Chapter 12: The Enchanting Man-Slayer

Inside the family restaurant, cordoned off by police tape, Inspector Megure looked at Kogoro Mouri and Conan, speechless and rubbing his temples.

"It made sense for Hattori to come over, but Mouri, it's one thing for you to show up, but why bring your whole family along? Do you think this place is a tourist attraction?"

Kogoro Mouri, scolded by the inspector, looked embarrassed. "Well, you see..."

Masumi Sera, standing nearby, interjected, "Let’s go take a look at the crime scene. Solving the case and finding the killer as quickly as possible is the top priority, isn't it?"

Inspector Megure nodded helplessly. "You're right. Takagi, take them to see the scene."

"Yes, sir!" Takagi led the way, relaying the case details: "The victim died in the restroom..."

Hattori deliberately lagged a step behind, whispering to Conan, "In terms of deduction skills, I'm not a bit behind you, Kud..." Under Conan's death glare, Hattori corrected himself: "Conan, I am the number one detective, just admit it!"

In the past, Conan would have surely challenged him to a contest for the title of "Great Detective." However, after witnessing how Rumei Kisaragi handled Hattori Heiji’s provocations, Conan realized his own immaturity.

Of course, another reason was that Conan was afraid of losing face—Hattori hadn't even noticed that when faced with his verbal jabs, Rumei Kisaragi wore an expression of such helplessness, looking for all the world like a kind grandfather watching an unruly grandson!

Thinking of this, Conan guiltily checked Rumei Kisaragi’s position, terrified that he might notice him and look at him with that same expression in the future. That would be social death!

Seeing that Rumei Kisaragi’s attention was entirely on the vacuum-packed curry for sale at the counter, Conan exhaled in relief, having escaped social ruin.

"Glad he didn't see."

Hattori Heiji continued, "Well, do you admit it?"

Conan, considering himself mentally mature, tried to reason with his naive friend: "Look, Hattori, rankings don't really matter..."

Before he could finish, Masumi Sera, who had been closely monitoring the two, suddenly cut in. She said to the annoyed Hattori, "Since neither you nor Kudo will admit defeat, why not use this case to have a competition? Let's see who is the better detective—the one from the East or the one from the West. How about it?"

Hattori Heiji immediately agreed: "That sounds great!"

"Wait, this is..." Conan wanted to refuse, but was interrupted by Hattori Heiji: "I'll have Conan contact Kudo, Sera, you just be our witness!"

Masumi Sera nodded: "I can do that."

Thus, Conan's opinion was ignored by the two, and he was dragged into the crime scene.

At the counter, Rumei Kisaragi, who had overheard the whole thing through his spiritual sense, confirmed his previous hunch: "That girl named Masumi Sera is definitely trying to provoke a competition between Conan and Hattori, likely to reveal Kudo Shinichi's location."

"Does Kudo Shinichi owe her money? Unlikely. Could it be a romantic entanglement?" Curious, Rumei Kisaragi performed a quick divination, but only received a vague result: "Trying to get something from Kudo Shinichi?"

Rumei Kisaragi didn't pursue it further. He wasn't one to pry into others' secrets, and more importantly, he knew his limits—his half-baked divination skills wouldn't yield any more answers anyway.

"Whatever. As long as it's not Conan's life at stake, let her be." Rumei Kisaragi tossed the matter aside and went back to selecting from the wide variety of curries.

He had no idea that this decision would be the cause of future heart palpitations for Conan, though he wouldn't have cared even if he knew. After all, as long as Conan was alive, a little heart trouble didn't matter.

Just then, a voice interjected: "Are you the young man staying at Mr. Mouri's house?"

Rumei Kisaragi turned to see a girl in a pink outfit approaching him curiously. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me." Because of her shyness, she gripped the strap of her bag tightly. "My name is Kazuha Toyama, I'm Heiji's childhood friend."

This habit reminded Rumei Kisaragi of Megumi, whom he had met yesterday, and his gaze softened significantly.

Rumei Kisaragi smiled gently. "My name is Yuki Sakura Mochizuki. I've heard Hattori mention you."

Hearing this, Kazuha Toyama couldn't contain her excitement and asked anxiously, "Ah? Hattori mentioned you? What did he say? Could you tell me? I know it's a bit rude, but..."

"I really want to know how Hattori introduces me to others."

The sincerity in the young girl's eyes was genuine; her voice turned tender whenever she spoke of her childhood friend.

Rumei Kisaragi thought of the brash boy he had mentally labeled as reckless, and as he looked at the expectant girl before him, his eyes held a hint of helplessness.

Such a gentle girl, why on earth did she fall for a kid who couldn't walk away from a crime scene? Thinking of this, Rumei Kisaragi thought of someone else.

Wait, did Conan have the same personality?

Looking up at Ran Mouri waiting not far away, Rumei Kisaragi sighed internally: perhaps this is the charm of childhood sweethearts.

Rumei Kisaragi, busy judging others, suddenly thought of Toji. To outsiders, he was a complete scumbag, yet he had fallen for him without a second thought.

"Who am I to judge?"

Never mind then.

Rumei Kisaragi shook the stray thoughts from his head and replied to Kazuha Toyama, "Hattori said that the sandwiches Kazuha makes are the most delicious things in the world. He loves them very much."

Kazuha Toyama’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief: "Eh? Really?"

Although those weren't his exact words, the sentiment was close enough.

Rumei Kisaragi nodded firmly: "Of course."

*Whoosh.*

Kazuha Toyama’s face turned bright red instantly.

"Does Heiji really like them that much? Last time I asked him, he said they tasted bad..." Kazuha said, sounding distressed, but the affection radiating from her face was sincere and brilliant.

Rumei Kisaragi, intending to help, thought to himself that once that dark-skinned kid Hattori Heiji finally won her over, he’d better thank him properly for being such a great benefactor.

Ran Mouri, who had come over to find them, happened to hear the whole thing and encouraged Kazuha: "He was probably just being shy."

"I-is that so?"

Rumei Kisaragi, committed to being a helpful guide, spoke up for Hattori Heiji: "Of course. In my opinion, he probably said that on purpose just to get you to make more sandwiches for him. He's just too shy to say it."

"Really?" Kazuha Toyama was still skeptical. Rumei Kisaragi spoke with an air of seasoned experience: "Trust me, he’s just a *tsundere*. If you don't believe me, think about it—doesn't he always look out for you, and when you catch him, he says something like, 'I just did it randomly'?"

Kazuha thought back, and her eyes widened in surprise: "Yes! Once, when I was cold riding on the back of Hattori's motorcycle, he insisted I wear his jacket, saying he had too many layers on! Even though he was clearly freezing!"

Ran Mouri, standing nearby, thought for a moment and added: "Shinichi is like that too!"

"So why is that?" Both girls looked at Rumei Kisaragi in unison.

He was lost in thought.

Toji wasn't a *tsundere*; he was even a bit thick-skinned. If he said he liked something, he liked it. If he cared for someone, he showed it. Whatever he did, he made sure you knew.

Feeling like he had somehow won, Rumei Kisaragi puffed out his chest and said with the tone of someone who had seen it all: "Men, you know, they care about their pride. Just consider them *tsundere*, and sometimes, you should just listen to the opposite of what they say."

The two girls nodded like obedient students.

"I see!"

Rumei Kisaragi continued: "I have a 'Guide to Husband Management' specifically for these kinds of stubborn *tsunderes*. Do you want to learn?"

"'Guide to Husband Management'?"

At this, even Ran Mouri’s face turned completely red.

"T-that... Shinichi and I are just childhood friends..."

"Heiji and I, too..."

The two said, acting bashful.

Rumei Kisaragi won them over with a single sentence: "Once you learn it, not only will he listen to you one hundred percent, but you can even get them to confess to you voluntarily."

"Confess?!"

The two exclaimed in excitement, their voices rising, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

They quickly lowered their heads in embarrassment.

Kazuha Toyama’s eyes darted around. Although she was tempted, she remained hesitant due to her shyness: "I... this..."

Rumei Kisaragi fueled the fire: "Anything left for too long will spoil, and love is no exception."

"He who strikes first wins; he who hesitates is lost. If you don't claim the person you like early, and someone else swoops in, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life..."

Completely forgetting that he was only half-qualified himself, he preached his twisted logic as if it were gospel.

Ran Mouri, thinking of the long-absent Kudo Shinichi, made up her mind: "I'll learn! I won't let anyone else take Shinichi!"

Rumei Kisaragi always appreciated people who were decisive: "And what about you, Kazuha?"

"Kazuha..."

Seeing the encouragement in Ran Mouri’s expectant eyes, Kazuha took a deep breath and bit the bullet: "I'll do it too!"

"Then lean in, and I'll teach you the first trick: how to make them confess first."

The two leaned their heads in obediently.

"First, you do this... then..."

Rumei Kisaragi whispered the method.

After listening, both girls looked embarrassed and hesitant.

"Like this... will it really work?"

"They'll be angry if they find out later, won't they..."

Rumei Kisaragi said: "That's where the second trick comes in. It only works after they've confessed, so there's no point in learning it now. Let's exchange emails. If anything happens, contact me, and I'll teach you the next step."

"O-okay."

"My email address is..."

After exchanging contact information, the two were still blushing furiously and both tried to change the subject.

Ran Mouri asked, confused: "But, Sakura, aren't you a year younger than us? How do you know so much?"

Rumei Kisaragi couldn't help but think of his past life.

Back then, as a complete romantic idiot, he had read every book on relationships he could find just to win over Toji. He had even faked credentials to work part-time at a dating agency, solving the relationship problems of five hundred couples in just a month, with a one-hundred-percent satisfaction rate! People in the business called him the "Man-Slaying Immortal!"

But not a single trick worked on Toji.

Toji was just wonderful once he expressed his feelings. They never fought, and he never even said a harsh word to him. His skills had no place to be used, which made Rumei Kisaragi feel lost for a long time. He never expected to have the chance to be a love coach again in this life!

This was just too wonderful.

However, the brief joy stirred up a deep sense of longing in his heart.

He missed Toji. He wanted to see him now, immediately, at once... but his reason stopped him. He remembered why he was hiding his identity.

He couldn't see Toji yet.

He had to find out exactly what happened to Toji at the Zenin clan as soon as possible.

Before that, he needed to get out of this restaurant, which the police had sealed off due to the murder.

Rumei Kisaragi spun a lie to convince Ran Mouri: "No one understands men better than a man." He then cast his gaze toward the troubled Conan.

Conan suddenly felt a shiver, as if he were being watched by a beast. Before he could react, Rumei Kisaragi’s voice echoed in his ears.

"The killer is that blond guy with the pouting lips."