Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

Bai Quanyi looked in the direction she pointed, and saw a transparent box with "love fortune sticks" placed at the door of the store.

Inside the box were small, cylindrical pieces of paper with colorful and ornate designs on them.

"Sonoko, isn't I your love? Why are you smoking this?"

Baiquanyi couldn't help but complain, and Sonoko laughed mischievously.

"That's why we smoke. Let's see what our love will be like."

"That's right..."

"Then I'll smoke first!"

Without waiting for his reaction, Sonoko threw in a hundred yen and drew a lot.

She tore open the colorful wrapping and spread out the paper.

"Good luck—!"

Shiraizumi Masaru and Xiaolan were also looking at the fortune from the side.

Above the note was a picture of a woman wearing triangular glasses and a suit, holding a stick like a teacher pointing at a blackboard.

"You need passion and hard work now. If you just sit there and wait for fate, you won't be able to defeat other opponents."

0 .... ...

"How annoying! How many rivals do I have? How can this be considered a good omen?"

Sonoko shouted after reading it.

Baiquanyi and Xiaolan looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Then, the two of them soon stopped laughing.

Bai Quanyi was thinking, how many girlfriends do I have? I can't even count them all.

Xiaolan was thinking, how many rivals do I have in love? Not only my mother and Sonoko, but there are also so many that I don’t know about... Aunt Yukiko is one, I don’t know if Aunt Tomoko is one... and...

Sonoko continued angrily:

"This is great! Shouldn't it be something more exciting?"

Bai Quanyi looked at the fortune poem again.

"Look, there are words here."

There was a picture of Cupid at the bottom of the note, with a sentence written next to it.

"Because loving someone everyone likes is harder than loving someone else."

Yuanzi narrowed her eyes and looked at Baiquanyi, as if asking, what's wrong with you, little brother?

"Garden, just for fun, don't take it seriously."

Bai Quanyi touched his nose and said embarrassedly.

"Then it's my turn to draw next."

Xiaolan was very excited and drew a lot.

"What a shame, Nakayoshi."

This time, it was Shiraizumi Masaru and Sonoko who looked at her fortune.

"Think carefully before you act. Whether it's for yourself, your partner, or those around you, as long as you act with care, your relationship will be successful."

"...Oh? What do you mean?"

"can't read."

Shiraizumi Masaru and Sonoko also shook their heads, indicating that they could not interpret the fortune.

The illustration on the fortune stick shows an old man holding a cane, who looks like a god.

“Past failures are the process of success.”

"Failure? Do you mean Kudo Shinichi?" Sonoko asked.

"By the way, is Kudo Shinichi dead? I haven't seen him for a long time." Xiaolan looked at Shiraizumi Masu, as if to say, as a detective, you should know some inside information.

"Even if Kudo Shinichi is still alive, he's almost as good as dead." Shiraizumi Masu explained the facts. He always felt that Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were not the same person.

401. Time for Three People

Xiaolan and Sonoko urged Baiquanyi to draw lots, but Baiquanyi refused. He always felt that the lots from the other world were particularly accurate, and he didn't want Xiaolan and Sonoko to find out anything.

After walking a little further, we arrived at a small open square.

The streets are lined with buildings with lattice windows, giving off the atmosphere of an old teahouse district.

Shiraizumi Masu, holding an umbrella, said:

"Hey, do you want something cold?"

Xiaolan fanned her face with her hands.

"Okay, let's take a break."

"Agree!"

Sonoko agreed immediately.

I didn't feel it when I was sitting by the river, but when I walked like this, it was indeed a bit hot.

There happen to be a few dessert shops nearby.

Xiaolan pointed to one of them.

"Look, it's gold foil ice cream!"

Recommendations are everywhere, so this area must be famous for its gold foil. A simple soft serve ice cream with something like gold foil "043" on top is quite a striking sight.

There were several people queuing in front of the store.

Yuanzi seemed a little hesitant: "It's so hard to imagine what it tastes like..."

Seeing that Sonoko wasn't interested, Ran pointed to another shop and said, "Where's that shop? It looks like they have Monaka ice cream."

The three of them walked to the store and looked at the menu placed at the door.

The selling point of this shop is its diverse Italian gelato and Japanese pastries, and it even has more unique flavors such as Wakura matcha, stick tea, salt and soy sauce.

“It feels great! Using local ingredients really gives it a travel vibe!”

After Bai Quanyi said this, they looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Shiraizumi ordered gelato with Wakura miso and cream cheese, Xiaolan ordered bamboo charcoal with bronte green pistachios, and Sonoko ordered Ono soy sauce with slightly bitter caramel.

Each flavor is very unique, and everyone can taste each other's ice cream.

After getting the ice cream, we walked outside the store.

The outer crust in the middle has a large opening like a castanets, with a ball of Italian ice cream sandwiched inside, which looks like a snowman wearing a hat.

After taking photos with their mobile phones, the three of them ate the ice cream inside with the provided wooden spoons.

The instant you put the ice cream in your mouth, you'll immediately notice the rich, creamy texture. However, as you savor it, you'll notice a subtle miso aroma and saltiness lingering behind it.

“Wow, this is so delicious!”

Bai Quanyi couldn't help but admire it. At this time, a clerk who just walked out of the store said "thank you" with a smile.

Looking to the side, Xiaolan and Sonoko were also eating their ice cream, looking very satisfied.

Then, the three of them ate ice cream while visiting all the shops.

In addition to soft serve ice cream, there are many shops that use gold leaf in their products.

This shop sells handicrafts and accessories made by local Wakura craftsmen.

A shop selling uniquely designed hand towels and chopsticks.

Utensils, Japanese sweets, glutinous rice and tea...

Walking out of the rows of shops, there is a shrine. Since it is a rare opportunity to come here, Xiaolan and Sonoko decided to take turns to go in and pay their respects.

Bai Quanyi watched from the side, feeling that there was no need to worship the "god" inside. The rank of the "god" inside was definitely not higher than that of the "system".

Outside the shrine, a sign announces the presence of two towering pine trees, known as the "female pine" and the "male pine," symbolizing a good marriage.

After a while, Xiaolan, who took turns to enter the shrine to worship, walked back to the torii gate.

Her expression was stern, and she exuded a noble aura, like a shrine maiden performing Kagura.

Bai Quanyi and her eyes met inadvertently, and she lowered her eyes and smiled gently.

A quiet breeze caressed her dark hair.

After our final visit to the garden, we continued our journey. Not long into our walk, the aroma of dashi wafted through the evening alleys.

Xiaolan next to them also noticed it. The three of them looked at each other, as if attracted, and walked into a nearby store.

As soon as you step into the store, the aroma that makes you hungry becomes stronger.

Along the calm wall, a wide variety of bottles and cans are lined up.

From what you can tell, this is a shop that sells seasonings such as soy sauce, miso, and dashi.

"welcome."

The clerk saw us standing at the door and greeted the customers cheerfully.

After entering the store, the waiter picked up the teapot and poured the liquid into the paper cups on the table. Then he placed paper cups for three people on a tray and brought them over.

"Would you like to try the broth?"

"May I?"

Shiraizumi Masu said as he took the paper cup, and Xiaolan and Sonoko followed suit.

I brought the paper cup to my lips, and along with the warm steam, the aroma of visiting a high-end Japanese restaurant filled my nose.

“What a unique taste…”

Bai Quanyi took a bite and found the aroma very special.

Looking to the side, Xiaolan and Sonoko also showed surprised expressions.

Because this broth is made from only ingredients, Shiraizumi originally thought it would have no flavor, but even if it was served directly as hot soup, it wouldn't feel strange...

Besides, where does this fragrance come from?

It doesn't taste like soy sauce or miso...

He couldn't help but ask the clerk.

"Is this really just broth, with no seasoning at all?"

The clerk smiled and nodded after hearing this, then took out a bottle.

"To be exact, this product is called 'Ishidome Fish Sauce.' Ishidome is a traditional fermented seasoning, or fish sauce, made in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture. Fresh sardines or squid are fermented for over a year. Because they're too strong and difficult to process directly, they're made into a liquid broth to enhance the flavor. What you're drinking now is broth diluted with hot water."

"I see, so this fragrance comes from seafood."

"If you're interested in other products, you can also try them. Just let me know. You're welcome."

"Yes, thank you!"

The clerk did not continue to recommend, just said "Please take your time to look at it" and left.

This appropriate sense of distance makes people feel relaxed.

"Do you understand, Xiaolan?" asked Sonoko.

"I don't understand at all." Xiaolan shook her head. Although she knew how to cook, she didn't know anything about broth.

"I don't know either!" Bai Quanyi also knows how to cook, but he can't tell the difference between various soy sauces or soup stock just by looking at the packaging.

At this time, Xiaolan raised the bottle in her hand.

"This is a soy sauce koji dish perfect for pouring over raw egg rice. It's a simple dish that my mom wouldn't be able to make taste special, so I'll take it back as a gift for her."

Shiraizumi recalled Kisaki Eri's cooking skills. It wasn't something she could simply describe as unpalatable; she could transform ingredients into something beyond the ordinary, creating a kind of dark cuisine that defied all expectations. Rather than calling her food unpalatable, it would be more accurate to say it was something meant for aliens.

Yuanzi looked at Baiquanyi and asked, "Bai Jun, don't you want to buy anything? Don't you cook for yourself?"