Friday afternoon, after school, Alex, Kogoro Mouri, and Eri Kisaki waited at the izakaya for Officer Megure to pick them up for Mihua City Hall. All three wore their school uniforms, but Yukiko Fujimine insisted on going home to change.
Reiko, meanwhile, had been taken home by her parents. After the Seiji Kubo incident two days ago, the Kujo couple decided to spend more time with their daughter.
Just past six, Megure pulled up in his police car. "Alex, just the three of you going?"
"There's also a vain curly-haired fox," Eri huffed.
"Huh?" Megure glanced at the boys, confused.
"Eri means Yukiko," Alex said with a sigh. "She went home to change and has been gone for over two hours."
"No rush, there's still time," Megure said, patting his stomach. "Got anything to eat? I skipped lunch."
"We just finished some curry rice. There's a bit left," Eri said, heading to serve him a plate.
Kogoro nudged Alex, whispering, "Hey, isn't that Yukiko's share?"
"She won't die missing one meal," Alex replied dismissively.
Kogoro opened his mouth to argue for saving Yukiko some food, but a photo of a male celebrity slipped out of his clothes.
"Uh, that's for autographs tonight," Kogoro said, coughing awkwardly as he bent to pick it up. Then, a cascade of photos—thirty or forty, mostly male celebrities—spilled out.
"Kogoro, your favorite stars…" Megure said, his expression odd. "So many guys?"
"Y-Yeah," Kogoro laughed nervously, scrambling to gather the photos.
"They're not his," Alex cut in, noticing Megure's growing suspicion. "He's collecting them for girls at school who asked him to get their idols' autographs."
"Oh, I see," Megure said, relieved. "I was gonna say, back in my day, I was into long-legged blondes…" He trailed off, realizing Alex, Kogoro, and Eri were staring. Clearing his throat, he added, "Kogoro, getting autographs is fine, but be careful. If anything goes wrong, it puts us in a tough spot."
"No worries," Kogoro said, thumping his chest. "I've been practicing my English. It'll be fine."
Just then, the izakaya door swung open. Yukiko strutted in, wearing a flowing lavender evening gown, instantly stealing everyone's attention.
"How's it look? Pretty good, right?" she said, twirling. The skirt flared, amplifying her already stunning presence.
"Gorgeous," Kogoro said, gawking.
"Prettier than those TV actresses," Megure added.
Alex gave a slight nod. Yukiko was naturally beautiful, with a killer figure, and the gown cranked her charm up a notch. No wonder, in the original timeline, she became a global superstar by nineteen.
Even Eri was dazzled, eyeing the gown with a hint of envy.
"Heh, this was my mom's birthday gift last year," Yukiko said proudly. "I never had the right occasion to wear it. Tonight, when my parents see me there, they'll be shocked."
"It's pretty, sure," Eri said, switching to critique mode, "but did you forget? The police asked us to help keep an eye out for anything suspicious at this event. How are you supposed to blend in dressed like that?"
"Uh…" Yukiko blinked. She'd completely forgotten.
If anyone else had pointed it out, she might've conceded. But Eri? With their rivalry, Yukiko wasn't about to back down. "Dressed like this, I'll draw everyone's eyes, making it easier for you to spot trouble!"
"Hmph, you don't seriously think you'll outshine international celebrities, do you?" Eri shot back.
"Glasses Girl, you're just jealous I look better!" Yukiko retorted.
"Curly-Haired Fox, not everyone's as vain as you!" Eri snapped.
…
"Look, it doesn't matter what you wear," Megure interjected, trying to defuse the brewing argument. "We've got everything under control for tonight's movie event. No problems will arise, so you can all relax and enjoy."
"Hear that, Glasses Girl?" Yukiko said, tilting her chin triumphantly.
"Officer Megure, are you sure nothing will go wrong?" Eri challenged. "You said Mihua was safe before, and then Alex's cousin was in danger!"
"Well," Megure said, chuckling awkwardly, "there's always a chance something could happen…"
Out of words, he turned to Alex for help. "Alex, say something!"
Alex glanced at his watch. "It's about time. We should go."
"Right, right, we need to move," Megure said, seizing the excuse to stand. "Can't be late for tonight's event."
"Wait, we're leaving now?" Yukiko said, startled. "I haven't eaten dinner!"
"You took too long getting ready," Eri said, poking Yukiko's cinched waist. "Took forever to squeeze into that, huh? Could you even eat now, little chubby?"
"My waist is naturally tiny! I didn't need to cinch anything!" Yukiko retorted, a touch guilty. Seeing everyone heading out, she grabbed a tomato and followed.
At Mihua City Hall, Megure pulled up with ten minutes to spare before the event. Celebrities were already arriving.
A red carpet stretched from the entrance, flanked by reporters with cameras and throngs of excited fans. Each arriving star triggered waves of cheers, with journalists scrambling for photos and interviews.
Yukiko was practically vibrating with excitement. Kogoro and Eri scanned the crowd for their favorite stars.
Alex, bored, yawned. He'd never cared for celebrities in his past life or this one. But then Yukiko squealed, "It's Sharon Vineyard!"
Belmod?
Alex looked up. A stunning blonde in a matching lavender evening gown stood at the top of the city hall stairs, posing confidently for the cameras…
(Chapter End)
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