That evening, just as Kurosawa Hoshino was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, his phone rang. He glanced at the number and answered, "Ran, what's up?"
"Hoshino, open your window. I want to tell you something."
"Just say it over the phone."
"No, it doesn't feel right that way." The girl hung up.
"..."
Kurosawa Hoshino rubbed his nose and shook his head helplessly. He got out of bed and walked to the window.
He pulled back the curtain and opened the window. Across the way, in the lit room, Ran was leaning on her windowsill in pink pajamas, beaming.
"Hoshino~" Ran called.
"Go on, what is it?" Kurosawa Hoshino asked while checking if anyone was on the street. Fortunately, it was so late that almost all the shops on the street were closed, and he didn't see anyone walking around.
Just as they were talking, Kogoro Mouri and Conan, who were still awake, heard the noise and came to their windows, straining their ears to eavesdrop.
"I'm planning to do a big cleanup tomorrow."
"Need help? Sure."
"No, I mean, do you want to clean your place too? I'll help you."
"That's not good." Kurosawa Hoshino declined. "You have to clean your own place and help me with mine. That's too much work."
"It's not too much. I have help."
Hearing his daughter's words, Kogoro Mouri muttered inwardly, She's not going to ask me for help, is she? No way. I'll find an excuse and say I have work. I'm not cleaning.
"Okay, what time?" Kurosawa Hoshino's voice came.
"Start at ten in the morning. That gives you enough time to sleep in."
"All right. I'm going to sleep then. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
After hearing the conversation and the sound of the window closing, Conan dared to open his window and sneak a look. Coincidentally, Kogoro Mouri did the same. Their eyes met awkwardly, but both pretended not to see each other and retreated as if nothing had happened.
The next day.
Kurosawa Hoshino was half-asleep when he heard a familiar conversation.
——
——
"Ran, I'm going to draw a turtle on Hoshino's face."
"Don't. He'll be angry when he wakes up."
Kurosawa Hoshino: "..."
This time he didn't even need to suspect he was under an illusion. The moment he heard those words, he was fully awake. He opened his eyes and said irritably, "Hey, hey, hey, Sonoko, stop waking me up like this every time."
"Hehe, it works great. See, you're awake now." Sonoko stood by the bed, smiling at him.
Kurosawa Hoshino scanned the room and found a third person—a girl who was also smiling at him.
"Hello, Hoshino. Good morning." The girl greeted him sweetly when she saw him staring.
"Aoko, you're here too?" Kurosawa Hoshino asked.
"Yeah." Aoko nodded. "Ran said she needed help with the big cleanup and promised me a feast at noon. For that feast, I have to work hard." She even flexed her arm, though she was a slender girl with no masculine muscle at all.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely prepare a feast for you all," Ran said confidently.
Kurosawa Hoshino turned to look out the window, then back at them, and said quietly, "Didn't we say ten o'clock? Is it ten now?"
He felt around on the nightstand, grabbed his phone, and saw it was 8:10. His whole mood soured. He stared straight at the three girls.
Aoko blinked her bright eyes, completely clueless, curiosity written all over her face.
Ran said nothing, but her light purple eyes kept darting toward Sonoko.
"So you're the culprit?" Kurosawa Hoshino understood Ran's hint and turned his gaze to Sonoko.
Sonoko crossed her arms, lifted her chin slightly, and wore a faint smile with a hint of smugness. "That's right, it's me. We're about to start the big cleanup, so we can't let you sleep in. And we're cleaning your place too, so you need to get up and help."
"I didn't say I wouldn't help. Didn't we agree on ten last night?"
"We came early, so we started early."
"Fine, fine, fine. Out, out. I need to change."
Kurosawa Hoshino started shooing them out.
"We don't want to watch you change anyway." Sonoko put her left arm around Ran and her right around Aoko—double happiness—and led them out of the room.
Kurosawa Hoshino muttered, "Why do I feel like Sonoko is the main character? She's got one on each arm."
He chuckled, got out of bed, and started changing.
When he came out, the three girls were already moving things around.
"We're starting with your place?" Kurosawa Hoshino asked.
"Yeah, since we're all here, we might as well start with yours," Ran replied.
"Works for me."
Kurosawa Hoshino walked to Conan's door and knocked. "Conan, wake up. Get up and help clean."
He waited a moment. No response.
He opened the door and went in. Seeing Conan still sound asleep, he was about to slap him but thought better of it. Instead, he hauled him up and shook him hard.
"Wake up. Stop sleeping."
"Ugh~" Conan was forcibly booted up, completely dazed, staring blankly at Kurosawa Hoshino.
"Get dressed. Go outside and help clean."
Just then, Ayumi's voice came from outside.
"Conan, are you awake? We came to play with you!"
Kurosawa Hoshino's eyes lit up. He tossed Conan back onto the bed and went to the entryway, where the three kids were standing.
He smiled and called out, "Perfect timing. Help us clean, and I'll treat you to a feast at noon."
"A feast?" Genta asked excitedly. "Brother Hoshino, is there eel rice?"
"Yes," Kurosawa Hoshino nodded.
"Is there chocolate cake?" Ayumi pressed.
"Yes. We have everything. You can even eat Conan if you want."
Kurosawa Hoshino walked over, pulled the three kids inside, and shut the door behind them.
"Ah! Two Ran-nee-chans!" Ayumi pointed at the busy Aoko and Ran and shouted.
"Really~"
"Wow, are they twins?" Genta and Mitsuhiko were equally curious.
Ran smiled. "No, we're not twins. We just look a bit alike. Her name is Aoko Nakamori. You can call her Aoko-neechan."
Hearing that, the three kids obediently greeted her.
Later, when Conan finished dressing and came out, he saw the three kids working happily and shook his head helplessly. He figured Kurosawa Hoshino had thoroughly tricked them. But he wasn't much better—he joined the cleaning crew too.