The next evening, the sun was setting.
Rin and Sonoko arrived at the agreed meeting point first.
It was a bubble tea shop called Richard Teamilk, located very close to the Suzuki Museum.
The interior decor was warm and cute, and the air was filled with a sweet milky fragrance.
Not long after, the shop door opened, and Ran walked in, holding Conan's hand.
"Ran! Over here, over here!" Sonoko immediately waved to greet her.
Once the two sat down, Sonoko eagerly asked, "How was it, Ran? Did you get in touch with that deduction maniac?"
Ran's face showed a look of disappointment, and she shook her head. "I called Shinichi. He said he had something very important to do out of town and couldn't get away, so he wouldn't be able to make it back tonight."
Conan silently grumbled in his heart. Although there was still some temporary antidote for APTX-4869, its effect was unstable and short-lived, so it had to be used wisely.
Using it to deal with Officer Nakamori's suspicion would be too risky and wasteful, completely unnecessary.
Upon hearing this, Sonoko made an I knew it expression and pouted.
"Hmph, I knew it would be like this. That deduction maniac only cares about his deductions! Not like my Makoto, if I ever need him, he will definitely come."
Just then, a female shop assistant wearing an apron, with a delicate face but noticeable dark circles under her eyes, walked over with a tray holding four cups of packaged bubble tea.
"Hello, these are the four signature pearl milk teas you ordered. Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Coco, you've worked hard." Rin took the bubble tea and gently told the assistant, "But you should also pay attention to resting, your dark circles are almost worse than a panda's."
The assistant named Coco smiled a little awkwardly and whispered, "Thank you for your concern, I will pay attention." After speaking, she politely retreated behind the counter.
Rin really does meet acquaintances everywhere, doesn't she?
Conan watched this scene, silently complaining in his heart.
However, thankfully this time, this assistant named Coco was quite fair, the four cups of bubble tea seemed to have the same amount and ingredients, without the special treatment like Vivian gave yesterday.
However, just as everyone was about to taste their bubble tea, Sonoko's casual gaze out the window suddenly froze.
She looked as if she had seen something incredibly unbelievable, her eyes widened suddenly, and her mouth formed an O shape.
"Whoa, whoa... no way? Am I seeing things?" Sonoko rubbed her eyes hard.
"What's wrong, Sonoko?" Ran asked, puzzled.
Sonoko's hand trembled as she pointed across the street, her voice changing pitch. "R-Ran! Look over there! Is that... is that Kudo Shinichi?!"
Ran and Conan looked in the direction she pointed.
Across the street, a tall, high school-aged boy in casual clothes was walking hand-in-hand with a girl, chatting intimately.
The boy's profile and build were unmistakably Kudo Shinichi!
"Shinichi...?"
Ran froze, and then a surge of anger from feeling deceived instantly welled up in her heart.
Her fists unconsciously clenched, her knuckles cracking.
"His very important business... was to go shopping with this girl?!"
"Ran-neechan! Wait! There might be some misunderstanding!" Conan was also stunned and hastily tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
In her fury, Ran propped herself against the window, swung herself out of the bubble tea shop through the window.
She crossed the road at an astonishing speed, rushed to the front of that Kudo Shinichi, and shouted, "Shinichi! You liar!"
Before her words even finished, a furious punch, whistling through the air, went straight for the other party's face.
This Kudo Shinichi was naturally Kuroba Kaito.
Summoned by Officer Nakamori, he was out shopping nearby with his childhood friend, Nakamori Aoko, completely unprepared for such a sudden attack.
Fortunately, relying on his magician's agility, he leaned back sharply at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a punch that could have reset his life.
"Boom!"
Ran's punch grazed Kuroba Kaito's nose and heavily struck an innocent concrete utility pole nearby.
With a dull thud, spiderweb-like cracks actually appeared on the pole's surface.
Kuroba Kaito looked at the cracked utility pole, cold sweat instantly broke out, and he quickly waved his hands to explain.
"Whoa, whoa! Classmate! Calm down! You've got the wrong person, haven't you?! I'm not some Shinichi!"
"Wrong person?!"
Ran wouldn't listen, the anger in her eyes intensified.
"Your face! Your voice! They're exactly like that jerk's! How could I be wrong!"
As she spoke, she took a stance, ready to attack again.
"Ran! Stop!"
Just then, a calm voice spoke up.
Rin had arrived at the scene at some point. She reached out and gently placed her hand on Ran's raised fist.
It seemed like a casual touch, but Ran felt as if her fist was clamped by pliers, unable to exert force.
"Rin?" Ran looked at Rin, puzzled.
Rin gestured with her eyes for her to calm down, then looked at the still-shaken Kuroba Kaito and Nakamori Aoko, who was equally startled beside him, and said with a smile.
"This might really be a misunderstanding. Look, although this classmate resembles Shinichi, doesn't his female companion also look a lot like you?"
Upon Rin's reminder, Ran finally looked closely at Nakamori Aoko.
Indeed, apart from her hairstyle, the other girl's facial contours and features were very similar to her own, like a younger version of herself by a year or two.
Conan also ran over and, looking at Nakamori Aoko, was shocked internally. She really looks like Ran...
Under Rin's mediation, a misunderstanding was finally cleared up.
After introductions, Ran learned that the boy who strongly resembled Kudo Shinichi was Kuroba Kaito,
and the girl who looked like her was actually Nakamori Aoko, Officer Nakamori Ginzo daughter.
"No wonder... Officer Nakamori looked so strange the first time he saw me, and almost called me the wrong name..."
Ran then realized and awkwardly apologized to Kuroba Kaito and Nakamori Aoko.
Kuroba Kaito, however, magnanimously waved his hand, his playful smile returning.
"No worries, no worries. It's a rare experience to witness such amazing martial arts. But I never thought I'd have such a common face."
With the commotion settled, the group returned to the Richard Teamilk bubble tea shop for a short rest, then headed to the museum together.
At the temporary security checkpoint set up by Officer Nakamori, they once again underwent strict inspection. Officer Nakamori personally supervised, still requiring them to pinch each other's faces for verification.
After confirming everything, Officer Nakamori frowned and asked Ran, "Where is Kudo Shinichi? Why didn't he come?"
Ran quickly explained, "Officer Nakamori, Shinichi has something very important to deal with out of town and really couldn't make it back..."
"Hmph, couldn't make it back?" Officer Nakamori's suspicion deepened. "Precisely at such a crucial time..."
Just then, a slightly abrupt voice interjected, "Who said I couldn't make it back?"