"No, no, I'm just afraid of snakes," Mouri Kogoro, having had some drinks, became carefree and spoke his mind. "Besides, you kid look a bit too cold, like you're hard to get along with. What could I even talk to you about? But I've just discovered that you're actually pretty alright. Your alcohol tolerance is on par with mine!"
Chi Feichi: "..."
Was he overthinking it before?
"Dad..." Mouri Ran had black lines dropping down her forehead. She shouldn't have let Mouri Kogoro drink!
Conan also looked at Mouri Kogoro speechlessly. One bottle of wine, split almost evenly between them. Chi Feichi was still perfectly sober, so where did this tipsy uncle get the courage to say their tolerance was on par?
Mouri Kogoro had completely let himself go. "Oh my, thinking about it now, you're much better than a certain high school brat who only knows how to solve cases and acts arrogant... No, no, I only have this one daughter. I absolutely cannot watch her go into that kind of rich family and suffer their anger, so don't you get any ideas!"
Chi Feichi: "..."
Conan: "..."
What is this uncle thinking about?
Mouri Ran regretted once again letting Mouri Kogoro drink...
Mouri Kogoro continued to ramble on. "I heard from Inspector Megure that you solved the Magic Lover case last time, right? Your deductive reasoning is actually not bad, but compared to a real detective, you're still far off. Let me tell you, being a detective isn't that easy..."
Conan chuckled inwardly. Mouri Kogoro was always like this when he drank too much; he was used to it. He wanted to see if Chi Feichi felt that the image of the Famous Detective Mouri was crumbling. However, turning his head, he found Chi Feichi listening with a calm face, showing no emotion whatsoever, leaving Conan speechless again.
Two abnormal weirdos.
He... is just going to eat!
"However, if you feel the life of the rich is too boring and want to experience what it feels like to be a detective, I can give you some pointers. Why don't you just become my apprentice!" Mouri Kogoro laughed and patted Chi Feichi on the shoulder. "In the future, if those rich people you know need a detective, you can introduce them directly to me. Consider that your tuition fee. How about it?"
Conan almost sprayed his soup.
Who gave the uncle the confidence to ask Chi Feichi to be his apprentice and claim he could teach Chi Feichi deduction?
He always thought the uncle was unreliable, but he didn't expect his perception to be refreshed yet again!
Chi Feichi, however, seriously considered it. Thinking about Mouri Kogoro's two future apprentices, he was quite willing to agree.
There might not be any practical benefits, but by occupying the position of the 'Eldest Senior Brother,' he could gain some advantages later.
However, although he had never met Kuroba Toichi, he had learned his disguise skills and read his inherited notes. Kuroba Kaito had always recognized him as Kuroba Toichi's apprentice. If he was going to take a master, he should tell Kuroba Kaito.
"Dad, stop talking nonsense," Mouri Ran saw Chi Feichi's silence and, fearing he was put in a difficult spot, hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Brother Feichi, don't mind him. My dad just likes to talk nonsense when he drinks too much."
"No, I am considering it," Chi Feichi looked at Mouri Kogoro, his expression calm and serious. "Mr. Mouri, I acknowledged a magician as my teacher before. Although I can't contact him temporarily, I feel I should inform his family before taking a new master."
Seeing Chi Feichi so serious, Mouri Kogoro's drunkenness faded a little. He murmured, "Uh, that's true..."
"Please excuse me for a moment."
Chi Feichi greeted them, then stood up and walked to the side to call Kuroba Kaito.
The call connected, and Kuroba Kaito seemed to be rummaging through something on the other end, making rustling noises. "You're back from Izu? Why did you suddenly think of calling me?"
"I just returned today. I'm at the Mouri Detective Agency," Chi Feichi said directly. "Mr. Mouri proposed that I become his apprentice and learn deduction from him. I want to accept, but since I technically took Teacher Toichi as my master first, I should tell you before taking anyone else as a master."
"Huh? Wait a minute!"
The rustling noise on the other end stopped. Kuroba Kaito was surprised. "Take a master? Learn deduction from that muddled uncle? Did you drink too much?"
Chi Feichi paused for a moment, looking up at the night view outside the glass window of the Mouri Detective Agency. "I didn't drink too much."
"Since you didn't drink too much, you must have your reasons. I don't have any objections; magic and deduction are different," Kuroba Kaito's voice carried a smile. "I'm already very happy that you called to tell me. Do whatever you want to do!"
"Mn," Chi Feichi paused. "Let's go out for a big meal tomorrow."
"You still remember you owe me a big meal? I thought you forgot! Let's get this straight first, I'm not going unless it's a three-star restaurant," Kuroba Kaito laughed. "By the way, I was just researching the disguise superposition you mentioned. We can discuss it in detail when we meet tomorrow."
"I have some ideas on my end too," Chi Feichi said. "Then let's talk tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Kuroba Kaito hung up the phone.
Chi Feichi considered for a moment, then called Chi Shinnosuke.
"Father, I want to take Mouri Kogoro as my master."
Chi Shinnosuke was silent for a moment. "Okay. I'll be back in two days. Remember to take your medicine."
The next second, the call was hung up.
Chi Feichi: "..."
Still the familiar style.
After thinking about it, Chi Feichi sent a text message to his nominal mother.
He didn't know which country she was floating around in. There might be a time difference, so he skipped the call and just sent a text to inform her.
Normally, a child should be closer to the mother, but he was always a soul occupying the magpie's nest. He couldn't tell if it was because he felt a barrier or a guilty conscience, but since crossing over, he actually contacted his nominal father more often.
After sending the text, Chi Feichi waited a while. Seeing no reply, he put away his phone.
He wouldn't agonize over being given the cold shoulder.
Knowing this family's interaction style from the start, he didn't hold much hope. Even if the original consciousness were here, he probably wouldn't care either.
When the original consciousness was in middle school, he had tried doing bad things to attract his parents' attention. Unfortunately, it was useless; the couple continued to be busy abroad.
The poor child despaired and stopped acting out, going to school obediently, once suspecting if he was even their biological child.
However, leaving Chi Shinnosuke aside, the purple eyes inherited from Chi Kana were very rare, so the possibility of not being biological was very small...
He had gone through the memories repeatedly and analyzed the couple's mindset. It was roughly—Let's not delay each other's business. If we have time, we are still a family.
Yeah... the premise being 'if we have time'.
It was a bit strange, but he would get used to it.
Conan walked up to Chi Feichi, still somewhat in disbelief. "Oi oi, are you serious?"
Chi Feichi nodded. "Of course."
"You didn't drink too much, did you?" Conan looked at Chi Feichi with suspicion. Although Chi Feichi looked very sober, he might be the type who didn't show it when drunk.
Chi Feichi: "..."
Why does everyone think I drank too much?
Just how unpopular is Mouri Kogoro?