Ran Mouri pushed open the door of the Detective Agency, and a gust of stale air mixed with dust, alcohol, and cheap cigarettes hit her in the face.
Shirakawa frowned subconsciously.
No lights were on inside; only the flickering screen of a television provided a faint, eerie glow in the dim room.
A man with stubble and hair as messy as a bird’s nest lay slumped on the sofa, his rumpled suit askew.
He held a beer can in one hand and was giggling foolishly at a horse racing program on the TV.
This was the legendary Sleeping Kogoro?
The image of a man “riddled with vices” in Shirakawa’s mind instantly overlapped with the decadent middle-aged man before him.
“Dad!
Why are you watching TV without the lights on again!
It’s bad for your eyes!”
Ran Mouri walked in quickly with a reproachful tone and skillfully flipped the switch on the wall.
With a click, the fluorescent light chased away the gloom.
The piercing light caused Kogoro Mouri on the sofa to squint in dissatisfaction, and it also made him notice Shirakawa standing at the door.
“Ran, this is…”
Ran Mouri was about to introduce him.
“Oh, oh, oh—!”
Kogoro Mouri’s eyes suddenly bulged wide open , the beer can in his hand fell to the floor with a “clatter,” and he sprang up from the sofa like a leaping carp.
This agility was not like that of a drunkard at all.
He rushed in front of Shirakawa in a few quick steps.
Without saying a word, he circled Shirakawa, sizing him up with a gaze as sharp as if he were scrutinizing a rare treasure.
That look made Shirakawa’s skin crawl, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
“Dad!
What are you doing!
That’s so rude!” Ran Mouri was also startled by her father’s abnormal behavior and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
“This is Mr.
Shirakawa…”
“I get it!
I get it!”
Kogoro Mouri suddenly stopped, wearing an “I’ve seen through everything” expression, and then heavily patted Shirakawa on the shoulder.
The force nearly made Shirakawa stumble.
Kogoro Mouri spoke with the solemn, emotional tone of a father giving away his daughter:
“Kid, I’m entrusting our Ran to you!”
“You must love her well.
If you dare bully her…
oh wait, you probably aren’t even a match for Ran…”
The air in the entire Detective Agency instantly froze.
Shirakawa was dumbfounded, his mind going blank.
What on earth was going on?
“Dad!
What kind of nonsense are you talking about again!”
Ran Mouri’s embarrassed and angry voice rang out like a clap of thunder.
Shirakawa only felt a blur before his eyes as a swift gust from a punch grazed the tip of his nose.
“Thud!”
A muffled sound followed.
Kogoro Mouri, who had looked somewhat respectable just a moment ago, now had his eyes rolled back and was foaming at the mouth.
He fell straight backward, kicking up a cloud of dust on the sofa.
A one-hit knockout.
Shirakawa swallowed hard, his heart pounding wildly as he looked at Ran Mouri’s slender arm, which was still in a punching pose.
Was this the strength of the Beika City University Karate Tournament champion?
Terrifying.
Never, ever make Ran angry!
This was an ironclad rule for the sake of his own life.
“Um…
I’m sorry, Mr.
Shirakawa!” Ran Mouri pulled back her fist, her cheeks as red as ripe apples, and explained apologetically, “My dad is drunk and just talking nonsense.
Please don’t mind him!”
“No…
I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all.” Shirakawa nodded frantically, a smile on his face that looked more painful than crying.
Looking at the completely unconscious Kogoro Mouri, it was clear that the conversation could not continue.
Ran Mouri sighed, and ignoring her father, she turned to start tidying up the messy Detective Agency.
“It’s too messy here; I’ll clean up first.”
Seeing the young girl’s busy figure, Shirakawa felt bad just sitting there and quickly stepped forward.
“Let me help.”
“No, no, Mr.
Shirakawa, you’re a guest.
How can I let you do this?” Ran Mouri waved her hands repeatedly.
“It’s fine,” Shirakawa insisted.
“That storage room is going to be my bedroom from now on, so it’s only right that I clean it myself.”
Seeing his persistence, Ran Mouri couldn’t refuse any longer.
She nodded and handed him a rag.
The two began to clean together.
Shirakawa was responsible for wiping the bookshelves and organizing the newspapers, while Ran Mouri took care of sweeping and mopping the floor.
Watching Shirakawa’s profile as he cleaned seriously, Ran Mouri felt a strange sensation welling up inside her.
In Japan’s society, where male chauvinism was prevalent, it was rare for men to do housework.
She remembered when she used to help clean Shinichi’s house; that mystery geek would always sit on the sofa reading the newspaper as a matter of course, leaving everything to her.
In comparison, Shirakawa’s figure seemed to grow taller under the light.
Just as they were nearly finished cleaning, Kogoro Mouri on the sofa let out a groan and slowly woke up.
Ran Mouri’s heart tightened.
Fearing her father would start talking nonsense again, she quickly spoke first:
“Dad, you’re awake!
I wanted to tell you, Mr.
Shirakawa is in a tough spot.
He lost his job and his luggage was stolen, so I want him to stay in our storage room for a while.”
Shirakawa listened from the side, inwardly shocked.
His resilience was incredible.
To be knocked out by such a punch and wake up so quickly?
As expected of a former detective.
At the same time, he also began to worry.
Now that Kogoro Mouri was awake, would hearing that a person of unknown origin like him wanted to move in make him think Shirakawa was a suspicious character and take him straight to the police station?
However, to his surprise…
Kogoro Mouri just rubbed the back of his aching head, stared at Shirakawa for a few seconds, and then gave a grand wave of his hand.
“Fine!
It’s settled then!”
Not just Shirakawa, but even Ran Mouri was stunned, her face full of surprise.
“Dad…
you agreed?”
“Of course!” Kogoro Mouri snorted, sat up on the sofa with his legs crossed, and put on the air of the head of the household.
“In all these years, this is the first time you’ve brought a man home, isn’t it?”
“You’re a university student now.
You’ve grown up and reached the age where you can make your own decisions.”
Hearing this, Shirakawa was surprised by Kogoro Mouri’s open-mindedness, while Ran Mouri was slightly touched.
However, this touched feeling didn’t even last three seconds.
Kogoro Mouri’s gaze turned toward Shirakawa, and a mischievous smile spread across his face.
“But don’t get ahead of yourself, kid.
Until you find a stable job, I won’t be handing my precious daughter over to you…”
Before he could finish his sentence…
“Thud!”
There was another precise and swift heavy punch.
Kogoro Mouri’s eyes rolled back again as he collapsed, completing his second knockout.
“He…
he’s drunk again and just likes to joke.
Mr.
Shirakawa, please don’t take it to heart!” Ran Mouri’s face flushed as she explained in a fluster.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!” Shirakawa nodded frantically like a chick pecking at grain, indicating he absolutely believed her.
During Kogoro Mouri’s second blackout, the two finally finished cleaning thoroughly.
Ran Mouri went up to the third-floor living quarters to prepare dinner, and Shirakawa followed her into the kitchen to help with washing and chopping vegetables as best he could.
This was the first time Ran Mouri had prepared dinner in the kitchen with a boy.
Watching Shirakawa’s skillful knife work and listening to the clinking of their pots and pans, a thought suddenly popped into her head.
This situation seemed just like a newlywed couple often seen in TV dramas…
This thought made the girl’s pretty face flush instantly, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.