Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

"Tsk, here we go again."

Sera Masumi sighed skillfully and casually tossed her tote bag onto the chair next to her.

She pulled a neatly folded light blue dress from her bag and, with fluid movements, stripped the adult clothes off Akai Mary, who was now dressed as a middle school student.

"Mom, raise your hand a little." Zhenchun's tone was flat.

She quickly put the little dress on Mary and even tidied her slightly messy golden curls.

On the other hand, Akemi Miyano's movements were equally smooth and almost painful to watch.

"Good boy, Shiho, let me change your clothes."

"Don't call me that." Ai pouted.

My older sister, I don't know where she picked up bad habits from, also uses the same tone she uses to coax a child.

Mingmei smiled and pinched her younger sister's chubby cheeks, skillfully fastening the buttons on her back, and finally tidying up her skirt.

Sera Masumi helped Mary, who had changed her clothes, to a chair and then pushed a glass of warm water from the table in front of her.

"Aren't we two a little too familiar with each other?" Sera Masumi said with a smile.

"He carries two sets of children's clothes with him, and the way he changed clothes just now was like he had rehearsed it a hundred times."

"There's nothing we can do; their health is always so unpredictable," Akemi shrugged.

If we're not always prepared, Ai might end up running around outside in adult clothes at any time.

After regaining her strength, Mary, now a middle school student, said to Sera Masumi, "Next time you buy clothes, remember to pick a nicer color. This light blue one is too childish."

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhenchun rolled her eyes and replied perfunctorily.

At your age, you should naturally wear some childish clothes.

Ai Haibara didn't have that idea.

Perhaps because they are used to being oppressed, they don't care much about the freedom to dress as they please.

The little thing about the transformation didn't end the dinner party for the four of them.

Because they were already used to it, they ate and drank as if nothing had happened.

Outside the restaurant's revolving door.

Sera Masumi and Miyano Akemi flanked the two little ones, preparing to walk quickly toward the black sedan parked by the roadside.

Just as Zhen Chun opened the car door, a vibrant voice rang out from behind:
"Ta-da! Zhen Chun, are you all finished eating?!"

Sera Masumi's steps suddenly faltered, and she almost tripped and fell into the car.

She turned around and saw Sonoko pulling Ran along, walking towards them with cheerful steps.

Her gaze swept over the four of them, her eyes filled with great confusion.

"Huh?" Sonoko scratched her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between Masumi and Ai.

"Wait a minute, where's your cousin?"

Zhen Chun remained as composed as ever: "My sister went home after she finished eating."

"Where's Auntie?"

“My mom drove my cousin home,” Zhenchun said.

She had no trouble finding a reason to lie; it wasn't her first time, she could come up with one on the spot.

"Oh...I see." Sonoko nodded, then took a half step closer, staring at Ai and Akai Mary next to her with a suspicious look.

"But shouldn't Ai and your sister be playing with Masakazu? Why are they here again? Isn't Masakazu here?" Sonoko asked again.

"Zhengyi went on a date with someone."

Ai crossed her arms and fabricated a rumor about Shoichi without any hesitation: "That guy went on a date, so he left me and my sister here."

Sonoko's lips twitched.

Is Zheng Yi really that unreliable?
"Who did Zhengyi go on a date with?" Sonoko asked curiously.

Ai said, "It's not Momiji, it's a woman I don't know."

Sonoko glanced at Sera Masumi.

Could it be Zhen Chun's cousin?
Zheng Yi played with your little one, and then took your older child on a date... This is just...

Yuanzi couldn't even think about it carefully.

Xiaolan stared at them for a while without saying a word, then suddenly pointed to the bag Mingmei was carrying and asked, "Are there clothes in there?"

"what?"

Akemi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "There are clothes, as well as towels, toilet paper, and things like that."

"Oh, okay." Xiaolan nodded.

"Alright, stop chatting." Masumi yanked open the car door, shoved Mary and Ai into the back seat, and then waved to Sonoko and Ran.

"We need to hurry back, or these two little ones will throw a tantrum."

"Bye-bye—" Sonoko waved enthusiastically.

Ran smiled and nodded, "Be careful on the road, Ai."

The black sedan slowly drove away from the restaurant entrance.

Inside the car, Mary Akai leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

Although the effects of the medication had mostly worn off, the discomfort of her body suddenly shrinking from an adult size back to the size of a middle school student still gave her a headache.

The child is really not feeling well.

"I hope I don't run into anyone I know when my body changes next time," Akai Mary said.

"It's hard to say," Masumi shook her head.

Mary Akai looked at her short legs and said helplessly, "I wonder when I'll be fully recovered."

"Why bother restoring it? It's fine as it is now," Sera Masumi said.

"What's so great about it?" Ai rolled her eyes.

Sera Masumi whispered, "No need to come during your period."

A brief silence fell over the car.

Sera Masumi blinked.

Is there anything wrong with what I said?
Getting smaller definitely means you don't have to get your period anymore; getting that thing is such a hassle.

No one in the car paid any attention to her.

Akemi drove quietly, and Ai and Mari Akai remained silent.

Sera Masumi scratched her nose.

What do you mean? Do you agree with me or not?
“Oh, right,” Sera Masumi suddenly broke the silence, “tomorrow’s the weekend, want to go to the amusement park together?”

“No.” Mary Akai and Ai Haibara refused in unison.

"Why?!" Zhenchun protested, dissatisfied. "It's rare that everyone has free time!"

“Because it’s too childish,” Mary said.

"Because there are too many people," Ai added.

Sera Masumi said with dissatisfaction, "Is it normal for people your age not to like amusement parks? It'll be exposed sooner or later."

Mary Akai remained silent.

She doesn't usually go out, so how could she have been exposed?

Ai didn't care.

Even if she were exposed, no one would come to arrest her, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Even if she were arrested, she would be treated to good food and drink, so she really didn't feel any sense of crisis.

Akemi Miyano thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "How about we go to the aquarium? Ai would probably like that."

Ai nodded: "Whatever."

Mary Akai also said she had no objection.

This made Sera Masumi even more dissatisfied.

hateful!

Why do you all oppose all the opinions I put forward, but agree with all the opinions Mingmei put forward?

……

"Ai went out late again, and she even called today to say she wasn't coming home. Koyo also has to go back to Kyoto, leaving me, an empty-nest old lady, all alone."

"Ran is always busy and rarely mentions Shinichi Kudo's name anymore. I feel like she's almost forgotten about me." Masakazu and Conan sighed.

As darkness fell outside the window, the lights came on in the family's living room.

Both of them acted like resentful women.

"Conan, we should go back!"

"Okay, okay, Ran-neechan, I'll be right there!" Conan jumped off the sofa.

Xiao Lan came to pick him up; it seems Xiao Lan still has feelings for him.

However, just as he took his third step, a familiar, sharp pain suddenly spread from the depths of his heart.

"Ugh..." Conan suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I...I have an upset stomach, I need to go to the toilet first."

Without waiting for Xiaolan's reaction, he rushed up to the second floor.

Masayuki glanced at Conan and said to Ran, "The toilet on the first floor is broken, so we'll have to go to the second floor."

"Oh, okay." Xiaolan nodded, looking towards the second floor with some worry.

After pouring water for Ran, Zheng Yi said, "I think there's no toilet paper left in the restroom. I'll go get some for Conan."

"it is good."

Zheng nodded slightly, gave Xiaolan a very perfunctory lie, and then went upstairs to his bedroom.

"Hey, Kudo," Masakazu called out in a low voice, locking the door behind him.

Conan was curled up in a ball on the bed, his whole body trembling violently, and his bones made a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound.

He hasn't successfully transformed yet.

Conan gritted his teeth and forced out a few words: "Ran...she..."

"Things are stable for now; they shouldn't suspect you," Zheng said without changing his expression.

Xiaolan didn't even say she wanted to come up and check, so she definitely doesn't suspect you.

"That's good then."

“Don’t worry.” Zheng Yi leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. “But could you give me a heads-up next time? This kind of ‘surprise’ is too sudden.”

"I didn't want to either..."

This is not something he can control.

Conan gritted his teeth, only to be overwhelmed by another surge of excruciating pain.

Just a dozen seconds later, accompanied by a strange sound of bones contracting, Conan Edogawa, who was originally seven years old, disappeared.

Instead, a seventeen-year-old boy named Shinichi Kudo took his place.

Shinichi was panting heavily, sweat soaking the stray hairs on his forehead.

He struggled to sit up, looked down at his long-unused body, and sighed helplessly, "I'm back again."

"How are you feeling?" Zheng Yi walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and casually took out a set of his casual clothes and threw them on the bed. "Change into these."

"it is good."

Shinichi stopped wasting time and quickly changed into Shoichi's shirt and trousers.

It's a little too big, but it's still better than being naked.

Zheng looked at him and said, "You have to compensate me with a piece of clothing and a bed."

"what?"

Shinichi looked at the bed and asked, "You don't want a bed that someone else has slept on? Are you that much of a germaphobe?"

Zheng Yi neither nodded nor shook his head.

Ai has slept with him so many times, and Shoichi has never complained.

I'm not a germaphobe, I just simply find you repulsive.

It's not good to say these things directly, as it might hurt Shinichi Kudo's feelings.

After getting dressed, Shinichi walked to the mirror and looked at the familiar high school detective in the mirror.

“So…” He turned around, looked at Zheng Yi, and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"How am I supposed to explain this to Ran? Conan can't show up now."

Shinichi Kudo scratched his head.

“Simple.” Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow and said matter-of-factly, “Just say you’re staying overnight.”

"Huh?" Shinichi was stunned. "This isn't right. I already said I was going back with Ran. After going to the bathroom, I didn't even see Ran before saying I was staying overnight. This isn't normal."

“What’s wrong with that?” Zheng Yi said slowly, “Just say you’re playing around and you’re in the bathroom hugging your game console and don’t want to come out.”

"What if Xiaolan comes up to me?"

"You're in the bathroom, how could she possibly force her way in?" Zheng Yi retorted.

"If she tries to force her way in, just use a voice changer to say that you're not wearing pants."

"But..." Shinichi was embarrassed.

How could he use such methods?
He still has some self-respect.

"No buts." Zheng Yi patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Do you have any other way? You can't just say you jumped out the window and ran away, can you? You don't have two reasons to run away."

Shinichi fell silent.

He knew Zheng Yi was right.

But it was still awkward.

Shoichi pushed open the bedroom door, locked Shinichi inside who was still staring blankly at the mirror, and went downstairs.

"Here's the situation," Zheng Yi said to Xiao Lan. "That kid has locked himself in the toilet and refuses to come out no matter what."

"why?"

Zheng Yi said, "He said he wanted to play games, but I confiscated his game console. Now he's hiding next to the toilet with my spare game console, protesting, and he won't come out no matter how I coax him."

So I thought, why not let him stay overnight tonight, so he doesn't get his legs numb from squatting in the toilet.

Xiaolan's eyelids twitched suddenly.

What a flimsy excuse.

Besides, Conan isn't the kind of kid who likes to play around.

Zheng nodded and said, "Kids will be kids, it's normal for them to throw tantrums. Don't worry, I'll take him back tomorrow morning."

Xiaolan was silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

"can."

Xiao Lan sighed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Zheng Yi to take care of him. Anyway, tomorrow is the weekend, so I'll come pick him up first thing tomorrow morning. I should be able to pick him up tomorrow, right?"

"No problem." Zheng Yi nodded with a smile.

Looking at Shoichi's smile, Ran felt that she still wouldn't see Conan tomorrow; instead, she would see some guy who kept disappearing.

"Goodnight, Zheng Yi," Xiao Lan said softly.

"Good night." Zheng Yi waved.

Xiao Lan left, and the door closed.

Shoichi returned to the bedroom and said to Shinichi Kudo, "Alright, Ran has already left."

Shinichi Kudo breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Ran didn't suspect anything, did she?"

"I had no doubts, I had no doubts at all."

"That's good." Shinichi Kudo nodded.

He asked curiously, "Why did Xiaolan suddenly ignore me today?"

"Maybe he's just stopped caring about you," Zheng Yi said casually.

Shinichi Kudo was hurt by this casual remark.

What do you mean by not caring about me anymore?

Shinichi Kudo said, "Ran is just a bit naive and trusts you a lot, Masakazu-nii."

It's not that they don't care about me. (End of Chapter)