Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

"Was it a gift from Qingze?" Fei Yingli asked knowingly, her tone revealing neither praise nor criticism.

"Yes!" Ran Mouri nodded vigorously, her smile carrying a hint of insistence and expectation. "You should accept it carefully."

"You've already put them on us, how can I take them off?"

Eri Kisaki smiled helplessly, turning her wrist, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes.

“These are matching couple items, Dad, you have to wear them too!” Ran Mouri turned to her father and emphasized.

"Tch..." Kogoro Mouri turned his face away and muttered under his breath, "We're an old married couple, why bother with matching items..."

Before she could finish speaking, Eri Kisaki's gaze swept over from behind her glasses, her voice soft yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Oh? You don't want to wear the same style as me?"

A thin layer of sweat instantly broke out on Kogoro Mouri's forehead. "I...I didn't mean that..."

Ran Mouri couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her parents bickering.

She returned to her bedroom, sat down at her desk, rested her chin on her hand, and gazed at the vibrant chamomile in the vase with a gentle and serene look.

Tomorrow... I'll bring Aze a bouquet of flowers too.

He hasn't had any fresh flowers delivered to his place for a while.

……

Dr. Agasa's house.

Ai Haibara's fingers flew across the keyboard, while code and data streams scrolled rapidly across the screen.

Before long, she followed the online traces and located the original poster of the video Conan mentioned.

After sending the email addresses and contact information she found to Conan, she let out a soft breath, leaned back in her chair, and unconsciously stroked the rim of her cup with her fingertips.

The questions from the daytime kept popping into my head again, uncontrollably.

Qingze...

Koniak... what exactly is the relationship between these two people?

And then there was that "Shuichi Akai" I met in the evening...

There's a constant feeling that a storm is brewing.

In the hospital ward, Conan received a message and his spirits lifted.

He adjusted the voice changer on the bow tie, switching to a steady, middle-aged male voice, and dialed the number.

"Hello, I'm a reporter from Damai Daily. I'd like to ask a few questions about a video you posted earlier. Is that convenient?"

"A reporter?" The man who answered the phone was clearly confused. "What's there to interview me about?"

"It's about the video you filmed on the subway, the girl who defused the bomb."

The moment this was mentioned, the other person immediately perked up:

"Oh! You mean that girl? Her name is Ran Mouri, and her father is the famous detective Kogoro Mouri! We were really fortunate to have her back then! If she hadn't stepped forward and said she could defuse the bomb, and directed everyone to split up and search, I don't know what would have happened that day..."

"Could you please recall the specific circumstances in more detail? Any details are welcome."

"Actually, the process wasn't complicated. The announcement said there was a bomb, and the whole carriage was in chaos. Everyone was on edge. But this girl was remarkably calm..."

Conan listened quietly; the account from the other end of the phone roughly matched the recollections of other eyewitnesses that he had seen in scattered reports afterward.

Because the train landed smoothly, the incident didn't cause much of a stir or reaction. All the netizens' attention was focused on the deceased "Shinichi Kudo," so not many people knew about it.

"Was Miss Mori alone at the time? Did you see any of her companions?" Conan asked the crucial question.

"A companion? I didn't notice... She seemed to be alone the whole time, doing things very calmly."

"Okay, thank you very much."

After hanging up the phone, Conan's brows furrowed deeply. If Aozawa wasn't on the subway at the time, then where did the voice he heard on the phone that belonged to Aozawa come from?

Did Xiaolan bring two cell phones with her?

One person was on the phone with Qingze receiving guidance, while the other answered his call.

After watching her son fall into a long silence after finishing his phone call, Yukiko Kudo couldn't help but ask, "Shin-chan, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"I was wondering...did Ran bring two cell phones with her that day?" Conan answered instinctively.

"Is this important?" Yukiko Kudo asked, puzzled.

Conan was taken aback.

Yeah... is that important?

Why am I so fixated on such a trivial detail, even to the point of having an urge to get to the bottom of it?

No… what he really cared about wasn't the phone itself, but the deeper issues hidden behind it.

If Xiaolan defused the bomb on her own, when did she learn bomb disposal skills?

If Qingze provided remote guidance, then why is Qingze so proficient in this art?

A bomb that can be set to a timer and remotely controlled is definitely not a simple bomb; its wiring must be very complex.

Even professional bomb disposal experts need time to handle it, but Xiaolan disarmed three bombs in just ten minutes.

But if Aozawa is Koniak, then it makes sense.

His gaze fell on his phone; the screen was dark, yet it seemed to reflect his conflicted inner state.

Should we just call Xiaolan and ask her directly?

Will she tell him the truth?

After hesitating for a while, reason prevailed. Rather than speculating and tormenting himself without any basis, he decided to seek the answer directly, even if it wasn't what he expected.

He looked at his mother and said, "Mom, it's getting late. You should go home and rest. I'm fine at the hospital."

"How can I leave you here all alone?"

"Really, it's nothing. Hospital beds are nowhere near as comfortable as home. There are nurses checking on you regularly at night, and I can ring the call button if I feel unwell. You should go home and get some sleep." Conan's tone was gentle yet firm.

Yukiko Kudo couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she sighed softly, gave him some careful instructions, and then turned to leave.

The ward fell completely quiet, with only the faint sound of the medical equipment running.

Conan took a deep breath and finally dialed that familiar number.

Chapter 431 Why do they look alike?

The call was answered quickly, and Ran Mouri's cheerful voice came through the receiver: "Conan? How's your recovery going?"

"It's alright. I remember everything about the day of the explosion."

He paused, his voice lowering to a deep tone, filled with genuine gratitude and lingering fear, "Thank you, Xiaolan. If you hadn't defused the bomb, I probably would be dead."

"Don't mention thank you, that's too formal. It's good that you remembered, it means you're recovering well, and that puts my mind at ease."

“Ran,” Conan interrupted her words of comfort, his voice unusually hesitant and inquisitive, “Can I ask you something?”

"Hmm? What is it?"

After a brief silence, he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: "That day... how did you defuse the bomb?"

On the other end of the phone, Ran Mouri's brows furrowed suddenly, and she immediately realized what he suspected.

Her finger swiped quickly across another phone screen, sending Qingze a text message:

Shinichi's memories have returned, and he's asking me how I defused the bomb that day.

Almost the instant the message was sent, a reply popped up: "I'll handle him."

At the same time, a call came in to the cell phone she used to contact Qingze.

Ran Mouri put both phones on speakerphone and placed them in front of her.

Then, she heard a voice from another phone, with the exact same tone and manner as her own:

"Are you curious about how I defused the bomb?"

"Hmm," Conan replied.

Conan heard her laugh, her words tinged with relief.

"It's quite a coincidence, actually. My teacher specifically taught me how to defuse bombs, and that particular bomb just happened to be the kind I knew how to defuse..."

Hearing that almost indistinguishable voice, her own, ringing in the air, Ran Mouri felt a complex mix of emotions.

Qingze's portrayal of her is now masterful, whether it's the tone, rhythm, or the subtle emotional control.

This answer stunned Conan.

Is Vermouth teaching Ran?

He always believed that Vermouth was trying her best to prevent Ran from contacting the organization and had not told Ran much about it.

But he was wrong; Xiaolan probably knew more than he imagined.

Vermouth is teaching Ran, trying to teach her how to protect herself in a crisis.

Yes.

How much can mere indirect protection truly safeguard? Accidents can happen at any time.

True protection comes from equipping her with the ability to face difficulties and crises.

This realization made his heart sink even further, and he felt a dull pain in his heart.

How come he never realized it?

The so-called concealment and departure are nothing more than wishful thinking and "for your own good" protection, pale and powerless.

True protection means giving her the ability and means to protect herself.

He is far inferior to Vermouth.

He sighed softly, his tone complex: "It seems... Vermouth told you a lot about that organization."

As Conan's train of thought was clearly being led astray, Ran Mouri's feelings became increasingly indescribable.

With just one sentence, Aozawa successfully diverted Conan's attention entirely to Vermouth.

Regardless of whether it's good or bad, all the blame is thrown at Vermouth.

But in reality, that "teacher" was always Qingze.

Aozawa continued speaking in Ran Mouri's voice, adding a touch of emotion to his tone at the right moment:

"Yes... that dangerous organization, and those people in it, my teacher told me almost everything he could..."

"What do you know? Can you tell me?" Conan pressed, his voice urgent.

"You finally asked me, haha... But what I know is probably about the same as what you already know."

"Please tell me, this information is important to me."

"I know what some of the codenamed members look like and what their characteristics are. My teacher told me this so that I could avoid them if I encountered them..."

"For example, gin, vodka, cognac, and also Cohen, Chianti..."

Upon hearing the codename "Koniak," Conan's heart skipped a beat:

"Koniak? You've seen him before?"

"I ran into him once by chance."

Ran Mouri's voice subtly conveyed a hint of reminiscence and lingering fear:

"Speaking of which... he does look quite a bit like Aze. But their auras are completely different, especially scary. I only glanced at him twice before he noticed me. He kept staring at Aze, which scared me so much that I quickly pulled Aze away..."

"Was Aozawa there at the time?" Conan immediately grasped the key point.

"Yes, we happened to be shopping nearby at the time..."

Listening to Qingze's fluent response, Mouri Ran seemed to be deep in thought.

Qingze intentionally separated his identity from Koniak's, creating the illusion that they were two different people.

With a disguise mask and the premise that Phantom Thief Kid would agree to help, creating this effect wouldn't be difficult.

It can only fool those who don't know the truth, not those who do, like Amuro Tooru.

She was able to deceive Conan because of his trust in her. If Conan continued to investigate this matter further, he would inevitably find many flaws.