"I'll take mango, then," Ran chimed in.
"Can I get two?" Shizuka Marukawa rubbed her stomach. "Lunch didn't fill me up."
"Sure, two's fine. What flavors?" Azuma Shoyo nodded, asking.
"I want," Shizuka began, but a sudden scream cut her off.
"Ahh! Murder!!" A crowd burst from a ride entrance, shouting about a killing.
"Trouble?!" Conan, listless a second ago, lit up at "murder" and sprinted over.
"Conan! Don't run off!" Ran shouted, chasing him.
"You stay here. I'll check it out," Azuma Shoyo told Sonoko and the other two, then followed Ran.
"Shoyo, stay safe!" Sonoko and Shizuka called out in sync.
After shouting, Sonoko shot Shizuka a weird look. "Ms. Marukawa, you seem super worried about Shoyo. Old friends or something?" she asked.
"Huh? Do I?" Shizuka blinked, dazed.
"Yeah, you do. Yesterday you called him 'classmate Shoyo,' but today it's just 'Shoyo'?" Sonoko pouted, a little jealous. She'd noticed Shizuka sticking to him all day. Something's up!
No way, she thought. She likes him too? Sonoko's heart jolted, and she eyed Shizuka warily.
"Sonoko, you're overthinking. Shizuka's just concerned for a future student," Chie Morinaga jumped in, smoothing things over.
"Right, Shizuka?" She shot Shizuka a subtle look.
Shizuka missed it entirely. "Uh, I haven't started at the school yet," she mumbled, head down.
She sucked at lying. Nerves kicked in.
Sonoko squinted at her, suspicious.
Chie nearly panicked. Anyone else, she wouldn't care, but this was a Suzuki! The Suzuki Group's clout here was massive, a legit conglomerate! One word, and small fries like them could lose jobs. Shizuka wasn't even official yet!
Though, Chie overthought it. Sonoko wasn't like other trust-fund brats. Raised with Ran, she was grounded and kind, not the type to flex family power to bully.
Azuma Shoyo didn't know the drama brewing behind him. Even if he did, he wouldn't sweat it. He knew Sonoko's vibe. No worries about her flipping on Shizuka over their thing.
As for himself, he wasn't hiding his playboy side. Couldn't, really. 24 hours a day, he's no time-management guru. Plus, his future wouldn't just have a few women. With more, no way to keep it under wraps.
So why sneak? Better lay it out early.
Sonoko leaving over it? Not happening. He doesn't let hooked prey slip!
Inside the ride, Azuma Shoyo spotted Conan on the floor, a shocking blood pool nearby. If he couldn't hear Conan's heartbeat, he'd think the kid was dead! That bleed-out? For a grade-schooler, survival's a miracle! But the blood wasn't Conan's.
"Conan!" Ran rushed in, paling at the sight, nearly collapsing.
Azuma Shoyo steadied her. "Don't freak. Conan's fine. That's not his blood," he said.
"Huh? Not his?!" Ran gaped, then sighed in relief.
"Then why's he," she started.
"Knocked out," Azuma Shoyo explained.
He lifted Conan. Clothes bloody, but no wounds. Breathing steady, just unconscious.
"Come out. I see you," he called toward a spot.
A second later, a thud sounded. A figure emerged, blood-sticky feet squelching with each step.
"Heh heh! Caught me?" This guy, or rather demon, sneered at the two humans, licking blood off his face with a long tongue.
"Overate a bit. Oh well, I'll just eat you too. Who'd know?" he said, chuckling with a creepy "jie jie jie" laugh.
It sent Ran stumbling back, face white. "You, what are you?!" she demanded, terrified.
"Me? Human?" The demon grinned, baring jagged teeth.
"Look human to you?" he asked.
"Your teeth," Ran stammered, horrified. No human has that!
"Oh, these?" He tapped his mouth with sharp claws. "For eating easy," he replied.
"Enough!" Azuma Shoyo set Conan aside safely and turned.
"You really not coming out?" he called again.
"Shoyo, who're you talking to?" Ran asked, shaky.
"Oh? Someone else here?" The demon's grin widened, curious.
But a second later, his smirk froze.
--- Translator Note ---
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