Mouri Ran who is listening to the word 'Duke' mentioned for the first time, questions her best friend since she is born into a wealthy family, "What does that mean? 'Duke'?"

"Well, Ran, a Duke is like a really fancy king. But they don't get to be the main king, they're more like a prince of the king. Does that make sense?"

Ran stared at her blankly for a moment before responding, "Oh, so it's like a sidekick king? Like Robin to Batman?"

Sonoko giggled at the comparison, "Yeah, kinda like that. Except they don't fight crime, they just have a lot of money and fancy parties."

Ran's eyes widened in amazement, "Wow, that sounds so cool. I wish I could be a Duke one day."

"For us, we are girls, so the title isn't Duke, but Duchess. Still same rank by the way," Sonoko corrected her before turning back to the staff members, "But this is Japan, right? Although they are royals in existence, nobles don't exist! So how is it possible to have a Duke death memorial here?!" Sonoko's face scrunched up in anger.

"The kid is born in the U.K., that is why. In the U.K., this system was modernised to have nobles there."

"Why would someone who is born there end up having the memorial held in Japan?" Ran became baffled at the logic.

"Because someone who knew him insisted so," Another man added, "The little Duke died last year, and normally through their family custom, one would have it held every year. But due to circumstances, one of the people the late Duke was close with moved to Japan. So to ensure she didn't miss out, the memorial was decided to be held here."

The more Sonoko hears of this, the more outrage she grew, "so in other words, Ranran decided why not have the memorial be held at the same venue?! By cancelling my birthday party that was meant to be here!?" Sonoko said, her voice rising in annoyance.

"Birthday?" The other staff replied eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know much about your birthday party being cancelled, but I do know that the memorial itself had to be carried out of vital importance."

Sonoko was angry, "How is it out of vital importance!? In Japan, titles don't really mean anything. They're just names!"

"Sonoko..."Ran called out to her.

"They do in the U.K, especially when one held events on any hotel the aristocrats owned overseas, one has to oblige." Ran and Sonoko then thanked the staff before they distanced themselves to talk.

Sonoko was fuming. "I can't believe that she-demon would stoop so low!" she exclaimed to Ran.

"I know, right?" replied Ran, her eyes blazing with anger.

"It's like she's using a boy's death, one who is given a title that had no relevance here just to get back at me, all because she hated Shinichi for calling her a 'bastard'!" continued Sonoko, her voice rising by the minute. "She is doing this to me, just because we are friends with him!"

"What a petty child, this Kudo Ranran girl is," replied Ran, still seething.

"But why must she take it this far to the point your father had to cancel the birthday party? It doesn't make any sense," Ran said, trying to reason with her friend.

"Who knows?" Sonoko said, shrugging off, "Whatever it is, the titles here are deemed useless! She had no right to do this to me!"

"Exactly! Who cares about titles in Japan nowadays? Titles don't mean anything," Ran said, her face contorting in anger. This revelation made Sonoko and Ran even more upset - how could Ranran use such an important event for her own personal gain? "What are we going to do?"

With determination, Sonoko huffed. "I decided, I am going to confront Ranran."

Ran shook her head. "That is a bad idea, Sonoko! You are not invited!"

But Sonoko was too angry to listen, she was already storming off, determined to confront Kudo Ranran and demand an explanation. "I don't care, Ran. I'm going to find out the truth. I'm going to confront that she-demon!"

Ran jogged to catch up with her, and when she did, she asked, "But how are we going to confront her, Sonoko? We don't even know for sure that she's behind all of this."

Sonoko stopped and turned to face Ran, her eyes blazing. "I don't care, Ran. I'm going to make her pay for ruining my birthday party. And we'll figure out the rest as we go along."

........................................................................

Moriko looked around in amazement at the grand ballroom of the luxury hotel. It was her first time attending a birthday party of such grandeur, and she couldn't help but feel excited. Her cousin Reina's friend's father was celebrating his birthday, and Moriko couldn't believe the extravagance of it all.

The lavish decorations, colourful balloons, and elegant cake on display all left her breathless.  There were colourful balloons, a huge cake with candles that lit up the entire room, and even a live band playing music.

She couldn't believe that she was attending a 5-year-old's birthday party, but not just any 5-year-old. This was Takuma's dad's birthday party, and her cousin, Reina, had invited her.

Moriko watched in awe as the guests danced and laughed, enjoying the party.

She noticed her cousin Reina standing in the corner, looking unhappy. Moriko went over to her and tugged on her dress, "Why aren't you dancing, Reina? This is so much fun!"

Reina sighed, "I'm not in the mood to dance, Moriko. Takuma and I had a fight, and we're not friends anymore."

Moriko's eyes widened in surprise, "But Takuma's dad is the one who invited us to the party, right?"

Reina nodded, "Yes, but that doesn't mean we have to be friends. Sometimes, people grow apart and that's okay."

"Just like my parents' marriage..." Reina couldn't bring herself to say those words.

Reina's mom had remarried, and her spouse is Moriko's uncle, which made Reina her cousin, and they had become fast friends.

In a way, she had nothing to complain about the marriage, her step-father is a chill man, and her biological dad had given blessings to this marriage. The same could not be said for her own mother. In her head, she genuinely thinks the step-father should marry someone else besides someone as undeserving as her mother.

The way how her mother mistreated her father before her...is also one of the reasons why she and Takuma were not on speaking terms anymore. There had been an incident in kindergarten that had caused a rift between them, and they had not spoken since. Moriko didn't understand what had happened, but she could tell that it was a sore spot for both of them.

As Moriko looked around the room, she saw Takuma sitting at a table with some of his friends. He looked unhappy, and she could see the tension between him and Reina even from across the room. Moriko didn't know what to do. She wanted to make Takuma feel better, but she didn't want to upset Reina either, let alone, barely knowing Takuma well enough.

Moriko watched from the sidelines, feeling a bit left out. She is surrounded by kids who were all friends with each other, while she was just a distant relative. She stuck close to Reina, who was the only person she knew there. Suddenly, a group of children ran past them, shouting and laughing.

"Moriko, go play with them," Reina urge her, but Moriko shyly refused. "Moriko," Reina speaks with concerned features, "You know why I brought you to this party, right?"

Moriko remains as quiet as a mouse.

"The children here are decent, not like the ones back in your kindergarten." Reina tried to convince her to join them, but Moriko again refuses.

And Reina can't blame her, Moriko's life has been an uphill battle. Even more so when she got word through Moriko's mother or Reina's aunt, that this girl name Mamiko has been making Moriko's life a living hell. This is why the first time she was introduced to Moriko, the poor girl cowered beneath the sheets of the bed, refusing to stare back at her.

"I tell you what, why don't you go play with Takuma? I had to go to the washroom."

"Eh?! With your enemy?! Can he be trusted!?" Moriko covered her mouth.

"He can, just because we are ex-friends, he ain't all that bad to be."

And she meant it. Takuma had faults since his growing popularity, but Takuma hasn't fallen to the wrong crowd, at least in the meantime.

Moriko hesitated for a moment before finally nodding her head. She made her way over to Takuma's table, feeling nervous and unsure. But as she got closer, she could see that Takuma was alone, with no one to talk to. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.

"Hi, Takuma," she said, trying to sound friendly.

Takuma looked up, surprised. "Oh, hi, Moriko. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my cousin, Reina. She's friends with your dad," Moriko replied, feeling a bit more at ease.

Takuma smiled, "Yeah, my dad's pretty cool. He always throws the best parties."

Moriko smiled back, feeling more comfortable now. "Yeah, this party is amazing. I've never been to anything like this before."

Takuma nodded, "It's pretty cool. Do you want to come and dance with us?"

Moriko hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. She followed Takuma to the dance floor, feeling nervous but excited at the same time. As the music played, Moriko began to feel more and more comfortable. She even found herself laughing and having fun with Takuma and his friends.

Reina watched from the sidelines, smiling as she saw Moriko enjoying herself. She knew that Moriko had been through a lot, but she was glad to see her having fun and making new friends.

Right now, Reina got to head to the washroom.

........................................................................

As Reina made her way to the washroom, she noticed that there was a line-up. She sighed, knowing that she would have to wait her turn. As she waited, she couldn't help but overhear some of the conversations around her. There was a group of girls in front of her, giggling and whispering to each other.

Reina couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as she watched them. Not because her friendship with Takuma has ended, but rather, because she lacks female friends.

Growing up, she felt like girls who rarely talk about boys are close to becoming as extinct as dinosaurs. In a way, she wanted to have those kinds of friendships her maternal grandmother had always shared stories about The ones that talk about dreams, their future, aspirations, and even story discussions regarding morals. She knew that she was different compared to the other girls when she grew bothered after watching the movie 'The Devil Wears Prada', where the female lead's boyfriend and her friends mistreated her, and yet, the idiot female lead ditch her promising career in fashion for those scumbags.

Times like this often made Reina's life difficult in making new friends.

But as she stood there, she realized that she didn't have to be like those girls. She could be herself and still make friends. She just needed to have a little more confidence in herself.

Finally, it was Reina's turn to use the washroom. As she washed her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. She decided that she was going to enjoy herself and not worry about what other people thought.

Reina froze as she heard a flush behind her, and then the cubicle door opened revealing Kudo Ranran.

Now Matsuyuki Reina barely interacted with her during the parkour event that took place months ago, but she knew Ranran was unfairly called a 'bastard' thanks to that Shinichi boy, and if that wasn't bad enough, she was pushed and ended up fracturing her leg.

She had heard about the chaos that had happened at the parkour event months ago, where Ranran had caused a major disturbance that led people to speculate she staged this. If one barely knows Ranran, one would think Ranran had a reputation for being rebellious and unpredictable.

Then again, Reina wasn't a complete stranger, since she saw her in a chapel punishing Sonoko at that time when she was 4 after Sonoko trashed talk about a dead little boy. That left her with the wrong kind of impression towards the Suzuki heiress. As Reina continued to wash her hands, she couldn't help but steal glances at Ranran through the mirror. She noticed that her eyes seemed red like she had been crying. Ranran didn't seem to notice Reina at all, lost in her own thoughts as she washed her hands.

Reina wondered if she should say something to Ranran, but she didn't want to intrude on her privacy. But as she dried her hands, she saw Ranran take a deep breath and wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. She seemed to be trying to compose herself.

"I should have listen to Walter." Ranran muttered to herself.

Earlier, after Walter accompanied her to the washroom, she told him to leave her be at the hallway entrance it greet several more attendees to distract herself about Christopher's death. It would've work had Ranran not spotted those two girls: Mouri and Suzuki at the lobby earlier, dampening her mood.

Those two girls who barely deserve to be alive...are breathing the same air as her, while Christopher remained buried six feet beneath.

Angered and a little emotional, it wasn't long before she ended up contacting Walter on her smartphone to accompany her to the washroom to gather her cool before heading back to the memorial hall.

Reina took a deep breath and turned to face Ranran. "Are you okay?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Ranran jumped, clearly startled by Reina's presence. She quickly wiped away her tears and put on a fake smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just got something in my eye. That's all."

But Reina could tell that something was bothering her. "Are you sure? You don't have to pretend with me. We may not be friends, but I don't want to see anyone upset."

Ranran sighed, the fake smile dropping from her face. "Today is the death of my friend, I am put in charge of his memorial," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Reina felt a pang of sympathy towards Ranran, she was about to ask before she recalled the chapel open casket ceremony incident when Ranran punished Sonoko brutally. She may have caused chaos in the parkour event, but that didn't mean she didn't have her own struggles. "I'm so sorry for your loss," Reina said, placing a hand on Ranran's shoulder.

Ranran shrugged her off, "It's fine, he died last year."

Reina shook her head, "It's not, death is a cruel thing."

Reina didn't know what to say. She had heard about the Duke's mother and the rumours about her being involved in his murder. But hearing it from someone who was close to the Duke made it all the more real.

"Anyway, thanks for listening. I should probably get back to the event since I have a friend waiting for me. Nice talking to you"

Reina watched as Ranran walked out of the washroom, feeling a sense of sadness and anger for what had happened to her. Upon leaving the washroom while observing Ranran with a boy, she sees other kids in the same uniform as Ranran, leaving the event and heading towards the washroom where Reina stood.

Curious about the death memorial, Reina made her way over to those children before introducing herself in English, since she noted the guests were mostly Caucasians, "Hi, are you all from the death memorial of a Duke earlier? There are things I like to ask about"

......

Meanwhile, Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko were busying stake out the memorial and waiting for a large group of guests to enter and exit the venue. They planned to blend in with the crowd and sneak into the memorial undetected. As they sat outside the venue, Sonoko grew increasingly agitated. "This is taking too long! When is the crowd going to come?"

Ran shrugged. "I don't know. Just be patient."

It was tough for Sonoko to stay still and patient, but she was determined to confront Kudo Ranran and make her pay for ruining her birthday party. As they waited, the girls chatted while trying to pass the time.

"I hope we don't get caught, even if we entered there, we don't share the same clothes. It seems like all of them are wearing their uniforms, something we lack." Ran asked, feeling a little hesitant the moment she noticed some of the children leaving in and out of the venue were wearing Edgewood Academy uniforms.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. We just have to be careful and stay hidden. Besides, I really want to know why Kudo Ranran did this to me," Sonoko replied, her tone becoming more determined.

"Yeah, it's not fair! We were looking forward to your birthday party, but instead, we're stuck here sneaking around," Ran grumbled.

Sonoko nodded in agreement. "I know, right? And to think everyone is celebrating the death of a boy with a silly title. I mean, who cares about being a duke? It's not like it means anything in Japan."

Ran rolled her eyes. "I know, right? It's just a stupid title."

Sonoko nodded again, her anger fueling her determination. "Once we do confront Ranran, we'll show Kudo Ranran that we won't stand for her petty games."

Ran grinned. "Yeah! Let's show her who's boss!"

The two girls continued to blend into the crowd, observing and waiting for the right moment to make their move. As they watched the guests come and go, they whispered their theories and suspicions to each other. "Do you think maybe the reason why Ranran did this is that she envies you?" Ran asked, her voice low.

"Like what part of me is there to be envied about? We both come from rich families."

"I don't know....maybe it has something to do with that rumour? That Ranran is Shinichi's half-sister?"

Sonoko shook her head. "You kept telling me how his parents were very much in love. Sure, I know it might be possible since her face looked like his, but it seems a bit extreme. Maybe...there's something else going on that we don't know about. Regarding Shinichi's parents."

Ran nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Yeah, maybe. But we'll find out soon enough. And when we do, we'll make sure Kudo Ranran regrets ever messing with you."

Sonoko smirked. "That's the spirit! Let's do this!"

........................................................................

After Ranran and Walter returned back to the venue, they parted ways to talk to other attendants, who were busy discussing how The Duke's life had ended so tragically, as well as sharing memories about him.

Walter's eyes darted around the crowded hall as he spoke to his friends in a hushed tone. "Guys, I saw Ran and Sonoko outside. They were trying to sneak in here. I'm worried about Ranran's safety. What if they do something stupid?" Walter said, wringing his hands nervously.

His friends exchanged worried glances. "Do you think we should tell someone? Maybe security?" Veronica suggested.

"No, I don't want to cause a scene. But we can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't get into any trouble," Walter replied.

"I have an idea!" Tiffany's eyes lit up.

"No, we are not going to bankrupt the Suzukis," Walter warned Tiffany.

"Why not," Tiffany pouted. "She deserves it."

"Exactly, I don't see why not," Ellis commented.

"If one does it based on emotions, the Board of Directors from all of our parent's companies will cast us out as incompetent heirs or heiress to take over, and they will end up planting their own children to take over. Don't forget, all of 'his's efforts with Ranran having to rehabilitate us will go to waste should we lose our successor title." Dominic pointed out.

"I am not saying we should reveal the motive, but we punish them, in the guise of a legal manner," Tiffany tells them. "Fox and Deer manage to do this many times before for our sake, so why can't we do it for Ranran?"

"Even though you said this, what legal way do we even have when it comes to those two girls? Especially that arrogant Suzuki girl?" Veronica crossed her arms. "They are one of our parents' investors. Cutting ties would be deemed shallow for stakeholders and so for."

While the children were being argued among themselves over what to do with the situation, they didn't notice Ran and Sonoko sneaking into the memorial. There, they saw Kudo Ranran standing near the entrance, talking to the other attendees.

Before greeting their goodbyes, Ranran glanced to see those two heads who shouldn't be there.

Everything is falling according to plan. Ranran muses secretly.

The booking of this memorial wasn't a mere coincidence, it was a chance of opportunity for the cunning little girl. After framing Shinichi and some of the boys for calling her a 'bastard' at the parkour the other day, she knew there will be kids who believe in his innocence. The one advantage he had over Ranran was that he had Sonoko, who had a big mouth of gossip without facts.

And that poses a threat to Ranran, in a way, they are about to study at the same school: Teitan Elementary. If those rumours can't be squashed before she began school, Ranran is not going to be able to juggle her double life: One as The Fox, an uprising child detective that solve cases related to crimes, and as herself who is an ordinary child in the eyes of many. She can't afford haters standing in the way, let alone, exposing her alter ego, she might die because of this.

The opportunity arrived when her clients-turned-friends from Edgewood Academy suggests opening a death memorial of her mentor since she couldn't celebrate after moving to Japan. And she agreed. Ranran wouldn't want to miss it for the world, regarding him.

Coincidentally while browsing around for venues, one of the clients used his connection and revealed to Ranran that this venue had a fountain that is a replica of the one they had back in Edgewood and that the person who previously booked it chickened out when the hotel decided to charge them additional fees back on inflation price, now that the economy in Japan is going through a rough time.

Learning that it was the Suzuki family who previously booked the venue for a birthday, Ranran was about to choose a different venue till this idea came up. Legally, Sonoko's dad was the one who requested a refund and the hotel oblige, and judging him, he is the type who will tell his daughter why her birthday party won't take place there.

But knowing Sonoko, she won't accept no for an answer.

Plus, if this isn't Japan, the hotel could've been fined for illegally charging unnecessary expenses thanks to inflation. But right now, this is a grey area, something that Ranran specializes in and is good at exploiting to her advantage.

Using her dead mentor's memorial to book under that venue would stir anger in the idiot buffoon who lost her birthday party venue. Sonoko often confronts anyone shamelessly, if she arrives at the memorial and Ranran manages to manipulate her to mess up, not to mention, in front of many powerful nobles, everyone else is going to believe that Sonoko is a heartless bully who put her cancelled birthday party over the funeral of a dead little boy. And the attendee's word of mouth is enough to ruin Suzuki's enterprise if anything scandalous took place.

Bullying especially coming from a rich family is not tolerated. If Sonoko gets a bad reputation, like ruining a death memorial of a duke respected by many powerful individuals, people are going to realize why should they believe an unreasonable spoiled child.

With that reputation in school, no one is going to believe Sonoko that Ranran framed Shinichi and those boys by provoking them to break her leg anymore, even though this is the truth. Even better was that she learn three of the children that are about to enrol under Teitan Elementary School are having a birthday party, just right next door to the Duke's death memorial. If Ranran played the role of a grieving child, especially since she isn't friends with those three, other kids are going to buy their word since they had nothing to gain by telling whatever they see.

It may sound heartless, but Ranran was given the green light permission from her late mentor's parents, including 'his' classmates to do so, cause that was what 'he' would've wanted for her to live a life free from drama queen like Sonoko, especially her unreasonable inner circle of friends. Also, Christopher did tell Ranran to use it whatever she needs necessarily should he die under his Will. Plus, Sonoko always talks nonsense, it's time she pays with her big mouth.

As soon as they parted ways, Ranran was left alone till she grew surprised when she saw the two girls approaching her. "What the hell are you both doing here!? Did Shinichi order the both of you to ruin The Duke's memorial?!"  Ranran put up a convincing act of anger while speaking in Japanese.

Sonoko stepped forward and confronted her, "We came here to find out why you cancelled my birthday party. Did you do it to spite me?"

The red lip girl's face twisted in anger, "How dare you accuse me of something like that! Also, cancel? What birthday party are you talking about?! This is a funeral memorial for a Duke, not a place for children to sing Happy Birthday!"

Ran tried to intervene, "We-"

Ranran cut her off. "I don't care what either of you wanted. You have no business being here, and you both are being disrespectful."

"Disrespectful? Look who is talking!" Sonoko stubbornly refused. "Not until you tell us the truth. Why did you cancel my birthday party?!"

Ranran scoffed. "Again, what birthday party are you talking about?"

Sonoko stepped forward as well. "Don't lie! I am certain you knew about it, which is why you decided to have the memorial and erased my father's booking."

"You guys watched too many idiot romance dramas to come up with that sort of idiotic conclusion?!" Ranran's eyes narrowed before replying firmly, "This is a private event. So I suggest you quietly leave, or else I am calling security."

"We're not leaving until we get some answers," said Sonoko, folding her arms.

Ranran felt they were being unreasonable. "I don't have to answer you. Now leave."

Sonoko stepped forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "You know, Ranran, I can't believe you're throwing a party to commemorate the death of a little boy whose title is useless in Japan is the worst way to prevent me from celebrating my birthday! It's petty and pointless."

That was when Ranran felt a surge of anger at Sonoko's words. "How dare you insult the memory of my friend like that," she hissed. "You have no idea, it's fine if you insulted me, but who are you to insult him when he was meaningful here to everyone in the hall!"

Sonoko sneered. "Oh please, you're just using his death to get attention and sympathy. It's pathetic."

That was the last straw for Ranran. She couldn't believe Sonoko would be so callous about her friend's death.

Then again, Ranran ain't surprised by a bit. In the future forecasted from the projector, Sonoko has never changed even after she grew up into a teenager. She was always simply quick to jump to conclusions in the future when Kudo Shinichi vanished, upon getting shrunk into a 7-year-old boy name Edogawa Conan.

During the 5-7 months he quietly lived in his future crush's place to protect Ran from danger, he lied to Ran that he was dragged into a secret case overseas. And under his fake identity as Edogawa Conan, Sonoko always implied to her best friend Ran in school that he could've been sleeping with some Caucasian blonde hair beauty...not sure where that idea even comes up from. And he is a 17-year-old boy for God's sake!

Although Ranran agrees there are teenagers who can't keep their damn pants on, watching all of the videos through his future interviews, he was too shy to even take such a step. Ranran wasn't going to deny it, he had to look to die for but come on man. He barely even had a quarter of the balls to ask her out, because his head is constantly filled with solving cases rather than chasing after girls. So oblivious. But the worst part was Ran simply bought it without questioning it!

If Sonoko was trying to win herself the best wing-woman of the year award just to matchmake two of her childhood friends, Ranran thinks Sonoko is doing a poor job since Suzuki is no closer to winning even third place in the whole wide world for that matter.

It's official, Ranran decided all the girls here in Japan have an IQ of a potato!

With a cunning glint in her eye, Ranran sneered while saying something provocative, "With someone who is so spoiled, having everything handed to her at the tip of the finger, you really deserved to have your birthday party cancelled. At least my dead friend's memorial is worth far more than your idiotic birthday party."

Sonoko's face turned red with anger, and before anyone could react, she pushed Ranran to the floor. The impact caused a loud noise, alerting everyone in the memorial and it ended up drawing gasps and murmurs from the others. But it wasn't as bad when the horrified Edgewood Academy students recognize Ranran was being attacked by two intruders. "Ranran!"

Veronica and the rest of the children rushed over to Ranran's side, and straight away, the whole room erupted in chaos as the Edgewood Academy children gathered around Ranran, forming a protective circle. Though the girls had been careful, now there was no avoiding trying to keep a civil conversation without the supposedly loyal entourage of Ranran's approaching them.

Sonoko tried not to let her face show how scared she is.

But although she had no rank of a noble, she knew being part of one gives them a power no one else has.

That's the reason Kudo Ranran really can do whatever she wants.

Initially, Ran hates Ranran the most, and she knows that girl feels the same about her. Ranran's manipulative way of twisting words makes her a threatening little girl.

As soon as Sonoko's hand made contact with Ranran's shoulder, her Edgewood friends rushed forward to intervene. They knew that fighting was never the answer, especially in a place like the Duke's Memorial, where people were gathered to mourn the loss of a beloved member of their community.

"What's going on here? How dare the both of you just enter here without permission! Let alone, attack Ranran!" Tiffany demanded in the Japanese language, her voice shaking with anger and fear while she helps Ranran to her feet, chastising Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko for their disrespectful behaviour. Ranran just cried, and for those two girls who are not invited to do this to her? How dare they!

........................................................................

"I am sorry, you want me to give you a slice of cake to hand over to Ranran? The Kudo Ranran? The girl who allegedly framed Shinichi for breaking her leg?" Takuma repeated.

After hearing the stories from those children, Reina swore her soul has left her body, and it was not in a good way.

Suddenly, the parkour incident made total sense to Reina, over why Ranran could've allegedly framed Shinichi for breaking her leg. It wasn't even a simple petty revenge now that she thought of this. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor child.

First, was the chapel incident, and then the parkour incident?!

For some reason, Sonoko's character now rubs Reina the wrong way. Although she barely knows her, that incident with Shinichi in the parkour and the chapel...they all seemed to link right back to the heiress. Nothing good has ever come out of her whenever it came to Ranran, as if she had a personal vendetta against the poor child who did nothing to her.

And Reina despises bullies. Moriko who stood next to Takuma looked at Reina with surprise. "Why? What happened?"

Reina hesitated for a moment before replying. "I discovered things about Ranran that not everything appears to be what it is, through the other children who attended the same school as her. That she is what she is because of one evil girl, and I wanted her to know that as much as the world is evil, a slice of cake could bring her some comfort, you know? That in this world, there are good children as well."

Now the girl could've shared about Ranran's past at the chapel, but it wouldn't be good if Ranran hears this through someone's word of mouth. That poor girl has been tormented enough already.

Takuma's expression was at first, shock, "Really?" So was Moriko.

"She is always on her guard, I don't think it's good for someone our age to keep things to oneself. Cause one day..."Reina paused, "She will blow up. And whoever receives the wrath, it's just not going to end well."

Takuma softened. "I see," he said. "Okay, go ahead and take a slice for her. But be careful, okay? I don't want you getting into any trouble with those children from some prestigious school. We know how they behaved," As Reina thanked Takuma before she could even make her way out of the party to hand Ranran the cake, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. "You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Takuma and Moriko had their heads tilted.

"Some loud voices coming from next door?"

But Takuma and Moriko brushed it off as her imagination. "Are you sure you heard something, Reina? Maybe it was just some people talking loudly outside," Moriko said with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, Reina. You know how your mind can play tricks on you sometimes," Takuma added, patting her on the back.

Reina wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to ruin the party without proof. So she smiled and nodded, trying to push the nagging feeling to the back of her mind. She kept glancing over at the memorial next door, wondering what could be causing the commotion.

Meanwhile, Sonoko and Ran looked a bit taken aback by the sudden confrontation, but they stood their ground. "Sonoko didn't mean to push her that hard, it was an accident," Ran said.

But Samantha wasn't having any of it. "An accident? Do you think we are blind? I saw what you did!" she spat in Japanese. "Apologize to Ranran at once!"

By this point, Samantha's angry tone was enough to turn the warm and welcoming atmosphere within this birthday party to a standstill. Suddenly, no one was joking around and laughing anymore. Hoping to get to the bottom of it, Takuma, Moriko, and Reina rushed out to see what was happening along with the other children, their venue was after all only next door to the Duke's death memorial.

As they got closer, they could see that Ranran was looking upset and uncomfortable while the elder children were blocking Ranran, as if to defend her from someone or something.

"What's going on inside there?" Takuma demanded in English since he noticed the majority of the people in the hall were Caucasians, trying to understand the situation.

One of the Edgewood children who stood outside the venue turned to face Takuma, whom they realized is coming out from the room next door explaining in Japanese. "Well, we had two girls having sneaked into the death memorial of a Duke, then went on harassing and bullying a child."

"You say what now!?" Moriko's jaw dropped, and so did everyone.

Peering the eyes, the children from the next-door hall could see Sonoko standing over Ranran, who was struggling to get to her feet. "She insulted us," The heiress's voice was tight with emotion. "She got my dad to cancel my birthday party, by using The Duke's death! I couldn't just stand there and let her get away with it."

"And why do you think she would do something as heartless as you say?!" Isabelle snarled.

"Can't you tell? She framed Shinichi, our good friend when he called her a 'bastard' by provoking him and the others to break her leg!" Ran raised her voice.

The crow erupted in murmurs, finger-pointing the two rude girls. They knew about the incident, because the video of Shinichi and the other boys allegedly pushing Ranran from a high obstacle course went viral worldwide, and it was frowned upon towards the boys more because of the way they behaved after they pushed her.

And a side note: Since the majority of the attendees here do their businesses in Japan, it ain't strange that they understand what Ran and Sonoko were talking about. The same was for the Edgewood Academy children.

For those two girls to admit they were friends with one of the bullies who did this to Ranran, one of their own in high society? They are asking to be pelt in rocks.

Ellis glanced at Ranran, who was now on her feet but looking shaken and angry as Nicolas and Samantha inspected Ranran in tip-top condition, "And you naturally assumed she did this to spite you!? Have you lost your damn mind?! Your friend bullied Ranran!" he asked, turning back to Sonoko.

"Also, what freaking birthday!? Your dad cancelled it on his own because the hotel wanted to charge him based on inflation price!" Dominic blasted at the callousness of the 5-year-old heiress, again, as he sense that Sonoko can't understand the word 'inflation', "Do you know what the word inflation means?"

"I don't care what that word meant! But what I do care about is that Ranran is misusing a dead boy's memorial just to ruin a birthday! All because he had a meaningless title!"

Hearing Sonoko's ranting idiotic words made Ranran's heart jump in glee, she pretended to grow pale and weaker by the minute, looking as if she is about to pass out. Even the others grew horrified hearing all of this from her mouth. "Say sorry!" Nicolas, one of the other children, demands while trembling with anger.

Sonoko sneered. "Oh, please. We all know titles are useless here in Japan of all places, stop being overly obsessed over some title one can just buy with money"

The children from Edgewood Academy grew even more horrified at Sonoko's words. How could she put her birthday above someone's death? Also, why did this girl look familiar?

"You have no right to push her down like that," Ted spoke up, his voice shaking with anger. "We won't stand for this kind of behaviour, not in Edgewood."

Before Ran could argue for Sonoko, "It doesn't matter," Sonoko said, brushing herself off. "You are all not in Edgewood...whether that idiot's name is, you are in Japan!"

Takuma, Moriko and Reina observing their interaction were stunned beyond belief, then Takuma squinted his eyes to point, "Hey, why does that girl who is talking crap to Ranran look familiar?"

"It's Suzuki Sonoko! The one who is friends with Shinichi, remember? The same one who called Ranran a 'bastard' and fracture her leg?" Reina reminded him.

Suddenly, it dawned on Takuma what was truly going on, "Is she for real now?! Putting her own birthday over a dead boy?!"

"Suzuki? Why does that surname sound familiar?" Moriko thought hard about it before realizing, "Wait, that Suzuki Group, right? Are you saying that girl is from that Suzuki Group?" She turned to Reina for answers.

Before Reina could answer, one of the Edgewood children standing next to them overheard their interaction, "Suzuki Group?!" One of them grew furious before angry glares were directed at the remorseless Suzuki Sonoko, "I see where this is heading now! She is a self-entitled rich little spoiled girl, storming into a funeral and talking all those nonsense just because she couldn't accept that her dad cancelled her birthday, meant to be held here!"

By this point, everyone's anger was boiling, the moment one of the children said it.

And before Ran and Sonoko knew it, they messed with the wrong girl.