Chapter 177: A scientist whose gifts don’t explode is not a good one…
"Huh?"
Haibara Ai turned into a girl with small eyes.
Gift?
Yes, Sister Lin does have the habit of preparing gifts for people during festivals.
It is precisely because she always carefully considers other people's preferences and likes to create a sense of ritual and surprises for others that so many people like her.
But, but, it turns out that he has been stealing glances at me. Is it because he has prepared a gift for me?
Haibara Ai's face turned a little red.
She looked at Lin Xi and smiled sheepishly: "I wanted to give you a surprise, hehe... I'll take you to see it after dinner, okay?"
Take her to see it.
Huihara Ai caught the unusual words of Lin Xi.
It seems this gift... is quite substantial. Is it something that can't be easily moved? Otherwise, Sister Lin would have used the phrase "give it to you."
Her heart was unconsciously filled with anticipation.
After quickly finishing her meal, she was taken downstairs by Lin Xi.
Lin Xi covered her eyes mysteriously with her hands, and she followed Lin Xi's guidance and walked forward in the dark.
"We're here." Lin Xi's gentle voice came to my ears.
Then the hand that was resting on her eye socket was taken away, and Haibara Ai opened her eyes.
Her eyes widened.
It is difficult to describe in words the shock she felt at the moment.
What meets the eye is a deep blue.
Behind the glass that stretches from the floor to the ceiling are fish swimming with their tails swaying.
Angelfish, guppies, mollies, zebrafish, moonfish, red swordtail, tetra...
I don’t know where Lin Xi found so many varieties of fish.
Behind the fish tank, which is large enough to serve as a wall, is the sophisticated equipment that Haibara Ai is very familiar with.
A slightly lower workbench designed for child height is located near the window.
There were thick curtains on both sides of the window to block the sunlight, but a gap was left in the middle as if intentionally, and light poured out from the gap, casting a beam of light on the workbench and fish tank.
--laboratory.
A laboratory with a large fish tank and bright lights.
Ai Haibara slowly approached the fish tank. As she got closer, she realized it wasn't standing there like a wall as she'd imagined. Instead, it was slightly curved, like jelly, enveloping the entire laboratory.
If you walk along the fish tank and slightly around it, you will enter the laboratory. The appearance that the laboratory is located inside the fish tank at first is just a beautiful illusion created by the transparent glass.
As for those experimental equipment - which were undoubtedly brand new - Haibara Ai knew their uses, was familiar with their operation, and also understood their prices.
They should be in a laboratory at a university or research institute, not in an apartment in Beika Town.
Did Sister Lin buy and connect the entire fourth floor?
Haibara Ai felt like laughing.
...Since the house has been renovated into this state, why doesn’t Sister Lin just buy a detached villa?
It turns out that the downstairs has been under renovation, and they are doing this...
But that’s not the point right now.
Ai Haibara looked around the laboratory and finally sat down gently on the wooden chair.
——The point is, why did Sister Lin give it to the laboratory of "Haibara Ai"?
For a seven-year-old first grader, a more appropriate gift would be a storybook, a doll, beautiful clothes, or a ticket to an amusement park.
Rather than precision instruments that cost tens of millions.
Unless Lin Xi actually knew that the little girl she brought home was once a 17-year-old scientist who knew how to use all these various experimental instruments...
"Ai-chan?"
A gentle voice sounded from above Haibara Ai's head.
Lin Xi moved quietly behind Huihara Ai, and the hem of her clothes cast a shadow on the fish tank.
Huiyuan sighed.
This voice had rang in her ears countless times in two months, calling her name.
And even earlier, five years ago, there was the same person who called her name in her ear, although the tone was different, but...
Could such a coincidence really happen again?
Light shines through the curtains into the fish tank, the fish tails sway, and the reflections of light on the desk flow like water waves.
Ai Haibara stared at the spot of light and thought, why don't you recognize me when you are obviously her?
If, if...
If she opens her mouth now and calls out that name, will Lin Xi remain silent or be honest?
"Ai-chan?"
Lin Xi felt a little nervous when he didn't get a response.
Isn't that right? Doesn't Ai like it? She went to great lengths to get these things. She almost emptied out a lab in the organization. I hope Madeira doesn't mind when she finds out... And she even went to Dr. Agasa's lab and looked at the equipment there, adding a 3D printer to the original setup...
You shouldn't dislike it, right?
When Huibara Ai turned her head, she saw Lin Xi's pitiful look.
It was as if she had taken great pains to prepare a dish and brought it to the table, but when the people eating the dish were slow to pick up their chopsticks, she felt anxious, afraid that she had messed it up.
Maybe she herself didn't realize that she was always used to showing weakness in front of Haibara Ai.
That look gave Huiyuan Ai an illusion—
——It was as if Lin Xi was the one who was afraid of being abandoned.
The thought made her nose sore.
So cunning, she thought.
Why do you have that expression?
…making her unable to bear to continue forcing her.
Even if it was because of various reasons that he had to hide it from her, or if he had to use a different identity to get rid of her——
As long as she cooperates, it's fine.
No matter what Sister Lin wanted to do, she was always unwilling to make things difficult for her.
Huihara Ai, who had already determined that Lin Xi was Punch, thought so.
She smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Sister Lin. I like this gift very much."
"Ah, yes." Lin Xi looked aside, "Actually, it seems that you are more interested in chemistry and biology, and you like to go to Dr. Agasa's laboratory, so I plan to build a laboratory on the fourth floor."
Huiyuan Ai: "Yeah."
"Actually, I've already bought this building... After all, it's one more person to live in, and I think it'll be useful elsewhere in the future. It's not good to have people constantly disturbing us, and I'm worried about unscrupulous thieves causing damage..."
Huiyuan Ai: "Yeah."
"Ah, and this fish tank. When I was decorating my lab, I always felt like it was missing something just by putting out these cold instruments. I also put in a few plants, but they didn't seem to add much to the mix, so I wanted to put in a fish tank and raise some fish..."
Huiyuan Ai: “…Yeah.”
People say that if you want to raise fish in a fish tank, you might just put up a small fish tank.
Who would make an entire wall into a fish tank?
And Sister Lin wanted to raise fish. She didn't know why she always felt that she wanted to raise sharks or crocodiles...
"From now on, you can do whatever experiments you want, hmm... But don't be like your grandfather, blowing himself up every day. The last time I visited him, his lab was still smoking..."
Haibara Ai:.
That shouldn't be the case.
It is indeed easy for people who conduct invention experiments to blow up their laboratories. A scientist who cannot cause explosions is not a good inventor.
But she studies biochemistry, and the most she could do is kill a few thousand mice with the poison, not blow up her house.
"Yeah," she replied.
"I also ordered a lot of different species of mice for you." Lin Xi said, "Well... I have to go out in a few days, so remember to move them indoors."
Huiyuan Ai raised an eyebrow: "Like Mr. Amuro, are you also going on a business trip for a few days?"
Lin Xi: "Uh, yes, no, no, he's on a business trip, I'm out for fun...bird watching!"
"I recently saw in a magazine that there's an island in Japan that's great for bird watching. I want to take some bird photos..."
It had become her habit to fool Huiyuan Ai, and Huiyuan Ai actually seemed to fall for it. She nodded and said, "I will take good care of myself during the few days you are away."
Lin Xi: ...
Ah, a sense of inexplicable guilt and shame suddenly rose in my heart...
As expected, sensible children are really pitiful.
She touched Huibara Ai's head and said, "I left a robot for you. Remember the exhibition we went to with Hiroki at Syndra Company? There was a butler robot in it, and I have the copyright to it."
"Hiroshi sent it to you. It just arrived yesterday. It contains the latest intelligent system developed by Oak Company. You can give it instructions. Not only can it help you cook when I'm not around, it can also help you complete some scientific research work."
Maybe ordinary household robots can't do this, but... this robot can be connected to the Internet.
In other words, Noah can intervene.
Then it won’t be difficult to complete the calculations and statistics.
"and……"
After a pause, she said, "I also gave one to Dr. Agasa."
Huiyuan Ai: ...
She secretly glanced at the pure white robot standing not far away - it had a round appearance, the shell looked to be made of ceramic, the design was very cute, and there was a circle of display screen on its head. If Haibara Ai remembered correctly, this robot also had a projection function.
But, give it to Dr. Agasa?
The look in Haibara Ai's eyes when she looked at it became subtle.
Having lived with Punch for so long, Haibara Ai knew very well how strong Punch's desire for control was.
This little robot might even have the functions of monitoring and eavesdropping.
"...It's pretty good." she said.
If Edogawa Conan went to Professor Agasa to discuss something that shouldn't be said, Sister Lin would definitely hear it clearly.
Lin Xi touched Huibara Ai's head again, but when she tried to pull her hand back, the child grabbed her hand.
Ai Huibara held the white hand, put it against her face, and raised her head.
"Come back soon, Sister Lin."
She said.
...Many years ago, she used the same posture to say the same words to Lin Xi.
Lin Xi looked stunned and nodded.
.
…
The next day.
Lin Xi yawned and appeared at the door of Amuro Toru's Detective Agency.
She was wearing a beige coat with a light green white-collared miniskirt underneath. The hem of the coat was slightly longer than the hem of the skirt, revealing her slender legs and light khaki short boots.
She knocked on the glass door: "Is anyone there?"
It was very quiet inside the door, without any movement.
The "Temporarily Closed" sign hanging at the door seemed to remind visitors that the owner of the detective agency was not inside.
However, the girl was not in a hurry and stood in front of the glass door waiting quietly.
The glass door reflected her red curly hair and emerald green eyes like gemstones.
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