Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

Sonoko Suzuki and Ai Haibara glared at Nukami.

However, before they could come over and question them, the woman across the street, after hearing Xiaolan's scream, glanced back at them and then turned to leave the scene.

"Why did they run away as soon as they saw us? Could they be the mastermind behind the Slit-Mouthed Woman incident?" Sonoko Suzuki chased after them.

"Yuanzi, look for cars before crossing the street!" Xiaolan chased after her, seemingly only recognizing the person but not recognizing them.

Wen Shui called out from behind, "You two wait a minute, she's not the murderer."

After acquiring [Insight lv2], Wen Shui's ability to judge contour recognition has been greatly enhanced.

He immediately recognized that the suspiciously dressed woman was their homeroom teacher, Ryoka Hiratsuka.

However, before he could even shout it out, Ran and Sonoko had already caught up with him using their exceptional athletic abilities and tackled Hiratsuka-sensei to the ground.

"Mouri-kun, my arm is going to break!" Ryoka Hiratsuka cried out in pain.

Afterwards, Wen Shui and Ai Haibara quickly crossed the road and went to the crime scene.

Now that she had been discovered, Ms. Hiratsuka stopped trying to hide it. She took off her mask and trench coat, revealing her graceful curves that exuded the charm of a mature woman. Her long, beautiful legs, encased in black stockings and high heels, reminded Wenshui of the image of her pacing on the podium.

Perhaps Xiaolan felt that her legs and shoes under her trench coat looked vaguely familiar?

Ran and Sonoko Suzuki looked at Hiratsuka-sensei with awkward expressions, but also a hint of curiosity in their eyes.

Wen Shui asked the question that had been on everyone's mind: "Teacher, why are you dressed like that?"

Hiratsuka-sensei blushed: "I just happened to be passing by here."

Wen Shui: "Teacher, don't you usually teach us that lying is wrong?"

Hiratsuka-sensei sighed: "Well, actually I came to inquire about the submission information for this novel competition. The judges for this competition are different every year, and the themes and styles also change. To win the grand prize, it's not enough to just write well."

She glanced at the other people standing under the billboard not far away.

Wen Shui discovered that, in addition to taking notes on submission-related matters, those people would also exchange writing tips, as well as information about the judges' preferences and the places they usually frequented.

Wen Shui nodded, then asked, "So... why are you dressed like this?"

Hiratsuka-sensei glared at Nukumizu. Did this kid even know how to read the room? He should have just pretended to ignore this embarrassing situation. Next time, he'd definitely have to give him double the homework.

Then she glanced at the three girls who were equally curious and said, "I had some conflicts with some judges and contestants before, so I didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. I came here disguised to find out information."

The reason she threw a tantrum at the awards ceremony was because she lost the competition and was ridiculed by her peers for not having a talent for writing.

But how could I possibly tell my students something like that?

"Oh, I see. I'm so sorry, teacher. We thought he was a suspicious person." Sonoko Suzuki scratched her head.

Hiratsuka-sensei said helplessly, "Really, Suzuki-kun, you're always so reckless. And Ran-kun, you can't just use karate casually; it's easy to hurt someone."

Sonoko Suzuki and Ran laughed sheepishly.

The atmosphere gradually shifted from apprehending a suspicious suspect to the normal interaction between teachers and students.

"Great, all I need to do now is go back, change my clothes, and come back here to find out more about the judges," Ryoka Hiratsuka thought to herself.

However, at that moment...

That quiet, rascal in the class, in the tone of a curious child, uttered words that felt like a thousand arrows piercing the heart.

Wen Shui couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, I remember you teach Chinese literature, right? You must often win awards in these kinds of competitions, right?"

Actually, Wen Shui wanted to ask about the difficulty of the mystery novel competition and how much the prize money was. After all, he had a lot of "good ideas" in his head, and if the writing requirements weren't too high, he might be able to earn some money through this and improve his standard of living.

"Well, it's alright." Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes darted away. "Actually, writing has little to do with one's Chinese language proficiency."

"So, teacher, how many awards have you won, and how much is the prize money usually?" Wen Shui asked, her eyes sparkling with golden light.

"I've never taken it even once."

"Huh?"

Wen Shui and the others all had shocked expressions on their faces.

Ms. Hiratsuka awkwardly explained, "Well, that's normal. Some people have been submitting entries to competitions every year since high school, and even after working for a long time, they only ever make it to the finals."

There have even been authors who, after being mocked for lacking writing talent, rolled around on the floor at award ceremonies. Being a novelist is not as simple as you might think.

I accidentally revealed my embarrassing moment as a topic of conversation.

However, as long as she maintains a confident smile, these children shouldn't be able to tell there's a problem, Ryoka Hiratsuka thought.

Wen Shui's face showed a regretful expression.

I thought I could make a little money from this, but even a Japanese literature teacher like Hiratsuka-sensei couldn't win an award, so with his terrible writing skills, he has even less hope.

Xiaolan: "Wen Shui Jun, you wouldn't happen to be thinking of participating in this mystery novel competition, would you?"

"I do have some ideas, but even Hiratsuka-sensei couldn't win an award, so someone of my level has no chance of being shortlisted, right?" Wen Shui wore a smile befitting the image of a young person dreaming of writing a novel.

But in his heart he thought, "As expected, I can only rely on the abilities given by cheat codes. It seems that being a detective is the path I should take."

Hey, wait a minute!

Wen Shui suddenly remembered that she was going to attend the "Bandaged Man's Horror Party" next weekend. The victim in that case, Ikeda Chikako, was a famous novelist, I think.

Considering that the system gives him at least one chance to win a prize after each case is solved.

If I could draw Chikako Ikeda's writing skills to make up for my poor Japanese writing, and with the "inspiration for plagiarism" brought by Wenshui from his previous life, I might be able to achieve a good result in this mystery novel competition.

Then Wen Shui changed the subject: "But didn't our teacher always teach us not to back down when facing difficulties?"

"Did I say that?" Hiratsuka-sensei looked at him, puzzled.

Wen Shui: "It could be something other teachers said, but that's not important. What's important is my confidence in winning the mystery novel award, isn't it?"

“Impossible!” Hiratsuka-sensei shook her head. “This competition is more difficult than any before. New authors with slightly lower skill levels may not even qualify for the finals, let alone someone as bad as you in Japanese.”

Wen Shui: "Teacher, shouldn't you encourage your students at times like this?"

"I'm trying to make you face reality. It's more realistic to focus your energy on things that are useful and think about what will happen after graduation," Ryoka Hiratsuka said.

But in her heart she was thinking, “I’m not your teacher now. I’m a frustrated writer who has been submitting my work to various novel competitions every year since high school, but has never won an award. I even rolled around on the ground at the awards ceremony because of my mental imbalance.”

Mr. Warm Water, we're rivals now!

Sonoko Suzuki, standing beside her, chimed in, "That's right, Nuku is talking nonsense again. How could such a thing be possible?"

Wen Shui: "That's what you said last time, and you still got defeated by me, didn't you?"

Sonoko Suzuki knew that Nuku was referring to the bet they made about "who is more suitable to be Ran's Watson" during the murder at the art museum.

But this time it's different; Wen Shui's Chinese language grades are notoriously poor.

So Miss Suzuki thought this might be a chance to get back at them. She smiled and said, "How about we make another bet? If you make it to the finals, I'll grant you one request."

Wen Shui pondered in her heart, although she was still unsure whether she would draw Ikeda Chikako's writing skill.

But if it's just to be shortlisted, he should be able to do it with the few ideas in his head.

"Okay, let's make another bet then," Wen Shui said.

"You two wait a minute," Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly interrupted.

Wen Shui thought to herself, "Oh no, I forgot that my homeroom teacher is here. Even though Mr. Hiratsuka doesn't seem very reliable, he'll still step in to stop his students from making a bet, right?"

Hiratsuka-sensei: "Don't treat me like I don't exist. I'm your homeroom teacher, after all. How can I ignore something like this?"

Sonoko Suzuki explained, "Teacher, we won't go too far. The most we'll do in a bet is treat someone to ramen or ice cream or something."

Ms. Hiratsuka breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said, "Then count me in."

"Huh? Teacher, you're going to make a bet with us too?" Sonoko asked in surprise.

"There's no way around it. When a student in your class with questionable grades suddenly says he wants to defeat me and wants to trample me into the ground, anyone would be unable to resist, right?" Hiratsuka-sensei revealed the expression of a yakuza boss facing a subordinate's insubordination.

Wen Shui couldn't help but complain: "Teacher, please be mindful of your position. Besides, I never said anything about pinning you down on the blackboard in the classroom after school and humiliating you."

Ryoka Hiratsuka paused for a moment, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

At this moment, Sonoko Suzuki, who never misses a chance to stir things up, jumped up excitedly: "Great! Ran Haibara, you guys come too! The loser has to grant the winner a request!"

Ai Haibara smiled slightly: "Alright, but I'll bet on Nuwa-kun winning, since I've always trusted him."

She looked at the warm water with the gentle gaze of a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Both Ran and Sonoko Suzuki had expressions on their faces that said, "This woman is really high-level."

Although Ran thought the same way, saying she believed in Wen Shui at this point wouldn't have the same effect as Ai Haibara; it would just feel like she was just following the crowd.

Ugh! Why does she always beat me to it?

Xiaolan once again exuded a strong aura of a defeated dog.

Ran didn't want to become Ai Haibara's subordinate, so she chose to stand on the same side as Sonoko Suzuki, betting that Wen Shui wouldn't be shortlisted for the novel competition.

Thus, apart from Ai Haibara, everyone thought that Nuwa had no chance of making the cut.

The loser has to grant the winner one request.

Then Wen Shui ran to the advertising billboard and wrote down the submission address and requirements.

Then he was surprised to find that Chikako Ikeda had been specially invited as a judge for the competition. However, when Wenshui looked at the competition date, he found that it was after the Bandaged Man incident.

If nothing unexpected happens during her villa trip next weekend, Chikako Ikeda will probably be unable to participate in the judging of this mystery novel competition.

After saying goodbye to Teacher Heizuka, Wenshui took the girls to the Beika Shopping Street to buy lunch.

Sonoko Suzuki bought a high-calorie cheese milk cake and also ordered a serving of fried chicken. After all, she is usually very energetic and doesn't have to worry about gaining weight.

Ran bought a Japanese rice ball set meal and also ordered an extra papaya milk, seemingly feeling threatened by Ai Haibara.

As before, Ai Haibara chose a tiny portion of vegetable salad. Looking at the meager few pieces of chicken breast in the box, Wen Shui was a little worried about "Usagi-chan's" nutritional needs.

When we arrived near Wen Shui's apartment building, it was just past noon.

The weather in June was still very hot. The midday sun shone directly on the road, and it felt like a steam room.

Because of the extreme heat, the streets nearby were deserted, and even the stray cats had sought refuge from the heat.

Sonoko Suzuki held her bento box above her head, sticking out her tongue like a puppy: "It's so hot, I feel like I'm going to melt in the sun."

"You should pay more attention to your image! What kind of girl behaves like that in public?" Xiaolan scolded. "Besides, you bought a cake, right? Won't it melt quickly if you hold it like that?"

"Oh no! I almost forgot about this." Sonoko Suzuki quickly took the plastic bag containing the bento box off her head and then stuck out her tongue.

"You're just like my dad, always sticking your tongue out when you get excited." Xiaolan said, speechless.