18: Chapter 18 First Encounter with Sonoko Suzuki

The sea breeze at Tokyo Port carried a bustling atmosphere, quite unlike that of Tsukikage Island. On the pier, the crowd surged, with porters carrying cargo weaving through the throng. The sound of cruise ship whistles docking and the chatter of tourists wove together into a lively scene.

Lin Long stood at the edge of the deck, watching the gradually clearing Tokyo coastline. The silhouettes of skyscrapers loomed in the morning mist, and a sense of stability—a feeling of 'finally being back'—surged in his heart.

"Mr. Lin Long, the air in Tokyo seems different from that on Tsukikage Island."

Miyano Akemi walked to his side, took a deep breath, and wore a relaxed smile on her face.

After two days of sailing, she had completely recovered from the shock of the sniping incident, the gloom in her eyes replaced by anticipation for the future.

"It is a big city, after all."

Lin Long smiled. His gaze swept across the pier and quickly locked onto a familiar black sedan—

Butler Ochiai was already waiting there, wearing a crisp suit, his posture as upright as a pine, making him particularly conspicuous in the crowd.

Just then, Mouri Ran's voice came from behind:

"Mr. Lin Long, we are ready to get off the ship. What about you?"

Mouri Kogoro followed behind, yawning, his face still showing the fatigue of a hangover; clearly, he had drunk too much on the boat again.

Conan Edogawa carried a small backpack, looking up at the pier, his eyes behind his glasses darting around, wondering what he was pondering again.

"Let's go together."

Lin Long nodded, signaling for Miyano Akemi to pick up the luggage.

The four of them followed the flow of people down the deck and stepped onto the land of Tokyo Port.

Just as they exited the passageway, a young girl in a bright yellow dress rushed over like a small cannonball, waving her hand from afar and shouting:

"Ran! Over here, over here!"

The girl had short blonde hair and a dazzling, brilliant smile on her face, overflowing with vibrant youthful energy. It was none other than Sonoko Suzuki.

Behind her was a slightly heavy-looking black car, the car logo shining so brightly in the sun that it was hard to keep one's eyes open—a typical style of the big miss of the Suzuki Conglomerate.

"Sonoko?"

Mouri Ran was surprised and delighted. She hurried forward to meet her and embraced Sonoko Suzuki tightly.

"Why are you here?"

"I am your best friend, of course I have to pick you up the first chance I get!"

Sonoko Suzuki released Mouri Ran, put her hands on her hips, and raised her chin high, striking a smug 'praise me' pose.

"How about it, Ran? Is your big Miss Suzuki good to you or what?"

"You're good to me, of course you are."

Mouri Ran was amused by her, reached out, and pinched her cheek.

"But how did you know we were coming back today?"

"Hehe, don't worry about that. This young lady has her ways."

Sonoko Suzuki blinked mysteriously. Her gaze swept past Mouri Ran inadvertently, and when she saw Lin Long, she suddenly froze.

The sunlight happened to fall on Lin Long, outlining his tall and straight figure. His suit was immaculately pressed, a faint smile played on the corners of his lips, and his eyes were calm and deep, as if hiding a starry sky.

Sonoko Suzuki was instantly dumbstruck, subconsciously muttering:

"Wow... so handsome..."

Pink bubbles appeared in Sonoko Suzuki's eyes. She cupped her cheeks with both hands, and her breathing became a little rapid—

As a terminal case of being obsessed with good looks, Sonoko Suzuki had almost zero resistance to handsome men, especially the type like Lin Long, who possessed both maturity, stability, and a mysterious temperament. He hit her aesthetic sweet spot precisely.

"Sonoko!"

Seeing that things were not looking good, Mouri Ran quickly reached out and pulled her arm, whispering a reminder:

"Mind your image!"

"Huh? Oh!"

Sonoko Suzuki finally came to her senses, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she still couldn't help but peek at Lin Long from the corner of her eye, her little abacus clicking away in her heart:

Such a handsome guy, and Ran didn't even mention him to me. That's not fair!

She grabbed Mouri Ran and whispered into her ear:

"Ran, that's not fair! You know such a top-tier handsome guy and you hid it from me! Tell me quickly, who is he? Is he your new boyfriend?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Mouri Ran was both angry and amused, helplessly rubbing her forehead.

"He is Mr. Lin Long, the President of Lins Information Consulting Office. We happened to meet him on Tsukikage Island."

"Lins Office? Never heard of it..."

Sonoko Suzuki touched her chin, her eyes rolling, and she suddenly thought of something.

"Could it be that Lin Long who has been very famous in the business world lately? I heard he helped the Seba Conglomerate solve a big problem and even made the Yamamoto Group suffer a setback?"

"It seems... so."

Mouri Ran was not sure; she didn't know much about business affairs.

"Wow! So he's a big shot!"

Sonoko Suzuki's eyes lit up even more. A handsome guy who is also a big shot—this was her ideal top-tier spec!

Mouri Ran dragged her to Lin Long, annoyed, and introduced them:

"Mr. Lin Long, this is my good friend, Sonoko Suzuki."

Then she turned to Sonoko Suzuki,

"Sonoko, this is President Lin Long."

"President Lin Long, hello, hello! I am Sonoko Suzuki!"

Sonoko Suzuki immediately reined in her fangirl expression, trying hard to look dignified, and extended her hand toward Lin Long, though her fingers curled slightly with nervousness.

Up close, this President Lin Long was even more handsome, his skin was good, and his eyelashes were so long...

Lin Long looked at the vibrant young girl in front of him, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Sonoko Suzuki's personality was completely different from Mouri Ran's. She was like a little sun, straightforward and enthusiastic, which was quite cute.

He reached out and gently shook her hand:

"Hello, Miss Suzuki, I am Lin Long."

Lin Long's palm was warm and strong. The moment they touched, Sonoko Suzuki felt her heart skip a beat, her cheeks turned bright red in an instant, and even her voice became a bit stuttering:

"Pr-President Lin Long, I've heard so much about you..."

"Sonoko!"

Mouri Ran really couldn't watch this anymore and pinched her hard.

"Ah!"

Sonoko Suzuki yelped in pain, finally regaining her reason, and sheepishly withdrew her hand, not daring to look around anymore.

Mouri Kogoro, who was on the side, yawned and interjected:

"Alright, alright, since Sonoko is here to pick us up, we'll head back first. Kid Lin Long, let's drink together when you're free!"

He had a pretty good impression of Lin Long, especially after the 'case solving' on Tsukikage Island, always feeling that he and Lin Long were 'comrades-in-arms.'

"Sure, we'll talk about it when there's time."

Lin Long nodded with a smile, looking at the black car not far away.

"My people are here to pick me up, too, so I won't be going the same way as you."

Butler Ochiai saw Lin Long's gaze and immediately bowed in salute.

"Then we'll see you later!"

Mouri Ran waved, pulled Sonoko Suzuki, who was still secretly looking at Lin Long, and walked toward the black car with Mouri Kogoro and Conan Edogawa.

Conan Edogawa looked back at Lin Long, his brows slightly furrowed.

This Lin Long not only got along well with Mouri Ran and Sonoko but even the big miss of the Suzuki Conglomerate looked at him differently. His connections and influence seemed to be deeper than he had imagined.

Especially the case on Tsukikage Island—he always felt something was wrong, and Lin Long's existence was like a huge mystery that he couldn't grasp.

"What are you looking at, Conan?"

Mouri Ran noticed his gaze and asked curiously.

"N-nothing!"

Conan Edogawa quickly lowered his head, pretending to look at ants, but in his heart, he secretly decided that he must find out Lin Long's background.

Lin Long watched them get into the car, and the black car soon merged into the traffic, before he turned to Miyano Akemi and said:

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Miyano Akemi nodded and followed him toward the black sedan.

After the episode just now, her mood was much lighter, especially after seeing Sonoko Suzuki acting like a fangirl toward Lin Long, she couldn't help but secretly smile—

It turns out that no matter how powerful a man is, he can have such a side in the eyes of a girl.

Butler Ochiai opened the car door for them and said respectfully:

"Sir, Miss Miyano, you've worked hard on the journey. Breakfast is ready, and you can dine as soon as you return to the office."

"Thank you for your hard work, Ochiai."

Lin Long sat in the car, and Miyano Akemi followed into the passenger seat.

The car drove steadily away from the pier and headed toward Beika Town.

Lin Long leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and began to organize his next plans in his mind.

First, he had to wait for Asai Narumi to come to Tokyo.

The Shadow Guards had already arranged his identity and residence. Once he arrived, he could officially join the office and be responsible for medical and intelligence analysis—

Having a professional doctor by his side was better than relying on the Shadow Guards to take the brunt of it when something went wrong.

Secondly, he had to strengthen defenses.

Gin had suffered a loss on Tsukikage Island and would never let it go. Next time, he might use more extreme measures, or even deploy the organization's core combat power.

He must accumulate malice black qi as soon as possible to unlock more Shadow Guards and Shadow Binders, preferably unlocking more advanced unit types, such as the advanced form of the Shadow Sharpshooter who excels at long-range attacks, or a Shadow Healer who can perform group healing.

Finally, he must take the initiative.

Passive defense was not a solution; he had to seize the initiative.

He could have the Shadow Guards investigate the strongholds of the Black Organization, especially the laboratories related to APTX4869, to find the specific location of Miyano Shiho and prepare for future rescue plans.

"It seems it's time to start preparing for the rescue of Miyano Shiho."

Lin Long thought to himself. Rescuing Miyano Shiho was not just because of Miyano Shiho herself.

On the other hand, it was to strike back at the Black Organization through the rescue of Miyano Shiho, letting them know that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Let the organization know that not only could they assassinate him, but he could also play dirty with them.

"Sir, Dr. Asai just sent a message saying he has boarded the ship to Tokyo and is expected to arrive tomorrow morning."

Butler Ochiai's voice interrupted Lin Long's thoughts.

"Got it."

Lin Long opened his eyes,

"Have shadow three pick him up, take him directly to the safe house, and wait for the limelight to pass before arranging for him to come to the office."

"Yes."

Miyano Akemi heard the name 'Dr. Asai,' her heart moved slightly, and she asked softly:

"Dr. Asai... can he really come over smoothly?"

She was a little worried that the police on Tsukikage Island would be suspicious.

"Don't worry, the Shadow Guards have already dealt with all the traces; no one will suspect him."

Lin Long said confidently.

"Speaking of which, that big miss of the Suzuki Family..."

Mentioning Sonoko Suzuki, Miyano Akemi couldn't help but laugh:

"Miss Suzuki is indeed very enthusiastic, it's just... she likes handsome men a bit too much."

Lin Long also laughed:

"Young people, being full of energy is a good thing."

He didn't mind building a good relationship with Sonoko Suzuki. The Suzuki Conglomerate's influence in Japan was intertwined, and whether it was business information or interpersonal resources, they could provide a lot of help. Having one more friend was better than having one more enemy.

The car drove into Beika Town, and the familiar street scene came into view.

The streets in the morning were very quiet, the shutters of the convenience stores had just been pulled up, and the breakfast stalls wafted with tempting aromas; everything was full of the breath of life.

"Mr. Lin Long, what should we do next..."

Miyano Akemi didn't finish her sentence before she was interrupted by Lin Long.

"Go back to the office for breakfast first, and then I'll give you a day off."

Lin Long looked at her,

"You haven't rested well on Tsukikage Island these past few days. Go back and sleep, and you can go out in the afternoon to buy things you like."

"A day off?"

Miyano Akemi was stunned, somewhat flattered,

"But... there's still a lot to do at the office, right?"

"No rush, the work is never finished."

Lin Long smiled,

"You need to relax occasionally. If you don't have enough money, ask Butler Ochiai for some."

A warm current surged in Miyano Akemi's heart, and her eyes felt a little hot.

Ever since she entered the organization, she had never had the concept of a 'day off,' living in tension and fear every day. It was Lin Long who let her experience the feeling of being cared for and looked after again.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin Long."

She lowered her head, her voice carrying a trace of choking.

"What are you thanking me for? You are my secretary; taking care of you is what I should do."

Lin Long said it lightly, but he understood in his heart that Miyano Akemi had gradually become someone he could trust, and he, too, had unknowingly come to regard her as someone who needed to be protected.

The car stopped at the entrance of the office, and Butler Ochiai had already opened the door.

Lin Long got out of the car first, and Miyano Akemi followed behind, looking at the familiar villa, suddenly feeling that this place was like her own home, warm and safe.

Meanwhile, in the black car, Sonoko Suzuki was still fixing her hair in the rearview mirror, saying to Mouri Ran with a fangirl look:

"Ran, what kind of girl do you think President Lin Long likes? I think I'm a good match for him.

Look, I have money and looks, he has talent and is handsome, it's a match made in heaven!"

"That's enough!"

Mouri Ran rolled her eyes helplessly,

"He just met you, don't think about these wild things."

"Oh, meeting is fate."

Sonoko Suzuki waved her hand dismissively, took out her phone, and started searching for 'Lins Information Consulting Office',

"I must find a way to have more contact with him, maybe... hehe..."

Watching Sonoko Suzuki fall into a fantasy, Mouri Ran could only sigh.

She had a premonition that Mr. Lin Long's future peaceful life would probably be broken by this fangirl big miss.

And the culprit of all this, Lin Long, was currently sitting in the dining room enjoying breakfast, completely unaware of the 'romantic trouble' that was about to come.