Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Just then, she remembered something important and walked back to the car: "Oh right! I almost forgot something important! Are you free the day after tomorrow? I'd like to invite you to an online friend gathering!"

"A gathering of online friends?"

"Okay! But it's already quite late, you guys should go home first. I'll call you again tomorrow to discuss this further."

After saying that, Sonoko gave the two of them a mysterious smile before waving goodbye.

A short while later, Ayako Suzuki opened the door for Sonoko: "You're back, Sonoko~"

"Sister? I thought it was Grandpa Butler who opened the door for me! Wait, you waited for me to come back, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"I can't hide anything from you, Sonoko~ Actually, it's still about that matter, Mom has been..."

"..."

……

Early next morning

Conan rode his skateboard to Professor Agasa's house and knocked on the door.

A moment later, Professor Agasa opened the door while yawning.

Upon seeing Conan, Professor Agasa whispered, "Please, Shinichi, I'm a married man now. You're up so early..."

"Doctor, I saw those guys yesterday!"

"Those guys?" Professor Agasa rubbed his eyes, looking like he hadn't woken up properly.

"It was the Black Organization member who fed me the drug!"

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Professor Agasa's drowsiness vanished instantly.

He pulled Conan into the house and slapped him hard on the shoulders: "Shinichi, didn't your parents just tell you a couple of days ago? You mustn't act impulsively! Every time you..."

After listening to the professor's lecture, Conan nodded: "Professor, you're right. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!! If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll see them again!"

Moreover, I've obtained some very important information this time!

"Important intelligence?"

"That's right! There's a man named Itakura Taku who's connected to this organization! He seems to be helping them develop something!"

Chapter 214 A teenage girl is actually a middle-aged man.

Upon hearing the name Conan mentioned, Professor Agasa stroked his beard: "Itakura Suguru? I feel like I've seen that name somewhere before..."

"Please, Doctor! Help me investigate!"

"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll call you once I find out. But it's still early, I'm going back to sleep now... Haha~"

"Okay...you must remember that, Doctor!"

Seeing that Professor Agasa's drowsiness was getting deeper and deeper, Conan had no choice but to say goodbye to the professor.

After leaving the yard, Conan looked back at Professor Agasa's house, his eyes filled with reluctance and loneliness.

Ever since the doctor and that aunt got together, the doctor's attitude towards him seems to have changed, and he comes here less and less often.

In the past, no matter what time I visited, the doctor would never turn me away.

But now…sigh! Things have changed, everything has changed. The doctor isn't the same doctor he used to be…

After letting out a silent sigh, Conan turned and walked to his "own home," his eyes filled with nostalgia.

Since she shrunk... Wait! Ai Haibara?!

Thinking of this, Conan immediately turned his gaze toward the Tatsuno family's house.

That child named Ai Haibara always says things that are profound for someone her age.

According to the professor, she seems to have been picked up by the Takeda family. Before she was reunited with her sister, she appeared to have been living at the Takeda family's house.

Could it be that she, like me, was shrunk by drugs administered by the Black Organization?

Thinking of this, Conan shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

Is it because I just saw Gin and the others? I'm actually starting to overthink things...

How could there be anyone else besides myself...?

No way……

Conan looked down at himself, and the self-mockery in his eyes gradually gave way to seriousness.

……

The next day

Inside a white luxury car.

Longye sat in the passenger seat, propping his head up with one arm, admiring the "white" scenery outside the window.

Winter is not over yet, and the once lush green mountains have been turned bright white by the snow.

Yesterday morning, Sonoko called, and during the hour-long phone call, she told Ran everything about the "online friend gathering".

For some reason, Sonoko has recently become very interested in magic. While searching for information about magic on her computer, she accidentally entered a chat room.

The people she met in the chat room were the online friends she referred to. These people were all magic enthusiasts, and they exchanged and shared information about magic online every day.

As people became more familiar with each other, someone proposed the interesting idea of ​​"offline gatherings".

The real reason that Sonoko agreed, and even went so far as to bring Tatsuno and Ran along to the gathering...

Among these magic enthusiasts was a man in his early twenties named Takuki Doi.

According to Yuanzi, this person speaks politely and humorously, is intelligent, and his excellent literary cultivation can be seen between the lines.

She believed that this person must be a handsome man who possessed both wealth and beauty!

After hearing this, Xiaolan immediately voiced her concerns. Since Sonoko had only communicated with that person online and hadn't seen his face, what if he…

After hearing Ran's words, Sonoko immediately expressed her dissatisfaction, saying that Ran was "a well-fed person who doesn't know the hunger of a starving person."

Ultimately, for Sonoko's safety, both Ran and Tatsuno accepted her invitation.

It's the weekend anyway, and staying home for too long can get boring.

Besides, Ran was a little worried about letting Sonoko go to a party with a group of strangers by herself.

As for Tatsuno, after hearing the name "Doi Takaki", he decided to accept Sonoko's invitation.

……

In the car

"Okay, everyone, please look over here! First, take out a plain white handkerchief, then a short red rope and a ring... Miss, could you please tie a knot in the very center of this rope for me?"

"Okay~"

"Next, please place the ring next to this red line..."

Watching Sonoko excitedly practicing magic tricks with Ran in the back seat, the old butler, who was driving, glanced at Tatsuno beside him and whispered, "Only when she's with you two does Miss show such a genuinely cheerful smile..."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Longye glanced at the old butler in surprise.

Noticing Ryūno's gaze, the old butler slowly said, "Whether it's Miss Ayako or Miss Sonoko, I watched them grow up with my own eyes. Although they seem to live a wealthy life that ordinary people would envy, they have lost the most important thing for a person—freedom."

"From childhood to adulthood, only when Miss Sonoko asked to come out with you would the master and the others agree without asking any questions. They are all pitiful people..."

Longye: "..."

Seeing the faint glimmer of tears in the old butler's eyes, Long Ye was stunned.

Hmm? That's not right?

Sonoko usually laughs a lot at school, even to the point of being a bit wild...

Could it be that all of this is a facade created by the garden? Is she actually quite desolate inside?

Thinking of this, Longye glanced at the rearview mirror.

At that moment, Sonoko, who had just successfully performed a magic trick for Ran, was laughing heartily and couldn't see anything amiss about the "pitiful" thing the old housekeeper was talking about.

After subtly withdrawing his gaze, Ryūno frowned. Could Sonoko have been hiding her true feelings so well? Had even he been fooled?

Soon after, a suspension bridge appeared before them, and on the other side of the bridge stood a three-story wooden cabin.

Since the suspension bridge was not wide enough for vehicles to pass, Longye and his two companions said goodbye to the old butler and got out of the car, preparing to proceed on foot.

After crossing the bridge, Ran suddenly remembered something and asked, "So, does that mean... your online friends know that Ryūno and I are coming?"

"Don't worry~ I've already told them, I'll be bringing my two girlfriends to the party~"

"Two girlfriends?!" Upon hearing this, both Ryūno and Rin stared wide-eyed at Sonoko.

Seeing their astonished looks, Sonoko slowly said, "We all interact using online aliases. In the group, I play the role of a womanizing 'uncle' in his thirties! Isn't that fun? Hahaha~~~"

After saying that, Sonoko burst into laughter to herself.

Seeing Sonoko's smiling face, Ryuno and Ran exchanged a glance and nodded with smiles.

Although neither of them spoke, they both understood what the other meant—"Sonoko's smile really does resemble that of a womanizing man in his thirties..."

After a burst of laughter and chatter, the group arrived at the wooden house.

"dong dong dong"

"Coming~"

A middle-aged man wearing an earth-toned knit sweater opened the door, glanced at Sonoko, and smiled, "You're the 'magician's apprentice,' right? We've all been waiting for you~"

"Huh? That's right... but how did you know?"

"Haha, anyone who just glances at your messages can tell that 'the magician's apprentice' is a girl disguised as a middle-aged man~"

"Eh?!!"

Chapter 215 The Sad Garden

Before Yuanzi could finish her surprise, several more people came out of the house.

"Yeah~ I often secretly chuckle to myself on the other side of the screen~"

"That's right~ We all noticed!"