Oritis in the world of Detective Conan

Chapter 231: A Treasure Chest Full of Fruits (Part 1)

In the Mouri Detective Agency, in front of the TV, Xiaolan and Sonoko are watching the TV program "Dessert Wars". Conan is squeezed in between the two of them, looking speechless.

Outside the window, which they didn't notice, a dark raven was quietly watching everything.

Maori Kogoro looked at his watch and complained, "Hey, it's so late, why don't you go home?"

Sonoko was upset because her favorite contestant lost. "Damn it! I was just preparing for this. Next week, I'm going to watch a live performance of this TV show with Ran."

"By the way, although it's thanks to my father's connections, uncle, do you want to go and take a look too?" Sonoko said to Kogoro Mouri with a proud look on her face.

Maori Kogoro said with disdain: "Huh, who would be interested in a show about food that's so sweet, greasy, and looks so soft?"

"What a shame! I remember that Ms. Okino Yoko is one of the judges for next week's review."

Maori Kogoro's expression immediately changed: "Please take me there, Miss Sonoko!"

"But what should we do about the remaining spot?"

Xiaolan said that Kisaki Eri was not free that day, and Conan suggested inviting Sera to go together.

[Little girl: Wow, it’s dessert~]

[Madam Red: Humph, I have to admit that desserts are becoming more and more exquisite these days.]

[Mercenary: Why not consider having Fu Man Lou add some Western desserts?]

[Soul of the Umbrella: But Fu Man Lou is a Chinese restaurant, and they already have a lot of Chinese desserts.]

[Mechanic: We need to keep up with the times.]

[Perfumer: I think it's worth a try. If there's not enough, wouldn't it be better to just limit the supply?]

[Explorer: Although I think even after being bullied by Neb, I might not even be able to reach the limited supply quantity...]

[Forward: What truth are you talking about?]

[Mercenary: Well, I'm hoping the manor's menu will be updated soon.]

[Antique Dealer: But there will be new dishes or cakes for every anniversary celebration.]

[Prophet: You can look forward to it.]

On the way home from school the next day, Conan made this suggestion to Sera, and Sera readily agreed.

"Since it's your invitation, I certainly can't refuse."

As Sonoko walked, she said, "However, if we are not conspicuous enough in the audience, it will be difficult to attract the attention of the judge, Mr. Takeki."

"Mr. Takeki?"

"Haven't you heard of him? He's known as a giant in the Japanese confectionery world, the legendary confectionery master, Mr. Masanori Takeki."

"Will anything good happen if you catch that person's eye?"

Xiaolan answered Sera's question: "In the middle of the show, Mr. Takeki will point out someone in the audience to try the dessert. That's the dessert he made himself."

Sonoko added, "Also, if you can guess the fruit he used in the dessert, you can eat the dessert that won the competition. But if you don't guess correctly, you must leave the stage immediately."

"What a strict person."

"But I heard that the champion, Mr. Kurimura, has won for six consecutive weeks, and it seems his dessert shop is going to open another branch."

"It would be great if he could open a branch in Beika-cho as well."

The few of them were chatting casually, and only Conan felt that the arrival of the champion was strange, but Sonoko tried to dispel Conan's doubts by telling him the top-secret method of transporting fruits on this program.

The person who came up with the question would fill the box with fruit, lock it, and hand it over to the production team. The production team would then put another lock on the box and return it to the person who came up with the question. The person who came up with the question would then unlock the box and return it. Finally, at the start of the show, the host would use the key given by the producer to unlock the box and reveal the fruit for the show.

[Forward: What a complicated shipping method.]

[Artist: Two keys and two locks, one for the production team and one for the question setter. This will definitely prevent anyone from peeking during transportation.]

[Philanthropist: But it's also possible that the person who created the test leaked the information themselves, and then used it to collaborate with the winner, making the dessert shop a big hit and making money.]

[Explorer: That's indeed possible.]

[Air Force: This method of delivering items is indeed old-fashioned, but effective, and can be said to be a method with a very high level of confidentiality.]

[Ms. Farrow: But this was a shipment of fruit, not documents.]

[Crybaby: Yeah, so many fruits piled in one box will go bad in a few days.]

[Aviator: Perhaps there's equipment for preserving fruit in the box.]

[Dancer: But, I guess the fruit in those boxes won't be used on the show. The desserts are always made with fresh fruit prepared by the production team.]

[Acrobat: That's such a waste.]

[Savage: It doesn't say the fruit in the box will be thrown away, so it shouldn't be wasted.]

[First Mate: That doesn't seem to be the point.]

Then several people began to discuss how to make themselves more conspicuous, and finally concluded that they should wear more ladylike clothes.

Conan showed his half-moon eyes and said: The most eye-catching one is definitely the uncle.

The day of the program recording soon arrived, and Sera's clothes looked no different from usual.

"Well, how do I look? I look more like a girl this way."

Sonoko, Ran and Conan stared at each other.

"Um, what's different about you?"

Shiliang gave an embarrassed smile: "I wore cute patterned underwear today, which made me feel a little shy."

The three of them showed their eyes wide:???

Conan was speechless: What’s the point if you can’t see it?

Maori Kogoro was looking around: "Damn it, where is Miss Yoko? I can't even see her."

"As for Ms. Yoko, she should be in the lounge waiting for the show to start," said Xie Bian, who came forward and sat down next to Conan. "After all, she's a judge, so she has a few small privileges. But Mr. Maori, don't worry, she'll be on the big screen over there."

"Eh? Aren't you the owner of that restaurant? I remember you mainly serve Chinese food." Kogoro Mouri recognized Xie Bian.

Xie Bian greeted them with a smile: "Ah, even so, the store still needs some innovation."

Conan was shocked by Xie Bian's arrival. After the incident at the Golden Rose Theater, he hadn't yet gone to Fumanlou to discuss the situation with Oletus and the others. He had a feeling that Xie Bian was coming for him.

Shiliang stared at Xie Bian in front of him with a vigilant look on his face, and whispered in Conan's ear: "Conan, who is this guy? Do you know him?"

"Ah, he is one of the owners of Fumanlou, Mr. Xie. We have eaten in his restaurant before, and we got to know each other after a few visits." Conan scratched his head and explained.

"By the way, didn't Mr. Fan come today?" Conan looked around curiously and found that there was no sign of Fan Wujiu.

"Someone has to stay in the store to take care of things. Although Miss Qi can help, if both of us brothers come out to watch the show, there will be too much for her to do. Wu Jiu wasn't really interested in these things, so he stayed behind to take care of the store."

However, the truth was that Fan Wujiu and the antique dealer who stayed in the store were playing mahjong with Hongdie and Lucky.

[Soul of the Umbrella (Black): I win, hahaha~]

[Antique dealer: Are you so lucky today?]

[Lucky Guy: Help! Why am I the one firing the gun again?]