The boy soldier next to the famous detective

"Uncle Suzuki, you're so silly."

The next day at the Suzuki family's dining table, Jonah, who was eating the breakfast carefully prepared by the Suzuki family's chef, finally couldn't help but frown and speak to Suzuki Shiro sitting next to him.

Jonah couldn't understand it at all. It was just a 10-meter pistol shooting exercise, and he had specifically chosen a pistol with the least recoil and the easiest to control for Suzuki Shiro. Why was Suzuki Shiro still able to achieve such an absurd score of 13 rings out of 10 bullets?

Upon hearing this, apart from Shiro Suzuki's awkward smile, Tomoko Suzuki, Sonoko Suzuki, and Ayako Suzuki couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I told you, honey, you should find a different hobby. It's always shooting or fighting, but you don't have any talent for either of those. Why bother?"

Smiling and shaking her head, Tomoko Suzuki, who had the best score last night and was praised by Jonah, ladled out a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Jonah under Shiro Suzuki's expectant gaze.

"Sigh, I'm just a little unwilling to give up. I originally thought it was because the bodyguards at home and the coaches at those clubs weren't teaching me properly, but Jonah made me realize that I really don't have this talent."

With a sigh, Shiro Suzuki realized that he couldn't force his talent in this area. In the future, whether it was fighting or shooting, he would just have to watch others do it.

"Actually, Uncle Suzuki also has a solution."

Seeing Suzuki Shiro looking somewhat dejected, and remembering how kind the uncle had taken care of him yesterday, Jonah felt a little guilty and, after thinking for a moment, offered some words of comfort.

"Oh, what is it?"

Looking expectantly at Jonah, Shiro Suzuki wanted to know what good solution this amazing boy could offer.

"Although Uncle Suzuki's aim isn't perfect, he still has a general range. If pistols and rifles don't work, you can use a shotgun with a wide spread."

"Or it could be a heavy machine gun. You don't need to aim too precisely. Just aim at the general area and keep pulling the trigger. No one would be stupid enough to try and fight a heavy machine gun."

Jonah solemnly presented his solution, but he noticed that Suzuki Shiro's expression did not brighten; instead, it became even more subtle.

"Haha, is that so?"

Inui chuckled twice. After dinner, as Jonah went to pack his things, mainly the gifts the Suzuki family had given him, Suzuki Shiro stopped Suzuki Sonoko and asked the question he had wanted to ask Jonah the day before.

"Sonoko, what did Jonah do before?"

"Oh, Jonah was a boy soldier who actually went to war. You'll investigate even if I don't tell you, so I might as well just tell you directly. But you have to keep it a secret and don't tell anyone else."

"They're child soldiers, huh? No wonder."

Apart from Ayako Suzuki being somewhat surprised, Shiro Suzuki and Tomoko Suzuki accepted it very quickly; in fact, only this answer seemed reasonable to them.

"It seems he must have suffered a lot over there before, but he is still so kind and lovely. He is a rare child. Sonoko, you must treat Jonah well in the future, like your own younger brother. You must not bully him."

"Don't worry, Mom. Of course I'll take care of Jonah. And as for bullying Jonah, I really can't imagine who would dare to bully him. Jonah isn't the type to let himself be wronged. It's good enough that he doesn't bully others."

......

"So why didn't you tell us that you fired a gun in front of so many people and that the police found out?"

Jonah arrived at Professor Agasa's house for the first time without any cake or drinks. He stood blankly next to the sofa. Although no one forbade him to sit down, Jonah instinctively chose to stand.

After all, Ai Haibara, who was sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed and legs crossed, was looking at Jonah with an unprecedentedly stern gaze, making Jonah feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.

"Ai, it's all in the past now, and it wasn't a big deal..."

"Doctor, could you please be quiet?"

"Okay, sure."

Obediently shut his mouth, Professor Agasa gave Jonah a helpless look, then pitifully walked to the side, afraid that Ai Haibara's anger would engulf him.

"I know the situation was somewhat dangerous, and you were very determined to control everyone and protect Kudo and the others, but there were definitely better ways to do it!"

"For example, breaking up a tranquilizer dart and mixing it into water or food for them to eat would also be effective, but you chose to fire it in front of everyone!"

"Jonah, don't think that being discovered by the police is no big deal. Although I don't know the specific people involved, I'm sure the organization has planted its own people in the Metropolitan Police Department."

"If you want to help me and Kudo, and want to participate in our fight against the organization, then you can't let the organization discover that something is wrong with you!"

"Otherwise, do you really think it's hard to find someone who is short in stature but skilled in shooting and combat? If your information is exposed to the organization's undercover agents in the Metropolitan Police Department, and happens to be reported by the undercover agents, do you know what we will face?"

"..." Jonah silently watched Ai Haibara. He wasn't upset or angry because of her outburst. Although Ai Haibara was angry, she explained the cause and effect and the potential crisis in a way that Jonah could understand, letting him know that her behavior was indeed a bit too arrogant.

He was still used to fighting head-on on the battlefield, and he wasn't good at things that required scheming and plotting against each other.

However, Jonah was aware of the great danger that Ai Haibara and Conan Edogawa were facing, and therefore, he did feel guilty for doing something that could expose them.

"Haibara, you don't need to worry so much. At Kogoro's request, Inspector Megure didn't hand over the statement involving Jonah's shooting, so there won't be any problems."

Having finally found a brief pause in Ai Haibara's speech, Conan Edogawa quickly began to explain.

"You've dodged it this time, but what if there's a next time? You, Kudo, know better than I how much Jonah likes to solve problems with fighting and weapons."

With a cold expression, Ai Haibara looked at Conan Edogawa, then turned her gaze to Jonah, who had been standing still since she started speaking. A hint of heartache flashed in her angry eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she still spoke in a cold voice.

"What are you still standing for? Sit down."

Jonah sat obediently on the sofa, looked up at Ai Haibara, and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Haibara, I'll be more careful in the future."

"..."