The bustling Tokyo has always been noisy.
The constant flow of vehicles, subway cars packed together like ants huddling, people coming and going—the streets appear indifferent, cold, and apathetic when trouble arises, with few showing any concern.
But today, Tokyo is different from usual. Ribbons fill the sky, cascading down like rain.
People gather together, whether they are acquaintances or strangers, celebrating together.
Today is the day the Tokyo Spirits team emerged victorious.
Everyone here is a fan of the Tokyo Spirits team. In this place, familiarity or unfamiliarity doesn't matter. As long as everyone shares this identity, they come together to celebrate.
In the crowd, Senichi was wearing the striped football team jersey, blending in with the crowd while sporting the team's distinctive cap.
Of course, he's not here to celebrate. He's here as a police detective.
The casual conversation during dinner that night unexpectedly became entangled in the case two days later.
Chiba, who joined the parade in this way, might be either happy to celebrate with everyone or utterly frustrated with his work.
The revelry in the crowd was irrelevant to Senichi. He was listening to the messages in his earpiece and surveyed the surroundings.
No suspicious figures were spotted, but a group of familiar silhouettes caught Senichi's eye at this moment.
"Indeed, wherever there's a case, you guys are bound to be present." Watching the disguised Sato Miwako and little ones approaching, Senichi thought for a moment and walked toward them.
He seemed to have some impression of this case, but crucial information was missing, leaving him struggling to recall.
Seeing Conan and the others at this moment suggests that they are at the center of the case. The subsequent series of events might trigger his memory.
"You can't climb so high!"
After getting closer, Senichi heard Sato Miwako shouting at Genta, who climbed onto a mailbox, and Mitsuhiko, who stood on his back to watch the parade.
"Ah, sorry..." Dr. Agasa quickly lifts Mitsuhiko down.
"I'll ask them to come down..."
"Tch... it's just for a moment. Don't be so stingy, Auntie!" Genta, perched on the mailbox as he climbs down while grumbling.
"Hey! If you keep calling Detective Sato so old, be careful she might arrest all of you." Senichi greeted them with a smile.
"Huh? Detective Senichi?"
The kids, seeing Senichi dressed in fan attire, were momentarily stunned. After hearing his words, they turned their heads and looked at the woman next to them who was wearing sunglasses with surprise. "Detective Sato?"
"That's right, it's me!"
Sato Miwako took off her sunglasses and wig, revealing her true face. She pretended to be angry at Genta and said, "To call me 'Auntie,' how rude!"
"Hehehe... sorry, Sister Sato." Genta scratched his head apologetically. "I didn't recognize you just now..."
"That means my disguise is pretty good." Sato Miwako said satisfactorily. "Even you guys didn't recognize me."
"But why did Detective Sato dress like this? And Detective Senichi too." Conan, seeing the attire of the two, felt something was off and couldn't help but ask.
"I know!" Mitsuhiko, looking at the two with a seemingly knowing expression, said, "Are you two secretly skipping work to come and watch the parade!?"
"That's right! So you two dressed up in disguise for this!" Ayumi agreed.
"No, no, we dressed like this for a legitimate reason..."
"Hehe, you say you're here to watch the parade, but behind the scenes, you're here for a date with Takagi, right?"
Suddenly, mocking words came from behind, making Sato Miwako surprised. "Y- Yumi?"
"Hehe, Miwako, did you think calling Detective Senichi would be enough to fool my wise eyes?" In the patrol car, Yumi had a smirk on her face, an expression of "I've seen through everything." She continued, "Some people, on the surface, come to participate in the parade, but in reality, they're here for a date, right?"
"A date!?" Sato Miwako blushed at Yumi's words. "Yumi, don't talk nonsense!"
"Humph, still not admitting it." Yumi leaned on the car window, with a narrow expression. "I saw it when I went to the bathroom just now. Takagi was secretly wearing a wig and disguising himself there... sneaking around with a fake identity for a date during duty, you guys are really something. And you even dragged Detective Senichi along with you."
"Can a detective do that?" Genta looked at Miwako with a speechless expression.
And Haibara, on the side, added, "It's a violation of work regulations, you know."
"The future of detectives is really worrisome." Mitsuhiko sighed maturely, wearing a worried expression.
Facing the earnest lecturing from the kids, Sato Miwako placed her hands in front of her, unsure where to put them. Her puzzled expression clearly indicated that she was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.
"We're just doing our job, plain and simple."
Senichi, observing Miwako's brain shutting down due to the kids' earnest yet "mocking attacks," had to step in to help clarify, "We received a suspicious fax earlier. It stated, 'Something interesting will happen at the parade of the Tokyo Spirits team.'"
"That sounds like a prank..."
Conan looked at Senichi with a probing look, "But in such situations, there should be a specific department responsible for security, right? Why did Detective Senichi from the Criminal Investigation Division come over here too?"
"Oh... that's because the content of this fax is very similar to a case we handled before. So, just to be safe, we all came here."
Sato Miwako raised her chin slightly, pointing to a man wearing a knit cap on the side, and said, "See, Detective Shiratori is here too."
"Oh, it's really Detective Shiratori. We didn't recognize him." Ayumi looked at Shiratori, who had removed his disguise, then glanced at Senichi's group with confusion. "But why is everyone dressing up like this?"
"Well... because the criminals from that previous case know us, so we had to disguise ourselves."
Shiratori smiled and looked at Senichi, saying, "As for this gentleman, he's a public figure, and even though he wasn't involved in the previous case, he still had to disguise himself."
"Don't be so serious." Seeing the kids' grave expressions, Sato Miwako smiled and comforted, "I think this is just a prank by some overly passionate fan who's unhappy with the match result."
"So, it's not a date after all..." The kids seemed disappointed after hearing the explanation.
"Although it's not today, the date is scheduled for next week."
At the next moment, Shiratori's words surprised Sato Miwako.