"Even so, a request is a request. Will you take it?"
Kogoro thought for a moment, then said to Shizuka.
"A test... Well, I'll give it a try. But I will charge a fee."
"Yes, of course you should."
Just then, I intervened briefly. I knew the original, and if they went now, Shizuka would be suspected of murder and put in a difficult situation.
"Please wait a moment."
When I said that, Kogoro looked at me and asked.
"Why, son-in-law?"
"You shouldn't take that request now. Take it tomorrow. I have a bad feeling."
"What do you mean? Something will happen again?"
"Yes, this time it's not the detective, but Heiji's mother. I see a dark shadow over her, so something bad will happen to her. So even if you take the request, it would be better to delay and move tomorrow."
I had a reason for delaying until the next day. The problem was that they arrived early and discovered the murder scene first. In the original, this happened partly because Shizuka was testing Kogoro, and partly because the police were incompetent, so I was trying to prevent that.
Hearing that, Shizuka looked troubled.
"That's a bit difficult. I don't have a place to stay. And Heiji is supposed to come tonight..."
"Don't worry about that. Please stay at my house for a day. Heiji has stayed over occasionally, so he knows the location well."
Shizuka thought for a moment, then said.
"I see. Then I'll impose on you for a day."
Kogoro trusted me, so he didn't particularly object.
"Well then, Detective Mori. Things have become a bit unusual, but I'll leave it to you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
I took Shizuka and went to my house. Morgan and Sonoko were still there, hanging out.
"Sonoko, aren't you staying too late? What if your family gets worried?"
"Ahaha, well... I was having so much fun I lost track of time... By the way, who is this person..."
"Ah, this is Heiji's mother. She's staying at our house tonight."
"Eh~!! No way! Her skin color is completely different."
Sonoko also couldn't believe she was Heiji's mother because of the skin color.
"Heiji takes after his father."
"Ah... I see. Hello, I'm Suzuki Sonoko."
When Sonoko greeted her, Shizuka also greeted her.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hattori Shizuka. As Jin-kun introduced, I'm Heiji's mother. By the way, Suzuki, as in the Suzuki Group..."
"Yes, that's right. Chairman Suzuki is my father."
"Ah, I see."
Shizuka also briefly greeted Morgan and Haibara. I first showed Shizuka to a spare room so she could rest, and since sleeping in the kimono she was wearing would be difficult, I gave her a modern-style yukata and haori set.
"Thank you for preparing this. I'll wear it well."
Then I prepared a meal. Sonoko also contacted her family and ate with us since it was late. Since she was a friend's mother, I prepared the meal with care, and Shizuka was very impressed with the taste.
"Wow... This is so delicious. I had no idea you could cook so well. You could run a restaurant and be successful..."
Then Sonoko added.
"That's right. Jin is such a good cook. I sometimes want to eat here and take some home."
As we were eating deliciously, someone arrived at the house. When I went out, Heiji and Kazuha had arrived. They were carrying a lot of luggage, as if they had packed to stay for several days.
"You're here. I heard. But what's with all the luggage?"
"Huh? Didn't Conan tell you? There's a case in Fukui, so we agreed to go together?"
"I hadn't heard that."
"Really? I guess he didn't tell you."
This was probably the 'And the Mermaid Disappeared' episode, which connects to this one.
"Come in first. We're eating. I'll prepare yours quickly."
"That's a relief. I was hungry."
I guided them inside and prepared meals for them as well.
After the meal, Morgan went to take Sonoko home. When I was about to assign rooms to Heiji and Kazuha, Shizuka, perhaps thinking it would be troublesome, said she would just stay with Kazuha. So Shizuka and Kazuha shared a room, and Heiji had a room to himself.
'It's fortunate the house is big.'
The next morning, after breakfast, I took them to the Mori Detective Agency in my car. A day had passed, and I had prevented Shizuka from being framed as the culprit, and Heiji was there too, so I thought things would go well.
'It's fortunate people trust my Onmyō arts.'
But Ran wasn't going to come along this time.
"I can't go. I have to clean the house. I couldn't do it last weekend because of the case."
"Really? Then I'll leave the house to you."
When Ran said that, Conan hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be debating whether to solve the case or stay with Ran.
"Well then, see you later."
"Wait! I'll go too."
As expected, Conan decided to follow Kogoro. That was Conan, always loving cases. By now, I just accepted it. Anyway, everyone left, and I decided to stay at the office and help Ran clean.
"Jin, thank you for helping."
Ran was very grateful that I helped her clean.
"No need to thank me so much. It's not like I'm a stranger."
Hearing that, Ran became very embarrassed. We chatted happily, finished cleaning, and sat in the office to rest. Then Ran came over and said, slightly shyly.
"Hey, Jin, it seems there's still time before Dad and Conan get back, so shall we go see a movie today? Since you helped me clean, I'll treat you to the movie."
Ran seemed to want to repay me for helping her clean, and it seemed there was still time before Conan and the others finished the case and returned.
"Yeah, let's do that."
I naturally agreed.
Ran and I drove to the cinema, enjoyed a movie, then played at an arcade catching dolls, had fun, and returned to the office. But Conan and the others still hadn't returned. Probably, as in the original, the murder case was taking time.
"I wonder if it's okay to have won this many dolls."
We certainly had won a lot. It happened because I won almost every one on the first try.
"We got them from different places, so it should be fine."
"Still, I feel bad."
We organized the dolls in Ran's room. Since there were so many, we decided I would take half.
"Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I've been in Ran's room."
"Now that you mention it, you're right. You've come to the house often, but you've almost always stayed in the office."
I pointed to Ran's bed and said.
"May I sit on it?"
"Of course."
When Ran allowed, I sat lightly on the bed.
"It's soft. And it smells nice."
"Oh, honestly, Jin~!"
Ran was embarrassed by my words. I took her hand and tried to sit her next to me. Ran blushed and, guided by my hand, sat beside me. So I gently put my arm around Ran and slowly kissed her lips. It wasn't a deep kiss, since it was her first, just a light one. Ran didn't resist; she accepted the kiss.
After the kiss ended, Ran's face was bright red, as if about to burst.
"I-I... That was my first kiss..."
"Same here."
That was a lie. But in the Conan universe, it was his first kiss, so I just considered it a first kiss...
Anyway, we sat quietly, then Ran stood up first and said.
"Dad should be coming soon. Let's go out and wait. If he finds us here, he'll get the wrong idea."
"Yeah, let's."
We went back to the office and waited for Conan and the others. Ran's face was still red, so the two of us sat quietly on the sofa. I didn't know what to talk about at a time like this. I felt like going further, but Ran was still young, so I felt a bit guilty, and Conan and the others could return any time, so I decided to restrain myself.
We waited quietly like that for about 20 minutes, and then Conan and the others returned.
"We're back~"
Everyone's expressions showed the case had gone well. But Kazuha looked closely at Ran and said with a smile.
"Oh-ho~ You two did something."
Ran's face turned red and she was very flustered at those words.
"Wh-What..."
Kazuha must have sensed something odd from Ran's awkward behavior and flushed face. But hearing that, Shizuka stopped Kazuha and said.
"Kazuha, you shouldn't do that. It's polite to pretend not to notice."
"Ah, I suppose so. Sorry, Ran. But I'm curious, so you have to tell me later when we're alone."
"Uh, yeah..."
Conan looked like he had solved something today, but as he listened to the women's conversation, his expression gradually changed. He clenched his fists and trembled with an angry face. Then Kogoro grabbed my shoulder and delivered an unexpected final blow.
"You two, I understand you're engaged, but you're still students, so make sure to use protection."
I was a bit flustered by that too, but Ran was extremely flustered and yelled at Kogoro.
"Dad!!!"
Conan, perhaps too shocked by those words, started crying and suddenly ran out of the office.
"There are guests here, and you say such... Ah! Conan, where are you going?"
Seeing that, Heiji followed Conan.
"I'll go check on him."
Heiji probably went to comfort Conan.
"Dad! We just ki... Oh, honestly! I don't know!!!"
As the conversation went awry, Ran blurted out in her fluster.
"Aha! So that's how it is! Still, you need to be careful. Got it?"
I wasn't sure if this was because Japan is a sexually advanced country, or if Kogoro was just weird. Seeing Kazuha and Shizuka also looking at Kogoro incredulously, it seemed closer to the latter...
At any rate, Conan had run out misunderstanding Kogoro's words, so if he gave up like this, it would be good for me.
I changed the subject and talked with them about the case. Shizuka explained well what had happened.
"It was just as Jin-kun said. The person I was looking for had been murdered, and the police were gathered there. So I went to check, and someone who had played mahjong with the victim was being framed as the culprit. Detective Mori displayed his deductive skills, cleared his name, and revealed that the victim's wife was the culprit."
"I see. I'm glad it was resolved well."
"I've seen Detective Mori in a new light. I think it's okay to entrust Heiji to him."
"Huh? Entrust him?"
"You probably don't know, Jin-kun. We received a letter of request. But it was addressed 'To Shinichi-sama'. So I was about to refuse, but Heiji looked at the letter for a moment and said he would go with Detective Mori. So that's how this happened."
"Ah, I see."
This episode was the 'And the Mermaid Disappeared' arc. Honestly, it was too far, and I didn't want to go. It would be quick if I went alone, but taking people along was a different story. So I was about to pass, but Shizuka said to me.
"Since it's an island this time, Heiji was excited that we could take Jin-kun's yacht. And since it's related to Onmyō arts, he said Jin-kun would help..."
"Unfortunately, that might be difficult. My yacht is currently docked abroad. Unless we plan with a few days' buffer, just getting here would take a lot of time. I also have to go abroad. As you know, I'm a student, so if it's not vacation, it's hard."
This was also a lie. Actually, whenever I got bored, I would go out, turn on the stealth function, and go to a Pacific island to hang out with 2B and A2. I had modified them extensively, so it would be a waste to just leave them.
"Is that so? That's too bad. Honestly, I was looking forward to it too, hoping to ride it once. Jin-kun's yacht is famous, you know."
"I'll take you another time."
"I'll look forward to it. And this is the problematic letter..."
Shizuka showed me the letter she had received. On it was written: 'The mermaid is trying to kill me. Please help.'
"Wouldn't a mermaid be related to Onmyō arts?"
"By any chance, is that from Fukui's Bikuni Island?"
"Ah, you knew it."
"That's a fake. There are mermaid-related things in Onmyō arts, but the previous Onmyōji visited that island. There are no mermaids. The story of the immortal old woman there is also false."
Shizuka looked a bit surprised at my words.
"Is that true?"
"Yes, they use makeup to keep pretending the old woman is alive. But you must not tell others this fact. That island's livelihood may depend on the mermaid legend."
"I see. The circumstances of adults..."
Then Ran asked me.
"Jin, if Onmyō arts have mermaid-related things, does that mean mermaids actually exist?"
"Yes, they do."
Then Ran's eyes sparkled as she said.
"Wow~ Really? I'd like to see one."
"They're monsters that eat people. Not worth seeing. And I think there are none left in Japan. I've never actually seen one either. But according to stories passed down among Onmyōji, they did exist. Now only the methods of extermination remain."
"Eh? Mermaids are that dangerous?"
Actually, it was a lie, but everyone besides Ran was listening with interest, so I continued the story.
"Yeah. They wreck ships that go far out to sea, bewitch the sailors, lure them into the ocean, and eat them. But these days, ships are made of metal, so it's not easy to wreck them. So they supposedly lured people visiting islands into deep water and ate them. It's said they've mostly been exterminated now, but who knows. The ocean is vast, so they might still be alive somewhere."
"I see... Still, I'd like to see one sometime."
Believing in mermaids is like believing in unicorns. Unless this were a fantasy world, they couldn't exist. Still, it seemed nice to hold onto such childhood innocence. Instead, I was just getting better at lying.
As I was making up such nonsense, Heiji returned. Ran asked him.
"Where's Conan?"
"Well... He went home. He said he might not come around for a while..."