Chapter 217, Seventy-Third Cycle (47)

[Sakura: Rum's storyline has been completely replaced by Scotland, thus laying the foundation for changes to the timeline beforehand, so there's no need to worry about not being able to modify the original plot.]

[Sakura: Without affecting Conan's role as the main character, the plot can be explored more boldly in the future, and the constraints won't be as strong as before.]

[Sakura: However, we probably can't avoid the classic lines and iconic scenes from the "game," so as we agreed beforehand, we can just act them out according to our own rhythm beforehand.]

[Sakura: The core of the plan lies in the upcoming plot developments in Scotland.]

[Sakura: In the subsequent plot, besides the most important core characters, even characters with fixed roles can be changed.]

*

"Mr. Amuro, do you know that the sushi restaurant next door has a new chef? I heard he's a really good wandering chef!"

Taking advantage of the few people around, Conan Edogawa pulled Tooru Amuro aside for a chat to gather information.

"Oh? Is this Iroha Sushi Restaurant? I have indeed heard of it. It is said that its sushi is very delicious. Several guests who came to Poirot these past few days have also said so, but I haven't tried it yet."

After Amuro Tooru sat down next to him, Haneda Hideyoshi's originally casual gaze became serious, and he observed Amuro Tooru with subtle movements that would be very obvious to a detective and a police officer.

Amuro Tooru gave Edogawa Conan a questioning look.

Conan Edogawa gave an awkward laugh, then turned his head and mouthed, "Girlfriend."

The blond youth immediately looked enlightened, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness.

It's clear that this kind of situation, where people observe him because of his girlfriend's praise, is not uncommon.

Conan Edogawa hadn't expected Hideyoshi Haneda's actions to be so obvious. He seemed to be just an ordinary person who was jealous because his girlfriend had praised another man and was curiously observing him.

His words were quite normal; he simply praised the sandwich as incredibly delicious and greeted the three police officers over there, chatting briefly about Yumi Miyamoto. Yumi Miyamoto was a traffic cop who had some humorous interactions with Kenji Hagiwara, who often drove recklessly. In addition, she knew a great deal about what was happening in the Metropolitan Police Department. She was also familiar with Jinpei Matsuda and Wataru Date, and had complained about them to Hideyoshi Haneda a few times.

However, this was the first time the three police officers had met Hideyoshi Haneda; they had only heard of him as Yumi Miyamoto's "ex-boyfriend."

Conan Edogawa's guard suddenly twitched again.

He thought that if Scotland really had a special obsession with Bourbon, then given his terrible possessiveness, he would definitely also pay close attention to the three policemen who were now getting close to Amuro Tooru.

—But Hideyoshi Haneda has a girlfriend! He even kissed Yumi Miyamoto not long ago!!!

Hideyoshi Haneda is suspicious and really resembles Scotland, but since Hideyoshi Haneda has a girlfriend, he can't possibly be Scotland.

Conan Edogawa's mind was in turmoil as two conflicting thoughts clashed within him. He looked at Hideyoshi Haneda and then at Tooru Amuro, unable to make a decision and becoming even more confused.

One of them acted so well that he couldn't distinguish between reality and fiction, while the other acted so poorly that he wondered if he was overthinking things. In short, Conan Edogawa couldn't figure it out at all.

Haneda Hideyoshi seemed completely unaware of the undercurrents, and happily enjoyed his signature coffee and sandwich at Poirot Cafe before leaving.

Not long after, Kogoro Mouri came downstairs and called Conan Edogawa, who was still struggling with his decision, out of the door.

The rain was still falling outside, which was one of the reasons why Kogoro Mouri chose to have dinner downstairs next door.

The dark blue curtain of the Mihana Iroha Sushi restaurant sign was a little damp, but at Edogawa Conan's height, there was no need to reach out and lift it, since he couldn't touch it anyway.

"Swish—" Kogoro Mouri opened the door of the sushi restaurant.

Unlike the Poirot Cafe next door with its large Western-style glass windows, Iroha Sushi has antique-style sliding wooden doors. Once you open the door, you can see that the interior decoration also leans towards a wooden, antique style. Compared to the warm and lively Poirot Cafe, it is more tranquil and calm, much like the feeling of a rainy day.

"Welcome!"

The chef closest to the door turned around, smiled, and went to greet them.

He was a man with a great physique, tall and not thin. Conan Edogawa could tell that he was probably the type who looked slim in clothes but had a muscular build underneath, and had a strong presence. He guessed that this unfamiliar face must be the new homeless chef.

—If you want to travel the world, you need to have some strength to protect yourself.

"What would you two like to eat?"

He was dressed in a white sushi chef's uniform similar to a kimono, with fair skin, long black hair tied low behind his head, and a white chef's hat on his head.

What stands out most is his incredibly gentle and pleasant voice, which makes people want to see what he looks like.

Conan Edogawa looked up and paused for a moment when he saw his face.

The man's bangs were a bit long, even covering his eyes. In addition, he was wearing large black-rimmed glasses, making it difficult to see his eyes clearly. Judging from the half of his face that was exposed, he must be very good-looking.

But beneath this somewhat shy, timid, and melancholic appearance, he sported a mature and slightly wild stubble. A scar, extending beyond his bangs and glasses, ran across his cheek, seemingly piercing his entire eye, adding to his menacing look.

Contradictory; this person is contradictory from beginning to end.

But he does exhibit a very gentle personality, with a touch of social anxiety, timidity, and a melancholic quality that evokes sympathy.

Even when stared at directly by this child, she didn't get angry. Instead, she bent down and touched the scar under her eye, smiling and saying softly, "Sorry, did I scare you?"

Conan Edogawa smiled and shook his head: "No, I'm just a little curious, is Mr. Midorikawa's eye injured?"

He had just heard someone call him that; the person's name must be Midorikawa Hikaru.

Hikaru Midorikawa shook his head, his slightly pursed lips making him look somewhat troubled and sad: "This is an injury I sustained when I was accidentally involved in a fight with thugs abroad. Although the knife left me with a scar that went through my eyebrow and eye, at least it didn't hurt my eye. It's just that it looks a bit unsightly, and in order not to scare people, plus I'm a little afraid of attracting attention, I've been trying to cover it up as much as possible..."

“Ah, sorry…” said Conan Edogawa.

Since he had already said that, Conan Edogawa couldn't directly expose his wound by asking to see his eyes. He could only confirm from a slight gap that his eyes were a beautiful deep blue, but he couldn't see whether the corners of his eyes were upturned.

"Okay! It's decided! We'll have these sushi, I'm broke, broke." Kogoro Mori finished ordering, looking pained, and said, "And a draft beer, please!"

Conan Edogawa couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Didn't we just receive Mr. Amuro's tuition fee today? It's such a lot of money..."

Kogoro Mouri immediately glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense! I'm going to use this to buy lottery tickets later!"

Hikaru Midorikawa, who had written the menu down next to him, smiled and said, "Mr. Mori usually only orders premium sushi after he wins the horse racing lottery, right? That's what the owner said."

Kogoro Mouri then realized what was happening and turned to look at him: "Oh right, you're a newbie, right? I haven't seen you before. Are you the homeless chef the boss was bragging about?"

"Hmm, it's probably me," Midorikawa Hikaru said with a shy smile.

Kogoro Mouri asked, puzzled, "Didn't they say you were a great cook? Why were you sent to entertain the guests?"

Although the chefs are the ones who serve customers in a sushi restaurant, and usually several chefs take turns serving customers whoever is available, now that we've got such a treasure, we should probably keep him in the kitchen for the time being.

“After all, I’m a newbie, so I need to experience and observe everything.” Midorikawa Hikaru said, a blush rising on his fair cheeks, and his voice lowered considerably. “Originally… I was supposed to be helping out in the kitchen, but because the boss said… said my voice was very nice, he let me serve guests when things weren’t busy…”

There were no other customers in the store at the moment, and it was very quiet. Although his voice was getting lower and lower, Conan Edogawa and Kogoro Mouri could still hear him clearly.

"Hahaha, I see! Indeed, your voice is very pleasant to hear!" Kogoro Mouri laughed. "But we came here today specifically for you, so let us try the cooking of this world-traveling chef..."

Seeing the man so embarrassed and shy that his fingers were curled up together, and how he wished he could grab the menu to cover his face and run to the kitchen to hide, Conan Edogawa felt that he was making a big fuss.

He's probably overthinking it; that's why he assumed someone with blue eyes was from Scotland.

It's hard to imagine someone with that kind of personality being from that terrible Scotland.