While waiting for the food to arrive, Shizuka Hattori gave a brief summary of her request.
To put it simply, she needed help finding someone.
After she finished speaking, the woman in the kimono covered her mouth and let out a light cough. Yuu Hoshimiya's sharp eyes noticed that while her hands were pale and elegant, she had bandages on her index finger and thumb, as if she had been injured.
Acting with his usual lack of restraint, Yuu reached out and grabbed her soft, delicate hand, offering his concern. "Mrs. Ikenami, is your hand injured?"
Shizuka Hattori's expression shifted for a split second.
She glanced at Midori Kuriyama sitting across from her, then back at Yuu. Seeing that both of them acted as if this physical intimacy was perfectly normal, she forced herself to remain composed.
Initially, she had come to Tokyo under a false identity just to find an old acquaintance and to figure out what her son, Heiji Hattori, had been up to lately.
She hadn't expected to run right into the man who had effectively "stolen" her son's childhood sweetheart.
Shizuka was very close to Kazuha Toyama and had long regarded the girl as her future daughter-in-law.
Since Kazuha had gotten together with Yuu, whether Heiji had accepted his fate or not was unknown, but Shizuka certainly had strong opinions on the matter.
Kazuha hadn't officially revealed her relationship with Yuu, but a young girl's love is impossible to hide.
After only a few interactions, the mature beauty in the kimono had sniffed out Kazuha's feelings.
Since Kogoro Mouri had conveniently dumped her request onto Yuu, Shizuka decided to take the opportunity to observe him up close.
Her plan was to find his flaws—philandering, incompetence, hypocrisy, or perhaps being "all show and no go"—and use them to convince Kazuha to come back to her senses.
That was her original intention, but Yuu Hoshimiya made no effort to hide the fact that he was dating two women at once, and now he was openly teasing her right in front of Midori Kuriyama...
And Midori didn't react at all.
Did Kazuha already know that the man before her was a playboy who left his seed everywhere he went?
Even so, would she still choose this handsome youth over her own son?
To be fair, her son, Heiji, was a bit too dark-skinned, wasn't as handsome as Yuu, was obsessed with deductions, and was a bit too self-centered...
But the Hattori family was a police dynasty! Their social status and wealth were top-tier in Japan!
Clearly, Shizuka hadn't discovered Yuu's relationship with Sonoko Suzuki or the sheer scale of the Suzuki Group yet; otherwise, she wouldn't be thinking this way.
The Hattori family was based in Osaka, after all. While Yuu's ties to the Suzukis weren't exactly a state secret, it wasn't easy to dig up the full details on a Tokyo power player without spending significant time and effort.
Thoughts swirled in Shizuka's mind, but she maintained her outward appearance as a calm and poised Yamato Nadeshiko.
"It's nothing. I just cut myself while prepping vegetables," she said.
As she spoke, she quietly withdrew her hand from his grasp.
Yuu didn't mind. He had done it on purpose just to see what the matriarch of the Hattori family was plotting.
It seemed her "poker face" was quite skilled, and she was almost certainly here specifically for him.
Maybe it wasn't her primary goal at first, but it definitely was now.
"Would you like something to drink, Mrs. Ikenami?"
Yuu was in no rush to get to business. He was quite interested in a mature beauty like Shizuka.
There weren't many "wives" in the world of Conan, but every single one of them was a knockout.
More importantly, if he could use her to take over the Hattori family, it would be a massive boost to his future plans.
Besides, that dark-skinned kid Heiji had no interest in the family business anyway; he only cared about being a "Great Detective."
In that case, Yuu would be happy to help shoulder the burden of the family legacy for him!
As for whether Shizuka was a "Daughter of Destiny" who could boost his strength, or just how seductive and curvaceous her body was beneath that kimono... those were secondary concerns.
Whether anyone believed that or not, Yuu certainly convinced himself.
Shizuka gave a faint smile, maintaining perfect etiquette. "No, thank you. Water is fine."
Looking at the dignified beauty, Yuu poured a glass of plain water and placed it before her.
"You look truly beautiful in that kimono, Mrs. Ikenami. Honestly, the moment I saw you, I was stunned."
Shizuka covered her mouth and chuckled.
"You're quite the flatterer, Mr. Hoshimiya. If I were really as beautiful as you say, I wouldn't still be all alone at my age."
Yuu's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh? 'Mrs.' Ikenami... or should I say 'Miss' Ikenami?"
Yuu continued to play along with her act, secretly looking forward to the expression on her face when the truth was revealed.
"A beauty like you still single? It seems the men around you must be blind. Surely the person you're looking for isn't your first love, is it?"
Shizuka shook her head. "Of course not."
Seeing the conversation finally return to the task at hand, she breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
She reached into her handbag and pulled out a photograph.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, the person I'm looking for is the one holding the championship trophy in this photo. His name is Shiro Shibata. He was a classmate of mine in middle school. We were both members of the kendo club. He was exceptionally skilled."
Yuu looked puzzled. "Shouldn't there be contact info and an address in your graduation yearbook?"
"He moved away unexpectedly right before graduation, so the yearbook doesn't have his current information."
Yuu took the photo she handed over, looking at the target and the young, beautiful Shizuka from thirty years ago.
Comparing her then to her now, she really had been a beauty her entire life!
Being seen in a photo from her youth made Shizuka a bit shy.
Noticing Yuu's increasingly heated gaze, she couldn't help but speak up. "This is a thirty-year-old photo. I'm already forty-two now. This was taken when I was in the second year of middle school. I'm sure Shiro Shibata looks much older now than he does in the picture."
"Wow, I really couldn't tell. You've maintained yourself incredibly well, Miss Ikenami. I never would have guessed your age. I thought you were only a few years older than me."
Yuu wasn't exaggerating.
The wealthy always maintain themselves well. At forty-two, Shizuka looked thirty at most, and that was only because her conservative kimono and elegant styling made her look more "mature."
If she changed into a more modern, fashionable outfit, she could easily pass for a twenty-six or twenty-seven-year-old lady.
The thirty-something Yukiko Kudo and Eri Kisaki were the best examples.
With a little youthful styling, they could walk alongside high school girls like Ran and be mistaken for sisters.
No one would ever guess there was a twenty-year age gap.
Knowing this, Yuu didn't even want to imagine how stunningly youthful and alluring these "wives" would become once the APTX 4869 research was successfully completed.
A woman's obsession with eternal youth is something a man can never truly understand. Shizuka knew exactly how much effort she put into her skincare to achieve these results.
Hearing the praise, she felt genuinely happy and let out a light laugh behind her hand.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, you're the impressive one. Not only are you quite the talent, but you're also very capable."
Seeing the conversation about to veer off again, Shizuka quickly brought up the request once more.
After a bit more talk, Yuu finally managed to recall the details of this particular "Destiny Event" from his memory.
"So, you want to find this old classmate to get back a photo from a kendo match thirty years ago, right? But aside from this photo and his name, do you have any other clues?"
Shizuka thought for a moment and shook her head. "I'm afraid not."
Midori, sitting beside Yuu, also frowned.
"That makes things difficult. Tokyo is so big; how are we supposed to find him?"
Shizuka bowed again.
"Mr. Hoshimiya, that photo is very important to me. Please, I beg you to find him."
However, she soon noticed the smirk on Yuu's face and couldn't help asking, "Have you already thought of a way, Mr. Hoshimiya?"
"The clues are sparse, but there's one thing we can try. Since Shiro Shibata was good enough to win a kendo match in middle school, he likely participated in other competitions. We can check the tournament records over the years; we might find something there."
"Miss Ikenami, please be patient. I'll make a call and have someone check the kendo records in Tokyo."
Hearing this, Shizuka's eyes sharpened for an instant, and a tiny smirk touched her lips as she gave an insincere reply. "That would be wonderful, Mr. Hoshimiya."
Yuu found her expression odd but placed the call anyway, assigning the task of finding Shiro Shibata to Seiran Hoshi.
Just then, their lunch orders were brought to the table.
Suddenly, Shizuka blurted out, "Reiko!"
Midori looked at her with confusion.
"Miss Ikenami? Did you remember something? Who is Reiko?"
Shizuka waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing. That was just the name my old classmate used to call me. He said I looked like the heroine of a novel he read, and her name was Reiko..."
Yuu raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Immediately after, Shizuka began to cough behind her hand again.
Cough, cough, cough!
The secretary immediately showed her concern. "What's wrong? Do you have a cold?"
Shizuka put on a pained expression.
"It's fine. I've had bronchial issues since I was born. A couple of coughs and I'll be alright."
Yuu kept a smile on his face, seeing right through her but choosing not to call her out.
What a compulsive liar, he thought. I wonder how many lies she's told already.
The three of them finished lunch quickly. Originally, this was the time Yuu was supposed to wait for Azusa Enomoto to go on her break so they could have a pleasant chat.
If things went well and he made a good impression, he could have convinced the doll-faced university beauty to move into the apartment with Midori.
But now, because of Shizuka's request, the meeting with Azusa would have to wait for another day.
"Azusa, I'm so sorry. Something came up with Yuu. I'll stay here with you for lunch. We'll all go on a proper date next time you have a day off."
Midori proactively found Azusa and apologized to her friend.
Azusa shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, Midori. Business comes first. We can just reschedule."
After saying that, her face turned slightly red. She checked to make sure no one was watching before leaning into Midori's ear. "Besides, even though we only said a few words, I was watching him. He's very handsome, and he seems so gentle and dedicated. I..."
Azusa paused, her voice barely a whisper as she continued, "...I really like him."
First impressions are truly everything.
When Yuu had first met Azusa, he hadn't possessed his current level of charm, but his looks and aura were already top-tier.
He had left a deep impression and a great deal of goodwill in her heart back then.
Otherwise, no matter how much Midori praised him, Azusa would never have considered such an outrageous living arrangement.
Seeing him again today, with his even more handsome features and increasingly magnetic aura, her heart was racing like a trapped bird.
If she didn't already know his situation and Midori hadn't introduced him, she would have agreed to date him on the spot.
Well... it was pretty much the same outcome anyway.
Midori watched her blushing friend with amusement, barely suppressing the urge to tease her.
She looked back at the kimono beauty, who had been smiling non-stop, and marveled at Yuu's sheer attraction to women.
The secretary waved at Yuu, signaling that he was free to go.
Seeing this, Yuu nodded to the blushing Azusa and left the cafe with Shizuka.
Seiran's investigation would take some time. Rather than sitting around in public, it was better to head home.
Although handling commissions wasn't his actual job, since he had accepted it, he intended to treat it seriously.
Meeting a client in a cafe felt a bit informal.
At the very least, he should bring her home and brew some tea!
When they arrived at the apartment, only Ran was home.
The girl was curious to see Yuu bringing home a beautiful stranger in a kimono.
After hearing that it was a "gift" from Kogoro Mouri, Ran almost marched straight to the agency to give her unreliable father a beating.
If it weren't for the fact that Kogoro had been in the news so much lately and his reputation as the "Sleeping Detective" was growing, she definitely would have done it.
While waiting for the investigation results, and seemingly to make up for her father's rudeness, Ran entertained Shizuka with great hospitality.
The three of them sat on the sofa with hot tea, chatting while they waited.
During the conversation, Shizuka told several more lies, only becoming genuinely enthusiastic when the topic turned to skincare and beauty maintenance.
By nearly 2:00 PM, Yuu's phone rang.
Yuu picked up, but his brow soon furrowed.
"What? You checked the last thirty years of kendo records and didn't find Shiro Shibata's name? Fine, I understand."
Yuu hung up the phone and caught a fleeting smirk on Shizuka's face. She had clearly expected this.
"Is there still no news, Mr. Hoshimiya?"
A look of concern appeared on Shizuka's pale face.
"Since you can't find him, perhaps we should ask for help? For example, from that famous high school detective in Tokyo, Shinichi Ku..."
Shizuka spoke with a serious expression. She hadn't forgotten her goal of checking up on her son, Heiji.
Lately, she heard nothing but "Shinichi Kudo" from Heiji and "Yuu Hoshimiya" from Kazuha. She had long since memorized both names.
She had no idea how to handle Kazuha's situation yet, and she didn't know where to start with Yuu and his multiple girlfriends.
But Heiji was a different story.
Her primary goal was to meet Shinichi Kudo, judge his character, and see if he was a fit friend for her son.
Then she wanted to see his abilities and what kind of charm he possessed to make her extremely confident son admire him so much.
At the mention of Shinichi Kudo, Ran and Yuu exchanged a look. Ran frowned. "That's impossible. Shinichi has been missing for a long time."
Naturally, they couldn't mention that Shinichi had turned into Conan. Conveniently, Shizuka couldn't argue with that.
Since she was hiding her identity, she couldn't exactly say she heard all about their cases from her son, Heiji.
Yuu rubbed his chin and studied the kimono beauty for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. "There's no need for that much trouble. The person you're looking for has already been found."
Seiran hadn't found anything, and even Noah hadn't turned up any clues online, but Yuu had a "cheat code."
Since this destiny event had no connection to the main plot and he hadn't interfered with it, almost nothing had changed.
Using the memories of his past life, he easily knew Shiro Shibata's current location.
The previous investigation was partly for show and partly just to be safe.
It was better to find him through "official" channels if possible.
If not, he would just take Shizuka straight to him anyway.
The Lexus sped along the road toward Shizuoka Prefecture, heading for the Shibata residence.
Sitting in the back seat, Shizuka Hattori looked frustrated. she couldn't understand how Yuu Hoshimiya had found Shiro Shibata.
This trip to Tokyo wasn't just to lure out Shinichi Kudo; it was also to see if Yuu Hoshimiya was truly as excellent as he seemed.
Heiji had been moping since he returned to Osaka and hadn't contacted Kazuha at all. Clearly, something had happened in Tokyo that caused their relationship to crumble.
Based on Kazuha's behavior, she deduced that the issue was Yuu Hoshimiya.
As for Shinichi Kudo...
Aside from worrying about her son's choice in friends, Shizuka wanted to pull Heiji's attention back to reality.
Talking about a high school boy every single day? He looked so excited it was practically embarrassing; anyone who didn't know better would think he was gay!
That was why she had sneaked into Tokyo—to seek justice for her son.
That was also why she had specifically brought up Shinichi's name.
She hadn't expected Shinichi to remain hidden while this Mr. Hoshimiya continued to amaze her. He was young, handsome, and incredibly capable.
Her old classmate Shiro Shibata wasn't even using his real name. He had changed it to his current one after a major drunk-driving accident a few years ago, and all his public records had been erased.
She had no idea how this Yuu managed to track him down.
Shizuka watched Yuu in the driver's seat, her eyes full of curiosity.
But no matter how curious she was, Yuu wasn't going to explain.
He couldn't.
Not until Shizuka was officially Contracted and became one of his own would he reveal the existence of his powers and his "foreknowledge."
Two hours later, around 4:00 PM, the car finally arrived at the Shibata apartment.
Yuu and the two women got out and took the elevator to the seventh floor.
Ran had been bored at home alone, so she had tagged along.
The girl looked at the nameplate on the door, which read "Shiro Shibata" and "Kyoko Shibata," and said happily, "We're here! It looks like we'll finish the request soon."
Ran was genuinely happy. If they finished the job quickly, it would save a bit of face for her unreliable father.
She pushed the doorbell, but there was no response from inside.
Ran rang it a few more times and waited, but the silence continued.
Yuu was about to push the door open when a man's voice called out from behind them.
"Are you looking for Mr. Shibata?" A balding, middle-aged man stood behind them. He was a neighbor from the floor below, Takezo Yoshikawa.
Yuu nodded, and Takezo continued, "Then you'd better finish up quickly. Mr. Shibata is supposed to come to my place for mahjong in a bit!"
Ran added, "But it looks like they're both out."
Takezo walked to the door. "Impossible. They wouldn't be out at this time."
Finding the door unlocked, he simply turned the handle and pushed it open.
"I told you he was home."
Yuu and the others followed him inside. Takezo acted as if he owned the place, marching toward the living room while shouting Shiro Shibata's name.
To the left of the foyer was the dining room. The TV was still on, blaring static, and the food on the table was only half-eaten.
The three of them stepped into the dining room. Ran wrinkled her nose.
"This miso soup has gone sour. And look at this morning's newspaper... was this breakfast?"
"What a waste to leave this Guzi half-eaten!"
"Guzi?" Ran looked confused.
"It's just another word for sea bream!"
Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the apartment. Yuu and the others walked out of the dining room.
A woman in a tracksuit, wearing glasses and carrying a golf bag, immediately shouted at them, "Who are you people?! How dare you break into someone's home like this! Leave now, or I'm calling the police!"