Chapter 37 (Previous Chapter 36): Glacial Ruins: A Magnificent Magic Watch...

I have ten virtues:

Fourth, be grateful and repay kindness.

When Kogoro Mouri walked into the office carrying a bottle of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor), Ran Mouri was making a phone call on a landline.

"Seriously, Shinichi, how come you caught a cold too?"

The high school girl, still wearing her blue school uniform and a neat green tie tied around her white shirt, was lightly kicking her brown school shoes as she finished school.

Listening intently to what the person on the other end of the phone was saying, the girl pondered for a moment and said with a puzzled look, "But I don't remember any flu outbreak recently, yet Conan and Zhuge have both had on-and-off colds for a week."

"Ugh, he's on the phone with that brat Shinichi Kudo again." Kogoro Mouri's face immediately darkened, and he stopped in his tracks at the door.

The man in the baseball cap who had followed him also stopped. Under the white brim of his cap, a patch of tanned skin was visible. The man looked up over the older man's shoulder and saw Ran Mouri making a phone call inside the house.

"Ahem, ahem!" Kogoro Mouri cleared his throat deliberately and said to Ran Mouri, who turned around, "Ran, we have a guest."

"Okay, I won't talk to you anymore, Shinichi. We have guests." Ran Mouri said goodbye to Shinichi Kudo on the other end of the phone briskly. "You'd better get your cold treated quickly!"

As she spoke, she took the phone away from her ear, but a clear male voice, raised in volume, burst through the receiver and faintly reached the ears of the two people at the door.

Although the specific content was unclear, it was easy to tell from Ran Mouri's blushing face and the way she pressed the phone back to her ear that it involved some little secret between the two of them.

"Mmm, mmm, I like it, okay?" The girl poked her cheek shyly, her tone becoming fierce without any real threat: "I'm hanging up."

Without giving the other party any chance to persuade her, Ran Mouri slammed the microphone back onto the landline, gave a slightly embarrassed smile to the unfamiliar dark-skinned man who walked in, and said, "Hello, are you the client looking for my father to handle his case?"

"No, he's here to see that brat Kudo." Kogoro Mouri said Kudo's name through gritted teeth. He walked to his desk, put down the bottle of baijiu he was holding, and said to Ran Mouri, "He said he wants to have some kind of high school detective competition with Kudo."

"High school student... detective?" Ran Mouri tilted her head, looking at the unfamiliar high school student who walked in. She felt a little uncomfortable under his undisguised scrutiny. "Like Shinichi?"

"But if you're looking for Shinichi, why would you come to our house?" She gave a helpless smile and said, "I don't even know where that guy is right now."

"How could you not know anything?" The unfamiliar high school boy lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a pair of bright eyes. He smiled slightly, and Ran Mouri noticed that the door to the Mouri Detective Agency behind him was opened again.

With a crisp click of the door closing, the dark-skinned high school student and the elementary school student who came out from behind him spoke at the same time:

"Because you are Kudo's woman."

"Sister Xiaolan, Zhuge said she left her detective badge behind..."

"What?"

Ran Mouri and Conan both took two steps back, their faces flushing red as they simultaneously and frantically denied, "No, no, you must be mistaken!"

Conan scratched the back of his head with one hand and waved the other up and down, repeating with an uncontrollable smirk, "Oh dear, there must be some mistake."

"What's wrong?" Zhuge Tongzhi peeked out from behind the door with his schoolbag on his back. After his view was blocked by a figure in a dark green coat, he took two steps toward Conan before he could see the visitor's face clearly. The girl blinked and said, "Eh...?"

"Hattori Heiji?" Zhuge Tongzhi rubbed his eyes, then took a closer look at the high school student's skin, which was as dark as burnt bread, and affirmed, "You must be Hattori Heiji, the famous detective from Kansai."

"Oh, kid, you have quite the eye for talent." Heiji Hattori, the famous high school detective from Kansai and son of the Superintendent General of Police, looked down at the slightly agitated elementary school student, raised his thick eyebrows slightly, and unabashedly acknowledged the title of famous detective, saying in a thick Osaka accent, "Yes, I am Heiji Hattori, a second-year student at Osaka Kaifang Academy High School."

"The newspapers all say things like 'Kudo in Kanto, Hattori in Kansai,' and I came here today specifically to see what Kudo is capable of." The dark-skinned high school student turned to look at Ran Mouri, whose face still had a blush, and said, "But after I went to his school, I found out that he hasn't been to school for a long time."

"I originally came here to try my luck based on someone else's advice, but the phone call just now confirmed that you are indeed Kudo's woman." Heiji Hattori's words made Ran Mouri blush again, while Conan's heart sank slightly as he looked seriously at the uninvited young detective.

"What are you talking about? Shinichi just called to ask about the school!" Ran Mouri explained.

“Oh, so he only asked about the school?” Heiji Hattori offered a novel perspective. Ran Mouri paused for a moment, then replied, “Not exactly.”

Over there, Heiji Hattori was conducting meticulous reasoning. The group stood at the entrance of the agency, conversing. Conan was sweating profusely as the other party quickly unraveled the clues from just a few questions and answers.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Tongzhi, carrying his schoolbag, started circling the empty sofa, tapping his itchy head with his hand, muttering in a nasal voice, "What is it, what is it, what have I forgotten..."

The girl, who had been walking around in circles, quickly became dizzy. Clutching her increasingly confused mind, she began to stagger along in a zigzag pattern. In her dizziness, she bumped into Kogoro Mouri's leg.

"Hey kid, watch out." As he walked toward the kitchen, Kogoro Mori was carrying a bottle of baijiu in one hand and firmly pressing down on Zhuge Tongzhi's head with the other, keeping the kid rooted to the spot. He drawled, "What I'm holding is a very expensive bottle of baijiu. It's a souvenir that kid brought over."

That's it! This is it! Zhuge Tongzhi was bent over by Kogoro Mouri's strength, but he didn't care at all and clapped his hands hard in this position, shouting loudly, "It's Lao Bai Gan!"

After catching a bad cold, she drank a liquor that could turn her back into an adult – it was Lao Bai Gan (a type of strong Chinese liquor). In an instant, all the memories buried deep in the girl's brain were unearthed. With a nimble turn of her head, she darted away from Kogoro Mouri's grasp.

Zhuge Tongzhi grabbed Conan, who was trying to cover up his identity, and pulled him aside, whispering, "It's Lao Baigan, Conan. The liquor we're looking for is the Lao Baigan that Uncle Mori has!"

"What!" Conan's attention was instantly diverted. The boy's voice rose for a moment before he quickly lowered it, saying in a thick nasal tone, "Are you sure, Zhuge? It's not easy to get the wine from Ran these days."

“Ninety percent certain, Great Detective.” Zhuge Tongzhi nodded seriously, making a nine gesture with his fingers, and said with the same nasal tone, “Our main task right now is to get that bottle of baijiu from Sister Xiaolan.”

"Oh dear, this is a bit of a problem. She's very alert now."

Since deciding to start experimenting with methods to increase size last weekend, the two have tried to maintain a cold-like condition and have been experimenting with different types of baijiu from Kogoro Mouri's collection.

Of course, setting aside the necessity of conducting experiments, it is absolutely wrong for minors to drink baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor). The strong liquor can easily cause serious damage to a child's stomach and intestines, and excessive drinking can directly affect the normal functioning of the heart, leading to serious life-threatening accidents.

On one hand, Zhuge needs to find a way to grow bigger to verify Conan's guess; on the other hand, Conan also needs to verify the possibility of this method of growing bigger, which may inspire Ai Haibara's research ideas.

The two hit it off immediately and agreed to do experiments at a certain time every day, trying to find the right liquor using a simple process of elimination. However, the brewing process, alcohol content, and amount of liquor consumed all differed, resulting in different effects.

So, based on the principle of 'if there's not enough alcohol, make up for it with quantity,' the two kids finally got drunk one day, and Ran Mouri discovered that they had been stealing alcohol all along.

"If you hadn't drunk so much that time, we wouldn't have been caught, and I ended up getting dragged into this..." Zhuge Tongzhi didn't really want to recall the various mishaps that had happened when the two of them were tasting wine before, so he waved his hand and continued to plot, "Anyway, this time it'll definitely be fine, I'm telling you, we can..."

"What can I do?" a voice came softly from the other side.

"That way we can bypass Ran-neechan." Zhuge Tongzhi, oblivious to his own plan with his eyes closed, shook his finger and said, "Stupid Conan, this way we can get the liquor."

"Hey! Zhuge, you're kidding, right?" Conan's voice suddenly became tense, and he said in a high-pitched voice, "We already promised Ran-nee that we wouldn't drink anymore, right!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? We clearly..." Zhuge Tongzhi looked at Conan, who had inexplicably started acting like a child, and the words he was about to say caught in his throat when he noticed the figure standing behind Conan, choking back a few times like a goose: "Clearly, clearly, you promised you would never drink again!"

"Haha, yes, Ran-neechan, that's exactly it." Conan, sweating profusely, laughed heartily at Ran Mouri, who was smiling behind him, "We were just talking about that, ahahahaha."

"Ah—I see." Ran Mouri maintained her standard, almost frightening smile, gently patting the two terrified children. After the last syllable, she changed her hand to a fist and slammed it hard on their heads: "You two were trying to steal some wine again, weren't you!"

"Thump!"

"Oh!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

Two children with white smoke rising from their heads squatted on the ground, covering their heads. Ran Mouri gently stroked her slender but definitely strong hand, straightened up, took the bottle of baijiu directly from Kogoro Mouri's hand, put it in the top cabinet in the kitchen, and slammed the cabinet door shut.

"You two can forget about getting any more alcohol." The high school girl in her school uniform said to the two children with her hands on her hips, then turned to Kogoro Mouri, whose hands were suddenly empty, and said, "Dad, you're not allowed to drink for a while either."

"Wait, what does this have to do with me?" Kogoro Mouri fiercely defended his right to beer. "These two brats just started drinking out of nowhere, and they took all my beer collection. I'm the victim here!"

“If it weren’t for you drinking all the time, Dad, how would they ever think of drinking?” But Ran Mouri was more adamant. She locked the liquor cabinet and stuffed the key into her pocket in front of everyone present. “In short, none of this is acceptable.”

"Alright, Dad, Hattori-kun is already waiting for you." The high school girl turned her face away from Kogoro Mouri's rebuttal and gestured with her chin toward Heiji Hattori. "Work comes first."

“Uh, yes, Mr. Mori.” Hattori Heiji walked past two children with large bumps on their heads, pulled an envelope from his bag, and handed it to Mori Kogoro. “If you see Kudo Shinichi, please give this to him for me.”

"What's this?" Kogoro Mouri opened the envelope and poured out two ornately decorated receipts. "Hmm? It's from the last gem exhibition. Wasn't it postponed?"

Conan, clutching the bump on his head, leaned closer, tugged at the uncle's arm, and peered over to see the ticket with "Glacier Ruins" written in cursive English. A sketch of a vibrant green gemstone occupied most of the ticket, and the opening date marked at the bottom was the day after tomorrow.

“Yes, so Kaito Kid has sent a new invitation.” Heiji Hattori spread out one hand to explain to everyone. Zhuge Tongzhi immediately perked up his ears upon grasping the key words and listened as he said in a thick Osaka accent, “The organizers have changed the location to Nagano, so I will also participate in this operation to capture Kaito Kid.”

"After today, all schools will be on holiday. Please tell Kudo that I will be waiting in Osaka to settle things with him."

The Osaka high school student adjusted his baseball cap, looked sharply at Ran Mouri, and smiled, "As for the other joint ticket, it's for you. Because, just as I deduced, Kudo is definitely watching you from not far away."

"If you get involved, that guy will most likely show up too." After summarizing, Hattori Heiji took his leave briskly. "Consider that bottle of baijiu as my gift. It's a specialty of China, you know. You might not be able to buy such pure baijiu anywhere else."

"It's a specialty of China. I wonder if the liquor I buy from elsewhere has the same effects as the bottle Hattori Heiji has." Zhuge Tongzhi got up with some annoyance, dusted off his pants, and looked at the top shelf of the cupboard. Due to his height, he couldn't even see the lid of the liquor.

"Goodbye everyone, I hope to see you the day after tomorrow. Inspector Nakamori also asked me to pass on his greetings and invitations." The dark-skinned high school student waved his hand, and after confirming that he couldn't find Shinichi Kudo, he left the Mouri Detective Agency without saying anything more.

"That kid is really arrogant." Kogoro Mouri rubbed his hair and casually tossed the two tickets onto the coffee table. "I'm too lazy to go to Osaka."

But Conan paid no attention to the older man. While Heiji Hattori was meticulously and sharply reasoning, he watched as Ran Mouri clenched her fists, her expression clearly showing sadness.

But the boy, still carrying his little schoolbag, stepped forward and grabbed his sweetheart's hand. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Instead, Ran Mouri, who had recovered, gently patted his head and asked if he had hit her too hard.

"No, Ran-neechan." Conan shook his head obediently, watching as the ever-righteous Ran Mouri began urging Kogoro Mouri to arrange his tasks, indicating that since he hadn't been able to help Inspector Nakamori last time but had received the full amount of his service fee, he should go and help this time.

The girl, having regained her spirits, quickly persuaded her father, though she still looked a little listless when she calmed down.

We were just talking on the phone, but his eyes darkened. How come the distance between us seems so vast?

The room fell silent for a moment.

"May I come along?" But Zhuge Tongzhi broke the silence, raising his right hand high and saying in a loud voice, "Phantom Thief Kid saved my life last time, and I want to thank him in person!"

As the girl spoke, her gaze drifted into the void, and the blue and white navigation box that had been updating the daily path was suddenly pushed aside by a historical path that flew up from the bottom:

"Historical Path: The Countdown to Reboot and a Dazzling Magic Show (51% Complete)"

Next waypoint: Glacier Remnants in Osaka (Incomplete)

"Please continue in the current direction for 387 kilometers."

The path, which had been stuck at 50% for a week, slowly moved forward one space. A new waypoint popped up below the title, but the default mode of travel was walking.

Well done, O! You ruined my hand last time, now you want to mess with my leg, huh?

However, Japan has something called the Shinkansen (bullet train).

The girl, who always got tricked by O, sneered inwardly. She looked up with a pitiful expression at Ran Mouri, who looked troubled and hesitant: "Ran-neechan, I really want to go. I promise I'll behave well."

"Your arm is still in a cast, what are you doing going to Osaka?" Conan snapped out of his previous mood, put his hands in his pockets, and looked speechlessly at Zhuge Tongzhi, who was shaking Ran Mouri, and said, "The most important thing is to heal your injury first."

"Great Detective, what do you know? Getting stuck halfway through the journey is what drives people crazy." Zhuge Tongzhi glanced at Conan, then turned to Ran Mouri sweetly and said, "Ran-neechan—after we go to Osaka this time, I promise I won't drink anymore—"

After saying that, she winked at Conan discreetly towards the cabinet. Heiji Hattori's baijiu was most likely bought in Osaka. If they couldn't break through Ran Mouri's blockade, they could go directly to Osaka to find the liquor.

Conan quickly grasped Zhuge Tongzhi's meaning and immediately joined the team trying to persuade Ran Mouri.

So, when Kogoro Mouri returned to the office after making a phone call to arrange things, Ran Mouri had already been persuaded. Zhuge Tongzhi, who offered to pay for his own travel expenses, food expenses, and care expenses for the next two days, managed to board the train to Osaka by praising Detective Mouri's case-solving abilities, all while Conan was speechless.

"I have to say, your uncle is really carefree." Unable to reach Midorikawa Hikaru, Mouri Kogoro stared speechlessly at the call page that kept showing the other party as offline with no signal. He looked down at the girl with a well-behaved and admiring expression and said, "Then I left him a message."

“Okay, Uncle Mori, I promise I won’t run away,” Zhuge Tongzhi said sweetly in a high-pitched voice.

"Ha, I think you and that brat Conan are about the same." Kogoro Mouri waved his hand and sent a text message to Hikaru Midorikawa's phone number with one hand to let him know. "The text message has been sent... there's no signal over there as expected."

"Dad, Sonoko said she's coming too." Ran Mouri gestured to him while covering the phone's microphone. Kogoro Mouri leaned back in his office chair and grumbled, "Why are there so many people? It's just a phantom thief..."

After all, that's Kaito Kid. Zhuge Tongzhi's eyes crinkled as he reached under the sofa and pulled out a dusty detective badge. He carefully wiped it clean and stuffed it into his pocket.

My savior, please allow me to properly thank you.

So, two days later, outside Shin-Osaka Station.

Zhuge Tongzhi gripped Conan's waist tightly, using all her strength to barely hold the excited boy back to his feet. She looked up at the puzzled crowd and gave an awkward laugh, shouting, "Hahahaha Conan, don't get so excited to see Shinichi-nii-san!"

"What's going on? Is that kid your fan?" Hattori Heiji, who had come to pick someone up, turned his gaze away from the two elementary school students who were about to get into a fight and said casually.

But he didn't pay attention to that issue. Instead, he focused his warlike gaze on the grinning 'Shinichi Kudo' in front of him, and said with a smirk, "You've come to keep the appointment. It's because I invited Mori, isn't it?"

Ran Mouri smiled helplessly, about to wave her hand to explain that it was a coincidence, when 'Shinichi Kudo' pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist affectionately. The girl blushed and shut her mouth, while Sonoko Suzuki giggled beside her.

“Ah, of course.” With a bright smile, 'Shinichi Kudo' held the girl tightly in his arms and smiled at Heiji Hattori: “However, I am also very interested in the magic of the magnificent Phantom Thief Kid. After all, his performances are always very impressive, aren’t they?”

"Long time no see, Ran." The youthful and handsome 'Shinichi Kudo' turned his head to look at the girl in his arms. His voice, now free from the annoying static of the phone, was clear and bright as he said, "I missed you."

Ran Mouri was stunned by what she heard, and before she could react, Kogoro Mouri pulled her over.

The middle-aged man in the suit looked critically at the young man who was about to get handsy, and warned him gruffly, "Hey kid, we're not on the same path, are we?" He hadn't booked a hotel for Shinichi Kudo, who had suddenly appeared here.

"Ah, Sonoko told me which hotel it is." 'Shinichi Kudo' took two steps back, raised his hands at Kogoro Mouri, and smiled confidently, "Luckily, there's still a room available."

"Tch." Kogoro Mouri turned his head away and walked towards the taxi stand with his daughter.

Ran Mouri followed her father with some hesitation, then turned to look at 'Shinichi Kudo' who had walked up to the two elementary school students. A strange feeling welled up in her heart like a spring, quickly filling her entire being.

With so many people, they naturally split into two groups. Kogoro Mouri quickly hailed a taxi. Sonoko Suzuki, who idolized Kaito Kid, excitedly pulled Ran Mouri into the taxi. Before getting into the car, the girl with a frown took one last look at her childhood friend, who was now bending over watching Conan kick her shin.

Amid Sonoko Suzuki's teasing, Ran Mouri no longer felt the blushing and heart-pounding sensation she had before. She simply refuted her friend's "girlfriend" assertion with a touch of shyness, pondering the conversation that had just taken place.

Shinichi... he seems to have never said that he likes magic shows.

And why say it's been so long...? Ran Mouri gently rubbed the red coat she was wearing. It was a gift that Shinichi Kudo had left for her at the Kudo residence after their trip to America. The color was exactly the same as the Red Queen's dress.

We met just a week ago, didn't we...?

That's strange.

…

"Phantom Thief Kid! You're impersonating me again!"

Conan broke free from Zhuge Tongzhi's grasp and stomped hard on the instep of the approaching 'Shinichi Kudo', but the boy, who was prepared, easily dodged the move and stumbled forward due to the excessive force.

Missing his first attack, the boy turned to attacking the other boy's calves, gritting his teeth and cursing, "You bastard, how dare you put your arm around Xiaolan's waist!"

"Well, great detective, I came here specifically to help you out of this predicament." 'Shinichi Kudo' said with a lighthearted and carefree tone that he would never normally use in his current identity, bending down and smiling. "That Kansai detective even came to your house to issue a challenge, didn't he?"

"No need! I don't need it!" Conan suddenly reached out and grabbed the corners of the face in front of him, pulling them forcefully to both sides, shouting, "Kid, you bastard, I told you not to steal my face!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Let go, Great Detective!" Kaito Kuroba, sporting Shinichi Kudo's hairstyle, had his face gripped tightly by the boy. He slapped Conan's hands mercilessly and mumbled, "Scratching Lord Kid's handsome face is a grave sin that will break the hearts of countless lovely ladies!"

"Ha, then I'm willing to commit a crime for it." The clear, childlike voice said coldly, the force in his hand not lessening at all. "Die, you bastard."

"No, the detective can't be the murderer." Kaito Kuroba used a bit of skill to escape from the boy without hurting Conan, and said while rubbing his reddened lips, "You lend me your identity, and I'll help you get rid of suspicion. It's a win-win situation, Great Detective."

"I already said I don't need it!"

"Damn, refusal is invalid."

"Aaaaaah, you bastard!"

Against the backdrop of a silent play where two people, one big and one small, were arguing intensely but tacitly keeping their voices down, Zhuge Tongzhi was tugging at Hattori Heiji's sleeve, asking him about the origin of the bottle of imported baijiu.

"Hey, are you buying this as a gift for your uncle?"

Zhuge Tongzhi, who was increasingly using his guardian as a tool, nodded silently and said without changing his expression, "My uncle is a huge drinker. He's always drinking and doesn't even answer the phone."

"So you're still going to give him wine...?" The dark-skinned high school student squatted down to listen to the little girl. After a moment of silence, he looked at the child in front of him and nodded firmly. He then politely stopped interfering in the child's family affairs.

“My dad bought this. I remember…” Hattori Heiji stroked his chin and recalled, “It was at a Chinese import store in Osaka. I’ll ask about it for you later.”

"Okay! Thank you, big brother!" Zhuge Tongzhi smiled sweetly after making progress. He got into a taxi with Conan, who was walking over with a grumpy face, and Kaito Kuroba, who was holding his hand. Heiji Hattori also got in.

"Current path: Restart countdown and dazzling magic show (55% complete)"

"Waypoint: Glacier Remnants in Osaka (Incomplete)"

A group of people with different thoughts headed towards the hotels surrounding the 'Glacier Relics Jewelry Exhibition'.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Morning Star has been out visiting friends these past few days.

Currently stranded at the airport due to flight delays caused by heavy rain.

Time to get back to typing (hands emoji).

…

As for the timeline, just consider it a complete mess and enjoy it while it's hot.

The main storyline for the Black Organization remains unchanged (covers head to dodge attacks).

However, Kid and Shinichi did indeed clash quite early on; the phantom thief and the detective met before Conan appeared.

Mwah

Updating daily with a stable pace of 10,000 words.