The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1291 Old lady, don't be ungrateful!
Vermouth didn't answer immediately. She glanced out the window, then turned back to ask, chin in hand, "What are your plans?"

"...?"

Fujino was caught off guard by the old lady's rebellious behavior.

No, what business is it of mine if you go and rescue your own people?

You're asking me? Well, I'm asking you too!
Seeing Fujino's expression become somewhat complicated, Vermouth smiled and squinted her eyes, saying:

"We have found Rena Mizunashi's hiding place..."

"Beihu Central Hospital, I think our investigation should be correct, right?"

Fujino shrugged helplessly: "Do you think you can stop me from investigating?"

"But what do you mean by asking me what my plans are?"

Fujino narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared at Vermouth.

Fujino didn't quite understand what Vermouth meant by the plan.

It means considering what plans you have, whether the other party will have any conflict with them, or whether you should propose a plan to the other party.

These two are completely different concepts.

Two small, half-open eyes met for a moment, and the atmosphere seemed a little heavy.

Vermouth, still smiling, said, "Of course, we want you to give us some advice."

Fujino didn't quite understand what the old lady was saying: "You, you want me to give you advice?"

"Isn't this your business?"

"Besides, you're all prepared, so why are you asking me?"

Fujino was speechless. "You lawless organization come to me, a famous detective and advisor to the Criminal Investigation Department, and ask me about this kind of thing?"

Is this reasonable?

Vermouth's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of resentment in her demeanor and tone that Fujino could clearly see: "Of course we need to ask your opinion. It wouldn't be good if our plan made you angry..."

"Just in case, it's better to discuss it with you. It would be best if you could come up with a plan, just to avoid any minor conflicts between us later."

"..." Fujino stared at Vermouth's posture of pretending to be a virtuous woman to gain trust, and suddenly felt goosebumps all over his body, and felt a little nauseous.

No, why would an older woman act like a young girl?
Auntie, the way you're burning it makes me feel a bit nauseous, doesn't it?
Are you trying to fool me like I'm Japanese?

You can let your junior brother Wa try this trick...

They'll fall for that, calling you "Mom" affectionately and letting you experience what it's like to be a mother.

What's the point of following my lead?
Just as Fujino was internally complaining, a waiter wearing a gray suit and vest pushed a food cart over.

He placed two covered plates on the dining table.

Then, lift the lid, and inside is a small, round cake, coated with something like breadcrumbs.

He then began to introduce the appetizer: "This is your ordered creamy mushroom chicken puff pastry. Please enjoy."

As he spoke, he asked Fujino and Vermouth, "Would you like any alcoholic beverages?"

Fujino waved his hand: "A regular sparkling water drink is fine, lemon flavored, chilled, you should have that, right?"

The waiter acknowledged and made a note of it, then looked at Vermouth: "This lady?"

Fujino quickly answered, "The same goes for her."

"Ok."

Vermouth glanced at the departing waiter out of the corner of her eye, then looked back at Fujino, resting her chin on her hand, and said softly, "In a situation like this, you're just drinking a carbonated beverage?"

Fujino looked up: "So what happened?"

Vermouth said with interest, "Red wine adds a touch of romance, doesn't it?"

Fujino clicked his tongue in disbelief, finding no charm in the red wine.

If we're talking about style, it's that utterly awful petit-bourgeois style...

Not interesting.

Besides, my little Ai has already said that she can't drink alcohol, and you still want me to drink? What are you up to?
Compared to the older woman, Gray Cat held a much higher place in Fujino's heart, so Fujino calmly refused and denied it, saying, "You can't drink and drive, and I'm still a minor, so I can't drink."

As he spoke, he glanced at her and then reminded her, "Besides, this time it's my treat, so just order whatever you want to drink."

Vermouth shook her head slightly, her blonde hair swaying, then picked up her knife and fork, cut open the cream chicken pastry box, took a small bite, and said resentfully, "Being so rude will annoy girls, you know~"

"It doesn't matter."

Fujino said with a serious expression, "Anyway, I don't need old ladies to like me."

"Tsk."

Vermouth clicked her tongue upon hearing this, feeling offended.

But think about it, this guy is surrounded by little girls and rich girls.

It seems like we really don't need any other types.

Damn it...

Fujino, however, didn't seem to care much. He devoured the cream boxes one after another, wiped the sauce from his mouth after finishing, and then asked, "How's your plan going?"

"There's no plan yet." Vermouth sensed the other party's malice and realized that she couldn't outwit someone who didn't play by the rules, so she toned it down a bit. "Right now, we're planning to have Bourbon infiltrate and pinpoint Kir's exact location."

As she spoke, she tapped the table with her slender fingers: "We'll see what happens next."

“Bourbon…”

Fujino thought about the feud between Amuro Tooru and Akai Shuichi.

Yeah, you guys really know how to get Bourbon to infiltrate...

If these two people were to meet, wouldn't they be fighting tooth and nail?
Fujino started to look forward to it.

Vermouth looked at Fujino, sensing a subtle implication in his words: "Is there something inappropriate about it?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little speechless about your plan, which is exactly the same as the outline."

Fujino, having recovered from his shock, decided not to tell Vermouth about it, and instead changed the subject by saying, "I thought you guys would come up with some perfect, foolproof plan, but this is all you've got?"

"It seems you guys are just a makeshift operation."

Vermouth looked a little helpless: "There's very little information right now, so we can only make an outline first, like writing a script, and then add the details later..."

"How realistic, huh? No class at all." Fujino said, picking up his lemon sparkling water and complaining, "I thought we'd at least have a big meeting to discuss this."

"That kind of thing will never happen."

"We all receive orders from the BOSS and act according to the situation. When it comes to cooperation, we just need to discuss things briefly before taking action."

Seeing this, Vermouth picked up the lemon-flavored soda on the table, swirled it around as if drinking alcohol, and then shook her head slightly: "But when it comes to lemon drinks, yours is still the best."

Upon hearing this, Fujino also picked up his drink and teased, "Missing the days of playing Araide Tomoaki?" "I do miss it a little..." Vermouth took a sip, shook it, and the bubbles popped: "It felt pretty good to hang out with you young people."

Fujino, whose soul is also quite old, agrees with this: "Young people are like that, full of energy and have a strong influence. Sometimes you can be assimilated without even realizing it, and even forget your own age, right?"

“That’s pretty much it.” Vermouth chuckled softly, still swirling her sparkling water, and teased, “To say something like that, you don’t seem like someone who claims to be an eighteen-year-old minor.”

"I'm just precocious."

Fujino chuckled lightly, then teased back, "But compared to me, your age is actually the most intriguing thing, isn't it?"

"Your face doesn't quite match your age..."

"So, how old are you exactly? Tell me."

"..." Vermouth fell silent for a moment, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant: "Asking a woman's age is very impolite, you know."

Fujino crossed his arms and said rudely, "As if I've ever been polite to you."

Vermouth was speechless, thinking to herself: How come you even know that?

She didn't want to comment on her age, but simply picked up her glass, swirled it, and uttered her classic catchphrase with practiced ease: "A secret makes a woman woman."

(Secrets make women more attractive)

Upon hearing this, Fujino shook his head slightly, turned his gaze to Vermouth, and stared intently at her.

Then, in the calm tone of an old Londoner, he said, "Secrets are chains, not crowns. A woman isn't made more whole by hiding; she grows more truly herself when free to be seen—flaws and all."

(Secrets are shackles, not crowns. A woman is only truly herself when she can confidently display all of herself, including her strengths and weaknesses.)
"Secrets are just covering scars."

(Secrets are nothing more than disguises to cover up scars.)
"What are you afraid of?"

(What are you afraid of?)

Upon hearing this, Vermouth's eyes also became slightly serious, and a hint of thought appeared on her face, as if she was recalling something, even breaking through her pretense.

However, after only a short while, she put it away, shook her head slightly, and did not say anything.

Fujino had anticipated this.

After all, even he, who had read the script, didn't know Vermouth's background.

It's unlikely that the other party will say it.

Judging from Judy's case, 28 years have passed, and this older woman must be at least in her forties or fifties.

At this point, the waiter brought out the second soup.

It's beef broth, with a very strong beef flavor, and probably also contains carrots, onions, and other ingredients.

It's French stock, made by simmering ground beef or something similar.

Fujino prefers Chinese food, so he's not used to eating small portions like this.

Although the beef flavor is very strong, where is my beef?

Damn it, beef broth is really just clear broth, right...?

Fujino was speechless when it came to Western food.

Vermouth ate fairly normally, but seeing Fujino's expression, she was completely different from before, and said indifferently, "Can't get used to it?"

“I really can’t get used to it.” Fujino picked up his spoon. “With such a small portion, I’d probably only feel a little and a half full after eating it all.”

“That’s just how Western food is,” Vermouth said matter-of-factly, then added, “So, do you have any suggestions regarding what we just discussed?”

"What advice can I offer?" Fujino said slowly, sipping his soup. "As long as you don't involve me, how you deal with the FBI is none of my business."

He paused, then confirmed, "Your plan right now only involves having Bourbon infiltrate, right?"

"That's how it is now, and it was Bourbon's own request."

Vermouth looked up at Fujino and asked with a smile, "However, I do have another idea. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

"what idea?"

Upon hearing Fujino's words, Vermouth calmly recalled, "I remember that Teitan High School will be on winter break soon, right?"

Fujino remained as clueless as ever about the timeline of the Detective Conan world: "I don't know, but it should be."

“If we have winter break, you students will probably have a break too.” Vermouth said with a smile, and then added, “By then, our plan should be proceeding smoothly. I wonder… if you would like to join us?”

"what?"

Fujino almost spat out a mouthful of soup.

What did you say? You want me, a diligent detective who has worked with the organization countless times, to go and do things with them?!

Isn't this just a disguised way of joining the organization?

Auntie, I advise you not to be ungrateful!
My patience with you has its limits!

Believe it or not, I'll drag the Corgi over and beat it up with a wooden sword.

However, not yet understanding the other party's intentions, Fujino did not say anything, but only complained to himself.

Then, he asked her, "So, you're saying that your organization is getting me, a detective, involved in their affairs?"

"Ah."

"Do you think it fits?"

Vermouth seemed to agree: "I think it's a good fit."

Upon seeing this, Fujino retorted, "Does that mean they're going to drag me into the organization and make me a member?"

Vermouth thought for a moment and replied, "That's unlikely. You need to achieve something to become a leader."

"That's not the point, okay?" Fujino continued to complain, "So, you're saying things are going well with Bourbon?"

Vermouth remained composed, her tone carrying a hint of calm: "I am fully in charge of this plan. If you want to arrange someone, that's no problem. I even provided Bourbon's disguise."

"If you disguise yourself a little, he won't recognize you."

"What kind of wicked idea are you thinking of now?" Hearing the old lady's suggestion, Fujino always felt that this obsequious old lady had something bad up her sleeve, and that she was full of wicked schemes.

Vermouth sighed helplessly, looking like a wronged wife, her tone tinged with resentment: "It's your fault for not stating your own needs. I was worried I'd done something wrong to upset you..."

"So I have no choice but to let you witness the plan being carried out firsthand."

When Fujino heard the old woman feigning a girlish manner again, he didn't immediately get goosebumps. Instead, he immediately thought of the following scene:
A miserable design student, a typical office worker, received a request from a client, but the client's request was to design a plan that would satisfy them the most.

...What a waste of time!

So, the designer came up with a great idea:

Since I don't understand what the client's requirements are or how to satisfy them, why don't I just lie down and let the client do it themselves?

In this way, even if the client is unhappy afterward, they can't blame themselves.

The client was the one who took action; does that mean they can be unreasonable afterward?
(End of this chapter)