The Wedding Venue
The group arrived at the wedding venue.
The ceremony was being held at a church, and by the time they got there, the open ground in front of it was already packed with guests.
Xia Yu noticed something odd: a portion of the crowd, though dressed in plain clothes, bore subtle traces of training if one looked closely — they had to be police officers. Could one of the two people getting married have some connection to law enforcement?
"Hey, Xia Yu, Sonoko and I are going to film the bride. Want to come with us?" Ran asked, holding up the camcorder.
"Sure, let's go. I'm a little curious to see what this teacher of yours with the beautiful singing voice looks like in a wedding dress, and if we're lucky, maybe we'll get to hear that lovely voice in person. Besides, no matter what, you ought to at least greet the bride at her wedding, right?"
"Mm-hm, you're right! Sensei's singing really is lovely. And in stark contrast to her, there's a certain tone-deaf someone whose singing is always off-key and always used to make sensei mad." Sonoko delivered the jab with a look of open disgust, taking a swipe at a certain arrogant blowhard who hadn't shown up.
"Shinichi's singing isn't — well, it isn't that bad, haha..." Ran laughed, looking distinctly guilty.
That's low, Sonoko, calling me tone-deaf like that. And Ran — why are you making that guilty face? Is my singing really that terrible?
Connan fumed off to the side. Honestly. Today, of all days, he was dying to see just what kind of man would marry that tyrant of a teacher.
"Oh wow! I had no idea Kudou was tone-deaf!" Xia Yu exclaimed with genuine surprise.
Great. Just great. Now there's two people who think I can't sing. Sonoko, you absolute blabbermouth.
Chatting as they walked, the group made their way to the bride's waiting room.
The moment they opened the door, all of them were struck speechless by the bride in her white wedding gown.
She was breathtaking. This really was, as they say, the most beautiful moment in a woman's life — and with happiness and anticipation glowing on her face, the bride's beauty climbed to an entirely new height.
Xia Yu felt a flicker of worry. She didn't want this woman, standing here so full of hope for the happy life ahead of her, to end up as today's victim of some case.
Right. I'd better keep a close eye on everything going on around here.
When she came back to herself, Ran was in the middle of introducing her to the bride.
"Miss Matsumoto, hello! Forgive us for barging in on your wedding uninvited. You look absolutely beautiful today!"
"Oh, don't worry about it. You're a friend of Sonoko and Ran's — anyone who comes with them is more than welcome." Sayuri Matsumoto waved the apology away airily. "Though I have to say, I never expected Sonoko and Ran to bring such a gorgeous beauty as Xia Yu with them today. I was sure that cocky little brat would come — I was all set to show off this lovely wedding dress of mine to him, too."
Heh. Sorry to disappoint you, but Kudou is a no-show. Not that you failed — you're showing that dress off just fine, even without knowing it.
Conan studied Sayuri Matsumoto. This woman was still none too fond of him.
"Okay, look over this way, please!" Ran raised the camcorder. "We're your official videographers for the day!"
Sonoko planted her hands on her hips and teased, "So think carefully about the pose you two want for the kiss later!"
Sayuri Matsumoto didn't blush or demur in the slightest; she answered with breezy confidence. "Don't you worry. Leave it to me."
Just then, the door opened behind them and a woman walked in.
"Sayuri, I'm back with your lemon tea!"
At the sound of her voice, Sayuri Matsumoto gathered up the hem of her gown and hurried over, taking the lemon tea from her outstretched hands with a delighted thank-you. "Thanks, Kazumi!"
She was popping the tab open to take a sip when Takenaka Kazumi stopped her. "Ah-ah, no — if you drink it straight, your lipstick will come off." She fished out a straw, slipped it into the can, and handed it back to Sayuri.
Lemon tea?
"Do you like lemon tea that much, Miss Matsumoto?" Xia Yu asked.
Ordinarily, when someone goes out of their way to buy a particular drink for you on your own wedding day, either you genuinely love it or it carries some special meaning. And this being the Conan world, the odds of a special meaning far outweighed simple preference.
And if it did hold special meaning, then nine times out of ten it was tied to whatever case might soon unfold. That was exactly why Xia Yu had spoken up — hoping to get her hands on a clue early.
"Hm?" Sayuri Matsumoto blinked at the question for a moment, then, as if it had called something to mind, her cheeks flushed faintly pink. "Yes... I really do love lemon tea." Her fingers traced slowly around the can as she spoke.
Then she suddenly winked her right eye at Xia Yu, adding with playful mischief, "Actually, you know, the reason I love lemon tea has everything to do with my first love~"
"Your first love?!" Before Xia Yu could respond, Sonoko and Ran had already cried it out in unison.
Conan was startled too. Huh? That tyrant of a teacher had a first love?
Seeing their astonished reactions, Sayuri Matsumoto couldn't hold back a laugh. "That's right. My first love."
Tapping her own chin with a fingertip, she drifted into reminiscence. "He lived right in my neighborhood, you see. When we were little, whenever he saw me getting picked on, he'd always come charging out to help me — don't ask me why. And oh, he used to sneak warm lemon tea out of his own house and bring it to me, too. That sweet-and-sour taste... To keep that memory from fading, I've always kept drinking lemon tea. It just feels like it gives me courage."
As she listened to the story of Sayuri's first love, Sonoko's expression grew more and more thrilled, and the moment the teacher paused, she couldn't hold back. "Sensei, and then what? What happened between you and that boy?"
Ran grabbed Sonoko's arm to stop her. "Sonoko!" This was the teacher's wedding day — asking about something like that was just rude.
Sayuri Matsumoto didn't mind the question at all. She let out a soft sigh. "What happened, huh... Then one day, he suddenly moved away. To this day, I don't even know where he went."
"But Sensei, haven't you found someone else now — someone worthy of spending your life with?" Ran hurried to comfort her, seeing the teacher's spirits dip. "I just know you're going to be happy from here on."
At Ran's words, Sayuri Matsumoto smiled a little. "I suppose you're right. Oh — but you can't tell Toshihiko any of what I just told you. That's my fiancé, the groom today. He has no idea, even now."
With that, she turned her head and said softly to Takenaka Kazumi, who had been listening to her story with a warm smile all along, "Kazumi, I'm sorry. About the Toshihiko thing."
Kazumi blinked, lips parting in momentary confusion — and then, hearing that it was about Toshihiko, she burst out laughing and clapped Sayuri hard on the shoulder, knocking her a step forward. "What on earth are you apologizing for?"
Then she leaned in close, her expression turning just a touch serious. "Honestly, at this point, haven't you figured it out yet? At the ceremony, I'm going to stand up and expose the groom as my ex-boyfriend."