Chapter 223: Introducing Juniors
Sonoko, who had been listening intently to Lisa, flashed a mischievous grin. "Exactly, Ran! You're just too honest. You don't know how to appreciate the beautiful sight of a handsome man when you see one."
She gave Ran a playful nudge with her elbow. "It's just like Lisa said," Sonoko continued, her eyes sparkling. "We should pay more attention to the cute guys around us. Who knows, you might just discover their hidden charms." With a final, conspiratorial wink, she sealed her argument.
Hearing Lisa's initial words, a silent wave of relief had washed over Conan. He didn't want anyone to know he was Shinichi Kudo. If his identity were ever exposed, it would not only cause a mountain of unnecessary trouble but could also bring unimaginable danger to everyone he cared about.
But his relief was short-lived. The moment he heard Lisa persuading Ran to move on, with Sonoko eagerly fanning the flames, a fresh spike of anxiety, sharper than before, shot through him.
Conan was just about to cut in, to desperately steer the conversation in any other direction before Ran was actually swayed, when Lisa spoke again, her words twisting the knife in his gut.
"Dear Ran, if you don't have anyone in mind, you could always look at the people right beside you..." she said, her gaze flickering imperceptibly toward Eisuke Hondou before she added with a suggestive lilt, "Or, I could introduce you to some."
Lisa's smile was a cryptic, teasing masterpiece. "I have four juniors, you see, and each of them is quite handsome and very studious. As it happens, one of them is coming to Japan soon. It would be a perfect opportunity for you two to get acquainted."
She let out a soft chuckle. "Speaking of which, this particular junior of mine is a gentle, understanding, and incredibly considerate person." 'Though sometimes,'she mused to herself,'he's so considerate of others that he completely neglects his own feelings.' "In some ways, he's quite similar to you, Ran. I'm sure you two would get along wonderfully."
A faint blush bloomed on Ran's cheeks. "Thank you for your kindness, Lisa, but… I think I'll pass. Shinichi hasn't actually lost contact; he still calls me quite often. He… he really does care about me a lot."
Though her voice was tinged with embarrassment, Ran Mouri still gently turned Lisa down, seizing the chance to defend Shinichi.
"Yeah, yeah! Big Brother Shinichi cares about Sister Ran a whole lot!" Conan hurriedly chimed in from the side, his voice a little too loud.
Hearing Ran's clear rejection, Conan felt a fraction of the immense weight lift from his shoulders, his mood lightening ever so slightly.
Despite the emotional rollercoaster, his detective's mind didn't miss the detail Lisa had dropped—the four juniors.
'Could it be,'he wondered,'that these four are all from Teyvat?'
And they were all handsome and academically gifted.
Recalling the striking appearances of the Teyvat-affiliated people he'd met so far, a sour thought crossed Conan's mind. 'Does Teyvat have some kind of appearance-based recruitment policy? Is everyone in that organization a stunningly handsome man or a breathtakingly beautiful woman, without a single average-looking person among them?'
Lisa simply offered a faint, knowing smile and shook her head gently. "Dear Ran, don't be in such a hurry to refuse! You can get to know him first before making any decisions. Even if it doesn't work out romantically, you can still be good friends."
Her teasing tone left Ran at a loss, her resolve wavering.
Seeing her hesitation, Lisa struck while the iron was hot. "Then it's settled. I'll have my junior contact you when the time comes."
Before Ran could formulate another refusal, Lisa had already spoken, finalizing the arrangement with an air of absolute certainty.
With that, she gave them no further chance to respond, simply offering a graceful wave of her hand as she bid them farewell and departed.
As Lisa's figure vanished, the atmosphere shifted. Aside from an excited Sonoko, buzzing about the mysterious handsome newcomer, and a conflicted Ran, the moods of the other two—one man and one child—were decidedly grim.
A short while later, Eisuke Hondou and Conan both mumbled excuses and broke away from Ran and Sonoko.
"Go on, then," Conan said, his voice flat. He walked with his head down and his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the pavement. "You deliberately separated from Ran and the others because you have something you want to say to me, right?"
Eisuke scratched his head, a helpless smile on his face. "Well, it's nothing major. I just wanted to tell you that I've decided to go to the USA after all."
At the mention of this, a look of genuine anticipation lit up his features. "I want to join the CIA, just like my father and sister. That way, one day, I can help take down that evil organization… Oof!"
Eisuke's determined speech was cut short as he walked straight into a utility pole.
Conan watched him, a long-suffering sigh escaping his lips. "You should probably work on curing your clumsiness first." He then narrowed his eyes, asking, "So, since you've decided to leave, why did you even come to school today?"
"Even if it's only for a short time, I still wanted to spend more time with everyone," Eisuke said, sheepishly rubbing the sore spot on his forehead. "And… I actually wanted to confess to Ran."
"I've never met such a cute and gentle girl; she really makes my heart race. I was pretty down when I heard that she and that Kudo guy were a couple."
Then, Eisuke seemed to rally himself. "However, that Miss Lisa was right. Ran has the right to choose. And if that's the case, then that choice could also be me."
He stopped walking, resting his chin on his hand as he stared thoughtfully into the distance, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Although I'm prepared to make my move, I still feel it would be better to ask Kudo-kun first. The problem is, based on what I've heard from Sonoko, it seems Kudo-kun is completely unreachable right now, so I have no way of knowing his true feelings on the matter…"
Then, as if a new thought had struck him, he muttered to himself, "Maybe it really is like Miss Lisa said, and Kudo-kun doesn't actually care that much about Ran? If that's the case, then confessing to her now wouldn't be a betrayal of him…" As he finished the sentence, Eisuke's voice trailed off into a low murmur.
"It's not!"
The sharp retort cut through his musings. Conan stood beside him, his head bowed, his expression completely hidden in shadow.
"What?" Eisuke looked down at the small boy, utterly confused by the sudden outburst. "What's not?"
"I said, it's not like that!" Conan's voice rose, each word laced with an intensity that was anything but childish. "I care about Ran very much!"
"Eh? I didn't say you don't care about Ran, Conan-kun. I just think Kudo-kun might…" Halfway through his sentence, Eisuke froze. A look of dawning comprehension spread across his face as he stared straight at Conan. "Could it be… that you are…"
He didn't say the rest aloud, but he didn't need to.
Conan, finally understanding, gave a single, sharp nod in response. "Yeah."
"So that's how it is." A smile of pure, unadulterated realization bloomed on Eisuke Hondou's face.
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