The Split-Actress in Conan's World

"Scream?"

The three little ones looked over in confusion.

"The sound of a cat's meow is meow..."

"Chijigugu cicada is seven characters."

"That's not an animal, it's an insect!"

"The crows are cackling!"

"As for the pony, it's Xilulu!"

They were talking at once.

"Squeak..." Huibara Ai sighed softly, pulling their thoughts back to where they were going astray.

"It's a mouse."

"Since one of her parents is a foreigner, I think it's more likely that she speaks English. Considering the animals in the story the doctor told..."

She spread her hands and said, "These numbers should refer to the number of English letters in the animal's calls."

"That's right! It's a hamster!!" Ayumi looked at her with sparkling eyes.

Huihara-san is really smart. Not only does she think quickly, but she also knows so much English.

"Then what about the 4163 and 33 in the front? They shouldn't be that long in English, right?" Yuan Tai asked suspiciously.

"It's broken down. It can't possibly refer to 4,000-digit English." Chiyoko took out a piece of extra-rich milk candy from her pocket and said casually.

"4-1-6-3, Cock a doodle doo, that's the sound of a chicken."

"As for 3-3, it refers to the barking of the dog. Bo, these two animals have also appeared in the story, right?"

"Wait a moment for the secret code or something." Haibara Ai narrowed her eyes, moved in front of him, and looked down at him.

"I clearly put away all your candies, so when did you hide this?"

Chiyoko's high spirits during the reasoning were suddenly vulnerable and her face looked as pale as death.

After searching Chiyoko's body from head to toe again and taking away all the sweets that she had secretly bought when she first entered the park, Haibara Ai snorted coldly.

"Go on, Mr. Genius."

Chiyoko slumped dejectedly in her wheelchair, feeling like she had lost her soul.

"...As for 0, it means that she no longer has pets at home. Just connect the places represented by these animals and see."

"Connect them together..." the three little ones pondered.

Chicken-Teitan Elementary School.

Dog——Noi's sister's house.

Hamster——Chou Ye family.

And Kinoshita's own house.

Tedan Elementary School - Noi (no i) - Chono (cho no) - Kinoshita...

Under the (no) ginkgo (i cho no) tree at Teitan Elementary School!

“So that’s it!!”

The children suddenly understood.

"She always remembered what you said about liking Ginkgo, so she made an appointment at that place with beautiful memories!"

Ayumi hurriedly grabbed the doctor and walked out of the garden: "Let's go see her quickly!"

She didn't want to see this relationship that spanned decades turn into regret.

If she really failed because of some weird reason like not being able to guess the promised place, she would cry.

Didan Primary School.

The tree-lined path behind the school building leads to the breeding hut.

On both sides stand sturdy ginkgo trees, with goose yellow leaves fluttering in the wind, as if it is snowing a special snow. The leaves have formed a thick layer of golden "red carpet", and the golden sunset has added some color to it. You can hear a crisp sound when you step on it at dusk.

Ginkgo trees in autumn always make people particularly happy.

"I say, Conan..."

The closer he got to the familiar places in his memory, the more nervous Dr. Agasa became, and a feeling that could be described as "homesickness" arose spontaneously.

"You're not planning on backing down at this time, are you, Doctor?" Conan stared at him with dead fish eyes.

"No... Look, there's no one around. Is it possible that we made a mistake..."

"Indeed, it seems like there's no one waiting." Ayumi was also a little worried.

Ai Huihara, who was pushing Chiyoko, pointed to the depths of the ginkgo forest and said, "No, look."

In the direction she pointed, a car was parked quietly under a tree, buried by many bright yellow leaves and blending into the dusk, causing them to not see it for a while.

The number of fallen leaves also shows how long the car has been waiting here.

"Let's go and take a look!!" Yuan Tai rushed over first.

However, when he climbed to the edge of the car window, jumped up and looked inside, he was stunned.

"There's no one in there!"

Several people followed him and found that, just as he said, the car was empty. There was only a bag above the dashboard, which seemed to contain packaged food. It seemed that it had been eaten and put away.

It’s probably enough for three people.

"You're a big eater. Being able to eat is a blessing, Doctor." Yuantai patted the Doctor's big belly.

"No, although it is a somewhat sad ending for that lady to become a glutton, there is obviously an even sadder possibility..." Mitsuhiko looked desperate.

"Maybe she has already started a family and a career." Haibara Ai expressed that guess without any hesitation, shattering his hope.

"......" Dr. Agasa looked at Mitsuhiko strangely.

Why does this child look even sadder than he is?

"Shh, look over there." Chiyoko interrupted them and pointed lightly to a ginkgo tree nearby.

That ginkgo tree is much thicker than the other trees and very tall. It is obviously older than the other trees here.

However, what caught people's attention most at this moment was not the ginkgo tree, but the corner of clothes exposed behind the tree.

Several people suddenly became quiet, especially Dr. Agasa, whose breathing even became a little disordered.

"Go check it out!"

"Well......"

"Go quickly!" Yuantai couldn't bear it anymore and reached out to push the doctor over.

Click.

Click.

The ginkgo leaves under his feet made a crisp sound, which was a bit abrupt, but it made Dr. Agasa feel inexplicably at ease.

"Hu..." He took a deep breath and then exhaled. He calmed down and faced up to the past forty years that he had spent in confusion.

He worked as a teacher for a period of time and also led some projects. Although he is not good at interacting with people, he claims to be sincere and treats every friend with honesty.

Later, I spent most of my time living in this small house in Mihua and inventing things on my own. I didn't achieve much and didn't make much money, but at least I had a clear conscience and was worthy of my scientific research qualities.

Although it has been uneventful, my life has been pretty acceptable.

He doesn't have unrealistic expectations about love or anything like that.

But...

There had indeed been a period of love that was probably the purest love he had ever encountered in his life, and he didn't want to see it disappear in the ruthless river of time.

Try to retain it at least.

Even if you are greeting an old friend you haven't seen for a long time, you should at least give a formal greeting and a decent farewell, right?

His mood calmed down and he walked steadily towards the ginkgo tree that existed in his memory.

The corner of the clothes gradually revealed its full appearance.

She was a woman wearing a khaki long gown. The heavy fur did not make her look ugly like a nouveau riche. Instead, it fitted her well, as if she had found the most suitable clothes rack, showing a steady and abundant temperament.

The black lace hat seems to have come from the Victorian era, with a contrast that comes from the difference in time. It does not look old-fashioned when paired with the leather coat. Instead, it is embellished with the light golden hair, as if small daisies have bloomed in an old garden, giving it a lovely and lively feel.

She leaned against the old ginkgo tree, defenseless, as if immersed in some memories. Even the noise made by the children before did not alarm her.

It was not until Dr. Agasa walked into her sight that she woke up from her dream.

The doctor also took in the entire scene.

The woman looked very young.

This is not a compliment, nor is it a description of her appearance.

Admittedly, she does look very young and doesn't look like she's in her forties, but she's not like Kudo Yukiko and Kisaki Eri, who are almost forty but still look like they're in their twenties.

Her youth is a youth in mentality. Her heart is still very lively, which is reflected in her temperament.

Dr. Agasa suddenly felt a little inferior. He thought about his completely white hair, his poor health, and the comfort of doing research in his comfort zone.

They were only three or four years apart in age, but he felt like they were twenty years apart.

The woman in front of him suddenly smiled softly, and her lively energy became more obvious. A few ginkgo leaves fell on Dr. Agasa's head, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Those blue eyes are still so bright, and when she looks at you with that look, you feel like the whole world is shining.

He was sure she recognized him.

Kinoshita Esa gently pushed her hair behind her ears. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start. When the illusory forty years of time fell into reality, it turned into a chasm that seemed insurmountable.

She looked over Dr. Agasa's shoulder and saw several children behind him looking at them with curious eyes. She suddenly smiled.

"Are those your grandkids? They're so cute."

"Ah..." Dr. Agasa opened his mouth and mumbled for a long time. Suddenly he thought of the three meals in the car, and the voice that was about to explain suddenly fell silent.

"Um......"

"Sorry." She seemed to realize that she had been a little presumptuous. She lightly covered her lower lip, her eyes curved, and she smiled apologetically.

"I happened to pass by here this morning and was attracted by the ginkgo forest here, so I came here to take a look again."

"According to chance" was a gentle but polite lie that preserved the dignity of both of them.

"Really..." Dr. Agasa's eyes darkened.

"Yeah." Kinoshita Esa raised her head and sighed, "What a bright color... I feel like once it's imprinted in my memory, I'll never forget it for a long time."

"Do you hate ginkgo?" she suddenly asked, with a playful tone.

"How could that be..." Dr. Agasa shook his head heavily.

"That's great." She smiled with relief and reached out to pick off the ginkgo leaf that fell on Dr. Agasa's head.

Dr. Agasa was slightly stunned.

"Sorry." Not long after that, I heard these two words from her mouth again.

Esa Kinoshita pinched the edge of her hat, rubbed it with her fingertips twice, and pointed at a foreign man in a well-fitting suit who was walking towards the school building not far away.

"It looks like my husband has finished using the restroom."

"Then... goodbye." She lowered her eyebrows. This was the first time Dr. Agasa saw her avoiding his gaze.

He moved his fingers stupidly, having the urge to call her, but looking at the obviously reliable and successful man gradually approaching, he felt that he had no position.

It seemed that the profound story of youth ended so abruptly, leaving only a faint melancholy filling the autumn evening, just like the ginkgo trees in the garden.

It is coming to an end, and you cannot stop it.

But there are two voices that are like the wind that blows through the cool autumn. Although they cannot keep the ginkgo trees, they blow them farther away.

"Ms. Fushahui Campbell, founder of the famous brand Fushahui, won the title of internationally renowned designer 20 years ago and is world-renowned. Um, she is unmarried."

Chiyoko fiddled with his terminal, accidentally looked up the information of the woman in front of him, and then accidentally read it out loud "in a low voice".

When Esa Kinoshita's identity was exposed, her lies were exposed. Her face turned slightly red and she felt a little embarrassed.

However, this embarrassment did not last long as it was broken by another cold tone.

"The doctor is really something. He is just a careless single old man who needs to be taken care of by a child, but he acts like an elder so easily..."

Haibara Ai seemed to be sulking alone, holding the handle of her wheelchair and muttering to herself in a low voice.

Dr. Agasa was originally happy to hear that she was "unmarried", but he felt a little ashamed when Haibara Ai pointed out a fact that he had not denied.

However, when the two looked at each other in surprise, all the bad emotions disappeared with the wind.

Chiyoko and Haibara Ai looked at each other and both smiled with relief.

It was an ordinary evening in late autumn.

Remember the wind is particularly gentle.