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

Shiraishi took out a pen and wrote furiously on the back of the Phantom Thieves' name card:

Scorpion, the killer who committed numerous serious crimes including theft, robbery, and murder, you disguised yourself as Pu Siqinglan and stole my best friend's egg. Your twisted and malevolent heart will now be taken in by the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!

After writing it down, he threw the business card straight off the rooftop.

next second.

Shiraishi Hara stepped into the palace of Urashi Seiran's heart.

Suzuki Sonoko also entered the Palace of Hearts of Urashi Seiran along with Shiraishihara.

Seeing Sonoko Suzuki's bewildered expression, Shiraishihara didn't wait for her to ask any questions and took the initiative to explain the Phantom Thief of Hearts in detail.

Since two phantom thieves had already joined the team, Shiraishihara explained the situation clearly without much effort.

As for whether Sonoko Suzuki can understand immediately, Shiraishi Hara believes that she will naturally understand once she experiences it herself.

"I've actually become the Phantom Thief Idol? And I'm a member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!"

"That's right, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts aims to steal the evil hearts in the world, and you are the chosen Phantom Thief Idol."

"Besides you and me, who else is in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" Sonoko Suzuki asked curiously.

"And Ran and Yukiko... 06..."

"Huh? Why are they all people from our neighborhood?"

"Yes." After all, the Phantom Thieves are all people in the circle around the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, just like in the Persona game setting.

"What should we do next?"

Sonoko Suzuki reluctantly accepted all of this. It has to be said that the people in the world of Detective Conan are indeed very receptive. They can accept the current chaotic timeline, as if there is nothing they cannot accept.

"First, you have to summon your own Persona."

"Personality mask? How do I summon it?"

"As long as you have a beautiful and pure heart, you have the opportunity to summon it."

"Then I'll give it a try..."

Sonoko Suzuki tried her best to cast aside all the distracting thoughts in her heart, such as greed, regret, anger, suspicion, and drowsiness, and let her heart be filled with love and compassion.

"LOVE—AND—PEACE."

Sonoko Suzuki uttered the iconic phrase of hip-hop culture.

Immediately afterwards, she successfully summoned the Persona – Guanyin.

Its secret ritual is the Lovers Tarot.

This Guanyin is not the Guanyin of traditional perception, but a support-type demon that resembles a radar. It can only play a supporting role in combat and does not have the ability to fight directly.

After summoning Persona, a flood of information rushed into Sonoko Suzuki's mind, and she instantly gained a complete understanding of the current situation.

“I see… I know what to do now, Shiraishi-kun. I will assist you from now on, and together we will defeat the demon in the Palace of Hearts.”

At this moment, a Russian castle-style palace of the heart stands before Shiraishihara and Suzuki Sonoko, its winding paths filled with all sorts of shadows.

However, with Sonoko Suzuki's help, Shiraishihara successfully found the hiding place of the palace demon.

"Who are you! Who gave you permission to set foot here!"

Before Shiraishihara and Suzuki Sonoko appeared a Slavic woman wearing a red cheongsam.

"It really is... Pu Siqinglan!"

Pu Siqinglan's so-called identity as a historical researcher is a fabrication; her true identity is that of an internationally wanted criminal, Shi Kaobing.

"Such a beautiful and gentle woman is actually an extremely dangerous person."

Sonoko Suzuki covered her mouth in surprise.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

A one-eyed elephant appeared behind Pu Siqinglan, its eye shooting out a beam of evil light that hurtled towards Suzuki Sonoko.

"Garden!"

Shiraishi Hara hurriedly equipped himself with the Great Power Master's Personality Mask.

Holding the Totsuka Sword, he swiftly positioned himself in front of Suzuki Sonoko, successfully blocking the evil light.

“Scobing, you have committed too many evils. It’s time to turn back.”

Shiraishi Hara began to persuade him, though he knew in his heart that Shi Kaobing would not listen and that he was just saying some polite words.

"Go to hell."

Pu Siqinglan merged with the demon behind her, transforming into a one-eyed female elephant, its deformed appearance mirroring the ugliness within her heart. Her beautiful appearance was gone, and the evil within was fully exposed.

Sonoko Suzuki activated the power of the Kannon Persona, transmitting the demon's information to Shiraishihara.

[Kilimekara: A colossal monster in Sri Lankan mythology. Legend has it that Mara, the demon king, rode on it when he hindered the Buddha's liberation. It possesses a terrifying evil eye, and it is said that any being gazed upon by this eye will suffer terrible calamities.]

Holding the Totsuka Sword, Shiraishi Hara, with all of Ōkuninushi's strength, faced such a terrifying enemy, had no time to think and charged towards Kyrimekara.

"Drink!"

"Roar!"

The Kyrimekara roared like an elephant, the powerful sound waves making it difficult for Shiraishihara to get close. Then, its single eye flashed with a cruel light, emitting an evil light containing destructive power.

Seeing this, Shiraishihara could only parry with his sword. A chillingly evil power surged forth, causing him to tremble all over and making it almost impossible for him to resist.

"This demon is too powerful!"

He felt immense pressure. This woman was far more evil than any of the villains he had encountered before. The demons in the Palace of the Heart were already extremely powerful, and after the woman merged with the demon, her evil level was amplified even further.

Suddenly, a golden protective shield made of hexagons enveloped Shiraishihara, successfully blocking Kylemecara's attack.

"Shiraishi-kun, I will fight alongside you."

A high-tech eye mask appeared before Sonoko's eyes, and the information about the demon Kylemecara was thoroughly and clearly analyzed by Sonoko's Persona, Kannon.

"The enemy's weakness is its eyes; attack its eyes!"

"I understand."

Shiraishi Hara swung his Totsuka Sword, unleashing a golden sword aura.

Kyrimekara's evil eye fired another beam, which collided with the sword energy, bursting into white light before scattering into countless star fragments.

“Roar…” Kylimekara roared, and the Scorpion that had merged with it said viciously, “I’m going to kill both of you.”

Kyrimekara no longer relied solely on the Evil Eye attack; instead, he charged forward and engaged Shiraishihara in close combat.

With Sonoko Suzuki's help, Shiraishihara's confidence soared. He once again wielded the Totsuka Sword and engaged in a fierce battle with Gilimekara.

Sonoko Suzuki's Persona can not only provide intelligence support, but also offer direct buffs and assistance.

The optical purification bottle infused Shiraishihara with pure light, and Shiraishihara felt the power of justice growing stronger within him, gradually gaining the upper hand in his direct confrontation with Gilimekara.

The two worked together seamlessly, repeatedly deflecting Kylimekara's attacks.

In contrast, Kyrimekara began to show signs of weakness, with its attacks becoming increasingly feeble and its defenses becoming more fragile.

"That's enough, Scorpion!"

Shiraishihara seized an opportunity, wielding the Totsuka Sword and thrusting it towards Kyrimekara's Evil Eye.

"Ahhhh-"

Scrooge let out a painful scream, and Kilimekara also let out a mournful cry before turning into countless star fragments.

Shiraishi Hara condensed these star fragments into a personality mask and claimed it as his own.

Kylie Melkaura, symbolizing Scrooge's malevolent heart, became one of Shiraishihara's many personas.

After Scrooge's ill intentions disappeared, her conscience was awakened, and she knelt on the ground to repent for her sins.

"I was wrong."

With tears streaming down his face, Scrooge said, "I have committed too many sins, and I will surely suffer in hell in my next life. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely choose to be a good person."

bang bang bang...

The Palace of the Heart began to collapse, with stones constantly falling.

Sonoko Suzuki turned and exchanged a glance with Shiraishihara: "What should we do now?"

"It's over. We need to get out of here before the palace completely collapses!"

With that, Shiraishihara grabbed Suzuki Sonoko's hand and led her to escape before the palace completely collapsed...

The following day, Scorpion went to the Osaka Prefectural Police Station to turn himself in and returned the Egg of Memories.

Shiraishi Genichiro boarded the Suzuki family's cruise ship and returned to Tokyo with Suzuki Sonoko.

After returning to his daily school life, Shiraishihara noticed that Sonoko Suzuki and Ran Mouri seemed to have become increasingly taciturn, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination...

In Japan, various shrines hold festivals on holidays, and Mihana Shrine is no exception.

After school, the three of them agreed to go home, change into their uniforms, and go to the festival together.

Logically, Shiraishihara should have changed into a yukata to participate, but he was short of money and couldn't afford it. So, he simply changed into ordinary casual clothes and went straight to the festival venue.

As evening approached, Shiraishihara and Ran arrived at Beika Shrine, where Sonoko was already waiting.

As for why Conan didn't come, it was because Ran specifically forbade him to come along.

Since Shiraishi transferred schools, Ran has returned to a normal high school girl life. She can't get along with the first-year elementary school students at all, and instead finds him to be a real nuisance.

"Knock knock knock..."

Inside the Mihana Shrine, the sound of wooden clogs echoed.

Colorful stalls were arranged in a pleasing, haphazard way, emitting a variety of aromas. Young girls in brightly colored clothes strolled by, their outfits contrasting beautifully with the candied apples and yo-yos floating on the water. Children wearing masks ran around brandishing toy swords, while adults watched them with beers in hand, their expressions more gentle than usual.

Ran and Sonoko were both wearing yukatas, barefoot, and wearing wooden clogs.

Xiaolan wore a white yukata adorned with delicate light blue and indigo hollyhock patterns, paired with a sash as dark as night. Her medium-length black hair was styled into an updo with a hairpin, revealing her slender neck. Whether she was wearing lipstick or tinted lip balm, her lips appeared exceptionally red when she smiled.

Sonoko wore a light pink yukata, the fabric as thin as gauze, embroidered with exquisite cherry blossom patterns. The yukata was perfectly tailored, highlighting her graceful figure while maintaining a dignified elegance. Her hair was no longer tied up with a headband, but simply held in place by a delicate hair clip on one side, making her appear even more playful and lively.

It must be said that girls do have a unique charm when they dress up carefully.

"Hey! Garden!" Xiaolan ran up and waved to Garden.

"You've finally arrived." Sonoko said, slightly annoyed, as she was a quarter of an hour late.

"Because Conan was coming along, Ran had to go to some lengths to shake him off," Shiraishi explained.

"We're just out having fun, I don't want to bring 350 kids along. If Conan wants to participate in the festival, Professor Agasa can take him, why does he have to cling to me?" Ran pouted slightly, really not understanding why Conan was always sticking to her, she had no interest in bringing a child everywhere she went.

"That's true. That brat Conan has a ton of tricks up his sleeve. With him around, things always get weird..."

After saying that, Sonoko took two or three steps back and looked Shiraishihara up and down.

"What are you looking at?" Shiraishi asked.

"Shiraishi-kun, why are you still dressed the same as usual... I was really looking forward to it..." Sonoko couldn't help but complain, feeling that Shiraishi had ruined the harmony of the three of them.

"Uh... sorry."

Shiraishi scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly. He really didn't have any money; yukatas in Japan weren't cheap. He didn't want to be a poor laborer like the protagonist in Persona, working every day after school. He would only consider working when he had absolutely no other choice and all his money was gone.

“I almost forgot, Shiraishi used to live alone.” Sonoko tapped her head lightly. “Shiraishi-kun, there’s no need to apologize. I didn’t mean to blame you.”

As soon as Sonoko finished speaking, she noticed that Ran was staring at her.

"What's wrong? Xiaolan, why are you staring at me?"

"Ah... Sonoko, you seem to have become even more beautiful lately!"

"Xiao Lan, really?"

"Yes...really."

"Hehe...the harder you work, the luckier you get."

"It's the power of money, isn't it?"

Shiraishi couldn't help but joke that it's hard for a woman with money not to be beautiful. The modern beauty industry is so developed that the so-called "Oriental head transplant" is no joke, not to mention that Sonoko herself was already quite good-looking.

"Money power? Indeed..."

Sonoko Suzuki does not deny that in modern society, many things can indeed be solved with money.