[The Assassin after Genta]
[Congratulations, Host, for gaining 200 Fate Points]
In an elegant French restaurant, Senichi took a moment during the meal to open the panel and check his rewards. However, the results of the reward calculation on his panel left Senichi slightly frustrated.
He had thought that this case, which he had no prior knowledge of and expected to change due to Haibara's early warning, would grant him additional rewards. But unexpectedly, the outcome was not significantly different from the original ending, as evident from the rewards displayed on the panel.
Nevertheless, Senichi was pleased with Haibara's advance warning. It meant that Haibara, acting as a "spy," had indeed played a role. If it weren't for Haibara's early warning, there was a high chance that Senichi would have missed this case. At most, he would have been called in as a tool to apprehend the criminal after Conan had solved the problem. By then, he wouldn't even have earned 200 Fate Points!
Compared to receiving nothing, having at least 200 Fate Points now was better. Every little bit counted, and if he could accumulate enough for a ten-draw, perhaps his luck would turn and he might win a big prize, advancing his career to new heights.
From this perspective, it was certainly better than missing several small cases. Besides, even though this case hadn't brought about significant changes, it might prevent future cases and lead to earning the jackpot reward.
Senichi felt a slight disappointment but quickly let it go.
"Thank you for the hospitality, Officer Senichi."
"The French cuisine is delicious. I've been wanting to try it since I saw the female lead in a movie dining here a long time ago. Thanks for treating us this time."
"Next time, please invite us again!" Genta patted his belly, echoing the words of Mitsuhiko and Ayumi. His mouth watered once more.
"Genta, really..."
"We just finished eating..."
Upon hearing Genta's remark, both Mitsuhiko and Ayumi looked at him in disbelief, making Genta feel embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "It was just so delicious... I want to come again next time... hehe..."
After some laughter, the three kids put on their backpacks, got up from their seats, and bid farewell. "Well then, we'll be going now."
"Do you want us to walk you?" Senichi asked as he looked at the three kids.
"No need to trouble Officer Senichi. We usually take this route home, so it's no problem."
The three kids waved to Conan and Haibara. "See you tomorrow, Conan, Haibara!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
As they waved goodbye to the three kids and watched them leave the restaurant, Haibara turned to the two of them and said, "By the way, I forgot to tell you, Gin is also left-handed. If you didn't know that already, it's better to remember it..."
...
The next morning, what had been a relatively warm autumn suddenly turned cold as if someone had fast-forwarded the season.
The chilling wind howled, prompting Senichi to grab a coat on his way out.
Senichi was gradually getting used to this season that seemed to change modes like using a remote control.
After having breakfast in the cafeteria as usual, Senichi returned to the office.
However, as soon as he walked in, he saw Takagi explaining something with a look of embarrassment, while Sato Miwako sighed with a frustrated expression.
"What's going on?" Seeing their expressions, Senichi couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"Oh, it's you, Senichi-kun..." Sato Miwako waved her hand wearily. "It's about the snacks..."
"Snacks?"
Senichi looked at the desk and noticed a box of yokan, a traditional Japanese sweet, that they had brought back from Osaka together. Next to it was a snack box that a friend had given them, and he didn't see anything unusual.
"What's wrong with this yokan? Is there an issue?" Senichi asked, puzzled.
"No, it's just that I feel really dumb," Sato Miwako said, covering her face. "It's so embarrassing. I only realized today, when I ate the yokan we brought back, that it didn't have a mint flavor..."
"Don't say that, Sato-san. It's my fault," Takagi said, trying to console her awkwardly. "I didn't pay attention to the name of the snacks my friend gave me..."
"No, it's my mistake. When I saw the name, I thought it was 'Sugimoto-ya' snacks and didn't notice that the 'hon' character was missing a horizontal stroke..."
Hearing Sato Miwako's words, Senichi was momentarily puzzled. Missing a horizontal stroke in the 'hon' character meant it was "Sugiki-ya" right?
What the heck... did they stumble upon a knockoff?
He had only heard Sato Miwako talking about it, and then he went to brew tea for the two of them. He hadn't really paid attention to this issue.
This left Senichi somewhat bemused.
It seemed like playing word games and riding the hype had been popular worldwide for a long time.
Back in his hometown, Senichi had seen plenty of knockoff products, such as "De 'dai' bai tu" becoming "De 'tai' bai tu" and "te 'lun' su" becoming "te 'cang' su."
In his previous life, he had been quite attentive when buying things, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a day in this world.
"I don't think it's a big deal."
After a moment of thought, Senichi looked at the two and said, "The yokan that Takagi brought over tasted pretty good, didn't it? We had a great time eating it that day."
"Really? Now that I think about it, I do remember feeling something was off about the taste at the time," Sato Miwako said.
"I kind of have that feeling now too," Takagi scratched his head and agreed.
"It's a psychological effect, right?" Senichi chuckled and said, "It's a common occurrence during blind taste tests. Perhaps you haven't seen related shows. When people taste food without knowing the brand, some may initially choose lesser-known brands based on their taste preferences. But once the brand is revealed, most people tend to think that the famous food tastes better."
"So, is it the influence of subjective perception?" Sato Miwako sighed and said, "Now, I feel like I can't objectively evaluate the taste."
"Don't worry about it, don't worry," Senichi waved his hand with a smile. "If it's delicious, that's all that matters. Why bother about those additional factors?"
"That's right, Sato-san, there's really no need to dwell on these things," Takagi also comforted her.
"I just feel embarrassed about mistaking the characters back then," Sato Miwako said, feeling disheartened, as she rested her forehead on her hand.
This feeling was understandable, much like tasting an expensive bottle of wine and praising its flavor. But then someone turns to you and says that the wine you just drank was the most ordinary one from the supermarket. Naturally, you'd feel extremely embarrassed.
Sato Miwako is experiencing something similar now.
However, just as Takagi was contemplating how to comfort her, the phone beside them suddenly rang.
After answering the phone, Sato Miwako's expression instantly turned serious. Her previous listless state disappeared in an instant, replaced by a determined demeanor. What could effectively dispel this negative state? Only a new case!
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