Detective Conan: Developing a younger version of Ran Eri, and the stunning Yukiko.

"How dare you two underestimate me!"

In his rage, Ryoichi Takahashi's body began to twist, eventually transforming into a grotesque demon. This demon had one eye and one leg, wore a black cloak, and held a rope in one hand and an axe in the other.

Despite the terrifying and hideous demon before her, Ran was no longer afraid. She was now the Phantom Thief Idol; how could she fear this twisted demon?

"I'm not afraid of you anymore, Ryoichi Takahashi!"

Xiaolan was determined and fearless.

"You vile woman, prepare to die!"

Ryoichi Takahashi attacked Ran frantically, as if he were in real life, determined to kill her.

"Our Lord has descended!"

Ran activates her Persona's unique ability, transforming magic into physical defense to perfectly block Ryoichi Takahashi's attack, rendering it completely ineffective.

At the same time, Shiraishihara used the power of his Persona "Oni," and a crescent blade appeared in his hand, cleaving Takahashi Ryoichi in two.

After Ryoichi Takahashi was dealt with, the sanctuary of his soul began to crumble, and Shiraishihara and Ran returned to reality.

Although I spent some time there, in reality it was only a fleeting moment.

Through this incident, Shiraishihara acquired a new persona.

Yiben Ta Nao: A legendary monster that lives deep in the mountains, with only one eye and one leg, and very few people have ever seen its true face. Legend has it that it is fierce and cruel, and will kill anyone who sees its face.

Unique ability: After transforming into a one-eyed, one-legged form, its strength actually increases.

Ryoichi Takahashi had his malevolent heart taken by the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and he obediently confessed everything.

In the living room.

Everyone got out of bed and went to the villa's living room. On this stormy night, under the orange light, they listened quietly to Ryoichi Takahashi's confession…

Ryoichi Takahashi's cruelty was shocking. The other three survivors in the gang felt a chill run down their spines. Ayako Suzuki, Hiroki Kakutani, and Masaru Ota simply couldn't believe that the seemingly honest Ryoichi Takahashi could be so evil.

"You killed Chikako, you killed Atsuko, Ryoichi Takahashi, why are you so cruel?" Hiroki Kakutani was furious. He stepped forward, grabbed Ryoichi Takahashi by the collar, and punched him hard, making his nose bleed.

After his malevolent thoughts were taken away, Takahashi Ryoichi honestly confessed his motives: "I thought that if I killed them, they would be mine. Now I know I was wrong. I was deceiving myself. Please forgive me!"

Ota Katsu was furious and yelled, "What's the use of admitting your mistake now? Atsuko and Chikako are both dead because of you!"

Ayako Suzuki couldn't bear to look at Ryoichi Takahashi. The thought of their many years of acquaintance sent a chill down her spine: "Ryoichi Takahashi, no one can forgive you on behalf of Atsuko and Chikako..."

Ryoichi Takahashi knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "I will repent properly in prison and atone for my crimes!"

Afterwards, at Shiraishihara's suggestion, Takahashi Ryoichi was tied up and locked in the warehouse, awaiting police intervention. Afterwards, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. However, after this incident, none of them could sleep.

Sonoko couldn't sleep either, so she came over and wanted to sleep with Ran. She really couldn't understand why Takahashi Ryoichi would suddenly confess to his crimes; it was unbelievable.

Inside the guest room, Shiraishi was already snoring loudly. Ran and Sonoko were whispering to each other under the covers.

"Ran, be honest, did you and Shiraishihara do something to make Takahashi Ryoichi confess?"

Xiaolan wanted to tell Yuanzi, but she didn't know how to explain it.

"I did do some things, but that's a secret between me and Shiraishi-kun, Sonoko, don't ask."

Upon hearing this, Sonoko exclaimed in surprise, "Ran, really? You've changed your mind way too quickly!"

"Changed heart? Changed heart in what way?"

Xiaolan looked blank, not understanding what "garden" meant.

"You and Shinichi are a couple. Shinichi has only been gone a short time, and you've already changed your mind. Am I right?"

"No way! Shinichi and I are just childhood friends. And I haven't changed my mind. Shinichi and I are still the same. What are you talking about, Sonoko?"

"Alright, alright, I'll just say you haven't changed your mind." Sonoko was a little helpless. Could it be that Ran and Shinichi really only have a pure friendship, and all her previous efforts to bring them together were in vain?

"Sonoko, you're saying something that doesn't make any sense again."

Regardless, Xiaolan is sleeping soundly now. Not only because the murderer has been apprehended, but also because her best friend and companions are all around her.

No. .

023 is actually spying on me.

Chapter 23

Early in the morning, before dawn, Xiaolan was awakened from her sleep by a ringing telephone.

She picked up her phone in a daze and saw that it was a call from Shinichi Kudo.

"Shinichi, what are you doing? Calling so early, what do you want?"

Ran was woken up early in the morning from a sweet dream, and she was in a terrible mood. She wanted nothing more than to punch Shinichi Kudo a few times to vent her anger.

"Xiaolan, what do you think? Why do you think I called you so early? Can't you use your own brain and think about it?"

Shinichi Kudo immediately launched into a barrage of questions.

Ran looked completely bewildered: "How could I have come up with that? You're the idiot, Shinichi!"

Ran's phone call with Shinichi woke up Sonoko and Shiraishihara as well. The two groggily sat up and looked at Ran at the same time.

"I'm sorry, I disturbed your rest, Shiraishi-kun, Sonoko."

"Shiraishi-kun?" Shinichi Kudo bristled the moment he heard the title "Shiraishi-kun." "Ran, I'm asking you, who is this Shiraishi-kun you're talking about?"

Ran quickly got up, slipped on her slippers, and walked to the corridor to continue her call with Shinichi Kudo, afraid of disturbing Shiraishihara and Sonoko.

"Shiraishi-kun is Shiraishi-hara, the transfer student in our class. Oh, right, you haven't been back to school, no wonder I didn't know. Let me tell you, Shiraishi-kun is a really nice guy!"

“I know Shiraishihara without you telling me.” Shinichi Kudo’s tone was full of displeasure. “What I want to ask is, how come he’s with you and Sonoko?”

"I attended Sonoko's class reunion with Shiraishihara. After that, some things happened, and the three of us ended up living together."

Something happened? Shinichi couldn't help but start to wonder what could have happened.

"I'm asking you, why did you bring Shiraishihara to Sonoko's class reunion but not Conan?"

"Because it was Sonoko who invited me and Shiraishihara, not Conan. Besides, it's an adult gathering, what kind of behavior is it to bring a little kid?" Ran's tone also became displeased, feeling that Shinichi Kudo was just making trouble for no reason.

"Xiao Lan, I'm not doubting you, but don't you know how to avoid suspicion? Shiraishihara is a boy, how could you be in the same room with him?"

Shinichi was filled with jealousy. He already found Shiraishi, who had suddenly appeared, very suspicious, and now that he was involved with his childhood friend, he was sure he had ulterior motives.

"Why should we avoid suspicion? Shiraishi-kun is a friend of Sonoko and me. He's a really good person, and Sonoko and I trust him completely."

"Hey! Xiaolan, get this straight, I'm the one who belongs to you..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue when Shinichi suddenly stopped. He had wanted to say that he was Ran's boyfriend, but then he realized that he had never confessed to Ran before. Their relationship was at most closer than friends, but not quite lovers.

"Shinichi, what exactly are you trying to say?" Ran was extremely annoyed by Shinichi Kudo's habit of only saying half of what he meant.

"In short, it's wrong of you to run away from me and spend the night with a guy!"

"By the way... how did you know?"

"what?"

"Shinichi, tell me, how did you know I didn't go home last night?"

"I'm……"

"Conan told you, didn't he?"

"Ah... Ran, don't take it out on Conan, he's just concerned about you."

"Shinichi, I can't get in touch with you no matter what I do, but Conan always manages to. Don't you have to give me an explanation?"

"This……"

Shinichi Kudo's forehead began to break out in a cold sweat. The usually innocent Ran had suddenly become smart, which was putting him at a loss.

"It's not what you think... I also have my reasons."

"Hmph! Shinichi, since you don't consider me a friend, then you should mind your own business."

In a fit of anger, Xiaolan hung up the phone immediately after speaking.

Actually, the person who called Ran wasn't the real Shinichi Kudo, but Conan who had taken APTX4869 and shrunk in size. He used a voice changer to alter his voice and called through a public phone booth.

Conan's actions successfully caused Ran's affection for him and Shinichi to plummet.

When they saw Ran return in a huff, Shiraishihara and Sonoko quickly asked her what had happened.

"Ah! Shiraishi-kun, Sonoko, you have no idea how outrageous Shinichi Kudo is."

"He actually instructed Conan to spy on me, and even secretly communicated with Conan."

"I've always wondered why Shinichi doesn't contact me directly and has to go through Conan. Turns out, he doesn't trust me at all."

Ran was furious, while Sonoko tried her best to comfort her, saying that Shinichi Kudo must have been confused for a moment, and Ran must not change her mind, otherwise she, as the head of the Shinichi-Ran pairing, would be in trouble.

Shiraishi secretly chuckled to himself. It seemed that after Ran became the idol of the phantom thieves, she not only became braver, but her IQ also improved considerably.

No. .

024 Light shines upon the earth

Chapter 24

……

The sun gradually pierced through the clouds, its rays shining upon the earth.

The rain had stopped, and the police arrived with a construction team. They repaired the suspension bridge, rescued everyone trapped in the mountains, and arrested the murderer, Ryoichi Takahashi.

Ryoichi Takahashi confessed everything to the police, and the incident quickly became a sensational news story in Tokyo.

Ryoichi Takahashi once murdered a member of a triad and staged it as a suicide, successfully fooling the Tokyo police. Years later, he murdered another triad member, demonstrating a level of utter depravity that is truly astonishing.

The Tokyo police's misjudgment years ago led to another girl being brutally murdered by Ryoichi Takahashi, which once again brought fierce criticism from the media and the public to the Tokyo police.

"terribly sorry!"

Inspector Megure, along with his colleagues from the First Investigation Division, bowed deeply to the media and the public at a press conference, their bodies bent at a ninety-degree angle.

They felt that if one bow couldn't solve the problem, then two would; it seemed there was no problem that a bow and apology couldn't resolve.

After dinner, Shiraishihara lay listlessly on the sofa in his apartment, playing a Japanese pay-to-win mobile game.

While playing, he suddenly remembered that he could synthesize personas.

The evil heart that was stolen from Ryoichi Takahashi has been transformed into a persona—Ippon Tate.

Yiben Ta Nao: A legendary monster that lives deep in the mountains, with only one eye and one leg. Very few people have ever seen its true face. Legend has it that it is vicious and cruel by nature, and anyone who sees its true face will be killed.

Unique ability: He becomes stronger when using only one eye and one leg.

Shiraishi took out a Persona book and a Persona Ghost, and began synthesizing Personas using the system space's built-in synthesis function.

"Congratulations, host, you have successfully synthesized the Persona – Cat General."

Cat General: A deity with powerful prophetic abilities, highly revered in temples throughout Southeast Asia.

Unique Ability: I'll treat you to some dried fish, meow.

"This unique ability is a bit funny, but it has the ability to predict the future, so it seems quite useful."

Shiraishihara's eyes lit up as he wondered if the Cat General's prophetic abilities could be used to predict lottery numbers.

Just as Shiraishihara was pondering how to utilize the Cat General's prophetic abilities, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Shiraishi got up, opened the door, and saw Conan standing there.

"Conan, what brings you here?"

"Shiraishihara, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"In Japan, you have to respect your seniors. You can't call me by my name directly. You have to call me 'older brother,' understand?"

Shiraishihara smiled and reached out to pat Conan's head.

Conan was seething with anger, and he couldn't let it go.

Xiaolan actually spent the night outside with another boy, and the worst part is that I wasn't even able to keep an eye on her. I just can't swallow this insult.

Moreover, there were many suspicious points about Shiraishihara, which forced him to be on high alert.

Furthermore, as soon as Ran got home, she gave him a lecture and insisted that he hand over Shinichi Kudo's contact information, which put him in a dilemma.