Conan Moslin

POOL BAR is a billiard bar located on a busy commercial street.

According to the translation, its name should be Pool Bar.

The bar is actually not too big, it's of medium size, and the sign at the door is flashing neon lights.

The bartender was a young lady who wore a white shirt, a black vest, an exquisite crimson bow tie around her neck, a neatly combed ponytail, and light red lipstick.

She is very young, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

When the wind chimes at the door rang, she unconsciously revealed a skilled professional smile——

What? This part looks familiar to you?

So let’s change our perspective.

Yuki Fukui is the bartender at the POOL BAR.

She is very young, at most only twenty-six years old this year.

She has been working in this bar for four years and two months after taking over her father's job here.

During this period, she went from a novice bartender to a experienced bartender and was finally able to work on her own.

Compared to four years ago, her temperament is more suitable for this bar, and she is more calm and at ease when facing customers.

In this bar, most drinkers don't cause trouble. They just drink in their own seats and chat in low voices.

If they were very drunk, they would either lie down and take a nap, or be quickly taken away by familiar companions.

As for when the person leaves the house, whether he or she is taken to a taxi, sent home, or left on the roadside to fend for itself, that is not the bar's responsibility.

Even so, there are occasional difficult guests who may cause harassment.

Having worked here for four years, Fukui Yuuki is very familiar with dealing with such things. All he has to do is call the police and ask the police to take the person away.

Of course, there were no blind drinkers today, but two guests came before she got off work.

They were two men, of similar height, but with no similarities in appearance.

After the two came in, the prettier one went straight to the bar, while the ordinary one found a seat on the sofa.

Kaito used his memory to find the spot where he sat four years ago, and curled up in peace as he listened to the soothing piano music playing in the bar.

He waved to the waiter, indicating that he had no intention of ordering any drinks, and then stared at the poster on the wall in boredom, reading it carefully from left to right.

The walls are decorated with various paintings and posters, with different styles, diverse themes and very new content.

Except for one of them - it was a poster of the Hopper Art Group from four years ago.

Kuroba Kaito paused for a moment, and suddenly remembered the information that Grandpa Terai handed over to him some time ago, and the man he and Aoko met on the streets of Shibuya a few days ago.

That's Judy Hopper, the granddaughter of British magician James Hopper on the poster.

The symbol of their Hopper Magic Group is the world's largest blue ruby, known to the outside world as the Red Devil.

……

The waiter who was rejected by Kaito stopped walking and politely retreated to the pool table to pack up his things, but his eyes unconsciously swept towards the bar.

How come this guy from four years ago appeared again!

Li An was sitting on a bar stool. He took the drink order from the bartender whom he hadn't seen for four years with a smile and said thank you.

She flipped through the wine list page by page carefully, her eyes scanning the exquisite pictures, and carefully wrote down each category and each name.

The wine list is a detachable coiled book, and the content has not changed much from four years ago, except for a few new pages of fancy names.

Li An pointed to one of the pictures on the last few pages and asked politely, "Is this a new one?"

When Fukui Yuuki saw the display picture, she was slightly stunned.

That's the Blue Curacao Mojito, a cocktail made with rum, blue curacao syrup, lime juice, soda water and mint that's more suitable for drinking in midsummer than in spring.

But the season isn’t the point.

Bar regulars who are familiar with the drink menu know that the Blue Curacao Mojito was added to the drink menu about three years ago.

She asked, obviously familiar with the drink menu, but hadn't been here in at least three years.

Fukui Yuuki looked at the person in front of him again, and finally found the shadow of this person from his somewhat vague memory.

"It's you. I remember you used to come here four years ago."

She remembered.

It was the man she saw four years ago when she had just started working. He claimed to be the same age as her but never drank.

Her father also recognized him, and when he took over, he asked her not to mix drinks for him.

Fukui Yuuki took another look at the person on the sofa, and when he remembered that the person he brought with him last time was that person, he was sure that his memory was correct.

"This is the Blue Curacao Mojito that was put on the menu three years ago and is not sold in the spring."

She took out the bartending tools from the cabinet, soda water, lime slices, apple slices, and picked out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet behind her.

"If you want to drink this type of cocktail, I would recommend Chivas Collins—"

“It’s more suitable for the current weather.”

I didn't ask him why he hadn't come for a long time.

Li An nodded in agreement, and then Fukui Yuuki started to mix cocktails, and the two chatted idly.

"Ms. Fukui, have you encountered any strange guests in recent years?"

Youxi: “Yes.”

Definitely.

Li An was very interested: "Who?"

Youxi rolled her eyes: "You."

Li An: “…”

She remembered that her sister didn't speak like this before.

Seeing that he seemed to be choked, Fukui Yuxi smiled.

"You look like an adult now. I promised to buy you a drink. Remember to come often when you have time."

“I don’t mind multiple regulars.”

"I dare not." Li An raised his eyebrows and glanced in the direction of the pool table. "Mr. Kita will be very anxious."

The waiter, who was still a young boy four years ago, was pinching a ball on the table and was about to put it into the basket. Seeing that the two people were chatting happily, he cast a look at them that was almost spitting fire.

"Don't pay attention to him, he's not my boyfriend yet."

Fukui Yuuki handed over the wine. I don't know what she was thinking about, but she smiled in a good mood.

"But I think it will be soon."

……

Kuriyasu took Kaito to a four-year appointment and paid for the drinks.

Apart from harvesting a portion of unfermented dog food, nothing happened.

In accordance with Miss Kuriyasu's request, Terai Huangzhisuke sent the drongo and the water bandicoot to the downstairs of the Haido Hotel and abandoned the rented car there.

All that was left was a car return receipt and an email address - both were fake names, leaving no room for investigation.

They even considerately put the car rental fee under the voucher, but it was clear that they had no intention of returning the car themselves.

From beginning to end, he followed the eldest lady's instructions and didn't say a word.

It didn't wake them up either.

……

Kogoro Mouri turned over and opened his eyes in a daze.

The room was dark, but through the moonlight coming through the window, one could see that a corner of the quilt on the floor had been lifted up.

Through the window, the light from downstairs hits the glass opposite.

I could faintly hear my daughter scolding me downstairs.

"I told you—"

"You are still young, don't run around..."

"It's a bit chilly tonight... don't catch a cold."

After all, it was late at night, and the voice of the reminder was not loud.

But getting closer.

Kogoro Mouri closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep again.

squeak-

In my dream, I heard a child sneezing all night.

"Ah - sneeze!"