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

Chapter 245 Two Hearts Finally Able to Understand Each Other (A Heartwarming Daily Life)
The classroom was bathed in the morning sunlight, and the cherry blossom branches outside the window swayed gently in the breeze, with petals falling and scattering on the grass of the playground.

Rumi Wakasa is the assistant homeroom teacher of Class B, Grade 1 at Teitan Elementary School.

She stood on the podium, wearing a simple gray suit, her chestnut hair swaying as she raised her hand to gently tap the blackboard with her pointer.

"Three times three equals nine".

Her voice was clear and steady, carrying a soothing power, like a morning breeze brushing across a lake.

The children, who were originally quite lively, immediately sat quietly in their seats.

Their voices were clear and crisp, just as they had been two months ago, or long ago, responding to her.

"Three times three equals nine!"

However, Conan was completely unaffected by this.

Whether it was the teacher's voice or the children reciting the multiplication table, these voices seemed to come from another world.

He propped up his textbook to cover his face and leaned slightly on the desk.

Conan still feels a bit tired, but his mood has calmed down a lot.

He is now filled with determination—he has already begun to think about what he should do after school today.

However, a small commotion soon broke out in the classroom because Kobayashi Sumiko, the homeroom teacher, knocked on the classroom door.

A child followed behind her, wearing a burgundy coat and carrying a red backpack.

The children's reading voices paused for a moment, and then the classroom door was opened.

A cheer immediately erupted in the classroom.

……

As the alarm clock rang, the curtains in the second-floor room of the firm were drawn back.

The sky was a muted hue between blue and gray, with only the grayish-white reflected from the clouds penetrating the bedroom.

Kogoro Mouri turned his head and saw Conan. When he blinked, the look in Conan's eyes was definitely not the dazed look of someone who had just woken up.

There was not a trace of passion in those eyes.

For Conan, he had a nightmare last night. It was an exceptionally terrifying nightmare that lasted all night. Even though he couldn't remember the details of the dream at all, a sense of panic still lingered in his mind.

"Conan, you had a nightmare!"

Kogoro Mouri was startled. He muttered to himself that although he had also had a bad dream, he got out of bed wearing his gray pajamas.

“I told you I shouldn’t have taken you to that harbor… You should learn your lesson now, kid, don’t jump on every bandwagon.”

Conan responded to Kogoro with a listless look in his eyes. He didn't even say a word, but simply sat up silently and put on his socks.

This gloomy mood accumulated repeatedly in the small bedroom until it overwhelmed Kogoro Mouri's mind, causing him to get up and walk to the bedroom door in frustration.

He is usually the last one to get up.

Turning the lock and opening the door, the hum of the range hood coming from the kitchen, that everyday atmosphere, finally eased this feeling somewhat.

Conan and Kogoro's brows relaxed slightly without them noticing.

"Dad, Conan—"

Ran Mouri's voice came from the kitchen, with the light and cheerful tone typical of a high school girl, and the last syllable rising slightly.

"Today's breakfast is an omelet!"

Following the sound came the smell.

Whether it's the smell of soy sauce or pancakes, these comforting aromas can instantly downgrade those bad moods.

"I'll be right there after I brush my teeth," Kogoro Mouri yawned, then slowly walked out of the room.

Conan forced a smile, swallowed hard, and forced himself to act like a child: "Oh my gosh! I'm coming!"

Then he began to change into his children's suit, but his expression paused when he saw the watch lying next to his pillow—

He stared at the dial, somewhat relieved that it only had three hands; the watch now looked sinister and cold.

Conan didn't know why he was doing this, and he kept trying to convince himself otherwise.

"Maybe I really should go to school."

"Uncle Maori is right, maybe I really should go to school."

An irresistible emotion compelled Conan to tiptoe and place the watch on the cabinet, putting it away in a high place.

Then there's that bright red, bow-tie-shaped voice changer.

This time he hesitated. He glanced cautiously at the bedroom door, and heard the sound of Kogoro Mouri washing up coming from the bathroom.

He turned the knob to number 67 and then turned the volume down to the minimum.

After hesitating for a moment, Conan brought the voice changer to his lips:

"Xiaolan..."

A faint voice, like a cry for help, came from Conan's mouth.

The image of him transforming back into Shinichi Kudo that day flashed through his mind, along with that unbelievable excitement.

Then he remembered the scene of himself turning back in the car, and the despair he felt when he had to go to the children's clothing store to choose a children's suit—it was because of that delay that they missed the abandoned pharmaceutical factory.

Although Heiji Hattori repeatedly insisted that the explosion at the pharmaceutical factory had nothing to do with it, Conan couldn't help but think so.

He lowered his head, the familiar blue suit that filled him with a sense of despair was tightly wrapped around his body, pressing down on his shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Conan put the ribbon he had taken off back on his chest—he thought, "I should keep this."

"Fortunately... I have found the starting point to turn back."

Conan looked at the two beer cans that had rolled under the sofa outside the door, and a glimmer of hope finally appeared in his eyes.

He tried to recall which shops in the vicinity might have that kind of liquor.

"I'll see if I can buy a bottle of baijiu after school tonight."

……

Ran Mouri felt that her father and Conan had been acting strangely ever since they came back yesterday.

First of all, Dad actually got up earlier than Conan.

Then, Ran Mouri's gaze fell on Conan, or rather, on his empty wrist, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes—was Conan not wearing his watch today?
This detail made her a little uneasy—because the watch had almost become a part of Conan, and Ran rarely even saw him take it off.

But the most crucial element is the atmosphere.

Conan's expression today wasn't exactly strange, it was just... very "quiet," a quietness that was impossible to ignore.

A look of distress and dejection flashed across Ran Mouri's face.

She used her fork to poke the rolled-up egg roll in front of her that she had made herself, but found that it wouldn't move on its own or respond to her efforts—just like she had just made it.

Ran Mouri has tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.

But it seems everyone is immersed in their own world, and the only response they get is a perfunctory "uh-huh" sound.

"It must be because of yesterday's case."

Ran Mouri comforted herself with this thought. She remembered her father writing in a text message that many people had died. With that in mind, she tried to make her smile even gentler.

"How about we take a day off today and go—"

"no need!"

Kogoro Mouri and Conan shouted at the same time.

The atmosphere froze for a moment, and then they noticed the slightly aggrieved look on Xiaolan's face.

"Ah! I mean... sometimes continuing to work can actually make you feel better."

Kogoro Mouri immediately explained, turning to Conan, "Right, Conan?"

Conan nodded vigorously, "Yeah! Ran-neechan, I haven't seen Ayumi and the others in ages!"

Breakfast ended hastily in this almost "performance-like" exchange, and the two of them quickly finished what was on their plates.

Thus begins a new day.

Conan originally planned to go to school on his skateboard as usual, but he only remembered that he had left his skateboard with Professor Agasa when he opened the shoe cabinet.

“That’s alright,” he thought. “It just gives me an excuse to go to Professor Agasa’s house and ask about the pointer and the situation with the baijiu.”

He changed his shoes, stood in the entryway, his hand already on the doorknob, ready to leave.

"Conan, that day you and—" Seeing Conan about to leave, Kogoro Mouri hesitated for a moment. He was about to ask Conan about some details of the days when Heiji was there, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Wait, Conan!" Ran's voice came from inside the house. "I'll take you to school today!"

Conan paused for a moment, then nodded.

A voice whispered in his heart:
Even just hearing her voice would be enough.

……

On the way to Teitan Elementary School.

"Conan, don't go to such dangerous places every day!"

"Uh-huh!"

"You remember I said Shinichi was a detective, right?" Ran looked up at the sky. "He's been like this for a very, very long time—"

The girl deliberately emphasized the words "for a long time".

"Shinichi hasn't shown up at school for so long!"

Her tone carried a hint of confusion and resentment, "Sometimes he wouldn't even answer the phone... He would just say, 'I have a case to deal with.'"

"Actually, I've gotten used to it..."

Conan's head drooped lower and lower because of Ran's complaints; every word she said hit his heart like a heavy blow.

"But..." A turning point came as the complaint ended.

"Sister Ran..." Conan couldn't help but speak.

Ran Mouri was interrupted as she stopped and turned to look at Conan, who seemed somewhat sullen.

"Huh? What's wrong, Conan?"

"nothing……"

Conan wanted to say something, but what could he possibly say?

Ran Mouri's words are undoubtedly true!
He has now put her and her family in danger!

The school gate of Teitan Elementary School is approaching, and Ran Mouri can already see the familiar school gate in the distance.

The familiar gate stood quietly, and she could even hear the innocent noises coming from the campus—just like the campus she remembered walking side by side with Shinichi Kudo.

She glanced down at the schoolbag she was carrying, her eyes shining slightly.

"But actually, I also really like Shinichi, who's a mystery fanatic."

He looked at her with surprise, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile.

“Conan, you’re actually quite similar to that deduction fanatic,” she said. “Is it because Shinichi talks about Sherlock Holmes in front of you all the time?”

"That clueless idiot, all he knows is Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes..."

Her voice dipped for a moment, then picked itself up again.

"However, since Shinichi really enjoys solving cases..."

Ran Mouri opened her schoolbag, her gaze lingering for a moment on that hidden compartment—

"The Sign of Four," that's what it said on the black spine of the book. She knew it was Shinichi's favorite.

Xiaolan's gaze swept past the book she had planned to read that day and landed on the one lying next to her pencil case—

There was a hat there, Sherlock Holmes' hat, and a silver watch.

She smiled gently, and Conan felt that the smile seemed to carry a faint...heartbreak and sorrow.

But her voice sounded positive.

“Conan,” she said softly, “do you think if I became someone like Watson, could I… run to Shinichi’s side?”

Conan has never wanted to turn back into Shinichi Kudo so much—he just wants to drink a whole bottle of baijiu right now.

Conan felt a tightness in his throat. He tried to lower his head and make his voice sound as cheerful as ever.

"If it were Ran-neechan, even if she didn't become 'Watson,' I think Shinichi-nii would—"

Before he could finish speaking, Conan felt himself being slapped with a hat.

He recognized it at a glance, just by the shadow cast on the ground above his head. It was the hat he had mentioned before, the one that belonged to Sherlock Holmes.

That happened a long time ago, during the Mika branch bombing, and Xiaolan hasn't forgotten it.

Then, Ran Mouri squatted down, gently pinched Conan's nose, and casually straightened his slightly crooked bow tie.

"I never thought Conan would forget something!"

Ran Mouri finally noticed the difference between Shinichi and Conan when they were young. Shinichi never forgets anything—of course, but he still gets late because of all sorts of cases.

Ran recalled some of the things Shinichi had said to her in the past, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She then encouraged Conan:

"If you want to become a detective, being forgetful is not a good habit!"

She stood up, and Conan saw her reach out her hand to him.

In the outstretched palm lay a silver children's watch.

Those light blue eyes now hold only boundless tolerance; nothing else remains but tolerance.

He heard her say that—

"Study hard in school, my little detective."

Ran Mouri's next words made Conan unable to contain his emotions any longer.

Conan's voice was choked with sobs. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Since this morning, he had been feeling a deep sadness and sorrow that he couldn't express.

And now, the little detective can finally cry.

"Sister Xiaolan," his voice choked with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes, "I really like her..."

Conan's cries dispelled the dangerous dark clouds that hovered over the city, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, casting a soft golden glow on Ran's hair.

"I know you've been waiting for this hat for a long time, Conan."

Ran was flustered by Conan's sudden crying. She gave an apologetic smile and even felt a little guilty.

She hugged Conan and apologized to him.

“I originally planned to surprise you with it during your camping trip,” she tried to explain somewhat flusteredly. “The treasure for the detective game… was that you ran off to Daddy’s place…”

But Conan was still just crying softly. It wasn't the fuss of a child who didn't want to go to school; it was more like an emotion that had been suppressed for too long was finally being released.

His crying made Ran Mouri even more flustered.

"Don't be like that, Conan." She gently patted Conan's back, comforting the boy. "Be strong. A detective doesn't cry easily!"

"Like your Shinichi brother... um, I don't think I've ever seen him cry!"

"Mmm!" Conan wiped his tears with his sleeve and replied, sobbing, "I understand, Ran-neechan."

"That's how it should be!" Ran Mouri flashed an energetic smile, gave Conan a fist pump to encourage him, and said, "Nothing can defeat Detective Conan!"

Now the watch face doesn't look scary at all, and Conan wears it tightly on his wrist.

Then, he took Ran Mouri's hand, led her to the school gate, and waved goodbye to her as usual.

Just as he was about to run into the school, he turned around and shouted—

"Sister Xiaolan!"

Ran Mouri turns around.

"It's okay if you hate Shinichi, who became a detective!"

Holding the bag containing detective novels, Ran Mouri paused for a moment, then smiled.

Xiao Lan inexplicably felt a great sense of relief.

Now, their two hearts can finally understand and connect with each other.

……

In the void, the pale sun shone even brighter, as if it had made some kind of decision.

That sorrowful radiance received some solace, and even willingly basked in a warm golden glow.

—Now, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

(End of this chapter)