I'm in Detective Conan, but it's a chaotic battlefield.

Like a frightened rabbit, Xiaolan tried to run away along the same path, but Chen Nuo pinned her against the wall.

"Wait, don't get my clothes dirty." Xiao Lan struggled, her face flushed, which gave Chen Nuo a different experience.

Chen Nuo: "But that's what makes it fun!"

The girl's resistance had no effect and she was quickly persuaded. Xiao Lan's fair little hands began to stroke Chen Nuo's handsome face.

Suddenly, Chen Nuo felt a chill on his face.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Xiaolan was wearing a sparkling ring on her ring finger that looked somewhat familiar.

Chen Nuo had a bold guess in his mind: "This...could it be that Yingli gave it to you?"

"Yes, she gave it to me when she was cleaning the room just now." Xiaolan smiled mysteriously. "Guess why she gave me this?"

Chen Nuo's expression remained unchanged: "It must be some kind of custom. Although I don't know much about it, I have heard of cases where a kimono is passed down for several generations in the process of family inheritance."

Ran smiled brightly: "You guessed right! I also have a kimono. It's said to be a family heirloom from the Mori clan that's been passed down for many years. I'll wear it for you to see sometime."

Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the situation isn't as bad as he imagined. Although the truth will eventually come out, he'll at least put it off until things stabilize.

Afterwards, Chen Nuo helped Xiao Lan explain the structure of the castle in detail.

The girl also unleashed all the passion she had accumulated from her hard training at the karate club onto Chen Nuo.

But in a daze, as Chen Nuo held Xiao Lan's slender hand and stroked the wedding ring with his fingertips, he accidentally called out the wrong name under the influence of his emotions.

The air in the dungeon instantly became heavy.

Chen Nuo: "Um, let me explain..."

"So it really is true." Xiaolan sighed, her face showing an inscrutable expression.

Chapter 79: A merciless battleground despite being the finale.

Two weeks later, in Izu.

As autumn arrives, temperatures drop, especially in the mornings and evenings. Without a coat, there is a risk of catching a cold.

Chen Nuo rubbed his neck as he walked toward the fireworks display.

Today is the day for the make-up fireworks festival. Because the last one was interrupted halfway through, the wealthy woman sponsored another fireworks festival without any competitions after the incident had completely subsided.

Incidentally, the old lady who gifted Chen Nuo Castle passed away a few days ago.

She donated all her property to welfare organizations, and was buried in a remote mountain village in her hometown, taking only the token of love that she and her husband had saved up to buy.

Chen Nuo attended her funeral with her family and heard from the maids who served her that the old lady passed away peacefully.

He also said he was very happy to see such beautiful fireworks before he died.

"Hurry up and run! The boss said there aren't enough rice cakes left."

“Am I not running?” another person retorted.

Chen Nuo turned around and saw two young men in work clothes carrying cardboard boxes behind him, who looked like they were delivering food to the food stalls at the fireworks festival.

The two of them brushed past him.

He glanced at the time; it was already past 5 p.m., and Sonoko and the others should have arrived by now.

Chen Nuo walked quickly towards the agreed location.

"Damn it, why is the recovery so slow this time?" Chen Nuo rubbed his aching neck as he walked. "Could it be because Xiao Lan injected strong emotions into her when she hit him back then?"

It's been more than half a month, and his cervical spine still feels uncomfortable from time to time.

But there's nothing we can do about it; he said the wrong thing.

It's a miracle they survived, especially in such an important situation.

However, the consequences of this accidental slip of the tongue were not entirely bad.

Although Xiaolan was very angry at the time, she demonstrated all the karate skills she had mastered in the secret room of the castle and beat him up like a punching bag.

But she did not leave the castle; instead, she stayed there.

After a few days of cold war, Xiaolan's attitude gradually softened, and finally, with the mediation of a lawyer from the neighboring firm, she reluctantly accepted that he had said something wrong.

Unfortunately, Chen Nuo didn't have spare money to pay for lawyer fees—the castle maintenance plus the cost of feeding a bunch of people was already making him unable to make ends meet.

So in the end, they could only drag Xiaolan along, pretending to be the plaintiff and the defendant, and play a courtroom reasoning game with the other party to pay off the debt.

This experience made him realize that the beatings he had taken before were worthwhile.

After all, reasoning in front of Xiaolan was more nerve-wracking and exciting than any of his previous reasoning attempts.

Chen Nuo walked along the path lined with cherry blossom trees, the wind rustling through the bare branches.

The streets were filled with tourists wearing yukatas and kimonos, and young couples held hands, their faces beaming with sweet and happy smiles.

Chen Nuo suddenly thought of a question: who should she hold hands with when watching the fireworks display later?

He vaguely sensed the atmosphere of a battleground.

Just then, the roar of a motorcycle came from behind.

Chen Nuo slightly moved aside to let the other person pass, but the motorcycle stopped precisely next to him.

A man and a woman were sitting on the bike. The man on the bike took off his helmet, revealing a dark-skinned face: "Hey, why are you alone? Did someone dump you?"

Chen Nuo looked at Hattori Heiji and teased, "You've gotten quite a bit darker than before. Did you ride your bike all the way from your hometown?"

Hattori Heiji threw the helmet at him, complaining, "Damn it, didn't I tell you last time that you can't make jokes about my skin color?"

"I wasn't joking, I was just concerned about you," Chen Nuo said with a smile.

At this moment, Kazuha Toyama, who was sitting in the back, also took off her helmet and hit Heiji Hattori on the back of the head: "What nonsense are you talking about? I saw Ran liking baby clothes on social media just a few days ago. They have a great relationship."

"Baby clothes?" Hattori Heiji looked at Chen Nuo in surprise. "You're quite something."

Chen Nuo awkwardly touched his nose and changed the subject: "It's alright. You should hurry up and make your move, or you'll regret it if someone else snatches it away."

Both Kazuha Toyama and Heiji Hattori blushed immediately, but Heiji's blush wasn't very noticeable.

"Oh right, how about giving me a ride?" Chen Nuo suddenly thought that he could take this opportunity to help these two guys who always failed to confess their feelings.

Heiji Hattori: "Huh? My car can't fit that many people..."

"Let Kazuha-chan go to the front, I'll hug you from behind," Chen Nuo said.

Hattori Heiji clearly saw through Chen Nuo's intentions, but he was still a little hesitant: "I feel like what you're saying could easily cause misunderstandings, and you can't go without a helmet, can you?"

“It’s just a short distance, it’s fine.” Chen Nuo said, pulling Toyama Kazuha down from her internal struggle. “Besides, when you were investigating the case before, didn’t you only wear a baseball cap?”

"But……"

Ignoring the other party's objections, Chen Nuo sat directly on the back of the motorcycle. Hattori Heiji had no choice but to do as he was told and hold Toyama Kazuha in his arms.

Chen Nuo could clearly sense that the other person was riding a bicycle much slower than usual.

It took a full ten minutes to ride the bike to the entrance of the fireworks display.

"What's going on? Did the organizers hire an idol group?" Hattori Heiji slowed down the car, looking at the dense crowd at the entrance with a puzzled expression.

Chen Nuo also saw that the scene at the entrance resembled that of fans who had encountered an idol group and were surrounded by people asking for autographs.

But after he got off the bus and pushed through the crowd, he realized that things were not quite as he had imagined.

In the middle of the crowd stood several girls dressed in yukata and kimono.

Ran and Sonoko, dressed in youthful yukatas, were chatting together, with Ran holding a golden retriever that was a few months old.

The spirited Miwako Sato beside him started chatting with Eri Kisaki across from him.

Beside the famous actress Yukiko Kudo, who is wearing large sunglasses, is Vermouth, who is dressed in a sexy kimono and has her hair up, revealing her fair neck.

Meanwhile, the gentle-faced Akemi Miyano is trying to stop Ai Haibara and Tetsuya from arguing.

Because everyone here is at the level of being able to grace a model's cover, and with so many different types appearing at once, it naturally attracts the attention of many tourists.

"Wow, this is going to be another fierce battleground today," Chen Nuo couldn't help but sigh.

But everyone was waiting there, and he couldn't avoid it even if he wanted to. So, under everyone's watchful eyes, Chen Nuo walked over and took...

The young golden retriever on the ground.

The girl next to him simultaneously gave him a look that said, "That bastard got away again."

"Where did this dog come from?" Chen Nuo asked Xiao Lan curiously.

Xiaolan said with a smile, "I bought it. I felt that the castle lacked a sense of life, so having a pet would probably make it better."

"I see."

Xiaolan stepped forward and patted the dog's head, then said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Besides, letting children live with pets from a young age can cultivate their compassion."

"How about we buy another dog in a while?" Chen Nuo looked at her gently.

Xiaolan glared at him: "One is enough. If everyone has one, my house will become a pet storage facility!"

Xiao Lan was clearly still angry, but seeing Chen Nuo's aggrieved expression, she patted his head again.

Chen Nuo then greeted everyone in turn. Hattori Heiji parked his car and walked over with Toyama Kazuha.

Kazuha Toyama ran over, grabbed Ran's hand, and asked her a mysterious question.

Then Chen Nuo noticed that Xiao Lan blushed and glared at him.

Pretending not to see, Chen Nuo walked over and separated Ai Haibara and Tetsuyu, who were arguing. Under the envious gazes of those around them, he led everyone into the venue for the fireworks festival.

Although summer vacation is long over and autumn is approaching, people's enthusiasm for the fireworks festival remains undiminished.

I guess as long as I can get away from annoying work, I don't care what holiday it is.

The streets were already lined with stalls selling all kinds of food. The aromas of fried noodles, takoyaki, grilled rice cakes, and candied apples mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere that could only be smelled during festivals.

Chen Nuo was surrounded by a combination of beautiful girls and mature women, which quickly made him the center of attention.

Wherever he goes, people point and whisper, then exclaim with realization, "Ah, so he's that famous detective!"

Of course, there will be no shortage of chaotic scenes.

For example, Vermouth pointed to the goldfish scooping stall not far away and said to Ai Haibara, "Do you want your sister to take you to scoop goldfish?"