Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

I wonder how long we can keep this a secret...

What if my identity is exposed in the future...?

As she thought about it, she became worried.

After exchanging a few more words about the organization's members, Conan brought the topic back to that day:

"Were you on the subway at the time... talking to Qingze on the phone?"

"Yes."

Ran Mouri's voice lowered, carrying a calm and relief that came after experiencing life and death:

"I was thinking... if the bomb disposal fails in the end, at least... I can say goodbye to him."

When Ran said that the person she wanted to say goodbye to in the last possible moment of her life was Aozawa, Conan felt a familiar, dull pain in his heart.

He gripped his phone tightly, trying to keep his voice steady, and asked the detail that ultimately puzzled him:

"He wasn't on the train... so why did he say he was 'there' on the phone?"

On the other end of the phone, Qingze, standing by the window, held a bow-tie voice changer, gazing at the deep night outside, a playful smile slowly curving his lips.

He adjusted his breathing, letting "Ran Mouri's" voice, carrying a hint of helpless sweetness and a touch of teasing, gently ring out through the airwaves:

"He's...jealous."

After hanging up the phone, Conan felt a tightness in his chest.

Xiao Lan's answer once again confirmed that Qingze was not Koniak.

But if Aozawa wasn't Koniak, then why did Binga speak in that tone back then?

Did they mistake Qingze for Koniak?

He had already heard several people say that "Koniak looks a lot like Qingze".

Why do they look alike?

If they are not the same person, are they related by blood?

This is a question that even Qingze probably doesn't know the answer to.

He lost his memories before the age of ten, even his parents, and he only recently discovered his true identity.

It's not impossible that he has a brother who ended up in the organization after their parents died thirteen years ago.

Of course, there is another possibility: that the Koniak she saw was not the real Koniak, but someone else in disguise, in order to separate the two identities.

From now on, we need to find a way to investigate Qingze more thoroughly.

He needed to find out if Qingze was Koniak before he could feel at ease.

Chapter 432 Man proposes, God disposes

As soon as Conan hung up the phone, Ran Mouri picked up another phone and sank into the soft bed.

She held the phone to her ear and spoke softly, her voice carrying an undisguised laugh and a subtle sigh:

"Aze, you're becoming more and more convincing as me now."

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone, accompanied by the faint sound of the voice changer being moved away.

“Who made me a genius?”

His voice regained its original texture, with a hint of self-satisfied pride in his tone.

To his unashamed boasting, Ran Mouri simply raised her eyebrows and smiled indulgently.

"Yes, yes, yes, my great genius~"

She rolled over, now lying face down on the bed, her hands supporting her chin, and naturally shifted to the main topic:

"Are you implying that you're trying to portray 'Koniak' as your...brother?"

She keenly caught that deliberate detail in his narration—Koniak had been staring at his face.

"Is it not allowed?"

Qingze countered with a relaxed tone, as if discussing a very simple solution.

"It's possible..."

Ran Mouri frowned slightly, analyzing the situation rationally:

"But wouldn't that easily leave loopholes? Your parents only have one child, that's on record. And on the Fukuda side, there's no brother of yours at all. If someone really wants to investigate, it won't be difficult to verify these things."

"That's because you already have preconceived notions, so you think the flaws are obvious."

Qingze's voice came through the receiver, calm and clear.

I think I mentioned "older sister" to you before. Did you subconsciously believe it and think that I had such an older sister?

"If you felt this way when you already knew about my past, then Shinichi Kudo and the FBI agents would feel the same way..."

"They know very little about me—about Tomohiro Fukuda's past. In fact, I myself have forgotten most of my past."

"In this situation, the sudden appearance of a brother who looks similar to me and may be related by blood is not so abrupt to them, and may even be a reasonable explanation."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, who says I have to fabricate an 'older brother' who grew up in the Fukuda family and has a clear record? Why can't it be a twin who was separated at birth?"

Ran Mouri blinked, as if she sensed what he was about to say.

"All we need to do is let Aunt Sachiko..."

At this point, Qingze paused, feeling that the form of address was unusually awkward.

"Just let her casually reveal something like, 'Reiko was pregnant with twins back then...' at the right moment."

"Given the detectives' thought processes, they will naturally follow this clue and generate endless associations and fill in the gaps."

He was born 23 years ago, when medical records were far less electronic and networked than they are now. Many files were kept on paper and were easily damaged or lost.

It has been thirteen years since Tomohiro Fukuda "died." The hospital where he was born has probably closed down and been rebuilt, and the doctors and nurses from that time are nowhere to be found.

Now, only Sachiko Matsui remains as the party involved, and if she says so, she becomes almost the sole witness.

As for the Fukuda main family...

The deceased senator, Makoto Fukuda, was already connected to the organization, so the blame could easily be shifted onto him. The psychologically disturbed and twisted second uncle secretly threw his newborn nephew into the organization, training him to be an assassin who obeyed his orders, in an attempt to take revenge on his younger brother.

"This statement may not fool everyone, but it is enough to confuse the public for a period of time."

Creating a twin shadow that was taken away at birth and "died" is much cheaper than fabricating a brother who lived in the Fukuda family and whose existence is traceable.

His goal was never to construct a flawless lie, but to draw a clear enough line between "Qingze" and "Koniak" that would convince onlookers.

His goal was achieved as long as those astute detectives believed that there were two people involved.

Of course, he wasn't too sure if he would succeed, but he had to give it a try anyway.

Aozawa's voice deepened slightly, tinged with thought, "The only difficulty now... is Sera Masumi."

That girl had seen with her own eyes his white hair and red eyes, the true appearance of "Koniak".

She's also a detective with very sharp intuition and observation skills, making it extremely difficult to fool her.

Honestly, sometimes I really want to just get rid of people and end it all.

But humans are emotional beings; he also became Ran Mouri, going to school, attending classes, and chatting with Sera Masumi...

Although she didn't leave much of a mark on his heart, she was not a complete stranger after all.

If he were to kill Sera Masumi to conceal his identity, not to mention Ran's reaction, his own condition would definitely deteriorate drastically.

Lies and deception are a chasm. Once he does that, he will be constantly shrouded in insecurity, trapped in a quagmire of self-loathing and fear of her discovering him.

He will become sensitive, dangerous, and paranoid, and then fall into the abyss of self-destruction.

When Sera was mentioned, Ran Mouri on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment.

She buried her face in the soft pillow, her voice muffled, carrying a clear sense of frustration and self-reproach:

“I’m sorry… Ze. If I hadn’t insisted on going to the hospital to see you… Sera wouldn’t have seen you like that…”

At that time, she had just experienced that bizarre body swap with him, and she was overwhelmed by great panic and worry for him. She was completely out of her mind and only had the thought of "I must see him" in her mind.

But it was this unconditional concern that planted a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

Sensing the heavy guilt in her voice, Qingze's gaze fell on the tranquil night outside the window, his tone calm:

"Most things in this world are inherently imperfect. Gains are often accompanied by corresponding risks or costs."

"The important thing is not to dwell on the 'what ifs' that have already happened, but to learn from them and think a few steps ahead before acting next time."

He chuckled softly, a laugh that carried a gentle power that could soothe anxiety through the airwaves.

"Besides, having my identity exposed isn't really a fatal threat to me. No secret can be kept forever."

Their meeting was an incredible event, sudden and unexpected.

At the time, he could not have predicted that he would fall in love with such a girl and want to have a future with her.

At that time, he was simply living, with no thoughts about the future. He was just waiting for an end, preparing a grand finale for himself.

Therefore, the actions were not thorough and left many loopholes...

Just like Sera Masumi had seen his white hair and red eyes, just like Edogawa Conan had touched his calloused hands...

He never intended to stay hidden forever.

Chapter 433 Is this really just a dream?

Qingze gazed out the window at the distant night, as if trying to see through the layers of eaves to the figure lying on the bed.

"But... if my identity were to be discovered by Shinichi Kudo and the others, it would put you in a difficult situation, and that's what I don't want to see."

It is foreseeable that once the detective, who considers it his duty to eradicate darkness, confirms his other side, Lan will face immense pressure, scrutiny, and questioning.

What's even more frustrating is the ensuing barrage of persuasion and invisible manipulation under the guise of "justice," "safety," or even "it's for your own good."

if……

If Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki were to find out, then the identity of "Aozawa" would no longer be able to appear in their sight as naturally as it does now.

This is the real trouble he must carefully avoid.

"Man proposes, God disposes."

He snapped out of his thoughts, his tone softening again, "It's getting late, go and get some rest. You have school tomorrow."

After the call ended, the brief busy tone on the receiver disappeared, and the room became completely quiet.

Ran Mouri gently placed her phone on the bedside table, slid into the covers, but did not close her eyes immediately.

She stared at the ceiling, where only the faint city lights filtering in from the window cast blurry shadows on it.

Qingze's calm voice still seemed to echo in her ears. His analysis of her identity, the risks, and the situation she might face weighed heavily on her heart.

She knew she shouldn't keep dwelling on "what ifs" that haven't happened yet, but her thoughts kept drifting away uncontrollably.

My eyelids grew heavy, and my consciousness slowly sank into darkness amidst a mix of worry and exhaustion.

The dream spread like a tide, cold and viscous.

At first, there were fragmented arguments, sharp and piercing eardrums.

Conan Edogawa, no, it's Shinichi Kudo.

His face, which always carried a sense of perseverance and justice, was streaked with tears and an unconcealable pain.

"Lan! Do you know who he is? He's the organization's assassin, Koniak!"

"You can't even imagine how dangerous he is, or how much blood is on his hands!"

"He's a devil, you've been seduced by him... Leave him, I beg you..."

The serious and worried faces of my parents also flashed before my eyes.

Their voices overlapped, no longer the usual bickering or gentle concern; their voices, sometimes soft, sometimes strong, were tinged with tears and sorrow.

"Xiao Lan, how could you fall in love with such a wicked person?"

"A crime is a crime, and no amount of reasoning can justify it..."