With the newly acquired horse riding skill, Akashi no longer had to worry about being crushed under olden women—or more accurately, not being able to support their weight.
No more fear of being flattened!
…Wait a second.
Wasn't he the one being ridden?
Eh, whatever!
Details, details. As long as the skill worked, that's all that mattered!
Little succubus—Akashi—was delighted with his new ability and was already thinking about who he could test it on.
In the car, Kogoro looked absolutely dejected, while Akashi was in high spirits. The contrast between the two couldn't be more obvious.
The ride from Yokohama Port to Beika Town took nearly an hour.
Ran clung tightly to little Akashi the whole way, not letting him out of her arms for even a second.
It wasn't until the car pulled up in front of the apartment where Eri lived that she finally let go.
"Akashi, get some rest. See you tomorrow," Ran said softly.
Because of the delays, it was already past 11 p.m.
No time left to check in anywhere else!
So Akashi just tapped the system card one last time under the apartment building.
[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Polarizing Ability Lv1!]
[Lv1 – Polarizing Ability: Stimulates mental energy, allowing the host to redirect a beam of light to project an image in a different location.]
Akashi stared at the notification and fell silent.
Seriously? This was completely useless.
If he just used a mirror, he could achieve the same effect!
As expected, a half-hearted check-in led to mediocre rewards.
But Akashi didn't dwell on it. There would be more chances in the future.
The young succubus took the elevator up.
Soon, he returned to Eri's home.
The next morning, inside the second-floor office of the Mōri Detective Agency—
Kogoro stared in horror at the news replay on the TV.
The Suzuki Consortium had exercised its influence, and the scandal about the wealthy ladies being robbed on the cruise had been completely suppressed.
Reporters couldn't get a single credible interview.
So instead, they kept looping the embarrassing naked photos and footage of Kogoro from yesterday's broadcast.
Overnight, the famous detective had become the nation's favorite laughingstock.
Now, he was being mocked with a new nickname: "The Moonlight Flasher".
Kogoro sat frozen, clutching the newspaper with his face buried behind it.
Ran, standing nearby, was growing impatient.
"Dad, are you okay? It's time to leave!" she called out.
Kogoro groaned weakly, "I'm not going, Ran. Just go without me."
"I… I need to be alone."
But if he didn't go, what was the point of the parents' meeting she'd arranged?
Ran refused to give in and tried persuading him again.
"But Dad, if you don't come, how are the rest of us going to get to Izu?"
"Besides, I finally managed to win that travel voucher!"
Kogoro suddenly shouted, "Didn't you see what the news said about me?!"
His eyes were red with tears.
A grown man nearly crying over a tabloid hit piece…
Ran was taken aback, unsure how to respond.
Seeing the moment stall, Conan chimed in smoothly:
"The news is all over Tokyo already. But Izu's far from here—people probably haven't heard about it there. Perfect chance to lay low for a while."
"In fact, I think I saw a paparazzi camped out downstairs. If you stay here, you might get mobbed!"
"..."
Kogoro paused, frowning in thought.
Conan struck again.
"Sister Ran, I heard a lot of girls wear bikinis at Izu Beach. I wonder if it's true?"
Kogoro's eyes lit up instantly.
Before Ran could scold anyone, he quickly put on a straight face.
"W-Well… this is my daughter's wish, after all."
"Fine! I'll take you!"
Ran stared at him, completely speechless.
Her dad was hopelessly tone-deaf!
And Conan… way too precocious!
What kind of elementary school kid cared about girls in bikinis?!
Still, despite all the chaos, they eventually departed for Izu.
Meanwhile, at the Kuroba residence…
Kuroba Kaito sat on the couch, sneezing nonstop as he glared at the TV and newspapers around him.
Each headline was worse than the last:
"Perverted Kidd Wears Women's Clothes!?"
"Detective Mōri Humiliated—Turns Out the Real Pervert Was Kaito Kid!"
"Kidd the Criminal—Looks Can Deceive, Hearts Even More!"
"Middle-aged Man Abducted?! Kidd's Questionable Preferences Exposed!"
The more outrageous the stories became, the darker Kaito's face turned.
Last night's events had left a permanent stain on his record.
He finally snapped. "Grandpa Jii, did you find anything yet?"
Sitting at the dining table, the bald and skinny old man with white hair replied calmly.
"No one stole the Dark Star."
"A child picked it up off the ground and returned it to Mrs. Suzuki."
Kaito frowned. "Another kid?"
"Am I cursed to constantly be outmaneuvered by brats?!"
Konosuke Jii offered a theory. "Perhaps the real thief used the child to avoid exposing their identity."
"Shall I prepare a new plan to reclaim the Dark Star?"
Kaito shook his head. "No need."
"I've already confirmed that the Dark Star isn't the gem I'm looking for."
"Please gather intel on other suspicious gems instead."
Old Jii nodded, stood up, and left to carry out the task.
Kaito remained in his seat, deep in thought.
"Kids, huh…"
"Kids these days aren't so simple…"
Back in Tokyo, Eri's blue compact car was already on the highway, cruising toward the coast and toward Izu.
Eri and Yukiko sat up front.
The seat belt accentuated Yukiko's figure even more, creating an eye-catching silhouette.
She was in an excellent mood and kept humming cheerful songs.
The drive to Izu would take over three hours, so the two women took turns at the wheel.
In the backseat, Akashi leaned comfortably against Haibara's lap like a little young master, using her knees as a pillow while he caught up on lost sleep.
The little succubus hadn't slept well the night before.
He had initially curled up with Eri in her bed, intending to enjoy a peaceful rest.
But then Yukiko barged in out of nowhere in the middle of the night, claiming she hadn't spent time with Eri in ages and wanted a nostalgic "besties sleepover."
Akashi, caught between two nostalgic high school girls, had no choice but to try and sleep through the noise.
By the time he woke up the next morning—
Eri on the left.
Yukiko on the right.
And the poor succubus sandwiched in the middle.