Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 415: Jing Qingshui Leisurely Day

Sunday, 11:00 am.

The midday sun shines on Kyoto, and the outline of Kiyomizu Temple becomes clearer under the golden light.

Yingsheng walked along Qingshui Road towards Nioumon, and in the bustling crowd, he held up his cell phone and talked to Xiaolan.

"I just arrived. I left a little late by sea."

"I saw my classmates at the souvenir shop. Are you guys at Sannenzaka? I'll be right over."

Going down the hundreds of bluestone steps on the left, we arrived at the shopping area on the hillside. From the corner of my eye, I saw classmates buying souvenirs with gossipy and excited eyes. Yingsheng said again:

"Xiao Ai's mother is here too. She has been imprisoned by the organization for many years. I let her out to relax."

"no……"

Elena at the side just started to speak, but Yingsheng raised his hand to stop her and continued: "I saw you guys, are you queuing at Sannian Temple? Please help us get one too."

"The Japanese confectionery here is very famous. What flavor do you want..."

Xiaolan paused.

Yingsheng said that he had seen her, so she naturally looked towards the bluestone stairs not far away. She didn't need to search up and down at all, and she locked onto the target easily.

People were hurrying on the stairs, but in an instant, all the noise turned into silence.

Yingsheng was wearing simple light blue jeans and a white T-shirt, and the person next to him was also wearing a plain white dress.

But wherever the two of them walked past, all the laughter and joy pressed the pause button, and the pedestrians around them automatically made way, clearing a path for them on the originally busy stairs.

Regardless of gender, age or what they are doing at the moment, all eyes are drawn to them.

The two people at the center of the world have such delicate and perfect looks, their creamy skin is flawless and radiates a warm glow in the sun.

He looked relaxed.

She felt quite embarrassed.

But as the two of them walked down the stairs side by side, it was as if a gust of ancient wind blew in from Heian-kyō thousands of years ago. The air was filled with a hint of youthfulness and elegance. The people around them seemed to see nobles traveling on the bluestone street in ancient times.

"I want matcha daifuku, agar-agar and red bean-filled Imagawa yaki, please." Yingsheng said into the phone, then looked to the side, "Elena, what do you want?"

"Strawberry Daifuku... and Konpeito, is that okay?" Elena said in a low voice.

"Lan, is there any in the store?" Yingsheng asked after relaying the message for her.

"I think so..." Xiaolan said with a lack of confidence, and then lowered her voice, "Is Xiaoai's mother so young? Could it be a silver bullet?"

"Yes, I'll tell you the details later. We'll be waiting for you in the cafe next door. What kind of coffee would you like?" Yingsheng asked.

"No, we bought matcha before."

Xiaolan also thought that it was impolite to discuss her age in front of others, so when Yingsheng walked past the horizontal queue and put his hands together to say goodbye to her, she hung up the phone.

"Lan, who is that person?"

After Yingsheng and the other person disappeared through the glass door of the cafe next door, Sonoko finally couldn't help but ask.

"Um... a researcher lady."

Xiaolan didn't know whether Yingsheng would hide Elena's identity, so she said ambiguously.

"Eh……"

Yuanzi couldn't help but look back again, and all she saw were passers-by and air.

She held Xiaolan's hand and said in a rather muffled voice, "This guy is really popular with the opposite sex."

"Because Hotaru herself is very outstanding."

Xiaolan looked at the people on the street. After so much time had passed, many of them were still staring at the direction of the cafe. It could be said that they were bewitched.

"Sonoko, have you noticed that Hotaru is more eye-catching today than in the past few days?" Xiaolan said.

"It seems so, weird." Sonoko frowned, "I thought this was the normal situation. But compared to his performance at my sister's engagement ceremony last night and at school before, what's the problem?"

"When Mr. Amuro asked, didn't Hotaru say that he could control his aura?" Although Xiaolan thought it was the work of magic, she still tried to smooth things over, "He's not controlling it now, probably because the people around him are so beautiful."

"It's also possible that he was too close to death last night. Although he survived, the effect of the drug transformation on his appearance has actually increased."

"Hmm... makes sense." Sonoko thought of the two people who were cremated this morning. "Both Vermouth and Kiyoko are super beautiful. This drug transformation is amazing."

"..."

Xiaolan didn't know what to say, "The garden is already beautiful, there's no need to think about that."

"Of course I wouldn't do that, but compared to them, I'm really far behind." Yuanzi pouted slightly and put her cheek against Xiaolan's. "Hehe, but I hope my Xiaolan doesn't despise me. I just like to be myself."

Xiaolan walked forward along the line, "What would you think if I said, I'm sorry?"

"What else can I think? You were infected by the firefly." Yuanzi snorted, "No matter what, at least we are best friends, and that will never change."

"...Of course not." Xiaolan sighed, "I'm just worried that it will have a bad influence on you."

"Lan is special, I won't become weird." Yuanzi leaned close to Xiaolan's ear and whispered, "Well... we didn't rest last night. We only slept for a short while in the car. Are we going to the hotel for lunch later?"

"..."

Xiaolan tilted her head and looked towards Yuanzi.

Sonoko blinked innocently.

"Ah..." Xiaolan looked hopeless, "It's really over."

"I'm doing this for your own good. So many things happened overnight, and you must be under even more psychological pressure." Sonoko pointed to an ancient building not far to the left, "Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Apartment. I've already booked a room."

“…When did it happen?”

"When we first set out from Tokyo."

"Oh, so you had planned this."

"…Lan, you have a problem."

The strange couple chatted casually and soon it was their turn in line. After buying some Japanese sweets, they went to the Niwa Cafe next door.

There are also many people here, but the atmosphere is very quiet. Except for the hard-working shop assistants, everyone else's eyes are all focused on one place, either implicitly or directly.

At the solid wood round table closest to the inside, Yingsheng and Elena were sitting opposite each other and chatting in low voices.

Elena nodded from time to time or looked thoughtful, and her stunning appearance always touched everyone's heartstrings, making them curious about what she was thinking.

Xiaolan walked over there and placed the packaged Japanese confectionery on the table, "Hina, what are your plans for next?"

"Are there any activities in the class?" Yingsheng asked.

"It's free time now, but there will be a lighting event at Kiyomizu Temple at 8 o'clock in the evening. Teacher Judy said she hopes we can all participate." Xiaolan said.

"Is that so? Then I should go to the Kyoto Central Funeral Home first, then look for trouble with the local gangs, and make sure to get back to Kiyomizu Temple before 8pm."

Yingsheng actually really wants to go out and travel with Xiaolan.

But with Elena around, Xiaolan's questions clearly revealed an attitude of doing things her own way, so she could only wait until next time.

"Please don't make a big fuss. If Kyoto is under martial law, our school trip will lose points." Xiaolan said, "If you need any help, please let me know."

"Absolutely." Yingsheng picked up a matcha daifuku, "Would you like to have dinner together later?"

"I'm almost full. There are a lot of snacks around here." Xiaolan picked up the shopping bag with pear blossoms printed on it and shook it towards Yingsheng. "Sonoko and I are going to continue shopping."

"Well, see you tonight."

Yingsheng picked up another strawberry daifuku.

He didn't introduce Elena, and Xiaolan didn't ask, mainly because Sonoko was there.

But this seemed strange to Sonoko and Elena, causing them to look at each other in confusion, and then quickly look away as soon as their eyes met.

Why do I feel guilty for no apparent reason?

The two people's ideas are strangely in sync.

Some classmates who had quietly followed along to watch the show had shining eyes when they saw that Xiaolan had just entered the cafe and then continued to leave hand in hand with Sonoko.

Then I secretly saw Yingsheng couldn't help laughing, and took out a tissue to wipe the mouth of that super beautiful sister...

"So this is ah."

At the intersection outside the cafe, the melon-eating leader Akiyama Ena had a bleak expression of a "veteran". She was obviously a pure young JK girl, but her temperament was like that of a decadent uncle.

"What is it?" someone asked behind me.

"Have you heard of a marriage of convenience?" Akiyama Ena said, "It means that Mizuki and Xiaolan don't really like each other, and being together is just a formality..."

Her hand was lightly poked by her companion. When Ena Akiyama turned around, she saw her companion winking at her with a stiff expression.

Akiyama Ena's heart skipped a beat. The voice she heard before...

Whose is it?!

"Don't be so nervous. I'm also curious about the perspective of a bystander." Aoyagi Chiso held down Ena Akiyama's shoulders and with her other hand held a box of super-large takoyaki in front of her from the side. "Would you like some? It tastes pretty good."

“No… no need.” A drop of cold sweat dripped down Akiyama Ena’s forehead. “Aoyagi-san is here too.”

When rumors about Hotaru and Xiaolan appeared in the class before, Chiso Aoyagi violently taught several people a lesson. One of them had his nose broken on Ena Akiyama's desk, which left a very deep impression on her, so she didn't dare to talk about it.

"I told you to relax. I'll tell you the truth."

Aoyagi Chiso chewed takoyaki and said in a vague voice, "I also think that they don't really love each other. They are just together out of gratitude and repaying a favor, and then they pretend to be a couple to the outside world. What do you think?"

"What?" Akiyama Ena was stunned, and then asked cautiously: "Is this a sting operation?"

"…Why has my reputation become so bad?"

"..."

"..."

Akiyama Ena and the other looked at each other in silence. You are actually a great white shark, but you have always pretended to be a clownfish in class. Isn't this bad enough? Aoyagi Chisou looked at their eyes and suddenly realized, "Oh, I actually learned from Ying. Didn't he also have an obvious transformation?"

"…So why is this?"

Akiyama Ena felt that Aoyagi Chiso seemed to have become easier to talk to, so she plucked up the courage to ask.

Of course it’s because they only inherited the skin, their core has changed. Moreover, the people wearing the Painted Skin don’t even want to act well, so everyone else has adapted.

Aoyagi Chisou picked up another takoyaki, chewed it twice, and suddenly thought of a reason.

"Have you read The Republic?"

Akiyama Ena shook her head blankly and looked at her companions.

"Is it Plato's work?" asked Xun Yuanye, who was wearing black-framed glasses, in a low voice.

"Yes, that book proposes the concept of a philosopher king," said Aoyagi Chisou. "In order to cultivate a philosopher king, candidates must receive rigorous education from a young age, studying subjects such as mathematics, philosophy, and music."

"During this process, we will continuously evaluate and select the best."

"After passing the preliminary selection, candidates need to participate in various social affairs, observe the world from various perspectives with different social identities, and establish a three-dimensional cognitive system."

"Hina once told me that if you want to become a strong person, you must have enough understanding of the world of the weak."

“We have been practicing this before.”

She is talking nonsense.

But not entirely.

As far as she knew, her master, Tianshu, had received training similar to that of the Philosopher King and was selected by Xuantian from countless candidates and received divine revelation.

Tianshu's life experience is so rich that ordinary people can't even imagine it, so he can handle any situation with ease.

Of course this was him in the past.

In this world, Qing Yanagi Chisou actually discovered that her master's mood fluctuated several times. It seemed that he was affected by his human body and his rationality decreased.

But after all, she had never received Xuantian's personal teaching, and she couldn't be sure whether lowering her status first was a necessary step on the road to becoming a god.

"Hey, come back to your senses, is there something wrong with what I said?"

Aoyagi Chisou snapped her fingers in front of the two stunned girls, "You feel like a middle school student, right? Indeed, we..."

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

The two girls spoke at the same time, their eyes sparkling with stars, they thought this was so cool!

"No wonder you and Mizuki-kun are so outstanding. It turns out you have been so strict with yourselves since childhood!" Akiyama Ena was so excited that she wanted to become his disciple on the spot.

"...I'm a gangster. Let's go back to the previous topic. What do you think is the relationship between Hotaru and Mao Li Ran?" asked Aoyagi Chisume.

"They just take what they need."

Akiyama Ena spread her hands and said, "Suizuki-kun told me a long time ago that he wanted a girlfriend of the Yamato Nadeshiko type, the kind that would allow him to have affairs outside. Although Xiaolan has changed a lot now, she still meets the standard, right?"

"As for Xiaolan, Suigetsu-kun undoubtedly helped her become a better person, becoming independent and strong. She no longer has to wait foolishly for Kudo Shinichi."

"And... well... you know, her relationship with Sonoko... is very special."

"Xiaolan probably wanted to repay her gratitude and use her relationship with Shuiyue-kun to prove something. Shuiyue-kun also happened to need someone like this, so the two sides hit it off immediately."

"From this perspective, they are more like partners than lovers."

Akiyama Ena has limited knowledge of many things, so her conclusions will naturally not be accurate.

But this was exactly the bystander perspective that Aoyagi Chisou wanted, so she nodded and forked a takoyaki towards her.

"Ah~~"

"..."

Akiyama Ena felt it was very strange, but she still opened her mouth and took a bite. After chewing it twice, it tasted pretty good, and there was a lot of Thousand Island dressing, which doubled the sweetness, which was super nice.

"Hina even told you about her ideal type, but she's not dating you?" asked Aoyagi Chisou.

"Oh, I feel bad for that, but it's because we met in the park."

“What’s wrong with the park?”

"The environment was fine, but it was mainly because of what we were doing at the time." Akiyama Ena said leisurely, "He was doing Tai Chi in one side of the pavilion, and I was spinning a top in the other. An old man who was watching chess in the pavilion suddenly had a heart attack, so we ran over to help, only to find out it was him."

Qing Liu Qian Su: "..."

Yuan Ye Xun: "..."

This hobby of yours is indeed a little beyond your age.

Akiyama Ena sighed, "Anyway, that's it. I never saw Suigetsu-kun in the park again. It was only after the Singapore Martial Arts Tournament opened that I learned that he actually had that kind of identity. Maybe he met more and more girls and didn't have time to go to the park anymore."

Aoyagi Chisou picked up another takoyaki for her and said, "That's true. Hotaru is always flirting with other girls."

"Huh? Tell me carefully."

Akiyama Ena swallowed it in one gulp, her eyes lighting up.

"There's not much to say. Ying is very gentle and considerate to everyone. He's also good-looking. It's hard not to have a good impression of him." Qing Liu Qian Su shrugged. "Fully automatic central air conditioning, I'm talking about him."

Akiyama Ena looked her up and down and said nothing.

"I'm an exception. What's your email address? I'll give you something." Aoyagi Chiso forwarded a reservation confirmation email to Akiyama Ena a moment later. "The seat at the main store in Jizhao Arashiyama has already been reserved. You don't have to pay."

"Originally, Hotaru was planning to go with Mao Lilan, but you saw it happen."

"Eh???" Akiyama Ena confirmed the content of the email, her eyes widened, "Three Michelin stars, isn't Mizuki-kun going with the lady now?"

"Since he wanted to be with Mao Lilan before, even if he still goes there for lunch, he will make a new reservation. This is the most basic respect for people." Aoyagi Chisou also fed a takoyaki to Yuanye Xun, "I wish you a happy meal."

After saying this, she merged into the crowd and soon disappeared.

The crowd blocked Yuan Yexun's sight. Feeling the sweetness in her mouth, she couldn't help but sigh, "Qing Liu is really handsome and a very nice person."

"Indeed."

Akiyama Ena glanced at the email again. "How lucky! I haven't even tried Michelin yet. The location seems to be quite far away. Let's go now."

She held Yuan Yexun's hand and walked towards the bluestone stairs. She secretly glanced at Yingsheng in the cafe and saw that he was chatting enthusiastically with the person opposite. She turned back and whispered:

"It turns out that Aoyagi-san forwarded my email herself, which means that either she helped to reserve the seat, or she and Mizuki-kun have a shared email address."

"No matter what kind of relationship it is, it's definitely super close."

"And it's very likely that Shuiyue-kun just invited Xiaolan, and was rejected by her. Otherwise, if he had been rejected in advance, he wouldn't have had to come here at all."

"Well..." Yuanye Xun said weakly, "If my boyfriend suddenly brings a woman who is prettier than me and invites me to dinner, it's normal to refuse."

"…Although I also think Suigetsu-kun's train of thought is somewhat strange, that's not the point." Akiyama Ena raised her phone, "The point is that after Xiaolan left, Suigetsu-kun didn't contact Aoyagi-san at all, and she made the decision on Suigetsu-kun's behalf."

"It's okay that Mizuki-kun doesn't care about money." Yuan Ye Xun said, "Well, this is also one of the reasons why he is popular with girls."

"The main thing is that Aoyagi knows him very well. What do you think their relationship is?" Akiyama Ena's eyes were burning with gossip.

"...Another ex-girlfriend?"

We can become close friends, after all, we both love gossip.

“It’s a very interesting passerby’s perspective.”

Aoyagi Chiso was lying on the gray-tiled roof eating takoyaki, lazily basking in the sun, and the voice of Firefly was ringing in her heart.

"I don't quite understand, Qian Su, why are you suddenly paying attention to these things?"

"Just asking casually, Master, how many people are offering you love now?" Qingliu Qiansu asked.

“I don’t know. It’s hard to count.”

"...This scumbag has gone too far."

"…If you're bored, why not help me find some trouble with the local gangs? Although Qingzi is happy to see this happen, her mother's last name is Xuesong after all."

"OK, have a nice date."

Aoyagi Chisou stood up and landed on the ground as lightly as willow catkins. She threw the oversized cardboard box into the trash can, stopped a passerby, and paid a higher price to buy the Mizu Shingen Mochi in his hand.

"This is not a date." Yingsheng said helplessly.

"Yes, yes, Master treats everyone like this, but Miss Elena doesn't think so."

Aoyagi Chiso felt that Mizu Shingen Mochi was just brown sugar-flavored icy jelly. She ate one and gave the others back, then stopped another passerby who had just bought some Japanese confectionery.

"That's not the case. After the initial impulse settles, it can be considered friendship at best," Yingsheng said.

"I always feel that you have overestimated human rationality. From what I have observed, this kind of emotional transition is very natural and rapid, and it is difficult for ordinary people to define it."

Chiso Aoyagi held a big bag in her hands and ate while saying that she thought the Dorayaki tasted just average, it was just a red bean paste bun, and she didn't know why Doraemon liked it so much.

"At worst, I can switch Qingzi's personality, and then we can just be sisters." Yingsheng said casually.

"… Ran Maoli and Suzuki Sonoko went to the hotel. I didn't follow them. I just saw them by accident on the roof just now. They even deliberately made a circle."

"so what?"

"So I'm sorry. Also, do you know any spicy pastries?" Aoyagi Chiso gave all the Dorayaki to a passing calico cat.

"Hmm... tofu pudding?"

“…They’re not sold here.”

Yingsheng was chatting with the two people in front of him and in his heart at the same time. After drinking coffee, he went shopping. He felt that this level of multithreading was just right. Today was a very leisurely day.

It was not until eight o'clock in the evening that Yingsheng received bad news from Tokyo.

A guy named Baiba Tan found some remains of the Shuiyue couple and detected Yingsheng's DNA on them.

(End of this chapter)