"Huh!?"
Upon hearing Shiratori's words, Sato Miwako was surprised, and seeing her reaction, Shiratori's expression became even more terrifying.
"So it really was just work?"
Yumi leaned out with a narrow expression, "I thought you two were so restless inside, couldn't wait for the date, so you took the opportunity to skip work for a date. Turns out, I was overthinking it."
"Hey... why do you know so much about people's private lives!!" Sato Miwako shouted towards Yumi, looking embarrassed.
"After all, we're detectives too. Don't underestimate our investigative abilities," Shiratori boasted. "Your day off coincided with Takagi's leave. Just one look, and everyone understood what was going on."
"So, you're showcasing this terrifying investigative power in personal matters, huh?" Senichi muttered to himself upon hearing Shiratori's words.
"Well, actually, it's because of Takagi." Yumi grinned, "He was 'harshly interrogated' in the interrogation room by everyone. In the end, he couldn't resist and had to spill the beans."
"Haha..." Sato Miwako laughed without any anger, and her speechless expression conveyed her current mood.
"By the way, there's something else to tell you." Yumi smirked, "It seems like many people that day especially took a day off..."
"Not just that." Senichi sighed, looking sympathetically at Sato Miwako. "From what I know, the intercoms and binoculars were all reserved in advance that day."
"Wh-what!!" Sato Miwako looked at Senichi abruptly, her expressions were somewhat frantic. "Could it be... everyone was planning to follow us?"
"From the current situation, it seems so."
Hearing Senichi's words, Sato Miwako scratched her head in irritation. Just thinking about the scene at that time made her scalp tingle. After all, with a group of colleagues watching, there was no trace of a date.
Perhaps someone was tracking from somewhere, and maybe telescopes were watching from every high place. Just thinking about it completely ruined the mood for a date!
"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Ayumi's eyes lit up after listening to their conversation, wearing an expression full of interest. "It sounds like something we should check out!"
"Then let's go to the Tropical Ocean Paradise at that time!!" Mitsuhiko suggested.
"Sounds good, sounds good!!" Genta decisively agreed, and the three kids happily made their plan.
While the kids were having a good time, Sato Miwako on the side felt like her head was exploding. A group of colleagues, plus a few mischievous kids?
What kind of hellish public execution mode is this!
"It's not a date!"
Sato Miwako bent down to look at the Detective Boys and said, "It's just that Takagi helped me last time, so to thank him, I invited him to the Tropical Ocean Paradise. It's not a date or anything."
While Sato Miwako was explaining to the Detective Boys, Yumi on the side teased Shiratori, "And what about you? Are you ready to give up and let them develop?"
"Of course not." Shiratori smiled and said, "I was rejected during a blind date before, but it's not enough to make me give up. Besides, Sato-san hasn't called his first name yet, which means their relationship hasn't been confirmed. I still have a chance... And I'm the commander of the surveillance team."
After saying that, Shiratori smiled, walked towards Sato Miwako, who was embarrassed by the teasing of the Detective Boys, and helped her out.
"So, which side are you on, Detective Miyamoto?" Senichi, standing nearby, sighed and massaged his forehead. "You always seem to enjoy chaos."
"Hehe... of course, I'm on Miwako's side." Yumi grinned, about to say something when suddenly she looked into the distance. "Look who's coming. This should be interesting."
"Idiot!!" Sato Miwako naturally noticed the approaching police car upon hearing the commotion. She ran towards the car, looking embarrassed. "Coming at this time is like walking into a trap!!"
As the door of the police car opened, Takagi stepped out. However, unlike his usual duty appearance, he had undergone a significant transformation with a wig and sunglasses. Coupled with the open shirt and loosely tied tie, he now exuded a somewhat unrestrained vibe.
Seeing this scene, Senichi keenly sensed the change in the atmosphere around him. The expressions of the three of them changed simultaneously.
"Hey hey hey... this can't be the case from that incident, right?" Senichi looked at the stunned Sato Miwako and the disguised Takagi beside her, suddenly connecting the current case with a certain incident from his memory.
Shortly afterward, the scene before his eyes directly triggered Senichi's recollection of the case.
After exchanging greetings with the Detective Boys, Takagi, still smiling, ran over to greet Sato Miwako, showing off his disguised appearance.
However, what awaited him was not Sato Miwako's evaluation but a resounding slap with tears in her eyes.
This crisp slap instantly turned the originally calm atmosphere tense.
"Ah... Sato..."
"Didn't Inspector Megure order you not to disguise yourself like this?" Sato Miwako said with her head down, her tone filled with indescribable sadness.
Although he still looked confused, he said, "Ah, that's true...but..."
she exploded when she heard Takagi's words, "If that's the case, why did you dress up without permission, and in this appearance?!"
"S-Sorry..."
"Understood. Immediately remove the disguise and return to your designated patrol area!" Sato Miwako walked away towards the crowd with a low voice, "You've heard, now go."
"Understood..."
Takagi watched as Sato Miwako put on her headgear and walked into the crowd. It was only at this moment that he seemed to realize and looked confusedly at Senichi and the others, "D-Did I do something to make her angry?"
"No, it's just that you, a moment ago, resembled him a lot..." Yumi sighed, suddenly becoming serious.
"Him?" Detective Takagi was puzzled. "Who are you talking about?"
"That's something from before you were transferred to the headquarters," Shiratori said. "The detective who worked in the Criminal Investigation Division for only six days... Detective Matsuda."
"Indeed." With the sudden turn of events, Senichi had essentially identified this case.
However, there was a slight problem.
This case was actually a prelude to the subsequent bombing case. While Senichi did have some impression of this case, the crucial issue was that...
Because the "main event" case had left a strong impression, Senichi had almost no recollection of this "prelude" case.
The only thing he remembered was that Takagi narrowly avoided getting caught in the explosion in this case.