Please Call Me Mr. Fujino, Life Coach

Fujino drove Ran to a fast food restaurant on the streets of Beika Town.

"Sister Ran, over here!"

Upon entering the fast food restaurant, the noisy interior was immediately filled with the sound of a boy's voice.

Fujino followed the sound and found it coming from Fujino Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, who was sitting not far away and waving at the two of them.

"Brother Fujino is here too?"

Mitsuhiko also noticed the figure beside Ran and exclaimed in surprise.

Ran remembered that Mitsuhiko had asked her to come alone, and figured there must be some secret involved. She quickly explained, "I happened to run into Fujino- Senior when I arrived, so I asked him to drive me here..."

"It doesn't matter!"

Mitsuhiko shook his head, indicating that it was alright, and then said seriously, "Actually, this matter is not only about Ran- neechan, but I also want to talk to Brother Fujino about it."

The three of them sat down by the window, where three wrap and fries combos were already laid out on a bar-like table.

It seems that Mitsuhiko must have ordered it beforehand.

Although he had just given these kids tens of thousands of yen a while ago, this meal only consisted of a wrap, fries, and a drink, but it was still a considerable expense for children of this age.

Fujino, on the other hand, thought that this kid was quite savvy in social interactions.

"Actually, it's Sister Ran Brother Fujino."

Mitsuhiko picked up his drink from the set meal, took a sip to calm himself down, and then said with a worried look, "I've liked Ayumi since kindergarten, but it seems like Ayumi likes Conan..."

Is it a love triangle?

Fujino then rubbed his chin together. "I think I understand what you mean. It means that the person you like doesn't like you back, and you feel lost because of that feeling of unrequited love, right?"

"That's right!"

Mitsuhiko nodded. "It's that feeling of loving someone you can't have!"

"I actually noticed that too."

Fujino nodded silently, pondering, "When you two are together, I always feel something's off. If that's the case, then it's easier to explain..."

"...?"

Ran sat to the side, listening silently to their profound conversation.

Suddenly, it felt like I had entered a late-night emotional radio station!

Unrequited love and such...

She didn't even know what to say.

How should I interject?

"That's not all."

Mitsuhiko changed the subject, lowered his head and said somewhat melancholically, "To be honest, besides Ayumi, I've recently started to care about Haibara again. I don't know exactly what this feeling is, but it just doesn't feel right."

As he spoke, he looked seriously at Ran and Fujino, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. "Am I a really terrible jerk for liking two girls at the same time?"

"..."

Fujino's expression stiffened slightly.

This kid actually has his eye on our Ai!

"Well?!"

Ran blinked, her mouth slightly open, and suddenly felt the topic had become much heavier. "How come kids these days know so much..."

Even she herself was unsure how to answer.

She wasn't like this back then...

But that's precisely why we need the help of older brothers and sisters like them.

Ran glanced at Fujino.

Seeing that Fujino looked thoughtful, as if he didn't know how to answer.

She felt it was time for her to step in!

Chicken Soup Orchid is now available!

Ran composed herself, a gentle smile appearing on her face. Her eyes narrowed like a little fox's as she comforted her, "I don't think liking someone is anything shameful, much less makes someone a jerk. You should cherish this feeling..."

"I think Ran is right."

Fujino echoed, but then suddenly changed the subject halfway through. "But I feel that what Mitsuhiko calls 'liking' is not liking, but rather 'being moved'."

Ran and Mitsuhiko were taken aback when they heard this.

I didn't understand the meaning of that sentence.

"Actually, this is just the confusion of someone who is still immature."

Fujino glanced at the two of them, coughed lightly, and then, with an air of seasoned experience, immediately transformed into Mr. Fuji, a life mentor, and explained in a deep voice, "Being attracted doesn't mean liking someone, and liking someone doesn't mean being attracted. True liking is the liking of 'searching for her a thousand times in the crowd, only to find her where the lights are dim.'"

"I searched for her a thousand times in the crowd, but suddenly when I turned around, I found her where the lights were dim."

Ran murmured a sentence following Fujino's words, and the more she pondered it, the more she felt that it contained an extremely profound meaning.

As a liberal arts student, she immediately realized that the sentence came from a certain ancient country, and then asked in confusion, "This sentence sounds so beautiful, it must be Chinese poetry, right?"

"That's right."

Fujino nodded. "These are poems written by Xin Qiji during the Southern Song Dynasty in China."

Mitsuhiko couldn't help but ask, "Then, what exactly does that sentence mean?"

"To put it simply, it means constantly searching for your sweetheart, but then suddenly turning around and finding that your sweetheart was right there in the most obvious place. Because your goal was so clear, you overlooked the obvious thing right in front of you."

Fujino explained for a moment, then looked at Mitsuhiko and said seriously, "Actually, as far as I can see, you are in a state of confusion right now. You like someone, but you are also attracted to someone else... However, in my opinion, being attracted doesn't mean you like them."

Mitsuhiko swallowed hard, feeling that what Fujino said made a lot of sense and sounded very profound. He sat up straight and listened to the lecture like a student.

Ran seemed to understand as well, her ears twitched slightly, and she listened as well.

"There are many wonderful girls in this world. Perhaps it's their appearance, or perhaps it's a connection with them. There will always be a moment when you fall for them."

As she spoke, Fujino jokingly gave an example. "Take Sonoko and Ran for example, sometimes I feel a little flutter in my heart."

"Well?!"

Ran, who was standing to the side, exclaimed in surprise, her face turning bright red.

"I was just giving an example!"

Fujino glanced at Ran and said with some helplessness, "Appearance, personality, or a certain momentary opportunity can all lead to attraction. This attraction is just a simple resonance, just like Uncle Mori's attraction to Miss Yoko. He likes her, but it's not love."

"So that's how it is..."

Ran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and her expression softened considerably.

That's it.

Fujino nodded and continued, "Mitsuhiko, how much do you know about Ai?"

Mitsuhiko was taken aback when he heard this. He thought about it carefully for a moment, but then suddenly looked troubled.

"You don't know much about Ai either, do you?"

Fujino chuckled as expected, "You don't even understand. This feeling isn't actually liking, but rather being attracted to someone. You're much more mature than your peers, and Ai is also like a little adult. That's why you feel a sense of identification and attraction, and then gradually misunderstand this feeling of belonging as liking."

At this point, Fujino's tone suddenly became more serious. "As the saying goes, true love should be about being able to maintain your feelings even after you know everything about that person, and that your feelings should remain strong and lasting. Only then can you rely on each other for the rest of your lives. If you mistake feelings of attraction that you don't even know about the other person for love, that's not going to work!"

"I understand, Fujino- nii!"

"It turns out I didn't fall for two girls at the same time; I just mistook infatuation for love!"

After listening to Fujino's words, Mitsuhiko felt he had gained some insights.

Suddenly, Longchang attained enlightenment, and his eyes became much clearer.

Fujino looked at him with an expression that suggested he was a quick learner, and then corrected him, "Please call me Mr. Fujino!"