Chapter 7 The first day of school, the painful loss of the king's hometown...
Sweep away hunger and be yourself again.
"Sigurui—!" The girl with black hair and black eyes scooped up a spoonful of curry and stuffed it into her mouth. While busy stuffing rice into her mouth, she gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed indistinctly, "Sister Xiaolan, your cooking is so—amazing!"
"If I were ten years older, I would definitely marry you!"
Zhuge Tongzhi, who had come to dinner as invited, wiped his mouth and sincerely praised the beautiful woman in front of him who was smiling gently. He showed no signs of having been squatting on the ground with a splitting headache just ten minutes earlier.
The glib-tongued brat, Conan, sitting to the side with a bowl in hand, revealed his half-moon eyes.
"Haha, then you should eat more, Kiri-chan." Her cheeks flushed from the straightforward praise, Ran Mouri touched her face and pushed the golden, crispy fried pork cutlet on the table towards the girl's bowl.
"Mmm! I'm going to stuff my stomach full of the food that Sister Xiaolan made!" The girl, whose mouth was smeared with curry sauce, immediately picked up a big mouthful of fried pork chopsticks. The sight of her eating rice made those watching her eat even more hungry.
At the otherwise harmonious dinner table, the owner of the detective agency was absent; Kogoro Mouri had been invited out that evening and was not at home.
Despite having just experienced a murder case, the three of them quickly recovered and made the most of the curry pork chop rice.
The small dining table was quickly emptied. Zhuge Tongzhi helped the only woman in the house carry the plates to the sink, where Conan dragged over a small stool and stood on it, putting on his special rubber gloves for washing dishes.
Because of the unexpected incident, the girl arrived at the Mori family's house empty-handed. As she handed over the plate, she looked up at the elementary school student who had turned on the tap, the culprit, and then suddenly turned to Ran Mori in front of the refrigerator and asked her a question.
"Hey, Sister Xiaolan, do you have a boyfriend?"
She suddenly brought up the question with a mischievous glint in her eye, glancing at Conan who had suddenly straightened up. A slight smile played on her lips as she jogged over and shook Ran's arm, sweetly asking, "Well—really? Really?"
"Ah... well..."
Ran Mouri swayed gently from side to side with the child's touch. The image of her childhood friend, whom she hadn't attended class in a long time, appeared in her mind. But the thought of her boyfriend reminded her of that person, and the girl's cheeks flushed slightly. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh—I see—then Lan-neechan, will you be my girlfriend!"
Zhuge Tongzhi didn't need to turn around to know that Conan's expression would be absolutely priceless, but she had already blamed him for the mall incident—hehe, serves you right for blocking my food-hunting journey.
Your sweetheart is fine
The next second mine
Hey! Don't mess with Lan!
Conan looked at Zhuge Tongzhi, whom he had invited home but who was now repaying kindness with enmity, and slowly gritted his teeth. However, given his current status as a primary school student, he had no right to go and separate the two of them.
The boy glanced at the girl who was still pestering Ran Mouri to acknowledge her as his girlfriend, and suddenly turned on the faucet in front of him completely.
A sudden gush of water struck the plate below, splashing rapidly along the tilted plate, and Conan, who was closest, was immediately covered in water.
"Oh no!"
"Ah, Conan!"
Noticing the accident, Ran Mouri immediately bypassed Zhuge Tongzhi and hurriedly came over to help the elementary school student, who was now soaked to the bone, turn off the tap. "How could you be so careless?"
"Hey, how could you be so careless?" Zhuge Tongzhi stood behind Ran Mouri, gave a half-moon look to a certain elementary school student who knew better than to do something wrong, and made a face.
"Sorry, Ran-neechan." Conan lifted his face, looked away from the sulking Zhuge Tongzhi, and let Ran Mouri wrap her wet head in a soft towel and rub it.
Soft black hair fell across the child's face after he took off his glasses, slightly damp and clinging to the corners of his tender eyes, which the girl gently wiped away.
After removing his glasses and smoothing his hair, a completely unmasked face was revealed. However... the boy looked so familiar that Ran Mouri's hand, which was rubbing the boy's head, slowed down even more. The girl's blue-purple eyes narrowed slightly as she began to scrutinize the boy in front of her.
"Haha, my clothes are all wet, I'm going to take a shower now!"
Realizing something was amiss, Conan quickly broke free from Ran Mouri's grasp, put his glasses on, and leaped into his room.
"I'll go get the clothes now."
"Hmm—? Okay." Ran Mouri narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched the child quickly grab his clothes and dart into the bathroom. She suppressed the faint sense of familiarity that welled up inside her and went over to hang the towel outside the bathroom door.
"I left your towel outside."
She turned her head and saw the elementary school student standing on the small stool in front of the sink, already rolling up her sleeves to wash the dishes. She quickly went up to the girl and waved, "Tori-chan, just put it there."
How can you expect guests to wash the dishes when they come to your home for a meal?
"It's okay, Ran-neechan, I've finished washing them." Zhuge Tongzhi turned on the tap to rinse off the last bit of foam, stacked the last bowl together, jumped nimbly off the small stool, and looked up at Ran Mouri with a smile.
"I'm so sorry, I was planning to go to the supermarket to buy some gifts before visiting. I've been very rude tonight."
"It's alright, Kiri-chan." Ran Mouri crouched down, looking at the polite girl in front of her. She thought of what Conan had said that afternoon about this girl who had lost her parents and lived alone, and a feeling of pity welled up in her heart.
The high school girl, who always treated the world with kindness and gentleness, smiled, raised her hand to stroke the child's hair, looked at her with gentle eyes, and invited, "Come over for a meal more often when you have time, okay?"
“It’s dangerous for a child to cook alone.” Ran Mouri, who grew up buying groceries and cooking because her parents were separated, is now advising her instead.
The girl smiled and bent down to hug the girl who was now living alone in Tokyo. "I still have many dishes I want you to try."
Zhuge Tongzhi, who had only been in the other world for two days and one night, was stunned by this gentle embrace.
The girl, who was all alone, paused for a moment, hesitated for a moment, then raised her arms and gently hugged Ran Mouri back. After a moment of stiffness, she finally followed her heart and buried her head in the girl's hair, which smelled of shampoo.
I had already comforted myself last night and decided to treat this period of time as a trip.
but...
She suddenly felt a little sore in her eyes.
"Um!"
Zhuge Tongzhi rubbed his slightly sore eyes, quickly lifted his head from Ran Mouri's embrace, and gave the girl who was looking at him with concern a bright smile.
"I will definitely come to visit often!"
She solemnly agreed, glanced at Conan who was still fiddling with things in the bathroom, and then said goodbye to Ran Mouri, "I have to go back now, Ran-neechan."
Her school uniform, transfer notice, and other documents are all at home. Tomorrow will be her first day back in elementary school as a grown woman.
Decisively leaving behind too much sadness, Zhuge Tongzhi only wanted to offer a civilized gesture to the life that was right in front of him.
Damn it, I have to go to work at 7 am.
After some persuasion, Ran Mouri, convinced by the girl's reasons, led Zhuge Tongzhi downstairs. They agreed that Ran would call her when they got home. Ran then stood under the sign for the Mouri Detective Agency and watched the girl run away.
…
"Hey! Has Zhuge left?"
Conan, dressed in pajamas, stuffed his dirty clothes into the laundry basket with a bewildered look on his face. None of his questions had been answered yet.
"Yeah, but you should see each other again soon." Ran Mouri went into her room to get her toiletries, stopped in front of the bathroom door, and turned to look at the little tail following behind her. "She transferred to Teitan Elementary School."
"Alright, Conan, have you finished your homework?" Ran Mouri shooed the shocked-looking child away to tidy up his belongings and slammed the bathroom door shut.
Conan, who is actually a high school student, has already finished all his elementary school homework. The fake elementary school student pulls out a desk and chair, sits down, props his head up, and watches the lights of Beika Town gradually go out outside the window, slowly recalling the strange girl who suddenly appeared in his life.
From the other party's bizarre skill points, mature and sensible behavior, calm thinking, to the cold and oppressive demeanor that contrasts so sharply with their warm exterior tonight, everything swirls in the great detective's mind.
Although every suspicious point seemed to be explained by the other party's childhood experiences, various speculations still emerged, and in the end, due to a lack of clues, the matter was scattered.
Conan sighed, pulled out his schoolbag to check tomorrow's textbooks, then jumped off the table to start laying out blankets for him and Ran Mouri.
The short child squeezed his face to the side, his arms wrapped around two large pillows, as he barely managed to crawl out of the closet. Turning his head, he saw the school ID card on the table and suddenly remembered it.
It is known that the only class at Teitan Elementary School that is not yet full is his own Class 1-B, so he and Ai Haibara transferred to the school around the same time and are still in the same class.
So, what are the chances that Zhuge Tongzhi, who will be officially transferring schools tomorrow, will end up in another class?
Conan: "..."
Just as Sister Xiaolan said, they will see each other again soon.
Having been stood up twice, the great detective clenched his fist inwardly, his blue eyes suddenly igniting with fighting spirit and a thirst for knowledge.
He must ask the question tomorrow.
...
The next morning
Teitan Elementary School, in front of the teacher's podium in Class 1-B
Overnight, Zhuge Tongzhi's hairstyle changed drastically. With a short, frizzy head that looked like it had been chewed by a dog, he ignored Conan's stare and stepped forward, introduced to the class of little rascals by their homeroom teacher, Wakasa Rumi. He introduced himself loudly to the class of little rascals.
"Hello everyone, I'm Zhuge Tongzhi." The girl with messy hair, wearing the Teitan Elementary School uniform and carrying a matching flap backpack, smiled warmly and generously. "My hobbies are eating, sleeping, and playing with beans. I hope to become friends with everyone. Please take care of me!"
"Conan," Ayumi whispered, leaning closer to Conan, "who is DouDou?"
Why do people like playing with beans?
"I don't know either..." Conan's lips twitched, knowing that Zhuge Tongzhi was probably just giving a perfunctory self-introduction. "Let's ask him again at noon."
He pushed up his glasses and glanced at Ai Haibara's reaction beside him.
The girl with short brown hair glanced at her new classmate's strange hairstyle, then uninterestedly propped her cheek up and started flipping through a medical magazine, her icy blue eyes lowered with a hint of boredom.
"It seems he's at least not a member of the Black Organization," Conan thought, turning his gaze away.
Rumi Wakasa, who was at the front of the classroom, had already helped the transfer student, whose self-introduction was too brief, by adding information about her background, and the introduction came to an end.
Amidst the applause of the little rascals, Zhuge Tongzhi bowed, calmly walked to the empty seat prepared by the homeroom teacher, and sat down.
The girl took her backpack off her shoulder, looked around, then located the Junior Detective Club's position. A confident smile crept onto her lips.
Very good, it's far from Conan, far from the Detective Boys—far from the main storyline!
Haha, she could easily accumulate enough progress to go home by sticking to the daily route.
Heavens above, after today, she can finally say goodbye to robbery, poisoning, locked-room murder, terrorist attacks, and especially those eight eggs!
More importantly, the location of this seat made Zhuge Tongzhi's smile widen even more. This was a good seat—the back row by the window, the hometown of the king.
Ah, as expected of her.
Facing the gentle breeze outside the window, Zhuge Tongzhi tilted his head and rested his chin on his hand, basking in the tranquility of his daily life as he wandered through the streets and alleys of Tokyo, sketching and capturing moments.
There's no need to worry about living expenses; a monthly deposit will be made into my bank account, and with some saving, it's enough for a normal life.
With no known guardian, he lives a carefree life on his own, and can take a spontaneous trip in his spare time.
It would be amazing to be able to get close to Ran Mouri, such a gentle, kind, and incredibly strong beautiful older sister!
Even in Beika Town.
Life can be beautiful.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Zhuge."
Rumi Wakasa suddenly called out to the girl who was tidying up her desk and stuffing textbooks into her drawer, her eyes behind her glasses curving with a troubled expression.
Zhuge Tongzhi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"I forgot to arrange this table; you should move forward a bit because you're taller."
The considerate homeroom teacher stepped forward, picked up her schoolbag with both hands, glanced around the classroom, and finally fixed her gaze on Conan, who was sitting in the center of the classroom. She walked straight to a strangely empty seat behind the boy.
"You can sit here; it'll be easier for you to see the blackboard."
"Hey! There weren't any empty seats there just now." Zhuge Tongzhi, unwilling to admit she was too short to see, widened her eyes slightly and instinctively tried to refuse.
However, the homeroom teacher pushed up his glasses, looked at the pulled-out chair with a puzzled expression, and then belatedly realized why the seat was empty.
"But this bench is broken, so we'll have to change the chair later." Rumi Wakasa put her schoolbag on the table very close to Conan, and it seemed that changing seats was a done deal.
"Ah, no need to trouble you, teacher, I!" Zhuge Tongzhi reached out his hand to persuade him to stay, wanting to try and persuade him.
"I'll help Zhuge move his books!"
A voice interrupted her.
Yoshida Ayumi had already run over cheering and picked up the textbooks from the girl's desk. With her big eyes looking at Zhuge Tongzhi, she smiled sincerely and said, "Great, now we can sit very close to each other."
"Ayumi, let's move it."
The ever-gentlemanly Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya walked over with Genta Kojima and took the stack of books from his friend's arms. Genta Kojima then lifted a chair from the table, and the two boys grinned and enthusiastically exchanged names with Kirito Zhuge.
The girl blankly exchanged names with them.
"Hey, come quick."
With her hands free, Yoshida Ayumi happily took Zhuge Tongzhi's hand and led the girl, who was still holding out Erkang's hand, toward Conan.
But Zhuge Tongzhi was filled with despair and resistance. His short, spiky hair seemed to have withered, and his shadow moved forward like a ghost being dragged behind him.
"No need to be so reluctant," Conan said, revealing his crescent-shaped eyes, and placed the notebooks for each subject that he had just given to the girl next to Zhuge Tongzhi's schoolbag.
And what's wrong with her hair? His gaze lingered on the uneven, seemingly messed-up ends of the girl's hair at the back of her head, which looked like it had been styled perfectly yesterday.
Ai Haibara closed her magazine, turned her head with interest, and watched the group of little kids who were already enthusiastically helping their new friend with a touch of morning laziness in her icy blue eyes.
Before long, her schoolbag, her textbooks, her chair, and even herself, all stood listlessly in front of the new desk and chair.
The new classmates around her are Ai Haibara, Passerby A1, Conan, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Passerby A2, and Genta.
Zhuge Tongzhi, forced to infiltrate the main characters' group: ...
Tonic—Ah—
The girl, her heart breaking, braced herself on the table with both hands, her pupils dilating violently as she looked down. The most important foundation of all her beautiful dreams had collapsed.
But fate was cruel; before she could even catch her breath, Rumi Wakasa, who had just left, returned with the phone in hand.
"Arno, Zhuge, come to my office during your lunch break."
The responsible homeroom teacher covered the receiver of the phone with his hand and showed the call screen to the new student whose smile seemed somewhat forced.
Zhuge Tongzhi suddenly felt a little resentful that he could understand Japanese after downloading the language pack.
The call screen is very simple, with the following text displayed.
Midorikawa Hikaru
During the call
"Your guardian has returned to China and will be coming over around noon."
Zhuge Tongzhi: ...
I'm tired. Tomorrow I'll start working at the brewery and fly a helicopter to strafe Tokyo Tower.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Wow!! They signed a contract!!!
Thank you all for your company and support! (shy)
I will keep working hard!
…
Arrive at the back window
Zhuge Tongzhi confidently declared: It's not that I don't love the great detective, it's just that I refuse to do parkour where I'm constantly escaping death. (Wry smile)
After being changed seats
Zhuge Tongzhi: You're no good, Edogawa
Conan: Hey!
…
Please leave lots of comments! (Giving Conan a heart emoji again.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
