The party bustled with guests moving back and forth.
Hayashi Yoshiki hadn't expected to become the center of attention suddenly—but shortly after he arrived, a crowd of admirers gathered around him asking for autographs.
Watching him politely and gracefully attend to his fans, the corners of Kisaki Eri's lips curled up.
She turned to her daughter.
"Yoshiki has always been popular, especially now that he's become more well-known."
"Yeah! A lot of girls at our school like Brother Yoshiki,"Ran nodded cheerfully.
Seeing her daughter remain a little dense about certain things, Eri smiled and said nothing.
At the moment, Hayashi Yoshiki couldn't excuse himself from the crowd.
But soon, Kogorō Mōri returned after speaking with his former superior.
He looked toward Eri, cleared his throat, and tried to maintain composure—though he couldn't help but mutter when he saw Yoshiki surrounded by women:
"Why are there so many girls around him?"
"Right? I haven't even had the chance to say hi to Yoshiki-nii yet!"
Suzuki Sonoko appeared suddenly.
Today, she wore an elegant dress and had left her headband behind, revealing her natural beauty—enough to turn heads. Yet, she stood beside Ran with her hands on her hips, pouting like a child.
Just then, the bride and groom stepped into the spotlight of the banquet hall.
After a long round of toasts, Hayashi Yoshiki was finally able to slip away.
"Sonoko, you look stunning today."
"Really!?"
"Yes. I noticed quite a few boys sneaking glances at you."
"Pfft, I'm not interested in any of those guys."
Sonoko waved her hand dismissively, slightly giddy.
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled.
At that moment, Shiratori Ninzaburō approached—with the psychologist Fudō Kyōsuke at his side.
Yoshiki gave him a polite smile, which was returned with a nod.
"Mr. Mōri, Mr. Hayashi,"Shiratori greeted them.
"Congratulations, Officer Shiratori!"
"Thank you both for coming. My sister truly appreciates it."
Shiratori seemed genuinely happy today. He then turned to introduce his companion.
"By the way, allow me to introduce my physician, Dr. Fudō Kyōsuke."
"My surname is Fudō. Pleased to meet you."
Though he had been hypnotized to believe his name was Fudō Kyōsuke, he still lived under that identity, subtly shaped by Hayashi Yoshiki.
"So Officer Shiratori is seeing a psychiatrist too?"
"Yes. Management work comes with a lot of stress, and I didn't have much choice."
Shiratori smiled wryly.
Conan picked up on something.
"Also? Does that mean Brother Yoshiki is seeing a psychiatrist too?"
"Yes. It seems Officer Shiratori and I are both patients of Dr. Fudō."
"Eh? Yoshiki-kun?"
"Brother Yoshiki, why would you need a psychiatrist?"
"Yoshiki?"
The two girls—and Kogorō Mōri—were clearly shocked.
Eri Kisaki had known about it, but she had never spoken publicly.
Fudō Kyōsuke smiled and explained:
"Mr. Hayashi's mental health is actually stable. All the tests and sessions show he's quite healthy."
"If there's nothing wrong, why see a doctor at all?"Kogorō asked bluntly.
"Yoshiki's dealing with something else,"Eri added.
"Yes. I experience time disorientation. In simple terms, I have difficulty perceiving the passage of time... But it's manageable, and I've grown used to it."
Seeing their concerned expressions, Hayashi Yoshiki decided to explain openly.
"Time disorientation...?"
"You can't tell when the date changes?"
At first, the group was confused. But after Fudō Kyōsuke gave a short explanation, the two girls sighed, looking worried and a little sad—leaving Hayashi Yoshiki somewhat speechless.
Even Conan was stunned.
He had never imagined someone as capable as Yoshiki suffered from something so odd—and had never once brought it up.
Why hide it?
"Well... I hope that's the only issue."
Kogorō Mōri patted Yoshiki's shoulder earnestly.
"Actually, I think you should see a psychiatrist too, Uncle Mōri."
"Huh?"
Kogorō blinked, caught off guard.
But Hayashi Yoshiki continued, more seriously now:
"While I haven't seen you solve cases myself, according to reports about 'Sleeping Kogorō'—how every case is solved perfectly after you nod off—I wonder if there's a psychological component."
"If that's the case, it might resemble a second personality,"Fudō Kyōsuke added.
"Wha—no way! That can't be true!"
Maōri looked flustered, scratching the back of his head.
"Isn't that just my genius at work?"
"You should really get checked,"Eri Kisaki suggested.
"Right. At least you'll get clarity,"Ran echoed.
People often misunderstood "split personality" to mean a Jekyll-and-Hyde scenario. For the layperson, it could sound sinister.
Kogorō frowned.
He recalled how his neck would ache sharply before falling asleep at each case.Could that be the moment his supposed second personality took over?
Conan, unable to speak up among the adults, just smiled awkwardly and kept his secrets to himself.
In the end, Kogorō Mōri accepted Fudō Kyōsuke's business card.
At that moment, Megure Jūzō passed by with Takagi Wataru. Mōri stepped forward to greet them.
After a quick hello, Kogorō asked about the ongoing investigation into the shooting case. To his surprise, Megure, who was usually talkative, coldly waved him off and left without another word.
"That's odd… Why wouldn't he talk to me about it?"
Mōri had been following this case for over two weeks. As a former detective, it naturally piqued his interest.
"There must be something he can't tell you,"Conan said, hands in his pockets.
"Need not to know."
Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly spoke up.
Mōri was momentarily stunned. His expression stiffened.
"It means 'you don't need to know.' It's a phrase criminal investigators use when a case involves internal affairs and cannot be disclosed to outsiders. It's not grammatically perfect, but very common."
Yoshiki looked at Mōri again.
"That's just my guess. But given your relationship with Inspector Megure, I can't think of another reason."