Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

"Hey~ lawyer, what a coincidence! Are you here to buy my book too?"

Lin Ran didn't speak very loudly; at most, the girl queuing behind him heard it, but she didn't pay any attention, thinking she had misheard, and went back to playing on her phone.

However, Eri Kisaki clearly didn't expect to see him here.

The usually calm and composed lawyer, who could silence opposing lawyers in court, showed a rare look of surprise on her usually aloof face. Her red lips parted slightly, making her look somewhat dazed.

Lin Ran was pleased with her expression and waved her hand in front of her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you surprised to see me?"

Fei Yingli: "..."

There were no surprises, but plenty of shocks.

After confirming that she wasn't hallucinating, Eri raised an eyebrow, first glancing at the girl queuing behind Lin Ran. Seeing that the girl hadn't noticed Lin Ran's words, she said speechlessly:

"Lin Ran, what are you doing here?"

Are you a random boss in the wild? How come you spawn everywhere?

"What are you talking about? What else would I come to a bookstore for if not to buy books?" Lin Ran spread her hands, smiling broadly. "I've been queuing for most of the day, my legs are numb. I couldn't have come here just to see you, lawyer, could I? Although you are indeed very pleasing to the eye..."

Teasing, blatant teasing.

Eri rolled her eyes at Lin Ran, a glance that was full of charm.

Although she had been paying most of her attention to the phone and the progress of the team ahead, she could still remember that there was originally a young girl behind her, definitely not the boy in front of her who was smiling like a fox.

"Oh, really? But I seem to remember..."

"Hey, hey, hey, the details aren't important." Lin Ran quickly interrupted her, smiling as she said, "All you need to know is that I paid a heavy price to be able to stand behind you, a great lawyer."

"What price?"

Lin Ran held up one finger and shook it. "A 'contract of servitude' from Fukuzawa Yukichi. So, when I buy the books later, you'll have to pay for them for me, to soothe my wounded heart and wallet."

Fei Yingli: "..."

You little brat, you cut in line to bribe someone, and now you want me to pay for it?

"Dream on." Eri Kisaki shifted her gaze back to the slowly moving queue ahead, a slight smile playing on her cool, aloof face. "Pay for yourself."

"Oh? You're so stingy, lawyer." Lin Ran sighed, feigning disappointment, drawing out her words. "I thought a successful, elegant, and tasteful lawyer like you would show some compassion for a poor student like me..."

"A poor student?" Eri Kisaki glanced at him sideways, then looked at the "Snow Country" poster hanging in front of the bookstore, her meaning clear.

Lin Ran, on the other hand, was unusually self-righteous:

"Don't look at me like that. That's money that Teacher Xia Mo earned. What does it have to do with me, Lin Ran? I'm just an innocent poor student."

"hehe……"

The two chatted idly in low voices, with Lin Ran making most of the jokes and Eri occasionally responding. The people in line around them probably assumed they were acquaintances or siblings, and no one paid much attention.

The line moved forward slowly.

More than half an hour later, it was finally Eri's turn.

"Hello, could you please give me two copies of 'Snow Country'?"

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Although she said that Lin Ran should pay for it herself, after the shop assistant took the money, gave her change, and she got the books, Eri casually handed one of them to the boy behind her.

Lin Ran happily accepted it.

"What a righteous and benevolent lawyer!"

"Hmph~"

The proud queen gave a soft hum, like a little girl.

The two had just come out of the bookstore and hadn't even exchanged a single word when the reporters and photographers who had been waiting nearby to capture the long queue immediately fixed their gazes on them.

To be precise, it was focused on Lin Ran.

Journalists, especially those who cover culture and society, have very sharp eyes, and Lin Ran's face is so distinctive that it's hard to forget her once you've seen her.

"Isn't that the high school math genius?"

The female reporter's eyes lit up.

Not long ago, the other party was a hot topic in the newspapers. A mathematical genius was now queuing up to buy a new work by a literary genius. That in itself was quite newsworthy!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!"

The female reporter, accompanied by a photographer, jogged up to them and blocked their path, excitedly saying, "Hello, Lin Ran! We're reporters from the Mihua TV Culture Channel. May we ask you a few questions?"

Lin Ran and Fei Yingli were both taken aback.

The lawyer instinctively wanted to take a step back to avoid the camera; she didn't like being exposed to the media outside of work.

Noticing this, Lin Ran stepped forward, blocking the camera, and said gently, "Sure, but please keep a little distance, thank you."

The female reporter quickly apologized and stepped back slightly. The photographer also adjusted his position, only including Lin Ran in the frame, but of course, the focus was still on the book "Snow Country" in his hands.

"Lin Ran, I didn't expect to run into you here."

The female reporter asked, "Did you come here specifically to buy the book 'Snow Country'?"

"Of course." Lin Ran waved the paper bag in her hand, smiling brightly. "I'm a loyal reader of 'Summer's End' author. I've loved his works since 'The Devotion of Suspect X,' and I've been eagerly anticipating 'Snow Country' this time, so I came all the way here to queue up and buy it."

He spoke with sincerity and his eyes shone, looking every bit the enthusiastic book lover.

Upon hearing that Lin Ran was a fan of "Summer's End," the female reporter became even more enthusiastic: "It seems that Lin Ran is not only exceptionally talented in mathematics, but also has a high level of literary taste. Could you share your thoughts on the book 'Snow Country'? Or, why do you like Xia Mo's works?"

Oh hoo!

If you ask that, he won't be sleepy anymore.

Lin Ran cleared her throat and began to speak eloquently to the camera:

"In my opinion, the greatest charm of Xia Mo's works lies in the beauty of extreme contradictions. 'The Devotion of Suspect X' is the ultimate collision of logic and emotion, while 'Snow Country' is the pinnacle fusion of the aesthetics of mono no aware and the philosophy of life."

"I feel that Teacher Xia Mo is not just telling stories; he is carving time with words and resonating with souls with emotions. Being able to read such works is simply the luckiest thing I've ever done in my life..."

Blow it up, blow it up as much as you want, blow it up as awesome as you can!

Lin Ran usually only sees others bragging about themselves in the newspapers, so she finally got a chance to brag about herself, and she was determined to do it.

He rattled off a whole string of terms, using all sorts of technical jargon, like "deconstructionism," "postmodern narrative," and "aesthetic ontology," sounding quite like a literary critic who usually pontificates in newspapers. The female reporter was completely bewildered.

Eri Kisaki stood by, amused, arms crossed, watching him boast.

I just realized how thick-skinned this guy is. Is this what intellectuals are like? He can brag about himself without batting an eye.

She is now particularly curious about what expressions people will have when they watch this interview video again someday, after "Xia Mo's" true identity is revealed to the world.

It's going to be very exciting.

Lin Ran stopped blowing so hard her throat was a little dry, and added, still wanting more:

"Of course, the above is just my personal opinion. Teacher Xia Mo's works are profound and worth reading repeatedly. Each time you reread them, you will have new insights."

The female reporter snapped out of her reverie and quickly nodded: "Very insightful. So, finally, could you please say a few words to the viewers at home, especially to Xia Mo's many readers?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran thought for a moment.

His smile faded slightly as he slowly spoke to the camera: "What I want to say is that literary works can depict darkness, explore nihilism, and showcase ultimate beauty and sorrow, but those are just stories, they are art."

"And our lives are real, concrete, warm, and colorful."

So embrace life, the world is beautiful, and you deserve to be loved.

After he finished speaking, he gave the camera a clean smile.

You have to clean up the mess you made yourself. Besides, "Snow Country" isn't just for Japanese readers. As a Nobel Prize-winning work, its readership is all over the world.

If my book really caused a rise in the global suicide rate... then I would be committing a terrible sin.

After the interview, the female reporter and photographer left satisfied, while a certain senior lawyer stared at Lin Ran with mixed feelings.

"Embrace life, the world is beautiful, and you deserve to be loved." Eri Kisaki repeated Lin Ran's words in a subtle tone, "Hearing you say that, it just feels a little ironic."

It's like a butcher advising everyone to be vegetarian, or a cigarette factory owner advising everyone to quit smoking—it's all so absurd.

Lin Ran touched his nose and chuckled: "Art is art, and life is life. I wrote 'Snow Country' because I felt that kind of beauty was worth recording and expressing, but I hope that my readers, after closing the book, can feel not only sadness, but also awe and appreciation for life itself."

"Like you, a senior lawyer, you've witnessed the darker side of human nature and its complexities in court, but once you step out of the courtroom, you can still enjoy a good cup of coffee, watch the rain, or... queue up to buy a book you like, right?"

Eri Kisaki stared at him quietly for several seconds.

That makes sense.

She nodded slightly, a faint but genuine smile appearing on her face.

"Let's go." Eri Kisaki turned around, waving the book in her hand. "To thank you for shielding me from the camera earlier, I'll buy you a cup of coffee."

"Really? Then I want the most expensive one!"

"Dream on. Take the canned coffee from that vending machine on the corner or leave it."

"You're such a stingy lawyer!"

Lin Ran wailed, "I just gave a fantastic interview, boosted the TV station's ratings, and contributed to cultural dissemination. Is that all I'm worth? A can of coffee from a vending machine?"

"How about adding a can of Coke?"

"make a deal!"

……

Despite saying she was stingy, Lin Ran honestly followed suit.

Free coffee, might as well drink it.

Of course, Eri Kisaki wouldn't actually invite Lin Ran to drink canned coffee; that would be too unbecoming of his status as a great writer. Instead, she planned to take him to a nearby coffee shop where she often went.

It's not the same one as last time.

After the murder at that coffee shop last time, the owner, for some reason, turned the shop into a couples' coffee shop. Couples who leave a photo of themselves on the wall can enjoy half-price service, and business is booming.

She and Lin Ran aren't a couple, so it's a shame she can't get a half-price coffee, okay?

"The sun is out!"

On the way to the coffee shop, there was an uphill road. Lin Ran glanced at the clouds dispersing in the sky and sighed, "On such a hot day, even a hilly road can kill a hero. Lawyer, I'm going to have a couple of drinks later."

Eri ignored him and continued walking uphill.

Perhaps because the sun had come out, there were only the two of them walking along the entire uphill road. Occasionally, a vehicle would pass by, but it would hurry away, unwilling to linger on the slope under the scorching sun for even a second longer.

Lin Ran followed behind, still wanting to continue bargaining, when she suddenly heard the sound of tires rubbing together ahead.

The sound was unusually shrill.

"Sizzle—crunch—"

The two looked up at the same time.

At the top of the slope, a red sedan was seen driving downhill, swaying erratically from side to side, drifting along, its tires scraping smoke from the ground.

"What's wrong with that car?" Eri Kisaki frowned slightly.

Lin Ran stared at the aggressively approaching car and forced a smile. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

This scene, this sense of déjà vu...

As they were talking.

The two saw the car suddenly swerve, its front end tilting and adjusting its angle as if it were aiming at them, before it hurtled straight toward them.

The speed wasn't fast, but on this narrow slope, it was deadly enough.

"Damn it! Run!"

Lin Ran reacted quickly, grabbing Fei Yingli's wrist and pulling her towards the side of the road.

Is it still impossible to avoid?

The lawyer's death law has been activated, only this time the targets seem to be the two of them...