Rin slapped herself on the forehead, withdrew her gaze, and whispered to Ellen, "Let's just pretend we didn't see anything and enjoy ourselves."
She really didn't want to get involved with that Shinigami elementary schooler, who brought death wherever he went, on such a beautiful day.
However, things did not go as planned.
"Rin—! Ellen—! It really is you two!" a lively voice exclaimed.
Sonoko Suzuki, holding a camera in one hand and pulling Mouri Ran with the other, was excitedly running towards them.
Sonoko was wearing a brightly colored swimsuit, her face beaming with the excitement of spotting an acquaintance.
"Sonoko? Ran?" Rin was a little surprised and waved at them.
Ran also smiled and waved at Rin and Ellen.
"Wow! Who are these two beauties?"
Sonoko Ran closer, her gaze immediately drawn to Yuzuha and Alice in their swimsuits, her eyes sparkling.
"Rin, aren't you going to introduce them?"
"Oh, this is Yuzuha," Rin said, pointing to the red-haired, twin-tailed girl holding a water gun with a mischievous smile.
"And this is Alice."
She then pointed to the Rabbit-kin girl, who was hiding behind Yuzuha, her ear tips bright red, even shyer because of the multiple gazes on her swimsuit.
"Hello everyone, I'm Suzuki Sonoko!" Sonoko introduced herself in a cheerful manner.
"I'm Mouri Ran." Ran also smiled and nodded.
"I'm Ukinami Yuzuha, nice to meet you all!" Yuzuha greeted them with easy familiarity.
"I... I'm Alice... Hello everyone..."
Alice's voice was very soft, and the display screen on her waist once again uncontrollably lit up with an expression of shyness, which she quickly covered with her hand.
No sooner had the introductions finished than three more people walked over.
Toyama Kazuha stomped ahead, followed by two dejected young men and a child, each with a noticeable bump on their heads.
It was Hattori Heiji and Conan.
Apparently, their earlier behavior on the beach, guessing the colors and styles of women's swimsuits in the shallow water, had been met with Kazuha's righteous punishment.
"Kazuha, you guys are here." Ran saw them and smiled, nodding.
Toyama Kazuha and Hattori Heiji were also seeing Rin and her friends for the first time.
Rin's gaze fell on Hattori Heiji's dark skin, and remembering how he and Conan had been sitting together on the beach earlier, she chuckled mischievously and said, "So... Bonjour (Good day)?"
Hattori Heiji was taken aback.
Rin then asked in English, "Hello? Where are you from?"
Hattori Heiji finally understood, a black line appearing on his forehead, and he loudly retorted in his Kansai dialect, "Hey, hey! I'm just a little dark-skinned! I'm not a foreigner! And certainly not African! I'm a born Osaka native! My name is Hattori Heiji!"
"Pfft…" Yuzuha couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Alice smiled without showing her teeth, but the hand gripping Yuzuha's wrist tightened slightly.
Sonoko looked at the group of beautiful women before her, each unique in their charm, then looked at herself and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Oh! With a great beauty like Ran by my side, no handsome guy ever notices me.
Now there are so many beauties like Rin, Ellen, Yuzuha, and Alice… My popularity has completely plummeted! My summer romance…"
As Sonoko lamented her tragic fate, a gentle, smiling male voice interrupted, "Excuse me, lovely lady."
Everyone looked towards the sound, only to see a handsome young man in a floral shirt and beach shorts walking over.
He had a charming smile on his face, his gaze fixed directly on Sonoko.
"Wow! A hottie!"
Sonoko's eyes lit up instantly, but then she felt a little sour, asking half-jokingly, half-testing, "Hottie, which beauty are you trying to pick up? There are so many beauties here!" She gestured to Ran, and the others beside her.
To everyone's surprise, the man only gave the other women a polite glance, his gaze immediately returning to Sonoko, and he said with a beaming smile, "No, I came specifically for you. My name is Michiwaki Tadahiko, and I've been watching your lively and adorable demeanor since earlier. I couldn't help but want to get to know you."
"For, for me?!"
Sonoko was instantly stunned, pointing at her nose, hardly believing her ears. Among so many beauties, he actually chose plain old me?
A huge surprise welled up in her heart, and Sonoko's face flushed. "Re… really?"
"Of course." Michiwaki Tadahiko smiled and nodded.
Conan stood behind the crowd, watching this scene with a look of shock.
It was as if he had heard that his 70-year-old grandparents had given his dad a second younger brother—that's how shocked he was.
'Impossible…' he muttered to himself.
'It's impossible for anyone to be interested in Sonoko… There must be something wrong.'
Conan became a little more wary of this suddenly appearing Michiwaki Tadahiko.
The group moved to an open-air snack bar by the beach to rest.
Michiwaki Tadahiko naturally sat next to Sonoko, chatting and laughing, making Sonoko overjoyed.
After not long, Michiwaki Tadahiko invited Sonoko.
"Sonoko-san, are you free tonight? I know there's an area behind a nearby seaside hotel with a beautiful night view. I'd like to invite you to see it with me? Be sure to bring your camera."
"I have to bring a camera?" Sonoko asked curiously.
Ran also asked, "Why do we need to bring a camera?"
Michiwaki Tadahiko showed a mysterious expression and lowered his voice.
"Because, a year ago, near that hotel, a murder occurred. A young woman with beautiful brown hair was killed."
His tone took on a hint of eeriness.
"Since then, there's been a legend… It's said that at night, you can photograph the ghost of that unfortunate girl with a camera!
I've always wanted to try and see if it's true. Sonoko-san, would you like to go on an adventure with me? With me there, you don't have to be scared."
As he spoke, he reached out his hand, seemingly intending to naturally grasp Sonoko's hand on the table, as if to offer comfort.
"A ghost?!" Sonoko was indeed startled, her face slightly changed, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
Just as Michiwaki Tadahiko's hand was about to touch Sonoko's—
"Careful, it's hot!"
A low voice sounded.
Kyogoku Makoto, wearing a snack bar employee's apron and with dark skin, walked over carrying a pot of hot tea.
His wrist seemed to give an accidental flick, the spout tilted, and the scalding hot tea precisely splashed onto Michiwaki Tadahiko's hand that was reaching for Sonoko.
"Ah—!" Michiwaki Tadahiko cried out in pain, sharply retracting his hand, the back of his hand scalded red.
"My deepest apologies!" Kyogoku Makoto said with a blank expression, apologizing without sincerity, his gaze sweeping over Michiwaki Tadahiko's pained face, finally resting on the still-shaken Sonoko.