AWB Chapter 196 Social Animal Anshi Toru
Chapter 196 Social Animal Anshi Toru
Inside the Jingxin Coffee Shop.
The sunlight shines through the clean glass windows onto the wooden floor, casting a warm golden glow on the entire store.
However, this warm atmosphere was broken by a somewhat sarcastic voice.
"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't this our number one employee of 'Jingxin'?"
Standing behind the bar, Huihara Megumi changed from her usual gentleness, crossed her arms, and stared at Amuro Toru who had just stepped into the store with a bit of hostility in her eyes.
"Do you remember that you have a job here?"
Toru Amuro stood at the door with his usual sunny smile on his face, but a drop of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
He reached out and scratched the back of his head, revealing a slightly embarrassed smile: "Ah...haha, Manager, you know me, I've been really busy lately! Look, didn't I rush over as soon as I had some free time?"
"Free?" Huihara Emi snorted coldly, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her tone full of dissatisfaction and sarcasm, "Are you sure you came here because you have free time, and not because something big happened?"
When Amuro Toru heard this, the smile on his face froze for a moment, then he immediately regained his usual confidence, with a harmless smile on his lips: "Manager, your words are really hurtful. I came here to work sincerely--"
"Ah."
Huihara Megumi interrupted him, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
Jingxin Coffee Shop has been very busy recently. As the only offline store of Jingxin Coffee, it has become a check-in destination for many people, and the workload has almost increased several times.
If Chen Shuo hadn't insisted on giving Enomoto Azusa four consecutive salary increases to help her hold on during this period, Enomoto Azusa would probably have resigned long ago.
And at this critical juncture, Toru Amuro actually skipped work.
Although Huihara Megumi knew that this guy had to deal with the official troubles after the establishment of the Continental Hotel, she couldn't help but complain when she saw the relaxed look on Amuro Toru's face.
"If I didn't know that you were busy dealing with public security matters, I would have chopped you with a knife the second you walked in today." Huihara Megumi stared at him, her eyes full of blame, and said in a low voice.
Amuro Toru smiled awkwardly and was about to make a few more excuses when he heard someone speak lazily not far away.
"I suppose he came here to seek refuge?"
When Toru Amuro heard the sound, he looked over and saw Chen Shuo sitting leisurely in a booth by the window in the corner of the cafe with a cup of steaming coffee in front of him.
He gently stirred the coffee spoon in the cup with one hand, a playful smile on his lips, and he looked extremely relaxed.
"Hey, boss?"
Amuro Toru showed a look of surprise for a moment: "Why are you here? With such a big thing happening, shouldn't you be in the hotel dealing with those serious troubles?"
Chen Shuo shrugged and looked up at Amuro Toru with a playful look on his face: "Ran, Sonoko, and Ai are all in school. I'm pretty bored at home, so I came out for a cup of coffee and to see if you, the number one employee, have been kicked out by Huihara Megumi."
At this point, he paused, his tone suddenly becoming more teasing: "As for those troubles you mentioned... Humph, why do you think I spent so much effort training Conan? Isn't it just for times like this, so that someone can help me deal with those troublesome messes?"
Amuro Toru was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing: "Boss, you are really lazy! Isn't it a bit unethical to throw all the work to an elementary school student?"
Chen Shuo took a sip of coffee, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes. "Who said he's just an ordinary elementary school student? He's the 'Arbitrator' I have high hopes for. If I don't let him handle some troublesome matters, wouldn't it be a waste of his brilliant brain?"
Toru Amuro sat down opposite Chen Shuo, leaning back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, a smile of gloating on his face.
He seemed to be able to imagine Conan's funny appearance at this moment, "dragging his small body, buried in a pile of documents taller than himself."
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful..." He sighed softly, his tone showing no sign of hiding his gloating.
Chen Shuo sat on the chair opposite, holding a cup of coffee. After hearing what Amuro Toru said, he glanced up at him and couldn't help but smile: "Okay, stop gloating. Let's get down to business. The fact that you're here means the police must have received the news, right?"
Chen Shuo put down his coffee cup, picked up a stack of documents beside the table, and handed them to Amuro Toru. His expression was no longer relaxed, but now cautious and solemn. "I have to say, although that organization is low-key, it is very powerful."
Amuro Toru took the document and his expression gradually became serious. He opened the document and quickly scanned the contents. The more he read, the tighter his brows furrowed.
As he closed the last page, he raised his eyebrows and said with a hint of amusement, "Wow! MI6, CSIS, BND... These organizations really dare to touch the intelligence agencies of any country. They are really brave. The Continental Hotel is worthy of being the Continental Hotel. They have more intelligence than I do."
Chen Shuo nodded upon hearing this, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, a faint smile on his face. "So, you're here to seek refuge, right? After all, even you don't know if your name has been leaked, right?"
Hearing this, Amuro Toru awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, a stiff smile forming on his face as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. "Ahahahaha... Theoretically, Curacao shouldn't have much time to send out the list of all the spies in the organization. Otherwise, more than just these few people would have been exposed this time. But..."
He changed the subject, revealing a helpless expression, "It's always better to be safe, right?"
At this moment, Huihara Emi, who was standing nearby, snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and said with undisguised dissatisfaction: "Aren't you afraid that the organization will just break in and kill you? We will be implicated too if they do. This is not your refuge."
Hearing this, Amuro Toru turned to look at Huihara Megumi, a confident smile plastered on his face again. He raised one hand and waved it gently, his tone revealing a sense of calmness.
"Don't worry, manager. That organization doesn't have the courage to provoke the boss." He raised his hand and pointed at Chen Shuo.
"Until they are fully prepared, 'Quiet' is the safest place for now."
"Yeah……"
Huihara Megumi stood by the window, looking at the street scene outside thoughtfully, and nodded slightly. To her, Jingxin Coffee was her hard work, and she was most afraid that her hard work would be destroyed.
Amuro Toru breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could relax, he suddenly felt a shadow looming over his eyes.
Just as he was about to look up, he saw Huihara Emi suddenly turn around. The gentle expression on her face had disappeared, replaced by a fierce anger.
Before Amuro Toru could react, she had already strode over, grabbed his collar and lifted him up from the chair!
"Then you just work hard for me!" Huihara Megumi's voice rose, full of momentum: "Make up all the classes you skipped before!"
"Hi hi hi~~~I get it! I get it! Manager, please calm down, I'll go right away! I'll go right away!" He nodded repeatedly, smiling awkwardly.
Chen Shuo, standing next to him, had already started watching the show, sipping his coffee leisurely, showing no intention of intervening. He even added, "Well, that's the way it should be. What you owe must be repaid."
---
The lights at night are soft and warm.
The table was filled with a sumptuous dinner, the aroma of food filled the whole room, and the atmosphere around the table was unusually lively.
Toru Amuro sat at the dining table, picking up pieces of food with his chopsticks and putting them into his mouth quickly. The way he wolfed down the food showed no trace of his usual elegance.
As he devoured the delicious food in front of him, he sighed incoherently, "I'm so happy... I've been eating fast food for the past few days... I'm almost depressed! This is like salvation!"
His expression was so exaggerated as if he had just come back alive from a survival show. There was a grain of rice stuck at the corner of his mouth. It looked like he hadn't eaten normal food for several days.
Suzuki Sonoko, who was sitting across from him, couldn't help but frown at his expression and grumbled with disdain, "Hey, what are you doing for tens of thousands of yen a month? Eating so much fast food that you're almost depressed? Whether you're working full-time in the coffee business or signing up for a hotel membership in mainland China, you shouldn't be living this miserably with your abilities, right?"
There was a lot of confusion in Yuanzi's tone.
As a wealthy young lady, she really couldn't understand why this man in front of her, whose abilities were comparable to any professional elite she knew, lived like a social animal who was almost unable to make ends meet.
Amuro Toru picked up a piece of grilled meat and stuffed it into his mouth, shaking his head. His expression suddenly became extremely affectionate, as if he were in a romantic idol drama.
He put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and said with a tone full of conviction: "That won't do. This country... is my lover~~ I must protect her!"
His voice was low and magnetic, and his expression was solemn as if he had just taken the party oath, and as if there were countless national flags fluttering in the wind behind him.
"Eh~~~~" This sentence instantly ignited the "embarrassment radar" of everyone present.
Everyone sitting at the table, including Sonoko, Mouri Ran, Haibara Megumi and even the usually calm Haibara Ai, couldn't help but shiver and got goose bumps all over their bodies.
Chen Shuo and Maori Kogoro calmly clinked their wine glasses and ignored Amuro Toru's outrageous remarks.
"Ah! That's right! Everyone, look at me! I have an announcement!"
Yuanzi suddenly slammed the table and stood up, her voice loud and excited, instantly interrupting everyone's conversation.
"Um!?"
For a moment, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards Yuanzi.
"Hehe!" Sonoko raised her head proudly, a self-proclaimed mysterious smile on her lips: "Uncle Jirokichi has challenged Kaito Kid again!"
"Tsk..." As soon as the words fell, everyone showed a speechless expression, turned their heads at the same time, and continued to eat or drink tea.
"What's the big deal..." Mao Lilan sighed helplessly and waved her hands: "The things about your uncle Jiroyoshi and Kidd are on the news every now and then. How can it still be fresh?"
Sonoko stamped her foot in anger at everyone's attitude and quickly added, "But that's not important! What's important is that the Bell Sherry II airship, built at great expense by our Suzuki family, is about to make its maiden flight! Uncle Jirokichi and Kidd's showdown will take place on the airship! How about you guys come and play?"
"Oh?" Hearing the word "airship," everyone clearly piqued their interest. Chen Shuo raised an eyebrow, put down his coffee cup, and said with a hint of interest, "Airship? That sounds interesting."
My best friend Ran Maoli was the first to raise her hand and join the group, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Okay, okay! Sonoko, count me in!"
Huibara Ai also put down the cup in her hand and nodded slightly. Although her tone was calm, she was obviously curious about the airship trip: "Well, it sounds good. I'll go too."
Chen Shuo smiled slightly: "Since everyone thinks it's interesting, I'll follow it too."
"Well, I won't..." Kogoro Mouri was about to refuse, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Ran Mouri.
"Dad! You have to go too!" Mao Lilan patted her father's shoulder without any hesitation, and her tone did not leave him any room for refusal.
"Ah!?" Kogoro Mouri, who was afraid of heights, turned pale. The thought of getting on the airship made his legs go weak and he almost collapsed in the chair. "Ran, why are you doing this to me..."
"It's okay, you'll get used to it in heaven." Mao Lilan ignored his protest and gave him the final say, "It's decided!"
Huihara Huimei shook her head: "Alas... Unfortunately, the cafe has been too busy recently. I really can't leave, so I won't go."
"Hi hi hi! Then I will..." Amuro Toru was just about to say that he wanted to go, but before he could finish his words, Huihara Megumi beside him immediately interrupted him coldly.
"What do you mean? You still owe a lot of classes to make up! Just work honestly!"
"Hi~~~" Toru Amuro's shoulders slumped instantly, and he could only sigh helplessly with his head down, his face full of the grievance of a "corporate slave".
"That's decided!" Sonoko waved her hands excitedly and announced the final result.
Everyone at the table had different expressions, but their anticipation for this airship trip had clearly been ignited. At this moment, on the TV screen behind them, a news story was playing:
"The latest news is that a red Siamese cat raided a bacteria laboratory and is suspected of taking away a batch of important information. The relevant departments are currently investigating..."
However, this news did not attract anyone's attention, and the sound of the TV seemed particularly lonely.