Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Why be so fixated on a single definition?

Ran Mouri looked at him stubbornly, determined to get an answer.

What am I to you?

Is this question important?

Qingze's voice carried a hint of irritation.

He turned his head slightly away, as if trying to avoid the overly direct and intense gaze.

"Very important, extremely important."

Ran Mouri's voice was resolute, carrying a desperate determination, and something else that was hard to explain.

If her presence was only a nuisance to him, she thought she would leave.

She left this world she should never have set foot in.

Even if it makes her sad and in pain.

But she didn't want him to suffer.

Under Ran Mouri's persistent gaze, time seemed to be compressed and stretched.

Qingze remained silent for a very long time, so long that the air began to grow cold.

Finally, a very faint sigh escaped from his lips.

"It's the sun."

It is the sun, radiating light, bright and scorching, impossible to approach or stay away from.

It is also a moon that one dares not desire, cannot possess, seemingly so close yet unattainable.

Ran Mouri seemed to sense the unspoken meaning he had left unsaid.

She spoke with a hint of sadness, revealing a bitter smile.

"I'll burn you, won't I?"

Her kindness, her compassion, her empathy—each time, they were a burning wound to Qingze.

She seemed to know what Qingze had left unsaid that day.

"What are you thinking? I'm not in pain."

Qingze realized something, interrupted her self-pity, forcefully grabbed her hand, and pulled her forward.

"You are not a nuisance, nor a burden; you are my helper, my accomplice, my comrade-in-arms!"

Ran Mouri followed him forward, as if she could see the soul belonging to Aozawa within that body.

That soul, broken and reassembled time and again, that soul that, even though riddled with holes, still radiates a faint glow.

How could I not love it?

How could you not fall in love with it?

I'm sorry, Mom and Dad.

I'm so sorry to have failed your teachings; I've fallen in love with someone I shouldn't have.

Qingze, I bid farewell to my conscience and plunge into the abyss called you.

Ran Mouri gripped his hand tightly.

She didn't want to be just a comrade-in-arms; she wanted more.

She wanted to replace those words with "lover," "partner," and "beloved."

The path from the basement to the first floor is not long; it's like passing through a dimly lit space and arriving at a bright surface.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the first snowfall of a few days ago had completely melted.

The oppressive mood seemed to be relieved during this short journey.

Qingze led her to the restaurant and pushed her to sit down in a chair.

"Eat up, it's getting cold. After you finish eating, take a shower and then rest."

Looking at the food on the table, Ran Mouri nodded and picked up her chopsticks.

It wasn't very convenient for her to hold chopsticks with her hands wrapped in several bandages, but fortunately Qingze was cooking porridge, so she could use a spoon.

She ate while asking questions:

Has anything happened in the last few days?

Qingze pressed his temples, looking troubled. "A lot has happened."

"I haven't been in a good mood these past few days, and your mother has noticed something. She keeps wanting to have a heart-to-heart talk with me, to have a late-night chat with me..."

Compared to Kogoro Mouri, Eri Kisaki is far more perceptive of her daughter's emotions.

Because Ran Mouri was in solitary confinement and Aozawa couldn't contact her, and was also worried that something might have happened to her, he became somewhat irritable.

These outward signs of their irritability were somewhat revealed.

Eri Kisaki certainly wouldn't doubt such an outrageous thing as mind swapping. She was just worried that something bad might have happened to her daughter and wanted to have a good talk with her to comfort her.

But Qingze didn't want to talk to her.

These past two days, he has been trying every night to find a way to refuse Eri Kisaki's offer to sleep in the same bed with him, without making his refusal seem too strange. He is utterly exhausted.

"what……"

Ran Mouri's face scrunched up.

Seeing her looking worried, Qingze changed the subject, "But it's alright, I'll find some time to talk to him and put her mind at ease."

Eri Kisaki is worried about her daughter, which is not difficult to resolve.

Qingze simply didn't like that kind of excessive closeness.

In an effort to get closer to her daughter, this Ms. Fei even considered taking a bath with her.

Everyone in Qingze was numb.

If he took a bath with Eri Kisaki, Ran Mouri would kill him.

“That day, Sonoko Suzuki saw our chat, and I shut her up by saying you are Kaito Kid. From now on, Aozawa will be Kaito Kid, and you can add another character setting.”

"what?"

Ran Mouri, who had just taken a bite of rice, looked completely bewildered.

Kaito Kid?

How could Sonoko believe such an outrageous claim?

How did Aozawa and Kaito Kid become a couple?

So she not only has to play Koniak, but also Kaito Kid, right?

"Won't this give us away?"

I have a feeling that I'll be easily exposed.

"Sonoko Suzuki won't call him Aozawa in front of Kaito Kid, and Kaito Kid won't try to prove he's not Aozawa. But you'll have to learn some magic tricks, carry a deck of cards, and practice some card cutting or something."

"I've already ordered the phantom thief's clothes. They should be ready in a few days. I'll keep them for now, just in case."

Ran Mouri gave an "oh" and slumped her shoulders.

Another task has been added.

"There's also something going on with Shinichi Kudo and your father," Aozawa added.

"What happened to Dad and Shinichi?" Ran Mouri asked worriedly.

"You'll see when you see the news; it's nothing serious."

Qingze pressed down on her hand as she reached for her phone.

"Drink your porridge, it's not too late to look at it later."

Ran Mouri nodded and put her phone back in her pocket.

She suddenly remembered something and asked:

"By the way, it's Friday today, shouldn't everyone be in class right now? Did you take leave to come out?"

Chapter 307 You should pray I die

"if not?"

Qingze shook the cola in his hand, glancing sideways at Ran Mouri.

"I didn't expect you to stick with it for three days. I had already taken the day off yesterday."

He estimated that she should be out in about two days, so he waited outside the base yesterday. However, Ran Mouri didn't come out until 72 hours later.

Fortunately, I have Shinichi Kudo as a shield, so it's easy to ask for leave.

"You underestimate me too much." Ran Mouri puffed out her cheeks, feeling that she had been looked down upon.

"Don't mention this to me, I'm still angry."

Qingze suddenly pulled closer, his brows furrowed, staring at those eyes that were swollen like walnuts.

"Do you even remember what you promised me? Taking it upon yourself? Is this your way of keeping your promise?"

Ran Mouri shrank back, feeling guilty.

"I'm all out here, aren't I..."

“Look into your eyes in the mirror, and then say the words ‘okay’.”

How can someone who's emotionally broken down like this claim to be fine after coming out?

Even if it's because of his memory, what difference does it make if things are done this way?

Ran Mouri sighed, "I never expected they would be able to let me into your memories while I was in solitary confinement."

"And it's not quite the same as last time. Last time it was a bit like watching a movie, but this time it was like I became you, immersed in your emotions. When I came out, I almost couldn't tell who I was..."

Qingze narrowed his eyes.

Become him?

There is an instinctive discomfort of being stripped naked, exposing one's most naked and authentic inner self.

Ran Mouri couldn't understand how those people in the organization managed to do it.

She punched open the door to the solitary confinement cell next door; it was empty, and the other wall led directly into the corridor.

She suspected that the solid iron bed she was lying on was some kind of special device, and she punched it twice as she left, deforming the entire iron bed.

Even if it's an instrument, it's definitely broken.

Fortunately, she was worried about the cameras in the solitary confinement room and didn't do anything that would have ruined her image, otherwise she might have aroused suspicion.

As for crying, it's a normal reaction when people are emotionally intense.

Koniak just doesn't feel pain, but he does cry.

"In the last few moments before I came out, I felt a terrible headache, as if my mind was being torn apart. An uncontrollable urge to destroy and annihilate surged within me, and I even wanted to drag the world down with me. What was going on?"

Ran Mouri recounted her feelings and the scene to him in detail.

She cares a lot about this.

She felt this was very important, and that it was very likely the source of Koniak's infamous reputation.

This should also be the reason for the "mental illness" that Qingze mentioned.

Qingze took a sip of cola, his eyelashes drooping, his eyes dark and brooding.

"That's a method of control that organizations use to control people. It's a bit like brainwashing. It can change thoughts and influence behavior."

"This kind of brainwashing is subtle and not obvious; most people are unaware that they have been influenced."

"But I'm different."

“I realized early on that something was affecting me, and I’ve been fighting against that influence.”