Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

"Lake Hamana in Shizuoka truly lives up to its reputation; it's a beautiful place."

The car was parked at a villa rental company not far from Lake Hamana. The tour group decided to stay in Shizuoka for a day so that Kenzo Masuyama, who had been driving for two days straight, could get enough rest.

Leaning against the car and looking out at Lake Hamana, which seemed to merge with the sky, Shiota Heihachiro, who didn't have a driver's license, shamelessly admired the American women strolling along the lake.

"Americans are bolder than I imagined. Look at those women, their skirts are shorter than navy shorts," Shiota Heihachiro said, pointing to the shores of Lake Hamana, which were now frequented only by foreigners.

“Perhaps they think there’s nothing in this place that could pose a threat to them.” Kuromaru Yata crossed his arms and turned his head to find that Masuyama Kenzo, who had been dozing off in the driver’s seat, had completely fallen asleep.

“He barely managed to drive here, let him rest a bit more.” Shintaro rolled his eyes at Shiota Heihachiro: “If a policeman also had a driver’s license, we probably wouldn’t have to make someone drive for two days in a row.”

"You can't blame me for that. Our little police station doesn't even have a car, only motorcycles."

Shiota Heihachiro defended himself, but his eyes never left the young women.

As they were talking, Kudo Yuuji and Marina, holding rental agreements, also came out of the rental company.

“The house is rented. It’s not far from Lake Hamana. We can go there for a visit when Mr. Kenzo Masuyama is resting.” Yuji Kudo handed the bill to Yata Kuromaru and returned his wallet to him.

"This place is really outrageous. Even if you have money, you can't rent a place here. If it weren't for Marina's intervention, we would have to sleep by the lake tonight."

"So the reason you went in first and then came out to bring Marina in is because they won't rent a room to you." Jintaro suddenly realized.

“So Marina is our hero today.” Kudo Yuji glanced at Masuyama Kenzo, and seeing that he was sleeping comfortably, he gave up the idea of ​​waking him. “I’ve asked another gentleman to help with parking, but we’ll have to move Mr. Masuyama Kenzo from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat and make room for him.” Marina walked over to Kuroba Jintaro and Kuromaru Yata.

"Wow, this choice is definitely the obvious one."

The group turned to Shiota Heihachiro in tacit agreement.

"Hey! What do you mean? I just glanced at that rental listing, and the house is five kilometers away from here."

“But you weren’t originally in our plan, you’re the extra one.” Kuromaru Yata opened the driver’s side door, pushed Masuyama Kenzo to the passenger side, and then opened the back door and sat down. “Also, I paid for the rent, so Shiota, you need to go buy the ingredients for dinner tonight and bring them back for Marina and the other two to cook.”

“That’s not fair! Our Marina paid for this house by showing off her beautiful face. Otherwise, your money would be useless.” Yuuji raised his hand to defend the Kudo family.

"Then you and Kuroba will cook for us, and you can't refuse again, Ms. Miyano."

Kuromaru Yata opened the car door and let Marina get in before seeing the valet approaching.

"Why can't I refuse?" Yuuji clung to the car door in dissatisfaction.

"Because I don't believe Kuroba can cook food that normal people would eat." (End of Chapter)