In the days when Conan was caught up in chaos, trying to scientifically explain the "prophecy phenomenon," Jiangxia drove his puppet to the black market and got himself a shiny new passbook.
The gold coins were processed, and after deducting all sorts of commissions, there was more than 700 million left. The fees the middlemen charged were a bit shady, but since this was the first time Anonymous had appeared in the black market, with no network or reputation value to lean on, the price was fair enough.
Once Jiangxia got the money, he wasted no time. He visited museums, jewelry stores, art galleries—basically anywhere that could scratch his curiosity.
But just like a year ago, he couldn't find what he was looking for.
That huge sum of money in his passbook suddenly became... a little dull.
Eventually, to curb his urge to spend like a newly rich person, Jiangxia went to a plant market and bought some plants. They weren't exactly a good deal, but they were pretty, and it was the kind of potted plants he'd always wanted to get but never had.
After taking care of the plants until they bloomed, Suzuki Sonoko sent a message: [See you at the station tomorrow!]
Jiangxia froze.
Then it clicked. After the tragic KTV accident, Suzuki Sonoko had been reluctant to offer another "ghost hunting"—ahem, I mean "vacation home" for the gang to visit—at the villa her sister owned up in the mountains of Kyoto.
Suzuki Sonoko, being the daughter of the Suzuki Foundation's chairman, lived in a world where "rich" is an understatement. The Suzuki conglomerate was pretty much synonymous with wealth.
They had a lot of villas. The catch? Nearly every one of them had a murder attached to it.
Jiangxia was a bit envious.
He was also a little confused—there were so many villas in the Suzuki family, and he wasn't sure which one had an issue this time.
But since it involved Suzuki Sonoko's sister, he figured it must only be two or three villas involved. He'd find out when they got there.
Even if he had no idea which villa was the one causing trouble... it didn't matter.
Jiangxia just wanted to tag along and pick up ghosts.
All he needed to do was make sure he didn't get killed. Oh, and occasionally save the cute classmates...
...
Jiangxia asked Amuro for a leave in advance.
By noon the next day, he packed up and arrived at the Shinkansen station.
It wasn't long before he found his three companions—Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, and Conan, who was never absent, as usual.
Since Conan shrank, he started to let himself go a bit.
Before, when Kudo Shinichi was still in high school, he was too shy to interact with girls.
But now? Whenever Mouri Ran was around, Conan became her loyal pet, always sticking close.
The train ride was getting a bit dull. On the way, Suzuki Sonoko tried to have a conversation with Jiangxia, but it didn't quite work out.
It was obvious Jiangxia was trying to chat, but the two couldn't find a common ground. The whole process was clumsy, and Suzuki Sonoko soon gave up. To avoid giving Jiangxia any psychological trauma, she decided to move on and change the subject.
So, the topic shifted to another person—Conan, the child who had appeared out of nowhere.
Conan didn't mind being discussed by his classmates. After all, he had made up the story anyway.
But seeing that Jiangxia was also listening in, Conan began to feel uneasy.
Ever since the KTV incident, Conan had felt like his vest had been blown.
He had expected that Jiangxia would eventually ask him about getting smaller, but he hadn't. Jiangxia acted like everything was normal—like he hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.
Conan tried to convince himself that, even though "Edogawa Conan" and "Kudou Shinichi" were exactly the same, Jiangxia, as his neighbor, had never noticed his strange childlike appearance. Even if Conan had shown up at the doctor's house right after Kudo Shinichi disappeared, or if he often acted unlike an ordinary elementary student, more like a little adult with tons of knowledge...
Conan rubbed his head.
Stop kidding yourself.
Jiangxia should possibly have guessed that "Conan" was related to "Kudo Shinichi."
As for why he hadn't asked? Maybe it was because Jiangxia didn't want to spy on his neighbor's secrets—they weren't that familiar after all.
Or maybe Jiangxia, being a detective, couldn't accept the absurdity of adults shrinking, as it would violate the law of conservation of matter. So, he was purposefully avoiding the topic.
But now, as Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran started chatting about "Edogawa Conan's" questionable backstory...
Conan had the distinct feeling that Jiangxia, no matter how much he respected science, was definitely going to put two and two together about "Conan" and "Kudou Shinichi."
Conan sighed and began to panic internally. If Jiangxia did ask, what could he possibly say?
If he told the truth, that would lead to the terrifying black-clad organization coming after Jiangxia too. He could drag Jiangxia into that mess.
Conan quickly raised his head in distress, only to find Jiangxia staring at him.
Conan forced a smile.
At the same time, he thought, No, Jiangxia is innocent. Until the last possible moment, I'll try my best to hide the truth.
To do this... First and foremost, Jiangxia must not see his guilty expression. That would raise suspicions.
So, Conan made a snap decision. He jumped out of his seat and said to Mouri Ran, "Sister Ran, I need to go to the bathroom!" Then, without looking back, he dashed off.
As long as Jiangxia can't see me, can't observe me, can't see the guilt on my face, then he won't figure out my secret.
The more Conan thought about it, the more he convinced himself that this shameless escape plan was actually a great idea.
Once he was out of Jiangxia's line of sight, Conan breathed a sigh of relief.
However, just as he relaxed, the train stopped, and two people boarded the train.
Conan froze when he saw who it was.
—Two very familiar tall men in black.
Conan's eyes widened as he looked at the one with the broad chin and sunglasses, and then at the other one, Gin. His heartbeat suddenly quickened, and cold sweat started to drip from his forehead.
...These were the two who had poisoned him with some weird drug and made him shrink!
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 20/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*