Since Uncle Mouri was busy with work, his tailing job would keep him out late, and Conan and Doyle were just kids, so Ran didn't prepare an elaborate meal.
Still, the dishes were cute, tailored to kids' usual tastes and nutritionally balanced—though Sora secretly preferred a meat-heavy spread. In the face of Ran's cooking, that hardly mattered.
The three sat together, eating and chatting. At Ran's prompting, Conan recounted their first day at school, with Sora chiming in occasionally.
"Huh, Conan, you play soccer too?" Ran asked.
After dinner, they washed dishes together and sat back down to keep talking.
"Y-Yeah," Conan said, wincing internally. That "too" clearly referred to Shinichi Kudo. "Doyle plays too! We had a ball-juggling contest at school today!"
"Really~?" Ran marveled. These two kids looked exactly like Shinichi as a child *and* played soccer? If they weren't twins, she'd swear Dr. Agasa had cooked up some bizarre drug to shrink Shinichi. "So, who won?"
"N-Naturally, I did…" Conan mumbled.
Ran's eyes sharpened.
"Lying's not nice, Conan!"
"Huh!?"
"You glanced at Doyle just now, didn't you?" Detective Ran declared, ruffling Conan's hair. *Hmm, both their heads feel the same.* "Honestly, don't grow up to be a liar, Conan."
Conan's face reddened.
Sora, however, suspected the blush came from Ran's head-ruffling.
Catching Sora's amused look, Conan shot him a sneaky glare while responding in a syrupy voice, "Got it, big sister Ran." But… who's this "habitual liar" adult she's talking about?
"Speaking of which, Shinichi's such a jerk," Ran said. "He promised he'd be back soon, but he lied…" Outside, heavy footsteps approached.
"Oh, Dad's back—"
The door swung open, and Uncle Mouri strode to his desk in a few steps, plopping down. "Ran, grab me a beer!"
"Dad! Conan and Doyle are still here!" Ran rushed over, taking the bag from his hands.
"What's the big deal? Just a couple of brats," Kogoro said, ignoring their greetings as he leaned back. "I've been tailing that guy for three days straight, and I still have to develop those photos—"
"Good work, Dad," Ran said hesitantly, fetching a can from Kogoro's stash in the fridge. "But just a little! You haven't eaten yet… I'll heat up your food."
Kogoro snatched the beer, popped it open, and chugged it down, letting out a belch. "Now that's refreshing! That's how you drink a beer!"
"Oh, right, Dad," Ran called from the kitchen, "you can snack on the pastries on the table. Doyle brought them!"
"Really?" Kogoro eyed the two suspiciously, then popped a pastry in his mouth. After a few chews, he swallowed, looking surprised. "Hey, not bad! Tch, you're pretty thoughtful, kid. Way better than Conan."
"Thanks, Uncle, just a thank-you for your hospitality," Sora said.
"Hey, hey…" Conan's face darkened. *This guy can play cute too? And is Kogoro really that easy to win over?*
"Look," Kogoro said, munching another pastry, "why don't you two switch? You seem way less trouble than Conan—"
"Dad! I heard that!" Ran emerged from the kitchen with heated food, standing by Conan with her hands on his shoulders. "That's too harsh—sorry, Conan, Dad's just drunk. You're fine staying here. And Doyle," she added, turning to him, "you're welcome to live here anytime, okay?"
"Ehehe…" Conan, practically nestled in Ran's arms, blushed again.
"Thanks, big sister Ran," Sora replied politely.
"Tch." Kogoro grumbled but backed off under Ran's glare. "So, how long's Conan staying? Their parents still in the hospital?"
"Well…" Ran said, "I asked them earlier… their parents got transferred overseas for work, so Conan's staying a while. Right, Conan?"
"Y-Yeah, big sister Ran."
"That's so irresponsible!" Kogoro said, and Sora silently agreed. "Leaving two kids this young to fend for themselves, all for their jobs—"
"Dad!"
"—and giving them such weird names!"
Kogoro continued, his gaze sharpening. "Names can lead to bullying, you know! How could they pick names so carelessly just because they like them?"
Sora glanced at Kogoro, surprised. Their self-introductions at school had drawn laughs due to their odd names. If they weren't mentally adults and undeniably cute, it could've caused trouble.
Ran tensed up, checking with Conan and Sora before relaxing.
"But… Doyle is a pretty strange name," Ran said. "Your names come from the detective novelist Conan Doyle, right?"
Sora nodded.
"Conan's fine… it's a name, at least. But Doyle's a surname, and a foreign one… hmm…" Ran hesitated, resolving to talk to their parents about it if she ever met them.
Sora shifted uncomfortably under Ran's pitying gaze, as if he'd already been bullied over his name. Even Kogoro's expression turned complicated.
"Big sister Ran," Sora said, "you and Uncle can call me my other name, Sora Kaedehara. Conan and Dr. Agasa use that one too!"
"Huh?" Kogoro paused mid-pastry.
"Another name?" Ran asked, confused.
"Hey—" Conan nudged Sora with his elbow.
"Yeah," Sora said. "I used it when I was fostered elsewhere for a while."
The air seemed to freeze. Sora hadn't anticipated how much that line would hit Ran.
Ran covered her mouth, tears welling up, and pulled Sora into a hug. No wonder… no wonder Doyle didn't want to live here like Conan… no wonder he's so quiet… no wonder he brought gifts…
For such a young kid to be so mature, to speak so calmly about being passed around—it was heartbreaking!
Sora squirmed awkwardly in Ran's embrace, then froze, deciding it was best not to move.
Heavens help him, he just wanted to ditch the weird "Doyle" name, not play the pity card…
And he could feel Conan's glare practically burning into him.
"Sounds like a poor abandoned puppy," Kogoro muttered, then coughed. "Ahem, fine, whatever. It's up to you two—Ran's the one looking after you brats anyway. But—" his tone shifted, "you'd better help out around here!"
Sora and Conan, inexplicably accepted by Kogoro, weren't exactly thrilled. Sora found the situation bizarre, while Conan was fuming… because Ran was still hugging Sora.
After a bit, Ran confirmed that Sora's close contacts called him Sora Kaedehara and decided to use "Sora" instead. Sora had hoped for "Kaedehara," but oh well.
Once Ran calmed down, she went to fetch the heated food. Kogoro sneaked to the fridge for another beer, and Conan seized the chance to sidle up to Sora.
"You jerk—"
"I just didn't want to use Edogawa Doyle," Sora whispered.
"Tch." This guy, tricking Ran like that, Conan thought angrily, recalling her earlier words: "Don't grow up to be a liar, Conan."
Am I, Shinichi Kudo, really a liar? Conan questioned his existence.
Before he could say more, Ran returned with the food. Kogoro, having downed another beer, approached the two.
"Hey, you two," Kogoro said, tossing his bag onto the table in front of them. "Sort these photos by the time they were taken."
(End of Chapter)