Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

"I later learned that the reason he chatted with me that day was because he saw his past self in me..."

“He has depression, and I’m really worried about his condition sometimes…”

"Depression?" Sera Masumi frowned. "You really can't tell at all..."

She scoffed inwardly.

Depression? Perhaps it is real, but more likely it is a disguise, a means to gain sympathy and lower guard.

Ran Mouri sighed again and took the initiative to talk about Aozawa:

“Aze lost his parents at the age of ten, suffered severe psychological trauma, and also sustained a head injury, losing all his past memories…”

"Later, I ended up in an orphanage and was adopted by a wealthy businessman. It sounds good, but actually, I had a terrible time."

"His adoptive father had very high expectations of him and a strong desire to control him, wanting him to do everything perfectly..."

"As he grew older, the genetic disease in his body gradually manifested, and he spent a long time in the hospital..."

The story is very well-crafted.

Sera Masumi thought calmly.

Trauma, amnesia, adoption, illness...

It sounds reasonable, but what if we add an organization to it?

That's probably not the case at all.

The so-called adoptive father was someone from the organization who took him from the orphanage and trained him to be an assassin.

As for illness—

This is very likely true, because there's no way to hide it.

She frowned. "A genetic disease?"

"Yes, his hair and eyes are his outward appearance."

Sera Masumi leaned forward slightly, her body conveying a subtle hint of probing and dissuasion:

"If you stay with him, what will you do if you consider having children in the future?"

She wanted to gently touch Xiaolan's heart, which was immersed in the most realistic and future-oriented questions.

When asked this question suddenly, Ran Mouri looked slightly embarrassed and quickly waved her hand.

"I didn't think that much about it."

"But……"

Sera Masumi wanted to say more, trying to use rational future planning to pull her away from this relationship that she saw as fraught with crisis.

"Sera."

Ran Mouri interrupted her softly, raising her eyes with a clear and firm gaze, devoid of any hesitation or gloom.

"No one knows what the future holds. For me, the present is more important."

All of Sera Masumi's words of advice were stuck in her throat.

Looking into Xiaolan's eyes, which were free of gloom and full of trust and warmth, the string of worry and vigilance in her heart tightened even more.

Some truths, if revealed rashly, will inevitably cause devastating harm.

And the Koniak hidden beneath Qingze's facade is like a bomb that could explode at any moment, yet Xiaolan holds him tightly in her arms, treating him like a precious treasure.

She could only remain silent, concealing the surging doubts and chill in her heart, maintaining a concerned smile like a friend on her face, her fingers clenched tightly under the table.

Ran Mouri, seemingly oblivious to the worry that Sera Masumi was trying so hard to hide, subtly steered the conversation:

"It's quite a coincidence, actually. Mr. Akai called me last night to ask about Azawa. But what he asked was—whether Azawa has any twin brothers or something."

She put down her drink and looked at Shi Liang with a serious yet slightly questioning gaze. Her eyes were clear and bright, yet they seemed to see through all the unspoken pretenses he was trying to hide.

"Are you and Mr. Akai... investigating Azawa?"

She asked directly, her tone calm, without blame, only inquiry.

"Because of that... Koniak who looks a lot like him, right?"

Sera Masumi's heart sank suddenly.

She figured it out!

Not only did she realize that he was being tested, she even knew the name Koniak!

"You know Koniak?"

Sera Masumi's voice tightened instinctively, and she leaned forward slightly, her detective instincts instantly overriding her casual demeanor.

“I know.” Ran Mouri nodded, her expression unchanged. “I’ve met him once, and he does look a lot like Azawa.”

She continued speaking, her tone very serious, without any hint of joking or perfunctoriness:

"Koniak must be someone from that scoundrel organization you're investigating, right?"

“But Aze is not Koniak.”

She looked directly into Shira's eyes, speaking each word clearly and firmly:

"Because when I met Koniak in person, Aze... was right next to me."

Sera Masumi's thoughts were momentarily thrown into a state of confusion.

Simultaneous occurrence?

Her first thought was that it was a conspiracy by the organization—to have someone impersonate Koniak and deliberately stage a scene in front of Ran Mouri where "both of them were present" in order to completely clear Aozawa of suspicion.

This was not difficult for the organizers who could disguise themselves as his brother.

But another thought kept popping up in my mind.

Could it really not be?

She really hoped it wasn't true...

"When was that?" she pressed.

"We were on a school trip, shortly after we returned from Kyoto," Ran Mouri recalled, giving a fairly specific timeframe.

So early?!

The conscience of the world was shocked.

Was Koniak laying the groundwork and making plans at that point in time?

"Sera."

Ran Mouri's voice pulled her back to reality; it was gentle yet carried an undeniable force.

“I know you have doubts about Aze. But I can tell you with certainty that Aze could not be Koniak.”

“You can ask Mr. Akai. He was a complete novice with guns. It was my father who taught him how to use a gun correctly.”

Sera Masumi nodded silently.

She hasn't told Xiu Ge about Qing Ze yet.

Once Brother Xiu finds out, the situation will likely become much worse.

She didn't want Xiaolan to become a trap or a tool to be used.

“I will verify it, I will find out whether he is actually Koniak.”

She looked intently at the girl in front of her, and at her friend.

"Xiao Lan, if he really is Koniak, you must leave him! Okay?"

Chapter 457 I really wish you were two people

Hearing those words, the dream from that day seemed to flash back to me again.

Several faces overlapped before her eyes, and they were all saying the same thing—

"Leave him."

She clenched her fists, suppressing the frustration and pain in her heart, and smiled at Shi Liang, her words confident and resolute.

"No one knows him better than I do what kind of person he is."

"He is not."

Sera Masumi didn't say anything more, and dinner continued, but the atmosphere became somewhat dull.

Ran Mouri felt her phone vibrate. She opened it and saw a message from Aoze.

Have you finished dinner? I'll come pick you up.

She sent a message to Qingze explaining when she came over, so it wasn't surprising to receive his message now.

[Almost finished eating.]

In the car parked by the roadside, Qingze sat in the driver's seat, watching through the glass as Xiaolan put away her phone in the restaurant.

He received the surveillance video from Amuro Tooru last night, and it's obvious what Sera Masumi's purpose was in having that meal.

He sank into the back of the chair and twirled the lighter in his hand.

The lighter danced between my fingers, the flame swirling, making a clicking sound as the cap opened and closed.

They probably guessed that the "Koniak" who appeared that night was an imposter, and that the so-called "alibi" was actually meaningless.

Sera Masumi already had a preconceived notion, so she was unlikely to believe the claim that they were twin brothers.

Whether you believe it or not, you still have to investigate.

What a great opportunity to investigate the background of "Koniak"!

The more they investigate, the less certain they become that he is Koniak.

Unless there is evidence to prove that he is Koniak, his identity is like Schrödinger's cat; even if others are told, the probability of them believing him is not high.

The main reason for keeping the twins a secret is to deal with the Maori couple, as they are the ones who should never know their identities.

As for others, similar methods to Amuro Tooru can be used when necessary.

Cooperation or threats—the means don't matter as long as the goal is achieved.

Besides, Sera Masumi still owes him her life.

I wonder when they'll realize that the bullet that shattered the remote control came from someone else.

After sitting for a while, Ran Mouri and Masumi Sera came out of the restaurant.

Qingze opened the car door, got out, and walked towards her.

Upon seeing him, Ran Mouri's face was already beaming with joy.

"When did you arrive?"

Qingze naturally took her hand, feeling the warmth of her fingertips, his eyes gentle and smiling.

"just."

Upon seeing Aozawa, Sera Masumi tensed instantly, staring intently at his face, trying to discern something from it.

But there was nothing there.

He was completely open and honest, just like before.

Aozawa's gaze shifted to her, his eyebrows raised. "Why are you staring at me like that, Sera-kun?"

Sera Masumi stared at him intently and said directly:

"Yesterday I saw someone who looked a lot like you, with white hair and red eyes."

"White hair? Red eyes?" Qingze paused, puzzled. "So?"

"Why did you dye your hair? I remember the first time I saw you, you were wearing a hood, and your white hair was showing on your forehead. You looked exactly like the person I saw before."

Qingze reached out and touched his hair, his expression indifferent, carrying a sense of detachment from the past, as if he were feeling an old object that had nothing to do with him.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:

“I don’t like my unusual hair color and eyes. To me, they are a sign of poor health. I don’t like being seen by people, and I will cover myself up when I go out…”