As the saying goes, some rejoice while others worry.
Takagi turned pale, and on the other side, upon receiving a report about Dr. Agasa hastily leaving and entrusting the five kids to Sato Miwako and the others, Shiratori let out a relieved yawn.
"Now we can temporarily relax. With the five kids here, Takagi can't do much."
Shiratori wiped away the tears at the corner of his eye and said to his assistant beside him, "I stayed up all night dealing with the accumulated work. I'm a bit exhausted now.
I'll take a short break. Also, don't just focus on those two; pay attention to the details of the transaction. Don't slack off on monitoring it."
After giving these instructions, Shiratori lay down in the surveillance vehicle and quickly fell into a nap.
On the other hand, Senichi didn't mind taking the little ones for a play, as their relationship was not like Takagi and Sato who had just started. For the two of them, having or not having someone else around wouldn't affect them.
In fact, after meeting Conan and the others, their dates were not just ordinary anymore. Knowing that they would encounter a case, it was more convenient for Senichi to gather information at the center of the case and prepare for the upcoming events.
Senichi always tried to gain an advantage in each case following this pattern.
However, judging from the limited information this time, the case might be related to drug traffickers? Overall, there might not be a murder involved, but it's better to be cautious in uncertain situations.
Then, everyone played together in haunted houses, river rafting, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Almost every person took care of one child. Senichi accompanied Conan and Haibara, which might seem more strenuous on the surface, but in reality, it was exceptionally easy.
After all, they were mentally mature individuals who wouldn't cause trouble like children.
Watching the children scream with joy on the merry-go-round, Takagi smiled and waved at them. However, once they were out of sight, he sighed in disappointment.
"Why the long face?" Sato Miwako, who was sitting next to him, scolded Takagi, who sighed.
"You'll make the kids think you don't like them!"
"Ah... sorry," Takagi sat on the chair and sighed, "I just thought it was a rare date..."
"Idiot, it's not like it's the end of the world. Take it as practice; it's not bad," Sato Miwako said with a smile and looked at Ayako, asking, "Right?"
"Eh? What?" Takagi asked in confusion. "Practice?"
"It's after becoming a family and coming to the Tropical Land..." Ayako said halfway, when she saw that the two of them understood and stopped talking. The tenderness in her eyes made even Senichi unconsciously wipe the bridge of his nose with his index finger.
But regardless, both men were struck by the words of their loved ones, and for a moment, the atmosphere between the two couples became enchanting.
"In fact, Detective Senichi has always been supporting our relationship from behind, you could even say he's our 'matchmaking god.' So, I want Detective Senichi to act as a witness for something."
Takagi felt a bit embarrassed. "I have something to give you..."
Compared to Senichi's relationship that was already approaching a "mature" stage, Takagi's was just starting out. However, there was nothing wrong with the inexperienced love affair.
Even if there were many things that seemed silly to others and felt embarrassing to themselves, it was these silly things that would not fade in memory. Whenever you think about them, a smile would unconsciously appear on your face.
Now, Takagi, caught up in the emotion, found himself in the impulse of feelings. Perhaps it wasn't exactly an impulse; after all, when someone you like expresses their love to you, how can a man not take action?
Under Senichi's supportive gaze, Takagi rummaged through his backpack and then froze in amazement as he pulled out a white bag.
"Eh!?" Takagi stared at this unfamiliar thing in front of him for a moment with a bad premonition rising in his heart.
"Is this what you want to give me?" Sato Miwako didn't notice Takagi's uneasy expression but eagerly took the bag.
It was only at this moment that Takagi realized something and couldn't help but wail when he looked at the backpack, "Although it looks very similar... but this is not my backpack!"
"Hey! Takagi, Detective Senichi!!" Sato Miwako, who was opening the bag, suddenly turned serious. "Come and see, aren't these drugs!?"
"Huh?" Senichi was taken aback. Although he expected to encounter drug traffickers, he didn't anticipate that the clue would come in the form of Takagi's proposal ring as a "sacrifice to the heavens."
"It weighs about a kilogram..." Sato Miwako's words elicited a gasp from Takagi, drawing the attention of Conan and others nearby.
"Takagi, now is not the time to panic. Calm down and think about when your backpack was not on you. It's highly likely that you mistakenly took someone else's bag during one of those times."
Senichi spoke to calm him down as he observed Takagi's slightly explosive state of mind. "The incident has already occurred. What we need to do is find the person who took the wrong bag, arrest them, and hopefully retrieve your bag in the process."
Upon hearing Senichi's words, Takagi next to him also calmed down. "I almost always have my backpack with me. The only time it was off me was when we went to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea together.
At that time, to avoid danger, I handed the bag to the staff... It's probably when I mistakenly took the wrong bag."
"I remember when we were queuing for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, because there were still five people ahead of us, Ayako and I could only take the next round. So, the suspect should be among those five people," Senichi thought aloud.
"But it's been almost two hours now," Ayako checked her watch. "Can we still find them? They might have already left."
"No, it's highly unlikely," Senichi shook his head. "Everyone knows the street value of a kilogram of drugs. Something worth 60 million yen is not something you casually entrust to someone else.
Most likely, the person is just a tool for the contact. Since they don't know yet, it means the transaction time hasn't arrived, so we should still have time."
"But we don't know what those five people look like," Takagi sighed. "And in such a large Tropical Land, with just us, we probably won't find them before nightfall."
"The issue of appearance is simple. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has automatic cameras. Photos taken during the journey can perfectly solve this problem," Senichi said while looking around with a somewhat meaningful smile. "As for manpower, that's probably the least of our worries..."