"Eh? Senichi-kun and Miss Ayako are here too?"
"Takagi and Sato-san too?"
Upon seeing the two sitting at the table, Senichi already understood what was happening. After a brief moment of surprise, he smiled and said, "Are you two here for a date as well?"
"Ah... yeah..." Hearing Senichi's casual tone, the initially shy pair couldn't help but relax.
Senichi and Ayako then took their seats, and the four naturally started chatting, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
"Shiratori! What do we do now? Continue with the plan!" Urgent calls came through the intercom. Just as the two were about to act, Shiratori commanded them to stop.
"Miyazaki and Saitoh, I remember you two don't seem to know Detective Senichi, right?"
After receiving an affirmative response, Shiratori immediately ordered, "Oda, come back and hand over the task to Detective Saitoh. The plan continues!"
Executing the Operation Plan No. 108 of Manual C: Create passing tourists with two people whom the target person is not familiar with. Then engage in casual conversation and let the target person Sato Miwako hear it to disrupt the good atmosphere.
The crucial point of this plan is to have people whom the target is not familiar with. But having worked with Senichi for so long, they naturally knew his memories and sharp eyes.
If it were Sato Miwako and Takagi, the plan might proceed with the disguise, but with Senichi present, it required more caution to avoid him noticing any flaws that could render the strategy ineffective.
After the personnel performing the task were switched, the two immediately assumed the appearance of tourists and chatted as they walked towards the group of four.
"Hey, did you see the news? The detectives were embarrassed in the recent criminal case. They traced the drug dealer to his home but lost track at a critical moment..."
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's really embarrassing... they are a bunch of incompetent fools."
The scripted dialogue tailored to Sato Miwako's personality proved effective. Upon hearing the two people's "casual conversation," Sato Miwako, who was originally chatting and laughing, immediately turned towards them and vented:
"Hey! If you don't know the inside story, don't talk nonsense! It was false information!! You guys are idiots for calling the police fools without understanding anything!"
Seeing Sato Miwako explode, the two passersby who were discussing trembled, and Takagi on the side hurriedly comforted, "S-Sato-san... don't get angry... calm down a bit!"
"Hmph! Clearly, they don't understand anything!" Sato Miwako stood up and looked at Ayako, saying, "Suzuki-san, shall we go to the restroom together?"
"Sure." Ayako replied and comforted her, "Don't get too angry. These people always maliciously gossip based on some gossip media information, never bothering to find out the real facts."
"That's why it's infuriating..."
As Sato Miwako spoke, she and Ayako walked away into the distance. At the dining table, only Takagi remained.
"Operation successful!" Fukui, who was holding binoculars, showed a pleased expression on his face. "The good atmosphere is shattered, and Sato-san has returned to normal!"
Receiving the report, Shiratori and others in the command vehicle were uplifted, celebrating one after another.
On the other side, Senichi became alert after hearing the words of the two passersby.
It can't be helped, Senichi's first reaction wasn't joy at the coincidence when encountering these two but rather suspicion whether he was about to encounter a case.
After all, the relationship between Sato Miwako and Takagi had seen its share of troubles. Every time there was progress in their relationship, there always seemed to be a case giving them a "divine assist" from behind.
Calculating the time , his "safe and sound card" time seemed to have expired, it seemed like Senichi's feeling of luck had diminished.
Therefore, after taking his seat, Senichi began gathering information related to the case. It wasn't until he overheard information about the case from the two tourists that he felt an increase in the credibility of the information. Sato Miwako's reaction further added to the authenticity.
So, after the two left, Senichi casually inquired from Takagi and learned about a case that occurred after his engagement break—a case where the detectives were deceived with false information about the hiding place of a drug dealer. It ended up as a wild celebration for the tabloids after the information leaked.
"Oh... is that so?"
Senichi nodded in understanding, then looked at Takagi with a teasing smile and said, "Looks like you two are progressing fast. Seems like there has been significant progress since the last time."
"Ah, thanks to you, Detective Senichi." Takagi scratched his head apologetically. "If it weren't for you, I probably would have missed the opportunity..."
"Alright, alright, don't talk about these useless things."
Senichi waved his hand, interrupting Takagi, and smiled, "What you should be thinking about is how to take advantage of this Tropical Land date to further deepen your relationship."
"Speaking of which, there's something I'd like to ask you, Senichi." Takagi seems to remember something from Senichi's words, he reached for his backpack and placed it on the table. From it, he took out a small box.
"Hey, hey, is this okay?" Senichi, seeing the ring in the box, realized what was happening. He hadn't expected Takagi to be so "bold" as to plan a proposal during this date.
Senichi only suggested making their relationship closer through this date, but who would have thought Takagi wanted to take it to the next level and prepare for a proposal!
"Well... I want to seek advice from Detective Senichi about, um, proposing..." Takagi, nervously and hesitantly, looked at Senichi. "What should I do..."
"Oh, this." Senichi, as someone experienced and a former "Keyboard Warrior," could offer quite a bit of advice: "It mainly depends on the atmosphere; that's crucial.
But the sense of ceremony is also important. Choose a romantic place, or create surprises artificially, and so on."
Although Senichi appreciated Takagi's initiative, he didn't hold much hope for his "proposal" plan.
It wasn't because Senichi didn't believe in Takagi or anything like that, but he was just stating a fact.
After all, he had no recollection of the current 'Date' case, meaning there hadn't been any significant events like a "proposal, ring-giving." Otherwise, he wouldn't have forgotten such a memorable moment.
And if there wasn't, it suggested that this ongoing case might have prematurely ended Takagi's plan.
Thinking of this, Senichi felt it was necessary to lend a hand as the "guardian angel" in their relationship, especially when resolving a case could come with additional rewards.
Why so certain about another case, you ask?
That's because Senichi had already spotted a few familiar figures...