Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Seeing Ai's fur stand on end, Hongye quickly stroked Ai's head and soothed her.

"You're laughing very loudly," Ai pointed out expressionlessly.

"Really?" Hongye asked innocently.

As she spoke, she deliberately winked.

But the hand that was stroking Ai's head showed no sign of stopping; instead, it rubbed it even more vigorously.

Ai felt that her hair had been ruffled into a bird's nest, but since there were people all around, and she didn't want to be tugging at Momiji in public, she could only let her do as she pleased.

"You were clearly laughing." Ai said in a low voice, gritting her teeth, "You've been holding back your laughter ever since you saw the look in that waiter's eyes."

"Oh dear, you noticed." Hongye finally withdrew her hand: "I thought I was laughing very quietly."

"So, you admit you did it on purpose?" Ai asked.

Hongye blinked, said nothing, and just looked at her with a smile.

"Humph!"

Xiao Ai snorted coldly, turned her head away, and ignored her.

Look!
Even his shamelessness is exactly the same as Zheng Yi's.

Zheng Yi slowly stirred the coffee in his cup, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.

Ai looked at the two people, one openly smug and the other secretly laughing. She took a deep breath and forced herself not to spill the coffee in her cup.

They've stopped performing now, haven't they?

Hongye's face now screams, "I did this on purpose!"

Seeing Ai's constantly changing expression, and fearing that she might have ingested some strange medicine, Momiji finally stopped teasing her and gently stroked Ai's hair.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." She smiled and changed the subject, turning her gaze to the bustling street outside the window. "Speaking of which, today's commotion reminded me of something very important."

Ai ignored her and, just as she was about to chime in, asked, "What is it?"

“Next week, there’s a limited-edition Fusae launch event in Tokyo. They say there will be a mini handbag, and only ten of them will be available worldwide.” Momiji’s tone was full of enticement: “I’ve already received the invitation. Let’s go together.”

Ai swallowed hard, not immediately forgiving Momiji.

Zheng blinked and asked curiously, "Really?"

“Of course.” Hongye nodded firmly, “It’s just that it’s no fun for me to go alone, I want someone to go with me.”

Ai's head moved slightly, as if it was tilting towards Momiji.

Hongye looked at her and asked, "Ai, will you come with me?"

Ai remained silent and continued to hold her breath.

Masaya glanced at Ai, then turned to Momiji and said, "How about I go with you?"

Ai let out a soft hum.

You'd be a fool to go if you wanted to; I wouldn't fall for that so easily.

This time, you received two million yen from the maple trees, yet you seemed reluctant and acted so perfunctorily.

If you're willing to accompany Hongye to see the new bag for free, then the sun has truly risen in the west.

"Okay, okay," Hongye said with a smile, her face full of anticipation.

Ai's eyes widened, and she realized something was wrong.

Zheng Yi might not be willing to go with Hong Ye, but Hong Ye would definitely be willing for Zheng Yi to go with her.

So, Ai started to act coy.

"It's settled then!" Hongye said loudly, eager to make the decision quickly.

"that……"

Ai's voice suddenly interrupted, as soft as a mosquito's hum.

She first lowered her head, unconsciously rubbing the ground with the toes of her shoes, then slowly raised her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between Zheng Yi and Hong Ye, as if she were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

"Actually... I don't really want to go either," she said softly, her tone slightly reluctant. "After all, I have to go to the lab. Research time is precious, and with all the pressure, so many researchers are waiting for me, and some people desperately need the antidote..."

As she spoke, she secretly observed Hongye's expression.

Hongye simply raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Is that so?"

Ai's cheeks flushed slightly. She bit her lip and continued, "Besides, those kinds of occasions are crowded and noisy... I don't really like them."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

“But…” After saying that, she changed the subject: “Wouldn’t it be boring if Hongye went alone? After all, Zhengyi doesn’t really want to go. Even if he did go, he would just find a place to sit down.”

Her meaning was quite clear.

Even though there are so many reasons why I can't go, I can still go.

But Hongye had other thoughts. She said considerately, "You still have to go to the lab. Researching the antidote is more important than spending time with me."

"No, no, no." Ai shook her head and said, "Being with you is still quite important, after all, researching the antidote can be done anytime."

“Oh dear, but the press conference is on a Wednesday. I remember you usually do data recording in the lab on Wednesday afternoons, right?” Hongye blinked.

"Researching for the antidote is a race against time; how can it be delayed by something as trivial as accompanying me shopping?"

Xiao Ai looked at Hongye in surprise, "How did you know I had to record data on Wednesday?"

"No, no, no." Ai shook her head vigorously, not thinking about the reason for the time being.

“The data recording can be monitored by other researchers, and the research on the antidote has reached a bottleneck, so a day or two won't make a difference. In comparison, it would be too pitiful to leave you to face those boring celebrities alone.”

“But…” Hongye frowned, feigning distress:

"Zhengyi said he's willing to go with me, even if he's just going to be a wooden doll, he'll still be my male companion. Won't you feel uncomfortable going to that kind of place as a little kid?"

Like today, many people are looking at you strangely, and some even mistook you for our daughter.

Ai puffed out her cheeks.

Weren't those people's misunderstandings caused by you on purpose?

Ai glanced at her clothes and was still very unhappy.

Ai coughed and said, "With Zheng Yi's personality, if you get harassed by someone who tries to pick you up, he definitely won't help you out. You'll have to rely on me then."

Hongye covered her mouth and chuckled: "Oh dear, I never thought I was so vulnerable in Ai's eyes that I needed your protection."

Ai, without batting an eye, made up a lie: "After all, someone as beautiful as you is likely to run into trouble."

"So that's how it is." Hongye nodded as if she suddenly understood, her smile lingering on her face.

She was quite happy to be praised for her beauty by Ai.

"Since Ai is so considerate, then I shall respectfully accept your offer." Hongye said this, her face showing an indescribable regret.

Seeing this, Ai breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface, she still had to pretend to be reluctant.

"Well... since Hongye has said so, I'll reluctantly sacrifice some of my research time. But it's okay, if the press conference gets too boring, I can leave anytime."

"Of course, of course." Hongye smiled and took Xiao Ai's hand. You'd better really leave.

"Then it's settled." Ai nodded immediately, finally revealing a smile that she had been hiding for a long time.

With the matter settled, the three of them resumed eating and drinking. With several days still until the press conference, Xiao Ai felt like each day was an eternity.

Over the next few days, Ai kept receiving some "unexplained" packages.

The first day was a huge cardboard box.

When Xiao Ai opened the package, she found more than a dozen of the latest fashion magazines neatly stacked inside, ranging from "VOGUE" to "ELLE", and even a few niche designer publications.

"This is……"

“Oh, Hongye bought this for you,” Zhengyi said. “She said it was for pre-war preparations, and that you should take a look at it when you have time to cultivate your sense of fashion.”

Ai scoffed, "Boring."

But the body tells a different story.

She said she "didn't have time to read it," but her hands had already expertly flipped to the latest issue of "VOGUE."

As a seasoned "bag enthusiast" who knows Prada and Fusae by heart, she was already well-versed in these trends. However, among the publications sent by Hongye were many exclusive interviews about the history of the Fusae brand, and even a few pages of predictions about the next season's trending colors.

"Hmph, her taste is just so-so." Ai muttered under her breath, but her gaze lingered on the page about accessories featuring "ginkgo leaves" for a full half minute, silently giving it a professional evaluation in her mind.

In the days that followed, packages kept arriving.

From limited-edition brand catalogs to biographies of legendary designers, and various documentary DVDs about leather craftsmanship.

Hongye seems to want to bring the entire fashion industry into her home.

Ai finds herself...falling for him.

"Ai, aren't you going to the lab today?" Zheng Yi asked, looking at Ai, who was curled up on the sofa, engrossed in reading "Appreciation of Leather Craftsmanship".

Before, I would always be sitting on the sofa with a book in my hand, watching you leave.

Now it's become him going out to the company or busy with organizational matters, and then watching Ai curl up on the sofa reading magazines.

I feel very unbalanced.

"I'm not going." Xiao Ai didn't even look up, her fingers gently stroking the close-up picture of the Hermès Birkin bag on the page.

"The experimental data for today has been completed, and I need to... add some theoretical information."

"Theoretical supplement?" Zheng asked expressionlessly, "Is it about APTX4869?"

"Um...I guess so." Ai lied without batting an eye.

Looking at the exquisite clasp in the book, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction welling up inside her.

The thought of seeing the actual product at the press conference soon made Ai even happier.

"hehe."

Zheng Yi sneered, left with a stern face, and his expression was just like that of Ai in the past.

"Shiho Miyano, Shiho Miyano, how could you become so addicted to these things?"

Late at night, Ai lay in bed, looking at the mountain of fashion magazines piled up on her bedside table, and gave herself a painful pep talk.

"At this rate, when will the antidote be developed? Tomorrow! I must go to the lab tomorrow! Forget all this nonsense!"

She closed her eyes with conviction, as if she could already see herself busy in the laboratory the next day.

However, the next morning.

"Oh dear, I haven't finished reading this picture book about Coco Chanel's life yet..."

"Hmm? This article about leather tanning processes seems to make a lot of sense..."

"Wait a minute, the design concept of this new Fusae handbag is surprisingly similar to my antidote formula? I need to investigate..."

So, Ai, with a perfectly justified air, settled into the sofa, holding a cup of red tea, surrounded by magazines, and stayed there all day long.

Zheng Yi looked at Xiao Ai and shook his head repeatedly.

Ai has gone mad; she's saying all sorts of nonsense.

The design concept of this bag is surprisingly similar to your research on the antidote. How could you say something like that? Who taught you that?
Zheng Yi sighed, then went out to organize his subordinates, ordering them to fight and kill, leaving Xiao Ai at home enjoying a peaceful life.

As Ai looked at the exquisite pictures, the image of Momiji's smiling face came to mind.

"That woman... she must have done it on purpose." Ai gritted her teeth. "She's trying to corrupt my will with sugar-coated bullets!"

Although she said that, Ai's fingers honestly turned to the next page.

She's going to eat the sugar coating and then fire the cannonball.

This cycle of "being obsessed with fashion during the day and hating decadence at night" continued until the day before the press conference.

That night, Ai looked at herself in the mirror.

"I've fallen." Ai looked at the ceiling and let out a desperate sigh.

"I'm corrupted by the red leaves."

Ai ran to the bed, turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and spoke in a muffled voice.

She has absolutely no self-control; she fell for Hongye's trick so easily and became hopelessly addicted to fashion.

"But I have to go to the press conference tomorrow."

Ai was filled with anticipation, wanting this.

The day of the press conference finally arrived. Hongye took Xiao Ai's hand and went together, but Zheng Yi did not come with them.

Hongye looked at Xiao Ai with a smile.

She herself hadn't expected that Ai would be so disappointing.

They just sent over some fashion magazines and such, and Ai became completely obsessed with them.

It seems I've been eating too poorly lately; I can't even resist this little temptation.

On the day of the press conference, a private art museum in Tokyo's Minato Ward was booked out.

"Do you like it?" Hongye asked, taking Ai's arm.

"It's...it's alright." Ai tried her best to keep a straight face.

"is it?"

Hongye turned her head and looked at Ai's eyes, which, though trying to appear indifferent, were slightly brightening when they saw the mini handbag on the display stand that was "limited to ten pieces worldwide." The smile on her lips deepened.

Stepping inside the venue, Ai felt like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.

The shelves around her were filled with this season's new products, each one seemingly beckoning to her.

As Ai walked, she silently commented on her thoughts.

She couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke a dark brown handbag on the display shelf.

Hongye gracefully accepted the champagne offered by the waiter, took a small sip, and her eyes were full of slyness and smugness.

She silently made a "V" sign in her mind.

Get it done.

Ai Haibara is nothing to me; I can handle her with ease. (End of Chapter)