Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

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Inside Jinchuan Sushi Restaurant.

After Sato Miwako came in, she sat down on the swivel chair in front of the bar and patiently waited for the sushi to be made.

Miwako looked around and noticed that the store had a new set of chairs and several new paintings on the walls that reflected current social trends.

I feel like there are fewer and fewer familiar things in the store. In a few years, I may not be able to find my childhood memories here anymore.

A faint sadness suddenly welled up in Miwako's heart.

This shop was actually a place her father, Sato Masayoshi, often took her to when he was young.

Sometimes, when her father was too busy with work to come home late and couldn't play with her, he would buy her sushi from this shop to make up for it. However, every time, Sato Miwako would pester her father to tell her mystery stories until she fell asleep.

So every time she eats the sushi made by the owner of this restaurant, Miwako Sato is reminded of the carefree and happy times of her childhood.

She doesn't have to work overtime today, and it's been a long time since she had a meal with her mother.

That's why I made a reservation at this sushi restaurant in advance, but I didn't expect to be delayed by the case and arrive so late.

However, since Onami was also in the car, Sato Miwako decided to splurge a little and let Onami try the sushi that she loved to eat as a child.

Just then, an elderly man who looked to be in his sixties with gray hair came out of the kitchen. He was carrying fresh ingredients needed to make sushi.

"You ordered three servings this time? Did Miwako get a boyfriend?" Mr. Kanakawa joked.

Miwako blushed: "No, it's just a good friend. I wanted him to try my favorite flavor from when I was a child."

"I see." Mr. Jinchuan nodded. "But you're not young anymore, it's time to think about marriage."

Miwako smiled wryly and said helplessly, "Uncle Jinchuan, how do you manage to say exactly the same thing as my mother?"

"Huh, is it really not a single word different? Maybe it's because I urge my silly son like that every day." Mr. Jin Chuan laughed heartily.

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Wen Shui and the others waited in the car for less than ten minutes.

Then I saw Miwako Sato carrying several takeout food boxes out of the sushi restaurant. When I asked her, I found out that she had also brought some for Yukiko Kudo, Conan, and him.

Yukiko Kudo felt a little embarrassed and wanted to invite Miwako Sato to have a drink together.

However, Miwako Sato declined the invitation, saying she was having dinner with her mother that evening.

Traffic in Tokyo's city center was quite good in the evening, and it only took Sato Miwako less than twenty minutes to drive them to an izakaya in Shinbashi.

This area used to be a bustling commercial district, but due to urban planning, the commercial district was moved elsewhere, and what remains in this area are old shops with a long history.

Wenshui and the others waved goodbye to Sato Miwako.

As soon as she got out of the car, Onami saw Uncle Mori and Eri Kisaki standing sulking at the entrance of the izakaya.

Yukiko Kudo jogged up to the two of them and said excitedly, "Oh, you've already arrived! Sorry, I was delayed on the way."

Uncle Mori said with dissatisfaction:

"Hey Yukiko, I only came here because you told me about a stunningly beautiful woman who came back from abroad. Why is she here too?"

Eri Kisaki's expression grew even colder: "The case you're talking about isn't about attending Yoko Okino's concert, is it? By the way, I don't want to have dinner with someone like you."

Uncle Mori: "Damn it..."

"Hey, you two, let's not fight today." Yukiko Kudo grabbed Eri Kisaki's arm. "I've come all this way, so please, just for my sake, okay?"

Uncle Mori snorted coldly, without refuting, clearly agreeing to Yukiko Kudo's request.

But then, Kogoro Mouri spotted Nuku behind Yukiko Kudo. His eyes widened. "Hey, what are you doing here? Weren't you with Ran at the literature club's event?"

Wen Shui paused for a moment, then asked, "An activity from the Literature Department? And me?"

Eri frowned slightly, and Uncle Mori continued, "Yes, Ran said that the Literature Club has an extracurricular activity tonight, so she won't be coming back to stay. She also said that you and Sonoko will be participating."

Wen Shui was startled.

Because he remembered clearly that Xiaolan's reason for not participating in club activities after school was...

I'm accompanying Kogoro Mouri to a class reunion in Saitama Prefecture, where we're planning to have a big meal.

Chapter 70: Yukiko Kudo forces him to drink.

When confronted with Kogoro Mouri's questioning, Nukusui quickly realized what was going on.

He chuckled and scratched his head, explaining, "I was originally going to participate in the Literature Club activities, but I was dragged along by Officer Sato to help investigate the murder case at the movie theater. I didn't expect to run into Ms. Kudo and Conan by chance."

Wen Shui did not expose Xiao Lan's lie.

Because he knew that Ran never lied, the only reason she would lie to her parents and best friend Sonoko must be because she had a compelling reason to do so.

Wen Shui subconsciously thought of Xiao Lan's restless state all day.

And some gossip he overheard during his visit to the kendo club.

A junior student in the karate club who was very close to Ran suddenly chose to withdraw, causing the chances of winning the team event in the karate competition, which originally had a good chance of success, to plummet.

According to the people in the kendo club, the karate club's training has been in very poor condition recently. Everyone has lost their motivation, and it seems that quite a few people are privately pointing the finger at Xiaolan.

Considering that girls of this age are easily influenced by family issues or heartbreak, they may choose to become delinquents or even shut-ins.

Wen Shui thought that Xiao Lan might have gone to help her junior.

As for the theoretically worst-case scenario, Wen Shui felt there was no need to worry at all.

Given Xiaolan's current social relationships, if a storyline were to unfold where she secretly goes to a hotel with the blond-haired man and spends the night there without telling her childhood friend and family, it would be a serious possibility.

That blond guy is most likely Wen Shui himself.

However, just to be on the safe side, I'll find a chance to call Xiaolan later and ask her.

After hearing Wen Shui's explanation, Uncle Mori seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, unaware of Wen Shui's slightly unnatural pause.

Meanwhile, Conan, overwhelmed by Eri's imposing presence, temporarily lost his ability to observe and failed to notice anything amiss.

Of all those present, only Eri Kisaki frowned slightly, but she quickly retorted sarcastically, "Warm Water is still a student, and the police have already approached him to help investigate real murder cases. I'm truly impressed."

Eri Kisaki emphasized the phrase "a real murder case".

This is clearly a veiled criticism of Kogoro Mouri's earlier words.

Uncle Mori glared at Eri Kisaki, but couldn't refute her. Because if Yukiko Kudo hadn't called him, Kogoro Mori had indeed planned to rewatch Yoko Okino's latest concert DVD today.

Not only did he not see the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, but he was also ridiculed by his ex-wife.

Damn it, I'll definitely have to drink a lot later.

Yukiko Kudo quickly intervened to mediate: "Alright, alright, let's go inside. The last time we got together for drinks was years ago..."

Yukiko pushed Eri Kisaki into the izakaya.

Nukumizu and Kogoro Mouri followed closely behind and entered the izakaya that looked to be quite old.

Upon entering the store, Wen Shui looked around and found that the space inside the izakaya was more spacious than he had imagined, although the layout was similar to other izakayas.

Directly opposite the door is a wooden open kitchen counter, and there are no customers at the moment, even though the chairs arranged around the L-shaped counter are empty.

On the right side, however, two groups of guests were drinking and chatting in the open seating area.

A man in a suit, holding a wine glass, kept complaining to his companions about how high the performance targets his boss had set. Meanwhile, two middle-aged men in another group were discussing the upcoming prime ministerial election.

It feels a bit deserted, even though this should be the peak season for izakayas.

However, from the corridor extending to the left of the bar, you can vaguely see many Japanese-style private room sliding doors, which may indicate that more customers choose to drink in the private rooms.

When Wen Shui and her group entered, no waiter immediately came to greet them, and even the chefs at the open kitchen counter were nowhere to be found.

The entire hall was empty except for them and those two groups of guests.

Yukiko Kudo didn't rush to call for help. Instead, she ran to the photo wall opposite the bar and looked for her own reflection in the wall: "It brings back so many memories. It looks almost exactly the same as when I came last time."

Kogoro Mouri also walked over: "Shops in such poor locations are usually not easily renovated, and many people come here because of the sentimentality they feel."

Eri Kisaki also showed a look of remembrance on her face.

Wen Shui asked around and learned that this shop was a place they frequented when they were young.

Kogoro Mouri suddenly looked at a group photo on the photo wall: "Hey, isn't that Nakamichi and the others? I didn't expect this photo to still be hanging here."

Following Uncle Mori's gaze, Wen Shui realized that the photographer must have been secretly filming from the entrance of the izakaya's private room, capturing the group of people drinking together around the table.

Back then, Uncle Mori didn't have a beard, and Eri Kisaki, who was next to him wearing black-rimmed gold glasses, didn't have nearly as imposing a presence as she does now.

However, Yukiko Kudo, who was sitting next to Eri Kisaki, didn't seem to have changed much.

Back then, Mrs. Kudo already had a terrifying G-cup, and her hair was a similar brown curly style to now, with delicate, almost translucent white skin, looking much the same as it does now.

In addition, the act of Yukiko Kudo secretly adding water to her beer in the photo also gave the viewer a sense of déjà vu.

I don't feel like I've matured at all.

"Kid, do you have a problem with that?" Yukiko Kudo's slightly threatening voice came from beside my ear.

Wen Shui then realized he had been watching too intently. He shook his head and said, "No, I was just curious whether you would dilute the wine with water later."

Yukiko Kudo smiled dismissively: "Don't underestimate me. I'm past the age where I need to dilute my drinks to avoid getting drunk. Don't let me drink you under the table later."

In other words, did you use this method for a long time?

Eri Kisaki couldn't help but interrupt the conversation: "Yukiko, Numizu isn't old enough to drink alcohol yet, don't lead the little girl astray."

Yukiko Kudo: "He's not young anymore. If he's too rule-abiding, he won't be able to survive in the detective business. Besides, didn't Mori start drinking alcohol when he was a kid?"

Kogoro Mouri coughed and said, "Men should enjoy their youth early."

“Warm Water, don’t follow his example, or when you reach his age, you’ll also be struggling to make ends meet and unable to get any jobs,” Eri Kisaki immediately retorted.

Uncle Mori: "Damn it..."

Just as Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki were about to start arguing again.

"Hey, isn't this Eri and Mr. Mori?" A calm female voice came from behind.

Wen Shui turned around and saw an older woman standing there in a simple bathrobe. She had light makeup on her face, but the wrinkles on her face were still very obvious when she smiled.

"Ah, it's Ms. Chizuru. I didn't expect you to still be running the shop," Kogoro Mouri said in surprise.

Eri Kisaki greeted him politely, "Ms. Chizuru, it's been a long time."