Chapter 117 Xia Yu.
The sound came from deep inside the coffee shop, near the restrooms.
Although it was their first time here, Tsukino and Chiya had washed their hands in the restroom before their meal, so they knew where the restroom was.
So what's the situation now?
Tsukino and Chiya weren't particularly fond of joining in the fun. Besides, this area could be considered part of the Armed Detective Agency's territory in a sense, so he didn't want to show too much curiosity, nor did he want to get into trouble because of it.
...Although Tsukino and Chiya weren't actually as afraid of trouble as they claimed.
After all, if he were truly afraid of trouble, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to pick up Ouma Kokichi in the first place. Of course, his actions could also be explained by simple good intentions. However, if it's just good intentions combined with avoiding trouble, there are actually many other ways to prevent strangers from ending up on the streets without having to take them in.
But right now...
Tsukino and Chiya glanced discreetly at Ohma Kokichi, who was openly staring at the sound beside them, completely absorbed in the noise.
For Tsukino and Chiya, "trouble" also comes in different levels.
In the past, whether or not to avoid trouble largely depended on Tsukino and Chiya's mood. But now, faced with a trouble that was no longer considered trouble, other troubles had to give way to him.
If it's just a noise accidentally made by another customer or employee, although the sudden sound might be unexpected at first and even startle someone who is relaxed and unprepared in the store, it will soon be forgotten.
But clearly... that's not the case.
Because after the sound that initially seemed to be from slamming a door shut, there was a faint sound of two people arguing.
That doesn't sound good. Are we going to have to fight?
A staff member noticed something was wrong and went to check on the situation. However, Edogawa Ranpo and Dazai Osamu, who seemed to be quite familiar with the coffee shop manager and staff and had a good relationship with them, remained as usual and did not seem to have any intention of intervening.
Since they're all so calm, I probably don't have anything to worry about... I guess.
Sure enough, not long afterward, the sound, which sounded like two people arguing loudly, gradually weakened and eventually disappeared completely.
Then, the shop assistant who had gone to check on the situation returned first—he still had a polite smile on his face, but anyone with eyes could see the relief hidden in that smile.
Next to emerge were two strangers I'd never seen before. Their expressions weren't exactly pleasant, but they didn't seem to be on the verge of a sudden outburst of rage... If you had to put it another way, they seemed to have calmed down but were still too proud to admit it. However, it didn't seem like they were about to start another argument.
After exchanging a few dry words, the two quickly left the coffee shop together.
It seems that the noise and argument just now were indeed accidental, and that no one was deliberately causing trouble in the coffee shop downstairs from the Armed Detective Agency.
And the one who slowly walked out last was...
……Um?
"Thank you so much for earlier." The shop assistant stepped forward to thank the last person to leave. "If it weren't for your timely and successful intervention with those two customers..."
"No, it's alright." The person's voice sounded very easygoing. "It was just a small favor, and their argument was just a misunderstanding. It's great that it didn't escalate into anything serious."
Wait a minute, this person, this guy—
"It's him again," Tsukino and Chiya murmured to themselves.
"Hmm?" Ouma Kokichi had already lost interest, but he caught Chiya's voice and became curious again. "Is that person someone Kozukino knows?"
“Someone I know…” Tsukino and Chiya did not deny it, “At the coffee shop before… I mean the coffee shop where we met in Yokohama. He shared a table with me then.”
"Hey~ that's quite a coincidence."
"Hmm...it really is fate." In every sense of the word.
Edogawa Ranpo glanced at the person talking to the shop assistant, then at Tsukino and Chiya, and finally stretched his arms with satisfaction: "Alright! I'm finished eating, I'm going upstairs now."
"Then...please take care."
Tsukino and Chiya did not press Edogawa Ranpo about the pizza shop.
Firstly, although their time together was short, Tsukino and Chiya probably realized that this famous detective might not be particularly good at finding his way around, and that asking him would not yield an accurate location.
Secondly...
In fact, considering Edogawa Ranpo's earlier actions and the keyword "pizza shop," Tsukino and Chiya already had a vague idea in their minds.
Wang Ma Xiaoji was even quicker, directly voicing Qianye's vague suspicion: "Huh? Could it be Xiaozhi and the others?"
Tsukino and Qianye: "..."
Wangma Xiaoji: "Hehe, why is Tsukino looking at me like that? Ah, I know, because right now it should be a situation where 'we all have guesses but don't say them out loud', right? Actually, I don't think it's necessary. If not saying anything makes you seem impressive, then everyone can just be a riddle teller!"
“No, it’s just…” Tsukino and Chiya said, “How did you know I was thinking about the pizza shop?”
"Because evil leaders are masters at reading people's minds!"
"At this level, it's no longer speculation but mind reading."
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment~!"
"In conclusion, Ouma, you're right."
In the brief exchange, Tsukino and Chiya had already turned on their phones and skillfully found Akira's social media profile, who was a member of the Hidden God Detective Agency.
He pointed the content on his phone at Wang Ma Xiaoji.
"They are indeed at the pizza shop."
And it even thoughtfully included the address.
*******
"...So that's why you came looking for me."
Zhi silently rubbed her forehead.
Wang Ma Xiaoji nodded and said with a grin, "Because Xiaojing really didn't try to hide her whereabouts at all~"
"Huh? What? Why did the topic suddenly turn so strange!" Jing complained. "It's fine not to hide it, but don't make it sound like I did something wrong!"
"Hehe, Xiaojing reacted pretty quickly this time."
"Ugh—! You're teasing me on purpose again! That's too much!"
Wang Ma Xiaoji showed no remorse for being the older one and not bullying the child. Instead, he teased the innocent child—specifically Jing—and had a great time. This made Zhi, who was watching from the sidelines and was relatively more mature, think to herself, "This guy is still as wicked as ever after not seeing him for a while."
Unlike the lively atmosphere on Wangma Xiaoji's side, the situation on Tsukino and Chiya's side was the other extreme.
Zhi's gaze shifted to the other side.
The boy, dressed in black with black hair, raised his head, his red eyes calm to the point of being empty, staring directly at another black-haired person with a calm gaze.
A few black lines silently slid down Zhi's forehead: "What's going on here now...?"
Considering herself the only normal person among the acquaintances present... well, a hybrid of normal and monster, Zhi felt she had a long way to go.
However, those two guys who didn't say a word and just stared at each other expressionlessly, although at first glance the atmosphere seemed a bit tense, upon closer inspection... it wasn't actually that bad? There was no sense of unease or impending conflict.
After all, these two people—
Zhi thought sadly, having spent a considerable amount of time with both the older and younger people.
—They all have facial paralysis!!
On the contrary, the side that seemed to be laughing and joking was in a worse state... Jing was no match for Wangma Xiaoji at all; wasn't he already being played like a puppet?
Just as Zhi was struggling with whether to stay out of it and eat pizza first, or risk being "dealt with" by Ouma and Kokichi to help Jing out of loyalty, or help the two wooden guys who had been "…" break the deadlock, Tsukino and Chiya finally spoke up.
Tsukino and Chiya: "There's nothing I can do, I've lost."
The boy with black hair and red eyes: "Mm."
Zhi opened his mouth wide: "Were you guys originally competing?! When did you reach this agreement?!"
Tsukino and Chiya coughed softly.
Of course, this was when Ouma and Akira were both caught and teased by Ouma Kokichi... However, he was just joking with this child he was meeting for the first time, but the child actually took it seriously and has been carrying it out diligently ever since.
If things continued like this, who knows how long they would remain silent... So Tsukino and Chiya decisively admitted defeat.
"Hello."
Tsukino and Chiya bent down slightly to look at this new member of the Monster House, whose existence they had actually heard about from the Hidden God.
"Um, I'm Tsukino Kazuya. And you?"
"I am Xia Yu, a new member of the agency."
The boy, with a strangely shaped stone hanging around his neck, spoke earnestly.
"Nice to meet you, please take care of me."
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