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

Sonoko immediately interrupted, took a deep breath, and her complexion returned to normal at a visible speed. She turned to look at Ran with a solemn expression: "I swear, I just drank too much cola and was a little distracted. I absolutely didn't have any other thoughts."

"........."

Xiaolan smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Hotaru was speechless. He coughed lightly and said seriously, "To be honest, I just used a hypnosis technique I learned from Ms. Aida. Suzuki, you must be more vigilant in the future. Remember this mantra:

The universe is limitless and all things are one.

If you encounter something like this again, just keep this in mind and think about it from a broader perspective.

"........."

Xiaolan was speechless again. Seriously, could the things you two say be any more outrageous?

Do you really think she's an idiot?

Sonoko nodded with a look of sudden realization: "I see, I'll remember that. Thank you for your guidance, Mizuki-san."

"...This child is teachable."

Ying Sheng turned and left, waving his hand behind him: "Please ask Suzuki to tell Ran what happened before. To be honest, I think she understands, but if you're not sure, you can double-check."

As he stepped out the door, Ran and Sonoko simultaneously looked away and met each other's gaze.

Sonoko hesitated for a few moments, then gritted her teeth and said, "Ran, don't let me down!"

"Ah????"

Xiaolan was full of questions and was about to speak when she saw Sonoko with a mournful expression, letting out a long sigh:

"That guy wants to die by your hand."

"ah????"

Xiaolan was even more confused.

Sonoko shook her head, and as she pulled Ran away from the restaurant, she began to tell the story from the beginning, but of course, she didn't mention a word about the cook.

Finally, she glanced at Ying Sheng's back, which was ten meters away from them, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes before she regained her composure and turned to look at her silent best friend:

"Xiaolan, are you aware of these things?"

"probably."

Xiaolan smiled gently: "Although Shuiyue-jun has never said it to me so bluntly, after spending so much time together, I can understand it to some extent."

Actually, although it sounds a bit strange, it's just a long-term relationship. As long as I stay by his side, the day will come when his heart starts beating again. You can simply understand him as someone who's slow to warm up.

Ran glanced at Hotaru's retreating figure, a slight smile playing on her lips. She lowered her voice and whispered in Sonoko's ear:

"Although Shuiyue-kun is very capable and knows a lot of principles, his mental state is actually quite unhealthy. I'm just guessing, but his parents probably treated him with a lot of pressure from a young age, and their upbringing was also very strange, like..."

Agent?

I don't know the specifics, but it feels like that's why Mizuki-kun seems to have lost the ability to love.

And the boundary he spoke of…

Xiaolan hesitated for a few moments, recalling what she had seen at Yingsheng's house that morning—the long scar on his wrist—and sighed softly:

"It's probably death."

"!!!"

Sonoko was shocked and speechless. She finally remembered what Ran had said about Hotaru's attempted suicide. She opened her mouth to speak, but then heard Ran smile slightly:

"That feeling of life and death awakened Shuiyue from chaos, and it's normal that I can't compare to it."

But, humph, if he says I'm not as good as a cocktail, not as good as intrigue and the lives of others, then he's just trying to cover it up.

"Starting from that night in Kabukicho, I have plenty of solid evidence."

There was a hint of confidence in Ran's eyes, and when Sonoko belatedly realized this, her heart skipped a beat, and even sank...

She finally realized it.

I realized it completely.

She made the right choice to leave the scumbag the moment she got hurt, but compared to Xiaolan now, one answer is obvious.

Her intentions, her confidence, her courage...

They are undoubtedly much worse.

A slight sense of disappointment welled up from the bottom of her heart, but the naturally cheerful Sonoko didn't dwell on it. Just a second later, she shook her head heavily.

It's all in the past, why dwell on it?

With so many men in the world, she'll surely find her own Prince Charming, and he'll definitely be more perfect than that guy, Shuiyue Yingsheng!

With this thought in mind, Sonoko looked at Ran curiously: "You two went to Kabukicho together? To a bar?"

"Um...actually, it's a coffee shop."

Ran apologized to Sonoko in her heart; there was no way she could confess to something involving a crime.

"In short, since neither of us is perfect and neither of us can be said to be completely in love with each other, let's just continue like this. Just like what Mizuki-kun said, it will feel very natural."

There's no need to think about the rest too much.

Ran took Sonoko's hand and smiled, "Sonoko, you don't need to worry about me. As for confirming our relationship, in the eyes of those around us, we're definitely a couple. As for Mizuki-kun and me, as long as we keep going, there's no need for that at all."

Although it seemed to make some sense, Sonoko still pouted, thinking, "What kind of twisted logic is this?"

She said with some reluctance, "Let me make this clear, I'm not making things up about him, but it's an undeniable fact that he's dating several people at the same time. Xiaolan, you're being too submissive to even accept that. There are plenty of other good men in the world."

Xiaolan blinked: "He's a jerk, that's true, but I'm not exactly a devoted person either."

"........."

Sonoko was speechless for two seconds, then gritted her teeth and said, "How pathetic! So pathetic! Ran, you're degrading your own character right now. He's seriously manipulating you!"

"But I'm telling the truth."

Ran shook Sonoko's arm, looking aggrieved: "Sonoko, think about it carefully. From Shinichi to Suigetsu-kun, it's completely like I've fallen for someone else."

"And when I was with Shinichi before, he would leave me to solve cases on his own. When I was angry, I did accept kindness from other guys..."

"Stop!"

Sonoko quickly interrupted, "You didn't establish a romantic relationship with Kudo before, so this is definitely not a case of falling in love with someone else! And when you accept other people's kindness, it's just because you have normal friendships, right? You'll reciprocate their kindness later, and you've rejected all those people who confessed to you."

"Hum..."

Ran gently tapped Sonoko's cheek, highlighting a small dimple, and raised an eyebrow with a smile: "Sonoko, you're a bit hypocritical. If that's not bad, then my relationship with Mizuki-kun right now can definitely be called pure love, right?"

"........."

Sonoko was speechless: "I..."

Chapter 247 Their romantic relationship is confirmed! Xiao Lan will definitely kill Tian Shu!

"To be honest, I'm not trying to belittle myself. I've learned a lot from spending so much time with Shuiyue-kun," Xiaolan said earnestly. "Only by deeply analyzing oneself can one make targeted corrections."

If you keep avoiding it, you'll only live a life of pain and confusion, without even knowing where the problem lies.

He ended his life in a daze, without even a trace of the true feeling of having lived.

Sonoko's eyes trembled slightly. She had to admit that she had underestimated Ran before, always treating Ran as someone who needed to be taken care of. But in fact, without realizing it, the immature person had become herself.

but.

Sonoko looked at Ran with a strange expression: "So you've concluded from this that you're unfaithful, or even a green tea bitch? That's a bit too odd."

“Let’s start with an example. I’m just like that, what can I do?” Ran sighed softly. “Imagine a future where Suigetsu-kun isn’t around, and Shinichi is like he was last week, completely unseen… I think…”

Sigh, I'm terrified of being alone. I might just eat meal replacements.

"!!!!!!"

Sonoko stared in disbelief: "Hey! Ran, do you know what you're saying? Wake up! You've already been... done to you by that bastard, Mizuki Hotaru..."

"That's really not the case, Sonoko."

Xiaolan interrupted, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "I'm not saying I'm cheating, it's just... well, it's kind of weird, like having a pen pal, it's kind of seeking psychological comfort. Of course, it's also terrible, so that completely explains the problem, right? I am..."

"Absolutely not!"

Sonoko interrupted back, "Haven't you noticed that the way you're saying you're terrible, without any remorse, and even taking it for granted, is exactly the same as that guy, Mizuki Hotaru!"

"Eh?"

Xiaolan tilted her head in confusion, thought for a moment, and nodded thoughtfully: "It seems so. I've become more open and at ease. That's what they call being influenced by one's surroundings."

"No, it's because you're surrounded by bad influences!"

"It's all the same, and what does that prove? It has nothing to do with my original personality."

Xiaolan looked at Yuanzi, who was puffing up her cheeks, thought for a moment, stood still, gently hugged her, and whispered in her ear:

"Relax, relax. It's a good thing that I realize where the problem lies. That's how I can get better. Don't worry, Sonoko, I'll definitely become amazing from now on. That's how I'll live up to your expectations of me."

"Humph…"

Sonoko twisted her body a couple of times and muttered, "I think you'll gradually learn from him to become a scumbag, and even try to change. Heh, aren't you quite good at sweet-talking people now?"

"No way, Sonoko is my best friend for life. Boyfriends and all that have to take a backseat." Ran showed no intention of letting go, instead hugging her even tighter. "When Shinichi left, Sonoko was always by my side, and she still is now."

Compared to those unreliable guys, Sonoko has always been the best person to me.

Sometimes I even think, what if I…

"Stop talking, Xiaolan."

Sonoko sighed and gently nudged the person in front of her, saying, "If you're not just acting on purpose, you've really gone astray. You can't keep saying things like that, or things will get really bad."

Ran still didn't let go: "Eh? Sonoko, do you know what I'm trying to say?"

Sonoko sighed softly, "You mean to say that if we keep hugging, it will be too hot. It's probably around 30 degrees Celsius today."

"Pfft-"

Xiaolan smiled and released her embrace: "Okay, okay, it was just a joke, but what I said before was serious. Also, wasn't it clear what Shuiyue-kun said? I never showed him any affection, which says a lot."