**Chapter 172: Izu Invitation Tickets**

[Red Herring]: "That's not entirely true. Although they still haven't caught Kaito Kid, that detective named Fujino is incredibly skilled. He once single-handedly destroyed a criminal organization on Tsukikage Island and even helped the police capture an international thief from Italy. The only reason he hasn't caught Kaito Kid is that their abilities are on par."

[Apprentice of the Magician (Sonoko Suzuki)]: "Exactly! Detective Fujino is really strong. I once saw him take down a bank robber with just a wooden sword."

[Phantom]: "@Apprentice of the Magician: Do you know Fujino Touji?"

[Apprentice of the Magician]: "Not exactly. I just happened to be at the bank when it happened."

"It seems my plan is working..." 

Fujino stroked his chin, looking at the computer screen as Red Herring defended him in the chat room. His lips curled into a slight, satisfied smile.

Kaito Kuroba, aka Kaito Kid, is at the top tier in the Conan world—not in terms of strength, but in strategy.

Kuroba's magic skills were truly impressive.

Even with his enhanced vision glasses, Fujino couldn't completely see through Kuroba's tricks or figure out the methods behind them.

The fact that a professional assassin targeting Kaito Kid appeared during this mission to protect the gem was unexpected. 

However, this presented Fujino with an opportunity.

An opportunity to do Kaito Kuroba a favor.

As they say, favors are priceless.

That move wasn't for nothing. By doing this favor, if Fujino ever found himself in danger, he could simply drop a hint to Kuroba, and Kaito Kid would undoubtedly come to his aid.

This was how favors worked.

...

The next morning.

The sun was shining brightly, and the streets were bustling with traffic.

Fujino stood on his balcony, stretching lazily.

"Even though I had such an intense fight with that spider guy yesterday, I don't feel tired at all today..."

Fujino clenched his fists. "It must be the combination of the college student attribute and the benefits of the medical profession."

"Knock, knock!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the bedroom door, followed by Akemi Miyano's voice from outside. "Fujino-kun, may I come in?"

Fujino glanced down at his pajamas.

Nothing inappropriate, so he responded, "Come in."

After receiving his response, Akemi Miyano entered the room, followed by Haibara Ai.

...

"You're saying you won an invitation to the Izu Queen Hotel?"

"That's right."

Akemi chuckled softly and explained, "Yesterday, when I took Ai out shopping, we happened to come across a raffle. There were three chances to win, and the grand prize was a three-day, two-night stay at the Izu Queen Hotel."

"And you won all three invitations?"

Fujino gave a strange look at the three invitation tickets on the coffee table. "You're really lucky…"

To win the grand prize on all three attempts—what incredible luck.

It was almost on par with a certain unicorn.

Could it be that Haibara's soul had some unique luck-boosting effect?

"Exactly."

Akemi nodded, then glanced at Haibara. "Ai was pretty lucky too. Even though she didn't win the grand prize, she won second prize—a black gothic dress."

"A black gothic dress?"

Fujino turned his gaze to Haibara.

"Ai looks so cute in that dress."

"Ahem... I'll go make breakfast."

Feeling the gazes on her, Haibara blushed slightly and, with a light cough, hurried off to the kitchen.

"She's shy," Akemi chuckled, watching Haibara's retreating figure. "It seems like she cares about you a lot."

"Huh?"

Fujino looked at Akemi in surprise.

Akemi said seriously, "Girls Ai's age are very particular about showing embarrassment in front of people they care about."

"Where did you learn this from?"

"TV dramas."

"..."

"I'll go check on Ai and see if she needs help with breakfast."

Fujino, speechless, stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

...

With the efforts of the three of them, breakfast was ready in no time.

"By the way, Akemi, is there a set date to use the invitation tickets?"

At the dining table, Fujino scooped up a spoonful of hot porridge.

"A set date?"

**Akemi Miyano** pulled out the invitation tickets, "It seems they're only valid for use this month."

"When's next weekend?" Fujino couldn't help but ask.

He checked the date this morning; it was Monday, August 5th. However, the weekend could fall on various days.

"It should be the day after tomorrow," Haibara Ai took out her phone and checked today's date, "Today's August 5th, so the day after tomorrow is Saturday, August 10th, followed by Mountain Day on the 11th."

"August 10th…" Fujino furrowed his brow slightly. "What's tomorrow's date?"

"It's August 2nd," Haibara Ai answered calmly, casting Fujino a somewhat odd look.

"…"

Alright, he had nothing to say.

So he's the only one who didn't know what day it was in this world?

But then again, when exactly did the one-month validity period on the tickets start?

"If Saturday is the day after tomorrow, how about we take off tomorrow and head to Izu?" Fujino suggested, putting his thoughts aside. "This would be the perfect chance to relax by the beach for a few days."

At that moment, **Akemi Miyano** suddenly spoke up, "Tomorrow might not work."

"Do you have something planned, Akemi?" Fujino asked curiously. As far as he knew, Akemi didn't have much going on aside from taking care of the house, shopping for groceries, or chatting with the neighborhood ladies. Since she wasn't working at the moment, she shouldn't have anything pressing to deal with.

"It's not that I have plans," Akemi mumbled hesitantly, "The Izu hotel is by the beach…"

"Neither of us has swimsuits," Haibara Ai chimed in.

"It slipped my mind," Fujino nodded in understanding.

He almost forgot that the Izu Queen Hotel was located by the beach, which is its main attraction. If they were going to the beach, swimsuits would definitely be needed.

Akemi Miyano and Haibara Ai's clothes had mostly been provided by him, and they didn't have any swimsuits.

As for himself, he wasn't worried—he could just throw on a pair of board shorts and hit the beach. But for the two girls, they definitely needed properly fitted swimsuits.

"In that case, let's go the day after tomorrow. That way, we can take advantage of the Mountain Day holiday and use the full three days of the invitation. Tomorrow, I'll take a day off, and we'll go shopping for swimsuits," Fujino suggested.

As for why it would take a whole day to buy swimsuits...

Well, girls are like that.

Besides, when it comes to choosing swimsuits, it's something he had to oversee personally.

After all, picking the right swimsuit is important; if they chose poorly, it could be quite embarrassing.

(End of Chapter)