After sending a few subsequent photos, Gin still didn't respond.
Shouldn't he be asleep?
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and drove the car to the destination, which was a small villa built on the hillside and covered with white snow. Because they had to pass a suspension bridge, the car could only stop in front and a few people got out and walked over.
"It's snowing really hard today."
"Really, it looks like it would be perfect for snowball fights and building snowmen."
"Then maybe we can come out and play for a while later."
"Will Xiao Ai feel cold?"
"…I don't think so."
As the few of them were talking and laughing as they walked towards the western-style house, Xiaolan couldn't help but show some concern for Haibara Ai.
The latter's somewhat cold attitude only made her smile gently, but Sonoko was a little grumbling.
"But the villa and the suspension bridge...are really classics."
"What is Jiashu talking about?"
"He's probably talking about Snowstorm Manor, which is a model often used in detective literature. Generally speaking, it refers to a group of people gathered in a relatively closed environment, such as a mountain manor isolated from the outside world due to a snowstorm, and unable to contact the outside world due to special circumstances... The murder that occurred under such circumstances is the so-called Snowstorm Manor model."
Xiao Ai answered calmly.
"Well, if this suspension bridge suddenly breaks and the signal in that mansion is also cut off, it will be a standard snowstorm in the mansion."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled at this point and said, "But you probably aren't interested in this kind of topic, so let's not go into it in depth."
".....Actually it's okay."
Xiaolan says this out of habit, but it actually feels a bit against her will.
Because whenever she was walking with Kudo Shinichi in the past, he would always talk about some reasoning stuff... Even though she wasn't very interested, with her soft personality, she would always listen patiently.
As they were talking, they walked to the front of the villa.
Yuanzi went upstairs and rang the doorbell.
Just as she was feeling a little proud and excited, wondering what the netizens' reactions would be when they found out that she was actually a girl, the uncle who opened the door called out her online name with a smile: "Welcome, you are the 'Magician's Apprentice', right?"
"...Yes, but why did you know it was me right away?"
"Because from the way you speak, everyone can immediately tell that you are a girl pretending to be a man."
As the other party spoke, he turned his head to look at the people behind him and asked with a smile if that was the case.
Most of the people who were going to attend the party had already arrived, and they were now standing behind the door, laughing and discussing.
One of the girls even said that she had actually been hiding behind the screen and laughing secretly, which made Sonoko, who thought she had disguised herself very successfully, blush immediately.
And when she later saw that the man named "Red Herring" and Doi Takeshu, whose online name was "Red Herring", was actually a fat young man, Sonoko's fantasy was completely shattered... She looked at Hayashi Yoshiki with tiredness, and was glad that she had asked Jiashu to come along this time.
The latter was also looking at the young man named Doi Takeshu with a smile.
Kuroba Kaito, who was disguised as a fat man, was a little surprised when he saw him unexpectedly. Then he came to his senses and thought that Hayashi Yoshiki must not know that it was him at the moment, so he smiled inwardly and suddenly had the idea of playing a prank.
"Who are these people?"
"I'm Mao Lilan, and I'm here to accompany Sonoko." Xiaolan bowed slightly politely.
"Sorry to bother you, I'm Hayashi Yoshiki who brought them here..."
"Ah! You're the famous one lately--!"
People who chat online at this time read more information, and with the current publicity efforts of Futaba Publishing House for Hayashi Yoshiki, almost everyone in the villa recognized him.
Although everyone was originally very welcoming to Yuanzi and her friends, this time it became too welcoming... Hayashi Yoshiki took out a pen and signed for several people.
Several people were quickly welcomed into the house and assigned rooms.
Sonoko and Xiaolan were naturally in the same room, while Ai, who was young and not familiar with Xiaolan and the others, went with Hayashi Yoshiki.
"How do you feel?"
"What?"
"Anything is fine."
Hayashi Yoshiki put down his backpack, walked to the balcony, opened the window and walked out.
Outside the window is the backyard of the villa covered with thick white snow, and further away is the forest wrapped in silver in the winter. The view is wide and the sunlight is very gentle.
"This is a rare view for you in the institute, right? So everything is fine, don't be so tense..." Leaning against the balcony railing, Hayashi Yoshiki turned back and smiled at her, "It's rare to see such a smart and cute face after becoming small, smile more."
"..."
She was silent.
This was the first time that Haibara Ai was advised to smile more.
Although she was not moved by this, she slowly walked to the balcony and looked outside.
very beautiful.....
Although it is very beautiful,
"It's a bit cold."
"Then be careful not to catch a cold."
Hayashi Yoshiki took off the scarf from around his neck.
He squatted down and wrapped the scarf around Ai, making it intentionally fluffy... His original body temperature could be slightly felt through the soft fabric. Haibara Ai didn't know what to say, so she could only quietly say, "...Thank you."
"You've said that enough."
"…But we can't stop talking just because we've talked about it too much."
The kindness of saving my sister and myself can never be repaid.
So even though the two sides are not very familiar with each other, Haibara Ai is trying her best to restrain her cold temper.
"Then answer me with a smile, even if it's just like this."
"..."
Hayashi Yoshiki placed the index fingers of both hands on both sides of Haibara Ai's mouth, controlling her to smile passively.
It looked a little funny, but it was really cute.
It really doesn't make sense...
The little girl's face was tense until Hayashi Yoshiki withdrew his hand and stood up.
She looked at Hayashi Yoshiki who was once again leisurely observing the scenery outside the window, and couldn't help but wonder what this man was thinking about.
Obviously, he is just like me, and is not the same kind of person as Gin and his cold-blooded group of people, but he can't turn back...
What kind of pressure is he carrying and whether he can bear it all the time, thinking about this, Haibara Ai suddenly realized that the only person who can truly understand her seems to be Jundu.
She wrapped the towel around her neck a little tighter and felt that it was indeed much warmer than before, so she walked quietly to Hayashi Yoshiki's side.
"..."
The scenery here is really beautiful.
Hayashi Yoshiki is now thinking about whether he should go to the kitchen to find a fish to scare Kuroba Kaito.
But the weather was too cold and touching the fish felt too freezing to my hands.