Akashi's eyes narrowed in satisfaction as he absorbed the surge of Yin energy.
In an instant, three thousand units of Yin energy flowed into his body, bringing his total to 26,224!
The more Yin energy, the greater the sense of security!
Standing nearby, Ran pursed her pink lips as she watched the scene unfold.
Akashi… could it be that you've fallen for Officer Sato?
An inexplicable sense of displeasure welled up inside her.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and gently took Akashi into her arms.
Miwako, who had been holding the succubus shota, hesitated for a moment, reluctant to let go.
But there was no justifiable reason to keep holding the child, so she had no choice but to hand him over.
Yet, the moment she let go, a faint disappointment crept into her heart.
Sonoko, standing to the side, reached out with her small hands and playfully rubbed Akashi's face.
"Akashi is amazing! He solved the case so effortlessly."
She shot a glance at Shiratori and Takagi before adding with a smirk:
"Much better than these so-called police officers!"
She didn't bother lowering her voice.
After all, these two had practically been scared stiff by the murderer's earlier outburst.
If Officer Sato hadn't stepped in, the situation would've been a mess.
These two… they're such cowards!
Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, Sonoko beamed and proposed:
"How about this—today, you solve a case, and I solve a case. Let's form a partnership!"
"A new era of detective duos—male and female partners! Kudo Shinichi? Pfft, he's old news!"
Sonoko's enthusiasm was boundless; give her an inch, and she'd open a whole dyeing workshop!
Off to the side, Conan's expression darkened as he clenched his tiny fists.
Next time I tranquilize you and make you do the reasoning, I swear I'll be a damn dog!
Sensing the growing chaos, Ran quickly intervened.
"What partnership? Stop spouting nonsense, Sonoko."
She pulled Akashi closer, her grip firm.
"Akashi's mission is to focus on school and grow up properly, not to run around solving dangerous cases with you!"
"Do you have any idea how risky that is?!"
There was no way she was going to let Akashi team up with Sonoko.
Wouldn't that just give them more time to be together?
Absolutely not!
What's worse, Ran, knowing her best friend's personality all too well, couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
From the moment Sonoko got out of the car, she had been looking at Akashi with a very peculiar gaze.
It was as if… she had ulterior motives!
At that moment, the blonde-haired teacher, Jodie, appeared at the door.
Sharp-eyed as ever, Sonoko immediately called out:
"Jodie-sensei! You came to watch the fun, didn't you?"
"But where were you just now?"
Jodie, still looking slightly unsteady, forced a smile and replied:
"Ahaha… I, uh, suddenly had a stomachache. I was in the restroom the whole time."
She cleared her throat before asking, "So, what's the latest on the case?"
Sonoko wasted no time in filling her in.
"It's all wrapped up! The murderer was Manager Masuo—Akashi caught him."
"Turns out he was the mastermind behind the bank robbery. His wife found out about it, so he killed her to silence her."
"But his little trick was exposed immediately!"
Jodie's watery blue eyes locked onto Akashi, still nestled in Ran's arms.
Her gaze was unwavering.
Her lips curled into an ambiguous smile.
And her expression—something about it was just plain weird.
Akashi immediately recognized that look.
He'd seen it before.
It was the same look Yukiko often had!
This woman…
She's totally after my body!
Meanwhile, Ran's instincts screamed at her to be on high alert.
She suddenly realized—Jodie's gaze carried the same dangerous undertones as Sonoko's.
They both had bad intentions toward Akashi!
Only then did she truly understand what her mother had warned her about.
Akashi is just too attractive!
He was bound to draw in all kinds of… peculiar attention!
She tightened her hold on him.
No way! I have to protect him!
I'll personally take him home later!
Thinking of this, Ran subconsciously tightened her hold on Akashi—so much so that he nearly got squished out of shape!
Jodie, on the other hand, felt a pang of regret.
She hadn't gotten a good look at how the Nihongo police conducted their investigation.
She hadn't even had the chance to compete with the Metropolitan Police Department's beauty.
But it didn't matter.
After all, she had found a very interesting little boy.
The American agent couldn't help but smile as she spoke:
"Bad-boy, I didn't expect you to be so smart."
"Come on, let's go. Sensei's treating you to a big dinner!"
"You can tell me all about how you solved this case later."
With that, she beckoned the two girls and began walking out.
Ran and Sonoko waved goodbye to Officer Sato before following Jodie.
Miwako, however, felt a strange sense of unease as she watched Akashi being carried away.
She couldn't explain why, but something about it bothered her.
Meanwhile, beside her, Shiratori tried to take the opportunity to invite her to dinner—only to be promptly shut down with a sharp glare and an impatient wave of dismissal.
Akashi, however, paid no attention to any of this.
His mind was already deep inside the system interface.
Without hesitation, he greeted the system and initiated his final check-in for the day.
"System, check in!"
In an instant, the familiar villa scene appeared within the system's check-in interface.
The image shattered, giving way to a surge of purple light as a treasure chest materialized before him.
As the chest opened, a radiant stream of energy poured into his body.
[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations, host, you have obtained Cyclonus Lv1!]
[Cyclonus Lv1: Active skill—doubles speed when used. When driving a "big car," speed is tripled!]
[Note: The doors are welded shut. Step on the accelerator, head north, and drive like a madman!]
Akashi's expression twitched slightly.
What kind of ridiculous skill is this?
Still… it was undeniably powerful.
With this skill, his speed would be doubled.
At the moment, his base speed was 6.6 (26.6).
After activation, it would jump to 13.2 (53.2)!
That was well beyond the standard 10 points for an ordinary person.
In other words…
Even if he attracted the attention of those overly affectionate big sisters or aunt, he could at least run away!
As for the additional effect—
Doubling or tripling the speed…
[Ding! Reminder: Attack speed is also affected and can be increased up to three times. Combined with the Lv2 『Quick Draw』 effect, the host's maximum attack speed reaches 42 times!]
I know, you don't have to remind me…
This system is really not serious at all!
That being said…
Looking at the skill's effects, Akashi couldn't help but feel a sense of invincibility.
With just the slightest movement, he could already reach his limits!
Meanwhile, Jodie made no move to return Takagi's car keys.
Instead, she simply treated the car as her own and drove off without a second thought.
Soon, their group arrived at a nearby coffee shop.
As they stepped out of the car, Akashi's eyes landed on a school directly across the street.
The sign read: Ekoda High School.
At that moment, he felt a twinge of regret.
If I'd known earlier, I would've checked in here instead of at the murder scene…
Ekoda High School—this was where Kaitou Kid went to school.
A place of significance.
Checking in here might've yielded something valuable.
But then again, his new Cyclonus skill was pretty damn good.
Besides, it wasn't like Ekoda High School was going anywhere.
He could always check in another time.
With that thought, Akashi set aside his hesitation and followed the others into the coffee shop.
They found a comfortable sofa seat and settled in.
Jodie stepped up to place an order.
Sonoko, meanwhile, glanced around, her eyes scanning the café.
Suddenly, her gaze locked onto a familiar figure.
A figure seated with a girl.
Her expression immediately darkened.
Her loyalty flaring, Sonoko stormed forward and grabbed the man's ear.
"Alright, you've been missing from school for days. I was starting to think something had happened to you!"
"But instead, I find you fooling around with another girl?! Where the hell does that leave my Ran?!"
The man let out a yelp of pain.