The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 241 Home, Sweet Home (Last day of double monthly tickets!)

For Conan and Kogoro Mouri, the journey home was unusually peaceful.

Sitting in the car arranged by Heiji, Kogoro Mouri turned his head and looked out the window.

On the other side of the privacy glass is the exit of the harbor park, where the large iron gate, rusted by the sea breeze, is barely visible – “Mihana-cho Cargo Transport Port”.

The sky was somewhat gloomy, and the sea breeze made the clouds on the horizon hang low, but for some reason, Kogoro felt that the sky seemed to have suddenly calmed down.

He thought to himself that maybe it was just because he had just solved a case. In any case, he hadn't let the real culprit get away with it.

Soon, as the car left the somewhat remote road and headed towards the main road, even the very tall tower crane disappeared from sight.

The road was unusually quiet. Through the glass, Kogoro Mouri couldn't see a single car in front or behind him, and the opposite lane was also deserted.

It was as if their car was the only one driving around in the entire city.

Kogoro Mouri never considered himself a sentimental person—Ran always criticized him for being careless and even reckless at times.

But for some reason, Kogoro Mouri felt a strange heaviness in his heart. He turned his gaze from the window to the side beside him.

There was silence in the car.

On the seat next to me, a small figure was asleep, its body rising and falling gently with its steady breathing.

Conan is asleep.

For Conan, it was quite tiring for a child to rush between three "film sets" in three consecutive days.

"This kid..."

Kogoro Mouri sighed softly, tucked the blanket that was about to fall off Conan tighter, and then took out his phone from his pocket.

The screen lit up, and the red dot for unread messages immediately popped up.

It was those dozens of unread messages sent by Xiaolan.

Kogoro Mori clicked on each of them one by one, read them all, and then sighed.

He has a strange feeling that he can't quite explain, as if... he is no longer "the person he used to be".

Kogoro Mouri opened the communication interface, but when his gaze swept over Conan's quiet sleeping face, he hesitated for a few seconds, switched the interface to the messaging interface, and then began to compose a text message.

"Ran, Conan and I are on our way back to the agency. It'll probably take about two more hours. Don't worry, the case is solved..."

After editing, Kogoro Mouri hesitated for a moment. He deleted the last few sentences of the text message, then slid to the middle of the long paragraph he had typed and retyped it.

Then, he pressed the send button.

……

Meanwhile, at the other end of the office, Ran Mouri is heating up her meal.

The streets outside the office building were unusually quiet, as if the entire Beika Town was taking a break today.

The office was equally quiet, even somewhat empty because Ran Mouri had tidied up the living room thoroughly over the past few days.

The clutter on the sofa and desk was gone, the television screen was black, and there was a faint smell of dish soap in the air.

The wall clock ticked away in the corner. Ran Mouri stood in the kitchen, the dim orange light from the microwave casting her shadow on the cabinet door.

She probably spent those three days like this.

She habitually cooks extra food at lunchtime so that she only needs to reheat the food in the evening and doesn't have to go to the kitchen anymore.

Anyway—

Ran glanced at the empty dining table and thought to herself, "Anyway, Dad and Conan probably won't be back tonight."

Then, a familiar text message notification sounded, and Ran Mouri subconsciously looked at her phone on the table next to her. A familiar name lit up on the screen.

The text message that Kogoro Mouri sent to Ran was very long, even a bit verbose.

The note said that Conan had fallen asleep in the car, so he could only send a text message saying that they would be home in two hours and that he had solved another case that day...

As Ran Mouri slowly slid her finger across the screen, a weight was finally lifted from her heart.

As she watched, Ran Mouri began to wipe away tears. She had been very worried these past few days, especially after seeing the news on TV about the explosion at the abandoned pharmaceutical factory, which had given her several nightmares.

Because of Kogoro Mouri's impatient tone on the phone, Ran didn't dare to call her father too often—she was afraid of bothering him, and even more afraid of learning something she didn't want to know.

So she could only send messages over and over again.

But now, she saw a few words of apology that Kogoro had deliberately hidden in the middle of the text message, those words that looked a little awkward and stiff—and Ran Mouri couldn't hold back any longer.

A few tears fell, and Ran Mouri wiped her eyes while chuckling softly.

"What? Why would Dad do this?"

She stopped crying and started laughing, a long-lost smile returning to her lips. Then, she sniffed, as if suddenly remembering something, and ran to the microwave, turned off the machine that emitted a dim orange light, and took out the plate she had just put in.

"Okay!" Ran Mouri clenched her fists, encouraging herself. "I need to make a decent dinner before Dad and Conan get back!"

So she immediately took action.

With the hum of the range hood, the blue flame of the gas stove ignited. Vegetables were washed, chopped, and put into the pot. The spatula collided with the bottom of the pot, and soon, a wave of heat and aroma began to spread from the kitchen to every corner of the office.

Although there is still only one person in the office, the atmosphere seems to have become warmer, and there is gradually a sense of "human presence".

Ran Mouri stood in front of the stove, her apron swaying gently with her movements. The firelight and the setting sun outside the window reflected on her face, making her look calm yet resolute.

A feeling of warmth and happiness welled up in Ran Mouri's heart.

She even felt happier and more joyful than she had imagined, as if another version of herself was also happy about it.

And in this seemingly quiet and silent office, the long-lost "daily routine" finally slowly returned after the storm.

……

The car was parked downstairs at the office building at around 6:30 p.m.

Kogoro Mouri was the first to get off the train. The journey of more than an hour had left him looking somewhat tired.

Pushing open the car door, Kogoro Mouri stood by the roadside, habitually looking up at the sky.

It was as if a completely different world had suddenly appeared. The sky around the office was bathed in a gentle orange-red hue from the setting sun, and the long, slowly stretching cloud on the horizon looked exceptionally warm and inviting. The streets remained deserted, and the twilight light slanted across the street corners, making it resemble an old photograph.

For a fleeting moment, Kogoro Mouri felt a sense of disorientation, as if time had reversed.

This time, however, the streetlights at the intersection were not on. Instead, the lights on the second floor of the office were on, and the white light shining through the blue glass made it look as calm and serene as a tranquil sea.

For some reason, Kogoro Mouri felt a sense of relief, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly, especially after seeing the car that Inspector Megure had sent someone to drive back.

Kogoro Mouri turned around and looked into the carriage. He leaned over and patted Conan on the shoulder.

"Hey, Conan, wake up, we're home."

"Well……"

A muffled reply came from the back seat. Conan rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up from his seat, still sleepy-eyed, his little face showing a dazed look of not being fully conscious.

"Are you here already?"

"Of course we've arrived. You slept like a log the whole way—you've been sleeping the entire time."

For some reason, Kogoro Mouri now "dares" to pull off the blanket wrapped around Conan. In fact, he couldn't help but tap Conan on the head because of the dull journey.

Conan immediately snapped out of it.

He rolled his eyes, ignoring the half-finished sentence the bumbling detective had just uttered.

He jumped out of the car, stood next to Kogoro Mouri, thanked the driver who had taken them home, and then the two of them walked together toward the stairs.

"Shh-"

The moment the office door opened, a warm feeling, enveloped by the soft light and pleasant fragrance, immediately filled their hearts.

Conan and Kogoro Mouri instinctively paused, both showing surprise in their eyes—

In the living room, the coffee table was spotless, and the files that had been piled up haphazardly on the desk were now neatly arranged. The old blanket that was usually crumpled up was now carefully folded and placed on the back of the chair...

The sound of spatulas stirring came from the kitchen. The chandelier above the dining table had been turned on, and under the warm yellow light, Conan could even see wisps of steaming food aromas, spreading like a fine mist in the air.

"Dad, Conan, you're back!" Ran Mouri's voice came from the kitchen, filled with joy and excitement.

She came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cooked Mapo Tofu. The tender tofu pieces piled on the plate looked bright and tempting because of the red oil and chili.

Ran Mouri placed the plate on the dining table, then wiped her hands on her apron. She looked at the two people in the entryway and gave them a gentle smile.

"Come and eat!" she said apologetically, "but the vegetables might be a little cold."

Conan and Kogoro Mouri don't think so at all.

The adult and the child looked at each other, and as if they were about to compete, they rushed to the dining table.

—They were really hungry.

After three days of chaos, running around, and danger, this meal felt incredibly warm.

"Sister Xiaolan! Your cooking is so delicious!"

Conan, while struggling to put the tofu that looked like it would crumble at the slightest touch into his mouth, offered a heartfelt compliment.

Kogoro Mouri was even more unreserved; his attention was completely focused on the beef and potato dish on the table.

The thickening agent, made of sugar, soy sauce, and other seasonings, glistens under the light, while the onions, sautéed until translucent, add a complex and delicious flavor to the beef.

"Xiaolan! Come and eat too, don't just watch us!"

Kogoro Mori gave a perfunctory reply and, like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey, stuffed beef into his mouth.

Whether it's the subtle spiciness of tender tofu cubes bursting on the tongue, the rich meaty aroma of beef cubes fully stewed and soaked in sauce, or the refreshing sweetness that tastes even better with a hint of garlic after cooling down slightly...

"what--"

"Wow——"

The two, one big and one small, couldn't wait to stuff their mouths full. Their cheeks were bulging, like two hamsters with their crops stuffed full.

As a result, in Xiaolan's eyes, both of their faces became round, as if they were about to happily melt into their seats.

Ran Mouri smiled gently, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and turned her head to ask the two tentatively, "Should I make some more?"

"Mmm!" Conan and Kogoro Mouri immediately nodded repeatedly.

And so, the meal took an unusually long time.

The miso soup was added several times, and even Conan ate three bowls of rice. All the dishes on the table were completely devoured.

Towards the end of dinner, Conan and Kogoro Mouri almost simultaneously let out a burp, then leaned back and stretched.

For Conan, it was a rare occasion that he detached his thoughts from the "case" and the "pointer"—

He had eaten too much, and the feeling of fullness in his stomach made him so happy that he didn't want to think about anything.

Kogoro Mouri, standing to the side, was even more exaggerated. He even showed a pained expression on his face, but still tried to reach for the last bit of vegetable leaves in the dish.

"It was just a tiny bit more..."

Beside them, Xiaolan, who had been busy for a long time, could finally eat. Her plate was piled high with a little of each dish.

Conan and Kogoro Mouri had specifically agreed to save some for Ran during their recent "food-grabbing battle," and Ran had just heated them up in the microwave.

Seeing how difficult it was for Kogoro Mouri to even get up, Ran couldn't help but laugh. She immediately moved the plate of vegetables a little further away.

"Dad! You can't eat anymore! You'll ruin your stomach!"

"hateful……"

A sense of despair appeared in Kogoro's eyes as the green vegetables disappeared into the distance. He roared inwardly, "Just a little bit more!"

"I'll just eat one leaf—"

Right in front of Kogoro Mouri, Ran picked up the last leaf and put it into her own bowl.

"If it's not okay, then it's not okay, Dad. You've already eaten too much..."

(End of this chapter)