There were several reasons I wanted to meet Kyogoku Makoto. One was that I felt sorry for Sonoko, who had grown dear to me in a way, desperately thirsting for love and throwing herself at any man. The second was curiosity about how strong he really was.
'He's definitely superhuman.'
Looking at his actions shown in the anime, it was clear he far exceeded normal human levels. There were various factors, but even Ran could dodge bullets. Someone stronger than her like Kyogoku Makoto—I had no sense of how strong that would be.
While I was lost in thought as I drove, Sonoko, who was sitting in the back seat, spoke up.
"Honestly, Jin, you talking so much about the yacht made me miss the sea. I have to go to the beach like this to ease my disappointment."
"Really? I just got word that the repairs are finished. It should be coming soon."
"Oh~ Really? Then did I come here for nothing?"
"Still, since we're here, I think it's not bad to enjoy ourselves."
"I suppose. If we go by yacht, we'd have to hang out just among ourselves, so I wouldn't get to meet any good men. I'm going to meet my fated partner on this trip."
Taking the opportunity, I gave Sonoko a piece of advice.
"Sonoko, no matter how thirsty you are for love, don't throw yourself at just any man. You might end up with a bad guy. Some might approach you with strange intentions. I'm worried as your friend. In time, you'll definitely meet a good person. You come from a good family, have a good personality, and you're a beauty."
Then Ran, who was next to me, added.
"That's right. Honestly, I've been worried too. That something might happen to you if you keep acting like that."
Then Sonoko said.
"I like being called a beauty. But what does that matter when I haven't even had a single romance? I want to meet a great guy like Ran did, go on dates, hold hands, and... ki... kiss... Ahh~ I don't know~!"
Suddenly Sonoko became very embarrassed and covered her face with both hands. She had been talking and then drifted off into her own imagination. We looked at her with pity.
"That such a girl is the youngest daughter of the Suzuki family..."
Haibara muttered quietly with a disappointed expression. Ran, who seemed to have caught it, asked Haibara.
"Huh? Ai-chan, what did you say?"
"Nothing, never mind..."
At any rate, we arrived at the booked inn. Izu Beach wasn't far from Tokyo, so we arrived without taking too long. We parked the car in the lot next to the inn and unloaded our luggage.
"It looks a bit run-down..."
Conan got out of the car, looked around at the inn, and said. We all thought the same, but since Sonoko had booked the inn, we stayed quiet. As she unloaded her luggage, she explained the reason herself.
"When we travel, we always stay at a villa or a luxury hotel. Then men might think, 'Ah~ She's on such a high cliff, I can't reach her.' So to give those kinds of men a chance, I deliberately booked an old, run-down inn. The so-called 'Ordinary People Great Operation!'"
"Th-That was the reason?"
Ran seemed a bit flustered by Sonoko's absurd explanation. Sonoko really is impossible.
We picked up our luggage, moved to our assigned rooms, and unpacked. The inn had two rooms: one for the women and one for the men.
While unpacking, Conan asked me.
"Hey, why did you bring a wooden sword?"
"Ah, a divination said there might be a use for it."
Then Conan said with a serious face.
"If you're bringing a wooden sword, isn't it really dangerous?"
Conan knew my swordsmanship skills, and now that he trusted my divinations, he seemed to be worried.
"It might be dangerous. But it might not. It could just be for breaking a watermelon."
Conan looked frustrated at that. Actually, there was a serial killer around, so I brought it just in case.
"Really... Is it dangerous or not?"
"I don't know. This divination wasn't very clear. But don't worry. If something happens, I'll handle it. You know my swordsmanship skills."
"That's true, but... I feel uneasy somehow..."
Conan and I changed into our swimsuits and went outside. We started inflating the tubes and ball we had brought while waiting for the girls. Before long, the girls came out in their swimsuits too. Haibara was wearing the light blue one-piece swimsuit she had bought last time. Ran came out in a modest blue bikini.
But Sonoko, seemingly determined today, came out in a leopard-print bikini that didn't suit her age. She didn't seem to realize that would actually make men feel pressured and keep their distance.
"Sigh... What am I going to do with Sonoko..."
Conan sympathized with me and spoke regretfully.
"I know, right. How about introducing her to a decent guy you know? Or you could break up with Ran and date her yourself."
Conan said something strange.
"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"I don't know. I'd be happy if you did."
Just as I was about to flick Conan on the forehead, Ran pointed to the wooden sword and asked me.
"Jin, why did you bring that?"
"This? I thought maybe we'd break a watermelon."
"I see."
Once we were ready, we headed to the beach. Perhaps because it was summer, there were a lot of people.
"Wow~ It's the real-life siblings!"
"Look at Jin's body! It's like a sculpture."
"Eek~! He's so handsome, I could fall for him~!"
"Ai-chan is so cute."
Certainly, thanks to Haibara, we'd become more famous from filming so many commercials. But the advantage of being at the beach was that not many people asked for autographs.
We found a spot, laid out a mat, and set up a parasol. It was big enough for five people to sit in the shade comfortably. We also brought a cooler filled with ice, watermelon, and drinks. Seeing that, Sonoko was surprised and asked.
"You prepared all that? We could have rented..."
"Renting a mat someone else used means it might have sunscreen or food residue on it, which isn't good for your skin. So I brought our own. But I rented the parasol. The inn rents out large ones."
"Eh~ I see."
"Well, since we're all ready, shall we swim?"
"Okay~!"
We swam hard, played blindfolded watermelon breaking, and had a great time. But except for the occasional autograph request, people, especially men, didn't come near us like before. I think it was because they didn't want to be compared to me in looks or physique. Sonoko, resting under the parasol, noticed that too and asked Ran with curiosity.
"Why aren't any men coming to hit on us?"
"Well, Jin is here, and the kids are here too. That's probably why they're not coming."
"Ah... But that won't work... My plan..."
Sonoko looked like she was about to cry.
We started getting hungry, so we moved to a restaurant near the beach for a late lunch.
"What should we eat?"
When I asked, Sonoko said.
"Hmm... How about the assorted seafood griddle?"
"Sounds good. Everyone else?"
The others agreed, so we decided to order the assorted seafood griddle. When we called a waiter, a sturdy, tanned man wearing glasses came to take our order.
'Ah! This is Kyogoku.'
"What would you like to order, customers?"
When Kyogoku asked, Sonoko answered.
"Two large orders of the assorted seafood griddle~! And five colas, please."
"Understood."
After Kyogoku took the order and left, I had a thoughtful expression on my face, and Ran next to me asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmm... I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere... I can't tell just by looking."
Then Conan said, surprised.
"Don't tell me! Is it like last time, with vengeful spirits clinging to him?"
Conan was tense because I'd even brought a wooden sword today, worried something might happen.
"It's not that. Not a single vengeful spirit, not even a lowly ghost. He's a clean person."
"Really? Then that's a relief."
The restaurant was cool. Maybe because we came late after eating watermelon, there were hardly any people eating besides a few customers drinking beer with light snacks.
"Assorted seafood griddle is served."
As Kyogoku placed the food on our table, I said to him.
"If it's not too rude, could we talk for a moment?"
"Huh? Why? Is something wrong with the food?"
"No, not at all. I'm an Onmyōji, and I was just curious. I hope you understand."
"Come to think of it, you're the person I often see on TV. The Onmyōji Jin."
Kyogoku seemed to recognize me too, since I was famous.
"You know me well."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe in that kind of thing. And I'm busy, so excuse me."
He went back to the counter. Just as expected, Kyogoku was brusque.
"How strange... I'm sure I've never seen him before, yet I feel like I have..."
I started laying a little bait. To help connect Sonoko and Kyogoku. Then Ran, after thinking for a moment, said.
"Come to think of it, I feel like I've seen him too, but I can't remember where."
Then Sonoko said.
"Well, you'll remember later. Let's eat first, the food's getting cold."
"Right, let's do that."
We started eating the assorted seafood griddle, and it was tastier than expected.
"Wow~ This place is good. Delicious."
"I know. Usually, places like this just fill you up."
Ran and Sonoko admired the food as they ate. Kyogoku's parents' cooking skills were indeed good.
"Then let's eat here tomorrow too."
"Yeah, let's."
We finished eating and returned to our parasol to rest. Then Haibara grumbled.
"The seawater dried and I feel sticky."
"Really? Then should we stop swimming and go shower? What about you guys?"
When I asked the others, Sonoko agreed and said.
"Yeah, let's do that! We'll shower at the inn and then go for a drive. There's a lot to see nearby, and they say there are fireworks at night."
"Really? Then let's do that."
I folded the parasol and mat, and the others helped put away the tubes and ball. We carried our things back to the inn, showered, changed clothes, then drove to a nearby market for snacks, looked at some scenic spots, and returned to the inn around evening.
"That was fun. Like you said, Jin, enjoying ourselves like this isn't so bad."
"I know, right."
We went inside the inn, changed into the yukata provided, and ate dinner. Ran admired again.
"Wow~ Delicious. The inn lady is really a good cook."
"The inn is run-down, but the food is better than expected. Worth visiting often."
Then Sonoko grumbled.
"So what? I didn't get to meet any handsome men. It's all Jin's fault."
"Huh? Why me?"
"Well, because you're too handsome and famous, so men can't approach."
"Is that... a compliment?"
"It's not a compliment! Compensate me for the damage!"
Sonoko suddenly made a strange demand.
"Huh? Compensate? How?"
"Well, you have to introduce me to a handsome guy. You're a celebrity, so you must know a lot of decent people."
It was true I was a celebrity, but the only celebrity I was close to was the female singer 'Okino Yoko'. Among male celebrities, I only knew a few hosts, and I wasn't even close to younger celebrities. Rather, they seemed to avoid me, afraid I might expose their shortcomings as an Onmyōji.
"Alright, fine. If you haven't met a good man within this month, I'll introduce you to someone."
"Wow~ Really? You promise?"
"Yeah."
I thought it would be fine since she would meet Kyogoku after today anyway.
We were resting and chatting, and Haibara, tired, was sleeping with her head on my thigh. Then Kyogoku came over to us and said.
"The fireworks will start outside soon. If you're going to watch, it's best to get ready and go out now."
"Oh~ I see. Haibara, wake up. They say there are fireworks. Don't you want to go see?"
When I woke Haibara, she rubbed her eyes and got up.
"Ugh... I'm tired..."
"Then shall I give you a piggyback ride like last time?"
"Yeah, carry me."
Haibara didn't seem very embarrassed about piggyback rides anymore. So I lifted her onto my shoulders and went with the others to see the fireworks.
Boom~! Boom boom~!!
"Wow~ So pretty."