Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

Sonoko Suzuki nodded in agreement, "That's right! Sherry and Sera look incredibly cool in these outfits, wouldn't anyone think they're absolutely amazing? If they were boys, I would definitely fall for them!"

“Sonoko isn’t really suited to this style of clothing; she’s better suited to a more sunny and lively style. However, her short hair is rather feminine, so she can only wear a hooded jacket to cover it up,” Sera Masumi said, stroking her chin as she carefully analyzed the three of them. “We’ve already told her about the characteristics of how boys walk and stand, and she imitated them quite well. As for the mannerisms that Sherry and I just imitated, I don’t think they were any different from boys…”

Lin Xiaofeng started the car and drove towards Shinjuku. "I didn't say it wasn't cool, nor did I say it didn't look like it."

Sonoko Suzuki asked expectantly, "Brother Feng, so you also think we have a natural talent for being handsome boys, right?"

“Yes,” Lin Xiaofeng answered affirmatively, adding, “After all, it usually looks quite flat.”

Sonoko Suzuki: "?!"

It usually looks... very flat?

Sera Masumi: "?!"

Critical hit damage!

Sherry: "?!"

Critical hit damage!

Is this the technique for offending three girls with just one sentence?

The next second, the three girls completely exploded.

Sera Masumi: "That's how I look now! I'm sure it will be different soon!"

Shirley & Lily: Doctor, "The phosphorus-colored clothes aren't as exaggerated as you say. It's just that the clothes I usually wear don't look very bright or clear!"

Sonoko Suzuki: "Yeah, Kaze-kun, that's really too much! You've seen me in a swimsuit before, and I'm not flat like a boy at all!"

Shirley: "I can wear a swimsuit and show you sometime!"

Lin Xiaofeng: "..."

Shiliang Zhenjun: "..."

She can't keep up with that... It's hard for her to prove her point by wearing a swimsuit.

Sherry's ears burned at the thought of wearing swimsuits to show Lin Xiaofeng something. Her unwilling expression instantly turned into a blank one. She glanced at Lin Xiaofeng from behind her sunglasses and said, "But then again, do we really need to wear swimsuits to prove anything to you?"

“You’re the one who suggested it,” Lin Xiaofeng retorted without changing his expression. “I never said that.”

Shirley choked, staring at Lin Xiaofeng with fiery eyes, her face turning red.

She desperately wanted Detective Lin to understand that anger, even when one is embarrassed, is still anger!

Sonoko Suzuki, however, was in a playful mood. She leaned forward and said with a smile, "Sherry doesn't really need to wear a swimsuit to prove it. Doesn't Xiaofeng sometimes stay downstairs at the Seven Detective Agency? You can just sneak a peek when Sherry goes to take a shower. If you think peeping at girls taking a shower is too much, I remember there's a frosted glass window on the bathroom door, right? Look at the shadow cast on the frosted glass, it's pretty much the same!"

Shirley: "..."

Sonoko always comes up with terrible ideas, and the great detective Hayashi can fall asleep quickly even when lying in the same bed with her; there's no way he could possibly be peeping at girls taking a bath...

Wait, she seemed to have...

Lin Xiaofeng: "..."

Speaking of frosted glass in the bathroom...

Just a few nights ago, not long after they got home, Shirley went to take a shower first. He was in the yard checking on the elderberry tree when he suddenly heard Shirley calling him from inside the house, so he went to the bathroom door.

The door actually only had a small frosted glass window in the upper part, and the lower part was fitted with a louvered ventilation panel. However, Shirley was probably standing not far behind the door at the time, and her shadow was cast on that frosted glass.

Unfortunately, he was a very privacy-conscious person. When he first started renovating his house, he not only asked the renovation company to install high-security doors, windows and locks, but also specifically asked them to pay attention to these privacy issues.

Sonoko underestimated the privacy offered by that door. Due to the design of the frosted glass itself, although you could see the shadows cast by the house from the outside, the shadows would be distorted into a jumbled mess, making it impossible to see the shadows or even distinguish them as the shadows of a person.

So, he has already encountered the situation that Sonoko described, but it makes no difference whether he encountered it or not.

Seeing Lin Xiaofeng and Shirley suddenly fall silent at the same time, Suzuki Sonoko also paused for a moment, then tentatively inquired about gossip, "Um...you two haven't actually encountered that kind of situation before, have you?"

"Huh?" Sera Masumi immediately joined the gossip group, "So, Sherry was taking a shower in the bathroom, and Detective Hayashi just happened to see her shadow outside the bathroom door?"

Shirley's expression stiffened. She turned to look at Lin Xiaofeng's profile, thankful that she was still wearing sunglasses, which could hide the embarrassment in her eyes. "I... I don't think so, right? I didn't see anything I shouldn't have seen..."

“You may not have noticed, but the interior design incorporates privacy features,” Lin Xiaofeng explained patiently as he drove, without turning to look at Shirley. “That day, you asked me in the bathroom if I could use my shampoo first. I did go outside, but although the bathroom and toilet doors have frosted glass, it’s a special design that makes the shadows reflected in the bathroom turn into gray blobs. Similarly, the shadows you see when you stand in the bathroom will also look like that.”

"Come to think of it..." Sherry recalled, "The light in the bathroom was brighter than in the hallway that day, so I didn't see your shadow through the frosted glass. But Ai was staying there temporarily. When she went to the bathroom to wash up, I couldn't see her standing on the stool brushing her teeth while I was waiting for her outside the door."

Sonoko Suzuki was a little disappointed that she didn't get to see a good show. "Brother Feng, thinking too much and preparing too perfectly in advance can also ruin the atmosphere!"

"However, wouldn't it still be embarrassing for a girl to be seen by a guy while showering?" Sera Masumi laughed. "There's nothing wrong with valuing privacy!"

612. Without Ran's supervision, Kogoro Mouri has nothing to fear.

Lin Xiaofeng had no interest in joining the girls' conversation, but he still had something to ask, "Speaking of which, isn't Xiaolan planning to go with you guys to join the fun?"

“You mean Ran? She went to see Uncle Mori,” Sonoko Suzuki answered eagerly. “Ran said that Uncle Mori has been neglecting his studies lately, doing bad things every day, and then an old lady criticized Ran for talking about Uncle Mori like that. She said that Uncle Mori has been helping her solve problems for free lately, and that although they are all trivial matters, Uncle Mori is very patient in helping her and is a very good person…”

“She felt guilty for misunderstanding Mr. Mori,” Sera Masumi continued with a smile, “so when she heard that Mr. Mori would also be going to that old woman’s house tonight, she decided to go there to wait for him and see if there was anything she could help with…”

"Of course Conan went to that old lady's house with her too!" Sonoko Suzuki said, leaning closer to the front seat and whispering mysteriously, "Hey, Xiaofeng-ge, don't you think this is strange? It's about Uncle Mori actually helping the old lady for free..."

"It is indeed quite strange," Lin Xiaofeng nodded.

Sera Masumi pondered for a moment and seriously suggested a possibility, "Could it be because Mr. Mori is a famous detective in Japan? Because he is a famous detective, everyone admires him, so they completely ignore his shortcomings and invite him to judge the case. Perhaps it is his status as a famous detective that makes everyone believe in him."

“If a teacher has shown malice towards others, even if he is a famous detective and no one dares to offend him, everyone will choose to stay far away from him instead of treating him with enthusiasm again and again,” Lin Xiaofeng said. “The reason why everyone trusts him so much must be because he has some indescribable charm that makes people believe in him.”

“That seems to make sense…” Sonoko scratched the back of her head. The word “indescribable” was quite intriguing.

……

As dusk fell, the red Lexus SC drove into an outdoor parking lot.

Sonoko Suzuki waved her hand casually, then turned to look at the buildings next to the parking lot. "This place isn't very close to Kabukicho. I thought you were going to take us there..."

Seeing that Shirley had also gotten out of the car, Lin Xiaofeng locked the car door and led the way to the building next to the parking lot. "Let's go to a more suitable place to eat."

"Why don't we go there?" Sera Masumi caught up with Lin Xiaofeng, asking questions like a persistent troublemaker, "Isn't that the most famous red-light district in Japan? You didn't change your mind at the last minute and don't want to take us there anymore, did you?"

“I think that’s a better place for shopping,” Lin Xiaofeng said. “Let’s eat first, and then I’ll take you to that street for a stroll.”

Sera Masumi didn't press the matter further and nodded eagerly, "Okay, let's eat first, and then we'll go have some fun!"

Lin Xiaofeng reminded him, "Don't underestimate the restaurant we're going to."

Ten minutes later, the four arrived at the restaurant located on the 24th floor of the building.

Two male waiters in suits led the four people through the reception hall and pushed open a heavy double door.

The dining area behind the door faces the street on two sides, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the brightly lit night scene. Luxurious circular sofas separate the dining areas, and carpets are laid on the floor, with round dining tables placed in the center.

The crystal chandeliers and decorative lights all around cast a warm glow, enveloping the room in a soft, yet not dim, light.

What's most eye-catching are the young girls dressed in maid outfits inside.

The girls had different hairstyles, some wearing maid headbands or ponytails tied with black and white ribbons. Their maid outfits were all low-cut. Some carried trays across the aisle, their long legs standing out under their short, fluffy skirts. Others sat on a circular sofa, chatting quietly with guests. Large patches of skin on their shoulders and backs looked fair and healthy under the warm light.

Sherry, Sonoko Suzuki, and Sera Masumi stared wide-eyed, their minds blank from the shock of what they saw.

"Okay, so awesome..."

Lin Xiaofeng: "..."

Is there something wrong with this kind of sentiment? Is there anything special about this?

As the four entered, a middle-aged woman in a women's business suit walked up to them with a smile. Upon reaching them, she bowed and said, "Greetings, gentlemen. I am the housekeeper of the maid restaurant. Please take good care of me!"

"Please also..." Sonoko Suzuki was still wearing that dark hooded outfit, with the hood still on her head. However, the scene in front of her was so striking that she momentarily forgot that she was dressed as a man and was about to greet him subconsciously when Sherry and Sera Masumi, who had just realized what was happening, each grabbed one of her arms tightly and stopped her.

“I’ve reserved table 901,” Lin Xiaofeng said, leading the way to the floor-to-ceiling window. “I’ll be troubling you again today, Miss Xia He.”

“It is my honor to serve you four distinguished guests,” the woman said, bowing her head and waiting for Shirley and the other two to pass by before straightening up, taking the menu from the waiter and following them. She smiled gently, “And you haven’t been here for a long time.”

Sherry, Sonoko Suzuki, and Masumi Sera stared at Lin Xiaofeng in astonishment.

(=?Д?=)

Someone here seems to know the person in charge quite well. Could it be that they come here often?

Lin Xiaofeng turned to the three shocked people and said, "I came here once before with my teacher and client. After that, when I went to the 543 Racecourse with my teacher, one of his friends won the jackpot by following my advice and invited us here once. After that, I met up with other detectives here once."

He confessed honestly that it only happened three times.

The woman quickened her pace and led the way. Hearing Lin Xiaofeng's words, she cleverly realized he didn't want the other three to misunderstand, and smiled, saying, "I'm quite surprised today. Detective Lin never really talks to the girls when he comes here, even though all the girls in the shop seem to like him. He always seems so indifferent. I thought he didn't like the atmosphere here, but I didn't expect him to bring a friend today, and a girl at that..."

Sera Masumi looked at the woman in surprise and asked, "Is it that obvious?"

Shirley was also startled, looking down at her outfit. "Where did I give myself away?"

"So all three of you are here?" The woman looked at the three of them in surprise, then smiled and looked at Suzuki Sonoko. "I noticed this lady. Her walking posture is a bit strange, like a girl deliberately imitating a boy's way of walking. It's a bit stiff. In the past, some wives would pretend to be men to sneak in here to find their husbands. I've seen many women pretending to be men, and you can tell at a glance that she's a girl trying hard to disguise herself as a boy..."

613. Maid Cafe

When they arrived at table 901 near the window, the woman stood sideways at the gap in the circular sofa, bent down and extended her hand, "Please sit down, all four of you. Actually, you don't have to do this. We welcome female customers here, but female customers generally don't come to our restaurant."

Shirley followed Lin Xiaofeng to sit on the circular sofa, and upon hearing this, she looked around at the surroundings.

A smiling maid feeding a guest, a maid bending over to place a meal, revealing her impressive figure, a maid sitting with a guest, laughing and joking softly...

Even female customers who are attracted to the same sex wouldn't come to a place where men and women are flirting everywhere. It's normal that there aren't any female customers here.

Sera Masumi and Suzuki Sonoko also looked around at their surroundings.

Looking at it again, they would still find everything here very impactful!

The woman tried to hand the menu she was holding to Lin Xiaofeng, but seeing him wave his hand, she knowingly bent down and placed the menu on the table in front of the three girls. "Ladies, please choose the maid you want first. This is our maid roster, with their photos and information. Once you've chosen one, let me know, and I'll arrange for them to come and serve you. The maid will take your order. If you need the maid to prepare some simple food on the spot, you can choose a maid who specializes in that type of dish, based on your desired meal."

The three girls huddled together, curiously flipping through the booklet.

The black-covered booklet is quite thick, presumably for easy access to photos and information cards. The pages are designed like photo albums, allowing for easy access to photos. The girl's personal information is also printed on a card before being placed into the booklet.

The first page features a cute girl dressed in a maid outfit from the store, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and a sweet smile.

The name on the personal information card is just a nickname, followed by information such as height, weight, bust, waist, and hip measurements, and then personal comments, hobbies, and areas of expertise...

"Um..." Sera Masumi also felt that she had really seen something new today. She pointed to the words at the bottom of the personal information card and looked up curiously at the woman who had brought them here, "What does this 'Support customization' mean?"

The last line of text was quite large and bold, making it hard for anyone not to notice it.

"This..." The woman smiled and leaned down beside the three of them, reaching out to turn to the last page of the booklet. "This is a specialty of our shop. Customers can choose different maid outfits and accessories for their chosen maids. Of course, they can only choose clothing and accessories provided by our shop."

The three girls looked down.

Things like big bows, long white gloves, high heels or flats are normal; it's like dressing up dolls, quite fun...

Maid outfits come in long skirts, midi skirts, and even swallowtail skirts that are short in the front and long in the back. The shortest is the kind they just saw. It seems many men choose this type; they're all perverts...

But why are there collars and fox ears in the back? This shop seems a bit shady...

"Did you three ladies come here because you're curious about our kind of establishment?" the woman suggested gently. "If so, I recommend number 5, Sayuri. Her profile is on page 5. She used to work in Kabukicho, mainly responsible for drinking and chatting with customers. She's very good at chatting with different people, including girls. Of course, she can also tell you a lot of interesting stories that happened in Kabukicho. She was originally a contender for this year's Kabukicho Hostess Ranking No. 1, but our boss poached her. Another one is Mirai, whose profile is on page 14. She used to work in maid culture establishments in Akihabara. She's worked in more than one place, such as maid cafes, maid bars, and maid restaurants, so she knows maid culture very well. She can also make coffee or some simple Western-style desserts..."

A maid who knows Kabukicho and a maid who has worked in various cultural shops in Akihabara are enough to satisfy the three girls' curiosity about these things.

Shirley's eyes lit up as she realized that this would allow her to gather a lot of information for future infidelity investigations. She turned to the others, including Lin Xiaofeng, to confirm, "Just the two of them, is that okay?"

"You guys can choose." Lin Xiaofeng didn't care; no matter how cute she was, she couldn't possibly be cuter than the girl he brought along.

"With so many lovely girls waiting to be chosen, don't you really have any ideas?" Sonoko Suzuki muttered, flipping through the booklet to look at the two girls the woman recommended, and nodded with a satisfied smile, "They look like very gentle and cute girls, let's choose these two!"

“There’s another one who’s great. Her profile is on page 16,” the woman said with a smile, leaning over. After the three girls turned to the page, she looked at the photo and said, “She has many good qualities. She’s quite good at comforting people who are feeling down. But the reason I recommend her to you three is because she’s a part-time public relations professional. Her main job is actually a wedding planner. You three probably aren’t married yet, right? If you want to know how to plan a wedding, or what the bride needs to do on her wedding day, you can ask her. You can also chat about relationship problems. She’s very popular among the girls in our shop. I think she’s the most suitable person to chat with girls.”

Sherry, Sonoko Suzuki, and Masumi Sera exchanged glances.

Sera Masumi quickly smiled and said, "I don't have any relationship troubles, nor have I thought about marriage, but I'm quite curious about what wedding planners actually do, so..."

Seeing that Sonoko Suzuki also looked expectant, Sherry smiled at the woman and said, "Then let's add her too. By the way, is it a rule here that every guest has to choose a maid?"

“There’s no such rule in the restaurant, but since we don’t employ any extra waiters, the maids are responsible for taking orders and serving food. However, the maids aren’t very professional waiters, and they can be quite slow. If one maid has to serve many customers, it would be very tiring for her and would also affect the customers’ dining experience. So, everyone assumes that each customer chooses one maid,” the woman explained. Seeing Sherry nod, she then looked at Lin Xiaofeng, “Detective Lin, do you have a maid you’d like to specify?”

Sherry and Sera Masumi cast curious and inquisitive glances at Lin Xiaofeng.

Sonoko Suzuki took immediate action, pushing the booklet toward Lin Xiaofeng with a gossipy grin, "I almost forgot... Xiaofeng-ge, you should pick one too!"

Lin Xiaofeng put the cigarette in the ashtray for the time being and reached out to block the booklet that was being pushed towards him. "You can help me choose."

In this situation, whatever he chooses will lead to dire consequences, so it's better to throw the problem back to Shirley and give her the choice.

Even if Shirley said he didn't need it, he wouldn't object.

Sherry: "...disturbing"

She had originally wanted to see what kind of girls Detective Lin preferred… wait, since Detective Lin let them choose, she could naturally ask the person in charge which girls Detective Lin had chosen in the previous three selections, in order to determine Detective Lin's preferences, or even find out if Detective Lin had any old flames here!

614. Success is the mother of success.

"Seriously, Xiaofeng-ge, you really aren't going to choose a cute girl?" Suzuki Sonoko looked speechless as she put the booklet away and flipped through it. "At least you need to tell us what kind of girl you like so we can know how to help you choose..."