Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

Stepping out of the library, the cool night air greeted me.

Eri stopped and turned around. Her face was somewhat blurred in the night, but her gaze through her glasses was exceptionally clear.

"Thank you for what happened in the library earlier." Her voice had returned to its usual calmness, but if you listened carefully, you could still detect a subtle softness.

Lin Ran smiled and stretched her still slightly numb arms: "You're welcome, Attorney Fei. After all, my mother said..."

"Never let a girl get hurt in front of you." Eri Kisaki finished his sentence, her lips seemingly curving slightly, but quickly pressing into a straight line again. "Especially... a pretty one?"

Lin Ran touched her nose and gave a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

Even though he's not easily embarrassed, he felt a little overwhelmed when the person in question repeated his lines about flirting with girls to his face.

However, he wasn't making this up; it was truly what his mother had told him in his previous life. As the only son of the Lin family in this generation, he had always loved playing with girls since he was a child, and he only picked the pretty ones.

He accidentally made a little girl cry once, and that's how his mother disciplined him.

Looking at his slightly embarrassed appearance, so different from the talented, calm and decisive boy in the library, Eri couldn't help but smile.

"What are your plans next? Do you need me to take you home?"

"No need, I can go back by myself, it's not far."

Lin Ran shook her head, then remembered something, took out the dark blue fountain pen from her bag, and handed it over, saying, "This is returned to its rightful owner."

Eri looked at the pen, but did not immediately take it.

"Once something is given away, there's no reason to take it back," she said calmly. "Consider it... an apology, and an expression of my appreciation for your work."

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "Attorney Fei, this pen doesn't look cheap, and... it seems to have special meaning for you?"

He remembered that when he took the pen earlier, he could sense the other person's hesitation for a moment.

Eri Kisaki nodded slightly, not denying it: "It was a birthday present from my daughter."

Lin Ran suddenly felt the pen in her hand was a little hot.

Was it a gift from Xiaolan? Then it must be quite significant.

"That's even more..."

"That's precisely why it shows such sincerity, isn't it?" Eri interrupted him, her gaze frank. "I believe its new owner deserves this gift."

Having said that, Lin Ran stopped being coy, put the pen back in her bag, and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to accept it. It seems I have to work hard to write 'Snow Country' well and make a name for myself, so as not to disappoint Attorney Fei's 'generous gift'."

"I'm really looking forward to it." Eri's eyes revealed genuine appreciation. She truly loved the boy's writing; the pure beauty of it captivated her.

The two chatted briefly before parting ways at the intersection.

Eri Kisaki stood by the roadside, watching the boy with his hands in his pockets, his figure lazily blending into the night of Beika Town and gradually disappearing into the distance.

Having shared life and death tonight, and having that awkward yet unforgettable intimate contact, their relationship seems to have transcended the simple definition of "newly acquainted literary friends" or "lawyer and client."

"Lin Ran..."

She murmured the name, her eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression.

There was admiration, gratitude, a touch of confusion, and perhaps... even a hint of excitement that she herself didn't want to delve into.

After tonight, many things seem to be different.

……

On the other side, Lin Ran walked slowly back to the villa with her hands in her pockets, humming an off-key tune.

Beika Town was not peaceful at night. The faint sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance, probably because some unlucky person had met with misfortune again, becoming a part of the daily life in the world of Detective Conan.

He looked up at the night sky, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

Although it cost me a precious "Railgun" coin, it resolved my childhood trauma, saved my life, and I even got a free, beautiful, mature lawyer's treasured fountain pen...

Hmm, thinking about it this way, it seems like this move is... a sure thing?

"I never expected that Attorney Fei would be Little Blackie!"

Thinking back to the ice queen who had just stood in front of Inspector Megure, exuding an aura of dominance and silencing the police with just a few words, Lin Ran couldn't help but sigh, "Professionals really are different."

This is a real lawyer's letter warning.

Moreover, after getting up close, the lawyer's figure is truly amazing, a real "stunning beauty".

"She truly deserves to be one of my childhood goddesses."

Lin Ran touched her nose with her hand, recalling the feeling at that time.

When he was a child, while his peers were fond of vibrant and beautiful girls like Ran, Kazuha, and Sonoko, he was different. His aesthetic sense was a bit ahead of its time; he preferred the stunningly talented and charming mothers in Detective Conan, such as Eri Kisaki, Yukiko Kudo, and Shizuka Hattori…

This troubled me for a long time, and I wondered if I was sick.

However, as he grew older and gained more experience, he suddenly realized—

This isn't an illness; I've simply grasped the essence of the Cao Wei legacy and the core spirit of my ancestors: "Madam, you didn't want this either..."

He was proud! He was so proud! (Puffing out his chest)

So, after unexpectedly encountering Eri Kisaki, a cold and aloof married woman and lawyer, and having a "profound" interaction with her, the hidden attributes that were suppressed in the new era of her past life began to sprout again, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Lost in thought, I made my way back to the villa.

Looking at the warm light left on for him in the living room, and seeing Miyano Akemi, who had woken up from the sofa at the sound of the noise and was running over rubbing her eyes, he finally snapped out of his "dangerous" reverie.

"Young Master Ran, you're back! Why are you so late? Have you eaten? I'll go heat it up for you..." The little maid, dressed in cute cartoon pajamas, looked sleepy but full of concern.

Watching Akemi Miyano's busy figure, Lin Ran leaned against the wall in the entryway and smiled silently.

Decided!

Since God has given him a second chance at life, and he has come to this scientific world of Detective Conan, he should live a different life. There is no need to suppress himself and be overly cautious like in his previous life.

He acted entirely according to his heart, following his instincts, leaving no regrets. Otherwise, wouldn't his trip have been in vain? What a waste!

Under the boundless pampering and indulgence of a certain maid.

Someone's moral bottom line and integrity have plummeted again and again, like a wild horse galloping away, never to return.

……

Late at night, in a luxury apartment.

After returning from outside, Eri Kisaki took a quick shower to wash away her fatigue and the smell of gunpowder.

Looking at the empty and quiet room, the lawyer didn't turn on the lights. Instead, wearing a loose bathrobe, he took a bottle of red wine from the closet, sat alone on the balcony, gazed at the night outside, and poured himself a glass of wine.

A habit formed from years of working as a lawyer.

It allows her to enjoy reflecting on the day's experiences and sorting out her thoughts in the quiet of the night.

However, today, Eri Kisaki did not, as usual, review the details of the case, the legal provisions, or the loopholes in her opponent's defense in her mind.

The night breeze ruffled her hair, but scenes from the library unconsciously surfaced in her mind—

The boy's profile as he focused on writing; his anxious eyes as he berated himself for being an "idiot"; his resolute back as he drew away danger; and that orange-red beam of light tearing through the darkness...

This boy named Lin Ran has many secrets.

A brilliant writer, a calm protector in the face of danger, and... a mysterious power that cannot be explained by common sense.

But that doesn't matter; everyone has their own secrets.

He saved her, and that's enough.

Eri Kisaki let out a soft breath, raised her hand, and her fingertips unconsciously brushed against the fabric of her shirt on her chest, where the sensation of the boy's hand pressing hard still lingered, as well as... the warm breath of his face buried in her chest.

Her cool, beautiful cheeks were slightly flushed in the night.

As rational as she was, how could she not understand—her heart was in turmoil.

Yes, she was attracted to the boy.

The other person's appearance, temperament, talent, and the sense of responsibility and mystery that far exceeded his age... these qualities combined were like a poison specifically designed to bewitch women, precisely striking her heart.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have done that.

She is the undefeated queen of the legal profession and the mother her daughter, Xiaolan, is very proud of.

For ten years, despite being separated from Kogoro Mouri and living like strangers, she never showed any interest in any other man, devoting all her energy to her career and her daughter.

Her rationality and composure are her strongest armor.

But then, Lin Ran appeared.

It barged into her world in an extremely forceful and unexpected way.

What he brought was not only literary resonance and a stunning experience of the soul, but also a long-lost and reassuring sense of security in the face of life and death, where he unhesitatingly stepped forward to protect her.

This feeling of being sheltered is precisely what she, a woman who appears cold and strong on the outside but yearns for support on the inside, subconsciously lacks most after enduring so many years alone.

He was practically... the perfect remedy.

"Heh..." Eri Kisaki shook her head, picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and a self-deprecating sneer appeared on her lips.

"Eri Kisaki, Eri Kisaki... you're really going backwards as you get older." She muttered to herself, "At your age, you still act like a little girl, getting distracted by this kind of... hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama."

She had to admit that being attracted to Lin Ran was perfectly normal; it was human nature.

Few women could be completely immune to the charm of such a young man. He was like a beautifully bound book with profound and alluring content, making one want to read it again and again.

But maturity and rationality lie precisely in knowing how to exercise restraint.

Eri Kisaki put down her wine glass, stood up, and the sash of her bathrobe outlined her still well-maintained, mature and graceful figure. The night breeze made her even more awake.

Attraction is just a fleeting emotional fluctuation.

Life, however, is a long process of rational choices.

There are too many realities between her and him—the age gap, the divide in their social status, and the lingering marital ties she is still bound to, even if only in name.

More importantly, she is first and foremost Eri Kisaki, Ran's mother, and only then a woman who is attracted to outstanding men.

Some boundaries must not be crossed.

Some feelings of attraction must be nipped in the bud.

Eri Kisaki took a deep breath of the cool night breeze, her eyes regaining their clarity and determination. She turned and walked back inside, closing the glass door to the balcony and shutting out the disturbing night view and her reverie.

Consider it a thrilling encounter, a memory worth treasuring.

When she wakes up tomorrow, she will still be the invincible Queen Eri, who is always invincible in court, with sharp words and calm rationality.

As for the rest...

So far.

She picked up her phone and looked at her daughter Xiaolan's bright smile on the screen. Her cold gaze gradually melted, revealing a mother's tenderness.

This is enough.

However, as she prepared to turn off the lights and rest, her gaze inadvertently swept over the book "The Devotion of Suspect X" on the bedside table.

On the book cover, the pen name "Summer's End" stands out clearly.

Eri Kisaki paused slightly.

Reason can restrain behavior, but it cannot instantly erase the attention and appreciation that has already been generated.

She was silent for a moment, her fingertips hovering over the light switch, before finally reaching out, picking up the book, and leaning against the headboard.

Well, I was just... enjoying a good literary work before bed, that's all.

This is reasonable and has nothing to do with the author.