Compliment

The man in the brown suit was the first to introduce himself, "My name is Minagawa Katsuhiko."

"I'm the president of the Hana Medical University Tennis Club," he introduced himself briefly, "Nice to meet you all."

Minagawa Katsuhiko appeared to be a college student, his hair was short, his forehead had a clear hairline, and his whole body was clean-cut, and with the smoke that lingered on his face, he was a bit disheveled, and a full-fledged neon-style handsome man.

"I'm next in line by seat," a short-haired woman in a blue jacket stood up, "I'm Kaori Sekiya."

She was quite handsome and smiled at Ichijō Mirai and the others, "I didn't expect to meet new people today, nice to meet you three, and a little friend."

The next person to introduce himself was a chubby young man, but he kept his head down and sipped from his glass of orange juice without saying a word.

The somewhat stocky male in red called out to him, "Hey, Naomichi, it's your turn to introduce yourself."

Then, without waiting for a reply, he helpfully introduced himself with a tone of anticipation, "This guy's name is Tanaka Naomichi."

"Naomichi is like that, he's always a bit gloomy and doesn't fit in, it's nothing personal, so please don't be offended."

A woman sitting next to Tanaka Naomichi spoke up and took over the conversation, "Hello everyone, my name is Watanabe Yoshimi."

She also had short hair, with a brownish black bob that fell to her chin, and looked very gentle.

The last one to introduce himself was the lanky man in red who actively encouraged everyone to introduce themselves, he coughed a few times to attract all the attention in the room, and raised his arm in a gesture, "Hello everyone, my name is..."

"Wakamatsu Toshihide!"

"I am both gentle and strong, with a rather large body, but a rather delicate mind," Wakamatsu Toshihide raised his arms to show off his muscles, speaking in a deep voice, like a beautiful girl transforming into an invincible girl, doing what should be a handsome move, lifting his hair and holding his heart, his voice was particularly rhythmic, "I am a handsome man who is also quite sensitive and will shed affectionate tears for the person he loves!"

...

The whole room was silent.

Everyone looked at Wakamatsu Toshihide in silence. Regardless of whether they knew each other before, at this moment, because they shared the same feelings and thoughts, their relationship quickly advanced.

Eventually, a soft female voice broke the deathly silence, "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

A kimono woman who appeared to be in her early thirties stepped out of the kitchen, her black hair slicked back, carrying a huge plate of sushi, the back of her pale neck showing as she sat down halfway on her side to place the plate.

She had a beautiful face and a gentle smile, "It's time to start eating."

She is a gentle beauty.

Suzuki Sonoko, who has no resistance to beauty, was the first to speak, "Wow, it's beautiful!"

"Are you Mr. Minagawa's mother? You're really young and beautiful!"

Mrs. Minagawa smiled at her, "This young lady is so sweet."

The kitchen door was left open and a child who looked to be six or seven years old ran out from it, he jumped next to Mouri-Lan and peered at the dishes on the table, "Wow, what a sumptuous dish, mom, I want to play together too!"

He gave a pitiful expression, "I want to eat too..."

Minagawa Katsuhiko interrupted in a deep voice, "Sasumu, go to your room."

"What's with kids at a Valentine's Day dinner, don't interrupt us."

Conan, who had just reached out for the sushi: "..."

He looked up and down silently, "Tsk."

Mrs. Minagawa hurriedly picked up her child, smilingly coaxing him, "The older siblings have something to do, so go back to the kitchen with your mother first, okay?"

Minagawa Katsuhiko's tone of voice was too heavy, the already silent living room added a few more heavy atmosphere, Suzuki Sonoko voiced out to ease the situation, "It's okay to stay, we've brought the kids with us as well, it's good company, isn't it, Conan?"

"But," she looked at Minagawa Katsuhiko, then at Mrs. Minagawa and the child in her arms, "it's true that they're a family, they all look great." 

"Mr. Minagawa must look like his father, right?"

Minagawa Katsuhiko and Mrs. Minagawa didn't look much like each other, their styles were gentle and soft, and they both had round cat eyes.

"Well," Mrs. Minagawa smiled, "I'd better take him in."

She left the room with her son and went back into the kitchen.

Minagawa Katsuhiko didn't lift her eyes for a moment, and after finishing a cigarette, she lit another one, 'clicking' and 'clicking' the lighter, looking more than a little impatient because of the interruption.

Kaori Sekiya, who was sitting on the other side of the table, whispered without moving, "It's better not to smoke one cigarette after another at indoor dinners."

"And it's not good for your health."

The voice was low.

Tanaka Naomichi, who had been drinking his orange juice with his head down, looked up at the sound of the voice, looked sideways at Watanabe Yoshimi on the other side of Minagawa Katsuhiko, and then after a few seconds looked down again and drank his orange juice even more quietly.

So far, apart from the dead silence, a subtle atmosphere lingered over the group of people who had known each other for a long time.

Ichijō Mirai scanned the room, his eyes lingering on each native for a few seconds, before pulling back and smiling as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"Mr. Mirai," Suzuki Sonoko inquired in a quiet whisper, "you seem a little happy?"

"Why?"

Her eyes were rounded like a curious cat.

Ichijō Mirai: "Nothing."

"It's just that," he smiled again, "don't you think that without the accidental participation of us, the people in the room look like they're in Stormy Mountain setting?"

All of them had their own secrets, each of them was intertwined with the others present, and the friendships prevented them from leaving at any time when there was nothing serious going on.

It's like pre-Storm Mountain before the murders.

Most importantly...

Ichijō Mirai looks toward Minagawa Katsuhiko, his eyes turn away, then back again.

There was a murderous aura.

For a few moments, in the living room, like a square after a rain, an unnoticeable grassy aura of murder was creeping up.

To a normal person, this is something that cannot be detected at all, but to Ichijō Mirai, who has often felt a murderous aura directed at him, this is something that is very obvious.

But this time, it wasn't his own anger, so he was a little uncertain about the source.

That's why, "I'm a bit impressed that you managed to attend such a party, Ms. Suzuki."

This kind of gathering is obviously an exclusive gathering of friends.

Suzuki Sonoko wasn't one of them, but she was 'lucky' enough to be able to attend, so it's no wonder she didn't think that contacting a detective on Valentine's Day was a bad idea.

"Huh?" Suzuki Sonoko didn't quite understand, and her eyes widened a little. Because it was not good to whisper at a party, she sat back and picked up the cup to drink orange juice, and responded to the compliment with a bit of embarrassment, "No, no, it's just a coincidence."

Ichijō Mirai: "..."

It's not a compliment.