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

"I'm finished eating, thank you for your hospitality."

Ai Haibara obediently put down her chopsticks, then put her hands together in a gesture of 'thank you for the hospitality'.

She had eaten a very full meal. Although the food was just average, she hadn't had such comforting dishes for quite some time.

Overall, the meal was an excellent experience, and it was probably the most reassuring meal she had eaten in the past few days.

For some reason, Kitagawa Isao hasn't said much since the beginning.

What is he thinking about?

Or is it that this man has started to regret taking her in?

Ai Haibara's heart sank, and she cautiously looked up, wanting to observe Kitagawa Isao's expression.

However, she saw that Kitagawa Isao's eyebrows were almost furrowed together, his eyes were slightly narrowed, and his left hand was placed below his lower lip, looking preoccupied.

Seeing this expression, Ai Haibara felt a pang of disappointment.

Sure enough, I'm always an ominous presence, no matter what.

No one wants to approach him, no one wants to accept him, as if he is cursed by that black blood, bringing only disaster wherever he goes...

Thinking of this, Ai Haibara's mood became even more depressed, but her face remained as cold as ice.

Perhaps this is the true form of self-protection she has developed.

Finally, after waiting a few more minutes without receiving a response from Kitagawa Isao, Ai Haibara sighed silently to herself, but said calmly:

"Brother Kitagawa, if you find it difficult, then I'll do it first thing tomorrow morning..."

"Hmm? What's troubling you?"

Hearing Ai Haibara's words, Kitagawa Isao blinked, somewhat confused. "What are you going to do first thing tomorrow morning? Oh right, I'm going to help you with your college application tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, you should be able to start school in a few days. I'll go buy you some schoolbags and stationery later."

(Let me explain to all readers: Japan doesn't have a real-name household registration system, no ID cards, and you don't need real identity information to go to school or even open a bank account! Stop commenting with things like, "How could a time traveler like you easily get a household registration?" This is a uniquely Chinese, strict household registration system! In Japan, a driver's license can be used as an ID card, and you don't need real-name registration to fly or take the Shinkansen. To enroll in elementary school, you just need to fill out a form at the local police station. Don't read a few books and think of Professor Agasa and Kogoro Mouri as omnipotent chaebols, second-generation officials, or top social figures. They can go to school even without a real name, let alone someone like Kitagawa Isao who owns a house in the area. Besides, it's still unclear whether Teitan Elementary School is private or public. Can you please stop applying a bunch of other novel settings to all books? To those who question this and even give negative reviews, I want to ask if you've ever actually been to Japan? At the very least, if you travel to Japan, you'll know what the situation is like there.)

"Were you thinking about these things just now?"

"Otherwise what?" Kitagawa Isao shrugged. "What else can I think about if I don't want to think about these things? Oh right... I think I forgot to buy your toiletries, but it's okay, I have a set left over. You can use it if you don't mind."

So he didn't actually change his mind after all...

Ai Haibara's expression suddenly relaxed. Looking into Kitagawa Isao's eyes again, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief: "If it's brand new, I definitely won't mind. As for the backpack and stationery... Kitagawa-nii, you can buy these things as you see fit. By the way, I think I'm fine now, so I shouldn't need to go to the hospital with you tomorrow."

"Is that so? But to make sure the medicine is effective, I suggest you take another dose of your cold medicine tomorrow."

"Well, I see."

Ai Haibara responded calmly, but her tone no longer carried the same dejection and frustration as before; instead, she seemed to be secretly happy.

That really makes her thoughts quite unpredictable...

……

A few minutes later.

Kitagawa Isao tidied up the dishes and then made up Ai Haibara's bed.

He was short on time tonight, so he hadn't had a chance to buy bed sheets and blankets for the little girl.

Out of consideration for the patient, Kitagawa Isao generously offered his own bed and blankets, saying that he could make do on the sofa for the night.

This was certainly Kitagawa Isao's consideration in order to maintain his public image. According to his judgment, Ai Haibara would probably make some excuses to him, but eventually, unable to resist his stubbornness, she would silently go back to bed to rest.

However, the plot took an unexpected turn...

"Sleeping on the sofa will easily make you catch a cold. Kitagawa-kun, you probably don't want to get a cold and fever like me, right?"

Ai Haibara chuckled and reached out to pull back the blanket covering her. "Otherwise, you can squeeze in with me tonight, and I'll give this bed back to you after you buy the sheets and blankets tomorrow."

"No, this..."

Kitagawa Isao was somewhat at a loss; he hadn't expected Ai Haibara's attitude to change so quickly.

According to his original plan, it would take at least a few more trials to get the little girl to lower her guard.

What exactly happened in between?

Seeing that Kitagawa Isao was still not making any move, Haibara Ai snorted and simply turned her back to the timid guy, lay down and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep.

Seeing this, and knowing that the little girl wasn't deliberately teasing him, Kitagawa Isao pondered for a moment, but ultimately followed his heart and snuggled into the blankets next to Haibara Ai.

"I'll try to behave myself, so you can just sleep peacefully."

"Oh? You mean you're very restless when you're sleeping?" Ai Haibara teased.

“Of course,” Kitagawa Isao nodded honestly, “I like to toss and turn in my sleep, and sometimes if I’m in the wrong position, I’ll drool, and I might even talk in my sleep or grind my teeth…”

"..."

Seemingly stunned by Kitagawa Isao's answer, the little girl took several minutes to process before figuring out how to respond to this increasingly annoying guy.

However, as soon as she turned around, she found that Kitagawa Isao had already fallen asleep.

It seems he really had a tough time tonight.

It brought me back to this cozy little house from the darkness, and then I've been busy running around doing all this for so long...

Kitagawa Isao, Kitagawa-nii...

Thank you so much for taking care of me tonight. You saved me, this unlucky person, and I'm sure you've caused you a lot of trouble.

but……

I hope you have a good dream tonight.

With a slight upturn of her lips, Ai Haibara observed Kitagawa Isao's sleeping face for a while before letting out a soft laugh.

"Honestly, you're sleeping so peacefully... and you look quite well-behaved, completely different from when you're awake, Kitagawa-nii..."

……

The night passed quickly.

Honestly, Kitagawa Isao did not have a peaceful night last night.

For some reason, he always felt a tightness in his chest, and his arms seemed to be much heavier than usual.

This feeling once made Kitagawa Isao wonder if this was a side effect of the system enhancement.

The mystery was finally solved after I woke up in the morning...

Looking at the little girl who was fast asleep, clinging tightly to his pajamas, Kitagawa Isao sighed helplessly:

"What a girl who likes to cause trouble for others..."