Seeing Chizuru Bizen approaching, Fujino picked up Haibara Ai, who was eavesdropping and enjoying the gossip, and with a swift movement, hid behind the restaurant door.
After all, they were secretly following her out in the middle of the night.
If they were discovered, it would be quite awkward.
"Honestly, what does a dead person have to do with me?!"
"Why do they have to bring up old, dusty matters?"
"Why does it seem like I'm entirely responsible for his death? He clearly didn't die because of me!"
Chizuru Bizen angrily left the restaurant, complaining and disappearing down the hallway without looking back.
Meanwhile, back in the restaurant.
Mitsuyuki Arimori watched Chizuru Bizen leave, his teeth clenched, his face exceptionally grim.
A moment later, his expression gradually softened.
As if he had made a decision, he picked up the oil lamp and also left the restaurant without looking back.
His retreating figure seemed to carry a hint of resolve.
After the two had left, Fujino emerged from behind the door and gently put down Haibara Ai, who he had been holding.
"Phew..."
Haibara Ai took a deep breath, reached out to pull at her clothes, tidied her pajamas, patted her little face, and calmed her rapidly beating heart.
Coming out late at night to eavesdrop and almost getting caught...
For her, it was indeed a bit thrilling.
However, their position was some distance from the door. Although she had leaned her ear to listen, she hadn't heard anything, only seeing that the two had had an argument before angrily leaving.
Eavesdropping was a bit unethical.
But she couldn't resist the curiosity of an eighteen-year-old science girl.
So she looked back in the direction they had left, somewhat puzzled: "...What's going on with those two?"
"It should be some emotional entanglement."
Fujino also looked down the hallway, thinking for a moment before analyzing: "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Arimori's younger brother, Teruhiko, probably had a relationship with this woman. Although I don't know why they broke up, judging by her now being married to that other man, they definitely broke up. As for Teruhiko's death, from the manager's tone, it seems to have some connection with this woman."
In other words, she had already found a way to get herself killed.
Daring to make enemies everywhere in the world of Conan...
She probably won't live long.
Haibara Ai: "..."
After a moment of silence, she processed what had just been said in her mind, and only then did Ai-chan understand the relationship between the two.
An old cliché of abandoning a poor boy for a rich old man?
She thought she'd only see such plots in melodramatic TV dramas...
She didn't expect such things to happen in real life.
Oh, right, that woman was an actress, wasn't she?
Then it's fine.
It perfectly fit her stereotype of that woman.
Back at the guest room door.
Fujino was pondering what had just happened. Just as he opened the door, Haibara Ai tugged at his clothes from behind.
Fujino turned around and saw Haibara Ai say, without changing her expression, "If we go back now, we might wake Akemi-nee."
"Then, come to my room?"
Fujino spoke calmly, unsure what expression to make.
Acting too excited would make him seem like a lolicon.
Refusing directly wouldn't be quite right either.
Just say you want to sleep together...
"Mm."
Haibara Ai nodded in agreement, not daring to look up.
Her feelings were complicated. She said she didn't want to wake Akemi-nee, an excuse she herself barely believed, as Akemi Miyano was such a deep sleeper that no one could wake her.
But then she thought, with her current body.
Hmm, she must be seen as a little girl being clingy, right?
She comforted herself with this thought.
"Go to sleep early."
Fujino yawned, pushed open the door, lay down on the bed, moved over to make space for Haibara Ai, then pulled up the covers and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Although he knew there was an eighteen-year-old girl beside him, given her current size, he wasn't so bothered that he couldn't sleep, after all, he wasn't some perverted lolicon.
Compared to Fujino's peace of mind, the person next to him had a more complex array of thoughts.
Haibara Ai lay under the covers, clutching the edge of the small blanket, her face flushed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep for a long time.
She carefully turned over and looked, coming face to face with another sleeping face.
Her face grew even redder.
A moment later, she sighed, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
Just take it as a little girl being clingy.
---
The night passed, and Fujino overslept.
Opening his eyes, he saw a delicate little face.
A faint, warm breath brushed his face, carrying a hint of sweetness.
Fujino smiled slightly, gently pushing the small body off him.
Getting up, he changed into his sportswear and went to the hotel lobby.
"Detective Fujino, good morning."
As soon as he arrived in the hotel lobby, the Shimokasa sisters greeted him.
"Are you preparing for work so early?"
Fujino pulled out his phone to check the time, seeing it was just past six, and couldn't help but ask the two.
"That's right, we need to prepare ingredients for Miss Shinobu."
The Shimokasa sisters responded with a smile: "After that, we'll also clean the guest rooms."
"Then you two go ahead and work, I'll go for my morning exercise."
Fujino nodded, understanding the hardships of service staff.
After exercising in the countryside for a while, it was already past seven.
Fujino wandered around the hotel's vicinity for a bit before returning to the hotel, chewing on a foxtail grass he had just picked by the roadside.
Upon entering the restaurant, Shinobu Shimokasa had already prepared breakfast for the guests.
Haibara Ai and Akemi Miyano were sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast.
The other two guests, besides Chizuru Bizen, had also arrived at the hotel.
"Baguette, spaghetti, and strawberry cake..."
Akemi Miyano looked at the breakfast on the table and couldn't help but ask, "Did Miss Shimokasa make all of these?"
"Yes!"
"Miss Shimokasa made all of these this morning."
"Her cooking is truly amazing."
"We're learning too."
The Shimokasa sisters nodded and responded with smiles.
"You're exaggerating, Minaho, Honami."
Shinobu Shimokasa walked over with several cream sundaes, shyly and somewhat embarrassed: "Actually, I used to study Western cuisine, but I'd say my cooking is just average."
"Miss Shimokasa, your cooking is already excellent."
Akemi Miyano smiled, then sighed with a strange expression: "Unlike me, I can't even make a proper breakfast and have to trouble Ai-chan to help."
Haibara Ai thought for a moment, but couldn't quite figure out how to explain making a frozen fish dish that turned into a fire hazard, so she could only gently comfort her: "Akemi-nee, your talent isn't in this area. For example, your drinks are very delicious."
"Mhm, mhm, after all, no one is perfect."
Shinobu Shimokasa also smiled, then brought up: "But speaking of which, Miss Akemi Fujino, are you involved in a beverage-related business?"
"Yes, I'm currently running a beverage shop."
Akemi Miyano seemed to have found her home ground: "It's in Tokyo, called Snow King Ice Cream."
"Snow King Ice Cream, I've heard of that drink shop."
"Huh?"
Akemi Miyano was a little surprised.
"I heard it from a friend of mine from Tokyo."
Shinobu Shimokasa explained: "Actually, that drink shop has become quite famous in our beverage-making circles. I heard there are many unique and delicious drinks there, and the owner is also a beautiful lady. I didn't expect to meet her today."
She smiled, then yearned: "Actually, I also want to open my own shop, carefree..."
"By the way, Miss Shimokasa, why are you working as a head chef here?"
After watching for a while, Fujino walked over and asked curiously: "With Miss Shimokasa's skills, opening a shop should be very easy, right?"
"I heard he inherited this family hotel, so I came to help."
Shinobu Shimokasa looked back at Fujino and explained: "Because the manager here and I used to be paragliding friends."
"Paragliding, huh... I also paraglided for a while when I was younger. Now, my body wouldn't be able to handle it anymore."
Shiromoto walked in from outside the restaurant, then looked at everyone, apologizing profusely: "I'm really sorry about last night. Please don't take it to heart. My wife's personality is just like that. Recently, we've also been having some troublesome issues."
"Um, has Chizuru not come out yet?"
The president of the talent agency, Kohta Miyabe, walked over and quietly asked Shiromoto.
"She hasn't come out yet, she's sulking by herself in her room. That's just how she is, there's no use saying anything now..."
Hidehiko Shiromoto's tone was somewhat helpless, then he brought up: "How about this, while she's cooling off, we go fishing? My work schedule is tomorrow anyway. If you're interested, you can borrow my fishing rod."
"That's all we can do..."
Kohta Miyabe was also a bit helpless: "Then I'll shamelessly impose."
"No problem, fishing is more fun with more people."
Hidehiko Shiromoto waved his hand, then turned and asked, "Detective Fujino, would you like to come fishing with us too?"
"Fishing..."
Fujino's expression was a bit strange upon hearing this.
He quite liked fishing; after all, what man doesn't want to cast a few lines when he has nothing to do?
But...
Recalling the little turtle at home.
The scene of fishing with Uncle Mouri last time was vivid in his memory.
If he went fishing this time, he wondered if he would catch something absurd again.
For example, boots, turtles, or even corpses.
Thinking of this, Fujino sighed and turned to politely decline Shiromoto: "I often come up empty-handed... and often catch strange things. Let's skip fishing. I wanted to go to a high place during my morning exercise, so I'll go check out the nearby plateau later."
"Hmm..."
Hidehiko Shiromoto immediately understood that Fujino was a legendary angler who could catch anything but fish, so he didn't press further and instead chatted with the agent named Miyabe.
Fujino turned back and glanced at the group photo on the wall from last night: "But speaking of which, you used to be paragliding friends, no wonder there are so many paragliding photos on the hotel wall... The girl in that photo, by her face shape, I think it's Miss Shimokasa, right?"
"That's right, that's me."
Shinobu Shimokasa recalled, smiled genuinely, and explained: "We used to paraglide in the highlands near here. The environment there is great, and the air is very fresh; it's a wonderful place."
She paused, then sighed, looking down: "But ever since Teruhiko passed away, we haven't continued paragliding. Now those paragliders are just gathering dust in the hotel's top-floor warehouse."
"Teruhiko, is that the person on the left in the photo?"
At this moment, Haibara Ai recalled what she had heard last night and curiously asked Shinobu Shimokasa.
"That's right, that's my younger brother, Teruhiko Arimori. He had an accident a few years ago during a paragliding competition. But the main reason, speaking of it, is that the nearby highlands have all been developed, and there aren't many places left to paraglide."
Arimori walked over, introduced him, then turned to Fujino with a smile: "I just heard you might be going up to the plateau to play. If that's the case, I can take you for a walk up the mountain."
"That would be great, thank you."
Fujino nodded and accepted.
However, in his mind, he was concerned about something else.
Since this guy's younger brother had an accident during a competition.
Then, logically, he shouldn't be a killer...
Suddenly, Fujino felt something was off.
It seemed that woman still hadn't come out.
Could she have been killed?
Feeling uneasy, Fujino activated his Eagle Eye again and looked upstairs.
Seeing that the woman was still alive, Fujino breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed there wouldn't be any murder case today.
"In that case, Shinobu, why don't you come with us for a walk up the mountain too?"
At this moment, Arimori suddenly suggested to Shinobu Shimokasa behind him.
Shinobu Shimokasa hesitated: "But I still have to prepare lunch and dinner..."
"Just prepare some bentos for us in advance."
Compared to Chizuru Bizen, Shiromoto, the developer boss, seemed much more understanding: "After all, we plan to fish all day, and preparing bentos would be much more convenient. Besides, what my wife said last night must have hurt you, so it's good to go out and clear your head. As for dinner, we'll just have an outdoor BBQ in the yard. My treat!"
Arimori echoed: "In that case, let's go out for a walk. I've checked the hotel's reservation list, and there won't be anyone else staying here today."
The Shimokasa sisters also nodded: "That's right, we two sisters can prepare the barbecue ingredients. Miss Shinobu, just go out and have fun."
"In that case, I'll gladly accept."
Shinobu Shimokasa smiled and looked around, and the matter was happily decided.
Shiromoto and the talent agency president went fishing. After Shinobu Shimokasa prepared the bentos, she joined Fujino's group and Arimori to the nearby plateau, while the Shimokasa sisters stayed behind at the hotel to prepare the barbecue ingredients.
As for Chizuru Bizen, Fujino used his Eagle Eye to check on her one last time before leaving.
Seeing that she wasn't dead yet, he didn't bother with it anymore.
He was out to have fun this time.
Worrying about that woman's life or death was meaningless.
If she did die, he could just take a system mission and get a few million yen for free.