"What an adorable child."
It was undeniable that after shrinking, Conan was really very cute.
"What's your name?"
Ran approached, asking curiously. Since Heiji was in front of her blocking the way, she didn't attempt to hug Conan.
"My name is... my name is Edogawa Conan," Conan said, improvising a name that came out of his mouth in an instant of inspiration.
"Oh, really? That name, the more I look at it, seems like it was made up on the spot. Do you really call yourself that?" Heiji asked skeptically.
Conan's face changed and he became very nervous. "Damn Hattori! What's this guy doing with Ran?"
"It's because my mom is a fan of Conan Doyle, so she gave me this name," Conan responded innocently.
"Ran, don't you think this kid looks a lot like Kudo?"
Kazuha said as she approached, a hint of doubt in her eyes. Since it was the first time she saw Kudo Shinichi, she didn't have the familiarity that distorts perception. Conan was basically a miniature version of Kudo Shinichi, so naturally, there wasn't much of a difference.
A cold sweat ran down Conan's back, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
"But Shinichi never told me he had a relative who looked so much like him," Ran said, surprised.
"I don't know if this kid is related to Kudo, but what I do know is that he has been at his house."
Feeling all eyes on him, Heiji collected his thoughts and began explaining.
"Kazuha, Ran, do you remember how the iron gate was when we arrived at Kudo's house?"
"It was open," Kazuha said quietly.
"Exactly. The door is electric. With that type of switch, if you're not tall enough, it's easy to open it, but hard to close it. And I noticed that the height at which the button is installed is impossible for this kid to reach."
Everyone was confused; even Conan didn't understand where Heiji was going with this.
"Heiji, what are you trying to say?" Kazuha asked, pulling on Heiji's hand.
"Relax, let me finish."
Heiji looked at Conan and smiled strangely, making Conan break out in cold sweat.
"When entering the yard, I noticed there was a very clear trail of footprints on the grass. They weren't the footprints of an adult, but of a child. However, those footprints were a bit strange, because above them, there was a shallow dragging mark, like what would happen if the pants were too long."
Conan's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Heiji in horror.
[This guy, Hattori! How did he figure that out? I was so careful!]
When his body shrank, his clothes, naturally, were too big for him. It was inevitable that the cuffs of his pants dragged on the grass as he walked. But Conan would swear that those marks weren't easy to detect.
"At first, I wasn't too sure, but after seeing a faint water stain on the floor of the house, I confirmed it completely. This kid..."
Heiji suddenly lifted Conan. His strange expression terrified Conan to the core, and he almost peed himself.
[Hattori, no...]
"If he's not a relative of Kudo, then he's definitely a thief who broke in to steal clothes from his house."
"Ah..."
Conan was frozen. He thought Heiji already knew his identity, and the scare almost killed him.
[This bastard Hattori!]
"This kid took the clothes Kudo wore when he was little and left, but since he wasn't tall enough, he couldn't close the door. Am I wrong, little clothes thief?" Heiji said, holding Conan in the air.
"Ah, you're so bad, big brother! Brother Shinichi gave me permission, I'm not a thief."
Conan let out a big sigh of relief; he almost died from the scare.
"Conan is a distant relative of Shinichi, and it's true he came with Shinichi's permission," the Professor Agasa quickly explained from the side.
"Ah, so he's a relative of the Kudo family. No wonder he looks so much like him," Ran nodded.
"You're a very rude child. You should call him 'Brother Heiji,' you can't just call him by his name," Kazuha was concerned about this.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Brother Heiji. Put me down now," Conan continued with his childish act.
Heiji stared at Conan for a while, until the kid started feeling uncomfortable. Only then did he carelessly put him down, with a doubtful expression. "And why would this kid wear clothes that are so big for his size?"
"Ah, you must be Sister Ran, right? Brother Shinichi told me to tell you that he's working on a very complicated case, so he won't be back for a while, so that Sister Ran doesn't worry."
Conan quickly changed the subject. If Heiji kept going down this path, he'd end up peeing himself. If this guy, with his sharp observation skills, figured out his identity, both he and Ran would be in danger.
"How did Shinichi tell you that? Has he come back?"
Heiji nodded to the side. Ran's intelligence kicked in.
Conan's expression tightened, but his mind raced. "Professor Agasa told me, and asked me to pass it on to Sister Ran."
"Really?" Ran asked skeptically.
Conan nodded vigorously, with an expression of total innocence.
"I just can't believe it! Why didn't Shinichi call me to tell me?"
Seeing Ran's gloomy expression, Conan felt the urge to tell her everything, not caring about the consequences.
"Ran..."
"Professor Agasa, I just saw two men in black coats pass by your door. Are they your friends?"
When Heiji heard Conan's words, he stopped dead in his tracks, a look of horror in his eyes.
[Black coats?]
His breath caught in his throat.
"Brother Heiji, what did they look like?"
"Well, since it's night, I couldn't see them clearly, but one was tall and thin, and the other was stocky. They didn't seem like good people."
[It's them, it has to be them. They've come to investigate my house. Have they figured out that I'm not dead? No, if they left without making a sound, it means they found nothing. I can't say anything now, or Ran will be in serious danger.]
"Conan, from now on, you have to call me 'Sister Ran,' you can't just call your elders by their first names," Ran scolded him seriously.
Conan responded innocently. He didn't see the fleeting smile that appeared on Heiji's lips.
[Little Shinigami of Elementary School, you're my guarantee for getting rid of that enormous amount of evil points. How could I let you reveal the truth so easily?]
It was clear that the story about the two men in black was a fabrication of Heiji's. As for whether that made him evil, he didn't care. If you don't look after yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you. He had never pretended to be a saint.
If helping others puts you in danger, that's not greatness, that's being an idiot.
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