“How much do you want?”
Suzuki Byakuya didn't know the market rate, so he threw out a price first:
“Ten thousand?”
Dr. Agasa frowned upon hearing this, quickly waving his hand and saying:
“No, that's too high. I only need you for one day.”
After some haggling, the two reached a deal at a price of 50,000 yen.
“Oh right.” Byakuya seemed to remember something and asked: “Will there be any insurance or agreements signed before the test flight?”
“Sorry, there isn't.” Dr. Agasa rejected him outright: “Having someone else test it will allow me to calibrate the data more efficiently. If there really isn't anyone, I can test it myself. It's not as dangerous as you think, so you can rest assured about that.”
“Alright, can I go and take a look first before making a decision?”
He wanted to get a feel for it before deciding whether to take the commission.
“No problem, come with me.”
Dr. Agasa waved his hand and walked out of the Mikan Talent Market.
He reached a Volkswagen Beetle, opened the door, and sat in the driver's seat.
His broad frame sitting in such a small car gave Byakuya a sense of incongruity.
Dr. Agasa stepped on the gas and drove westward.
Suzuki Byakuya sat in the back seat, not worried about his own safety.
He currently had 200 points, which could be exchanged for self-defense skills at any time.
Dealing with things like entrapment would be a piece of cake.
Based on Suzuki Byakuya's observations, this Dr. Agasa was likely a real inventor.
As the employer, his attire was too casual.
His beard wasn't trimmed, and he didn't seem to pay much attention to his appearance.
There were crumbs of bread on his mouth, presumably from eating a hamburger near the talent market.
His preference for fast food also matched the persona of someone dedicated to research.
Along the way, Dr. Agasa introduced his creations to Byakuya.
Things like solar-powered skateboards and compact voice changers.
Even though Suzuki Byakuya didn't understand them, he still felt they were amazing.
He nodded occasionally in agreement, leading Dr. Agasa to believe he was listening intently.
“We're here.”
Not long after, the Beetle reached its destination.
Suzuki Byakuya got out of the car and walked into the large residence with the doctor.
The front hall was bright, about ten meters wide, and there was a large library to the right.
The towering dome and bas-reliefs had a strong European style.
“Mr. Suzuki, please wait for me here.”
“Alright.”
Dr. Agasa walked through the corridor to fetch the flying machine from his laboratory.
He left Byakuya standing in the library, looking around.
“Dr. Agasa, Dr. Agasa, are you home?”
Not long after, a woman's voice came from outside.
Suzuki Byakuya frowned, feeling like he had heard that voice somewhere before.
“Just come in, you don't have to go through all that trouble.”
As the door opened, Kudo Shinichi and Ran Mori entered the field of view.
Damn, it's this kid again!
Seeing the familiar face, Suzuki Byakuya was annoyed.
Every time he encountered this guy, something bad happened.
Kudo Shinichi was the first to enter, looking quite happy:
“What a coincidence.”
Ran Mori, who was beside him, was also curious and asked:
“Yeah, why are you here, Mr. Suzuki?”
Byakuya didn't want to have much to do with this high school detective, so he said concisely:
“Part-time job.”
“Mr. Suzuki, my house is next door, feel free to come visit us sometime.”
In the last burglary case, Kudo Shinichi wrongly judged the suspect.
He had promised to treat them to dinner.
“Forget it, I don't have time.”
Suzuki Byakuya refused again, appearing to be impervious to persuasion.
To earn points, he would strive to become a criminal investigation consultant for the Japanese police in the near future.
This put him in competition with Kudo Shinichi, so there was no need to get too close.
As the three were chatting, Dr. Agasa came out with the flying machine:
“Oh, it's Shinichi and Ran, what's up?”
Ran Mori smiled like an angel, placing a basket on the table:
“Dr. Agasa, did you forget to eat again?”
Dr. Agasa scratched his head and smiled shyly:
“No, no, I ate out today.”
To reach the point of forgetting to eat, he was truly crazy.
Seeing that they knew each other, Dr. Agasa introduced them proactively:
“This young couple comes to see me with food occasionally. I know their parents, we are old friends.”
Ran Mori and Kudo Shinichi spoke almost simultaneously, both turning their heads away.
The two blushed and explained in unison:
“We're not a couple!”
Their embarrassed posture clearly revealed their true nature as old tsundere freaks.
“Dr. Agasa, I'll leave this here. I'll come see you again next time.”
Ran Mori's face was flushed, and after a few polite words, she hurried away.
Kudo Shinichi was half a beat behind and, before leaving, he couldn't resist throwing down a challenge:
“Mr. Suzuki, I'm looking forward to our next showdown.”
He didn't wait for a response and ran out of the house with Ran Mori.
“Tsk.”
Byakuya found this high school detective quite troublesome.
He had no interest in playing those childish reasoning games.
Dr. Agasa had a backpack-style flying machine with two jet nozzle-like things on either side, about the size of thermoses. It could use the recoil generated by the jet to propel the wearer into the air.
“Mr. Suzuki, I've adjusted the parameters. Come tomorrow and put it on, you just need to stay in the air for ten seconds.”
Byakuya shook his head immediately, looking very resistant:
“Flying for ten seconds would be at least fifty meters, right? If I fall from that high, won't I break my neck?”
“It doesn't have enough power to go that high.” Dr. Agasa explained before quickly conceding: “Alright, I'll modify it tonight, set it to three or five seconds. It'll be fine. You can come at nine tomorrow morning.”
“Alright, no problem.”
…
Kudo Shinichi left Dr. Agasa's house and walked down the street.
Ran Mori in front suddenly stopped, as if she had remembered something:
“Shinichi.”
“What's wrong?”
“Do you think…Sonoko knows Suzuki-san?”
Kudo Shinichi shrugged and casually replied:
“How would I know? Why don't you call her and ask?”
Ran Mori nodded and took out the new phone Kudo had compensated her with today.
Not long after, the other end of the line picked up:
“Hello, Sonoko, are you feeling better from your cold?”
Last time they went to the Mikan Aquarium, Sonoko had been unwell and didn't go.
“I'm much better, Ran, thanks for your concern.”
“Sonoko, can I ask you a question?”
The voice on the other end of the phone was cheerful, indicating a lively and optimistic personality.
“Hey, don't be so formal with me, just ask away.”
“Sonoko, do you know Suzuki Byakuya?”
“Byakuya!?”
From the tone of Suzuki Sonoko, it was clear that she knew him.
Ran Mori held the phone and cautiously asked:
“What's wrong, Sonoko?”
“No…nothing, I'm just surprised, he's still alive.”