That evening, Mouri Kogoro and Conan finally returned.
Reaching the third-floor living room and seeing Sonoko still there, Kogoro asked in surprise, "Sonoko, you're not home yet?"
"Yeah, Uncle, I'm staying over with Ran tonight. I'm already in my uniform, so we can go to school together tomorrow," Sonoko said with a grin.
"Sonoko-neechan, where's your school bag?" Conan asked.
Sonoko waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, I already told my bodyguard to bring it to my classroom tomorrow morning."
Kurosawa Hoshino chuckled. "Conan, don't worry about the young lady's affairs. She doesn't need our concern."
Conan knew it was a joke, but he had to admit it made sense. He really didn't need to worry about Sonoko.
"You darn Hoshino, teasing me again! I'll fight you!"
"Calm down, Sonoko, you're no match for Hoshino."
Ran hugged her best friend's waist from behind. Sonoko's face was filled with dramatic rage, as if she wanted to devour Hoshino whole.
"Ran, let me go! I've put up with this guy for too long. I have to teach him a lesson today!"
"But you're really no match for him."
"Believe in me, I can do it!"
"This... alright..."
Seeing Sonoko struggle so earnestly, Ran finally released her.
"Uh..."
Sonoko froze, her flailing limbs coming to an abrupt halt. She stiffly turned her head, staring helplessly at her best friend.
"What's wrong?" Ran tilted her head, genuinely confused.
"..." Sonoko muttered, "Ran, I was just putting on a show. You actually let go?"
She knew her friend's strength all too well. Her fierce act was just for show, a way to express her attitude, but her best friend hadn't played along and had taken her seriously.
Ran: "..."
"Hehe." Kurosawa Hoshino smiled, then looked at Mouri Kogoro and asked, "Uncle Mouri, how did things turn out in the end?"
Hearing this question, Ran and Sonoko perked up, eager to know the answer.
"Of course they took him away. The wedding didn't continue. That manager Matsumoto's daughter tried to stop them, but it was no use."
After hearing her father's account, Ran said sadly, "I wonder how sad Matsumoto-sensei must be."
Sonoko added, "I remember Matsumoto-sensei's school is on our way. Ran, how about we walk to school with her tomorrow morning?"
"After what happened today, do you really think she'll go to school to teach tomorrow?" Kurosawa Hoshino said slowly.
"I'll call and ask."
Ran took out her phone and dialed Matsumoto Sayuri's number.
A few minutes later, the call ended. Everyone now knew the situation.
Matsumoto Sayuri originally didn't plan to, but Matsumoto Kiyonaga had ordered her not to deal with the matter for now and to calm down first. So, to suppress her grief, she decided to throw herself into work tomorrow, keeping herself too busy to overthink.
"That's great!" Ran put her phone away, a big smile on her face.
"Alright, Conan, let's head back." Kurosawa Hoshino patted Conan's head, signaling it was time to leave.
"Huh?" Conan was taken aback, then put on a pitiful act. "Hoshino-nii, I haven't had dinner yet."
"It's your own fault for not coming back with us. Dinner time is over. We have instant noodles at home. You can have those."
"But—"
Kurosawa Hoshino didn't wait for him to finish his nonsense, grabbing him and heading out.
The next morning, Kurosawa Hoshino, the two girls, and Conan waited downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency.
Before long, they saw Matsumoto Sayuri, who looked completely different from the day before.
Gone was yesterday's radiance. She looked very plain, wearing no makeup, glasses, and with her hair down instead of tied up. Though not as stunning as before, she at least didn't look lifeless, and her demeanor was relatively normal.
"Kurosawa-kun, thank you."
Matsumoto Sayuri spoke first as soon as she approached.
"If it weren't for you, I can't imagine how things would have turned out. So, thank you very much. At least it's not the worst outcome. Toshihiko and I... still have a chance."
Perhaps feeling her words weren't enough, she bowed deeply after speaking.
Kurosawa Hoshino raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ran and Sonoko, and gave them a subtle nod.
The two girls took the hint and promptly stepped forward, helping Matsumoto Sayuri up from either side.
"Thank you." Matsumoto Sayuri looked at the three of them, a faint smile finally appearing on her face.
Conan: Am I not a person?
Along the way, Ran and the others made conversation, while Kurosawa Hoshino and Conan remained mostly silent.
Conan was the first to leave, running into Ayumi and the others on the way and departing with them. Those three kids, upon seeing Kurosawa Hoshino, acted as if they'd seen a monster, giving him a wide berth from afar, which was quite amusing.
The second to leave was Matsumoto Sayuri. It was only a short distance together, so they soon went their separate ways.
"Whew..." Ran watched Matsumoto Sayuri's figure disappear into the distance and said softly, "That's good. For now, everything's okay."
Kurosawa Hoshino replied calmly, "Of course it's okay. After all, no one died yesterday. Even if he goes to jail, it won't be for too long. It's normal for Matsumoto-sensei not to be too worried."
"Let's not talk about that," Sonoko interjected, changing the subject mysteriously. "I've got some news. A new teacher is coming today."
"Really? I haven't heard anything about it." Ran thought for a moment, realizing she hadn't caught wind of this news recently.
"A teacher is just a teacher. It has nothing to do with us." Kurosawa Hoshino paused after saying this, staring at Sonoko and raising an eyebrow. "If it had nothing to do with us, you definitely wouldn't have mentioned it. Since you brought it up, it must concern us. So, the new teacher is assigned to our class?"
"You guessed it!" Sonoko snapped her fingers.
Instantly, a figure flashed through Kurosawa Hoshino's mind—a rather attractive blonde woman.
Now that Vermouth was already disguised as Dr. Araide at Teitan High School, this new teacher must be that FBI investigator who initially seemed impressive but later turned out to be more of a field agent—Jodie.
Kurosawa Hoshino asked, "Sonoko, is she an English teacher? And a woman?"
"Huh?" Sonoko was quite surprised. "Hoshino, how did you know? My family just told me on the phone this morning. Where did you hear it?"
"Looks like I guessed right."
"Hey, answer my question first."
"Answer what? Grown-up matters are none of my business."
"Pfft—" Ran was successfully amused by this remark and couldn't help laughing out loud. It was just too funny.
Sonoko's expression darkened. She clenched her fists in anger, gesturing wildly in the air a couple of times, really wanting to smash them down on someone.