Yuji Kudo, the manga artist behind Detective Conan.

"This is very suspicious. Why would all six of them choose to eat at this restaurant at the same time?"

Higashino looked at Inspector Fujiwara, who had just entered and was heading towards the north-facing dining table, and the woman beside him. Remembering what Conan had just said, he became a little curious.

"Attorney Shiratori and Sister Date, aren't there quite a big age difference?"

"Oh? Big Sister Date... Is she Date Kyo's older sister?" Conan thought of Date Wataru, who was about to give birth to a daughter, and guessed that this woman was probably the child who was about to be born.

"Yes, speaking of which, she and Officer Hagiwara are the same age, both turning thirty this year, while Attorney Shiratori is only twenty-four."

"You two brats have no idea how good it is to be older... hiccup."

Shinichi Kudo, whose face was flushed from drinking, patted Conan on the shoulder and then winked at Higashino.

"Back when I lived at the Mori office... Ran... hiccup..." Old Kudo started to exhale deeply halfway through his sentence, clearly indicating that he was completely drunk.

"Uncle, the pumpkin in the curry soup is awful, and please don't eat it all over the place."

Higashino took a wet wipe from the drawer next to the dining table, wiped the table clean, and then ordered some small sausages and French fries to go with the drinks. He told Old Kudo to drink quietly by himself.

"Dessert! Italian cream pudding!"

The sudden exclamation of surprise from the next table drew Higashino's attention, who was about to explain the intriguing relationships between the six families to Conan. He looked at the tempting pudding and flipped through the menu, but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Waitress, could I have one?"

Unfortunately, he was rejected. The waiter explained that the dessert was a new product that the shop had just developed. The waiter smiled apologetically at Higashino.

"But it will definitely be added to the menu in a few days, so please look forward to it and come to the store to try it."

"What does it matter? He's just a kid, giving him a serving won't hurt." A woman in a green dress at the next table looked at the waitress. Clearly, the three people at the table and the waitress were close friends. "This is a dessert I just came up with. Nobody's tried it yet, so I asked the manager to let you come and try it. How can we let the customers eat it first?"

The waitress pushed the plate further in: "Not to mention, that child is only six or seven years old. I added pineapple and mango to the pudding. What if he has an allergic reaction?"

"I think he came with an adult, the guy who was always eating fries with his head down, and he had two little kids with him. Besides, even if something goes wrong with the food, it's the adults' fault for not watching the kids properly."

The speaker this time was a fat woman with an Osaka accent. She was very rude and made people feel uncomfortable.

"That gentleman looks completely drunk. You can't do this." The waitress smiled helplessly.

"Then let me try it first and see what kind of poison you put in it!"

Just as the plump woman was about to reach out and grab a piece of pudding to put in her mouth, she was interrupted by the woman in the long green dress sitting opposite her. The woman took out her phone and kept taking pictures of the pudding until she was satisfied before letting everyone else eat it.

"Wait a second."

The blonde woman sitting next to the fat woman interrupted the fat woman who was reaching out her hand, and insisted on dividing the food among the group before letting them eat, holding tongs and a plate.

"Why go through all that trouble? Just eat it directly."

"Because if we don't divide it up in advance, you'll definitely eat everyone's portions first!"

The blonde woman bluntly confronted the fat woman, then placed the plate that belonged to her in front of her.

"Eat it!"

(End of this chapter)