Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Compared to racking your brains to come up with reasons to persuade them to accept the item and wear it all the time, this somewhat domineering and direct approach is indeed simpler, more efficient, and more likely to ensure that the item stays with them.

Chapter 435 I Have a Request

"Xiaolan, when did you buy this bracelet? It's quite unique and very pretty!"

Sonoko raised her wrist, admired it against the light, and smiled as she praised her friend's taste.

Ran Mouri casually rolled up one sleeve of her school uniform jacket, revealing the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist.

"I bought it online; ours is the same model!"

Sera Masumi looked down at her wrist, then at Ran and Sonoko's wristbands; the three stripes echoed each other yet each had a slight difference.

She flicked her wrist, the metal chain making a soft clatter, and a bright smile, revealing her small tiger teeth, appeared on her face.

"Oh dear, I'll have to wear it carefully then, it's a testament to our friendship!"

“That’s right!” Ran Mouri nodded vigorously, adding an even stronger meaning to the gift, “It’s a symbol of friendship!”

"Um... is there any for me?"

Hondou Eisuke also came over at some point, asking with a slightly shy yet expectant tone.

Sonoko immediately gave a teasing look: "Oh my, we girls wear bracelets, and you, a boy, want to join in the fun?"

Hondo Eisuke felt a little embarrassed by what she said, scratched his head, and realized that it was indeed inappropriate for him to wear a women's bracelet.

But he also wanted the "symbol of friendship."

"Yes, we do have some, but this is what we've prepared for you."

As if she had been prepared, Ran Mouri pulled out a small, exquisite silver fish-shaped phone charm from her pocket and handed it to him.

Do you like this?

Wow! Thank you, Xiaolan!

Hondo Eisuke's eyes lit up, and he happily accepted the pendant. He hadn't expected that he would actually be considered, and his smile immediately brightened.

The young people laughed and joked for a while until the school bell rang crisply, and the classroom gradually quieted down.

……

The Matsui family.

Aozawa sat in the living room, facing Sachiko Matsui.

When facing this aunt, he abandoned his usual indifferent and lazy demeanor, becoming obedient yet distant.

He opened his mouth, the word "aunt" swirling in his throat several times, but he still couldn't bring himself to say it.

Mingming can easily call other people "Dad" and "Mom," but when it comes to relatives, he finds it particularly difficult to use those terms.

Matsui Sachiko noticed his subtle struggles as he hesitated to speak, but her gentle eyes did not show any reproach. Instead, a softer, more understanding smile appeared on her face.

The child in my memory was precocious, doing whatever he wanted without caring about what others thought. At such a young age, he possessed an indifference as if observing the world through glass.

This rare moment of helplessness made her feel... that this child finally had a bit of human vitality.

"It's okay, Ji-yu."

She spoke softly, calling him by his old name, her voice filled with a warmth that embraced everything.

You can call me whatever you like, or you don't have to. I'm just glad you came.

Qingze paused slightly at the old name, then skipped the address and got straight to the point.

He lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on the steaming teacup in front of him:

"I have a request, and I don't know if you would be willing to help me."

“Of course,” Matsui Sachiko replied without hesitation, her eyes earnest. “I’ve said it before, if I can help, just ask.”

When she said that, Qingze naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with her.

He raised his head, revealing his red eyes.

"I would like to ask you to help me fake a twin brother who was separated at birth."

Sachiko Matsui's gentle smile froze, her brows furrowing slightly, revealing undisguised confusion and worry.

"Zhiyu," she leaned forward slightly, her tone now carrying a hint of elder's inquiry and concern, "may I ask why this is necessary?"

"This involves some of my privacy, so I can't disclose it here. You just need to casually reveal this vague information when someone asks me in the future if I have any brothers."

Qingze then recounted a short, suspenseful story that he had conceived beforehand.

The plot is simple, leaving room for imagination, with few clues and a short story.

Sachiko Matsui wasn't stupid. When the police came to her house to ask about Tomoyu last time, she had a vague premonition that something was wrong.

Qingze's request suggests he's preparing for something.

Worry, like fine vines, coiled around my heart.

She pondered for a moment, then refrained from pressing for further explanation, quickly shifting to a more practical perspective:

"Is it enough for me to just say this? Do I need any other supporting evidence?"

"The hospital where you were born has probably gone out of business. I don't know if we can still find the doctors and nurses who delivered you. To avoid giving anything away, it would be best to bribe them all..."

As she spoke, Sachiko Matsui quickly sorted through the parts of the lie that might need to be filled in.

"Besides the doctors and nurses, there's also the Fukuda family..."

Seeing her worry for him and feeling her unconditional trust, Qingze's expression softened.

His words carried a hint of reassurance:

“I will take care of the other joints. You don’t need to worry about them.”

"If someone asks, you only need to provide that starting point; your tone doesn't need to be deliberate, and you don't need to go into too much detail. The more you say, the more flaws you might reveal."

"The remaining interested people will naturally follow the answers they want to discover and verify them."

His gaze met Sachiko Matsui's worried eyes, and he slowly shook his head.

"All you have to do is say that one sentence safely and detachedly. That in itself is the greatest help to me."

After leaving the Matsui family, Aozawa took a flight to Kyoto.

The weather in Kyoto is different from that in Tokyo; the sky is a dull, leaden gray, with a light drizzle.

He stood for a moment in front of the cemetery, stepping into a place he knew the location of but had never been before.

The Fukuda family's burial plot is not hard to find.

Beside a somewhat rustic family tombstone stand two similar tombstones—one for Akira Fukuda and the other for Reiko Fukuda.

The tombstone bears the marks of time and the elements, and in the crisp winter air, it appears exceptionally clean and desolate.

Qingze stopped a few steps away.

A dull pain came from my chest.

He clutched his chest, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips.

I can't recall much of my memory, but the sensations in my body are damnably real.

He walked to the tombstones and stood silently gazing at them, as if trying to see the two familiar yet unfamiliar faces through the names on the tombstones.

After a long while, he squatted down and put down the flowers in his hand.

He turned to the smaller tombstone next to the two tombstones and gently touched the name on it.

Zhiyu.

Tomohiro Fukuda.

The name ended when he was ten, and was mentioned again when he was twenty-three.

From unfamiliarity and resistance, to becoming oneself.

Chapter 436 Something's happened to Masumi!

Teitan High School, in a classroom.

The mock exam papers from last week have been handed out.

The moment Ran Mouri saw her score, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Her shoulders slumped, and she listlessly slumped onto her desk.

She used to be one of the top students, but now she's only slightly above the passing grade.

The difference was so great that Ran Mouri found it hard to accept.

"Xiaolan, why have your grades dropped so much?"

Sonoko looked at Ran's test paper with a puzzled expression.

These grades have dropped way too fast!

Ran Mouri had no way to express her suffering.

Qingze has been teaching her classes for most of this semester, so it's quite an achievement that she's still able to maintain this grade.

Make-up lessons! Make-up lessons are absolutely necessary!

Catch up on the progress you've fallen behind and regain control of the knowledge.

Even if it means hanging one's head from the rafters or pricking one's thigh with an awl, one must still make up for it!

With a hint of gritted teeth, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to the person who was probably on the move at that moment:

Are you done with your work?

The few minutes of waiting for a reply became somewhat anxious. Until the screen lit up:

[Upon arriving in Kyoto, things are going more smoothly than expected.]

Immediately afterwards, the next message popped up: "I should be able to get back by the time you get out of school. Do you need me to tutor you?"

Upon seeing the last sentence, Ran Mouri could almost picture the knowing yet sarcastic expression on his face when he sent the message.

He must have guessed it!

My cheeks felt a little hot, but more than that, I felt an urgent need to find a lifeline.

Her fingers flew across the screen:

[Needed!! Absolutely needed!!!]

As soon as the school bell rang, she was like a wound-up toy, quickly stuffing all the relevant test papers, exercise books, and textbooks on the table into her schoolbag, her movements so fast they created a gust of wind.

"Sonoko, Sera, I'm not going with you!"

She slung her noticeably heavier backpack over her shoulder, her tone filled with a do-or-die determination, "I'm going to get some extra lessons from my tutor!"

"A private tutor?" Sera Masumi blinked, somewhat puzzled. "Ran, when did you hire a private tutor?"

Sonoko immediately flashed a knowing, knowing smile, nudged Sera with her elbow, and whispered, "Who else could it be but Aozawa?"

Sera Masumi's lips twitched.

Is this tutor a legitimate private tutor?

She strongly suspected that Xiaolan's declining grades were the fault of this tutor.

"Sera, would you like to walk with me for a while?" Sonoko asked after packing her things.

"No, thank you," Sera Masumi said, turning her gaze away and patting her schoolbag. "I'm planning to go to the library to read for a while."

Yesterday, her relationship with Xiu Ge was exposed. Xiu Ge warned her that the organization might target her, so it was not suitable for her to be with Yuanzi just in case.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

As evening approached, leaden-gray clouds piled up on the horizon, dimming and thinning the last rays of the setting sun.

Sera Masumi stepped out of the gates of Teitan High School, her earphones plugged in. The upbeat melody accompanied her steps, making her joy at knowing that her brother was still alive even more exhilarating.

She looked up at the setting sun, which was about to disappear completely, leaving only a few orange-red embers in the sky.

She turned a corner, and the buildings completely blocked out the setting sun.