"Oh my God, why are there so many people..." Still dressed in her tracksuit, Ran Mouri clutched the backstage curtain tightly, nervous beyond measure.
"Isn't that normal? Teitan's school festival is famous." Sonoko Suzuki casually patted her best friend's back twice. "Besides the students and parents, plenty of graduated alumni come too. The school even occasionally invites celebrities to perform. There have always been lots of attendees."
"But the stalls are interesting too. Why are they all crowding over here to watch the stage play?" Patting her chest, Ran Mouri took a deep breath. "I feel like I'm forgetting how to talk..."
"Ran!"
"Kazuha, you made it." Spotting a familiar face as she turned around, Ran Mouri released her clenched hands and broke into a smile. "Thank you for coming all this way... Huh, didn't Hattori-kun come with you?"
"No." At the mention of that, the veins on Kazuha Toyama's forehead began twitching.
"Did Hattori-kun have something to do? I remember he said a couple of days ago that he'd come if he had time..."
"Of course he suddenly had something to do again." Kazuha Toyama adjusted her jacket irritably. "Something about meeting a client... These detectives."
"What? That's such a shame." Sonoko Suzuki rested her chin on her hand and sighed. "I actually kind of liked him. You don't see many handsome guys with dark skin."
"Hm?" Kazuha Toyama's radar immediately went off. Her eyes widened as her sharp gaze swept Sonoko Suzuki from head to toe.
"She's joking." Before Kazuha Toyama could explode, Ran Mouri hurriedly grabbed her arm to smooth things over and quietly explained, "Sonoko acts like this whenever she sees a handsome guy. I'll let you in on a secret—she even confessed to Tangze..."
"Oh?!" Her sharp stare instantly switched modes, and Kazuha Toyama's eyes