Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

They are a family.

Shoichi, Ai, and Vermouth bent over and put their ears close to one of the earphones.

"Move aside, I can't hear you." Ai pushed Masakazu.

"So annoying."

Zheng Yi immediately pulled Ai into his arms, placing her little head right under his chin.

Ai's head was poked by Shoichi's chin, and her cheek was scratched by Vermouth's hair, causing her to groan uncomfortably.

"If Conan's identity is exposed, how will Ran react?" Vermouth asked curiously.

When Ran tried to take Conan away, Shoichi wasn't just standing by; he took many actions as well.

For example, they might plant a bug on Conan to listen to him and prepare a coffin for him at any time.

"You'll find out soon," Zheng Yi said.

Vermouth nodded and glanced at Ai in Zheng Yi's arms.

I wonder what Ai Haibara's reaction would be if she turned into Shiho Miyano in Shoichi's arms.

Ai snuggled closer to Zheng Yi, finding a comfortable position, and then whispered:
"The timing of when the medication takes effect is unpredictable. You might not receive a call all day. Waiting here is a complete waste of your time."

Zheng Yi said, "It could change three times in an hour."

Ai pouted; that was just a low-probability event.

If Conan isn't particularly unlucky, he'll almost never encounter that kind of situation.

“If you feel like you’re wasting your time, then go back to sleep,” Zheng Yi said.

Ai shook her head but didn't move.

She just said the probability was very low, not that there was no probability at all.

She went shopping with Zheng Yi, and when she encountered Gin, she changed several times in a short period of time.

The three listened intently, and Zheng Yi even took out a recording device.

Mouri Detective Agency.

Kogoro Mouri was quite surprised by the sudden return of this kid.

Didn't they say they had already left?

But after Ran explained, Kogoro curled his lip in boredom, deciding to let Conan do whatever he wanted.

Anyway, it's Ran who's taking care of him, so what does it have to do with Kogoro Mouri?

Ran went to prepare dinner, Kogoro went to his desk to read pornographic magazines, and Conan sat on the sofa, letting out a sigh of relief.

I'm currently in good health, and Uncle Mori doesn't seem to have any doubts about me.

Xiaolan has quite a few suspicions about him, but there shouldn't be any problems before she meets his mother.

Conan tapped his forehead.

We need to find a way to leave as soon as possible.

Before we could even come up with a solution, trouble struck.

"Sister Xiaolan, I want to go out and play."

"No, it's too late, it's dangerous to go out."

Conan wanted to retort that he wasn't a three or four-year-old child, so what danger could he be in?
But after Ran snapped a stick in front of him, Conan chickened out.

There is indeed danger.

If he insists on going out, Xiaolan will put him in danger.

Conan was sitting on the sofa, holding a copy of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in his hand, trying to use the book to cover his face.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his body was trembling slightly from extreme tension.

"It's no use... the medication is about to take effect again..."

He felt his cells dividing wildly, and his bones making a faint "creaking" sound.

That familiar feeling of expansion was consuming his reason.

"Damn it! How can it be fast?"

He slapped his forehead and cursed himself for being an idiot.

He had just tried to fight off the effects of the drug with sheer willpower.

Ignoring Ran's earlier warning, Conan rushed straight towards the door.

But when I twisted the doorknob hard, the door didn't budge.

"Ran has locked it up," Conan said in a low voice.

Xiaolan was very well prepared.

Conan rushed straight to Kogoro Mouri's bedroom.

"Kid! What are you in such a hurry for?"

Kogoro yelled at Conan and hurriedly put his magazine into the drawer.

Only after Conan entered the bedroom did he take the magazine out again, grumbling.

"That brat."

When Ran came out of the kitchen, she frowned when she saw that Conan was gone from the living room again.

"Snapped!"

"what!?"

Ran slammed her hand on Kogoro's desk, startling him so much that he threw the magazine out the window.

Kogoro looked pained, but quickly regained his composure and asked Ran, "What's wrong?"

Fortunately, Ran didn't know what magazine her father was reading, and simply asked calmly, "Where's Conan?"

Kogoro pointed towards the bedroom.

Xiaolan nodded.

She walked to the bedroom door and pulled it open forcefully.

Upon seeing what was inside, Xiaolan's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened.

She didn't see Conan, but instead saw someone unexpected.

"Shinichi? What are you doing here?" Ran asked.

"Ahem, Xiaolan, what a coincidence."

Shinichi Kudo took a deep breath, braced his hands on the edge of the windowsill, stepped out with his right leg first, bent his knee, and carefully stepped into the bedroom.

Then, with an awkward smile, he explained to Xiaolan, "I knocked, but no one answered, so..."

"So you climbed over the wall to get in?" Xiaolan crossed her arms.

Shinichi Kudo smiled apologetically.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded.

"What about Conan?" Ran asked.

Shinichi Kudo pointed out the window and said, "I saw him escape through the window."

"What!?"

Xiao Lan quickly went to the window and looked outside, but there was nothing there anymore.

"This is the second floor. Conan escaped by climbing out the window. Why didn't you stop him?" Ran asked.

Shinichi Kudo whispered, "Because I also climbed over the wall to get in, and that brat Conan even helped me out."

But who knew that after this kid pulled me up, he would jump down himself?
Before I could even react, that kid was gone.

After Shinichi Kudo finished speaking, he touched his nose.

Sorry, Conan.

In order for me, Shinichi Kudo, to live, I have no choice but to make things difficult for you later on.

Then Shinichi Kudo felt inexplicably sad.

It seems like I'm the one who's been wronged.

I wonder what will happen if Conan runs into Ran again next time.

Shinichi Kudo whispered, "That brat has long since disappeared somewhere. You might not be able to find him even if you go out now."

"Let's wait until we run into that brat again, then we'll teach him a lesson he won't forget."

As he spoke, Shinichi Kudo's expression gradually hardened.

He no longer cared about the future.

Cherish the present; we'll worry about the future later.

"But he's all alone..."

“Don’t worry,” Shinichi Kudo said. “That kid looks like he’s planning this all along. He’s definitely coming to Japan because he doesn’t want you to know something.”

"Shinichi Kudo!!"

Kogoro had just gone outside to retrieve his magazine when he returned to his bedroom and saw another annoying brat there.

How did you get here?

Kogoro looked at Shinichi Kudo suspiciously. He was certain that no one had entered the Mouri Detective Agency through the main entrance.

Shinichi Kudo pointed to the window.

Kogoro's eyes began to look dangerous.

You climbed through the window into my house? What are you trying to do, you little brat?
Shinichi Kudo's expression grew increasingly awkward.

"What are you doing here so late?" Kogoro asked.

When questioning him, he moved even closer to Shinichi Kudo, as if he might throw him out at any moment.

Late at night, someone climbed through my window and entered my house alone. I have a beautiful daughter at home.

Kogoro's smile grew even more amiable.

Shinichi Kudo raised his hands to his chest and said softly, "I'm here to explain something to Ran."

I met Xiaolan at the department store during the day today.

I wasn't feeling well and left without telling Xiaolan, so I came over now so she won't worry.

"So you climbed in through the window?" Kogoro asked, staring at Shinichi Kudo.

Shinichi Kudo responded with a simple, honest smile.

That's hard to explain.

"terribly sorry."

Shinichi Kudo bowed sincerely to the two of them to express his apology.

Ran frowned, not immediately attacking Kudo.

"Let's go outside and look for Conan first. It's late at night, and I'm worried about leaving him alone," Ran said.

Kogoro put on his coat and said with dissatisfaction, "That brat is always causing trouble."

Shinichi Kudo stood there awkwardly.

He whispered, "Conan is a very smart kid. If he doesn't want you to find him, it will be very difficult for you to find him."

It's better to leave him alone and let him come back on his own once he's finished with his own things.

Ran asked, "Do you know what Conan went to do?"

"What?" Kudo asked in surprise.

How did you come to suspect me?

Ran stared at Kudo suspiciously.

You've always told me not to go see Conan.

She seriously suspected that Kudo might know what Conan was doing.

“You’re not willing to tell me anything,” Xiaolan said.

Xiaolan was also helpless.

Shinichi left without saying anything and didn't come back for a long time.

Now Conan is doing the same thing, leaving without saying anything, and we don't know when he'll come back.

“I don’t know what Conan went to do,” Kudo explained. “But he’s a very opinionated kid, so he must have his own reasons for doing this.”

Kogoro said indignantly, "Even if you have your own reasons, you should at least tell your family."

Now he has to go out and find someone.

Kogoro clenched his fist. "Once I find that brat, I'll make sure he knows what happens when you run away from home."

Ran, unusually, did not refute Kogoro's violent declaration.

Clearly, she was also very unhappy with Conan this time.

She also wanted to let Conan know that Ran wasn't always so gentle.

Shinichi Kudo's lips twitched.

I feel like Conan is going to suffer a lot the next time he appears.

But now that he's Shinichi Kudo, all he can say is in solidarity with Ran and the others: "Every time we see Conan again, we must give him a good beating to teach him a lesson."

"Humph!"

Shinichi Kudo snorted and walked out of the room, saying, "Let's go find Conan now."

The three of them went downstairs.

They decided to split up, and Shinichi Kudo chose a direction and set off first to look for the person.

Before parting ways with Ran, Kogoro suddenly said, "Ran, don't you think Kudo kid's clothes look familiar?"

"Huh?" Xiaolan said uncertainly, "It might be clothes I wore before."

Kogoro shook his head.

He felt that the clothes Shinichi Kudo was wearing were exactly the same as one of his own.

“I think I have the same one,” Kogoro said.

"what?"

Xiaolan frowned.

Kogoro said, "Kudo-kun has great taste; the clothes he bought are the same style as mine."

"Alright, Dad, stop admiring your own taste and go find Conan," Ran said.

"it is good."

The two split up.

Xiaolan chose a direction and started walking.

He kept calling Conan's name along the way, and whenever he saw a few pedestrians on the street, he would ask if they had seen him.

With no trace of Conan, Ran could only search aimlessly, going wherever the road took her.

After searching for an unknown amount of time, Xiaolan leaned against a roadside utility pole and took several deep breaths.

"Boom~"

Xiaolan heard a noise coming from the roadside and cautiously walked over.

There was a cardboard box by the roadside, big enough to fit an adult.

"Zizi~"

The cardboard box kept wriggling. Xiaolan opened the box, and two cats jumped out at once.

When Ran saw that it wasn't Conan who appeared, she sighed with regret.

"Where did Conan go?" Ran muttered to herself in frustration.

After so long, they still hadn't found Conan, and they hadn't even seen a little boy among the people they met on the street, which made Ran want to give up.

Why not go back and wait, just like you would wait for Shinichi?

Shinichi will come back on his own, and Conan will come back on his own too.

"Squeak~"

Xiaolan wandered around several streets, rummaged through countless trash cans, and opened countless roadside boxes.

"what!"

When Xiaolan was about to give up completely, she opened the last cardboard box, and the boy inside startled her.

"Conan!? I've finally found you!"

Ran angrily picked Conan up.

Conan was terrified.

His body just changed, and he turned back into a child. Then he got a child's outfit and changed clothes in this cardboard box.

Before I could even change my clothes, Xiaolan picked me up.

Ran glanced at Conan, who was disheveled, and then at the cardboard box on the ground that was leaking air everywhere.

"You ran away from home and are living here?" Xiaolan asked angrily.

Instead of going home, he lives in this cardboard box.

Conan! What are you trying to do?
"No," Conan said softly.

I didn't plan to stay here; I just wanted to change my clothes.

Conan glanced into the cardboard box; it was full of old clothes and looked like a makeshift little shelter.

Hmm, it does look like a place where you can sleep.

Fortunately, there were many old clothes, clothes that Ran had taken from Uncle Mori were piled together, and she didn't notice them.

"Humph!"

Ran snorted coldly, which startled Conan.

"Tell me, why did you run away from home?" Xiaolan asked.

"I……"

"Forget it, I don't want to hear it," Ran interrupted Conan.

Shinichi said that after finding Conan, he'd give him a good beating. (End of Chapter)