The next morning.
"Tsune, aren't you coming with us to eat?" Sonoko and Ran asked in unison, casting puzzled glances at Tsune.
What's going on? Didn't he say yesterday he was going to pig out?
That seaside restaurant has a great reputation. It's a bit odd.
"No need. Someone's treating me to the priciest restaurant in all of Izu today." Tsune shot a look at the detective standing nearby, acting all innocent.
That's right, I'm talking about you, so stop looking around!
After Tsune left, Sonoko let out a sigh of relief.
"I was a little worried Tsune and Mr. Dowake wouldn't get along. This works out."
Though she wasn't sure why, Sonoko could sense a faint hostility between them.
It couldn't be that Tsune suddenly changed his mind about her, could it?
If that were the case…
Conan rolled his eyes at Sonoko, who was lost in some dreamy fantasy, grinning like an idiot.
You're not wrong—they definitely don't get along.
Last night, that guy was this close to having his limbs broken and being tossed into the sea.
As expected, a glutton like him never eats a free meal without a catch.
Before long, Dowake Masahiko pulled up in his car.
"Where's Mr. Tsune?" he asked, noticing only the two high school girls and a kid coming downstairs.
"He's got another appointment today and can't make it," Sonoko said with a smile.
"Oh." Dowake suppressed a grin, secretly delighted.
That meddlesome guy's absence is perfect!
"Hey, Ran-neechan, did you bring that photo you were going to show Shinichi-niichan?" Conan asked, tilting his head with an innocent expression.
"That photo? Sonoko wouldn't let me have it," Ran said, her cheeks flushing.
Showing that kind of photo to Shinichi for some identity deduction? Way too weird.
"Heh, I'm keeping that photo safe for now," Sonoko said with a mischievous smirk.
If I gave it to Ran, she'd probably destroy it.
Kudo, you owe me one!
Conan watched Dowake, who was fixated on Sonoko, and a knowing smile crept onto his face.
…
Inside a high-end restaurant.
Tsune scanned the menu, his finger gliding over the options. "This, this, and this—I'll take them all!"
The waiter nodded, jotting down the dishes with a polite smile. "Very good, sir."
"Another three courses?" The head chef shook his head, baffled by this peculiar customer, and turned back to the kitchen.
This guy showed up before ten in the morning.
Two hours later, he'd single-handedly demolished over thirty dishes.
Even if the portions were refined, a normal person would've been stuffed ages ago…
"I'd love to see just how much you can eat!" the middle-aged chef muttered, peering through the clear glass at the young, handsome diner. A strange sense of rivalry sparked in his chest.
…
Meanwhile, at the seaside restaurant rumored to be haunted.
"The food here's really good. Too bad Tsune didn't come," Ran said, feeling a pang of regret for the foodie.
"Heh," Conan chuckled dryly.
That guy's probably gorging himself on my dime right now. Why worry about him?
Sonoko yawned repeatedly, still groggy from last night's underwear thief keeping her up.
She'd planned to skip lunch and nap in Dowake's car, but Conan, for some reason, kept clinging to her.
My charm must've leveled up lately—even this kid's smitten with me.
Conan, of course, wasn't smitten.
He'd noticed Dowake casually suggest Sonoko nap in his car and was deliberately thwarting him.
Faced with a case like this, the detective was on high alert, not letting his guard down for a second.
"How about a walk after lunch, just the two of us?" Dowake asked Sonoko, extending an invitation for a private date.
"?" Sonoko's face flushed, her mind already spinning romantic scenarios.
After lunch.
Ran and Conan stood at the restaurant's entrance, watching Sonoko and Dowake stroll off shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing along the street.
"Sonoko looks so happy. That's great!" Ran said, feeling her "not-an-heiress" strategy had worked perfectly.
Conan glanced up at Ran.
She won't be happy for long…
"Ran-neechan, I promised to meet a friend to hang out!"
The detective made up an excuse to slip away.
"You know the way back to the inn, right?"
"I do, don't worry!"
Conan's little legs churned, and in no time, he vanished from Ran's sight.
…
"Yeah, college life's been great."
Dowake and Sonoko wandered slowly into a small grove near the train tracks.
Sonoko felt a vague sense of familiarity with the place but didn't think much of it. "Mr. Dowake, what kind of girls do you like?"
At that, Dowake paused mid-step and said, "Didn't I tell you? My favorite…"
He suddenly turned around.
"My favorite is girls like you, with brown hair!"
Gone was the refined college student Sonoko knew. His face twisted into a terrifying expression, his smile cold and unfamiliar.
"B-brown hair…"
Sonoko's face paled with panic, and she instinctively stepped back.
That brown-haired girl stabbed in the stomach yesterday… wasn't she attacked around here?
No!
It can't be!
But Dowake wasn't joking. He pulled a folding knife from his pocket.
In a chilling, menacing tone, he said, "Hand over the photo—the one you were going to show that detective!"
"You mentioned it before leaving, didn't you? That photo's on you."
"To you, it might just be a snapshot of some couple getting cozy, but that's evidence of my crime!"
That's right. From the start, his interest in Sonoko wasn't just about her brown hair.
After the fireworks festival two nights ago, he'd killed that brown-haired girl nearby. A flash had gone off just then.
Moments later, he saw Sonoko and her group passing by the tracks, camera in hand.
From that moment, he'd had his sights set on her.
In the silent grove, Sonoko's eyes welled with tears, her face etched with terror as she backed away from the approaching Dowake.
Why!
Why are all the guys who show interest in me like this?
God, I hate you!
(End of Chapter)
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
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