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

Ultimately, despite some twists and turns, and the fact that the second Egg of Memory was stolen by the Phantom Thief Kid disguised as Officer Shiratori, the story was ultimately thwarted.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Conan Edogawa and the others left the castle unharmed. Afterwards, Kogoro Mouri followed Inspector Megure to the Metropolitan Police Department to give a statement. The others either went with him or went home exhausted.

Conan Edogawa and Ran were among the group of people who went home to rest.

As a detective, not only did he fail to discover the identity of the Phantom Thief Kid during his duel, but he also failed to protect the Egg of Memories, which undoubtedly made Conan Edogawa feel very frustrated.

Adding to his frustration, a light drizzle began to fall on the street outside, making him feel even more irritable.

However, compared to all of that, he still wanted to figure out...

What exactly happened to Xiaolan, and why did her attitude towards herself change so drastically?

With this question in mind, Conan walked to the window and began to ponder as he looked at the light rain outside.

A short while later, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Conan quickly turned around and saw Ran carrying a basin of hot water, slowly walking towards him.

"Come wash your face quickly. You got caught in the rain outside. If you're not careful, you might catch a cold tomorrow."

She continues to play the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother, and Ran's gentleness and thoughtfulness warmed Conan's heart.

Subconsciously, he took off his glasses, went to the basin, splashed some hot water on them, and then took a towel to wipe them clean.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaolan. I feel much better now. By the way, shouldn't we take a shower?"

Honestly, Conan only wanted to take a bath when he said that, but Ran heard it as blatant sexual harassment...

With a 'whoosh,' Ran, whose face had been cold and stern, suddenly felt her cheeks burning slightly. She gripped Conan's glasses, gritted her teeth, glared at the rogue detective, and then said resentfully:

"Do you still want to take a shower? Are you going to pretend you don't know anything, like before, and make me shower with you?"

"Sister Xiaolan, no... what's wrong with you? I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Conan Edogawa was shocked, but he forced himself to calm down and looked at Ran with an innocent and naive expression, trying to awaken the trace of maternal love in her heart.

However, while this tactic might have worked in the past, it's simply not effective enough for Xiaolan now.

She first let out a cold laugh, then tossed her glasses onto the sofa behind her, took two steps forward, and grabbed Conan's bewildered cheek:

"You two really look alike... You and Shinichi, you two are so alike, like you were made from the same mold. Conan, did you know that Shinichi's birthday is also May 4th, just like yours... Can there really be two people in this world who are so similar? Looks, birthday, even their personalities..."

At this point, Xiaolan seemed a little emotional, and a few tears began to slowly slide down her cheeks.

However, instead of wiping it off, she let it slowly fall to the ground...

Seeing this, Conan's heart almost melted. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Ran gently touched his lips with her hand.

“Conan, do you know what? When you were solving the mystery in Osaka, it really felt like I was watching Shinichi solve it. He was so smart... so confident. You probably don't know, but every time Shinichi was solving a mystery, he would subconsciously put his hands in his pockets, and then put them behind his head when he was done…”

"You two, even the way you look when you're doing deductions is exactly the same. Looking at you, I feel like I'm looking at a miniature version of Shinichi. If I could, I really wish all of this were true, that Shinichi was always by my side, silently watching over me, but..."

"Ran... Sister..." Conan's hands trembled, feeling as if something was stuck in his throat. He wanted to speak, wanted to simply admit his identity.

But can he really do that?

Once his identity is exposed, Xiao Lan is dragged into the struggle with the organization.

Those people in the organization, whether it's Gin or Vodka... they're all ruthless killers. If they discover his true identity, he and Professor Agasa might as well just end it all.

Xiaolan... she shouldn't be implicated because of me...

He really...

Conan's eyes twitched briefly, and he turned his head away, trying his best not to look directly into Ran's eyes.

He wanted to escape, to wish that none of this had ever happened, as if he had never participated in this trip to Osaka.

Unfortunately, the word 'if' never exists in this world.

Humans can never truly reverse time. Even if the body can, the mind can never escape it.

Seeing that Conan hadn't answered her question for a long time, Ran took a deep breath and tried to force a smile onto her face.

Then, with a smile that she could barely maintain, she reached out and slowly turned Conan's face to face...in front of her.

"Conan...you are different people, right? Answer me...you are indeed two different people. All of this...is just a coincidence. Whether it's birthdays, personalities, or deductive abilities, it's all just a coincidence, isn't it?"

Hearing Ran's almost trembling voice, Conan's mind went completely blank.

He saw it, he saw a teardrop hanging in the corner of Xiaolan's eye, then sliding down her face and onto her shoulder.

The deep red top was struck by the tears, leaving a damp patch.

Is that proof that tears existed?

Or perhaps, that was actually... the trace of a young girl's blood dripping down after her heart was broken?

At that moment, Conan didn't know what the answer was either. He just silently looked at Ran for a long, long time...

Until the very end, accompanied by a sigh.

He remained silent, then looked at Xiaolan and nodded.

This time, however, there will be no phantom thief dressed as Shinichi Kudo to save him.

This time, he finally couldn't hide it anymore...

……

Second update, let's go! I'm asking for free gifts, urging you to update more, reading further, and five-star reviews!

Love you all~