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

Shiraishi nodded in agreement: "Yes, you do resemble Ai a bit."

Ai said somewhat indignantly, "How do I resemble a queen?"

Shiraishihara said with a smile, "Because you and she are both very beautiful."

Ai blushed slightly at Shiraishihara's sudden praise, tilted her head back, and said in a deliberately indifferent tone, "Who asked you that!"

Reiko Akiba, upon hearing their conversation, showed displeasure:

"Hey...you two, it's not appropriate to talk about this in front of them. At least wait until they're not around."

"I'm so sorry... I was just going along with what the child said..."

Shiraishihara did indeed think that Akiba Reiko was exceptionally beautiful. Her long, wavy black hair was tucked to one side of her shoulder, and she wore a well-fitting white short-sleeved dress with an orange scarf around her neck. Not only was she beautiful, but her attire was also elegant and graceful!

"..." Akiba Reiko felt quite helpless, and really couldn't understand why a group of laymen would come to join in the fun during the rehearsal.

Compared to the concert performance, Genta was clearly more interested in the tea in Akiba Reiko's hand.

"Big sister... is this kind of tea good for your throat?"

"That's right..."

Suddenly, Mitsuhiko had a brilliant idea and said presumptuously:

"If big sister's tea really has such effects, that would be wonderful! If we could know the recipe, maybe we could achieve excellent results in the choir competition!"

"A choir competition?" Akiba Reiko raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Yes, our school is holding a choir competition in a few days, and everyone is practicing intensively in order to get a good ranking."

Ayumi displayed the innocence and liveliness of a little girl, saying, "If Reiko-neechan could guide us, it would definitely be a great help to the choir!"

"...Huh?" Akiba Reiko was caught off guard by this sudden request. These kids really don't stand on ceremony.

"Has no one taught you to sing in a chorus?" Akiba Reiko tried to politely decline.

however--

"Yes, there are some, but someone's skill level is really not that good..."

Genta muttered to himself. He'd barely finished speaking when he felt a tap on the head from behind. Turning around, he saw Sonoko, the young lady, standing with one hand on her hip, her face full of displeasure. Her first words were laced with a strong threat:

"Hey, what do you mean someone's skill level isn't that great? You'd better explain yourself clearly, you brat!"

"Uh hahaha..." Yuan Tai quickly pretended to be stupid.

No. .

Unable to bear it any longer, 124, with one hand on the garden floor, began to ride a horse at full gallop.

Chapter 124

Akiba Reiko's lips curled up slightly: "The song for the chorus isn't 'The Ninth,' is it?"

"Carpenter? It's not a carpenter's song, it's the school song of Teitan Elementary School," Genta retorted, dissatisfied.

"Huh?" Upon hearing the familiar school name, Akiba Reiko paused for a moment.

"The 'Ninth' she just mentioned refers to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," Ai Haibara explained from the side.

Hearing Ai Haibara say that, Reiko Akiba's expression softened a bit: "Alright, since I'm a graduate of Teitan Elementary School, I'll agree to teach you to sing."

"Huh? Really?" Everyone was surprised that Akiba Reiko agreed so easily.

"Ms. Akiba!" Just then, a voice came from the steps leading from the back of the stands to the entrance. Officer Takagi hurriedly ran in from outside and came to Akiba Reiko's side.

"Ms. Reiko Akiba, this is Takagi from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I have a few details I'd like to ask you about regarding the bombing incident..."

"Let's talk about it later." Seeing that it was the police looking for her again, Akiba Reiko immediately composed herself, got up and walked towards the backstage area. "I need to touch up my makeup now, we'll talk later."

"Ah, Miss Akiba..." Takagi wanted to chase after her, but Akiba Reiko ignored him completely, quickened her pace and went backstage, closing the door behind her.

Shiraishi walked leisurely to Takagi's side and asked, "Is Akiba Reiko also one of the suspects?"

Officer Takagi knew that Shiraishi was a detective and did not hide it from him:

"After the bombing, the police found a section of a recorder at the scene. Ms. Kawabe Kanade, who was seriously injured in the explosion, had received a text message from Ms. Akiba Reiko before the incident, in which she said that she 'could not stand performing on the same stage with unprofessional people'."

"Oh?" Shiraishihara immediately understood that the police had listed Akiba Reiko as a suspect because of this text message.

……

The weekend is over, and Saturday is just around the corner.

In the afternoon, a rehearsal for a student choir was taking place in the first-grade teaching building of Teitan Elementary School. Shiraishihara was also dragged over by Ran and Sonoko.

"Verdant hills, distant mountains, joyful smiles, dazzling sunshine—etched in our hearts, we seize the future. Teitan, Teitan, Teitan Elementary School, Teitan, Teitan, Teitan Elementary School—"

Ai Haibara sang exceptionally well… however, her singing style wasn’t quite what one would expect from a children’s choir. Shiraishi listened intently to Ai Haibara’s singing, finding it unique and incredibly cute.

Kawaii!

Ran, who was responsible for the piano accompaniment, turned to look at Reiko Akiba, who was standing by the window gazing at the scenery outside, after the last note.

What do you think of the children's singing?

Reiko Akiba glanced at Ran, then turned and walked toward the children.

"Well..."

“First of all, it’s you.” Akiba Reiko pointed to Genta first.

Yuan Tai was startled, and a look of horror appeared on his face.

"The noise is too loud; you need to learn to cooperate with others."

Yuan Tai scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly and smiled. Fortunately, he could accept this criticism.

"And the freckled boy next to him."

Reiko Akiba turned her head and pointed at Mitsuhiko, who was standing next to Genta and laughing happily. "You didn't sing off-key from beginning to end, but you would sometimes get distracted. Were you staring at the profile of the girl diagonally in front of you?"

Instantly, the children burst into laughter.

“Then it’s her.” Akiba Reiko lowered her head and looked at Haibara Ai with a slightly helpless expression. “She sings well, but she needs to have more of a childlike feeling when she sings.”

Ai Haibara simply turned her head away.

"I'm not a child."

Yes, it's a typical child's refusal to admit they're a child, which only makes Ai Haibara seem even more like a child, making her incredibly cute. Shiraishihara was instantly won over.

"Your pitch is excellent, and you're full of energy. You did a fantastic job." It was rare for Akiba Reiko to smile, and she even bent down to gently pat Ayumi's head in praise.

She commented on almost every child except Ayumi.

Finally, it's the turn of the heavyweight, Conan, standing in the center.

"The biggest problem is you!"

Startled, Conan took a half step back and turned to the side as if he wanted to run away.

"You didn't sing a single note correctly from beginning to end. You weren't doing it on purpose, were you?" Akiba Reiko asked Conan, hands on her hips.

"Ah...no, that's not it..." Conan chuckled awkwardly, trying to defend himself.

Ayumi then pounced on Conan's back and said earnestly, "He didn't do it on purpose! Conan-kun is just tone-deaf!"

Instantly, everyone present burst into laughter. Sonoko, who was sitting next to Shiraishihara, laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.

Shiraishi felt that today's trip was well worth it, as he heard Ai Haibara's beautiful singing voice and saw Conan make a fool of himself.

But Akiba Reiko's guidance wasn't over yet; she turned her gaze to Ran, not at Ran, but at—the piano. The piano hadn't been tuned regularly, and its tone was off.

Everyone was astonished, except for Akiba Reiko, who noticed the problem with the piano's tone.

Reiko Akiba explained perfect pitch to everyone and gave a live demonstration.

Just then, Genta secretly took Akiba Reiko's thermos and drank the tea inside.

"Hey! You child..." Akiba Reiko was about to scold Genta for being so rude, taking other people's things without permission.

But the next second, the thermos fell to the ground with a clatter, and Genta's expectant expression instantly turned into pain as he clutched his throat.

"My throat...my throat...it hurts so much..."

Tears welled in Genta's eyes as he rolled on the ground in pain.

Everyone was utterly astonished!

"Is it a burn?" Xiaolan asked instinctively.

“No, it’s not a burn…” Shiraishi approached Genta to check on him. “The tea in the thermos was laced with drugs. I’ll call an ambulance.” With that, Shiraishi took out his phone and dialed 119, Japan’s emergency number.

Inside Mihana Hospital.

Genta was led by a nurse to have his examination done by the doctor, while the rest of the group waited quietly in the waiting area.

Shiraishi Hara rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment before looking up at Akiba Reiko.

"Ms. Akiba, when was the last time you drank that tea?"

"Huh?" Taken aback by the question, Akiba Reiko was surprised at first, but quickly replied, "It was before noon today."

"Where is that location?"

“At Domoto Academy, I borrowed a classroom for singing practice. Before leaving, I went to the restroom.” Reiko Akiba recalled what happened today. “During that time, this bottle of tea was placed in the classroom for singing practice along with other items.”

“If that bottle of tea was indeed tampered with, it was most likely around that time,” Shiraishihara analyzed.

"But who could it be?" Sonoko asked, her brows furrowed.

At that moment, the door to the examination room was pushed open.

Genta, with a bandage wrapped around his throat, walked out from inside with Ran's help.

"Ran, how is Genta doing?" Sonoko asked Ran, who was taking care of Genta.

"The doctor said that Yuan Tai's throat was damaged due to the medication, and the situation is quite serious. He needs to rest for a week. After that, he will have to come back to the hospital for a follow-up examination," Xiao Lan explained.

"What!" Upon hearing this, Akiba Reiko stood up from her chair in shock. Clearly, someone had targeted her, and Genta had simply taken the harm for her.

"It seems someone expects Ms. Reiko to miss the performance three days from now." Shiraishihara narrowed his eyes slightly. "Compared to the bombing incident that happened to Ms. Kawabe Kanade, this method is much milder..."

"Huh? Could it be that the person who tampered with Reiko's tea this time is the same person who caused the explosion before?" Ran looked at Shiraishihara in surprise.

“The methods may differ. It could also be the work of someone who simply dislikes Ms. Reiko. It’s hard to say for sure at the moment,” Shiraishi explained.

"It would be best to send the thermos and tea to the Metropolitan Police Department so Inspector Megure can examine them and see if he can find any clues," Conan added from the side.

……

After leaving Mihana Hospital, everyone went home.

"Genta, let me take him back," Shiraishi said to Ran and Sonoko.

"Okay. Genta, I'll leave you with this, Shiraishi-kun. We'll take care of the other children," Ran and Sonoko said in unison.

Shiraishihara escorted Genta home alone, only to discover that Akiba Reiko and Conan had followed them.

It's one thing for Conan to come along, but why did Akiba Reiko come too?

"Ms. Qiuting, do you live around here too?"

"No... I have to explain the situation to Yuan Tai's parents. Yuan Tai's throat injury also bears some responsibility."

Even though Genta's throat injury was, to some extent, a consequence of his own actions, it was ultimately caused by the tea in Akiba Reiko's thermos that led to the injury, and she felt deeply guilty.

Seeing the guilty look on Akiba Reiko's face, Genta wanted to say a few words of comfort, as he also knew he had done something wrong. Unfortunately, his throat was injured, and he couldn't make a sound.

At this moment, Conan (who was greedy for money) suddenly reminded Reiko Akiba: "Reiko-neechan, I suggest you be more careful these next few days and don't eat or drink anything that's out of your sight."

Reiko Akiba paused for a moment and looked at the little Conan wearing glasses.

"I will. Thank you... Conan."

"Ms. Akiba, don't you feel that Conan is a rather special child?"

“Huh?” Akiba Reiko turned her head and met Shiraishi Hara’s gaze. “Yes… this child is really thoughtful.”

"Your feeling is right, Conan is indeed extraordinary."

"Hey! Brother Shiraishihara, please stop talking!"

Conan pouted in dissatisfaction. "Making jokes like this, aren't you afraid of exposing my identity?"