Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

Like a salted fish that has lost its dreams, Conan slumped in his seat all day until school ended in the afternoon. Only then did he perk up, shake off the three little ones who wanted to ask him to solve the case together, and jogged to catch up with the brown-haired loli who was almost at the school gate.

"Haibara-san! Wait a minute!"

Ai paused, not turning her head, and asked, "What is it?"

Conan ran up to her, and upon hearing this, his face darkened: "What is it? Have you forgotten something important?! I! Promised! To! Buy! You! A wallet! But! You! Haven't! Told! Me! Information! About! The Organization!"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, through gritted teeth, making a tearful and vehement accusation.

He paid a price of 1.5 million yen, enough to buy him countless detective novels. He couldn't just leave without a trace, could he?

"Oh, you mean this?"

Xiao Ai nodded, then slowly turned around, stretched out her fair hand, palm up, "Where's my wallet? Cash on delivery, small business, no credit."

"you!"

Conan was so angry at her appearance that he almost jumped up.

Thinking about how he had spent a lot of money and yet hadn't even seen a trace of intelligence, he couldn't hold back his temper. He really wanted to use the karate he had stolen from Xiaolan to teach this black-hearted loli a lesson.

A pink doll silently climbed onto the little girl's shoulder.

Death warning!

"What about me?"

Ai squinted, her tone dangerous.

"I..." Conan instantly realized the reality, suppressing all his dissatisfaction and anger, and turning it into an awkward but polite smile: "I... I mean, I'll go to my mom tomorrow to ask for the money, and buy you the wallet as soon as possible. Remember to prepare the information."

There's an old Chinese saying that goes, "Those who cherish things are heroes." Conan doesn't think he can beat that damned robot. The painful lessons from before are still fresh in his mind. Isn't it better to be alive?

Ai then withdrew her hand in satisfaction and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Conan quickly called out to her again, asking, "Um, Haibara, where do you live? I bought a bag... I need to know where to send it."

Ai didn't stop walking, leaving behind an address:

"Mika Town 2-chome, No. 15."

"Mihana-cho 2-chome, 15?" Conan repeated it subconsciously, then frowned. This address... why does it sound so familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.

After repeating it to himself a few times, he suddenly realized, "Isn't that the address of the villa where Lin Ran lives now?"

Xiaolan has been talking about him every day at home lately.

How could this woman live there!

Could it be... that my identity has already been exposed? Did Lin Ran know I was Shinichi Kudo from the very beginning? Is he in cahoots with Ai Haibara? Was he sent by the organization to monitor me? Or is he the mastermind behind it all?

Just as Conan was sweating profusely and frantically guessing, Ai, who had already taken a few steps, suddenly stopped and said quietly:

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him about shrinking. He just... kindly took me and my sister in."

Didn't you tell Lin Ran? You just took her in out of kindness?

Conan stared intently into Ai's eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie, but those icy blue eyes remained calm and unwavering, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Seeing this, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

They didn't completely believe it, but there was no evidence to prove that Lin Ran had any problems. Most importantly, the other party was just a Chinese transfer student who had only been in Japan for half a year. There was no reason for him to have any connection with such a behemoth as the organization.

Perhaps... it really is just a coincidence?

Did an overly kind person inadvertently get caught up in their trouble?

As for why they took in the Haibara sisters...

................

Mouri Detective Agency.

After parting ways with Ai Haibara, Conan rushed back with a heavy heart, without even stopping along the way.

First, I peeked around the entrance of the detective agency on the second floor. Apart from the bumbling detective Kogoro Mouri, who usually lay on the sofa, drinking beer and laughing like a pervert while watching Yoko Okino's variety show on TV, there was no one else.

Without pausing, the great detective went straight to the third floor.

The door had just opened when a righteous fist came flying at you, accompanied by the sound of wind breaking through the air.

"Ouch! That hurts!!"

Conan let out a miserable howl, clutched his head, and squatted miserably on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.

Standing before him, Ran stood with her hands on her hips, her pretty face frosty: "Conan! Haven't I told you countless times? You're not allowed to come to the third floor unless you have to. If you need to, you must knock first and get permission before coming in! Why did you sneak up here again?"

Ever since I discovered that Conan watches movies, especially the kind that's out of curiosity.

The once innocent girl became wary of this precocious child, and the third floor became a no-go zone for the great detective. Her usual activity range was limited to the public area on the second floor.

Conan, clutching the fresh bump on his head, looked at Ran, who was still furious, with teary eyes.

"Sister Xiaolan, I just wanted to ask..."

"Why are you asking such a question? You're so young, why are you already behaving badly!"

Xiaolan interrupted him, clearly still furious about the previous "adult film incident" and seeing this illegal intrusion as yet another proof of his egregious behavior.

"I just wanted to ask if two sisters have recently moved into Brother Lin Ran's house?" Conan said miserably.

Ran frowned slightly upon hearing this, looking Conan up and down: "Why are you asking this, you're just a kid?"

Conan had already prepared a reason, and immediately put on an innocent and curious look: "Because a transfer student named Ai Haibara came to our class today. She seems to live near Lin Ran's house. She said she has an older sister, so I wonder if she is the two sisters who came to Lin Ran's house."

This reason sounds reasonable.

Xiaolan thought for a moment and said, "Lin Ran's house... did indeed have a pair of sisters. He said that he met them when he first transferred to Japan. The sisters helped him before, but recently they seem to have encountered some trouble, so Lin Ran kindly took them in and let them help with some housework at his house, as a way of helping each other."

At this point, the girl's tone softened: "Lin Ran is really kind. She's all alone in a foreign country, yet she's still willing to help others like this."

Conan: "..."

Kindness? He couldn't see it at all.

All he saw was that guy's house was hiding a devilish little girl who was extorting money from him every day! You can't just target one person to fleece them!

The great detective quickly checked the information in his mind.

We met when I first transferred to Japan—the timing is perfect.

Sisters – the personnel match.

Encountering trouble and having a poor family environment—these align with the background of the Miyano sisters' escape from the organization and their need to conceal their identities.

She kindly took him in and made him do housework—Ai Haibara doesn't seem like the type of woman who would do housework, but having an older sister makes sense.

It matches! It matches perfectly!

This makes perfect sense that Ai Haibara lived in Lin Ran's house. It was just a coincidence and Lin Ran's kindness in taking her in. Lin Ran herself probably didn't know the sisters' true identities, let alone that she had shrunk.

Thinking of this, Conan finally felt much relieved.

However... as I relaxed, an even deeper resentment welled up and rose to my heart.

I really am incompatible with Lin Ran!

Ever since I shrunk, nothing good ever comes from running into that guy. Either things mysteriously disappear, or Xiaolan misunderstands me. Now, before I've even seen him, that heartless little girl who's been taken in by his family has already gone straight for my wallet.

One million five hundred thousand yen!

That's his future living expenses; just thinking about it makes my heart ache!

"Conan, what's wrong? You look terrible!" Ran asked with concern, noticing Conan suddenly clutching his chest and appearing to be in great pain. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"N-nothing..."

Conan waved his hand weakly, "Ran-neechan, I'm going back to my room to rest now..."

He just wants some peace and quiet right now.

Watching Conan walk down the stairs dejectedly, Ran blinked in confusion, somewhat bewildered.

"This child... is acting strangely today?"

However, she didn't pay much attention to it, returned to her room, sat down at her desk, and picked up the open book "The Devotion of Suspect X," which she was rereading for the fourth time.

What she was holding was still the autographed copy given to her by Lin Ran.

When Shinichi was around, he often recommended detective novels to her, such as Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, but Ran could never get interested in them and would often drift off while reading.

However, she was surprisingly able to read Lin Ran's mystery novel, and even read it repeatedly.

It's not about enjoying the brilliant reasoning in the book.

The girl's gaze fell on the letter Ishigami wrote to Yasuko in the book:

Mr. Kuniaki Kudo is an honest and reliable man. Marrying him will likely increase your and Misato's chances of happiness. Please forget about me completely. Don't feel guilty, because if you can't be happy, everything I've done will have been in vain.

Xiaolan is still deeply moved every time she sees this.

She had never seen such profound love.

This emotion, as silent yet powerful as the deep sea, is the ultimate form of love that a girl her age vaguely yearns for deep in her heart.

"well......"

As she watched, Ran unconsciously sighed, her thoughts drifting to her childhood friend, Shinichi Kudo, whom she hadn't heard from in a long time.

It's the same as love.

She was never actually a greedy girl.

A little bit of care, a timely greeting, or a thoughtful moment of companionship can make her happy for a long time.

But what the great detective brought her always seemed to be endless waiting, sudden disappearances, and the disappointment of being prioritized over cases.

For some reason, Xiaolan thought of Lin Ran.

That talented young man who always had a gentle smile.

The person who can write a character like Tetsuya Ishigami and depict such a heart-wrenching love story... Lin Ran herself must be a very gentle person, right?