Visitors from the Kamisato Family
Nothing out of the ordinary happened along the way, and the group arrived in Osaka without incident.
The moment they stepped out of the station, they spotted Hattori Heiji standing in the distance, waving his arm enthusiastically at them.
Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko waved back, brimming with excitement.
However, when Heiji got a clear look at the crowd in front of him, his face betrayed his astonishment. He had expected only a handful of people to show up — he had never imagined there would be this many. He stared at the group, his mouth hanging slightly open, as though he wanted to say something but had no idea where to begin.
Among them, Amuro Tooru — or rather, Okiya Subaru — Kaveh, and Zhongli were all meeting Hattori Heiji for the first time.
After a round of quick introductions, Heiji scratched his head, looking troubled. "Sorry about this. I really didn't expect so many of you to come. I only prepared one car, so there's no way we've got enough seats..."
Xiayu hurried to reassure him. "Don't worry — Kaveh and Zhongli have other business, and someone else is coming to pick them up."
"So with two fewer people, there's still..." Genta counted on his fingers, "still nine of us." He looked up at Heiji. "Hey Hattori-niichan, can your car fit nine people?"
"Of course not!" Heiji replied.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Mitsuhiko asked, brows knit with worry.
"There is no cause for concern. I can have the person picking us up take you to your destination first — we are in no hurry." Zhongli glanced at Kaveh, and seeing the architect nod in agreement, he spoke up.
"Even so, that's only two cars. It still doesn't seem like enough seats," Heiji said with a frown.
"It's quite all right. According to the one who invited us, the car he arranged is a little on the large side. Most of our group are children, so it should accommodate everyone," Kaveh said with a smile.
"Well, that's a relief," Heiji said, relaxing at last.
It was then that his eye caught the glass ornaments hanging at Kaveh's and Zhongli's waists — the very trinkets Kudou had once mentioned. He stole a curious glance at them.
Seeing that everyone else was chatting and no one was paying attention to his corner, he sidled up to Conan and murmured, "Hey, Kudou. Are those two the Teyvat people you told me about? They do look pretty unusual."
Conan nodded and answered in a hushed voice. "Yeah. So watch yourself when we talk — don't go slipping up and calling me by the wrong name again."
"Got it." Heiji answered absently, then lowered his voice even further. "So are they connected to the Black Organization too?"
Conan shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know. From what I've gathered so far, the different branches of their organization don't even seem to know much about each other. Neither of these two is in the same branch as Kaeya, so I can't say for sure whether they have any ties to the Black Organization — I'm not even certain how close they are with Kaeya. What I know about Teyvat is still far too little."
"Aw, that's nothing. Just ask 'em and find out!" Heiji rubbed his hands together, a distinctly mischievous plan taking shape on his face.
"Don't do anything reckless. They're sharp — one wrong move and they'll notice something's off," Conan warned.
"Relax, I know where the line is," Heiji said confidently.
By this point, Zhongli and Kaveh had noticed the two boys watching them and whispering back and forth, but they paid it no mind.
After a short wait, the second car finally pulled up.
"Whoa! So this is the 'slightly bigger' car Kaveh-niichan was talking about..." The Detective Boys stared at the stretch limousine as it glided to a stop before them, eyes wide and mouths hanging open in astonishment. Their gazes were riveted to the vehicle, curiosity and excitement sparkling in their eyes.
"Indeed. Forget a few extra people — I'd say we could all fit inside with room to spare," Haibara observed quietly as she studied the car.
Even Paimon was floored. "Wow! Ayaka and Ayato are this rich now?!"
Xiayu thought it over. "Well, they were born into a pretty well-off position to begin with. On top of that, they own an entertainment company, and Ayato's always had a knack for culture and entertainment business. After all his wheeling and dealing, the pile of money just kept growing."
Paimon still looked puzzled. "Then how come Master Diluc doesn't have a nice car like this? He's been in this world even longer than Ayato and them, but that car he drives around in every day is nothing special."
Xiayu rubbed her chin. "Probably because the 'Uncrowned King of the Night' is used to keeping a low profile."
"Xiayu! It's been a while. If the young mistress knew you were here too, she'd be thrilled." When the car came to a stop, a tall, handsome blond man stepped out of the driver's seat.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, he greeted Xiayu first.
Seeing that the newcomer knew Xiayu, Conan and Subaru instinctively fixed their attention on him. They sized him up with a discreet once-over, and upon spotting the familiar red Vision at his waist, the two exchanged a glance.
Sonoko gave Xiayu a half-lidded look. "Young mistress? So, Xiayu, you're even acquainted with the young lady of the Kamisato family... I'm genuinely dying to know — is there anyone you don't know?"
"I've just been to a lot of places, that's all. The more you travel, the more people you naturally end up knowing," Xiayu explained.
"That's right! That's actually why some of us who know Xiayu call her the Traveler — it's because we all met her during her travels," Thoma couldn't help adding.
"'Traveler'... that actually sounds rather nice," Sonoko murmured, lost in thought. Maybe I should plan a trip sometime too. Who knows — I might just run into more gorgeous guys like Thoma and Kaveh out there.
"But I never expected the Kamisato family's chauffeur to be such a stunner. Come on, Xiayu, introduce us already!" Sonoko demanded, practically bouncing in place.
At Sonoko's words, Xiayu couldn't help laughing. She turned to Thoma and said with a smile, "This is Thoma, the housekeeper of the Kamisato family. He's not only handsome, but remarkably clever and capable, too."
"Pleasure to meet you all — I'm Thoma. I handle the cleaning, the cooking, and just about everything else around the Kamisato household. Since you're friends of Xiayu's, you're friends of mine as well. If you run into any trouble here in Osaka, don't hesitate to reach out."
Thoma raised a hand in greeting, then turned to the two people he had come to pick up today — Kaveh and Zhongli — and said with a smile, "You two must be the honored guests the head of the family has invited."
Kaveh and Zhongli nodded in confirmation.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kaveh suddenly remembered something and spoke up. "Thoma, we may need to drop the others off somewhere else first."
Thoma didn't hesitate for a second, nodding readily in understanding and agreement. "Of course, no trouble at all."