Chapter 48 Chapter 48 You hurt me, Gin. ...

"Back, once?" Matsuda Jinpei slowly pondered this sentence in his mind.

The store manager lowered his eyes. He had light blond hair, large eyes, and a straight nose. When he smiled, he was a pure, sunny smile, but when he was expressionless, he looked a bit like a large, aggrieved golden retriever with its ears drooping. He said, "You have no idea how happy I was when I came back from outside that day and saw Shiyu huddled in front of my store."

That morning, the store manager came back from outside with an unshaven face and a lost look. He saw the familiar figure at the door of the store at a glance.

He stood there for a long time, almost in disbelief, not daring to move, thinking that this was just a dream he had been thinking about day and night.

It was not until he walked closer, stood in front of Mo Shiyu, and touched him with his fingers that he was sure that he was not an illusion.

Even a feather-light touch woke Mo Shiyu, who was curled up and sleeping at the door of the store. He opened his eyes and raised his head. After seeing who was in front of him, his trembling pupils slowly calmed down. "Manager."

"Time Fish..."

The store manager spoke softly, fearing that a louder voice would drive the person away.

He noticed that Mo Shiyu's hair had grown longer and was only tied loosely with a black hairband. The gray hair tail fell from one shoulder to the chest, and some hair was wet and stuck to the side of the face.

He seemed to have sweated a lot while sleeping just now, but it is already autumn and the weather has turned cold. Is he hot?

The gray-haired young man had lost a lot of weight. He responded, raised his eyes to look at the store manager, and raised his lips. His voice was hoarse and soft, "It's me... Long time no see."

The manager's breathing, which had been suppressed, was disrupted by these words.

His eyes were red with shame, and he stepped forward and hugged him tightly, "You kid... you disappeared for so long, do you think you can get rid of me with just this sentence? Where have you been?! Do you know that you scared me to death..."

By the end of his speech, the store manager's voice was almost choked with sobs, and he shut up in embarrassment.

Mo Shiyu hugged him back.

His Japanese was much better than before. He used to be at a level where he couldn't speak the same language as a duck if he had more than three grammatical grammars in a sentence, but now he had lost his accent. He said over and over again, "Yeah, I know. I know. I'm sorry."

Hearing this, Hagiwara Kenji frowned slightly, "He didn't ask for help, or hint at asking for help?"

If Xiaoshiyu found an opportunity and escaped from someone who was controlling him, shouldn't he immediately ask others for help?

The store manager shook his head. "No, he remained very calm throughout, which is why I calmed down a bit. I carefully checked him all over and didn't see any injuries."

"Apart from being a little thinner, he seemed mentally stable. I asked him if he had been hurt, but he denied it."

…

"I didn't run into any bad guys." The gray-haired young man seemed to smile. "It's mainly because I lost my phone and couldn't contact you, which is why the store manager was so worried."

"I've always wanted to come back early because I know the manager will definitely think it's getting worse. He hasn't had a single day of rest in the past five months."

The store manager said, "It's okay, I'm a sports student."

"...Manager, stop kidding yourself. You're a civil engineering major."

The store manager turned his head silently.

He knew it was a mistake to show Mo Shiyu his college diploma.

With this interruption, the atmosphere became relaxed, and the store manager's frown subconsciously relaxed.

Mo Shiyu sat in the cake shop, holding a cup of hot chocolate made by the store manager. The hot steam blurred his eyes and eyebrows, and the calico cat nestled in his arms.

The store manager felt that the person in front of him seemed to have changed a little, but he couldn't tell exactly where.

He was even more handsome now, with long and thick eyelashes, and his smoky-gray pupils were sickly yet beautiful. He looked at me deliberately towards the light, which reflected a little flame-like light, appearing soft and bright, and seemed no different from before.

"I came to Japan alone without even a suitcase. It was actually because of a quarrel and a quarrel between my family and me. Five months ago, they finally found me and brought me back to China," he explained.

"That day, I wanted to say goodbye to you in person, but they were in a hurry, so I only had time to leave a note."

There is nothing wrong with this statement. If this is the reason, it is understandable that the family is anxious and in a hurry.

The store manager nodded, then frowned again, "But you've never mentioned the quarrel between you and your family before?"

Mo Shiyu said, "Because it's too embarrassing. If I tell you, you'll definitely scold me."

"That's true." The store manager accepted it reluctantly.

He didn't realize that Mo Shiyu had been closely watching his reaction, as if he was worried about whether he believed it or not.

Mo Shiyu looked at the store manager and tightened his grip around the cat, causing the cat's tail to twitch. "I've thought a lot over the past few months, and I finally realized how naive I was before. I can't stay here so willfully anymore, and I can't let the people who love me worry about me anymore."

“…” The manager paused.

In the dessert business, every ingredient must be precisely measured to the gram, especially for those who can open a shop. Even if he looks like a blond macho man, he is actually stable at heart and observes details in detail.

He could see that what Mo Shiyu said just now was absolutely from the heart. He had made up his mind and it couldn't be more true.

"So, you are going back to your country and not coming back?" the store manager said softly.

Mo Shiyu closed his eyes and said, "Yes, Manager, don't look for me again in the future. You are too tired. Have a good sleep."

He stood up and bowed deeply, "Thank you for your care these days."

Kenji Hagiwara listened to the entire process quietly.

He and Jinpei Matsuda exchanged glances.

With the support of some of the information they had previously looked up, of course they understood it.

In this passage, someone is lying from beginning to end, but there is truth in every sentence.

At least during the months when Mo Shiyu was missing, he did not return to China with his family, unless his hometown was in Slovakia.

Something flashed through his mind, and Hagiwara Kenji repeated, "'I can't stay here any longer."

"I can never let those who love me worry about me again."

This sentence is probably directed at the store manager.

Kenji Hagiwara felt that he should understand why the child had never returned here since saying goodbye to the store manager until today.

According to the police records, the missing case was voluntarily withdrawn by the store owner five months after the report was made.

Mo Shiyu completely severed all ties with this warm place and warm people. From then on, even if he died in any corner, the store manager would no longer know and would not implicate him.

Is this really the awareness that an 18-year-old should have?

…

Kenji Hagiwara closed his eyes, his throat was terribly dry. He suddenly wondered if he and Xiao Zhenping had done something wrong by coming here.

If the store manager knew the truth, he would probably never allow himself to run the store so calmly, waiting day after day for someone who would never come back.

He would go looking for Mo Shiyu without hesitation and get caught in this vortex.

Kenji Hagiwara forced himself to look directly into the shop owner's red, sorrowful eyes and spoke with difficulty, "Thank you for your cooperation. We will continue to investigate the specific situation."

The store manager seemed stunned by these words, and his eyes suddenly sank.

Matsuda Jinpei took over, "Manager, don't worry. He's still alive and well, and he hasn't gone astray. Just keep running the shop, and don't tell anyone that we came to see you. Never."

The store manager looked at him and said, "Two years ago, other police officers said the same thing, but then there was no further talk."

"There's no evidence, no case has been filed, and he's not even a local. I've been through this before, and you police have procedures. No one wants to do something that has no reward and may even violate discipline."

He looked up at the two incredibly young officers. "Tell me, if...if he were truly in danger, would you jump through all the hoops to save him?"

Hagiwara Kenji's pupils trembled.

After a while, he promised word by word, "Yes, I will."

Jinpei Matsuda, who was standing by, thought to himself, this is a truly remarkable promise.

Only these "rebellious policemen" could make such a promise.

He closed his eyes, raised one corner of his mouth and smiled.

…

Before leaving, Hagiwara Kenji took the coffee handed to him by the store manager and suddenly looked at the wall covered with photos. "Why only this photo?"

The store manager glanced at the photo and said, "I never put pictures of him here. Some nasty people might steal them. This picture... I put it up after he left."

In the farthest corner, there is only a back figure.

Not many people would notice it, but the store manager could see it every day when he looked up.

Hagiwara Kenji closed his eyes and said, "I understand."

***

The sky suddenly brightened.

Mo Shiyu woke up, went into the bathroom, yawned, and looked in the mirror silently.

For some reason, after waking up, his right eyelid kept twitching.

Mo Shiyu tilted his head, thinking about Toru Amuro, Bourbon, Gin, and his cute vest, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he gave up and happily went out to have breakfast.

He called up the system he hadn't looked at for a long time and took a look at the panel.

Before he knew it, his points had accumulated to [730 points], and the next chance to draw lots was just around the corner.

This is much faster than the accumulation in the past two years.

Sure enough, after returning to Japan and contacting the red team, his points immediately soared, especially after he found out that there were still two anime companies that he could exploit.

However, the people who made the greatest contributions were actually the two bombers. Mo Shiyu flipped through the detailed list of favorability.

These two bombers who had a significant part in Detective Conan's history were obviously also counted as [original characters] by the system. Their favorability towards Mo Shiyu quickly rose to the full 100 before their death.

It contributed 200 points at once.

The simpler the criminal's mind, the less resistant he is to the aura surrounding him.

Mo Shiyu suddenly touched his chin. Wait, if the bomber can also be counted in the favorability calculation, then can't all the criminals in those hundreds of episodes of Conan be included in his sheepfold?

He then denied it, saying the system wouldn't have such a big loophole. It was most likely only the criminals who affected the main plot.

And even if they could all be counted, when Mo Shiyu recalled them now, he could only remember names that left a deep impression on him, such as Doctor Chengshi, Doctor Xinchu, and Pramya. He really couldn't remember the others.

Hmm? Mo Shiyu's hand, which was flipping through the favorability meter, suddenly paused.

The favorability between Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda suddenly increased yesterday.

[Hagihara Kenji: 75 (+20)]

【Jinpei Matsuda: 70 (+35)】

Added so much at once?

He even killed someone yesterday. Is that something worth increasing your favorability?

Look, Touko's favorability level isn't even 20!

Mo Shiyu was a little stiff. Something was wrong, definitely not right.

He had a feeling that his tail had been caught by the police officer.

Mo Shiyu walked into the elevator and headed towards the underground garage, struggling to suppress the urge to follow the police. He was still wearing the locator that examiners must wear, and he couldn't commit suicide.

After opening the car door and sitting in the driver's seat, Mo Shiyu was about to start the car when he suddenly stopped.

There is another breathing sound behind me!

The next second, a hand wearing a leather glove stretched out from the darkness behind him, went around his neck, fixed it with his elbow, and suddenly tightened. Mo Shiyu was forced to raise his neck, with the back of his head pressed tightly against the leather backrest. Lack of oxygen made his pale face turn slightly red.

Mo Shiyu's fingers scratched around a few times, pulled out a ballpoint pen from the locker next to him, and stabbed the person behind him with his backhand!

The person behind him grabbed his hand with his other hand in a flash. Mo Shiyu directly dislocated the thumb joint, and the ballpoint pen drew a 120-degree semicircle in his hand, and the sharp tip of the pen was directly pointed at the back of his hand.

The other party chose to retract his hand and leaned back to avoid the attack. Mo Shiyu, who escaped the chokehold, slid down the backrest, turned around and rolled over to the back seat, suppressing the person behind him with force.

The other person was stronger than him, so this was obviously not easy. The two of them rolled from the left seat to the right seat.

It's hard to imagine how people passing by felt when they saw this shaking car.

In the end, Mo Shiyu sat on him, bent his upper body, with his waist and hips swaying and rising, staring at the other's dark green eyes intently. The two were so close that their eyelashes almost touched.

Mo Shiyu smiled a little too kindly, and murmured amidst his hoarse coughs, "You hurt me, Gin."

Gin held his waist with one hand and slowly smiled.

"I wish you were half as vigilant as you are, Valentine."