Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 18 It’s raining all the time, so let’s have a fight!

The water is rushing.

When Xiaolan tied on a beige apron and washed vegetables in the kitchen, she had completely forgotten how she got home and what her father had said before.

Inside the living room, a familiar middle-aged man was laughing, and amid the deafening sound of the TV program, there were occasional silly giggles.

"Hehehehe... Miss Yoko..."

What often follows is a burp.

Xiaolan has seen this scene too many times in the past ten years and has long been accustomed to it.

But today, she inexplicably felt it was a little harsh.

She shook her head, took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and speeded up the preparation of dinner. But by the time she put the food on the table, it was already nine o'clock.

Go, go, go-

"What happened to you, Xiaolan? The taste is much worse today than usual."

A sloppy middle-aged man made such a comment after wolfing down his meal.

Xiaolan cleaned up the dishes in silence, then tidied up the room and the detective agency downstairs. There were many mud stains on the floor from somewhere. After she mopped the floor carefully, she opened the window to dry it. It was already late at night.

Going back upstairs, Xiaolan saw a figure lying on the sofa snoring loudly. She turned off the TV and took out a thin blanket to cover him.

After washing and taking a shower, Xiaolan returned to her room and took out her cell phone. It was already eleven o'clock.

Her good friend Sonoko shared with her a funny thing that happened in the tennis club three hours ago. Several people bought a new lottery called the Detective Index and lost all their money.

Twenty minutes ago, I sent her a message ^_^ saying good night.

Nothing else.

Xiaolan closed her cell phone, fell on her back on the soft bed, and didn't want to think about anything.

Go to sleep.

The next morning, dense rain fell under the slightly gloomy sky.

Xiaolan prepared breakfast and lunch, put them in the refrigerator, left a note, picked up her handbag, and went out holding a red umbrella.

I arrived downstairs of Kudo's house and shouted three times, but there was only a vague and unclear response.

"Got it, Xiaolan, you go first."

Xiaolan stood there for a few seconds, turned around and left. When she arrived at the school gate, Suzuki Sonoko was jogging towards her from a taxi, holding a small yellow umbrella.

"I overslept this morning and thought I would miss it..."

She paused, turned to her best friend, looked back at her, and said suspiciously, "What happened? Xiaolan, you don't look very well today."

Xiaolan shook her head gently and forced a soft smile: "Nothing."

"How can it be nothing? Did that crazy idiot offend you? That bastard!"

"It has nothing to do with Shinichi, I just...just..."

"Just what?"

Xiaolan sighed softly and said in an uncertain tone: "I seem to be a little tired."

"tired?"

Suzuki Sonoko was stunned for two seconds, then suddenly realized: "It's because of the karate competition, right? Xiaolan, you didn't practice until very late yesterday, did you? With your ability, you can definitely win the championship. Don't be so tense, relax a little."

"Thank you for your concern, I feel much better now."

Xiaolan lowered the brim of her umbrella and stepped into the school.

"Let's go, class is about to start."

"Oh...Xiaolan, you really should not try too hard."

"alright, I got it."

There was still some time before the bell rang, and Xiaolan arrived at the classroom door. The first thing she saw was, of course, Kudo Shinichi's seat, which was empty.

The second seat I looked at was the second to last row, by the window.

Yingsheng seemed to have noticed something, looked back, nodded slightly to her politely, and then turned around to continue talking to Kenta Nakamichi.

"Sui Yue, you know what? It's selling like hot cakes! It's selling like hot cakes!" Nakamichi Kenta said excitedly, "The vouchers I printed yesterday were almost not enough!"

"How's the profit?" Yingsheng asked.

"Hehe, I originally thought that I would lose money on the first day to gain publicity, but the odds were set so that I couldn't make a penny. But it turned out to be a big surprise. No one died yesterday. Kudo left school at noon and just went to continue investigating the accident the day before yesterday."

"So, you made a fortune, right?" "Twenty thousand!"

"I admire you. Do you want financing?" Yingsheng handed over a bank card. "The password is six eights."

"Hiss—you really want to invest one million in me? I can't guarantee that I'll make money every day."

"If you lose all your money, just treat me to a barbecue. Come on, I'm rooting for you."

It's just something blown by the wind. Why not use it to water some interesting seedlings?

Hearing the vague gaze behind him again, Yingsheng felt helpless. His words had no power at all. Was this delicate orchid going to wither?
It doesn't make sense.

Mr. Kudo Shinichi, where are you?

Hotaru was definitely not the only one who was looking forward to the arrival of the famous detective. As a result, as soon as the teacher stood on the podium in the first class, he told them that Kudo Shinichi had taken a leave of absence today.

Oh, what a busy man.

Yingsheng opened his textbook and stood it on the table, then lay down and fell asleep. He was almost paralyzed by exhaustion last night, but in the end, he only got a few murderous intentions.

It's troublesome.

In a blink of an eye, it was time to go home from school in the afternoon. The rain was still falling. Those who should go home went home, those who should participate in club activities participated in club activities, and those who should sell lottery tickets sold lottery tickets.

Yingsheng walked to Xiaolan's seat, carrying the karate uniform that had been washed and dried last night.

"Senior, please give me your guidance today."

Xiaolan was stunned and stared at him for two seconds without moving or speaking.

Yingsheng curled his lips slightly, looking a little disappointed.

"I don't think what I said was wrong, and I absolutely won't apologize. Of course, if you hate me because of this, that's your freedom, and I'll just find someone else to guide you."

"Hey, hey! What are you talking about? I know, Xiaolan has been unhappy today because of you, right? Apologize to Xiaolan immediately!"

There was meaningless noise around him, but Yingsheng didn't even bother to look away.

"What school of thought do girls learn in etiquette class?"

Xiaolan was silent for a few breaths, "Ogasawara-ryu."

“What’s the source?”

"Kamakura Shogunate, the coming-of-age ceremony for the royal family's children."

"Eight hundred years have passed. Don't you think it's ridiculous?"

“It has undergone many developments during the Edo and Taisho periods, and has never remained static.”

"Well, is there a part about Renshu in it?"

"..."

Seeing a bit of speechlessness rising in Xiaolan's slightly dim eyes, Yingsheng smiled slightly, lifted his clothes and shook them.

"I don't think there is one. Could you please recommend a teacher to me?"

"..."

"The level should be higher than yours, and have the potential to be a champion."

"..."

"Humph! Xiaolan's karate is the best in the school, but to teach a novice like you, you don't need to be very good at it. Anyone can do it. Also, the others are not as easy to talk to as Xiaolan, so you'd better be more respectful."

There were some noises coming from the surroundings again, and her owner stretched out his hand, trying to pull Xiaolan away.

Yingsheng made way, and Xiaolan stood up with the force, but stood there without moving.

"You said I don't look like a champion?"

“If you hesitate, you will lose.”

"it is good."

Under the shocked gaze of her best friend, Xiaolan slowly pried her hands open.

"How about a practical sparring session today?"

Yingsheng grinned, "I couldn't ask for more."

Xiaolan also smiled, her eyes shining brightly.

"Don't die, junior."

(End of this chapter)