Chapter 10

"Senior Hoshikawa?"

Xingchuan Heming had an innocent expression of complete confusion on his face, but his tone was full of amusement. He squatted down, looked curiously at Conan who was upset because of his outspokenness, and asked patiently in a gentle tone:

"Hey little friend, do you know me? Why did you call me like that just now?"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki's attitude was very gentle and friendly, and his blue eyes were full of encouragement for the shy child, but Conan, who was being gazed at by him tenderly, just wanted to cry.

Inside Conan's small body, Kudo Shinichi was pounding the ground and wailing, "Oh no...oh no! I accidentally called him by his old name. Is it too late to fix it now? Damn it, how could I have called him by the wrong name due to carelessness? Senior Hoshikawa's reasoning ability is not weak at all. If he suspects my identity, I may not be able to hide it."

Hoshikawa Kazuaki looked at Conan who was so scared that even his hair stood up, and suddenly remembered the happy past when the young Kudo Shinichi had proudly identified him as the murderer in the dungeon mission, and then watched the show leisurely with his arms folded, while he was caught on the spot by Officer Nishimoto.

So Xingchuan and Ming's smiles became more friendly, and they even turned around and said to Xiaolan:

"Mori, whose child is this? I just suddenly realized that this child looks very familiar. Maybe his parents are people I know. By the way, Maori, do you think he looks familiar?"

Hearing such a breathtakingly intimate speech, Conan was so frightened that he forgot to hide his feelings.

He rushed to Ran Mouri in one step, waving his arms vigorously in an attempt to divert Ran Mouri's attention and prevent her from really thinking along the lines of what Xingchuan and Ming said. At the same time, he pointed at Xingchuan and Ming and shouted:

"Sister Xiaolan, this is the person! Brother Shinichi told me that this person's name is Senior Hoshikawa, and he is a very good manga artist."

Seeing Kudo Shinichi, who used to like to act cool, now has to rely on acting cute to hide himself, in this scene that should have been filled with emotion, Hoshikawa and Ming suddenly felt like laughing.

So he actually laughed, and when Conan looked over nervously, he curled his lips in triumph and said in a very surprised tone:

"I never thought that Kudo, who is so proud and arrogant, would think I'm amazing. It seems that he actually admires me privately, right?"

Conan's expression was frozen with shock. He wanted to speak out in retort but had to hold it back. His childish face was instantly twisted into a ball.

He never imagined that there would come a day when the culprit who caused his reputation to suffer such persecution would be himself!

Seeing Conan's expression suddenly become constipated, Xingchuan and Ming were in a good mood, so they stopped while they were ahead, and their expressions became gentle again. They seriously corrected Conan:

"But little brother, my name is Hoshikawa Kazuaki, and 'senpai' is just a respectful title, not a name. When you meet classmates who are older than you, you must also call them 'senpai'."

"Yes! I remember it!"

Conan answered loudly, pretending to be happy, but in his heart he was saying how dangerous it was.

Although I already knew that Senior Hoshikawa had a strong observation ability, I didn't expect it to be so strong. Today, I almost gave myself away, but luckily I reacted quickly.

However, the result is obviously good, why do I still feel so aggrieved?

Hoshikawa Kazuaki looked at Conan's gloomy face, who was obviously holding his breath, and felt refreshed. Even his own depressed mood of being assassinated just after waking up was relieved a lot, and the smile on his face became more gentle and friendly.

Mao Lilan also introduced Conan's origin to Xingchuan and Ming at this time, and bowed to apologize for the child's outspokenness. Xingchuan and Ming had to stand up again and apologized for their previous presumptuous questioning. This made Conan curious, so he took advantage of his status as a child and asked Mao Lilan directly:

"Well, what question did Brother Xingchuan ask just now that requires me to apologize to Sister Xiaolan?"

"It's nothing, actually. Senior Hoshikawa just asked me why Shinichi didn't come to see me." After answering Conan, Ran Maoli looked at Hoshikawa Kazuaki and explained, "Maybe Senior Hoshikawa doesn't know that the day after Senior Hoshikawa took a leave of absence due to illness, Shinichi also took a leave of absence and has not returned to class until now."

Conan couldn't sit still when he heard that Hoshikawa Kazuaki had mentioned him to Xiaolan. Although he knew rationally that this was probably just a classmate he knew who was concerned about his situation, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

Just now he was almost exposed by the sharp-sighted senior in front of him, and now he found out that the other party had even asked him about it. This inevitably made Conan feel that he would be caught at any time.

Moreover, the timing of his visit was indeed a bit of a coincidence. Was it an acquaintance who mentioned him during a casual chat, or was he deliberately asking Xiaolan about his whereabouts? What was Senior Xingchuan doing here? Could he really be here for him?

Conan hurried to see Hoshikawa and Ming's reactions.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Xingchuan Heming abnormally did not show any reaction at this time, but in fact, huge waves were already rising in his heart.

What a coincidence, what a coincidence!

I had just fallen ill the day before, and Kudo Shinichi asked for leave the next day. Doesn't this mean that my sudden illness and Kudo Shinichi's encounter with the Black Organization and his shrinking actually happened on the same day?

How could it be such a coincidence!

However, my illness was personally diagnosed by several doctors, and now I have indeed begun to recover after treatment and recuperation. It doesn't seem like anyone is deliberately targeting me.

So, is this another comic book thing? Is he deliberately making himself sick to get into trouble with the plot?

In short, no matter what, it all has something to do with Conan in front of me, who has a smiling face but a bad heart.

So, I still dislike him the moment I see him.

"Hey, Brother Hoshikawa, you came to the office today. Do you want to entrust a case?" Conan asked in time, bringing Hoshikawa and Ming back to their senses.

Although he knew that the brat was trying to divert his attention and get him to talk, since the topic was brought up, Hoshikawa Kazuaki still answered seriously:

"Well, we do need to ask Detective Maori to help investigate some things."

Several people turned their eyes to the apparent protagonist of the topic, Kogoro Mouri, but saw that Mouri was already holding a beer can with a dazed look in his eyes, and it looked like he was about to fall asleep.

The scene suddenly fell into a strange awkwardness.

Hoshikawa and Ming took a step back and began to think whether they should just end the visit and investigate the matter themselves. Maori Ran finally couldn't stand it anymore and shouted "Dad, be serious!" while punching Maori Kogoro on the head.

Seeing that scene, Xingchuan and Ming were shocked. They felt their foreheads throbbing with pain and their feet quietly took a step back away from Mao Li Ran.

"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts..."

Maori Kogoro suddenly woke up while holding the big bump on his forehead. Maori Ran, with her hands on her waist, looked unhappy and asked threateningly:

"Dad, a customer has come to ask for help. Shouldn't you correct your attitude and ask Senior Xingchuan what trouble he has encountered?"

After another round of chaos, a few people finally sat down again.

At this time, Hoshikawa Kazuaki was holding the hot cup of tea brought by Conan, looking at Maori Kogoro opposite him, who looked like a shrewd and capable detective, completely different from the sloppy drunkard just now.

He couldn't help but feel an unprecedented admiration for Mao Lilan who was sitting next to him.

After sighing, Xingchuan and Ming thought that the current situation would definitely be included in the manga by the forum, so he sorted out his thoughts a little, put down his teacup, sat up straight, and finally said seriously:

"That's right. I made the bold decision to come this time because I wanted to ask Detective Maori to help me investigate an attempted murder case and find out the identity of the murderer hiding in the dark and the evidence of his attempted murder."

"Attempted murder!?" Several people on the opposite side exclaimed at the same time.

Maori Kogoro was sobered up by now, and he finally showed some of his former elite detective demeanor when he became serious. With his suddenly sharp eyes, he really had the reliable temperament of a famous detective.

"Mr. Xingchuan, please tell me in detail how you knew that someone had attempted murder, and why you needed to investigate privately?"

Facing Maori Kogoro's question, Xingchuan Heming immediately recalled the despair and helplessness he felt when he just woke up. In order to perform better and mobilize the enthusiasm of the detectives, he chose to let his emotions change, and immediately a strong look of despair and fear appeared on his face.

Recalling the terrifying feeling of death, Xingchuan Heming unconsciously clenched his sleeves with his hands, his chest felt stuffy, and his breathing became rapid. He was completely trapped in fear and unable to escape. His sea-blue pupils were dilated with fear, and his throat felt uncomfortable as if it was strangled. As his lips moved up and down, the words he had originally intended to say were suddenly stuck in his throat.

At this moment, a cup of hot tea was suddenly stuffed into their hands. Xingchuan and Ming were stunned for a moment before they reacted. In the blink of an eye, their hands had become so cold that they were slightly stiff, and their palms were full of cold sweat.

Saved!

He turned his stiff neck and looked sideways at Conan who had just handed him a cup of hot tea. He saw that the other's deep blue eyes were full of worry about him, and his originally childish smile now revealed a soothing taste.

Conan's hands were small, and the warmth from the teacup still remained on his tiny fingers as he pressed down on the backs of Xingchuan and Ming's hands.

However, feeling the pure kindness from Conan, Xingchuan and Ming suddenly remembered the afternoon sunshine that always brings warmth in every cold winter.

He looked away as if he was suddenly burned by such a gaze, and his fingers trembled. The words he had prepared suddenly got tangled in his mind, and now only a mess remained.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Xingchuan and Ming relieved the sudden inexplicable sour feeling in their hearts, and at the same time comforted themselves in their hearts:

This is just a result of letting my emotions run wild, it's nothing serious. The forum readers won't notice it, and the detectives in front of me probably won't mind it either.

But in reality, Conan's face, which was distorted and pale because of his own fear, and the face that was full of kind comfort just now, the two faces kept flashing alternately in Xingchuan Heming's mind, making him upset and confused, and unable to concentrate at all.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Mao Lilan's angelic voice rescued Xingchuan and Ming from their chaotic thoughts.

"Senior Xingchuan, please relax. No matter what trouble you encounter, we will do our best to help you solve it. So please don't be nervous. You can drink some water first and talk slowly."

Miraculously, in such a caring voice, Xingchuan Heming's emotions were soothed immediately. He was deeply moved and thought, Xiaolan is indeed the angel of the Detective world. No wonder even a thousand-faced witch like Bermode fell under her charm. She is much better than a detective who can mess up other people's thoughts right away.

Xingchuan and Mingli ignored their emotional changes and picked up the script in the blink of an eye.

The corners of his mouth were depressed, the muscles on his face were tense, and the slightly narrow ends of his eyes added a bit of momentum to his serious eyes.

"Regarding this matter, the reason why I investigated it privately is naturally because I don't want the person hiding in the dark to actually commit the crime of murder. And the reason why I know the reason why the other party attempted murder..."

Xingchuan and Ming looked at everyone, sighed helplessly, and then said:

"That's because, of course, the person who was almost killed by the other side was me!"

The author has something to say:

In this chapter, I focused on describing the emotional changes. When you read it, can you feel Xingchuan's desire for the bright side of human nature and his escapist mentality of not believing that he can touch the light?

Or do you have any other opinions or suggestions?

Also, thank you all for your support!