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Chapter 1140: The Man Who Waited Ten Minutes [Happy Birthday Yihua Yiye]
That night.
At an Izakaya near the THK Company, four shareholders of the company sat in the innermost seats, holding a small gathering.
Four glasses of beer clinked together. Odagiri Toshiya and Suzuki Sonoko smiled and shouted, "Cheers!"
Feichi crawled out of Chi Feichei's sleeve, used his tail to pull over an empty glass cup, and then poked Chi Feichei with the tip of his tail. "Master, and me…"
Chi Feichei didn't rush to drink, pouring half a cup of apple juice for Feichi.
Feichi looked at the cup, continued to poke Chi Feichei, tilted his head, opened his dark eyes, and acted cute in Conan's tone. "Master, just a little fruit beer, it's okay, right?"
Chi Feichei: …
Fruit beer is still alcohol.
Moreover, Feichi's eyes, which shone with cold light when he glared at people, and his expressionless snake face, were really not suitable for acting cute.
Seeing the good atmosphere, Chi Feichei still compromised, took another empty cup, and poured a little fruit beer for Feichi.
"Is it okay to give Feichi alcohol?" Odagiri Toshiya reached out and poked Feichi, who was happily twining around the glass.
"It should be okay, right?" Suzuki Sonoko smiled, clinking her glass with Feichi's. "Good, with Feichi, let's all cheers together!"
The four people and one snake took a sip of beer. Morizono Kikuto put down his glass and reminded, "Sonoko, don't drink too much, okay?"
"It's okay," Suzuki Sonoko tasted the beer in her glass, smiling and waving her hand. "The atmosphere is so good, I can't spoil it. A gathering needs beer to start, and fruit beer is just like soda anyway!"
"Sonoko is right," Odagiri Toshiya put down his beer glass and pushed the menu forward. "Order whatever you want, I'm treating tonight!"
Morizono Kikuto looked at the menu and sighed happily. "It's so nice to get together like this…"
The other three felt the same way. This small gathering at the Izakaya was more relaxing than attending any banquet.
The Landlady smiled and waited aside, occasionally helping to introduce specialty dishes.
Her shop was located here, and it was easy to encounter artists from the THK Company. This time, she happened to meet the President of the company, which seemed…
No, it was still surprising!
After the four ordered drinks and beverages, the Landlady took a pen and postcard, asking Odagiri Toshiya for autographs for her friends.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened. This was a densely populated area of companies, and at this time, it was the time for employees from various companies to have dinner parties. There were few empty seats left around.
Chi Feichei subconsciously paid attention to his surroundings and found that people at other tables would occasionally look towards Odagiri Toshiya's table.
Many people knew Odagiri Toshiya, but he himself didn't restrain himself at all. During formal press conferences, he would reluctantly dye his hair black, but after a few days, he would dye it purple again. He wouldn't wear sunglasses or a hat to cover himself when going out, and he always wore a bright red coat.
However, these people were all office workers nearby. Seeing others having a dinner party, they didn't come forward to disturb them, only occasionally glancing over, making him feel strange.
After the Landlady went back to work, Suzuki Sonoko also looked around and whispered, "Minye's popularity is still so high."
Morizono Kikuto also lowered his voice. "The THK Company's popularity doesn't decrease, and his reputation won't decrease either. But after Senga's limelight fades, Kuraki's new song will follow, and then Okino's…"
"Hey, hey, we're out for a gathering tonight, so let's not talk about those things!" Odagiri Toshiya quickly interrupted.
Morizono Kikuto chuckled and changed the subject. "Sonoko, you guys are about to have summer vacation, right…"
Chi Feichei sat aside, quietly listening to Suzuki Sonoko rambling about her summer vacation arrangements.
After finishing things, resting at home for a day, and going out for dinner with friends at night was a great way to relax.
…
The drinks and dishes were served, and the four ate slowly, adding drinks and dishes from time to time, outlasting table after table of guests who entered the shop at the same time.
After Chi Feichei had almost finished eating, he got up and moved to a side away from Suzuki Sonoko, taking the opportunity to use his peripheral vision to observe a middle-aged man at a table near the entrance. He sat down next to Odagiri Toshiya and took out a cigarette to light.
The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties, of medium height, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and gray long pants, with short hair and a high hairline. He had a square face, a large nose with a high hump, and slightly pale lips. He looked no different from a typical office worker.
The man and his companion entered the shop ten minutes later than them. There were only two of them. Due to the distance, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he occasionally paid attention and found that the man laughed heartily and generously, and his manner was not awkward.
Such people are very common in life. The reason he noticed him was because the man looked at their table three times after entering, then talked, drank, and ate with his companion. Ten minutes ago, after seeing his companion out, the man returned and started looking at their table repeatedly—to be precise, at Odagiri Toshiya. His previous hearty demeanor was gone, his gaze and expression were somewhat anxious and hesitant.
This man must have deliberately stayed to wait for them, so he was paying attention, wanting to figure out what the man wanted to do.
Because of this reaction, either he recognized Odagiri Toshiya and had a request but didn't want to disturb them, or he was a good person with no experience in crime who suddenly wanted to scheme something…
"Brother Hichiji, it's okay for you to sit here," Suzuki Sonoko saw Chi Feichei lowering his head to light a cigarette, and poured herself some fruit beer. "I don't mind the smell of smoke!"
Odagiri Toshiya had also almost finished eating and didn't notice the man staring at him at the entrance. He casually took a cigarette and lit it. "I wouldn't care so much before, but after having a Kid at home, I have to pay attention. If the whole house is filled with smoke, it's not good for children…"
Suzuki Sonoko made a half-moon eye. "Don't look down on people! I'm not a child!"
"Sonoko, drink less," Morizono Kikuto took the beer bottle from Suzuki Sonoko's hand and smiled. "Children can't drink alcohol. Tonight is an exception, so be moderate."
Odagiri Toshiya watched Suzuki Sonoko's eyes widen, almost unable to hold back his laughter. "Ha… cough, Feichi, lend me your lighter."
Chi Feichei casually handed the lighter to Odagiri Toshiya and reminded, "The people at the table by the entrance have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Waiting for me?" Odagiri Toshiya took the lighter in doubt, looked towards the entrance, and just saw the middle-aged man turn his head to look. He was stunned for a moment, seeing that there weren't many people around, he raised his hand and smiled, "Uncle, if you're alone, why don't you come and sit with us?"
"Eh?" Suzuki Sonoko curiously turned her head.
Seeing Odagiri Toshiya say so, the middle-aged man walked to the table, scratched his head with an embarrassed expression, said "Sorry to bother you" before sitting down, and handed his business card to Odagiri Toshiya. "I originally wanted to say it when President Odagiri was about to leave. Let me introduce myself, my surname is Okubo…"
"Sorry, Mr. Okubo, I was too engrossed in the conversation just now and didn't notice you waiting for me," Odagiri Toshiya received the business card, looked down, and was a little surprised. "You are… Mizuhara Ryoji's Manager, right?"
Morizono Kikuto and Suzuki Sonoko were stunned for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
"Uh, yes," the middle-aged man felt the atmosphere stiffen for a moment, and broke into a sweat. "Wh-what's wrong?"
Suzuki Sonoko recovered, smiled and waved her hand. "Nothing, nothing! I just suddenly remembered that he's a handsome guy, a super cool one!"
Speaking of cool, she used to think Mizuhara Ryoji was super cool, but looking at Chi Feichei opposite her—his black windbreaker jacket, his upright yet relaxed posture, his aura of chilling calmness—after comparing them in her mind, she felt that Mizuhara Ryoji instantly seemed weak.
Her words about being cool were insincere, she just wanted to make others associate Mizuhara Ryoji with "cool" to avoid…
"Yes," Morizono Kikuto also laughed after recovering. "I'm a little surprised. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Mizuhara's Manager here."
Change the subject, change the subject, change…
Chi Feichei recalled the TV drama Mizuhara Ryoji starred in and understood why the atmosphere was subtle. He said to the middle-aged man, "Mizuhara is a bit like a friend of mine…"
The smiles on Suzuki Sonoko and Morizono Kikuto's faces froze.
Failed…
"Friend?" Odagiri Toshiya was stunned, thinking of Mizuhara Ryoji, and a figure immediately popped into his mind.
Haga Kyosuke…
It was strange. Although he thought about it carefully, Mizuhara Ryoji and Haga Kyosuke had quite different appearances, but he would still think of Haga Kyosuke.
Seeing the even weirder atmosphere, the middle-aged man suddenly felt that he shouldn't have come tonight, and continued to sweat. "Y-yes…"
"Their facial features are not alike, and their personalities are also different. My friend has a gentle face and speaks gently and politely," Chi Feichei said. "But they have the same hairstyle and both have stubble on their chins. The key is their voices. Although Mizuhara deliberately lowered his voice in the TV drama, their voice tones are very similar, and their speaking pace is also similar."
"So it's the voice…"
Odagiri Toshiya compared the two people's voices and found that the sense of familiarity did come from the voice. Coupled with the hairstyle and stubble, no wonder he would associate the two together.
Thinking of Haga Kyosuke, he also felt a little melancholy. After all, when he was at the THK Company, he had spent days and nights with Haga Kyosuke, talking about music and melodies, it was simply too happy.
Morizono Kikuto and Suzuki Sonoko looked at each other.
From beginning to end, they hadn't mentioned Haga Kyosuke, sheet music, or even words like "case."
After Haga Kyosuke's case, Reiko Akiba had pushed back her performances for a while, and it was said that she had specially gone to see Haga Kyosuke, so they were worried that the two of them would have complex feelings.
Before Haga Kyosuke's crime scene, Odagiri Toshiya still talked about Haga Kyosuke every day, saying that he would introduce them to each other, and was thinking about getting someone to join the company as external support, just like Reiko Akiba, so they could get together when they had time.
Chi Feichei hadn't mentioned anything, but he heard from people in the company that Chi Feichei had gotten along so well with Haga Kyosuke and Odagiri Toshiya that they forgot the time.
These two people did what they should do, which made them a little uneasy.
It would be nice to complain or sigh a little.
"Hey, hey, what are you guys doing with those expressions?" Odagiri Toshiya raised his eyes to see Suzuki Sonoko and Morizono Kikuto's grim faces, and couldn't help but laugh. "It's me and Feichi who have a good relationship with that fellow!"
End of Chapter
That night.
At an Izakaya near the THK Company, four shareholders of the company sat in the innermost seats, holding a small gathering.
Four glasses of beer clinked together. Odagiri Toshiya and Suzuki Sonoko smiled and shouted, "Cheers!"
Feichi crawled out of Chi Feichei's sleeve, used his tail to pull over an empty glass cup, and then poked Chi Feichei with the tip of his tail. "Master, and me…"
Chi Feichei didn't rush to drink, pouring half a cup of apple juice for Feichi.
Feichi looked at the cup, continued to poke Chi Feichei, tilted his head, opened his dark eyes, and acted cute in Conan's tone. "Master, just a little fruit beer, it's okay, right?"
Chi Feichei: …
Fruit beer is still alcohol.
Moreover, Feichi's eyes, which shone with cold light when he glared at people, and his expressionless snake face, were really not suitable for acting cute.
Seeing the good atmosphere, Chi Feichei still compromised, took another empty cup, and poured a little fruit beer for Feichi.
"Is it okay to give Feichi alcohol?" Odagiri Toshiya reached out and poked Feichi, who was happily twining around the glass.
"It should be okay, right?" Suzuki Sonoko smiled, clinking her glass with Feichi's. "Good, with Feichi, let's all cheers together!"
The four people and one snake took a sip of beer. Morizono Kikuto put down his glass and reminded, "Sonoko, don't drink too much, okay?"
"It's okay," Suzuki Sonoko tasted the beer in her glass, smiling and waving her hand. "The atmosphere is so good, I can't spoil it. A gathering needs beer to start, and fruit beer is just like soda anyway!"
"Sonoko is right," Odagiri Toshiya put down his beer glass and pushed the menu forward. "Order whatever you want, I'm treating tonight!"
Morizono Kikuto looked at the menu and sighed happily. "It's so nice to get together like this…"
The other three felt the same way. This small gathering at the Izakaya was more relaxing than attending any banquet.
The Landlady smiled and waited aside, occasionally helping to introduce specialty dishes.
Her shop was located here, and it was easy to encounter artists from the THK Company. This time, she happened to meet the President of the company, which seemed…
No, it was still surprising!
After the four ordered drinks and beverages, the Landlady took a pen and postcard, asking Odagiri Toshiya for autographs for her friends.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened. This was a densely populated area of companies, and at this time, it was the time for employees from various companies to have dinner parties. There were few empty seats left around.
Chi Feichei subconsciously paid attention to his surroundings and found that people at other tables would occasionally look towards Odagiri Toshiya's table.
Many people knew Odagiri Toshiya, but he himself didn't restrain himself at all. During formal press conferences, he would reluctantly dye his hair black, but after a few days, he would dye it purple again. He wouldn't wear sunglasses or a hat to cover himself when going out, and he always wore a bright red coat.
However, these people were all office workers nearby. Seeing others having a dinner party, they didn't come forward to disturb them, only occasionally glancing over, making him feel strange.
After the Landlady went back to work, Suzuki Sonoko also looked around and whispered, "Minye's popularity is still so high."
Morizono Kikuto also lowered his voice. "The THK Company's popularity doesn't decrease, and his reputation won't decrease either. But after Senga's limelight fades, Kuraki's new song will follow, and then Okino's…"
"Hey, hey, we're out for a gathering tonight, so let's not talk about those things!" Odagiri Toshiya quickly interrupted.
Morizono Kikuto chuckled and changed the subject. "Sonoko, you guys are about to have summer vacation, right…"
Chi Feichei sat aside, quietly listening to Suzuki Sonoko rambling about her summer vacation arrangements.
After finishing things, resting at home for a day, and going out for dinner with friends at night was a great way to relax.
…
The drinks and dishes were served, and the four ate slowly, adding drinks and dishes from time to time, outlasting table after table of guests who entered the shop at the same time.
After Chi Feichei had almost finished eating, he got up and moved to a side away from Suzuki Sonoko, taking the opportunity to use his peripheral vision to observe a middle-aged man at a table near the entrance. He sat down next to Odagiri Toshiya and took out a cigarette to light.
The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties, of medium height, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and gray long pants, with short hair and a high hairline. He had a square face, a large nose with a high hump, and slightly pale lips. He looked no different from a typical office worker.
The man and his companion entered the shop ten minutes later than them. There were only two of them. Due to the distance, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he occasionally paid attention and found that the man laughed heartily and generously, and his manner was not awkward.
Such people are very common in life. The reason he noticed him was because the man looked at their table three times after entering, then talked, drank, and ate with his companion. Ten minutes ago, after seeing his companion out, the man returned and started looking at their table repeatedly—to be precise, at Odagiri Toshiya. His previous hearty demeanor was gone, his gaze and expression were somewhat anxious and hesitant.
This man must have deliberately stayed to wait for them, so he was paying attention, wanting to figure out what the man wanted to do.
Because of this reaction, either he recognized Odagiri Toshiya and had a request but didn't want to disturb them, or he was a good person with no experience in crime who suddenly wanted to scheme something…
"Brother Hichiji, it's okay for you to sit here," Suzuki Sonoko saw Chi Feichei lowering his head to light a cigarette, and poured herself some fruit beer. "I don't mind the smell of smoke!"
Odagiri Toshiya had also almost finished eating and didn't notice the man staring at him at the entrance. He casually took a cigarette and lit it. "I wouldn't care so much before, but after having a Kid at home, I have to pay attention. If the whole house is filled with smoke, it's not good for children…"
Suzuki Sonoko made a half-moon eye. "Don't look down on people! I'm not a child!"
"Sonoko, drink less," Morizono Kikuto took the beer bottle from Suzuki Sonoko's hand and smiled. "Children can't drink alcohol. Tonight is an exception, so be moderate."
Odagiri Toshiya watched Suzuki Sonoko's eyes widen, almost unable to hold back his laughter. "Ha… cough, Feichi, lend me your lighter."
Chi Feichei casually handed the lighter to Odagiri Toshiya and reminded, "The people at the table by the entrance have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Waiting for me?" Odagiri Toshiya took the lighter in doubt, looked towards the entrance, and just saw the middle-aged man turn his head to look. He was stunned for a moment, seeing that there weren't many people around, he raised his hand and smiled, "Uncle, if you're alone, why don't you come and sit with us?"
"Eh?" Suzuki Sonoko curiously turned her head.
Seeing Odagiri Toshiya say so, the middle-aged man walked to the table, scratched his head with an embarrassed expression, said "Sorry to bother you" before sitting down, and handed his business card to Odagiri Toshiya. "I originally wanted to say it when President Odagiri was about to leave. Let me introduce myself, my surname is Okubo…"
"Sorry, Mr. Okubo, I was too engrossed in the conversation just now and didn't notice you waiting for me," Odagiri Toshiya received the business card, looked down, and was a little surprised. "You are… Mizuhara Ryoji's Manager, right?"
Morizono Kikuto and Suzuki Sonoko were stunned for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
"Uh, yes," the middle-aged man felt the atmosphere stiffen for a moment, and broke into a sweat. "Wh-what's wrong?"
Suzuki Sonoko recovered, smiled and waved her hand. "Nothing, nothing! I just suddenly remembered that he's a handsome guy, a super cool one!"
Speaking of cool, she used to think Mizuhara Ryoji was super cool, but looking at Chi Feichei opposite her—his black windbreaker jacket, his upright yet relaxed posture, his aura of chilling calmness—after comparing them in her mind, she felt that Mizuhara Ryoji instantly seemed weak.
Her words about being cool were insincere, she just wanted to make others associate Mizuhara Ryoji with "cool" to avoid…
"Yes," Morizono Kikuto also laughed after recovering. "I'm a little surprised. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Mizuhara's Manager here."
Change the subject, change the subject, change…
Chi Feichei recalled the TV drama Mizuhara Ryoji starred in and understood why the atmosphere was subtle. He said to the middle-aged man, "Mizuhara is a bit like a friend of mine…"
The smiles on Suzuki Sonoko and Morizono Kikuto's faces froze.
Failed…
"Friend?" Odagiri Toshiya was stunned, thinking of Mizuhara Ryoji, and a figure immediately popped into his mind.
Haga Kyosuke…
It was strange. Although he thought about it carefully, Mizuhara Ryoji and Haga Kyosuke had quite different appearances, but he would still think of Haga Kyosuke.
Seeing the even weirder atmosphere, the middle-aged man suddenly felt that he shouldn't have come tonight, and continued to sweat. "Y-yes…"
"Their facial features are not alike, and their personalities are also different. My friend has a gentle face and speaks gently and politely," Chi Feichei said. "But they have the same hairstyle and both have stubble on their chins. The key is their voices. Although Mizuhara deliberately lowered his voice in the TV drama, their voice tones are very similar, and their speaking pace is also similar."
"So it's the voice…"
Odagiri Toshiya compared the two people's voices and found that the sense of familiarity did come from the voice. Coupled with the hairstyle and stubble, no wonder he would associate the two together.
Thinking of Haga Kyosuke, he also felt a little melancholy. After all, when he was at the THK Company, he had spent days and nights with Haga Kyosuke, talking about music and melodies, it was simply too happy.
Morizono Kikuto and Suzuki Sonoko looked at each other.
From beginning to end, they hadn't mentioned Haga Kyosuke, sheet music, or even words like "case."
After Haga Kyosuke's case, Reiko Akiba had pushed back her performances for a while, and it was said that she had specially gone to see Haga Kyosuke, so they were worried that the two of them would have complex feelings.
Before Haga Kyosuke's crime scene, Odagiri Toshiya still talked about Haga Kyosuke every day, saying that he would introduce them to each other, and was thinking about getting someone to join the company as external support, just like Reiko Akiba, so they could get together when they had time.
Chi Feichei hadn't mentioned anything, but he heard from people in the company that Chi Feichei had gotten along so well with Haga Kyosuke and Odagiri Toshiya that they forgot the time.
These two people did what they should do, which made them a little uneasy.
It would be nice to complain or sigh a little.
"Hey, hey, what are you guys doing with those expressions?" Odagiri Toshiya raised his eyes to see Suzuki Sonoko and Morizono Kikuto's grim faces, and couldn't help but laugh. "It's me and Feichi who have a good relationship with that fellow!"
End of Chapter
