Kisaki Eri was hard at work in the kitchen.
It had been a while since she last cooked, and now in a new, unfamiliar kitchen, she fumbled about, bumping into shelves and drawers—but she was visibly enjoying herself. From the living room, Kogorō Mōri and Conan, secretly watching, exchanged concerned glances.
They both silently acknowledged the danger they were in.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki gently guided Ran to sit on the sofa.
He set a pot of water to boil.
"A little tea before the meal helps stimulate the appetite."
Are you seriously talking about appetite right now!?
Before Ran could say anything, Conan and Kogorō Mōri bolted toward Yoshiki, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"I think we should eat out tonight instead."
"Yeah, one meal to celebrate Ran's hospital release isn't enough!"
"Very sensible of you, Conan!"
The two harmonized perfectly—clearly trying to escape the fate that awaited them.
Just then, Kisaki Eri emerged from the kitchen with a spatula in hand.
"So… are you two saying my cooking is terrible?"
Under her withering stare, both men broke out in cold sweats.
Yoshiki remained composed, smiling gently.
"It sounds like dinner will be quite the feast. I'm really looking forward to your cooking, Aunt Eri."
His words made Eri positively glow with pride.
"Since Yoshiki said so, I'll make it even more elaborate tonight."
Then she turned to the others, her expression cold again:
"Yoshiki said to drink tea—so drink it!"
Resigned, Kogorō picked up his teacup.
He took a sip—and his eyes widened.
Isn't this the premium tea President Suzuki gave me? I never touch this stuff!
But before the conversation could continue, Yoshiki's phone rang.
"Hello? What? ...Understood. I'll head over now."
He turned toward the kitchen:
"Sorry, Aunt Eri. I'll have to try your cooking another time."
He ended the call, called out his apology, and was out the door before anyone could react.
By the time Eri came back to the living room, he was gone.
"I made so many dishes..."
She sighed, clearly disappointed—but not angry. She understood Yoshiki's work sometimes took sudden turns.
"Well then, the rest of you will just have to eat more."
Ran, still memoryless, blinked in confusion.
But Conan and Kogorō exchanged a long, knowing look filled with sorrow and betrayal.
An hour later, they braced themselves, took deep breaths, and sat at the table.
Kogorō, chopsticks in hand, hesitated.
"Uh... Eri, has Yoshiki ever had your cooking before?"
"Once, a long time ago. Why?"
Conan and Kogorō looked at each other again.Their suspicions were confirmed:
Hayashi Yoshiki had made a clean escape.
Yoshiki was sitting in his apartment living room, reading quietly.
He opened it—and was met by Kisaki Eri, smiling sweetly with food containers in hand.
She stepped in cheerfully.
"I figured you were probably still working and hadn't eaten, so I brought you some dinner."
"…Thank you. But I actually grabbed something earlier while working… I'm really not hungry right now."
She entered the living room and spotted the open books on his table—titles like The Truth of Memory, Psychology and Memory, and Cognitive Recall in Trauma Victims.
This kid... he's always thinking two steps ahead.
She sat down on the sofa.
"Have you been getting enough rest, Yoshiki?"
"Why do you ask, Aunt Eri?"
He handed her a glass of warm water.
"I just worry. You're juggling your agency, now reading all these books... I don't want you burning out."
She took the glass, sighing.
"The hospital doctor said Ran could recover her memory anytime—or it might take a long time. Either way, I don't want you exhausting yourself, Yoshiki."
"It's not a big deal. I've always enjoyed reading this kind of material anyway."
But Eri couldn't help feeling sad.
One child with amnesia… another with time disorientation.
She watched him with concern.
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"No client appointments so far. Unless something unexpected comes up, I should be free."
"Then how about taking Ran out for the day?"
Yoshiki looked surprised as Eri clapped her hands together, clearly proud of her idea.
"Ran's been feeling guilty lately. She told me today that she thinks everyone's wasting energy on her situation... I don't know where she got that from."
"If she could get out, relax a bit—it might lift her spirits. And honestly, you haven't had a real break in a while either."
"Where should we go?"
"How about Dorobika Park? I noticed she showed interest in an old photo taken there."
That would be the photo of her and Kudō Shinichi.
Yoshiki remembered. He also remembered it was where Ran had previously recovered her memory.
"Sure. Let's go to Dorobika Park."
"Since I've never properly helped you since you opened your agency, let this be my way of making it up to you. Consider this your commission."
"In that case, you'll have to reimburse me for all tomorrow's expenses."
"Of course. I'll cook for you myself!"
Yoshiki's smile faltered for just a moment.
But he quickly composed himself.
"Then… I'm sorry again for missing dinner tonight. I look forward to it."
If Kogorō and Conan suffer through two meals and I only one… I still win.
Eri, unaware of his inner monologue, just smiled kindly.
She checked the time.
"Ran should be asleep by now, so I'll talk to her tomorrow."