Mouri Ran didn't dare enter the room. After a moment of silence, she tentatively asked, "Is this... some kind of ritual?"
Conan stroked his chin. Could this be a puzzle Chi Feichi specifically set for him?
Hmm, three people and one snake, surrounding a cage... is it a code?
"I don't know either," Suzuki Sonoko turned her head and laughed. "But it looks interesting..."
Mouri Ran: "..."
Conan: "..."
Haibara Ai was also at a loss for words, explaining, "We are observing the cage, hypothesizing if Feichi gets caught inside, to see if there's any way for him to escape."
Kyogoku Makoto, who had led Suzuki Sonoko and the others upstairs, immediately turned around and left silently.
"What, I thought it was some mysterious ritual," Suzuki Sonoko instantly lost interest and stood up. "Brother Feichi, have you guys had dinner yet?"
Chi Feichi also stood up and moved the cage aside. "Not yet, we were waiting for you."
"Then let's find a place to eat first!" Suzuki Sonoko said energetically. "Then go to the hot springs!"
Two hours later, Suzuki Sonoko was full of resentment.
There were handsome guys, but whether eating or on the way to the hot springs, about 80% of them were couples.
The remaining single guys did come over to hit on them, but their target was always Mouri Ran.
When Chi Feichi came out with Conan, he saw Suzuki Sonoko frantically taking photos of those couples with her camera. He handed everyone a small bottle of mosquito repellent. "Take photos later."
"Ah? Thanks," Suzuki Sonoko took it dazedly. "I forgot to bring any..."
Being near the beach and with the hot weather, there would be quite a few mosquitoes at night.
Haibara Ai didn't find it strange. She calmly sprayed a little repellent around her feet. If he wasn't meticulous, he wouldn't be Chi Feichi.
Chi Feichi sprayed some repellent, walked to a tree by the roadside, and reached out to pick up Feichi, who was waiting there.
Behind him, Mouri Ran looked at Chi Feichi's back and whispered into Suzuki Sonoko's ear, "Sonoko, actually, I think Brother Feichi is quite nice. He's handsome, and although he looks a bit cold, he's actually very thoughtful..."
Suzuki Sonoko teased with a smile, "If Kudo hears that, he'll be jealous!"
Conan: "..."
Frankly speaking, already jealous...
"I meant for you," Mouri Ran hurriedly clarified, then added, "There's a handsome guy right beside you, so why look everywhere else?"
"You don't understand," Suzuki Sonoko waved her hand casually. "Idols are for admiring from afar, just like Kid. It's not the same as dating..."
Mouri Ran had black lines dropping down her forehead. In the end, you just like looking at handsome guys, right...
"Besides," Suzuki Sonoko crossed her arms in front of her chest, making an 'X'. "We are absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible!"
Haibara Ai pricked up her ears. Hearing this, she couldn't help but glance at Suzuki Sonoko. Is this a rhythm of disdain?
While they were talking, Chi Feichi had already returned.
The sleeves of the yukata were loose. After Feichi wrapped around Chi Feichi's arm, he simply crawled all the way up to the collar and rested his head there, saying excitedly, "Master, I just saw someone selling snacks over there. I want to go see if there's anything delicious!"
"Want to go get something to eat over there?" Chi Feichi suggested to the others. Although Feichi's feeding time was still a day or two away, it was rare to be out having fun, so why not eat if the mood strikes?
"Sure, sure," Suzuki Sonoko agreed immediately, then looked down at herself. "But eating so late will make me fat..."
"Let's go together. Being out means having fun!" Mouri Ran laughed.
"Excuse me..."
Two girls walked over. One of them fidgeted a bit and looked up at Chi Feichi. "M-May I ask if you have a girlfriend?"
Suzuki Sonoko's resentment rose again. Sure enough, I'm the only one no one hits on...
Chi Feichi gently patted Haibara Ai's head and said calmly, "I even have a child."
Haibara Ai: "..."
The two girls were stunned on the spot. It took them a long time to come back to their senses, forgetting to even consider the age discrepancy.
"S-Sorry to disturb you..."
"It's fine."
After the two girls left, Haibara Ai whispered in dissatisfaction, "What did you mean just now?"
"If you don't like it, it's better to reject directly."
Before Chi Feichi turned around, he saw a familiar dark-skinned boy wearing black-framed glasses. He paused for a moment, then calmly withdrew his gaze.
"Rejecting is fine," Haibara Ai followed him with black lines on her forehead. "But why did you say you even have a child? And patted my head?"
"It saves trouble this way," Chi Feichi said calmly. "They left immediately upon hearing it, didn't they?"
Haibara Ai: "..."
Suzuki Sonoko: "..."
Mouri Ran: "..."
It does save trouble, but this excuse is a bit too powerful. Scary powerful.
Once said, there's basically no room for negotiation.
Conan chuckled dryly in his heart. He believed this guy Chi Feichi definitely didn't have a girlfriend, and remained single by his own will and ability...
Walking along the street, men and women in yukatas strolled leisurely back and forth.
There were some food stalls by the street, but none of the sugar figures or candied hawthorns from Chi Feichi's past life memories; most were grilled seafood.
Taking advantage of the dim light, Feichi quietly poked his head out to look around. "Master, right, right! I want to eat the fish from that red stall!"
Chi Feichi turned to look, paused for a moment, and looked down to ask Haibara Ai, "Ai, want to go catch goldfish?"
Haibara Ai considered it and nodded. Although she felt catching goldfish was for children, since they were having fun, playing a little wouldn't hurt... right...
Five minutes later, Conan and Haibara Ai squatted in front of the red stall, staring at the goldfish tank, their faces a bit dark.
A pile of broken paper nets lay at their feet, while a child next to them cheered, "Mommy, Mommy, I caught one!"
Haibara Ai: "..."
Why can a child catch one but I can't? Flip table!
"It's okay, be patient." Chi Feichi watched from the side.
Feichi watched quietly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm not in a hurry!"
Chi Feichi: "..."
"Conan, do your best too," Mouri Ran encouraged with a smile.
"Let these two brats work hard," Suzuki Sonoko's resentment exploded, occasionally secretly taking photos of passing couples. "When the fireworks start, we have to watch the fireworks!"
Chi Feichi observed for a while. Seeing Haibara Ai trying again, he reminded her, "Don't aim for the ones you like. Catch the small ones first. Put the paper net into the water at a 45-degree angle to reduce resistance. Put half in, start from the fish head. When lifting, shift the fish's center of gravity to the half of the paper net not soaked in water. The speed and force should be roughly equivalent to separating fragile blood vessels when dissecting a white mouse."
Stall owner: "..."
I understood everything else, but what the hell is dissecting a white mouse?
Splash.
A tiny goldfish successfully moved into the bowl held in Haibara Ai's other hand. The corner of her mouth couldn't help but curve up.
Conan didn't quite understand that force, but he guessed the movement should be light and steady. He tried it, caught one too, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Seeing Haibara Ai happy, Chi Feichi didn't have the heart to ask for the first goldfish to feed Feichi. "Help me catch a few more; Feichi is hungry."
Haibara Ai froze for a moment, silently moving her paper bowl away a little. "Okay, I'll catch a few more for him. You help."
Chi Feichi didn't refuse. He paid, failed once, then caught five in a row.
As a veterinary surgeon, his hands couldn't be unsteady, and his control of force was relatively good. Once the trick was seen through, it wasn't actually difficult.
Haibara Ai helped catch three more and put them in Chi Feichi's bowl, hiding the little red fish she caught first the whole time, and then caught two partners for the little red fish.
Conan also helped catch two, adding two partners for his own goldfish. Before they left, the stall owner's face was a bit dark.
When the fireworks started, Feichi poked his head out to look at the fireworks, occasionally darting his head into the paper bowl Chi Feichi was holding, swallowing directly. One bite, one small goldfish. After eating, he sighed comfortably, "Too bad Feimo didn't come, otherwise I'd share two with him."
"Mn..."
Chi Feichi looked up at the fireworks exploding in the sky.
Feimo had been busy recruiting underlings recently, engaging in gang fights all over Tokyo. But Chi Feichi was just infected by the atmosphere and felt a moment of regret. There would be plenty of opportunities to watch fireworks together in the future...