Two hours later, in the pottery classroom...
Mino Soyuki glanced at his watch anxiously.
A little while ago, he'd crafted a meticulously detailed murder plan, one that he intended to put into action today.
The victim was here, the person to blame was here, and the witnesses were in place. Yet, it was almost time to clock out, and he still hadn't found the opportunity to get rid of his target.
Actually, when Mino first saw this group of "reserve witnesses," he felt a slight sinking in his chest. That's because one of them appeared to be a young, famous detective.
But then Jiang Xia had entered, plopped down beside him, and started dozing off. When Mino saw Jiang Xia snoozing there, he couldn't help but think it was a sign from the heavens—why else would the detective fall asleep at the perfect moment?
Feeling relieved, Mino decided to carry on with his plan.
Unfortunately, just as the son-in-law returned, Mino had been about to strike. But Jiang Xia, despite being a bit sleepy, suddenly became wide awake and showed an unexpected interest in pottery, asking Mino a million questions. It felt like the detective would never leave.
Mino Soyuki looked at Jiang Xia, who seemed glued to the spot, and his mind began to spiral.
Sure, he'd thought about challenging the detective—but not in the typical "I'm going to strangle my son-in-law in front of him" kind of way. No, his idea was to use his brilliant murder skills to test the detective's powers of observation and response.
But Jiang Xia was so close. Mino couldn't shake him. And the more time passed, the more Mino despaired... Why was there such an annoying apprentice in the world?
By the time the workday was over, the son-in-law left the pottery studio and headed back to Kikuemon's house.
This meant Mino had missed his chance to execute his murder plan for the day.
Mino sighed in frustration and resigned himself to rescheduling his grand plan. Right now, his main goal was to get rid of this meddlesome group—especially the over-intrusive detective.
But even this simple wish couldn't be granted.
As the guests were preparing to leave, each carrying a piece of handmade pottery, a middle-aged woman entered through the back door, announcing that Kikuemon had invited everyone to come inside for a sit.
Her eyes lingered on Jiang Xia, filled with curiosity and something like contemplation.
Mino's eye twitched. He knew exactly what Kikuemon was up to.
...
Everyone has their own peculiar hobbies, and Kikuemon, the national treasure-level pottery master, was no different. He had an odd fascination with bizarre cases, keeping up with all the relevant news and getting to know famous detectives.
Recently, he'd become intrigued by Jiang Xia, the rising star in the detective world.
Kikuemon had read about Jiang Xia's solved cases multiple times, and the more he read, the more he became convinced that this young detective was truly a gem. He believed Jiang Xia was a future great, destined to solve even more oddball cases.
That afternoon, when Kikuemon found out Jiang Xia had come to their pottery studio, he could barely contain his excitement. He immediately instructed his daughter-in-law to invite the detective over, eager to meet the star in person.
To Jiang Xia, it sounded like an invitation to hunt ghosts, so of course, he accepted without hesitation.
Since Kikuemon had invited him, it would be rude not to bring the others along, so the whole group followed.
...
Inside the living room, after admiring some exquisite pottery, everyone took a seat at the table.
Kikuemon, straightening his beard, gave Jiang Xia a lot of serious advice on pottery.
But soon, Kikuemon's daughter-in-law interrupted, revealing the truth of the situation: "Dad, it's all about being straight forward these days. You should just tell him you're really impressed with him." With that, she pulled out a newspaper clipping and opened it up toward Jiang Xia. "Look, it's full of cases you've solved."
Kikuemon froze, his face going stiff.
Jiang Xia leaned over, took a look, and nodded politely—but secretly, he thought it wasn't as impressive as his own case reports.
Suzuki Sonoko and Ran Mouri both exclaimed, "Wow—" with proud expressions, though they weren't exactly sure what they were proud of.
Amuro took a sip of tea, silently exasperated. He had been keeping an eye on Kikuemon for a while, and the way the old man was eyeing Jiang Xia was making him feel uneasy. This was the very same shrewd man who had targeted him earlier...
...
Kikuemon was at the center of the gathering. He'd invited the guests, so of course, his family had to come out and meet them.
It wasn't a big family—Kikuemon and his junior, Mino Soyuki, each had a lost son and daughter. So besides the two old men, there were only three male apprentices and Kikuemon's daughter-in-law.
The apprentices came into the living room and, seeing Jiang Xia, couldn't wait to ask, "Which one are you picking?"
Earlier that afternoon, after Kikuemon decided to invite Jiang Xia over, the family had made a bet: they would offer Jiang Xia the most precious teacup in the house to use as a tea cup, and let him pick a collection from the exhibition hall as a gift. The bet was that Jiang Xia would figure out that the real treasure was the teacup in his hands.
"Don't worry, I haven't told him yet," Kikuemon said, waving off his apprentices. Then, he gestured toward the display case. "These are my collections. Pick whichever one you'd like as a gift from me."
The daughter-in-law smiled and added, "Each one's a treasure, worth no less than a million yen."
"!" Ran Mouri and Conan were shocked. They hadn't expected someone to give away something so expensive.
Suzuki Sonoko, on the other hand, didn't react much to the price—after all, there were toys worth hundreds of millions of yen just gathering dust in her warehouse at home.
But a gift like this still felt different. Sonoko leaned in to whisper excitedly to Jiang Xia, "Pick a nice one!"
The apprentices, watching from the side, couldn't help but look on eagerly. They were known for their expertise in pottery. Though they appreciated Jiang Xia's detective skills, they had their doubts about his pottery taste.
They couldn't wait to see what he would choose.
Eventually, Jiang Xia lowered his head, staring thoughtfully at the teacup in his hand.
Apprentices: "..."
Wait—what is he looking at?!
Jiang Xia wasn't particularly good at appreciating pottery, but he had his "prophecy" ability. He remembered that the most expensive pottery in the house was the teacup on display. Now, since the old man had specifically asked him to pick something, Jiang Xia figured the teacup in his hand was likely the treasure.
Amuro Toru, too, quickly checked the teacup Jiang Xia was holding.
Though he didn't know the spoilers, as an experienced intelligence agent, Amuro had gathered plenty of information about Kikuemon, and this teacup had been featured in related magazines. It was Kikuemon's prized work, worth nearly 10 million yen, and was easily recognizable.
Jiang Xia rubbed the teacup under the apprentices' sweaty gazes, feeling a little conflicted.
He wasn't in need of money, nor did he particularly enjoy drinking tea. And to be honest, while the teacup was recognized as a fine piece, its color was too plain and didn't quite match his aesthetic.
What he actually liked more was a large clay pot on display—a perfect size for a potted plant. Much more practical than a teacup that could only hold a few garlic sprouts.
Jiang Xia spent a long time thinking.
Meanwhile, Ran Mouri and the others had been looking at the display case but soon noticed that Jiang Xia was still focused on the teacups. They returned to the coffee table for reasons they couldn't quite explain, following his lead.
Kikuemon's family had originally hoped to witness a "precious layman relying on his intuition to identify treasures," but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.
The daughter-in-law, who handled the finances, was starting to lose her smile. That teacup was worth tens of millions of yen! She had thought Jiang Xia was just a layman when they devised this plan, but now...
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 25/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*
Glossary:
Kikuemon - A national treasure-level pottery master, often revered for his skills.
Mino Soyuki - The Mediterranean-styled man, Mino's murderous character, and pottery manager.
Apprentices - Mino Soyuki's students who are involved in the pottery business.