Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Today, only the two men remain in the family.

The next morning, when Shinichi Kudo woke up, he said to Masakazu, "Masakazu-nii, I had a dream."

"What dream?" Zheng Yi rubbed his still slightly drowsy eyes and asked cooperatively.

Shinichi Kudo said with a look of horror, "In my dream, a deity told me that he could make me handsome, but the price would be that my descendants would become ugly. He asked me if I was willing to do that?"

Zheng Yi yawned, stuffed an egg into his mouth, and asked, "What was your answer?"

If it were Zheng Yi, he definitely wouldn't agree.

He's already very handsome, so there's no need to sacrifice the looks of his offspring.

Shinichi Kudo said, "I said I was willing, and the god laughed and said he wasn't a god, but my ancestor."

Zheng Yi listened quietly.

"He said that since you also chose this option, he would feel no guilt, and then I woke up."

Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, it seems he really is your ancestor."

Shinichi Kudo's face darkened.

I don't think I'm ugly.

And my dad isn't ugly either!
It was just a dream.

Zheng Yi said, "I also had a dream."

"Oh?" Shinichi Kudo asked curiously, "What kind of dream?"

“I dreamt that Ran found out you were Conan, and then she took a knife and cut you into seven pieces,” Masakazu said.

Shinichi Kudo pursed his lips.

Why bring up this again?
He just wants to bury his head in the sand, drift along, and not think about the future.

Of course, he may not have a future either.

"Brother Zhengyi".

While the two were eating, Xiaolan's voice came from outside the door.

"I've come to pick up Conan," Ran called from outside the door.

Shinichi Kudo, who was leisurely drinking his milk, was so startled that he almost bit the cup to pieces.

He suddenly sprang up from his chair, his movements abrupt and swift, a stark contrast to his earlier dazed state.

He and Masakazu exchanged a glance. Masakazu pointed to the table, and Shinichi immediately understood and crawled inside.

Shoichi then pulled the tablecloth to completely block Shinichi from view.

Then Zheng Yi calmly swallowed the last bite of fried egg, took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and then went to open the door for Xiao Lan.

Outside the door, Ran Mouri stood there with a bag on her back and a bright smile.

"Good morning, Ran." Masakazu's tone was so natural that there wasn't a single flaw. "You're late, but Conan has already left."

"Huh? They went out?" Xiaolan was taken aback.

"Yes, he said he went to bed early last night and is in great spirits today. He went to Professor Agasa's house first thing this morning, saying he wanted to get some new toy from him." He was lying without batting an eye.
"Kids have so much energy! They ran off without even having breakfast."

"Oh...I see." Xiaolan nodded, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across the floor by the door.

There, a pair of blue sneakers belonging to Conan were neatly placed next to the shoe cabinet.

Xiaolan glanced at it briefly before looking away, pretending she hadn't seen anything and didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Zhengyi also noticed Xiaolan's gaze, but didn't even raise an eyebrow, pretending not to see it.

"By the way, Xiaolan, have you had breakfast?" Zhengyi suddenly asked. "If you haven't, would you like to come in and have something with us? There are sandwiches and hot milk in the kitchen."

Xiao Lan nodded slightly: "I haven't eaten yet. Okay, then I'll take my leave."

After saying that, she changed into slippers and walked into the house with an air of confidence.

Upon hearing this, Shinichi Kudo, who was hiding under the table, covered his forehead in frustration.

Zheng Yi Ge!
What are you thinking?!

Why did I let her in for breakfast? What if she finds out about me?
And Xiaolan was so natural; she didn't even realize that Zhengyi was just being polite.

Xiaolan sat down directly opposite at the dining table without any hesitation.

Her gaze slowly swept across the table.

There were not only two exquisite breakfasts laid out there, but also a pair of black-rimmed glasses on the corner of the table.

Not only that, there was also a half-finished bottle of milk placed opposite Zheng Yi.

Zhengyi saw it too.

Fortunately, Conan is a glutton, and even while hiding, he didn't forget to take away the unfinished sandwich.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get you a glass of milk."

He pulled Shinichi Kudo's milk to his own side and whispered, "I usually drink two glasses of milk."

"Hmm? Oh." Xiaolan nodded, seemingly without any other thoughts, and looked quite surprised when she heard Zhengyi's explanation.

After Zheng Yi came out with the milk and sandwiches, Xiao Lan politely said "thank you".

Xiaolan took a bite of her sandwich, then glanced down at the floor before silently looking away.

"Brother Zhengyi, your cooking skills are getting better and better," Xiaolan said softly.

"Hmm." He nodded absentmindedly.

For Shinichi Kudo, these were definitely the longest few minutes of his seventeen-year life.

The space under the dining table was already cramped, and now he was curled up inside, his legs pressed tightly against his chest, barely daring to breathe.

Just ahead were Xiaolan's white sneakers, no more than a dozen centimeters from the tip of his nose.

He could even smell it.

Shoichi seemed afraid that Shinichi Kudo might do something perverted, so he always sat sideways with his feet far from the table.

When is Xiaolan leaving?

Shinichi prayed frantically in his heart, hoping that Ran would eat quickly and leave soon.

Unfortunately, Xiaolan ate particularly slowly this time, chewing her sandwich very slowly and deliberately.

"Brother Zhengyi, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Ran and Seiichi chatted intermittently, and even though Tanikawa ate very quickly, he couldn't slow Ran down her eating pace.

Shinichi's palms were sweating with nervousness under the table.

He carefully adjusted his posture, trying to make his knees feel less uncomfortable, but accidentally bumped into a protrusion on the inside of the table leg.

"Well……"

He quickly bit his lower lip, swallowing back the cry of pain that was about to escape his lips.

Although the movement was extremely slight, Shinichi's heart almost stopped beating.

He quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Lan didn't seem to notice the commotion and was still chatting with Zheng Yi.

Time ticked by, and Shinichi Kudo felt like he was about to suffocate.

At the table, Xiaolan was quietly eating her breakfast.

Suddenly, there was a "thud".

Xiaolan's chopsticks slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

In that instant, Shinichi Kudo, hiding under the table, felt as if the blood in his body had frozen and his heart had jumped into his throat.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the falling chopstick.

Finished!

Xiao Lan is about to catch us red-handed!

Shinichi Kudo's body stiffened, and he almost stopped breathing.

"Oops, I accidentally dropped my chopsticks," Xiaolan said in a strange tone.

Zheng Yi, sipping his milk, shook his head at Xiao Lan's clumsy performance. It was obvious Xiao Lan had dropped the chopsticks on purpose.

What kind of chopsticks do you use to eat a sandwich?

Xiao Lan chuckled softly, turned her body slightly to the side, crossed her legs, and reached down along the outside of her thigh with one hand, precisely picking up the chopsticks on the ground with her fingertips.

Throughout the entire process, her back remained straight, her head never lowered, and her gaze remained level, never looking down.

Shinichi Kudo, who was under the table, didn't see Ran's head or hair hanging down.

When Ran sat up straight again and continued eating as if nothing had happened, Shinichi Kudo breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close, that was terrifying.

Just now, he almost thought that his life was about to end here.

Xiaolan acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to eat and occasionally talking to Tanikawa.

However, when she spoke, her feet liked to move around, which terrified Shinichi Kudo.

"I'm stuffed."

Finally, Ran wiped her mouth, and Shinichi Kudo, who was under the table, breathed a sigh of relief.

Is it finally time to leave?

Ran said, "Let Conan play at Professor Agasa's house. I'm going back now, and I'll go find him tonight."

When she speaks, her eyes always unconsciously glance downwards.

"Ai will be back soon, why don't you play with her for a while?" Masakazu said.

"Okay."

Seeing Zheng Yi's ambiguous smile, Xiao Lan nodded decisively.

Shinichi Kudo felt a chill run down his spine as he sat under the table.

Zheng Yi Ge!
Stop being so polite! Just let Xiaolan go!

Who knows when Ai will come back, and how long Ran will have to wait!
Shinichi Kudo felt he was about to lose control.

"Never mind."

Ran's voice came again, and Shinichi Kudo seemed to hear celestial music once more.

Ran smiled at Masahiro and said, "I have to go home and do housework. I'll come and play with Ai later."

"Ok."

Zheng Yi finally decided not to keep Xiao Lan this time.

The sound of a door closing and locking followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Shinichi Kudo, who had been curled up under the table for a full half hour, felt like all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

He was panting heavily, and he crawled out from under the dining table, using both his hands and feet to support himself on the floor.

As soon as he sat up straight, he slumped back into the chair, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and let out a long sigh of relief: "Phew... I'm alive again..."

He swore it was the most terrifying morning he had ever experienced in his life.

none of them!

Sitting opposite him, Zheng Yi looked at Shinichi's disheveled appearance after surviving the ordeal and shook his head helplessly: "Sigh, when will this constant hiding from Ran ever end?"

"I don't know either."

Shinichi suddenly said to Masakazu, "Masakazu-nii, why did you insist on having her stay for breakfast?! Ran's feet were just dangling in front of me, she almost noticed me!"

"I was just being polite." Zheng Yi shrugged and said innocently, "Who knew she would actually stay for breakfast? But Xiao Lan is still very nice to you; she came to pick you up without even having breakfast."

“Of course,” Shinichi Kudo said, raising his head.

Xiaolan is definitely good to him.

“Besides, it’s safe to hide under the table, what are you afraid of?” Zheng Yi said.

"Safety my foot!" Shinichi frantically ruffled his hair. "Didn't we almost get exposed just now?"

If Xiaolan picks up the chopsticks in a different way, he will definitely be discovered!
Brother Zhengyi, you don't want your house to become a haunted house, do you?

Zheng Yi said nonchalantly, "It's still too dangerous under the table. You should find another place to hide next time."

"There will be a next time?" Shinichi Kudo shook his head.

Once was enough of a fright; there's no way it could happen a second time.

The atmosphere had just eased a little as the two were talking.

Just then—

"Dong dong dong."

A crisp knock sounded on the door again, without warning.

Shinichi's previously relaxed nerves instantly tensed up to the extreme.

Zhengyi also looked in surprise towards the doorway.

Xiao Lan has returned? Did she leave something here?
Tanikawa looked at the spot where Ran had been sitting. He didn't see if Ran had lost anything, but when he saw Shinichi Kudo, he suddenly jumped up again, his eyes wide like saucers, staring in terror at the direction of the door.

"Not again?!" Shinichi covered his mouth, afraid that the sound would be heard.

He didn't have time to think; with a perfectly executed sliding tackle, he once again precisely slipped under the dining table.

Shinichi Kudo skillfully hugged his knees, shrinking himself into the smallest ball, then covered his mouth, not daring to even breathe.

Zheng Yi was stunned.

Did you become this proficient on the second try?

As expected of a high-IQ detective, he performed as if he had done it a thousand times on the second try.

After instructing Shinichi Kudo to hide well, Masakazu went to the door and opened it.

When Masaichi went to open the door, he saw Ai standing there and asked in surprise, "Didn't you bring your keys?"

"No, who do you think I am?"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "A very kind person who came to give me money."

Ai rolled her eyes. She was still carrying a shopping bag and said while changing her shoes, "Are you still dreaming? But it's still early today. You used to be dreaming at this time."

After changing her shoes, Ai said, "I actually ran into Ran, but I didn't say hello to her on the bus."

She's in this area, so it seems like she can only be looking for you, right? What does she want with you?

"They're not looking for me." Zheng Yi shook his head.

"Oh."

Ai didn't mind and went straight to the dining table: "I haven't had breakfast yet, did you leave me some food?"

Getting up early on a first day of the month has its advantages, as someone prepares breakfast.

Ai stood on tiptoe, preparing to reach for the plate on the table.

Because she was so short, her gaze caught a glimpse of a suspicious dark shadow under the table.

"Hmm?" Ai squinted her eyes suspiciously, bent down slightly, and reached out her little hand to lift the tablecloth.

Eyes facing each other.

Under the table, Shinichi Kudo was curled up in an extremely contorted position.

He breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw it was Ai.

I was terrified! Thank goodness it wasn't Xiaolan who came back.

Ai's movements froze in mid-air.

She blinked, and after confirming that she wasn't seeing things, she put the tablecloth down again.

Shinichi Kudo was taken aback.

He was just about to climb out when Haibara put the tablecloth down for him again.
Ai's expression quickly shifted from confusion to extreme shock. She turned and stared at Masakazu, demanding:
"Zhengyi! You've been hiding a man behind my back?!" (End of Chapter)