"Sister Ayako, thank you for your hospitality!"
When Conan brought Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi to join the others, the three of them were the first to politely thank Ayako.
As positive-minded kids, the three of them naturally knew to express gratitude when receiving favors, and that was one of the reasons why Ayako liked them.
However, because they were too upright, their minds were not calm enough, and when they encountered cases, they often lacked AC (Analytical Competence) points. Instead of avoiding danger and prioritizing stability, they would recklessly dive in and become a "death-defying squad"...
But regardless, these children had a solid moral compass.
"No need to be polite. These things are already included in the tickets, and it would be a waste not to use them," Ayako gently patted Ayumi's head and smiled. She then instructed the children, "The group leader will come later, so behave and listen to them, okay?"
"Ok~" ×3
After a brief conversation, the children began chatting with each other.
"Look, this is the Kamen Rider Santa Edition comic book my dad bought for me, and they gave me Kamen Rider notebooks as a bonus. I asked the uncle to give me a few more to share with you guys."
As he spoke, Genta took out four small notebooks and showed them to Mitsuhiko and the others.
"Ah, that's awesome!"
"I can't believe there's such an activity. Thank you so much!"
Ayumi and Mitsuhiko's eyes lit up when they saw the cool poses of Kamen Rider on the covers and eagerly held the small notebooks in their hands.
"Hehe, you're welcome," Genta said, taking out four ballpoint pens, "There are also matching Kamen Rider ballpoint pens!"
Conan watched the three children happily enjoying the two small gifts and marveled at how simple children's happiness could be. He also expressed his thanks and accepted the gifts from Genta.
At that moment, a woman in her thirties with a group of children found Ayako. She smiled and greeted Conan and the others, and the kid's group quickly became acquainted with the other children.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Yūko-san," Ayako said with a smile to the person in charge of leading the children.
"Ok, please rest assured. Our 'Children's Club' will take good care of them," Yūko, the middle-aged woman, replied with a smile. "Please enjoy the opera."
"The opera 'Pagliacci' will begin in ten minutes. Please enter the theater ten minutes before the start."
Upon hearing the announcement, people in the bustling hall began to make their way towards the theater.
Senichi also turned to the others and said, "Let's go in as well. We'll need to find our seats once we're inside."
"Ah, you all go ahead. I'll go to the restroom first." Heiji turned around and looked around. "Which way is the restroom?"
"Just turn right after leaving the hall, and you'll find it," Kazuha rolled her eyes and said, "I told you when we came in, but you didn't go."
"Hehe, you guys go ahead. I'll join you later." Heiji waved his hand with a smile, ignoring Kazuha's nagging, and hurried out of the hall.
"Then let's go in. I heard the actor playing the 'clown' role this time is quite handsome. I can't wait!" Sonoko expressed her excitement while urging everyone to enter.
Just as Senichi rolled his eyes, about to comment on Sonoko being infatuated even though she had a boyfriend, the children standing nearby suddenly cheered.
"Look! It's the clown!"
A clown dressed in colorful clothes with star patterns all over his body and golden curly hair suddenly jumped out of the crowd, behaving in a funny manner, and waved and greeted the children.
Seeing the clown's appearance, the adults around couldn't help but smile, giving the clown space to interact with the children.
Soon, including Genta, Ayumi, and the others, they gathered around the clown, waiting for his magical performance.
Without disappointing the children, the clown displayed his empty hands and then crossed them, producing a rose out of nowhere.
As the children cheered and screamed with excitement, he waved his hand again, making the flower disappear.
"Auntie, is that clown here for the Children's Club performance?" Conan, who was not among the children surrounding the clown like the others, asked.
"No, he's not. You heard it just now, right? Today's opera performance is called 'Pagliacci,' so this clown should be from the opera house," the woman explained.
"Ah, I see." Conan nodded as he watched the clown's performance.
At that moment, Yūko received a text message on her phone. She glanced at it, put her phone away, and smiled at Senichi and the others. "The bus has arrived, so I'll take the children and go to watch the performance."
"Great, we were just about to enter as well. See you later, Conan-kun!" Ran waved and smiled at Conan, then walked towards the theater with Senichi and the others.
"Alright, everyone, pay attention! We're getting on the bus and heading out now!" Yūko approached the children and greeted them with a smile.
"But I wanted to play with the clown a little longer!"
"Hey, Mister Clown!" Ayumi looked at the clown with anticipation. "Could you perform another magic trick for us?"
"Well... but the ice show is also fun, and if we go late, we might miss it," Yūko said in a coaxing tone, "The bus is already here. What should we do?"
"No, please, let's play a bit longer!"
As Yūko signaled to leave, the children surrounding the clown reluctantly protested.
However, just as the children continued to disregard Yūko's words and stayed around the clown, the clown, who heard Yūko's comment, voluntarily performed another magic trick. He then held a bouquet of flowers and made funny gestures, guiding the children towards the exit.
"Oh! Kud... Conan... Are you ready to leave?" Near the entrance, Hattori Heiji stood in place and smiled, extending his hand to greet Conan.
But before Conan could respond, in the next moment, the clown, who was walking towards the entrance while making comical movements, accidentally bumped into Heiji, who was standing at the entrance.
Their shoulders collided, causing the clown to stumble for a moment. After regaining his balance, he continued guiding the children towards the exit without stopping.
"Heiji-niichan, you should go in quickly. Ran and the others have already gone inside."
With Yūko present, Conan made a cute gesture, waved his hand, and without waiting for Heiji's response, he ran over to join Ayumi and the others who were preparing to board the bus.
Meanwhile, Heiji, who collided with the clown, stared blankly at his bumped arm. It was only when Conan ran over to Ayumi and the others to get on the bus that he snapped out of his daze.
As he looked at the clown standing by the open car door, waiting for the children to get on, Heiji's flickering gaze became filled with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
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