Detective Conan: Birth of the Demon Child

If Makoto Kyogoku found out the truth, it would be even worse, so she ultimately didn't send the sweater she bought.

Chapter 296 Shinichi Kudo Isn't That Kind of Person (Second Update, Please Vote)

To make up for the boast she made, Sonoko decides to give Makoto Kyogoku a new, handmade gift.

Compared to knitting sweaters, Sonoko feels that making ceramics is easier, and sweaters can only be worn in winter, while ceramic cups can be used every day.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Sonoko still felt that giving Kyogoku Makoto a ceramic mug would be more practical than giving him a sweater.

What a clever little devil!

Perhaps because she was worried about giving up halfway, Sonoko even encouraged Ran Mouri to sign up for the pottery class with her.

In Sonoko's words, Ran Mouri should also give Shinichi Kudo a ceramic mug that she made herself.

That way, when Shinichi Kudo sees that ceramic cup, he will think of Ran Mouri and won't dare to have any inappropriate thoughts about other women.

Although Ran Mouri outwardly claimed that Shinichi Kudo wasn't that kind of person, she still decisively signed up for the pottery class, leaving Conan, who was present at the time, speechless.

The pottery teacher is named Mino Muneko. She is a famous pottery master in the island nation and is 62 years old this year.

He appeared to be a kind-looking, gray-haired elderly man with a Mediterranean hairstyle.

Besides Suzuki Haruaki and his group, there were several other students in the classroom, as well as a beautiful assistant named Kasama Kikuyo who helped manage the classroom.

Upon seeing Suzuki Seimei and the others arrive, Kasama Kikuyo first handed them yellow checkered aprons, and then led them to the workbench.

Once all the students had arrived for class, Mino Muneko began to explain the issues and techniques that needed attention when making pottery in front of everyone.

Mino Muneko looked around at everyone and said with a serious expression, "Ceramic art originated in China. More than nine thousand years ago, the ancient Chinese people began to try to use clay and fire to create the simplest pottery."

The name "Huaxia" is also known as "cha" (porcelain) in English, which shows the world's recognition of Chinese ceramics.

In a sense, pottery has become a synonym for Chinese civilization.

However, Chinese ceramic artists are too traditional and conservative. Although they have long developed superb ceramic techniques, they find it difficult to break the traditional concept of 'practicality and aesthetics as much as possible'.

This resulted in ceramic artists' talents being more limited by the "making of vessels".

Ceramic artists can only explore within the realm of pursuing design and aesthetic form, and are closer to craftsmen than to integrate into the trends of modern art.

Until the mid-to-late 1980s, with the intervention of Western modern art, it gradually evolved into modern ceramics.

The role of modern ceramics lies primarily in expanding the artistic attributes of traditional ceramics, allowing ceramic artists to roam freely in the realm of aesthetics and value critique, freeing them from the limitations of "making vessels."

Ceramic artists can continue to make achievements in their original design fields, and also give full play to their artistic nature to conduct valuable cultural critiques of reality, thus venturing into many art fields such as sculpture and installation.

Simply put, the difference between modern and traditional ceramics lies in the fact that modern ceramics is completely unrestrained and mainly depends on the maker's imagination.

Of course! For you beginners, you should start with the simplest cups and jars.

Once you've mastered the methods of pottery making, then you can unleash your imagination.

The methods of making pottery can be roughly divided into: throwing, slab making, clay sculpting, coil building, hand-shaping, and painting on unglazed clay.

Among them, wheel throwing is the simplest and most common production method in modern ceramics.

Today I'll teach you how to make the simplest ceramic cup using the wheel throwing method.

Mino Muneko first gave Suzuki Seimei and the others a general explanation of the history of modern ceramics, and then put the prepared clay onto the potter's wheel.

Using the centrifugal motion generated by the potter's wheel, combined with the skillful hands of Mino Muneko, a delicate clay cup was formed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

So easy!

In less than a minute, Mino Muneko effortlessly created an exquisite clay cup.

Sonoko and the other newbies suddenly had the illusion that "I can do it too."

Noticing the expectant looks from Sonoko and the others, Mino Muneko smiled and said, "Now, everyone, try making it yourselves!"

The most crucial step in making ceramics is the subsequent firing. When making the clay blanks in the early stages, there is no need to worry about failure, since the clay can be reused.

Therefore, Mino Muneko did not continue to explain too much theoretical knowledge, but decided to let Sonoko and the others try it out on their own first.

What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand!

Only when Sonoko and the others try it themselves can they discover the problems they encounter in making clay cups, allowing Mino Muneko to better tailor her teaching to each student's individual needs.

So when Sonoko and the others started trying to make clay cups themselves, they found that the clay was somewhat out of control.

It looks simple, but shaping this clay into the shape you want is not as easy as you might imagine.

Brain: Easy! I got it.

Hands: No! You don't.

Looking at the clay cup that kept deforming in her hands, Sonoko felt terrible.

The method of making clay cups, though seemingly simple, requires a high level of mental fortitude and practical skills from the maker.

You must be calm and steady, and your hands must be steady, in order to make the clay cup you want; otherwise, you may accidentally deform the cup.

"Not bad! You three kids are all very talented!"

Compared to Sonoko and the others, it was obvious that the three little ones were more likely to attract Mino Muneko's attention, especially when he discovered that the three little ones had also shown superb talent in pottery.

Needless to say, Suzuki Seimei was making clay cups for the first time. With the help of his advanced level of magic, his hands were not only as steady as a mountain, but also flexible and versatile. Making a clay cup was a piece of cake for him.

As a genius drug researcher, Ai Haibara's most basic requirement is a steady hand and a calm mind, so shaping the simplest clay cup is naturally a piece of cake for her.

As for Conan, who is the least talented among the three, his clay cups, while not as good as those made by Suzuki Seimei and Haibara Ai, show faster progress than those made by Mouri Ran and Sonoko.

Furthermore, since Conan is still a child, Mino Muneko naturally assumed that he also had a talent for pottery making.

For an aging ceramic master like Mino Muneko, she is actually more pleased to see talented successors emerge than to create a valuable piece of ceramic.

Chapter 297 You can know a person's face but not their heart (Third update, please vote)

"Ding! Congratulations on successfully signing in to Mino Muneko. You are rewarded with a Master-level 'Pottery' manual, which you can claim at any time."

As Mino Muneko approached and gave him pointers on some special techniques to keep in mind when making clay cups, Suzuki Seimei secretly nudged her arm.

"use!"

As Suzuki Seimei silently recited the name, the advanced-level "Pottery" skill book instantly transformed into a torrent of memories, flooding into his mind.

After Suzuki Seimei had fully absorbed all the skills and memories related to pottery, his understanding of pottery reached a level comparable to that of a pottery master.

It's not just about simple clay shaping; it also includes a series of techniques and methods such as glazing and firing.

After mastering the advanced level of "Pottery," Suzuki Seimei looked at the clay cup he had made, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

The clay cup that Suzuki Seimei just made can only be considered mediocre; it has too much of a craftsman's touch and is still a long way from being a work of art.

Of course!

For a beginner who has just started learning pottery, the clay cup that Suzuki Seimei just made is already quite good.

Suzuki Seimei closed his eyes and thought for a while, then stretched out his hands and rubbed them a few times on the clay cup.

After Suzuki Seimei's simple modifications, the earthenware cup in front of us, while not changing much in appearance, underwent a significant transformation in its overall feel.

If the clay cups that Suzuki Seimei initially made could only be considered mass-produced handicrafts, then the clay cups he modified could be considered works of art.

"Wow! It's quite lively here today!"

Just as Mino Muneko was instructing her students on various issues to be aware of when making pottery, a short-haired man in a blue suit walked in from outside the door with a smile.

Upon seeing the newcomer, a cold glint flashed in the depths of Mino Muneko's eyes, but on the surface, she greeted him with a smile, "Morifu, you're back!"

The man in the blue suit is Mino Muneko's son-in-law. His name is Mino Motoo, and he is a son-in-law of the Mino family.

Because Mino Muneko is a famous ceramic master in the ceramics world and her family is very wealthy, she found a son-in-law to live with her only daughter.

However, what Mino Muneko didn't expect was that Mino Motoo wasn't as honest as he seemed on the surface. He had already secretly started an affair with Kasama Kikuyo and was having an extramarital affair.

Two years ago, Mino Muneko's daughter died in a car accident. At first, he thought it was just a simple accident.

It wasn't until later, when Mino Muneko accidentally discovered that Mino Motoo had been having an affair with Kasama Kikuyo, that she realized her daughter couldn't bear the blow and had run into the road where she was hit and killed by a truck.

Therefore, Mino Muneko conceived the idea of ​​revenge, determined not to let Mino Motoo, the culprit, continue to live so freely and happily.

"Actually, I just arrived, Father-in-law. I'll go change my clothes and then come help you!"

In order to obtain the Mino family's property, Mino Motoo would try his best to play the role of a good son-in-law in front of Mino Seiko.

However, Mino Motoo was unaware that his secret had already been discovered by Mino Muneko. He was still dreaming that after Mino Muneko died, he, as her son-in-law, would inherit all of the Mino family's assets.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you."

Looking at Mino Motoo's hypocritical face, Mino Soko felt disgusted and wanted to vomit, but on the surface she smiled and nodded.

"Ten million?!"

After following Mino Motoo into the warehouse, Kasama Kikuyo was somewhat surprised to hear that he had taken out a huge insurance policy for himself. She asked, "You took out such a large insurance policy for yourself?"

"Yes! Dad keeps saying that just in case, he keeps pressuring me to get insurance for him, so I just bought some for myself too."

As Mino Motoo loosened his tie, he said with a look of disdain, "Really! Everyone used to say that he was the person with the best chance of becoming the number one ceramic master in the ceramics world, and I used to believe it to some extent."

But ever since his beloved daughter died, he's completely changed. Now he's just a useless old man who only likes to play in the mud.

"Isn't that a bit too harsh of you to say that!"

Kikuyo Kasama said with a mocking expression, "No matter what, he was still the father of your beloved deceased wife."

Mino Motoo sneered, "I love her the most, my ass! If it weren't for the money, I wouldn't have married that boring woman!"

My original plan was to take as much of the old man's money as I could, and then divorce that woman once I had enough.

I never expected that woman to be so short-lived, dying so early. But that's a good thing, I suppose.

Anyway, the old man's health has been deteriorating year by year, and he likes to drown his sorrows in alcohol, so he probably won't live for many more years.

"Once the old man dies, all of Mino's property will be ours, and then we can be together openly."

Upon hearing this, Kikuyo Kasama smiled happily and then asked with some curiosity, "By the way, who is the beneficiary of your insurance policy?"

"The beneficiary is obviously you, so how could it be that old man?"