Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

Time flies.

Reading books, writing, solving problems, occasionally teasing the little brown-haired girl and maid at home, and playing around with two beautiful girls at school—before you know it, it's the weekend.

Saturday afternoon.

The sun is shining brightly; it's perfect weather for an outing.

Downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency, Lin Ran leaned against the wall, one hand in his pocket. Bored, he whistled like a delinquent. Although it was completely out of tune, it gave him a kind of roguish charm.

Today he was wearing a simple white shirt, with a light gray jacket in the hand outside the pocket, paired with khaki casual pants and white sneakers. He looked like a model who had just stepped out of a teen magazine.

The passing high school girls kept turning around, some even whispering among themselves:

Wow, so handsome!

"Is that Lin Ran from Teitan High School? I've seen her on the news!"

"He's even more handsome in person than in photos!"

Lin Ran was used to this and simply waited quietly.

Whether in his past life or this one, his face, which inherited all of his mother's best features, always attracted the attention of women wherever he went. As a child, he was often pinched and tugged at the cheeks by older girls.

When a woman gets excited, she's still too astringent.

"Sigh~" he sighed, "I clearly want to make a living with my talent, so why does everyone only see my looks?"

Soon, a commotion came from upstairs, and Xiaolan came running out.

The girl had clearly dressed up carefully today, wearing a red coat over a purple knit sweater, with her long hair flowing down her shoulders and light makeup on her face, making her look even more radiant and charming than usual.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, Lin Ran!" Xiao Lan ran up to Lin Ran, her pink lips slightly out of breath. "Dad insisted that I bring an extra jacket, saying it would be cold in Karuizawa at night. I searched for it for ages..."

"It's okay, I just arrived too."

Lin Ran smiled and looked her over. "You look beautiful today."

Upon hearing this, the girl blushed and said, "Thank you..."

"Let's go, Sonoko should be waiting at the intersection."

The two walked side by side toward the intersection.

Meanwhile, upstairs at the Mori Detective Agency's window, a head was pressed against the wall, eyes practically spitting fire, the reflection of the "perfect couple" below shone through the pupils behind the glasses.

Conan lay on the windowsill, gritting his teeth and gripping the window frame.

He should have been the one standing next to Ran!

Childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, they should go to school together, come home together, attend parties together, learn deduction under cherry blossom trees, and solve cases by the sea...

But now?

He could only watch helplessly as his beloved girl laughed and chatted with another man, walking away side by side, like an incompetent husband in a movie that someone had downloaded on his phone, while he could do nothing about it.

That man even complimented Xiaolan on her beauty!

Xiaolan even blushed!

"Damn it... damn it!" Conan roared in his mind.

Just as he was gripped by impotent rage, a large hand descended from the sky, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and lifted him up like a chicken.

"You little brat, what are you looking at again?"

Kogoro Mouri frowned, dragged Conan off the windowsill, and threw him back onto the office floor. "Didn't I tell you? Ran is going to a party today, so don't cause trouble."

"But...but Uncle..."

Conan rubbed his backside, still trying to struggle, "I want to go too..."

"Where are you going?" Kogoro Mori glared at him. "That's a gathering of young people, what are you doing getting involved, you brat? Stay home and behave yourself!"

"But..."

"No buts!" Kogoro Mouri tossed Conan onto the sofa. "I'm warning you, don't interfere with Ran's friendships. Look how outstanding Lin Ran is! A great writer, a mathematician, handsome, and with a great personality. If Ran could be with him..."

"Uncle!" Conan cried out anxiously, "Shinichi-nii-san...!"

"Shinichi Kudo?"

Hearing Conan's words, Kogoro Mouri scoffed, "That kid is so secretive, all he does is solve cases all day long, you never even see him. How can he compare to Lin Ran? At least she accompanies Ran to parties and takes care of people."

As he spoke, he leaned down to look at Conan: "Kid, I know you and Shinichi are close, but you have to understand, feelings can't be forced. If Ran really likes Lin Ran..."

"Impossible!" Conan blurted out, "Ran only has Shinichi in her heart!"

"Is that so?" Kogoro Mouri said with a half-smile. "Then why is she dressed so beautifully today? And why is she smiling so happily when she's with Lin Ran?"

"That's because..." Conan was speechless.

"Why?" Kogoro Mouri asked. "Because Lin Ran is an excellent person. I feel comfortable and happy being with him. Is there a problem with that?"

The great detective was speechless.

He could only watch helplessly as Xiaolan and Lin Ran's figures disappeared around the street corner outside the window.

At that moment, he felt like his heart was breaking.

The father, who was her childhood sweetheart, warned her not to hinder her from finding a boyfriend, and even demanded that she watch as she walked away laughing and talking with another boy...

What kind of victim story is this?

Conan slumped on the sofa, his eyes vacant.

"Am I... really going to lose Ran?"

He muttered to himself.

But soon, he shook his head again.

No, it won't happen.

Xiaolan still has feelings for me.

She's just... just because I'm not here, that's why she went out to have some fun. Once I recover and become Shinichi Kudo again, everything will go back to normal.

That's right, that's it!

Once I solve the case, once I expose that black-clad organization, once I can turn back into my original form, once I… I will confess everything to Xiaolan, tell her how much I love her, tell her how much I've suffered during this time…

The great detective kept reassuring himself.

Wait a minute, doesn't this sound a bit like a "victim consolation method"?!

Seeing that Conan had finally calmed down, Kogoro Mouri sat down in the chair with satisfaction, opened a can of beer, took a big gulp, turned on the TV, and tuned to the horse racing channel.

"Xiaolan's not home today, finally I can drink to my heart's content! Ahahaha!!!"

The uncle laughed so hard his tongue was sticking out, completely losing his earlier "doting father" demeanor.

Ok……

Don't be fooled by how nicely the uncle spoke earlier, saying things like "Lin Ran can accompany her" and "it's very comfortable to be together." In reality, when it comes to his own situation, he can't keep up the same promises.

There's nothing I can do, I'm getting old, you have to understand.

Lacking energy and without the fighting spirit of before, the uncle now just wants to drink a little wine every day, play marbles, and watch Yoko's variety shows, enjoying each day as it comes.

Anyway, my daughter is all grown up now.

……

Regardless of the detective's melancholy, doubts, and nervous tension, Lin Ran and Xiao Lan arrived at the intersection, where a pink Bentley Mulsanne was already parked.

Sonoko's personal ride is full of princess-like charm.

Seeing the two approaching, Sonoko rolled down the back window and leaned out, waving excitedly, "Here! Here!"

The two walked over and opened the car door.

"Lin Ran, Xiao Lan, you're here!" Sonoko was dressed up beautifully today, wearing a blue knitted sweater, looking sweet and lovely. "I thought I'd have to wait a long time."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Xiaolan said.

"It's alright, it's alright, get in the car quickly!"

The garden was moved further in to make room for the two of them.

Lin Ran was pulled to the middle of the back seat, with Yuanzi on his left and Xiaolan on his right. The pleasant scents of the girls wafted to his nose.

Along the way, the garden kept chattering away:

"My sister said there were a lot of people at the gathering! There were her college classmates and some friends. The villa is huge; we can have a good time for two days!"

"Oh, and I also brought my camera; we're going to take lots of pictures!"

Xiao Lan listened with a smile, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Lin Ran leaned back in her seat, looking at the scenery outside the window.

Tokyo's skyscrapers gradually faded into the distance, replaced by lush trees and rolling hills.

To be honest, for a writer, it's nice to occasionally relax, enjoy the scenery, and attend a gathering. Inspiration often comes from the little things in life, and working in isolation is not advisable.

This gathering is a bit strange.

The art style is horror-themed.

If I remember correctly, this gathering should be the "bandaged man" incident. However, with him as the butterfly effect, will the plot still follow the original trajectory?

"Lin Ran, what are you thinking about?" Sonoko noticed that he was lost in thought.

"It's nothing," Lin Ran said, coming back to her senses. "I was just thinking about what kind of person your sister is."

"My older sister," Sonoko said, her sleepiness vanishing as she spoke of her sister, "she's so gentle! She's taken care of me since I was little. Whenever I got into trouble, she was always the one who cleaned things up for me. She's never lost her temper with me, and she's hardly ever said a harsh word to me..."

"She's very pretty, but... well, she's always smiling, her eyes are practically slits. Sometimes I don't even know if she's open her eyes or what she's thinking..."

Ran chimed in, "Ayako-neechan is indeed very gentle. I've met her a few times, and she always speaks softly, which makes people feel very comfortable."

"Right, right!" Sonoko said proudly, "My sister is so nice! You'll see when you meet her."

Lin Ran nodded.

But in my heart I was thinking: Is it gentle...?

Indeed, in the original story, Ayako Suzuki was portrayed as a gentle older sister.

But that kind of gentleness can sometimes be hard to understand.

As a true heiress of a top conglomerate, Ayako Suzuki received the most elite education from a young age, and has seen all kinds of situations and handled all kinds of matters.

Lin Ran didn't think that the other person was really just a gentle, naive young lady who seemed to be the way she appeared.

This gathering is going to be very interesting.