Chapter 45, Chapter 44: Don't Waste a Bottle of Fine Wine

I hate distance, shadows, pain, and rain.

I want bright days.

With you.

—Camus

The memory of gunpowder smells and smoke-filled landscapes has been wiped away by the clear blue sky before my eyes, replaced by the lush greenery and indigo blue of unnamed wildflowers that I can reach as I climb the stone steps.

Of course, the most eye-catching were the two pink figures walking side by side.

After a brief exchange, the two groups of people, both of whom had come to visit and pray for blessings, naturally merged into one team.

Kogoro Mouri has been invited to participate in the follow-up investigation of the jewelry exhibition case, so the six people who came to visit today, four adults and two children, are actually all the same age in a sense.

As one of only two adults present, Kenji Hagiwara naturally shared his travel guide with the high school students, introducing many little-known facts that Heiji Hattori had never paid attention to before, and leading them inside.

The bright and sunny weather attracted many people to go out. Zhuge Tongzhi could clearly feel that since Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda, two handsome men in the pool, joined this already youthful and beautiful group, the number of passersby looking in their direction had increased significantly.

"Oh my, what a sight to behold! Which high school students are out having fun together?" She heard an auntie walking by gently cover her mouth with her hand, her voice filled with barely concealed laughter, as she turned to her companion and said.

"Judging by their height, they're not all high school students," his companion said after thinking for a moment. "Those two girls in pink must be in college now. They really are young."

No, actually, they're both serving police officers approaching thirty. Zhuge Tongzhi listened to their discussion and couldn't help but reveal a half-moon eye.

The two people in the group didn't look their age at all. Kenji Hagiwara, who was a social butterfly, quickly became friends with the young men and women. His lively and cheerful words showed no signs of the weariness that one would inevitably pick up after entering the workforce.

Because Kenji Hagiwara invaded his luggage preparation, Matsuda Jinpei's demeanor suddenly "downgraded" after changing into a bright pink outfit, transforming him from a menacing mob boss into a cool guy with a slightly arrogant air.

The relaxed and languid feeling from the trip softened his sharp features. His naturally curly black hair was draped in the golden sunlight filtering through the trees. His already stunningly handsome face, coupled with his nonchalant expression, made him breathtakingly handsome as he turned his head to talk to the person next to him.

It's just as terrifying as Kenji Hagiwara's wink.

Unfortunately, the person involved paid no attention to any of this and is now yawning excessively, completely disregarding their image.

"What an utterly wicked face, Mazda," Zhuge Tongzhi remarked sincerely, pulling his light jacket tighter around himself to protect himself from the wind as he listened intently to Hagiwara Kenji's witty and entertaining explanation of local customs.

The brightly dressed group walked through the long torii gate passage and arrived at the temizuya (purification fountain), a place in the shrine where one purifies oneself. Zhuge Tongzhi, with his sleeves rolled up, followed the others' example, using a wooden ladle to scoop water and wash both his hands. Finally, he scooped up some cool spring water to rinse his mouth.

Ran Mouri led her, along with the two elementary school students who would disappear in the blink of an eye, and walked along the approach to the main hall. After entering the main hall, one would find the place to make wishes and pray to the gods.

However, the fortune-telling and amulet-buying areas that Zhuge Tongzhi was most interested in were not outside the main hall. According to the shrine staff, this large shrine was built on a mountainside, and in order to express their piety in seeking guidance from the gods, the fortune-telling area and the place to buy amulets were located on the mountaintop.

However, Japanese amulets have increasingly developed into a kind of cultural and creative product, so if your purpose is just to buy a one-year-old decoration, there are many products available in the cultural street next to the shrine.

However, that's not what Zhuge Tongzhi wanted.

It is important to know that the divination slips in this world often contain rather fateful predictions, and the protective charms often play a truly life-saving role in times of crisis.

The planned tour itinerary naturally did not include climbing a small hill. According to the staff, although the path was not steep, it would still require some physical exertion to climb it.

The child, who had just recovered from a serious illness, still looked pale and had only walked a short distance since leaving home, yet he was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, so it was naturally not good for him to climb the mountain.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Zhuge Tongzhi walked out of the main hall, turned to look at the wooden building complex on the mountaintop, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Sigh, I was actually looking forward to the draw.

"Does Kiri-chan want to draw lots?" A light and gentle voice rang out in front of her. Zhuge Tongzhi, who was looking at the mountaintop, turned around and saw Hagiwara Kenji squatting down in front of her, smiling at her.

"Ah, I was originally planning to go." The short-haired girl waved her hand with a smile, her face pale with the typical signs of illness.

Fortunately, the weather was sunny and bright, and her rosy cheeks from exercise added a touch of color to her face, but she couldn't suppress the feeling of weakness after the fever subsided. She said softly, "But I can't climb mountains now, so I won't go."

Sensing the barely concealed disappointment in her words, Hagiwara Kenji blinked her deep purple, droopy dog-like eyes and drawled, "Eh—but Kenji-chan really wants to go there with Kiri-chan to draw lots."

Huh? Zhuge Tongzhi blinked in confusion, his dark eyes looking at the man with a troubled expression with a bewildered look, when the man suddenly slammed his fist in his hand as if he had just realized something.

"Then let Kenji carry you up!" Kenji Hagiwara gave a thumbs-up with a bright smile.

But it was a long way, and not on flat ground, but a whole stretch of stone path leading uphill. Zhuge Tongzhi was very touched by Hagiwara Kenji's suggestion and intended to politely decline.

Even if I know you're the famous comic book super-strong gorillas, carrying a six-year-old child up a mountain is no easy feat without breaking a sweat.

"No need to trouble yourself." Zhuge Tongzhi smiled and tried to wave her hand to refuse, but as soon as she raised her hand and opened her mouth, her hand was grabbed by Hagiwara Kenji.

"Alright, Kiri-chan!" The man with medium-length hair gripped her hands with great enthusiasm and said loudly, "Let's head towards the summit together!"

Wait, me!

"Shall we go to the top of the mountain?" Matsuda Jinpei walked over with a bottle of water, his pink shirt tied around his waist, revealing the white T-shirt he was wearing underneath.

He walked towards them while drinking water, and raised his eyebrows as he looked at the two people standing and squatting on the ground with their hands clasped together. "Are you two doing some kind of solemn handover?"

Completely stunned by this series of moves, Zhuge Tongzhi belatedly pulled his hands out of Hagiwara Ken's hands and frantically waved his hands to explain, "No, Officer Hagiwara said he would carry me up the mountain, but I thought it would be too tiring, so I wanted to refuse."

"Do you want to try your luck in the lottery? Or buy a charm?" Matsuda Jinpei glanced at his childhood friend who was winking at him, then looked down at the little ticking time bomb in front of him and thought for a moment before saying, "You've only just come to Japan, you haven't been exposed to these things before, have you?"

"Ah...that's true." Zhuge Tongzhi had never been exposed to these things before. Today was her first time stepping into a Japanese shrine, and the various completely different folk cultural landscapes left her both bewildered and curious.

"But I asked Conan, and there are shrines in Tokyo too... I'll wait until I'm completely cured before I draw a lot." Before she could finish speaking, the girl turned her head to the side, covered her mouth and nose, and sneezed. She then listlessly rummaged through her pocket and found a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and nose.

Before she could tidy herself up and speak again, a pair of strong hands grabbed her under the armpits and gently placed her in their arms as if she were a cotton doll. A magnetic voice came from the sudden closeness: "That's too much trouble. Such a small mountain can be climbed in ten minutes."

Unable to maintain her balance, Zhuge Tongzhi instinctively grabbed Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder. The sudden increase in her field of vision made her momentarily bewildered, but then she saw Hagiwara Kenji, who had stood up from the ground, smile at her and greet the high school students over there.

Ran Mouri, who was being pulled aside by Sonoko Suzuki to talk, turned her head and saw the girl sitting on Jinpei Matsuda's arm. She subconsciously clenched her empty palm, only to remember that she had set the two children free when she entered the main hall to pay her respects.

"Officer Matsuda, thank you for your help. Let me carry you." She walked over somewhat apologetically and reached out to take the bewildered girl from her arms.

But Kenji Hagiwara smiled and pressed her hand down, jokingly saying, "Well, let Jinpei do it, he's very strong."

"Let's go." Matsuda Jinpei decisively handed over the troublesome negotiation work to his childhood friend, casually waved his free hand behind him, and then carried the still-mentally-paralyzed Zhuge Tongzhi in one arm, heading in the direction indicated by the road sign.

Wait, wait!

The short-haired girl, finally realizing what was happening, blushed instantly. She released her grip on Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder and placed her hands on her lap, sitting upright as if on a balance beam, her body tense, silently screaming:

Matsuda-kun! I never said we were going to go up like that!

Heiji Hattori stood next to Conan, watching the girl with her back ramrod straight being carried away like a parrot. He looked down at Conan, who was browsing the news on his phone, and said, "Kudo, she seems really nervous. Is she alright?"

"It's alright." Conan snapped out of his thoughts from the series of reports about the jewelry exhibition explosion, glanced up at Zhuge Tongzhi who was sitting upright, and then looked away, answering casually, "Zhuge really likes Inspector Matsuda."

Whenever there's a bomb-related case, he expects the other party to come and participate in the mission, and he likes to follow the other party around like a little follower, but in reality, he doesn't say anything to Matsuda Jinpei.

He often went to Poirot Cafe for lunch and dinner. On a few occasions, he would run into Zhuge Tongzhi, Matsuda Jinpei, and Hagiwara Kenji at the same time. The girl would just silently bury herself in her food and occasionally look up at the twin stars of the virginity-breaking group with sparkling eyes.

Maybe now that we're actually in close proximity, I'm starting to feel embarrassed.

"Don't worry." Conan scrolled through the news pages on his phone, pressing the keys on the keypad. Before he finished turning a page, he heard Kazuha Toyama ask in confusion, "Heiji, were you just talking about Kudo?"

Kazuha Toyama's voice was at a normal volume. Ran Mouri, who was not far away, turned around upon hearing this and looked at Heiji Hattori, whose expression had changed, with a puzzled expression. She asked, "Are you talking about Shinichi? Is he here too?"

Hey! Hattori!

Conan's finger slammed down on the phone's buttons. He turned around and looked at Hattori Heiji, who was looking flustered and scratching his head with an awkward laugh. A violent tremor erupted in his blue eyes behind his glasses.

Don't call me Kudo!

"Hahaha, Kazuha, you misheard!" Hattori Heiji racked his brains to make amends, ruffling Conan's hair and awkwardly laughing, "I said 'nagging'! (Note: 'Nagging' sounds like 'Kudo')"

"Because Conan keeps talking to me about Kid's case, right?"

Heiji Hattori managed to salvage the situation, while Conan, his subordinate, began nodding frantically, saying in a sweet voice, "I'm so curious about what happened on the rooftop! That's why I kept pestering Heiji-nii to ask!"

"Hahaha, that's it." Hattori Heiji said, waving his hand, trying his best to distance himself from his childhood friend's speechless expression: "Kazuha, you really have a vivid imagination. How could I possibly mention Kudo?"

"It's all because of someone who keeps mentioning 'Kudo' lately." Kazuha Toyama pouted, mercilessly exposing Heiji Hattori's behavior these past few days, and complained, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you've fallen for him."

"How is that possible!"

The Kansai dialect and the child's voice rang out at the same time, carrying the exact same affirmation and negation.

Hattori Heiji and Conan, who spoke at the same time, exchanged a glance, scratched their heads and chuckled awkwardly, explaining the reasons all at once.

Ran Mouri glanced at the two excited people, suppressed her doubts, and followed Kenji Hagiwara, who was waving at them, pulled by Sonoko Suzuki. She turned and waved to Kazuha Toyama.

Watching the three girls leave together, Hattori Heiji and Conan, who were lagging behind, breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, and followed the group with unsteady steps.

The elementary school student, whose heart was pounding wildly for a few minutes, gripped his phone tightly, a tic-tac-toe mark popping out on his forehead. He started attacking Hattori Heiji's calves, his childish voice turning into an angry growl as he hissed, "Watch your language, you bastard!"

"Sorry, sorry, Kudo." Hattori Heiji scratched his face sheepishly, muttering, "I forgot Ran didn't know about this."

You just talked about this last night, you really are...

Conan walked along the tree-lined path, looked at the dark-skinned high school student beside him, and sighed heavily. He suddenly realized that the problem of his identity being exposed had become so serious.

"Alright, there definitely won't be a next time," Hattori Heiji promised, bending down to look at the sulking child and saying seriously, "You're Conan now, and I'll remember to call you Conan."

"Ha, you better remember that." Conan revealed his crescent-shaped eyes. Why do you sound so awkward when you say 'Conan'? Is the name too hot to pronounce?

The boy stuffed his phone, which hadn't yielded any useful information, back into his pocket. Looking at Matsuda Jinpei and Zhuge Tongzhi walking ahead, his thoughts drifted back to that night filled with firelight.

He rescued a member of the organization whose code name was Ireland.

Unfortunately, before they could get any firsthand information, the person was abducted by the police. It's unclear whether Ireland, who knows his identity, will reveal the secret. So far, a day has passed and things are calm.

Conan, whose mind was in turmoil at the thought, closed his eyes and forced himself to clear his mind.

We can only react to each situation as it arises.

…

Behind the group heading towards the mountaintop, two figures with extremely low profiles were also walking on this stone path.

The handsome, dark-skinned man with blond hair, wearing a mask, looked up at Matsuda Jinpei, who was talking to the girl on his arm, and sneered, "Looks like that curly-haired bastard has forgotten what you said."

The young man beside him chuckled upon hearing this, his blue-gray eyes, illuminated by the clear sunlight, brimming with amusement: "That's Matsuda's style."

“It’s almost certain that El went to the 25th floor because of Hagiwara. Her reasoning couldn’t convince Matsuda at all.” Morofushi Kagemitsu put his hands in his pockets and looked at Furuya Rei, who looked impatient, and said, “If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have definitely gone to ask him for the truth.”

"Ha." Furuya Rei simply scoffed in annoyance, not bothering to dwell on the topic.

He had just confirmed that Gin and Vodka had left Osaka, and now, under the guise of 'monitoring Ale's movements, he was taking a rare break to go out with his childhood friend, and was in a very good mood.

Of course, a large part of the reason is that this incident not only protected medical experts, but also captured a codenamed member of an organization.

The brain is normal, the limbs are intact, and the person is alive.

“I will personally escort Ireland back to Tokyo.” Furuya Rei whispered to his childhood friend about the follow-up plans. The exposure of his Scottish identity made it impossible for him to entrust these important matters to others, but he knew that bringing him safely back to the Public Security Bureau would not be the end of the arrangements. “However, I think he has great value in addition to intelligence.”

For example, they could lure out the undercover agent who was hiding within the public security bureau and caused Fu Jingguang to expose his identity.

“Ah, I think so too.” Morofushi Kagemitsu looked at Zhuge Tongzhi, who had a big smile on his face as if they had been talking about something, and smiled gently: “Let’s arrange treatment for Ireland tomorrow, otherwise his hand will be ruined.”

He turned his head to look at Rei Furuya, who was deep in thought, and said casually:

"Zero, don't waste a bottle of fine wine."

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Author's Note: Big update tomorrow (I'm sure of it)

Mwah