Chapter 37: Ai Haibara: Actually, I Came for a Feast

Hi-Chi was startled by Non-Chi suddenly popping out, but he forced himself to stay calm and gestured to the group. "Get the cages moved down so Master Non-Chi can take a look!"

The driver and the others waiting nearby immediately prepared to follow his lead.

"Tell them to wait a moment!"

"Wait."

Non-Chi and Chi Feichi spoke almost simultaneously.

Hi-Chi and the others were confused but held off on moving the cages. Chi Feichi took out his phone, walked to the side, and pretended to answer a call, lowering his voice. "What is it?"

The others couldn't hear Non-Chi's voice, but Chi Feichi could, and he felt that Non-Chi didn't sound very happy.

"Master, something this big, I can't swallow it. My mouth can only open at most..." Non-Chi stretched his mouth wide toward Chi Feichi to demonstrate. "This wide!"

Hi-Chi, waiting in front of the truck, was startled. "Master Non-Chi, be careful!"

"Don't worry, it's fine." Chi Feichi stopped Hi-Chi from coming over, then said to Non-Chi with a deadpan expression, "I know how wide a red-banded snake's gape is, no need to demonstrate. I'll chop the bamboo rats into smaller pieces for you."

Non-Chi still couldn't cheer up and asked very seriously, "There is another more important question: do these things eat snakes? If you keep a few of these at home, I'm afraid they might break out of their cages, and when you wake up, I'll be gone..."

Chi Feichi: "They eat bamboo."

Non-Chi breathed a sigh of relief. "They're vegetarians... That's good, that's good."

"However, bamboo rats can bite snakes to death," Chi Feichi added, "probably because they think snakes don't taste as good as bamboo."

Non-Chi immediately jumped out of Chi Feichi's collar in excitement. "Are they buying food or is this murder? Murder!"

...

The matter was eventually resolved.

Hi-Chi didn't bother Chi Zhennosuke. He made a call to a real estate executive at the Zenichi Group and found an idle plot of land for Chi Feichi, specifically for housing and raising the bamboo rats.

Simple sheds were set up, and the bamboo rats were unloaded cage by cage.

Bamboo was delivered, keepers were in place, and construction workers were ready to build a small breeding facility.

Chi Feichi suddenly realized that his cheapskate father’s hands-off approach wasn't entirely without logic. Whenever there was an issue, just find the head of a Zenichi Group subsidiary... perhaps that was the correct way to operate.

Hi-Chi finished giving orders and, seeing that everything was arranged to his satisfaction, nodded and walked over to Chi Feichi. "Master Non-Chi, everything has been settled. Is there anything else you need arranged?"

Chi Feichi stepped forward, cleared out an empty cage, and picked out the two bamboo rats whose voices he could hear, placing them inside. "Don't eat these two. Keep them well."

Hi-Chi looked at the person in charge of feeding, who immediately took the cage and placed it aside separately.

Chi Feichi picked out two more as a gift for Hi-Chi, then packed two into a small cage. On the way back to his apartment, he bought some seasonings and vegetables. Just as he arrived home, he received a message from Haibara Ai.

Haibara Ai: [Tomorrow is the school anniversary, we started our break this afternoon. Have you returned to the old castle?]

Chi Feichi: "..."

He had just been lamenting that morning that the group of elementary school students were finally going to school properly, but it seemed the usual holidays were as frequent as ever.

He took a photo of a bamboo rat and emailed it to her.

Haibara Ai's message: [What a cute little bunny!]

Chi Feichi's reply arrived a second later: [Not back, I'm at home. Do you want to come over for a feast later?]

Silence.

...

Haibara Ai didn't reply for a long time.

Chi Feichi contacted others.

He couldn't notify Fukuyama Shimi, as he was still hiding his absence from the castle from him.

He could tell Kuroba Kaito to come over for a feast if he was free, but since it was a school day, he probably couldn't make it.

As for the others he had contact information for, he would tell Suzuki Sonoko—they had chatted quite well in the Magic Lovers' chat room.

As for Mouri Ran, he would skip her; they weren't that close.

Koizumi Akako had helped him out, so he should let her know. If he had time, he’d send her two bamboo rats or invite her over for a meal.

Thinking this, Chi Feichi turned on the faucet to fill the kitchen sink, then went to the living room drawer to dig out the red crystal business card.

Non-Chi looked at it curiously and was immediately amused. "Hahaha... there's only a name on the business card, not even a phone number. That red-haired girl is pretty good-looking for someone without scales, but why is she so silly? Hahaha..."

Chi Feichi glanced at Non-Chi and rubbed his finger over the raised, gold-plated name on the card. He noticed the gold lettering slowly turning red. Only when the letters became the same color as the card, making them almost invisible, did he ask, "Is this how you communicate? Can you hear me?"

"Hmm... I can hear you. Is something the matter?" A female voice came clearly from the card.

Non-Chi: "..."

"I ordered a batch of bamboo rats from China. I'd like to invite you to eat some when you're free, or I can have someone send a few to you, as a thank you for your help last time."

"I still have school. Let's talk another day, we can chat when we meet, and eat then," Koizumi Akako replied with her usual composure. "I'll contact you when I'm free."

"Alright."

The connection cut off, and the writing on the card slowly turned back to gold.

Non-Chi even forgot to flick his tongue. He stared blankly as Chi Feichi put the card in his pocket, then looked at the bamboo rats in the kitchen that were as big as rabbits, and then thought of Kudo Shinichi, who had turned into a child... He suddenly felt this world was very strange.

"Non-Chi, don't provoke this person either," Chi Feichi said, turning toward the kitchen. "How much do you want to eat?"

Non-Chi shook his head rapidly to dispel the dazed feeling, pushed all his questions to the back of his mind, and happily followed him. "Half! I want to eat half!"

"Fine." Chi Feichi turned off the faucet and submerged the cage directly into the sink.

Snakes have strong digestive systems, so eating a bit more wasn't a problem. However, it was time to educate Non-Chi with some new knowledge.

"When humans slaughter bamboo rats, there's the drowning method, which is the one I'm using. There's also the electrocution method, the cardiac air injection method, the cervical dislocation method, the chemical lethal method..."

Hearing that calm voice, Non-Chi couldn't help but look up at Chi Feichi. Seeing Chi Feichi's expressionless, cold face, the snake slipped as it climbed onto the edge of the counter: "..."

As expected, humans are the most terrifying creatures!

"If you encounter a bamboo rat, don't compete with it in terms of teeth. Bamboo rat teeth are very sturdy. Your venom won't kill it, and you might get bitten to death instead," Chi Feichi said. Seeing that the two bamboo rats in the cage had stopped struggling, he waited a moment, lifted the cage, took out a bamboo rat, and skillfully used a small knife to gut and skin it. "The best way is to move at top speed, avoid its teeth, wrap around its neck, and tighten to suffocate the bamboo rat."

"If you get bitten, don't panic. Wrap around the bamboo rat's head and neck, bend its head back toward its spine, and push forward with force to dislocate the head from the first cervical vertebra. The bamboo rat will die quickly. I'll demonstrate it for you another day."

Non-Chi looked down at his own snake body, feeling satisfied and at ease. "Luckily, my body is resilient and flexible. It's impossible to break my neck!"

"That's why, when dealing with snakes, humans usually choose to throw them to death or decapitate them. You can also use alcohol to drown them—the latter is suitable for soaking in wine," Chi Feichi said calmly while processing the bamboo rat. "If you're making food, decapitation is the most convenient, because after bleeding it, you can peel the entire skin off directly from the severed point."

Non-Chi: "..."

"This applies to most snakes, but banded kraits and red-banded snakes are different. You have to start skinning those two from the tail." Chi Feichi cut half of the processed bamboo rat, chopped it into several pieces, and placed them in front of Non-Chi.

Non-Chi looked down at the pile of fresh meat. Why did this meat, which was placed right in front of him, suddenly seem unappetizing?

...

Half an hour later, the braised bamboo rat in the pressure cooker began to emit a fragrant aroma.

After Non-Chi slowly finished the raw meat in front of him, he lay beside the cutting board to digest, his belly bulging and protruding.

Chi Feichi sent Non-Chi back to his room and cooked some rice. Just as he was considering whether to stir-fry another vegetable dish, the doorbell rang.

He went to the entryway, picked up the phone, and before he could even ask, he heard Genta's loud voice outside: "Brother Chi, open the door! It's us!"

Ayumi: "We're here to save the little bunnies!"

Chi Feichi silently put the receiver back, opened the door, and saw the five elementary school students standing in a neat row. "Come in."

Uh...

Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi were affected by the calm atmosphere, and their firm resolve to "definitely save the little bunnies" turned into confusion.

"Sorry to, sorry to bother you!" Mitsuhiko bowed.

"It's fine." Chi Feichi rummaged through the drawer at the bottom of the shoe cabinet for disposable slippers.

"Huh?" Genta stretched his neck and sniffed. "What's that smell? It smells so good..."

Ayumi sweated. "Genta..."

Mitsuhiko smiled awkwardly. "But it really smells good. We haven't had lunch yet."

Haibara Ai wanted to cover her face. It was Genta and Mitsuhiko who had volunteered to come; they were the least reliable ones. She calmed herself down and looked up at Chi Feichi. "I... I originally intended to come by myself..."

She was seriously clarifying that she hadn't intended to force his hand. Besides, this smell was truly delicious.

Conan chuckled to himself. If he had come, the result would have been the same. "Don't dwell on it. Can't you smell the meat? I guess it's already stewed."

Haibara Ai: "..."

"It is already stewed," Chi Feichi explained. "But it's not a rabbit; it's a bamboo rat."

"Bamboo... bamboo rat?" Haibara Ai asked, confused.

"It's not a rabbit?" Ayumi turned to look at Haibara Ai in confusion.

"What is a bamboo rat?" Genta continued to sniff, sniff, sniff. "It smells so good."

"A type of food," Chi Feichi directly bypassed the terms "animal" and "creature." "Low fat, low cholesterol, high protein, and it contains various nutrients. I hear it can promote the formation of human white blood cells, promote hair growth, enhance liver function, prevent vascular hardening, and delay and fight aging... It's actually quite suitable for Dr. Agasa."

Haibara Ai felt a moment of awkwardness. What to do if one misidentifies a species...

With a serious, calm face: "Actually, I'm here for the feast."

Genta: "Me too!"

Mitsuhiko paused. "Uh... actually, me too."

Ayumi looked at the three of them. So, should she tell the truth or go along with her friends' lies?

"Alright, let's all taste it together," Conan said, instantly transforming into a curious child again. "Bamboo rats seem to live in China. Did you order them from China, Brother Chi?"

"Yes," Chi Feichi said. After the group of elementary school students entered, he closed the door and headed toward the kitchen. The great detective's knowledge base was indeed quite extensive. "I asked my father to help me order a batch. You all sit down first; I'll stir-fry two more dishes."

"Do you need help?" Haibara Ai asked proactively.

"No need," Chi Feichi said, entering the kitchen. "There are no drinks in the fridge, but I bought oranges. I can squeeze some orange juice for you."