Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 261: Xiaolan's trip to the bar and her wife's demeanor
There was no way Aoyagi Chiso didn't know that the person on duty with her that Wednesday afternoon was Yuzuki Kiyoko.

According to Kenta Nakamichi, Chiso Aoyagi's description of that afternoon is undoubtedly the most widely circulated version in the class.

Kenta Nakamichi wants to pursue her.

This outrageous deviation clearly points to the fact that there is something wrong with her.

And it's definitely not amnesia. Today is Saturday. If Qingliu Chisu's memory became a blank sheet of paper, there is no way she would notice such details so quickly.

Add to that the fact that Yuzuki Kiyoko went to say goodbye to her, and the answer is obvious.

She is already Vermouth.

Although Yingsheng was sure of this, he still went to the bathroom before going to the Scarlet Rose with Xiaolan.

"Qingzi, I need to know all the details of your communication with Qingliu. The key point... well, probably how you told her to keep a distance in school, what the reason was, and whether she has the habit of keeping a diary."

Call Qingzi and say Yingsheng.

To be honest, he felt a little weird now.

Chisou Aoyagi, the reason he chose her as Kyoko's backup identity was that she had no sense of presence in daily life, not to mention her thick bangs covering most of her face.

Now she has been chosen by Vermouth again, probably for the same reason.

Really, is this world so hostile to introverts?

Qingzi was currently in a campus-themed room in a love hotel, sitting on a desk and drawing on a plaster head. When she heard Yingsheng's words, she didn't immediately understand what he meant, but she still quickly and briefly answered:
"I told her that we should keep our distance in class. I have a mediocre relationship with other girls, and if we get together, we will probably be excluded twice as much. As for writing a diary, I specifically asked her about it, and she said no. But I haven't been to her house, so I can't be completely sure."

After saying these two sentences, Qingzi's thoughts became clear. She glanced at the plaster statue in her hand and frowned slightly.

"Has Aoyagi been replaced by Vermouth?"

"That's probably the case. Keep adding details. I need to know if she's fishing and if you're at risk of being exposed before I can decide on the next course of action."

Hotaru thinks that Vermouth's behavior of calling Kenta Nakamichi is very suspicious.

Even if she had some misunderstandings about her current identity and her relationship with Kenta Nakamichi and wanted to distance herself from it as soon as possible, she only needed to state the "you are a good person" part at the end. Why did she have to add the part about Yuzuki Kiyoko?

By doing this, is she trying to pass on this news to someone else through Kenta Nakamichi?

In the class, Yingsheng's only friend is Kenta Nakamichi.

Furthermore, Chiso Aoyagi regarded Kiyoko Yuzuka as her friend, and Vermouth might have contacted her in the identity of the latter. It is not ruled out that she might accidentally find out some information and know that there is another Kiyoko Yuzuka in the world.

If Vermouth also heard some news inside the winery, she would inevitably suspect Yingsheng.

In this case, the news that Aoyagi Chisou was replaced might be a sting operation.

Of course Yingsheng has to find out.

Kiyoko quickly gave a brief account of her experience with Aoyagi Chiso. Yingsheng thought about it carefully in his mind, but couldn't find much useful information. In the end, he could only hold off for the time being and wait until Monday to confirm it after personally contacting her.

"Sorry, Qingzi, accidents always happen frequently. Try to master the art of disguise as soon as possible, then everything will be much simpler." Yingsheng said.

"Where's the voice changer?" Qingzi asked.

"I have asked someone to visit Dr. Agasa, but he was very cautious about the voice changer, a tool that could be used for criminal purposes, and politely refused. He is not someone who can be moved by money, so we have to find another way in this regard."

"Well."

"It's certainly difficult to reach Vermouth's level in a short period of time, but changing your true voice should be possible. Kiyoko, just find a target you like to imitate, and I will invite professionals to teach you later."

Qingzi sighed softly: "It seems that this is the only way. It's so troublesome. Ying, you should know that I am actually a very lazy person."

Yingsheng chuckled: "I always thought you were very hardworking. Sorry, I will work harder."

"I should be the one to apologize. I wish you success in everything you do."

"Thank you for your good wishes. Goodbye."

After hanging up the call, Yingsheng called Huaying Xiwang again and told her about the future arrangements. Twenty minutes later, he and Xiaolan arrived at the Scarlet Rose Bar together.

Xiaolan had never been to a bar before. When Yingsheng pushed open the heavy door with a retro British style, the hot and humid air hit her in the face. Before she could see the scene inside, she felt her heart pounding and had an urge to escape.

But following the strength in her hands, she finally took a step forward.

The light inside the bar was much darker than outside, but unlike what she had imagined, it was not a colorful rotating light. Instead, it was quite soft, casting light on the dark floor, inexplicably creating a mysterious and warm touch.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of alcohol and tobacco, which was not pleasant, but by no means uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the scent of youth and hormones mixed in it, which fell on the skin of men and women everywhere in the booths and at the bar, and even stained the lights with an ambiguous color.

Walking through the crowd towards the bar, Xiaolan felt that people were looking at her from all directions as she was an alien who didn't fit in here.

But she looked around cautiously for a while with trepidation and found that there were indeed some people looking at her, but their gazes were no different from the gazes they gave to other people.

Moreover, most of them would look away with a sigh or a smile after noticing the fireflies in front of her.

Xiaolan vaguely understood a truth: as long as she entered here, she would become the same kind as them.

However, when Yingsheng leaned against the bar and ordered a glass of [Prosperity Like a Dream] with ease, Xiaolan still raised her hand to stop the bartender and glanced at Yingsheng.

"Ah this..."

Yingsheng scratched his head: "This is a bar."

Xiaolan snorted: "What's the difference?"

"........."

Yingsheng slumped down and turned around: "Give her a glass of ice water." He pointed at Xiaolan and said, "Give her a glass of milk. She is still underage."

Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him and said, "I just want water."

The bartender agreed and left for a moment, then returned with two flat-necked glasses filled with transparent liquid, placed them on the bar, and pushed them toward Yingsheng with his left hand, smiling and asking:
"Has Mr. Liuying found true love?"

"I think so."

Yingsheng smiled and raised his hand to take the wine glass, but Xiaolan snatched it away before he could.

Yingsheng and the bartender were both stunned and looked in amazement. They saw Xiaolan sip the wine very carefully, slowly put down the glass, and sneered at the two of them.

"What's the temperature of this glass of ice water?"

"Ice water is of course zero degrees." Yingsheng said seriously, tilting his head, "Jessica, did you pour me warm water?" The bartender said innocently, "Sorry, sir, I may have used the wrong bottle."

She changed two glasses, this time pouring water from the same bottle on the bar, getting ice, and pushed both glasses in front of Xiaolan, winking.

"Would you like to try them all, Miss Detective?"

Xiaolan shook her head slightly and smiled: "It's mainly because you exposed yourself too early, Miss Jessica."

The bartender looked at Yingsheng apologetically: "It seems I should pretend that I don't know you."

"But don't tell me you miss me a lot, someone will be unhappy."

Yingsheng picked up the wine glass and looked at Xiaolan.

Xiaolan clinked glasses with him: "I don't believe what you said either. Are you deliberately provoking me?"

I took it back and drank it all in one gulp. It was indeed just ice water.

"Maybe."

Yingsheng looked at Jessica: "Has a blond, dark-skinned handsome guy been here before?"

"No." She shook her head.

"What about the other suspicious people? They didn't come here to drink and chat. It seems more like they are here to scout the area or meet with someone." Yingsheng asked again.

Jessica thought for a moment and said, "Aren't there people like this everywhere? Does Mr. Liuying have a specific target?"

"Of course not, just asking."

Yingsheng turned his head and looked towards the door. The door was closed and the wooden fences on both sides were covered with flowers and thorns. He took out his cell phone and checked the time. It was eight fifty-five.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and I arrived at the agreed time with Amuro Toru, but he still did not show up.

Yingsheng turned around and said, "A cup of [Sanshu Yezang]."

He looked at Xiaolan again and said eagerly, "I'm just taking a look, I'm not drinking."

Xiaolan sighed softly: "It's not that serious, it's like I'm inexplicable."

"No, no, no, the base liquor of this drink is absinthe. I don't like the taste. Really, just one look is enough." Yingsheng shook his head. After Jessica mixed the drink and brought it to the bar, he just took a look and continued to drink water.

Xiaolan looked at the cup of [Sanshu Yezang] curiously. The goblet was crystal clear, and the dark green wine was gently trembling with a few bubbles, like the breath of the forest blending into the quiet lake, and then being brought into the world by the crystal.

About ten minutes later, Yingsheng made a phone call and asked, "Chris won't come today?"

Huaying Xiwang chuckled: "Big brother, she has already been here."

"Really, that's really a pity."

Yingsheng sighed, hung up the phone, and dialed another number, but no one answered.

He put his phone on the bar and started chatting with Xiaolan, discussing today's karate match. Yingsheng did not see the morning's match, but he watched every match in the afternoon very seriously. Xiaolan expressed her doubts about this, but finally had to admit that Yingsheng was probably a person who could do two things at once.

"What does that martial arts software mean?"

Xiaolan asked curiously while chatting about this.

"I asked Mr. Amuro to get someone to make this little toy, but I didn't expect much from its effect." At this point, Yingsheng took the phone again, "Why hasn't Mr. Amuro come yet? I'll call him again."

He dialed the number, turned on the hands-free mode, let it ring, and sighed softly:
"Lan, you know, I was planning to introduce Mr. Amuro to a woman, but it seems that both parties broke their promise. I really hope that they have met in private, so that it won't be a waste of my efforts."

Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him and said, "You have the potential to be a matchmaker. I say, just do whatever you want to do. If you can't let go because of me, then I will be worried and you won't bring me to a place like this next time."

"Tsk, do you think I'm the kind of horny boy, or do you think the bar is some kind of demon cave?" Yingsheng curled his lips, "If you don't believe me, ask Jessica. This is my normal state today."

Xiaolan turned her head and looked.

Jessica was wiping her wine glass with her head down, and she said without raising her head, "Most of the people who come here are bored, seeking a sense of reality. The kind of passion and enthusiasm that Miss Lan thinks of certainly exists, but it's rare here. There are more in Kabukicho."

The ringing sound in Yingsheng's phone has stopped and turned into a voice broadcast saying that the owner is busy and no one answered.

Xiaolan took a look and thought: "In other words, this is a bar of a lower level, right?"

"You could say this is a quiet bar."

Jessica smiled and raised her hand, pointing to an oil painting on the wall. Xiaolan looked where she was directed and saw a scene of a medieval knight fighting a demon.

On the dry brown riverbed, the devil's claws pierced the knight's chest and the knight's sword cut off the devil's arm. Their faces were blurred and chaotic, and large amounts of blood almost blended their images into one, making them indistinguishable from each other.

Xiaolan suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.

Jessica smiled and said, “If the boss wasn’t worried about the business being too good, why would he hang this kind of painting?”

"What's its name?" Xiaolan asked.

Jessica thought for a moment and said, "It's called 'Profanation'. I don't know what it means exactly. It's said to be one of a series of works. The others are in the art gallery a few steps away from us. I guess our boss must have some cooperation with that gallery."

Dangdang——

She tapped the medieval armor beside her as decoration with a cocktail spoon and shrugged, "I got this from there too. I actually think this style is quite strange, but it seems to be quite popular. Business here has always been good."

Yingsheng smiled and said, "That's the style, Jessica. Aren't you British? You should be more familiar with these things."

"I don't like history. I even met King Arthur in Fate." Jessica looked at the cell phone on the bar that had gone out. "Will the person you are waiting for come?"

"Who knows... Hello, this way."

As he was talking, Yingsheng suddenly raised his hand towards the door to wave hello. Several people subconsciously looked over there. A tall and thin figure had just pushed the door open and stood at the door, looking around with eyes that were invisible under his baseball cap.

After hearing Yingsheng's greeting, he looked up, then pressed the brim of his hat, walked through a series of booths and soft music, and came to the bar.

He looked Yingsheng up and down, then looked at the glass of Sanshuyezang on the bar.

"Please use."

Firefly Road.

(End of this chapter)