Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

"Oh?! Mom, but..."

"I won't show up until I have a conclusion. If they are not the right candidates, we must leave here as soon as possible."

After hearing her mother's answer, Sera Masumi remained silent for a long time.

She could understand why her mother was anxious; that organization had indeed been making quite a few moves lately.

While in England, they kept changing residences in order to avoid that organization.

It is understood that although the organization has 'activities' all over the world, its activities in Japan have always been the most numerous.

Although there is no concrete evidence to prove it, the organization's 'headquarters' is very likely located here.

They came to dangerous Japan from relatively safe England in order to obtain the 'antidote' and to find trustworthy 'helpers'.

After all, although her mother was a member of MI6, she could not openly use MI6's power now that she had been shrunk.

Moreover, her mother was already on that organization's 'list,' and if they were discovered...

As for her mother's statement about "calling the two of them over," it wasn't simply about calling the two of them over to sit down.

Her mother meant that she should reveal a little bit of the information to the two of them so that she could observe their reactions.

But to be honest, she doesn't know what the real meaning is behind her mother's words about "a promising candidate".

After thinking for a long time, Sera Masumi nodded. "I understand."

……

three days later

Early morning, at Longye's home.

Ryūno was slightly taken aback when he saw the text message from Sera Masumi.

The text message was simple: Sera Masumi invited him and Conan to her place for lunch today.

After putting down his phone, Longye looked out the window with a slight frown.

Sera Masumi has a very straightforward personality, which can be seen from this text message.

The text message was surprisingly concise and contained no polite formalities.

If the same text message came from Sonoko, Ryūno definitely wouldn't care.

But since it was sent by Sera Masumi, he had to think about the meaning behind it.

The fact that Sera Masumi invited him and Conan to "visit" alone speaks volumes.

Is she already preparing to confront them?

Or was this a suggestion and a test from her mother, Mary Akai?

Although he knew this day would come, Longye really didn't expect it to come so soon.

Even in the original work, this 'Akai Mary' didn't appear much.

If I had to put it into words, she seemed to have always remained behind the scenes, coldly observing the changing situation.

Thinking of this, Longye's lips curled up, revealing an expectant smile.

It's finally getting interesting!

……

Shortly after receiving a text message from Tatsuno, Conan arrived near Tatsuno's house.

After meeting up with Tatsuno, Conan immediately asked in confusion, "Isn't Sera Masumi the new transfer student in our class? Why would she invite me over? We've met a few times, but we're not that close, are we?"

"Huh? You really don't know?" Ryūno looked at Conan with surprise.

Seeing the astonished look on Ryūno's face, as if he were looking at an idiot, Conan narrowed his eyes as well. "How would I know?"

Ryūno glanced at Conan helplessly and said indifferently, "Of course it's because she already knows you're Shinichi Kudo~"

Upon hearing this, Conan's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Ryuno in horror. "What?! How could she know! Did you tell her?!"

Longye shook his head and chuckled, "We'll find out the specifics when we get there, won't we?"

With a mix of trepidation and doubt, Conan followed Tatsuno to the Beika Hotel where Sera Masumi was staying.

As soon as they arrived at the hotel entrance, Tatsuno and Conan saw Sera Masumi waving from not far away.

After a brief greeting, Ryuno and his companion entered the suite under the guidance of Sera Masumi.

Soon after, everyone sat around the dining table.

"Are you two hungry? How about we order some takeout? Would you like sushi or ramen?" Sera Masumi asked with a light laugh.

Conan: "?"

Takeout? What takeout? What are you talking about?

Don't you already know I'm Shinichi Kudo? I'm still nervous, and you bring up takeout right away?

Ryuno couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't expected that this 'formal conversation' would start with a discussion about what to order for takeout. "Sushi, my treat~ Let me think... let's order five servings."

Chapter 397 Be Silent When Eating Sushi

Sera Masumi shook her head: "Since I invited you all, it should be my treat~"

After saying that, Sera Masumi looked at Conan beside her and asked, "How is it? Is the sushi okay?"

Conan glanced at the two people in front of him and nodded helplessly.

After seeing Conan nod, Sera Masumi took out her phone and called a nearby sushi restaurant.

Conan glanced at Sera Masumi, who was on the phone ordering sushi, then looked helplessly at Tatsuno and twitched his lips.

This scene before me feels strangely familiar...

Come to think of it, when he invited Longye to his house to discuss matters related to the organization, this guy seemed to have ordered a bunch of high-end sushi.

What's infuriating is that he didn't even have time to eat the sushi at the time; Ryuno ate almost all of it by himself!

……

Not long after, Sera Masumi finished making the food order.

She glanced at Ryuno and Conan, and chuckled, "Alright, since the sushi is already ordered, I'll just get straight to the point... Conan, you're Shinichi Kudo, right?"

Conan: "..."

Although Ryuno had told him before he came that Sera Masumi in front of him probably already knew that he was Shinichi Kudo.

However, when his true identity was revealed to his face, Conan felt somewhat conflicted and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing Conan remain silent, Sera Masumi continued, "Actually, I wasn't sure at first either. It wasn't until the 'Ghost Wheelchair' incident that I finally confirmed your identity. But I always feel like your head looks a bit bigger than when you were little..."

Conan: "?"

Upon hearing this, Conan's eyes widened instantly.

When I was little? She saw me when I was little?

Wait... what do you mean my head is bigger than when I was a child?

Upon hearing Sera Masumi's words, Tatsuno glanced at Conan's 'big head' and burst out laughing.

Sera Masumi is right. Although we don't know why, Conan's head is indeed bigger than when he was a child.

He didn't expect that Sera Masumi would be able to discover and notice something like this.

"Kudo, you really don't remember her? When we went to the beach when we were little, didn't you say you were Holmes's apprentice?"

"The beach..." Conan lowered his head and recalled.

A moment later, Conan looked at Sera Masumi in shock and exclaimed, "I remember now!!!"

Seeing that Conan had finally remembered her, Sera Masumi smiled and winked.

Just then, Ryūno chuckled and said, "Last time in London, you were seen by Sera. The reason she came to Beika from London is probably because of this."

Ryuno's words not only stunned Conan, but even Sera Masumi stared wide-eyed at Ryuno in disbelief.

Noticing Sera Masumi's reaction, Conan frowned in confusion.

Clearly, she was also taken aback by Longye's words.

Amidst their puzzled gazes, Ryuno slowly spoke, "Weren't we chatting in a coffee shop? After you shrunk back to your original size, I suddenly felt like someone was watching us from outside the window. That person must have been Sera~"

Upon hearing this, Sera Masumi sighed, "You're right, that person was indeed me. I originally intended to go over and say hello to you two, but..."

"Then you'll find that Shinichi Kudo is gone, and Conan has taken his place," Ryuno said calmly.

Sera Masumi nodded. "That's right. That was also the first time I suspected the relationship between Conan and Shinichi Kudo."

Upon hearing this, Conan fell completely silent.

No wonder he always felt that Sera Masumi was looking at him strangely; it turns out she had already begun to doubt him back in London…

Come to think of it, why did I insist on flying to London in the first place?!

Just as Conan was filled with regret, Ryuno spoke up again: "Sera, you didn't call the two of us here today just to reveal Conan's identity, did you?"

Sera Masumi closed her eyes. "As expected of Tatsuno... That's right, the reason I called you here today is to find out what exactly happened."

Upon hearing this, Conan looked at Tatsuno, hesitating whether or not to tell Sera Masumi what had happened to him.

Seeing Conan's pleading look, Ryuno chuckled and retorted, "Anyway, quite a few people already know you shrunk, even her brother knows. One more Sera won't make a difference, right?"

Conan and Sera Masumi: "???"

Longye's words once again exceeded their expectations.

Before Conan could ask, Sera Masumi blurted out, "What?! My brother knows? You've seen my brother recently?!"

Conan glanced at Ryuno with a puzzled look, then lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Her brother…

Wait a minute?! Her brother is Shuichi Akai?!

Thinking about this, Conan instantly understood everything.

No wonder he felt that Shuichi Akai was somewhat familiar; it turned out he had met him when he was a child!

“We’ve met before, and he knows about Conan shrinking,” Ryuno explained, looking at the excited Sera Masumi.