curryman to the rescue

Why do you fall in love? Nothing could be more complex: because it is winter, because it is summer; from overwork, from too much leisure; from weakness, from strength, from the need for security, from the love of danger, from desperation, from hope. Because someone doesn't love you. Because someone does love you.

Heiji Hattori's introduction is maybe one of the funniest ways I've ever seen a story debut a character. Random teenager a dozen prefectures away decides the protagonist is his One True Rival (they've never met) so he hops the nearest train and shows up at his best friend's dad workplace. He decides his best bet to endear himself to these people for information is to feed alcohol to a seven year old, announce his intention to live here until the protagonist shows up, and invite himself along on the next family outing. He proceeds to solve a murder with a fairly elaborate and theatrical explaination that's actually just completely wrong. Then he starts screaming in his head that the protagonist had better show up and correct him, or else he loses by forfeit.