Solving cases with Detective Conan's science? No, I'm a cultivator!

The fireworks display lasted for twenty minutes. Kitagawa Taki and the others strolled around the venue for a while longer before heading home.

As they passed through a grove of trees, Kitagawa Taki noticed some strange noises, but he didn't investigate further, assuming it was just some lovers having sex.

Back at the hotel, everyone went to their rooms to rest. Walking in yukata and wooden clogs was quite tiring.

……

The next morning.

On the beach in Izu.

Perhaps because it was Monday, unlike the fireworks display last night, there weren't many people playing on the beach.

Click~

Sonoko secretly took a picture of Ran in an embarrassing moment—the moment Ran adjusted the curves of her swimsuit.

Xiaolan heard the shutter sound, turned around to look, and only when she saw it was Yuanzi did she feel relieved. "Yuanzi, what are you photographing?"

Sonoko chuckled mischievously, "Of course, it's the moment you adjust your swimsuit—that's quite a sight!"

"Taki, what do you think of my photos?" Sonoko handed the camera to Kitagawa Taki, who was lying on a beach chair.

He saw everything the two women had just done.

He picked up his camera and looked at it. Hmm, the photos of the garden were indeed quite good.

Kitagawa Taki gave Sonoko a thumbs up, calling her a master of erotic photography, saying the timing of the shot was perfect!

When Ran saw that Sonoko had shown the photo to Kitagawa Taki, and especially when Kitagawa Taki gave her a thumbs up, Ran's face turned red instantly.

"Sonoko, why are you filming this kind of thing?"

"Of course I'll treasure it and save it for your future husband to see."

Xiaolan said in shame and indignation, "Who would want to see that kind of thing!"

Sonoko said smugly, "Hmph, Ran, you're too naive. You don't understand men's hearts at all."

Xiaolan twitched her lips. Didn't she know what kind of person Yuanzi was? In this respect, the two of them were equally bad.

At that moment, a man with slicked-back hair came over and struck up a conversation.

"Hello, beautiful ladies, are you free now?"

"If it's convenient, could we have lunch together? Of course, it'll be on me!"

Sonoko glanced at the man. If it were in the past, if such a handsome guy had taken the initiative to chat her up, she would definitely have readily agreed.

But things are different now. In her eyes, no one can compare to Kitagawa Taki.

She didn't reply, but just glanced at Kitagawa Taki beside her.

The man followed the gaze.

Kitagawa Taki took off his sunglasses, glanced at the man, and the man walked away with an awkward smile.

"Tch, trying to hit on us? We have our protectors! Come on, Lan, let's go swimming!"

As she spoke, Sonoko pulled Ran into the water.

Ran reminded her, "Sonoko, you haven't warmed up yet!"

Sonoko thought it was okay and said with a smile, "It's fine, we'll just stay by the sea and not go into the deep water."

"Taki, come down and play too!" Sonoko waved to Kitagawa Taki on the beach.

Kitagawa Taki replied, "You guys play first, I'll come back later."

He noticed that the man who had just struck up a conversation with Sonoko and the others was acting strangely; that guy had been secretly watching Sonoko and the others' movements.

Most importantly, the man had a faint aura of malevolence, which indicated that he had killed people, and more than one.

Therefore, Kitagawa Taki did not go into the water, but instead watched the man from the shore.

Meanwhile, Sonoko and Ran were having a great time in the water, unaware that the waves were carrying them further and further away from the shore.

It wasn't until Xiaolan felt she could no longer touch the ground that she suddenly realized the two of them were almost out of the shallows and had been in the sea for a while.

Xiaolan said, "Yuanzi, let's go back quickly!"

Just then, a wave crashed over the shore, not only drowning out Xiaolan's voice but also creating distance between the two.

As the garden receded into the distance, Xiaolan grew anxious, calling out, "The garden! The garden!"

She saw Sonoko bobbing up and down in the sea, not answering, and sensed something was wrong.

So Xiaolan quickly swam towards the garden, but her swimming skills were only so-so, and the waves made it impossible for her to swim.

Meanwhile, Kitagawa Taki on the shore also noticed something was wrong with Sonoko and immediately realized that Sonoko had most likely drowned.

He dashed out in one stride, leaping several meters away and swimming swiftly like a fish to the garden, the waves having no effect on him whatsoever.

The man also wanted to go into the water to save the person, but after seeing Kitagawa Taki's skills, he froze in place.

Kitagawa Taki hugged Sonoko, and Sonoko clung to him tightly as if grasping at a lifeline. Luckily, Kitagawa Taki was no ordinary person, otherwise it would have been difficult to save him.

When Xiaolan saw Kitagawa Taki swim over, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly swam back to shore, otherwise she would be the next one Kitagawa Taki would have to save.

Kitagawa Taki slowly swam back to shore with Sonoko, who gradually recovered. Because she was discovered in time, it was at most a case of mild drowning; she had only swallowed a few mouthfuls of seawater.

She was filled with lingering fear; if Kitagawa Taki hadn't been there, she probably would have been doomed.

Looking at Kitagawa Taki's sharply defined face, Sonoko could no longer suppress her emotions and, as if possessed, kissed Kitagawa Taki on the cheek.

Feeling the soft touch on his face, Kitagawa Taki glanced at Sonoko with some surprise.

Sonoko kept her head down, not daring to look Kitagawa Taki in the eye.

Since the girl took the initiative to kiss him, Kitagawa Taki certainly wouldn't remain unmoved.

He put one arm around Sonoko and lifted her chin with the other, then slowly pressed his arm against hers, ignoring her evasive gaze.

As Kitagawa Taki's face drew closer, Sonoko's heart raced, her breathing quickened, and finally, she couldn't bear to look any longer and closed her eyes...

Xiao Lan watched this scene from the shore. Under the sunlight, the shimmering sea and the couple kissing passionately created a beautiful picture.

At this moment, Xiaolan was filled with mixed feelings: curiosity, envy, shyness, and a touch of barely perceptible bitterness...

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Kitagawa Taki noticed that Sonoko's headband had shifted, so he took it off and then fixed her hair.

"Yes, it looks even better this way, Sonoko. Don't wear headbands anymore."

Sonoko nodded shyly and replied in a barely audible voice, "Mmm."

Afterwards, Kitagawa Taki took Sonoko back to the shore. At this point, Sonoko felt dizzy and couldn't tell which way was which.

Xiao Lan, who was standing nearby, came to her senses and quickly went forward to help Yuanzi.

Sonoko apologized, "Ran, I'm sorry, it was all my fault for being so careless and not listening to you."

Xiaolan shook her head and said, "As long as you're alright, Yuanzi, please be careful in the future."

"Mmm." Sonoko nodded vigorously.

Sonoko doesn't dare to look at Kitagawa Taki now, and like an ostrich, she stands beside Ran with her head down.

After this unexpected incident, the three of them lost interest in continuing their fun and packed up to return to the hotel.

Chapter 38 Summer Tales of the Garden (Part 3)

Sonoko and Ran's room.

The two women were chatting while lying in bed.

Ran exclaimed, "Sonoko, you actually kissed Kitagawa first! I'm so envious of your courage!"

"I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought he was so handsome, and not just in terms of appearance. Ugh, I can't really explain it. I just got carried away and kissed him."

Sonoko was a little embarrassed; under normal circumstances, she would never have dared to do such a thing.

"What does a kiss feel like?" Xiaolan asked, her face full of curiosity.

"Oh dear, I don't know either. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my mind went completely blank."

Sonoko buried her face in the pillow, and her heart began to race whenever she recalled the scene.

Xiaolan then asked, "Did you confess your feelings to Kitagawa?"

"Ah, I forgot..."

Sonoko only remembered this matter after Ran mentioned it.

At the same time, a question arose in her mind: why didn't Kitagawa Taki mention their relationship at all, even though he had treated her like that?

However, Sonoko quickly put this question out of her mind. In any case, no matter what Kitagawa Taki's attitude was, she was going to stick with him for life!

dong dong!

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Here he is!" Xiaolan opened the door, and the person who came in was Kitagawa Taki.

Kitagawa Taki said with a smile, "Let's go eat! It's almost midnight."

"Ah, time flies! Sonoko, let's go!" Ran looked at her watch and said to Sonoko inside the house.

"Mmm." Sonoko patted her face, trying to control her expression and make herself look the same as usual.

"What would you like to eat?" Kitagawa Taki asked casually.

Sonoko suggested, "Last night at the fireworks festival, I heard someone say that there's a seafood restaurant called 'Umi no Ie' (Sea House) by the sea that serves really good seafood!"

I've been eating at fancy hotels all the time, but I need to try something different every now and then.

So the three of them returned to the beach and found the little shop.

The shop looks unremarkable, but it has the best business among all the shops in the row.

"What would you like to drink? I'll go get it."

After everyone was seated, Kitagawa Taki asked.

Sonoko replied, "Orange juice, please."