“It is indeed quite pathetic.” Xiao Ai took a small bite of grilled fish, nodded slightly, and agreed, “It’s like a transaction.”
"Yeah, it's not much different from a transaction. You give me money, and I'll be your friend... But that's none of our business. Let's just eat grilled fish instead."
As he spoke, Guangyou reached out and turned the other grilled fish over, then took a bite of the grilled fish in his hand, savoring the aroma between his lips and teeth, and nodded in satisfaction.
“They’re all grown up, they know what they need, they just have to take responsibility for the choices they make.”
They were just expressing their feelings here; they couldn't possibly say these things to Tiantang Qinghua and the others.
How others choose to get along is their own business. As outsiders, they have no reason or obligation to say anything.
This kind of choice is common in this materialistic society, and that's precisely why a sincere relationship is so precious.
To prevent their relationship from turning sour, Xiaolan preferred to refuse Sonoko's invitation rather than borrow money from her.
As for why he didn't reject Shinichi later?
That's because of their different statuses; Sonoko is a good friend, while Shinichi is...
Everything is understood without words.
Thinking of this, Kōyū turned to look at Conan, smiled, then looked away and took a bite of the grilled fish.
He didn't think Conan would realize the hidden information.
However, although he figured it out, he wouldn't tell Conan.
Unless Conan asks him directly, let Conan figure it out on his own.
"Oh, right, Kōyū."
Not long after, Conan suddenly remembered something, swallowed the grilled fish in his mouth, looked at Kōyū, and asked with some confusion.
"If that's the case, then isn't it?"
He only asked half the question, and Kōyū had no idea what he wanted to ask. He turned his head, looked at Conan who was hesitating, and asked.
"What do you mean, isn't it?"
After hesitating for a moment, Conan frowned, opened his mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. Finally, he waved his hand and said...
"nothing."
Seeing Conan's hesitant expression, Kōyū pursed his lips.
He thought Conan was going to ask something.
So it turns out you wanted to ask about Xiaolan.
Although Conan didn't say it explicitly, his reaction already gave Kousuke the answer.
Conan is usually very decisive in his actions. Once he has an idea and feels that it is feasible, he will put it into action.
That's how it is when solving a case.
For example, when he spots a criminal, he usually follows behind them instinctively.
The most important thing is whether or not you can catch the other person; his own safety is secondary.
It's only because Conan has the protagonist's halo that he's in this situation; anyone else would have been doomed long ago.
On a side note, if Conan had been prepared beforehand, the identity of Conan would never have come to be.
That mistake at Dorobiga Park taught K. Ironhead Nan a lesson.
Conan is much better now.
Getting back to the main point, Conan wanted to ask about Ran, a fact that Mitsuyu noticed from his hesitant attitude.
Aside from the matter concerning Ran, Mitsuyu had no other knowledge of what else could make Conan hesitate like this.
Furthermore, Conan's tone of voice earlier was somewhat uncertain.
Based on their previous conversation, it's not hard to guess that Conan probably wanted to ask a question like, "Why did Ran refuse to borrow money from Sonoko, but not him?"
Actually, he had already thought of the answer to this question beforehand.
The answer is that Xiaolan's attitude towards the two is different because of their different identities.
If Ran had only considered Shinichi as a friend, the outcome would have been completely different.
"Oh, right, Conan."
Thinking of this, Kōyū suddenly paused, turned to look at Conan, and asked, "Did Ran give you the money for the ski trip later?"
"Of course I gave it to her." Conan didn't know why Mitsuyu asked the question, but he nodded and said, "Ran gave me the money after that month."
"Besides money?" Guangyou took a bite of grilled fish with a calm expression and continued to ask, "Did Xiaolan say anything else to you?"
"She didn't seem to say anything? She just said, 'Thank you, I had a lot of fun these past two days,'" Conan said, his voice trailing off.
It wasn't because he felt guilty or anything, but because he suddenly fell into memories.
Without disturbing Conan, Kōyū saw that he was still reminiscing, so he turned around and sprinkled some seasoning on the grilled fish skewers.
After sprinkling the seasonings, Guangyou placed the skewers of grilled fish in a location where the fire wasn't too intense, to prevent them from burning while still maintaining the temperature.
Grilled fish is best when it's fresh out of the oven; it loses much of its flavor when it gets cold.
"Ai, are you still eating?" Kōyū turned to Ai and asked, "How many skewers are left?"
"I'm full," Ai said, shaking her head. "You should eat more."
"Really not eating?"
Seeing Ai nod again, Kōyū didn't insist. After finishing the grilled fish in his hand in a few bites, he picked up another skewer and started eating.
This grilled fish tastes really good.
Honestly, there's no real skill involved in grilling fish.
To make delicious grilled fish, you need to focus on two aspects: the ingredients themselves and the seasonings.
The former is the foundation, while the latter serves to enhance or compensate for shortcomings.
If the ingredients aren't good, then make up for it with seasonings.
The seasonings here also include the marinade used before grilling.
Proper marinating can also add a lot of flavor.
Although the fish wasn't marinated before grilling, it still tasted great even without pre-marinating, thanks to its all-natural nature.
When he took his second bite, Conan snapped out of his reverie and said, "Actually, Ran didn't say anything to me other than that sentence."
Upon hearing this, Kōyū turned to look at Conan, eating his grilled fish and listening quietly.
"However, Ran took me to a ball game later, and I also took her to the zoo that day," Conan said, a smile spreading across his face as he recalled the game.
"That match was really exciting."
"Oh, that's right." Guangyou nodded, said a sentence, and then turned back to continue eating the grilled fish in his hand.
After taking a bite, he murmured, "Mmm...it's delicious!"
He ate with peace of mind, but Conan was puzzled after hearing what Mitsuyu had just said. What was right? What was right about what?
However, Guangyou naturally couldn't answer his questions.
Conan hadn't asked before, only saying "It's nothing." Although Mitsuyu knew the answer, he wouldn't tell Conan until Conan asked him directly.
He asked this just to confirm.
Things turned out exactly as he had anticipated.
If Ran had considered Shinichi a friend, the outcome would have been different.
Not to mention the ball game and the zoo later on, Xiaolan won't even go skiing.
Although the two didn't explicitly say it, their way of getting along already had that vibe.
...
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