Two Friends
A bold conjecture had taken shape in Subaru Okiya's mind: what if Kudo Shinichi wasn't merely keeping in touch with Ran over the phone — what if he was actually nearby, perhaps even seeing Xiayu and Ran on a regular basis?
The thought sent a jolt through him. If that were really true, then...
Okiya lapsed into a pensive silence.
Sonoko, for her part, paid no mind to the look on his face; what concerned her was Ran and Xiayu's safety. She trusted Ran to be more than capable of protecting herself, but the two of them were in unfamiliar surroundings, where any number of mishaps might find them. So she prayed, silently, that Ran and Xiayu — and that company president of theirs — would all come home safe and sound.
And her hopes were not betrayed. Ran and Xiayu brought the kidnapped president out in short order, barely brushing against danger at all.
By the time the affair was settled, evening had crept in; the sun was sinking toward the horizon, and a faint wash of sunset clouds spread along the rim of the sky.
Watching the light fade, Sonoko was struck by a sudden thought, and she turned to the others. "Everything's wrapped up, and it's getting late — why don't we all go grab dinner together?"
Of course, a little private scheme was brewing as well: this was the perfect excuse to spend more time with the gorgeous man she'd only just met. True, she already had Makoto — but there was nothing wrong with feasting one's eyes on a handsome face over dinner, was there?
At Sonoko's suggestion, the corners of Okiya's mouth curved up into a gentle, good-natured smile — he had no objections. He offered only a thought on where they should eat. "Why not that Chinese place you're always praising, Sonoko? You go on about it so much that I can't help being curious."
"Sounds good." None of the others had any objections.
Only Xiayu felt a faint flicker of doubt. She couldn't guess what Okiya was after, proposing Wanmin Restaurant out of the blue like that. Still, she didn't let it trouble her — Xiangling and Noelle had never had the slightest connection to the Black Organization, and they had barely taken part in the Teyvat Syndicate's activities either. No matter how hard Okiya dug, he wouldn't turn up anything out of the ordinary.
So Xiayu, perfectly at ease, led the group off toward the restaurant.
Before long, they arrived at Xiangling's Chinese restaurant, the Wanmin Restaurant.
The moment they stepped inside, a richly Chinese atmosphere washed over them: an old-fashioned entryway with an antique charm, a wooden signboard worn smooth by the years. The interior was beautifully appointed, its walls hung with exquisite Chinese paintings, and the dining hall hummed with so many voices that one might as well have wandered into some bustling market street of the ancient past.
Noelle spotted the familiar faces the instant they came through the door and hurried over to greet them, ushering the party to a table by the window.
Seeing strangers at Xiayu's side, she promptly presented the menus.
Okiya's gaze settled on Noelle almost at once. On the surface, the girl seemed perfectly ordinary — but Conan had told him she carried a Vision, and that alone meant she couldn't be taken at face value.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, searching her for some tell. Yet Noelle looked every inch an ordinary girl — if anything, her manner was gentler and shyer than anyone else's at the table.
That left him genuinely puzzled. Was her disguise simply that flawless, or was the person she appeared to be exactly the person she was?
Sonoko, meanwhile, had flung her menu open with great enthusiasm and was walking Okiya through the specialty of every dish while quizzing him on what flavors he liked.
Okiya didn't answer directly; he simply smiled. "Since this is the place you recommended, Sonoko, why don't you do the honors?"
That was all it took to send Sonoko into raptures. She promptly ordered several of the house's signature dishes and settled in to wait for the feast in high spirits.
While they waited, she took it upon herself to keep the conversation going, angling for every scrap of information about her new acquaintance. Okiya proved a fairly willing talker, though every so often he would feel his way around the edges of things with a casual question or two about Kudo Shinichi — or about Wanmin Restaurant itself.
Xiayu fielded the occasional remark as well — until her phone screen suddenly lit up with an incoming message.
She picked it up to look, and Okiya caught the pleased little smile that crossed her face. Good news, by the look of it.
Watching her, he felt his curiosity sharpen.
Just then, Xiayu lifted her head, her gaze moving across Ran, Sonoko, and Okiya in turn. "I have two friends who only just arrived in Japan," she said softly, "and as it happens, they're coming to eat at Wanmin today. Would you mind if we all shared a table?"
Ran, Sonoko, and Okiya nodded with smiles, happy to oblige.
Sonoko, naturally, leaned in with shining eyes. "Xiayu, are these two friends of yours handsome guys?"
After all, in Sonoko's experience, Xiayu's friends were always lookers — if not handsome men, then beautiful women. Even if there were no hot guys among them, a pretty lady would make fine company too.
"Sonoko~" Ran sighed, half in exasperation.
"Oh yes — and both of them, at that." Xiayu nodded with perfect seriousness.
But seeing how Sonoko lit up at her words, Xiayu couldn't resist pouring a little cold water over her. "One of them is that junior of Lisa's she mentioned a while back, and the other's more of an elder. Anyway, Sonoko — once you actually meet them, you won't be having any ideas."