Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Chapter 398 The Terrible Koniak

November 2st

Zhiyu got into a fight with his uncle's child today.

The reason was that he saw the child bullying Xiujun.

Xiujun usually likes to follow him around like a little shadow, which he used to find annoying, but now it seems he actually cares about it.

Perhaps this is a kind of possessiveness towards "toys"?

……

A six-year-old who couldn't beat Zhiyu went to his parents to complain. How shameless!

I wonder if Zhiyu is hurt anywhere; she needs to be checked out...

……

November 5st

Ever since he was protected last time, Xiujun has practically written the word "admiration" on his face.

He followed Zhiyu around even more diligently.

It was rather amusing to see Xiujun being bossed around like that, yet seemingly enjoying it.

However, Xiujun has a rather gentle personality, which might cause him trouble in the future...

He doesn't know if he'll be able to support the Matsui family after this...

……

November 15st

Zhiyu is five years old.

He now prefers to be alone and do his own thing.

He likes to try new things and enjoys learning new things.

Painting, calligraphy, piano, guitar, dance... He was searching for something he liked, but he only had a short-lived interest in each one, losing interest after learning it.

Fortunately, my family is well-off, so I can immediately arrange to learn whatever I want.

Watching him swiftly "skim" over each skill, I always felt a little empty inside.

A hobby is a hobby precisely because you will always enjoy it; that's what makes it a hobby...

Can he really find his passion?

……

November 12st

Today was a family gathering, and everyone went to the old house.

The whole family was packed together, but only Zhiyu was favored by her father-in-law.

I discovered that Zhiyu has an exceptional sensitivity to people's hearts; he can keenly perceive everyone's emotions and expectations.

He can make anyone like him if he wants, just like how his usually stern father-in-law was easily charmed by him.

But most of the time he doesn't want to.

He was too lazy to pretend.

Is this the arrogance of a genius?

Sometimes I really feel that Zhiyu is born with innate wisdom; there are some things he can understand on his own without us having to teach him.

But there's a saying, "Extreme intelligence can be harmful," and I often worry that he might harm his health or heart someday in the future.

In particular, Zhiyu suffers from analgesia, meaning her body cannot provide pain feedback...

We have to take him for a thorough full-body check-up every month, monitoring his health as carefully as if he were a rare treasure.

Looking at my child who doesn't seem to care about anything, I can't help but worry about his future.

What exactly does he care about?

Are Ah Ming and I the people he cares about?

……

November 15st

Zhiyu is eight years old.

His birthday had just passed, and his sense of emotional "absence" seemed to have intensified.

We took him to see many famous doctors and consulted with various experts, but the results were all ambiguous and couldn't give a clear answer.

Once, while visiting an island, I met an elderly high monk. He looked at Zhiyu with profound eyes and said a few words that seemed to be understood but not quite.

The true spirit is still being nurtured and has not yet fully awakened...

That's too convoluted, I can't understand it at all...

The high monk also said that Zhiyu would face a great calamity.

If you get through it, life will be smooth sailing; if you don't, you'll be cursed by fate and die young.

I was terrified.

Calamity, calamity... What calamity will Zhiyu face?

No, I need to prepare something for Zhiyu in advance...

……

November 23st

Zhiyu began to take an interest in "emotions" themselves.

He held the thick psychology book I bought for him and flipped through it page by page.

He suddenly looked up at me and asked, "Mom, what are the specific physiological reactions to 'sadness'? What does it feel like?"

"When you feel sad, you will feel pain and discomfort, as if your heart is being torn apart, and tears will flow uncontrollably..."

Zhiyu seemed to be deep in thought.

"That mystical monk told me that when I feel the deepest sorrow, that's when I'm about to wake up."

……

November 25st

Ever since I heard that sentence, I've had a feeling of unease.

What is the ultimate sorrow?

Has everything important disappeared?

If I have to rely on such stimulation to "wake up," then I'd rather Zhiyu stay like this forever.

It's okay to be emotionally indifferent.

We love him.

No matter what he does, we will always love him.

……

November 30st

I finally found some free time and wanted to go to that small island to find the old monk again.

But it only took a few days; the monk had already passed away.

Watching Zhiyu build sandcastles on the beach, I became even more worried.

If he is destined to face a calamity, when will it be?

Can Amin and I protect him?

Or perhaps, by then, neither Ah Ming nor I were left...

……

Amuro Tooru slowly flipped through these diaries. The diaries were not long, just some daily notes, but every word revealed a mother's deep love for her child.

Tomohiro Fukuda is a genius, but he is born with emotional deficiencies and suffers from genius disease.

As far as he knew, Koniak had lost his memories of the period before he was ten years old.

Is this excessive grief causing the brain to actively forget or block out information as a form of self-protection?

A genius who has lost his memory falls into the hands of an organization and is used as a test subject...

A chill ran up from his tailbone to the back of his head, and Amuro Tooru shivered.

No wonder these people were so certain, so arrogantly convinced that Koniak would never betray them.

This is like drawing on a blank sheet of paper; what the paper will ultimately look like depends entirely on the person who puts their brush to it.

In their eyes, Koniak was the sharpest knife meticulously crafted by the organization.

However, this knife has its own thoughts.

Therefore, his repeated acts of resistance, and every record of punishment, were soaked with silent blood and tears and deep-seated hatred.

A strong sense of dread instantly swept over Amuro Tooru's entire body, and goosebumps erupted from under his skin as if he had encountered extreme danger.

From the lines alone, he seemed to glimpse a resilient tree, which, amidst raging storms and thunderous rages, took root and grew against the light.

He let his roots sink deep into the soil; he lay dormant, he disguised himself, he grew.

He twisted the branches into the grotesque and terrifying shape that the tree planter desired, just to gain a crack in the tree for survival.

However, the root that truly determines life and death lies deep within the soil, where no one can see it, yet it is incredibly resilient.

Even if it is cut down or burned, as long as the roots are still there, it can still grow new life.

This realization did not bring fear, but rather a deeper chill mixed with awe.

This is an extremely formidable adversary, but for now, with shared objectives, it is also a powerful ally.

"Painlessness, painlessness..."

Amuro Tooru's fingertips unconsciously tapped lightly on the cold tabletop, repeatedly chewing on the word in the silent room, as if dissecting the core flaw of a deadly weapon.

Painless seems like a good thing, but it is actually a huge weakness.

This means being seriously injured without realizing it, it means a deadly disease spreading silently without warning, it means a hidden crisis within the body like a silent bomb...

To deal with him in the future, we might have to start from this angle.

Chapter 399 The Matsui Family's Invitation

"Sister Xiaolan, do you still remember me? I am Matsui Hirotake."

During break, Ran Mouri received a phone call.

After Shinichi's funeral, she returned to her student life and has been working hard on her final exams these past few days.

If you fall too far behind in your studies, you have no choice but to catch up if you don't want to fail your grades.

Fortunately, she had a tutor who patiently assisted her, so her progress wasn't too slow. After a few days, she managed to catch up with the rest of the group.

Ran Mouri certainly remembers Hirotake Matsui.

According to kinship, he is Qingze's cousin.

"Of course I remember, what's wrong?" she smiled gently.

I still have a deep impression of this child.

This is a very precocious child.

"Would you like to come visit me at home sometime? Bring your older brother along." Matsui Hirotake got straight to the point.

"Eh?"