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

She had been looking forward to playing detective games with Shiraishihara and working together to catch the criminal, but now that there's a kid involved, how can she catch the criminal properly?

Shiraishihara had no choice but to explain, "Miss Akiba, listen to me... Conan isn't just any kid, he's an elementary school detective."

"Huh? A primary school detective?" Akiba Reiko thought Shiraishi was joking with her. "Heh... I almost forgot, Detective Shiraishi, you yourself are a high school kid."

Reiko Akiba's mockery made Conan's face turn bright red instantly: "Reiko-neechan, don't underestimate me. I really am a detective, and a detective who is no less than Shiraishihara-nii!"

Akiba Reiko felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but taunt, "Little Conan, what grade are you in this year?"

"First grade...what's wrong?"

"Being a detective is not something a first-grader can handle."

"Reiko-neechan, I must emphasize, I'm not playing around, I'm serious!" Conan was a little angry; Reiko Akiba clearly didn't take him seriously.

Shiraishihara couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Akiba Reiko's reaction was quite normal, after all, it was hard to imagine what role an elementary school detective could play.

"Oh? Little Conan, then tell me, how can you prove you're not just messing around?"

"Hmph!" In his impatience, Conan simply stopped pretending to be a child.

“Reiko-neechan, I’m going to tell you about my and Shiraishi-hara-nii’s plan now…”

"Okay, go ahead, I'm listening."

Reiko Akiba rested her chin on her hand, watching Conan with great interest.

Conan rattled off his plan to use her as bait to lure out the culprit...

After listening, Akiba Reiko frowned and looked at Shiraishihara:

"Did you teach Conan to say that?" She suspected that Shiraishi Hara wanted her to be bait, but was too embarrassed to say it outright, so he sent Conan to relay the message.

"No, Conan came up with it himself."

Shiraishi answered absentmindedly, standing in front of a locker, staring at a framed photograph of a woman and a man who looked rather simple and honest.

"...Don't touch my things." Seeing this, Akiba Reiko went over and took the photo away.

“The man in the photo is my fiancé, Hikaru Soma. He died three years ago in an accidental fall off a cliff.”

"Your fiancé has been gone for three years, and you still can't let go of him?"

"Yes, we are childhood sweethearts, and I have always cherished our relationship."

"So... are you planning to look at this photo for the rest of your life?"

"What does this have to do with you?" Akiba Reiko rolled her eyes at Shiraishihara and slammed the photo face down on the table.

Displaying individual photos of the deceased as a memorial is understandable, but displaying photos of oneself with the deceased is a bit puzzling.

“We’ve had a photo of the deceased on display at home for three years now, and it just doesn’t feel right…”

As soon as she said that, Akiba Reiko's face immediately darkened.

"I want you to take care of it!"

"You're my client, is it wrong for me to care about you?"

"Since you care about me so much, how about we take a picture together to replace this one?" Akiba Reiko sneered.

"Ah... let's get back to catching the criminals."

Shiraishi glanced at Conan, "Conan's plan does have some feasibility."

However, this is an adventure for Miss Akiba, and ultimately it depends on whether Miss Akiba is willing to take it.

Reiko Akiba tossed her long, wavy hair: "I have no objection, I'm willing to take the risk. The condition is, Detective Shiraishi, can you guarantee my safety?"

Shiraishi shrugged: "Of course, you've seen my abilities..."

Reiko Akiba recalled how Shiraishihara had carried her faster than a dump truck; he was indeed quite capable.

"Alright, my life is in your hands for now."

"Thank you for your trust, Miss Akiba. I will definitely protect you!" Shiraishihara's firm gaze stirred something within Akiba Reiko.

Just then, Akiba Reiko wanted to enjoy a forest bath at the nature park, so the three of them set off together.

The morning sun was very bright, and the air in the nature park was even fresher and more pleasant. Being there truly made one feel happy and relaxed.

Reiko Akiba was dressed in a fitted tracksuit with a hooded sweatshirt over it, looking quite stylish and dashing. She walked at the front of the group, Conan was in the middle, and Genichiro Shiraishi followed at the back.

Just then, four elementary school students who looked about the same age as Conan walked towards them, cheerfully singing the theme song of Kamen Rider Blade.

Similarly, when faced with this trio approaching, the elementary school students involuntarily stopped and stood quietly, observing them.

They seem like a family, yet the distance between the three of them appears somewhat far. But if they're not family, this group just feels strangely mismatched.

The elementary school students instantly unleashed their rich imaginations.

"The family came out for a trip, but the atmosphere felt a bit dull."

"They look too young; they don't seem like a family."

"It must be that this child is naughty and disobedient, which made his parents angry. When I make my parents unhappy, the atmosphere at home is the same."

"No, no, it must be that Dad did something to upset Mom, so Mom is sulking alone in front, and the child is caught in the middle, in a dilemma."

No matter how you look at it, a man, a woman, and a child do indeed look like a family going on a picnic.

"Detective Shiraishi, do you know why I prefer to take a natural bath in the forest?" Reiko Akiba, who was walking at the front, asked abruptly, seemingly unaffected by her surroundings.

"Is it because you want to listen to the rhythm of nature and feel the music that nature plays?" Shiraishihara replied.

Akiba Reiko remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Shiraishihara.

“That’s roughly the idea.” Reiko Akiba turned her head back. “I’m thinking about incorporating elements of nature into my own being. European music was born from being surrounded and nurtured by nature.”

0 ······Requesting flowers 0 ·

“Yes, I can understand that feeling.” Conan nodded in agreement.

"You little guy know quite a lot, Conan, little brother." Akiba Reiko felt that this child named Edogawa Conan was completely different from ordinary children, as if he came from another planet.

"Haha... I can't help it, I learned all this from TV, I know a little bit about all sorts of things." Conan realized he had been too high-profile and quickly tried to explain himself.

Akiba Reiko suddenly stopped and waited for Shiraishihara to walk to her side. Then, Conan walked to the front.

Reiko Akiba turned her head to look at Shiraishihara and asked, "Do you think that criminal will reappear and attack me?"

“Yes, that’s very likely.” Shiraishihara and Akiba Reiko exchanged glances. “Judging from the criminal’s behavior, he doesn’t seem like the type to give up halfway. And now is the perfect time; there are only a few days left before the concert officially starts.”

... ..... 0

"So what methods do you think the criminal will use to deal with me this time?"

"I expect they'll use an even scarier method than last time."

No sooner had Shiraishi finished speaking than a muffled sound suddenly came from the depths of the dense forest.

"Conan, quickly find a place to hide!" At the same instant the gunshot rang out, Shiraishi Hara quickly lunged at Akiba Reiko, shielding her tightly with his body, and in doing so, successfully dodged the sniper shot that had just been fired.

The bullet struck the mound of earth beneath Akiba Reiko with a "thud".

If that bullet had hit its target, it would probably have struck Akiba Reiko below the calf.

While Shiraishi shouted loudly, Conan had already bent over and quickly hid behind the bushes, and turned on the infrared scanning function on his glasses to search for the gunman's location.

"Was that a gunshot?" Akiba Reiko asked in a panic.

“That’s right. To be precise, the prisoner used a rifle.” Shiraishi said, staring at the bullet holes on the ground.

"Oh no, you were right." Akiba Reiko turned pale with fright. The criminal had even used a gun. Was he really determined to kill her? She regretted agreeing to act as bait for Shiraishihara, not because she was afraid of dying, but because she had implicated others.

Shiraishi Hara once again scooped up Akiba Reiko in a princess carry and then sprinted forward. The gunman's target was Akiba Reiko, and abandoning Conan at this moment was the safest thing to do for Conan.

So, before Conan could even figure out who the gunman was, the man had already put away his gun and chased after Shiraishihara and Akiba Reiko from the other side of the woods.

"Damn it!" Conan didn't have time to track the gunman. He tried to catch up with the adults ahead, but found that the distance between them was widening. The limitations of a child's body were exposed at this moment; his legs were too short to outrun an adult. Even so, Conan did not give up and chased after them with all his might.

A short man in black, holding a rifle, was chasing after them with all his might, his face full of anxiety.

"What's wrong with that annoying kid? How can he run so fast while carrying someone? Last time, even a dump truck couldn't catch him. Is something wrong with him?"

Enraged, the man in black stopped, raised his rifle, and pointed it at the boy running ahead.

First.

127 Reiko changed back into her battle robes; hadn't it just ended? Their fingers intertwined, the small boat sailed into a vast ocean.

Chapter 127

If I kill this boy, I'll have time to reload and continue shooting when Reiko falls and tries to escape.

Akiba Reiko, who was being held in Shiraishihara's arms, turned her head and just happened to see the gunman raise his rifle and aim at Shiraishihara's back.

"Watch out! You're being targeted!" Akiba Reiko shouted, grabbing Shiraishihara's sleeve in alarm.

Shiraishi Hara donned the Persona of the High Priest and entered a state of deep meditation, greatly enhancing his physical functions and sensory abilities. Even without Akiba Reiko's warning, Shiraishi Hara sensed that the prisoner had already aimed a rifle at him.

Just before the prisoner was about to pull the trigger, Shiraishihara acted first, nimbly dodging to the other side. The bullet missed, flying past Reiko Akiba's shoe.

"How could I miss at such close range?" The man in black found it hard to believe, sensing something eerie about the situation, so much so that he slowed down his reloading speed by a beat.

The man in black raised his rifle again, intently trying to aim at Shiraishihara, only to find that his target had already vanished.

"Damn it, we have to stop Akiba Reiko no matter what!"

The man in black was about to continue the chase when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, followed by a dizzy spell and a wave of intense drowsiness. He collapsed involuntarily.

"Thank goodness...we arrived just in time."

Conan was sweating profusely as he tried to catch up with the adults; it was no easy feat for him.

"Let me see who this criminal really is! There's only one truth!"

Conan reached out and took off the culprit's hat, only to be surprised to find that the culprit was actually a professional concert tuner, Pu Hejiang.

"Huh? How could the culprit be him? I really didn't expect that at all."

Conan reached up and touched the back of his head, finding it hard to comprehend how someone as seemingly insignificant as Pu He Jiang could be someone who had committed several serious crimes.

A short while later, Shiraishihara, carrying Akiba Reiko, met up with Conan.

"Conan, did you subdue the culprit?"

"That's right. I never expected the criminal to dare to use a firearm. Luckily, I reacted quickly and was clever enough."

Conan had a smug look on his face, feeling that he was the undisputed number one detective in the world.

"Shiraishihara, what on earth is going on?" Akiba Reiko asked in astonishment. "This child actually took care of the criminal?"

“Yeah.” Shiraishi shrugged. “I told you before, Conan isn’t your average kid.”

Conan said with a hint of sarcasm, "Reiko-neechan, now you believe me, right? I didn't lie to you, I really am a detective. But you, as an adult, are still letting someone hug you, aren't you ashamed?"

"You little rascal!"

Akiba Reiko's face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly jumped down from Shiraishihara's arms. She walked up to the prisoner and curiously looked at his true face as he slept, only to discover that it was her deceased fiancé's father!

"How could this be... He is Hikaru Soma's father... Fuwa Takumi..."

Pu Hejiang was apprehended by the police, and under interrogation, he confessed to all his crimes.

It turns out that he was the mastermind behind that series of heinous murders and bombings.

He brutally murdered four people: Renjo Takehiko, Mizuguchi Yosuke, Shida Osamu, and Sone Hisao, and also seriously injured Kawabe Kanade.

The motive for the crime was that at a party, his son, Hikaru Soma, drank and made merry with the four men. After the party, Hikaru Soma drove under the influence of alcohol and unfortunately fell off a cliff, dying instantly.

Pu and Jiang believed that these four people were indirectly responsible for their son's death, so they decided to kill them one by one.

Pu Hejiang is a complete simpleton; his son's drunk driving that resulted in death was entirely his own fault.

But he lost his mind and went on a rampage, slaughtering all four people who were drinking with his son.

It's no wonder that apart from Shiraishihara, who was familiar with the plot, no one would associate him with the identity of a criminal suspect.

Pu Hejiang had meticulously planned to stage a massive explosion at the upcoming concert, but fortunately, he has now been brought to justice, and this evil plan has been completely foiled.

A new day dawned, and the case was finally settled.

However, Akiba Reiko did not intend to let Shiraishihara off easily, and she took the initiative to invite Shiraishihara to her home.

With a click, the door opened.