"Let him know for all I care," the girl with the beauty mark said, waving her hand dismissively. "I never agreed to be his girlfriend. What right does he have to tell me what to do?"
"You're something else. A young master from the Suzuki family is pursuing you, and you don't even give him a straight answer?" The long-haired girl sighed with envy, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "That's the Suzuki family! I heard the Suzuki Financial Group has been growing so fast lately they're practically becoming the wealthiest family in Japan."
"Finding a boyfriend should at least require compatible personalities," the beauty-marked girl replied with a light chuckle. "What's the use of just having money? My family might not be as rich as the Suzukis, but we aren't exactly hurting for cash, either."
"True enough," the long-haired girl laughed. "I keep forgetting that you're a young lady of a prestigious house yourself."
The elevator arrived at the fifth floor with a sharp ding, and the two girls stepped out.
Hayashi Shuichi nudged the luggage forward, preparing to close the elevator door, when he heard the long-haired girl exclaim in frustration from the hallway: "Tomoko! I think I forgot my room key? Do you have yours?"
The elevator doors slid shut, but Shuichi remained frozen in place.
He stared at the flickering floor numbers, the conversation he had just overheard replaying in his mind.
The long-haired girl had mentioned that a young master of the Suzuki family was pursuing the girl with the beauty mark. And that girl's name was Tomoko.
Suzuki Tomoko?
As in… Suzuki Sonoko's mother?
Shuichi was stunned, his fingers mindlessly rubbing the handle of his suitcase.
Seeing him in a daze, Mouri Kogoro assumed his friend was still thinking about the two girls. He couldn't resist nudging him with an elbow. "Shuichi, remember what you told Eri and me when you were teaching us combat? 'Don't bite off more than you can chew.'"
"Sensei, please stop being such a flirt," Furuya Rei added with a solemn little face, playing along. "At this rate, I won't even know what to call all my 'Master's wives' anymore."
As he spoke, Furuya actually began counting on his fingers with a look of mock concern.
Little Narumi nodded in total agreement, his large eyes blinking as he looked up at Shuichi.
It was clear that in their eyes, Shuichi's image as a heartbreaker was firmly established.
Shuichi looked at the three different expressions facing him and found the whole situation hilarious.
"What are you all thinking?" Shuichi asked, amused. "I was just surprised when I heard that girl's name, that's all."
"The name? Tomoko? What's wrong with that name? It's perfectly normal," Mouri said, throwing an arm over his friend's shoulder. "Don't bother hiding it. We won't say a word about this to Eri and the others."
He made a zipping motion across his lips, his face full of mischief.
Shuichi shook his head, deciding not to explain further.
A brief silence fell over the elevator, filled only by the faint mechanical hum of its operation.
"Between those two, the one with the beauty mark was definitely prettier," Mouri noted, resting his chin in his hand as if performing a deep academic critique. "But judging by her expression, she seems a bit overbearing. Probably not easy to get along with."
To emphasize his point, Mouri mimicked the girl's haughty expression, causing Furuya Rei to burst out laughing.
"Whether she's easy to get along with has nothing to do with us," Shuichi said nonchalantly. "Didn't you hear them? She's a 'Young Lady.' It's only natural for her to look down on commoners like us."
Class rigidity was a harsh reality in Japan. Shuichi recalled a famous line Haibara Ai would say in the future:
"This is a microcosm of Japan's ugly hereditary system. Along with this system, the mistaken history of mankind will continue to repeat itself… A politician's son becomes a politician, a banker's son becomes a banker. At this rate, no matter how much time passes, Japan will never change."
"But that kind of arrogant, high-class lady usually rouses a man's desire to pursue her even more," Mouri chuckled. "Just imagine her becoming all shy and submissive…"
The elevator reached the eighth floor. Shuichi cut Mouri off before he could get carried away. "Stop dreaming and start moving the luggage!"
The five rooms Shuichi had booked were all adjacent. The four of them hauled their bags into their respective rooms. After dropping everything off, they headed back to the elevator to reunite with the girls.
"By the way, those girls mentioned the Suzuki Financial Group," Mouri said, smacking his lips with envy. "Man, imagine if I'd been born into the Suzuki family. I'd have more money than I could spend in a lifetime right from birth."
"Then why aren't you working harder?" Shuichi asked, pressing the button for the first floor. "You'll never be a 'rich second generation,' but if you work hard now, maybe you can make your son one."
"Tch, I'm counting on my son working hard so I can live the life of a rich man in my old age!" Mouri laughed loudly.
Just then, the elevator stopped at the fifth floor.
The doors opened, and the same two girls stepped inside.
Upon seeing Shuichi's group, the long-haired girl raised an eyebrow in surprise before giving a polite nod. The girl with the beauty mark, however, merely swept a cold, expressionless gaze over the four of them before turning back to whisper with her friend.
As expected of a rich missy… what a huge ego.
Mouri pouted, mouthing the words silently to Shuichi while rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.
Indeed, Shuichi nodded, mouthing back. Didn't you just say you wanted to live like a rich man? If you marry her, you'd become wealthy instantly.
A woman like that has no charm at all. How could anyone want her as a wife? Mouri mouthed back with a dramatic grimace of disgust. Compared to my Ruri, she's miles behind!
Shuichi was about to laugh and reply, but he suddenly noticed the girl with the beauty mark frowning at the front of the elevator. Because of the polished metal surface, the reflection acted like a mirror, showing her exactly what they were doing.
The girl's eyes narrowed, and her red lips thinned into a hard line. She was clearly fuming.
She saw us? Shuichi thought awkwardly.
The elevator reached the ground floor.
The long-haired girl was about to pull her friend out, but the beauty-marked girl suddenly spun around, her eyes blazing as she glared at Shuichi.
"Talking about people behind their backs… that's not something a real man does."
With a cold huff, she grabbed her bewildered companion and marched out. After a few steps, she spun around again, her sharp gaze piercing Shuichi like a needle.
"And for your information, not every girl is greedy for money or looking to gain wealth through marriage!"
With that final sting, she yanked her friend along and stormed off.
"Whoa, what was that all about?" Mouri asked, blinking in confusion as he nudged Shuichi.
"That woman… I think she saw you two making faces and mouthing things through the reflection on the elevator door," Furuya Rei said, sounding quite entertained by their misfortune.
"Shuichi-aniki… talking about people behind their backs really isn't good," Narumi added timidly.
Shuichi nodded gloomily, feeling his face flush with heat.
He had just been joking around with Mouri; he never expected the future Madam Tomoko to have such a sharp reaction…
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