The contract Takayanagi Ichiro sent to Eri Kisaki was the one Hotta Miki had brought as collateral. During their earlier negotiation, neither side had discussed whether the contract was genuine. Now that things were settled, Ichiro intended to have Eri Kisaki verify it, since she was an expert in such matters.
When Ran heard her mother's name, she immediately darted to Ichiro's side, wanting to see for herself.
Previously, when Ichiro said he and Eri Kisaki were only business partners, Ran had believed him. But now, seeing him dealing directly with her mother made her a bit tense.
Still, realizing it was Ichiro's contract and that she wasn't a lawyer, she felt it might be improper to read it without permission, so she stepped back slightly.
"Mr. Takayanagi, do you work with my mom often?"
"It depends."
"Depends?"
"Yes." Once the fax had gone through, Ichiro put the original contract aside and said, "It mainly depends on my loan business. The contracts I present to Lawyer Eri Kisaki for discussion are clean, with no problems. But the collateral contracts from borrowers and other documents—I need her help to verify those."
Hearing his explanation, Ran felt it was reasonable, and her earlier tension eased.
"Mr. Takayanagi, may I confirm something with you?"
"Ask, but I'll decide whether to answer."
She wasn't upset by this and asked, "Has my dad taken out a loan from you?"
"Yes." This was something anyone could figure out with a little observation of Kogoro and Ichiro's interactions, so there was no need to hide it.
"How much does he owe you?" Ran pressed.
She had to ask—ever since Kogoro left the police force to become a private detective, his income had been unstable, though never dire. She had thought maybe her mother was quietly supporting him, but judging from their behavior, that didn't seem likely. Now, with Ichiro in the picture, her doubts were focused here.
But this was a question Ichiro did not answer—it fell under the category of things he wouldn't discuss.
Ran understood and didn't push. Instead, she said, "I've noticed a lot of people come and go here. If I worked part-time helping with reception, could that go toward repaying some of Dad's debt?"
The proposal surprised Ichiro—he hadn't expected Ran to make such an offer.
"The loan is between me and your father. And I'm sure the Mouri Detective Agency will be busier than my office in the future, so you wouldn't have time to work here."
"There's no other way?"
"If you can get Conan to stop directing trouble my way, I could lower the interest a little."
"What's wrong with Conan?"
"Don't play dumb, Ran. You've noticed something's off about him too, right? Inspector Megure was here today because Conan steered him over. I don't want that happening again. If you can't stop him, then tell Conan I know some of his secrets—don't make me spill them." Ichiro warned her.
Ran fell silent—Ichiro's suspicions were accurate. "I'll keep an eye on it," she said.
She didn't ask what secrets Ichiro knew, believing that fell into the category of things better left unsaid.
With Ran's promise and his own threat, Ichiro was fairly confident Conan would ease up. As long as the trail didn't ultimately point to him, Conan wouldn't cross the line.
"And if you could communicate with Lawyer Eri Kisaki more and remind her to be extra careful when reviewing contracts for me, that would help as well."
"There's no need for me to say anything. I believe my mom always works with absolute care," Ran replied, declining the request and insisting her mother didn't need supervision to do her job well.
Hearing her speak well of Eri Kisaki, Ichiro nodded. He had worked with her for quite some time without any issues.
"Mr. Takayanagi, can I ask who the borrower was that left here earlier?" Ran posed another question.
(End of Chapter)
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