Chi Feichi was silent for a moment.
22, 2-Chome, Beika Town...
So, the one calling was Conan?
A mistake with the delivery?
Right, Haibara Ai only got her name after arriving at Dr. Agasa's house. Receiving a package from Osaka the very next day was chronologically inconsistent, so they probably misunderstood it as a "wrong delivery."
At the time, he really didn't know what to write for the recipient's name, so he just had "Little Ai" filled in. Even though he didn't care if it aroused suspicion, he had still been a little cautious.
The recipient was "Little Ai," not "Haibara Ai." There might not be many people named "Little Ai," but there was definitely more than one in the world.
Couldn't the reason be that he forgot to ask for her name and just gave the little girl a nickname himself?
As for being suspected...
Suspected of planting a bug in Dr. Agasa's house? Leaving aside the fact that they wouldn't find a bug, he hadn't even stepped through the door.
Or suspected of being clairvoyant? If someone really thought that, they wouldn't be far from joining him here...
Chi Feichi instantly sorted out his thoughts. "It wasn't a mistake."
Conan was choked by this answer and explained, "It was sent to this address, but the recipient is 'Little Ai'..."
"It was sent to a little girl. The name is a nickname I casually chose," Chi Feichi said.
For the first time, Conan felt a communication barrier. "Then you are..."
Chi Feichi: "I am the one who sent her to 22, 2-Chome, Beika Town."
Conan's expression changed instantly. He quickly covered the phone with one hand and whispered to Dr. Agasa, "Hey, Doctor! You said you chose the name 'Haibara Ai', right?"
"Yes," Dr. Agasa was confused by Conan's question. "Didn't I say? We chose it together based on female detectives' names. 'Haibara' comes from V.I. Warshawski's 'GRAY' for 'Hai' (ash), and 'Ai' comes from the 'I' in V.I. I actually thought 'Little Ai' (Love) sounded better, but she insisted on using 'Ai' (Sorrow)... What's wrong with the name I chose?"
"The person who sent the package is the young man who brought her here, at least that's what he says. Although he claimed he just chose a random nickname because he didn't know her name, but..." Conan turned to Haibara Ai, suspicious. "Your original name had 'Ai' in it, didn't it? He's actually an accomplice who knows your true identity, right?"
Haibara Ai was stunned for a moment, then speechlessly held out her hand. "No. Give me the phone."
Conan hesitated but handed the phone to Haibara Ai.
Haibara Ai sensed Conan's distrust, and since she wasn't an accomplice with Chi Feichi anyway, she took the phone and put it directly on speaker. "It's me..."
"Mhm," Chi Feichi said. "What happened just now?"
Haibara Ai glanced at Conan. "The child who answered the phone suddenly got a headache and fell out of his seat."
Conan: "..."
Chi Feichi naturally didn't believe it, but he didn't pursue it. "The delivery is a gift for you."
"Mhm..." Haibara Ai responded. "Are you in Osaka?"
Chi Feichi said, "I'm back already."
"Was the recipient name 'Little Ai' a nickname you gave me? Why 'Little Ai'?" Haibara Ai was also curious. Could such a coincidence really exist in the world?
Chi Feichi's voice remained calm. "Zi yan wei fa er ai le ju hu qi qian."
Dr. Agasa, a man of science and engineering: "..."
Haibara Ai, also a person of science and engineering: "..."
What... does that mean?
Conan quickly went through the ancient texts and waka poems in his mind, then associated it with classical Chinese literature and poetry...
But there was just too much classical Chinese literature.
Even with his amazing knowledge reserve, while he could talk about many things, there were also many he didn't know.
Haibara Ai subconsciously looked at Conan.
Dr. Agasa also looked at Conan with eager eyes.
For the first time, Conan was stumped. He silently took out his phone. If you don't know, look it up online.
Silence.
Chi Feichi had no intention of explaining, nor did he continue speaking.
Dr. Agasa withdrew his gaze and concentrated on driving, waiting for Conan to find it.
Seeing Conan taking action, Haibara Ai naturally waited for the answer, just feeling...
This moment of silence is inexplicably awkward.
About ten seconds later.
On the quiet road, the car passed through a section with streetlights.
Inside the dark car, while the boy concentrated on using his phone to look up information, a calm male voice suddenly came from the back seat: "Found it yet?"
It felt like a fourth person had appeared in the three-person car...
Conan stiffened, then quickly threw the terrifying thought out of his mind.
Chi Feichi guessed that the silence on the other end was probably because Haibara Ai didn't know the meaning of the phrase.
And given Haibara Ai's personality, she would either ask directly or, if too embarrassed to ask, look it up herself. She definitely wouldn't just stare blankly.
However, he wouldn't have thought that Haibara Ai had put him on speaker, and it was Conan who was looking it up online and got spooked...
Conan's brain spun quickly. He guessed we were looking it up?Was it based on the sudden silence?But why was he so certain we'd look it up?
"It's normal to look it up if you don't understand," Chi Feichi added, thinking Haibara Ai hadn't looked it up.
Conan finally couldn't help but turn his head to check the back seat, confirming there wasn't an invisible person sitting there staring at him.
He had just thought about being embarrassed to look it up, and the other person responded perfectly. It was too eerie...
Haibara Ai didn't know what Conan was thinking just now, nor how coincidental Chi Feichi's sentence was. Seeing Conan suddenly turn to look at the back seat, she was a little puzzled.
Is there something wrong with this famous high school detective? Getting startled all of a sudden...
Noticing Haibara Ai's strange gaze, Conan snapped back to reality, coughed dryly, looked down at his phone, and said in a childish tone, "I found it~!"
Haibara Ai: "..."
Dr. Agasa: "..."
On the other end of the phone, Chi Feichi also fell silent.
What's up with Conan's sudden, exaggerated child's voice...?
Facing the weird silence, Conan suppressed the awkwardness and strangeness in his heart. Children aren't afraid of awkward silences. Yes, he was just a child now. Anyway, the other party didn't know he was Kudo Shinichi. "Ahem, I found it. This sentence comes from the classical Chinese text Biography of Liu Jingting by Huang Zongxi. It originally referred to the skills of a storyteller. What Big Brother Chi meant was likely: Before you even opened your mouth, the feelings of sadness and joy were already fully manifested."
Dr. Agasa couldn't help but look sideways. This sentence was inexplicably heartwarming. And by choosing the character "Ai" (Sorrow), his meaning was: Before you even opened your mouth, your sadness was already fully manifested.
Haibara Ai was stunned. A myriad of emotions surged in her heart, choking her up so much she couldn't speak.
Conan sized up Haibara Ai, suddenly feeling that his previous thoughts about her might have been... perhaps... probably... too malicious.
"That's what I meant," Chi Feichi heard the silence on the phone again. Considering tonight was probably when Haibara Ai and Conan would go to Professor Hirota's house, and the first time she would cry, he added, "Sometimes it's good to cry..."
That feeling of being completely seen through made Haibara Ai feel uncomfortable. "Don't be so self-righteous; I won't cry!"
Chi Feichi: "Fine. But if you cry, you must call me..."
Haibara Ai: "..."
So sure I'm going to cry?What a stubborn and arrogant man!
Chi Feichi: "So I can record it for my collection."
Haibara Ai: "..."
(川 "Anyway, the package wasn't sent by mistake. That's all. This is my number; contact me another day."
Beep...
The call ended.
Haibara Ai held the phone blankly.
If you cry, you must call me... So I can record it for my collection...
These two sentences echoed in Dr. Agasa's mind. He struggled to suppress his strange expression, hesitating to speak.
Haibara Ai came back to her senses, wrote down the number, and handed the phone back to Conan. "By the way, what's his name?"
Conan paused as he took the phone: "..."
"When receiving a call from a stranger, don't most people introduce themselves first, then ask what the matter is?" Haibara Ai said calmly. "Also, did he ask who you were? Did he ask for Dr. Agasa's name?"
This...
Conan sweated. This is revenge for my earlier suspicions, isn't it? But why do I feel like I've become the punching bag?
"The person who answered the phone at the beginning said 'Mr. Chi.' His surname is probably Chi or his given name has the character 'Chi' in it... But since we have his contact information, we can call and ask later. Let's go get the disks with the drug data recorded on them first."
"Mhm." Haibara Ai didn't tease Conan anymore. Sitting in the back seat, she opened the delivery box, took out the dolls and plush keychains to examine them closely, then put them back neatly.
The sadness and joy are manifest before a word is spoken, huh...
The next day.
Aoyama Fourth Hospital.
At 8:30 AM, the person picking up Chi Feichi arrived at the hospital in a car.
He looked to be in his forties, with short, center-parted hair, a square face, thick eyebrows, drooping eyes, and deep laugh lines, suggesting he was a serious person usually.
"Sorry, it seems I'm a bit early." Seeing Chi Feichi and Fukuyama Tomoaki arrive in the lobby, the man explained, "But the place we're going is a bit far, and it might take some time on the road. Oh, my name is Mamiya Mitsuru. My late father-in-law and Mr. Chi Shinnosuke's father were cousins. Counting it up, Mr. Chi Feichi should call me a distant uncle."
"Not too early. If the journey is long, you should come early." Fukuyama Tomoaki smiled amiably. "Does Mr. Mamiya have time usually?"
Mamiya Mitsuru nodded. "My mother-in-law is getting on in years and has some dementia. My son and I take care of her at home. It's no problem to take care of Mr. Chi incidentally."
"Currently, Mr. Chi's condition is very good. The alternate personalities haven't appeared recently, and last night's test results showed no depression. However, there are still some minor issues..." Fukuyama told Mamiya Mitsuru the general situation and things to pay attention to, saw the two out, and then instructed Chi Feichi, "Mr. Chi, Kitagawa told me you bought some psychology books. If you're interested, you can indeed read them yourself to adjust your mindset. But remember to take your medicine and rest well. You can come to me anytime if you have problems."
"Thank you." Chi Feichi's thanks were sincere.
"Go on," Fukuyama grinned. "You probably need to go home and pack."
Chi Feichi nodded and walked toward the car with Mamiya Mitsuru. Suddenly, he thought of something. "By the way, Mr. Mamiya, what day is it today?"
He must have been oppressed by Fukuyama Tomoaki for too long. Asking someone else this question actually felt a little satisfying...