Being by the side of the person you love and watching her cry, but not being able to accompany her with your true identity is a peculiar feeling.
Sadness, discomfort, heartache...
Various emotions blend together, forming a mood that even oneself doesn't know how to describe.
The only thing known is that… the heart hurts.
"If Conan was Shinichi(Kudo)... that would be nice." Ran smiled tearfully at Conan after hearing his consolation.
The scene before him instantly shattered Conan's inner defenses. In that moment, Conan felt a strong impulse, and the words revealing his identity were almost on the tip of his tongue.
But thinking of the ruthlessness of the Black Organization, and for Ran's safety, Conan endured it.
"Don't be sad, Sister Ran!"
Just then, as if in a flash of insight, Conan looked at Ran and said, "I can guarantee that Brother Shinichi(Kudo) absolutely hasn't changed his heart!"
"Hmm?"
Looking at the puzzled Ran, Conan pulled her down and whispered in her ear, "Keep it a secret from brother Shinichi(Kudo), okay?
Actually... the reason brother Shinichi(Kudo) invited Sister Ran to the observation tower restaurant at the center of the Central Building that day..."
"Eh?" Ran was indeed captivated after hearing Conan's words and she asked in confusion, "What's the reason?"
"Well... the observation tower restaurant at the Central Building..."
Conan suppressed the shyness in his heart and whispered, "It's where brother Shinichi(Kudo)'s father, Uncle Yusaku confessed to Aunt Yukiko in the past!"
Because Senichi prevented the case, the incident did not happen, so Ran did not hear from the waiter about that past event.
Moreover, unlike the rumors mentioned by the waiter, Conan specifically pointed out the identities of his parents.
In that instant, Ran remembered the scene when Shinichi(Kudo) confessed to her at that time, and a sense of shyness surged in her heart, immediately dispelling the sadness within.
"He... that... Conan... is what you're saying true?" Ran was a bit incoherent and said, "That... is really..."
"Of course!" Conan nodded. "When Aunt Yukiko came over earlier, I secretly asked her about it."
Speaking of this, Conan pretended to be clueless and said, "By the way, ever since that day, Brother Shinichi(Kudo) has always been asking me about Sister Ran's reactions..."
"Eh? Reactions?" Ran, upon hearing this, stammered a bit. "What reactions..."
"It's about how Sister Ran's mood is, what her reaction is when mentioning him" Conan made an innocent expression. "Brother Shinichi(Kudo) has been asking like this for quite some time. Although I don't know what happened between you and him, I think his feelings have always been unchanged."
"Oh, really... I didn't know..." Ran smiled, and the pear blossoms on her face suddenly bloomed with a radiant smile.
At this moment, Conan looked at Ran's brilliant smile and couldn't help but feel a bit absent-minded.
"Ah, we should hurry." Ran looked at Senichi's retreating figure and hastily wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and pulled Conan along. "Detective Senichi is waiting for us up ahead."
As they approached, they realized that Senichi wasn't just waiting for them; he had encountered a man.
The two were not far apart. The man held a cigarette and wore a black knitted hat. His emerald-green eyes carried a sharpness as he and Senichi exchanged glances.
When Conan saw the man in front of him, his pupils shook violently, and the horror on his face couldn't be concealed.
In that instant, Conan instinctively placed Ran behind him.
"Well, I didn't expect to meet you again." Senichi looked at Shuichi Akai and smiled faintly. "What a coincidence."
"It's quite a coincidence."
Shuichi Akai nodded and then turned to look at Ran, who was shielded by Conan. "You're crying again... Why do you always cry..."
"Crying again? Always?" Conan looked puzzled after hearing the words of the stern-looking man in front of him.
However, Ran reached out to wipe away the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes and asked defiantly, "Is that not okay?"
Looking at Ran's somewhat unfriendly tone, Conan was completely bewildered and was unable to understand the situation.
But upon seeing Senichi, Conan's uneasiness caused by confusion eased slightly.
"No..."
Shuichi Akai didn't show anger towards Ran's words. Instead, he walked calmly past Senichi to stand in front of Ran. "I just remembered... a woman who looks a lot like you.
Always pretending to be strong, feigning calmness, and then hiding in the shadows to cry...
A rather foolish woman..."
After saying this, Shuichi Akai walked straight ahead without waiting for Ran's reaction and eventually entered the telephone booth.
Once he left, Conan quickly pointed to the telephone booth. "Sister Ran, do you know that man just now?"
Ran nodded.
"Well... I met him when Shinichi(Kudo) and I went to New York...
When I was waiting for Shinichi(Kudo) in an abandoned apartment, he approached me and asked, 'Have you seen a guy with silver hair and a Japanese man with a scruffy face?'
He had long hair at the time."
Could it be the abandoned apartment where the serial killer once hid!?
Hearing Ran's words, Conan's expression changed dramatically as numerous thoughts rushed through his mind.
"But I don't think he's a suspicious person..."
Seeing Conan's shocked expression and thinking that Shinichi(Kudo) had told Conan about their experiences in New York, Ran looked at Conan with puzzlement and explained, "Because he told me to leave quickly and he said it was dangerous here. Later, I saw him walking with a man wearing an 'FBI' jacket..."
"FBI?"
Conan turned abruptly to look at the telephone booth upon hearing this information and his face was filled with disbelief. He couldn't fathom why an FBI agent would appear in Japan.
At this moment, Conan's mind was in chaos. He had interacted with this man several times and suspected him of being a member of the Black Organization. However, he never expected the man's true identity to be an FBI agent.
But in the next moment, he began to doubt this information and suspected that the man was not really an FBI agent. Because the serial killer at that time appeared to have committed suicide but was actually murdered and disguised as a suicide.
If the FBI was lingering near that abandoned apartment, they should have noticed it. Moreover, during the bus hijacking case, the man was also on the bus, and Haibara mentioned the presence of the "scent" of organization members on the bus.
The cascade of thoughts left Conan deep in contemplation.