More than an hour later, Kurosawa Hoshino and the others emerged from an old-fashioned shop, patting their bellies with satisfied expressions.
"The stewed cod here was really good. I'll definitely have to try it again next time I'm in Tokyo." Hattori Heiji mentioned his favorite dish.
"What surprised me most was the mushroom teppanyaki," Ran said, eyes sparkling. "I have to try making it at home sometime."
Kurosawa Hoshino made a face. "I thought it was just okay. Three mushrooms per serving—not much even if the price was reasonable."
"You're a guy, so of course your appetite is different from ours." Sonoko teased. "For us girls, three mushrooms are just right."
"Hey, Conan... cough, Conan, which dish did you like best?" Hattori Heiji nearly slipped up but corrected himself quickly.
Conan thought for a moment. "The seafood rice. It was really delicious."
"Seafood rice? I didn't order that." Hattori looked regretful, then asked, "Where to next?"
Sonoko asked, "Hattori, what do you want to do?"
"I want to hit the arcade. I wonder how it compares to the ones back home."
"Hmm, this arcade looks good. Ran, Hoshino, what do you think?"
"I'm fine with it." Ran nodded.
"Let's go." Kurosawa Hoshino's interest perked up. In his past life, he'd loved games—but those were all on consoles and computers, nothing like the arcades here.
The group took a bus to Beika Hotel. That street was the closest to them, and there was a five-story building packed with arcades—plenty to keep them entertained all afternoon.
---
Ten minutes later, they got off the bus.
Walking forward, they passed Beika Hotel—just a short distance further to their destination.
"Huh, a game launch event for Mantendo." Sonoko stopped at the hotel entrance, reading the sign. "Should we take a look? Since it's a launch event, they'll definitely have lots of games to try out."
Kurosawa Hoshino stared at the sign. *What a coincidence?*
It wasn't that Mantendo was particularly famous—it was because someone had died at this launch event that the name stuck in his memory.
A high-ranking Black Organization member codenamed "Tequila." In the original story, he was killed by a bomb planted by an ordinary person. Hence the notoriety.
Arguably the most unjustly killed codename member in the organization. His strength was never even shown.
But if a bomb could kill him that easily, maybe his strength wasn't anything special.
"I'm fine with anything." Ran shrugged.
Hattori Heiji smiled. "Sure, let's check it out."
"Let's go." Kurosawa Hoshino took a step—
*BOOM!*
The ground shook. A deafening blast ripped through the air.
Smoke and dust erupted beside the hotel. Several parked cars were dented and battered by debris from the wall.
Luckily, no one was passing by. No injuries.
Ran and the others stared wide-eyed at the scene.
"This... this..." Sonoko stammered. "How did that just explode?"
Ran's voice was fearful. "Let's stay back—it might explode again."
"You wait here. I'll go check." Hattori Heiji sensed something was wrong and ran through the hotel entrance.
Conan didn't say a word. Despite being extremely weak, he quickly followed.
"Hoshino, aren't you going?" Sonoko asked instinctively.
"No." Hoshino shook his head. "Since there's been an explosion, someone will call the police. We'll wait. Who knows—maybe Inspector Megure will lead the team."
He considered the plot of this episode. Roughly remembered it. Not complicated. Easy to solve.
---
Twenty minutes later, just as expected, Inspector Megure arrived at the scene.
A large crowd had gathered outside the hotel. When Megure led his men inside, he didn't notice Kurosawa and the others outside.
"Should we go in?" Sonoko asked softly.
"Yeah." Kurosawa led the two girls toward the police cordon.
"Sorry, not yet—oh! Kurosawa-kun, it's you. Please, come in. Inspector Megure is inside." The officer guarding the area recognized him immediately and eagerly invited them in.
Kurosawa nodded, ignoring the surprised looks from onlookers, and quickly entered the hotel lobby with Ran and Sonoko.
"Oh, Kurosawa-kun! What brings you here?" Officer Takagi Wataru, who had been questioning people inside, spotted him and happily ran over.
"Officer Takagi, you're busy. Don't mind me."
"It's fine. Are you heading to Inspector Megure? He's by the restroom. I'll take you there."
Takagi turned and led the way.
Kurosawa and the others followed silently.
Ran spoke softly, "Hoshino, why do they treat you like their boss?"
"Exactly," Sonoko sighed. "If I were a police officer, I'd definitely stop Hoshino and not let him in no matter what."
Takagi stumbled at her words, nearly falling. He quickly regained his balance and picked up his pace.
Sonoko had never been a police officer. She couldn't understand.
As an officer, Takagi knew exactly how wonderful it was to have a detective who could solve cases quickly after they happened.
No need to search for clues day and night. No need to interview everyone. No need to face pressure from superiors. No public criticism or humiliation. Just do the job, complete the task, clock out early—and still get credit and salary. What a dream.
Of course, Takagi also knew they couldn't rely on Kurosawa Hoshino for everything. The police needed to contribute too.
Soon, they reached the restroom door.
"Inspector Megure!" Takagi called out.
"Takagi." Juzo Megure's voice came from inside. "You're just in time. Come in—I have something to tell you."
"Um, Inspector, Kurosawa-kun is here. Right next to me."
"Who? Who did you say is here?"
Megure rushed out of the restroom, immediately spotting Kurosawa Hoshino. His eyes welled with tears of excitement, and he grabbed Kurosawa's hand.
"Oh my, Hoshino-kun! What are you doing here? What a pleasant—*cough*—what a surprise!"