Not long after, Mōri Kogorō finished his interview and finally joined them in the patrol car.
This time, Officer Chiba was driving, tasked with taking them home.
In the back seat, Ran sat next to Hoshino Kurosawa and whispered, "Hoshino, how did you know there were accomplices?"
Conan, on Hoshino's other side, was also curious. The police rescue had arrived so quickly he hadn't considered that angle.
"Actually, I just guessed," Hoshino Kurosawa laughed.
"Guessed?" Kogorō Mōri, in the passenger seat, scoffed. "Kid, I've noticed you love talking nonsense. You even said the case was like an anime you'd seen and deduced it from there. Hah, you think we bought that?"
Officer Chiba really wanted to say he did, but not being close to the Mōris, he stayed quiet, just listening.
"I…" Hoshino had barely started when a cell phone rang in the car.
Ran felt her pocket vibrate, took out her phone, and saw her best friend calling. She answered, "Sonoko, what's up?"
"Haha, Ran, I finally did it! Hehe, see you at Beika Park tomorrow morning!"
"What are you talking about?" Ran asked with a wide smile.
"It's about Miss Chris! I've been asking her forever, and she finally agreed to come out. Tomorrow, she'll take us to buy cosmetics and teach us how to do makeup."
"Really? That's great!" Ran exclaimed happily.
Hearing the name "Chris," Kurosawa Hoshino knew it was Vermouth.
After Ran hung up, Conan asked in a childish voice, "Ran-neechan, are you going out to play tomorrow? Can I come?"
"Okay…"
"Okay what?" Kurosawa Hoshino cut Ran off. "I haven't lectured you about tonight yet. Tomorrow, you'd better stay home and do your homework, or go find Professor Agasa."
Seeing the sense in Hoshino's suggestion, Ran nodded gently.
"…" Conan glared at Kurosawa Hoshino with dead fish eyes, annoyed. This guy was going too far—excluding him from the outing and lecturing him like a parent.
The next day arrived in a flash.
It felt like summer; the weather was warm enough for short sleeves and shorts.
On the way to Beika Park, Kurosawa Hoshino was utterly captivated by Ran's long, fair legs, stealing glances now and then.
Finally, they reached their destination.
They saw Sonoko dressed in similarly breezy attire and Vermouth, just like last time, wearing a hat and sunglasses. This time, she had on a white T-shirt and a white lace skirt.
"Ran! Hoshino!" Sonoko waved excitedly from a distance.
"Ahem~" Kurosawa Hoshino coughed, his gaze sweeping over the three pairs of long legs before finally settling on Vermouth's. Hers looked especially long and straight, probably because she was wearing heels.
"Hehe~ Still just a boy after all~" Vermouth noticed his gaze, a smile flashing in her eyes behind the sunglasses. She was pleased her charm was undeniable, even with most of her face covered.
"Sonoko, Miss Chris," Ran greeted with a smile.
"Haha, perfect! We're definitely going to have fun today!" The outgoing Sonoko linked arms with Vermouth and Ran, standing between them.
Vermouth didn't resist Sonoko's closeness, a faint smile on her lips.
Kurosawa Hoshino looked at the three women, glanced helplessly at the sky, and sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have come today. Seems like I've got nothing to do here."
"It's fine, I'll allow you to serve me," Sonoko teased.
Ran chuckled. "Sonoko, if you keep talking, Hoshino might bully you."
"You'll protect me, right?"
"Of course."
"Then I'm not scared."
Vermouth interjected, "Alright, didn't you want me to teach you makeup? Let's go buy some cosmetics first."
"Great!" Sonoko exclaimed. "Miss Chris, any recommendations?"
"Don't worry, Beika Department Store is fine. Their cosmetics are decent."
"Perfect, it's so close—less than a ten-minute walk."
The three girls chatted as they strolled ahead.
Seeing they hadn't called for him, Hoshino twitched his lips and followed, slightly annoyed.
But following had its perks—he could admire their beautiful legs, which were truly a sight. He didn't make any lecherous faces, simply appreciating the view.
Half an hour later, on the seventh floor of Beika Department Store, Kurosawa Hoshino sat on a sofa in a cosmetics store lobby, idly playing on his phone.
Across from him, Vermouth had already picked out a set of cosmetics for Ran and Sonoko and was unpacking them, explaining step by step.
"Miss Chris, can I record this? I can't remember it all," Sonoko said weakly.
Vermouth adjusted her sunglasses and hat brim. "Explaining might be too complicated. How about I demonstrate?"
"Okay," Ran nodded.
"Miss Chris, use my face to demonstrate!" Sonoko's eyes lit up, eager to see how pretty she'd look.
"No, you won't learn that way," Vermouth refused.
As soon as she finished, the three girls exchanged knowing smiles and all turned their gazes toward Kurosawa Hoshino, sitting on the sofa a few meters away, playing on his phone.
"…"
Not sitting far, Kurosawa Hoshino had clearly heard their conversation. When silence fell again, he slowly looked over and, sure enough, found them all staring at him.
The atmosphere grew still.
Another half hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Kurosawa Hoshino sat motionless in a chair, letting Vermouth work on his face.
"Not done yet?" He didn't dare open his mouth wide, speaking through a slit.
"Almost, almost there." Vermouth's bright red lips curved upward.
"Miss Chris, isn't this a bit much? Why such long false eyelashes?"
"Don't move. Okay, Ran, Sonoko, what do you think?" Vermouth stepped aside so the two could observe Kurosawa Hoshino up close.
"Wow~" they exclaimed.
Just as Kurosawa Hoshino thought he must look incredibly handsome, Ran's next words left him stunned:
"Hoshino, you look so beautiful."