The moment Ryuji noticed the small earring hole on Ran's ear, he sensed that something about her felt… different. But before he could think more about it, a girl suddenly lunged at him.
"This is psychic power, right?! You've got superpowers, don't you?!"
Sonoko grabbed Ryuji's hand, unable to contain her excitement. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she shouted,
"Whoa! I can't believe there are real people with superpowers in this world! Hey, hey! Why don't you come work for my family's company?"
Staring at Ryuji's well-built physique, his sharp, stoic features, and that blazing power in his hand, Sonoko's mind instantly jumped to one word " male protagonist".
"Huh?"
Ryuji looked at her speechlessly, then glanced at the headband she always wore, and he couldn't help but take action.
"If you change your hairstyle, I might actually consider it."
Before Sonoko could react, Ryuji reached out and casually removed her headband. Her hair tumbled down over her shoulders, instantly softening her entire appearance.
In that moment, Sonoko looked… beautiful. Her delicate features came alive, her usual goofy energy fading into something far gentler and the faint blush that spread across her cheeks as he leaned close made her even more striking.
Even little Ryuji twitched slightly in response.
Damn it… this is bad. Am I seriously getting attracted to Sonoko Suzuki?
Ryuji groaned inwardly, shaking off the thought. Without hesitation, he pocketed Sonoko's headband, determined not to let her turn back into that silly, loudmouthed version of herself. Sure, her personality was still that of a goofball but there was a big difference between a pretty goofball and a not-so-pretty one.
"H-hey… why'd you take my headband?"
Sonoko's voice wavered as she shyly pulled her hand back. The sudden shift in Ryuji's gaze had sent a thrill through her, though she couldn't quite explain why, it left her flustered and oddly… pleased.
"Anyway, we should call the police," Ryuji said calmly.
He didn't say much else, just gestured toward Misato, who was standing nearby.
"This should count as your achievement, right?"
Misato raised an eyebrow.
"Technically, yes. As long as you don't take the credit, it'll probably be listed under my name. Let me tell you something, Japan's police system is basically a mess right now. They're so desperate to compete with those so-called 'great detectives' that every case like this automatically gets credited to the police."
She sighed in exasperation, then glanced curiously at Ran standing beside Ryuji.
"But what's up with this girl? How does your girlfriend end up getting kidnapped?"
"Huh? Girlfriend?!"
Sonoko's shocked voice cut through the air, drawing everyone's attention to her. Neither Ryuji nor Misato noticed the faint change in expression on Ran's face.
"Yeah," Ryuji said bluntly, wrapping an arm around Ran's shoulders. "She's my girlfriend."
It was obvious Sonoko had started developing feelings for him after everything that happened. And since Ryuji had no interest in dating an airhead. The easiest solution? Crush that thought right here and now.
"B-But Ran already has Shinichi!" Sonoko stammered, pointing at her friend, her voice trembling with disbelief. She had finally found someone who made her heart race and he turned out to be her best friend's boyfriend?! This is so awkward!
"Come on," Ryuji said dryly. "Think about it. How long has that guy been gone?"
Even in modern times, when a couple hasn't talked or seen each other for months, everyone knows what that usually means.
"That's… true," Sonoko muttered, frowning. "It's been over half a year since Shinichi's called or shown up…"
Ryuji's instincts immediately picked up on something odd about that timeline, but he decided not to dwell on it... otherwise he'd go crazy if he did.
But Misato on the side showed a puzzled expression.
"Half a year?" she murmured, recalling an old newspaper headline. Just a month ago, there'd been an article about Shinichi Kudo saving Japan's police.
She grabbed the nearest newspaper and checked the date.
September 31st.
Blinking in confusion, she looked out the window at the clear sky, then snatched up yesterday's paper.
February 43rd.
Misato froze. "Huh??"
Thinking she must be seeing things, she turned toward Ran and asked slowly...
"What day is it today?"
"The day? It's Monday, What's wrong?"
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow's Sunday."
"And the date today?"
"September 31st. Why?"
"And tomorrow's date?"
"July 64th, I think? Oh right, the day after tomorrow is Christmas!"
"…What's one plus one?"
"Two? Miss Katsuragi, are you okay?"
"So after September 31st comes… July 64th?"
Misato : "????!!"
How does that make any sense?!
Realizing something was terribly wrong with this world, Misato glanced down at the newspaper, then at Ran's completely normal expression. She grabbed her head in disbelief, feeling as if she were losing her mind.
Only then did she notice... just yesterday she'd been wearing a T-shirt because of the summer heat… yet today, everyone on the streets was bundled up in winter coats.
"Have I gone insane? Is all of this… just a hallucination?"
Misato clutched her head and muttered to herself. But as she did, shimmering multicolored energy screens began to flicker around her body... something that made Ryuji's eyes widen in shock.
"This… is that an AT Field?"
The radiant barriers lasted only a moment before vanishing completely. If Ryuji hadn't been watching closely, he would've missed it entirely.
"To think she triggered an AT Field just from mental breakdown… unbelievable," he muttered wryly.
After seeing Conan, Stephen Chow, and half the stars from old Hong Kong movies wandering around this strange world, Ryuji had long since given up on trying to make sense of time here.
Weird dates? Twisted space-time? He couldn't care less. Even when the world restricted his overpowered abilities for being too "broken," he just accepted it.
After all, this was the Conan world... nonsense was practically the norm here.
As for Misato's sudden AT Field awakening? Hardly surprising. For someone from Evangelion world, that was normal to awaken it.
Ignoring Misato, who was now questioning her entire existence, Ryuji turned his attention back to Ran whose body was stiff with unease and gave Sonoko a grin.
"So, you get it now, right? Besides… I've already decided to marry Ran."
Sonoko's eyes went blank, her mind spinning. She nodded numbly, then stumbled toward the exit like a lost soul.
Just then, the sound of police sirens filled the air.
Everything after that went smoothly. Thanks to Misato, they weren't hassled by the authorities... just gave their statements and were free to go.
During the whole process, Ran seemed restless and nervous. She didn't mention calling her mother, Eri Kisaki, or her father, Kogoro Mouri, and Ryuji didn't question it.
After saying goodbye to the dazed Sonoko, he took Ran back to his house.
What's even better is that Misato was left behind to handle the case, meaning she wouldn't be coming home anytime soon.
Which left just the two of them.
"Heh… looks like you've finally fallen into my hands, haven't you?" Ryuji grinned mischievously, as he wrapped his arms around Ran.
She was stunned for a moment and questions marks appeared in her mind but before she could speak, Ryuji leaned in and kissed her deeply, pinning both her hands down.
~~~~~~~~~~
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