Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

"Waaah... Sister Xiaolan..."

Conan looked up, his eyes glistening with innocent tears, but his mind was racing:
Oh no! How am I going to explain to Xiaolan why I ran away just now?!
"Stop pretending to be pitiful."

Xiao Lan grabbed him and pulled him in front of her, her eyes sharp as if interrogating a criminal: "You ran away when you saw us on the street, did you do something wrong?"

"No."

Conan, pulling up his pants, said, "I just wanted to use the restroom; I didn't do anything wrong."

Ran stared at Conan and said, "Are you in such a hurry to go to the toilet? When I called you, you didn't even turn your head."

"It's urgent."

Conan tugged at his pants and said, "Ran-neechan, didn't you see I changed my clothes?"

"Forehead……"

Ran looked at the clothes Conan was wearing now, then at the clothes Conan had worn before that she was holding, and hesitated to speak.

So, is this the reason Conan changed clothes?

"Ran, quickly throw away the clothes you're holding." Sonoko slapped Ran's arm, causing the clothes to fall to the ground.

That brat Conan is just too... ugh~
Sonoko covered her mouth and nose, looking like she was in great discomfort.

Zheng Yi said at the opportune moment, "Could we please not talk in the men's restroom?"

He just saw a man who wanted to use the restroom, but when he saw who was inside, he didn't dare to come in.

"Uh, okay."

Xiaolan realized that the place she was in was not a good place, so she pulled Yuanzi along and walked out with a red face.

Conan and Masahiro exchanged a glance, their expressions turning tragic, and then followed him out.

I wonder how they managed to fool us this time.

The four people stood outside the toilet.

Xiaolan challenged again: "Even if you're in a hurry, when I'm chasing after you, you should at least shout loudly and answer me."

Conan said softly, "I was so anxious back then that I couldn't hear anything else and didn't know that Ran was calling me."

Ran looked at Conan with a mixture of belief and doubt.

I feel like this is just Conan's excuse. He definitely heard me calling him, otherwise he wouldn't have run so fast and in such a hurry.

Xiaolan wanted to ask more questions, but she had more pressing matters to attend to and had to put them aside for the time being.

Anyway, Conan is right here and can't run away, so we can ask him anything later.

"Brother Zhengyi, has Shinichi really not contacted you?" Xiaoran asked.

Zheng Yi shook his head.

Conan nervously tugged at the corner of his clothes.

Xiaolan looked around worriedly. "Shinichi doesn't look well. He said he wants you to take him to the hospital, Zhengyi-ge."

Zheng Yi casually peeled an orange and stuffed it into Xiao Lan's hand.

“Shinichi is a grown man, he won’t have any problems,” Masakazu said.

Ran was still worried, "But Shinichi's physical condition is not good right now."

Zhengyi said, "There are so many people here. If Kudo has any health problems, the others will help."

Masakazu patted Conan's head, which was covered in sweat.

He didn't show any disgust; he simply calmly took out some toilet paper and wiped himself.

“I’ll call Kudo and ask,” Masakazu said.

Zheng Yi took out his phone, his movements were very slow, as if he were an elderly person, and he only used one index finger to operate it.

"I can't get through," Zheng Yi said.

Conan also breathed a sigh of relief.

He just turned off his phone.

"Let's split up and look for Shinichi separately," Conan suggested.

Ran looked at Conan without saying a word.

She was worried that Conan would disappear again while she was looking for Shinichi.

After all, Shinichi disappeared while looking for Conan.

“Conan and I will be together,” Shoichi said.

"Okay." Xiaolan nodded.

The two groups separated; Ran and Sonoko went to find Shinichi Kudo, while Shoichi and Conan went to a beverage shop for drinks.

Zheng Yi, biting his straw, said, "You should call Xiao Lan right away, don't let her keep worrying about you."

"Okay." Conan nodded and turned on his phone.

Zheng Yi kept saying, "If you ask me, you should just be honest with Xiao Lan. What's the big deal?"

Conan remained silent.

The reason I didn't reveal my identity to Xiaolan was because I was afraid she would get involved and be targeted by the organization.

Now I'm not only worried about Xiaolan's safety, but also about my own.

During his time as Conan, he spent time with Ran and did many things that were inappropriate for a grown man.

Doing this again today is tantamount to playing a trick on Xiaolan.

If his identity is exposed, Conan fears his fate will be incredibly tragic.

Let's keep it a secret for now.

Let's keep it a secret for as long as possible, and delay the storm from coming.

"Here, take this."

"what is this?"

“A voice changer,” Zheng Yi said.

"what?"

Conan blinked, wondering why Masakazu would carry this with him at all times.

This must have been prepared for me; Zheng Yi is so considerate.

Conan leaned back in his chair, holding the newly turned-on cell phone in his hand, the screen displaying more than a dozen missed calls.

Only one of them is Zheng Yi Ge's; the rest are all from Xiao Lan.

Conan was very touched.

Xiaolan still cares about me so much; she's made so many phone calls in such a short time.

While moved, Conan also felt very scared.

His sins had multiplied, and when his identity was exposed, it would be time for Xiaolan to settle accounts with him.

He took a deep breath and pressed the redial button.

Anyway, I'm not going to die yet.

"Beep-beep-"

After a few busy tones, Xiaolan's voice, tinged with anger and anxiety, came from the other end of the phone:

"Hey? Shinichi? You finally decided to turn it on?!"

"Ah... Xiaolan, it's me."

Conan tried to sound relaxed and natural, "Um... I accidentally pressed the mute button on my phone just now, and then it ran out of battery and shut down automatically. I'm so sorry, I made you worry."

"Worried? More than just worried!" Xiaolan's voice rose eight octaves.

"Sonoko, Masakazu, Conan, and I searched for you in the supermarket for ages, but you just disappeared without a word."

And that brat Conan, he appears and disappears like a ghost! Did you two conspire to scare me to death?

"Uh... Conan, that guy..." Conan paused, knowing he shouldn't continue on this topic.

"Ran, I have a case to solve right now, so I have to leave," Conan said.

This is a reason he often uses; he uses it countless times and is always accustomed to it.

Xiaolan's tone softened, tinged with a hint of reproach and concern: "Why is there another case? You didn't look well just now, why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"No, no! I'm perfectly healthy!"

Conan quickly sat up straight, and to prove he was healthy, he even whistled into the phone, "Look, my lung capacity is perfect."

Don't give me that!

Xiao Lan snorted lightly: "You could barely stand up just now."

"Cough cough." Conan said, "I think I ate something bad, but after going to the toilet, I was fine."

"Then remember to go to the hospital for a check-up," Xiaolan said.

"Okay, okay," Conan said.

Xiaolan seemed to sigh, her tone full of helplessness: "Since there's a case, then... then be careful on the road, and don't turn off your phone again, understand?"

"Okay, I understand." A gentle smile unconsciously curved Shinichi's lips. "Um... Ran."

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

"Um... take care of yourself too."

"Okay, I know, you're so long-winded."

Xiaolan hung up the phone.

Conan breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to the beeping sound coming from his phone.

Shinichi Kudo has managed to escape for now.

But whether Conan can dodge it is still uncertain.

Conan whispered to Masakazu, "Masakazu-nii, how about I leave without saying goodbye?"

He was worried that once he saw Xiaolan, he wouldn't be able to leave.

Zheng Yi looked at him with a half-smile: "Are you really leaving?"

"Mhm!" Conan nodded repeatedly.

“You can’t just think about the present,” Zhengyi said.

He put down his cup, looking like he was very considerate of Conan.

“It’s easy for you to leave now, but what if your identity is exposed later? Will Xiaolan really not kill you?” Zhengyi said.

Conan shuddered.

He definitely won't kill her, but a severe beating is inevitable.

Zheng Yi said, "You'd better stay and explain things properly to Xiao Lan."

While fiddling with his phone, Zheng Yi spoke to Conan.

Conan looked worried.

If we can't even solve the problems now, how can we worry about the future?
Being alive right now is already a blessing.

"But I don't know how to explain it," Conan said.

Zheng Yi glanced up from his phone screen at Conan, then said nonchalantly:

"Just make up any reason. Xiaolan is so good to you and trusts you so much, it'll be easy to fool her."

"This……"

Brother Zhengyi, the way you're saying that makes me look even worse than Xiaolan, since Xiaolan is so wonderful.
Conan swallowed hard.

"I don't want to lie to Ran anymore," Conan said.

"Haha."

"Ahem." Zheng Yi slapped his mouth and said embarrassedly, "Sorry, I just thought of something funny."

Conan blushed slightly.

I know what I said was a bit shameless.

He said worriedly, "I'm concerned that my current physical condition might change at any time. Maybe I should go home first."

"Not urgent."

Zheng Yi pointed out the window and said, "Xiao Lan is here. Why don't you talk to her for a bit before you leave?"

"what?"

Conan looked out the glass window and saw Ran and Sonoko walking towards him hand in hand.

The worry on Xiaolan's face was impossible to shake off; it could be seen from a great distance.

Conan jumped to his feet in a panic. He lowered his voice and said, "How did Ran get here? How did she know we were here?"

“Because I was the one who told her,” Zhengyi said.

What do you think I was doing by fiddling with my phone just now?
Of course, it was Ran who said she found Shinichi and told me not to worry. I also told Ran where Conan and I were.

"Brother Zhengyi, how could you do this?!" Conan said anxiously.

Shoichi calmly sipped his drink, completely ignoring the impatient Conan.

After his initial agitation, Conan quickly calmed down.

He took a deep breath.

Zheng Yi sent Ran over because he felt sorry for her and didn't want her to worry about Conan anymore.

Although Zheng Yi didn't tell Xiao Lan, he revealed his location.

But Zheng Yi's heart is good.

Conan sat back down in his chair, quickly thinking of how to explain things to Ran.

The automatic door of the beverage shop opened with a "ding-dong".

Ran scanned the store, and when she saw Conan and Shoichi in the corner, her tense face instantly relaxed.

Shinichi ran away, but Conan didn't.

"Sister Xiaolan."

To prove that he had a clear conscience, Conan even stood up and waved to Ran.

Ran smiled gently and walked over with Sonoko.

"clang!"

Sonoko punched Conan on the head, stunning him.

Sonoko clenched her fists and said with a stern look, "Ran can't bear to hit you, so she had me do it for her. Tell me, why are you here? Didn't you go back to America with your parents?"

Conan rubbed his head, and in an attempt to gain Ran's sympathy, he even forced out a few tears.

When Ran saw Conan's pitiful appearance, she couldn't bear it and couldn't bring herself to say the harsh words she was about to say.

Conan whispered, "I've run away from home."

"Run away from home!?"

Ran and Sonoko stared at Conan in shock, and even Shoichi looked surprised.

Xiaolan asked, "You ran away from home and came to Japan from America? And you were alone?"

That reason is a bit too far-fetched.

Conan knew his reason was a bit lame, so he could only force an explanation: "Actually, I came back with my mother. I ran away from home after arriving in Japan."

"So how did you meet Brother Zhengyi?" Xiaolan asked.

"I ran into him when I went to the bathroom," Conan said.

I'm here to use the restroom, and Brother Zhengyi also needs to use the restroom.

Ran didn't completely believe Conan's words and looked at Masakazu.

But Zheng Yi waved his hand, indicating that he knew nothing.

She could only take out her phone and call Conan's mother.

The call couldn't be connected.

Xiaolan's suspicions deepened.

Conan has run away from home, and the most likely place he could go is her house.

But Conan's mother doesn't even call her.

This is not normal; Conan is definitely hiding something from me.

Ran put her phone in her pocket and said, "Then Conan, you come home with me first."

"go home?"

"The Mouri Detective Agency." Ran grabbed Conan's arm.

Conan said weakly, "I just promised Brother Zhengyi that I would stay at his house for a few days."

"No."

Ran didn't ask Masakazu at all; instead, she gently pulled Conan's hand.

“Your mother will be very worried if she can’t find you. She might come to my house to look for you.”

"So just come home with me obediently and don't cause any trouble," Xiaolan said.

Conan kept shaking his head.

He hasn't cured his habit of changing size at will, so he can't go back with Xiaolan.

Xiaolan squinted her eyes.

Conan is so unwilling to come back with me, there must be something seriously wrong.

"Alright, Conan, come back with me," Ran said.

Before Conan could even utter a word of refusal, Ran had already lifted him up.

His head spun stiffly for a moment, trying to find Zheng Yi for help, but Zheng Yi was now mute. (End of Chapter)