"These ingredients look great—fresh too."Ren Kuroda gave the grocery bag a satisfied shake. "Too bad it's already past dinner. Otherwise, I'd have cooked something for you tonight."
"Then… how about tomorrow?" Sonoko Suzuki said, her eyes lighting up. "You could make me a bento!"
Ren smiled. "Deal. Tomorrow, I'll bring you lunch."
"Really? Yay! It's a promise then—make it a love bento, okay?"
"…Right."
The two of them chatted as they strolled out of the department store, their arms full of bags. It was already dark, the streetlamps glowing faintly against the deep blue of early evening.
Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Conan and the Detective Boys heading the other way.
"Ah! Ren-nii! Sonoko-neechan!" Conan waved cheerfully.
The three other kids—Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta—followed suit, greeting them politely.
"What are you all doing out here so late?" Sonoko asked curiously.
Genta answered before Conan could stop him. "I dropped my signed Kamen Rider photo back at the store! We're going to get it!"
Conan sighed, looking exasperated. "He left it at the food stall in the department store. So now we have to go back for it."
"Wait," Sonoko said, frowning slightly. "When we left, they were already closing up. You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Don't worry, the staff will keep it safe for you."
She directed the last part kindly at Genta.
"No way! What if they lose it?!" Genta yelped, panicking. "It's almost closing time—we have to run!"
And with that, he bolted toward the department store at full speed, the other kids hurrying after him.
Ren watched them go and couldn't help smirking. He knew exactly what was about to happen next.
He glanced at Sonoko. Well, taking her home now would just end the night early… But joining in on a real-life "incident"? Now that's a story she won't forget.
Compared to some cliché date at an amusement park, this was way more interesting—and maybe, just maybe, the perfect setup for a "save the damsel" scenario. Her affection meter would skyrocket.
He turned to her casually. "Those kids are going in alone. I'm not sure it's safe. How about we go with them?"
"Mm-hmm! Of course!" Sonoko said immediately, ever the caring big sister type.
And so, they followed the Detective Boys back into the department store.
What struck Ren almost immediately was how easy it was to get inside. No guards, no alarms, not even a "closed" sign.
He glanced at Conan, half-amused. Unbelievable. Those robbers who planned to hit this place spent months infiltrating as night guards, but you? You just waltz right in with a bunch of kids. That's the power of plot armor.
By the time Ren finished his internal commentary, Genta had already reached the hotdog stall.
"Found it!" he shouted triumphantly, clutching his autograph photo. "Knew it'd still be here!"
"Alright, you've got it back. Let's head out," Sonoko said, slipping naturally into her older-sister tone.
"Okay!" the kids chorused cheerfully.
But Conan, sharp as ever, frowned. He tugged at Ren's sleeve and whispered, "Ren-nii… don't you think this is weird? We've been walking around for a while now, and we haven't seen a single guard. That's not normal."
"Maybe they're all in the surveillance room," Ren said casually, waving it off.
"…Maybe." Conan frowned, still uneasy, but decided not to push it.
They turned to leave—only to find the main doors locked tight.
Ren's expression didn't change. Showtime.
"Let's check the security office," Conan suggested quickly. "We can ask the night guards to open up."
They headed that way, but just as they reached the corridor outside the security room, muffled voices drifted through the door.
"Alright, everyone's secured.""You've counted them?""Yeah. Headcount matches.""Good. Disable the alarms, and grab everything worth stealing. Move fast!"
Sonoko froze, her face draining of color. She looked at Ren, about to whisper something—only for him to gently cover her mouth.
"Shh."
He looked toward the Detective Boys. To his surprise, they weren't panicking. In fact… they looked excited.
Ayumi clenched her tiny fists. "We have to stop them!"Mitsuhiko nodded seriously. "This is our chance to catch real criminals!"Genta grinned. "Yeah! Let's show them the power of the Detective Boys!"
Ren sighed inwardly. Yup. Definitely Conan's crew.
He motioned for them to stay quiet, then led everyone carefully away from the security room, climbing up the emergency stairwell to a higher floor.
Once they reached a relatively safe spot, Sonoko immediately pulled out her phone. "We have to call the police! Hurry!"
Then she froze, staring at the screen. "What the—? It's dead! My battery's completely out! Seriously?! Now?!"
She looked at Ren helplessly.
"I'll try mine," he said, pretending to help. But when he pulled it out, the System had conveniently frozen his device. The screen flickered once, then went black.
"My phone just crashed… It was fine during dinner." He showed it to her and glanced at Conan, pretending to be puzzled but silently thinking: You again, huh?
Conan grimaced. "Then I'll use mine!"
He flipped it open, dialed quickly—and then frowned. "No way… My call button's broken?!"
"What?!" the other kids gasped in unison.
Now they looked genuinely worried.
"Don't panic," Conan said, trying to steady them. "We can find a landline and call from there."
"Forget it," Ren said calmly. He walked over to a nearby office desk, picked up the phone—and let the severed wire dangle between his fingers. "They've already cut the lines. We're on our own."
Sonoko's throat went dry. "So we… can't call for help at all?"
Ren gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I've got this."
Then he turned to the kids. "You four—hide under the desks. Don't move, don't make a sound, and don't come out until I say so. Got it?"
"Got it!" Conan said firmly, motioning for the others to crawl under the desk with him.
Once they were hidden, Ren looked back at Sonoko. "I'll need your help."
"M-me?!" she stammered, her hands shaking slightly.
"Relax." Ren reached over and gently pinched her cheek, smiling. "I'm not about to throw you into danger."
Her nerves eased a little at his calm tone—and at the quiet confidence in his eyes.
Ren led her a few steps away, then handed her something cold and heavy.
"Use this for protection," he said.
Sonoko looked down—and froze.
It was a gun.
"Wh—what the—? You have a gun?!" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Ren shrugged lightly. "For scaring off loan sharks. Comes in handy."
He tilted his head. "You know how to use one?"
"Mm-hmm." Sonoko's face hardened with sudden focus. She pulled the slide back slightly to check the chamber—single-handedly, with smooth precision.
Ren blinked. "You… actually do?"
Sonoko gave a small, embarrassed laugh. "After that kidnapping incident, my family made me take self-defense lessons. Firearm training was part of it."
"They even built me a private shooting range at home," she added matter-of-factly. "I can hit a target from fifty meters now."
Ren stared at her for a long moment, then let out a low sigh.
"…Being rich really does solve everything."