133: Chapter 133: Themed Skiing Event

"Stop bumping into me all the time, okay!"

Kuroba Kaito scrambled up from the snow, complaining, "You really are clumsy!"

"What can I do about it!"

Nakamori Aoko retorted, slightly resentful. "It's my first time skiing! I'm just a beginner."

"Then go ski over there! Don't block my way!"

Kaito pointed towards another ski slope.

"Why should I go over there?!"

Aoko shot back. "If anyone should move, it's you!"

"What's wrong with you!"

As the two bickered, Sonoko skied over, helped Aoko up, and asked curiously, "Aoko, are you here skiing too?"

"Haha... It's our high school's weekend ski trip."

"No wonder there are so many high school students today."

Sonoko glanced around, realization dawning. "So Ekoda High is having a ski trip... What a coincidence."

"That girl... why is she here too...?"

Nearby, Kaito spotted Sonoko Suzuki and felt his eyebrow twitch.

He recognized Sonoko Suzuki; he thought he'd met her before. And he seemed to recall stealing some jewel from her family not long ago.

But since she's here...

Thinking this, Kaito scanned the surroundings.

Instantly, his eyes landed on the two people he least wanted to see.

One was a crazy detective in a black ski suit, and the other was a crazy little brat in a blue ski suit.

The detective referred to Fujino, and the crazy little brat was, naturally, Conan.

The incident of being kicked into the sea by a soccer ball last time was now firmly blamed on Conan.

After all, that super-electromagnetic soccer ball... recalling it still sent chills down his spine.

Meanwhile, Conan, upon seeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kuroba Kaito, paused, momentarily stunned.

He didn't know Kaito's true identity.

This was their first actual meeting.

What stunned him was how incredibly similar the other boy looked to him...

Well, to his former self, Kudo Shinichi, before he shrank.

"Ahem!"

Kaito cleared his throat and said to Aoko, "Anyway, Aoko, just try not to bump into me!"

With that, he quickly skied away.

He needed to get away from this troublesome spot immediately.

A crazy brat plus a crazy detective... If he stayed any longer, his rare ski vacation would be completely ruined!

"So they're here too."

Not far away, a girl with long magenta hair watched the group, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Not long ago, she had performed a divination.

Initially, she intended to predict Kuroba Kaito's future, but suddenly received a prompt about the Teitan University School Festival.

So she went there.

She had tried divining Fujino's future again.

But no matter how many times she tried, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crystal ball shattered every time.

Even her magic mirror, after a series of violent contortions, also gave out.

Refusing to give ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up, she brought out her cauldron for advanced divination...

The cauldron cracked too, splashing magic soup all over her.

Once might be an accident, but if it happened every single time...

"Looks like things in this world are getting more and more interesting."

A wicked smile touched the corner of her lips.

But she could put this guy aside for now. After all, besides Kaito Kid, all men in this world should be her captives.

Her main target right now was still Kuroba Kaito...

She glanced at the two magic stickers she concocted last night, revealing a witch-like smirk. "With these, today, I'll definitely capture that Kuroba Kaito!"

"Aoko, aren't you and him childhood friends?"

Ran asked, glancing at the departing Kaito.

Nakamori Aoko nodded. "We are."

Ran looked puzzled. "Then why... I get the feeling your relationship isn't that great... especially with his attitude."

"That's what you call flirting through bickering!"

Sonoko chimed in with an unkind laugh. "You're like that with Shinichi all the time."

Ran whined reproachfully, "Sonoko!"

"Haha... He's always like that, always annoying and never serious,"

Aoko chuckled, explaining to the pair of best friends, "Even though we're childhood friends, our relationship isn't actually that great."

"Is that so?"

Ran looked surprised upon hearing this.

"Could you be the high school detective Fujino that Aoko mentioned before?!"

Suddenly, an excited girl's voice called out.

Fujino turned towards the sound and saw a girl staring at him excitedly from nearby.

The girl had average looks, blue eyes, medium-length brown hair styled in pigtails, wore glasses, and a white ski suit, giving off a somewhat cute vibe.

"And this is?"

"She's Momoi Keiko, my classmate..."

But before Aoko could finish, a clamor of girls' voices rose from the surroundings.

Momoi Keiko's shout had successfully attracted everyone's attention.

"It looks like the high school detective Fujino!"

"It really is!"

"I heard Aoko mention him last time, I didn't expect they actually knew each other."

"He's just like the rumors say, black hair, black eyes, and dressed all in black! So cool!"

Soon, surrounding students gathered around, drawn by the news.

Instantly, the area became packed.

Ran, Sonoko, Aoko, and the others were pushed to the periphery.

"What's wrong with these people?"

Sonoko watched the excited crowd, looking utterly confused.

Teitan High had the precedent of Kudo Shinichi, so they were somewhat used to having famous detectives around.

Teitan had Kudo, Kaihou had Hattori, Senshin was full of talent.

Of course, Kuroba Kaito being Kaito Kid was a secret that couldn't be revealed.

So, on the surface, Ekoda High didn't seem to have any outrageously talented individuals.

Besides some niche idols, they could only gossip about famous detectives from other schools, or Kaito Kid.

Suddenly seeing Fujino, the high school detective they had only heard about in rumors, naturally made them enthusiastic and curious.

"Our school doesn't have any famous high school detectives,"

Aoko explained with a slight smile. "And Detective Fujino has repelled Kaito Kid twice before, so he's actually very famous at our school."

"Ah, this... enthusiasm is a bit overwhelming..."

Fujino felt the fervent energy radiating from the surrounding girls, like facing a pack of wolves, and felt slightly uncomfortable.

Being popular sometimes really was a hassle.

"Everyone, gather 'round! Gather 'round..."

Nearby, a woman in a red ski suit with blonde hair shouted towards them, but her voice gradually weakened.

"What's going on? Why is everyone crowded over there?"

She sighed, then squeezed her way through the crowd.

Then she saw, at the center of the throng, a boy in a black ski suit with black hair and black eyes, exuding a mature aura.

"Who is he? Is he a celebrity or something?"

She couldn't help asking a nearby female student.

"Teacher, you're so out of touch! You don't even know the recently famous high school detective Fujino?"

"Out of touch?!"

Hearing this, her face fell.

The phrase 'out of touch' was rather hurtful to the Holy Maiden Oomine...

Taking a breath, she managed to push her way forward and said to Fujino, "Excuse me, student... could you please ask everyone to disperse? They can't hear my assembly call."

"May I ask who you are?"

Fujino looked at the blonde woman before him, slightly puzzled.

The blonde woman appeared to be in her twenties, infinitely close to a certain Iron Fist Holy Maiden (Hiratsuka Shizuka), but compared to the Iron Fist Saint, her features were clearly more mature, with a hint of foreignness. Blonde hair, a beauty mark under her eye – clearly mixed race.

"My name is Konno Erika. I'm their supervising teacher,"

Konno Erika replied softly.

"Ah, so it's Konno-san..."

Fujino nodded politely.

Indeed mixed race. Erika, probably her mother's name.

He glanced around again.

The crowd was indeed growing larger, noisy and chaotic.

This kind of situation could probably only be controlled by an Iron Fist Holy Maiden like Hiratsuka Shizuka. As for this woman named Konno Erika...

Well, if she could handle this gawking crowd herself, she probably wouldn't have needed to ask him.

"Ahem."

Fujino cleared his throat and, imitating Hiratsuka Shizuka's stern tone, said firmly, "Everyone, please stop crowding around here. Your Konno-sensei has something to say."

Fujino's voice wasn't particularly loud, but somehow, it cut through the crowd.

Under the phantom shadow of a certain looming Iron Fist Holy Maiden, the surroundings instantly quieted down.

"Alright, today we've organized a special event for the twilight hours."

Hearing Konno Erika mention an event, the surrounding Ekoda High students looked confused, indicating they hadn't heard about it.

"Of course you haven't heard about it, because I was just about to announce it,"

Konno Erika wagged her finger. "Listen up! The theme for this event is the Twilight Costume Ski Meet! Please find yourselves a partner and ski intimately as boyfriend and girlfriend..."

"Teacher! Can't girls team up with girls?"

Momoi Keiko suddenly shouted out.

"Dame desu!" (No way!)

Konno Erika's tone suddenly became stern. "Two sets of ski tracks left on the snowfield, bathed in the twilight sunset – that is a world belonging only to the two of you! This will surely leave an unforgettable page in the annals of your youth!"

As she spoke, her expression turned dreamy, resembling Sonoko Suzuki in full fangirl mode. "Such a scene is so romantic! Hmm, how did I ever come up with such a brilliant idea..."

"..."

The surrounding students were momentarily speechless.

Right, an event only for couples.

So it was just an excuse for her own agenda!

"Ahem."

Konno Erika cleared her throat, easing the awkwardness. "Anyway, those are the details of the event. Please do your best! Costumes will be provided by the hotel. By the way, the winning couple will receive a grand prize!"