Chapter 54

Since its establishment, this orphanage has been in a tight financial situation. Therefore, the orphanage generally provides for the children until they graduate from junior high school.

Once they graduate, the welfare house will no longer bear their tuition fees and will require them to work outside to earn their living expenses until they reach adulthood. After they reach adulthood, they will naturally leave here.

In fact, during the economic downturn, this system was quite common in orphanages. The only difference was whether to support children until they graduated from junior high school or to support them for three more years after they passed high school. The orphanage where Hoshikawa Kazuaki was was probably more frugal.

Orphanages are not for profit, so they are usually built in remote places far away from the bustling cities. In order to avoid the damage of the house by the rising rainwater in the rainy season, which would increase the extra maintenance costs, this orphanage was simply built on the mountain.

The scenery is beautiful, and you can grow some vegetables. In certain seasons, there are wild fruits all over the mountains. Unfortunately, transportation is very inconvenient, and supplies are naturally very scarce.

At least before coming here, Xingchuan and Ming had already suggested to everyone that if they wanted to drink alcohol during the dinner, they would need to bring their own alcohol in advance. Even some daily necessities that people are used to should be prepared by themselves. Otherwise, when they need it, they may not be able to buy it even if they want to.

The place where they parked this time was just a very simple parking lot at the foot of the mountain, and they had to walk up the mountain to get there. So, even though they had already gotten off the car, Xingchuan and Ming did not invite everyone to go up the mountain, but instead looked around for someone, which made it particularly obvious. Even without Conan's reminder, everyone had already noticed his unusual behavior.

Xingchuan also made a date? Could it be the Xiaozhi he mentioned before?

Date Ko looked over in surprise.

Xingchuan and Ming slapped their heads and finally remembered that they had forgotten such an important thing.

"Brother Date, I forgot to tell you. I actually invited two people this time. One of them is Xiaozhi, and the other one you may have heard of is a bomb disposal police officer named Hagiwara Kenji."

This time, Date Ko was really surprised.

"Kenji? You actually called him over. What? Do you know him too?"

"I have known Officer Hagiwara for about seven years. But then, does Brother Date know him as well? What a coincidence!"

Xingchuan and Ming looked very happy, with their blue eyes flashing with joy. It seemed that since returning here, Xingchuan and Ming were in a particularly good mood.

Date Kou smiled brightly:

"It's a coincidence indeed. Hagiwara Kenji was my classmate in the police academy, and we've kept in touch since we started working. I heard him say a long time ago that he met a very talented kid, and he often visited him during the holidays. It seems he was talking about you."

Xingchuan Heming was stunned for a moment. Did Hagiwara Kenji mention him to others? This was something he had never expected. He couldn't help but ask curiously:

"What else did Officer Hagiwara say about me?"

"Haha, are you trying to find out in a roundabout way whether he has said anything bad about you?"

"How come? I'm really curious."

Maori Kogoro had already taken out a case of beer from the trunk and was now taking out other packaging bags. Hearing this, he said:

"You should have said so earlier. It turns out there are other people here. I don't know if the beer I brought is enough to share."

Conan was a little surprised by the news about Hoshikawa and Akira, not because of Officer Hagiwara, but because of the previously mentioned Satoshi.

Who would have thought that the mysterious hacker "Xiaozhi" would also come this time? Moreover, did he actually accept Xingchuan and Ming's invitation?

Conan had thought that these two people were enemies. And logically, Xiaozhi, who sent out the notice, was actually a suspect, right? How could he show up so openly?

And judging from Officer Ida's expression, he obviously knew about this a long time ago. Could it be that there was some development in the case that he was not aware of?

Conan walked over and pulled Ida Kou's sleeve, looking up and asked:

"Officer Date, isn't that Xiaozhi the one who sent the warning letter? Why is he here? Isn't he afraid of being caught?"

Yi Dahang's face was stiff for a moment. Actually, this was the reason why he came here. If the police hadn't suddenly produced evidence to prove that the person who sent the notice was actually an information criminal who had nothing to do with him, he would have already conducted a normal investigation instead of conducting a private investigation under the pretext of attending a party.

Although he was very dissatisfied with the intervention of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Public Security Bureau, he quickly softened his expression and answered patiently:

"The Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed that the person who sent the warning letter is just a habitual offender who spreads threatening information on the Internet. He is not the same person as Xiaozhi who will be here today."

He patted Conan on the head and said:

"So Conan, please don't mention this matter later, otherwise it will seem very rude."

Conan was stunned when he heard this, and then his brain started to work wildly.

It was actually the Metropolitan Police Department's confirmation, not the conclusion of the investigation by the Investigation Division? Judging from Date Kou's reaction, could it be that the upper management suddenly intervened in the case?

But it was strange that the poisoning case was not a big deal. After all, no one was killed. It was not a big deal for the Metropolitan Police Department, which had to deal with many major cases every day. So why did it attract the attention of the top leaders of the Metropolitan Police Department?

Is the poisoning case related to other cases, or is there something special about Xiaozhi?

It seems that Officer Ida came to the party today because of Xiaozhi. But why did Xiaozhi agree to come here? Is he so fearless?

He looked at Xingchuan and Ming, with more and more doubts in his heart.

Soon, a red Toyota came rushing past on the rugged mountain road like a red lightning, and appeared in front of the people in the blink of an eye.

The car door opened, and a handsome man stepped out. His half-long black hair was smooth and flowing, his drooping eyes gave him a melancholy look, and his tall figure attracted everyone's attention. The mountain breeze blew a few petals of his flower in a beautiful arc and fell at his feet.

He waved his hand and smiled at everyone: "Hi! Hello, I'm Kohoshikawa's friend, Kenji Hagiwara."

Everyone present was stunned by his appearance.

If Suzuki Sonoko was here, she would scream like crazy and then run to ask for a photo with a red face. However, except for Mao Lilan who was not interested in handsome guys, there were only men and boys here, including Date Kou who knew him so well that he could recite all the stupid things he had done in the past seven years.

"Hahaha, Kenji, it's only been a few days since we last met, how come your slutty nature has become stronger again?" Ida Hang laughed so hard that he could hardly stand.

"So you were also invited by Kohoshikawa, Class Leader Ida." Hagiwara Kenji smiled helplessly and put away his previous look.

Then he said hello to Xingchuan and Ming, winked at him, pointed at the car door and said with a smile:

"I'm not here alone this time. Guess who I brought with me?"

At this time, Xingchuan and Ming are immersed in the dislocation of memory and reality.

The moment I saw Hagiwara Kenji, it was as if all those dusty memories had awakened. The scene that I only had a vague impression of before was so real now that it was as if I had experienced it myself.

His memory was full of the past with Hagiwara Kenji. The handsomeness of the other party when he helped him chase away the hooligans, and the gentleness and care when he took time to visit him, all of a sudden flooded into his mind, making him feel a sense of intimacy from the bottom of his heart when he looked at the other party.

It seemed that from this moment on, the Hagiwara Kenji in front of him was no longer a simple main character or a mission target, but a friend he had known for seven years.

He walked out of the comics and became a flesh-and-blood person, a friend recognized by Xingchuan and Ming.

Seeing Hagiwara Kenji say this, Hoshikawa Kazuaki did not feel strange at all and responded naturally:

"I can't guess that. How about Yan'er-ge introduce it to me?"

Hagiwara Kenji then turned around, opened the back door, and poked his head inside and said:

"Hey, Xiaozhi, your motion sickness wasn't this severe before. Come out quickly and stop being shy."

It’s Xiaozhi!

The expressions of those present who knew the situation changed slightly, their smiles faded a little, and their eyes became much more cautious when they looked at the open car door.

Hoshikawa and Ming never expected that Xiaozhi, with whom they had a very complicated relationship, was actually so familiar with Hagiwara Kenji.

Based on my understanding of Hagiwara Kenji at this time, although this social master is very popular, he is also a bit proud. Although he seems to have a lot of friends, there are not many who he can truly accept.

And looking at his casual and friendly behavior at this moment, it was obvious that Xiaozhi was also someone he treated sincerely, just like himself.

How did the two of them know each other? And why did they go on a date together?

Also, why is Xiaozhi hiding in the car and refusing to get out of the road?

Hoshikawa and Akira looked at the open car door. For some reason, they had a strange premonition that something was about to happen.

The comic book suddenly flashed at this moment, and for the first time, without Xingchuan and Ming triggering it, it appeared in the void in front of them.

The light on the page was dim and blank, and there seemed to be no sign of activation, but Xingchuan and Ming inexplicably felt a sense of tension as if something was about to happen.

His heart was beating a little faster, his breathing was a little heavy, and a thin layer of sweat seeped out of his palms.

Hoshikawa and Akira looked forward through the comic book's translucent screen and saw that the people in the car had already started to move out, but seemed to have stopped halfway.

Kenji Hagiwara did not reach out to pull, but kept encouraging them patiently in a low voice, as if he wanted to give the people in the car more courage and confidence.

Now everyone could see how fiercely Xiaozhi was struggling in his heart. They all considerately kept silent and waited together.

Only Xingchuan and Ming seemed to take a step forward uncontrollably, but when they reacted they quickly stopped the movement for fear of scaring the person in the car.

However, perhaps inspired by the actions of Hoshikawa and Ming, Xiaozhi in the car suddenly regained his courage and got out of the car the next second.

He was a boy who was about the same age as Xingchuan and Ming, but obviously taller. He looked gentle and handsome, a little thin, and was standing sideways by the car door.

Seemingly a little nervous, he stopped moving after coming out. He just lowered his head, his face slightly pale, and his short black hair hung softly beside his ears. He looked very well-behaved.

However, his slightly trembling slender hands and trembling lips made him look inexplicably pitiful.

No one spoke.

Date Kou and the Mori family were not in a position to speak, Hagiwara Kenji was waiting for Satoshi to speak himself, and Hoshikawa and Akira were so surprised that they forgot to speak.

The comic book page that was ready to go suddenly lit up, and a lavender label on the edge was flashing with dazzling light.

Just as Hoshikawa and Akira were looking at Kenji Hagiwara and Satoshi Kagino through the translucent comic book, the pages of the copy that had been blank all the time suddenly began to ripple.

After the ripples faded, two beautifully drawn comic characters appeared out of thin air on the blank page, performing various subtle movements just like in the animated film.

The handsome Kenji Hagiwara stood on the right, tilting his head slightly and looking at the boy in front of him on the left with an encouraging smile.

Kagamino Satoshi, who was being stared at by him, slightly turned his body to the side, lowered his head and did not dare to look in the direction of Hoshikawa and Akira. However, every subtle movement of his body showed that he was paying attention to Hoshikawa and Akira's reactions and was also looking forward to their attention.

Just like in reality.

Xingchuan and Ming suddenly understood what they should do.

He looked in the direction of Xiaozhi through the translucent comic book, looking at the handsome boy who was full of expectation and trepidation, and said gently as usual:

"Welcome back, Xiaozhi."

In reality, Xiaozhi quickly raised his head and looked over, his light brown eyes still filled with tears that he hadn't wiped away in time.

In the comic, when Kagamino Satoshi looked up, Hoshikawa and Akira finally appeared on the screen. Hagiwara Kenji looked at the two of them and smiled with relief.

The next moment, a huge vortex suddenly rolled up in the copy page, and an invisible suction force swept through the page, and Xingchuan and Ming lost consciousness in an instant.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-08-15 12:58:50~2022-08-15 23:53:31~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Leng Yue 1;

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 2 bottles of Candy Girl;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!