Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

The forest path was rugged, but Chu Ming carried someone in his arms and still walked briskly. Xiao Lan occasionally wiped the sweat off Kudo Shinichi's face and breathed a slight sigh of relief when she found that his body temperature was not as hot as before.

"Every time I see Shinichi, he seems to have a cold. This guy can never take care of himself..."

Xiao Lan followed behind Chu Ming, seemingly talking to herself or complaining to him.

"Then you should have a good talk with him. He's already confessed his feelings, so why is he still so focused on the case? He's in Kyoto but he won't come to you. You should have given him the cold shoulder this time. If you always stay behind him, he'll think he can turn around and see you waiting for him, and then he'll become emboldened."

Chu Ming gave Xiao Lan some pointers. He didn't understand matters of the heart, but he knew about the inherent flaws in men.

The easier something is to obtain, the less it is subconsciously valued.

Shinichi Kudo does love Ran very much, but it certainly won't be as deep as Ran's love for him.

After all, they've been together for so long. For Vermouth's sake, I'll give her a little pointers. How can a young couple's relationship deepen without going through trials and tribulations?

It's not that he wants to earn points.

On the way down the mountain, Chu Ming poured all his theoretical theories about emotions into Xiao Lan, not knowing how much she could understand.

After taking Shinichi Kudo to the hospital, Ran stayed behind to take care of him. Since Shinichi Kudo wouldn't turn into Conan for the next three days, Chu Ming said he would come to see him again tomorrow morning.

After leaving the hospital, Chu Ming found a group of people eating noodles at a ramen shop outside Shan Neng Temple. He pulled out a stool and sat down as well: "A bowl of pork bone ramen."

"Brother Chu Ming, you're back. How is Kudo?" Hattori immediately came over to ask.

Knowing that Hattori was asking if Kudo had transformed, Chu Ming shook his head: "He's fine. He's probably just weak and has a fever. He probably won't wake up for a while. Ran is taking care of him there. We'll go see him together tomorrow morning."

Hattori nodded knowingly, a smile appearing on his face. "That's good. Kudo hasn't seen Ran in a long time either. I was worried he—"

Hattori stopped talking before he could finish, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

Chu Ming glanced at him: "You're talking about others, but what about yourself?"

Hattori glanced at Kazuha beside him subconsciously, the tenderness in his eyes perhaps going unnoticed even by himself: "What's wrong with me?"

Chu Ming slurped up a mouthful of noodles: "The police found the missing Medicine Buddha statue on the eaves of Yulong Temple. The keepsake of your first love has been confirmed to be the white urna on the Buddha's head, so we put it on before you arrived."

Hattori was somewhat prepared for this, so he wasn't too upset when he heard the news. After all, he had found his first love, the geisha Chika Rin from that day.

Kazuha anxiously leaned closer: "What? That's not a keepsake from your first love? What are we going to do? You'll never find your first love again!"

Hattori pushed her head away: "Idiot, who said I couldn't find it? I've already—"

Chu Ming suddenly interrupted him, saying, "Actually, you've come to the wrong place."

"Huh?" Hattori and Kazuha looked at him at the same time.

"impossible!"

"Brother Chu Ming, who exactly was Heiji's first love?"

Chu Ming looked at Hattori, whose face was full of stubbornness, and then at Kazuha, who seemed gossipy on the surface but actually had a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Eight years ago, when Hattori was playing at Sanno-ji Temple—"

Chu Ming had just begun to speak when Hattori stopped him, his face darkening: "Stop talking, Brother Chu Ming, how could you be like this—"

Kazuha suddenly remembered something: "Eight years ago, oh right, it was when I was in the third grade of elementary school. I came to visit relatives in Kyoto with Heiji back then."

Sonoko, who had been listening the whole time, sensed the gossip and leaned over to ask, "What? Could it be that Hattori's first love is you?"

Kazuha poked at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks: "How could that be? I remember that day my relative did my makeup, dressed me in a kimono, and styled my hair. I looked so beautiful! But Heiji didn't have the patience to wait for me and went to play at Sannoji Temple. When I got all dressed up and went to find him, he wasn't there. I bounced a ball under the cherry blossom tree a few times, singing the ball song I just learned, and went back. I really want Heiji to see what I looked like back then~"

Chu Ming glanced at Hattori, who was standing there dumbfounded, and chuckled to himself.

He had already seen it, and it felt like an eternity in a single glance.

Chapter 398 I Don't Smelt Pessimists

Chu Ming looked at Hattori, who was still stunned and unable to recover for a while, and deliberately feigned shock: "Are you two mutually attracted? Hattori said that his first love was the little girl in a kimono bouncing a ball that he saw through the window of San'yō-ji Temple, and she was singing—'Mmm-mmm-mmm—'"

Hattori quickly covered Chu Ming's mouth, then, seeing Kazuha's surprised face, he stammered, "Um—I, actually—uh—"

"Heiji's first love was—me?" Kazuha's eyes widened instantly, her face turning as red as a teapot.

Sonoko, hands on her hips, exclaimed, "I knew Sonoko-sama's guess was right! Hahahaha!!"

Chu Ming also broke free from Hattori's grasp and clapped his hands enthusiastically: "This is so dreamy, this is love!"

Hattori and Kazuha looked at each other, and neither of them said a word for a long time.

Seeing this, Chu Ming gave Yuanzi a hint, and the two of them each picked up one of them and walked out of the shop.

At this moment, their minds were probably still a mess, and they let Chu Ming and Yuanzi lead them around.

On the way, Chu Ming nudged Hattori and whispered, "That's all the help I can give you, brother. It's such a great place with such a great atmosphere, let's rush over there, you hear me? Don't hesitate."

Then, after escorting the two to the cherry blossom tree at Sanonji Temple, Chu Ming and Sonoko leisurely made their exit—hiding at the window of the back room to peek.

Encouraged by Chu Ming's words and spurred by the scene of Kudo confessing to Ran, Hattori cleared his throat.

"Kazuha, there's something I've always wanted to tell you... I, well, it's just..."

He stammered for a long time without uttering a complete sentence. Sonoko, who was peeping nearby, clenched her fists, anxious for him. On the other hand, Kazuha seemed to be expecting something, her bright eyes fixed on Hattori.

"...Back then, in my room at the Saneng Temple, I saw a little girl through the window. She was bouncing a ball and singing a song, and I still dream about her to this day..."

Kazuha's face grew increasingly red, showing some shyness.

"...I never expected that girl to be you. It's true what they say, girls look completely different before and after makeup."

"..." Chu Ming was almost driven mad by Hattori's stroke of genius.

Hattori, you're such a clueless straight man! Why do you have to bring up something you shouldn't say?!

However, seeing the emotional value points from Sonoko and Kazuha refreshed in the system, Chu Ming still held back.

Kazuha paused, her expression turning shy: "You mean I don't look good without makeup?"

"I didn't say that. I just felt that we've known each other for so long, and I didn't even realize you were wearing makeup. Your relative is quite good at makeup."

……

Then, the confession location that Chu Ming had carefully chosen was instantly disrupted by Hattori's steely nerves.

The two were playfully bickering and arguing under the cherry blossom tree, but the smile on Kazuha's lips showed that she was in a good mood, and Hattori's gaze towards Kazuha was incredibly warm and bright.

Sonoko squatted down next to Chu Ming. From her initial excitement to her later deadpan expression, she seemed to have lost all worldly desires.

She couldn't help but complain: "How can there be such a clueless guy? He could have taken the opportunity to confess his feelings, and under the moonlight and cherry blossoms, they could have shared a sweet kiss... What a beautiful scene! Why did they start bickering?!"

The romantic notion in Sonoko's mind shattered instantly; she wished she could pry open Hattori's head to see if it was filled with nothing but water!

Chu Ming was also speechless. Hattori had a bit of a straight man's spirit. No matter how romantic or beautiful the scene or how suitable the opportunity, he could always ruin it himself. No wonder he was a man who could confess his love N times and fail N times.

Considering he earned a lot of points today, I won't say anything to Hattori. Next time Hattori confesses, he can bring a bunch of people to watch, and he'll probably make a fortune.

-

The next day, Chu Ming led Hattori and the others to Shinichi Kudo's hospital room. As soon as they entered, they were dazzled by the sweet atmosphere between the two.

Ran was carefully feeding Shinichi Kudo a bowl of porridge. Despite having a cold, Shinichi acted as if his arm was broken, smiling as he watched Ran as he drank the porridge she fed him.

It's obvious that Xiaolan didn't study the precious knowledge he taught her properly!

Damn it, Ran must be too naive and has been fooled by that scoundrel Shinichi Kudo again!

Chu Ming, completely oblivious to being a third wheel, led Hattori and the other two forward. Chu Ming took the bowl from Ran's hand, and Hattori then gently pushed Ran towards Kazuha: "Ran, you've been taking care of Kudo all night, you must be very tired. Why don't you go out for a walk with Kazuha and Sonoko, relax and rest for a while?"

Kazuha looked helplessly at the two men who had disturbed the young couple's romance, and pulled Ran away.

Ran must have been very tired after taking care of Kudo all night. Let's take her out for breakfast first.

After the three girls left, Chu Ming raised an eyebrow and mimicked Xiao Lan's tone, "Shin-chan~ Come on, have some porridge, ah—"

Hattori couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Shinichi Kudo took the bowl with a disgruntled expression, finished the porridge in a few gulps, and placed it on the bedside table next to him: "So, did you find the Yakushi Buddha statue?"

"found it."

Chu Ming told Shinichi Kudo about how Hattori's first love token suddenly turned into stolen goods, and also complained to him about how he had worked so hard to bring Hattori and Kazuha together, only to have it all ruined by Hattori.

Hattori weakly retorted, "It wasn't my fault. I just wanted to lay the groundwork before confessing to Kazuha, but I didn't expect her reaction to be so strong. How could I possibly confess in that atmosphere... I hope that when she thinks of confessing, she'll picture a beautiful scene, not that we argued before I confessed..."

Chu Ming and Kudo looked at him speechlessly. Goodness, this burden is quite heavy.

Shinichi Kudo couldn't help but show off a little, offering Hattori some advice as someone who'd been there: "Don't overthink it. Saying 'I like you' isn't that hard. Be bold."

Chu Ming crossed his arms and looked down at the two of them: "You two are evenly matched. You've probably forgotten how much you stuttered when you confessed, right? If it weren't for me and Hattori, you would have abandoned Ran to solve the case. If you had to go solve the case, and by the time it was over, you wouldn't have had a chance to confess before turning back into Conan, use your brain to imagine how sad Ran would be if she heard you were leaving again, having already anticipated your confession."

Then, turning to Hattori, she said, "You too, you demand perfection in everything. It's understandable that you want to give Kazuha an unforgettable confession scene, but you always prioritize your pride over the confession itself. Sometimes, even after you've said it, you still try to justify it. This only makes Kazuha doubt your feelings for her. Like yesterday, you didn't cherish such a wonderful setting. When Kazuha questioned you, you should have kissed her! Then confessed. In the future, when Kazuha wants to reminisce, she'll only remember your sweet kiss, not the argument."

Chu Ming launched into a long, rambling speech, leaving Kudo and Hattori completely speechless before finally falling silent, satisfied.

Shinichi Kudo sat on the bed, staring at him intently: "But you have so many theories, yet you've never brought a girlfriend to show us."

Chu Ming waved his hand: "What do you know? Women will only slow down my sword-drawing speed. I'm not like you guys; I'm someone who doesn't get close to women."

Hattori suddenly took a step back in a funny manner and hugged himself: "What, are you after men?"

???

Chu Ming casually picked up the apple he had just brought and threw it at him: "Heh, I don't like dark skin."

Hattori feigned sadness, clutching his chest with one hand and catching the apple thrown to him with the other. He winked at Shinichi Kudo and said, "You're mocking me again. So you like pretty boys like Shinichi Kudo?"

Chu Ming's lips curled into an even more mocking smile: "Heh, I don't smelt copper."