Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

The scent of my own shower gel wafted into my nose, almost aggressively so.

Despite the incredibly close proximity, Ran Mouri couldn't muster any resistance when looking at her own face.

Her bright blue eyes stared at him intently, then she uttered a sarcastic remark in a mocking tone.

"Ran Mouri, you really don't know anything."

Ran Mouri lowered her head and remained silent. Aoze stopped teasing her and sank back into the sofa, speaking in a commanding tone.

"I'm hungry."

"what?"

The topic jumped so quickly that Ran Mouri didn't have time to react.

"I came here and bought shrimp. I put them in the sink. I want to eat braised shrimp."

"what?"

Ran Mouri remained completely bewildered.

Why is this person able to give her orders so confidently?

Why can't you do it yourself?

"I'm a patient."

Qingze's words were perfectly reasonable.

Ran Mouri pouted, resignedly stood up, and prepared to go to the kitchen to cook.

It was already noon, and she was indeed hungry.

She glanced at the iced cola still in Qingze's hand and said in Qingze's sarcastic and mocking tone:

"You're sick and you're still drinking iced cola. Don't you consider yourself a patient?"

Qingze lay on the sofa and looked up at her.

Despite the fact that one was taller and the other shorter, Ran Mouri instinctively shrank back when Qingze glanced at her.

"You've learned my tone quite quickly."

"Haha..." Ran Mouri's eyes darted around as she quickly headed towards the kitchen.

Not long after, she came over again.

"Um, I don't know how to make braised prawns..."

Chapter 7 The Uncontrollable Urge to Confess

Qingze stood up silently, his gaze filled with disdain.

"How come you don't even know this?"

"This should be Chinese food, right? Wouldn't it be normal for me not to know?"

"Hot chicken!"

Ran Mouri was genuinely angry at being mocked like that, and her cheeks puffed out.

Qingze looked at his face, which rarely showed any anger, and saw this expression. He seemed a little dazed.

Since he and Ran Mouri switched bodies, he has been experiencing more and more emotions.

Is it because I've been given a different body?

The daze lasted only a moment. Qingze rolled up his sleeves, put on his apron, and didn't forget to instruct Maoli Ran to get to work:

"Go wash the rice and cook it, then prepare the shrimp."

"Ow!"

Ran Mouri obediently worked, but while working, she couldn't help but steal glances at Aoze.

Qingze was chopping chili peppers and smashing garlic with practiced ease.

"Is Mr. Qingze Chinese?" she asked curiously.

Although the surname Ao exists in Japan, most people choose three-character or longer names, making short names like Aozawa quite rare.

"do not know."

"what?"

This was yet another completely unexpected answer.

Why would you say you don't know the answer to this question?

Qingze's eyes were slightly lowered, his azure eyes dark and deep. He slammed the cleaver down heavily, crushing an unpeeled clove of garlic.

"I have no memory of it."

"what?"

Ran Mouri has lost count of how many times she has made this bewildered sound today.

What does it mean to have no memory?

"I have no memory of the past. I don't know who I am or where I came from. Only these deep-seated habits remain."

Qingze's eyes were filled with indifference; he showed no emotion when he brought up the past.

Those feelings of confusion, helplessness, or panic have turned to dust with the passage of time, and he feels nothing when he thinks about them now.

"Why is this happening?"

"Naive girl, don't you know that the more you know, the more dangerous it is for you?"

Ran Mouri pouted. "That's true, but I'm really curious."

"But now I am you. I don't know anything about you. What should I do if I run into someone who knows you?"

Ran Mouri still wanted to know, but Aozawa didn't seem inclined to tell her.

"Maybe we'll switch back tomorrow or the day after. You still have plenty of time before those things happen."

"I advise you to curb your curiosity. My world is completely different from yours. It's a pure black world, and once you step in, you can't get out."

Qingze's voice was eerie, like the whisper of a devil.

Ran Mouri lowered her head to process the shrimp and didn't say anything more.

After a long while, Qingze heard her say that.

"Mr. Aozawa must have had a tough time in the past... But, Mr. Aozawa is now Ran Mouri, so he can temporarily forget about those things and be an ordinary high school student!"

She placed a bowl of prepared shrimp in front of him, her smile radiant and flawless.

Qingze was momentarily dazzled.

He lowered his eyes and continued chopping vegetables.

"You're too bright, you're blinding me."

He scoffed inwardly.

What kind of wicked taste does it take for a creator to mix an overly bright person with an overly dark one?

Is it hoping that black will turn white, or white will turn black?

It's more like Tai Chi!

He's not the kind of pervert who wants to see people tainted by darkness, or to see a blank sheet of paper stained black.

Before long, a large pot of delicious braised prawns was ready.

Each shrimp is bright red, with a rich sauce evenly coating each one, and specks of scallions and minced ginger mixed in, making it look incredibly appetizing.

Before the dishes were even served, Ran Mouri was already drooling.

Qingze placed a large pot of shrimp on the table, and seeing the eagerly anticipating Ran Mouri, he cruelly poured cold water on her hopes.

"You won't even get to taste it, so why are you looking forward to it?"

This bucket of cold water instantly dampened Ran Mouri's expectations.

How could she forget that this body has no sense of taste?

She listlessly took her bowl and chopsticks and sat down at the table. Qingze, who hadn't even taken off his apron, was already eating heartily.

Seeing that Qingze was eating with relish, she rested her chin on her hand and watched him eat.

"Although I can't taste it, I think this dish must be delicious."

"Eat up, even if you can't taste the flavor, you can still taste the texture."

Looking at him, Ran Mouri suddenly smiled.

"Although Mr. Qingze looks mean and has a sharp tongue, he is actually very gentle."

Qingze: ?

Him? Gentle?

How did this word come about?

"If you go blind, I suggest you get a corneal transplant."

"I'm serious. Mr. Qingze didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do, he didn't lock me up, he would tell me what happened at home, and he even cooked for me himself. Mr. Qingze is actually a very nice person."

“Young lady, are you starved for love?” Qingze looked up, somewhat speechless. “Also, have you ever considered that I’m only being extra lenient with you because you’re me now?”

Ran Mouri smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating. "I thought Mr. Aozawa would use gentler words if I said it that way."

"Stop with your weird ideas, eating is the only thing to do."

"Speaking of which, very few people cook with me. Whether it's Dad or Conan, they just wait for me to finish cooking..." Ran Mouri said, sounding a little melancholy.

"Everyone likes to eat what's readily available; it's human nature, and I'm no exception."

"It's still different. Mr. Aozawa looks very skilled. My dad and Conan, on the other hand, can't even cut vegetables properly."

"That's because you spoil them too much, which is why they're so lazy and ignorant about farming."

"But girls are supposed to do housework, take care of the family, and take care of their parents at home."

Qingze stopped peeling the shrimp and looked at her with a strange expression.

"You don't want me to do that, do you? If you think that, you're sorely mistaken. I will only train them to be self-reliant."

Qingze never wrongs himself, even after becoming Ran Mouri.

Ran Mouri suddenly smiled, not opposing Aozawa's actions as he had expected. Instead, her eyes held a hint of anticipation.

"I'm really curious about what a self-reliant dad and Conan would be like."

Qingze clicked his tongue, having grasped her general idea.

It's just that I don't want to be overwhelmed by endless housework, but I'm hindered by various reasons, such as social pressure, stereotypes about women, and decades of habits. I want to change, but I don't know how.

"You're quite different from what I imagined."

"What's different?" Ran Mouri asked curiously.

"I thought you were stupid, but I didn't expect you to be a little clever." Qingze's words were merciless.

"I'm not stupid, okay? My grades are excellent!" Ran Mouri was extremely upset that Aoze thought she was stupid.

"Oh, so you're not stupid. You're cowardly."

"Huh? Where am I weak or cowardly?!"

She can save people from fires, jump off high-rise buildings with Conan, and face criminals' knives head-on. How could she be cowardly?

Chapter 8 Do you usually talk this much?

"You want to change, but you're stuck in the same place. You want to correct things, but you don't know how. What is this if not cowardice?" Qingze squinted, his words dripping with venom.

Ran Mouri had nothing to say.