Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

“I’d heard him mention being in the hospital before, and since I was coming here anyway, I thought I’d drop by and see him.”

“But I feel like this person isn’t the type to get along with easily, and he’s also quite aloof,” Sera Masumi suddenly said. “He doesn’t seem like the type to talk to high school girls.”

She always felt that this person was somewhat dangerous.

Ran Mouri smiled and shook her head. "Mr. Aozawa is just in a bad mood. He's actually a very gentle person."

Sonoko Suzuki looked at her friend's smile with surprise, her eyes gleaming with intense gossip. "Ran, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on him, would you!"

She rested her chin on her hand, nodding and shaking her head intermittently. "This Mr. Qingze is very handsome, barely a match for you. I just don't know what he's like. Anyway, that arrogant detective Shinichi is nowhere to be found, he hasn't shown up at all... Ran, I support you dumping Shinichi and bravely pursuing your love!"

Ran Mouri was extremely embarrassed by Sonoko's words, and her face turned red. "We're just ordinary friends."

Seriously, how come everything can be linked to romance?

You were just holding his hand and dragging him around the streets!

No one knew what Ran Mouri was thinking, but Aoze had already walked out of the hospital.

Of course, there was no car available. He had just gotten into a fight with the driver, and the injured driver wasn't going to be so patient as to take him home.

Looking at the time, it was already 5 p.m.

Qingze hailed a taxi and prepared to get something to eat.

Ran Mouri hadn't eaten lunch, had so much blood drawn from his body, and had even fought with Gin; he desperately needed to replenish his energy.

He randomly picked a restaurant, and the food, though beautifully presented, was tasteless. As soon as the food entered his mouth, the hair that had been sticking up on Qingze's head drooped down.

The experience of trying it and then losing it makes this bland and tasteless feeling increasingly unbearable.

He should have eaten more using Ran Mouri's body; there's so much he wanted to eat but hadn't had it yet...

Qingze sighed and tried to distract himself while eating.

It was probably just an accident that they traded it back with Ran Mouri.

Consciousness is such a mysterious and elusive thing that it is not something that humans can easily control.

Even if the organization is conducting research, it is likely only in the experimental stage.

His soul swap with Ran Mouri was likely an unexpected result of an experiment.

The organization sent Gin to test the waters, wanting to see if the experiment would be effective.

As for the last device that connects to brainwaves, its function is currently unknown.

Qingze disliked this feeling of being out of control. He spent years breaking free from being manipulated, only to face an uncontrollable future once again.

To the organization, he was nothing more than a tool.

However, tools can also be used against organizations.

Money, weapons, medical care, logistics—these are all tangible benefits, and leaving the organization is the least worthwhile option.

The thought of killing Ran Mouri suddenly popped into my mind, only to be quickly dismissed.

Their mind-swap is not Ran Mouri's fault, and there is really no reason to take it out on Ran Mouri.

Moreover, she's only a 17-year-old high school student, and she's already done a great job.

If Ran Mouri is killed, who knows who will be put into his body the next time the organization launches an experiment?

Therefore, Ran Mouri cannot die, nor can anything happen to her.

Recalling those overly clear eyes, Qingze felt a little better.

At least, Ran Mouri is a good helper.

She too faces a future beyond her control.

He doesn't know when the next exchange will come, so he needs to take this time to investigate thoroughly.

Wherever there is a path, there will be a trace. Since the organization is conducting this kind of experiment in secret, there will always be clues that will be revealed.

Only by figuring out what they are doing and what they want to do can we turn a passive situation into an active one.

Chapter 26 My intuition is always very accurate.

Although she was no longer dizzy, Ran Mouri still went to the hospital.

She wasn't sure if anyone was secretly watching Qingze, and to be on the safe side, she didn't want her purpose for coming to the hospital to seem unusual.

Sonoko Suzuki introduced herself as the Suzuki family, and the receptionist, a nurse, registered them and led them to the examination room.

The doctor who saw me was a gentle middle-aged woman, completely different from Finoa. Her tone was gentle and her demeanor was calm, which made me feel very relaxed.

"Miss Mori, are you feeling unwell?"

“We were shopping earlier, and Ran suddenly felt dizzy and seemed about to faint. What happened?” Sonoko Suzuki spoke first, explaining the situation.

The female doctor carefully examined Ran Mouri's complexion. "It could be low blood sugar. We'll need to do some tests to find out the specific cause..."

The VIP-system private hospital performed the examinations very quickly, and Ran Mouri received her test results in no time.

"You're very healthy, there's nothing wrong. Your dizziness before was most likely due to low blood sugar or orthostatic hypotension..."

With healthy diagnoses in hand, the three girls walked out of the hospital as the sun set.

Next to it, the toll gate of the underground parking lot rose, and a Porsche 356A drove out.

Sera Masumi glanced over unintentionally, and her pupils immediately contracted.

Black clothes, silver hair, Porsche.

It's Gin from the organization my mother mentioned!

Ran Mouri also saw Gin and vodka.

She was somewhat surprised; she thought the two people should have left long ago, but they were only leaving now.

And the injuries on his face... he didn't have them before.

What happened after she regained consciousness?

Aozawa's special training was very useful. Even though her mind was full of thoughts, Ran Mouri did not show any abnormality on her face, as if she was just looking over with curiosity.

Noticing the gaze, Gin coldly swept his eyes over, and after finding only three high school girls in school uniforms, he closed his eyes again.

As the Porsche drove away, Ran Mouri looked at Sera Masumi, who stood there lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Sera?"

Ran Mouri noticed that Sera Masumi acted strangely for a moment after seeing Gin, and wondered if she knew about Gin.

Qingze didn't tell her much about the organization he belonged to. He only introduced her to the personalities and ways of doing things of these members who used alcohol as code names, but didn't tell her what they had done.

Qingze needs her to play himself, but at the same time, he is trying to prevent her from getting too involved with the organization.

Although contradictory, the reason is not hard to guess.

Qingze didn't want her to get too involved in things that were unrelated to her high school life.

This was Qingze's kindness hidden beneath layers of persona, and Ran Mouri sensed it.

But that doesn’t mean she lacks a desire to explore.

Curiosity is truly an uncontrollable thing.

Ran Mouri couldn't resist wanting to know more.

But she was sensible; she only pretended to be curious and didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.

Sera Masumi smiled and shook her head, as if she hadn't seen anything.

"It's nothing, I just remembered some things."

She glanced back at the hospital and made a mental note of the location.

Gin from that organization couldn't have appeared here for no reason. There must be something strange about this hospital. If she has the chance, she should investigate this place thoroughly.

The Suzuki family parked their car in front of the hospital and drove each of them home.

Ran Mouri was worried about Qingze, so after getting out of the car, she took out her phone to call him.

This was the first time she had ever seen this newly bought phone, and it took her a while to get used to it.

The list of phone numbers wasn't long; they were all contacts from her original phone that Qingze had transferred to her new phone.

The text messages that were originally sent on my phone have long been deleted, as if they never existed.

Ran Mouri searched around and finally found a contact she had never seen before, whose name was simply "Blue".

She tried dialing, and the call was answered quickly. Qingze's familiar voice came from the other end of the line. It was much gentler than his cold tone in the hospital that afternoon.

"you're home?"

Ran Mouri was somewhat surprised. "How did Mr. Aozawa know?"

"Your two friends are quite perceptive; they're keeping a close eye on you. You only have time to call me after you've separated from them..."

In addition, Ran Mouri has a history of dizziness and fainting, so those two people definitely wouldn't let her go home alone.

This is a very simple line of reasoning.

Ran Mouri stood in the open space downstairs, watching the passersby, controlling her volume to avoid being heard.

"Mr. Qingze, what exactly happened? Why did it suddenly switch back?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess the device stimulated our consciousness, which caused us to switch back."

Ran Mouri doesn't know much about consciousness and the brain; there's only one thing she wants to know.

She asked in a low voice, "Will we switch again?"

Qingze walked along the green path by the riverbank, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

The setting sun cast a pinkish glow on his hair. He found a spot to stop, leaning against the railing with a relaxed posture.

"What, you're addicted to role-playing? Want to experience life in Koniak?"

Qingze's words were as sharp as ever, tinged with a hint of mockery.

Ran Mouri sighed helplessly, her tone earnest and sincere.

“Mr. Qingze, I have a feeling that things are not over yet, and we will probably continue to exchange partners.”

As if afraid that Qingze wouldn't believe her, she added, "My intuition is always very accurate."

Just like back in Dorobiga Park, when she watched Shinichi run away without looking back, she had a feeling that she would never see him again.

And so Shinichi truly disappeared from her life.

Qingze simply hummed in agreement.

"Don't overthink it, just focus on living your high school life. I happen to have some free time, so let me tell you about what's been going on these past couple of days..."

Aozawa only mentioned the recent events on Ran Mouri's side briefly during their meeting, without saying much more.

After all, time is limited, and more time needs to be devoted to special training for Ran Mouri.

But now that the switch has been reversed, it's necessary to explain in more detail to avoid any issues with Ran Mouri's transition.

"Your father and that child agreed to clean together from now on. Call them when you need to, and praise them occasionally to give them some emotional support. That will motivate them more in the future..."

"Your childhood sweetheart has called several times these past few days. I was a bit cold to him, and he seemed a little anxious, so he brought you a cell phone. I put it in my desk. Whether you refuse it or accept it is up to you."

"You've been coming home late these past few days, and I told you you've been studying Chinese cuisine outside..."

"Today's homework is..."

The life of an ordinary high school girl is simple, yet not simple at all.

Compared to Qingze's solitary existence, she had many trivial matters to attend to.

Studying, living, entertainment... if you miss any of these, things won't connect.

Qingze spoke his mind freely, and Ran Mouri listened, nodding occasionally and taking notes of the details.

"By the way, you'd better be wary of that employee at the coffee shop downstairs from your apartment, but don't let him notice anything amiss..."

Chapter 27 Everyone Has Secrets