Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Stepping out of the witch's castle, Ran Mouri's mood was bright and cheerful.

Everything is resolved, Aze is back, and nothing could be better.

Qingze sensed Ran Mouri's joyful mood, smiled, and then maliciously began to pour cold water on it.

"You ran out in the middle of the night, and you probably even drove off in a car, right? Have you thought about how you're going to face your anxious parents?"

"what......."

The thought of her parents waking up to find themselves gone, along with their car, immediately made Ran Mouri's face fall.

Oh no, how am I supposed to explain this...?

The next moment, the cell phone rang.

With a heavy heart, she pressed the call button, and her father's roar immediately came from the other end of the phone.

"Xiaolan! Where did you go? The car keys and the car are gone!!!"

Qingze smiled silently in his consciousness space.

"Um...I...I'm driving off..." Ran Mouri's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz as she weakly squeezed out a few words.

"You drove off? When did you learn to drive?! And on mountain roads?! Huh!"

Ran Mouri shrank back, wishing she could shrink into a ball. "My teacher taught me..."

"Chris taught you to drive? You've never mentioned it once! And you went out in the middle of the night! Xiaolan, are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

Ran Mouri silently apologized to Vermouth in her heart.

Teacher Qingze remained silent and smiled.

Over there, Eri Kisaki snatched the phone. Her voice was much calmer, and every word hit the nail on the head.

"Xiaolan, what are you doing out in the middle of the night? Where are you now? Is it safe for you?"

Ran Mouri was stunned. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

How... how do you explain this?

She frantically sought help from Qingze in her mind. Qingze shrugged, his tone nonchalant:

"Don't ask me, I can't come up with a good reason either."

Ran Mouri had no choice but to bite her lip and tell the truth: "I had a nightmare last night... I dreamt about some bad things, and I was very worried, so I drove out... I'm fine, I'm safe."

"What bad thing happened? Can't you tell us? Why did you drive out alone?"

"I was afraid you'd worry..."

On the other end of the phone, Eri Kisaki took a deep breath, as if desperately trying to suppress her surging emotions.

"Xiao Lan, do you know—it's your quiet departure that worries us the most?"

"...I'm sorry, I won't do it again next time."

"We're going home right away, don't wander off."

"it is good……"

The call ended. The Maori couple exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry.

My usually obedient and well-behaved daughter has suddenly become so rebellious and disregards everything.

That's really incredible.

After dealing with her parents, Ran Mouri hung up the phone and let out a soft breath. The tension and guilt she felt earlier were instantly washed away by a surge of joy.

She walked out with light steps, a smile involuntarily appearing on her lips, chatting with Qingze in her mind as she went.

"Aze, what do you want to eat?"

"You shouldn't ask me; you should ask yourself what you want to eat," Qingze said lazily.

"Aze, can you control my body?"

"No."

"So... how does it feel inside my body?"

"I don't feel anything." He paused for a moment. "I'm quite sleepy and want to go to sleep."

Ran Mouri smiled and her voice softened unconsciously: "Then go to sleep. You're too weak right now. You need to rest."

The body quieted down, and no more sounds came from within.

She got into her mother's car, started the engine, and drove home.

Last night, while driving on the mountain road, my mind was full of other things, and I didn't have time to be afraid.

It was broad daylight, and with cars coming and going on the road, she became anxious, fearing that a police car might suddenly follow behind her, or even more afraid that a traffic policeman might be standing at the intersection.

She's not old enough to get a driver's license yet. What if she gets caught driving without one...?

Fortunately, the journey was smooth. She parked her car in a parking lot near her home, turned off the engine, locked the door, and went downstairs.

She froze as soon as she turned the corner.

The seventeen-year-old boy stood downstairs at her house, sunlight streaming down from above and falling on his shoulders, as if coating him with a thin layer of light.

A smile appeared on his face the moment he saw her.

Ran Mouri was somewhat dazed.

It seems like... they haven't seen each other for a very, very long time.

"Ran!" Shinichi Kudo walked over quickly.

"Shinichi," Ran Mouri smiled at him, her eyes filled with genuine congratulations, "have you recovered?"

"Yes. It's fully recovered."

"that is really good!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The two stood facing each other, neither speaking. A breeze blew, ruffling the stray hairs by Ran's ear; she didn't reach out to brush them aside, but simply looked at him quietly.

Shinichi Kudo was also looking at her.

Xiaolan seems to have changed a lot, yet it also seems like nothing has changed.

Her eyes were a little swollen—had she been crying, or hadn't slept well?

"Why are your eyes swollen?" he asked.

Ran Mouri rubbed her eyes, smiling a little embarrassedly: "I read a book last night, it was so moving, I cried buckets..."

"Applying ice will help."

"Ok, I know."

She nodded, showing no intention of continuing to speak.

The two fell silent again.

Shinichi Kudo lowered his eyes, feeling as if something was slowly clenching his heart.

He knew that he and Xiaolan could never go back to the way things were.

We can't even be good friends anymore.

He swallowed the bitterness in his mouth and smiled again.

"I'm going to America with my parents."

He paused, but didn't explain much.

There were many researchers in that hospital. Although all the data on drug A had been destroyed, they knew that the drug could make people regain their youth—once this got out, those in power would definitely want to continue the research.

Very few people know about his shrinking, but we can't gamble on that possibility.

He can no longer stay in Japan.

"I hope you have a good time over there!" Ran Mouri's voice was light and sincere.

Shinichi Kudo looked at her and hesitated for a moment.

"...Can I have a hug?"

"No!" Qingze suddenly spoke in his mind, his tone crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ran Mouri smiled.

That smile was like cherry blossoms just blooming in March, so beautiful in the sunlight that you couldn't take your eyes off it.

She raised her eyebrows and said, "No, Aze will be jealous."

Shinichi Kudo paused for a moment, then smiled, a smile tinged with relief and bitterness.

"Okay. Goodbye then."

"Goodbye."

He turned around and walked away step by step.

Ran Mouri stood there, watching his figure disappear around the street corner, then lowered her head and gently patted her heart.

"Okay, okay, stop being jealous."

Qingze snorted, "He's smart to know what's good for him."

Ran Mouri looked up at the bright sunshine.

It's already a new year, winter is almost over, and spring is just around the corner.

Then, the sun will be warm, the cherry blossoms will bloom, and he will stand before her again.

【End of text】

[Bonus Chapter] That Despicable Guy

Although Qingze spends most of his time sleeping, he always wakes up whenever Ran Mouri calls him.

Ran Mouri brushed off the last time she drove out alone late at night by saying it was because of her "rebellious phase".

Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki later learned the truth about that night, but they did not ask any further questions.

Whether it's for the sake of the deceased Ai Haibara or something else, the fact that Ran is alright is the best possible outcome.

With the organization destroyed and the hidden crises cleared away, Eri Kisaki still lives in her apartment most of the time. The Mouri Detective Agency has returned to its former state, where the father and daughter depend on each other for survival.

Ran Mouri lay on the table doing her winter break homework, looking listless, her pen idly tracing circles on the draft paper.

A voice echoed in my mind, clear and earnest, just like the strictest teacher:

"This question is wrong again; the solution approach is incorrect."

She slumped further onto the table, her chin resting on her arm, too lazy even to sigh.

She had been doing homework and exercises all day, and her brain was severely overloaded. She felt like she could hear the knowledge clanging and ringing in her head even if she just shook her head.

"Can I rest for a while?" she pleaded softly. "I've been bombarded with so much knowledge today, my brain can't process it all..."

Qingze paused for two seconds, seemingly suppressing a laugh: "Take a rest. But you've fallen too far behind in your studies. You're going to be a senior in high school soon, so you need to catch up."

"understood……"

She dragged out the last syllable, rubbed her cheek against her sleeve, and looked listless, like a flower that had been exposed to the sun for too long.

Last year's final exam results were barely passable. With the new semester just around the corner, I really need to catch up during this winter break if I don't want my grades to fall behind.

She understands the principles better than anyone, but putting them into practice is another matter entirely.

Seeing her listless appearance, Qingze laughed heartlessly in his mind: "So what if a magical girl saves the world? She still has to do her homework the next day, doesn't she?"

"I didn't save the world, I still have homework to do..."

Ran Mouri muttered to herself, straightened up, and looked at the stack of completed workbooks on the table. Her mood brightened a bit. "But I've already finished!"

She closed her pen cap, stood up, and stretched lazily, her bones cracking a few times, as if she had just woken up from hibernation.

She left her house and went to Qingze's place.

The house was empty and uninhabited, and it visibly became desolate. A thin layer of dust settled on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and the fragrance of perfume was gone from the air. It was quiet, and even the sound of footsteps seemed empty.