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

Seeing that Yukiko looked like she was about to cry, Shiraishihara couldn't help but soften.

Shiraishi sighed inwardly. "Alas, beauty is a curse. If she were an ugly woman, so willful and unreasonable, I would have punched her away long ago."

"Shinichi Kudo is indeed facing some complicated situations right now. I know that, but it's not convenient for me to talk about it with everyone."

Although Shiraishihara said that, the three beautiful girls were not about to let him off easily. They were all curious about what Shinichi Kudo was up to.

Eri Kisaki was clearly also dissatisfied with Shiraishihara's explanation, which was essentially meaningless.

"Shinichi Kudo is no ordinary high school student; he's a detective, and a rather famous one at that. As a renowned detective, he knows truths that ordinary people don't, and these truths often can't be revealed casually."

Shiraishi Hara touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly: "Ah... Shinichi Kudo's situation is rather special, so there are some things I can't say too clearly."

The implication is that you should stay out of the detective's business!

"Just making a fuss!" Eri Kisaki said with disdain. As a top lawyer, she looked down on the detective profession.

The three girls understood Shiraishihara's answer, since even the person's mother couldn't explain it clearly, and they didn't want to make things too difficult for Shiraishihara.

Sonoko Suzuki frowned, feeling not only disappointed in Shinichi Kudo but also somewhat disgusted with him, and at that moment she didn't care that Yukiko Kudo was present.

"Forget about that spoilsport Shinichi Kudo." With that, Sonoko Suzuki raised her glass of drink. "Let's toast to the successful performance of the second-year Class B play."

Ran whispered a reminder: "Sonoko, it seems the play wasn't performed completely; it was interrupted. It's not quite perfect, is it?"

After all, the play was interrupted by an unexpected event and could not be presented in its entirety.

Sonoko, however, said stubbornly, "It's okay, as long as I think it's perfect, then it's perfect! Cheers, everyone!"

“I also feel very satisfied.” Shiraishihara smiled and raised his drink to Ran.

"Okay!" Xiaolan also raised her drink cup.

"Cheers." The six of them raised their drinks and clinked them together.

After Conan finished solving the case, the celebration party had long ended, and everyone had gone home.

At this moment, Conan returned to the Mouri Detective Agency and dialed Yukiko Kudo's number.

"Mom, did you manage to make Ran's mom dislike Shiraishihara?

"It didn't work out."

At this moment, Yukiko Kudo had just finished showering and was lying on her side on the bed in her pajamas. Her figure was graceful, and the silk nightgown clung softly to her body, perfectly outlining her beautiful curves.

"Ah? How could this happen!"

Conan felt that his mother was unreliable and could not help him with anything.

"You have the nerve to blame me? Your girlfriend is about to be stolen away, and you still have the leisure to help the police solve cases."

"But if I don't help the police, won't the murderer get away with it?"

"I'm warning you, you're dressed as a primary school student right now, so be careful what you do and don't reveal your true identity."

"You don't need to tell me, I know what I'm doing."

Conan angrily hung up the phone, furious at his mother who was neither helpful nor nagging.

……

After the school festival ended, Teitan High School resumed its usual teaching schedule.

That day, Shiraishi noticed that class representative Naoko Takei was absent from school. Given her consistently conscientious and responsible nature, it was unlikely that she would skip class without a valid reason.

Moreover, she hasn't come for two consecutive days, which is really worrying.

When school ended in the afternoon, Shiraishihara asked Ran if she knew the reason behind it.

"Ran, have you noticed that Naoko Takei hasn't come to class these past two days?"

"Ah, I noticed that too."

"Did Naoko Takei ask for leave?"

"It doesn't seem so..." Xiaolan recalled what had happened in the past two days. "My dad received a request from the Takei family yesterday. I wonder if this has anything to do with Takei Naoko?"

Didn't your father tell you the details of the commission?

"No... Dad usually doesn't disclose work assignments he receives."

"That's it..."

Shiraishihara tried hard to recall the plot. It seemed that Naoko Takei was indeed involved in some incident. Could it have happened at this moment?

"Xiao Lan, do you know Wu Ju's address?"

"I know." Ran's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. "Shiraishi-kun, are you thinking of visiting Naoko? I was thinking the same thing."

"In that case, let's go and take a look at Wu Ju's house now."

"Okay!"

After finishing their afternoon classes, Shiraishi and Ran went straight to Naoko Takei's house.

The two visited the Takei family, where they were greeted by Hanai Akiko, the secretary of Takei Katsuhiko, Takei Naoko's father.

Katsuhiko Takei was initially reluctant to meet them, but upon hearing that one of them was Shiraishihara, a rising high school detective in Tokyo, he decided to give them a try.

In Wu Ju's living room.

"You're that high school detective Shiraishihara?" Katsuhiko Takei looked Shiraishihara up and down.

“That’s right.” Shiraishi nodded. “I’m Naoko Takei’s classmate. She suddenly stopped coming to class, and Ran and I were worried, so we came to check on her.”

Ran Mouri also politely greeted Katsuhiko Takei: "Uncle, I am Ran Mouri, and I am good friends with Naoko... Because Naoko was absent without reason, we have taken the liberty of visiting to inquire about her situation."

Upon hearing Ran Mouri's self-introduction, Katsuhiko Takei's expression clearly became less pleasant, and his tone revealed a hint of sadness.

“My daughter, Naoko Takei, has been kidnapped. I called the police and also hired Detective Mori. But the police and Detective Mori were helpless, and I really regret not informing them. Just yesterday, the kidnappers drove their car into the raging river right in front of them, and Naoko was in the car at the time…”

"Ah? Dad!" Xiaolan felt ashamed when she learned that her father hadn't been able to help.

Upon hearing this news, Shiraishihara remained calm and composed.

“Mr. Takei, please don’t be so pessimistic. In my opinion, Naoko Takei should still be alive, and we have a chance to rescue her.”

"Detective Shiraishi, what's your basis for saying that?"

Takei Katsuhiko was taken aback. Looking at the confident young man in front of him, he really couldn't understand where the boy's confidence came from.

“Mr. Takei, I’m sorry, I can’t answer you. After all, you don’t seem to be telling us the truth, do you?”

Even though Shiraishihara was unaware of the plot beforehand, he could tell from Takei Katsuhiko's expression that the other party was lying, and that there was probably more to the kidnapping case than met the eye.

Suddenly, Shiraishihara noticed a "little head" peeking out from the second floor of Takeshi's house.

After being discovered by Shiraishihara, this "little head" tried to slip away.

Shiraishi quickly equipped himself with the Persona Mountain Spirit and, to the astonishment of Takei Katsuhiko and Hanai Akiko, instantly flashed to the second floor, easily spotting a little boy wearing glasses.

People downstairs stared in surprise at the boy that Shiraishihara was carrying.

"Conan!" Ran exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

"You're Conan from yesterday?! What are you doing here?!" Katsuhiko Takei and Akiko Hanai both recognized Conan. He was the kid who accompanied the famous detective Kogoro Mouri yesterday when he came to accept a case. At the time, the two of them wondered why Kogoro Mouri had brought a child with him.

Shiraishi carried Conan back to the first floor.

Conan covered his head, looking helpless. Yesterday, he secretly followed Kogoro Mouri to the Takeshi residence, hoping to help solve the kidnapping case. However, Kogoro Mouri and the police were tricked by the criminals, so he had to investigate on his own again.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Conan awkwardly feigned madness, trying to get away with it.

Shiraishi and Ran had no choice but to apologize to Takei Katsuhiko, and then left with Conan.

As soon as Conan stepped out of Takeshi's house, he seemed like a completely different person, which really startled Ran.

Shiraishihara, however, was already prepared: "Speak, Conan, what clues have you found?"

Conan said seriously, "Brother Shiraishihara, you're right, Naoko Takei is still alive! The criminals threatened Naoko Takei's father, Katsuhiko Takei, demanding a ransom of 500 million yen before they would release Naoko Takei!"

Ran Mouri then asked, "Conan, do you know where the ransom is delivered?"

Conan shook his head: "I originally planned to secretly follow Katsuhiko Takei to the delivery location, but you guys just showed up as 0.1."

Ran Mouri looked at Shiraishihara and asked, "Should we also hide and follow Katsuhiko Takei?"

Shiraishi said, "No need, we can arrive ahead of time."

After understanding the whole story, Shiraishihara sent out the Persona Pixie, who successfully located Naoko Takei. She was tied up in an abandoned warehouse in an old building in Beika Town.

As the sun set, Shiraishihara, along with Ran and Conan, found Naoko Takei and rescued her.

When Conan asked Naoko Takei who the culprit was, Naoko Takei seemed hesitant to speak.

Shiraishihara warned, "Quiet, someone's coming. Let's hide quickly."

The four of them hid in the shadows of the warehouse filled with miscellaneous items, and saw Katsuhiko Takei lead Akiko Hanai in.

Because the kidnappers had previously demanded a ransom of 5 million yen for Naoko Takei, he arrived at the location agreed upon by the kidnappers.

However, the safe he brought contained 5 million yen in counterfeit money that Hanai Akiko had prepared. Only the top bill in each stack was genuine; the rest were all training vouchers...

He simply couldn't bear to spend 5 million yen. If he were to use that money to get his daughter back, his company would collapse instantly due to a broken cash flow, which was something he couldn't accept.

His company was built through hard work, and although many of the methods he used were not honorable, mostly through unethical mergers and acquisitions, it is true that the weak have a hard time surviving in this society.

At that moment, Katsuhiko Takei was filled with anxiety. He glanced at his watch and muttered, "I arrived at the agreed time, so why haven't the kidnappers shown up yet?"

"Actually...they arrived a long time ago..."

Hanai Akiko, who had been standing quietly behind Takei Katsuhiko, suddenly attacked and forcefully pushed him to the ground.

No. .

081 Miwako's uniform, my heart races.

Chapter 81

"Hanai, what are you doing, you idiot? You've hurt my foot, it hurts like hell! Don't you want to keep working here?"

Pushed by Akiko Hanai from behind, Katsuhiko Takei plunged headfirst into the warehouse's garbage heap, clutching his foot and sweating profusely from the pain.

"Katsuhiko Takei!" Akiko Hanai roared, her once beautiful face contorted with rage. "You're making a scene over this little bit of pain? Can it compare to the pain you've caused my family? Have you forgotten how you took over my father's company and drove him to the brink of despair?!"

"What did you say?" Katsuhiko Takei's face showed terror. "Who...who are you...?"

"After graduating from university, I changed my name and joined your company, all for revenge." Hanai Akiko trembled with rage. "I kidnapped Takei Naoko. I originally thought that if you, as her father, were willing to pay the ransom, I would release her. Unfortunately, you are far too cold-blooded!"

Akiko Hanai grabbed the safe and dumped all the counterfeit money inside onto Katsuhiko Takei, who was unable to move due to a leg injury. Then she picked up a can of gasoline that she had prepared beforehand and poured it all over Katsuhiko Takei.

Then, she took out a lighter and lit it with a "snap"...

"Stop! I'll give you money, don't kill me..." Takei Katsuhiko's voice trembled with fear.

"Too late! You bastard, take your precious 'money' and go to hell!" Hanai Akiko let out a maniacal laugh filled with vengeance.

Hiding in his concealed spot, Shiraishihara witnessed this scene and was shocked, thinking to himself that Hanai Akiko was far too ruthless. If this fire started, Takei Naoko, who was tied up in the warehouse, would also be burned to death. The grievances should be settled, and innocent family members shouldn't be implicated!

Shiraishi rushed out first and tackled Hanai Akiko to the ground. Ran followed closely behind and helped Shiraishi subdue Hanai Akiko.

Meanwhile, Naoko Takei and Conan together rescued Katsuhiko Takei from the garbage dump.

Not long after, the police arrived at the scene and arrested Hanai Akiko.

Katsuhiko Takei apologized to Naoko Takei with a face full of guilt: "Daughter, I'm so sorry... but money is really important to me..."

Naoko Takei sighed softly and said, "Dad, I don't mean to blame you. I just want to advise you not to hurt others for money anymore. Good and evil will eventually be rewarded, and you will be punished!"

Katsuhiko Takei was deeply moved by his daughter's understanding and sensible nature. Whether he had heeded her advice or not remained to be seen.

Nighttime, outside the Metropolitan Police Department.

After everyone cooperated with the police to give their statements, they arrived at the neon lights outside the Metropolitan Police Department...

Although the matter has been completely resolved, Naoko Takei, the person involved, remains in a low mood. Shiraishi and Ran stay by her side, constantly comforting her.

“I’m incredibly close to Hanai Akiko; I’ve always treated her like an older sister. Now that she’s in jail because of me and my dad, I’m heartbroken…”

As she spoke, Naoko Takei could no longer hold back and threw herself into Shiraishihara's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Shiraishi Haruka instinctively put his arm around her, gently comforting her. Ran, watching this scene, felt like an outsider and quietly took a half-step back, not wanting to disturb them…

……

【Flower Soul: A legendary tree spirit that attaches itself to trees where many people have hanged themselves. It is depicted as a beautiful girl dressed in white, but much smaller than a human.