Chapter 37: Retribution Comes Too Swiftly

"Aren't you going to take us to meet the bride?"

As Seiichi and the others stood in the hallway, they noticed Toshihiko hesitating, seemingly afraid to go inside. They couldn't understand why he would feel such hesitation before seeing his bride-to-be.

Toshihiko looked ahead and said, "Inspector Matsumoto just went in. Let’s wait a moment."

Seeing the burly man enter, the group nodded. Seiichi had had a slight disagreement with that giant earlier, so it would indeed be awkward to walk in together.

Inspector Matsumoto didn’t stay long; after a few brief words, he exited. The group immediately began urging Toshihiko again.

"Let’s wait a bit longer. It seems one of Sayuri’s students just went in. Let's wait," Toshihiko insisted.

Seiichi crossed his arms and let out a yawn. The way this group was acting, they might as well have been urging a killer to commit a crime.

"Seiichi, Toshihiko really hasn't changed at all. He’s just as shy as he used to be. Why don't you talk to him? He listens to you more than anyone else," one of the men remarked.

Seiichi replied dismissively, "It’s no use. He has to make up his own mind."

The man looked at Seiichi with a puzzled expression. It was just a meeting with his bride—what kind of resolve did he need for that? Ever since Seiichi started his own business, the things he said had become increasingly hard to understand.

Once Sayuri’s student finally left, the group shoved Toshihiko into the room and quickly closed the door, leaving a small crack so they could peek at his clumsy behavior.

"Seiichi, come here! I saved a spot for you."

"How boring."

Seiichi leaned over and began to observe quietly. After being shoved in, Toshihiko had fallen to the floor. As he stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes, he winced, feeling his ingrown toenail ache, his mouth twitching involuntarily from the pain.

"Sayuri, you look so beautiful today," Toshihiko said with a smile.

"Wait, aren't you the heir to the Takasugi family?" Sonoko asked from inside the room, pointing at him.

Toshihiko looked at her, confused. "You’re Sonoko Suzuki of the Suzuki Financial Group?"

Ran whispered to Sonoko, "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I see him at parties all the time," Sonoko whispered back. "This guy is a total wimp. He has no backbone and loves to follow Seiichi-niisan around, even though he's older. Everyone used to say that once he inherited the Takasugi Group, it would be the end of them. But ever since he became Seiichi-niisan's little sidekick, nobody says that anymore."

Ran nodded. Ai, who had been listening from the side, frowned. *Related to Seiichi? I’ve already come all the way here—why is Seiichi still chasing me?*

She tilted her head, carefully peering toward the door. *Seiichi couldn't possibly be here for this wedding, could he?*

Her gaze met a pair of eyes through the crack in the door. Ai casually looked away, fixing her eyes on the bride. That guy really was here.

"Why are you drinking this stuff again? It has no nutritional value," Toshihiko said, taking the drink from Sayuri’s hand with a somber expression.

Sayuri looked at him, then, without a word, pulled him into an embrace and kissed him. Sonoko and the others blushed at the sight, and Ran quickly covered Conan’s and Ai’s eyes.

"Huh?"

"Who’s pushing me?"

Seiichi stumbled into the room. The guys behind him, as if they had just caused a disaster, slammed the door shut the moment he entered.

"Seiichi-niisan?" Sonoko said, pleasantly surprised.

"Hello, Sonoko," Seiichi replied.

Conan frowned involuntarily as he saw Seiichi. Having this guy here was not a good sign—he was someone with a bizarre constitution. Whenever he was involved, or even just present, a 'murder' was bound to happen, wasn't it? He just hoped it wouldn't ruin Sayuri-sensei’s wedding.

"Sayuri, this is my friend, Sumitomo Seiichi."

"Nice to meet you."

Seiichi greeted the bride and then tactfully stepped aside, not wanting to intrude on their intimacy.

Sonoko asked, "Seiichi-niisan, didn't Ai say you were too busy to come?"

"Hmm?"

Sonoko pulled Ai over and said, "I wanted to invite Ai to come to the wedding with you, but she said you were busy and couldn't make it."

Seiichi looked at Ai, who remained expressionless. "You invited me to go out first, so I assumed you had plans and didn't want to invite you."

It sounded reasonable enough. But Seiichi clearly wasn't buying it; he grabbed Ai by the arms and lifted her up.

"You little ungrateful thing. I think of you in everything I do, and you don't even ask me when you go out to play."

Seiichi held Ai up for a good while before setting her down. Once on the ground, Ai hid behind Ran, only to be picked up by Sonoko, who was standing next to her.

Sonoko pinched Ai’s cheeks and whispered, "Ai, is your possessiveness a little too strong? You wouldn't even let Seiichi-niisan talk to me?"

"I'm not," Ai mumbled.

"You say that, but—"

"Everyone," a man dressed as a waiter said as he walked to the door, "the ceremony is about to begin. Please head out and get ready."

"Right," Toshihiko replied.

Sayuri looked at Toshihiko, took back the lemon tea he was holding, and said softly, "It's fine, you go ahead."

"But..."

"Don't worry, I'll be there in a moment," Sayuri said with a warm, squinting smile.

Toshihiko nodded. "Okay."

Seiichi watched the scene with amusement and pulled Ai out of the room. Ai was acting coy.

The scions of the wealthy families waiting outside were surprised to see Seiichi walk out pulling a little girl. One of them remarked, "He went in to see the bride and came back with a little kid... that Seiichi guy..."

"Let’s go, let's go," Seiichi said.

Before they could recover from the surprise or ask any questions, the sound of a soda can hitting the floor echoed from the room where only the bride had been left.

"What was that sound?"

...

"Something's wrong! The bride has been poisoned!"

"What did you say!?" Inspector Matsumoto grabbed the man who had come running with the news and asked urgently.

The man gasped for air, stuttering, "The bride... she's been poisoned. Her condition is unknown. The groom is in there right now."

"Call an ambulance! Hurry!"

Matsumoto let go of the messenger and sprinted toward Sayuri’s room. All he could see in his mind was Sayuri in her wedding dress, and Seiichi’s parting words echoing in his ears:

"You will regret this."