Chapter 78: Let’s Show Our Love on Valentine’s Day

"Ah, I knew Dad would end up like this."

After a few days, Ran returned to Mouri Detective Agency, only to be greeted by a sight that went completely beyond her expectations. The entire place was a disaster.

Cigarette butts, empty beer bottles, and various pieces of trash cluttered the desk. It didn't look like a detective's office at all, more like a bachelor's den gone wrong.

"Ran? Why are you back?" Kogoro asked, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What do you think, Dad?" Ran smiled, but there was an unmistakable edge to her voice.

She had thought dealing with her mother was troublesome enough but it turned out her father's side was just as bad.

One had completely messed up the office, while the other filled the fridge with nothing but condiments.

"Neither of you can do housework, not even cooking." Ran sighed in exasperation. She was starting to feel like her parents were completely unreliable.

Honestly, if she wasn't around, this whole family would probably fall apart.

Kogoro awkwardly scratched the back of his head, unable to refute her words.

"And Dad, you should really apologize to Mom already."

"Huh?!"

"Why should I bow my head to her?"

Seeing her father's stubborn expression, Ran narrowed her eyes and pointed out something crucial.

"Because Mom is very popular. I've even heard that a lot of excellent prosecutors are pursuing her."

Kogoro's face immediately darkened.

This was not what he wanted to hear.

He knew that Eri had many admirers, but the fact that Ran found out in just a few days? That was an entirely different level of crisis.

God knows what kind of men were chasing after her.

And if this kept up, one day, Ran might actually call someone else 'Dad.'

No way. Absolutely not.

He needed to talk to Eri. This was serious. He couldn't let things develop like this any further.

Ran, seeing the clear panic on her father's face, simply shrugged.

"And Dad, do you even have any cases right now?"

"Of course! Why?"

Kogoro crossed his arms confidently, though most of his recent jobs were low-paying, insignificant cases.

Ran sighed. "I was worried that with the way your office looks, you might not have had any work for a while."

"Ran, you're underestimating me. Your father still gets jobs!"

"Yeah, I believe that," Ran said with a pout. "It's just that your cases are mostly about finding lost pets… or catching cheating spouses."

Despite everything, she never doubted her father's detective skills.

As a former police officer, Kogoro had his own methods of investigating and gathering evidence. The skills he developed in the force translated well into detective work. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to resign from the police and open his own agency.

The problem was that deductive reasoning had never been his strong suit.

Which was exactly why he got so angry every time he saw Shinichi's name in the newspaper.

"Dad, just so you know, Valentine's Day is coming up soon."

"You should really take the opportunity to do something special for Mom. That way, those other prosecutors won't have a chance to give her chocolates."

Kogoro's gaze shifted slightly, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.

Could it really be that bad…?

He wasn't sure, but if he got too careless, Ran really might end up with a new dad.

"Anyway, I've warned you," Ran continued. "If someone steals your wife, that's on you."

Kogoro suddenly felt a huge sense of urgency.

Ran was living with Eri now, so she had direct insight into the situation. If she had already noticed something, then it was probably worse than he thought.

Whether those prosecutors were getting close to Eri for work or personal reasons, the fact remained he didn't like it.

Wanting to change the topic, he quickly asked, "Forget about me. What about you? Any plans for Valentine's Day?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted them.

"Yes," Ran answered casually. "I recently secretely joined another club at school, and they're hosting an event."

"There's a classmate in the club who helped me out a lot, so I plan to give him chocolates as a thank-you gesture."

Kogoro squinted at her.

"…What do you mean by 'secretly joined another club'?"

"It means I joined as a non-official member."

"I'm still in the karate club, so I can't join another club formally. This way, I can still participate without quitting karate."

Kogoro finally understood… and yet, something about it felt off.

"The president of your karate club actually allows that?"

"Nope."

"Then how did you get away with it?"

Ran shrugged. "Because a lot of people joined this club."

"Even if there are a lot of people… wait." Kogoro's expression shifted. "Sonoko's in this club too, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"…And let me guess, there's another rich lady like Sonoko involved?"

"Yup."

Kogoro rubbed his temples.

Good grief. That explained everything.

He could already picture the situation.

The karate club president wasn't ignoring the problem, he simply couldn't do anything about it.

Even if he wanted to enforce the rules, going against Sonoko and another wealthy heiress would be a losing battle.

The club wasn't officially allowing it, but everyone involved knew better than to interfere.

And in the end, since the club wasn't losing members, it was easier to just pretend not to notice.

While thinking about all this, Mouri Kogoro suddenly realized something.

His daughter… looked different lately.

"Ran, have you started growing again recently?"

Ran froze.

"…"

"Wait… is that true?"

"I thought I was just imagining things."

Her stiff reaction confirmed it.

Kogoro raised an eyebrow. "Ran, you don't think I'd notice?"

"I'm your father. Of course I'd notice."

Ran fidgeted slightly but didn't deny it.

Kogoro chuckled. "It's normal. You were still young when you had your first growth spurt. Normally, you'd have another big change around this age."

"You're just ahead of schedule, that's all."