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

"Yes, that's him!"

Yukiko Kudo recalled Shiraishihara; that young man did leave a good impression. If she were to try to poach him while Shinichi Kudo was transforming into Conan Edogawa, she might actually succeed.

Thinking of this, Yukiko Kudo's eyebrows shot up: "If he dares to do that, I will never let him get away with it!"

"Hehehe..." Conan chuckled dryly. He didn't think his mother could do anything to Shiraishihara. The most important thing right now was to find the antidote as soon as possible.

……

After returning home, Shiraishi called Ran Mouri to check on her.

"Xiao Lan, are you home yet?"

"Yes. Shiraishi-kun, I'm home now. Thank you for your concern."

"Um...did you catch up with Shinichi Kudo?"

"No, he got away again."

"As expected..."

"what?"

"I knew Ran wouldn't be able to catch up with Shinichi Kudo."

"why?"

"Shinichi Kudo is like the wind, Ran, you can't catch him."

"Oh dear... that's a really lame joke."

"Anyway, I'm relieved you're home. That's all for now, goodbye."

"Wait a minute... Shiraishi-kun, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"what is the matter?"

"Well... I suddenly feel that Conan is very strange. Is he really just an ordinary kid? The more I think about it, the more something seems off. I'd like to hear your opinion."

"My opinion is... your feeling is correct."

"So, who exactly is Conan...?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer you right now."

Conan's situation is too bizarre. It's not just about Shinichi Kudo becoming young again; it also involves the phenomenon of time distortion in this world.

Therefore, Shiraishihara cannot reveal the truth to Ran Mouri yet.

"It's alright, Shiraishi-kun has already given very helpful advice. Thank you so much..."

You're welcome. Goodbye then.

"See you."

After Shiraishi hung up the phone, Ran noticed Conan's unusual behavior so quickly, which was quite unexpected. Come to think of it, in the original storyline, Conan was already clearly not an ordinary child, so it would be strange if Ran hadn't suspected anything.

【The Sandman: A dark spirit in German folklore, known as the "Sandman," who sprinkles magic sand from his bag into people's eyes, causing them to fall asleep.】

Unique Ability: Tonight's Peaceful Sleep.

This new Persona was a reward given to Shiraishihara by the system after he solved the locked-room murder case involving diplomats.

No. .

051. Does not conform to scientific logic.

Chapter 51

"Let's go to bed early tonight. It'll be a good opportunity to test the effects of the new Persona."

Shiraishi Hara donned the Persona mask Sandman and used his unique ability "Tonight's Sleep" on himself.

Instantly, Shiraishi felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

This thing is really useful; now Mom doesn't have to worry about me having insomnia anymore.

Teitan High School is still on holiday as if in a Schrödinger's cat state, and this time Sonoko is hosting a vacation for her friends at a hot spring inn.

Sonoko invited Ran, Shiraishihara, and Shinichi Kudo. That's right, this time, Shinichi Kudo, who had been completely out of the public eye, also showed up.

The four agreed to meet at the station and then take the Shinkansen together to their destination.

"Shinichi Kudo, you're back?" Shiraishihara was taken aback when he saw Shinichi Kudo.

"Haha... Shiraishihara, you didn't expect that, did you..." Shinichi Kudo laughed triumphantly. "Let me tell you, I can come back anytime I want."

"Uh..." Shiraishihara stroked his chin, looking Kudo Shinichi up and down, finding it hard to believe that the person in front of him was really Kudo Shinichi. Logically speaking, the effects of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor) should only allow Edogawa Conan to turn back into Kudo Shinichi for a short time, which was simply not scientifically illogical.

Sonoko Suzuki then leaned close to Shiraishi Hara and reminded him, "Shiraishi-kun, did you see? Ran's boyfriend is back. Don't get too close to Ran, okay? If you feel lonely, just come find me."

As she spoke, Sonoko Suzuki pressed herself against Shiraishihara.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Shiraishihara's forehead as he thought to himself, "Suzuki Sonoko is being way too forward..."

Even with Sonoko Suzuki's proactive approach, Shiraishihara honestly wouldn't dare do anything to her. After all, Sonoko Suzuki was the daughter of a powerful Japanese zaibatsu family, and if he were to betray her, he might one day be buried in cement and sunk into Tokyo Bay.

The Yamagata Shinkansen they were riding was a new E8 series high-speed train with extremely luxurious interior facilities. Shiraishihara even felt as if he had traveled through time. It was as if he had traveled through time again from a situation that already felt like time travel, suddenly arriving in Japan in the 2020s from Japan in the 1990s.

As arranged by Sonoko Suzuki, Ran and Shinichi Kudo sat in the same row, while she and Shiraishihara sat in another row.

The atmosphere between Sonoko Suzuki and Shiraishihara was relaxed and pleasant, while the atmosphere between Ran and Shinichi Kudo was strange.

Shinichi Kudo completely lost his previous arrogant, aloof, and pretentious demeanor, and kept trying to please Ran, which made Ran feel very uncomfortable, and even wondered if Shinichi Kudo had lost his mind.

"Shinichi, are you feeling unwell?"

"Xiao Lan, what are you saying?"

“You suddenly disappeared for so long, and then you came back acting so strangely… If you’re sick, just tell me, don’t hide it from me…”

"I'm not sick!"

Shinichi Kudo was somewhat annoyed, muttering to himself: "It's you, Ran, who's changed, not me. It's strange. The Ran used to be so innocent; she believed everything I said. Now she seems to have become smarter, and it's not so easy to fool her anymore."

Yamagata Prefecture, with its unique geographical location, attracts many tourists from all over Japan every year and is known as a paradise for hot spring lovers. The snow-capped mountains here have a unique charm; while it is still summer in Tokyo, it feels like winter here.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and the river in the distance was already frozen. After getting off the Shinkansen, the four walked to the hotel they had booked in advance.

No. .

052 The Terrifying Contradictions

Chapter 52

"Sonoko, how did you manage to get a date with Shinichi Kudo? Weren't we unable to contact him before?"

"Oh. Shinichi suddenly called me and said he wanted me to invite Ran to go on a trip together."

"Why doesn't Shinichi Kudo just invite Ran directly? Why go through you?"

"...Shinichi said that Ran is no longer answering anonymous calls."

"I see."

Shiraishi was basically certain that Conan hadn't turned back into Shinichi Kudo, otherwise he wouldn't have continued to contact Ran anonymously.

As for why Xiaolan doesn't answer anonymous calls, imagine if you were Xiaolan, and your friend always contacted you from an anonymous number, would you still respond? You wouldn't even be able to be sure if the person on the other end of the line is actually your friend or someone impersonating them.

The four finally arrived at their destination. At the entrance of the hotel, a sign that read "Kotoya Hotel" stood out against the swirling snowflakes. Below the sign, the landlady and several waitresses were standing under the eaves to greet them.

The proprietress bowed slightly and said to Sonoko Suzuki:

"Welcome, Ms. Suzuki. We've been waiting for you for quite some time. Please come in..."

"Thank you for your help." Sonoko Suzuki nodded politely, greeted everyone, and followed the landlady into the inn.

The hotel's spacious lobby is decorated with many brightly colored long-sleeved kimonos on both sides, creating a completely different world from the gray and white snow scene outside, which is quite nice.

In the lobby, a group of people were already sitting around the sofa.

As the four entered the hall, Shinichi Kudo was immediately recognized.

"Shinichi Kudo?" A round-faced woman pulled Shinichi Kudo away from Ran without saying a word, tightly gripping his hands. "Detective Kudo, what brings you here? There have been rumors that you've disappeared, and I knew things weren't that simple."

Shinichi Kudo smiled awkwardly: "I didn't disappear. I just had some things to take care of recently, so I disappeared for a while."

The round-faced woman nodded excitedly: "Yes, I understand. My name is Yasuda Yoriko, I'm an editor, and I've always been a fan of yours."

"High school detective Shinichi Kudo?" Upon hearing the female editor's words, an older man who had been talking to him stood up and stepped forward, offering Shinichi Kudo a business card with a friendly expression. "It's truly an honor to meet such a famous detective here. I'm Toyoichi Osaka, a producer at Nichiuri TV. I hope we can get along well..."

"Please give me more advice..."

"If it's convenient, I have a program I'd like to..."

"Sorry, I've been quite busy lately."

Shinichi Kudo refused outright; he didn't have time to deal with people from the TV station.

Standing next to Shinichi Kudo, Ran asked curiously, "Are all of you here together for sightseeing?"

"We're not here for fun, we're here for a new play," the female editor said with a smile. "Because this play tells the story of three young women who are making their mark in different fields, we plan to create this play based on the most active women in each area. This time, we specially invited three of my juniors from my alma mater, Odori University, to come here to discuss it..."

“This is a fashion model who is quite active in both Paris and New York,” producer Bando introduced, pointing to the long-haired woman on the sofa with a rather aloof expression. “She is also the daughter of Congressman Shibasaki, Ms. Shibasaki Asuka…”

"The lady next to me is Ms. Anzai Ema, an oil painter who won an award at the Tokyo Art Exhibition..."

"As for who this person is..."

Just as producer Bando was about to introduce the last woman, Sonoko suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "It must be singer-songwriter Harumi Fukatsu, right? I'm a huge fan of yours!"

"Huh?" Harumi Fukatsu seemed rather introverted, and smiled shyly at Sonoko. "Thank you for your support."

However, Asuka Shibasaki and Ema Anzai had a hidden meaning in their words.

"It's strange, it's just a song that became popular, yet it still has fans."

“There are singers everywhere who suddenly become famous and then disappear just as quickly…”

Shiraishihara was slightly taken aback, thinking that conflicts between women seemed quite terrifying.

……

No. .

053 Specially arranged

Chapter 53

"These two rooms are yours," the landlady said, leading the four of them to the guest rooms.

Actually, one room would have been enough, since everyone was sleeping on the floor anyway. But Sonoko Suzuki, for some ulterior motive, specifically booked two rooms.

"Ran, you'll share a room with Shinichi." Sonoko Suzuki suddenly blushed. "As for me, I'll share a room with Shiraishihara."

After saying that, she added, "Shiraishi-kun, don't get me wrong. It's because Ran and Shinichi are a couple that I'm living with you."

Before Shiraishihara could respond, Ran voiced her objection.

"No! I want to live with Sonoko..."

"Hey, Ran, what are you doing? I specially arranged this for you and Shinichi. How can you betray my good intentions like this?"

Sonoko Suzuki was a little angry, feeling that her best friend was ruining her plans!

"Hmm...then I'll stay with Shiraishi, and Sonoko, you and Shinichi..."

"How can that be done!"

Sonoko got really angry!

Just as Shinichi Kudo was about to say something, Shiraishihara grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into one of the rooms.

"Then it's settled. Kudo and I will live together. Ran and Sonoko will live together."

As soon as the door closed, Shinichi Kudo became furious.

"Shiraishihara, what do you mean? Are you trying to ruin my relationship with Ran?"

"Idiot, you've already given yourself away. Who are you anyway?"

"What exposure..."