Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Kudo Shinichi slowly woke up in a burst of pain, and consciousness gradually returned to his mind. He subconsciously rubbed the back of his head, which was aching slightly, and the scene in front of him gradually became clear. To his surprise, he found himself lying in the back seat of a car.

"Why... am I in the car?" Shinichi frowned, trying to recall the previous scene. At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Shinichi, are you awake?" It was Ran Maoli! Her voice came from the passenger seat, filled with concern and anxiety.

"Ran?" Shinichi quickly sat up and looked around the car, only then realizing that the car he was in was actually Chen Shuo's Sea Lion. Chen Shuo was sitting in the driver's seat, holding the steering wheel steadily, looking calm, while Mao Lilan was sitting in the passenger seat, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"Why are you here? The last thing I remember is that I was following the man in black... I saw them engaging in shady dealings, and after being discovered..." Fragments of memory flashed through Kudo Shinichi's mind, and he instantly became alert, his fingers unconsciously clenching around the seat. "I was knocked unconscious."

"You were in great danger at that time. Fortunately, we arrived in time, otherwise..." Lan's voice was filled with obvious fear.

Chen Shuo glanced at Kudo Shinichi in the rearview mirror and said casually, "It's good that he woke up. Don't get excited. It looks like he's saved his life."

Kudo Shinichi felt a little strange and looked down at his hands - suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply and he was stunned.

"Is this... is this my hand?" His voice trembled. His palm was much smaller than he remembered. He hurriedly touched his face, his uneasiness growing stronger.

"Xiaolan, I...why did I become smaller?!"

Mao Lilan shook her head and turned to look at him carefully, her eyes still full of disbelief. "We... don't know what's going on!"

"What the hell is going on?" Kudo Shinichi was completely panicked and shocked. He clearly remembered that he was still a high school student, so how could he wake up... and become a child?

"It seems that the group of men in black not only knocked you out, but may have also drugged you." Chen Shuo said lightly, with a hint of calmness and disdain in his tone. "But since you're already alive, it's better than dying."

Shinichi forced himself to calm down and quickly sorted out his thoughts, but this sudden change made it difficult for him to accept it easily. He could not help but grit his teeth, his eyes swept across the car, and finally stared into Ran's familiar eyes.

"No matter what I have become now, I will definitely find out the truth of all this. I will never let those men in black go!"

Chen Shuo shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Alright, we'll find out the truth later. An organization capable of producing this kind of medicine is not easily dealt with. The most important thing right now is to prevent those guys from discovering you're still alive. It's not all bad after all. At least you can evade their pursuit for the time being."

Kudo Shinichi listened to Chen Shuo's words, and his clenched fists relaxed slightly. Although his current situation was extremely bizarre, it also gave him a chance to start over, a chance to hide in the dark and track down the truth.

"From now on, I must act under another identity..." he muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with determination.

---

The group finally returned to Kudo Shinichi's home. Despite the unimaginable experience, Kudo Shinichi still felt a sense of security in the familiar house. However, he was far from relaxed, and the current predicament still lingered in his mind.

"Shinichi, what should we do now?" Mao Lilan looked at him, her eyes full of worry and confusion, "You can't face others like this?"

Kudo Shinichi looked up at himself in the mirror. His youthful face looked almost identical to his childhood. He sighed silently, then turned and walked towards his closet, digging out a set of old clothes from his childhood. The clothes looked like they hadn't been worn for a long time, but they were perfect for him now.

He quickly changed his clothes, as if he had returned to his childhood. Mao Lilan looked at him and couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Shinichi, you look... like a child now."

Kudo Shinichi shrugged helplessly: "There's nothing I can do about it, Xiaolan. But I can't always let everyone know that I'm Kudo Shinichi..." He looked down at himself: "If those men in black knew I was in this state, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a chance to survive."

"That's right!" At this time, Chen Shuo stood up from the sofa and looked at Kudo Shinichi with deep eyes. "You must conceal your identity. Since they think you are dead, let this Kudo Shinichi disappear for a while. Now, the most important thing is - you need a new name."

"A new name?" Kudo Shinichi was stunned for a moment, then looked around. His eyes fell on the bookshelf. Among the neatly arranged rows of books, there were several of his favorite mystery novels.

He walked forward, his fingers gently sliding along the spines of the books, finally stopping on one - a collection of mystery novels by Edogawa Ranpo. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had found some inspiration.

"Edogawa..." he whispered, with a glint of determination in his eyes.

Mao Lilan looked at him in confusion, "Edogawa?"

Kudo Shinichi smiled slightly, then turned his gaze to the other shelf, where he saw the works of another foreign mystery novelist he admired: Conan Doyle. His fingers gently ran over the "Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes," and a flash of inspiration struck him, and the name instantly formed in his mind.

"Let's call him - Edogawa Conan." Kudo Shinichi said word by word with a firm tone.

"Conan?" Mao Lilan repeated, a little puzzled, but then smiled. "That name sounds good. It sounds like a mystery writer."

Chen Shuo nodded, a gleam in his eyes: "Yes, although the name 'Edogawa Conan' is strange, it is enough for you to hide your identity temporarily." He paused and reminded, "From now on, you are Edogawa Conan, and Kudo Shinichi no longer exists."

Kudo Shinichi—no, Edogawa Conan—took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and looked determined. "No matter what I become, I will find out the truth behind the man in black! Whether it's Kudo Shinichi or Edogawa Conan, my goal will never change."

Chen Shuo stood at the window, quietly looking at the scenery outside, his heart churning.

(That organization is actually capable of such a degree, quite impressive. However… I’ll just pretend I don’t know about this. What should I do next time I see Gin?)

Mao Lilan looked at the "new" person in front of her, and her heart was filled with complicated feelings. Her childhood sweetheart... was gone.

---

The atmosphere in the living room was a little tense. Mao Lilan looked at Kudo Shinichi, who had become a child, with her eyes full of worry. She lowered her head and thought for a while, and finally couldn't help but speak:

"Shinichi, no! Conan, I think you should leave here for now and go find your parents. They are in the United States, where it is much safer. It is better to stay away from danger than to stay here and continue to pursue clues about the man in black."

Conan frowned, obviously disagreeing with Ran's proposal. He shook his head stubbornly, his tone firm: "No, Xiaolan! I won't leave. I must find out the truth about those men in black! And then bring them all to justice."

Mao Lilan's eyes widened, her face full of anxiety: "But, you have become like this now... What if you meet them again? What if they find out that you have become smaller?"

At this moment, Chen Shuo, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up with a hint of impatience in his voice: "Are you crazy? You can't even protect yourself right now, and you're still thinking about looking for clues? You're pushing yourself into a fire pit! And have you ever considered the feelings of others? You disregard your own safety, that's fine, but what about Xiaolan? What about Yusaku? What about Yukiko? Do you think that if you are discovered, those people won't kill your friends and family as well?"

Conan was stunned by Chen Shuo's rebuke. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to refute. Although he had his own insistence in his heart, he also realized that he had ignored the safety of others.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, there was a sudden knock on the door. Chen Shuo stood up and, with a hint of caution, walked over to open the door. Standing outside was his neighbor, Dr. Agasa, wearing his signature round glasses and greeting him with a broad smile.

"Oh! Chen Shuo! You're here too. I just made a new invention and wanted to show it to you—"

As soon as Dr. Agasa walked in, his smile froze. His eyes fell on the small figure in the living room. Conan was sitting on the sofa, staring at him with a pair of childish eyes.

"This... this child is...?" Dr. Agasa stared at Conan in amazement, his eyes full of confusion, "Could it be... Yusaku and Yukiko have another son? How come he looks exactly like Shinichi when he was a child?"

Conan sighed inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. He stood up, walked to Dr. Agasa, raised his head and gave a wry smile: "Doctor, it's not what you think. I am Shinichi, but..."

Conan recounted the bizarre events that happened today.

"What?!" Dr. Agasa widened his eyes in disbelief, looking at the little Conan in front of him, and then looked at Mao Lilan and Chen Shuo who were present, as if waiting for them to explain that this was all a joke.

Conan shrugged helplessly. However, Dr. Agasa still looked skeptical, and it was obvious that he did not believe such a bizarre story.

"Shinichi turned into a child? Kid, have you read too many fantasy novels?" Dr. Agasa touched his chin, looking a little skeptical.

Seeing this, Conan narrowed his eyes and a confident smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He looked around at Dr. Agasa and his sharp eyes quickly caught some details.

"Doctor, although you came to my house today, you probably went to the supermarket before leaving, didn't you? There are a few subtle marks on your hands from plastic bags, and there are some vegetable leaves on your sleeves. You must have gone shopping today, right? Also, the greasy stain on your left cuff... It makes me think you might have been debugging a new invention and had a minor accident. Oh, and there's a mole on your butt!"

Dr. Agasa was stunned, staring at Conan with wide eyes, shocked and a little helpless: "Sure enough...this level of reasoning is still that Kudo Shinichi."

He finally had to accept this absurd fact and sighed deeply: "It seems that things are really as you said... I never thought that there would be such a magical medicine in the world..."

"Do you believe it now, Doctor?" Conan raised his head proudly, showing a slightly proud expression.

However, Chen Shuo snorted coldly and frowned at him: "What are you so proud of? You are still so arrogant now, do you want the whole world to know that you are not an ordinary child? Be low-key from now on, or you will be waiting for the men in black to come to you!"

Hearing this, Conan's smug look instantly faded, and he nodded honestly: "I know, I know, I will be careful."

Dr. Agasa looked at the scene before him and shook his head. He was worried about Shinichi's situation, but also felt a little helpless: "Well, it seems you still have to adapt to the identity of this 'primary school student' for a while."

"Don't forget, my name is Edogawa Conan now!"