Senichi and Conan's victory naturally meant someone's defeat.
Seeing this result, Kogoro Mouri scratched his head in frustration, "Damn it! I lost again!"
"Ran, this is Conan's share. Keep it safe."
After Senichi and Conan celebrated, Senichi took out his wallet and handed over a stack of bills, "I'll go exchange these race tickets. You keep the money first so I don't have to make an extra trip."
"Huh? How can that be?" Ran looked at the thick stack of bills and shook her head repeatedly, "Conan is just a child, and besides, the money for the race tickets was paid by you."
"But this time, it was Conan who suggested I bet on Lightning Boy, and he even contributed part of his New Year's money. Just accept it."
Senichi handed the money to Ran and whispered, "You can hold onto it for Conan. In case Mouri-san spends all the money on horse racing or drinking, you two can go out and have a nice meal on your own.
If everything's fine, you can consider it as pocket money for both of you and take Conan out to have fun together, maybe have some cakes you like."
This wasn't just polite talk. In fact, a part of the money Senichi used to buy the race tickets was indeed provided by Conan.
After all, knowing Kogoro Mouri's tendency to spend money recklessly, Senichi had enlightened Conan about horse racing and, from the sidelines, helped him understand the importance of taking care of his girlfriend.
So, he took out some pocket money given by his parents for emergencies and asked Senichi to buy the race tickets. If they won, Senichi would help deliver the winnings to Ran.
He, the Grim Reaper!, is a devoted husband!
"Hello? Mouri-san?"
"I already told you I don't have time right now..."
As Kogoro Mouri, annoyed by his failure, was about to impatiently hang up the phone, a wave of killing intent suddenly swept over him.
Instinctively raising his head, he saw Ran glaring at him with a full bar of "anger points", holding a feather duster in her hand, ready to unleash a powerful attack at any moment.
Conan, with keen insight, turned off the TV and stood beside Senichi to watch the battle.
Looking at the furious Ran, Kogoro Mouri, who was feeling quite timid, immediately changed his tone on the phone, "Ah, if it's just a talk, I can still spare some time..."
"Can you please show some proper attitude? This is work, you know!" Seeing her dad taking on his job, Ran's anger eased and she reprimanded him angrily as she stood with her hands on her hips.
"I got it... I'll definitely adjust my attitude..." Kogoro Mouri mumbled to himself after hanging up the phone, looking at his daughter.
"What kind of person is the client?" Conan asked curiously.
"Probably some middle-aged woman... She said she's nearby, so she should be arriving soon." Kogoro Mouri sighed wearily, "Anyway, I don't believe she can be that attractive..."
"Ah~ Could you please help me find my first love~" Kogoro Mouri theatrically mimicked the client, then propped up his chin and commented, "I've dealt with this type before... too many times..."
Just as Kogoro Mouri finished his analysis, a knock on the door sounded from outside. At the same moment, the person outside heard Ran's invitation and walked in.
"Excuse me for intruding. My name is Shizuka Ikenami. I'm the one who called earlier."
Contrary to Kogoro Mouri's assumptions, the person who arrived was a thoroughly elegant and beautiful woman.
She had short hair and was wearing a kimono, giving her a poised appearance.
Shizuka Ikenami held a handbag and bowed slightly to everyone, "I'm sorry for dropping by unexpectedly. A friend highly recommended that I seek Mr. Mouri's assistance, assuring me that he could definitely help me find the person I'm looking for."
"Please come in, and let's sit down to discuss." Ran warmly welcomed the client into the room.
Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri, who had witnessed the arrival of the client, disappeared in an instant after being proven wrong.
His disappearance at the speed of light wasn't due to a minor matter like losing face.
On the contrary, as soon as he saw the client entering, Kogoro Mouri instantly retreated to his room at lightning speed.
"Hey, where's Dad?" Ran turned her head to look for her father but couldn't find him anywhere.
Just as Shizuka Ikenami settled onto the sofa, the room's door suddenly opened.
There stood Kogoro Mouri, who had just been unkempt a moment ago, is now in a suit and acting like a gentleman as he approached her, shaking her hand, "I apologize sincerely. It's unacceptable to keep a beautiful lady like you waiting for so long. I was engrossed in studying those challenging case materials."
The Kogoro Mouri at this moment was worlds apart from the disheveled appearance he had during the horse racing news. Now he was dressed in a suit, acting like a gentleman. Combined with his pretentious deep and serious demeanor, he looked the part.
"Oh... it's alright..." Shizuka Ikenami looked at the attentive Kogoro Mouri and found herself at a loss for words.
"Come on, please have a seat on the sofa. Before we discuss the commission, please calm down your heartbeat," Kogoro Mouri pushed Shizuka Ikenami's shoulder, initially maintaining a gentlemanly pose for only a short while before breaking into a smile. "Ran! Bring us some drinks."
"I got it..." Ran, seeing her dad's attempt to be courteous, replied with a sulky face.
"Here we go again..." Conan and Senichi exchanged a glance, exasperated.
The transformation from a lecherous old man to a gentleman in front of a beautiful woman was truly something to marvel at.
However, with the client present, neither of them would spoil Kogoro Mouri's act. Senichi patiently awaited the client's explanation, curious to see if it might trigger a case.
Although it sounded ominous to say that, implying that someone had died again. But this was just another day in the Mouri household!
After the client's explanation, everyone understood the situation.
"So, you're looking for a person who was your classmate back in junior high?" Getting to the point, Kogoro Mouri adopted a more professional demeanor.
"Yes, we were both members of the kendo club," Shizuka Ikenami nodded.
"If that's the case, there should be records of the person's address in the graduation yearbook, right?" Kogoro Mouri frowned. "Did the address become invalid?"
"Well, that's the case," Shizuka Ikenami coughed a couple of times, looking somewhat distressed. "Before graduation, he happened to be moving, so he didn't leave an address at all."
As she spoke, Shizuka Ikenami rummaged through her bag and took out a photograph. "This is a picture from back then. The person I'm looking for is the one in the middle holding the champion's trophy."
Shizuka Ikenami pointed to the young man in the middle of the photo. "His name is Shiro Shibata."
"The girl with a ponytail standing on his left is…" Kogoro Mouri pointed to a girl beside him, uncertain.
"Well, that's me. It's a bit embarrassing to talk about it. It's been thirty years since then..."
"Thirty years ago!? Does that mean you're over forty now?" Kogoro Mouri, after a brief moment of shock, was immediately filled with delight.
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