Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 391, Chapter 385: Springtime in the Garden Too
"Big brother, look over there." Bai Shi, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke up and pointed to Lin Longma in the distance.

"What's over there?" Lin Longma looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised to find: "Isn't that the second young lady of the Suzuki family?"

Are they on vacation?

This trip, chosen by Lin Longma as a leisurely getaway, naturally took place in a suitable location.

For example, Izu Beach.

Lin Longma never expected that he would run into Suzuki Sonoko on the beach in Izu. Shouldn't a rich girl like Suzuki Sonoko be living in a seaside villa and enjoying a private beach?
How did you end up on a public beach?
Upon discovering Sonoko Suzuki, Ryoma Hayashi immediately began searching the surrounding area, but after a long search, he still couldn't find the person he expected.

"Big brother, it seems like Ran Mouri and Conan aren't around. I started looking for them as soon as I noticed Sonoko Suzuki."

Suzuki and Mouri, these two best friends, are always inseparable. And there's always a walking plague god appearing around Ran Mouri.

Often, if you see Sonoko Suzuki, the other two are not far behind. However, this time Ryoma Hayashi spotted Sonoko but didn't see Ran Mouri or Conan, who was always tagging along.

"Is Suzuki being hit on?" Ryoma Hayashi leaned back in his beach chair and looked in Suzuki Sonoko's direction with great interest.

Right now, Sonoko Suzuki is being approached by a young man who looks pretty good. Judging from his appearance, he seems to be the type Sonoko likes.

If Conan were here, his expression would definitely be very serious right now. Because in Conan's mind, no one would ever approach Sonoko Suzuki to chat her up.

This is a stereotype of Conan.

To be fair, Sonoko Suzuki isn't bad-looking at all. Even though she often wears headbands, she's still quite attractive.

Sonoko Suzuki truly demonstrated her sexuality when she was at her most triumphant, which was also when she most resembled Kogoro Mouri.

On ordinary days, Sonoko Suzuki seems like a normal girl.

Especially with Sonoko Suzuki's cheerful personality, she shouldn't lack male friends.

If we can't be lovers, can't we still be brothers?

In addition, considering Sonoko Suzuki's family background, to be honest, Sonoko Suzuki's personality and qualities are extremely rare among young ladies from equally prominent families.

Those who truly know their stuff should rush to win Sonoko Suzuki's heart immediately, thus saving themselves three hundred years of hard work.

Honestly, given Sonoko Suzuki's family background, it would be a miracle for an ordinary person to avoid three hundred years of hard work.

Even if an ordinary person could work hard for three hundred years, they might not be able to reach the level of the Suzuki Group.

Especially in island nations where class distinctions are already rigid, some things that you're born without may truly never exist.

Marrying into another family is probably the most direct way for ordinary people to change their social standing.

Ryoma was actually tolerant of the man who approached him on the beach, despite Sonoko Suzuki's usual behavior of acting like a lecherous slut.

But Lin Longma could see through her true nature at a glance.

This guy's just all talk.

She's always talking about looking at handsome guys, hooking up with handsome guys, and dating handsome guys. But in the end, this girl really just gets to feast her eyes. Sometimes, she doesn't even get to feast her eyes, like now. Suzuki Sonoko, who's been directly approached, has clearly lost her composure. If nothing unexpected happens, our second young lady will probably run away next?

No, girl, you're really disgracing your class of rich heiresses. People can be innocent, but they can't be this hypocritical.

It's like who would have thought that so many of those seasoned drivers who spout dirty jokes and are ready to run over anyone's face with their mouths are actually virgins who would blush if they even touched a girl's hand?
"Let's go take a look. Let's give Suzuki some encouragement and not let the second young lady suffer a loss."

Ryoma Hayashi's relationship with the Suzuki Group began with Sonoko Suzuki, so Ryoma Hayashi naturally had a high level of affection for the second young lady.

Of course, this positive feeling wasn't mixed with any other ulterior motives—the second young lady was still a high school student, so it was perfectly normal for a college student to approach her. But if a man nearing forty had such wicked thoughts, that would be truly despicable.

Thinking of this, Ryoma Hayashi led Shiraishi and Kaneda toward Sonoko Suzuki: "Yo, Ms. Suzuki, it's been a while~"

Sonoko Suzuki, who was being approached, heard a familiar voice calling her. When she turned around and saw Ryoma Hayashi, she felt as if her "savior" had arrived.

"Uncle Lin!"

Not long after, Ryoma walked up to Sonoko Suzuki and then looked at the man who was chatting with her.

This man, while not exactly slicked-back, was certainly handsome. He wore flip-flops, shorts, and a bright-colored short-sleeved shirt half-open; his hair was clearly styled meticulously, making him the type that girls would find very appealing.

Especially on this beach, there's no shortage of people trying to strike up a conversation.

"Who is this?" Lin Longma curiously sized up the "refined boy" in front of him. This level of flirtation might not be the most outstanding among the people Suzuki Sonoko knew.

However, placed on this beach, it must be the smallest part at the very top of the pyramid.

He's now trying to chat up Sonoko. Is he after Sonoko herself, or her money?
"My name is Masahiko Michiwaki, and I'm a student at Beika University. I'm currently on vacation at the beach, but I never expected to meet my 'soulmate'."

As this college student named Masahiko Michiwaki spoke, he began to exude charm towards Sonoko Suzuki.

Such a performance did indeed pique Lin Longma's interest.

The reason is simple: when Suzuki Sonoko greeted him just now, she called him Uncle Lin.

This means that, in a certain sense, Ryoma Hayashi is Sonoko Suzuki's "elder," and Masahiko Michiwaki dares to be so glib in front of a girl's elder.
There are two possible outcomes to doing this: either Michiwaki Masahiko will be disliked by Hayashi Ryoma, an elder, and be ordered by Suzuki Sonoko not to continue "dating" him.

But Ryoma Hayashi isn't a proper elder in Sonoko, so he doesn't have that qualification.

Or perhaps, like the many hated blond-haired guys, he could use such behavior to make Sonoko Suzuki more interested in him.

Sonoko Suzuki is neither of those; she just finds Masahiko Michiwaki's silly antics quite endearing.

The womanizing master, Masahiko Michiwaki, also discovered that Sonoko Suzuki wasn't interested in the blond guy's tactics, so he immediately changed his approach and invited Ryoma Hayashi and Sonoko Suzuki to have lunch with him.

Upon hearing the invitation, Sonoko Suzuki instinctively looked at Ryoma Hayashi—she undoubtedly wanted to go, but she was afraid to go alone.

So when Ran Mouri wasn't around, Ryoma Hayashi became Sonoko Suzuki's pillar of support.

(End of this chapter)