Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

This means there's a chance his plan will fail.

Even though the probability is low, Umeya doesn't want to gamble, because if he misses tonight, he won't be able to kill Hiramatsu Masaki without leaving any evidence of his crime.

They were just two detectives. His plan was so flawless, and he had a solid alibi. Even the famous detective Kogoro Mouri wouldn't be able to spot the flaws. President Umeya made up his mind.

At this time, Mei Gu was unaware that Wen Shui had known about his murder plan long before the incident occurred.

However, Wen Shui's current concern is not related to the case; he is a little worried about Kudo Yukiko.

Logically speaking, given Kudo Yukiko's personality, she shouldn't be so quiet. At the very least, she would send a text message to finish the argument she hadn't finished, but more than half an hour has passed, and Wen Shui hasn't received any message from Kudo Yukiko.

Could that woman have driven here to find them?

The more Wen Shui thought about it, the more she felt that this was the style of Yukiko Kudo. That woman was impulsive and liked to play pranks. She might very well drag Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama over and give them a fright.

Normally, he wouldn't have cared about lukewarm water, but the key was that he remembered the murderer had adjusted the angle of the reflector on the bend in this case.

If Yukiko Kudo didn't know about this, and she fell off the mountain and died, then everything would be over.

Using the excuse of going to the restroom, Wen Shui called Kudo Yukiko. Sure enough, she was already on her way. Wen Shui could only tell her to drive carefully and slow down to the minimum when going around corners.

Yukiko Kudo pouted: "Don't underestimate me, kid. I used to participate in cross-country rally races when I was young, a few years ago in New York..."

"I'm not joking with you!" Wen Shui's voice suddenly turned stern. "You'll die if you really fall. Don't joke with your own life and other people's lives!"

Yukiko's momentum faltered: "I... I didn't say I wouldn't slow down, why are you being so fierce?"

Wen Shui's tone softened slightly as she said gently, "Silly girl, I'm worried about you. If something happens to you, I might not be able to survive either..."

"Hey, what nonsense are you spouting?!" Yukiko suddenly spoke in a loud voice, as if trying to cover something up.

Wen Shui immediately guessed that this woman might have simply turned on speakerphone to avoid the hassle.

Really? Really?

If Kazuha Toyama heard this, she would definitely tell Ran about it, right?

"You wretched brat, just you wait, I'll take off my shoes and shove them in your mouth!" Yukiko Kudo suddenly lowered her voice and said viciously.

Chapter 288 Xiaolan: What should I do if the boy I like gets into a fight with my childhood sweetheart's mother?

"Wow, this is so comfortable! This is the first time I've ever sat in such a comfortable massage chair." Kogoro Mouri lay on the massage chair in the research and development room lobby and exclaimed with heartfelt praise.

Mr. Nakano, who was in charge of designing the massage chair, smiled broadly: "I'm so glad you're satisfied."

When Wen Shui returned from the phone call, she walked over to Xiao Lan and asked, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Besides the coffee-colored massage chair, there were two other empty massage chairs on site.

Xiaolan: "Isn't that a bad idea? When I'm getting a massage, I can't help but show a comfortable expression on my face. It feels weird to be watched by people."

Wen Shui exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You actually have this habit?"

"Of course," Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him, then leaned closer and whispered, "You haven't noticed all this time, have you?"

Wen Shui noticed a hint of dissatisfaction in Xiao Lan's sweet voice.

Oh no, the sweet and gentle girl is angry.

Wen Shui blinked and looked at Xiao Lan with a sincere expression: "Is it strange? I don't think so. On the contrary, I think Xiao Lan's facial expressions are kind of cute when she's comfortable."

"I...I need to go to the restroom."

Xiao Lan was quickly defeated and fled into the bathroom, covering her face.

Conan listened intently for a long time but couldn't hear what Wen Shui and Xiao Ran were whispering about. After seeing Xiao Ran run away shyly, Conan looked at Wen Shui with a somewhat unfriendly gaze.

Wen Shui gently rubbed Conan's head: "Don't breathe on it. Did Uncle Mori stop you from trying out the massage chair?"

"No, I'm too small." Conan looked even more upset. "These massage chairs are still in the research and development stage, and there are no settings designed for children."

Wen Shui looked regretful: "Oh, that's okay. I'll go with you."

Wen Shui's attempt to be friendly did not dispel Conan's doubts. Conan looked at Wen Shui with adorable eyes and asked, "Brother Wen Shui, what did you and Sister Ran talk about just now?"

"A stunning beauty is coming to see us later, oh wait! There might be two, and one of them is a famous detective with skin as deep as the night sky," Wen Shui said with a smile.

"Huh? Hattori is coming too?" Conan exclaimed in surprise.

Wen Shui punched Conan on the head: "You should call him Hattori-nii-san. You have no manners. Be careful, Ran will scold you later."

Conan's face darkened: "Those two beautiful women you mentioned, could they be Sister Ye, and..."

“And Yukiko-chan too,” Wenshui interjected, then turned to look at the night outside. “Speaking of which, I’ve been spending the last few days with Ran and Miwako, and I haven’t seen Yukiko-chan for several days now.”

Conan put on a sour face: "Brother Wen Shui, you should know that Aunt Kudo is old enough to be your mother, right?"

Wen Shui nodded: "I know, she was just pretending to be my mother on the phone."

"I... I mean, this might cause... Ran-neechan to misunderstand?" Conan angrily wanted to refute Wen Shui, but in a moment of impulsiveness, the reason that came to mind was "Ran might misunderstand".

Even Conan himself was stunned halfway through his speech.

It seems like I gave away my childhood sweetheart to protect my mother?

But why does it feel so natural?

"No, Ran and I have a very innocent boyfriend-girlfriend relationship." Wen Shui smiled innocently and added, "Just like Mrs. Kudo."

Conan vaguely sensed that Wen Shui's words had a hidden meaning, but just as he was about to ask her about it, Ran came out of the bathroom.

Actually, Xiaolan just washed her face and used cold water to calm herself down.

"What are you two talking about that makes you so happy?" Xiaolan asked as she walked over.

Conan thought to himself, "Which eye of yours saw us chatting happily? Isn't the expression on my face painful enough? I'm clearly working so hard to protect this broken home!"

"Don't move!" Wen Shui suddenly said.

Xiaolan froze on the spot, like a scarecrow under a spell.

Wen Shui reached out and pinched a water droplet that remained on the tip of her hair, looking regretful: "Ah, it's gone."

"What disappeared..."

The slightly intimate interaction between the two left Conan stunned.

This action isn't particularly big or small. If it were Sonoko Suzuki, it might just be two carefree people playfully bickering, but for Ran, it seems to be considered an intimate interaction.

However, Conan's focus wasn't on Ran this time; instead, he recalled Wen Shui's half-joking remark from earlier.

[My relationship with Ran is purely platonic, just like Mrs. Kudo's.]

Conan had a vague, uneasy feeling, but without evidence, he couldn't make a decision yet.

He squinted at Wen Shui, who was chatting happily with Xiao Lan. Was this guy testing his limits little by little?

But would anyone really like their classmate's mother?

At this moment, Uncle Mori got off the first massage chair, rubbing his lower back as he said:

"Mr. Nakano, how exactly is this thing made? The feeling of pressing the right acupoints is just so enjoyable."

Nakano explained, "Actually, the exterior of the massage chair is made of specially treated ultra-soft leather, and the interior is a newly developed selenium gel that can simulate the touch of a skilled masseur."

Xiaolan: "Wow, that's amazing! Now I can get a massage at home."

President Umeya walked over and patted Mr. Nakano on the shoulder, smiling as he said, "Nakano, you truly live up to your reputation as our First Development Department. I certainly didn't waste my time training you."

“Young lady, don’t get too excited yet,” Kasahara Eigo, the man who had been reading the newspaper, interjected, holding a parts list in his hand. “According to this parts list, the specially treated artificial leather is imported from Italy, and the selenium glue is also an extremely expensive material.”

The cost of one such machine would probably be enough to make three of the products I designed.

Upon hearing this, President Umeya's expression changed drastically, and he asked angrily, "What? Nakano, explain this to me!"

"President, if we mass-produce this, the price can be reduced significantly. Plus, this material is very durable; even if you use it every day, it won't break down for three to five years," Nakano said.

President Umeya became even angrier after hearing this: "You bastard, why did you have to consider something as meaningless as durability?!"

"But even if the profit is a little less, as long as we build a good reputation..."

"Don't talk to me about the future, what I need is to make money right now." President Umeya seemed to have become a different person, transforming into a tyrant.

Xiaolan tugged at Wenshui's sleeve and muttered, "This club president seems a bit scary. Maybe we should leave first."

Wen Shui: "Don't be afraid, you're not his employee, what are you worried about?"

We've only just started investigating the case, and I reckon this president named Umeya won't be dead for a while. Leaving now would be a huge loss.

After finishing his tantrum, President Umeya realized there were still outsiders present. He quickly smiled and explained to Kogoro Mouri and the others, "Well... what I really meant was, if we don't launch new products quickly, customers will soon forget about our company. After all, people these days like novelty, don't you think, Mr. Mouri?"

Uncle Mori scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Well, it seems like we should also consider durability."

“Of course, of course, our company’s warranty service is the best in the industry.” President Umeya pointed to another pink machine. “Mr. Mori, please try out the next machine.”

Uncle Mori then tested two massage chairs in succession.

The massage chair made by Eigo Kasahara, who likes to subtly criticize others, may have taken into account the fashionable feel that young people like, but the actual experience is terrible. Uncle Mori was bounced up as soon as he sat down and it took him a long time to recover.

Although President Umeya suppressed his anger and remained silent, it was clear from his expression that he had decided to dismiss Eigo Kasahara.

However, when it came to Masaki Hiramatsu, who mistook Nukumizu and his group for corporate spies, Uncle Mori gave him a much higher evaluation than Mr. Nakano. The massage chair that looked a bit strange, like a game console, was surprisingly comfortable.

And the price is incredibly cheap.

President Umeya was very satisfied. After thinking about it in his office, he returned and announced that Masaki Hiramatsu's work had been selected.

In addition, he stated in front of everyone that he would merge the First R&D Department and the Second R&D Department, which means that Mr. Nakano and Mr. Kasahara Hidego will probably have to leave.

After announcing the decision, President Umeya said to his three subordinates, "Alright, I need to talk to Hiramatsu about the launch of the massage chair. You two go ahead and get busy."

Upon learning that they might be fired, both Mr. Nakano and Eigo Kasahara looked rather grim, but their eyes burned with a fierce determination to fight for the last glimmer of hope.

After the two left, President Umeya said to Uncle Mori, "Mr. Mori, please excuse me for a moment. You can wander around here and enjoy the massage chairs for a while."

I heard you really enjoy drinking. After I and Pingsong finish discussing it, we'll have a few more drinks.

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri couldn't help but smile: "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

President Umeya led Masaki Hiramatsu out of the research lab's lobby.

Xiaolan sat in the abandoned pink massage chair, pressed the switch, and then her whole body began to vibrate at a high frequency:

"Awoooooo... What is this? Make it stop!"

Wen Shui walked over and pressed the switch, then looked at Xiao Lan with a helpless expression: "Why did you turn it to the highest setting right away?"