After confirming the cause of death, Yuu Hoshimiya continued to investigate using the clues from his memory.
The ice cubes, the hood, the suspicious behavior of several suspects, and the victim's habits...
Through his own search, Yuu confirmed that this incident had almost no changes from the original plot, so he simply laid out the deduction.
By solving it quickly, the school festival could continue, and the play Ran had rehearsed for over a week could be finished.
The reason he didn't stop it in advance was because the victim was a degenerate doctor, and the culprit was seeking revenge for a loved one.
As for the killer, Mai Kogami, she was a 28-year-old beauty with short hair.
She seemed to be a graduate of Teitan High herself, which was why she planned to strike during the school festival.
Mai Kogami had a beautiful name, but her looks and figure were average, so Yuu didn't bother to toy with her much.
Yuu's speed was incredibly fast; combined with the fact that he didn't waste time probing Mai's motives, the whole process took barely ten minutes.
Let alone Juzo Megure and the other detectives, even Ran and the other women—who knew of Yuu's special abilities—were stunned by his brilliance.
Many female students and even some mothers in the crowd looked at Yuu with heated gazes, looking as though they had turned into total fangirls.
If it weren't for the fact that Yuu was surrounded by top-tier beauties like Ran, Eri Kisaki, Yukiko Kudo, and Kazuha Toyama, someone definitely would have approached him for his contact info.
With the case solved, the lockdown on the auditorium ended, and Inspector Megure quickly evacuated with the body.
Although no one came to swap numbers due to the presence of Yuu's harem, many high school girls from the school still swarmed him with notebooks, asking for his signature.
Since they were all Teitan students and many were shouting "Teacher Hoshimiya," he had to deal with them for a bit.
While Yuu was being crowded, Ran and the other girls went to speak with the student council to ask if the festival would continue.
The case had only delayed things for less than half an hour; unlike Yuu's memory where it dragged on until evening, it was now only 3:00 PM.
As long as the transitions were handled efficiently, they could completely catch up with the schedule.
After some discussion, it was finally decided that the festival would proceed.
Once the performances resumed, the high school girls surrounding Yuu finally began to disperse.
They had to; the student council members were starting to clear the area.
As for clinging to Yuu's side to watch the show...
With the former "Princess of Teitan" Yukiko Kudo and the "Queen of Teitan" Eri Kisaki standing beside him, none of those young girls had the confidence or courage to try and steal their man.
Class 2-B's drama was already nearing its end, and after the interruption caused by the murder, Sonoko had lost her drive to cause more chaos.
Soon, the play about the princess's counterattack reached its conclusion.
As the actors bowed in thanks, the audience in the auditorium erupted in applause.
Only heaven knows how many people were actually paying attention to the play itself by that point.
With Ran's performance over, Yuu had no desire to linger any longer.
If he stayed, the remaining performances probably wouldn't have any audience members looking at the stage anyway.
The audience was mostly female, and now almost all of them were staring at Yuu Hoshimiya.
Handsome, tall, young, and skilled at deduction—both mature women and high school girls were completely captivated by him.
Some peeked shyly, while the bolder ones gave him intense, fiery stares.
Fortunately, Eri Kisaki and Yukiko Kudo had such powerful auras that the crowd only dared to watch from a distance without harassing him.
Yuu led the two mature beauties backstage to meet up with the four young girls: Ran, Sonoko, Aoko, and Kazuha.
Eri Kisaki looked at Ran and Aoko, who looked as if they were cast from the same mold...
Well, although there was a difference in breast size, that wasn't the main point.
Eri said with a smile, "You must be Aoko, right? Inspector Nakamori's daughter. I didn't expect you to look so much like Ran when you grew up!"
Yukiko leaned in, "Truly. Eri, are you sure you didn't give birth to twins back then?"
"Impossible! Yukiko, stop talking nonsense."
Seeing Ran's mother being so warm, Aoko Nakamori responded enthusiastically.
Since she was with her own mother, she didn't mind Ran being with Eri; in fact, she understood it quite well.
After chatting for a while, the group decided to head home.
Firstly, having so many beauties together was far too conspicuous, and secondly, they had all lost interest in the festival.
Everyone present either had no interest to begin with or had already seen enough.
Yuu's Lexus could only seat five people; excluding the driver, that left four seats.
There was no way everyone could fit, but fortunately, Yukiko and Eri had also driven their own cars to the school.
After some discussion, Kazuha and Aoko took Eri's small BMW so she could drop them off.
Of course, Kazuha was only being dropped off at the station.
Yuu went home first with Ran, Sonoko, and Yukiko to prepare dinner.
By the time the beautiful lawyer finished her round trip and returned, dinner was almost ready.
After another short wait, Midori Kuriyama and Seimi Asai also finished their work, and the banquet for the Hoshimiya household officially began.
Compared to before, having Yukiko there made things much more lively.
Even though Yukiko was the oldest person present, she was the most energetic and playful one of all.
However, no one disliked it; on the contrary, there was even more laughter and joy.
After dinner, the scent of tea drifted through the living room as everyone sampled the tea Ran had brewed.
Likely due to the high spirits, every dish had been cleared tonight, and the women on the sofa all looked like they had eaten their fill.
During the break to digest their food, Midori Kuriyama, with her long legs in black stockings, said to Yuu: "Yuu, when are you going to make contact with Azusa?"
"Mmm... in the next couple of days."
Yuu pondered for a moment. Shuichi Akai was about to arrive in Japan, and Toru Amuro—the dark-skinned man who was always chasing after him—was probably here too.
Wait, he might have even arrived early.
Toru Amuro was Japanese Public Security, so this was effectively his home base. The chances of this organization mole, who gathered intel under the guise of being a 'Part-time King,' receiving early word and returning to Japan were very high.
"Really? That's great!"
Midori Kuriyama gave a happy smile. "You must work hard to conquer Azusa. I've never felt comfortable with her living alone."
Is it just because you're worried? Or is it because you're bored and want someone to join you?
Yuu glanced at Midori, thinking to himself.
Midori's relationship with Ran and the others was good, but it was only "good."
Usually, their conversations were brief; she couldn't speak as freely as she could with her best friend, Azusa Enomoto.
Also, when it came to bed, she was usually alone, whereas Ran and the other girls were often together.
However, this was a good thing for Yuu, so he didn't point out Midori's little scheme.
The next day, after a few days of normal life, the timeline began to act up again.
After confirming that he didn't have to work today, Yuu decided to go and meet Azusa Enomoto.
Upon learning that Yuu was going to Cafe Poirot to see Azusa, Midori Kuriyama immediately volunteered to go with him.
Naturally, Yuu wouldn't refuse.
When he had rented a place near the Mouri Detective Agency before, he had seen Azusa a few times, but they were just a customer and a waitress; they hadn't even exchanged names.
Having Midori act as a bridge would help smooth over their first formal introduction.
Once the plan was set, the secretary immediately called her friend.
After learning that Azusa was working at Poirot today, the two decided to simply go there for lunch.
The cafe was decorated in a very gentle style, mostly in beige and brown tones. When they pushed the door open, the golden bell above rang out.
The owner was usually never in the shop; there were only two staff members behind the counter—one male and one female.
The woman was, of course, Midori's friend, Azusa Enomoto, who had worked there for over two years.
Azusa was in her early twenties with shoulder-length black hair and a cute, gentle face.
Her ordinary apron and casual clothes couldn't hide her tall, slender figure, and her long, thin, beautiful legs immediately caught Yuu's eye.
Truly worthy of being best friends; Midori and Azusa's long legs were of the exact same style.
While Yuu was thinking this, his gaze shifted to the dark-skinned, blonde male waiter.
Heh, speak of the devil and he shall appear...
Yuu and Midori sat in a seat near the window. The wall-side seat was a red sofa, while the other side had two stools.
He sat on the sofa while Midori stood up and leaned over to call out to her friend.
"Azusa!"
Azusa Enomoto came over, her small face lit up with a smile. "Midori! And Mr. Hoshimiya! You're here."
Though she had only met Yuu once or twice, his handsome face and tall stature had clearly left a deep impression on the girl.
Plus, with Midori's "deep and thorough" descriptions of him, Azusa recognized Yuu instantly.
"Mmm. Are you free now?"
"Sorry, it's a bit busy right now. I might have to wait until lunch break."
"Go ahead and busy yourself; we're in no hurry."
Just then, another customer called for a waiter, so Azusa gave an apologetic smile and turned back to work.
Shortly after she left, the other blonde, dark-skinned waiter became free and proactively approached them.
"Excuse me, what would you two like to eat?"
Even though he held the menu to hide his hands, Yuu still noticed the traces of thin calluses on his fingers. Although they had been trimmed, they couldn't escape Yuu's observation.
Clearly, those were calluses from training with a gun.
Moreover, this blonde man was anything but weak. He looked lazy and indifferent to everything.
But his posture was one that could immediately switch to a combat stance if attacked, especially with the muscles beneath his clothes pulsing with power.
Combined with an appearance almost identical to the one in his memory, it was confirmed: this was Toru Amuro.
His real identity was Japanese Public Security, and he was currently a mole in the organization with the codename Bourbon.
Speaking of which, this kid was a jinx; his police academy friends and seniors from the same era had all died in the line of duty, except for him.
The abilities of those men weren't inferior to Toru's, but somehow they all died while Bourbon had survived to this day and even became an executive in the organization.
But since Bourbon had appeared, the next conflict between the Red and Black sides was likely not far off.
I need to have Hitomi keep a close eye on Rena Mizunashi's movements lately...
Yuu pondered silently, his face remaining impassive as he withdrew his gaze after a single look.
He didn't care much about Bourbon; whether Toru Amuro saw him as an enemy or an ally didn't affect his plans at all.
However, Toru Amuro—who had investigated and knew Yuu's identity—was working hard to calm his racing heart.
That look... that aura...
No wonder Gin was willing to train him personally and even praised him, allowing "Stinger" to become the fastest-promoted executive in the organization's history.
The casual glance Yuu had just given him made every hair on his body stand on end; it was the reaction one only had when encountering an extremely dangerous entity.
It was this natural intuition that had allowed him to dodge danger many times and survive as a mole within the organization until now.
In the air-conditioned cafe, droplets of sweat broke out on Toru Amuro's back, quickly soaking his shirt, though no one noticed it beneath his jacket.
Midori Kuriyama asked with confusion, "Oh? Are you a new waiter? I haven't seen you before."
The blonde man replied calmly, "Yes. My name is Toru Amuro. What would you like to order?"
"Mmm. Azusa was complaining to me a while ago that the cafe was getting busier and she couldn't handle it alone. I didn't expect them to hire someone so quickly."
The secretary nodded and remarked, "That owner who's never around finally did something useful for once."
Toru Amuro gave a sheepish smile, staying in character as a humble worker without joining in the customer's complaints about the boss.
Midori didn't think much of it. With an extra waiter, Azusa would have it easier, which made her happy.
Midori looked down at the menu and then at Yuu. "Yuu, let's have the black pepper steak with rice!"
Despite being a cafe, the food variety was huge because they served lunch and dinner.
This was one of the reasons Azusa was becoming increasingly busy.
The boss was almost never in the shop, so she had to handle multiple roles. When it was slow it was fine, but when it got crowded, being overwhelmed was inevitable.
"Sure," Yuu said indifferently. "But I want mine well-done."
Toru Amuro took out his pen and paper to write in the order book.
"And what would you like to drink?"
"Coffee."
"Orange juice."
Yuu couldn't help but glance at Midori. Steak with coffee? What kind of devilish combination was that?
If they didn't offer beer or soda here, he wouldn't have even ordered the juice.
Midori blinked and asked innocently, "What's wrong?"
Clearly, the secretary—as a Japanese woman—saw nothing wrong with such a strange pairing.
Yuu rolled his eyes, barely suppressing the urge to complain.
"Nothing. As long as you're happy."
After confirming they had no more orders, Toru Amuro took the book to prepare.
Just then, the cafe door opened, and the golden bell rang again.
Yuu glanced over. He hadn't expected to see more familiar faces.
A rumpled, clearly hungover Kogoro Mouri walked in, followed by a beautiful woman in a kimono.
At that moment, Toru Amuro's cheerful laugh rang out.
"Mr. Mouri! Bringing another client to support our business, I see."
Since Ran had left and Conan was constantly helping him solve cases and handle requests, Kogoro no longer had to worry about money, and no one was there to nag him.
He spent his time at home drinking, smoking, and sleeping.
Unless a cleaning service had just been in before a client arrived, the agency was simply in no state to receive guests.
Thus, the cafe downstairs had become Kogoro's regular place for meeting clients.
Because this happened so often, Azusa and Toru had prepared a fixed, secluded corner for him.
No one usually wanted to sit there, but it was perfect for Kogoro to meet clients.
It was quiet and private.
The client didn't have to worry about eavesdroppers and could speak freely.
"Hahaha! Any empty seats?" Kogoro gave a boisterous laugh and began searching for his usual spot.
Then his eyes met those of Yuu Hoshimiya, who was watching the door curiously.
After a split second of shock, a look of joy appeared on the old drunk's face, and he marched toward Yuu's table.
"Yuu, my boy! Do me a favor and take care of this client for me."
Kogoro reached the table and lowered his voice. "I drank too much last night and forgot I had an appointment for a request this morning. My head is killing me. I'm counting on you."
Without waiting for Yuu's answer, he turned to the woman in the kimono and said, "Mrs. Ikenami, let this kid help you with your request. I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I'll be going now."
Seemingly worried the client would be unhappy, he even took a rare moment to praise Yuu, briefly mentioning how he helped the police solve cases.
The woman listened quietly. Instead of getting angry, she smiled and said, "That works. I've heard of Mr. Hoshimiya. I'd be delighted to have his help."
"That's great! Now I can go back to sle—cough, cough."
Kogoro gave an embarrassed smile and headed for the door. "I'll get back to work then. You all chat."
Once he was gone, the woman said, "Mr. Hoshimiya, I'll be in your care."
Kogoro Mouri's unreliability had reached a new low. Although Yuu was exasperated, he could only bite the bullet and accept.
He had no choice; Kogoro was his father-in-law, after all.
More importantly, the woman before him named "Mrs. Ikenami" gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
"Mrs. Ikenami... right? Please, sit down. Would you like something to eat?"
Midori and Yuu were sitting side-by-side. The seat opposite them had been reserved for Azusa, but now it was offered to the woman.
As they spoke, Yuu took a closer look at her.
She was stunningly beautiful, not at all inferior to Eri Kisaki. She wore white socks and wooden sandals, a brown kimono, and carried a black handbag. She radiated the unique elegance of a traditional Japanese woman.
Her brown hair was swept back into a bun, revealing a pale, clear forehead. Her cherry-red mouth was petite, and despite her clear age, her skin was so white and smooth it gave her a very youthful appearance.
Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, her eyes were incredibly calm—steady as a mountain. She possessed an undeniable aura, a queenly presence that suggested she was no ordinary person.
As she sat down, she was also observing Yuu.
A strange light flashed in her eyes, seemingly surprised by Yuu's handsome looks and his intimacy with Midori Kuriyama.
The woman parted her lips slightly. "If they have pasta, I'll take a portion."
"Yes, ma'am! Coming right up!"
Toru Amuro responded loudly from a distance, saving Yuu from having to call him over.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, my name is Shizuka Ikenami. I'm sorry to trouble you with this."
"It's no trouble, Mrs. Ikenami. As long as the commission fee is right."
Yuu made a joke to lighten the mood before introducing Midori. "This is my girlfriend, Midori Kuriyama. You can speak freely about your request; she won't leak any secrets."
The woman's eyes flashed with a hint of feigned curiosity. "As far as I know, isn't Mr. Hoshimiya's girlfriend the daughter of Detective Mouri?"
Hearing her say this, Yuu immediately realized that her claim of "having heard of him" wasn't just politeness.
In fact, she had likely investigated him specifically.
Yuu's mind raced. He didn't bother trying to hide anything, replying frankly, "Both are my girlfriends. Ran is aware of the situation."
Shizuka Ikenami's red lips parted slightly in an expression of surprise, yet she also seemed understanding.
"I see. A man as excellent as Mr. Hoshimiya having multiple girlfriends is only natural. After all, the law states you can only have one wife, but it doesn't say anything about dating several women at once."
The woman's words were logical, and Yuu felt the same way, but hearing it from her mouth felt a bit "passive-aggressive."
At that moment, his memory finally clicked, and he realized who this familiar beauty was.
Shizuka Ikenami...
Well, she wasn't lying. That was indeed her name before she married.
But now, she should be known as Shizuka Hattori.
Damn, they look nothing alike, Yuu thought.
Heiji Hattori was so dark-skinned, yet Shizuka was a classic beauty with skin so white and moist it could rival a teenager's.
Come to think of it, he remembered this case.
Shizuka Hattori had come to Tokyo under the guise of a request, but in reality, she was checking up on Heiji since he had been running off to see Conan so often lately.
However, the "request" she brought was actually a real one, and it would eventually involve them in a murder case.