One sentence of encouragement had brought those who had given up back into the race. Now the result didn't matter anymore. The field was filled with a spirit—an unyielding will to not give up.
Teacher Kobayashi looked at the high schooler who had grabbed the microphone, full of admiration. She herself was a teacher but had never once influenced so many people with just one sentence. Could it be that the person in front of her was the true life mentor? To inspire both children and adults alike with a single phrase—too great, too powerful.
Coach Anzai's famous line worked no matter which world it was placed in.
The race reached the final 50 meters. Everyone was making their last sprint. Even those far behind gritted their teeth and pushed forward. To finish the whole race was victory in itself.
"Go for it." Even the spectators were moved.
Finally, the first across the line appeared. As expected, it was Genta's group. Second place was Haibara's team. Conan, weighed down by Kogorō, only managed sixth place.
"This is amazing! This is the best sports festival I've ever seen!" Teacher Kobayashi was moved to tears. The sight of parents and children working together to complete the race filled her heart. It reminded her of why she became a teacher in the first place—wasn't it to witness moments like this?
Haibara wasn't used to strenuous activity. After 400 meters, she was panting lightly. But the professor was in far worse shape, drenched in sweat, hands on his knees, gasping out white puffs of breath.
In her heart, Haibara kept replaying the words: 'Once you give up, it means the race is already over.' Simple words, yet full of life's truth. She gave up too easily, always choosing self-destruction whenever trouble came—truly a girl wired for self-sabotage.
"So if you just try a little harder, you can succeed," Ada said to Haibara. "So from now on, don't speak of giving up so lightly."
Seeing Ada lecture her so seriously actually gave Haibara a strange feeling of reassurance.
"Haibara, that was amazing—second place!" Mitsuhiko ran over to congratulate her.
"Hey, hey, Mitsuhiko, I was the one who got first place," Genta complained. His friend ignored his victory and went to celebrate second place instead, leaving him unhappy.
"Genta, you getting first was expected," Mitsuhiko replied. "But Haibara not only came to the event but even took second place. Isn't that worth celebrating more?"
"…I guess that's true," Genta muttered blankly.
Ayumi also congratulated Haibara. "Haibara, I thought you wouldn't show up at all."
At that moment, Conan walked over and whispered into Haibara's ear. "Haibara, what happened? Why are you with a high school teacher?"
Haibara gave him a dead-fish stare. "Because I've been adopted by her. She's my foster mother now."
"…" Conan froze. What the hell was this? He couldn't accept such a sudden setup. "When did this happen? You never mentioned it at all."
"It was just decided this morning."
Hearing her calm voice made Conan feel like he was overreacting. No—he wasn't wrong. This was a big deal, not a small one. "Hey, Haibara, what about your identity? Don't they already know?"
"Maybe. Eight or nine chances out of ten, they know." Haibara said. She couldn't see through Liu A'dou and Ada, but she felt they wanted to help her.
"Haibara?!" Conan panicked. If her identity was exposed, it could trigger a chain reaction and blow his cover too. That would be disastrous. "Haibara, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"Nothing. I'm not planning anything," Haibara answered.
"Does the professor know about the adoption too?" Conan pressed, worried the professor might get dragged into danger.
"He knows. We were all there when we discussed it this morning. They even invited the professor to live with them, like one big family."
The calmer Haibara was, the more uneasy Conan felt. He glanced at Ada, only to find she was already looking back at him. Her gaze seemed to pierce through everything, sending a chill down his spine.
"She's not an ordinary person," Conan warned Haibara.
Haibara knew that well. "But she's definitely not part of the Black Organization. She should be safe. And…" From Ada, Haibara felt a faint trace of her long-lost sister's presence.
"Haibara, don't do anything foolish." Conan still tried to persuade her. Their secret about shrinking couldn't be exposed to anyone else.
"I won't do foolish things anymore." After being saved and encouraged time and again, Haibara had finally begun to let go. She wanted to be brave.
Conan and Haibara's quiet exchange annoyed the rest of the Detective Boys. They went over to interrupt. "Haibara, it's time to get your prize."
It was just certificates and little red flowers—nothing more than tricks to please kids.
Genta and the third-place team were delighted. Haibara remained calm, showing none of a child's excitement. Instead, it was the professor who looked the happiest. This was his first time winning anything at a sports festival.
"Too bad, Conan," Ran comforted him.
"It's fine, Ran-neechan." Conan didn't care for these childish prizes anyway.
"By the way, Ran-neechan, didn't your high school teacher say she was single?" Conan suddenly remembered Haibara had referred to them in the plural.
"Yeah, but during the school trip, Teacher Ada was dating A'dou. They were bold about it, and now the whole school knows. A young, beautiful teacher and a handsome, stylish high school boy—a perfect match…" As Ran spoke, her voice grew tinged with envy.
Of course, a student-teacher romance was hardly acceptable. Among the staff and parents, Ada was already seen as the older woman preying on the young. Even the principal had talked to her about it, but Ada ignored them completely. She was like a heroine in a romance drama, chasing true love despite all obstacles.
"I see." Hearing Liu A'dou's name made Conan think back to the dangerous man from the bus. Now he and Ada were connected—and Haibara was tied up in this too. Could it all have been a scheme from the very start?
He had to investigate. Conan would never let Haibara be in danger. He went to the professor, criticizing him for making such a rash decision.
The professor said, "Kudō, I had no choice. But I believe letting Ai-chan grow up in a normal family environment will help her."
"But it can't be with a family of such unclear background. And who exactly is that woman's husband?" Conan pressed. If Ada already had a husband, why was she dating Liu A'dou?
But something didn't add up. Conan hadn't seen a wedding ring on Ada. That only deepened his doubts.
"I promised them I wouldn't say," the professor admitted. At least he could keep their secret. "Don't worry, they're not bad people." To him, the fact they had brought Haibara to a sports festival proved it.
Conan didn't know what was going on anymore. In a single day, it felt like Haibara and the professor had changed completely. They used to keep secrets for him, but now it felt like they were keeping secrets from him instead.
But Conan wouldn't give up. There was no mystery a detective couldn't solve. He would dig into everything until the truth was revealed.