June 30 — An Ordinary Day
That morning, Hayashi Yoshiki drove Kisaki Eri to her law office, arriving at Kisaki Law Firm just before 9:00 a.m.
"Thanks for the ride, Yoshiki-kun."
Unbuckling her seatbelt, Eri smiled appreciatively from the passenger seat.
"It's no trouble, Aunt Eri. I just happened to be heading out too."
"When you meet Ran later, please take care of her for me."
"See you later, then."
After Kisaki Eri disappeared into the building, Hayashi Yoshiki pressed the accelerator and pulled away.
The main reason for the ride was that Eri's car had broken down—and conveniently, Hayashi had somewhere to be as well.
An envelope sat on the center console beside him.
[To: Mr. Hayashi YoshikiWe are honored to invite you to attend our new product launch at 10:00 AM on June 30. Your insights and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Location: 8th Floor, Manten Corporation Headquarters—Manten Corporation Co., Ltd.]
He'd found the invitation in his detective agency's mailbox last week. A little digging revealed that it was Kogoro Mouri who had recommended him.
Apparently, Manten had invited Kogoro to supervise the production of a mystery video game, and today's press conference was part of their promotional rollout to industry insiders.
While driving, Hayashi's phone suddenly rang.
The cold voice on the other end was unmistakable—Gin.
Without waiting for pleasantries, Gin got straight to the point:
"Are you free today?"
"Not exactly. I'm attending a game company's press conference."
"Perfect. This relates to your next job. Tequila will be there today to complete a transaction. But with the police and Public Security breathing down our necks lately, there's a chance something could go wrong. I want you there—just in case."
Hayashi kept his eyes on the road and replied casually:
"If there's any risk of exposure, I'm not doing it."
"Relax. Tequila doesn't know who you are."
And with that, Gin hung up.
So many things to deal with...
Hayashi Yoshiki sighed and put his phone away.
He knew who Tequila was. In fact, Tequila was infamous—an unfortunate man who was literally blown to pieces by mistake in the original story.
That Gin had asked him to remain in the shadows as backup showed just how cautious the Organization had become lately.
Roughly forty minutes later, Hayashi Yoshiki arrived at Manten Corporation.
With under 20 minutes to go before the conference, the venue was already buzzing with people.
Ran Mouri, spotting him, ran over with a bright smile.
Hayashi wore a neat, formal suit, but his gentle smile immediately put people at ease.
"You look beautiful today."
Ran beamed. She glanced down at herself, slightly bashful.
"Conan and Dad didn't even notice."
"They probably noticed but were too shy to say anything. But honestly, I think you'd suit Chanel quite well."
"Ah! Sonoko said that too!"
"Then maybe you should try it sometime."
Ran giggled, cheeks faintly pink.
Just then, Kogoro Mouri and Conan, fresh out of the bathroom, joined them. For some reason, Kogoro looked groggy and half-asleep.
"Yoshiki, you're here."
"Morning, Uncle Mouri. You don't look well. Something wrong?"
"Ugh… I just celebrated a little early last night. Had a bit too much to drink...""Just a few glasses—gin, vodka, bourbon..."
Thankfully, I didn't hear him mention Cointreau... Hayashi mused, smiling as Ran facepalmed.
As the group chatted, they joined the line to receive conference badges, each with a numbered pass.
"Wow! I got number 100!" Ran said, delighted.
"Maybe today's a lucky day for you."
Ran proudly hung her badge around her neck.
"You're really good at flattering people, Yoshiki!" Kogoro chuckled between yawns.
Conan nodded in agreement. He found Hayashi Yoshiki's empathy and smooth conversation refreshing. The man had a subtle way of making people feel at ease.
Hayashi surveyed the venue, noting that Tequila had not yet appeared. But there were too many people to be sure.
"This conference brought in just about every major name in the gaming industry," Kogoro said."And even a few celebrities."
He turned to Hayashi with pride.
"You'll try the game I helped supervise, right?"
"Of course. That's one of my reasons for coming."
"Haha! You won't be disappointed!"
Manten Corporation had gone all out this time. In addition to the Kogoro Mouri-themed mystery game, they were unveiling a range of new arcade titles and even updated gaming hardware.
As Hayashi looked at the new machines—sleek, evolved versions of traditional arcade setups—he silently noted that the tech level in this world was starting to shift upward.
By 10:00 a.m., a staff member approached.
"Mr. Mouri, the press conference is about to begin. Please come with me."
Kogoro was practically dragged away.
Hayashi smiled at Ran and Conan.
"Let's try out some of the other games while we wait."
The three of them began exploring the venue, checking out the demos and arcade setups.
Meanwhile – Tequila Appears
A tall, burly man in black entered the venue, exuding an intimidating aura. He lingered silently in a corner, surveying the room.
Then, he pulled out his phone and sent a text:
Tequila: "I'm inside. Doesn't look like we're being followed. Also, which Cointreau are you referring to?"
Gin: "Just stay alert and handle your part."
Pocketing the phone, Tequila looked up again.
There were far too many people in black suits.
There's no way to tell which one's Cointreau.
I can handle this myself. No need for Cointreau to share in the credit.