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

Kitagawa Isao preemptively teased him with words the whole way.

When he returned to Beika Town, Conan Edogawa felt a chill run down his spine and his whole being felt unwell.

He originally got into Kitagawa Isao's car because he wanted to ask the guy about the series of events that had happened before, and whether he had done anything to upset Kitagawa Isao.

The result was unexpected...

He was the target of all the rumors!

And it's based on solid reasoning and evidence!

Things like, "I heard Ayumi once kissed me," and "Ayumi confessed her feelings to me unilaterally," etc.

How can you believe something a child says?!

And of all things, Haibara overheard it!!

How am I supposed to live my life from now on...?

The thought of Ai Haibara's ambiguous smile as she got off the bus made Conan feel like crying.

Right now, all he wants is to carry the Shinkansen bullet train and leave this city overnight, preferably never to return...

Of course, this was just his thought at the moment when he was feeling frustrated.

By evening, his anxiety had quickly dissipated, and he returned to his usual state of interest in the case, watching mystery dramas with Kogoro Mouri on television.

This was originally part of the Mori family's daily life.

After the family of three finished cooking dinner, they brought the dishes and rice to the living room, and then sat down at the dining table to enjoy the food Xiaolan had prepared while watching a mystery drama.

But today, this lifestyle has been forced to end.

And all of this was caused by a sudden news broadcast...

"It is reported that in the evening, several tourists who were going hiking to pick mushrooms discovered the body of a middle-aged man on the outskirts of Tokyo. According to the police's preliminary investigation, the deceased was the owner of a nearby castle, and the cause of death was hypothermia..."

"Following this lead, our reporter accompanied the police to the victim's home, only to discover that the elderly lady of the castle had inexplicably jumped to her death from the castle's attic this morning. Currently, the police consider the castle's sole heir, Lady Hitoshi, to be a prime suspect in the case."

"Although Mr. Mamiya vehemently denies his guilt and has repeatedly claimed to know nothing about his stepfather's death, and was even attacked last night by the elderly woman who has been paralyzed for many years, the specific outcome of the case is still under investigation due to considerations regarding Mr. Mamiya's mental state..."

As the cold, robotic voice of the news broadcast echoed through the air, Conan Edogawa suddenly dropped his chopsticks to the ground.

He discovered that the castle and the forest mentioned in the news were clearly near the campsite they had been at that morning!

In fact, they were only separated by a mountain.

What... exactly is going on?

Conan Edogawa gradually lost focus, and this state of his naturally did not escape Kogoro Mouri's notice.

Seeing Conan's increasingly astonished expression, Kogoro Mouri frowned slightly and slowly put down his rice bowl.

"Hey kid... I remember you guys went camping around there yesterday, right? Didn't you sense anything unusual at the time?"

"No...nothing..."

Conan shook his head blankly, then added, "Professor Agasa and I went to bed early, while Haibara and Mr. Kitagawa went to bed a little later, but they didn't find anything strange either."

"Kitagawa...it's that guy again." Kogoro Mori muttered to himself.

"Uncle, why are you asking this...?"

"Oh, it's nothing..."

Upon hearing Conan's question, Kogoro Mouri quickly composed himself, and the next second his face once again revealed his usual frivolous and arrogant demeanor.

"What a pity! If I, the famous detective Kogoro Mouri, were here, I would probably have solved this case in a second! After all, not everyone is a nationally renowned detective like me, hehehehe!!"

A burst of hearty laughter came from the third floor of the Mouri Detective Agency, and Conan covered his ears speechlessly.

His thoughts had been interrupted by Kogoro Mouri, and there was no point in continuing to think about it now.

Rather than wasting time in this situation, he thought it would be better to go and ask Officer Takagi for clarification the next day.

Well, Officer Takagi is always reliable. With him involved, we should be able to get some inside information...

Thinking this through, Conan stroked his chin and nodded silently.

After receiving a new pair of chopsticks from Xiaolan, he quickly ate a few bites. Once the news broadcast was over, he took his bowl to the kitchen to wash it, then hurriedly washed up and returned to his room.

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Conan Edogawa ran out of the Mouri Detective Agency.

He planned to go find Officer Takagi and ask him about the details of the case, to see if there was anything exciting or interesting about this case that he had missed.

And the other side.

Just as Conan Edogawa stepped onto his skateboard and headed toward the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division.

Ai Haibara also woke up from her sleep.

Her sleep quality hasn't been good lately. Perhaps she caught a chill the night before last, or perhaps she's still worried about Kitagawa Isao because of what happened yesterday.

In short, on her first night back in Beika Town, she had a nightmare.

She dreamt that Gin suddenly led his men into their apartment and shot Kitagawa Isao right in front of her, piercing his forehead. Then, without explanation, he kidnapped her and took her to the organization to continue those inhumane experiments.

This is something she absolutely cannot accept right now, so every time she wakes up, Ai Haibara is covered in sweat, and she is extremely terrified and nervous.

However, whenever she heard the morning news playing outside her door or the sounds of Kitagawa Isao brushing his teeth and washing his face in the bathroom, her mood would quickly calm down.

Perhaps this carefree daily life is the best medicine to heal her, a girl who has been shrouded in the darkness of the organization for eighteen years?

A gentle roommate who takes care of me and can give me a sense of security.

She is now quite content with this.

only……

If this guy's reasoning skills were even slightly more reliable, and he didn't keep spouting illogical guesses, that would be even better...

Thinking of this, Ai Haibara couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head.

One shouldn't be too ungrateful. Kitagawa has been so good to me; if he were truly perfect, it would be too unrealistic.

After all, even Conan Edogawa has an impulsive and hot-headed side, and compared to him, Kitagawa is much better.

At least, Kitagawa wouldn't listen to any rumors and recklessly put himself in danger.

If that's really the case, then she'll be living in constant fear!

wrong……

Did I misunderstand something?

Kitagawa-ge is just her roommate. The two of them are just friends who are forced to live under the same roof and stick together for warmth because of some beautiful misunderstanding!

Why is she so worried about Kitagawa-ge?!

Even if this guy really is family, he's just a kind and caring older brother, that kind of person...

Perhaps I really should be worried?

After thinking about a bunch of random things, Ai Haibara, feeling utterly exasperated, shook her head, trying to shake all those nonsensical thoughts out of her mind.

Her relationship with Kitagawa is completely innocent, and there's absolutely no way that any melodramatic or childish story could possibly develop between them!

That’s right!!