·113｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·113

His name is Conan.

"Shinichi, hurry up."

"They're here."

Shinichi Kudo slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, quickened his pace, and caught up with Ran Mouri, who was waiting at the intersection.

A television hanging in a shop window on the street was playing the morning news. Tokyo had been unusually quiet these past few days. A pretty female anchor smiled at the camera, holding a stack of scripts: "A popular food anchor with tens of millions of followers has announced her retirement..."

Ran Mouri turned her head and looked over: "It's Sister Huang Quan. She's actually retiring from the entertainment industry."

Shinichi Kudo, with one hand in his pocket, glanced at her coolly and explained, "That's only natural. The lifespan of a food blogger is generally only about a year. It's quite impressive that she only entered a period of decline after starting with pure appreciation and sharing, then occasionally teaching cooking in the later stages."

"Besides, Sister Huang Quan is graduating soon and seems to be very busy lately, so she doesn't have time to film videos at all."

Ran Mouri sighed, "I really want to eat the food that Sister Huang Quan makes."

Upon hearing this, Shinichi Kudo scoffed unhappily: "That stingy woman, last time she invited us out, I thought she would cook for us and show off her skills, but in the end it was Officer Hagiwara who cooked again."

Ran Mouri: "Isn't that great? It proves that Officer Hagiwara really loves Yomi-nee."

"But! Don't you want to try Sister Huang Quan's cooking? She has such high praise online!"

Upon hearing this, Ran Mouri gave a regretful look: "I do want to, but... every time I suggest trying her cooking, Sister Huangquan always looks troubled as if she has something she can't say."

At this point, the understanding Ran would always take the initiative to change the subject and stop talking about the food Hagiwara Yomi made.

Shinichi Kudo had also wondered if Yomi Hagiwara couldn't cook and if the videos online were fake. But after watching the videos repeatedly, he was certain that the person cooking was indeed Yomi.

After much thought, Shinichi Kudo could only come to one conclusion—Yomi must have been spoiled by Officer Hagiwara and didn't want to cook.

Furthermore, it's said that in the two years since they got married, Officer Hagiwara has never brought a lunchbox to work; he always eats in the cafeteria provided by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Shinichi Kudo once casually remarked to Kenji Hagiwara about this: "You should ask Yomi-nee to make you a bento box once in a while, otherwise you always seem so pitiful."

At that moment, Ran Mouri hurriedly called out to him, whispering that he couldn't possibly do such a thing. Kenji Hagiwara smiled helplessly, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't: "It's okay, the food in the cafeteria tastes pretty good too."

Before Shinichi Kudo could think any further, the morning news had already started broadcasting the next story: "The savior of the Japanese police, high school detective Shinichi Kudo..."

As the passing high school girls quickly gathered around the television, chattering about how handsome he was, and even recognizing Shinichi Kudo and glancing back at him from time to time, Shinichi Kudo's lips curled into a smug smile, which gradually became twisted.

"Bang!"

Ran Mouri clenched her fist and punched Shinichi Kudo, the punch grazing his hair and hitting a roadside utility pole.

"Alas!"

So his smug mood was completely extinguished by Ran Mouri's jealous and angry punch, and the surging excitement and pride in his chest even showed a tendency to turn into fear.

"Aha, ahahaha..." Shinichi Kudo chuckled dryly a few times: "Ran, you're still so amazing..."

Ran Mouri smiled warmly: "Don't forget Dorobiga Park this weekend!"

As she pulled her fist back, Ran Mouri couldn't help but think to herself, "Shinichi Kudo is such an idiot, just like Officer Matsuda—an hopelessly clueless straight man."

At Yomi's wedding, Ran Mouri and her friends had the good fortune to meet Kenji Hagiwara's childhood friend, another ace, Matsuda Jinpei, who was also named a tactical unit ace and is now serving as the commander of the Explosives Disposal Team 2.

Faced with Matsuda Jinpei's handsome face, which rivaled that of a movie star, it was hard for Suzuki Sonoko not to be smitten. She gripped Ran's hand tightly, whispering that she was going to ask Officer Matsuda for his phone number, drawing countless hearts from behind her. Half an hour later, Sonoko returned, looking utterly dejected, and burst into tears, hugging Ran and sobbing, "I'm so angry! That jerk!"

Ran Mouri asked Sonoko what she and Officer Matsuda had talked about, but every time the topic came up, Sonoko would bite her handkerchief indignantly: "That stinky straight man! How awful!"

Afterwards, during a few occasional encounters, Ran Mouri vaguely realized that there might be a reason why that handsome police officer was still single.

Thinking of this, Ran Mouri glanced at her childhood friend beside her, who was terrified by her smashing of the pillar and was trying her best to please her. She pursed her lips tightly.

Shinichi Kudo, you idiot.

Who talks incessantly about Sherlock Holmes on a date? It's the same old story over and over again; she's sick of hearing it.

Neither Ran Mouri nor Shinichi Kudo expected that this date would become a major turning point in their lives, a death game that Shinichi Kudo had to gamble with his life.

...

I groggily opened my eyes and saw my shrunken figure reflected in the black glass shop window on the street.

When Shinichi Kudo ran home, he encountered Professor Agasa next door. However, Ran Mouri, who had been waiting for him for a long time, rushed to Professor Agasa's house in the rain, anxiously asking, "Professor! Have you seen Shinichi?!"

When Ran Mouri asked him a question, the shrunken Shinichi Kudo made up a name on the spot: "My name is Conan Edogawa!"

Later, Ran Mouri took him to live in the Mouri Detective Agency, where he used Professor Agasa's inventions to help Kogoro Mouri become a famous detective.

Things have progressed to this point, and everything is proceeding steadily.

Unable to get any news from Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri paced anxiously around the room, unable to calm Professor Agasa's attempts to soothe her. After sitting down and standing up again for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Ran pulled out her phone: "I guess I'll have to ask Inspector Hagiwara for help!"

"Ahhh, wait a minute, Sister Xiaolan!"

Conan Edogawa panicked instantly, grabbing Ran Mouri's clothes and standing on tiptoe to try and reach for the phone in her hand: "Inspector Hagiwara is from the SMAT Squad, finding people isn't his responsibility!"

Ran Mouri raised her arm and looked down at Conan, who was looking anxious: "But if we ask Inspector Megure for help, I'll have to ask my dad for help."

At this point, Kogoro had only just begun to gain some fame in Tokyo, and Ran Mouri's contact with Inspector Megure wasn't as frequent as it would be in the future, so it wasn't appropriate for her to directly call and bother him.

"But the SWAT team doesn't go looking for people!"

“I know, but…” Ran Mouri frowned, her mind heavy with worry, “Shinichi has been missing for over a month. If it were Yomi-nee and Inspector Hagiwara, they would definitely be willing to help. Besides, Shinichi once said that Inspector Hagiwara and his team are exceptionally capable in solving cases, and they might be able to find Shinichi even faster than Inspector Megure and his team.”

Conan, who couldn't even touch Ran Mouri's elbow, wore a look of despair: "..."

It's precisely because they are so capable of handling cases that I don't want you to ask them for help.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. Kenji Hagiwara's deep, sweet voice came through the receiver: "Oh, it's Ran-chan. What's wrong? Are you in any trouble?"

Ran Mouri usually calls Huang Quan directly, so her initiative to call him this time suggests that she has encountered a situation where it is inconvenient to call the police but she needs their help.

"Officer Hagiwara, something terrible has happened! Shinichi...!"

Before Ran Mouri could finish speaking, Conan Edogawa, who was grabbing her clothes, screamed and let out a series of "ah" noises.

Ran Mouri instinctively covered her ears and frowned at Conan Edogawa: "Seriously, Conan, what are you doing? Excuse me, Officer Hagiwara, wait a moment, I'll go outside and talk to you."

After saying that, she pushed open the door and left, forcibly leaving Conan Edogawa, who was chasing after her and trying to follow her out, behind in the office.

Standing on a makeshift stand made of stacked books by the wide-open windowsill, Conan Edogawa peered out the window at his childhood friend who was making a phone call downstairs, tears welling up in his eyes.

When Ran Mouri returned to the office with her phone in hand, she relaxed her brows and looked relieved.

Undeterred, Conan Edogawa asked, "Ran-neechan, what did Inspector Hagiwara say?"

As Ran Mouri wiped the coffee table, which was covered in food crumbs, she hummed a cheerful tune: "He said he's coming now, and he'll bring his colleagues from the First Investigation Division with him. That's great, Conan. With Inspector Hagiwara and the others helping us, we're sure to find Shinichi this time."

In stark contrast to Ran Mouri's beaming joy, Conan Edogawa lay sprawled on the sofa like a dead fish, so desperate he wanted to die.

He remembered that Officer Hagiwara was not only a childhood friend of Officer Matsuda, but also a classmate of Officer Date Wataru, who was rising in the First Investigative Division.

Most critically, Conan Edogawa strongly suspects that Yomi's father is a mid-to-high-ranking official in the National Police Agency.

When Yomi married Inspector Hagiwara, the middle-aged man who was her father, holding her arm, wore large black sunglasses, and there were also some people who looked like plainclothes officers hiding at the scene. Most importantly, just a few days before Yomi's wedding, Shinichi Kudo's mother received a call from the Metropolitan Police Department requesting her to prepare a disguise, something disposable.

Aside from that wedding, Shinichi Kudo never saw Yomi's father again.

With a little judgment, he could immediately conclude that Sister Huangquan's father was an important figure with a sensitive identity.

Conan Edogawa felt a headache coming on just thinking about how to deal with Inspector Hagiwara's investigation in the coming days. Then there was the possibility that Yomi might drag her father into the mess, getting high-ranking police officials to help with the investigation…

Destroy him, he's tired.

Even at this moment, Conan Edogawa still failed to realize the seriousness of the situation. His mind was preoccupied with how to deal with the police investigation and, if things got out of hand, how to ask the police for help to keep it a secret.

It wasn't until an hour later, when Officer Hagiwara appeared at the Mouri Detective Agency with Officers Matsuda and Date, along with his wife Yomi Hagiwara, that Conan Edogawa truly realized the seriousness of the situation.

The doorbell rang, followed by Officer Hagiwara's voice: "Ran-chan, I've brought people over."

Ran Mouri quickly opened the door and busied herself pouring tea for everyone.

When Kenji Hagiwara entered with his hands in his pockets, he immediately noticed Conan Edogawa hiding behind the table. He grunted in response, his brows furrowing slightly.

But this wasn't enough to terrify Conan Edogawa; he simply hid behind the table, trying to avoid the officers' gaze.

Kenji Hagiwara spoke up: "This child is..."

Ran Mouri had already brewed hot tea and invited the police officers and Sister Huangquan to sit down: "It's a child who's staying at our house, named Conan Edogawa."

She looked at Conan hiding behind the table: "Strange, this kid isn't usually this shy. Conan, come and say hello to people."

Date Wataru smiled and took a sip of hot tea: "Jinpei, it must be because you're too terrifying."

Matsuda Jinpei, hands in his pockets and legs crossed, said, "Tch, class president, how dare you talk to me like that? Last time you scared a little girl in Beika Kindergarten to tears."

Ida Kou laughed heartily: "Hahaha, I can't help it, I do look a bit fierce."

As Conan Edogawa hesitated whether to continue pretending to be a shy elementary school student or go up to say hello, a sharp gaze suddenly fell upon him.

The scorching gaze was like two knives, scraping away at Conan Edogawa's delicate skin like fish scales. His eyes widened in a brief panic as he looked in the direction of the gaze, only to meet a pair of sky-blue almond eyes filled with murderous intent.

Conan Edogawa: "!!!"

A forgotten fragment of memory suddenly flashed before his eyes, startling him so much that his hands and feet went cold.

When he was still a middle school student, Huang Quan once asked him a question: "Do you know Conan Edogawa?"

At the time, he only thought the woman in front of him was acting strangely and didn't take it to heart at all.

What else did Sister Huangquan say at that time?

Damn it! Remember!

Conan Edogawa's pale face caught Ran Mouri's attention. She knelt down in front of him to check his temperature and asked if he was feeling unwell.

But Conan Edogawa did not answer.

He couldn't answer either.

At this moment, his thoughts, attention, and analytical judgment were all drawn away by Huang Quan.

I remember now!

But Conan Edogawa would rather he hadn't remembered.

At the time, Shinichi Kudo, who was still a junior high school student, asked Yomi Yorikawa why she was looking for "Conan Edogawa".

Her answer was: "Because a mysterious organization told me that Conan Edogawa would become a death catalyst, causing death wherever he goes, so he must be monitored in time."

"So Kudo, if you find anyone with the surname Edogawa, you must tell me."

What Conan Edogawa doesn't know is that Yomi Yorikawa, an employee of the Time and Space Administration, was once badly tricked by a seemingly innocent but actually violent child in the apocalypse.

Now that she's finally achieved her wish, how could she possibly allow anyone who might pose a threat to them to exist? Since she already knows from the administrator that "Edogawa Conan" is a "Death God Elementary School Student," even if she doesn't know what that means, it's best to keep him under control in advance.

Long-buried memories were unleashed, and Conan Edogawa swallowed hard, a few drops of cold sweat trickling down his back. Under Yomi Hagiwara's icy gaze, he slowly lowered his head, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Sister Huang Quan, your murderous gaze doesn't seem like you're just planning to keep an eye on things.

I have a feeling you're planning to find a secluded spot, trap me in a sack, and secretly settle things in a hole.

[Author's Note]

The scene where Yomi Raikawa asks Shinichi Kudo, "Do you know Conan Edogawa?" is a prime example.

Thank you all for your support, love you all!

Why is "易.容.面具" a censored word? I don't understand!

-