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

Sonoko scoffed, "That guy often talks nonsense and rarely tells the truth. He might be lying."

Xiaolan shook her head: "No, I know."

Sonoko retorted, "That doesn't necessarily mean it's Ran's fault. It's definitely his problem. According to my sister's investigation, there are people who are willing to give their lives for him. That's definitely a very deep love, but he still says that the gods don't approve."

I think it's because he doesn't understand what love is at all. He's never moved by love, so of course his gods will punish him.

Ran said, "I've thought about that before, but then I realized it's probably not like that. The simplest proof is, Sonoko, haven't the fireflies disappeared from the entertainment districts of Kabukicho for a while now?"

Sonoko glanced at her in surprise and nodded.

“My sister has been keeping a private investigator on her side of the matter, she…” Sonoko sensed something was off and quickly changed the subject, “But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, he must have already identified enough targets.”

"No, that's not it. He's a master of time management, and he's very efficiency-oriented. Before, he and..." Xiao Lan paused, "Anyway, now he seems to be more relaxed, unlike before when he tried to broaden his selection pool as much as possible, but instead..."

Hmm, going a bit deeper now?

Even if it's a case of reciprocating true feelings, Shuiyue-kun has clearly stated that he treats me specially, and I haven't yet shown him any affection. Doesn't that speak volumes?

Sonoko knew that Ran initially wanted to say that when Hotaru and she were dating before, they would go to Kabukicho, but she felt it was offensive and took it back.

But after what happened at the barbecue restaurant, to be honest, Sonoko suddenly couldn't bring herself to hate Hotaru anymore.

That rascal……

At least for that short period of time, he was practically perfect as a boyfriend.

Although it was just an illusion, it was still real...

Forget it, stop thinking about it.

Sonoko shook her head: "Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say, or rather, I've said everything I need to say." She glanced at Hotaru's figure in front of her, which seemed to pause slightly for some reason, and gently pushed Ran's back.

"I've already taken up enough of your time. Go chat with him for a while and recharge your energy for the game this afternoon."

By the time she finished speaking, Sonoko had completely recovered and gave Ran a fist pump to encourage her.

"Most definitely."

Xiaolan cheered herself up and took a few quick steps toward Yingsheng. Hearing the footsteps, Yingsheng stood still and waited for her. He turned his head slightly, but his eyes fell on Sonoko, who was watching Xiaolan leave, before he looked away again.

Sorry, Sonoko.

You have indeed come to know the real me, so you should stay away from me, shouldn't you?

You and Xiaolan are different.

"Mizuki-kun, are you feeling better today?"

A ray of sunlight suddenly appeared in the sunlight. Ying Sheng was stunned for half a second before he realized that the feeling that was different from the sun and sky was Xiao Lan's smile.

Ying Sheng smiled too: "A good night's sleep makes you feel refreshed." He extended his right hand, "Sorry I'm a little late. You're already sitting with the karate club, and I didn't want to make you change seats. Plus, Suzuki-kun happens to have something to say to me."

Ran naturally extended her left hand, interlocked her fingers with his, and walked hand in hand: "Are you still calling me Suzuki-kun? Sonoko hasn't really let go of you yet."

"Let's not talk about letting go anymore. She and I aren't a good match, and she's clearly aware of that." Ying Sheng chuckled. "She's a very carefree person. Even if there are still some memories left, it won't affect her search for love."

"You were flirting with her at the barbecue restaurant just now, that's awful, you were practically ruining her life."

"No, she can never truly let go unless she always avoids it and doesn't confront the past. Trauma therapy is largely like that; you should understand that."

The effect should be quite significant.

If that little bit of love I felt just now came from her, then it was probably the final relief I felt.

Rationally speaking, he hopes...

No, a bit of my emotions felt that reason was a bastard, and I slapped it against the wall.

He hoped this would be the first and the last time.

When the dream ends, it's all over.

The finish line has been reached.

FINISH.

Ran cautiously turned around and saw Sonoko already talking to Makoto Kyogoku, who had lunch with her. She felt a slight sense of relief and looked up at Hotaru:

"You've really gotten yourself into trouble. Even if Sonoko gets out of this mess, what about the others?"

"If I have the chance, I will try to comfort them."

"Is that all?"

"What else can I do? Of course, I can only deal with it when I run into them. I can't exactly go looking for them on my own initiative."

"Why not? Consider it your journey of atonement. After the journey, you will surely have a deeper understanding of 'what love is'."

"........."

Ying Sheng looked at Xiao Lan speechlessly, thinking that she really had some whimsical ideas, and what kind of thoughts were popping into her little head every day.

Xiao Lan didn't shy away from the question, her face serious: "Since you're looking forward to Tian Shu's death, isn't this a good method?"

Ying Sheng chuckled: "So that's how it is. Then your understanding is a little off. I just don't mind that this consciousness is killed by you, not that I'm looking forward to it."

Let everything take its natural course.

Besides, your method isn't actually feasible. Not all those people are as carefree as Sonoko. If you do something like that, they might think I care about them and fall even deeper into the trap.

"……Oh."

Xiaolan was speechless for a long while before asking, "How many people are there exactly?"

Ying Sheng said, "I can only say that there are some."

Xiaolan looked at her suspiciously: "You don't mean you've been having affairs with so many people that you can't even remember the exact number, do you?"

“Hey, I’m not an animal, how could such a thing happen?” Ying Sheng sighed. “The main thing is that as time goes by, I can’t possibly know all their feelings for me. If they have already started new lives, then the number will naturally decrease by one.”

Xiao Lan asked curiously, "So, who impressed you the most?"

"...Do you really have to say this?"

"Because I'm really curious about you. Your experiences are incredibly rich compared to my past life and most of the people I've met. Let's just treat this as a casual chat at lunchtime." Xiaolan chuckled. "What, Mr. Liuying, are you also interested in this aspect?"

Ying Sheng curled his lip: "A clumsy attempt at provocation. Indeed, it seems strange to talk to you about something like this, of course I care."

"Eh? Why?"

"Asking knowingly."

"Tell me, tell me, that's what I want to hear."

"...I could say ten thousand sweet words, are you sure you want to hear them?"

"Hmm... I want to hear what you want to say right now."

Ying Sheng chuckled and leaned close to her ear: "So what I want to say now is that you have indeed become a bad girl, and I like bad girls like this."

Xiao Lan's ears turned slightly red, and she snorted softly, "You've gone through a twist, aren't you? You're playing word games with me."

"Oops, we've been found out. But I'm sorry, I can't tell you more right now."

"Oh, so Mizuki-kun is actually quite reserved by nature."

"No, it's just that the progress bar isn't enough; some terms and actions haven't been unlocked yet."

"........."

Xiaolan stared coldly at her: "Am I the target of your game strategy?"

Ying Sheng shrugged: "Wrong, you're the protagonist of the game, Tian Shu is the final boss, and you haven't passed the previous levels yet. Well, that sounds a bit irresponsible, so I'll just consider you my quest spirit. Good luck, brave warrior, victory is just ahead."

"Oh, I see. Yes, I'll definitely try my best!"

Xiaolan enthusiastically cooperated, but after carefully observing the calmness in Ying Sheng's eyes, she hesitated and cautiously asked, "How about we ask Ms. Aida to give you a set of psychological test questions? We'll just conduct the test privately, so it won't have any impact."

"puff--

"Hey, do you also think I'm mentally unstable?" Ying Sheng chuckled. "Why do so many people cling to such a simple truth? Let me ask you, do you believe that you are the same person now as you were as a child?"

Xiao Lan was slightly taken aback, then quickly nodded: "Of course."

"Why?" Ying Sheng pressed.

"This……"

Xiaolan hesitated and said, "I've always been myself, is there any other reason?"

"Of course there are, and there's plenty of philosophical thought on this topic."

Ying Sheng said, "For example, Heraclitus believed that one cannot step into the same river twice, because the river is always flowing and constantly changing. Similarly, a person's physical and mental state is also constantly changing."

Can you still fully agree with the ideas you had when you were a child? You'd probably start to question your own self from two weeks ago.

This, in turn, can spark reflections on the Ship of Theseus, exploring the issue of identity within continuous change, and further, psychological continuity…

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Xiao Lan quickly interrupted, looking utterly dejected: "Master, stop reciting. Let's just follow the principle of 'don't overthink it'..."

Oh, I see!

Xiaolan suddenly realized, "So you think too much in your daily life, so you're trying to simplify your thoughts, right?" She hesitated for a moment, then added, "I don't have many thoughts to begin with, so if I do this, won't I really become an empty-headed idiot?"

"Hahaha, you didn't listen at all, so it's completely unimportant. This is just pointless chatter, like asking you 'Have you eaten?'"

Ying Sheng lifted their clasped hands: "Anyway, just remember one thing."

Xiao Lan smiled gently, her eyes full of tenderness.

“I will definitely kill you, Tian Shu.”

Chapter 248: Yesterday's sequel - Shinichi Kudo has lost his memory?!

The karate competition continued at 2 PM.

Xiao Lan will be entering in a little while; she's currently watching the game with Ying Sheng in the stands.

Seeing the barely acceptable move, Ying Sheng nodded slightly: "That roundhouse kick was not bad, but the starting motion was a bit too obvious. If the opponent had reacted a little faster, he could have easily followed up with a one-legged takedown, and then a stomp on the chest, and the game would be over."

Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him: "This is karate, not judo. What you did was a foul."