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

"It's all because of your PUA tactics; Xiaolan is completely captivated by you."

"No, no, no, this is a broad-minded outlook on life, which is very worth learning. Think about it, given Xiaolan's family situation, if she weren't more open-minded, would she be so cheerful now? She would probably be about the same as Qingliu."

"That's no excuse for you to exploit her weaknesses."

"Hehe, outsiders shouldn't speak, okay?"

At 4:30 PM, Shinichi Kudo called, angrily questioning:

"Shuiyue, what are you trying to do?!"

“I don’t understand what you mean, Kudo-san,” Hotaru chuckled.

"Don't tell me you didn't know who hired Toko!"

Who is Toko?

"...You're playing dumb, aren't you? She's already confessed, saying she heard people cheering for Wada Haruna on the phone. Nakamichi even told me that you suggested our school cooperate with Beika High School so we could cheer each other on."

"Oh, Zhongdao's spirit has recovered? That's really good news. But why didn't you come to ask me about the baby face and big breasts? You can't have let go of the past, can you?"

"Damn it, don't change the subject!"

"I genuinely care about my classmates, okay? As for Toko, well..."

Hotaru repeated what he had said to Sonoko earlier, and added at the end: "Moreover, this person came because she really cares about Mr. Mori. She didn't even ask for an appearance fee, saying that she has already received too much care from Mr. Mori."

And the fact that she can be so honest with you, oh, it must be because you, you despicable detective, are bringing up that mastermind story again. Can't you use your clever brain to think about what is there about Mr. Mori that would be worth anyone's scheming?

I said, judging from what you said before, your attitude towards Mr. Mori is also quite indifferent.

How long are you going to keep protecting him?

Shinichi Kudo was silent for a few moments: "It doesn't matter what kind of person Uncle Mori is, I only care about the truth."

Even if he turns into a complete mess?

"That won't happen."

"Okay, so how did the matter of Miss Toko's visit end? To be honest, it was in a hospital room after all, so nothing too outrageous could have happened. I really don't understand what you're getting so worked up about."

“I’ve already sent her back. Thanks to you, Uncle Mori is even more dejected now.”

"Don't try to shift the blame. It's clearly your own ignorance that's causing this. What a disappointment, Kudo-san. I hope you recover quickly and get discharged from the hospital."

When will Miss Aida be back?

"Next Mon."

"I understand, Shuiyue. This is pointless. Let's not continue."

"Listen to the admonition, see you."

There was a moment of silence in the headphones, and less than a second later, Sonoko seamlessly resumed speaking:

What does "mastermind" mean?

"A character that only exists in Kudo's imagination, roughly equivalent to Professor Moriarty, who opposes Sherlock Holmes, the Napoleon of the criminal world," Hotaru said casually.

What exactly did he do?

"They did things like flying, escaping into the sky, and bringing the dead back to life, but it was just a non-existent, absurd dream."

"Was that you?"

"what?"

"What you just did was highly suspicious."

"Oh, this is alright. If I really didn't want to be discovered, I would have changed the location first."

"Yeah...that's right."

The competition was nearing its end, and the top eight teams were being determined. The draw began, and Ran's opponent was not Wada Yona, which relieved both the Teitan High School and Beika High School teams. They had been looking forward to seeing these two meet in the finals.

It must have been very interesting to see them cheering for each other's players.

In the arena, all the contestants who participated in today's competition stood in their respective teams. On the stage, an unidentified man with a receding hairline was giving a speech. The crowd in the stands began to leave one after another. Ying Sheng stood up, looked at Xiao Lan in the arena, and pointed outside.

Ran nodded slightly, and Hotaru and Sonoko joined the crowd and left together.

Sonoko returned the earphones to Hotaru and dialed her father's number to ask where the person who was supposed to meet her was. Five minutes later, in a secluded corner behind the green belt in the stadium parking lot, the two sides completed the handover of Junerick's medication.

One person casually pulls an unidentified item out of their pocket, while the other person bows solemnly, carefully takes it, and places it in an encrypted cooler.

Seeing this scene, Sonoko had a strange feeling.

It felt like witnessing a historical turning point.

Like everyone else in the past, she didn't feel anything special at this moment.

After the Suzuki Group members had all gotten into their cars and left, Sonoko turned to Hotaru and said, "My sister investigated your life, including the teachings the Mizuki couple gave you. Logically speaking, you shouldn't be like this now."

Ying Sheng asked curiously, "How do you investigate family education? Tutoring centers?"

"almost."

"Have you ever considered what if they themselves knew a lot?"

"Yes, my sister thinks so too. Although they are just employees of a research institute and run a private clinic on the surface, they may actually be agents of some country, just like in the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

Sonoko sighed and walked towards the main exit of the gymnasium, where the crowds were the largest. "But I still think you're strange, after all, we were classmates before."

“You’ve never paid any attention to me, so what does that prove? Twenty-five days ago, I didn’t even know you existed.”

"Hey, that's going too far."

"I apologize. Also, where is my parents' private clinic located?"

"It's located in Beikacho 4-chome, but it's been listed for sale for two weeks now. Didn't you say your parents went abroad on a business trip, so you just sold it off?"

"That's a real shame. I was looking forward to treasure hunting there, but now there's probably nothing left."

"You've never been there before?"

"Maybe I've been there."

"...That's really strange."

As they chatted casually, Ran, who was saying goodbye to her teammates from Teitan High School, appeared behind a group of people in small groups. When she saw the two of them, she walked straight over, and Sonoko naturally followed half a step behind.

"Mizuki-kun, have you found Ms. Kusano's address?"

After exchanging greetings, Xiaolan asked curiously.

"Not yet. I guess we'll have to go find Ms. Okino Yoko first, and then go around to her." There was still no news from the Sumiyoshi-kai about Okino Yoko returning home. Hotaru thought for a moment, "How about we go to the Nichiuri TV station first? Ai has something to ask them."

"Huh? Ai-chan wants to call the TV station? Is that..."

Xiaolan paused slightly, and before she could turn her head, Yuanzi, who was a step behind her, spoke first:

"I won't disturb your date any longer. See you tomorrow."

Xiaolan hurriedly said goodbye to her best friend. Yuanzi nodded and walked to the side, her back view carefree. She made a phone gesture with her right hand and waved it to her ear.

Xiao Lan thought he was saying to her, "I will definitely call you tonight."

Sonoko has always been very curious about her and Shinichi's dates, and she's happy to share them.

Now is no exception.

However, considering that Sonoko was Hotaru's ex-girlfriend, and that many of the things they did together involved crimes, Ran hasn't shared anything about it for a while.

Tonight is just a visit to my idol with Mizuki-kun, which doesn't involve any crime, so it's completely fine.

After Sonoko's figure disappeared into the crowd, Ran and Hotaru walked side by side before continuing with the previous question:

"Does Ai want to do a TV interview so that the news that she's still alive can spread?"

"Yes, do you know Rena Mizunashi? Is there any particular reason why Ai wants to find her?"

“Rena Mizunashi…”

Xiao Lan pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "She is very beautiful, and has a very gentle temperament."

Chapter 256 Xiao Lan's Gradual Outrage

Hotaru seemed to be deep in thought. Could this gentleness remind Ai of her older sister?

"That is indeed a very suitable person to confide in."

He took a taxi to Nichiri TV station. Just as Hotaru was about to go in and ask questions, he ran into a lady who had just left the station. He went up to her and struck up a conversation. Before long, he got Rena Mizunashi's contact number.

Returning to the taxi that was waiting, Hotaru had the driver take him to Ian's apartment. Hotaru then sent Rena Mizunashi's phone number to Ai Haibara so she could contact her herself.

Since Shuiyue Yingsheng's identity is public, he obviously cannot have any private contact with Shirley; having a phone number is enough.

Halfway there, Ran received a call from Shinichi Kudo. She turned on the speakerphone and heard:

"Xiao Lan, could you come to the hospital to take care of Uncle Mori? He's in a very bad mood right now."

"Huh? What exactly happened?"

Xiao Lan was quite surprised and looked up at Ying Sheng.

Hotaru spread his hands: "Kudo, to be honest, Ran will make her own judgment."

Shinichi Kudo was silent for a few moments: "Why won't you say anything?"

"Because I think this kind of thing is insignificant, but since you brought it up, let Xiaolan hear it. Besides, if you say it yourself, it will prevent me from downplaying the issue, right? Of course, you'd better be objective yourself."

"it is good."

After a brief silence, Shinichi Kudo, as expected, revealed what had happened without any concealment, including Kanako Mie's spontaneous actions and Towako, who later called Kogoro Mouri over.

Ran was initially shocked, but after hearing Shinichi Kudo relay Hotaru's thoughts, she gradually calmed down. After Shinichi Kudo finished explaining everything, she only thought for a moment before asking:

"What was Dad's attitude when he talked to Miss Toko? Did he try to hide it from you at first? What was his first reaction after you found out?"

Ran's questions were clear and logical, but Shinichi Kudo frowned slightly: "Did Suigetsu ask you to ask these questions?"

He felt that Xiaolan seemed to have been subjected to psychological manipulation too deeply.

Ying Sheng raised an eyebrow, about to question, "You're peeking through the crack in the door, aren't you?"