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Chapter 200: Enemies on a Narrow Road - Restaurant Encounter
Soothing violin music flowed through the restaurant.
Blake cut a small piece of foie gras and put it in his mouth.
The dense texture melted on the tip of his tongue, accompanied by the aroma of fat; it was indeed a rare delicacy.
Opposite him, Kisaki Eri raised her wrist again.
She had looked at that exquisite ladies' watch no less than five times.
"Twenty minutes."
Kisaki Eri put down her hand, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, the irritability between her brows almost unconcealable.
That man named Otsuka said he was going to the restroom, but this was taking too long.
Even with an upset stomach, he wouldn't have fallen into the toilet, right?
Blake dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin, his gaze passing through the French window to the opposite side of the street.
There, a good show was being staged.
Three familiar figures were standing on the sidewalk, seemingly arguing about something.
An uncle with a small mustache was clutching a street lamp post and refusing to let go, a look of resistance on his face.
Next to him was a girl wearing a Teitan High School uniform, the iconic "horn" on her head exceptionally conspicuous in the sunlight.
And there was a big-headed boy wearing glasses, holding his head with both hands, looking helplessly at the two adults pulling and tugging.
"Here they come."
Blake picked up his orange juice, watching this scene with interest.
The Beika Town Reaper Trio.
As long as these three gathered together, there was bound to be a homicide within a five-hundred-meter radius.
This was the iron law of the Conan World, more stable than Newton's law of universal gravitation.
Outside the glass window.
Mori Kogoro hugged the lamp post tightly, the flesh on his face exerting force.
"Not going! Absolutely not going!"
"This kind of high-class restaurant that looks like it charges service fees—going in means getting ripped off!"
"Ran, listen to Dad, that ramen shop ahead is not bad, and they give free fried dumplings!"
Mori Ran tugged at her father's arm, a vein popping on her forehead.
"Dad!"
"You clearly promised that since you got the commission fee today, you'd treat Conan and me to a good meal!"
"Besides, I checked the guide for this shop; the lunch set is very cost-effective!"
Mori Kogoro shook his head like a rattle drum.
"That's a lie! It's all a trap by capitalists!"
"I still have to save money to buy next week's horse racing tickets... Ouch!"
Before he finished speaking, Mori Ran suddenly exerted force.
The attribute of the super-strength girl exploded.
Mori Kogoro was ripped off the lamp post and staggered forward a few steps.
Conan sighed and pushed up his glasses.
"Uncle, since you promised Sister Ran, going back on your word isn't the style of a famous detective."
"Stop nagging! What does a brat know!"
Mori Kogoro adjusted his tie, which had been pulled askew, still muttering.
"Really, high school girls these days don't know how to manage a household at all..."
Just then.
Conan's gaze inadvertently swept across the restaurant's French window.
He froze for a moment, then tugged at the corner of Mori Ran's skirt.
"Sister Ran, look inside."
"That auntie sitting by the window, isn't that Auntie Eri?"
Hearing this name, Mori Kogoro, who was adjusting his collar, froze.
Mori Ran looked in the direction Conan pointed.
Through the clear glass window, the woman wearing a dark blue business suit with a cold and elegant temperament was holding a coffee cup, her profile stern.
"It really is Mom!"
Mori Ran's eyes instantly lit up.
Ever since her parents separated, getting these two to eat at the same table was simply harder than ascending to heaven.
This was simply a god-given opportunity!
"Dad! Mom is inside too!"
Mori Ran turned her head excitedly.
Mori Kogoro, who originally looked reluctant, now had a somewhat strange expression.
He harrumphed, put his hands in his pockets, and put on a look of disdain.
"Tch, why would that woman be here?"
"She must have taken some messy case again and is pretending to be fancy here."
Although he said that, he subconsciously reached out to smooth his sparse hair and pulled the wrinkles of his suit hem flat.
"Since it's such a coincidence, there's no helping it."
"Let's go in and say hello, to avoid people saying I, the famous detective, have no manners."
Mori Kogoro strode toward the restaurant door with large steps, posturing as if he were a general rushing to the battlefield.
Mori Ran and Conan looked at each other, both seeing a helpless smile in the other's eyes.
This was typical stubbornness.
Ding-a-ling—
The copper bell on the door made a crisp sound.
Just as the waiter was about to greet them, he was stunned by Mori Kogoro's loud voice.
"Yo, isn't this the famous Lawyer Kisaki?"
This shout completely destroyed the originally quiet atmosphere in the restaurant.
Many diners frowned and looked over.
Kisaki Eri's hand shook, and coffee almost spilled out.
She took a deep breath, turned her head, and the gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses instantly became sharp.
"I was wondering who was so lacking in manners; turns out it's Detective Mori."
"What, is the racecourse closed today?"
Mori Kogoro pulled out the chair opposite Kisaki Eri—the seat Otsuka had sat in earlier.
He didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down heavily and crossing his legs.
"Thanks to you, I won a little today."
"As for you, drinking boring wine alone here?"
His gaze fell on the unopened bottle of red wine on the table, then looked at the French snails opposite that had gone somewhat cold.
"Tsk tsk, ordered so many dishes, can you finish them alone?"
"Or were you stood up by some man?"
Mori Kogoro's tone carried a sour note.
Kisaki Eri sneered and was just about to retort sarcastically.
"Mom!"
Mori Ran walked over quickly, pressing down on her mother who was about to explode.
"It's great, I didn't expect to meet Mom here!"
"Since it's such a coincidence, let's share a table!"
Seeing her daughter's smiling face, the coldness in Kisaki Eri's eyes dissipated considerably.
She moved her seat inward.
"Ran, Conan, you sit."
"As for a certain someone..."
She glanced sideways at Mori Kogoro.
"This seat is already taken. Please move."
Mori Kogoro raised an eyebrow, pointing at the empty tabletop.
"Taken? There isn't even a ghost's shadow!"
"You didn't fabricate a boyfriend just to make me angry, did you?"
"Hah? Would I spend effort on such a boring thing to anger you?"
Kisaki Eri pushed the French snails away slightly, her tone flat.
"This is my client's seat. He went to the restroom."
"Client?"
Mori Kogoro looked suspiciously at the briefcase on the table.
It was a roughly made black leather bag, the zipper area was even somewhat worn, completely out of place with the style of this high-end restaurant.
"This kind of taste... seems your client isn't someone from high society either."
"Better than a certain third-rate detective who takes commissions to find cats and dogs."
The tension between the two of them reached a breaking point.
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