Had she driven into a wealthy district?
Steel high-rises stood all around, while this area was filled with detached villas and mansions.
The Miyauchi Family's property covered roughly five or six hundred square meters, but the homes in this wealthy district probably exceeded a thousand square meters once the gardens were included!
Her little brother couldn't possibly have bought a house in a place like this, could he?
No way, definitely not. It was probably an ordinary detached house or apartment near the wealthy district, right?
Miyauchi Kazaho muttered to herself when the navigation system announced that they had arrived at their destination.
She parked the car, then glanced to the right and saw a lavishly decorated mansion.
Beika Town... 2-chome... 23...
Miyauchi Kazaho matched the address her little brother had given her word by word.
Then she heard her little brother wake Guanghua. "Guanghua, stop sleeping. We're here."
Miyauchi Kazaho silently looked at her little brother.
The Miyauchi parents looked around as well, their eyes showing a trace of confusion.
They had originally thought their son had bought, at most, a detached house. This place... was indeed a standalone villa, but it was outrageously beyond their expectations.
The Miyauchi Family might have counted as a "prominent family" in Asahigaoka, but was a place like this really somewhere country folk like them belonged?
Feeling the doubtful and shocked gazes of his parents and eldest sister, Miyauchi Hiyage grinned.
"Honestly, I was pretty surprised too when I found out I'd gotten this place."
"Anyway, I've already let them know. Someone is waiting for us inside, so let's get out and put the luggage away before we talk about anything else."
Under the dreamlike gazes of his parents and Ichisu-nee, Miyauchi Hiyage opened the iron gate and walked into the garden.
As for Guanghua?
She had not woken up yet and was still groggy, completely unaware of what was happening.
As the group, along with a groggy Guanghua, entered the mansion, an elderly butler in a tailcoat was already waiting at the door.
He had been the mansion's butler before this, working there for over ten years before Miyauchi Hiyage arrived. The diary's reward had provided Miyauchi Hiyage with his contact information.
He had come to hand over the mansion and explain its daily upkeep, as well as any possible renovation work.
Naturally, Miyauchi Hiyage had no interest in dealing with such matters. Maintaining a mansion was a huge hassle.
He had not found a suitable butler yet. Koshigaya Suguru would certainly have been up to the task; he was born for this sort of work.
But Koshigaya Suguru was still in school, and he would be leading the Asahigaoka Revitalization Project in the future. Miyauchi Hiyage could not bring himself to do that.
Until he found someone suitable, Miyauchi Hiyage thought it would be best to let this experienced old butler continue handling such matters.
Though the old butler was somewhat surprised by Miyauchi Hiyage's casual clothes and the clearly uneasy relatives behind him,
as a butler, he still politely led everyone to the reception room.
Only after entering the luxuriously decorated reception room did Miyauchi Guanghua finally wake up completely.
Sure enough, another round of screams came from the reception room.
Fortunately, the mansion was well soundproofed, so it probably would not disturb Professor Agasa next door.
Renge and the Detective Boys
It took the Miyauchi Family an entire lunch before they barely managed to calm themselves down.
By the afternoon, his parents were already discussing whether they should plant something in the garden, while his eldest sister had found a spot in the garden to sunbathe with Renge.
As for Miyauchi Guanghua, she was currently running wild through the mansion, insisting on carefully inspecting and studying every room.
She was already imagining a future as a Tokyo aristocratic schoolgirl, waking each day attended by butlers and maids, enjoying meals prepared by top-class chefs, then riding to school in a luxury car.
To stop his second sister from raising her expectations for the future too high, Miyauchi Hiyage ruthlessly crushed her fantasy.
"I've already contacted a real estate agent to find a suitable apartment. Once school starts, it'll be more convenient for you to live there during the week and commute to school."
As expected, Miyauchi Guanghua looked utterly shocked upon hearing that. Trembling, she pointed at her little brother, unable to understand how he could say such cold words.
Miyauchi Hiyage's response was simple.
He took out his wallet, pulled out several ten-thousand-yen bills, and waved them in front of his older sister.
Looking at the five Fukuzawa Yukichi portraits before her, Miyauchi Guanghua instinctively swallowed.
Back in the countryside, that was nearly more than a year's worth of her allowance.
Only after seeing that this worked did Miyauchi Hiyage continue. "This is your allowance. You'll live at the apartment during the week from now on. You can come here during holidays, but you can't bring anyone else over, and don't tell people at school about our family. If anyone asks, just say we're ordinary students from the countryside."
Listening to her little brother's conditions and demands, Miyauchi Guanghua knew she would not be living the rich heiress life from television dramas.
She pouted miserably. Before she could even start acting pitiful, she heard her little brother again.
"If you can do that, I'll cover your living expenses at the apartment too. And after Mom and Dad go back, I can take you shopping for some new clothes in Shibuya and Ginza."
With the money stuffed into her hand, plus the tempting promises of Shibuya and Ginza, Miyauchi Guanghua instantly forgot her earlier grievance.
Thinking it over, her personality really did not seem suited to being some aristocratic young lady. If she lived in a place like this, she would have to walk forever just to sneak into the kitchen for a snack at night.
She would be better off obediently living in the apartment arranged by her little brother and becoming an ordinary Tokyo high school girl.
Having easily settled Miyauchi Guanghua's issue, Miyauchi Hiyage took another satisfied stroll around the mansion.
Though living in Beika Town probably meant he would encounter all kinds of murder cases in the future, Conan was around, so he did not need to worry about that at all.
As long as he did not get dragged into Conan's main storyline before he had properly developed, Conan could cause as much trouble as he wanted.
Standing by the window, Miyauchi Hiyage glanced at the somewhat abandoned Kudo Residence in the distance, then at Professor Agasa's house next door, built to the specifications of a research institute. Finally, he turned his gaze toward the iron gate at the entrance to his own garden.
His adorable little sister was currently chatting by the garden gate with several children who looked about her age.
Seeing Renge's well-behaved appearance as she got along with children her own age, Miyauchi Hiyage felt somewhat relieved.
Asahigaoka really was too small. Even though Miyauchi Hiyage had changed many things and significantly increased Asahigaoka's population, there were still too few playmates Renge's age in the village.
If she could make a few friends here in Tokyo, that might be nice... Wait, children her age?
Miyauchi Hiyage suddenly realized there was a problem.
He looked carefully toward the gate.
Talking to Renge was a little girl wearing a headband. Beside her stood two boys, one thin and one fat.
Not far behind the three of them, a bespectacled child stared thoughtfully at the mansion, seemingly pondering something.
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Miyauchi Hiyage's forehead.
Renge, you really knew how to pick friends. On your very first day in Tokyo, you had gotten involved with the infamous Detective Boys.
He had only worried that Miyauchi Guanghua would become the ringleader of some group of kids, overlooking Renge entirely.
Who could have expected that Renge, merely visiting for a couple of days, would happen to encounter the Detective Boys when they had all come to Professor Agasa's place to play, and that they would actually start chatting?
Miyauchi Hiyage instinctively wanted to go downstairs and carry his adorable little sister back inside.
Conan himself was not a problem, and his Grim Reaper aura would not affect children.
But those brats around him really knew how to court death. A group of six- and seven-year-olds wandered around crime scenes all day. They were probably more familiar with corpses and murderers than their own parents. Wherever danger lay, that was where they ran, and they never listened to advice.
Miyauchi Hiyage truly feared that if he looked away for even a moment, those brats would drag his adorable little sister off to some crime scene.
Renge already showed a slight tendency toward being expressionless. What if she got frightened into developing some psychological problem after more stimulation?
But after taking a few steps, he shook his head again.
No, actively interfering would make it easy for Conan to notice him.
Renge was only here for two days anyway, and tomorrow they would be visiting other places in Tokyo. He would let her play with them for a while today, but only where he could keep her in sight.
With that in mind, Miyauchi Hiyage rummaged through the luggage they had brought from Asahigaoka and found several agricultural products.
He had originally intended to settle in first, then prepare a more refined housewarming gift before visiting Professor Agasa. But because of the Detective Boys, he could only use these rustic country specialties to greet Professor Agasa first.
Using the all-purpose Ripple Chi Kung to lightly stimulate his facial muscles, he made himself look more relaxed.
After planning out the coming conversation, Miyauchi Hiyage took the packaged agricultural products and some washed fruit downstairs toward the gate.
As he approached, he heard Ayumi talking about a kidnapping she had encountered a few days ago, declaring that she had only managed to escape the clutches of evil thanks to her own intelligence and quick thinking.
After finishing, she seriously told Renge that she had to be careful of bad people whenever she went out to play.
"?"
Yoshida Ayumi, did you even hear yourself?
If you could tell who the bad guys were, you would not get taken hostage every other day and still hold the record for the most kidnappings in Conan.
Renge really ought to stay farther away from them. If she got infected by them, this world would have no reason to exist.
Seeing the rare cautious look on Renge's little face, as though she had taken Ayumi's words seriously, Miyauchi Hiyage hurried forward to stop the nonsense.
"You kids live around here, right? Would you like some fruit?"
Conan's Concerns for Japan's Future
Miyauchi Hiyage unleashed the fruit offensive.
The fruit offensive was highly effective.
Other than Conan, the Detective Boys were far too easy to win over.
They did not hesitate at all before accepting fruit from a stranger they had just met. After saying thank you, they happily went aside to eat.
While eating fruit, they also politely told Miyauchi Hiyage all about their names, hobbies, and other information.
Seeing how carefree they were, Conan could only shake his head. "Come on, weren't you going to Professor Agasa's house to play? They just moved here, so don't bother them."
Kojima Genta waved dismissively. "It's fine. It doesn't matter if we're a little late. Conan, if you're in a hurry, you can go ahead."
Miyauchi Hiyage put on a confused expression. "Are you going to visit Mr. Agasa next door? Is he an elder in your family?"
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko nodded. "Yes. Professor Agasa is Conan's elder. He's really nice, and since he usually lives alone, we Detective Boys often come over to play."
He pointed at Conan, letting Miyauchi Hiyage know which one was Conan.
Miyauchi Hiyage smiled at Conan and lifted the agricultural products in his hands.
"I'm Miyauchi Hiyage. I just moved here from Saitama today, and this is my little sister, Renge. I was wondering when I should visit Mr. Agasa next door, so it's quite a coincidence to run into you."
"If you don't mind, could I go with you to visit Mr. Agasa later?"
Before Conan could say anything, the other members of the Detective Boys agreed for him.
"Renge, do you want to go with us?" Miyauchi Hiyage looked at his little sister, and Renge nodded vigorously.
The things Ayumi and the others talked about were very interesting. Since they had told her so much, she wanted to tell them about her life in the countryside too.
"Then let's go together." Miyauchi Hiyage rubbed Renge's little head, hoping she would quickly forget what she had just heard.
On closer inspection, the children in Conan's world really did seem to have larger heads than normal children, though not quite as exaggerated as in the anime.
Conan's height was naturally not as absurd as it appeared in the anime either. Though he was even a little shorter than Renge, he was still at least ninety centimeters tall.
Thinking this, Miyauchi Hiyage walked to Professor Agasa's door and rang the bell, chatting with the Detective Boys as they waited.
During the wait, Conan secretly observed Miyauchi Hiyage from the side.
Before you continue