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Chapter 226: A Glass of Rye
Mori Ran held the cup of hot milk with both hands, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Um... Mr. Blake, I really don't need this much trouble..."
"Tea isn't suitable before a medicinal bath. Drinking some hot milk to warm the stomach helps with the circulation of Qi and blood," Blake explained simply before looking past the group to the corner where Okiya Subaru sat.
Subaru maintained his impeccable smile, hands folded on his knees, quiet as a statue.
Blake picked up the last item on the tray. It wasn't a teacup, but a crystal-clear whiskey tumbler. Amber liquid swirled inside, with a hand-carved ice sphere suspended silently within.
Blake walked over to Subaru, bent slightly, and offered the glass.
"Mr. Okiya is a graduate student at Tohto University?"
"Yes, Engineering Department." Subaru nodded.
"Scientific research burns a lot of brainpower. Occasionally, you need a little alcohol to spark inspiration, don't you?" Blake tilted the tray slightly, signaling him to take it.
Subaru didn't reach out immediately.
His gaze fell on the glass. Through the amber liquid, he saw the corner of the label on the bottom of the bottle, and he smelled the distinct aroma of caramel and vanilla diffusing through the air.
That wasn't ordinary whiskey.
That was—Rye Whiskey.
His squinted eyes didn't open, but behind the lenses, his pupils contracted violently in that instant.
Rye.
Rye Whiskey.
That was his codename in the Organization.
Coincidence? No, absolutely impossible.
Subaru could even sense that deep within Blake's seemingly gentle eyes, there hid a playfulness akin to a cat toying with a mouse. The man didn't care about his disguise at all; he was enjoying the oppression brought by this moment of exposure.
"What's wrong? Does Mr. Okiya not like this flavor?" Blake held the glass steadily, his tone as flat as if discussing the weather.
"No..."
Subaru took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy waves surging in his heart. As the FBI's ace, his psychological fortitude had long been tempered to be as hard as steel. Even with a gun to his forehead, he could remain calm.
He reached out and took the heavy glass of whiskey. The moment his fingertips touched the cold glass, a chill rushed straight from his nerve endings to his brain.
"I'm just a little surprised." Subaru raised the glass, looking at the swaying liquid through his lenses, pulling the corner of his mouth into a slightly stiff arc. "This type of liquor has a harsh, rough taste. Few young people nowadays like drinking it. I didn't expect Mr. Blake to have stock of it."
"Spicy is what gives it a kick."
Blake smiled, turned around, and walked back to the bar to pour himself a glass of soda water.
Clack.
The milk cup Conan had just picked up slammed heavily onto the coffee table. A few drops of scalding milk splashed onto the back of his hand, but he felt nothing.
He looked up at Blake in horror, then jerked his head to look at Subaru.
That look... That sentence...
This guy—he knew about Akai Shuichi faking his death! He even knew that Okiya Subaru was Akai Shuichi!
How is that possible?
Mr. Akai's faked death plan was seamless; even Gin and Bourbon had been deceived. Where on earth did this "Blake," who had no record of an Organization codename, get his intelligence?
Fear, like a pair of cold, large hands, strangled Conan's throat.
If he knew more than just Akai's identity... Did he also know that Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi? Did he know Haibara was Sherry?
"Conan? What's wrong?" Ran heard the noise and quickly pulled out a tissue, wiping the milk stain from Conan's hand with concern. "Did you get burned? Why are you so careless?"
"Ah... I-I'm fine, Ran-neechan." Conan snapped back to reality, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "My hand just slipped."
His back was already soaked with cold sweat. The situation was a hundred times worse than his worst-case scenario. They thought they were entering the tiger's den to gather intelligence, but they had walked right into a trap. In front of this man, all their disguises were like transparent glass—completely exposed.
"Alright, that's enough chatting." Blake looked at the Mori family, who were sitting properly. "I've already adjusted the water temperature for the medicinal bath, and the medicinal ingredients have dissolved. The potency is at its peak right now."
Mori Kogoro, unable to wait any longer, shot up from the sofa upon hearing this. "Then what are we waiting for! Brother Blake, where is the bathroom? I can't wait to experience the miracle of rejuvenation!"
Although Kisaki Eri didn't speak, she silently picked up her handbag, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. The divorce case recently had indeed overdrawn too much of her energy; her shoulders were terribly sore.
"Please follow me."
Blake turned and walked toward the depths of the corridor. The group followed behind him.
Conan intentionally lagged a few steps behind, walking beside Subaru, and lowered his voice, speaking urgently. "Mr. Akai, just now..."
"Shh."
Subaru didn't look sideways. He pressed a finger lightly against his lips, his voice barely audible. "Don't speak. Don't look around."
"He knows everything."
Conan's pupils constricted sharply. Even Mr. Akai said so...
Ahead, Blake seemed completely unconcerned with the whispering behind him. He stopped in front of a set of double wooden doors.
He pushed them open. A wave of heat mixed with a rich medicinal fragrance rushed out.
"Wow—!" Ran couldn't help but let out a gasp of amazement.
What greeted their eyes wasn't a bathroom in the ordinary sense. It was practically a small indoor hot spring resort. The floor was paved with non-slip white marble, and the walls were inlaid with warm-toned ambient lights.
In the center lay a massive pool, fully twenty square meters in size. The water presented a strange emerald green color, with faint white mist floating on the surface, obscuring its depth. At the four corners of the pool, four antique beast heads spewed hot water continuously.
"This... isn't this too exaggerated?" Mori Kogoro opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg. "Is this really an apartment bathroom?"
"I bought this place specifically for this renovation space." Blake walked to the pool's edge and tested the water temperature. "To complement this ancient medicinal bath, the environment must be open, and the airflow must be smooth. Otherwise, the medicinal power will stagnate and harm the body instead."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Now, for the specific process. Because this medicinal bath isn't just about soaking, I also need to use a unique technique to guide the 'Qi' within your bodies, opening up the meridians and allowing the medicinal power to penetrate into the bone marrow."
The air went quiet for a second.
Ran's cheeks were instantly dyed with a layer of crimson, even her ears turning red.
Blake paused, then threw out the question. "Do you plan to go separately, or... together?"
"T... Together?" Ran breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously gripping Eri's arm. Although she would be wearing a swimsuit, being in a strange man's house, in such a private environment... it would be much less embarrassing if she were with her family.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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