After parting ways with Ai and the others, Kousuke strolled leisurely down the street with Heiji Hattori and Uncle Mori.
The men weren't in the mood for shopping, but there were still several hours until the agreed time, and going there now to wait would be quite boring.
After asking for everyone's opinions, Uncle Mori led the group into an izakaya (Japanese pub) located near the car rental company.
Because he had to conduct an investigation in the afternoon, Uncle Mori didn't drink alcohol, but only ordered some side dishes, such as fried chicken, grilled skewers, and oden.
I also chatted with the izakaya owner, whom I already knew.
Meanwhile, Kōyū and the other two sat at another table. Heiji Hattori and Conan ate and chatted, while Kōyū did not participate in their conversation.
He sat in his seat, eating grilled skewers with sauce while exchanging text messages with Ai.
After staying at the izakaya for almost two hours, Uncle Mori finally paid the bill and left with the group.
...
4:30 PM, Beika Town, 4-chome.
A car slowly pulled up in front of the Morozuka family's gate.
After the car came to a complete stop, Heiji Hattori and Conan opened the car door and climbed out.
Standing in front of the doorplate, after confirming the exact address and glancing at the time, Hattori Heiji frowned slightly.
He said with some distress, "This is it, but we're thirty minutes late. I don't know if it will have any impact. It's a bit of a problem."
"Thirty minutes?" Uncle Mori pulled out the car key, reached out to open the car door, and said as he got out of the car, "It's only thirty minutes, nothing should happen, right?"
“But Mr. Kusukawa specifically told me that the other party is a very particular person about time,” Hattori Heiji explained. “If it were just a minute or two, it would be fine, but we’re already an hour late.”
“Anyway, we’ve come this far… Heh~ Ah~” Guangyou closed the car door, yawned, wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, paused for a moment, and said, “Let’s go in and ask.”
"Yes, that's the only way." Hattori Heiji nodded, strode into the Morozukami family's courtyard, and called out, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"
He had only taken a few steps when he heard a woman's angry voice coming from inside the house, so he stopped in his tracks.
"Please leave right now, or I'll call the police!"
Uncle Mori and Kouyu, who followed them in, also heard the voice. Kouyu guessed, "They're probably chasing away the salesman."
"Perhaps." Hattori Heiji remained noncommittal. Listening to the sounds inside, he placed his hand on the door and opened it a crack.
Then, the group saw the owner of the voice, an older woman whose face bore the clear marks of time.
A man in a suit stood in the entryway in front of the woman.
Upon hearing that, the man quickly explained, "I already said, I didn't come to your home to force a sales pitch..."
"I'm just showing you the catalog of antiques I sell in my shop, such as hanging scrolls and teapots."
Guangyou, who was openly "eavesdropping" at the door, raised an eyebrow.
Isn't this still just selling?
"I've already told you."
The woman stood in the entryway, looking down at the man who came to sell her wares, and said impatiently, "I have absolutely no interest in that kind of dusty junk."
"If that's the case, then I hope you can accept the catalog and the 'Business Prosperity' keychain."
Unlike other salesmen, the man didn't persist in pestering her. Instead, he handed the catalog and keychain to the woman and said politely, "If you need anything someday, please come back to our store."
"You don't need to worry about that." The woman didn't reach out to take the catalog and keychain; instead, she raised her hand and knocked the two items to the ground.
Then, the woman snorted and said disdainfully, "Our family isn't so poor that we need to collect those freebies you give away."
The woman's patience seemed to have run out; her face contorted with anger, she shouted at the man, "Please get out of here right now!!"
The man wasn't angry. He bowed several times to apologize, then squatted down and picked up the catalog and keychain that had fallen to the ground.
While picking them up, she said, "N-no, I'm so sorry to bother you..."
After picking up his belongings, the man turned around and pushed open the door.
When he saw Guangyou and his group at the door, he was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly, lowered his head a little, and walked past them.
After the man left, the woman saw the group of people at the door and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything you need?"
"We're here on behalf of Mr. Kusunoki to inspect the site," Uncle Mori explained, turning his gaze away and giving a friendly smile.
Hearing what Uncle Mori said, the woman nodded and said, "Oh, so that's what it was about. But I don't need it anymore."
"It's probably because I've been too neurotic lately that I have that feeling. If there's nothing else, please go back now."
Although he didn't know what was going on, Uncle Mori didn't ask any more questions. He smiled, nodded, and said to the woman, "We're sorry to have bothered you. We'll be going now."
"Okay, take care."
After exchanging pleasantries, Uncle Mori led the group away from the Morozuka family's yard.
"Uncle, can we go back now?"
Seeing the current situation, Guangyou felt it was impossible to continue the investigation.
After all, the client has decided to cancel, so what's the point of investigating?
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