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

Kitagawa Isao's words were very calm, but Ai Haibara understood the meaning behind them.

For ordinary people, the truth of a case is irrelevant; they only care about whether it attracts attention and conforms to their preconceived notions.

As for the rest, those are insignificant matters.

Thinking of this, Ai Haibara couldn't help but sigh silently. She had long since become numb to such melodramatic and bizarre TV dramas. The little girl took the remote control and switched to a program that was not bad.

Before long, the two of them were watching with great interest again.

During this time, Kitagawa Isao shared some of his half-eaten sunflower seeds with Ai Haibara, and Ai Haibara also handed two peeled oranges to Kitagawa Isao.

The two exchanged snacks and seemed to enjoy each other's company.

Just as he was enjoying the fruits of the other person's labor, Kitagawa Isao's phone vibrated.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a short message.

The sender of the text message was Hattori Heiji. It seems that this kid got his phone number from Mouri Kogoro, but was afraid of being rejected, so he just sent a text message to settle things once and for all.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Isao simply opened the text message, and as he expected, it was an invitation from Hattori Heiji.

In the text message, Hattori Heiji first expressed his regret that he could not travel to Tokyo with him, and then said that there was a good show going on in Osaka Prefecture recently, and that he, who had a connection with Kaito Kid, needed to go and see it. He also suggested that he could go with Kogoro Mouri and others.

Normally, given Kitagawa Isao's personality, he would have directly refused such invitations.

But this time, he wasn't as 'ruthless' as he had been with Kogoro Mouri before. Instead, he smiled, picked up his phone, typed an 'OK' message, and sent it to Heiji Hattori.

This scene left Ai Haibara quite puzzled.

"What's wrong, Kitagawa-kun? Didn't you say before that you didn't want to interact with Detective Mouri and the others? You even said you were socially awkward. How come you agreed so quickly this time?"

The little girl was a bit confused and wanted to figure out why Kitagawa Isao's attitude had changed.

However, Kitagawa Isao put on a very innocent expression, saying that he just wanted to take her to Osaka for a visit.

"Ai, you've been in Tokyo for a while now, but you're still a bit aloof. I think it might be because you've been staying in one place for so long, so I'm going to take you around to see the sights."

Unsurprisingly, Kitagawa Isao's completely insincere answer only earned him Haibara Ai's signature half-moon eye expression.

However, after giving this guy a disapproving look, Ai Haibara still felt a little warmth in her heart.

So, it turns out, Kitagawa was actually quite worried about me...

Thinking of this, in a corner unseen by Kitagawa Isao, Ai Haibara's lips finally curled up slightly, and she let out a barely perceptible hum.

At this moment, a news broadcast interrupts the television program that is halfway through.

Following reports of Kikuto Morizono's mental instability, Yurie Morizono, the new heir to the Morizono Group, also succumbed to the pressure and publicly announced her plans to settle abroad soon. However, many media outlets, including Nikko TV, dismissed this as mere posturing.

……

Time flies, and the holiday arrived in just a few days.

Early that morning, Kitagawa Isao pulled Haibara Ai along. After washing up and packing their things, the two quickly drove to the Mouri Detective Agency.

Here, the Mori family of three, fully equipped with luggage, was also ready to go. Kitagawa Isao picked them up, and they first drove to the Shinkansen station, parked the car in a nearby parking lot, and then went straight into the station to catch the next Shinkansen train.

The train goes directly to Osaka, where Sonoko Suzuki, who had arrived earlier, had arranged for a luxury car to wait for them by the roadside at the station exit.

As fellow members of the group invited to this trip to Osaka, Kogoro Mouri and his companions received an invitation from Sonoko Suzuki, while Isao Kitagawa did so through Heiji Hattori.

Logically speaking, Kitagawa Isao felt that he and Haibara Ai should not have been included in the Suzuki family's luxury car arrangement this time, but for some reason, the second young lady of the Suzuki Group seemed quite interested in him.

This made Kitagawa Isao feel a little strange.

However, since it conveniently solved his travel troubles, he didn't think much of it, assuming that it was just some exaggerated remarks made by Conan Edogawa during Sonoko's conversation with Ran.

Since there wouldn't be any negative consequences anyway, he simply let it be.

Thinking this way, Kitagawa Isao and the others had just boarded the Shinkansen with their luggage and hurriedly found their seats.

Before he could even put his backpack down, he noticed a furtive gaze secretly observing him.

After thinking it over in his mind for a while, Kitagawa Isao chuckled and casually placed the backpack next to Haibara Ai.

Seeing the little girl's bewildered expression, Kitagawa Isao said calmly:

"I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he got up and left.

After walking a few steps toward the toilet, he circled around and came to the front of the carriage, where he sat down next to an elderly man.

"Young man, this seat is taken. It's my wife's..."

Seeing Kitagawa Isao sit down, the old man seemed a little anxious, and judging from the way he spoke, he seemed to have hearing problems.

However, Kitagawa Isao ignored all of this. After quietly adjusting his posture, he casually took the old man's cane, chuckled, and looked at him, saying:

"Kaito Kid's wife? I'm quite curious about what kind of girl she is, but... we've only been apart for a few days, and you're already using this thing. Did you really hurt yourself at the Magic Manor last time? If that's the case, then I'm truly sorry."

……

P.S.: My fever has started to subside, but I still feel a little unwell.

So, as a gesture of consideration for me, a patient, I'll only be posting two updates today, okay?

Once I recover, I will resume updating three times a day. By the way, several readers have sent me gifts in the past two days.

Thank you so much! I've done a quick calculation, and I'll add two more chapters after I recover!

Go go go!!