Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

It feels a bit odd that Conan would appear here at this time.

"Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing, I'm just curious why there are no house numbers here when people clearly live here."

Ran Mouri said with an air of seriousness, "Because I am a mysterious person, I must maintain an air of mystery."

Conan: "..."

A mysterious person? Are you crazy?

Haibara blinked, looking like she wanted to laugh.

How can someone so seriously say they are a mysterious person?

Ran Mouri had never seen how Aozawa usually interacted with people before, so when she played Aozawa, she brought her own subjective assumptions.

But ever since she witnessed it in Kyoto, she has started to imitate Aozawa's tone of speaking in a serious but unserious manner.

I must say, their reactions after I finished speaking were quite amusing.

"Conan, is there something you need?"

Conan hunched over slightly, clutching his stomach. "Um... my stomach's not feeling well, I need to use the restroom... There aren't any public restrooms here, Mr. Aozawa, could I borrow one?"

He can't say he came to see Xiaolan. If Xiaolan finds out, she'll think he's a stalker, and she might stop wearing the detective badge.

I can only use the excuse of needing to use the restroom.

Chapter 168 Similar, yet unlike

Ran Mouri immediately recognized that this was an excuse.

But since he's already here, he definitely won't give up if we don't let him in.

She didn't ask who the child beside her was, but stepped aside to let them into the house.

"Then come in."

As soon as Conan entered the house, he saw the shoes in the entryway.

Four pairs of shoes, so it seems that it's not just Ran and Sonoko who have them.

Qingze looked up from the food and saw two children walk in.

He gave a wry smile and continued eating.

He knew this would happen when Sonoko Suzuki posted that photo.

But it doesn't matter.

Was his hair cut white?

If they can recognize him as Ran Mouri, he'll write his name backwards!

"Oh, Uncle, Ran-neechan, Sonoko-neechan, Sera-neechan, you're all here too?"

Conan looked surprised when he saw the people at the dining table.

Upon seeing Conan, Kogoro Mouri immediately became unhappy.

"What are you doing here, kid? Did you track Xiaolan down here?"

Conan chuckled awkwardly, "I came to borrow the restroom..."

He looked around and quickly found the toilet, then ran inside.

Haibara stood there, facing several faces staring at her, looking completely lost.

Sera Masumi put down her chopsticks and came over to rub her head.

"Whose child is this? So cute!"

Haibara lowered her head, her fingers fidgeting helplessly with the hem of her clothes, pretending to be mute.

I arrived in a hurry and only changed my appearance; I didn't prepare a voice changer, so I had to pretend to be mute.

"They said they came to borrow the toilet, so they should leave after they're done using it."

Ran Mouri walked back to the dining table, but before she could even take a couple of bites, the doorbell rang again.

Qingze put the peeled shrimp into his mouth, squinted his eyes contentedly, and casually said:

"Mr. Qingze, it's rare to have so many guests here."

Is it because these people didn't have enough team building activities at Edogawa last time, that they want to come here for team building as well?

He wanted to see just how many people a single photograph of Sonoko Suzuki could attract.

"I'll go see who it is."

Ran Mouri also realized that the attention was drawn by a photograph. Seeing that Aozawa didn't react, she went to open the door.

Subaru Okiya stood at the front gate, watching the young man walk out of the villa.

The villa's light shone behind him, revealing only the outline of his neat short hair; his face was not visible.

He walked step by step to the door, stepping out of the dim light and into the glow of the streetlights, revealing a handsome and gentle face.

He looked at the pink-haired youth outside through the gate bars, tilting his head slightly.

Warm yellow light shone into their eyes, making their contact lenses appear as a translucent amber color, exceptionally clear.

Subaru Okiya stared at the person in front of him. Compared to the profile in the photo, the face-to-face view was much clearer.

The face hidden in the hood in my memory floated before my eyes, and I quickly compared it with the person in front of me.

It's similar, yet not quite.

Their face shapes and bone structures are very similar, but these gentle, calm, and even clear eyes are completely different from those unique eyes that shimmer with a scarlet light.

"May I ask who you are?"

The young man spoke with a hint of doubt, his tone as calm as his demeanor, devoid of any hostility.

"Have you seen two children, a boy and a girl...?"

"Are you looking for them? They asked to use my restroom..."

Ran Mouri was considering whether to let Subaru Okiya in. It was impolite to have someone standing at the door, but then she thought that she wasn't Ran Mouri anymore and didn't need to be polite.

"They should be alright now, I'll go and bring them out."

Seeing that Qingze was alone, Suzuki Sonoko asked curiously, "Who is it?"

"A pink-haired gentleman came looking for Conan."

As she spoke, she glanced at Qingze almost imperceptibly.

Aozawa, having eaten her fill, was dutifully playing the role of a good friend, feeding Suzuki Sonoko without reacting at all.

The girl handed over the shrimp, and Sonoko naturally opened her mouth, the two of them standing very close together.

Ran Mouri: (?′°︿°?)

She hasn't been fed by Mr. Qingze yet!

A pang of sadness welled up inside her, and she went to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Conan, are you done? Someone outside is looking for you."

"Okay, wait a minute."

Soon, the sound of a toilet flushing came from inside.

Ran Mouri stood outside and glanced inside after he came out.

This is a public restroom, so it's normal that there are no mirrors. She's not afraid that Conan will notice anything unusual.

There was no smell inside, so excuses like having a stomachache or needing to use the restroom were just that—excuses.

He must have had another purpose for coming here today.

I need to check it carefully later, to make sure nothing has been installed on it.

"Who came looking for me?" Conan asked, feigning ignorance.

"A pink-haired man."

Ran Mouri looked at the little girl standing there and said, "Little girl, I'll see you out. Don't come here to use the restroom during mealtimes next time."

Ai Haibara remained silent, taking a step behind Masumi Sera, and fiddling with her fingers.

Even though she was certain that the person in front of her wasn't Koniak, she still couldn't face that face.

Conan apologized in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

His gaze fell on Xiaolan at the dining table. Xiaolan just smiled at him and continued peeling shrimp, without saying anything.

The girl put the shrimp into her father's bowl next to her. "Dad, stop glaring at Conan. Eat the shrimp."

Kogoro Mouri snorted, but didn't retaliate.

He picked up a shrimp and put it in his mouth, glancing sideways at Conan who was still reluctant to leave, and deliberately said, "As expected of Ran peeling these shrimp, they taste really good!"

Some people, well, they won't be able to eat it!

Conan snorted inwardly, and though reluctant, he left anyway.

This trip was only to verify whether Qingze was Koniak. Now that I have the answer, there is no need to stay any longer.

And since my uncle is also there, I'm not worried about them being alone together.

Subaru Okiya was still standing at the door. When he saw someone come out, he adjusted his glasses.

Seeing Subaru Okiya waiting at the door, Ai Haibara frowned slightly, her eyes filled with wariness.

They only came out for a short while, and they caught up with us.

Who exactly is this Subaru Okiya?

Ran Mouri saw them out and returned to the restaurant.

"It's getting late, and I live quite far away, so I'll take my leave now."

Sera Masumi said goodbye to him, picked up her schoolbag, and followed Conan.

"Conan, wait for me!"

"Sera-neechan, why are you eating at Mr. Aozawa's house?"

"Because I wanted to meet this Mr. Aozawa." Sera Masumi said with a sigh, carrying her schoolbag in one hand.

"This Mr. Qingze is quite different from when we first met."

The three of them looked over curiously, "How big is it?"

"When I first met her, I felt she was quite cold, and her hair..."

Sera Masumi remembered that Aozawa's hair was due to his illness, but didn't continue the conversation.

What's wrong with your hair?

"You cut your hair!" Sera Masumi winked at him. "I think my previous long hair look was cooler!"

Conan chuckled, disliking the compliments on Aozawa's appearance, and didn't continue the topic, thus missing the opportunity to learn the truth.

Chapter 169 Another Organizational Experiment

After parting ways with Sera Masumi and Ai Haibara, Conan stood in his large study and looked at Subaru Okiya.

“Mr. Subaru. You probably also think that Aozawa resembles Koniak, which is why you followed him here, right?”

"Mm." Subaru Okiya nodded gently.

"They look so alike. Their height, build, and even their voices are very similar."

Although their temperaments are different, that's all there is to it.

Subaru Okiya did not dispel his suspicions about Aozawa's identity.

Who can guarantee that this isn't acting?

"Do you think it's possible that they just look alike?"