Chapter 73: Conan Is a Good Choice
Half an hour later, at Beika General Hospital's inpatient ward.
Natsukawa and Yor sat side by side beside the bed, Natsukawa's expression a mixture of helplessness and utter confusion.
"So... Anya is hospitalized because she ate Miss Yor's cooking?"
He was genuinely baffled. Anya was actually lying in a hospital bed because she'd eaten Miss Yor's home cooking. Is it really that serious? Could Anya have eaten something strange during the day instead?
Miss Yor was so beautiful and elegant. Surely her cooking couldn't be that catastrophic? Food poisoning seemed like a bit of an exaggeration.
"Um, it should be... right?"
Even Yor herself seemed uncertain. Yuri had eaten her cooking countless times and was perfectly fine. She'd used the exact same methods this time, so why had this problem occurred? She genuinely didn't understand.
At that moment, a doctor in a white coat entered the ward. He glanced at Anya, who was still sleeping peacefully, then turned his attention to Natsukawa.
"Are you the child's father?"
The doctor's tone carried a note of disapproval, as though he'd already judged Natsukawa as an irresponsible parent who'd failed in his duties.
After all, the child had been lying here all night, and it was somewhat negligent for the father to arrive so late in the morning.
"Yes, I am."
"I'm Dr. Ogawa, the child's attending physician. The child will be fine, but you should stay with her as much as possible during her recovery. Sick children need their parents present. Ideally, both of you should be here today—it will help her recover much faster."
Dr. Ogawa's expression remained stern, making Natsukawa feel slightly embarrassed—to the point where he didn't even bother explaining his actual relationship with Yor.
"Can she recover today?" Natsukawa asked carefully.
"Yes, it's merely mild food poisoning. Fortunately, she didn't consume much, so it's not serious. I administered painkillers and sedatives in the early morning hours. She should wake up before noon."
Dr. Ogawa adjusted his glasses. "Also, after she wakes, make sure she eats plenty of fruit to replenish her vitamins. It will accelerate her recovery."
Yor's face went pale. "So, Dr. Ogawa, what exactly happened to Anya? She clearly didn't eat anything unusual, so how could she possibly have food poisoning?"
Yuri had eaten her cooking and was completely fine. It was impossible for Anya to get food poisoning from her food. The dishes she prepared were definitely safe.
Wait—there was another possibility.
Yor's eyes narrowed dangerously. She was suddenly suspicious of the ingredients she'd purchased.
The ingredients must have been the problem. She absolutely could not—would not—believe or accept that her own cooking skills were the cause.
A restless, violent energy stirred within her. Yor was already mentally preparing to pay that unscrupulous merchant a very thorough visit tonight for selling her contaminated ingredients.
Dr. Ogawa sighed. "We've examined the food you brought with you. The individual ingredients themselves are perfectly fine and meet all safety standards. However, for some inexplicable reason, when these specific ingredients are combined and cooked together, they produce a certain degree of toxicity."
He paused, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully. "Logically speaking, this particular toxin shouldn't cause such severe food poisoning. There appear to be factors we haven't yet identified, which require further investigation and research."
At this point, Dr. Ogawa gave Yor a peculiarly intense look. "This represents a potentially valuable medical research opportunity concerning toxic food interactions. Could you describe your exact cooking process for me?"
"If we can identify the root cause, we could use public health campaigns to educate people about avoiding this particular combination when cooking. This would be tremendously beneficial for public safety."
Dr. Ogawa felt there was enormous potential here for groundbreaking research.
It was highly likely that certain ingredient combinations had interacted in unexpected ways, creating the toxins.
Just like how you shouldn't eat crab after consuming persimmons, or how ginseng shouldn't be combined with daikon radish—certain ingredients, when mixed together, could cause bizarre adverse reactions when ingested.
If he could discover a new toxic food interaction, he might even publish a paper on food poisoning reactions. That would guarantee him recognition at this year's medical awards ceremony and significantly boost Beika General Hospital's reputation.
Dr. Ogawa spoke with genuine passion and conviction, radiating an aura of compassion and scientific dedication truly befitting his profession.
"This... I don't really know..."
Yor looked on the verge of tears. Is this guy a quack doctor?
How could her cooking method possibly be wrong?
What could possibly be incorrect about a simple mixed stew? That vegetable seller must have been blinded by greed, selling her expired or improperly cleaned ingredients!
However, just to be safe, Yor explained her cooking process in detail.
"You're saying... you put all the ingredients in at once and stewed everything together, with no particular order or timing?"
Dr. Ogawa frowned deeply, stroking his chin as though he'd encountered some profound scientific mystery.
What a dedicated and responsible doctor.
Natsukawa shook his head, unsure what to think about this entire situation.
If Dr. Ogawa was correct and the individual ingredients weren't the problem, then the issue must lie somewhere in the cooking process itself.
But what could possibly be wrong with a basic stew? Could it be the pot?
But if the cookware was faulty, how could Miss Yor be alive and perfectly healthy? She should have been the very first victim of her own cooking.
It seems necessary to find someone else to test the dish and determine if the problem is specifically with Miss Yor's stew.
If it wasn't a problem with either the ingredients or the cooking method, then the issue very likely resided with Anya herself. Could she be allergic to some particular ingredient?
There were indeed many ingredients Yor had used that Anya had probably never consumed before.
As for who to use as a test subject...
Conan seems like an excellent choice.
He and Anya were approximately the same age, so their physical constitutions and tolerances should be similar, making him an ideal experimental subject.
Besides, Natsukawa had just helped Conan improve his battlefield awareness and adaptability yesterday, allowing him to personally witness the Black Organization's ruthless methods firsthand.
He'd sacrificed precious sleep for that operation. Now it was Conan's turn to return the favor.
An Unexpected Interruption
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt."
The ward door opened, and a young nurse poked her head inside. "Dr. Ogawa, another package arrived for you. But... this one's different from the usual ones. There's only an envelope inside—no toys or anything else."
"Another one?"
Dr. Ogawa hesitated, his expression darkening. He'd been planning to discuss stewing methodologies with Miss Yor in greater detail, but this package clearly demanded his immediate attention.
This particular matter had been tormenting him for nearly two years now, becoming something of a recurring nightmare.
"I see." Dr. Ogawa sighed heavily and nodded apologetically to Natsukawa and Yor. "In that case, I must take my leave. Please excuse me."
Natsukawa nodded, watching the doctor depart with growing interest.
A mysterious package?
Could some Detective Conan plot be unfolding?
The moment the doctor left, Natsukawa immediately called Frank, instructing him to investigate Dr. Ogawa's background and current situation thoroughly.
Since he was now Anya's attending physician, it would be best if nothing dangerous happened to him.
If the doctor became involved in some murder case or criminal conspiracy, Natsukawa was genuinely worried he might end up dead.
This was Beika District, after all.
Although Anya only had food poisoning, it would be extremely troublesome to find a replacement doctor if her attending physician was murdered. Besides, Natsukawa didn't particularly dislike this doctor—he seemed quite responsible and competent.
Anya Wakes Up
It was nearly noon when Anya finally stirred awake.
"Papa..."
Seeing her father sitting beside her bed, Anya visibly relaxed, her small body releasing tension she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"I'm here, Anya." Natsukawa gently leaned down and checked the little girl's forehead temperature with the back of his hand.
Because the weather had transitioned so rapidly into winter, and she'd spent the entire day in a crowded public place like the arcade, Anya had caught a slight cold and developed a mild fever on top of the food poisoning.
Hmm, her temperature's returned to normal.
Even a minor cold typically took three days to recover from, especially in children. This recovery speed was genuinely astonishing.
Could Yor's toxic cooking actually possess cold-relieving properties? Interesting.
"Anya, how are you feeling?" Yor asked anxiously, leaning forward with genuine concern.
She'd taken the entire day off from the city hall to focus exclusively on caring for the little girl.
After all, Anya had always said she liked her very much. If Yor was present, Anya would definitely be happier and more comfortable.
It definitely wasn't because Dr. Ogawa had mentioned this morning that both parents should ideally be present for optimal recovery.
She wasn't Anya's mother... yet.
Wait—why had she thought "yet"? She should have thought "at all"!
Yor bit her lip, mentally arguing with herself, when she suddenly heard Anya calling to her.
Something seemed off about the child's voice.
"Yo... Yor... Auntie..."
Anya's face displayed pure terror. Her teeth chattered audibly, she swallowed hard with visible difficulty, and she unconsciously pressed herself backward against the hospital bed's headboard as far as possible.
Her pink eyes were wide with genuine fear, staring at Yor like she'd just seen something absolutely horrifying.
○((⊙﹏⊙))○
(End of Chapter 73)
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