Chapter 121 Black Sesame Dumplings! A wicked glimpse...

On Sunday morning, the sky was clear and the sun was bright but not scorching—perfect weather for a picnic. The large lawn on the east side of Central Park was already filled with people enjoying the weekend. Suzuki Sonoko chose a spot with a wide view, near a lush cherry blossom tree. Not far away was a small decorative fountain, its gently flowing water adding to the tranquil atmosphere.

People started arriving one after another before the agreed time, and everyone naturally began to divide the tasks and make arrangements.

Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki worked together to spread out the huge picnic mat they had prepared; its light-colored checkered pattern stood out against the green grass. Sera Masumi deftly opened the several food boxes they had brought, placing brightly colored vegetable salads, refreshing fresh juices, and various snacks in the center of the mat with swift and efficient movements.

On the other side, Ikuya Nekono and Teruaki Akashi were methodically setting up a folding chair and a parasol. Ikuya Nekono was in charge of securing the umbrella base, while Teruaki Akashi adjusted the angle of the umbrella canopy to ensure that the shade would just cover a corner of the picnic mat without blocking all the sunlight. The two worked together seamlessly, requiring almost no verbal communication.

Conan Edogawa was also very busy. He took several boxes of fresh-cut fruit from the car and then turned around to pick up a large basket of snacks. Like a diligent little squirrel, he carried the items to the picnic mat in trip after trip.

That overly serious little face, coupled with her small stature and childlike overalls, made her look exceptionally innocent and adorable under the sunlight.

"Conan-kun, be careful not to trip." Sera Masumi quickly steadied the basket and took it from her.

"Thank you, Sera-neechan!" Conan looked up and thanked her obediently, and together they took the snacks out of the basket and carefully arranged them neatly on the edge of the picnic mat.

He neatly arranged the snacks in his hands, but his gaze kept rising to look at the busy crowd around him, finally settling on a spot not far away—where a blond figure carrying a rather heavy-looking wooden food box was steadily walking towards him.

"Ah, Mr. Amuro!" Sonoko Suzuki spotted Tooru Amuro with her sharp eyes and waved happily. "You're here! Are your things heavy? Come over here!"

Amuro Tooru was dressed in a refreshing casual outfit today, his golden hair dancing gently in the sunlight, shimmering with a soft glow. He approached with a comforting smile, saying, "It's alright, not heavy. Everyone worked really fast, setting up the venue so well already."

He gently put down the basket, his gaze meeting that of Nekono Ikuya, who had just set up the parasol and was straightening up: "Sorry to keep you all waiting. Here are some sandwiches, rice balls, and some small cakes and cookies that I just baked this morning. I hope you like them."

His smile was bright, and his purplish-gray eyes naturally radiated a gentle warmth in the sunlight.

It seemed as if she was looking at everyone, yet it also seemed as if she was only focused on Nekono Ikuya.

A subtle ambiguity lingered in the air.

"So aloof... This guy's got a high level of skill." Conan Edogawa, who was helping to arrange the juice not far away, silently grumbled to himself.

He looked up at Nekono Ikuya again.

Nekono Ikumi met Amuro Tooru's gaze, but only glanced at him indifferently, her emerald eyes curving slightly in response. Then, she naturally turned her face away, whispering something to Akashi Teru beside her, and pointed to a connection point on the parasol. Akashi Teru nodded and bent down to examine it.

They started talking naturally.

Huh? Conan Edogawa blinked. Why did Nekono-nii's reaction seem a bit indifferent?

He doesn't buy into that?

Conan Edogawa glanced at Tooru Amuro again.

But Amuro Tooru didn't seem to mind at all, and continued to chat with everyone with a smile, taking out the snacks from the food box one by one.

Almost at the same time Amuro Tooru finished setting things up, a refined voice came from the side, hesitant in tone: "Sorry, am I late?"

Everyone turned their heads and saw a pink-haired young man with thin-rimmed glasses and a gentle, refined demeanor walking over, carrying an exquisite food box in his hand. He had a polite smile on his face; it was none other than Subaru Okiya, who had been invited by Sonoko.

“Mr. Okiya!” Ran Mouri exclaimed with some surprise.

"Oh my! Mr. Subaru, you really came!" Sonoko Suzuki waved happily. "That's wonderful! I was worried that the invitation was too sudden!"

Upon hearing that his sister and Bourbon were going to attend the picnic, Shuichi Akai immediately accepted the invitation. He adjusted his glasses and smiled impeccably.

"It's a rare treat to receive such a kind invitation from Ms. Suzuki, so I couldn't refuse. I've prepared some wagashi (Japanese sweets) and also brought some black tea that's perfect for cold brewing. If you don't mind, please have a taste."

The newly arrived pink-haired graduate student was refined and elegant, but he made Conan Edogawa's gaze slightly narrow.

Why is Mr. Akai here too? Is it a coincidence or...?

Several thoughts flashed through his mind, but he maintained a childlike expression on his face.

He decided to be careful from now on.

Subaru Okiya handed the wagashi (Japanese sweets) to Ran Mouri, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the entire room before finally lingering on Tooru Amuro for a fleeting moment.

Bourbon...who is his target? Is it his sister, Masumi? Or Nekono Ikuya?

Kiel had previously informed him that the organization seemed to be at odds with another organization, and she had been very busy with missions recently. But why did Bourbon seem so relaxed?

And then, his gaze fell on Zhen Chun, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes—he still had squinty eyes, but squinty eyes didn't prevent him from looking at people.

Isn't Masumi always with her mother? Why did she suddenly transfer to Teitan University?

Once everyone had arrived, they began to find places to sit around the picnic blankets that had been laid out.

Conan, quick-witted and agile as a child, swiftly seized the prime spot next to Ran Mouri. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, flashing an innocent smile as he prepared to speak to Ran—

"Conan-kun! Sit here!" Sera Masumi, with her characteristic cheerful smile, naturally reached out and pulled Conan closer to her, making the little boy more intimate with her. "I have a lot of questions for you!"

"Conan's name is so interesting! Does Conan like Edogawa Ranpo? What about Conan Doyle?" "I heard that Conan often encounters cases and sometimes even helps find clues. Conan is amazing!" "Conan was so quick just now! He really likes to stick close to Ran-neechan!"

Conan: "..." He watched helplessly as the opportunity to talk to Ran slipped away, his inner voice filled with tears, but he still had to force a smile to deal with this overly enthusiastic and incredibly observant Sera.

He gradually became sweating profusely from her questions, leaving him no time to think about anything else. He tried his best to brush her off with a childlike tone, but he was still struggling to keep up, so he quickly turned to Akashi Teru and the others for help. At the same time, his vigilance increased sharply; Sera-neechan was far too interested in his affairs.

He looked for help with his eyes, and unexpectedly, it was Subaru Okiya who spoke first.

“Sera-kun,” Subaru Okiya gently pushed the box of snacks toward Sera Masumi, his tone gentle yet subtly interrupting, “If you keep talking to Conan, you might miss out on some delicious food. Try this; the sandwiches Mr. Amuro prepared are excellent.”

Bourbon is still here. If Makoto asks too many questions and accidentally reveals a flaw, she might be in danger.

Sera Masumi's attention was diverted for a moment: "Ah, thank you, Mr. Okiya!"

Why do I feel a sense of familiarity with Mr. Okiya?

Almost the instant Subaru Okiya finished speaking, Teruaki Akashi's gentle voice rang out. He picked up a glass of juice and handed it to Conan very naturally: "Conan, you must be thirsty after talking so much. Here, this is your favorite orange juice."

Conan felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He quickly took the juice, gulped it down, mumbled his thanks, and started eating and drinking, using this as an excuse to avoid Sera Masumi's continued questioning.

However, his detective instincts made him suspicious: Why did Mr. Akai and Akashi help me out so quickly? They are both former Black Organization undercover agents... Could there be something wrong with Sera Masumi herself?

He couldn't help but steal another glance at the lively and cheerful, yet inexplicably intimidating, pretty girl beside him. Meanwhile, after Subaru Okiya and Teru Akashi intervened, Sera Masumi blinked, temporarily suppressing her overtly probing gaze, though her eyes still occasionally fell on Conan, carrying a thoughtful expression.

Rewinding time, just as Conan was being bombarded with Sera Masumi's curiosity, a silent war was quietly taking place on the other side of the picnic mat.

Amuro Tooru wore his impeccable smile, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the empty seat next to Nekono Ikuya. He was about to walk over and sit down in a very natural way—the weather was so nice today, the atmosphere was so relaxed, it would be perfectly reasonable to sit closer to my lover and also carry out the organization's honey trap mission, right?

However, before he could even take a step, a figure more naturally took the lead and firmly occupied the position to the left of Nekono Ikuya.

Akashi Teru seemed not to have noticed Amuro Tooru before, and simply chose a place to sit down at random. After sitting down, he looked up and was surprised to see Amuro Tooru standing next to him, who suddenly stopped moving. He then gave an innocent smile that said, "Oh, you want to sit here too?"

He smiled innocently at Amuro Tooru and considerately patted the seat next to him: "Mr. Amuro, there's still a seat here."

I feel apologetic, but I'm determined not to give up my position.

Yes, he did it on purpose.

Amuro Tooru: "..." His smile was flawless, but a hint of speechlessness flashed quickly in the depths of his purplish-gray eyes. He glanced at the spot closest to Nekono Ikuya that had been taken, and then at Akashi Teru's innocent and friendly face.

—Innocence and friendliness should be put in quotation marks!

Black sesame dumplings! Mischievous Jingguang! He must have been secretly dating Yumi before getting revenge, leaving all the work to him!

He had already seen through Jingguang.

Alright. He calmly turned to the other side of Nekono Ikuya, but before he could take a step, he saw the gentle and refined pink-haired young man sitting there with an elegant posture, holding a pot of black tea. He even poured a cup for Nekono Ikuya, and the two seemed to be exchanging polite pleasantries about the quality of the black tea.

Toru Amuro: "???"

What's going on today? Furuya Rei feels like he's being targeted.