Chapter 133 The Poisonous Mutant Iris

"And what about Ms. Sakuragi and Mr. Amuro?" Sonoko Suzuki's curious gaze shifted between the two, clearly intrigued by this seemingly interesting pair. "Which painting do you like best?"

Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei exchanged a glance, a knowing smile flickering in their emerald and greyish-purple eyes. Okitori-san's red lips parted slightly, her voice soft and melodious, carrying a strange certainty:

“As for me and Amuro,” she paused, turning her gaze to the blond, dark-skinned man beside her, a faint yet captivating smile curving her lips, “we both love the same painting.”

"Oh?" Subaru Okiya's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. Teru Akashi also raised his eyes.

Meanwhile, Sonoko Suzuki was captivated by Sakura Nekono's voice.

Ms. Sakura's voice is clear, resilient, and has a unique rhythm.

Clear and refreshing like a spring, supple and resilient like silk. Her underlying tone is like a plump, round dewdrop. When she slows down her speech or lowers her voice, it brings out a subtle and magnetic rustling quality, as if the finest silk is gently rubbed together, effortlessly stirring the heartstrings of others.

When she speaks, there are always subtle pauses and nuanced transitions that are hard to pinpoint, not pausing, but rather as graceful and composed as a feline pacing.

Her voice sometimes trailed off slightly or rose in pitch, carrying a languid, cat-like tenderness that perfectly complemented the allure of her emerald green eyes.

This rhythm gives every word she speaks a unique cadence and charm, making it very catchy.

Sure enough, even a beautiful woman's voice is beautiful, and Sonoko Suzuki's eyes sparkled.

"But you like the same painting?" Sonoko Suzuki smiled meaningfully. "Oh dear, you like the same painting."

Amuro Tooru spoke at the opportune moment, his voice slightly lower than usual, carrying a sense of solemnity that had settled in, his purplish-gray eyes appearing deep under the soft lighting of the exhibition hall: "It is 'Summer Manuscript'."

At that very moment, as if by fate, they passed through the archway connecting the exhibition areas and entered the main exhibition hall, which was the most central and spacious part of the entire exhibition.

The sounds of conversation and footsteps that had been filling the surrounding area seemed to subside, and the sudden change in light and spatial perception brought about an almost ritualistic solemnity.

Everyone's eyes involuntarily followed Amuro Tooru's gaze forward.

Then--

Breathing seemed to be gently yet firmly taken away in that instant.

The dome of the exhibition hall is higher here, and the light is more concentrated, like a spotlight on a stage, gently and attentively enveloping the painting that hangs quietly on the main wall and occupies almost the entire field of vision.

The painting's title is engraved below: "Summer Manuscript".

The main element of the image is light.

It was a dazzling, pure, golden light, as if poured directly from a furnace of heaven.

It is neither the gentle dawn nor the languid afternoon, but the sun itself at its zenith in the height of summer, unreservedly shining with scorching heat.

The layers of oil paint piled up to create a texture that almost seems to be burning; standing in front of the painting, one can almost feel the surging vitality of it.

That's right, it's vitality.

Beneath this dazzling, burning gold lies an endless sea of ​​blue-purple irises.

It's described as bluish-purple, but it's not a bright, vibrant purple; the hue is imbued with gray. Such a color, if left alone, often carries an air of coldness and melancholy. However, in this painting, under the overwhelming embrace of the dazzling sunlight, this sea of ​​flowers, which should be melancholic, radiates an unusual brightness.

Its colors even give the impression of being very gentle.

A dazzling brightness unfolds calmly and gently, somewhat like... somewhat like Amuro Tooru's eyes.

The color of the sunlight was like his golden hair.

Conan looked at Amuro Tooru standing quietly in front of the painting and quietly had an inspiration.

The inspiration failed due to a lack of prior context.

But this association remained deep within my mind.

Ran Mouri held her breath slightly, her eyes reflecting the shocking scene.

Sonoko Suzuki opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only let out a surprised "Wow...".

Subaru Okiya opened his squinty eyes a crack, and a sharp green light flashed and disappeared.

His gaze was fixed on Amuro Tooru's profile, observing the emotion in his eyes as he stared at the painting.

It seems that Bourbon was not entirely unmoved.

Then, his gaze slowly shifted to Nekono Sakura. She looked at the painting, her emerald eyes like two clear springs, clearly reflecting the brilliant gold and bright purple.

His gaze was focused and absorbed, reflecting the appreciation and enthusiasm of an art lover upon seeing a masterpiece.

However, that would make Bourbon's behavior seem even worse.

He did this in front of a painting that held special meaning for Samuel, and also used Miss Oakuri's appreciation of Samuel and the painting to win her favor.

Bourbon, heartless and shameless.

At this moment, the clueless young detective suddenly became a little confused.

He murmured, "But...something's strange."

"Hmm? Conan, what's strange?" Ran Mouri looked down at him.

Huh, someone heard us?

Conan looked up at the painting, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

"I remember reading in the book that irises mostly bloom in spring, or late spring to early summer. Why is this painting called 'Summer Manuscript'? By midsummer, the irises should have almost all faded, right?"

He was simply confused by the plant's habits and the logic behind the naming of the paintings.

"Oh dear, Conan, you just don't understand!" Sonoko Suzuki immediately snapped out of her reverie, hands on her hips, and said in a lively tone that said, "You little brat, you don't understand what artistic romance is!" "This is called artistic embellishment. 'Summer' sounds more impactful than 'Late Spring.' 'Late Spring Manuscript'... Pfft, it suddenly feels so bland!"

Sera Masumi stroked her chin and explained, "Although most irises bloom in late spring, there are many horticultural varieties! Some late-blooming varieties or those that bloom again under suitable conditions will also bloom. It's not unusual to see a few scattered ones in the height of summer. Of course, it's rare to see such a large patch of them in a painting."

At this moment, Ms. Sakura, who had been intently gazing at the painting, spoke softly.

Mentioning her idol, her expression became noticeably more lively, a soft light shimmering in her emerald cat-like eyes, and a slight smile playing on her lips: "Because... this is a painting Samuel painted for his lover, isn't it?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the shimmering gold, as if she could see through the canvas to the story behind it: "It is said that they met in the height of summer."

"Conan is still just a child." She withdrew her gaze, tilted her head slightly to look at Conan, and her emerald green cat eyes held a hint of mature adult amusement, as if to say, "You'll understand when you grow up."

"Are you there? Why are you calling me out?" The innocent, shrunken little detective puffed up his cheeks in annoyance.

He's not a child!

Akashi Teru patted his head reassuringly.

Silly child, it's because you mentioned his painting.

"Huh?! Really?!" Sonoko Suzuki and Ran Mouri exclaimed in unison.

Subaru Okiya sighed softly, his eyes behind his glasses still curving into a gentle arc, but his words carried a hint of regret: "Yes, it was indeed a beautiful story. It's a pity that Mr. Samuel passed away unexpectedly not long after."

"Huh?!" "Ah...is that so?" "Wow, that's so sudden..." The girls made sounds of realization mixed with sighs.

Amuro Tooru's smile remained unchanged.

Subaru Okiya pushed up his glasses.

We met in the height of summer, but unfortunately, most irises don't actually bloom in the height of summer, so this ill-fated relationship could only wither away in the end.

A mutated iris containing poison.

Suddenly, Amuro Tooru's phone vibrated very slightly in his pocket. He took it out naturally, glanced at the screen, frowned slightly, and gave everyone a smile that was a mixture of apology and helplessness.

"Ah, this is really..." Amuro Tooru sighed softly, "Excuse me, it's a call from a client of the detective agency." He waved his phone and said to Ms. Okumori, "The client may have something urgent to attend to, I have to go answer it."

He bowed slightly: "I'll go find a quiet place to make a call, I'll be right back. Please continue enjoying the show."

Miss Sakuragi nodded understandingly, "Please go ahead." Nekono Ikuya glanced discreetly at the person who had just disappeared around the corner.

Conan didn't take it seriously.

Not long after, Subaru Okiya also parted ways with them. He was pursuing his master's degree at Toto University and was currently researching the chemical stability of modern painting materials.

He went off to study the pigments Samuel used.

Conan: "?!!"

He looked up at Akashi Teru and saw that Akashi Teru was gazing thoughtfully in the direction where Okiya Subaru had disappeared.

Conan became alert.

Wait, it's just a guess that Akashi-nii came to investigate the organization. But after observing carefully, it seems that Akashi-nii is more interested in Mr. Okiya.

Could this be another instance of the two of them testing each other?

The young detective felt a moment of guilt.

Akashi Teru glanced down at Conan.

Conan decides to be a good boy.

“Akashi-nii,” he tugged at Akashi Teru’s sleeve and said in a voice that everyone else could hear, “I’m a little thirsty.”

Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled gently and looked at Nekono Ikuya: "Okay, I'll go buy some water. Okumori-san, could you please look after Conan for me?"

He handed Conan over to Ikuya's supervision and went to track down Subaru Okiya.

Conan: "..."

Conan: "?!"

Weren't you planning to bring him?

After all, he was her brother's adopted child, so Miss Sakuragi readily agreed: "Okay, I'll take care of Conan."

Nekono Ikuya stopped Conan, then naturally turned to Ran Mouri and the others, diverting their attention from the departure of the others: "By the way, speaking of Samuel's use of color, there's a painting over there that I think really illustrates it..."

Conan: Trying to sneak away.

Nekono: Stopped it with ease.

Conan: A listless little corgi.jpg

Nekono: Blue-eyed cat with a smug smile.jpg

Just as Nekono Ikuya and Conan were playing the "No Leaving" game, a short, terrified scream suddenly came from the rest area on the west side of the exhibition hall!

"ah--!!!"

The sound was filled with fear, instantly shattering the gallery's previously relaxed and tranquil atmosphere.

"What's that sound?!" "It sounds like it's coming from over there!" Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki's expressions changed.

Sera Masumi reacted the fastest, her eyes sharpening as she rushed towards the source of the sound: "Let's go check it out!"

Conan, with his detective radar activated, didn't hesitate to take off and follow.

Nekono Ikumi lifted the hem of her ankle-length skirt and pondered for a moment before quickly following after her, her posture still elegant.

Nekono Fumiya: Hehe, a little long dress is no problem for me!