Conan: The Heart Thief

Conan grabbed Mitsuhiko's arm and asked anxiously, "Mitsuhiko, what did her teacher say?"

"This..." Mitsuhiko looked confused, and obviously had no idea what to do. At this moment, a gentle voice came from the side.

"The Amamiya Shoko classmate you are talking about actually took a leave of absence."

Everyone turned their heads and saw that the source of the voice was their homeroom teacher, Kobayashi Sumiko. She gently bent down to look at the children who were worried about their classmates, and explained with a smile: "Don't worry, Amemiya Shoko just went to Kyushu to attend her grandfather's funeral."

"Really?" Mitsuhiko asked suspiciously, "Why have I never heard of it?"

"Of course it's true, the teacher wouldn't lie to you!" Kobayashi Sumiko chuckled, "Besides, I heard this from Teacher Hirayama."

"Teacher Hirayama?"

Hearing this unfamiliar name, everyone showed a puzzled expression.

Xiao Ai frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy. Amamiya Shoko looked very similar to herself, was she really just asking for leave?

"Um, Mr. Kobayashi, who is Mr. Hirayama?" Conan asked first.

"Yes, we have never heard of this person!" Genta followed closely. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko also nodded in agreement.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of him." Kobayashi Sumiko explained gently, "Teacher Hirayama is a new teacher who just came two days ago and teaches fourth grade. It's normal that you don't know him."

After saying that, she raised her hand to check the time and urged, "Okay, have you finished your duty? Go home quickly, or your parents will be worried."

Although the teacher's words were comforting, judging from the children's expressions, it was clear that their doubts had not been completely eliminated. Especially for Conan and Ai, their doubts were not easily dispelled.

After Kobayashi Sumiko turned and left, Conan suggested in a low voice: "Let's go to the fourth grade classroom and take a look!"

This proposal was immediately supported by Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko, who responded in unison: "Okay!"

Xiao Ai lowered her head in deep thought, her heart full of worry. She hesitated whether to go directly to Lin Xiao, but finally decided to go to the fourth grade with everyone, thinking: What if it is really just a false alarm...

Later, everyone came out of the fourth grade classroom and continued to discuss Amemiya Shoko's matter as they walked towards the school gate.

Conan closed the notebook and concluded: "I just asked her classmates. They all said that Amamiya Shoko is a very smart student with good grades, but she is a bit introverted. Although she gets along well with girls, she is not very popular with boys."

"I didn't expect that even her personality is so similar to Ai!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"..." Conan complained in his heart speechlessly: How are they similar? Huiyuan Ai is not introverted, she is just too lazy to talk! And she is not an ordinary little girl, she is clearly a black-bellied devil!

However, before Ayumi's sigh ended, Mitsuhiko spoke up to refute her.

"No, Ayumi, you're wrong!" Mitsuhiko shouted seriously.

"Huh?" Ayumi looked at Mitsuhiko in confusion.

Conan was secretly excited on the side: Tell us the "true face" of Haibara Ai!

However, Mitsuhiko's face suddenly turned red, and he said something that made Conan collapse: "Haihara-san is not as unpopular with boys as Amamiya-san! She is obviously very popular with boys!"

Conan almost stumbled and fell: You're so shy, you're just about to confess!

However, in the face of Mitsuhiko's "confession", Huihara Ai remained calm and only responded softly: "Thank you for your compliment, Tsuburaya-san."

"..." Conan was speechless: As expected, adults would not take the confession of elementary school students seriously at all.

Just as Conan was about to change the subject, a gentle voice sounded from the side: "Tsuburaya-san, I want to know which boys in the class are popular with Ai?"

Although the voice was soft, it inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine.

Conan froze, and slowly turned his head, and saw Lin Xiao looking at them with a smile. His voice was gentle, but his eyes were intimidating: "Conan, did Mitsuhiko include you in what he said just now?"

"...I...I..." Conan hesitated, his face full of rejection. I know her true identity, and I can't hide from her!

Lin Xiao's eyes seemed to be saying: You are not allowed to like or hate him, in short, just keep respecting him. Otherwise... your life will be in danger!

Conan was left standing aside in the cold, and could only sigh silently: It's true that when you are in the arena, you can't complain...

Xiao Ai and Ayumi's eyes had already lit up, especially when Lin Xiao appeared. Xiao Ai snorted and shouted, "Brother Scumbag, why are you here?"

Ayumi was a little reserved, but she couldn't hold back her excitement. She took small steps and ran towards Lin Xiao, calling him sweetly, "Big Brother!"

Lin Xiao held Xiao Ai in one hand, and gently rubbed Ayumi's head with the other hand, smiling and saying, "Of course I'm here to pick you up from school!"

After saying this, he turned to Ayumi and said, "Ayumi, long time no see. I'll drive you home today, okay?"

Ayumi's face turned red with excitement when she heard this, while Lin Xiao hugged Ai tightly with one hand, completely ignoring the Young Detectives who were standing beside them with complicated expressions, and Conan who was silently drawing circles in the corner.

Xiao Ai leaned in Lin Xiao's arms, feeling at peace. With Lin Xiao around, she was not afraid anymore. The Black Organization? They were all defeated by Lin Xiao.

But Conan couldn't sit still. The matter of Amamiya Shoko had not been investigated clearly. If it was really related to the organization, wouldn't Ai's safety be in jeopardy? He hurriedly shouted: "Lin Xiao... ahem, Brother Lin, wait!"

Lin Xiao stopped, turned around and looked at him coldly, his tone revealing impatience: "What's the matter?"

Conan felt the sharp gaze and was frightened, but he still said, "We, the Junior Detective Team, are investigating a case... A classmate who looks very similar to Ai has disappeared. Her name is Amamiya Shoko!"

Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows, and his coldness eased a little. Looks like Xiao Ai? Or Amamiya Shoko?

These two points instantly reminded Lin Xiao of some possibilities. Perhaps Amamiya Shoko was just missing in a normal way, but if the organization mistakenly thought she was Ai, then things would become complicated.

At the same time, Ayumi excitedly grabbed Lin Xiao's sleeve, looked up and pleaded, "Big brother, big brother! Sister Amamiya might be in trouble, can you help us find her? If you are here, Sister Amamiya will be fine!"

Lin Xiao looked at Ayumi's eyes that were full of expectation, and naturally he couldn't refuse.

"You won't have the heart to reject the little loli Ayumi, right?" Xiao Ai tapped Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao smiled softly and pinched her face gently: "Don't worry, I won't let any lovely girl get into danger. I will help you find out about Amamiya Shoko's matter."

Ayumi clapped her hands happily after hearing this: "Big brother is the best!"

Conan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the situation would not get worse. However, he glanced at the faint smile on Lin Xiao's face, and his heart could not help but feel cold. Behind Lin Xiao's smile, there seemed to be a chilling sense of oppression. He quietly lowered his head and secretly warned himself: I must not make any mistakes in this matter, otherwise my life will be in danger!

Chapter 440 Xiao Ai is moved

Lin Xiao smiled slightly, with a bit of pampering in his eyes: "Then let's go find Amamiya Shoko!"

Ayumi's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked in surprise, "Really?"

Lin Xiao nodded, smiled gently and said: "Of course it's true, how could a big brother not save Ayumi's friend?"

The sunny smile made Bu Mei feel as sweet as honey in her heart, and her admiring little stars kept popping up. At this moment, a sentence suddenly popped out of her heart: "I must marry big brother when I grow up!"

At the same time, Mitsuhiko and Genta also cheered, and Conan was the happiest. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thought: Great, now I don't have to worry about whether to mention this to Lin Xiao. He took the initiative to agree to this for Ayumi, and it has nothing to do with me! Even if it's a wasted trip, it can't be blamed on me, hehe.

Lin Xiao ignored Conan who was secretly delighted, and let the children get on the bus first. Then, he picked up Xiao Ai and whispered, "Don't worry, Xiao Ai. I know you are afraid that I will make a wasted trip, but I am worried about you because of Amamiya Shoko."

When Xiao Ai heard this, she was stunned for a moment. She swallowed back the words she was about to say, and felt deeply moved: Lin Xiao did this not for others, but for her!

……

Inside the car, Lin Xiao sat in the driver's seat, Conan, Mitsuhiko and Genta squeezed in the back seat, while Ai and Ayumi were arranged to sit side by side in the passenger seat.

Lin Xiao started the engine and looked back at the children in the back seat: "Okay, now you can tell me in detail about Amamiya Shoko."

Conan was keenly aware that Lin Xiao's eyes were fixed on him, and he immediately understood: this was to ask him to report. After all, if Yuan Tai and Mitsuhiko rushed to speak, it would definitely be a mess and a waste of time.

After going over the situation in his mind, he spoke clearly, "Amamiya Shoko has been acting alone recently and is unwilling to communicate with her classmates. She asked our detective team for help, saying that she was in trouble. But today she suddenly didn't come to school, and no one answered the phone at home. So we suspect that she may be missing."

After listening to this, Lin Xiao couldn't help but twitch his lips: "So your conclusion is - because she has been alone recently and no one answered the phone at home, you think she is missing? Couldn't she have gone to Jiuzhou to attend the funeral?"

This sentence made Yuan Tai and Guang Yan in the back seat choke instantly, with a trace of embarrassment on their faces. Lin Xiao's logic was too smooth, and it seemed that their worries were really excessive.

However, Ayumi's eyes lit up as she looked at Lin Xiao with admiration, silently sighing in her heart: He is worthy of being the big brother, he is so awesome!

Mitsuhiko and Genta looked at Conan together, hinting with their eyes: Refute it quickly! Don't you also suspect that she is missing?

Conan's mouth twitched, and he felt extremely bitter: "You can refute, but there are some things these little devils can't listen to! It's enough for us to know it in our hearts!"

He gritted his teeth and defended himself, "But...even if she was attending the funeral, she should at least call Mitsuhiko and explain the situation, right? And she clearly said before that she was in trouble. This is not normal behavior."

Seeing Conan cooperate so well, Lin Xiao stopped making things difficult and said with a smile, "Okay, since you all say so, let's go to Amamiya Shoko's house first."

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers broke out in the car.

"That's great! Long live brother!" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta raised their arms high, extremely happy.

Conan sat silently in the back seat, speechless: So it's not my contribution, right?

After some time...

Lin Xiao drove to the door of Amamiya Shoko's house. He was naturally familiar with this place, because after the last time Jiujiu Bunno's birthday party, he took on the task of escorting a group of girls home, and Amamiya Shoko's address was written down at that time.

"Ding-dong-ding-dong-"

Ayumi pressed the doorbell, but after a minute, no one answered. She turned back to look at Lin Xiao and said softly, "Brother, it seems no one is home!"

Before Lin Xiao could speak, Guang Yan at the side volunteered and said, "I know how to get in!"

He walked to the flower pot beside the door, carefully moved it away, took out a key from underneath, and said with a proud smile: "Look! This is the key that I saw Sister Amamiya using last time!"

After saying that, he skillfully opened the door with the key. His movements were so quick that Lin Xiao was speechless: He just walked in when no one answered the door. Aren't you afraid of being mistaken for a thief?

Although he complained in his heart, he did not stop them. After all, the curious children could not wait to rush in. Lin Xiao followed slowly behind, holding Ai in one hand and Ayumi in the other, and walked into the house calmly.

"excuse me--"

Several children had already been running around the house, looking for Amamiya Shoko. When they finally returned to the living room, Mitsuhiko panted and shouted, "Conan, there's no one home!"

Although Lin Xiao was present, the children were obviously used to following Conan's instructions and called out his name involuntarily. The reason why Mitsuhiko didn't dare to look for Lin Xiao directly was very simple - when they were at the school gate, Lin Xiao's serious look when he asked "Who welcomes Ai?" was really too stressful.

However, before Conan had time to respond, there was a slight noise at the door, as if someone was approaching.

Mitsuhiko immediately shouted excitedly: "Is someone back?"

Ayumi also asked excitedly: "Could it be Amamiya-sister?"

Without waiting for more guesses, Conan quickly ran to the door, followed by Mitsuhiko and Genta. When Conan opened the door as quickly as possible, he saw a strange man standing outside.

This man wore glasses and a black suit. His face was calm but a little oppressive. He was obviously not an ordinary person. When he saw Conan and the others, he was slightly stunned and asked, "Who are you?"

Yuan Tai frowned and replied rudely: "We should be the ones asking you! Who are you?"

The man frowned slightly, but he was not angry. He simply introduced himself: "I am Amamiya's homeroom teacher. My last name is Pingshan."

Hearing this, Mitsuhiko and Genta showed disappointed expressions at the same time: "Ah, it turns out to be the new teacher Hirayama..."

Conan did not relax his vigilance, but just looked at this "Teacher Hirayama" quietly. At this moment, a crisp voice sounded: "Hey, Teacher Hirayama, are your eyes injured?"

Conan looked back and saw that it was Lin Xiao who came over with Ayumi and Ai, and the person who was talking was Ayumi.

Hearing this, Mr. Hirayama raised his hand to rub his right eye, but accidentally knocked off his glasses. He hurriedly put his glasses back on, looking a little flustered. After adjusting his glasses, he glanced at everyone, finally landing on Lin Xiao, and asked, "Can you tell me now, who are you?"

Faced with this question, Lin Xiao replied with a smile: "These children are first-grade students of Teitan Elementary School, and I am their brother." As he said that, he touched Xiao Ai's head.

Hirayama-sensei nodded, showing his understanding. "I see. Then why are you at Amamiya-san's house?"