Chapter 198: Blood Type
Conan Edogawa had already surmised that the Organization was preparing to make its move, but running into Eisuke Hondo—the very person currently at the center of his suspicions—at the hospital the very next day still made him feel as though events were accelerating far too quickly.
At that moment, Conan was at Beika West Hospital with Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki to visit a classmate. They had rushed over, deeply worried after hearing his appendicitis was on the verge of rupturing, only to find the boy happily tucking into cake and cream puffs, looking perfectly fine.
After bidding their surprisingly chipper friend goodbye, Sonoko couldn't help but grumble as they walked down the polished linoleum hallway.
It was then that they saw him: Eisuke Hondo, clutching a photograph and earnestly questioning a doctor.
Since they were all feeling peckish, they decided to invite him to a nearby burger shop for a bite to eat.
Seeing Eisuke there, Conan immediately guessed the reason for his presence. He must have learned that Rena Mizunashi was admitted to a hospital somewhere, and now he was canvassing them one by one, hoping for a lead.
When Sonoko called out his name, her voice echoing slightly in the corridor, Eisuke startled so badly that he stumbled right into a passerby and promptly fell over. By now, both Sonoko and Ran were completely accustomed to his spectacular clumsiness.
Conan, however, felt a small wave of relief. He had been standing just far enough away this time to avoid being dragged down with him.
"Are you sure this isn't Rena Mizunashi? You know, the anchor from Yomiuri Television who's on a break right now?"
Inside the bustling burger shop, Sonoko held the photograph that Eisuke had dropped at the hospital. She stared at the woman in the picture, her expression a mask of disbelief.
"It really does look like her," Ran agreed, leaning closer to Sonoko to get a better look. "But she seems much younger here than she does on TV."
"No. That's..." Eisuke began, his voice strained. "That's my sister."
"Your sister?!"
"No way! That anchor is your sister?!"
Sonoko and Ran snapped their heads up to stare at Eisuke, their faces painted with identical looks of astonishment.
"Ah, no," Eisuke quickly clarified, shaking his head and waving his hands frantically. "Even though they look very similar, the person in the photo isn't Miss Mizunashi."
He then proceeded to explain his situation. The woman in the photograph was his older sister, Emi Hondo. She had always taken wonderful care of him when he was a child. He recounted a time when he'd had a serious accident, and she had unhesitatingly donated a large amount of her own blood to save his life.
The bond between them had always been strong, but ten years ago, his sister had run away from home. He hadn't seen her since. All this time, he had been desperately trying to find her, if only for the chance to finally thank her properly.
"Then why are you so sure Rena Mizunashi isn't your sister?" Sonoko pressed, craning her neck to lean closer across the table. She squinted at the hesitant boy opposite her, her mind already spinning with theories. "If you have to show your face on TV, you might have to hide your real name, right?"
"Right! I have an idea that might help us find out if Miss Mizunashi is your sister, Eisuke," Ran suddenly exclaimed, holding up a single finger as a thought struck her.
She turned to look at Conan, a small smile playing on her lips. "Conan, do you remember Charlotte? The woman who lives in the apartment above Miss Mizunashi?"
Hearing the name, Conan froze for a fraction of a second before quickly composing himself and nodding. "Yeah, I remember."
He instantly understood where Ran was going with this. "Right, Charlotte is a reporter for the Beika Daily. Since she lives right above Miss Mizunashi, she might know something."
'Although,'Conan mused silently,'they didn't seem particularly close. And Rena Mizunashi was taken away by the FBI the day after they officially met.'
Still, Charlotte herself was far from simple. It was entirely possible she had uncovered something. He was more surprised by how casually Ran seemed to know her. He couldn't recall them ever meeting after that initial incident.
Conan watched Ran with half-lidded eyes, a silent complaint forming in his mind. 'Then again, all those people with Visions have a certain charisma about them. It's no wonder Ran is on good terms with her now.'
Putting her plan into action, Ran immediately pulled out her phone and dialed Charlotte's number. Not long after, the call connected. Eisuke watched her, his posture tense with nervousness.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ran explained the reason for her call.
Charlotte listened patiently on the other end before speaking. "Ran, based on what you've told me, it's highly unlikely that this young man, Eisuke Hondo, is Miss Mizunashi's brother."
"Why?" Ran asked, her confusion evident in her voice.
"Because, according to what you said, Eisuke Hondo has Type O blood," Charlotte explained calmly. "I've read some early reports on Rena Mizunashi. She once donated blood to a patient with Type AB blood and has also received blood transfusions herself. Therefore, her blood type must be AB."
Charlotte delivered her conclusion with the precision of a seasoned journalist. "And a person with Type AB blood cannot donate to someone with Type O blood. In other words, Eisuke Hondo's sister, from whom he received a transfusion, and Rena Mizunashi have different blood types. They can't be the same person."
"Oh... so that's how it is," Ran murmured, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Conan, listening from the side, silently came to the same conclusion. Eisuke's sister and Rena Mizunashi were two different people.
Coupling this with what he already suspected about Eisuke's father, a cold theory began to form in his mind. It was probably no coincidence that Rena Mizunashi looked so much like Emi Hondo; it was likely the result of intentional plastic surgery. The real Emi Hondo might have already been eliminated by the Organization. Then, they had Rena Mizunashi surgically altered to take her place, perhaps as a way to lure out other suspicious individuals connected to her.
He glanced over at Eisuke. The boy's head was bowed, his hands clenched so tightly on his knees that his knuckles were white. He was clearly trying to suppress a wave of emotion. It seemed Eisuke had arrived at a similar, dreadful suspicion.
"Wait, I just thought of something else I should tell you."
Just as Ran, having understood the situation, was about to thank Charlotte and end the call, the reporter's voice suddenly cut back in, stopping her.
Sonoko, Conan, and Eisuke all turned their heads in unison toward the phone, their curiosity piqued. Did Charlotte know something more?
"What is it?" Ran asked.
"Well..." Charlotte paused for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. "It's that a person's blood type can change."
"A person's blood type can change?" Ran's eyes widened, her voice rising in pitch. She couldn't fathom how such a fundamental biological trait could possibly be altered.
For Conan, however, it was like a flash of lightning in his mind. He knew. There was indeed one rare situation where a person's blood type could change.
Charlotte's next words confirmed his thoughts.
"Yeah," she affirmed. "If a person has received a bone marrow transplant, their blood type will change to match the donor's."
"Ran, ask your friend if he's ever undergone that kind of surgery. Or, have him get his blood type tested again to see if it's still Type O. If it is, then the fact that they look alike is probably just a coincidence. But if his blood type is now AB... then Rena Mizunashi really might be Emi Hondo."
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