A detective agency with 事務所

Kanji Explanation: Matters and events with 事

After returning home from a case, Kogoro celebrates by drinking himself to sleep. Ran sits alone, pondering Shin’ichi’s whereabouts, as she hasn’t heard from him since the day he mysteriously vanished. The phone rings. With her father asleep, Ran answers it.

蘭(らん):: 「ハイ…　毛利(もうり)探偵(たんてい)事務(じむ)…」; “Hello... Mouri Detective Agenc--”; Literal: “Yes... Mouri Detective Offi...”

Key Points

1Set phrase on the phone: 毛利(もうり)探偵(たんてい)事務所(じむしょ)

Ran is answering with the name of the office, like saying “Mouri Detective Agency” when picking up.
The line in-panel cuts off after 事務(じむ)…, but the intended phrase is 事務所(じむしょ).

2Why only 事務(じむ) appears

事務(じむ) means office work or administrative work by itself, but here it is the beginning of 事務所(じむしょ).
The interruption in the next panel explains why she does not finish the full word.

3Polite opening

ハイ… is a natural phone-answer opening (similar to “Hello?”), followed by the office name.

Vocabulary

事務所 (Office)

事務所(じむしょ) refers to a location or building where a company or organization conducts administrative work or uses as a base of operations.