The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan

"Dressed so formally..."

Kudo Shinichi, who was bored and turning his water glass, inadvertently raised his head and saw Mao Lilan, who was wearing a slim-fitting dress, walking under the guidance of the waiter. He was stunned for a moment and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Mao Lilan is beautiful, this is a fact that needs no elaboration, but when she is really dressed up, her skirt is swaying, and she is looking straight at you as you walk over...

"It's not because you chose this place." Mao Lilan saw his eyes dodge and became uncomfortable, "I asked Yuanzi and found out that this seems to be a very high-end restaurant, and the consumption is high."

She complained on her lips, but was also subtly flustered in her heart.

Talking about her best friend's instructions, well, Sonoko did ask her to dress up well. Although she could explain her clothes, she knew it very well.

——She came to such a solemn occasion just to see him and hear what he wanted to say to her.

"Don't worry, I brought my dad's credit card." Half as a joke, and half to divert the strange shyness, Kudo Shinichi took out a credit card from the pocket of his casual suit, held it between his fingertips and waved it twice.

...Well, let alone Xiaolan, he himself was the same. He stood in front of the mirror and picked for a long time, specially choosing such a suit that would not be too serious and could support his figure.

His purpose of inviting her to this commemorative restaurant for dinner was very clear, and it was difficult to deceive himself.

A subtle atmosphere spread between the two people.

Mao Lilan couldn't help but dodge the other party's gaze, and complained as if to change the subject: "Take Uncle Yuzu's card to ask a girl out for dinner? Such a prodigal, he sounds like a playboy."

"Parents who leave their son alone in Japan and spend all day wandering around abroad are more prodigal." Kudo Shinichi thought of his parents whose whereabouts were unknown, and his hands that grabbed the credit card didn't even tremble.

Well, since he deliberately chose this restaurant to imitate his parents, he seems to have no right to say that they wasted money on romance...

"Well, Uncle Yuzu and the others really don't come back often. It's really like Conan. His parents also live and work abroad, so they entrusted him to us." Mao Lilan lightly shrugged, "That's quite true. Interesting. I once thought that Conan and you were the same person."

"Really?" Kudo Shinichi shrank his neck guiltily, "That's incredible."

"Who knows? There are even monster thieves who can make criminals repent with just their names. There are too many incredible things in this world." Mao Lilan picked up the lemonade on the table and sighed, "You always give Get yourself into all kinds of trouble. What if you make some serious enemies and have to find a way to become a child to avoid the limelight?"

"There's no way to avoid the limelight..." Kudo Shinichi, who had figured out most of the situation, shook his head, "It's easier to just run away than to become a child, right?"

"That's true. This is not a superhero comic. The hero will not reveal his true form until necessary... Speaking of which, I thought the doctor might have developed a new strange drug to help you become a child. Something like that. A bit silly, right?" Putting the water glass to her lips, Mao Lilan laughed twice and slowly took a sip of the cool water.

She wore natural light makeup today, and the bean paste-colored lipstick showed off her complexion, but Kudo Shinichi looked at the red lip lines left on the rim of her cup and swallowed secretly.

Compared to red bean color, it always feels more like something, dried blood...

The one who comes is not kind.

"It's strange. In the past few days since you came back, Conan has suddenly become a lot quieter. With that child's character, after he suddenly stopped talking, he almost seemed like a different person." Mao Lilan put down the cup and chatted, "I hope his voice will heal soon."

Every sentence is unintentional, but it seems like every sentence is intentional.

If he can no longer hear Mao Lilan's temptation, Kudo Shinichi should stop being a detective.

"Ah, I couldn't help but say something. By the way, what did you want to say when you came to me today?" Mao Lilan stopped talking and looked at Kudo Shinichi with some seriousness.

The dining table with only two seats does not have the conventional white candle in the middle. Instead, there is a slowly burning scented candle in a hazy glass container.

It's not strong, nor overpowering. The faint fragrance spreads warmly under the influence of candlelight, and the atmosphere is just right.

To be chosen as the venue for the proposal by the Kudo couple, who always value ritual and romance, the atmosphere of this observation restaurant must be top-notch.

The boys and girls who fell into a brief silence in the candlelight were wrapped in this ambiguous atmosphere that seemed very private, and the silence between them was no longer so awkward.

This is undoubtedly a good occasion for heart-to-heart conversations. Whether it is to express one's heart to each other or confess one's inner feelings, it seems to be softened by the scene at the moment, and it does not seem so intense or dazzling.

Kudo Shin kept holding his chin, silently looking at his Maorilan's face that was warmly reflected by the candlelight, and secretly mustered up his courage.

"Well, I do have something to tell you. Actually..."

"Ah ah--"

An untimely, or in other words, particularly timely scream rang out just before he could finish his words.

Kudo Shinichi was startled for a moment, then instinctively turned his head following the scream and looked in the direction of the source of the sound.

Generally speaking, when you hear a scream of terror at such a decibel, it means that there are some cases surrounding him.

The detective's nature made him want to stand up, run in the direction of the sound, and get the scene information as quickly as possible.

But looking at the girl across the table who was slightly stunned, Kudo Shinichi's thoughts briefly wandered for a few seconds before he quickly regained his attention.

It’s decided what we need to explain today, so many arrangements have been made, so many friends have been troubled, just for this moment of honesty.

He had to say what needed to be said.

"Xiaolan, what I want to tell you is...that is..."

Noticing the shape of his mouth, Mao Lilan's fingertips, which had been waiting for him to speak, trembled twice and gently retracted the edge of the glass.

"Okay, stop pretending to be a great detective." Without starting, she interrupted Kudo Shinichi's words, "Is it okay if you don't go and take a look?"

"Eh? But..."

"I heard them saying that someone died in the elevator. If you don't go and take a look, you will be uneasy, right? Don't worry, I won't be like someone who suddenly leaves without saying goodbye." Stir it a few times with a spoon. Lemon slice in the glass, she said softly.

"Xiaolan." The unpretentious relaxed smile on the girl's face was visible. Kudo Shinichi took a deep breath and stood up, "Sorry, I'll be back soon!"

"I wish you all the best, Mr. Detective." Mao Lilan waved to him with a smile and watched his running figure disappear around the corner.

The waiter's dining car arrived belatedly, and the fragrant steak was placed on a silver exquisite dinner plate and served on the table.

"Do you need to wait a moment before opening it?" Noticing the empty seat opposite, the waiter who served the dish asked thoughtfully, "Opening the lid now may affect the taste of the food for a while."

"Well, wait a moment, thank you." Nodding politely to the other party, Mao Lilan lowered his gaze.

The rounded arched dinner plate cover sealed the hot dishes inside. Mao Lilan used its curvature to look at her slightly deformed self in the reflection.

"This is the last time I'll wait for you, Shinichi."

She murmured to herself, suddenly remembering the conversation she had with Tang Ze two nights ago.

————

"Have you ever heard of undercover, Ran-san?"

"Undercover? What kind of person, like in TV movies, someone who lurks into a criminal organization?" After chewing this unfamiliar word, Mao Lilan frowned and rubbed the red mark left by sleeping on the table, feeling He may not be fully awake yet.

What, is Tangze going to use something, such as undercover, secret missions, etc., to make her give up the investigation?

But she had already made up her mind when she chose to go downstairs and sit here waiting for Tang Ze who had not returned home late at night.

"Answering questions with questions is very cunning, Tang Ze. I just want an answer, is it so difficult?" Mao Lilan pursed her lips and intertwined her hands on the edge of the table.

So many questions, so much anxiety caused by doubts...

A high school student turned into a seven or eight-year-old child. Such a whimsical and ridiculous guess, she was hesitant to even mention it.

As for the emotions derived from it...

Confusion and fear of the unknown, anger and helplessness at possible deception. Sometimes I feel that my guess has been confirmed, and sometimes I feel that my guess is too exaggerated...

She held all these messy questions in her arms and didn't even know where to throw them out.

Even if it is to give her a lie, a more sophisticated lie.

A lie that prevents herself from seeing the flaws, allowing her to be an ignorant girl with peace of mind, a girl who is dissatisfied but still waiting for the return of her sweetheart with hope.

Waiting for an answer feels like waiting for a hopeless verdict, and every second is torture.

Recognizing her violent emotions at this time, Tang Ze closed his eyes.

"As long as you have heard of undercover." Without looking at Mao Lilan's expression, Tang Ze stated calmly, "Even through a superficial understanding of TV and movies, you should know that becoming an undercover requires paying a price. Compared with the past Life is completely cut, erasing all traces of the past, and sinking deeply into the sand. This is work that requires sacrifice."

Knowing that Tangze might be changing the subject, Mao Lilan, who had a strong ability to empathize with his plain and eloquent tone, couldn't help but follow his description and imagine the life of such a person.

Then she frowned slightly: "This is too cruel for an individual. If a police officer becomes an undercover agent to investigate a criminal, doesn't that mean that he will also become a criminal?"

Going against one's true nature and becoming tainted with dark and dirty colors is such a distant and heavy topic for a 17-year-old high school student.

If it were her, it would definitely be difficult to do.

Tang Ze curled his lips: "Yes, it is indeed a cruel thing. To change one's appearance and hide one's name, one will never be able to see the light of day for the rest of his life. Even if he wins in the end, all that will be left behind is an empty monument without any words."

Mao Lilan, who only had some vague ideas about this, heard such a clear description for the first time: "Isn't it even allowed to mourn?"

"The power of darkness is so huge. They will never give up the opportunity to counterattack. If the undercover's real name is known, it may bring serious consequences." Tang Ze shook his head slowly.

Even though she knew that Tang Ze was not necessarily describing a specific person, Mao Lilan couldn't bear the thought that there was really one, or many, workers like this walking on a road full of thorns in the world at this moment. .

At the same time, she also understood a little bit of what Tangze wanted to say.

It's just to enlighten her. Shinichi must have some reasons for doing this. Keeping the secret is for a greater goal, for true happiness and future...

However, Shinichi is indeed a smart detective, but like himself, he is just an ordinary high school student. Do we really need to discuss this kind of thing with them?

"...Does it have to be him?" Mao Lilan asked with a pun.

"It's not him, there are others. In the end, it's the same." Tang Ze closed his eyes again and changed his voice, "But undercover agents also have their own lives and their own relatives and friends. For safety, in order to pursue the final victory , they probably don’t know anything. They may lose all the news about him without knowing it. Or even lose him forever.”

Yes, if you lose this person forever, even he himself will never be able to find himself again.

Tangze spread his hands, lowered his gaze, and stared at his slender hands.

These hands belong to an 18-year-old young man, with fine palm prints. At first glance, it seems that they have not done any heavy work, because they have been in school for a short period of time, and even the calluses of holding the pen are very slight.

Staring at these intact palms, Tang Ze seemed to see other traces.

It used to not be like this, it used to be riddled with holes.

Human hands are rich in nerves. Damage to small blood vessels in the hands may ultimately affect fine operations.

Tang Ze is good at using his hands. It should be said that the identity he uses to get close to those people is related to his hands. His new identity was that of a lunatic who started out as a pickpocket, escalated step by step, and finally could easily break any neck and walk out of the slums.

He likes to show he cherishes his hands, because they give him another life and are the basis for his livelihood.

So, his deft hands are the first line of defense they try to destroy.

Thin needle, knife blade, fire pliers, screwdriver...

Silently clasping his fingers, Tang Ze calmed down and continued: "If you were a relative of an undercover agent, would you resent him? Resent him for leaving without saying goodbye, resent him for not even leaving a farewell, resent him for leaving you The blank space left by my life..."

Several familiar faces passed before his eyes, and Tang Ze couldn't help but turn around and glanced at the still-lit signboard of Polo Cafe.

In order to collect information about Zhu Fu Jingguang, he looked directly at the entire life trajectory of an undercover agent, watched him walk into darkness, watched him fall into a long sleep...

Well, I have to admit that Tangze thought of some past events again and was a little unnecessarily sentimental.

"...or should we pity his loneliness and pain, withdraw our hands silently, and leave everything to reunite at dawn?"

Raising their heads, Tang Ze and Mao Lilan looked at each other with tearful eyes.

What he meant couldn't be more obvious.

A girl who is delicate and sensitive in emotions can easily feel the meaning of Karasawa's words.

A little pessimistic, a little sad, but also full of comfort and hope...

Thousands of words can only be summed up in one helpless summary——

"He didn't want to, but he had to." Mao Lilan's eyes flashed with tiny stars. It was unclear whether it was because of the night or because of the tears in her eyes.

She understood.

Sitting in the dark night of the past, Tang Ze gently raised the corners of his mouth.

Just understand.

【rank up! Rank 2]

…

————

"This is the last time I'll wait for you, Shinichi."

Knocking two crisp echoes on the silver lid in front of her with her fingertips, Mao Lilan smiled at her shadow.

"Next time, I will catch up myself."