Chapter 0002: The Idol Yoko Okino
"This is simple enough. I've watched Detective Conan's 700-800 episodes countless times. Even if you give me a movie version, I can solve it perfectly for you."
Kogoro Mouri suddenly felt emboldened.
[V-Chan reminded the host: Reality differs from the anime world. The criminals may also be different. Please treat it seriously.]
Hearing this, Kogoro Mouri immediately sobered up. Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
After taking a shower, Kogoro Mouri came out wrapped in a towel. His back bore red scratch marks.
The Mouri Detective Agency was located in Beika City, Tokyo, at 39th Street, 5th Block of Beika Town. It wasn't too remote or bustling, just an average residential area, only a few streets away from Shinichi Kudo's home in the 2nd Block.
The building had three floors. The first floor was a café, the second floor was the office area for the agency, and the third floor was where Kogoro and his daughter Ran Mouri lived.
This apartment building had been constructed decades ago, so both the office and the third floor's interior were slightly outdated. However, it was still livable.
Kogoro Mouri walked out of the bathroom and into the living room. He checked the clock and saw that it was already past 10 a.m. Ran Mouri's room door was still tightly closed.
From his memory, Ran usually woke up around 7 a.m., prepared breakfast, ate, and then went to school. But now, there was no breakfast on the dining table, and Ran hadn't woken up yet.
That didn't seem right. Even if it was a Sunday, Ran didn't have the habit of sleeping in.
Kogoro Mouri frowned and walked to Ran's room, opening the door.
A surprising wave of heat hit him from inside the room. Ran Mouri woke up instantly from the noise, her face flushed with an unhealthy red hue.
Ran saw Kogoro Mouri. "Dad…"
Kogoro Mouri immediately walked up to her, reached out, and touched her forehead. Her skin was covered in sweat, and her temperature was high. His concern was evident. "Ran, you have such a fever, why didn't you say anything? You're a grown-up now and still don't know how to take care of yourself? Come on, we're going to the hospital."
"No, no, Dad. I don't need to go to the hospital. I already took medicine last night. A little more sweating, and I'll be fine. Didn't you teach me that?" Ran blinked her big eyes and tightly gripped the blanket, refusing to get up.
Seeing her determined refusal, Kogoro Mouri estimated that he wouldn't be able to drag her out while she was sick, so he could only sigh and give up.
Only then did Kogoro Mouri have the time to carefully look at his daughter. In the anime, she was the female protagonist, and even in real life, Ran Mouri remained stunningly beautiful. Her skin was fair, her big eyes innocent, and she perfectly embodied the gentle nature of Japanese women.
Even lying on the bed with her hair wet from sweat, her charm stirred something in Kogoro Mouri. But the thought that she was his biological daughter instantly deflated him.
Kogoro Mouri turned on the heater, afraid that his precious daughter might catch a chill. Then, he said gently, "Alright, Ran, you rest well. I'll go make you some food."
"Dad, let me do it," Ran said, struggling to get up, but Kogoro pressed her down firmly.
As Kogoro placed his hands on Ran's shoulders, her body trembled involuntarily.
"Be good and listen."
Kogoro Mouri left the room and went to the kitchen.
Japan was an extremely patriarchal country. In the original work, after marrying Eri Kisaki, Kogoro Mouri never cooked once. After their separation, Ran took over the responsibility of all three meals. Thus, before regaining his memories, Kogoro Mouri strictly followed the script and had no experience in cooking.
However, the current Kogoro Mouri had crossed over from another world and was quite skilled in cooking, being a food lover.
He opened the refrigerator, prepared rice porridge with vegetables and meat, and soon, a Cantonese-style mixed congee was ready. The room was filled with its aroma.
Kogoro Mouri served a portion of the congee and brought it to Ran's room before leaving again.
After taking care of his own hunger, Kogoro dressed neatly and went downstairs to the office.
Ran was still drenched in sweat. She looked at the fragrant congee on the cabinet beside her, her big watery eyes filled with surprise. She picked up a spoon and took a small bite, and her face instantly lit up with joy. She couldn't help but eat heartily.
"Dad can cook such delicious congee? I thought it'd be instant noodles."
After finishing the congee, Ran felt slightly better. However, a hint of sadness lingered in her eyes. Hugging her long legs, she murmured, "Mom…"
The office had a grayish tone, giving it a very old-fashioned look. Even though it was already the new century, the office still retained a retro style. Kogoro Mouri frowned. He had been struggling financially for so long that there was no money left to renovate.
Kogoro Mouri sprawled on the sofa and casually turned on the television. It was an old-fashioned CRT TV from the last century, broadcasting news.
Kogoro stroked his mustache on the right side and absorbed the information from the TV. He thought to himself, "That brat Conan hasn't shown up yet. I wonder when it'll happen. But according to my memory, Ran is already in her second year of high school, so the plot should start soon."
Thinking of Conan made Kogoro Mouri's temper flare. He wasn't like the original clueless detective. In the original story, Conan even bathed with Ran. That couldn't happen. It'd be like letting a wolf into the house.
Having that brat live here would bring nothing but trouble, especially with him shooting tranquilizer darts at me every day. If it were Haibara Ai instead, that'd be more acceptable.
But if I don't let Conan live here, the plot will spiral out of control, and I'll lose my advantage as a foreseer.
It's so frustrating. Fine, I'll let that brat live here when the time comes, but I'll have to train him first.
As Kogoro Mouri was thinking about how to deal with Conan, the doorbell rang: Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Business had arrived.
He opened the door to see a man and a woman standing there. The man was of average build and plain appearance, someone who would easily get lost in a crowd.
The woman behind him, however, was wearing a pink trench coat, highlighting her graceful figure. Her right hand was adjusting her hat, and a large pair of sunglasses covered half her face. She glanced around cautiously.
"Please come in."
From Kogoro's perspective, the woman's outfit was stylish, and the fabric was high-quality, clearly marking her as a wealthy client. His smile deepened.
"Wait, this face looks very familiar."
Kogoro turned to look at the poster on the wall. The face was identical—it was Yoko Okino.