During dinner, in the short time it took to clink glasses, Uncle Mori and Tamagawa Joji had already chatted for quite a while.
During this time, Tamagawa Joji would occasionally flatter him from the side, which pleased Uncle Mori greatly, and his old face beamed like a chrysanthemum.
Most of the time, the others ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few whispered words, but no one noticed.
Dinner didn't have the commercial feel of a hotel; the portions were generous, filling, and delicious. While eating, Guangyou felt like he was visiting someone's home, rather than spending money at a hot spring resort.
This is perhaps the atmosphere that Tamagawa Castle Master wanted to create. This place doesn't have a strong commercial feel, and people can't help but feel like guests, making them more relaxed and comfortable when chatting.
Making friends and expanding your social circle here is indeed very useful. Moreover, Tamagawa Joji is very good at flattering people. He always praises others in a subtle and unintentional way, so that no one feels that he is saying nice things to flatter them in a direct way.
What's even more impressive is that Tamagawa Joji masterfully strikes a balance. He doesn't shower Mori with praise continuously, but instead offers a subtle compliment and observes Mori's reaction. If Mori understands his meaning, he stops; if not, he'll offer another compliment.
Upon hearing the praise, Uncle Mori naturally smiled happily and responded modestly with a few words.
After all, who doesn't like to hear nice things?
There was appropriate flattery, as well as some interesting anecdotes from everyday life, creating a rather lively atmosphere between Uncle Mori and Tamagawa Joji during their conversation.
A master. That's the impression Tamagawa Joji left on Kōsuke. This guy is definitely a master.
He looks to be in his forties, not much older than Uncle Mori, but in terms of social skills, he is the most powerful and skilled person he has ever seen.
Are people like this really just fans of Uncle Mori?
Kōyū had a question mark about this person in his mind. Ai told him not to overthink it, but every time he heard Tamagawa Jōji lower his status, this question would automatically pop into his mind.
"One middle-aged greasy man is infatuated with another middle-aged greasy man." Guangyou couldn't help but smack his lips. "If I hadn't seen that woman just now, I would have really thought he was interested in the older man."
"Maybe it's a two-way plug? That seems possible... Damn, what have I been thinking about lately? It's so dirty."
After shaking off these strange thoughts, Kōyū continued to eat, while also wondering what Tamagawa Jōji was up to.
He had previously thought that Uncle Mori's fame was only significant in Tokyo, and that in other places people would probably only know that there was a detective nicknamed "Sleeping Kogoro" who was very skilled, and that was about it.
Guangyou believes that Uncle Mori definitely has fans. He has met them before, but most of them are mystery novel enthusiasts. Most of the young people only know Uncle Mori's name and can't be called fans at all.
After all, Uncle Mori isn't a pretty girl like Yoko Okino, he can't sing well, and his looks are only slightly above average. How can someone like that be a fan?
If Uncle Mori looked like Takeshi Kaneshiro, or even like Nicholas Tse, Hu Ge, or Daniel Wu, then Kōyū would definitely have nothing to say, but Uncle Mori is not.
To be honest, Uncle Mori isn't ugly at all; he can be quite charming when he's serious. It's just that he seems a bit... (The sentence is incomplete and lacks context.)
"It doesn't seem quite right to say that about the older man," Guangyou thought for a moment, then decided not to make a comment, "although it's true."
This brings us back to the initial question: Tamagawa Joji claims to be a fan, but is he a fan of deduction?
"Some of the fans are fake." Guangyou shoveled the last bite of rice into his mouth and thought to himself, "Maybe they just want to make a friend? After all, having more friends means having more options."
"Fine, we'll deal with whatever comes our way." Kōyū put down his chopsticks and glanced at Tamagawa Chōji. "I hope you don't have any other bad intentions."
Ai had told him not to overthink it before, but this time it involved Uncle Mori, so he had to be more careful. Uncle Mori is really serious when he's serious, and quite reliable.
However, Uncle Mori gets a little carried away when he hears praise, and this flaw of his can also become his weakness.
Thinking of this, Guangyou glanced at Uncle Mori, who had just finished drinking his wine in one gulp, his smile incredibly bright.
At this moment, Ai put down her chopsticks, turned to Kousuke and said, "I'm done eating, shall we go back?"
"Let's go back to our room and rest for a while," Guangyou said with a smile. "After resting for a bit, we can go soak in the hot springs."
After Kōyū said those words, Ai got up and left the restaurant, leaving behind only the words, "I'm going back to rest."
Watching Ai's departing figure, Kōyū was a little confused. What was wrong with this girl?
Did he just say something he shouldn't have said?
"A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. Let her stay for a while." Guangyou shook his head, got up, said goodbye to the others, and left the restaurant.
After leaving the restaurant, Kōyū walked along the sidewalk, his eyes fixed on Ai's back. If it were before, he would definitely have walked up to her and walked side by side.
However, Kōyū won't do that now, mainly because after seeing Ai's reaction just now, he feels that Ai is thinking something.
Kōyū didn't dwell on this issue for too long, because he knew that sometimes you have to give the other person some personal space. So he just followed Ai slowly, looking at the scenery in the yard and such.
Back in his room, Guangyou picked up a comic book from the bookshelf and then, imitating Ge You's posture, sprawled out on the beanbag chair and started reading.
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