**Chapter 190: Snow King Ice City**

The decision to open a beverage shop was made.

The next day was a day off, and since Fujino didn't have any pending requests, he took the opportunity to purchase materials for the new shop.

In fact, Fujino had thought carefully about opening a beverage shop.

Mihua Town is a bustling commercial street, surrounded by detective agencies, barbecue restaurants, sushi shops, clothing stores, cake shops, and cafes—everything you could want.

But the one thing missing was a shop selling fresh beverages.

A beverage shop was, without a doubt, the most suitable business for Mihua City and Fujino's current situation.

The investment in a beverage shop is small, the profit margin is high, there are no competing merchants in the area, and it can even form a complementary business chain with the nearby food establishments.

At the same time, it didn't require the culinary skills of someone like Akemi Miyano, who could craft something as exquisite as "Stargazing."

With the beverage knowledge Fujino had picked up a few days ago, even an ordinary person could make great drinks by following the correct ingredient ratios.

Two days later.

The preparation for the store was in full swing. Fujino asked for two days off from Shizuka Hiratsuka to purchase tables, chairs, and all the necessary materials for the shop.

One unlucky school doctor got threatened again.

Akemi Miyano had also begun running around to get the necessary business licenses.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Using his student discount, Fujino spent just over 1.9 million yen, and the interior of the beverage shop was basically complete.

Counters, tables, chairs, several large refrigerators, and a heap of raw ingredients for the drinks were all purchased.

There were still a few machines on order, some being shipped from Taiwan, so they'd arrive in a few days.

Once the remaining payments were made and the storefront exterior was renovated, Fujino would hit his remaining budget target of just over one million yen.

…

After school, Fujino invited Ran and Sonoko to the newly renovated beverage shop.

Ai Haibara arrived as well, bringing the Detective Boys with her.

This was Fujino's plan.

Tastes differ by region, and Fujino wasn't yet certain what kinds of flavors appealed to people in Japan.

If the drinks were to be sold, they would definitely need some adjustments.

Inviting these people over was for one purpose: taste-testing.

"Did you mix all these drinks yourself, Fujino?" Ayumi sat on the newly bought sofa, her eyes shining like stars as she looked at the colorful drinks laid out on the table in front of her. "I've never seen so many pretty drinks before!"

"Yes."

Fujino nodded. "I've thought of many different flavors over the past few days, so I invited you all to help me taste-test them and see which ones are good enough to sell."

"They better not just look nice!" Conan said, picking up a glass of blue juice, not expecting much from Fujino's drink-making skills.

But after taking a sip, his eyes widened.

Delicious!

He didn't expect Fujino to actually be good at mixing drinks…

Seeing Conan's reaction, Ayumi picked up a cup of bubble tea and took a sip. The sweetness brought a smile to her face.

She then noticed Haibara, who was sitting quietly playing on her phone, and asked, "Haibara, why aren't you drinking?"

Haibara, still absorbed in her phone: "..."

After a moment of silence, she recalled the days when she had to survive on water and shook her head. "You guys drink… I've already had enough."

"Fujino-senpai, what's the name of this red drink?" Ran asked curiously, holding up a glass of bright red liquid.

"Forest Red Berry."

Fujino glanced at the drink, then chuckled, "If you like it, make sure to spread the word. When the shop opens, I'll give you a 20% discount."

"Senpai, your drinks are really good. I don't think I've ever tasted anything like this before."

"Yeah, who knew you'd be so skilled at making drinks?"

"I'll help spread the word too!" Ayumi chimed in with excitement.

Ran and Sonoko, who were on good terms with Fujino, agreed without a second thought.

The Detective Boys, pleased with the free drinks, naturally agreed as well.

Fujino's plan in inviting Ran, Sonoko, and the Detective Boys was not just for taste-testing but also for marketing.

Ran and Sonoko were quite popular among the girls at Teitan High School.

Though the Detective Boys could be a bit of a handful, they were part of a well-known group.

According to Haibara, they even had some influence among the elementary school crowd.

Fujino's primary target customers were students and young women.

With their help, the shop's initial launch would likely attract a lot of customers.

"By the way, Fujino-senpai, what's the name of the shop going to be?" Sonoko suddenly asked.

She didn't know much about running a business, but she knew a shop needed a name and logo.

"Snow King Ice City," Fujino answered.

He then pulled out a sheet of paper and showed it to the group.

On the paper was a little snowman wearing a red cape, holding an ice staff, and wearing a white crown.

Initially, Fujino had considered copying the whole concept of a promotional song called "Sweet Sweet Snow King Ice City," but after some thought, he decided against it.

It would be too awkward.

After a series of intense taste tests under the guise of "unlimited refills," the flavors were finalized.

The Japanese palate tends to favor sweet flavors.

Some drinks that weren't particularly sweet had to be adjusted by adding sugar to meet expectations.

The basic market research was complete.

Next, Akemi Miyano just needed some training, and once the machines arrived, Snow King Ice City could begin its trial run.

…

The next day.

To thank Fujino for the unlimited drinks, the Detective Boys "borrowed" some movie tickets that Dr. Agasa had won from a lucky draw and invited Fujino to join them at the theater.

Hearing Haibara mention free movie tickets, Fujino gladly accepted.

He drove the kids, along with two high schoolers, to the cinema.

"Gamella! Gamella! We want to watch Gamella!" the three kids from Mihua Elementary chorused when choosing a movie.

Conan was embarrassed: "Come on, that's a kids' movie..."

"But you're a kid too, Conan," Mitsuhiko teased quietly.

"Ahem."

Conan coughed nervously, "We're the Detective Boys, and since we invited Fujino, who's also a detective, shouldn't we watch something like *The Demon Legend Murder Case* instead?"

He then looked to Fujino for confirmation: "Right, Fujino-niisan?"

Since they were both detectives, surely Fujino would make the same choice, right?

(End of Chapter)