Detective Conan: Is Miss Haibara planning to assault a police officer again today?

After all, the other party had taken into account the possibility that children might be greedy.

She was completely defeated by Dongye Ning, and said helplessly, "Okay, okay, I want to eat red bean dumplings. Please take me to buy some, thank you."

But after saying that, Ai Haibara suddenly realized something.

She's not greedy, so why did she agree to buy it?

In this situation, shouldn't she have directly and clearly said "no need" when someone is concerned about her?

But Higashino Ning was already pulling her to speed up.

five minutes later.

Ai Haibara brought her small mouth close to the red bean dumpling, took a small bite, and stretched out long strands of glutinous rice. Her eyes involuntarily followed the dumpling as it moved away.

And she even unconsciously stood on her tiptoes!

Absolutely adorable!

The perspective is given to Higashino Ning, which is quite simple and straightforward.

They ate them one after another, showing them off with great joy. Before long, all that was left in their hands was a small stick. They picked their teeth and then threw it into the trash can by the roadside.

So cool~

As they walked further, more and more people began to notice Ai Haibara. Several older women even tried to approach and tease the little girl, making it seem like the road was completely blocked.

Seeing that things were not going well, Higashino Ning made a quick decision, picked up Haibara Ai, and squeezed through the crowd to escape.

Ai Haibara hasn't finished eating her dumplings yet.

She simply hummed in response and nestled comfortably in Dongye Ning's arms, continuing to playfully bite the dumpling, her adorable eyes still fixed on the fleeting figures behind her.

It's good that I'm not in jail by the organization anymore; I have new experiences every day, which is quite interesting.

However... if Higashino Ning doesn't accompany her, she shouldn't come to crowded places like this so easily in the future, as it's a bit difficult to get away.

"Really..."

Ai Haibara couldn't help but think of her childhood, and angrily complained in her heart, "How could those people in the organization bear to force me to study and cry every day when I was such a cute child?"

"Snow White had a hunter uncle to save her, but when it comes to me, I can only accept my fate. It's true that fairy tales are just for show."

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!

...

Once home, Ai Haibara immediately began preparing dinner.

Now she understood that Higashino Ning was just hungry and wanted to eat dumplings, but due to some awkwardness, she chose that excuse.

A man who stands blankly on the street in the rain is definitely not normal; she has to be understanding.

For dinner, she'll be making sukiyaki with udon noodles—simple, delicious, and with a main dish.

The reason for emphasizing staple food is that Higashino Ning's family doesn't even have a single grain of rice!

Ai Haibara was busy.

Higashino Ning didn't just stand by and watch; he helped when he could, and if he couldn't, he just stood nearby and watched.

Standing closer gives a sense of companionship, indicating that you have the will to help but not the ability to do so.

Time swept away the dust from the kitchen.

The steaming pot was also brought to the living room by Higashino Ning.

Crack a raw egg into a bowl, then scoop out the udon noodles, dip them in the egg mixture, and enjoy!

The flavor is on the milder side, but acceptable and quite tasty.

It's not that Ai Haibara's cooking skills are the problem, but rather that Higashino Ning's taste isn't quite right yet.

The two ate in silence for the first half.

Halfway through the meal, Ai Haibara, holding her bowl and chopsticks, looked up and asked, "How's the taste?"

Higashino Ning picked up a piece of tofu and stuffed it into his mouth. "So-so."

Ai Haibara's forehead instantly sprouted a "#" symbol, and she felt like she was about to break the chopsticks in her hand.

"Okay, okay, actually it was really delicious." Dongye Ning quickly corrected himself, "I was just about to make a mistake... um... I was worried that you would get too proud after being praised."

Ai Haibara poked at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks and said irritably, "You're really overthinking it. I'm not an arrogant kid like Edogawa."

Chapter 38 Confession Bureau

After the brief incident, silence returned.

The lights hanging from the ceiling don't sway or shake, and the moonlight watching the play on the windowsill is neither noisy nor disruptive.

"I'm done eating."

Ai Haibara swept the last bit of food from her bowl into her mouth. "If you're still hungry later, there's instant udon noodles you can eat."

Her attitude was indifferent.

But even in its ordinariness, there were still some subtle emotions.

Private dinners with little interaction often create a somewhat "frozen" atmosphere, which can feel a bit oppressive.

But there was clearly no conflict between her and Higashino Ning, nor were they having any emotional outbursts.

Ai Haibara put down her chopsticks and stood up abruptly. "Tomorrow's a holiday."

Seeing that Higashino Ning didn't say anything except look up, she simply pouted and continued, "The professor will be taking us kids camping, so we need to get up early, so... I'll be going now, see you next time."

She slowly turned around and took a step, her mind practically screaming, "What do you want today, you idiot?!"

At that moment, Higashino Ning's voice finally drifted out from behind her.

Are you angry?

Of course!

Ai Haibara turned her gaze away. "No, why would I be angry? What, do I look like I'm angry?"

Higashino Ning: "......"

Okay, okay, he's definitely angry.

But I'm really bad at chatting, especially when I have ulterior motives towards you!

Higashino Ning put down her chopsticks. "Hmm... your cooking is so delicious, so delicious that I swallowed my tongue, which is why I was silent for so long."

Ai Haibara scoffed, "This kind of nonsense is embarrassing to hear, officer. If this is all you've got, you can only fool young girls like me at best."

Show absolutely no mercy!

Higashino Ning continued to ponder, "Hmm...this...this..."

As he pondered this, he simply propped himself up on the floor with both hands, looked up, and sighed, "Ah... are even elementary school students this difficult to deal with now?"

"How am I supposed to get by in the future, someone with social anxiety and poor communication skills?"

Social anxiety?

Not good at speaking?

Ai Haibara couldn't help but glare at Ning Higashino.

What do these two words have to do with you?!

You're usually the kind of unreliable social terrorist, okay?

When you're criticizing me, fooling kids, coordinating work with others, or giving interviews in public, aren't you quite eloquent?

You're not going to say that you're the kind of person who immediately transforms into... when you're around a girl you like.

Ai Haibara froze, instantly losing control of her body, her teeth chattering involuntarily.

She vaguely remembered.

On the very first night there, Higashino Ning said something like this: "I really shouldn't think too much about it, and I should treat you like an ordinary person."

At the time, Ai Haibara thought that Higashino Ning had mistaken her for some runaway rich girl. But when the so-called Grace identity was later put on her, she subconsciously felt that she was right.

But now...

What we're saying is, did Higashino Ning mean at the time, "I shouldn't treat you as a girl I like, but as an ordinary girl"?

Ai Haibara couldn't hold back any longer.

Goodness, if this is how it unfolds, it would be absolutely explosive!

I'm just a little girl!

at this time.

Higashino Ning spoke again, looking puzzled, "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly acting so dazed?"

He scratched his head. "Okay, okay, I admit it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ai Haibara stepped back two or three paces, clutching her chest. "Do you admit you're a pervert who likes children?"

Higashino Ning: "???"

I don't like kids at all!

Shiho Miyano is an adult now!

He glanced at Ai Haibara with annoyance, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just admitting that I have special feelings for you."

The little girl was about to cry, "You still say you're not a pervert!"

“Let me finish,” Higashino Ning picked up his chopsticks and took another bite. “Before you came along, my life was rather monotonous and boring. Your arrival changed a lot of things.”

"And then... I rescued you, and I always felt that I should raise the child I rescued myself, since your parents aren't in Japan anyway."

He continued eating as he spoke, "Actually, judging from your behavior, it's clear that you and Professor Agasa aren't actually related by blood, right? You didn't seem to know each other before either."

"As for the more detailed stuff, I have no interest in exploring it."

"I'm saying all this now, firstly to explain why inviting you over for dinner has resulted in an awkward silence. It's because I'm really not good at these kinds of situations. If you had just started arguing with me, I think the situation would have been completely different."