Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

I showed everyone the location and how to use the safety equipment like life vests and signal flares.

After we all had a meal together, we set off for Osaka.

Once the yacht set sail, people seemed to be having a good time—some went out to the balcony to enjoy the scenery, while others played board games in the salon.

Since the AI was handling the navigation, I didn’t really have anything to do.

So I sat in the helm room, turned on my laptop, and passed the time watching videos or playing games.

Around 3 o’clock, Morgan came to relieve me, so I handed over the watch, washed up, and rested.

When I woke up the next day, we were anchored near I-shima, a small island before Okinawa in Japan, and people were out fishing.

"Another one! I think I have a talent for fishing!"

Everyone was catching small fish and having a great time, though almost all of them were either striped beakfish or horse mackerel.

Since they kept catching them, they were having fun with it.

However, Kogoro was getting quite annoyed because he was aiming for a big catch but kept reeling in only small ones.

"Ugh... I need to catch a big one, but all I’m getting are these little things..."

I took the horse mackerel and sliced them into sashimi, and since the striped beakfish had many small bones, I prepared them carefully and grilled them or made them into a soup.

"Everyone, come eat. I made a simple meal with what we caught."

When I set out the food, everyone started eating happily.

"They taste so much better since we caught them ourselves, right?"

"Yeah, maybe this is the real joy of fishing."

But Kogoro didn’t look happy.

"Son-in-law, how much longer can we fish?"

"Hmm... I think we’ll have to leave by 11 at the latest. I believe the quarterfinals start in the afternoon."

"Then we still have plenty of time. Alright, this time I’ll definitely..."

The others fished a bit longer, then got bored and put away their gear to hang out in the living room, but Kogoro alone kept at it, stubbornly holding his rod.

Still, he only caught small ones—no big fish at all.

Eventually, time passed while Kogoro kept reeling in small fry, and 11 o’clock arrived.

"Detective, it’s time to go."

At my words, Kogoro sighed heavily and reluctantly had to pack up his fishing rod.

It was a bit pitiful to see him enjoy it so much despite having no talent for it.

We set off again, and after arriving at Osaka Marina, we had a seafood lunch at a restaurant nearby, then took a taxi to Naniwa Central Gymnasium.

When we arrived at the gymnasium, there were several police cars, and Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha were talking with the police.

"Huh? What happened?"

Wondering if an accident had occurred, we quickly went over to Heiji.

"Heiji, what happened?"

"Oh, you guys are here! There was a murder case. But Heiji-sama already solved it brilliantly."

Heiji said that, puffing up with pride.

Just as I expected, a murder case had occurred.

But I had deliberately delayed our arrival by taking time over our meal.

I didn’t want to get dragged into a murder case.

This case was something Heiji could handle on his own, so I didn’t see any need to step in.

It wasn’t worth wasting my time sticking my nose into a case that wasn’t that important anyway.

"I see. That’s unfortunate, having something like that happen on the day of the tournament."

But Conan felt differently.

He stuck close to Heiji and started asking for all the details about the case.

"And so, that’s how I solved it."

"Oh, impressive, isn’t it?"

"Right?"

At that point, Ran asked Heiji.

"So what about the tournament? Shouldn’t you be getting ready soon?"

Then Kazuha sighed and answered in his place.

"No, there’s no need for that anymore. Heiji was so focused on the case that he ended up forfeiting the tournament, so he’s out."

At those words, all of us were shocked.

"What?! Then why did we even come all the way here?"

"Seriously... If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just kept fishing..."

"Dad, you fished all morning, didn’t you?"

As the mood started to sour, Heiji scratched his head and apologized.

"Ahaha, sorry everyone. Things turned out this way, so please understand it couldn’t be helped. Instead, my mom said she’d make us some delicious fugu dishes tonight. Anyway, I need to get ready, so just wait a moment."

With that, Heiji went back into the gymnasium with Kazuha.

"Wow! It’s the real-life siblings! Let’s ask for autographs."

"Seriously, he’s really handsome."

"Ai-chan is so cute!"

At that moment, some female students nearby recognized Haibara and me, rushed over, and asked for autographs and photos.

Since it was a high school tournament, having lots of students around was unavoidable.

What was interesting, though, was that I expected Haibara to hate it, but surprisingly, she smiled and gave out autographs and took photos.

It seemed she had gotten somewhat used to this kind of life.

After a while, Heiji and Kazuha appeared, along with Heiji’s mother, Shizuka.

Shizuka was still neatly dressed in a kimono and still as beautiful as ever.

"I’m so sorry. You came all the way to cheer for us, and this is what happened."

Shizuka bowed her head and apologized as soon as she saw us.

Unlike Heiji, she had proper manners.

"Ahaha, no, it’s fine. These things happen."

Kogoro looked a bit embarrassed and said it was okay when Shizuka bowed.

I wondered what happened to the man who, just moments ago, was complaining about not being able to fish more.

Morgan headed back to the marina with Kogoro and the others, while I took a taxi with Heiji’s group to Heiji’s house.

Shizuka had said she would treat us to fugu cuisine and had already prepped the ingredients, so we decided to pick them up along with our luggage.

Heiji’s father, Heizō, Kazuha’s father, Toyama Ginshiro, and her mother, Toyama Sakura, were also set to come along with Kazuha.

Heiji’s house was a traditional Japanese-style home—fairly large, well-maintained, and spotless, giving the feeling of being at a classic Japanese hot spring inn.

Maintaining a house like that couldn’t be easy, so Heizō and Shizuka must be quite diligent.

"Jin, should we bring bowls too?"

"There are plenty on the yacht, so just bring the ingredients."

"I see. I hope we’re not making things too complicated."

"Not at all. Honestly, Heiji talked up the fugu dishes so much that I’m really looking forward to it."

Then Heiji smiled and said.

"You can look forward to it. My mom’s cooking is truly the best in the world."

"Heiji, you’re really putting the pressure on. By the way, did you pack your father’s luggage?"

"Of course."

Heizō apparently had a lot of work, so it seemed he would be joining us at the marina.

After packing our things, we took a taxi back to the marina.

"Wow... It looks completely different from what I saw on TV! Was it always this big? How much did you say this yacht cost?"

Heizō and Shizuka were quite surprised when they saw my yacht at the marina.

It seemed the real thing looked very different from what they’d seen on the news.

"I paid about 3.2 billion yen."

"Three point two billion yen!!???"

"Let’s go inside first. We need to get the ingredients into the fridge before they spoil."

"R-right."

When we boarded the yacht, Morgan helped carry the ingredients.

Shizuka and Heiji also went to their assigned rooms, unpacked, and came back out.

"Can we look around the yacht?"

"Yeah, but not the helm room or engine room. If you touch something wrong, it could be a disaster. I’ll show you later."

"Got it."

Shizuka and Heiji walked around the yacht, exploring every corner.

Then Heizō, Kazuha, her father Toyama Ginshiro, and her mother Toyama Sakura arrived at the yacht, carrying various things they had bought.

"It’s much bigger than I imagined."

They were equally surprised by the yacht.

"It’s been a while, Chief."

"It’s been a while, Jin."

"Heiji and your wife are inside."

"I see. This is Osaka’s Detective Chief and Kazuha’s father, Toyama Ginshiro, and his wife, Toyama Sakura."

Heizō introduced Kazuha’s parents, so I exchanged greetings with them too.

Ginshiro and Sakura looked surprisingly like an ordinary working couple.

But, as always with Conan’s world, Kazuha’s mother Sakura was also a beauty.

It was a shame, though, that her permed hair made her look a bit older.

I supposed that was just how it was for a housewife.

"Please come inside. Everyone is waiting."

"Got it."

As soon as Heizō and Ginshiro stepped onto the yacht, they exchanged cheerful greetings with Kogoro.

Since Kogoro was frequently involved in cases, it wasn’t a bad thing for him to build connections with the police.

I assigned them their rooms, explained the location and use of the safety equipment, and then set sail.

Our destination was the sea off Sumoto Castle on Awaji Island, not far from Osaka.

"Jin! What’s that spaceship-like thing next to the boat? It startled me!"

Heiji must have spotted the Nemo submarine while looking around inside the yacht.

"Oh, that’s a two-seater mini submarine."

"What?! That was a submarine?! I never imagined such a submarine existed. I thought it was a spaceship."

The Nemo submarine did indeed look like a spaceship.

"Can we ride it?"

"I’m not sure. We might not have time. I’ll see how things go tomorrow."

"By the way, so this is the helm room. Can I watch you drive?"

"Sure, go ahead."

With permission, Heiji brought Kazuha along and started looking at everything with great curiosity.

It seemed this was his first time on a yacht like this, and he was fascinated.

After sailing for about an hour, we arrived at the waters off Sumoto Castle, dropped anchor, and secured the yacht.

The view of Sumoto Castle from the yacht was quite impressive.

"Wow, it’s beautiful! I guess this is why people buy yachts."

"That’s true. The view from the sea is different from the view on land. Anyway, let’s head to the salon. I need to start preparing the meal."

"Got it."

In the second-floor salon, the adults were seated and chatting, so Ran and Sonoko were probably on the third-floor salon.

"Ah, perfect timing. I heard you did a fortune reading for Heiji and Kazuha last time. Is it true that they’re fated to get married?"

As soon as I entered the salon, Heizō asked that question.

Since both Heiji and Kazuha’s parents were gathered, that topic must have come up naturally.

"Yes, that’s right. When I came to Osaka last time, I read their fortunes. Heiji and Kazuha are definitely fated to marry."

"Hmm... I see. They’ve always been together, so that makes sense."

At that point, Kogoro also chimed in.

"You can trust my son-in-law’s readings. They’re accurate."

At that, Ginshiro laughed heartily with pleasure.

"Hahaha, being in-laws with you doesn’t sound bad at all. I’m all for it."

At those words, Kazuha’s face turned beet red, and she fled upstairs, with Heiji following after her.

Shizuka found the whole scene amusing and laughed.

"Hehe, how entertaining. I never knew Heiji and Kazuha could get so shy. Anyway, Jin, please show me to the kitchen. I think it’s about time to start preparing the meal."

"You’re going to start already? We just arrived. Take some time to enjoy the view and rest a little."

"Preparing the broth takes time, you see. I need to start now."

"Ah, I see. Then this way."

I went to the kitchen with Shizuka, helped her with various preparations, and then headed upstairs myself.

"What?! There’s a submarine on this yacht?"

"You didn’t know either? When I went downstairs, there was this submarine that looks like a spaceship."

"Really? Jin, can we ride it?"

It seemed I hadn’t told them about the submarine either.

"Hmm... Then I’ll take you one by one tomorrow, depending on time. It’s a two-seater, so I can’t take many people at once. And the only ones who can pilot it are Morgan and me, since we have the license."

"Then it’s going to take a long time, since there are so many of us."

"Probably. It runs on batteries, so I have to recharge it too. At most, each person would get about 15 minutes. I originally bought it to use when we go to coral islands on our world trip later."

At those words, everyone looked quite disappointed.

"Don’t worry. There are many shipwrecks in the waters off Sumoto, so there’s plenty to see even in a short time."

"Really?! Now I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!"

Honestly, I hadn’t planned on taking them, but with everyone so excited, I decided to just do it.

We spent time chatting and relaxing like that, and when it was time for the broth to be ready, I went down to the kitchen, brought out the burner and sukiyaki pot, and set everything up on the second floor.

"Wow, this is amazing?!"

"It’s so delicious!"

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fugu hotpot that Shizuka had prepared.

Thanks to the carefully prepared broth, the umami was incredible.

Shizuka’s cooking skills were truly excellent.

"Of course. My mom’s fugu hotpot is the best."

But Kazuha was nodding off, barely able to eat properly.

"Huh? Kazuha, are you tired?"

Then Shizuka explained why.

"Heiji, it’s your fault. Kazuha ran all over the place looking for you. Making your future wife work so hard."

"Ahaha, I couldn’t help it. I had a murder case to solve..."

Then Kogoro praised Heiji proudly.

"As expected of the chief’s son. Solving a case so easily."

But Heizō spoke humbly.

"Not at all. This boy’s deductions are just child’s play based on intuition. He’s not even close to reaching Mori detective’s level."

Ginshiro also added a comment.

"You’re exactly the same as you were as a kid, and it worries me. You’re going to make Kazuha suffer."

"So you’re saying I made Shizuka suffer?"

"Hahaha, isn’t that true? Don’t you agree, sister-in-law?"

When Ginshiro asked, Shizuka chuckled and admitted it.

"That’s right. I suffered a lot because of him too."

"Dear..."

With Shizuka joining in, Heizō looked troubled.

"But still, when there’s no work, he helps around the house well, shows affection, and earns good money, so I have no complaints."

"Chief Hattori, you’re quite a loving husband despite appearances."

When Kogoro said that, everyone burst into laughter.

I watched the scene and smiled too.

This was something you couldn’t easily see in the original story, so I found it quite amusing.