Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

"You're just a high school student, not a hero or a savior. Don't put too much moral pressure on yourself, and don't punish or blame yourself internally."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the dazzling sun in the sky, as if he were speaking to Ran Mouri on the other end of the phone, or perhaps to his former self.

"A person's energy and the things they can do are limited. If you want to do too many things, you will lose sight of what you can do."

"Don't let distractions get in the way. As a student, your most important task right now is to study hard and focus on the final exams in a few days."

Listening to his words, Ran Mouri felt as if her heart was being soaked in warm water, bringing her an incredible sense of peace and security.

It seems that as long as he's there, no problem is a problem.

You can rely on, trust, and even entrust...

This feeling is captivating and addictive.

She reached up and wiped away the tears that had unknowingly streamed down her face, and sighed sincerely:

"It's so good to have you here."

Qingze leaned against the pillar and smiled when he heard this.

He responded softly, his tone revealing a relaxed nasal quality.

"uh-huh."

Ran Mouri's tone also became lighter again, as if a heavy burden had been lifted:

"Aze, you've stayed up all night again, aren't you going to sleep?"

Qingze closed his eyes briefly to relieve the glare caused by looking directly at the sun, and his tone returned to its usual casualness.

"Go and rest in a bit."

He can't rest for the time being.

……

In a quiet corner of a coffee shop in Ginza.

Kuroba Chikage slowly stirred the coffee in her cup with a silver spoon, the sound of the porcelain clinking together restrained and rhythmic.

She raised her eyes and her gaze fell on the man opposite her—a man who had shed all pretense and was showing his true face.

He wore a well-tailored dark suit, his appearance still refined, his demeanor increasingly mature. Time had not diminished his elegance; rather, it had added a more substantial dimension to his presence.

But some things have changed.

Beneath that elegant demeanor lay a calm, undeniable sense of control, and a carefully concealed yet still subtly discernible burning ambition.

Kuroba Toichi. Her husband, who has been legally "dead" for seven years.

The initial feigned death was merely a means to escape the organization that pursued "Pandora" and craved immortality, in exchange for a peaceful freedom.

He succeeded, disappeared, but in the tempering of this "death" and the ensuing secretive life, he quietly transformed, and something different grew in his heart.

Kuroba Chikage looked at him, her voice calm, yet like a turbulent undercurrent beneath the ice:

"In your heart, which is more important, that illusory immortality or your son?"

Kuroba placed his hands elegantly on the table, his posture impeccable.

He looked at her with focused and gentle eyes, as if admiring the most beautiful treasure in the world.

He spoke slowly, his voice as gentle as ever.

"Don't put them on opposite ends of the scale. One is my blood relative, someone I cherish; the other is the path and answer I choose to pursue. They are different in nature, and cannot, and should not, be compared."

"value?"

A cold smile curved at the corner of Qianying's lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"Fake death for seven years, tell him nothing, let him become the second-generation Kid, rampaging through the night, all to investigate a death truth you wove yourself."

"Knowing that the organization searching for Pandora is like a ghost, never truly gone, and will eventually catch up with him, you chose to stand by and do nothing."

"Indifferent to the potential life-threatening crisis he might face, even—"

She paused for a moment, a sharp pain flashing in her eyes.

"Even tacitly allowing your current faction to approach Kaito and treat him as a usable tool... Is this what you call 'cherishing'?"

Kuroba Toichi tightened his clasped hands as he defended himself.

"I did not remain indifferent. The person who injured Kaito has already received the punishment he deserved. As for Gin approaching Kaito the night before last, I was unaware of it."

"Young eagles need to leave their warm nests and face the storms at high altitudes on their own in order to truly learn to fly."

He gazed at the person in front of him, making no attempt to hide his confidence in his son.

“I believe our son has the ability and wisdom to handle these challenges. And he has always done very well, hasn’t he?”

"Ha." Qianying's eyes turned cold. "It is said that parents should be their children's harbor, sheltering them from the wind and rain. But some people become the biggest storm themselves."

Looking at the coldness in his wife's eyes, a mixture of anger, disappointment, and deep sadness, Kuroba Toichi sighed.

He leaned forward slightly, his voice becoming even lower.

"Becoming Kidd was the child's own wish. It was the first step for him to come to know me as his father."

"He is growing up and will inherit everything from us."

"Growth needs the nourishment of wind and rain, but it cannot withstand the typhoon that sweeps across the land."

"I can guarantee that no one will come after Kaito again."

"I hope that's really the case."

Kuroba Chikage looked away, gazing at the bustling street scene outside the window, her profile taut.

A moment of silence lingered amidst the aroma of coffee.

"Qianying." Daoyi's voice softened, his brows drooped, and his face showed heartache and earnestness. "You are the most important person to me. Don't stay so far away from me."

"Most important?" Qianying suddenly turned around, her eyes reddening. "How could I be more important than the eternal life you desire?"

What exactly is the relationship in Chapter 454?

"Qianying, that's not a dream."

Kuroba Toichi's eyes suddenly became deep, and the suppressed burning light in his eyes flickered again.

He reached out, across the table, and grasped Kuroba Chikage's hand.

The warm palm carried a force that was impossible to break free from.

“Do you remember my student? Sharon Vineyard. She… is a living example.”

"Shalang?" Kuroba Chikage was taken aback, her struggling hands stopping. "Isn't she already dead?"

"No, that's just another veil."

Dao Yi lowered his voice and moved closer, his words carrying a seductive whisper, as if sharing a forbidden secret:

"She is Chris Vineyard now. She has stayed young, and time has left no trace on her."

Kuroba Chikage was stunned; the shock of the information made her momentarily forget to pull her hand back.

Kuroba Toichi seized the opportunity to grip her hand even tighter, his eyes now burning with an undisguised intensity, like an explorer who had discovered a treasure, intense and persistent.

"It won't be long before I master the key to it."

His voice was full of conviction, even with a touch of fanaticism.

"By then, it won't just be a matter of stagnating old age... Qianying, I can make you and me stay in our most beautiful years forever."

He has grasped the key link.

His intuition told him that he only needed to find his little nephew, the one who had taken aptx4869 but hadn't died.

The research on this anti-aging drug will then see a breakthrough.

……

Inside the safe house.

Gin, who had just undergone surgery, was writing a report on the operation on his computer. The gunshot wound to his leg did not seem to have a significant impact on him.

The phone vibrated, a special vibration mode—from that encrypted channel with the highest privileges.

Gin didn't rush to look. He lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke, took out his phone, and swiped the screen.

He looked surprised when he saw the contents of the email.

I expected to receive criticism for the failure of the operation, but instead it was something completely unrelated.

The email was unusually brief and coldly formatted, devoid of any superfluous rhetoric or emotional buildup, yet it carried an unquestionable and absolute will.

From: BOSS

[Subject: Regarding your recent unauthorized actions]

Gin, I am aware of your unauthorized investigation and contact with Kaito Kid.

This action is beyond the scope of authority and completely unnecessary.

Effective immediately, cease all investigations, tracking, or contact with this target in any form. This is an order.

Your unauthorized actions have created unnecessary risks and attention. Go and accept the appropriate disciplinary action.

There will be no next time.

Gin narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on those few lines of text for a long time.

Especially the phrases "unnecessary", "stop everything" and "this is an order".

No one except Kaito Kid and himself should know that he went to see Phantom Thief Kid.

In his assessment, Kaito Kid was nothing more than a highly skilled, elusive thief, a performer who teetered on the fringes of the underworld.

It may have some usefulness, but that's all.

But such direct and clear wording blatantly exposes the unique nature of Phantom Thief Kid.

What is the relationship between the BOSS and Phantom Thief Kid?

He replied to the email and sent up the report on the operation, then leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

……

In a hotel room, Sera Masumi and her daughter Sera Mari sat facing each other.

After returning from the steel mill, they had rested for a while, and the surging waves of self-blame and guilt had subsided. Now, they had to face more practical problems.

What will they do now?

"Mom, what will you do if I leave Japan?"

Sera Masumi looked at her mother with worry in her eyes.

My mother is now an unregistered resident because she was given that poison and has been experiencing symptoms such as coughing and low-grade fever ever since.

She's currently in the form of an eleven or twelve-year-old child, making it inconvenient for her to do anything.

Even their accommodations are always in hotels, and they have to move frequently.

“I will go to Shuichi’s place,” Mary said calmly.

Shuichi's disguised identity is safe, and having another "sister" to stay with is not a problem.

"But then you'll have to go to school, right?"

Once a family has a fixed address, if their child doesn't go to school all day, the neighbors are likely to report them to the education committee.

"No, winter break is coming soon, and I look like a foreigner, so there's no mandatory obligation for me to attend school."

"I see……"

Sera Masumi accepted the fact that she had to leave.

She turned her head to look out the window, her eyes filled with a deep, unsettling gaze.

The friends I finally made, less than six months later, are leaving again...

Ran and Sonoko's faces flashed through my mind, along with the face of Koniak that I saw that night...

Aozawa, Koniak...