After having lunch together, the relationship between the three of them became noticeably closer.
When they returned to the classroom, Sonoko was able to run to Nanami Hanyu without hesitation and talk to him loudly.
This scene made the other students present grit their teeth, their hearts filled with a variety of complex emotions.
The girls wondered to themselves, "Why is Sonoko able to chat so happily with Yuzuru? What exactly is their relationship?"
The boys, however, had different thoughts, all cursing inwardly: "Damn it! Another shortcut to success has disappeared."
After all, Sonoko Suzuki is the second daughter of the Suzuki Group. If one can latch onto her coattails, then one can live a carefree life for the rest of their days.
Everyone thought they had a geographical advantage and could get closer to the garden more easily, but they never expected that a ferocious shark would be lurking in the lake.
As Sonoko and Hanyu Nana grew closer, everyone could only sigh helplessly.
Xiaolan smiled with satisfaction when she saw that her best friend had finally realized her wish.
She thought to herself with secret pride, "As expected, Sonoko is a master of emotional manipulation! But I, Ran Mouri, am the real emotional mentor!"
With just a little manipulation, victory can be easily achieved.
"Xiaolan, why do I find your smile so strange?"
As soon as I returned to the garden, I saw Xiaolan sometimes looking down in thought, sometimes frowning, and then suddenly grinning like an idiot. I had no idea what she was laughing about.
"Huh?" Hearing Sonoko's voice, Ran snapped out of her daze, instinctively wiping her mouth and muttering, "It's nothing!"
After sitting down in the garden, Xiaolan cleared her throat and deliberately raised her voice, saying, "Garden, what do you think of the idea I just gave you? Have you thought about how you're going to repay me?"
Hearing Xiaolan's teasing, Yuanzi lowered her head shyly at first, but quickly raised her head again, putting on a pitiful look and saying, "Miss Xiaolan, I have no way to repay you, except to be your servant in my next life to repay your great kindness!"
"Pfft..." Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud at Sonoko's funny appearance. "What about this life? I can't wait until the next life, can I?"
“But I already have someone I love in this life, so why don’t you come with me, Ran?” Sonoko didn’t back down and launched a decisive counterattack.
"The garden!"
Sure enough, Ran couldn't resist first and pounced on Sonoko, starting a playful fight.
Yuzuru watched with great interest from behind; girls pulling each other's hair was the most entertaining spectacle.
Finally, it was Yuzuru who saw from the window that the teacher was about to go upstairs and called out softly, which stopped the two from playing around.
After tidying up her clothes, Xiaolan tapped Yuanzi's head with her pen again before the teacher arrived.
Not to be outdone, Sonoko immediately retaliated, but just as she turned around, the teacher walked in.
Under Ran's smug gaze, Sonoko was given a scolding.
...
In the afternoon, the school bell rang, a long and busy day of classes came to an end. But today, Shinichi Kudo did not come to class at all, and did not even ask for leave.
"Xiao Lan, Nan, I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow!" Yuanzi waved goodbye to the two of them lightly, then skipped and hopped into her luxurious van.
After watching Sonoko leave, Hanyu Nan moved aside and looked at Ran, who was looking down at her phone with a worried expression, and asked softly, "Are you worried about Kudo-kun?"
Ran seemed oblivious to Yuzuru's arrival until she heard his concerned question, at which point she jerked her head up as if waking from a dream.
With a worried look on his face, he said, "Yes, we haven't heard from Shinichi for a whole day. We can't get through on the phone, and there's no reply to his text messages. I'm a little worried that something has happened to him..."
"In that case, how about we go look for Kudo together? After all, we're all friends, how can we just stand by and watch such a pitiful girl worry all by herself?" Yuzuru suggested at the right moment.
Xiaolan was taken aback by his words, and looked up with a puzzled expression, blinking her big eyes as she asked, "Go find him?"
Yuzuru's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile, and he replied softly, "Yes, let's go find Kudo together. You two are childhood friends who grew up together, you definitely know better than me where he might go. I believe Kudo wouldn't want to see you so worried about him!"
In fact, Yuzuru had already made up his mind to rescue Ran. So as long as he had the opportunity to cause trouble for Shinichi Kudo, he would not hesitate to do so.
After all, only by turning Shinichi Kudo into Conan and finding a way to conceal his true identity from Ran can they successfully achieve their goal.
Because when a girl loses her support, she is often at her most vulnerable, which gives an opportunity to take advantage of her.
Otherwise, it would be too difficult to break up Shinichi Kudo and Ran, who have been childhood friends for so many years.
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Ran was clearly stunned, a hint of confusion and bewilderment in her eyes. She couldn't help but think to herself, "Yes, I can't just stand by and watch my best friend be sad... But what about Shinichi? That reasoning fanatic who's always engrossed in solving cases, in his heart, am I more important, or are those cases more important?"
However, Ran quickly put those chaotic thoughts aside and fell back into worry about Shinichi Kudo. Nevertheless, the seed had been planted, and with careful nurturing, it would eventually take root, sprout, and bear fruit.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Nan-kun. Let's go to Shinichi's place first and see if he's home, okay?" Ran asked softly.
"Okay, no problem, let's go now," Yuzuru replied.
At this moment, the sun was setting, its afterglow spilling across the streets and alleys of Beika Town, as if draping the entire town in an orange-red veil. The two walked side by side, their figures, one tall and one short, appearing exceptionally long in the fading sunlight.
If Shinichi Kudo were beside Ran at this moment, he would undoubtedly be enthusiastically chattering away, telling her his brilliant detective stories or discussing the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. But right now, strolling through the streets of Beika Town with Kusunoki Hanyu, though the two remained silent, Ran felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
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