I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 745 Sera's First Meeting with Elena

After finishing the last sip of ice-cold beer, and having also eaten the warm oden and crispy fried skewers, the chill of the night and the fatigue of moving around were dispelled.

Shiraishi E and Mary exchanged a glance, and without saying a word, they tacitly got up to pay the bill, lifted the heavy noren curtain of the izakaya, and stepped back into the night.

In stark contrast to the noisy and warm atmosphere inside, the streets outside were shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

The sharp sirens blared as they approached and then howled away, while the alternating red and blue flashing lights pierced the night like an uneasy pulse beating across the city's skin.

Clearly, the police are conducting an intensive search in the area, targeting these two "ruthless bandits" who have just caused quite a stir.

However, the two people at the center of this storm were surprisingly calm.

Mary, having weathered many storms, saw this commotion as nothing more than routine noise; Shiraishi E, on the other hand, appeared completely unconcerned.

Their faces showed no sign of tension, and their steps were steady and even, forming a stark contrast to the subtle, ominous atmosphere surrounding them.

"Looks like they're quite busy." Shiraishi E glanced at another police car speeding past, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing.

Mary gave a faint "hmm," glanced at the street corner, and, confirming there was nothing amiss, said, "Just a headless fly."

After arriving at the nearby bus stop, the two showed no signs of nervousness and took a taxi directly back to their hotel.

------

The hotel corridor, carpeted in the dead of night, absorbed all footsteps, leaving only the low rumble of the central air conditioning.

Shiraishi E and Mary arrived at Sera Masumi's door and rang the doorbell briefly and rhythmically.

Almost the instant the bell rang, the door was suddenly pulled open with a "click." Sera Masumi peeked out, her sharp eyes quickly scanning both sides of the corridor. After confirming it was safe, she grabbed the two of them and pulled them into the room without a word, then quickly and deftly closed and locked the door.

The room was lit only by a dim bedside lamp, casting a hazy glow.

Without saying a word, Sera Masumi first circled around the two of them, scrutinizing them up and down with eyes like a searchlight. Then she directly reached out and lifted the corner of Mary's coat to examine her carefully, saying in a hurried whisper, "Are you hurt? Were you grazed by any stray bullets? I heard on the news that the scene was quite chaotic!"

Only after confirming that there were no fresh bullet holes or bloodstains on the two people except for the slight chill of the night breeze did her tense shoulders finally relax, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

At that moment, Nanatsuki Koshimizu, who was inside, also came out upon hearing the noise.

Her face still bore the traces of worry, but seeing the two of them unharmed, she visibly relaxed and said softly, "It's good that you're alright...that's great."

"The news footage on TV was shaky, but you could tell the situation was extremely critical; even the police cars were blown up... I thought you were being relentlessly pursued by the police and couldn't get away."

Sera Masumi nodded vigorously, picking up the conversation quickly: "Yeah, yeah! The news was so scary, with explosions and gunfights. We were on tenterhooks the whole time, afraid you'd..."

She suddenly stopped speaking, her nostrils twitching as if she had caught some unusual scent.

She frowned in confusion, her gaze sweeping over the two of them before finally settling on Mary. She immediately leaned forward, sniffing around Mary's mouth like a wary puppy, then looked up, her face filled with disbelief: "This is... the smell of oden broth? And the smoky aroma of grilled skewers?! You... you actually went and ate oden?!"

Caught red-handed, Shiraishi E simply shrugged nonchalantly, her expression calm: "It's exhausting to be hungry, isn't it? Luckily, I saw a shop that was still open by the roadside."

Sera Masumi was speechless for a moment, then raised her hand to her forehead, her tone tinged with reproach: "Since you're safe enough to sit in the shop and eat oden leisurely, couldn't you at least send a text message to let us know you're safe? Do you know how long Nanatsuki-nee and I have been worrying here, our hearts have been hanging in the balance the whole time!"

Mary crossed her arms, maintaining her usual aloof demeanor, and showed no remorse. In a flat tone, she uttered the most infuriating words: "Sorry, I was so focused on eating that I forgot."

This self-righteous answer made Sera Masumi's lips twitch, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart.

But what could she do? This woman in front of her was her own mother; she couldn't hit her or scold her. No matter how upset she was, she could only silently bear the worry.

Mary ignored her daughter's little mood and turned her gaze to Nanatsuki Koshimizu beside her. Her tone returned to calm and solemnity: "Nanatsuki, you need to be more careful in the next few days. Try to stay in your room as much as possible, and don't go out unless necessary or contact anyone. Once we have dealt with our current matters and confirmed that it is safe, we will take you away as soon as possible."

Nanatsuki Koshimizu's expression turned serious, and she nodded earnestly: "I understand, Miss Mary. I'll be careful, no problem."

After explaining things to Nanatsuki Koshimizu, Mary looked at Sera Masumi again and said, "Tomorrow morning, get up early, and we'll go have breakfast together."

She paused, then added, "By the way, let me introduce you to your aunt."

"Auntie?" Sera Masumi's eyes lit up instantly, her previous slight annoyance replaced by curiosity and anticipation: "Okay! I'll definitely get up on time! No problem!"

Having finished explaining the important matters, Mary said no more, simply stating, "It's getting late, everyone should get some rest... cough cough." Perhaps due to the night breeze, she coughed lightly twice at the end, then turned and left decisively.

Shiraishi Eya casually waved to the two people inside the room, said "Goodnight," and then left the room, returning to her own guest room.

The door clicked softly, completely shutting out Shiraishi E and Mary, and the room returned to the tranquility of the night.

Koshimizu Nanatsuki did not move immediately. She kept staring at the closed door, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate the wood and follow the trajectory of the two people as they left.

After a moment of silence, as if she had finally cleared the thoughts swirling in her mind, she slowly turned her head to look at Sera Masumi, who was still puffing out her cheeks slightly because of her mother's excuse of "forgot." "Sera," her voice was soft, with a hint of probing, "Don't you think... Shiraishi-kun and your mother look a lot alike?"

"Similar?" Sera Masumi turned her head in surprise, her eyes filled with incomprehension. Almost subconsciously, she began to refute from the most obvious features, "How are they similar? One is blond, the other is black; one looks like a typical white boy, the other is Asian... These are two completely different templates!"

Upon hearing this, Koshimizu Nanatsuki sighed and rubbed her forehead, emphasizing, "I'm not talking about appearance, I'm talking about that inner quality... aura! Aura!!"

"Don't you think they all have a kind of... well... composure that's like they could use the sky as a blanket even if it falls down?"

"It's not a deliberate act of calmness, but rather a powerful aura that suggests he can always find a solution no matter how difficult the situation is."

"Huh?" Sera Masumi's rebuttal got stuck in her throat after Koshimizu Nanatsuki described it so specifically.

She abandoned her casual demeanor, tilted her head slightly, tapped her chin unconsciously with her fingers, and stared blankly as she began to earnestly search her memory for and compare the images of the two people.

Mary's decisiveness, Shiraishi E's composure; the mother's experienced calmness in the face of crisis, and the boy's almost irrational calmness... Several images flashed and overlapped rapidly in my mind.

"Now that you mention it..." Sera Masumi hesitated, her tone becoming less certain, "It does seem... somewhat similar. Especially that 'it's not a big deal' look in her eyes..."

However, she quickly found a reasonable explanation, shrugged, and said, "But thinking about it carefully, it's quite normal, isn't it?"

"After all, Shiraishi-kun has experienced something like that—he survived being under the guns of a warship! Just imagining that scene makes me feel breathless."

Having gone through such a hellish ordeal, it's not surprising that you've developed this calm mindset when facing these minor situations, is it?

"If I could survive that kind of desperate situation, I might also feel that nothing in the world is a big deal."

After carefully considering Sera Masumi's words, Koshimizu Nanatsuki also found them to be quite reasonable.

Such experiences, unimaginable to ordinary people, are enough to completely reshape a person's character.

Attributing Shiraishi E's composure beyond her years to her extraordinary past seems to be the most direct and reasonable explanation.

So, the slight doubt in her mind dissipated, and she stopped investigating, simply nodding slightly: "Hmm...that makes sense."

------

The morning sunlight streamed through the restaurant's bright floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm dappled patterns, and the air was filled with the enticing aroma of coffee, toast, and fried bacon.

After settling herself in the Koshimizu Nanatsuki room, Sera Masumi walked briskly to the hotel's buffet restaurant with a touch of anticipation.

Her gaze swept across the slightly noisy dining area, and she quickly spotted Mary—her striking blonde hair and upright posture, even while eating, made her stand out in the crowd.

She walked over quickly and gave Mary a bright smile: "Good morning, Mom!"

After greeting everyone, she couldn't wait to turn her gaze to the other three girls at the table, automatically ignoring Shiraishi E, whom she already knew well.

Her gaze first swept over the faces of two girls who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. They were beautiful and had a similar appearance, like a pair of sisters. But upon closer inspection, neither their facial features nor their expressions had much in common with her mother, Mary.

Ultimately, her curiosity and inquiring gaze were firmly fixed on the little girl with tea-colored hair sitting to the side, whose temperament was completely different.

The girl was sipping her juice, her short hair slightly curly, her face delicate but expressionless, especially her indifferent attitude towards everything around her...

The more Sera Masumi looked, the faster her heart beat—this expression, the sharpness and aloofness that she inadvertently revealed between her brows, were exactly like her own mother!
Sera Masumi, who thought her reasoning was flawless, immediately made a decision.

She immediately stepped forward, stopped in front of the little girl, and solemnly bowed, her voice clear and respectful: "You must be my aunt! Nice to meet you. My name is Sera Masumi, and I am your niece. Please take care of me in the future!"

This sudden and purposeful act of recognizing relatives stunned Miyano Akemi and Miyano Elena, who were sitting to the side. They looked at each other and then seemed to understand something. They immediately covered their mouths with their hands, their shoulders trembling slightly, barely managing to hold back their laughter.

Ai Haibara, who was being recognized as "aunt," looked up speechlessly at her "niece," who was much taller than her but was bowing to her.

Her lips twitched slightly, and she clarified in a somewhat childish yet icy tone, "...I'm not your aunt."

At the same time, Mary glanced at her daughter with the look of someone looking at a "creature with questionable intelligence," sighed helplessly, and corrected her, "You've mistaken her for someone else. This is your cousin."

She paused, then pointed to the blonde woman opposite her who maintained a gentle smile: "That's your aunt."

"Eh?!!" Sera Masumi froze instantly, straightened up abruptly, and her gaze darted back and forth between the indifferent expression of Ai Haibara and the gentle smile of Elena Miyano. Her face flushed red in an instant, the redness spreading all the way to her ears.

She then realized the enormity of her mistake and, flustered, repeatedly bowed to Ai Haibara and Elena Miyano in apology: "I'm so sorry! I made a mistake! I'm so sorry!"

Seeing this, Elena Miyano quickly waved her hand gently, her emerald eyes filled with a kind smile, and said softly, "It's okay, it's okay... don't worry about it."

She carefully examined Sera Masumi's face, a mixture of embarrassment and spirit, and added softly, "However, your personality is really similar to Mary's, both of you are so... energetic!"

(End of this chapter)