"Dad…"

  Ran who had been c her mouth, her body trembling slightly, finally spoke.

  "This child stay, but… I 't."

  "!"

  The three adults in the room—Kogoro, Yukiko, and Yusaku were all caught off guard.

  Ran crouched down slightly and removed the child's gsses.

  "He really does look just like Shinichi when he was little."

  Then, she looked up at her father, her voice trembling.

  "Dad, I… I don't want to see this child right now."

  "I don't want to think about Shinichi… not yet."

  A heavy silence filled the room.

  "…I fot about this."

  Yukiko let out a deep sigh, realizing too te that they had overlooked Ran's feeliirely.

  "This child only just learned about Shinichi's 'death.' Even though we know the truth… she doesn't. And for Ran, that loss is very real."

  "What a mistake on our part."

  As Shinichi's parents, Yukiko and Yusaku could accept the situation because they khe truth.

  But Ran didn't.

  To her, Shinichi was really gone.

  And now, seeing a child with his exact face right in front of her, it was too much to handle.

  Kogoro sidered this for a moment before speaking.

  "Ran, if it's too much for you, you stay with Eri for now."

  Uanding his daughter's emotions, he didn't push her to accept the situatiht away.

  Given how close Ran and Shinichi were, perhaps some distance would help her process things.

  "…Yeah."

  Raly pced the gsses ba the boy's face.

  Her expression was flicted, and she couldn't hide it.

  "Dad, I'd like to take the day off from school."

  "Alright. Take the day to rest. Call your mother and ask her to pick you up."

  "I'll ta now."

  Ran took a deep breath, f herself tain trol over her emotions.

  She turo Yukiko and Yusaku, bowing slightly in apology.

  "I'm sorry. I… I just 't trol how I feel right now."

  "There's o apologize, Ran."

  Yukiko walked over and pulled her into a warm embrace.

  "We uand."

  "If something like this had happeo me…"

  She trailed off before shaking her head.

  "It's okay, Ran. You don't have to keep thinking about Shinichi."

  "…"

  Ran forced a small, sad smile.

  "Aunt Yukiko, I'm going upstairs now."

  "Alright. Take your time."

  Ran hen turned and walked up to the third floor.

  The sed floor of the building was Kogoro's detective agency, while the third floor served as their living space.

  But even that was cramped, there were only two rooms, one belonging to Kogoro and the other to Ran.

  Now, with a new resident—a boy, he limited space felt even more suffog.

  The moment Ran reached her room, she closed the door a out a deep sigh.

  She pulled out a diary from her desk.

  "…"

  Looking at the words she had written before, her expression turned bitter.

  "I really 't accept this."

  She already knew what had happeo Shinichi.

  She khat he had been struck from behind and poisoned.

  She evehat the child standio Uncle Yusaku was Shinichi himself.

  But what difference did knowing make?

  When she and Shinichi were together, she was always a burden to his iigations.

  Whehere was a case, whenever danger appeared, Shinichi always ran ahead.

  And she?

  She was always left behind, her feelings disregarded.

  And now… this deception.

  Ran ched her fists.

  If Shinichi had just been ho with her, she would have uood.

  Even if it meant she would be in daoo, she would have protected his secret.

  She would have helped him keep it.

  But instead?

  He made the choice to hide everything from her.

  To 'protect' her, without even giving her a say in it.

  A… he still made sure to stay by her side.

  By erasing 'Kudo Shinichi' and livio her as someone else, what was he trying to do?

  Watch over her? Keep other people away from her?

  "…I 't accept this, Shinichi."

  She couldn't accept being treated this way.

  She couldn't accept Shinichi's selfishness.

  If he had just told her the truth, she would have supported him.

  But this?

  This wasn't something she could accept.

  Ran took a deep breath, then picked up her phone and dialed her mother's number.

  "…Mom."

  "What's wrong, Ran? You don't sound okay."

  "…Something happened. you e pick me up?"

  "…Stay at home. I'll be there soon."

  Hearing the distress in her daughter's voice, Kisaki Eri didn't hesitate for a sed.

  She immediately set aside her wrabbed her coat and bag, and rushed out the door.

  Within thirty minutes, Eri arrived at the Mouri Detective Agency.

  Instead of heading straight to the third floor, she ehrough the offi the sed floor.

  There, she was surprised to find Yukiko and Yusaku already present.

  But what struck her even more was their expressions.

  The tension in the room was unmistakable.

  "What's going on here?"

  Seeing their grim faces, Eri felt a sense of utle in her chest.

  Turning to Kogoro, she asked, "Kogoro, what happened?"

  "That kid is in trouble."

  "!?"

  Eri immediately uood.

  So that's why Ran sounded so shaken on the phone.

  She sighed, rubbing her forehead as if trying to ward off an impending headache.

  "…Yukiko."

  "I'm fine," Yukiko replied, though her exhaustion was evident.

  The usual pyful charm in her expression was o be found.

  No matter what she said, 'fine' was far from the truth.

  Still, Eri chose not to press her further.

  She knew pushing Yukiko too much would only add to the stress.

  Instead, she shifted her focus.

  "What's going on with Ran?"

  Kogoro cleared his throat awkwardly, then cast a g the child standing beside Yusaku.

  Eri followed his gaze—and immediately uood.

  "…Is that what I think it is?"

  Kave her a silent nod.

  Eri pursed her lips, her expression unreadable.

  "…So this child… is Yusaku and Yukiko's?"

  "They're asking us to take care of him while they hahings overseas."

  That alone spoke volumes about the severity of the situation.

  If they were leaving their child behind, it meant they were about to dive into somethiremely dangerous.

  And the implications of Shinichi's 'death' ran far deeper than it seemed.

  Eri sighed.

  "Kiven Ran's curreional state, she should stay with me for a while."

  Kogoro nodded.

  "That's probably for the best."