"Come in, Shizuka."
After parking her car in the garage of her villa, Yukiko Kudo welcomed Shizuka Hiratsuka into the spacious living room with a warm smile.
"Sorry for intruding." Shizuka dragged her suitcase inside. She was already familiar with Yukiko's villa in the States, so she didn't feel out of place.
"Oh? Is Yusaku not at home?" she asked casually, glancing around.
"He had a writers' gathering today. He won't be back until tonight." Tossing her shoulder bag onto the sofa, Yukiko sank into it with a lazy stretch, looking utterly at ease.
"I see." Shizuka set her suitcase aside and sat down next to her.
"Take a break first. After that, I'll take you out to eat. It's still early, so this afternoon I'll think about where we should go for fun." Yukiko crossed her legs elegantly, smiling at her guest.
"There's no rush. I have plenty of free time this trip, so we can take things slow." Shizuka shook her head, amused at how excited Yukiko seemed on her behalf.
"You're right." Yukiko's long lashes fluttered, and her expression softened slightly. She remembered the phone call she'd had with Shizuka's mother not long ago.
'So she's in a bad mood because she had to leave her school and her students… Shizuka really is a devoted teacher.'
With a small sigh, Yukiko quickly brightened her smile again. She didn't want Shizuka to dwell on unpleasant things while she was here.
"Do you have any plans of your own? A place you really want to visit? I've been in the States for years, so I've already seen most of what there is to see." Yukiko leaned closer, propping her chin on the sofa.
"Not really. I just wanted a change of scenery. I didn't have a specific destination in mind." Shizuka scratched her head, looking slightly embarrassed.
Of course, she couldn't admit that she had literally spun a pen to pick a country from a list. That was way too childish.
"That does sound like you." Yukiko chuckled. She glanced at the clock on the wall, and her eyes suddenly lit up as if an idea had struck her.
"Shizuka, are you hungry?"
"Not really." Shizuka patted her stomach. She had already eaten on the plane and couldn't figure out what Yukiko was up to. From experience, that mischievous gleam in Yukiko's eyes usually meant she was about to drag her into something unexpected.
"Then let's go out! Sitting at home is boring. I'll take you somewhere fun." Yukiko leapt up and tugged Shizuka to her feet without giving her a chance to object.
"Eh? Where are we going?" Shizuka looked bewildered, instinctively resisting. Past experience told her that when Yukiko was in this mood, things always ended in ridiculous situations.
But then she thought it over. She'd come here to relax, hadn't she? If everything went according to routine, what would be the point? Life needed a few surprises.
With that thought, she let Yukiko pull her along to the car.
"Alright then, off we go!"
"…Sure."
"No, no, say it with more enthusiasm. You need to be excited!"
"Alright, let's go!"
…
"Where exactly are we going, Yukiko?" Shizuka asked, watching the scenery blur past outside the window. After a moment's hesitation, she lit a cigarette under Yukiko's cheerful coaxing.
"You'll see when we get there. If I told you now, it would spoil the fun." Yukiko kept her hands light on the steering wheel, her driving steady and smooth. She sneaked a glance at Shizuka, who leaned against the window with a cigarette between her fingers, the smoke lending her an air of cool mystery.
"By the way, how's Shinichi doing back in Japan? I keep up with him from afar, but being here, I can't always see the whole picture."
"That kid?" Shizuka stubbed out her cigarette in the car's ashtray and waved away the smoke.
"He's doing fine. Spends all his time chasing mysteries. I honestly don't know where he runs into so many murder cases." She sighed, half exasperated and half amused. As Yukiko's closest friend, she naturally kept an eye on her son.
"Yukiko, don't you think you should take him to a proper temple someday? Yusaku had his fair share of run-ins with murder back in the day, but Shinichi's case is far worse. It can't just be genetics."
"Ah, I'll talk to Yusaku about it." Yukiko blinked, looking embarrassed. This wasn't the first time Shizuka had teased her about Shinichi's bizarre fate, but it still made her uneasy.
"Well, besides that, I'd say his martial arts are still lacking. Nowhere near as good as Ran's. Honestly, if those two end up together someday, I wonder if he'll be the one getting pushed around."
"Oh? So Shinichi and Ran have made some progress?" Yukiko's eyes sparkled with excitement. She even forgot to watch the road, turning her head to stare at Shizuka.
"Watch where you're going!" Shizuka scolded, pushing Yukiko's face back toward the windshield with an exasperated sigh.
"Not really. That kid has all his attention on his detective work. He barely notices Ran at all. Honestly, if I didn't know Ran's personality so well, I wouldn't be surprised if some other guy swooped in and stole her away."
"Ugh, Shinichi is such an idiot. He's nothing like his father in this regard!" Yukiko smacked the steering wheel in frustration, speechless at her son's cluelessness.
"Oh, by the way, when the new semester starts, you'll be teaching in Tokyo, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Then I'll be counting on you to keep an eye on Shinichi. With Yusaku and me away most of the time, it's not easy to look after him from here."
"Leave it to me. Shinichi's actually a bit afraid of me, so keeping him in line won't be hard." Shizuka smiled as the car gradually slowed. She glanced around.
"Are we there already, Yukiko?"
"Mm-hm. Come on, I'll show you somewhere fun."