He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

Xiao Lan was slightly taken aback, then realized that it was Xuan Tian.

This answer made her even more frustrated. Xuan Tian's image could replace Miao Yin, and was undoubtedly more sublime and perfect. There was no way to find a corresponding one in the real world.

Ying Sheng glanced at him sideways and said, "I have a feeling you're thinking about some very rash questions."

Xiao Lan quickly shook her head: "I would never personify Xuan Tian!"

"Heh, you rascal, never mind, He doesn't care." Ying Sheng yawned. "Anyway, my search for true love is a long and arduous journey, and as things stand, one-sided love is enough. It doesn't matter whether there's such a thing or not."

"Ugh……"

Xiaolan sighed softly, "I'm sorry, I made some big promises before, but I ended up not being able to do anything."

"Ugh……"

Ying Sheng also sighed softly: "I'm sorry, I also made some boastful remarks before, and I still haven't gotten rid of your bad habit of overthinking."

"..."

Xiaolan glared at him: "Don't overthink it, I know, but can't I even care about you?"

Ying Sheng extended her right hand to her and smiled, "Then why don't you just do it this way, it'll be more direct."

Xiao Lan's ears turned red, she gave a soft hum, reached out her left hand and placed it on Ying Sheng's hand, slowly interlocking their fingers, and then walked hand in hand beside them.

"Will this work?" she asked.

"It should be useful, just like a virus, Tian Shu's consciousness will be gradually eroded," Ying Sheng said with a smile.

"...What a strange metaphor."

"To some extent, that's true."

"Then...aren't you disgusted?"

"Yesterday is dead, today is new. People's hearts are constantly changing, and I will never resist the laws of nature. Just like you, Xiaolan, although I feel that you are still far from enough, you have indeed changed since the beginning."

"Like This……"

Ran smiled gently and frankly asked the question that had been bothering her for a while: "What does Shinichi want with Akemi?"

"I don't know, it's probably related to the case or Xuesong's matter."

Has their relationship changed?

"Weren't you over there last night?"

"I was too caught up in the situation to see clearly."

"Me too."

"Eh? Why?"

Ying Sheng squeezed her hand: "What do you think?"

Xiao Lan scoffed, "What does it matter? You weren't really interested in me anyway, you were just keeping me company."

"Maybe I'm not being honest, and I've already fallen deeply in love with you and can't help myself."

"Hehe, what a fake story."

"I'm serious, you know. Do you know why people confess their feelings on April Fool's Day? It's to leave themselves some leeway, so they don't look too bad if they get rejected. That's what I'm doing now, pretending to be nonchalant, just because I'm afraid you won't forget Kudo, and I'll become the clown."

"I don't believe it. I've already seen through you."

"Oh no, did I mess this up? What if I really fall in love with you, and you think I'm joking? Wouldn't I become a real laughingstock?"

"Hmm... You can tell that kind of thing, it's as conspicuous as a candle in the dark."

"Are you serious?"

"of course."

Xiao Lan stood still, waiting for Ying Sheng to turn around. She looked into his eyes with bright, shining eyes and said, "If we make eye contact for a minute, I can definitely tell."

"Didn't we make eye contact in the audience earlier?"

“That’s different. Back then, it was about determination. Now, if you only have me in your heart, then I will only have you in my heart.”

"That's it..."

Ying Sheng smiled softly and turned her head away: "Never mind then, I dare not."

Chapter 174 Sonoko: Damn it! I was here first!

The air suddenly became somewhat ambiguous, with sincerity and pretense intertwined, indistinguishable from one another, and who could tell which was more or less?

Neither Ying Sheng nor Xiao Lan spoke again; they simply held hands and quietly followed behind the main group.

The road is both long and short.

When the restaurant door finally came into view, and when Xiaolan realized that Ying Sheng had let go of her hand, she didn't know whether she felt a sense of relief or a faint sense of loss.

“Miss Akemi should be off work now. I’ll call her and ask for the address.” Hotaru looked at the profile of the person at the back of the group who quickly turned away and smiled. “Suzuki-kun has seen you countless times. You go in first.”

Xiaolan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "You and Sonoko didn't seem very comfortable with each other today, so there's no need to be so formal with each other."

"Hmm...you could try mentioning it to Suzuki-san, but be careful she doesn't go berserk."

"...Sonoko wouldn't do that, would she?"

"Although Suzuki is a bit of a looks-obsessed person, he's quite devoted once he's set his mind on someone, so that's how it is." Hotaru took out his phone. "Anyway, if you're going to mention it, I'll apologize three times in advance as a precaution, but of course, it's best not to mention it at all."

"……Oh."

Xiao Lan pouted and turned to leave.

Shuiyue Jun...

It's still quite strange, isn't it?

Xiaolan shook her head and took Sonoko's left arm, who was waiting for her at the restaurant entrance: "Sonoko, thank you for coming to watch my match. Your encouragement has greatly boosted my fighting power!"

Sonoko glanced at her sideways and snorted coldly, "You just let go of that guy's hand, and now you're trying to hold mine again, huh?"

Xiao Lan cried, "Yuanzi, you dislike me."

"..."

Sonoko sighed and took Ran's arm as they entered the room, looking annoyed. "Ran, you've really gone bad with that guy. You're not as cute as you used to be."

"Um……"

Xiaolan tilted her head: "Is it possible that I'm actually a bad kid?"

Snapped--!

Sonoko slapped her forehead, her face full of despair: "In the gym, I thought what he said made a lot of sense, but now I see that he's really pushing you, Ran, in a very strange direction."

"so……"

Xiaolan blinked: "Is he wrong?"

"Yes, of course, but..."

Sonoko sighed softly, "Is it really possible to completely disregard the opinions of outsiders and not crave the approval of parents or even society as a whole? If you blindly pursue it, isn't it equivalent to going against the grain of the world until you reach it?"

"not like this."

Ran shook her head and said, "Sonoko exaggerated what Suigetsu-kun said. Besides, he didn't say that we should completely abandon the outside world. He just said that we should distinguish between primary and secondary things and know what we really want. Suigetsu-kun values ​​the concept of 'genuine things' very much."

"..."

Sonoko was speechless: "You know so much? Well, I have nothing more to say. This seems to be better for you, so let's do as he says..." Sonoko paused, then looked at Ran, "Actually, there are some things I wanted to say to Ran in the past, but I felt I had no right to say them. Can I say them now?"

Xiaolan nodded quickly: "Of course, Sonoko can always tell me."

"I'm sorry, since you've never lived alone before, I can't see the difference, so I'm a little hesitant." Sonoko took a deep breath and looked at Ran seriously. "Anyway, how do you feel about living alone now that you don't have to take care of Uncle Mori every day?"

huh?

Ran's gaze immediately became somewhat evasive. Sonoko thought she understood what she meant, but was still siding with her father and unwilling to answer directly. Just as she was about to speak, feeling a bit exasperated, she heard:

"Actually, Mizuki-kun has already mentioned this."

Sonoko: "…………"

Flipping the table! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!

Damn it, she was here first, but no matter what, all her ideas for Xiaolan's good were beaten to it. Why is that?!

Xiaolan said weakly, "Shuiyue also asked me to make a table to score my current situation and the past situation according to items such as free time, level of fatigue, and self-improvement. It's been a week now, and I have indeed made some progress."

"........."

Sonoko was speechless again, then hung her head in dejection. Damn it, that guy not only beat her to it, but his plan was also more complete. She was completely defeated.

She sighed and said, "So, Xiaolan, what are your thoughts? Do you want to move out and live alone? Don't worry about the money. Our family has many properties near the school that are unoccupied. If you move in, we won't need to hire someone to clean them every now and then."

Xiaolan shook her head: "Let's wait a while. I haven't thought it through yet."

And they could even live directly in the garden's property...

She's not stupid; of course she knows how scarce real estate is around Teitan High School. Even if Sonoko's family doesn't live there, it's easy to rent it out. How could she possibly live there for free?

Although she had already received a lot of help and didn't necessarily need to dwell on these things, but...

It feels subtly different.

Especially the fact that she lives alone in a rented apartment has clearly taken on a strong symbolic meaning in her life so far.

If possible, if she really has to move out, she still hopes to do it all by herself.

Last night she mentioned that this was part of the reason she wanted to take on a part-time job, but before she made the call, Sonoko advised her that it wasn't necessary, and then Hotaru rejected it over the phone.

She herself was somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Sonoko roughly guessed Ran's dilemma, and her eyes lit up: "How about this, Ran, you apply for the Suzuki Foundation's scholarship fund. You have excellent grades, you'll definitely get in, and it's not a free grant, hmm..."

From now on, you're part of my network!

"..."

Xiao Lan thought to herself: This is still a free gift.