Chapter 144: A Bold Guess from Super Little Fish...

The little detective, who had unfortunately shrunk and could only helplessly watch from the sidelines, was still confused when a glass of orange juice with a small umbrella and a straw was suddenly handed to him.

The refreshing and beautiful black-feathered Sakuragi bowed slightly: "I've been seeing you sitting here the whole time. Here, have a glass of juice." Why is my cousin suddenly so dazed?

Conan instinctively took the juice: "Thank you, Sakura-tori-neechan."

Where did this orange juice come from?

He looked up and noticed that there were many more onlookers drawn by the handsome doubles match, as well as mobile vendors selling drinks and snacks.

Conan's beady eyes: Okay, alright.

"Bang!" "Smack!"

The tennis ball flew back and forth at high speed through the air, the sound of the impacts being struck was very frequent. This match was far more exciting than expected, keeping the onlookers completely absorbed.

In the end, after a fierce battle, Amuro Tooru and Nekono Ikuya emerged victorious.

Subaru Okiya, slightly out of breath, wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "As expected of Mr. Amuro and Mr. Nekono, their offensive was too fierce, and their teamwork was perfect. I couldn't handle it at all."

He looked at Akashi Teru with a slightly embarrassed and apologetic expression, saying, "I usually spend most of my time in the research lab, so I guess I'm not very good at sports. I'm sorry to have held you back, Mr. Akashi."

"Not at all, Mr. Okiya played very well." Akashi Teru smiled gently, his azure eyes reflecting the bright sunlight, appearing exceptionally clear and sincere. "It was my own poor form; my reactions were a beat slow, and I didn't handle a few crucial balls well."

Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei exchanged a glance.

Rei Furuya: It feels like Rae is holding back because he's worried about Rae's weak graduate student persona.

Damn it, how can someone keep their eyes squinted while playing ball?! That's too much!

Rei Furuya was a little speechless.

Nekono Ikuya: Kagemitsu didn't give it his all either.

However, he also felt a bit emotional, remarking on how good the chemistry was between Kagemitsu and Akai.

Of course, Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei each held back some things.

Nekono Ikuya thought to herself, "Let's have another fight when we don't need to hide anymore."

The second match was a vibrant women's doubles game, featuring Nekono Sakuratori & Suzuki Sonoko versus Sera Masumi & Mouri Ran.

Perhaps because most of the participants were vibrant high school girls (mature older sister Nekono Sakura: ? and the male high school student Kuroba Kaito under the guise of a girl: ? Sakura & Kaito: blending seamlessly into the girls' camp, youthful and beautiful.jpg), the atmosphere was much more relaxed and cheerful.

Sonoko Suzuki is full of fighting spirit. Although her technique is not top-notch, she runs around actively and enthusiastically, and occasionally she can hit some surprisingly good shots.

Sera Masumi and Ran Mouri's teamwork was even more solid. Sera Masumi's explosive power and keen judgment, combined with Ran Mouri's quick reflexes and superb skills, allowed them to attack and defend with ease.

Nekono Sakurato is equally captivating. Like Nekono Ikuya, she is clearly athletically gifted, moving with the lightness of a cat and reacting with lightning speed. Her swing combines power and beauty, delivering precise and varied shots.

What's even more amazing is that her playing style is strikingly similar to that of Ikuya Nekono.

Both brothers share the same flexible and varied line selection, like to use clever spin and landing point control to maneuver their opponents, and even their predictions and timing of volleys at the net are exactly the same as Nekono Ikuya's, as if their athletic ability and tactical thinking are inherited from their older brother.

Kaito Kuroba had a lot of fun, completely immersed in the character of Sakura Nekono and the enjoyment of tennis itself.

He would even occasionally imitate some of Nekono Ikuya's little habitual actions, such as tilting his head slightly after scoring a point and curving his lips into a faint, slightly smug smile.

Kaito Kuroba retorted confidently: This is to flesh out the character; what's wrong with a sister resembling her brother?

This scene, witnessed by Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei who were watching from the sidelines, made them both laugh.

Nekono Ikuya: Kaito, that guy.

Rei Furuya: Hmm, his little gestures are actually quite similar to Ikuya's.

Conan looked around and saw that the number of onlookers had not decreased but rather increased: "..."

He gave me a half-moon eye look: You guys are all obsessed with looks.

In the end, Nekono Sakura and Suzuki Sonoko won by a narrow margin.

Sonoko Suzuki: Although she has hired someone to train her, it doesn't mean her tennis skills are bad. She is a full member of the tennis club!

"Yay—!" Sonoko Suzuki jumped up excitedly, high-fiving Nekono Sakuratori beside her. Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and her eyes sparkled. "Sakuratori-san is amazing! We won!"

Nekono Sakurato also gave a light and cheerful smile, her emerald green eyes sparkling in the sunlight, and her high-five with Sonoko was light and quick, with a touch of the briskness of exercise.

"Ms. Sonoko played very well too, especially the last shot," she praised sincerely.

Sonoko Suzuki was overjoyed by the compliment, thinking that this beautiful woman was not only beautiful but also had a wonderful personality!

I wanted to hug her, but Ms. Sakuragi subtly dodged it.

Sonoko Suzuki: It's a pity I couldn't get close to Ms. Sakuragi, who has an excellent appearance, figure, and even temperament.

Kaito Kuroba inwardly wiped the sweat from his brow: Hey, hey, I'm not really a girl!

Sera Masumi wiped her sweat, a satisfied smile on her face: "That was so much fun! Sonoko, Okuri-san, you two are amazing!"

Although she lost, she showed no disappointment; instead, she became even more enthusiastic. Holding Ran's hand, her cute little fangs gleamed, "Ran, we cooperated very well too!"

"Yes!" Ran Mouri nodded with a smile.

Sonoko Suzuki waved her hand, took a breath, and smiled with a mixture of satisfaction and exhaustion: "I can't go on anymore, I need to rest, my energy is completely depleted!" She looked at everyone, "According to what we said before, the winners of our two groups should have another match? But I need to ask to be a substitute, my legs are a bit weak... Is there anyone willing to replace me?"

Sera Masumi's eyes immediately lit up, and she raised her hand, saying, "Me! I want to play again! I wasn't satisfied just now!"

No one else had any objections.

Looking at Kaito Kuroba and Masumi Sera, who had just finished a match, Nekono Yuuya chuckled and asked, "Aren't you tired? You just finished a match. That was quite a workout. Do you want to rest for a bit before playing again?"

Sera Masumi immediately straightened her back, patted her chest, and said energetically, "Not tired at all! I feel like I've just warmed up perfectly!"

Kaito Kuroba nodded, "I'm still okay." Don't underestimate the stamina of a phantom thief.

The real stamina monster, Ikuya Neko, and Rei Furuya looked at each other in bewilderment. This wasn't quite right.

Just then, Sonoko Suzuki's eyes lit up, and she suddenly had a new idea: "Hey, how about we change the game? Doubles all the time is boring, how about mixed doubles? Perfect for a man and a woman to team up!"

This perfectly resolved the current predicament.

Of course, Sonoko Suzuki, who recently got a boyfriend and is deeply in love, also has her own little thoughts.

Mr. Amuro and Ms. Okitori came to the art exhibition together before, and she felt their atmosphere was rather sweet. There's something fishy going on!

Kind-hearted Sonoko Suzuki is ready to help.

Thank you, kind Ms. Sonoko! (Sonoko Suzuki proudly stands with her hands on her hips.jpg)

Mixed doubles? That's a good suggestion, and Nekono Ikuya immediately nodded: "Sure."

Amuro Tooru naturally had no objections. He smiled and looked at Nekono Ikuya, his eyes filled with a secret expectation—it seemed interesting to be an opponent for Ikuya after so long.

Sonoko Suzuki looked at Osato Nekono expectantly.

Kaito Kuroba blinked, his gaze shifting between Ikuya Nekono and the smiling, blond-haired man with dark skin. Suddenly, he spoke in Okuori's uniquely charming voice, his tone carrying a sense of natural intimacy: "Then I'll team up with my brother."

Nekono Yuumi's eyes were full of indulgence: "Alright, then Sakura and I will be on the same team." He turned to Amuro Tooru and Sera Masumi, "Amuro, Sera-san, nice to meet you?"

Sera Masumi immediately responded with great enthusiasm: "Nice to meet you! Mr. Amuro, let's do our best too!"

Amuro Tooru smiled, his purplish-gray eyes shining brightly in the sunlight: "Of course, it's an honor to partner with Ms. Sera, and we will do our best."

"?" Sonoko Suzuki: The team formation method is different from what she thought, but it is also reasonable for the siblings to work together.

Okay, fine...

Nekono Ikuya and Nekono Okatori walked side by side to one side of the field. Both had equally outstanding appearances and similar emerald green cat eyes; one was handsome and aloof, the other was cool and charming. Standing together, they were undoubtedly a very pleasing sight.

Amuro Tooru and Sera Masumi were also ready.

A new competition has begun.

...

Subaru Okiya quietly sat down next to Conan, holding a canned coffee he had bought sometime earlier. His gaze fell on the Nekono siblings and Tooru Amuro, who were working together seamlessly and interacting naturally on the field, as if he were pondering something.

On the court, Nekono Ikuya scored with a beautiful shot, celebrating with Nekono Okatori beside her. The two smiled at each other, their bright green eyes reflecting the same brilliance. Amuro Tooru shook his head helplessly on the opposite side, then said something to Sera Masumi, and the two readjusted their positions.

Subaru Okiya watched for a while, then suddenly spoke, his voice still gentle: "Boya, you said so confidently before that Mr. Nekono has a lover, and that they have a very good relationship, right?"

Conan, who was slurping up orange juice, nodded upon hearing this, his tone certain: "Yes, absolutely. Nekono-nii admitted it himself, and..."

He recalled the "ironclad evidence" he had witnessed a few mornings ago, and his ears burned again. He quickly drank a large gulp of juice to cool down. "In short, there must be something there."

Subaru Okiya gave a soft "hmm," his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cool coffee can. His gaze swept across the court again—Toru Amuro was focused on preparing to receive a serve, while Ikuya Nekono's eyes seemed to meet his unintentionally, carrying an indescribable familiarity and tacit understanding.

Familiarity becomes more apparent when things are going head-to-head.

“Really…” Subaru Okiya seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time and was even beyond the scope of logical deduction.

"Is his lover really not Tooru Amuro?"

Super Fish abandons rational clues and makes bold guesses based solely on intuition.

"Huh?" Conan was taken aback, not expecting Subaru Okiya to ask that.

He put down his juice, a clear hesitation appearing on his small face. A hint of struggle flashed in his blue eyes as he recalled Matsuda Jinpei and Kuroba Kaito's words, the interaction between Nekono Ikuya and Akashi Teru, and the "undeniable" evidence he had seen a few days ago...

“No, it’s not him. Nekono-nii’s lover is…” Conan paused, then whispered, “I think it’s Akashi-nii.”

I was initially quite certain it was Akashi Teru, but seeing these adults interacting so strangely today, I'm suddenly not so sure anymore.

Conan sighed: Is the emotional world of adults really too complicated for high school students?

In short, since Mr. Akai has asked again, it means the answer is very important to him. Let's just give him his judgment, at least so that Mr. Akai has something to refer to.

"?!" Subaru Okiya's usually squinty eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing his dark green pupils clearly. The words of rebuttal blurted out instinctively, "Impossible."

Shuichi Akai, who has extensive dating experience, said that there was no romantic atmosphere between Ikuya Nekono and Hiromitsu Morofushi.

Conan: "..."

He gave Subaru Okiya a subtle look and slowly replied, "Oh."

"?" Subaru Okiya looked at Conan strangely. Hmm? Why isn't Conan using his own reasoning to refute this?

Conan's gaze swept over Nekono Ikuya, Nekono Okatori, Amuro Tooru, Akashi Teru, and Okiya Subaru in a complex manner.

Yes, why is that?