Sonoko's adorable expression made Azuma Shoyo steal a couple extra glances. Today, she'd clearly put effort into her look. Ditching her school uniform, she wore a white cropped jacket over a light green short-sleeved top, paired with jeans that highlighted her slender legs. She radiated youthful energy.
"Where are your parents?" Azuma Shoyo asked.
"They're not coming with us," Sonoko replied, standing up and twirling in front of him. "So? How do I look?"
She'd noticed his earlier gaze, and since a girl dresses up for those she likes, Sonoko was pleased. All that time picking out clothes this morning hadn't gone to waste.
"Very pretty," Azuma Shoyo said, reaching out to gently remove her headband. Her hair cascaded naturally down.
"Now it's perfect," he added, looking at her.
"Really?" Sonoko turned to Ran. "What do you think, Ran?"
Ran, slightly surprised by this version of Sonoko, nodded quickly. "Yeah! You look even better than usual! I guess headbands don't suit you, Sonoko!"
"No way!" Sonoko said, a little embarrassed. She grabbed Azuma Shoyo's hand. "Shoyo, does it really look good?"
"Yeah, totally charming," he said with a smile, giving her palm a light squeeze.
Sonoko's face flushed red instantly. "R-Really?" she mumbled, looking down shyly. "Then I won't wear headbands anymore."
Ran, sitting nearby, watched her best friend with Azuma Shoyo and broke into a warm, aunt-like smile. Sonoko… she's really in love!
Just then—
"Hey! You little brat, stop running around!"
"Ran-neechan!"
Kogoro Mouri's gruff voice and Conan's call snapped the trio back to reality. They turned to see Kogoro holding a soda and Conan jogging over.
"Ran-neechan!" Conan, the fake kid, acted like Ran was the only one there, completely ignoring Azuma Shoyo and Sonoko.
"Morning, Uncle Kogoro!" Sonoko said, back to her usual self, waving cheerfully at him.
"And you, you little pest—stop running off, got it?" she added, hands on hips, scolding Conan.
"Tch!" Conan scoffed, unimpressed. But then he glanced back at Sonoko.
"So? Pretty, right?" Sonoko said with a grin.
"Ran-neechan's the prettiest!" Conan huffed, turning away.
This kid—when had he ever gushed over Ran like that before? Now he's praising her? Too late, buddy!
"Uncle Kogoro, isn't Lawyer Eri coming?" Azuma Shoyo greeted Kogoro, casually asking about Eri Fei.
Truth be told, Azuma Shoyo was more intrigued by Eri, though he hadn't had much chance to interact with her yet.
"Oh, her? She said she's busy with a case, so she's not coming," Kogoro said with a hearty laugh.
The real story? When Ran called her mom, Kogoro had been yammering in the background, griping about how she could come if she wanted and that she wasn't the only busy one. Eri got fed up and said she wasn't coming.
"That's a shame," Azuma Shoyo said with a nod.
Kogoro, oblivious to what Azuma Shoyo was really "regretting," assumed it was about his family and laughed, saying they'd have more fun without that woman around.
Azuma Shoyo chuckled politely.
At that moment, it hit 7:55 a.m. VIP lounge guests could board early. Sonoko rallied everyone to head to the ferry. Conan tried darting to Ran's side, but Azuma Shoyo grabbed him.
"Conan, no running off—you'll get lost," Azuma Shoyo said with a sly smile.
Conan glared at him, fuming.
"Damn you, Shoyo! Hands off Ran!" Conan hissed under his breath when no one was looking.
"Kudo, still not giving up? I'd say it's time to let it go," Azuma Shoyo replied with a smirk.
"Hmph! In your dreams—I'll never give up!" Conan snapped.
"Huh? Give up what?" Ran asked, turning back curiously.
Conan's angry expression froze. Under Azuma Shoyo's teasing gaze, he scrambled for an excuse. "Uh, detective stuff! Shoyo-niisan told me to behave and stop playing detective games all the time."
"You little brat, Shoyo's right—your energy's out of control," Kogoro grumbled. Lately, Conan had been popping into the Mouri Detective Agency every chance he got, driving Kogoro nuts. He was starting to regret taking this kid on as an apprentice. Kids these days were way too hyper!
"Conan, listen up. Dad and Shoyo are right—you can't keep running off alone," Ran said, nodding in agreement.
Conan, "…"
Life's so hard! It's all Shoyo's fault—this jerk!!
Conan shot him another sneaky glare.
Soon, the group boarded the ferry. It was a sizable ship with three levels—upper, middle, and lower. VIP passengers got the top deck with the best views.
Azuma Shoyo and the others had front-row seats. Conan tried slipping over to Ran again, but this time, Kogoro didn't even let Azuma Shoyo intervene—he yanked Conan back to sit beside him.
"You little pest, your seat's here!" Kogoro barked, exasperated. "Seriously, how much trouble can one kid cause? Can't you just sit still?"
Conan, "…"
So frustrating!
Watching the trio—Ran, Sonoko, and Azuma Shoyo—chat and laugh together, Conan was practically boiling over.
At that moment, two women approached, checking their tickets as they searched for seats.
"Hey, isn't that Ms. Chie Morinaga from the school infirmary?" Ran noticed them first, hopping up to greet them.
"Ms. Morinaga! Hi!" Ran called out.
Chie Morinaga, being dragged along by her friend, turned at the sound. "Oh! Ran, hello!"
--- Translator Note ---
Read 30+ Advanced Chapters on my Patre on!
This novel has 2 daily chapters being translated and released every day on Patre on!
Patre on.com/MyKitty