Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Ogiwara Chisato watched as Hayashi Shuichi skillfully processed the remaining ingredients.

He sautéed the onions and meat, added spices, poured in broth, and then added potatoes and the carrot strips she had chopped up.

The aroma of curry gradually filled the kitchen. Ogiwara Chisato leaned against the counter, the wound on her finger no longer bleeding.

"Qiansu," Lin Xiuyi suddenly turned around, holding a soup spoon in her hand, "Would you like to try it?"

Ogiwara Chisato paused for a moment, then nodded.

She walked over and carefully took a small bite with the spoon he handed her.

The curry had a rich and complex flavor, with the spices in just the right proportions; it was a taste she had never experienced before.

“It’s delicious,” she said sincerely, “much better than what I make.”

Lin Xiuyi sprinkled the last bit of spices into the pot and stirred it gently with a wooden spoon.

The rich aroma of curry rose with the steam, filling the entire kitchen.

He turned his head and said to Ogiwara Chisato, who was standing to the side.
"Everyone's food tastes different. Believe me or not, if I say I made this, that kid Jinpei will definitely say it's not as good as yours."

Ogiwara Chisato was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

She knows Matsuda Jinpei too well.

That curly-haired boy who has an inexplicable obsession with her—given his personality, he would indeed do something like finding fault even when he clearly likes it, especially when it comes to things related to her.

“He would definitely say ‘too sweet’ or ‘too much spice,’” Ogiwara Chisato mimicked Matsuda Jinpei’s tone, her eyes curving into crescents, “and then he would scoop up a huge bowl while complaining.”

Lin Xiuyi smiled as he looked at her vivid expression.

At this moment, Ogiwara Chisato transformed back into the carefree and cheerful girl she was when the two first met.

She was a completely different person from the one who frantically washed her face by the tap and cut her finger in the kitchen due to nervousness.

This contrast amused Lin Xiuyi; she realized that even the most straightforward girl could have such a delicate and tender side.

The aroma of curry seemed to come alive, spreading along the corridor and eventually entering Matsuda Jinpei's room.

A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps and the boisterous chatter of teenagers could be heard outside the door.

"I knew I could smell curry!" Matsuda Jinpei was the first to rush into the kitchen, his curly hair even more disheveled from the earlier commotion.

He took a deep breath, and his eyes lit up.
"It really does smell like Sister Qiansu!"

Rei Furuya followed behind him, while Kenji Ogiwara was the last to enter.

The latter glanced at her sister first, her gaze lingering for a moment on the band-aid on her finger before turning to the bubbling curry pot.

"See? I told you Qiansu's curry tasted great, didn't I?"

Matsuda Jinpei looked at Furuya Rei with a smug expression, as if the curry was his own creation.

"Even if Brother Xiu is a chef, he definitely can't beat Sister Qiansu when it comes to making curry."

Rei Furuya frowned in confusion: "How is that possible..."

"Today's curry tastes a little different from what my sister usually makes..." Kenji Ogihara wrinkled his nose and sniffed it carefully again.

As the younger brother, he was very familiar with the taste of his sister's cooking.

The aroma seems richer today, with more distinct layers of spices.

The three kids' words made Lin Xiuyi and Ogiwara Chisato exchange a glance and burst out laughing.

There was an unspoken secret in the laughter, which made the three boys even more confused.

Furuya Rei looked around, and soon his gaze settled on the conspicuous bandage on Ogiwara Chisato's finger. The small white patch stood out starkly against her slightly damp finger.

"No wonder the taste was so familiar," Furuya Rei exclaimed, pointing to the curry pot. "So today's curry was made by the chef. Chisato-nee injured her hand, so she couldn't cook, right?"

Matsuda Jinpei wanted to argue after hearing the first part of the sentence. How could he admit that this delicious curry wasn't made by Chiso-nee?
But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, all attention immediately shifted.

The little guy rushed to Ogiwara Chisato, grabbed her hand, and anxiously examined the band-aid:
"Sister Qiansu, is your hand alright? How did you hurt it? Did you get it at the repair shop? I've told you so many times, be careful with those tools..."

A barrage of questions came out like a machine gun, and Matsuda Jinpei's face was filled with worry.

This reaction warmed Ogiwara Chisato's heart and made her a little embarrassed.

After all, the reason for the injury was so stupid—simply because she was so nervous and distracted in front of a boy.

"It's nothing, I just accidentally cut myself,"

Ogiwara Chisato shook her bandaged finger, trying to make it look like it was really nothing serious.

"It's really just a small wound. You see, it doesn't affect my activities at all."

She bent her fingers a few times to prove her point.

The wound under the bandage throbbed slightly, but there was more of a feeling—a warmth of being cared for and cherished.

"Are you really alright?"

Matsuda Jinpei was still worried, staring at her fingers again and again, as if he could see through the wound under the band-aid with his gaze.

"Really?" Ogiwara Chisato pulled her hand back and gently patted his head. "Why are you so nervous? I'm not a child anymore."

"She's clearly older than me, yet she's so careless."

Matsuda Jinpei muttered something, but his expression clearly relaxed.

He turned to the curry pot, his picky expression returning.

"So this curry was really made by Brother Xiu? I knew it tasted a little different..."

"What's different?"

Lin Xiuyi smiled and asked, having already served five bowls of curry rice, each carefully drizzled with just the right amount of sauce.

Matsuda Jinpei picked up a bowl, smelled it carefully, and then cautiously tasted it with a spoon.

His expression became complicated. Clearly, the curry was delicious, perhaps even more exquisite than what Ogiwara Chisato usually made, but he just didn't want to admit it.

"Hmm... the spices are too strong,"

The little guy finally found something to criticize.
"Qiansu's cooking is milder. Also, this carrot is cut too neatly; Qiansu usually just cuts it randomly."

"Jinpei!" Kenji Ogihara couldn't help but interrupt him. "Didn't you say last time that the carrots my sister cut were all different sizes, and some weren't even fully cooked?"

"I didn't!" Matsuda Jinpei immediately retorted, his ears turning red.

Five people sat around the Matsuda family's not-so-large dining table, the aroma of curry mingling with the boys' laughter, filling the entire room.

Ogiwara Chisato ate her curry in small bites, the band-aid on her finger occasionally brushing against the rim of the bowl, providing a slight tactile reminder.

She glanced furtively at Lin Xiuyi and saw him listening intently to Matsuda Jinpei telling a joke about bicycles.

At that moment, Ogiwara Chisato suddenly understood something:

Some flavors really do vary depending on who makes them.

Some wounds truly do stop hurting depending on who cares about them. (End of Chapter)