Conan: No, why aren't you following the script?

"Oh? Kitagawa-kun, you mean you're going to hit me like Detective Mouri?"

Hearing Kitagawa Isao's words, Ai Haibara was not worried at all, but instead smiled and said, "How come I remember you said that you are not a person who likes violence?"

"Of course I don't like violence,"

Kitagawa Isao patted his chest and declared confidently, "Violence can't solve problems, which is why I've always longed for the strategic thinking and mastery of a detective."

Is that really the case?

The little girl quietly stepped forward and walked up to Kitagawa Isao. She smiled gently at him again and said, "Brother Kitagawa, have you ever thought that most of the people who strategize are actually hiding behind the scenes? Why would someone rush to the front alone?"

"Uh, Ai, are you blaming me? Shouldn't I have volunteered to hand over the ransom and the hostages?"

“I never said that,” Ai Haibara turned around and shrugged. “I just wanted to correct someone’s mistake in word choice. How could I possibly blame you, Kitagawa-nii? After all, I’m just a pitiful kid living under someone else’s roof right now. I suppose you don’t consider how I feel, right?”

Kitagawa Isao: "..."

Well, as expected of Ms. Miyano's sarcastic remarks, he was actually a little overwhelmed by them all...

However, it was quite unexpected that Ai Haibara would care about him. It seemed that his relationship with Ai was closer than he had anticipated.

Well, that's a good start.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Isao nodded, just about to say something comforting, but when he looked up, he saw that Haibara Ai had already walked towards the Detective Boys with her hands behind her back.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh helplessly, but after a short while, he suddenly realized what was going on.

He just... seemed to want to ask why this little girl had rummaged through his refrigerator and cupboards, right?

She changed the subject so easily; she really is a troublesome little devil...

……

After returning from the National Stadium, Kitagawa Isao finally received his reward points.

He wasn't in a hurry to redeem it because he discovered that the reward points seemed to be cumulative and had no time limit.

So he decided to save the reward points for now and exchange them for useful skills later when needed.

This is for the sake of the bigger picture. Like today, if he hadn't exchanged for the 'throwing skills' in advance, he would have had a more convenient way to complete his task.

However, everything ended without any major incidents.

Kitagawa Isao couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing to recall the 'cowardly' appearance he had when he went to talk to Hiruta with his money bag.

Disguising himself and then seeking a fatal blow—this was an assassin technique he had learned from a Chinese comic book. He never expected that after arriving in this world, he would first use it on such an unknown nobody.

Having secured his 'first blood', Hiruta should be able to rest in peace now, right?

Actually, according to Kitagawa Isao's initial idea, he really wanted to let Edogawa Conan be kidnapped by Hiruta, and then see if this guy really had any 'protagonist halo', and that he could still turn danger into safety and subdue the villain even in such an environment.

But after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he couldn't control the consequences of doing so. If something really happened to Conan Edogawa, wouldn't that be contrary to his initial plan of a long-term, steady relationship?

Then, realizing what was happening, he used his own nervousness to pull Hiruta off the car. As the three of them rolled around, he grabbed Hiruta's right hand and pulled the trigger, aiming it at his heart.

Having the ability to 'automatically dodge bullets' and with Conan Edogawa being such a small target, Kitagawa Isao completed this act of public counterattack with almost no aiming.

Even Conan Edogawa, the person involved, didn't notice anything unusual.

After all, who would doubt an ordinary person like him who even trembles when handing over money?

Kitagawa Isao has extremely high confidence in his public persona.

……

In the following days, Kitagawa Isao did nothing else, quietly picking up and dropping off Haibara Ai to and from school for a few days.

Finally, on another Friday evening, when he was driving Ai Haibara back to the apartment, he took a detour to Shibuya and bought a SIM card and a mobile phone for the little girl and himself respectively.

As a resident who is about to settle down in Beika Town, what's the point of not having a telephone?

Moreover, he is now a rookie detective, and having his own business card will make it easier for him to make some progress in Beika Town in the future.

As for the tens of thousands of yen spent...

In Kitagawa Isao's eyes, this was already a small amount. With the funds he could exchange for reward points, he no longer cared about such small sums.

only……

Ai Haibara, who inexplicably received a new phone, was clearly somewhat resistant to it.

She felt that accepting Kitagawa Isao's tuition and daily living expenses was already a considerable expense, and she really had no reason to continue accepting a 'luxury' like a mobile phone.

However, Kitagawa Isao didn't seem to mind, simply stating that it was an ordinary gift.

In response, Ai Haibara could not say anything more, only that she would definitely repay Kitagawa Isao for his efforts during this time, and that she would never let Kitagawa Isao down.

However, Ai Haibara did not specify how she would repay the debt.

Time, in this way, slipped away little by little.

Soon, it was another holiday, one of the many holidays at Teitan Elementary School.

As usual, Kitagawa Isao drove to the school gate to pick up Ai Haibara. Just as he was about to drive away, he was unexpectedly stopped by Conan Edogawa.

"Ah sneeze! Ah sneeze!!"

As soon as he arrived, Conan sneezed several times. He rubbed his nose and looked at Kitagawa Isao and Haibara Ai with a pitiful expression.

"Brother Kitagawa, tomorrow Uncle Mori and I are taking Ran-neechan, oh, I mean Uncle Mori's daughter Ran Mori, to a magic enthusiasts' gathering. Would you like to come with us?"

………………

P.S.: That's all for today's update! Time for bed!