As Sonoko cursed the heavens for their unfairness in her heart, a figure swift as a phantom darted in front of her.
From the perspective of Sonoko, mired in despair, it truly seemed like he flew in.
That bespectacled, tanned, bad-tempered waiter suddenly appeared, standing between her and danger.
"You okay?" Kyogoku Makoto asked, glancing back.
So this is what that little detective meant by the perfect moment to appear…
Now, have you seen this man's true colors?
"I-I'm fine…" For some reason, Sonoko's tears stopped, and her racing heart calmed.
Dowake Masahiko gripped his knife, fury blazing in his chest.
Fine!
Thanks to that punch earlier, his eye was still black and blue. Might as well send them both to their graves!
You want to chat? Save it for the afterlife!
Emboldened by the weapon in his hand, Dowake's confidence surged. He lunged forward, aiming a stab at Kyogoku's head.
Kyogoku tilted his head slightly, dodging with ease, and countered with a spinning kick.
Dowake's face contorted under the impact, his body soaring seven or eight meters before crashing to the ground, completely unconscious.
It was anyone's guess whether he'd ever recover.
As expected, you could always count on this Super Saiyan's strength.
"…" Sonoko stood frozen, her eyes gradually sparkling with admiration.
It wasn't just her. Even Conan, hidden in the bushes with a portable camcorder he'd somehow acquired, was stunned.
Does this guy have eyes in the back of his head?
He was talking to Sonoko, back turned to Dowake, yet dodged that knife with pinpoint precision.
As the director of this scene, Conan knew Kyogoku Makoto was strong—strong enough to take down Tsune.
But he hadn't expected the man's kicks to be so fast they were practically invisible.
"This guy's seriously dangerous. Good thing I was here keeping an eye out, or I wouldn't have been at ease," Kyogoku said, suddenly recalling Tsune's words from last night.
Sure, Tsune's methods were a bit brutal, but if they could prevent something like this, they weren't half bad.
"Keeping an eye out?"
"You mean… you've been watching over me this whole time?" Sonoko asked, and in a moment of impulse, she reached out to remove his glasses, wanting a better look at her knight in shining armor.
Kyogoku hesitated briefly but didn't pull away.
Without his glasses, Kyogoku's appearance seemed to shed a seal, his charm skyrocketing.
"That guy… before he met you all, he'd been hitting on other girls, so I was a little worried," he said.
"Why protect me? We don't even know each other," Sonoko said, her cheeks flushing but her tone unusually serious.
Kyogoku glanced at a certain bush and smiled. "You may not know me, but I saw you at a karate tournament once. You were cheering your heart out for your friend."
"I never imagined you'd end up staying at my family's inn by chance."
With that, Kyogoku hoisted the unconscious Dowake over his shoulder and turned to leave.
Then, as if remembering something, he paused. "That kind of provocative clothing, like that underwear? You'd be better off not wearing it."
He glanced back slightly. "Of course, if you think I'm just another guy hitting on you with empty words, that's fine too."
Conan, crouched in the bushes, widened his eyes.
Is this… a confession?
Sonoko's face turned as red as a branding iron.
…
Burp!
Tsune let out a satisfied belch, clutching a long receipt as he stepped out of the high-end restaurant.
The head chef stood at the door, waving at the departing young glutton.
What an impressive kid!
On his way back to the inn, Tsune stopped at a convenience store for an ice cream, munching happily as he strolled.
"Took you long enough," Conan said, puzzled, as he packed his luggage.
"That restaurant started serving quick, but the dishes got slower and slower. The food just kept getting better, though—no idea why," Tsune replied, still savoring the meal.
Kudo, my man, that was money well spent!
Conan stared at the receipt with a headache and stuffed it into his backpack.
Seriously, this guy only picks the expensive stuff.
Here I am, busting my butt solving cases and exposing creeps for Sonoko, and you can't even feel a little bad for me?
"I told you, just break that guy's limbs and toss him in the sea. You didn't listen, so it's not my problem," Tsune said, ignoring Conan's complaints.
Truth was, Sonoko hadn't even taken some earth-shattering photo.
But Dowake didn't know that and took the bait, reeled in by the great detective.
Kyogoku's borrowed camcorder caught the whole attempted assault on tape—no room for excuses now.
Of course, after that kick, it's anyone's guess when that creep will wake up.
With Kyogoku, who knew the stakes, shadowing them invisibly, Tsune didn't think the plan was reckless.
Forget a knife—even a rifle shot at point-blank range wouldn't touch that guy.
"I still don't get it," Conan said, propping his chin and staring at Tsune.
"What?"
"How'd you know Dowake Masahiko was the killer from the start?" The detective hadn't figured that part out.
From the moment Dowake showed up, Tsune seemed to have him pegged.
"Heh." Tsune turned away, refusing to answer.
Back on the beach, when you heard someone invite Sonoko to dinner, weren't you the one getting all serious and overthinking?
"Conan, Tsune, time to go!" Ran called from the door, alongside a suddenly subdued Sonoko.
The Izu beach trip was officially over.
…
Back in Beika Town, Conan, as Kudo Shinichi, received a photo.
"Figure anything out?" Tsune asked, chuckling at Conan's flushed face.
The detective clutched the photo to his chest, terrified someone might see.
Sonoko, that maniac, actually mailed the candid shot of Ran adjusting her swimsuit!
Sonoko, you're a real bro!
(End of Chapter)
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