Conan and Gin are both my brothers, what's wrong with meeting them once?

This was clearly not the first time Shinichi Kudo had experienced Ran's slow reaction.

So he was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "I invited you here to dinner because I have something to tell you. It's something between the two of us, and it has nothing to do with your parents."

Xiao Lan nodded in agreement, pretending to listen.

Although Shinichi Kudo had prepared himself mentally, when the words were actually on his lips and he met Ran's gaze, he was so nervous that he couldn't utter a single word.

"Actually, what I wanted to say was... well... I meant to say..."

Seeing Shinichi Kudo's hesitant demeanor, Kazuma Kudo was getting anxious for him—even if the deceased didn't come out to cause trouble, it would be difficult for him to explain himself clearly in this state.

Shinichi Kudo finally mustered up his courage and said, "Ran, actually I..."

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by a scream coming from afar before he could finish speaking.

The two looked in the direction from which the sound came, while Kudo Kazuma twitched the corner of his mouth.

He knew it.

Fortunately, according to Ai Haibara's deduction, the antidote's effects will last for at least 72 hours, so at least the original storyline won't end with her going off to solve a case and never returning.

However, this time Shinichi Kudo was clearly determined to confess, leaving behind the words, "Don't worry about it, maybe someone stepped on a cockroach," before continuing, "Actually, Ran, what I wanted to say was..."

"Oh no! Someone has died in the elevator!"

"What? Did you call the police?"

"Um, Lan, what I mean is..."

"It was a shooting! The president of Game was shot in the forehead!"

"Well, that..."

Shinichi Kudo found it increasingly difficult to talk about it, but he still couldn't bear to leave Ran's side.

Xiao Lan couldn't help but laugh, "Still putting on a brave face? You clearly care a lot about this case..."

"But……"

Shinichi Kudo is conflicted.

He cared a lot about the case, but he cared even more about this rare opportunity to spend time with Ran as Shinichi Kudo and to confess his feelings to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll just wait for you here." Ran stood up and patted Shinichi Kudo's head like she would a child, unable to suppress a smile. "Whatever you want to say, you can tell me when you get back. Go on, great detective."

Shinichi Kudo's cheeks flushed slightly: "What's going on? I'm not Conan anymore... cough!"

He stood up and said, "Wait for me, I'll be right back!"

As Shinichi Kudo ran off, Kazuma Kudo pondered for a moment and then simply followed him.

When he arrived at the elevator entrance on the 38th floor, where the murder scene was located, he overheard Shinichi Kudo completing his initial, simple deductions.

Inspector Megure asked uncertainly, "Are you Edogawa-kun? Or... um..."

Shinichi Kudo put his index finger to his lips, made a "shh" gesture, and tilted his head like his younger brother, saying, "I'm Kazuma Edogawa, Inspector Megure."

Megure: "?"

The guy opposite him, before he even said anything, started introducing himself, and somehow he felt like the guy was more like Kudo.

Takagi, standing to the side, wasn't particularly puzzled. Instead, he asked curiously, "Edogawa-kun, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, something came up at the company, so I came here to take care of it."

Kudo Kazuma, who had followed them nearby, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Good grief, he keeps saying he's talking nonsense, but his brother's level of nonsense is now just as good as his.

Since his online persona was taken, he simply chose to slack off and leaned against a nearby corner, looking down at his phone.

Once the murderer makes a mistake, he can use [Sound Bewitchment] to kill him in one fell swoop.

A moment later, Tatsumi Sakurako, the daughter of the deceased Tatsumi Taiji, and Oba Satoru, the head of the marketing department, arrived.

According to the two, they had discussed how to revise the celebratory speech at the elevator entrance before heading to the reception venue.

When Inspector Megure asked about the time, Tatsumi Sakurako decisively replied that it was 8:30.

"I heard the fireworks from the party, and the clock was pointing to 8, no doubt about it."

Takagi asked curiously, "Hour hand? But you're not wearing a watch, are you?"

“Mr. Oba was wearing a watch. He just happened to reach out and touch my earring, and that’s when I saw the numbers on his watch.”

Inspector Megure was taken aback: "He touched your earring?"

What does it mean to touch earrings?

“Yes,” Tatsumi Sakurako nodded. “He gave me a necklace here, saying it would match my earrings perfectly. I was so happy at the time, but who knew…”

Thinking of her father's death, Tatsumi Sakurako couldn't help but shed tears again.

Oba Satoru stepped forward and comforted Tatsumi Sakurako for a few words, then tried to take her away first.

But before he could take more than a few steps, Shinichi Kudo called out to him.

“Ms. Tatsumi, are you sure what you just said is okay?” He gestured to the wristwatch on Oba Satoru’s left wrist. “Can you really see the watch face?”

Satoru Oba explained, "It must have been because it was quite dark here when you first arrived, so you thought it was strange that you could see the watch face, right? But the hands of my watch are coated with a fluorescent material, so you can see the time even in the dark."

"As for dimming the lights, that was the president's idea, it's in preparation for some performance later."

“Really? It’s not just a matter of lighting.” Shinichi Kudo stepped forward, raised his left hand, and casually touched Sakura Tatsumi’s right ear, which was covered by her hair. “Even if you touch the earring with the hand that’s wearing a watch, with the back of your hand facing outwards, you can’t possibly see the numbers on the watch face.”

Oba Satoru helped him move his left hand to Tatsumi Sakura's left ear: "If you touch this side of the ear, then you can see it, right?"

Shinichi Kudo nodded first, then asked in return, "Then why are you touching your left ear with your left hand?"

Satoru Oba continued to explain, "You can tell by her hairstyle. She always covers her right ear and shows off her left ear and the pearl earring in her left ear, so I..."

"And what about your right hand?" Shinichi Kudo asked with a hint of innocence. "Wouldn't it be more convenient for you to touch her left ear with your right hand? Of course, if you were holding something else in your right hand, then it would make sense."

Oba Satoru immediately lost his composure: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that I was holding a pistol in my right hand at the time?"

"A handgun?" Shinichi Kudo looked completely innocent. "Didn't I just mention that? You seem so nervous, did you actually take it?"

Inspector Megure nodded slightly. This sentence finally had a bit of Edogawa's flavor—so this kid in front of him really is Kudo, right?

“How could you doubt Mr. Oba?” Tatsumi Sakurako quickly explained for them, “After saying goodbye to my father, he and I have been inseparable!”

"Oh? You didn't go anywhere else along the way?"

"I went to the restroom briefly to put on the necklace he gave me and touch up my lipstick, but that only took two or three minutes. He was leaning against the wall and talking to me the whole time. How is that any different from being inseparable?"

Just then, a police officer came to report that a silenced handgun and an empty magazine had been found in the garbage collection area downstairs, which looked like the murderer had thrown into the garbage chute.

Coincidentally, there was a garbage chute right next to the restroom.

Shinichi Kudo raised his hand to support his chin, but his gaze fell on Satoru Oba.

Upon hearing this, Kudo Kazuma put away his phone.

Shouldn't it be time for them to make a substitution?