"Oh! Isn't that Masaki-kun?!"
Officer Megure's surprised voice boomed from the doorway.
Heads turned to see a broad-shouldered man in a suit standing there, followed by a sharply dressed Megure Juzo and a group of others in formal attire.
"Megure-keibu?"
"Why's Megure-keibu here?"
"Haha! When the boss's daughter gets married, us underlings have to show up to celebrate, right?"
Megure Juzo laughed heartily at Ran's question, clearly in high spirits.
The "boss" he mentioned was the stern-faced, imposing man stepping forward—Kiyonaga Matsumoto. He nodded at Hayato Masaki.
"I've heard a lot about you from Juzo lately. Says you're quite the remarkable young man," Kiyonaga said, extending a hand for a shake. "That library case—you really came through. The dealer, Tsugawa, spilled everything about his network. That's a big win for the TMPD."
"Just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Hayato Masaki replied with a smile. "Today's Sayuri-sensei's big day, though. Shouldn't you be focusing on her, Matsumoto-san?"
"That's exactly what I was getting to."
Catching his daughter's gaze, Kiyonaga cleared his throat.
He waved Megure Juzo and the others back outside, then approached Sayuri Matsumoto, placing his hands on her shoulders with a serious look. "Have you really thought this through, Sayuri?"
"What?"
"There are plenty of better men in our department with real backbone, you know, compared to that guy."
Kiyonaga didn't care that Hayato Masaki and the others overheard. His usually rigid expression softened, but Sayuri wasn't having it.
"You're still saying that now? He's my choice!"
"…Alright."
"Honestly, I'm grown up already. Stop treating me like a kid."
Their exchange reached the ears of those nearby, revealing Kiyonaga's clear disapproval of his son-in-law.
Ran and Sonoko seemed to take issue with this.
As teenage girls who idolized romantic love, they believed "I love him" should trump everything in a relationship born of free choice.
"But Matsumoto-san obviously cares a lot about Sayuri-sensei," Hayato Masaki said softly. "Look at all the guests out there, here because of his status. If she called off the wedding last minute, it'd hit his reputation hard, wouldn't it?"
From that angle, the two high school girls had little to argue.
In the end, Kiyonaga relented. He awkwardly complimented Sayuri's wedding gown before heading back out—there were still plenty of guests to entertain.
"Oh, Hayato-nii, want something to drink?" Sonoko asked suddenly.
"Going to grab drinks? Just a bottle of mineral water for me, thanks."
"Just water, huh?"
"Sonoko, could you get me a lemon tea?"
"Got it!"
Sonoko cheerfully set off.
But just as she reached the door, it swung open, and a mature-looking woman stepped in.
"Got you a warm lemon tea, Sayuri," she said.
"Kazuha!"
Sayuri Matsumoto, lifting her gown's hem, rushed over happily.
Kazuha, her college friend, was incredibly close to her… though today, Sayuri felt a twinge of awkwardness. Kazuha was, after all, her groom's ex-girlfriend.
Kazuha, though, was unfazed.
When Sayuri whispered an apology, Kazuha playfully swatted her backside, laughing. "Come on, you're still not over that? During the ceremony, I'm totally gonna tell everyone the groom's my ex."
"Kazuha…"
"Kidding, kidding! Alright, you've got this. Catch you later."
She left with a bright smile.
Sayuri stood there, half-annoyed, half-amused.
"They're really tight, huh," Hayato Masaki remarked, glancing at Ran, who was also grinning. "When it's your turn to get married, Ran, I bet Sonoko'll be just like that."
"Ehh?!"
Ran's face flushed red.
Her sharp yet innocent features glowed with embarrassment, and she mumbled, "W-what're you saying, Hayato-nii?"
Seeing Ran's flustered charm, Conan instantly shot Hayato Masaki a wary, suspicious glare.
(What's this guy doing, teasing Ran like that?!)
His stare was painfully obvious.
Hayato Masaki met it with a surprised look, then slowly grew more serious.
Caught off guard by being stared back at, Conan's initial irritation turned to embarrassment, then unease…
The last time Hayato Masaki said he looked like Shinichi Kudo, Conan had nearly panicked. Now, knowing how sharp the guy's observation skills were, being watched this long—
Bad news!
"What's up, Hayato-nii?" Ran asked, noticing his focus on Conan.
"Ran, got a sec? Need to tell you something," Hayato Masaki said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, sure."
Ran nodded, oblivious.
As they stepped aside, leaving Conan behind, his heart raced.
No… no way, right?
Talking out of earshot—what could they be saying?
Watching them chat, with Ran occasionally glancing his way, looking shocked, Conan couldn't stay still.
He tried to edge closer to eavesdrop, but Sayuri Matsumoto nabbed him.
"Wow, you look so much like a student I had, Shinichi Kudo," she said, pinching his cheeks with a grin.
Meanwhile, nearby—
"Hayato-nii, you're saying Conan might have… weird feelings for me?" Ran asked, stunned, then laughed it off. "No way. He's just a kid…"
"That's exactly why I'm telling you, Ran. He's a kid."
"Huh?"
"Boys can be simple creatures—visual ones. Most crush on the prettiest girl in class or their grade. But some, especially kids, get drawn to older women instead. At that age, girls their own age aren't… developed yet. If they're around older women a lot, they stop looking at peers altogether."
"R-really?"
"Haven't you noticed Conan's always sticking close to you?"
"…I guess he is."
Prompted by Hayato Masaki, Ran thought back. Conan did always want to tag along.
Like when she lied about a "date" to visit her mom, Eri Kisaki, or that Valentine's party… When she said he couldn't come, he'd secretly followed her. Normal kids wouldn't do that.
The more she thought, the stranger it seemed.
"Conan's a sharp kid," Hayato Masaki continued. "I've seen how into detective work he is. He's great at spotting details most people miss."
"He's got potential."
"Lately, I've been reading up on psychology. A lot of… preferences form in childhood, and once they do, they're usually set for life."
With a calm, scholarly air, Hayato Masaki dropped the bombshell.
P-preferences?!
Ran's face burned, flustered. "H-Hayato-nii, that's kind of…"
"Does Conan ever act odd? Like getting secretive at certain times?"
"Well… yeah, sometimes."
"Does he avoid you when that happens?"
"…I think so."
"I see."
Hayato Masaki's expression grew graver, and the mood pulled Ran into seriousness too.
***
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