·114｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·114

Simply turning back the clock.

Ran Mouri sat in the far corner of the sofa and recounted in detail what happened on the day Shinichi Kudo disappeared.

There was no police report for this incident; it was only a verbal request. It wouldn't have mattered if Date Wataru had just given it a perfunctory answer, but instead, he took out a pen and paper and carefully wrote down everything that Mouri Ran had said.

Normally, Conan Edogawa would definitely praise the Metropolitan Police Department detectives for their serious and responsible handling of the case, but as one of the parties involved in the case, he just wanted to turn around and run away.

Across from Ran Mouri, Jinpei Matsuda crossed his arms and frowned occasionally, seemingly analyzing the case. Kenji Hagiwara, on the other hand, leaned lazily against the back of the sofa, but turned to glance at Conan every now and then.

As for Hagiwara Yomi, she had been staring intently at Edogawa Conan ever since, her thoughts practically written all over her face.

Matsuda Jinpei tapped his long fingers twice on the sofa armrest: "You mean... Shinichi Kudo might have seen something, and suddenly turned around, waved to you, and ran away?"

Ran Mouri rubbed her skirt, looking uneasy: "Well, I couldn't get through to him on the phone after that, and he didn't come home. I was worried, so I went to ask Professor Agasa, who lives next door to Shinichi."

Matsuda Jinpei turned his head and glanced sideways at Edogawa Conan: "Instead of finding Kudo Shinichi, you brought back this brat instead."

Kenji Hagiwara continued, "It's really strange. Shinichi knows you're worried about him, but he often calls Professor Agasa instead of you."

Ran Mouri immediately defended Shinichi Kudo, saying, "He did call me!"

Kenji Hagiwara: "Only twice so far?"

Ran Mouri paused, lowered her head, and mumbled, "Hmm..."

Kenji Hagiwara raised an eyebrow, glancing at Conan Edogawa in the corner, and said meaningfully, "This isn't like a normal high school boy's reaction when facing a girl he likes."

Ran Mouri immediately blushed: "N-no, she's not the girl I like!"

Conan Edogawa blushed for a moment, but his face quickly cooled down after he noticed Kenji Hagiwara's scrutinizing gaze.

Kenji Hagiwara didn't argue, but continued, "If it were me, I'd love to talk to Softie on the phone every day even if we couldn't meet."

"And..." Kenji Hagiwara turned to look at Wataru Date, who was sitting next to Ran Mouri, "Squad leader, when we were still in police academy, how often did you call Natalie?"

Date Wataru: "Hmm? I do it about once a week."

Kenji Hagiwara looked at Ran Mouri and shrugged: "Look, even in a place like the police academy where cell phones are strictly controlled, the class president still calls the person he likes once a week. Even if Shinichi is a high school student and might be immature when it comes to feelings, it's unreasonable that he's only contacted you twice in a month and a half."

Kenji Hagiwara rested his chin on his hand, frowning as he looked at Ran Mouri: "And he refused to give you his phone number. I think... he probably doesn't care about you at all. He's afraid you'll bother him, that's why he doesn't want to give you his phone number."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Conan Edogawa, who had been eavesdropping from the corner, suddenly raised his voice like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, not even giving Ran Mouri time to be sad: "You're talking nonsense! I... Shinichi-nii would never do such a thing!"

"Conan?" Ran Mouri was startled. "You can't shout like that."

Kenji Hagiwara glanced at Conan Edogawa, who was being held and nestled in Ran Mouri's lap, and continued with a smile, "What's the rush? I haven't finished yet."

Conan Edogawa's eyelids twitched, realizing he had fallen for a trap. He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with Kenji Hagiwara.

Kenji Hagiwara looked at Ran Mouri again: "There's another possibility that Shinichi doesn't want to call you."

Matsuda Jinhei said calmly, "That means he's in danger and can't answer your call, otherwise it might cause trouble."

Ran Mouri tensed up instantly: "What trouble!?"

Ida Ko put the pen and notebook back into his pocket: "We'll have to investigate this. Luckily, a few of us are off for the next two days, so we'll go and do it for you."

Jinpei Matsuda: "I remember there was a security camera at the entrance of Dorobiga Park, but the data from a month and a half ago should be gone."

Hagiwara Yomi, who had been silent until now, smiled and said, "But it's okay, I can provide most of the information you want."

Upon hearing this, the three elite police officers exchanged glances, revealing a knowing expression—the public security bureau was indeed formidable, especially since the other party was a high-ranking official in the police department.

Conan Edogawa felt his scalp tingle under Yomi Hagiwara's undisguised gaze. He jumped off Ran Mouri's lap and started pretending to be clueless: "Ran-neechan, I just remembered! I made an appointment with Professor Agasa to go to his place today to try out his newly developed toy. I'm off!"

"Hey? Conan, wait a minute..."

Ignoring Ran Mouri's shouts behind him, Conan Edogawa took off running towards a public phone booth a hundred meters away.

If it were Inspector Megure who came today, he might be able to figure out a way to get away with it. But if it's Hagiwara and his group, Conan Edogawa really doesn't have much confidence.

Using the voice changer to switch to Shinichi Kudo's voice, Conan Edogawa inserted a few coins into the phone and dialed the Mouri Detective Agency.

After the call was connected, Conan Edogawa tried to appear calm: "Ran, it's me."

Ran Mouri's voice trembled slightly as she called his name, a mixture of surprise and grievance in her tone: "Shinichi..."

"Ran-chan," Kenji Hagiwara's voice came through the receiver from afar, "Turn on speakerphone~"

"Okay," Ran Mouri paused for a moment, then continued, "Shinichi, where are you right now? I'm so worried about you, you know that!"

"I'm sorry, I'm currently tied up with a case and can't get away."

On the other end of the phone, Yomi Hagiwara's voice came through: "Shinichi, which city are you in right now?"

"Huh? This... because it's a bit dangerous, so..."

Driven by anger, Hagiwara Yomi didn't even consider the possibility that Conan and Shinichi were the same person. She spoke worriedly into the phone, "Shinichi, which city are you in right now? If it's a case, the police must be involved. If it's so dangerous that we can't reveal any information, it must be a major case requiring police intervention. I know a few friends who might be able to help you."

On the other end of the phone, Conan Edogawa grinned, revealing a look that said something was seriously wrong.

Oh no, Huang Quan's father is likely a high-ranking official in the police department. If he goes along with what Huang Quan said, his information will be thoroughly investigated within three days. When he calls back then, Ran Mouri will probably question him about why he lied to her when he wasn't cooperating with the police.

calm!

Calm down!

Conan Edogawa slowly exhaled: "Sister Yomi, I know you're worried about me, but don't worry, I'm fine now..."

Before Conan Edogawa could finish speaking, a shadow loomed over him from behind. Conan froze, staring at the vast shadow that never belonged to him, and fell silent.

Conan Edogawa slowly turned his head as if his neck were rusty. Behind him, Jinpei Matsuda, with a cigarette in his mouth, was raising an eyebrow at him with his hands in his pockets.

"Shinichi? Shinichi, are you listening, Shinichi?"

On the other end of the phone, Ran Mouri was still calling Shinichi Kudo's name, but Conan Edogawa's smile was stiff as he slowly hung up the phone.

"Aha, ahahaha..." Conan Edogawa scratched the back of his head and started laughing like an idiot. "Officer Matsuda, what are you doing here?"

Matsuda Jinpei just chuckled and snatched the voice changer with a bow tie from Conan's hand: "Kid, stop pretending, I saw it all."

He fiddled with the dial on the voice changer, trying to make a "hello" sound, his eyes lighting up: "A very interesting design, who gave you this?"

"This is a toy that Professor Agasa made for me."

Conan Edogawa tries to snatch the voice changer back from Jinpei Matsuda, but Jinpei Matsuda raises his hand instead.

"Officer Matsuda, please give it back to me!"

Matsuda Jinpei grabbed Edogawa Conan by the back of his collar and lifted him up: "Let's go, let's find a place to talk properly first."

Just ten minutes ago, Yomi Hagiwara posted what she knew about Conan Edogawa in the police academy's five-person group chat. Jinpei Matsuda already knew Conan's nickname "Death God Elementary School Student" and that he had been marked by the Time and Space Administration as "an important person affecting the operation of the world."

Matsuda Jinpei already found Edogawa Conan suspicious—the kid appeared on the very day Kudo Shinichi disappeared, the timing was too coincidental.

Moreover, after seeing the photo of herself and Shinichi Kudo from her middle school days that Huang Quan had stored on her phone, Matsuda Jinpei felt even more strongly that the two looked alike, almost as if they were made from the same mold.

While Matsuda Jinpei was looking down to send a message, Conan pulled up the crosshair on his tranquilizer watch and quietly aimed it at the back of Matsuda Jinpei's exposed neck.

"Oh, Edogawa, your watch looks really interesting." A hand suddenly appeared and pressed the watch cover, which was marked with a cross, back on.

Kenji Hagiwara appeared before Conan Edogawa with a smile: "Does it fire small steel balls from inside?"

Conan Edogawa was startled and immediately echoed Kenji Hagiwara's words: "Oh yeah, yeah, it can pop out little beads, isn't that amazing, hehe."

Kenji Hagiwara smiled subtly: "Yeah, that's pretty impressive."

Behind him, Hagiwara Yomi had a sullen face, and the look in her eyes as she looked at Edogawa Conan was hardly kind or friendly.

Conan Edogawa looked around and said, "Strange, where's Officer Date Wataru?"

"He stayed at the office. Let's see if Shinichi will call again later." It also helps prevent Ran from following them.

Kenji Hagiwara bent down and stared at Conan Edogawa, saying meaningfully, "Although I don't think Shinichi will have another chance to fight back, we still need to confirm it."

Conan Edogawa lowered his head, pretending not to understand.

"Edogawa," Matsuda Jinpei forcibly took Conan Edogawa to the Poirot Cafe downstairs from the Mouri Detective Agency, before Amuro Tooru started working there, "What's your relationship with Shinichi Kudo?"

Conan Edogawa sat in the innermost seat, cornered by Jinpei Matsuda beside him and Kenji Hagiwara opposite him. He sat upright with a harmless smile on his face, but his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He put on an innocent, childlike expression: "Shinichi-nii and I are relatives."

“You’re lying,” Yomi Lai Chuan exposed him without any politeness. “I asked Shinichi Kudo, and he told me more than once that none of his relatives have the surname Edogawa.”

Conan Edogawa: "Eek!"

He paused for two seconds, then added with a smile, "They're distant relatives."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan retorted again: "Impossible. I repeatedly confirmed with Shinichi, and even asked him to call his parents to ask about this. At the time, he told me with absolute certainty that even if you traced the family down to the eighteenth branch, you couldn't find a single family with the surname Edogawa."

Conan Edogawa: ...

Dry!

Isn't this a case of digging a hole for himself to jump into?

Conan Edogawa's face turned ashen, while the three people interrogating him had their own thoughts.

Matsuda Jinpei picked up his hot coffee and took a sip: "I'm more inclined to believe this kid is Shinichi Kudo. I just saw him using this thing—"

Matsuda Jinpei weighed the voice changer in his hand a couple of times and continued, "Call the agency in the voice of Shinichi Kudo."

Kenji Hagiwara rested his chin on his hand: "I agree with that statement. Moreover, the class president said that during the days when Shinichi Kudo disappeared, the police station in the area where Dorobiga Park is located sent a report that a child dressed in adult clothes and covered in dirt was found in the park, but the child had run away."

But Yomi Hagiwara wasn't buying it; her mind was filled with the image of Conan Edogawa pointing the scope from his watch at Jinpei Matsuda's neck.

She gritted her teeth, making a grinding sound: "This brat has been labeled a death knell elementary school student and a death catalyst; he must be kept under surveillance!"

It's as if if she continues to leave Conan Edogawa alone, the people she cares about will die one by one.

Kenji Hagiwara paused for a moment, then immediately understood what Yomi was afraid of. He took Yomi's hand and intertwined their fingers, then looked at Conan Edogawa again: "Are you planning to tell us yourself, or should we dig it up and come to you with the evidence? At that point, it won't be something we can handle in private. At least Ran-chan will definitely find out."

Matsuda Jinpei glanced at the kid sitting down beside him, who was hiding in his chest, and said indifferently, "Why waste words with him? Let's just have that guy retrieve the files for us. Get Edogawa Conan's file."

Hagiwara Yomi glared fiercely at Edogawa Conan, looking like she was about to drag him away and send him to the Ministry of Public Security for house arrest, along with a lifetime lunchbox as a bonus: "I'll hit him right now."

Seeing that things were about to be exposed, Conan Edogawa finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Wait a minute!!"

Professor Agasa is indeed very capable; he can even forge identity documents for him. But the most Professor Agasa can do is to get him into Beika Elementary School. If the police department were to investigate further, they would find that "Conan Edogawa" doesn't exist at all.

Conan Edogawa swallowed hard. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell anyone else, especially Ran."

Upon hearing Conan address Ran Mouri as "Ran," Kenji Hagiwara, who is always perceptive of changes in emotions, raised an eyebrow, already understanding.

Conan Edogawa first picked up his lemonade and took a sip before slowly recounting what had happened that day. He lowered his head and said that he was Shinichi Kudo, but had been shrunk by an unknown drug, and was prepared not to be trusted—just like Professor Agasa's reaction on the day he was shrunk.

The two police officers present merely raised their eyebrows, exclaiming with an air of having seen it all, and simply said, "Oh."

Conan Edogawa: "...?"

Just one "oh"?

That's it?

At least give me some other kind of reaction!

Conan Edogawa clutched his head in anguish: "You guys actually believe such a ridiculous thing?"

The two officers calmly sipped their coffee: "We've seen far more outrageous things; this is nothing."

Conan: ...?

Kenji Hagiwara: "Have you ever seen a human who can turn into a dog?"

Jinpei Matsuda: "Have you ever seen a human being who could ambush an entire police force on duty with just a roll of newspaper?"

Ha, you might not believe it, but we actually died four times over.

So-called rejuvenation is nothing.

[Author's Note]

I'm still recovering, and I need to have more blood tests this weekend. I was incredibly sleepy yesterday, so I didn't update. Oh well.

-