The next day, as Conan was passing by Natsuyu's house after school, he noticed that the door on the first floor was open.
Curious about what kind of shop Natsuyu was planning to open, he peeked inside. The sign wasn't up yet, but through the doorway, he could see four or five tables, and some vegetables stacked near the entrance—clearly a small restaurant.
He stepped inside and immediately saw Natsuyu tidying up. In addition, there was another girl in the shop, wearing a simple dress, her short hair cut just above her ears, with two small braids tied at the back.
Noticing a child suddenly entering, the girl quickly put down what she was doing and ran up to Conan.
"Little brother, what are you doing in here? We're not open yet. If you want to eat, you should come the day after tomorrow—I promise you'll be satisfied."
"I know Natsuyu," Conan replied. "I saw the door open and came to take a look." He noticed the calluses on the girl's hands. "Are you a chef?"
"I am! Cooking is my specialty," she said proudly. "But how did you know? Did Natsuyu tell you?"
Conan smiled confidently. "No, I guessed from the position of the calluses on your left hand. Chefs often develop calluses on the inner side of the left thumb from holding pots and utensils. I noticed the same pattern on your hand, so I guessed you might be a chef. And I was right—ha!"
He added, a little hesitantly, "But… the calluses on your right hand look like they come from holding something long. Can you tell me what that is?" Conan really couldn't imagine what could cause those calluses, so he asked directly.
The girl held out her hands and looked. She didn't know how this little brother had figured it out, but she answered his question: "Oh, that's from the knife! I hold a knife all the time when cutting vegetables, so that's why."
"Oh~ I see," Conan said. He still felt a little puzzled, but he couldn't think of another explanation.
Seeing Conan and the girl finish their exchange, Natsuyu stepped forward to introduce them.
"So you're the clever elementary student Natsuyu mentioned," she said. Xiangling reached out and ruffled Conan's hair affectionately. "You really are the little genius she talked about. And you're cute, too."
"Hello, Xiangling," Conan greeted politely. He couldn't dodge her hand, so he stood still until she let go.
As soon as she released him, Conan immediately stepped back a few paces and went over to Natsuyu. "Natsuyu, are you opening a restaurant?"
"Yes. Xiangling is my friend, and she's an excellent cook, especially at spicy dishes. When we first arrived here, I wasn't sure what to do with the empty first floor, so I decided to open a little restaurant for her." Then, leaning closer, she smiled and invited Conan: "Conan, we're about to open. Before we officially start, Xiangling wants to try out a few signature dishes. Would you, Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi like to come taste them tomorrow? Of course, it's all free."
"Ah? Of course! I'll tell Genta and the others—they'll definitely want to come," Conan said. Free food? There was no way they'd refuse. But as he looked at Natsuyu's smile, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was a little off.
After confirming the plan, Conan said his goodbyes and left. Natsuyu exhaled a sigh of relief—finally, she had someone to help sample Xiangling's experimental dishes. Xiangling's cooking was truly delicious, but her inventive signature dishes… well, let's just say they were very distinctive. Not everyone could handle them.
Although it felt a bit wrong to drag kids into it, one must survive by one's own wits—sigh, they'd have to be the guinea pigs.
The next day came quickly. Genta and the others were thrilled to hear about the free tasting, especially Genta, who couldn't stop talking about it all day.
As soon as school ended, they rushed eagerly to the restaurant.
"Come on, Conan! Hurry up—delicious food is waiting!" Genta urged.
Conan frowned. "No need to rush. Natsuyu and the others will wait for us."
"I can't wait! I want to see what's good," Genta said.
Mitsuhiko added, "Yeah, I wonder what kind of signature dishes they have."
At the restaurant, they found a table against the wall and sat down.
It didn't take long for Xiangling to bring out the dishes.
Conan fell silent at the sight of the colorful plates. Even Genta, who usually talked with food in his mouth, didn't dare dig in immediately.
Unaware of their hesitation, Xiangling enthusiastically explained each dish and how it was made.
She first pointed to the only dish whose ingredients were recognizable—though Conan and the others would have preferred not to know.
"This is charcoal-grilled lizard. It may look a little ugly, but we've chosen edible varieties. Seasoned with salt and pepper, lightly charred over charcoal, it retains its natural flavor.
Traveler, cough… Natsuyu said it tastes a bit like chicken, though I think it's a little chewier than chicken." She smiled, urging them, "Stop staring and try it!"
Knowing Natsuyu had already tasted it, they looked at her with respect. At least they could be confident it was safe. With Xiangling's expectant gaze on them, Genta and the others had no choice but to close their eyes and try the food.
"How is it? Tasty?" Xiangling asked eagerly.
It was… not bad! Conan found the flavor surprisingly pleasant, slightly like chicken. Yet seeing the raw ingredient, he still didn't have much appetite for it.
"It's good!" Genta said after tasting it.
Ayumi added, "A little salty, but balanced with the ingredients—no hint of fishiness. Though… the ingredients are a bit scary." She opened her eyes to look at the dish, her voice lowering.
Mitsuhiko agreed. "The taste is fine, but the presentation is… intimidating. Scary-looking ingredients can reduce a customer's appetite." Then he suggested, "Xiangling, you could slice the lizard after grilling and serve just the meat. That way, people won't see the raw ingredient."
"Hmm, you're right," Xiangling nodded. "I'll figure something out for the next time."
Then she began introducing the second dish—
The Seven-Color Glass Pancake.