Half an hour later, Reiko Kujo, who had been thoroughly tamed, was in the kitchen in her pajamas, cooking breakfast like a dutiful little wife.
After all, she lived alone; simple cooking was second nature to her.
Ikumi Koshida didn't have any commissions lately, so she had been visiting more frequently, though usually, the two only met once a month.
Yuu Hoshimiya, now fully dressed after washing up, returned to the living room to find Ikumi still fast asleep on the sofa.
She was covered with a thin quilt that Yuu had placed over her last night to keep her from catching a cold.
Seeing that she hadn't awakened, he reached out to touch her.
If the effects of the knockout gas were still lingering, he intended to use magic to help her out.
Fortunately, the beautiful detective was simply sleeping soundly.
Yuu didn't pay her much more mind and instead consulted Noah in his head about last night's operation.
Although he had begun shifting his main forces to the Kingdom of Vespania, the remaining staff was more than enough to handle a common Police Inspector with ease.
Last night, Narumi Asai led a team and, without alerting anyone, snatched Kengo Tokiwa and brought him to the base at the Suzuki villa.
The interrogation was a breeze; Tokiwa was stubborn, but his resolve was useless against Akako Koizumi's mental magic.
Through Tokiwa, Yuu had already figured out the entire cause and effect.
To put it simply, it was a filthy display of political bargaining and murder.
The true mastermind was a member of the National Diet, Eisaku Tokiwa, and Kengo Tokiwa was his nephew and confidant.
Yuu wasn't surprised; a mere Inspector couldn't possess that much power, but everything made sense if it was a Diet member.
While Yuu was considering how to reveal the truth to Reiko and resolve the matter properly, Ikumi Koshida let out a soft moan and slowly woke up.
She felt a bit groggy, her body aching from sleeping on the soft sofa all night.
Then she saw Yuu beside her, smelled a strange scent on herself, and noticed a hole cut into the previously perfect sofa...
Unsurprisingly, she misunderstood everything!
How embarrassing! How could I sleep through such an important moment? I'm so useless! Filled with frustration, Ikumi sat up abruptly and grabbed Yuu's arm. "Yuu-kun, you're so bad! How could you take advantage of me while I was sleeping? You... you have to take responsibility!"
After speaking, she lowered her head in bashful shame.
Yuu was instantly stunned.
What the hell do you mean "take advantage"? I didn't do anything! But Yuu quickly realized that this "single since birth" mature detective had made a massive assumption.
Since she was inexperienced, it was possible for her to think she had lost her virginity.
What a muddlehead. Where did all that sharp detective intuition go? Yuu's eyes flickered, and he decided to play along.
He reached out and pulled Ikumi into his arms by her fragrant shoulders. "Ikumi, you're so beautiful, no man could restrain himself!"
Hearing this, Ikumi's face turned bright red instantly.
"Even if you couldn't restrain yourself, you shouldn't have done it like that... I don't remember anything at all."
"But it's so strange. Why did I fall asleep right in the middle of our kiss? Yuu-kun, did you secretly use some kind of drug on me?"
"How could I? Did you eat or drink anything last night? You were clearly just too nervous and passed out, and now you're blaming me."
Ikumi looked unconvinced, her gaze scanning Yuu's body.
"I know! You must have put a drug on your lips! You bad man!"
With that, she began to pound on Yuu's chest with her small fists.
Yuu grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his lap, his chest once again filled with her softness.
He held her slender waist, his deep eyes staring into hers, his voice dripping with seductive intent.
"Since you claim I have a drug on my lips, let's run an experiment!"
Ikumi's heart rate spiked. Before she could answer, the large hand at her waist applied pressure, pulling her into a kiss.
Four or five minutes later, Ikumi pushed Yuu away, panting for breath. "I'm ignoring you! I'm going to take a shower!"
She turned and ran toward the bathroom, while Yuu chuckled silently.
However, twenty minutes later at the breakfast table, Yuu was the one feeling the heat.
Because Ikumi still believed she and Yuu had consummated their relationship last night, she was doing her best to show her tender side.
She kept picking up food for him, ladling soup, and filling his rice bowl—she was one step away from hand-feeding him.
Reiko Kujo watched this from the side, her brow twitching and a cold glint in her eyes.
The breakfast was an agonizing experience for him. Fortunately, Reiko didn't explode, and the meal ended peacefully.
After breakfast, Reiko's phone chimed with a text. She glanced at it, and her expression shifted drastically.
Yuu asked, "What is it, Reiko?"
Reiko didn't answer but handed the phone to Yuu. It was a message from her assistant.
The content stated that Mariko Takeuchi would be holding a memorial service for her late husband today at the Takeuchi ancestral home and planned to accept interviews to address the rumors circulating online.
Mariko Takeuchi was the wife of Hiroaki Takeuchi and also a "bitch" kept by Eisaku Tokiwa.
Aside from handling the desires of that group of conspirators, she was also responsible for the bribery logistics.
In fact, she had personally orchestrated Hiroaki Takeuchi's death.
The husband died yesterday, was cremated last night, and today they were already holding a memorial.
The efficiency was staggering.
This woman clearly wasn't giving up; she still wanted to smear Reiko Kujo's reputation!
It looked like this was Eisaku Tokiwa's idea.
Since things had reached this point, Yuu was done caring about "the rules of the game."
He simply told Reiko everything, while simultaneously contacting Tomoko Suzuki and Momiji Ooka, handing over a series of evidence against Eisaku Tokiwa. He tasked them with uniting Tokiwa's political enemies to crush him completely.
Eisaku Tokiwa had allies, but he certainly had enemies too.
With the Suzuki and Ooka families leading the charge, his downfall was inevitable.
However, the truth from five years ago and the truth about Hiroaki Takeuchi's death would likely never be made public.
Hiding the scandals of the upper class was a tradition since ancient times.
Reiko was shocked to learn the truth, followed by a deep sense of lingering fear.
If not for Yuu, she truly wouldn't have known how she died.
Or rather, it was lucky Yuu was so powerful, otherwise, he might have been put in danger because of her.
Yuu didn't participate in the subsequent steps, leaving Reiko to work with Tomoko Suzuki and Momiji Ooka.
It was also a good chance for the women to get to know this new "sister."
"Sister" in terms of age, of course, not seniority.
With that matter settled, Yuu checked his phone; a text from Masumi Sera had arrived.
Today was the day he had agreed to meet her.
The address was the Haido Pride Hotel, which was quite close to Reiko Kujo's apartment.
Yuu turned the steering wheel, and the Lexus headed toward the hotel.
He was quite interested in the "Sister from Outside the Domain." She possessed various "buffs"—legal loli, middle schooler, and mature wife—and crucially, her looks and figure were top-tier.
To say he didn't want to fuck her would be a lie.
Furthermore, Yuu wanted to conduct an experiment to see how she differed from Ai Haibara.
An experiment always needs a control group for accuracy.
At noon, Yuu's Lexus arrived at the Haido Pride Hotel.
The building was exceptionally tall, fifty stories in total, enough to make one dizzy just looking up.
Yuu entered the hotel, took the elevator, and headed to the thirtieth floor as specified in Sera's text.
Exiting the elevator, he saw three men leaning against the corridor wall, smoking moodily.
They kept checking their watches as if waiting for something.
Yuu ignored the three middle-aged men and walked toward room 3009.
He knocked, and Masumi Sera's voice came from inside. "Coming!"
The door opened, revealing Masumi Sera in her blue school uniform.
"Teacher Hoshimiya, I thought you'd be a bit later."
She shook her phone, which displayed a report on the Takeuchi case.
Tomoko Suzuki and Momiji Ooka were highly efficient; they had basically resolved the matter in one morning.
Of course, the news reports didn't mention the Diet member; they only talked about the Takeuchi family and Mariko Takeuchi poisoning her husband, Hiroaki.
"Teacher Hoshimiya, why would that female president be so ruthless and kill her husband? If the relationship was broken, why not just get a divorce?"
Masumi Sera seemed full of curiosity.
Yuu began wandering around the room. Aside from the closed bedroom door to the right of the entryway, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
He replied with a smile, "There are indeed some details that weren't mentioned to the reporters. But Masumi, aren't you a detective too?"
"You shouldn't ask others for everything; you need to learn to use your own brain."
"But I am quite curious. You've invited me here several times now. Who exactly did you want me to meet, or what commission do you have for me?"
As he spoke, Yuu's hand settled on the bedroom door handle.
Masumi Sera panicked instantly. "Teacher Hoshimiya! It's a mess in there, you can't go in."
"Or... if you want to see my discarded underwear, you're welcome to enter!"
Sera thought this would embarrass Yuu, but she vastly underestimated him.
Although this snaggle-toothed girl was flat-chested, her face was cute, her waist was thin, and her legs were long—he was definitely interested.
"Hehe, I happen to be very interested in Sera-san's underwear. I'll take a look then!"
Sera froze, unable to think of another excuse, while Yuu had already pushed the door open.
The scene inside the bedroom was indeed a mess.
There was a conspicuous pile of clothes on the bed, looking like someone had dumped a whole bag of laundry in a hurry.
But aside from the clutter, there was no sign of anyone, nor any obvious hiding places.
Yuu glanced at the closed bedroom window and turned to smile at Sera.
"Masumi, it really is ridiculously messy in here."
Sera let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her forehead, her face slightly red.
"I'm just not very good at organizing my clothes, hehe!"
While they were talking, a blonde, green-eyed little girl was hanging from the window ledge outside.
She was supporting herself with one hand, looking incredibly precarious.
Some people below noticed and stopped to look up, but from the thirtieth floor, they couldn't see clearly.
The little girl sensed the commotion below and frowned.
Then, she used her arm strength to leap onto the balcony of the adjacent room.
She landed on the balcony and walked right through the room as if no one were there, heading for the door.
She completely ignored the young couple making out on the sofa, who were so startled they lost all interest in continuing.
Meanwhile, back in the room, a female voice came through the earpiece Masumi Sera was wearing.
"Idiot. Today's plan is cancelled."
Masumi Sera sighed deeply in her heart.
With the plan cancelled, all that was left was awkward small talk.
Yuu was interested in Sera, and she didn't mind him either, but a further step was impossible before they were honest with each other.
During the small talk, Yuu was multitasking, keeping an eye on Sera's mother—the "regressed" blonde foreign middle schooler, Mary Akai—through Noah.
The "Sister from Outside the Domain," Mary, currently looked like a 13 or 14-year-old middle schooler.
She had curly light blonde hair and emerald green eyes, looking exceptionally calm.
She had single folds under her eyes and exquisite features with pale skin—she looked British at a glance.
She wore a beige sweater and brown trousers, coughing occasionally.
Since Mary Akai was the biological aunt of the Miyano sisters, Yuu could see traces of Ai Haibara in her.
Mary was very agile; leaping from a window ledge with one hand was not the feat of an ordinary girl.
Yuu remembered clearly that Mary Akai, in her adult form, had strength not a bit inferior to Shuichi Akai—she was a MI6 ace agent!
With the plan cancelled and Yuu showing no sign of leaving the room, Mary took the elevator down, intending to get something to eat at the second-floor restaurant.
Seeing this, Yuu took a sip of his coffee and picked up the conversation with Masumi Sera.
The atmosphere had relaxed considerably compared to the forced chat at the start.
Sera had asked him many questions about cases, particularly the Takeuchi family matter.
Now, it was his turn to ask.
"When I came up, I saw three strange men gathered near the elevators. Masumi, do you know who they are?"
Masumi Sera tilted her head. "Those guys? They're editors from a magazine. They're probably waiting for a manuscript from the eccentric novelist in the room next door. I heard that novelist has a weird personality and loves to delay his deadlines!"
Scattered memories were triggered. Yuu recalled as he spoke, "I know that one. It's the famous romance novelist, Keigo Hiura."
"His signature work is The Sea, Love, and Me. I heard it's the best-selling romance novel of the year."
"And I heard Keigo Hiura hit rock bottom once, nearly starving, before making a comeback as a famous writer with that book."
In the living room of the hotel suite, Yuu and Masumi Sera spent a pleasant afternoon tea time on the sofa.
As the atmosphere improved, the distance between them closed.
Yuu felt his right hand sink into soft, elastic flesh, and he was immensely satisfied.
Aside from her chest being a bit of a pity, Masumi Sera was a top-tier beauty in every other aspect.
And Sera herself already worshipped Yuu; combined with his invincible charm and being alone in a room together, her hormones were beginning to flood uncontrollably.
Only a single thread of logic in her brain kept things from turning into the "seduction invitation" Sonoko had joked about.
Actually, it wasn't far off; Yuu's groping hands had barely stopped.
The school skirt was incredibly convenient; Yuu was just one step away from invading the girl's sacred peach garden.
But Sera lived up to Mary's training; her facial expression management was impressive.
She controlled her breathing and pulse, showing no outward sign of abnormality while keeping up with the topics Yuu tossed her.
Yuu looked the girl up and down. While stroking the silky skin of her thigh, he teased, "Sera-san, you seemed like a tomboy when we first met, but spending time with you, you feel entirely like a little sister!"
His gaze lingered on her "flat-as-a-board" chest for a moment. "Though, the feel of an undeveloped little sister."
Sera countered stubbornly, "Don't look at the lack of development now. There will definitely be an incredible surge soon, just like a balloon—pop—and it'll swell up."
Yuu chuckled but didn't argue, focusing on teasing the beauty.
Sera felt Yuu's hot hand getting increasingly aggressive. She hurriedly started another topic, clamping her long legs together to try and stop him.
"Teacher Hoshimiya, actually, whenever I see you, I get a sense of familiarity."
She paused and turned to him. "Teacher Hoshimiya, do you ever feel that way?"
"Encountering someone and feeling like you've met before, like a reunion after a long separation."
Yuu smiled. "Of course. Sometimes you meet someone once and feel it was ordained by fate, that you were destined to meet."
Hearing this, a spark of joy appeared in Sera's eyes.
On the other end of the open phone call, Mary's eyebrows twitched at his words.
A look of reminiscence appeared in Yuu's eyes; he knew exactly what Masumi Sera was testing.
The awakening of his "cheat-code" had enhanced Yuu's memory, breaking the mystery of his past and allowing him to recall his previous life perfectly.
He realized then that he had actually encountered the Mouri, Kudo, and Akai families over ten years ago.
It was at an open-air beach. Mary was in her adult form back then, and Masumi Sera was just a seven-year-old girl.
But as an orphan back then, Yuu had only been a face in the crowd—a passerby working a part-time job.
At that beach ten years ago, there had been a case of a getaway car crashing into the sea.
Two robbers who had just hit a luxury watch shop had argued over the loot in the car, causing it to spiral out of control and plunge into the ocean.
The driver, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, died of a crushed spine upon impact.
His partner escaped through the window as water flooded the car and vanished into the beach crowd.
The goal was to find that second robber!!!
Back then, a pre-FBI Shuichi Akai had instructed the energetic young Shinichi and Ran to help investigate.
Yuu, meanwhile, was slacking off under a sunshade. He wasn't there for fun; he was trying to earn some money during summer break.
To get the job, he had even lied about his age.
While slacking, he watched the entire deduction process. Because he was too engrossed, he was caught and scolded by his boss.
After the case was solved, that brat Shinichi Kudo had even gone to the boss to expose Yuu's lie about his age just to show off, causing Yuu to lose the job he'd worked so hard to find.
That was when he had shown his face and met the Akai family.
But having not yet regained his memories, he hadn't cared about the Akais; he just cursed at Shinichi in his head and left.
However, the Akai family had a deep impression of Yuu. Little Masumi Sera had even run up to him and shouted, "You're working even though you're so little! You're amazing!"
Yuu hadn't responded.
He had been too pissed off to deal with a brat.
Masumi Sera looked at Yuu with anticipation, hoping the words "You're that little girl from ten years ago" would suddenly fall from his lips.
Unfortunately, Yuu said nothing.
Disappointment clouded Sera's eyes, and the heat surging in her body gradually faded.
Yuu tactfully withdrew his hand, stopping the ambiguity.
There was no problem with admitting to the events of ten years ago, but he was too lazy to use "selling misery" to gain favor.
Because it wasn't necessary.
No matter what, he was claiming this mother and daughter!
After chatting a bit more, seeing that Sera had truly abandoned the plan, Yuu made an excuse about being hungry and wanting to find something to eat.
He walked out of the room and headed straight for the elevators.
He got in and pressed the button for the first floor.
Mary Akai was currently in the first-floor restaurant, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.
The newspaper featured a picture of Yuu Hoshimiya during a deduction—he was standing at the front of a crowd, facing off against a culprit.
Even by Mary's standards, the Yuu in the photo was very handsome.
Sharp features, a sculpted face, and eyes that were both deep and gentle—no wonder he had so many female fans.
Since he was a potential partner, Mary naturally had to analyze him thoroughly.
Suddenly, Yuu's silhouette appeared at the restaurant entrance. Mary hurriedly put on her sunglasses and snapped the newspaper open to hide her face.
She whispered into her phone: "Masumi! Why didn't you tell me Teacher Hoshimiya was leaving?"
Back in the room, Masumi Sera looked innocent. Mom just wasn't paying attention. Mary felt the time wasn't right to meet Yuu; she only wanted to observe from the shadows, so she prayed Yuu wouldn't see her.
But it was a futile hope. Among a crowd of Japanese people, a blonde, blue-eyed foreign loli was exceptionally conspicuous.
And this "loli" wasn't small at all; she was fully "ripe" and ready to be "plucked."
Besides, Yuu was specifically looking for her.
Masumi Sera obeyed Mary completely. Rather than taking the long way around, it was better to engage Mary Akai directly.