Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Teacher, you can't say that,"

Ichikawa rubbed his hands together, racking his brains, still trying to figure out how to persuade the stubborn old man.

After all, if he could persuade the other party, given Takeshita Matsufumi's high prestige in the shopping district, the land acquisition would definitely go much more smoothly.

If this deal goes through, his status within the Shimadzu Group will rise to a higher level.

But before he could come up with a more perfect excuse, Takeshita Matsufumi had already completely given up on his former student.

Disappointment was etched on the old man's wrinkled face, and his cloudy eyes coldly stared at Ichikawa.

"You can order whatever you want to eat."

"What good food can you find in a place like this?" Ichikawa muttered, calling for a waiter as he complained.

While he turned around, Takeshita Matsufumi trembled as he took a packet of powder from his pocket.

After looking around and making sure no one was watching, the old man quickly poured the powder into Ichikawa's teacup.

The tea foamed slightly, but quickly returned to calm.

After ordering, Ichikawa turned back and continued trying to persuade Takeshita Matsufumi.

He put on a professional smile, but a few fake lines appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"Teacher, as the saying goes, 'A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives.' These people have lived on the shopping street for many years without any changes. Maybe if they sell their land and move, they'll become rich."

As Ichikawa spoke, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, the rhythm revealing his inner anxiety.

"How about this, teacher? If you're willing to help me persuade them, for every resident of the shopping street who sells land through you, I can give you a share of the profits."

"Three hundred thousand per family?"

Ichikawa tentatively offered a price, his eyes fixed on Takeshita Matsufumi's expression.

Seeing the old man's blank face and expressionless expression, he frowned and unconsciously increased the frequency of his tapping on the table.

"Teacher, don't be too greedy. If you ask for too much, I won't be able to explain it to the company. How about this, a maximum of 500,000 per household, that's really the most I can offer."

Takeshita Matsufumi suppressed his temper and listened to Ichikawa's nagging.

Finally, perhaps because he was thirsty from talking, Ichikawa picked up the oolong tea in front of him and was about to drink it.

Takeshita Matsufumi's heart jumped into his throat. The old man unconsciously held his breath, his eyes fixed on Ichikawa's movements.

Unexpectedly, Kogoro Mouri walked over with a tray: "Your curry pork cutlet rice, please enjoy."

Disturbed by his interruption, Ichikawa put the teacup he had already picked up back down.

hateful!

Takeshita Matsufumi gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Kogoro Mouri.

Caught off guard by the glare, Kogoro Mouri forced a forced, awkward smile before quickly walking back to the kitchen counter.

"I knew it! It shouldn't have been me who went; Midori should have gone," Kogoro Mouri complained, feeling wronged. "That old hag just gave me that inexplicable glare again."

"If there hadn't been someone sitting opposite him, he probably would have already started lecturing me."

"When you went over there just now, did you hear what those two were saying?" Lin Xiuyi asked in a low voice.

"It seems to be about buying land," Kogoro Mouri gestured as if counting money. "I vaguely heard that he was going to give the old man over 500,000 yen?"

Is Ichikawa trying to use money to pave the way and bribe Takeshita Matsufumi?
Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but shake his head.

Takeshita Matsufumi's wife and daughters have all passed away, and for this man in his fifties, money is no longer so tempting.

Given his stubborn personality, it would be strange if he could be bribed.

"Keep an eye on what's going on over there," Lin Xiuyi warned. "That man is from the Shimadzu Group, sent to acquire land in the shopping district. Takeshita-sensei's request to meet him probably isn't for anything good."

"What? That bastard is from the Shimadzu Group?" Kogoro Mouri snorted, his fists clenching involuntarily.

"If I had known who he was, I should have spat on the curry pork chop rice when I brought it over."

"Don't say things like that!" Lin Xiuyi glared angrily at her friend. "What if customers hear this? Will we still be able to do business with them?"

"Hehe," Kogoro Mori, knowing he was in the wrong, chuckled twice and then went to greet the other guests.

While cooking, Lin Xiuyi kept an eye on the movements of Takeshita Matsufumi.

However, he wasn't all-seeing and all-hearing, and since Takeshita Matsufumi had chosen a corner spot, Lin Xiuyi quickly forgot about it after getting busy.

……

After taking a couple of bites of the curry pork cutlet rice, Ichikawa was full of praise: "I didn't expect that the chef, who is so young, to have such good cooking skills. This rice is really delicious."

He spoke while chewing heartily, oblivious to the sauce stains on the corners of his mouth.

"If it's good, then eat more."

Takeshita Matsufumi snorted coldly, his words seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"We won't be able to eat it anymore."

As the old man said this, a subtle, complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

Ichikawa misunderstood him, thinking that Takeshita Matsufumi was saying that once the shopping street was acquired, this izakaya would also be included and would definitely be demolished.

"This restaurant's cooking is really good,"

Ichikawa casually wiped his mouth with a napkin, a smug smile on his face.

"If the teacher likes it, I can pay to hire that chef to reopen the shop. Then, you can eat as much curry pork chop rice as you want."

As he spoke, he stuffed another large mouthful of rice into his mouth, his cheeks bulging exaggeratedly as he chewed.

Seeing the other person's arrogant smile, Takeshita Matsufumi barely managed to suppress his anger and refrain from slapping him.

After finishing most of the curry pork cutlet rice, Ichikawa finally felt thirsty again.

This time, no one stopped them.

Ichikawa picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing his tea, he noticed that Takeshita Matsufumi across from him had been staring at him.

The old man's cold gaze, as if looking at a dead man, sent a chill down his spine.

"What's wrong? Teacher?"

Ichikawa touched his face in confusion, thinking he had gotten something dirty on it.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal for the day, Takeshita Matsufumi stopped pretending and slammed his hand on the table.

The sudden loud noise startled the surrounding guests, who all turned to look in this direction.

"Get out!" the old man roared.

"teacher?"

Ichikawa was startled and stared in astonishment at the old man who had suddenly gone berserk.

His expression froze on his face, and the chopsticks in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter".

"Get out! I don't want to see your disgusting face again!" Takeshita Matsufumi said coldly. "Evil will be punished, you will definitely get your comeuppance and die a horrible death!"

Seeing that the old man was speaking unpleasantly, Ichikawa knew that his plan was definitely going to fail, and he immediately stopped pretending.

His expression quickly shifted from surprise to anger, his entire face contorting in rage… (End of Chapter)