"Miss Ran, did you prepare any Valentine's Day chocolates?""Yes, I did...""Then... is any of it for ?"
Hayashi Yoshiki had just led Conan back into the living room, but what he saw made him narrow his eyes.
While he had stepped away, Wakamatsu Toshihide had seized the opportunity to approach Ran again. With an eager look on his face, he leaned in close, asking his question with a hopeful tone.
He was either incredibly self-assured or completely oblivious. Ignoring Ran's clearly uncomfortable expression, he continued closing the distance between them—pressuring her in a way that bordered on harassnt.
Sonoko Suzuki couldn't take it anymore.
She grabbed Ran's arm and pulled her back, stepping between her and Wakamatsu Toshihide. "Didn't Yoshiki-nii already make things clear earlier? Ran only ca because she was too polite to turn you down! Why are you still crowding her like this?!"
Wakamatsu's face began to flush with anger.
He clenched his fists, voice rising. "What does that have to do with you? I wasn't talking to you!"
"Oh? Planning to take it out on girls now?" Hayashi Yoshiki stepped forward, drawing Wakamatsu's attention away from Sonoko.
"Pathetic. Not only do you have no sense of personal space, but you seriously think persistence equals romance? Is this how you think relationships work—by pressuring soone until they give in?"
"You... You bastard! I've had enough of you!"
Red with fury, Wakamatsu Toshihide stord toward Hayashi Yoshiki, fists clenched and muscles tensing as if ready to strike.
Yoshiki rely stared at him, unimpressed.
Getting into a fight with soone like this—overgrown, hot-headed, and completely tone-deaf—was hardly his idea of fun. But it was also beneath him.
"Yoshiki-nii!?"
Ran and Sonoko both stood up in alarm.
"What are you doing?!" "Hey, Toshihide, this is Minagawa's house!"
Watanabe Yoshimi and the previously silent Naomichi both hurried to intervene.
Even Minagawa's mother, still holding a tray, gasped in relief when she saw soone holding Wakamatsu back.
"Please, everyone—calm down. Don't cause trouble... I just brewed coffee, and there's cake in the kitchen. Please sit, everyone."
Since the host had spoken, and he was being restrained, Wakamatsu had no choice but to back down. He let out an annoyed grunt and sat heavily on the couch.
After the tense exchange, Ran and Sonoko quietly told Yoshiki they were thinking about leaving. But before they could rise, Minagawa's mother gently pushed them back into their seats.
"Don't go yet. At least try so snacks before leaving... It would really hurt my feelings if everyone left because of that."
Faced with her kindness, the girls reluctantly agreed to stay a little longer.
Yoshiki didn't mind either.
In fact, he was already typing a ssage on his phone.
"Wakamatsu Toshihide, a student at Beika dical University, Tennis Club mber. Please send detailed info—address, schedule, background."
He sent it to his contact: Gin.
"Don't waste your ti on soone like that, Yoshiki-nii," Sonoko whispered beside him.
"I'm not bothered."
"Really? Because the way you stood up just now... it was so cool!"
Her eyes sparkled again.
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled but said nothing.
At that mont, Guan Gu Xiang, who had run after Minagawa Katsuhiko, returned—looking heartbroken. Behind her was Minagawa's little brother, Susumu Minagawa, holding a small, beautifully wrapped box of handmade chocolate.
So, she gave the chocolate to the child after being rejected?
Yoshiki glanced once and understood.
When Minagawa's mother saw the box, her face tightened. She snatched the chocolate away from Susumu Minagawa with a frown.
"How many tis do I have to tell you? Your cavities aren't healed yet. No sweets!"
"But this is from Sister Kaori—"
"No."
She tucked the chocolate away sternly, then gave a sharp look to her older son, who had reentered the room still smoking, before heading back to the kitchen.
Hayashi Yoshiki picked up his coffee.
The heat rose in a thin curl of steam, filling the air with the pleasant aroma of roasted bitterness and faint nuttiness.
He took a sip.
It was good—but sothing about it made him frown.
Odd. Subtle. Off.
But no one else seed to notice.
Even Conan, seated nearby and rarely allowed coffee since becoming a child, was sipping from his cup without suspicion.
Susumu tried a sip too—grimacing instantly from the bitter taste.
"Here, try this cake!" said Minagawa's mother, returning with a tray. She fed Susumu several spoonfuls.
"There, that's better."
Then she turned to the group, beaming. "Everyone, try so!"
As polite as ever, everyone took small bites and offered complints.
"Yoshiki-san, please have so too."
"Thank you, but I don't really like sweets. I'll try it later."
"But it won't taste as good later! Please, just a bite and tell what you think."
It could just be her enthusiastic personality... but sothing about her insistence felt unnatural.
Especially after seeing Susumu clutching his cheek—clearly in pain.
Still, Yoshiki took a forkful of cake.
"Mm. Not too sweet. Nicely balanced."
"Wonderful."
She smiled and turned back toward the kitchen.
At the sa ti, Minagawa Katsuhiko finished his coffee, lit another cigarette, and strolled toward the yard.
"Hey, Susumu—try the cake too!" his mother called.
"Yeah, yeah," he grunted, waving her off and heading outside.
She didn't press further.
Instead, she quietly cleaned the table and returned to the kitchen.
Buzz~~~!
A new text ca through on Yoshiki's phone.
It was from Gin.
>Wakamatsu Toshihide, Current residence: Room 203, 7th Floor, Nishizaki Apartnt, 6-72 Beika-cho.Gym routine: Every night at 8 PM except Wednesdays.
Very detailed.
Yoshiki scanned the ssage but only committed the address to mory.
Lives alone. Easy enough.
He replied with a simple:
"Received."
No follow-up ca.
Not that he needed one.
Monts later, Ran quietly leaned over and whispered, "Yoshiki-nii, shall we go?"
"Yeah. Let's head out."
He stood up, sliding his phone into his pocket.
Ran said goodbye to the group. She hesitated for a mont before giving Wakamatsu a small, polite wave.
He didn't acknowledge it.
But when Hayashi Yoshiki stood and cheerfully thanked the hosts, Wakamatsu sneered and muttered under his breath:
"...Coward."
Before anyone could react—
A woman's scream pierced the air from the yard.
"Ah——!!"
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