I started a business in Detective Conan Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Summer Memories (Part 3)

Tokyo International Airport.

Sonoko and Keita were there to pick up Ran.

"Ran!"

"Sonoko."

The two girls embraced as soon as they met. After all, they had never been apart for such a long time before.

"Shinichi, you troublemaker, always getting involved in strange cases wherever you go." Keita gave Shinichi a pat on the back and teased.

"Ouch, you hit my wound. It's not fully healed yet."

"Sorry, sorry." Keita half-heartedly apologized.

They all headed to a traditional Japanese restaurant for a meal, welcoming Ran and Shinichi back. After all, after a month of American food, they were eager for a change.

During the meal, the conversation naturally turned to tomorrow's press conference.

"Ran, how about wearing the elf costume you designed for the game tomorrow? I had a few made by my mom. Are you interested? You'll be the game's poster girl." Keita suggested.

Sonoko's eyes lit up, and she encouraged, "Go for it, Ran! Tomorrow, you'll be the Elf Princess."

Ran blushed and said shyly, "I don't think I'll wear it. It makes me feel a bit embarrassed."

"Princess, tomorrow's press conference will have a lot of people watching. For the sake of our game, please dedicate yourself." Keita put his right hand over his chest and made a knightly gesture.

"Please dedicate yourself." Sonoko mimicked him and followed suit.

Keita added, "Don't be shy, Sonoko. Tomorrow, wear a Nekomata costume and join her."

"Really?" Sonoko exclaimed. "Should I wear one too?"

"Of course. You wouldn't want your friend to be alone, would you?" Keita grinned mischievously.

"Ran..." Shinichi wanted to say something.

Keita quickly grabbed Shinichi by the neck and whispered, "Shh, washing machine. Don't you want to see Ran in an elf outfit?"

"Well, um..." Shinichi hesitated and blushed at the thought.

Seeing the situation, Sonoko made the decision on the spot, "Okay, it's settled then."

"Great! Let's raise a toast to Ran and Shinichi's return. And let's raise another toast to the dedication of Lady Ran and Lady Sonoko." Keita raised his glass and sealed the decision.

They all clinked their glasses, filled with soft drinks. None of them were of legal drinking age, and the rules were strict in Beika when it came to such matters. Of course, Keita would occasionally sneak a sip himself. He didn't smoke, so that was one of his few indulgences.

Later that evening, there was a fireworks display.

After dinner, they had arranged to meet at the entrance of the Rice Flower Shrine. Each family went their separate ways.

Back home.

Mother Amy Yoshida and Father Toshio Yoshida were also getting ready. It seemed like they were going to the fireworks display as well.

The fireworks festival in Japan had a sense of ritual to it. People dressed in yukatas and kimonos to watch the fireworks. Once the fireworks were over, it marked the end of summer vacation for students and the beginning of heavy work for the working adults. In recent years, more people had started attending in regular clothes.

The men's clothing at home was all prepared by Mom Amy, which was one of the perks of having a clothing company – custom-made clothes at any time.

Today, Keita was wearing a modified kimono with wave patterns, holding a folding fan in his hand and wearing wooden clogs on his feet. The fan was purely decorative, meant to be held and not fanned open.

Toshio was dressed in his usual attire, while Amy wore a yukata with a maple leaf pattern, carrying a small bag in her hand.

Once they were ready, the family set out for the shrine.

As the evening gradually turned to dusk, the streets began to take on a festive atmosphere.

People from all directions converged towards the shrine, dressed in yukatas or regular clothes. Children ran around, playing and frolicking.

Upon reaching the shrine, Keita said goodbye to his parents and went to join Sonoko and the others.

Tonight was the final battle of their summer vacation campaign. Under the grandest fireworks, Keita was going to confess his feelings to Sonoko and bring this summer to a perfect conclusion.

Sonoko and Ran were already there, both dressed in yukatas.

Ran wore a white yukata covered in colorful dango patterns, holding a pink handbag.

Sonoko wore a light blue yukata with pink cherry blossom patterns, holding a folding fan in her left hand and an orange handbag in her right.

"Sonoko, Ran, I'm here. Your yukatas both look lovely." Keita praised, looking around for Shinichi and asking, "Where's Shinichi? He didn't get caught up in another strange case, did he?"

Ran explained, "Thanks for the compliment. I called him earlier, and Shinichi will be here soon."

After waiting for a while, Shinichi arrived, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, sorry, I'm late."

Thankfully, it seemed like they would be able to enjoy the fireworks peacefully tonight.

"Shall we go? Let's start the fireworks display."

This was Keita's first time attending a fireworks festival with his friends.

As a child, he had been once with his parents. During elementary school, he found the younger kids too noisy and didn't join. During junior high, he hung out more at arcades with his friends, so he didn't really come to the fireworks festival.

One of the must-do activities at the fireworks festival was catching goldfish.

The four of them casually walked up to a stall.

"Let's have a competition. The loser treats the winner to candy apples. Boys on one team, girls on the other." Sonoko suggested with excitement.

"Sure, I'm up for it. My allowance is running low anyway." Shinichi eagerly accepted the challenge.

"Hey, Shinichi, how's your skill? I, for one, am not very good at this." Keita whispered to Shinichi.

"No big deal, no big deal." Shinichi replied confidently.

Shinichi started the competition with Sonoko.

Ran gave the signal, "Ready, go!"

In a flash, Shinichi moved faster than lightning. He grabbed the scoop, plunged it into the water, and aimed for a goldfish.

Splash! The net broke, and the fish slipped away.

"Is this what you call 'no big deal'?" Keita asked.

"Hahaha, well, you still have your turn, and besides, you're a martial artist, so it should be easy for you." Shinichi smirked.

"Ran is a martial artist too." Keita said, a bit exasperated.

As expected, the boys' team lost the competition.

One girl held a bag of water, containing a goldfish each that they had caught.

Betting was fair play, so Keita, ignoring Shinichi's pleas for a loan, bought a big candy apple for Sonoko.

As the evening advanced, the fireworks display was about to begin.

People began to gather and move towards the viewing area, which

 became increasingly crowded.

"Ran?"

The bustling crowd separated Sonoko and Ran.

"Sonoko?"

Afraid of losing sight of Sonoko, Keita grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, whispering in her ear.

"Don't worry about Ran. She has Shinichi with her. Let's enjoy the fireworks together."

"Okay..." Sonoko blushed slightly and whispered back. If it weren't for Keita's keen ears, he might not have heard her.

Boom! With a bang, a firework lit up the night sky, signaling the start of the fireworks display.

One by one, fireworks burst into brilliant splendor in the sky.

The dazzling fireworks blossomed like flowers in the sky, filling the entire sky with their radiant colors. It was as if spring flowers were in full bloom, as resplendent as the horizon's colorful hues and as dazzling as a high-altitude rainbow.

Sonoko watched the fireworks with excitement, expressing her delight, while Keita simply watched Sonoko, observing her smile and waving his right hand along with her.

Zoom! As the final firework shot into the sky, the night sky darkened, and all was quiet.

"Sonoko, will you be my girlfriend?"

Swoosh! The firework exploded.

Before them appeared the face of a surprised girl.

"Yes, I will." Sonoko jumped up excitedly. It was only then that they realized their hands had been clasped together the entire time, and they hadn't let go.

As the fireworks festival came to an end, so did the summer vacation.

But the love story of Keita and Sonoko had only just begun.

CN Author's note:

I wonder how well I've written Keita and Sonoko's love story.

I've never been in love myself, so I don't know if I've done a good job.