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On the Shinkansen bound for Kyoto from Tokyo.
The scenery outside the window flashed past Fujiwara Hiroshi's line of sight. He was sitting in a seat near the window, wearing a mask on his face, his expression calm as he looked at the scenery outside the window. In the reflection of the glass, he looked at his own face as if looking in a mirror.
Nowadays, Fujiwara Hiroshi could be considered a celebrity. Although not like those stars who frequently appeared on television, he was easily recognized when going out.
But to avoid causing too much commotion, Fujiwara Hiroshi still wore a mask and disguised himself slightly.
In April, the weather was already quite hot, except for early morning and late night.
In a seat near the window, Haibara Ai held a magazine in her hand, reading it with focused attention.
The magazine was a women's fashion magazine called Mina. It mainly introduced female cosmetics and fashion tutorials.
Although her current appearance was that of an elementary school student, those fashion styles were completely unwearable for her, but Haibara Ai still read it with great interest, enjoying it immensely.
Fujiwara Hiroshi's gaze fell on the magazine, then he slightly moved it away and looked at Haibara Ai, who was engrossed in it.
Her slightly curly brown hair draped over her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless black dress on her upper body, revealing a pair of fair jade arms.
Beneath was a white pleated long skirt, revealing a pair of slender calves. Her fair, snow-white feet were bare of any socks, and she wore white sandals, her toenails painted with healthy pink nail polish.
This outfit made her look completely unlike an elementary school student, but rather gave off a mature charm.
Reading and reading, Haibara Ai yawned, a tired expression in her eyes.
Seeing this, Fujiwara Hiroshi said softly, "Tired? You've been sitting in front of the computer every day for this period, you haven't had much activity."
"There's still some time before we get to Kyoto. If you're tired, lean on me for a rest. In Kyoto these days, you don't need to think about research. Rest more, let your spirit recover."
Haibara Ai closed the fashion magazine in her hand and said with her eyes closed, "It wasn't you who took APTX4869. If I can't quickly research an antidote, I'm afraid I'll only be able to stay a little child forever."
"What's so bad about being a child? When you're a child, everyone has to dote on you."
Fujiwara Hiroshi teased, "...If you feel it's hard to find a boyfriend because of your age in this appearance, it's okay. I don't mind that."
"Tsk, your mentality is exactly the same as those people in America!"
Xiao Ai squinted at Fujiwara Hiroshi, a sarcastic expression on her face.
She saw that Fujiwara Hiroshi's eyes were always looking around, and couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at all the time?"
"Occupational habit. I need to be aware of my surroundings at all times. I'm also afraid someone might plant a bomb on the Shinkansen and blow up the whole train."
In this Conan world, if I don't pay attention to my surroundings, I wouldn't even know how I died.
"The security in Conan's world is still pretty good."
Although she said that, Haibara Ai showed a relieved expression.
She was originally someone who saw enemies everywhere. A slight movement outside would make her suspect it was the Black Organization, keeping her in a state of tension. With Fujiwara Hiroshi, who constantly paid attention to the safety of their surroundings, beside her, she felt a wave of relief.
"The security in Conan's world used to be good, but recently the crime rate has been skyrocketing. It's comparable to countries in Europe and America."
"Didn't you read the news two days ago? A serial killer appeared in Conan's world, committing crimes in both Tokyo and Osaka. The modus operandi is exactly the same."
Fujiwara Hiroshi's words made Haibara Ai unable to refute. The recent crime rate in Conan's world was truly alarming, making the common people terrified.
She stopped thinking about it. Her small body directly leaned onto Fujiwara Hiroshi's shoulder, and she murmured, "I'll sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get to Kyoto."
"Okay."
Fujiwara Hiroshi looked at Xiao Ai leaning on his shoulder and closed his eyes to rest. However, he knew that with Haibara Ai's sensitivity, sleeping was impossible.
He picked up a jacket that Haibara Ai had taken off and draped it over her body. His right hand held her small, soft hand.
Haibara Ai, who had turned into an elementary school student, her hand was really too small. Fujiwara Hiroshi held her hand and murmured, "Big hand holding small hand, not afraid of slipping when walking..."
Haibara Ai was a little exasperated by his mumbling. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Your singing is terrible, stop singing."
Fujiwara Hiroshi couldn't help but chuckle. He stopped mumbling and also leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to let himself rest quickly and recover his spirit.
Another hour passed, and the Shinkansen arrived at Kyoto Station.
What was worth celebrating was that because Conan wasn't nearby, no Shinkansen explosion occurred, and Fujiwara Hiroshi didn't have to fight a bomb maniac on the Shinkansen, battling wits and courage in a big fight.
"Xiao Ai, we're in Kyoto."
Fujiwara Hiroshi patted Haibara Ai's soft hair and woke her up.
Haibara Ai opened her eyes with a start, then she was dazed for a moment.
She hadn't expected to actually fall asleep. Being by Fujiwara Hiroshi's side made her feel not the slightest bit vigilant.
Haibara Ai secretly reminded herself that this was wrong. Members of the Organization could appear at any time. She couldn't rely entirely on Fujiwara Hiroshi; she had to be careful herself.
If something happened to her, it would also be causing trouble for Fujiwara Hiroshi.
"Get off the train, let's go."
Fujiwara Hiroshi wasn't in a hurry. He waited until most people had gotten off the Shinkansen, then held Haibara Ai's hand and got off the train together.
Haibara Ai struggled slightly, but found that her hand simply couldn't be pulled back. Feeling the warmth and security Fujiwara Hiroshi's hand transmitted to her, Haibara Ai also let him hold it and walked towards the platform with him, not saying a word.
Neither of them brought any luggage. Holding hands and walking together, to outsiders, they looked like a brother and sister with a considerable age difference.
Just as they stepped out of the platform, Fujiwara Hiroshi saw many passengers with surprised expressions looking in one direction.
He also looked over there out of curiosity and saw several burly men in suits standing there with bags behind them.
Seeing this group of burly men in black, Haibara Ai's body immediately stiffened. Her eyes showed fear and vigilance. Her heart started pounding wildly.
Fujiwara Hiroshi squeezed her hand firmly to reassure her.
Haibara Ai suppressed the pounding in her heart. She thought to herself that members of that organization wouldn't dress like this. The only similarity was that the clothes were black.
Fujiwara Hiroshi walked over calmly. The leader of those burly men in suits was an older man who had been staring at Fujiwara Hiroshi.
After confirming his identity, he immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Young Master!"
That group of burly men bowed simultaneously: "Young Master!"
Fujiwara Hiroshi stopped, saw the surrounding passengers all looking surprised, pointing and whispering, and he muttered to himself, Don't you feel embarrassed?
Seeking fresh flowers...
The burly men indicated that with enough money, they weren't embarrassed!
Fujiwara Hiroshi asked, "Did the old master send you to pick me up?"
The slightly older butler said busybody-like, "Yes, the old master sent us to pick you up."
The butler felt fortunate in his heart. Fortunately, before coming, he had carefully looked at Fujiwara Hiroshi's photos, down to the details like the corners of his eyes, and remembered them clearly.
Otherwise, with Fujiwara Hiroshi wearing a mask, he might not have recognized him.
Fujiwara Hiroshi sighed. He also hadn't meant to make things difficult for them. He said, "I was planning to visit the Fujiwara old residence after wandering around Kyoto for a bit."
The butler immediately replied, "You can stay in Kyoto for another day. Take this young lady out to sightsee. There are many ancient sites in Kyoto; it's very suitable for traveling and playing."
As an ancient city of Conan, Kyoto has numerous ancient buildings. It can truly be called a tourist city.
America had wanted to nuke this place back then, but in the end, they took into consideration the rich cultural heritage here. Destroying it would have been regrettable, so they only attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The butler didn't know what relationship Haibara Ai had with Fujiwara Hiroshi, but he was very good at talking. He knew what to say to make Fujiwara Hiroshi agree.
...
After a moment of silence, Fujiwara Hiroshi said, "I heard there's a 'Ramen Road' near Kyoto Station, with ramen shops from various regions. I'll go eat a bowl of ramen and then walk with you."
The butler said busily, "Then we'll wait for you to finish eating."
Fujiwara Hiroshi was relatively fond of eating ramen. Going to the Ramen Road to eat a bowl was also part of his plan.
Holding Haibara Ai's hand, and accompanied by this group of burly men who turned heads wherever they went, Fujiwara Hiroshi arrived at the Ramen Road near Kyoto Station.
Pedestrians scattered as they saw this sight, assuming they were seeing the young master of some yakuza group out and about.
The police officers at the station were so scared they kept calling. Only after learning that this was just a trip by the Fujiwara family did they relax.
"You certainly like eating noodles."
They came to a special ramen shop that seemed to be from the Kyushu region. After queuing and buying meal tickets, they got a seat in a short while.
"You don't like it?"
Fujiwara Hiroshi handed the meal ticket to a staff member and said with a smile.
"Just so-so."
Haibara Ai pursed her lips.
What she liked was blueberry jam sandwich!
But looking at Fujiwara Hiroshi enjoying ramen, should I go learn how to make some?
This thought had just popped up when it was immediately rejected by Haibara Ai.
The simpler the dish, the harder it is to make it well.
Making a bowl of ramen is simple, but making a delicious bowl of ramen requires a lot of effort, especially the many high-quality broths, which are very troublesome to make.
While the two were talking, a large bowl of noodles was served.
Fujiwara Hiroshi took a bite, his brow furrowing.
Regret! This ramen is really f**king terrible! It's not even as good as the ramen from those internet-famous chain restaurants!
"Slurp!"
Fujiwara Hiroshi heard the sound of someone slurping noodles beside him, a sound that made one want to eat.
He turned his head to look and saw, right next to him, in a separate seat, a young girl with long pink hair, who was quickly finishing a bowl of noodles at a speed that didn't match her delicate and pretty appearance.
"Wow, it tastes good, I just didn't eat enough."
The girl patted her small belly, her smile incredibly infectious. You couldn't even tell if she was happy or just silly.
Fujiwara Hiroshi recognized the familiar face and asked tentatively, "Chika-chan?"