"Ugh, so annoying," Conan grumbled.
The power-enhancing shoes were far stronger than he'd expected. His kick not only wrecked the goalpost but also snapped a small tree and scared several kids into tears. As a result, his first day of school landed him in the principal's office.
By the time he got out, most of the students had already left.
"Get scolded?" Sora asked, a bit bored.
"Not really. Just endless nagging like, 'Oh, don't kick the ball too hard~' and 'Get along with your classmates, don't bully them.' Over and over—infuriating," Conan said, hands behind his head, matching Sora's pace as they walked side by side. "Seriously, I didn't know the shoes were *that* strong—hey, wait, I remember Dr. Agasa saying you helped with them—"
"Yeah, I helped test them. That wall that collapsed the day before yesterday? That was because of the shoes."
"Damn it…" Conan muttered. "You could've warned me."
"What's the big deal? It's not like you'd kick at the kids. No harm done."
True, Conan thought. My morals are top-notch, after all. He nodded, agreeing with Sora.
They walked a bit farther and turned a corner, only to spot Uncle Mouri—Kogoro Mouri, Ran's father—lurking by the roadside, holding a newspaper but clearly spying on someone.
"Huh, what's Uncle up to?"
"Probably tailing someone. Wanna say hi?" Sora suggested.
"Nah, I'm not in the mood for another lecture," Conan said, shaking his head. He noticed Kogoro pretending to read the paper while eyeing a man in a coat with hands in his pockets. It was obvious Kogoro was following him—no challenge at all. Still, Conan was annoyed that his subconscious had beaten him to the conclusion.
Sora, on the other hand, simply recalled this part. He vaguely remembered that on their first day of school, a case involving tailing occurred.
In this "familiar yet strange" world, many events likely mirrored those from a manga he'd read long ago. But time had blurred the details, and in a three-dimensional "Conan science" world, he couldn't predict exactly which story would unfold when. He wasn't all-knowing—but for standout events, he had some recollection.
Sora, in his own way, was kind of cheating.
They skirted around Kogoro and headed toward the Mouri household.
Since it was their first day as transfer students, Ran planned to cook a big meal to celebrate and had specifically told Conan to bring Sora along.
Leaving Dr. Agasa to eat takeout alone felt a bit guilty, but Ran's cooking was too good to resist. Sora couldn't say no.
"Let's turn here," Sora said.
"Huh? The road's this way—"
"Dr. Agasa mentioned a new pastry shop nearby," Sora explained. "I'll grab some desserts."
"Oh." Conan caught on, then grew wary. "Wait, you're not buying them for Ran, are you?"
"You got me," Sora admitted, giving Conan a skeptical glance. "…You're not jealous over *this*, are you?"
"W-What? No way! Who'd get jealous over that?" Conan's eyes darted away. "Besides, you and I are basically the same person. Who gets jealous of themselves?"
This guy… Sora thought. You've been testing me all day, and now you're calling us the same person? He decided not to poke the bear. "Relax, it's just a thank-you. I'm mooching off her dinner, after all."
"Oh, yeah?" Conan laughed awkwardly.
Come to think of it, he was the one mooching off Ran's hospitality. He figured she wouldn't mind him staying, but he was Conan Edogawa now, not Shinichi Kudo. Plus, Kogoro always seemed to look at him funny.
Lost in thought, Conan noticed Sora stop in front of a convenience store.
"Should we grab some beers?"
"What?" Conan blinked, then realized it was for Kogoro. "Man, you're too smooth."
"It's called playing to the crowd," Sora said righteously. "Might make Kogoro like us more."
"But it'll make Ran like you less," Conan pointed out bluntly. "And anyway, we can't buy alcohol."
"That's not an issue. Just go in and act cute," Sora said, then delivered a line in a flat, emotionless tone: "Like, 'Big sister~ It's for my dad, please~'"
"…That's gross," Conan said, rolling his eyes. Despite Sora's deadpan delivery, Conan couldn't help imagining himself saying it. "Anyway, if anyone's doing it, it should be you."
"Forget it," Sora said, turning away. "Ran would get mad."
---
Mouri Detective Agency.
"Seriously, don't do that again, okay?" Ran said, bending down to Sora. "But thanks! I was actually thinking of trying that shop."
She ruffled Sora's hair.
Unlike Conan, Sora didn't wear glasses, which made Ran see a younger, well-behaved Shinichi in him. He was quieter than Shinichi had been as a kid, almost mature—gosh, if Shinichi and I had a kid— Ran stopped herself. What are you thinking, Ran Mouri? You're still in high school!
Sora replied casually, then noticed Ran staring at his face, her cheeks turning red. Before he could figure out why, he felt a glare heavy with resentment.
No need to look—he knew it was from Conan, the Vinegar King.
"Big sister Ran~" Conan called out, unable to hold back. "Big sister Ran~!"
"…Huh? Oh, what are you talking about, Conan? I was just thinking about what to cook, not about that guy Shinichi!" Ran stood up, flustered, accidentally spilling her thoughts.
"…"
After a brief chat, Ran hurried off to cook. Sora settled on the couch, taking a big sip of the juice Ran had set out. As he set the glass down, something lunged at him.
"…"
With a quick push off the couch, Sora dodged nimbly. He turned to see Conan holding his glasses, clearly intending to put them on someone else.
Conan, having missed his sneak attack, stood there awkwardly.
A brief silence.
"…What, were you trying to put those on me?"
"Yeah," Conan said, casually folding the glasses and sitting on the couch. "You know, Sora, if you wear these—"
"Stop right there!" Sora cut him off. "You chose to wear those things."
"I changed my mind. Let's swap."
"Wow… so I get to live with Ran?"
"Tch, don't even think about it," Conan said, leaning back on the couch. "You're the one who didn't want to stay here in the first place."
That thought cheered Conan up. After all, he was the one living with "big sister Ran" every day, while Sora was stuck with Dr. Agasa.
(End of Chapter)