After being called scruffy, Detective Mori Kogoro spent a good while fussing with his hair in the rearview mirror, casting a sideways, irritated glance at Tsuneo.
My hairstyle is perfectly fine... isn't it? he thought, smoothing down a stray strand.
Ignoring the detective's vanity, Heiji Hattori and Conan Edogawa turned their attention back to the middle-aged man standing before the house. The man had just knocked on the front door.
"Master! You're here so early!"
"See? I did exactly as you told me!" Ryoko Morozumi greeted the man with overwhelming enthusiasm. She pointed toward a ceramic vase displayed prominently on the shoe cabinet by the entrance.
"The foyer is the gateway for luck," the man explained, his voice professional yet practiced. "Placing ceramic ornaments suitable for any direction in the entryway is excellent for the home's Feng Shui."
The man stole a quick glance at Heiji and the others standing outside the gate before stepping inside and drawing the door shut behind him.
"Is he some kind of Feng Shui consultant?" Heiji asked, not thinking much of it.
Just then, a woman dressed in professional attire approached. She had long, straight black hair and a somber, almost sullen expression.
"Sister, didn't I tell you? Stop coming here!" Ryoko Morozumi's voice rang out as she marched back out of the house the moment she heard the commotion, clearly intent on driving the newcomer away.
"Now, Ryoko, don't be angry," the woman said, a forced smile flickering across her face. "My luck has been terrible this month. I just need ten thousand... no, five thousand will do for now!"
"If your luck is so bad, aren't you a fortune-teller? Figure out a way to change your own fate!"
With a resounding slam, Ryoko shut the door, leaving her sister standing in the cold.
"Is that her sister?" Heiji remarked, watching the dejected woman walk away. "That makeup is... certainly thick."
A fortune-teller, huh? he mused.
"So, what's the status? Anyone dead yet?" Tsuneo asked, stretching his arms lazily as he poked his head out of the car window. "Quite a few people have gone into that yard, haven't they? Why hasn't anything happened?"
"..."
The detectives met his question with a deadpan silence.
"It's been two hours. Sitting here on stakeout isn't going to achieve anything," Kogoro grumbled, checking his watch.
The idea of an arsonist targeting this place seemed more like a farce with every passing minute. Tsuneo, busy munching on snacks, nodded in agreement. Maybe today just wasn't the day.
"But that Feng Shui master hasn't come out since he went in, has he?" Conan pointed out, his brow furrowed in suspicion.
"Let's go have a look," Heiji said, already stepping out of the car.
The group moved stealthily, rounding the side of the house toward the living room. Although the curtains were drawn, they hadn't been closed completely, leaving a significant gap. Through the slightly ajar window, they could see the Feng Shui master frantically rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
"He's acting awfully suspicious," Heiji whispered. "What is he looking for?"
"Money," Tsuneo answered from the back of the group, his tone casual.
They didn't have to wait long for the real answer. Mrs. Morozumi entered the room.
"What a shame," she said, her voice dripping with a mocking sweetness. "No matter how hard you look, you won't find it. That videotape—the one that proves just how 'intimate' our relationship is—I've hidden it somewhere very secure in this house."
She smiled, a chillingly calm expression. "Consider it my insurance. To ensure that once you finally divorce your wife, you'll definitely stay with me."
Tsuneo leaned forward, watching the drama unfold like a spectator at a play. This is some top-tier drama, he thought. Ripe and juicy.
"Now then, my husband will be home any minute," Mrs. Morozumi continued, reaching out to straighten the tie of the now-ashen-faced Feng Shui master. "The two of you were college classmates, weren't you? It's been ages since you've had a drink together. Why don't you rest on the sofa and wait for him to return?"
She patted his chest and walked out of the room, leaving the man looking like he had just seen a ghost.
"See? That's what happens when you can't resist temptation," Tsuneo remarked with a shake of his head as the group quietly retreated from the yard. "The lady isn't even that beautiful, yet idiots still fall for it."
"I really don't get you adults," Heiji muttered, leaning against the car. "Their situation seems way more complicated than the Old Man's trial separation."
"Pipe down..." Kogoro grunted, lighting a cigarette to soothe his boredom.
"Isn't that the man who visited earlier?" Conan pointed toward the distance. It was the stout man they had seen before, carrying a heavy backpack.
"Probably didn't meet his sales quota, so he's staying late for overtime," Kogoro guessed, noting the man's slumped shoulders and defeated gait.
As the sky grew dark, another man approached. He wore glasses, had his hair parted down the middle, and carried a briefcase. He glanced briefly at the red pickup truck before heading into the yard. This was likely Mr. Morozumi—the husband and the Feng Shui master's old college friend.
However, the explosive confrontation they expected never happened. Within ten minutes, the Feng Shui master and Mr. Morozumi walked out of the house together, appearing perfectly harmonious.
"Green... it really does have a healing effect on the soul," Tsuneo commented dryly, watching the two men walk away.
"What 'healing'?" Kogoro muttered. "He probably just doesn't know. If he did, I bet only one of them would be walking out of there alive."
Suddenly, a phone rang. It was Ran and Kazuha calling from the agency. Dinner was ready, and they were tired of waiting.
"Heading back now!"
Tsuneo didn't hesitate, starting the engine and flooring it back toward Beika Town.
"Hey, hey... I've got a bad feeling about this," Heiji said, frowning as a fire engine roared past them in the opposite direction before they had even left Haido Town.
"It's fine. They already made dinner," Tsuneo "comforted" him.
"We should turn around," Kogoro said, looking back at the fire truck. His gut was churning. The truck was heading exactly toward the neighborhood they had just left.
"But the food is ready," Tsuneo insisted.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Back outside the Morozumi residence, Tsuneo stood by the car, munching on a hamburger while watching the villa, which had been transformed into a literal sea of flames.
Who died?
Mrs. Morozumi, of course.
Mr. Morozumi was currently collapsed on the ground, wailing beside a body covered by a white sheet.
"It looks like she couldn't escape in time," Kogoro sighed, shaking his head.
"Dammit! If we had just stayed on the stakeout, this wouldn't have happened," Heiji muttered, his fists clenched in frustration. They had been there all afternoon, only for disaster to strike the moment they looked away.
"Don't you find it strange?" Conan asked, his eyes sharp as he watched Mr. Morozumi and the Feng Shui master. "Weren't those two supposed to be out drinking? How did they get back so fast?"
It had been less than an hour. No one finishes a drinking session that quickly.
"Why wouldn't they come back after they've had their fill?"
Tsuneo finished his burger and reached into the bag for a handful of fries. He frowned, chewing thoughtfully. "Is it just me, or did they forget the salt? This place is losing its touch."
Conan looked up, staring at Tsuneo with an expression of pure disbelief.
At a time like this, you actually made us pull over for a value meal?!
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