Chapters 87 and 88 are now yours! Reliable Akai...
I'm not sure if I'm considered a child.
But you really are a dog.
Faced with Matsuda Jinpei's obviously provocative question, Zhuge Tongzhi's response was to quickly eat the food in his mouth, then angrily grab the last piece of tamagoyaki from the plate and stuff it into his mouth, turning his head away and puffing out his cheeks.
Zhuge Tongzhi: '~'
Although this plate of tamagoyaki is supposed to be shared equally between you and Matsuda (chew chew chew), I'm going to get revenge on you by eating an extra piece of tamagoyaki (chew chew chew).
But as soon as she turned her head, she met Hagiwara Kenji's gaze again, who was propping his head up with a mischievous, cat-like grin. The half-length-haired man immediately shut down her previous excuse: "I heard that Kiri-chan's Japanese language grades are very good. You must have mastered all the titles and such!"
Zhuge Tongzhi, who was about to use the excuse of transferring schools, choked on his words.
"Being called 'kun' all the time feels so awkward." Hagiwara Kenji smiled, his eyes crinkling. His already deep, droopy dog-like eyes, combined with his feigned aggrieved tone, made him look down at Zhuge Tongzhi with double the intensity.
The black-haired girl felt she couldn't take it anymore. She swallowed the tamagoyaki in her mouth with difficulty, but under Kenji Hagiwara's "pitiful" gaze, the originally fragrant and tender tamagoyaki didn't taste so delicious anymore.
Matsuda Jinpei, standing behind him, couldn't help but let out a muffled chuckle. Full of mischief, he played along with his childhood friend's advances, teasing him lazily in his magnetic voice, "A kid your age probably wouldn't call his older brother 'kun,' would he?"
"You just called Amuro 'Nisan,' didn't you?" the curly-haired officer said, seemingly trying to compare himself to Rei Furuya. He coaxed her, "We're closer, so you can call me Onii-san."
"On-ni-san—" Matsuda Jinpei coaxed the dead-eyed girl who had turned her head in a serious tone, "Got it? Otherwise, Hagi will be sad."
Behind him, Kenji Hagiwara made a few sounds that seemed like sobs, but were actually breathless sounds containing a lot of snorting and spitting laughter. With the cooperation of the curly-haired man, he shook his head with a sad expression.
"It can't be that Amuro's place in your heart is higher than Hagi's, can it?" Just as Matsuda Jinpei was about to take the opportunity to kick Furuya Rei a few times, he was caught red-handed by the person in charge who silently walked up behind him carrying a plate of vegetables.
"Do you have any objections, Officer Matsuda?" The blond waiter smiled kindly as he placed several plates of sandwiches on the table, tucked the plates under his arm, and looked at Matsuda Jinpei with a smile. "Children are the most straightforward in their likes and dislikes. Forcing a child to change their tune is just teaching them to lie."
Matsuda Jinpei stared at Furuya Rei for three seconds, then turned to Zhuge Tongzhi and asked bluntly, "When did he teach you to lie?"
To fit the situation, and not because he genuinely meant it, Zhuge Tongzhi, who was calling Furuya Rei so affectionately, revealed a wise look in his eyes. Matsuda Jinpei, as if he had gotten the answer, raised his eyebrows and looked at Furuya Rei reproachfully.
Hey, you curly-haired bastard… Furuya Rei silently gripped his plate, his smile growing even more amiable.
Kenji Hagiwara slumped onto the table with a thud, his back twitching rhythmically and intermittently. He was either laughing hysterically or having a seizure. Based on the police officer's good lifestyle and exercise habits, Zhuge Tongzhi thought he was probably laughing so hard he was about to have a seizure.
Amidst the unspoken joyful atmosphere, Shuichi Akai, who was unwittingly excluded, glanced at the unspoken understanding among the group, looked at Hiromitsu Morofushi, who was smiling and drinking an iced Americano beside him, and took a bite of a sandwich.
The excellent FBI agent glanced at Kenji Hagiwara, who was slumped over the table, then looked at Jinpei Matsuda, who was exchanging barbs with Rei Furuya, and finally fixed his gaze on the blond man who appeared stoic but was actually incredibly relaxed.
By bringing the information to life, Shuichi Akai quickly developed a complete profile of Scottish and Bourbon's contemporaries.
Kenji Hagiwara, the star officer of the Virginity Explosion Unit. Putting aside his superb professional skills, he is a very good interpersonal person who can quickly gain the trust of others. He has high insight and is also very good at setting verbal traps and luring his targets into them.
I've been trying to get information out of him.
Shuichi Akai watched as the man with medium-length hair smiled, rubbed his forehead, and got up from the table, naturally joining in the conversation.
Moreover, despite his considerate and attentive manner, this man has an extremely high threshold for genuine connections, and he likely considers most people in his life as mere acquaintances.
He had met many people in the FBI who had extremely wide social circles but actually only a handful of friends they truly trusted. This personality trait of being outwardly warm but inwardly cold, and not relying on pleasing or conforming to others to maintain relationships, often comes from a warm and harmonious family that has experienced hardship.
The information does indeed confirm this. As for Kenji Hagiwara's childhood friend, this police officer who joined the bomb squad with his best friend and was targeted by the same bomber, almost dying one after the other.
Shuichi Akai glanced at the curly-haired police officer, whose attention was no longer on him at all.
"O-ni-san." Matsuda Jinpei propped his head up, his sunglasses slipping slightly off his nose, revealing a pair of obsidian-black and bright eyes behind them. He was still persisting in teaching Japanese.
This person is usually lazy and uninterested outside of work, let alone now that it's lunchtime after a busy morning. After lunch, they should be even more sleepy.
It's true that people are least tired when they're doing bad things.
Zhuge Tongzhi looked at Matsuda Jinpei, who still wasn't going to give up, and pondered how likely it was that if he answered "uh-huh" when Matsuda Jinpei said "Onii-san," he would get beaten up.
The dark-haired girl was starting to feel a little tempted.
Shuichi Akai finished his delicious sandwich and began to organize his thoughts.
Matsuda Jinpei is also an extremely excellent bomb disposal police officer. But compared to his childhood friend who is outwardly warm but inwardly cold, this yakuza-like police officer has a completely different personality and possesses a straightforwardness rarely seen in Japanese people.
Just now, after failing to observe anything he cared about in himself, he casually veered off the topic. However, it was clear that there was someone nearby, Kenji Hagiwara, who would maintain the conversation, so Jinpei Matsuda's casualness was supported by someone else.
The two people's standards for making friends are remarkably similar.
As for Scotland and Bourbon, Akai Shuichi knew that even with Morofushi Kagemitsu, with whom he usually got along quite well, their friendship was probably much thinner than paper.
Because they are undercover agents, that alone is enough to sever all possibility of giving one's heart.
Therefore, after Morofushi Hiromitsu gently comforted Sera Masumi, who had come to him at the station, and helped conceal her sibling relationship with Akai Shuichi, Akai Shuichi was willing to risk his life to try to save her when his Scottish identity was exposed.
Although it didn't work out, now that they're on opposing sides, they can only maintain a little trust in each other through the pull of interests and intelligence.
However, someone seemed to have simultaneously knocked on these tightly closed doors.
The pink-haired man watched as the black-haired girl, who had suddenly uttered an "hmm," had her head pressed down with a fist by Matsuda Jinpei. Next to him, Hagiwara Kenji burst into laughter, his hands trembling as he tried to rescue the girl who had been held hostage by the yakuza boss, but he seemed to be laughing so hard he couldn't stop.
Finally, it was Rei Furuya who upheld justice by serving dessert. Under the smiling gaze of Hiromitsu Morofushi, he placed the plate of macarons precisely in front of Kirito Morofushi, clearly far away from Shuichi Akai.
At least half of this action stemmed from discrimination against the FBI, but Shuichi Akai, who had been constantly targeted by Rei Furuya, remained remarkably calm.
To be honest, the other party had many complaints about me when they were still in the organization. After Scotland was exposed, the relationship between the two of them deteriorated rapidly to the point that other members of the organization would automatically keep their distance when they met.
Even if such underhanded provocations happen again and again, they won't bother a calm and stable adult.
Shuichi Akai was happy to tolerate Rei Furuya's little grumble.
However, Furuya Rei was unhappy to have Ai-hubi (a nickname for a female character) waving around in front of him.
"Speaking of which, why does Kiri-chan call Mr. Okiya Subaru-nii?" The blond waiter turned his attention to Shuichi Akai, who was drinking coffee, and laughed, "You two met once in Osaka, didn't you?"
Zhuge Tongzhi took a sip of his milk tea, wondering how he should answer this. Should he say that "昴" is actually a phonetic loan character, meaning "cat"?
"It's probably because my stewed beef suits Tong-chan's taste perfectly." The reliable adult didn't want to embarrass the child and took the initiative to speak up with a smile: "Delicious food can build a better connection than words. Isn't that what Mr. Amuro is doing?"
Shuichi Akai took the opportunity to praise the delicious food at Poirot Cafe, but the police chief was clearly not buying it and just kept smiling without saying a word.
Meanwhile, sitting next to Shuichi Akai, Hiromitsu Morofushi simply sat there gently watching his grumpy childhood friend subtly criticize the person next to him, occasionally offering a perfunctory defense as a mere formality.
Some people may be sitting very close by, but their hearts have already flown to a very, very far place.
See, gaining someone's trust and understanding is incredibly difficult. The pink-haired man, constantly under attack, thought this, which only fueled his growing interest in Zhuge Tongzhi and Elju.
Kenji Hagiwara, however, found a new perspective in the conversation, restarting the endless cycle of the "onni-san" debate: "Kiri-chan, is it because my stir-fried potato shreds are not good?"
"It would be delicious if you didn't say it was potatoes stir-fried with ginger." Zhuge Tongzhi, who had been dragged into the fight again, couldn't take it anymore.
Actually, calling someone "brother" is very easy. When she was solving cases with the Junior Detective League, she followed Conan around and learned a lot of cute tricks like "100 Little Tips for Pretending to be a Cute Child." She called strangers "Onii-san" or "Onii-san" a lot in order to find clues.
but!
When Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda, two familiar faces with already high likability, seriously asked to change how they addressed me, a feeling of shame, as if it had been lost for too long, surged up all at once.
Therefore, Zhuge Tongzhi, who did not want to put on an act in front of the two, was now feeling extremely ashamed.
And they are eager to find someone to shift the blame for their existing conflicts.
She glanced at the people at the table, finally fixing her gaze on the pink-haired, squinty-eyed woman, and closed her eyes briefly to express a faint sense of guilt.
Sorry, reliable and respectable Cat Bro.
"Actually, there's another reason why I call him Mr. Okiya." The girl's sweet voice made Shuichi Akai, who had just finished profiling the police academy team and was relaxing his mind, pause for a moment.
"I heard from Conan last time that Mr. Okiya and Toru got into a fight inside the Ferris wheel," Zhuge Tongzhi said in a somewhat embarrassed voice. "I heard that Toru's face was bruised that day, and Poirot had to take leave from work."
Morofushi Kagemitsu, Hagiwara Kenji, and Matsuda Jinpei were taken aback, their gazes sharpening as they looked at Akai Shuichi, who still had a squinty-eyed expression.
"I was so worried that you two would fight again, so I thought that calling each other this way might make your relationship a little better?" The black-haired girl smiled innocently. "Because this way you'll both be Kiri-chan's brothers."
With a calm mind, Shuichi Akai had already seen through the true nature of Zhuge Tongzhi's attempt to shift the blame. Under the gaze of the three people, he leisurely took a sip of Americano to moisten his throat.
"It's up to you now, reliable Akai." Zhuge Tongzhi felt a pang of guilt for a moment, then quickly made an excuse to slip away: "Ah, Ayumi called me! I completely forgot I was supposed to go to Professor Agasa's house for a group activity!"
"Goodbye, Hikari-chan! I'll be home later." The black-haired girl stretched out her leg and pulled herself out from between Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda. She jumped off the chair, turned back to say goodbye, and ran towards the door: "Goodbye, Neko-nii and Toru-nii."
Oh dear, you finally scared the child away. Kenji Hagiwara winked at Jinpei Matsuda, who silently raised an eyebrow in response: Wasn't this something you did on purpose?
Well, the matter of addressing him isn't urgent; there's another issue now. The deep purple dog-like eyes looked at the special agent who seemed to have bullied the top student at their police academy, and a subtle, ambiguous smile slowly crept into them.
Hmm. Matsuda Jinpei also looked at the man with squinty eyes, who exuded a silent sense of oppression without needing to show any other expression.
Oh dear, that gathering was too rushed that night, he didn't even ask Zero what happened to the injury on his face. Morofushi Kagemitsu blinked, his blue-gray eyes as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.
Shuichi Akai, burdened with everything, remained calm as a still pond.
The door to Poirot Cafe, which had just closed, was pulled open again. Zhuge Tongzhi, who had returned, stood with his hands in his skirt pockets, clenched his fists, and shouted goodbye, "See you later! Second-year graduate student and Zhenping!"
She just didn't want to be attacked by childish adults again at the next dinner party!
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and waved. Jinpei Matsuda, who was sitting next to him with a smirk, leaned back in his chair and casually wagged his finger at Toshio Zhuge: "See you later."
The little watermelon, which had returned, quickly closed the door, its face bright red, and disappeared.
The three of them turned their attention back to where they had been.
Having composed himself, Shuichi Akai gave the staring gaze a perfectly timed, puzzled smile. "I think there's some misunderstanding?"
The child finally cried out, and the emotionally stable adult calmly thought: Then why drag me into this?
…
This was a difficult question for Zhuge Tongzhi to answer, because she happened to stumble upon Conan planning to test medicine at Professor Agasa's house.
"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I'm going to confess my feelings to Xiaolan right now!"
The detective, spurred on by the case, made a firm statement. After speaking, he turned to Zhuge Tongzhi, who had just entered the room, and said, "The Junior Detective Club is planning a picnic tomorrow. Ayumi asked if you want to come along. Remember to reply to her message."
"Oh, okay." Zhuge Tongzhi, who had habitually turned on Do Not Disturb, scratched his head and, sure enough, found an unread text message in his inbox.
'
From: Ayumi Yoshida
Title: Let's go on a picnic together, Kiri-chan!
Kiri-chan, let's go out and play together tomorrow! It would be such a waste not to have a picnic on such a rare holiday! OvO
Please come with me! Ai said she's busy, and I want to pitch a tent with a girl QAQ
'
Yes, I've finished reading it. Ayumi is so cute and lovely.
After reading the text message, Zhuge Tongzhi watched as Ai Haibara emphasized to Conan that it was best not to take more than one dose of the antidote within 24 hours because the effect of the drug was unstable. He figured that the reason Ai Haibara was busy was to watch over Conan who was testing the drug to prevent any accidents.
As for her not being in a hurry to return to her original form... Zhuge Tongzhi began to recall if she had any plans she had overlooked recently, and whether she had had time to camp overnight.
If you think about it, you'll realize that most of the arrangements are related to the Red Team. The black-haired girl, tired of telling riddles, sighed, "Please, everyone go find the clever, brave, and strong Edogawa!"
"Damn it—working all the time is bad for your health!" The familiar female voice rang in my ears again, this time not across the table as before, but...
It seems to be right behind my ear? Zhuge Tongzhi raised his hand and touched the back of his ear.
"No matter what, you must maintain regular meals and a healthy lifestyle. This is the wisdom my older sister learned from painful lessons." The person said, raising their hand to squeeze her shoulder.
Sister? The black-haired girl suddenly felt a void in her heart, causing her to involuntarily clench her fists as if trying to grasp something, but the only real pain in her palms was the pain of her nails digging into them.
"Some outdoor exercise is essential, Tong. We must go out and explore more in the future."
"New route detected. We have automatically planned a path for you based on your travel direction."
"Next stop: Let's go on a picnic! (In progress)"
The blue and white navigation box that suddenly popped up caught Zhuge Tongzhi's attention, which was gradually losing focus. The black-haired girl looked at the suddenly popped-up mission route and shook her head in a daze.
"Strange, could this become a new route?" She really couldn't understand O's criteria for judgment, and muttered to herself, raising her hand to send Ayumi a text message accepting the invitation.
The girl, who had quickly regained her composure, patted her cheeks, sat on the sofa, and watched with Professor Agasa as Conan argued with Ai Haibara about the limits of taking the antidote.
"Doctor, is this where we meet for tomorrow's picnic? What equipment do we need to bring?"
"Yes," the white-bearded doctor said with a smile, "I have the latest equipment here!"
"Okay, okay." Zhuge Tongzhi nodded obediently and decided to go back and find a sleeping bag to take with him.
Holding a half-empty water glass, the black-haired girl stared at the water's surface, lost in thought amidst the argument between her two friends. A text message from Ayumi popped up on her phone, a message filled with Ayumi's excited cheers.
What did she just hear?
-----------------------
Author's Note: El: Huffing and puffing as he diligently builds the wall.
Gradually, fragments of memory will emerge based on associations with real-world events.
(Shy)
…
Every time the Junior Detective League goes on a field trip, something bad always happens.
Good luck to Xiaotong (praying)
But Morning Star really enjoys hiking and campfire parties!
…
Mwah!
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