The waiter led them to a private room. Ran graciously deferred to Shinichi when it came to ordering, and he, in turn, selected several of the restaurant's specialties.
While they waited for their food, Shinichi and Akira Yumiya engaged in an animated discussion about Sherlock Holmes, touching upon cases Shinichi had previously solved.
Ran and Yumeya chatted about girl talk, occasionally including the others in their conversation, but generally keeping their discussions separate.
Akira Yumiya, having clearly done his homework, offered fresh perspectives on Shinichi's past cases, analyzing them from different angles.
Shinichi was thrilled. While he was used to solving cases and having Inspector Megure (and Officer Takagi) follow his lead, he often felt isolated in his deductions. He longed for someone to truly share his passion for detective work. Now, he had found someone who could discuss Sherlock Holmes with him, dissect his cases with him, and even offer new insights.
Soon, the food arrived, and everyone politely said, "Itadakimasu!" before beginning their meal.
Ran carefully ladled miso soup into her bowl. The rich aroma was tantalizing. Though eager to taste it, she maintained perfect manners, gently stirring the soup with her chopsticks before taking a small, delicate sip.
Yumeya mirrored Ran's actions, her movements equally elegant, yet with a touch more quickness.
Shinichi's movements, while also proper, were more concise and efficient, reflecting his confident and energetic personality.
Akira Yumiya, drawing on his ingrained habits, followed suit. His movements were unhurried, yet fluid and natural, projecting an air of calm ease.
While conversation at the Japanese dinner table is generally discouraged, especially loud or excessive talking, the group managed to maintain a quiet and respectful level of interaction.
Throughout the meal, Akira Yumiya continued his discussion with Shinichi, but also made an effort to engage Ran and Yumeya, chatting about the karate club and offering advice based on his own experience as a former student.
The meal concluded in a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere. Shinichi and Ran were both very impressed with Akira Yumiya. Even the usually quiet Yumeya seemed to warm up to him, occasionally initiating conversation.
By the time they finished eating, it was eight o'clock. Since their homes were all in the same direction, they decided to walk together.
"Well, I'm home," Ran said as they reached the Mouri Detective Agency. "Goodbye, Shinichi, Yumeya, and Senior Yumiya. Thank you for the lovely dinner, Senior Yumiya."
"You're welcome, Ran," Akira Yumiya replied. "You're too polite. You go on ahead; Shinichi, Yumeya, and I will walk a bit further." He had already moved to using Ran's given name.
"Then I'll see you later. Be careful on your way home," Ran said with a smile, before heading up the stairs to the second floor of the detective agency.
The remaining three continued walking. Shinichi and Akira Yumiya resumed their conversation about Sherlock Holmes and various cases, while Yumeya fell back into her usual quiet demeanor.
They soon reached the intersection of Sanchome. "Well, this is where we part ways," Akira Yumiya said. "Kudo, you're truly a remarkable detective. I've learned a great deal from our conversation today." He gave a slight bow.
"Not at all," Shinichi replied quickly, returning the bow. "I've also benefited greatly from our discussions, Yumiya."
"Thank you for the meal, Yumiya-san," Yumeya added politely.
"You're very welcome. See you all soon." Akira Yumiya nodded to them both and turned to walk towards his own home.
Shinichi and Yumeya continued on, walking side-by-side, until they reached the Kudo residence.
Shinichi relaxed on the sofa, a copy of Sherlock Holmes in his hands. On the coffee table sat a cup of lemon tea that Yumeya had made for him.
After a while, he set down his book, took a sip of his tea, and asked Yumeya, who was flipping through a magazine on the other sofa, "What did you think of Yumiya?"
It was a seemingly innocuous question, one that might even sound like Shinichi was considering Yumiya as a potential boyfriend for his sister.
Yumeya, however, understood her brother's true intentions. Her clear, calm voice replied, "He has excellent manners, and his reasoning and observation skills are quite sharp. While I haven't seen him compete, I've heard he's very skilled at karate, possibly even better than Ran. However, he quit the club in his final year of high school, so I can't be certain of his current abilities."
She paused, then continued, "He seems to have done some research on you. He has a good understanding of the cases you've solved, which suggests he's been studying them. Also, he steered the conversation towards your favorite topic, Sherlock Holmes, very smoothly, despite it being our first meeting. I doubt that was a coincidence."
Finally, she concluded, "His motives seem a little unclear. I think you should be cautious when interacting with him."
Shinichi nodded slowly. "You're right. He did seem to know a lot about my cases, and he definitely has a knack for bringing up Sherlock Holmes. But as a fellow Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, I can tell he genuinely loves the stories. It doesn't feel like he's just trying to flatter me."
"Besides, I did enjoy our discussions. He said he wanted to talk to me about detective work, so it's not surprising that he knows something about me beforehand."
"And I was his main conversation partner. He was just being polite to you and Ran. I don't think he's trying to get close to you through me."
"In short, I don't think he's a bad person. After all, how could a true Sherlock Holmes fan be a bad person?"
Yumeya gave her brother a knowing look. "Just be careful," she said, putting down her magazine and standing up. "I'm going to take a shower. And you, brother, don't stay up too late reading Sherlock Holmes, or you'll be tired in class again."
"I know, I know," Shinichi replied, picking up his Sherlock Holmes book again. "You're starting to sound like Mom."
Yumeya shook her head and went to take her shower.
Once she was out of Shinichi's sight, her expression turned serious.
"Akira Yumiya… a character who doesn't appear in the original story… why now? This Saturday, Shinichi and Ran are going to Tropical Land… and that organization is definitely more dangerous than it seems in the anime… I need to find a way to stop Shinichi from making contact with them so early…"
Yumeya's mind raced with possibilities. Finally, she took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom.