𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬

file 042 | eve of confrontation

episodes 333—334 — the similar princesses

"I swear to whatever higher beings that may or may not exist, I am going to convince Ran and Eri-san to put that idiot in therapy!"

Hiro ran his hands down his face, dreading what he was about to learn. "What did he do this time?"

Suzume whipped around with a glare on her face, though he knew it wasn't directed towards him. "He got hired as a private investigator and went and spent eight million yen!"

"Wait, wait. Isn't this the one where the client was offering 10 million yen to figure out who wanted to kill him?" Hiro clarified with a sigh.

"Yes. Ran called me, asked me to come over to try and help, and then hung up to call her mother for help," Suzume said, grabbing her jacket and bag. "I don't know when I'll be back, so don't cook too much for dinner."

Hiro hummed with a shrug. "Shuichi'll probably be over tonight," he told her as she grabbed her keys and wallet. "Text when you're on your way back, okay?"

"I'll give you updates throughout the day," she offered before leaving the house, locking the front door behind her.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at Kuro, who was sitting by his feet. "That man is never going to learn."

The cat merely tilted his head.

~ — — — ~

"H-Help me! I can't take anymore."

Suzume frowned as she, Ran, and Eri listened to Kogoro's muttering as he slept on the couch in the detective agency.

"It's been like this for a while," Ran murmured.

"Geez," Eri sighed.

"It's impossible..."

Eri leaned over the back of the couch, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Here. I'm here. Wake up, anata."

"I'm so full." Kogoro's head turned away from Eri. "Yoko-chan!"

Suzume could only run a hand down her face in exasperation. This man... How is he an uncle-figure to me again?

Eri stood up straight as Ran took a slight step back. "What's the meaning of this?" the lawyer asked her daughter.

"But... earlier, he really was saying 'Eri, Eri'," Ran quickly said.

"It might be because of the TV," Suzume pointed out, seeing as it was playing a cooking program with Okino Yoko in it.

"So it's like this..."

"Um, Mom, you won't get angry and go back, will you?" Ran asked nervously.

"No, I wouldn't do something that childish. But please don't misunderstand." Eri got into her daughter's face. "I'm doing this for your sake! Not for this dumbass here."

Ran nodded.

"Geez, I said I didn't have an appetite..."

"If he weren't asleep, I would slap him," Suzume muttered with crossed arms.

~ — — — ~

"Oh! The one whose life is being targeted is Fujieda Mikio," Eri said as she drove the two girls.

Ran blinked. "Mom, do you know him?"

"Yeah. I've heard all kinds of rumors. He seems to have done a lot of bad things. He cleverly caught a wealthy young heiress and married into her family. He used that money for unlawful businesses, a real terrible person."