning against the car door.
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality and pointed to the empty space above the door.
The handle!
You guy! Before you return this rental car, fix the handle for me!
"Speaking of which, Ran, your school garden party is starting soon, right?" Tsuneo acted as if he hadn't seen the Judo teacher's sorrowful expression and asked Ran in the back seat.
"There's still a month left. Sonoko insists on writing the script herself for us to perform!" Ran nodded, smiling as she spoke.
"Sonoko's script..."
Beika Town, in front of Tsuneo's apartment.
"We'll be going now!" Ran waved to the tall man and the small boy, then left with Mouri to return the car.
"I get the feeling Ran has been acting a little strange lately," Conan said, watching the car drive away.
"A feeling?"
"Is your intuition that accurate?" Tsuneo glanced at him, shouldering his tool bag and turning to head back inside.
He had ripped that handle off with his own hands, so he definitely had to be the one to put it back on.
"Her eyes and her attitude when she looks at me... something seems to have changed." Conan put his hands in his pockets, following the repairman up the stairs.
The famous detective had stayed behind specifically to talk about this.
How to put it... that look wasn't the way one looks at a first-grade elementary student.
"Are you saying she suspects your true identity?" Tsuneo opened his mailbox and took out two letters.
One was from Osaka, and the other had no name or return address, not even a stamp.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it." Conan suddenly shook his head with a smile.
Who would ever imagine a high school student turning into a grade-schooler?
It was a fantasy.
"Actually, you can tell from one specific thing," Tsuneo said, not opening the letters but looking down at him.
"What is it?" Conan asked curiously.
"Have you guys taken a bath together recently?" Tsuneo grinned.
"Hey! Who takes baths together that often..." The famous detective suddenly blushed a little.
Saying that... but come to think of it, they hadn't recently...
"Why not? I took a bath with someone just this morning."
"???"
-------------------------------
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