Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 95 Which Chrysanthemum Do You Like?

Seeing Orikasa Midori reach for the wooden sword, Lin Xiuyi quickly raised his hands in pleading for mercy.

"No, no, no, Little Green, I was wrong! Please don't do it for real!"

Orikasa Midori naturally wouldn't actually use her knife against him; she just pretended to be angry and made two feints at Hayashi Shuichi.

But seeing his nervous yet comical expression, she couldn't hold back anymore, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up in a smile.

Finally, she simply covered her mouth and chuckled softly, the anger in her eyes instantly turning into a gentle smile.

"Senior, please have a seat over there."

Midori Orikasa put down her wooden sword and pointed to the set of beige sofas near the entrance of the flower shop.

Then, she turned and walked behind the shop counter, carefully taking out a small, transparent vase.

She picked up the red rose Lin Xiuyi had just given her and gently trimmed off the excess stem.

Then she put the roses in the vase and even adjusted the angle so that the flowers would bloom towards the sofa.

After doing all this, she quickly walked to Lin Xiuyi's side and extended her hand to him.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiuyi asked, puzzled. "Are you going to give me something?"

"The price of the roses!" Midori Orikasa raised her chin and said matter-of-factly, "Since they were given to me by my senior, it's only right that my senior pays for them. I can't just accept flowers from a guest for nothing."

Lin Xiuyi was amused by her, took out a 500 yen coin from his pocket, and gently placed it in the other person's palm.

"Okay, is that enough?"

Midori Orikasa took the coins, turned around and walked to the cashier, clinking a bunch of change back to her.

The two looked at the small pile of shiny change on the table and couldn't help but smile at each other. A relaxed and pleasant atmosphere filled the air, as if they had returned to their high school days more than 20 years ago.

……

Lin Xiuyi sat on the soft sofa, slowly surveying the interior of the flower shop, the faint fragrance of flowers filling the air, making her feel exceptionally comfortable.

To avoid being disturbed by outsiders, Midori Orikasa went to the door and hung up a wooden sign that read "Closed".

Then she went into the tea corner in the back room and quickly boiled water to make tea.

Soon, a delicate aroma of tea wafted out.

"Here, this is the chrysanthemum tea that you like, senior."

Orikasa Midori walked over with two steaming cups of tea, gently placing one of them on the coffee table in front of Hayashi Hideichi, her eyes filled with anticipation as she quietly looked at him.

That look in his eyes was exactly the same as it was twenty years ago at Teitan High School.

Back then, after the two of them avenged Midori Orikasa's friend together, their relationship became much closer.

The death of her best friend had a huge impact on Midori Orikasa, and it also made her completely give up the path of a delinquent girl.

I started to focus on my studies and even joined the school's tea ceremony club.

From then on, every day during lunch break, she would brew a cup of chrysanthemum tea, carefully bring it to the student council office, and hand it to Lin Xiuyi, the student council president.

Then, with bright eyes wide open, she listened expectantly to his evaluation of the tea's taste.

The sincerity and expectation in those eyes have remained unchanged for twenty years.

……

Lin Xiuyi picked up the teacup. The pale yellow chrysanthemum petals inside slowly unfurled as it steeped in hot water, releasing a rich aroma of tea that was refreshing, elegant, and invigorating.

He gently blew on the steam, took a small sip, and the aroma of the tea instantly spread across his tongue, carrying a faint sweetness.

"Not bad, much better than the one I made back then." Lin Xiuyi put down his teacup and gave a heartfelt praise.

"Yes, I'm glad you like it, senior."

Upon hearing his praise, Midori Orikasa's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile, like a child who had just received a compliment.

"My senior said he liked chrysanthemums back then. This small jar of chrysanthemum tea was specially bought by me from a country across the sea. It is said to be of the best quality."

"Actually, when I said I liked chrysanthemum tea back then, it was just a misunderstanding."

Looking at her serious expression, Lin Xiuyi felt both amused and inexplicably moved.

He never expected that, more than twenty years later, Midori Orikasa would still remember a casual remark he made back then.

"Huh? I must have heard correctly back then."

Orikasa Midori's smile froze instantly, and she looked at Hayashi Hideichi with a puzzled expression.

"I remember clearly, my senior clearly said back then that he liked chrysanthemums, how could it be a misunderstanding?"

"this……"

Lin Xiuyi could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

Seeing Orikasa Midori staring at him with a puzzled look, he wiped away the tears of laughter, leaned closer to her, and explained in a low voice.

"Back then, when you asked me what flower I liked, I said I liked chrysanthemums. I was just joking; what I really meant was..."

Lin Xiuyi leaned down slightly and whispered a few words in Orisaka Midori's ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

As soon as she finished speaking, Orisaka's fair and delicate cheeks flushed bright red, her eyes filled with embarrassment and astonishment.

"Senior, you...you've gone too far!" Midori Orikasa clenched her small fists in embarrassment and annoyance, and lightly punched Lin Xiuyi a few times.

She never imagined that what she had been thinking about for over twenty years and working hard for was actually a misunderstanding from beginning to end.

The real answer, however, was something that made people blush!

"Alright, alright, Little Green, I was wrong!"

Lin Xiuyi quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her "attack," and apologized sincerely.

"I originally just wanted to joke with you, but who knew you would take it seriously. Later, seeing how seriously you made tea every day, I was too embarrassed to tell you the truth, afraid that you would be angry."

"Then why are you telling me this now?" Midori pouted, glaring at him resentfully. "Isn't it even more infuriating to say it now?"

"I just didn't want you to stay in the dark forever," Lin Xiuyi quickly explained. "Besides, after so many years of misunderstanding, you deserve an explanation."

"I'm not being kept in the dark anymore, but my dream of so many years has been completely destroyed by you, senior."

Orikasa Midori gave a heavy snort, her tone carrying a hint of grievance and a barely perceptible sense of disappointment.

"dream?"

Lin Xiuyi's smile vanished instantly, and she looked at her with some surprise.

"What is your dream?"

"After my senior said he liked chrysanthemums, I brewed chrysanthemum tea for him every day, but he always said that the taste was wrong."

Orikasa Midori gently shook her head, a bitter smile appearing on her face, and sighed.

"For so many years, I've had a dream: to let my seniors drink chrysanthemum tea that tastes just right and to satisfy them."

"But who knew that it was actually... just a joke from my senior."