Conan saw three people ahead—two girls wearing the same school uniform: a blue vest over a white polo, paired with short skirts that reached just above their knees, all in matching shades of blue.
"Ran?" Conan exclaimed, surprised as his eyes landed on her. Beside her stood a man in a red shirt, engaged in conversation with her.
Curiosity got the better of him.
Without realizing it, Conan quietly moved closer, slipping into the corner nearby and hiding as he began to eavesdrop on their conversation. His eyes focused sharply, his attention fixed on the man speaking.
He heard the man's voice clearly.
"Ran-san… I'm here today to ask you something important."
"Something important…" Conan repeated under his breath.
The man continued, "Ran-san, I'm here to ask you… on a date."
"Eh?! D-date?!" Conan blurted in shock, his eyes widening.
The man went on.
"Would you come with me to tomorrow's Valentine party?"
The woman beside Ran tilted her head in confusion. "Valentine party?"
The man nodded, bowing slightly as he explained, "Yes. On that day, girls are supposed to give chocolate to the boy they like. And if the boy feels the same way, he'll eat the chocolate right then and there."
The woman beside Ran asked, "Will Minagawa-san be coming too?"
The man turned toward her and answered, "Of course. The party is being held at his house, after all."
Her eyes widened in excitement. She clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "Ahh… then Ran and I will definitely come!"
Ran heard her friend's response and reacted immediately.
"Sonoko!" she said, flustered.
She hadn't agreed at all—but Sonoko was already assuming they would both attend.
"R-really?" the man said, his face lighting up. He clenched both fists and shouted, "Yattaaa!! This is great! Thank you very much!"
Conan, still listening from his hiding spot, muttered quietly, "Just a Valentine party… what nonsense…"
But despite his words, a faint hint of irritation—and jealousy—crept into his tone.
The man then got into his car, waving as he prepared to leave.
"See you then! I'll come pick you up tomorrow!" he called out, waving enthusiastically—especially toward Ran—before driving off, clearly excited.
Ran and Sonoko waved back in response.
Once the car disappeared from view, Ran turned toward Sonoko.
"Why did you say that without asking me?!" she demanded.
Sonoko simply smirked, placing her hands on her hips.
"I guess I was right after all."
"Eh…?" Ran uttered in confusion.
Sonoko leaned in slightly and said, "You like Shinichi, don't you? You're just being faithful to him, turning down all the other guys with your usual 'no thank you' routine."
Ran immediately flushed red, flustered beyond words.
"Don't be stupid!" she shouted. "Who would actually like that big mystery geek?!"
Nearby, Conan heard it all.
His body twitched slightly.
He pouted, clearly annoyed, and muttered under his breath, "Well… sorry for being a mystery geek…"
Ran crossed her arms over her chest, still visibly irritated by the thought, when she suddenly heard Sonoko speak again.
"So… you'll go to the Valentine party, right?"
She was clearly provoking Ran; if she said no, then Sonoko's words would be proven right, so Ran needed to agree.
Ran straightened herself and answered firmly, "Of course, I'll go!"
"Yossh… it's decided!" Sonoko said, satisfied.
But before she could continue speaking, she suddenly heard a hoarse, weak voice of a child—and of course, she already knew who it was.
"Nee-san, what are you doing here?"
Ran and Sonoko both turned around.
Standing there was a boy holding a black umbrella, dressed entirely in black clothing.
Ran raised an eyebrow, observing him carefully.
But Sonoko quickly rushed toward him.
The boy stood only about six feet away.
Sonoko hurried over, crouched down, and spoke with urgency and concern, "Leon?! What are you doing here by yourself? Didn't Father say to call the butler and have him drive you back home after school?"
The boy—Leon—responded in a soft, hoarse voice, "I'm walking home with the other kids."
Sonoko had been studying English specifically so she could communicate with him. While she wasn't fluent in speaking, she could understand it well.
After hearing his reply, she immediately shook her head.
"Nope. You still need to follow what Father said. Wait here—I'll make a call now."
The teasing, playful attitude she had shown earlier completely disappeared, replaced by a responsible, caring, and protective older sister demeanor.
Ran approached them and asked, "Sonoko? What's going on?"
Sonoko didn't respond. She was already holding her phone, quickly making a call.
Ran noticed the sudden change in her—her expression had turned serious.
Her gaze then shifted to the boy.
He stood there quietly, his face completely hidden beneath a black cap and a face mask, his entire appearance covered in dark clothing. Ran tilted her head slightly, studying him in curiosity.
Then she noticed a group of children approaching.
It was the same group from earlier—Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi—and Conan, who was leading them.
"Ran-neechan is also here!" Ayumi said brightly, waving her hand.
Genta and Mitsuhiko also waved.
Ran returned the greeting with a gentle smile.
Conan then spoke up, "Ran-neechan, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, Conan. We were about to go home, but a friend invited us to a Valentine party tomorrow, so we stopped for a while."
Conan simply nodded in acknowledgment.
"Wow, a Valentine party!" Ayumi exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
She then turned to stare at Conan.
At the same time, Mitsuhiko and Genta also looked toward Ayumi.
Genta spoke first, "I wonder what kind of food they'll have at the party."
Mitsuhiko immediately responded, "Hey, Genta-kun! They didn't invite you!"
Genta clicked his tongue in disappointment and crossed his arms, his imagination abruptly cut short.
Ran then crouched down to their level and looked at the unfamiliar boy.
"So… who is this new friend of yours?"
Genta perked up and answered proudly, "Oh, this is our new friend—Suzuki-san… he transferred here today."
"Suzuki?" Ran repeated.
She then glanced toward Sonoko, who was still on her phone.
Her attention returned to the boy.
"So you're the little brother Sonoko was talking about."
The boy nodded quietly.
Ran smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you. My name is Mori Ran. You can just call me Ran."
Ran Mouri is a teenage girl with a slender, athletic build. She has long dark brown hair and striking blue-purple eyes. A stylized triangular point—often called a "horn"—stands out from her hair. At the moment, she is wearing her Teitan High School uniform: a blue blazer, a white shirt, and a green tie.
Then Ran heard the boy's voice again—hoarse but clear.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Sherlock Leonard Napoleon Suzuki. You can also call me Leon, like my sister does."
Ran was momentarily stunned.
The name was long—distinctive—and the fact that he spoke in English only reinforced what she had heard about him from Sonoko: that he had grown up overseas.
She looked at him in amazement.
"Wow… you really have a wonderful name… It's like a combination of famous people," Ran said.
"Famous people?" Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko repeated in unison.
Conan then explained calmly, "Yeah. Suzuki-san's name comes from people who are famous in their own fields."
"Sherlock… from Sherlock Holmes, who is known as the world's most portrayed and enduring fictional detective," Conan continued.
"Leonardo… from Leonardo da Vinci, a quintessential 'Renaissance Man,' renowned as one of the greatest painters in history and a visionary genius in engineering, anatomy, and science. He's best known for masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man."
And lastly, "Napoleon" is most likely derived from Napoleon Bonaparte—a French military general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution, eventually crowning himself Emperor of the French. He is regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history, having conquered vast parts of Europe in the early 19th century.
All of them raised their eyebrows at Conan's serious expression as he explained everything in detail.
Conan felt their gaze and, in an instant, he switched back to his childlike demeanor. He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Well… that's just what I saw on TV! Hehe…"
Genta spoke up immediately, eyes wide. "Wow, so all of that is your names?!" he exclaimed, though it was clear he didn't fully understand Conan's explanation—he simply thought it sounded impressive.
Mitsuhiko and Ayumi, on the other hand, understood a bit more. Their eyes sparkled with fascination at the idea of having such historically significant names combined into one person.
Ran nodded in agreement. "That's right… all of those names are famous. But I wonder who decided on his name."
At that moment, Sonoko had just finished her phone call. She rejoined the group and chimed in, "Sherlock was the name given by our grandfather. Leonardo was given by our father. And Napoleon was a name given by our mother."
She paused briefly, then added, "They couldn't decide which one to choose, so instead they combined them all and gave him that name."
She looked down at the boy. "Right, Leon?"
The boy gave a quiet nod.
"Oh… so that's how it is," murmured the others who had been listening.
"But maybe… because of his name, he somehow acts like those people," Sonoko continued, placing a hand under her chin and closing her eyes in deep thought.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Ran asked, looking up at her.
"Well, you see," Sonoko began, "Leon is good at painting, like Leonardo. He isn't exactly a tactician like Napoleon, but he has skill and is strong in combat practice. And not to mention—he's also strangely intelligent, probably influenced by the 'Sherlock' part of his name."
"Good at painting?!" Ayumi repeated, her voice filled with excitement.
"Combat?!" Ran echoed in surprise.
"And… weirdly intelligent?" Conan repeated, his tone carrying a subtle edge of disbelief.
All of them turned their attention to Leon, who stood silently, saying nothing the entire time.
Then Genta suddenly shouted, "Yossh… then it's decided! As the leader of the Detective Boys, I hereby declare that Suzuki-san will be part of the Detective Boys from now on!"
"That's a great idea," Mitsuhiko said, nodding as he slipped into a thoughtful expression.
Ayumi also nodded enthusiastically, eager to ask him for advice on art.
But then, they all heard Sonoko's voice cut in.
"That would be a bad idea."
"Hm… why?" Ran asked.
The others fell silent. Those who understood the reason chose not to speak further, keeping quiet out of consideration. They knew the situation regarding Suzuki-san, and that moving around under bright daylight was a serious concern—it was not something to be taken lightly.
Sonoko looked down at Leon, who remained quiet as ever.
"You see, Leon has albinism," she explained. "Being exposed to sunlight is really not a good idea. Not to mention, his eyes are extremely sensitive to bright light."
They all turned their gaze toward Leon once again, falling into thoughtful silence.
"I see… that's why he's always covering himself in dark colors," Ran said softly.
But suddenly—
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud beeping sound from a car.
Everyone turned around.
A long, sleek black car stood before them—one that looked exactly like something seen only in movies.
"It's a limousine!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, his eyes widening in excitement.
"Amazing!" Genta and Ayumi added, equally thrilled.
"Well, what do you expect from a Suzuki family?" Conan said matter-of-factly.
The limousine came to a stop right in front of them.
A man dressed in a black suit stepped out from the driver's seat and approached the group.
"Lady Sonoko, Leon-sama—I am here to pick you both up," he said respectfully.
"Lady Sonoko? Leon-sama?" Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko muttered in confusion.
Sonoko waved a hand dismissively. "No need for such formal greetings."
The driver nodded and walked toward the car door. He opened it smoothly.
Sonoko turned back to the group. "Come in. We'll give you a ride."
"Really? You're letting us ride this car?!" Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi exclaimed, their excitement clearly overflowing.
"Huhuhu… no need to thank me," Sonoko said, clearly proud of the situation.
Despite her words, the three thanked her anyway.
Ran looked slightly hesitant. "Is it really alright?"
Sonoko simply patted Ran lightly on the back. "Don't worry. It's just a simple ride."
Ran smiled gently. "Then I'll go as well." She turned to Conan. "Come on, let's go inside."
Conan nodded in agreement.
The three children were the first to enter the limousine, followed by Ran and Conan.
Sonoko then walked over to Leon, gently took the umbrella from him, and held onto his hand as she helped him into the car.
After he entered, she followed them inside as well.
The driver took the umbrella, folded it neatly, and closed the limousine door behind them.
Inside the limousine, they could see the extravagant and luxurious design of its interior. From the softness and refined texture of the car seats alone, they could already tell that this was far from an ordinary vehicle.
The cabin was spacious and polished, exuding an air of elegance and high-class comfort. The children looked around in awe, taking in the refined details that surrounded them.
Soon after, the driver returned to the front seat. He settled into the driver's position, adjusted his posture, and started the engine.
With a smooth hum, the limousine began to move, gliding along the streets of Beika as it continued its way forward.
(っ－＿－)っ
AM N. NOT
♤DRAFT ♤