Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 422 Tomizawa and his son
"Is it really okay if we don't bring Ai along?" Ayako asked anxiously as she drove.

“It’s alright, she didn’t want to come herself. For a child, she would probably rather play with her friends than go to the beach in Izu,” Shiraishi said matter-of-factly.

The reason Ayako was driving was because Shiraishi's arm was still in a sling...

"Speaking of which... Kuro, do you really not need to see a doctor for your arm?" Ayako knew that Shiraishi had never been to a doctor.

“No, it’s not a problem that doctors can solve,” Shiraishi explained.

"Is it... because of Koizumi-san?" Ayako knew that Koizumi Akako "had something going on," so she had some guesses about Shiraishi's condition.

"More or less." Shiraishi couldn't very well say it was "because of Ai."

It's not exactly lying—it is indeed something "unscientific."

For the past two weeks, the question of "what happened to the left arm of the head of the Beika Police Station" has become a strange tale in Beika Police Station and even Beika Town.

I was injured by a bomb and a shark before, but I was never injured for this long!

Moreover, although it is usually suspended, it is not hindered when needed. There are even rumors that Shiraishi's left arm has mutated—Shiraishi simply doesn't want to pay attention to such rumors.

Actually, after giving the van a big shove and making it spin around several times, Shiraishi's left arm has improved by a lot... no, by a lot, and it's almost fully digested the previous enhancement effect.

But it's still not quite there, and it's even a bit "stuck"...

Shiraishi estimated that if he experienced Lv.11 again, he would be able to fully digest the evolution of his left hand.

Bai Shi can afford 100,000 points now, and after the trial period, the points required for the official upgrade will be reduced, so the actual consumption is not as much as 100,000 points. If he relies purely on the trial period to officially upgrade, it may only require 1.5 to 1.6 million points - the "interest" is not too high.

However, Shiraishi couldn't just "try it out" without a reason; there had to be an occasion...

Soon after, the car passed Kanagawa and arrived at the Izu Peninsula. This time, instead of going to a hotel, they went directly to a seaside villa owned by the Suzuki family.

Sonoko arrived earlier, but...

"Sonoko... um? Where's Sonoko?" Ayako noticed that the villa door was unlocked, but no one answered when she called out.

If it weren't for Sonoko, Shiraishi would have suspected that Conan had already killed him...

However, since it was Sonoko, and for the sake of protecting her own people, they quickly found their way to the vicinity of the back door, where Ayako heard her voice.

"Haha, Mr. Tomizawa, you're still as shy as ever... You're nothing like your two older brothers. By the way... I heard you're not married yet? Is there a girl you like but you're too shy to tell your dad?" Sonoko was teasing a seemingly honest and somewhat shy young man with a smug air.

Ran stood awkwardly to the side, giving Sonoko a meaningful look, reminding her to tone it down, while Conan remained speechless.

"Sonoko... what are you doing?" Ayako walked over helplessly at this moment, and then realized that she was the person she was teasing. She quickly said, "Oh, it's Mr. Tomizawa... I'm sorry, my sister is still the same as always, she always likes to talk nonsense."

Ayako recognized him as Tomizawa Yuzo, the third son of the Tomizawa family.

The Tomizawa family is also a large conglomerate in the eastern island nation. Because they were close in age, Ayako knew the three sons of the Tomizawa family when she was a child. However, due to her personality, she only became more familiar with the third son as she grew up.

As for the garden...

Actually, he's much younger than her. Yuzo just looks young; he's actually a few years older than Ayako, already 28.

"N-nothing..." Tomizawa Yuzo blushed slightly when he saw Ayako.

The garden suddenly realized something—could it be…

Just then, Shiraishi's voice came over: "Brother, Sonoko's social skills are all about being a rogue. She's all about being weak when facing the strong and strong when facing the weak... The more embarrassed you are, the bolder Sonoko will be in flirting with you. At this point, if you boldly fight back, she'll become shy." Shiraishi said knowingly.

at the same time……

A dark shadow loomed over Tomizawa Yuzo from behind.

When Yuzo turned his head and saw Shiraishi, his face immediately stopped blushing.

"Hello..." Tomizawa greeted her with a twitching smile.

“By the way, is this your first time meeting? This is Shiraishi Kuro, my boyfriend.” Ayako casually took Shiraishi’s arm and then introduced him to Shiraishi: “This is Mr. Tomizawa, the third son of the Tomizawa Group. The Tomizawa family and our family have been friends for generations.”

"Hello," Shiraishi said, extending his hand.

"Hello... Actually, I've seen Director Mika on TV before," Tomizawa said, recovering his composure.

Tomizawa certainly knew "Chief Mika" and had even heard of "Ayako's boyfriend," but this was indeed the first time he had seen him in person.

"By the way, Mr. Tomizawa, are you at the beach alone?" Ayako asked casually.

“My dad is here too…” Tomizawa answered instinctively.

But then Sonoko exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" Seeing Tomizawa looking over, Sonoko quickly shut up—this was too tragic! A grown woman like her, having to go on vacation with her father?
"Um, actually I came here alone to clear my head, it just so happens that my dad also came to the villa!" Tomizawa explained helplessly upon seeing Sonoko's expression.

"They didn't say anything!" Sonoko continued to be strong when faced with a weak opponent.

“Ah, Uncle Tomizawa is here too? Then I must pay him a visit!” Ayako said immediately.

The Tomizawa family's vacation villa is right next door, and this stretch of beach is also "private property" shared by several families in the vicinity.

"Shiraishi, let's go together," Ayako asked Shiraishi.

Previously, Ayako would not bring Shiraishi to greet elders in formal settings due to etiquette, since the two were not yet engaged.

However, this is not a formal occasion; it was just a chance encounter during a vacation, so Ayako was only making small progress each day.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi did not refuse and nodded, saying, "Alright, then let's go pay a visit."

"Then... I'll go tell my old man first." Tomizawa's smile became somewhat forced.

After Tomizawa left, Sonoko immediately gossiped to Shiraishi, "Brother-in-law, I suspect that Tomizawa has a crush on my sister!"

"Sonoko, don't talk nonsense!" Ayako said to her younger sister with a headache.

“Sonoko… Mr. Tomizawa was just being teased by you, wasn’t he?” Ran quickly added.

I only ship the official pairing of Ran and Shiraishi, for fear that Shiraishi might get jealous.

"Haha, then you'd better keep it up. Maybe someone will have a crush on you too," Shiraishi said nonchalantly.

Ayako is beautiful, has a good personality, and comes from a good family, so it's normal for her to have someone who secretly admires her, especially a "little boy" she's known since childhood.

...Ayako returned to the villa and tidied herself up a bit, then went to the villa across the street with Shiraishi and Sonoko.

"Uncle Tomizawa, I apologize for disturbing you."

"Ayako and Sonoko are here? This must be Shiraishi... Not bad, not bad, he's definitely much better than my good-for-nothing son. Shiro is much luckier than me..."

Old man Tomizawa looked quite strong and healthy. When he saw Ayako and Sonoko arrive, he immediately greeted them warmly.

However, his words made Tomizawa Yuzo, who was pouring tea, freeze – his words revealed his thoughts and also hurt his pride.

After settling down on the sofa in the living room, Tomizawa Tetsuji continued to ramble on, "Sigh, back when I first had these three, Shiro was quite envious of me... But now, Taiichi is a good-for-nothing who doesn't do his job properly and writes novels. He's a complete flop. Tatsuji does work at a company, but he got engaged to a woman of unknown origin without consulting anyone. And Yuzo... well, he just draws those lousy paintings!"

"Dad!" Tomizawa Yuzo wasn't afraid of his father much and interrupted him resentfully.

Shiraishi, Ayako, and Sonoko were also a little embarrassed at this point—we weren't familiar enough with each other to listen to you complain about your son, were we?

I don't know if Tomizawa Tetsuji is genuinely carefree, or if he's deliberately saying it to Yuuzo...

Considering that he is, after all, the head of the Tomizawa family, it is most likely the latter!
"Well, I don't necessarily want to force them to do anything. If they can work their way up like Shiraishi, I'll be satisfied..." Tomizawa continued to sigh.

"You can't say that. Novelists and painters are also very talented." Shiraishi could only offer an awkward compliment—like me? Can you pass a professional exam first? Do you really mistake background for ability?
However, Shiraishi was genuinely a little worried about him...

After all, in the Eastern Island of the Conan world, novelists and painters are all considered scoundrels!

Criticizing these people's career development is the second leading cause of death after "plagiarism"...

"I'm going back to my studio!" Tomizawa Yuzo said, unable to bear it any longer.

“Look… he gets impatient after just a few words? Tsk tsk tsk…” Tomizawa Tetsuji kept complaining to Ayako about his son.

This left Ayako feeling awkward, but also somewhat sympathetic towards the three Tomizawa brothers.

"By the way, Ayako... my satellite TV signal is down. Could I watch a baseball game tonight?" Tomizawa Tetsuji pleaded.

"Of course." Ayako agreed, though she wasn't too keen—not because she was worried about the TV or the electricity bill, but because... the baseball game wasn't until after 11 pm, right? We finally got a vacation...you really don't mind causing trouble!

After visiting Tomizawa, everyone officially settled into their vacation routine...

There were only five people at the beach at this time, and Tomizawa Yuzo was obviously not in the mood to play at the beach.

Shiraishi was wearing custom-made beach shorts and lying on a custom-made deck chair, sunbathing. This alloy deck chair was ordered by Ayako long ago and placed on the beach. It was made of alloy and covered with synthetic materials. It was large, sturdy, and neither too cold nor too hot.

"You should add a base; you're still sinking in," Conan pointed out after looking at the legs of the recliner.

Shiraishi:……

Want you to take care of it?
"Speaking of which... don't you feel that your sister is acting strangely? Was the genetic testing done in a laboratory under the Suzuki Group?" Conan suddenly asked.

At this moment, Ayako and the others were playing in the water, only Conan and Shiraishi were there.

Shiraishi glanced at him through her sunglasses—this Conan is so slow to react…

"What are you talking about? I know without even needing an appraisal that Ai is obviously my sister. The tuft of hair on her head is in the same position as mine!" Shiraishi said deliberately.

Conan: ...

“And there are also genetic test results,” Shiraishi said confidently.

Conan is clearly already suspicious of Ai Haibara. Although he hasn't quite figured out that Ai Haibara is in the same situation as him, he does have some doubts about her identity.

It wouldn't matter if he found out, since we're all in the same boat, and he's the least likely to leak the secret.

However, since Ai hasn't revealed her true identity yet, Shiraishi will keep it from her for now as well.

……

After a relaxing day of fun, the "uninvited guest" really arrived after dinner...

Tetsuji Tomizawa actually came to borrow the TV!

Yuzo followed behind, looking embarrassed as well, also feeling ashamed of his father's behavior.

"Don't worry about me, I just need to use the satellite TV... If you want to do anything, you can go back to your room, hahaha..." Tomizawa Tetsuji said casually.

Shiraishi:……

Well, now we don't have to think about going back to our rooms anymore.

Ayako, of course, couldn't leave her family's elders unreserved. After making tea, she sat down at the dining table with Sonoko and Ran to chat with Yuzo.

Shiraishi didn't want to go with the old man, but under Ayako's watchful eye, he had no choice but to come to the living room and watch baseball with Tomizawa Tetsuji.

"Wow, wow... beautiful!" Old man Tomizawa shouted enthusiastically.

Shiraishi was pondering...

Why bother coming to the beach for a vacation? Wouldn't it be better to go watch the game?
Yuzo, feeling embarrassed, quietly apologized to Ayako and Sonoko over at the restaurant.

"Haha, sorry, I got too excited... I was a key player on the baseball team in high school!" Tomizawa said casually.

On the other side, Yuzo whispered, "When Grandpa was still alive, I heard that my dad was just taking advantage of the fact that the family was on the school board to insist on becoming the captain of the baseball club. Grandpa was even angry because he was neglecting his duties..."

Yes, this guy is clearly holding a grudge against his father for what he said during the day.

"Huh? Is that so?" Sonoko exclaimed excitedly—she loved this kind of gossip!

Ayako glared at Sonoko while giving Yuzo an awkward smile—this father and son are so difficult to deal with! How am I supposed to continue this conversation?

On the other side, Shiraishi was quite at ease: "Although I wasn't on the school team, I did play... Well, actually, I played in all kinds of school sports competitions. A large part of my tuition in college was earned by participating in those competitions."

Back in Shiraishi High School, he was already a top-tier "mercenary"...

I declined all the coaches' invitations, but... I'll participate if I pay to do so.

Hearing that Shiraishi also knew about baseball, Tomizawa became even more enthusiastic and talked to him about various techniques. As soon as he opened his mouth, Shiraishi knew that the old man's skills were just so-so when he was young; he just knew a little bit of theory!
Shiraishi is different... Although he doesn't have much skill, for Shiraishi, the "trick" is to be familiar with the rules and remember them lightly.

(End of this chapter)