Chapter 160 Garden Tea Party
Chapter 161 Garden Tea Party
I am a high school detective named Shinichi Kudo. When I went to an amusement park with my childhood sweetheart Xiaolan, I witnessed a transaction by a dark organization. At that time, I was only busy peeking at the transaction, but I ignored another accomplice who came from behind. I was forced to drink poison by that person, and when I woke up, my body became smaller! If they knew that Shinichi Kudo was still alive, not only would my life be in danger, but it would also threaten my relatives. So at the suggestion of Dr. Agasa, I concealed my identity. When Xiaolan asked me my name, I changed my name to Edogawa Conan in a hurry. In order to collect information about those guys, I moved into Xiaolan's house, whose father was a detective. However, this uncle's ability to solve cases was confused. I couldn't stand it, so I pretended to be the uncle and used the many props given to me by Dr. Agasa and my reasoning ability to solve many suspense cases. And my uncle also became a famous detective with a louder and louder reputation thanks to me. But now I have become an elementary school student again, and have been forced to form the Junior Detective Team with my classmates, Ayumi Yoshida, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, and Genta Kojima.

Besides my parents, the only person who knows my identity is Dr. Agasa. However, not long ago, a special person in the organization that poisoned me found me. His name is Akiya Kaoru, codenamed IceWine. He is the gold medal killer of the organization. Because he was hunted down, he was also forced to take the same poison as me, but he unexpectedly turned into a child. His other identity is my childhood sweetheart Xiaolan's brother, Maori Kaoru. When he was young, he disappeared in a car accident, but appeared in front of me as a professional killer ten years later. After reaching a consensus with him, with his help, I obtained a lot of intelligence about the organization, which also made it possible for us to make the organization public to the world. One step closer.

(Conan: You write such a watered-down article, aren't you afraid that the readers will turn the table over?)

(Xun: It’s okay. The author said this picture is free, so feel free to add some water. And the part about adding water is from your first-person perspective. So it doesn’t matter.)
(Conan: ……)
Although his body has become smaller, his mind is still sharp and he is an omniscient detective: "There is only one truth!"

————————————Detective Conan the Movie: Skyscraper Explosion——————————————

"Huh? Attending Moriya Teiji's garden tea party on April 29th?!" At the dinner table, Xiaolan's words made me shudder. Just a few minutes ago, when we just sat down to eat, Xiaolan excitedly told us the news. She said that it was Shinichi who called and asked us to attend Moriya Teiji's tea party on his behalf.

While drinking the miso soup, I glanced at Conan, and Conan just smiled at me apologetically and indicated that he would tell me the details later.

"Yes, the invitation letter Shinichi sent says that you can bring your friends to attend, but he can't come, so he wants us to go in his place." Xiaolan took out the invitation letter and handed it to us. "By the way, Dad, because of this, I will go to the movies with Shinichi on the evening of May 3rd."

"What?!" I was the first one to react, not my dad. Xiaolan and Shinichi went to the movies? Shinichi was sitting opposite me.

"Huh? What's wrong, Xiaoxun?" Xiaolan asked puzzledly when she saw my surprised look.

"Ah, no. Nothing." I waved my hands hastily. "But why do you want to go to the movies with Shinichi... brother?"

"Because May 4th is Shinichi's birthday." Xiaolan said with a smile. "Because May 4th is Shinichi's birthday, I asked him to go to the midnight movie on May 3rd, and I gave him the red casual shirt I bought at twelve o'clock. This way I can give him a surprise."

"Well, now Conan is so surprised that he is speechless." I said silently in my heart, and at the same time looked at Conan sitting opposite me, I saw that he was sitting there with a look of surprise on his face, looking at Xiaolan motionlessly.

"So, what movie are you going to see?" Dad asked as he picked up a piece of fish.

"The Legend of the Red Thread."

"Aha?"

"Yeah, don't you know?" Xiaolan explained with a blush on her cheeks. "There is a legend that men and women who are destined to be together will have a red string tied to their little fingers when they are born. That movie is a romantic love movie based on this story."

"Wait, you just said you were going to see the midnight show?" Dad reacted.

"Yes."

"No! Absolutely not!" Dad yelled. "I absolutely do not allow young men and women to make out in a dark movie theater all night long. How can that be allowed!"

"No! Please stop talking nonsense!" Xiaolan retorted. "It's because Shinichi always forgets his birthday every year, so I have to remind him every year. Otherwise, he would have grown one year older for nothing?" Hearing this, Conan couldn't help but narrow his eyes and smile helplessly.

"But, you are all still high school students, no matter what..."

"By the way, I'm going shopping with Yuanzi that morning, so you'll have to take care of lunch and dinner by yourself." Xiaolan ignored her father's words. "Remember to go to the tea party together on April 29th." After saying that, Xiaolan smiled and sat up and left the table.

"This child, really... Alas... Girls can't be kept when they grow up." Dad held his forehead. He tacitly agreed with Xiaolan's words. On the other side, Conan and I looked at him with extremely complicated eyes. Then we continued to eat in silence.

————The scent of orchids, the scent of lavender, the scent of home & the wings of angels, the wings of demons, the wings of guardians————

In the evening, Conan and I returned to the house.

"Kudo, what's going on with that Moriya Teiji?" I asked Conan as soon as we sat in the room. Of course I had to ask, because I had a mission related to Moriya Teiji in my hands.

"Oh, that was an invitation letter I came across today when I was helping my dad sort out his letters at the doctor's house." Conan explained. "It said that they had heard of my name for a long time, so they wanted me to attend the tea party."

"You know him?"

"I don't know him. We've never met. I just know he's a famous architect." Conan responded. "You seem very interested in him?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's not the case." I started to make up a story. "It's just that for someone like you who will die wherever he goes, a famous architect you don't know comes to you... Is he looking for death?"

"Hey, hey, Xun, that's enough." Conan's mouth twitched. "Anyway, let's go over and take a look."

So, in response to Conan's words, our group of four went to the villa of the famous architect Teiji Moriya on April 29th to attend his garden tea party.

"Wow~ What a spectacular garden." As soon as Xiaolan took the first step into Moritani Teiji's house, she was deeply attracted by the scenery of the garden.

"This is indeed a traditional British building from the orthodox Stuart dynasty of the 17th century." Dad put his hands on his hips and said proudly.

"Eh?"

"Nani?"

Two surprised voices sounded at the same time, and then Conan and I looked at each other.

"Hey, Xun, did you know that your dad knows so much about architecture?"

"How could I know? As far as I know, even the position of the furniture in my home when I was a child was designed by my mother. My father knows nothing about it. No one would believe him if he said something about the Stuart Dynasty."

"Hey... Dad, it turns out you know so much about architecture." Xiaolan said with admiration.

"Of course, your dad was once called a mobile library." Dad looked impressive. "Also, look carefully at both sides here."

"Eh?" Xiaolan was slightly startled, and then looked towards the garden. Soon, she found that the garden was different. "If you stand in the middle of the garden here, the scenery on both sides is exactly the same. The same is true for the garden and the villa~"

"This kind of architecture is called bilateral symmetry." Dad continued to explain. "Professor Moriko spent his time in England until high school, so he was particularly fascinated by British architecture. Especially... um... especially the classical architectural style. His real name was Shinji. Later, he changed it to Teiji for bilateral symmetry."

"...Xun, did you know that your dad is so powerful?" Conan said with half-moon eyes.

"No, I don't know..." I was embarrassed. Watching my dad take out a cheat sheet from his pocket and read the introduction of Moriya Teiji smoothly, I couldn't help but twitch my mouth. As expected, the meeting between the famous detective and the famous architect, I have to say that my dad has put a lot of effort in this aspect. "Is that so, um~ But this place is really beautiful, the most beautiful garden I have ever seen~" Xiaolan strolled around the garden like a beautiful blue butterfly.

"It's an honor for me to receive your praise." A middle-aged male voice came over. Looking over, we saw a man with a mustache walking towards us. "Hello everyone, I'm Moriya Teiji."

"I, I'm Mao Lilan." Xiaolan hurriedly greeted the famous architect. "This is my father, Edogawa Conan and Ming Yaxun. Today, because Shinichi... No, it's Kudo-kun who can't accept the invitation, we are here on his behalf." Xiaolan hurriedly explained why she came.

"Ah...Is that so? Kudo doesn't have time to come..." said Moriya Teiji, resting his chin on his hand.

"But this uncle is also a famous detective." Conan pointed at his father and said cutely.

"What do you mean by 'also'?" Dad was dissatisfied, but because he was facing Moriya Teiji, he just coughed, straightened his clothes, and walked in front of Moriya Teiji and said. "I am Maori Kogoro."

"Oh... you are the famous Maori detective, please give me your guidance." Moriya Teiji also stretched out his hand and shook it with his father. "Please follow me to the back garden, where the tea party will be held."

"Hmm?" Looking at the look on Moritani Teiji's face, I couldn't help but wonder. From his current behavior, I don't see that he is someone who likes to cause trouble. Why is he being targeted by the government?

"What's wrong?" Conan asked me when he heard my puzzled voice.

"Kudo, what do you think of Teiji Moriya?" I asked.

"Not bad." Conan replied. "Many of his buildings are listed as the best buildings in Japan. I heard from Dr. Agasa that he is a true artist in architecture."

"That's it..."

"You seem to care about him a lot?" Conan raised his eyebrows. "Is he on some mission?"

"Huh? No, I'm just a little curious about why such an architect knows you. As for the mission, you're overthinking it. If he were my target, I would never ask you about him because I would know more than you do."

"...That's true." After thinking about it, Conan gave up questioning me.

Following the footsteps of Teiji Moriya, we came to the backyard of his villa, where many world celebrities have come, including musicians, models, entrepreneurs, critics, and even many entertainers.

"This is the venue for the tea party. Please feel free to enjoy the relaxing afternoon." Moriya Teiji spread his hands and treated us to the desserts on the table.

"Wow~ So beautiful~" Xiaolan couldn't help but admire the snacks on the table. Girls are always interested in these snacks. "Excuse me, are these snacks handmade?"

"Yes. A formal tea party must of course entertain guests with handmade snacks. Please taste them." Moriya Teiji said to Xiaolan with a smile.

"Well, you're welcome." Xiaolan picked up a cookie and put it in her mouth and took a bite. A crisp sound came into our ears. "This cookie is so delicious~" Xiaolan praised the snack with just one bite.

"Haha, I'm glad you like it. Your praise means that the effort I put into making cookies last night is rewarded."

"Hey, Master, you can cook, too." A female artist standing nearby heard our conversation and immediately expressed her opinion. Her words attracted the attention of the guests nearby.

"Well... I'm still single." Moriya Teiji spread his hands. "All the snacks here today, whether it's sandwiches or cookies, are made by me. I can't feel at ease unless I make them myself. Hahahahaha."

"No wonder..." I squinted my eyes and whispered.

"Huh? No wonder you're referring to that?" Conan was puzzled.

"No wonder the food on the table is symmetrical." I raised my chin towards the desserts on the table. "From the moment you enter the room and look towards the center of the venue, you can see that both the table layout and the food layout are symmetrical. Even down to each plate, you will find that as long as you find the central axis, you can see that the desserts on this plate are also symmetrical according to the plate. This kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder is really..." At this point, I couldn't help but shrink my shoulders.

"It's just the rules of doing things. How could it be obsessive-compulsive disorder?" Conan smiled bitterly at me.

"So that's how it is. Those beautiful buildings were created because of this spirit, right?" While Conan and I were talking, a male movie star praised Teiji Moritani.

"Humph, if it doesn't have the conditions of beauty, I can't agree that it's architecture." Moriya Teiji said, indignant. "Nowadays, many young architects simply lack the awareness of beauty! I don't agree with this at all! They must have a stronger sense of responsibility for their works, otherwise how can they create more perfect works!" This speech shocked everyone present. After all, it was a bit too passionate to express such passionate opinions in front of celebrities.

"Okay, it's obsessive-compulsive disorder after all." After hearing this, Conan couldn't help but lower his head and sigh.

"Ahem, by the way, Mr. Maori." Moriya Teiji realized that what he said was inappropriate and quickly diverted everyone's attention. "I want to ask you a question, do you mind?"

"Ask me a question?"

"Yes." As he spoke, Moriya Teiji took out a stack of papers from his pocket. "This is a question about guessing the password for starting up the computer of a company run by a three-person partnership. I think if it were the famous detective Maori Kogoro, he would be able to solve it right away."

"Eh? Uh... ahem. Well, that's true. Then please go ahead." Seeing that Moritani Teiji had announced his name, the dad immediately straightened his suit and became serious.

"Hehe, here are the information of those three people. The password is the common characters of the three of them, composed of five hiragana characters." Moriya Teiji handed the paper in his hand to his father. "Ms. Xiaolan, everyone here should try it too. The time limit is three minutes."

So, every guest here received a piece of information, and after Moriya Teiji announced the start time, everyone was busy thinking about the puzzles on the paper. Moriya Teiji himself took advantage of this little time to walk to the back of the crowd, took out his pipe, lit a pot of tobacco with a match, and started to smoke it happily.

"Xiao Xun, can you see the secret of this paper?" Conan asked me, holding the information in his hand.

I glanced at the information casually and saw the names, blood types and other information of three people written on the paper.

Oyamada Tsuyoshi, blood type A, was born in October 31 and his hobby is hot spring travel.

Sora Sasuke, blood type B, was born in June 32, and his hobby is hang gliding.

Konoha, blood type O, was born in January 33 and his hobby is walking.

"Not interested." I said to him casually.

"Hey, hey... you're so silly." Conan narrowed his eyes, and then focused on the information in his hand. "Well... there are no common characters in the names, the birth dates and blood types are different, and the interests and hobbies are very different. Where is it? Xun, do you think it could be... ah? Where is the person?" He raised his head. Conan found that I, who was standing next to him just now, was gone. "Really, how could the person disappear in the blink of an eye." Conan scratched his head, "Forget it, let's solve this mystery first."

　It's the last two days, I'm begging for the last wave of votes~ At the same time, I also have to explain to everyone that I will go abroad to study in August and September, and will come back in October, so everyone who has supported me all the time, let's meet again in October. Of course... I will start updating after I come back in October... Weekly update (don't hit me...)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)