Yuu Hoshimiya quickly drove toward the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), planning to drop by and inquire about the Domoto Academy of Music case.
As the car sped along, his phone rang again. This time, it was Miwako Sato.
Yuu answered, and the mature police flower's voice came through.
"Yuu-kun, are you free right now? I want you to come somewhere."
"What is it, Sister Miwako? I'm heading to the MPD right now to pick up Ai and the others."
"It's something very important. I really want you to come!"
Miwako continued, "Besides, Ai and the kids are following me in Officer Takagi's car right now. Just come straight here."
Yuu naturally agreed. After hearing the address, he immediately made a U-turn and headed toward Haido City.
The Lexus, now with a new tire, sped down the road. Soon, Yuu arrived at the location Miwako had given him—an intersection in Haido City's Ward 4.
The blowout incident was known throughout the MPD, but he hadn't planned on changing cars.
For one, he was used to driving it. For another, it prevented him from being constantly drafted to chase down criminals.
Yuu didn't mind the occasional legal street race, but if it became a mandatory part of his job, it wouldn't be so enjoyable.
Upon arriving, he didn't see Miwako yet, so he stood by the road to wait.
Shortly after, a red Mazda sped over. Miwako stepped out of the car, a captivating smile lighting up her face when she saw Yuu.
Following closely behind was a white sedan—Wataru Takagi's car.
As soon as she got out, Miwako hugged Yuu's arm, her soft breasts pressing against him, and said, "You're here!"
"What is it? Why the rush?"
"Nothing. I just wanted someone to meet you!"
The doors of the white sedan opened. Seeing Miwako and Yuu looking so intimate, Officers Takagi and Shiratori couldn't help but glare with resentful eyes.
From the back seat, Ayumi Yoshida saw Yuu and rushed over happily, with Ai Haibara close behind.
The other three boys followed, Conan Edogawa naturally among them.
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya couldn't help but whisper to Genta Kojima, "Brother Hoshimiya is such a playboy. He already has Sister Ran, and now he's so close to Officer Sato. If Haibara falls for him, it's going to be a huge problem."
Genta shook his head. "I think Brother Hoshimiya is great. He's saved us so many times. He's a really capable person. What's wrong with Haibara liking him?"
"But..."
Ayumi ran up to Yuu, her big eyes sparkling, hands clenched into fists at her chest, her cute loli voice ringing out.
"Brother Hoshimiya, are you here to catch that dirty, long-haired man too?"
Yuu patted Ayumi's head, and she instantly smiled in satisfaction.
"Dirty, long-haired man?" He turned to Miwako.
Miwako explained, "It's a serial arson case. There have been three incidents already. Ayumi happens to be an eyewitness to the arsonist, so she's going to the MPD today to help sketch his appearance."
At this, the jealous Takagi glared at the arm Miwako was hugging and asked, "Officer Sato, what are you doing here?"
Miwako finally released Yuu's arm and walked slowly toward a wall on the sidewalk.
In a crack in the concrete, a small daisy was growing vigorously.
Miwako clasped her hands together and knelt down, her face serene.
Yuu realized instantly: this was where Miwako's father had died.
Genta asked, "What is Auntie Sato doing?"
Before he could say more, Yuu covered his mouth.
"Shh!" Yuu said. "Sister Miwako is mourning her father, who died in the line of duty. Keep your voices down; don't disturb her."
Genta immediately covered his own mouth.
Officer Shiratori spoke up. "Oh, I remember now. Today is the death anniversary of Officer Sato's father, Superintendent Masayoshi Sato."
"Eighteen years ago, he was tracking the culprit of a robbery-homicide and died at this very intersection."
The children all looked at Shiratori.
Shiratori continued, "He was hit by a truck at this intersection and fatally wounded. Unfortunately, the rain was extremely heavy that day, and the ambulance arrived very late."
"So, Superintendent Masayoshi passed away in the ambulance, right before the eyes of his family who had rushed there."
"I think that case was called..."
"The 'Man in Sorrow' case," Yuu finished.
Everyone looked at Yuu.
Yuu continued, "The fatally wounded officer kept shouting the words 'Shoushirou' (Man in Sorrow). People didn't understand what he meant, so they named the case the 'Man in Sorrow' incident."
"Although the MPD set up a massive dragnet at the time, they never found the killer. They also didn't know how Superintendent Masayoshi had tracked down the culprit. All clues were severed with his death."
"The case became a cold case. It's been eighteen years, and the statute of limitations expired three years ago."
Yuu stepped forward, standing behind Miwako, looking pityingly at the strong-willed woman.
He could only imagine what her life had been like after losing her father.
Takagi cupped his chin and said, "Oh, I think I remember too. That case was broadcast on TV a few times back then. The only clue was a security camera video of the bank robbery that lasted less than ten seconds."
"But the man committing the crime wore a trench coat, mask, sunglasses, and gloves; he was completely unidentifiable. No one knows how Superintendent Masayoshi found him."
Shiratori and Takagi continued discussing, but the kneeling Miwako paid them no mind, whispering softly to her father's spirit in her heart.
[Dad, the man behind me is the one I like. What do you think? He's not bad, right? He's a specially appointed consultant for the police. If you were still alive, you'd definitely like him too!]
At that moment, Yuu's large hand rested gently on Miwako's shoulder.
Miwako opened her eyes, a faint smile appearing on her face. She stood up and walked with Yuu toward Shiratori, who was still discussing the case.
Shiratori said, "No wonder it became a cold case. With less than ten seconds of footage and the words 'Man in Sorrow,' it's impossible to find the killer. Plus, it's been eighteen years; it's too difficult to investigate now."
"You're wrong. There's one more clue."
Everyone turned to Miwako. Conan also looked very serious.
"In my father's police notebook, three katakana characters were recorded: KANO. The police believed these characters were closely related to the case, so they kept asking my mother and me if we had ever heard them."
"But my mother and I had never heard my father mention that name. So, ever since I was a child, I've been staring at those characters."
"I thought, if anyone could solve this mystery and catch 'KANO,' I would grant them any request, no matter what it was."
Hearing this, Takagi and Shiratori instantly looked excited, already imagining Miwako in a wedding dress.
The eyes of the Detective Boys also lit up.
Genta was the first to speak. "If I guess it, can you treat me to a hundred meals of eel rice?"
Miwako crouched down and nodded. "Of course."
Ayumi said, "Then I want to stay one night in the castle at Tropical Land."
Mitsuhiko said, "If I guess it, just get me a ticket to the International Space Station."
Conan scratched his head and laughed. "Then I want a ticket to this year's World Cup."
As soon as he finished, Yuu and Ai stared at him.
Their looks were a mix of speechlessness and a hint of disdain.
This guy really thought he was a kid, actually making a wish like the other three.
Conan realized his mistake and blushed bright red.
He had been spending so much time with the kids lately that he had gotten too into character.
Faced with Yuu and Ai's strange looks, Conan silently decided that even if he guessed the meaning of "KANO," he wouldn't say it. He would just focus on finding the arsonist Ayumi had seen.
Miwako looked speechlessly at the kids asking for the moon. She stood up and turned to Yuu.
She asked with a hint of curiosity, "Yuu-kun, if you guess it, what do you want?"
"What do I want?"
Yuu leaned close to Miwako and whispered in her ear, "I don't want anything. You belong to me entirely, Sister Miwako. Why would I need to make a request!"
Though his voice was low, it was incredibly domineering. Miwako's face turned bright red instantly, steam practically shooting out of her head.
Seeing this, Genta gasped. "Wow, that's amazing! Auntie Sato's head is steaming!"
Takagi and Shiratori watched this highly ambiguous scene, grinding their teeth in hatred.
Both men began to rack their brains, trying to figure out what "KANO" meant.
Just then, a pleasantly surprised female voice rang out.
"Yuu-kun, what are you doing here?"
Wearing a blue traffic police uniform, Yumi Miyamoto rushed over and hugged Yuu's arm, her soft breasts pressing unabashedly against his right arm.
Seeing this, veins popped on Miwako's forehead. "Yumi, why are you here too?"
Yumi smiled sweetly.
"For you, of course, Miwako! I remembered today is uncle's death anniversary, so I came over to patrol. Sure enough, I saw you, but I didn't expect Yuu-kun to be here too."
Yumi rubbed her small head against Yuu's shoulder.
The veins on Miwako's forehead throbbed again.
Miwako scolded, "Yumi, can you be a bit more reserved? Let go of Yuu-kun right now."
Yumi made a face at Miwako and said, "Why should I let go of Yuu-kun? He's my idol. Miwako, why are you saying that?"
Miwako grabbed Yuu's other arm and said, "Consultant Hoshimiya is here because I invited him. Why are you hugging him?"
Yuu suddenly felt softness on both arms.
Hmm... Yumi is a bit more well-endowed!
Yumi peeked her head out. "Yuu-kun and I are the best partners! Yesterday, on your day off, we worked together to catch the bank robbers. What, I can't even give him a hug?"
Miwako didn't back down, retorting sharply, "You make it sound like Yuu-kun and I have never worked together."
"Yumi, Yuu-kun and I met first, and we were trapped in a building about to explode together. We almost... That's a life-and-death bond. Hurry up and let him go."
"I won't! Miwako, we've been best friends for years. Why are you being so stingy? What's wrong with a hug?"
"This isn't about being stingy! I'm warning you, let go!"
"No!"
The two women stared at each other across Yuu's chest, lightning seeming to crackle between them—terrifying.
Watching this familiar "shuraba" (carnage field), Yuu could only maintain a stiff smile.
He turned to Ai and Ayumi, hoping the two little girls would help him out of this jam. But all he got was an eye roll from Ai, who was enjoying the show, and a cute, confused look from Ayumi.
Yuu quickly gave up on asking for help, enduring the situation while silently cheering himself on.
Once I contract them all, everything will be fine...
Watching the two women fight over Yuu, Takagi and Shiratori were so jealous their eyes turned bloodshot; they were nearly going crazy.
Takagi bit down hard on his tie, leaving visible teeth marks.
Shiratori unconsciously punched the nearby utility pole. His knuckles started bleeding, but he didn't feel a thing.
Seeing this, Genta gasped. Two aunties fighting was truly terrifying.
The precocious Mitsuhiko looked enviously at Yuu, who was surrounded by beauties.
Conan watched with dead-fish eyes. It was exactly like usual, except the beauties beside him had been swapped for two rather unharmonious police flowers.
"Oh, isn't that Miwako? Long time no see!"
A middle-aged woman's voice called out.
Everyone turned around. Four people in their late forties or early fifties were walking over, one of them holding a bouquet.
Miwako froze for a moment, recognizing the four as her father's old friends. She quickly let go of Yuu's arm, not wanting to be impolite.
Yumi contentedly hugged Yuu and asked, "Miwako, who are they?"
Miwako said, "These are my dad's high school baseball teammates."
Miwako began introductions. She walked up to a balding man with glasses. "This is Mr. Hideaki Saruwatari, the ace pitcher who partnered with my dad."
Then she moved to a gray-haired man with a very long nose.
"This is Mr. Shuji Kano, an agile baseball player."
Next, Miwako turned to a very fat man in red. "This is Mr. Mitsuo Ino, the absolute key player of the team."
Finally, Miwako approached the only woman among the four. "And lastly, this is Miss Chouko Kamitori, the team manager."
Chouko waved her hand with a smile. "What 'Miss'? We're all fifty-year-old obasans now."
Miwako looked at the four. "By the way, how did you guys all get together?"
The fat man, Mitsuo Ino, said, "It's rare for us to get together, so we thought we'd meet up for a drink."
The glasses-wearing Hideaki Saruwatari placed the bouquet next to the daisy and said, "But before that, we thought we should talk to Captain Sato and say hello."
The long-nosed Shuji Kano said, "If we didn't come to tell him, he would definitely be angry."
Miwako nodded. "I see."
After laying down the flowers, the four turned to leave. Chouko Kamitori said, "We're going to the hotel we used to frequent for a drink. If you're free, Miwako, come join us!"
Miwako nodded and waved goodbye to the four.
They hadn't gone far when Officer Shiratori's phone rang.
Answering the call, Shiratori said, "Inspector Megure, what is it?"
"We are currently in Ward 4 of Haido City."
"You said someone spotted a suspect resembling the arsonist!"
Hearing this, everyone turned to Shiratori, and a look of excitement appeared on Conan's face.
Inspector Megure on the other end said, "That's right, Officer Shiratori. The location is Ward 6 of Shinagawa City, very close to you. He fled after being spotted by a traffic patrol officer, but he should still be in that area."
"Officer Shiratori, leave the children with Officer Sato, and you and Officer Takagi hurry over to assist!"
Hanging up, Shiratori's face turned serious. He quickly called Takagi to leave with him, hopping into the passenger seat of the white sedan first.
The Detective Boys energetically cheered them on.
Standing by the car, Takagi looked at Miwako, but she showed no intention of approaching.
Yuu put his arm around Miwako's shoulders and smiled. "Officer Takagi, you can go with peace of mind. Just leave Sister Miwako and the kids to me."
The veins on Takagi's and Shiratori's foreheads throbbed. This was too infuriating!
Takagi gritted his teeth and got into the car, secretly vowing in his heart:
I must solve the 'Man in Sorrow' mystery and keep Officer Sato away from this playboy consultant!
The white sedan quickly sped off toward Shinagawa City.
Yuu's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed they had encountered not just the serial arson case, but also the eighteen-year-old robbery-homicide.
Whether it was the butterfly effect or if the two cases were originally close in time, it didn't matter. What mattered was solving the cases perfectly.
Conan frowned and asked in confusion, "Officer Sato, shouldn't the arson case be handled by another division?"
Miwako nodded. "Yes. Just now, a fourth arson occurred, and this time, a body was found at the scene."
"I'm afraid an eyewitness was silenced, so the case was immediately transferred to our First Investigation Division."
Hearing this, Ayumi's face filled with panic. "Silenced!"
This little loli was the eyewitness to the third arson, so she was naturally frightened.
Little Ayumi ran to Yuu's side, her small hands grabbing his pant leg, as if this gave her a sense of security.
Seeing this scene: Yuu's left arm was hugged by Yumi, his right arm around Miwako, and a little loli was grabbing his pant leg in front.
Even the aloof Ai had quietly sidled up to Yuu, looking intimate.
In an instant, the two women and two little girls were all occupied by Yuu. Conan, Mitsuhiko, and Genta watched with twitching mouths, their eyes practically rolling to the back of their heads.