By the time they arrived at the restaurant, it was already quite late, and there were barely any customers left.
After ordering a few dishes, the food was quickly prepared and brought out. Natsuyu also went into the kitchen to help carry some of the plates. Seeing that the shop wasn't busy, she invited Xiangling to sit down and eat with them as well.
"Wow! These dishes are really delicious!" Ran Mouri exclaimed after taking a bite.
Kogoro Mouri didn't say a word. He was far too hungry and was devouring his food like a starving man.
Conan finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thankfully, there weren't any of those "specialty dishes" on the menu this time. The taste might have been fine, but their appearance was… far too strange.
Seeing the guests enjoy her cooking made Xiangling beam with happiness.
"Thank you for the compliments! Please come again often," she said cheerfully. "If you have time next time, I can even make some of my special dishes. Since you know the Tra—cough—I mean, since you know Natsuyu, I can even give you a discount."
Ran nodded eagerly. "With food this good, we'll definitely come back!"
Conan, however, noticed something odd.
Whenever Xiangling called Natsuyu's name, she occasionally mispronounced it at first—though she corrected herself quickly. Still, Conan could tell that the first name she almost said wasn't Natsuyu, as if Natsuyu had another name that Xiangling was more familiar with.
He also had a strange feeling that there was some kind of connection between Xiangling and Lisa.
"Ah! I forgot—I still have soup simmering on the stove!" Xiangling suddenly remembered and hurried to stand up. The ornament at her waist knocked against the table, producing a crisp, clear sound.
Conan's gaze subconsciously shifted to the accessory at Xiangling's waist. Then something clicked.
He turned sharply to look at the necklace on Lisa's chest.
That's it.
Xiangling and Lisa both wore similar ornaments.
There was definitely a connection between them.
Conan had met Xiangling and Lisa several days apart, and because their beads were different in color and framing, he hadn't connected them before. But seeing them at the same time now, he could clearly tell—they were from the same series.
Different colors, yet the same faintly translucent beads.
Inside each bead, a pattern could be vaguely seen.
Conan's instincts told him that the symbol carried a special meaning. He wanted to clearly see what was inside Lisa's bead.
What he didn't notice was that Ran's expression was growing darker by the second as she watched him stare fixedly at Lisa's chest.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
Thump!
She smacked Conan hard on the head.
"Conan, where exactly are you looking?" she demanded. "Don't tell me you've been hanging around a certain perverted uncle for too long and learned some bad habits from him?" She asked with a dangerously gentle smile.
Kogoro bristled. "Hey, how is this suddenly my fault?! Besides, this brat has always been precocious—maybe he was born a little pervert."
He set down his chopsticks, finally somewhat full, and suddenly felt like drinking. Turning to Xiangling, who had just brought the soup over, he asked, "Boss, do you have any alcohol here?"
"Dad!" Ran immediately turned to stop him. "It's so late—don't drink! You'll have a headache tomorrow!"
Before Kogoro could protest, Xiangling replied that the shop didn't serve alcohol.
Kogoro instantly slumped back in his chair in despair.
Seeing that her father had lost all hope of drinking, Ran turned back to continue educating Conan.
Conan, realizing her gaze had returned to him, hurried to explain:
"Sister Ran, I was looking at Sister Lisa's necklace! I just thought the bead was really special, so I kept staring at it. I wasn't looking at… at… um… that."
He scratched his head and widened his eyes, putting on his most innocent, pitiful expression.
"Really?" Ran had already mostly believed him. After all, Conan was just a child—what could he possibly understand? It was all her father's fault for always acting inappropriately and making her imagination run wild.
"Mm-hmm!" Conan nodded vigorously.
Ran's expression softened. She patted his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Conan. I misunderstood you. But you still have to be careful—don't stare at girls like that, okay?"
She couldn't help giving him one last lecture. She really didn't want Conan to grow up into someone like her father.
Then Ran turned to apologize to Lisa as well.
"It's okay. Children like pretty beads—it's normal," Lisa said, lifting the necklace with one hand and studying it for a moment.
Ran looked at the necklace in her hand.
It was purple—so beautiful, with a noble, mysterious air. The pattern inside was hard to see clearly, but for some reason, it reminded her of a flash of violet lightning cutting through a summer storm.
Lisa glanced at Ran, then reached up and removed the necklace, offering it to her.
"You're interested too, Ran? Want to take a look?"
Ran carefully accepted it. "Eh? Are you sure? This must be very precious, right?"
So easily… she took it off?
Conan had assumed Lisa would treasure this necklace deeply. Yet she handed it over without hesitation.
Was it really not important?
No.
Conan trusted his instincts.
This necklace definitely held a secret.
He leaned closer to the bead in Ran's hand.
Inside, he could clearly see a three-tomoe–shaped symbol—yet it also resembled a streak of lightning. The frame around the bead looked like wings. He remembered that Xiangling's bead had a square-shaped frame instead.
Did the different frames carry different meanings?
And what did the symbol inside represent?
Lightning?
Tomoe?
Lisa took a sip of her drink and laughed lightly.
"Heh, it's just a glass bead. I only keep wearing it because it has a special meaning to me. The item itself isn't worth anything."
Ran and Conan stared in shock.
"A glass bead?!"