A new day arrived.
Noon, at the Beika Town Church.
A wedding was being held, most of the guests being relatives and friends connected to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Inside a room within the church, Kurosawa Hoshino stood in his school uniform. Beside him were Ran and Sonoko, similarly dressed, with Conan tagging along.
Unwilling to dress too formally, Hoshino had chosen his school uniform for the occasion, just like the two girls.
"Wow~!"
As they entered, the girls' eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful woman in the white wedding dress, their gazes filled with deep admiration.
"Hmm?"
Matsumoto Sayuri noticed the group, a smile gracing her lips. Lifting the hem of her white dress slightly, she took a few elegant steps forward.
"Suzuki-san, Mori-san, it's so good to see you."
"Matsumoto-sensei, you look absolutely stunning today," Ran said, her voice full of sincere praise.
"Yes, you're so beautiful!" Sonoko raised a handheld digital camera, pointing it directly at Sayuri. "Hehe, I'm going to start recording~"
Click.
Sayuri playfully snapped her fingers and winked. "Go right ahead. Make sure you capture my best side."
"Don't worry, Matsumoto-sensei," Sonoko laughed. "You're always beautiful, but today you're especially radiant."
"Hehe."
Sayuri nodded happily, then turned her gaze to Kurosawa Hoshino, extending her right hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Kurosawa-kun. I've been hearing so much about you lately."
"Hello, Matsumoto-sensei." Hoshino shook her hand politely.
"Haha, my dad—"
Before she could finish, the door opened, and a group of men in black suits filed in.
They varied in height and build—mostly middle-aged, some older, a few with stern, unapproachable expressions. Mouri Kogoro and Inspector Megure stood among them, wearing somewhat ingratiating smiles.
"Dad, what is it?" Sayuri asked, looking at the tall, burly middle-aged man with a scar on his face—her father, Matsumoto Kiyoshi.
"It's nothing, Sayuri. We just came to meet Kurosawa-kun."
Matsumoto Kiyoshi fixed his eyes on Hoshino, forcing an awkward-looking smile onto his typically fierce face—the kind that didn't seem used to smiling.
"Kurosawa-kun, thank you for your recent assistance to our police force. Let me introduce the people here..."
He then proceeded to list off names, one by one—all high-ranking police officials.
Sonoko wasn't particularly surprised; given her family's status, she'd met many of these people before.
Ran and Conan, however, were taken aback. Some of these were faces they usually only saw in newspapers or on TV.
As for Kurosawa Hoshino... he felt nothing much. Or rather, his only thought was that these were all characters who had appeared in the anime or movies.
Hakuba Shotaro, Superintendent General, father of Hakuba Saguru.
Moroboshi Toshio, Deputy Superintendent General, movie appearance.
Odagiri Toshiro, Superintendent, also from the movies.
Then followed a string of other officers Hoshino vaguely recognized—Chaki Shintaro, Uno Tadayoshi, and others.
Thirteen men in total, the lowest rank among them being Police Inspector.
"Nice to meet you all," Hoshino greeted simply once the introductions were over.
Hakuba Shotaro seemed particularly amiable. He stepped forward, patting Hoshino's shoulder with a smile.
"Kurosawa-kun, we truly appreciate your recent help to the police. By the way, have you considered joining the force after graduation?"
"I don't think I'm cut out to be a policeman."
"Haha, just a thought."
Another round of polite exchanges followed.
Afterward, Matsumoto Kiyoshi gave his daughter a nod, then led the procession of high-ranking officials and colleagues out of the room.
Only Inspector Megure and Mouri Kogoro remained. They exchanged a glance, letting out a long, synchronized sigh of relief.
"Kid, you've really made an impression on the top brass today," Kogoro said, a hint of envy in his tone.
"Yeah, Hoshino-kun," Megure echoed, equally envious.
Hoshino shrugged. "What's the point? I'm not becoming a cop."
"Exactly!" Sayuri Matsumoto stamped her foot lightly in frustration. "This is supposed to be my wedding, and they turn it into some official meet-and-greet. Honestly."
"Haha..." Inspector Megure laughed awkwardly, turning to Kogoro. "Mouri-kun, let's head outside. We shouldn't intrude here any longer."
"Right, right. I noticed a lot of old friends are here today. We should go say hello."
Chuckling, the two men left the room.
Now, only Hoshino and the others remained, and the atmosphere instantly relaxed.
"I never expected even Superintendent General Hakuba to come," Ran whispered.
Sonoko pouted. "It's not a big deal. He shows up at my family's parties all the time. But his son, Hakuba Saguru, is a pretty famous high school detective."
"Alright, Miss Rich Girl, we can't compare to your family," Hoshino teased with a laugh.
Sonoko's pout deepened. "Hoshino, you're teasing me again. So mean!"
"Telling the truth is teasing?"
"Even if it is, you're not allowed to say it!"
"Impossible, unless you gag me."
"Just you wait, I'll do it right now!"
Matsumoto Sayuri watched their back-and-forth, leaning over to whisper to Ran, "Is this... really okay?"
"It's fine, Matsumoto-sensei," Ran replied with a gentle smile. "They're always like this when they meet. I'm used to it."
"Oh~" Sayuri's expression shifted to one of sudden understanding, then she asked, "By the way, where's Kudo-kun? Isn't he coming? To be honest, I really miss the days when I was his teacher. I'd love to bully him a little again."
Standing right beside her, Conan's lips twitched. He shot a dead-fish-eyed glare at the music teacher who had "disciplined" him for three years.
Ran asked, "Matsumoto-sensei, I always felt you paid special attention to Shinichi back then. Why was that?"
"Well..."
A gentle, nostalgic smile spread across Sayuri's face. "Because Kudo-kun looks a lot like my first love from when I was little."
Hearing this piece of gossip, Sonoko immediately forgot her squabble with Hoshino and rushed over, urging excitedly, "Matsumoto-sensei, go on! I want to hear it, I want to hear all of it!"
Conan was also stunned. He knew he'd been singled out back then, but he never imagined this was the reason. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to react.
"When I was little, he would always stand up for me whenever I was bullied. And he would always bring me warm lemon tea from his family's bakery," Sayuri recalled fondly.
Kurosawa Hoshino listened, thinking about the plot of this episode. It was plenty dramatic.
But that drama had little to do with him. He was just here to earn Origin Points. Let them have their dramatic reveals; his goal was the points.
"Matsumoto-sensei, what happened after that?" Ran asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Then, one day, he suddenly moved away, and I..."
Click.
The door opened again.
A woman about Sayuri's age, with freckles dotting her face, walked in carrying a plastic bag.
"Sayuri, I bought this for you. Warm lemon tea."