"Don't worry, Sonoko, don't be too anxious. I'll go with Ran, and you stay here and watch Conan. Don't let him run around."
Yuusheng Nan gently comforted Sonoko, who looked worried, and at the same time stopped Conan, who was a bit agitated and seemed about to confess his true identity to Ran.
What a joke! How could Conan ruin such a good opportunity? This was a chance to put himself on the same starting line as Shinichi Kudo!
Yuusheng Nan followed Ran out of the villa. A fine drizzle was falling outside, but the fierce gaze of Takahashi Ryoichi didn't draw much attention from Yuusheng Nan.
Ran walked in the rain, silently pondering her future with Shinichi.
"Can Shinichi and I really stay together forever? Do childhood sweethearts never have a happy ending?" Ran's mood grew heavier, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She only longed for a peaceful and stable life, yet Shinichi was always keen on chasing excitement and dedicated to solving complex cases.
Could two people with such different personalities truly be happy together just because they had known each other since childhood? The more Ran thought about it, the more her heart ached, filled with confusion and unease about the future.
Yuusheng Nan followed behind, watching the confused Ran. He knew very well why she was like this.
Children who grow up in single-parent families often harbor deep-seated insecurity and fear. They long for someone to become their safe harbor, someone they can lean on.
If Yuusheng Nan hadn't appeared in Ran's world, perhaps she would have silently waited for that person who could give her warmth and protection to appear.
However, everything was different now. Yuusheng Nan was like a dazzling light illuminating Ran's life, giving her better choices, and the scales in her heart began to tilt towards him involuntarily.
"Has the rain stopped?" Ran unconsciously walked deeper into the forest, hugging her knees tightly. When she looked up, she found Yuusheng Nan quietly standing beside her, holding an umbrella.
A strange pang of sadness welled up in Ran's heart as her gaze fell upon Yuusheng Nan's hair and clothes, soaked by the rain.
"Nan..."
"Are you feeling a bit better? If you're not, just shout it out! Let all your worries out, you'll feel much better," Yuusheng Nan smiled gently at Ran.
"Mm!"
Ran nodded vigorously, wiped away what she wasn't sure was rain or tears from her face, stood up, and shouted, "Shinichi!!!"
"Please, Shinichi, if you're here, just show yourself!" Ran silently prayed in her heart, tears flowing down her face unconsciously.
She truly found it difficult to let go of this relationship that had lasted for so many years.
At this moment, Conan, who was sprawled on the villa's balcony, idly looking outside, suddenly heard Ran's voice. His heart tightened, as if something had pierced him.
"Ran! Wait for me..." Conan murmured to himself, filled with an impulse to rush over recklessly and confess his true identity to Ran.
However, just as Conan was about to act, an unwelcome guest blocked his path.
Sonoko noticed Conan rushing down from upstairs and immediately Ran over, grabbed his clothes, and pulled him back.
"You little brat, don't run around! Stay here quietly!" Sonoko said sternly, holding Conan tightly.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Sonoko, you meddling old hag, let me go!" Conan struggled desperately, trying to break free from Sonoko's grip, while cursing Sonoko in his heart... "Ran, Nan, you're finally back!" Sonoko rushed forward eagerly when she saw Ran and Yuusheng Nan walking over, chatting and laughing.
Conan had also calmed down by now. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ran safe and sound, but also felt as if he had lost something important.
"Oh my, Nan, you and Ran are both drenched! Hurry, hurry, go upstairs and change into dry clothes, then take a nice hot bath," Sonoko noticed they were completely soaked and urged them quickly.
"Alright," Ran and Yuusheng Nan responded in unison, then exchanged glances, smiled, nodded, and went upstairs together to their rooms to wash up.
A moment later, just as Yuusheng Nan finished washing up, a terrified scream echoed.
Yuusheng Nan went out at the sound, only to bump into Ran, who had also finished washing up and was preparing to check the situation.
The two simply went together to the source of the sound. Upon arriving at the scene, they found Ota Masaru staring out the window with a look of horror on his face.
Kakutani Hiroki stepped forward, helped Ota Masaru to his feet, and asked with concern, "Ota, what happened?"
"Bandage Man, there, there was a person wrapped in bandages who just swept past the window," Ota Masaru was clearly very frightened, unable to speak clearly.
At this moment, everyone else had gathered. After hearing Ota Masaru's account, Conan, who had initially been worried about Ran, was immediately drawn to the Bandage Man and quickly Ran out of the villa.
"We seemed to have seen the person you're talking about when we arrived, didn't we, Ran, Nan?" As soon as Sonoko heard "Bandage Man," she realized if it was that strange person they had seen on the suspension bridge earlier.
Ran nodded and said, "Yes, we did see him when we arrived."
"If that's the case, I think I also saw him when we arrived," Kakutani Hiroki and Takahashi Ryoichi also recalled seeing him when they came, but thought he was a local resident.
"How is that possible? Besides the suspension bridge, there's no other entrance nearby. There are only a few detached villas at the foot of the mountain or after climbing over this mountain. No one usually comes here," Suzuki Ayako said with a puzzled expression.
The plot had changed, but Yuusheng Nan didn't find it strange. Since he had appeared, how could the plot remain the same as before?
"Who exactly was that person?!" Ota Masaru asked with a terrified expression.
"Then we should call the police first!" Seeing Ota Masaru so frightened he couldn't stand steadily, Kakutani Hiroki suggested.
"Mm!"
Suzuki Ayako led everyone to the phone and started dialing, but found that the call couldn't go through.
"How can this be? I could call out during the day. Was it that thunder just now?" Suzuki Ayako said, squinting her eyes in confusion.
Heh heh, the phone doesn't work, and there's no cell signal. Isn't this a perfect crime scene? Yuusheng Nan was also speechless; the location of this villa was truly "great."
"Ah!"
"It must be him, it must be that Bandage Man from just now!" Takahashi Ryoichi shouted, running out in terror.
Watching everyone and Conan chase after him, Yuusheng Nan called Ran and Sonoko to sit down and handed them two small balls from his pocket.