After the honk, Senichi saw Sonoko jumping out of the car and running towards them.
Ayako, on the other hand, had already tidied up her appearance. Her slightly heaving chest showed signs of catching her breath. However, upon seeing Sonoko approaching, she calmly opened the car door and stepped out.
"As expected, it's my sister. I knew it had to be your husband's car parked here so late."
Sonoko's eyes lit up upon seeing Ayako. She then smiled teasingly, "Truly love~love~, isn't it?"
This usual banter had lost much of its impact on Ayako. After all, she had been teased many times during their relationship by Sonoko, and by now, Ayako was immune to it.
However, perhaps due to a guilty conscience, even though she was aware of the one-way tinted windows, Ayako couldn't help but feel a bit shy. Her fair earlobes quickly turned a shade of red.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, and the light at the entrance wasn't as bright as an incandescent bulb; it emitted a soft, warm yellow glow, helping to conceal Ayako's embarrassment.
Senichi, who had gotten out of the car, was now politely greeting his mother-in-law, Suzuki Tomoko.
"It's quite a coincidence to meet here at the front gate." Suzuki Tomoko smiled and said, "Come on, let's go inside and sit for a while."
"No, it's late, and I don't want to disturb you at home." Senichi smiled and said, "I have to go to work on time tomorrow to deliver invitations to my colleagues."
"Well, that's fine. It won't take much time. After all, we're already family." Suzuki Tomoko nodded and then said with a smile, "By the way, your Deduction today was excellent. My friends were all praising you."
"Mom, weren't you supposed to be watching an opera tonight?" Ayako looked at them strangely. "How do you know about this?"
"The opera hadn't started at that time; we were having dinner." Sonoko grinned, "But just as we were eating, all the TV screens on the street suddenly switched, and it turned into your husband's live broadcast."
"No wonder you called me at that time." Ayako realized, "I thought you had already finished watching the opera."
"We were originally planning to watch that performance, but I suddenly had a craving for steak from that place, so we postponed it." Sonoko chuckled as she explained, then looked at Senichi and said, "Your performance on TV today was really cool! I guarantee the whole school will be talking about you tomorrow!"
"Well... it looks like this period won't be calm." Senichi smiled helplessly, but he wasn't too worried about becoming famous.
The saying "人の噂も七十五日 (rumors only last seventy-five days)" applied here as well, especially in this accelerated version of the timeline. There was no need to worry about the current sensation lasting.
Let's just keep a low profile for the time being.
"Alright, let's end the small talk here." Senichi waved and got into the car. "I'll be heading off now."
"Be safe on the road." Ayako, who had calmed down during the conversation after the initial shock, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiled, and bid farewell to Senichi.
"Yeah, it's really late. See you on the weekend." Suzuki Tomoko waved and smiled.
"See you on the weekend!" Sonoko also looked at the two with a mischievous grin, then waved to say goodbye to Senichi.
Senichi waved back, closed the car window, turned around, and finally left the Suzuki family's mansion.
Early the next morning, the entire office buzzed with activity. Senichi while holding thick invitation cards, continuously distributed them to his colleagues.
It was inevitable; after all, Senichi was quite famous at the Metropolitan Police Department, and he had many acquaintances among his colleagues.
If all these people attended, the scene might become as uncomfortable as when Shiratori's sister got married.
However, Suzuki Tomoko had considered all this and prepared a separate hall to entertain Senichi's colleagues.
Back in the office, Senichi received congratulations from colleagues like Megure, Sato, Shiratori, Chiba, and others.
Additionally, Haruka also came over to offer her congratulations. As Senichi handed her the invitation, Haruka also conveyed greetings from Saitama and took his invitation.
And so, what was originally a Monday, a day that office workers usually disliked, passed in a lively manner.
After finishing distributing the invitations, Senichi didn't go home immediately after work. Instead, he went to several places in Tokyo one after another, personally delivering invitations to his friends in the city.
This, of course, included the Mouri Detective Agency.
"Congratulations, Detective Senichi!"
After receiving the invitation, Ran congratulated Senichi with a smile. Kogoro Mouri and Conan were also happy for Senichi's joyous occasion.
"But what about Heiji and Kazuha?" Conan, playing with the invitation, looked up at Senichi and asked, "Have you contacted them?"
"Well, I'm acquainted with Mr. Hattori and Ms. Shizuka. However, given Mr. Hattori's position, it would be too troublesome for him to come here. So, I plan to give him a call to inform him, and then let Heiji and Kazuha represent their parents."
After all, the other party is the highest official in Osaka Prefecture. There's no need to specially make another trip to Tokyo just for the wedding banquet. Besides, in terms of relationships, his connection with Heiji and Kazuha is better. It makes sense and is reasonable.
After some thought, Senichi finally dialed Ms. Shizuka's number. After all, the Hattori family clearly follows a traditional division of roles, where the husband is the breadwinner and the wife manages the household. For personal matters like engagement, it's more appropriate to call Ms. Shizuka.
After some communication, Heiji's voice came through the phone. "Congratulations, Detective Senichi."
"Ah, thank you. Are you and Kazuha free during the early days of next month?" Senichi smiled.
"Of course," replied Heiji with a hearty laugh. "Detective Senichi, how could I miss an event like your engagement?"
"In that case, can I leave the invitation with Ran for now? You can pick it up when you come." Senichi asked.
"Sure, no need to trouble yourself." Heiji chuckled. "There's a short break next week. We'll be in Tokyo then, so we'll drop by to pick up the invitation."
"Oh?"
Senichi raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Heiji was coming to Tokyo. However, he maintained a nonchalant smile and said, "That works too. We can meet at the Mouri Detective Agency. I assume you'll be coming there."
"Of course. Oh, I haven't contacted Uncle Mouri and the others. Can you pass the message along to them for me?" Heiji smiled.
"No problem." Senichi agreed. After a few more words, they said their goodbyes and hung up.
Afterwards, Senichi can use the excuse of giving the invitations to Heiji and Kazuha, and successfully intervene in the upcoming case.
What? You're wondering why he's so certain?
Well, ask yourself, when has there ever been a time without an incident when the "Grim Reaper of Kansai" comes to the East?