Detective Conan: Developing a younger version of Ran Eri, and the stunning Yukiko.

Shiraishi responded and got into the car.

The interior of the car resembled a small business space, and besides Tomoko Suzuki, three girls—Sonoko, Ran, and Masumi—were also there.

“Every time I ride in such a luxurious car, I have a different feeling.” Shiraishi used to think that luxury cars were nothing special, but now he realizes that luxury cars are just comfortable and much better than ordinary cars. Poverty had limited his imagination.

"Everyone's here! Where are we headed?"

Shiraishi Hara felt that he had a deep connection with these mothers and daughters.

The five people in the car started chatting. It turned out that Sonoko's mother had specially taken them to the home of a Japanese tea master to taste tea, increase their knowledge of tea art, and improve their refinement.

……

Mount Seimei is a well-known mountain in Japan, mainly because it is famous for its tea trees. Through Tomoko Suzuki's introduction, everyone learned that the entire tea mountain belongs to Ryozo Aonoki, and has been passed down through generations of tea ceremony masters.

According to the rules, even if someone is the son of a tea ceremony master, they are not qualified to inherit the mountain unless they become a tea ceremony master themselves. Instead, only the next generation of tea ceremony masters, even if they are not related to the previous generation by blood, are eligible to inherit it.

"Is the tea party being held on this mountain?" Shiraishi asked.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Tomoko Suzuki asked, puzzled.

"No, it's nothing." Shiraishi said this, but in his heart he felt that the situation was not quite the same as what he remembered.

When they reached a section of mountain road, the car could not pass and had to stop, so everyone got out and walked.

The driver will drive back and pick everyone up at the agreed time.

The Suzuki mother and daughter were familiar with the area and led the way. The group followed the pebbly path into the mountains.

Nestled in the mountains is a small mountain village, surrounded by tea trees. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the environment is beautiful and much more comfortable than the city where I usually live.

The group entered the main house of the villa, where several people were already waiting.

"Teacher," Tomoko Suzuki called softly.

"Oh? Mrs. Suzuki, you've arrived!" An elderly man, who was kneeling at a low table talking with a man and a woman, rose with delight upon hearing the voices and warmly greeted them. This man was none other than the tea ceremony master, Aonoki Ryozo. Seeing the group, he asked, "Mrs. Suzuki, why have you brought so many children today? Please, have a seat."

"Yes. I brought them here specifically to learn about tea ceremony and broaden their horizons."

"Hahaha... No problem, no problem..."

Next, Tomoko Suzuki introduced the identities of the people present to the four young people.

"Let me introduce you. This is my teacher, Aonoki Ryozo, a famous master of the tea ceremony."

This is the teacher's eldest apprentice, Morio Yagura, an antique dealer.

This is the teacher's second apprentice, Yukari Mimura, who owns a large company.

Aonoki Ryozo is an elderly man with white hair, possessing a dignified and otherworldly air.

Morio Yagura is an overweight, bald man.

Yukari Mimura is an elegant woman of similar age to Tomoko Suzuki.

Then, Tomoko Suzuki introduced the nanny who was pouring tea.

"This is Yoshiko Hanasaki, the nanny who takes care of the teacher's daily life. Because she has been with the teacher for many years, she also has some understanding of the tea ceremony."

The nanny said modestly, "Mrs. Suzuki, you flatter me. I only know a little bit."

Aonoki Ryozo looked at Shiraishihara: "This kid looks familiar to me."

Shiraishi scratched the back of his head: "Teacher, this should be the first time we've met, right?"

Sonoko laughed and said, "The teacher must have seen you in the media! Shiraishi-kun is a popular high school detective now."

As soon as Sonoko became a high school detective, Aonoki Ryozo instantly understood.

"Oh, I see. So you're that famous high school detective. No wonder you look familiar."

Ran exclaimed, "Shiraishi-kun is even more famous than Shinichi was back then!"

Masumi proudly exclaimed, "Master is truly amazing! Even the tea ceremony master knows you!"

However, unlike them, the master's two apprentices and the nanny changed their expressions instantly upon hearing the title "high school detective," seemingly terrified of Shiraishihara.

Sera Masumi picked up the water the nanny had poured for her, took a sip, and her expression instantly turned strange: "Huh? Why is it just plain water?" There was no tea aroma in the water, and upon closer inspection, even its color was clear and transparent.

Wasn't this supposed to be a tea party? There's not even a single tea leaf here, so it's just a water party now?

The nanny, Yoshiko Hanasaki, explained with a smile, "Young lady, you don't know this. In order not to affect your sense of smell and taste, it's best if we don't drink any other teas before the tea party begins. Drinking plain water is the most appropriate thing to do."

"I see..." Sera Masumi blinked; she was a complete novice when it came to tea ceremony.

Four children chatted amongst themselves, while the others sat around the table discussing the grandmaster's retirement, which led to the topic of succession. This was what everyone was most concerned about, as it involved the issue of the tea plantation's inheritance.

...................................

No. .

165. Tomoko Suzuki's softness, a pleasure that seeps into your bones.

Chapter 165

"Teacher, have you already made up your mind about who will succeed you as the Grandmaster of Tea Ceremony?" Suzuki Tomoko asked.

“I originally intended to pass the title of Grandmaster to Ryoichi,” Ryozo sighed softly. “Unfortunately, he has never been interested in the tea ceremony.”

Seizing the opportunity, Sonoko leaned close to Shiraishihara's ear and whispered, "Ryoichi is the master's son, and he has absolutely no interest in the tea ceremony."

Xiaolan looked puzzled and asked in a low voice, "How can someone who has no interest in tea ceremony inherit the position of tea ceremony master?" Of course, her voice was very soft, and the person opposite her could not hear her at all.

"If Ryoichi isn't interested, what should we do?" Yagura Morio pressed.

“It’s not up to him. If I want him to inherit, then he has to inherit!” Liangzang’s attitude was firm and left no room for doubt.

Upon hearing this, both Shiraishihara and Masumi's lips twitched in unison. Could they really force someone to accept something like this?

"By the way, where's Ryoichi?" Yukari Mimura asked curiously, looking around.

Liangzang replied, "Liangyi got a girlfriend and said he'd bring her over to meet me today. He just went out to pick her up, and she should be back soon."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a man and a woman appeared at the door.

"Dad, I'm back," the man at the door said to Aonoki Ryozo.

This man is Ryoichi, the son of Ryozo. The young woman beside him is his girlfriend.

The young woman had long hair and a pretty face.

Master Ryoichi's expression changed slightly upon seeing the woman. His eldest disciple, Yagura Morio, chuckled and said, "Ryoichi, when did you find a girlfriend? You managed to keep it a secret all along!"

“That’s right, you even kept it a secret from your older sister.” Female disciple Mimura Yukari also teased.

The two apprentices seemed to have a very close relationship with their teacher's son. Ryoichi was a little embarrassed by what was said and scratched his head with a sheepish smile: "You didn't ask me, did you?"

Upon hearing this, the woman lowered her head, a shy blush spreading across her face.

Only Master Liangzang's expression was exceptionally solemn: "Liangyi, is she really your girlfriend?"

"Of course, how could that be false? Dad, her name is He Lihui, she's a kindergarten teacher, and we've been dating for six months. You always say I should get married, so I brought her here today, hoping you'll approve of our marriage."

Everyone thought that Ryoichi would happily agree, after all, Ryoichi's girlfriend was quite pretty.

however……

Ryozo roared without hesitation, "No! I don't agree to this marriage!"

The man and woman were both startled, never expecting that Ryozo would disagree, and with such a firm attitude.

"Dad, why? Rie and I are truly in love!"

“A kindergarten teacher is not worthy of my son Liangzang!” Liangzang shouted, flicking his sleeves.

"What era are we living in? Marrying someone of equal social standing isn't that important anymore. Besides, being a teacher isn't a bad profession."

"If I say no, I just can't!"

Tears welled up in Rie's eyes. She turned and ran away. Ryoichi gritted his teeth, glaring angrily at his father, and chased after Rie. The room fell silent instantly; no one had expected things to turn out this way.

"This tea master doesn't seem to have much of a moral character," Masumi muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, that's fierce!" Xiaolan agreed.

“Strange… Master Ryozo I met before wasn’t like this.” Sonoko looked puzzled. The Master Ryozo she met before had a rather otherworldly and dignified appearance.

Shiraishi remained noncommittal, silently sipping the water in his cup.

"I'm sorry, everyone must have seen this." After his son and future daughter-in-law ran off, Liangzang seemed to remember that there were still guests attending the tea party that day, and he hurriedly apologized to everyone.

Sonoko's mother, Tomoko Suzuki, quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, "Kids these days all have their own opinions and are hard to manage. You should relax, teacher."

Sonoko, standing nearby, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was this person talking about her?

Master Ryozo sighed deeply, and judging from his expression, Shiraishihara felt there was something to hide.

……

In the afternoon, the tea ceremony began. However, the tea ceremony was not held at the mountain resort, but by a lake in the mountains. This lake was circular, located in the forest, and its water was clear but unfathomably deep.

Master Ryozo had prepared all the professional tea utensils, and the nanny, Yoshiko Hanasaki, was brewing tea with charcoal. Everyone sat on the wooden platform by the shore, enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains, and feeling the breeze rustling through the trees—it was incredibly pleasant.

"This scenery is so beautiful!" Xiaolan exclaimed sincerely.

"Hehe, don't be fooled by how beautiful the scenery is; this lake actually has a scary legend behind it," Sonoko said with a mischievous grin.

"A legend?" Masumi was quite interested in this.

Shiraishihara was familiar with this legend.

Legend has it that a woman's body fell into a lake and transformed into a giant snake, seeking revenge on the man who had killed her.

The story Sonoko told was the same one that Shiraishihara knew: a woman who was persecuted and drowned herself in a lake, then transformed into a snake demon to take revenge on the man who killed her.

Hearing this story, Xiaolan became frightened and instinctively hugged Shiraishihara.

Seeing this, Zhenchun glanced at it and followed suit, hugging Baishiyuan.

"Seriously? It's one thing for Xiaolan to be scared, but why are you scared too?"

"I'm your apprentice, so why can't I be afraid? Master, do you not like me?"

"..."

Shiraishihara was speechless. Was Masumi digging a hole for herself?

The tea was ready, and the nanny poured a cup for everyone. The pale green tea looked so pleasant that it put people in a good mood.

"The so-called tea ceremony is actually just like life..." Master Liangzang began, speaking about the philosophy of tea art, and he truly had the demeanor of a master.

.... . 0

Shiraishihara watched Master Ryozo speak eloquently, but his mind wasn't on it; his tea ceremony skills were already high enough that he didn't need to learn anything more. The other three female classmates, however, were captivated by the master's aura and listened attentively.

Suddenly, Shiraishihara felt a soft sensation in his lower body.

Looking down, across the openwork base of the coffee table, Suzuki Tomoko, sitting opposite, stretched out her beautiful feet clad in black stockings and gently and tenderly trod and caressed them.

When he looked up again, he saw Tomoko Suzuki looking at him with a faint smile and alluring eyes.

Rather than simply savoring the tea, Shiraishi Haruka was too afraid to breathe too loudly, carefully sensing everything so as not to let the other three female classmates notice anything amiss.

That blissful feeling, so pleasant it seeped into his very bones, was like a gentle spring rain, nourishing Shiraishihara's younger brother, leaving him with a lingering urge to speak out.

Shiraishi Hara quickly reached out and grabbed Suzuki Tomoko's ankle tightly, stopping her from continuing her teasing behavior.

Tomoko Suzuki smiled slightly, resting her chin on her hand, and said with a gentle smile, "Ohara, is Auntie making you feel uncomfortable?"

It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable, but rather that the feeling of comfort was so intense that Shiraishihara dared not show it in front of others...

"Auntie Tomoko, if you keep doing this, I really won't be able to handle it..." Shiraishi said with a bitter face.

...................................

First.

166. Counterattack, Tomoko Suzuki begs for mercy, limp and powerless.

Chapter 166

At that moment, Master Ryozo, who was eloquently discussing the philosophy of tea ceremony, glanced over in their direction and asked, "Mrs. Suzuki, is there something wrong with what I'm explaining?"

Tomoko Suzuki quickly withdrew her foot, her expression becoming serious: "Teacher, your lecture was wonderful, please continue..."