Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

Night deepened.

One by one, the lights in the villa went out, until only a few dim yellow nightlights remained in the corridor, and the occasional flash of lightning outside the window illuminated the darkness for a moment.

In Ran and Sonoko's room, the two girls were each lying on their own beds.

The sound of wind and rain outside the window seemed to grow louder.

Standard horror movie setup: dark and stormy night, lightning and thunder, deep in the mountains and forests, isolated villa.

"Sonoko...are you asleep?"

"not yet……"

Sonoko rolled over, facing Ran. "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm a little cold," Xiaolan said softly.

It's not that I'm cold, it's that I'm scared.

After so many years of being best friends, who doesn't know who the other is? Hearing her say that, Sonoko immediately climbed out of bed, hugged her pillow, and snuggled into Ran's blankets: "Let's sleep together then, it'll be warmer."

Two girls squeezed together on a single bed, inevitably pressed close together, arms touching arms, legs touching legs, chests pressed chests.

In the darkness, Sonoko could feel Ran's body trembling.

"Are you scared?" Sonoko asked deliberately.

"N-no way!" Ran said stubbornly, but her body language betrayed her by leaning closer to Sonoko.

Sonoko couldn't help but laugh and reached out to hug Ran: "Okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."

The two embraced, the girl's soft body pressed tightly against theirs, and through the thin nightgown, they could clearly feel each other's body temperature... and certain indescribable curves.

Sonoko suddenly had a wicked idea.

She quietly moved her hand to Xiaolan's chest and gently pinched it.

"Ah!" Ran exclaimed, her face instantly turning red. "Sonoko! What are you doing!"

"Hehe," Sonoko chuckled mischievously, the feel of it so good that she couldn't resist squeezing it again. "Ran, yours is so big... much bigger than mine... how do you take care of it?"

"You still dare to talk back!" Xiaolan was both embarrassed and angry, and she reached out to grab the garden herself, not to be outdone. "Just wait and see how I deal with you!"

"Ouch! Don't pinch! Haha...it tickles..."

The two girls started playing on the bed, pinching and tickling each other, their laughter echoing in the dark room, temporarily dispelling their fear.

After a while, the two stopped, panting, their hair disheveled, their pajamas askew, revealing glimpses of their fair skin that shouldn't have been exposed.

"Stop it, stop it..." Sonoko raised her hands in surrender. "I give up! Ran, you're too strong! You almost crushed me!"

Ran was also exhausted. The two lay side by side on the bed, their chests rising and falling slightly. After a while, Sonoko couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly spoke up: "Ran, shall I tell you a story?"

"What story?"

"The story of this villa..." Sonoko lowered her voice, deliberately creating a creepy atmosphere, "I heard... many years ago, a family lived here, and one night..."

"Sonoko! Stop talking!"

Xiao Lan quickly covered her ears and shook her head frantically.

"Hehe, scared?" Sonoko laughed slyly.

"No way!" Xiaolan lowered her hand, but her body unconsciously leaned closer to Sonoko.

The result was...

They both closed their eyes at the same time, and then opened them at the same time.

"Xiaolan... what should we do... I'm scared too..."

The story she just told scared even herself—she's a typical example of someone who's bad at games but loves to play and is a master of courting death.

"Then... what should we do?" Xiaolan asked.

The two fell silent.

……

Late at night, the villa was completely silent.

Only the door of the room at the end of the corridor had a light shining through its crack.

Lin Ran is still writing.

He was completely immersed in his own world, his pen moving swiftly across the manuscript paper. This was the last chapter of the revised edition of "Snow Country," and also the most difficult chapter to write.

It's an uphill battle.

But he played with great focus and enjoyed it very much.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.

Lin Ran frowned, somewhat displeased. Being interrupted when inspiration was flowing was like being interrupted halfway through a tutorial, which was very unpleasant.

But he still put down his pen, went over and opened the door.

Outside the door, two pretty girls in pajamas, each hugging a pillow, were looking at him pitifully.

Upon seeing the "uninvited guest" who arrived late at night, Lin Ran's annoyance at having her train of thought interrupted vanished instantly, replaced by a different kind of "annoyance."

His gaze swept over the two women's beautiful curves without leaving a trace.

Hmm... the pajamas are very thin, and judging from the silhouette, she's not wearing a bra. She has a great figure, and the way she's hugging the pillow is quite suggestive...

Stop! Lin Ran! You are a gentleman!

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um..." Ran lowered her head and promptly complained, "Sonoko...she told me ghost stories..."

"And then you got scared too?" Lin Ran looked at Yuanzi.

Sonoko stuck out her tongue: "Who, who said that! I'm not afraid! I just... I just thought Ran was scared by herself, so I came with her!"

Stubborn.

Lin Ran looked at them and chuckled, "Come in."

He stepped aside, and the two girls immediately scurried in, afraid that if they were a step too slow, they would be snatched away by "something" in the corridor.

Lin Ran's room was a bit bigger than theirs, and the bed was also wider. The two girls put their pillows on the bed and then looked at Lin Ran expectantly, waiting for him to make arrangements.

"You guys sleep in the beds," Lin Ran said.

"And what about you?" Sonoko asked.

"I still have some things to write," Lin Ran pointed to the desk. "You guys go to sleep first, don't worry about me."

"Well... okay then."

Sonoko and Ran exchanged a glance and climbed into bed.

Lin Ran returned to her desk and picked up her pen again.

The room was quiet, with only the scratching of the pen on the paper and the gradually subsiding sound of rain outside the window.

On the bed, the two girls lay side by side, but neither of them felt sleepy.

Their gazes fell unanimously on the back of the boy standing in front of the desk.

Under the lamplight, Lin Ran's profile was clearly defined, his expression focused. He would sometimes ponder, sometimes write furiously, completely immersed in his own world.

That focus, that dedication, it's impossible to look away.

Looking at Lin Ran's retreating figure, Xiao Lan felt a strange sense of security welling up inside her. It was as if as long as he was there, she had nothing to fear. Ghosts and monsters, bad guys, none of them could enter this room.

Why does the pen that Lin Ran is using look so familiar?

The blue pen body and gold nib look quite expensive... It seems... it seems like the pen she gave to her mother before?

"Am I seeing things...?" The little angel was a little confused and blinked, but because of the lighting, she couldn't see very clearly.

Sonoko, standing beside him, was also looking at Lin Ran with eyes full of infatuation.

This is the boy she likes.

Intelligent, talented, gentle, and... very reassuring.

Neither of them spoke, afraid of disturbing Lin Ran, they just watched each other quietly, and after some time, their eyelids gradually became heavy.

After finishing a page, Lin Ran looked up, stretched her neck, and glanced back at the bed.

The two girls were already asleep.

They hugged each other tightly, one with a faint smile on her lips, the other breathing evenly, her sleeping face serene.

Lin Ran smiled, turned his head, and prepared to write more while his inspiration was in full swing. Just as he put down his pen, there was another gentle knock on the door behind him.

Not again?!

The door opened again.

There was someone standing outside who Lin Ran never expected.

"Huh? Ayako-nee, what brings you here?"

Looking at the gentle woman standing outside the door, Lin Ran silently carried the hardcover edition of "Les Misérables"—over 800 pages, hard cover, and as heavy as a brick—behind her back.

He had thought this "bandaged weirdo" was so polite, even knocking before making a move.

It turned out to be my sister-in-law.

"Did I disturb you, Lin Ran?"

Ayako Suzuki asked with a smile, her voice still soft, but it sounded somewhat abrupt in the dead of night.

"No, no." Lin Ran shook her head and turned to the side.

But as soon as he turned to the side, he realized something was wrong. He wasn't the only one in the room; two beautiful girls were sleeping soundly on his bed.

My future sister-in-law is coming to visit at this time...

This scene looks exactly like someone being caught cheating in bed!

Ayako Suzuki had already entered and immediately saw her younger sister and Ran on the bed. She paused, then turned around and smiled at Lin Ran.

"Lin Ran, you have a lot of energy~"

"Ahem, Ayako-nee, please stop teasing me."

Lin Ran touched her nose, feeling like she'd been caught cheating, and explained helplessly, "Xiao Lan and Yuan Zi were scared by the bandaged weirdo during the day and are too scared to sleep alone, so they came here."

"I know~"

Ayako Suzuki blinked, a rare playful smile appearing on her usually gentle lips. "What I mean is, Lin Ran is still writing so late. As expected of a young person, she has so much energy."

Lin Ran: "..."

Holy crap! People with squinty eyes are definitely cunning!

Can you honestly say there wasn't something else behind what you just said? Your eyes clearly said, "You're pretty clever, kid!"

Lin Ran closed the door again and entered the room. Looking at Suzuki Ayako, who was already sitting elegantly on the sofa, she asked curiously, "Ayako-nee, is there something you need from me so late?"

Ayako Suzuki smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep. I heard from Sonoko that your new book is almost finished, so I was thinking if I could come and read it in advance and be one of the first readers."

When her sister-in-law spoke, how could Lin Ran say no?

Given their financial resources, they don't need to even consider taking his work.

Lin Ran took out a stack of manuscripts from her bag and handed them over: "This is the previous version of the manuscript. I'm still revising the latest one. Sister Lingzi can take a look at this first."

Ayako Suzuki took the manuscript, somewhat surprised: "Does it still need revision? I thought it was finished once it was written."

"Striving for perfection, that's what it means. There's always room for improvement in writing; good works are all the result of revisions."

Ayako Suzuki nodded, no longer asking any questions, and instead looked at Lin Ran's back as he sat back down at his desk.

She wasn't entirely telling the truth.

The reason I came over tonight was not only because I couldn't sleep, but also because my younger sister had talked too much during the day and exposed Lin Ran's identity. As the older sister, I had no choice but to come and help deal with it to prevent the young man from getting into trouble.

Seeing the boy sitting at his desk trying to focus, Ayako Suzuki suddenly asked, "Lin Ran, do you think... revenge is just?"

"Um?"

Lin Ran turned around, stared at the woman on the sofa for a few seconds, and then slowly said, "It depends on your perspective. For the victim, perhaps, but for the person carrying out the revenge, once it starts, it's hard to turn back."

"A very fair answer." Ayako Suzuki nodded. "Then do you think that if someone meticulously plans revenge, even at the cost of harming the innocent, is such revenge meaningful?"

Lin Ran recalled that in the original work, after killing Ikeda Chikako, Takahashi Ryoichi attacked Xiao Lan in order to silence her.

"It's pointless," he said definitively. "Once revenge crosses the line and harms innocent bystanders, the avenger himself becomes a new perpetrator."

Ayako Suzuki gave him a deep look. A sharp glint seemed to flash in her always-squinting eyes, but it quickly disappeared behind a gentle smile.

"You're right." She sighed. "Unfortunately, not everyone can understand this. Hatred... can sometimes blind people."

She paused, then changed the subject: "Lin Ran, what do you think of my younger sister, Yuanzi?"

"Sonoko?" Lin Ran didn't expect her to ask this suddenly. "She's very lively, very kind, and a very good girl."

"Is it just 'very good'?" Ayako Suzuki pressed.

Lin Ran laughed: "Ayako-neechan, are you making a selection for Sonoko?"

"I guess so," Ayako Suzuki readily admitted. "I only have one younger sister, and I've spoiled her since she was little. She seems carefree, but she's actually very simple-minded and sentimental. Since she likes you, as her older sister, I should try to get to know her better."

"How well does Ayako-neechan know about it?"

"My initial impression is good," Ayako Suzuki said. "She's talented, principled, gentle, considerate, and has her own bottom line. She's more mature than many of her peers, but..."

She changed the subject abruptly: "Lin Ran, you're too outstanding, so outstanding that it makes people... feel insecure. Sonoko might not be able to hold onto you."

Hearing her future sister-in-law say this, Lin Ran paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Relationships aren't about who grabs whom; it's about mutual attraction and support. Yuanzi has her own strengths; she doesn't need to 'grab' anyone."

Ayako Suzuki gazed at him, her narrowed eyes seeming to open slightly. After a long while, she smiled softly: "I hope you remember what you said today. I'm entrusting Sonoko to you... please take good care of her."

This sounds like a kind of entrustment, a kind of recognition.

Has he passed his sister-in-law's test?

Thinking this, Lin Ran nodded, her tone solemn: "I will."

After the test ended, the two were silent for a moment.

Lin Ran closed her eyes, searched for her scattered thoughts for a while, and then continued writing. Suzuki Ayako also lowered her head, opened her manuscript with reverence for the name "Summer's End".

For a moment, the room with the four people fell silent.

Two were sleeping, one was writing, and one was reading; none of them disturbed the others, creating a very harmonious scene.

As for this villa deep in the mountains and forests...

Nightlife is just beginning.

……

The clock on the living room wall points to 1 a.m.

The lights were off in Chikako Ikeda's room.

In the darkness, a slender "bandaged monster" picked up an axe he had pilfered from the kitchen to chop wood from the bed, stood there for a moment as if hesitating, and then pushed open the door and walked out.

And shortly after the door was closed.

With a creak, the door was pushed open again.

A dark figure silently entered.

After entering, the shadowy figure went straight to the bed with a clear purpose. In the darkness, it raised the axe in its hand and, without the slightest hesitation, chopped it fiercely at the head of the bed.

"Click~"

With a muffled thud, cotton wadding flew everywhere.

The shadowy figure paused noticeably; something felt off.

The lights came on, but the room was empty. The "bandaged monster" with the axe looked bewildered and wandered around, checking the toilet, the closet, and the balcony, but still no one was there.

The script has gone off track once again.

"Damn it..." A suppressed curse came from under the bandages.

Not finding his first target, the bandaged man was clearly embarrassed and annoyed. He turned off the light and turned to walk towards the balcony.

Then let's tackle our second goal first.