Chapter 19

When Mouri Ran unexpectedly ran into Lin Xinyi, her eyes filled with surprise.

The boy beside her, the ever-curious Shinichi Kudo, was far more enthusiastic. "Mr. Lin Xinyi! I didn't think we'd meet again so soon!"

"Yeah, quite the coincidence," Lin Xinyi replied with a natural smile.

For someone new to this place, Shinichi Kudo and Mouri Ran were among the few familiar faces. Running into them twice in a single day was a rare stroke of fate.

"Um…" After her initial surprise, Mouri Ran seemed to recall something. Her large eyes quickly filled with concern, and her voice became exceptionally gentle, as if she were speaking to a terminally ill patient.

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, are you… okay?"

"Uh…" Lin Xinyi felt a bit helpless.

The tone in which she spoke—like a nurse trying to comfort a critically ill patient—made it clear that Kudo must have told her about his "suicide attempt."

Her worried gaze spoke volumes.

She looked as if she was afraid he'd dash into traffic at any second.

"No need to worry, it's all in the past."

Lin Xinyi gave a vague response.

"Oh…" Mouri Ran seemed slightly relieved.

Then, she finally noticed the silent figure standing beside Lin Xinyi.

"This lady… is she your girlfriend, Mr. Lin Xinyi?"

Her eyes were filled with curiosity. With such a beautiful girlfriend, why would he even think about suicide?

Shiho Miyano, too, seemed surprised. She glanced at Shinichi Kudo and Mouri Ran, then back at Lin Xinyi.

This guy…

He actually makes friends with normal students like these?

A hound of the darkness, yet carefully maintaining the identity of an ordinary person in the outside world?

How unexpected.

It seemed she had seriously underestimated how little she knew about this seemingly lifeless man.

Lin Xinyi, however, didn't notice Miyano's unusual gaze. He simply clarified,

"Girlfriend? No, no, no."

"She's Shiho Miyano."

"And I… I guess you could call me her bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" This time, it was Shinichi Kudo's turn to be surprised. "Mr. Lin, your job is as a bodyguard? That can't be right…"

"Based on my deductions, you should have a professional background in medicine."

"Well…" Lin Xinyi wasn't sure how to respond.

Shiho Miyano, however, glanced at Kudo with interest.

She knew his deduction was spot on.

Back when Lin Xinyi was monitoring her as a fellow student at Columbia University, his major had been clinical medicine.

Though they had rarely interacted during their university days, she was vaguely aware that Lin Xinyi's academic performance had been quite good.

"Did I actually get it wrong…?"

"That doesn't seem right. A bodyguard knowing that much about medicine?"

"Could it be that he studied medicine first, then switched to security?"

"But considering salary, job prospects, and future stability, medicine is clearly the better choice."

Kudo fell into a puzzled contemplation.

"Haha, looks like Shinichi finally made a wrong deduction for once."

Mouri Ran giggled at his mistake.

"Uh…" Shinichi Kudo scratched his head awkwardly, reluctantly accepting that he had been mistaken.

Then, as if trying to make up for it, his detective instincts kicked in again, and he turned his full attention to the silent Shiho Miyano standing beside Lin Xinyi.

His sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe.

It only took a few seconds before the familiar confident smile returned to his lips.

"Mr. Lin's profession was a surprise," he said.

"But I doubt I'll be wrong about Ms. Miyano's identity."

"Oh?" Shiho Miyano responded indifferently.

Unlike most people, she showed no curiosity at all about his dramatic setup.

"Uh…"

Kudo felt a bit awkward, but he pressed on.

"I noticed faint circular marks on Ms. Miyano's wrists."

"When I got closer, I also detected the scent of alcohol on her."

"The marks suggest she was recently wearing sterile latex gloves, the kind used in laboratories. And the alcohol scent likely comes from 70% medical ethanol, commonly used to disinfect lab benches."

"Based on this, I deduce that Ms. Miyano works in a pharmaceutical lab."

"Oh?"

"And how can you be sure it's a pharmaceutical lab?"

"Gloves and alcohol aren't exclusive to researchers—doctors, forensic scientists, even waiters could leave similar traces. Waiters also wear gloves and use alcohol to wipe down tables."

Lin Xinyi chimed in, challenging Kudo's reasoning.

He was genuinely interested in the detective's thought process.

"That's because I also noticed her pants."

Kudo continued his deduction smoothly.

"She would have taken off her lab coat after work, but she probably wouldn't have changed her pants."

"And on her dark-colored trousers, I can clearly see a few short white animal hairs."

"This suggests she came into contact with lab mice."

"I'd guess she was conducting an experiment involving mice not long ago, wasn't she?"

He deliberately paused to observe her reaction.

Kudo wasn't entirely certain those white hairs were from lab mice.

So whenever he had a less-than-solid deduction, he'd employ a "tactical pause" to gauge the other party's microexpressions.

And sure enough, it worked again—when he mentioned the mice, Shiho Miyano's brows furrowed slightly.

She knew Kudo had gotten it mostly right.

She had indeed been in contact with lab mice not long ago.

But she hadn't been conducting an experiment—she had simply been passing the time, idly stroking a mouse's fur.

Living in a laboratory offered little entertainment. Those mice were the closest thing she had to pets.

She had even given names to the cuter, more attractive ones.

When it came time for animal testing, she would ensure the nameless, uglier mice went first.

Of course, this was something she kept secret from the other researchers.

Even Lin Xinyi had no idea.

There was no way she would let him—a man she didn't particularly like—see her playing with little animals like some sentimental fool.

It was her private little secret.

And now, a nosy teenage detective was rudely trying to uncover it—worse, he was prying into things he absolutely shouldn't know.

Her brows furrowed slightly, signaling her unease.

But to Kudo, that was the confirmation he needed.

Satisfied that he was on the right track, he pressed forward.

"Lab mice are primarily used for pharmaceutical experiments or medical training."

"There aren't any universities nearby, and Ms. Miyano's wrist marks indicate she only just got off work."

"So, I'd say there's a high chance she's a researcher at a pharmaceutical company."

"If I recall correctly, there's a company called 'Haiba Biopharmaceuticals' nearby."

"Ms. Miyano, do you work there?"

He ended his deduction with his signature confident smile.

By now, he expected the usual reaction—astonishment, admiration.

That was his favorite part of being a detective.

But he completely failed to notice—

The moment he casually mentioned "Haiba Biopharmaceuticals," Miyano's expression turned cold.

And as he stood there, grinning proudly, the atmosphere around them grew tense.

Facing his smile, Shiho Miyano responded with an unmistakable sneer.

"You really enjoy playing detective, don't you?"

"…?"

Kudo's smile froze.

Instead of admiration, he was met with an icy, sarcastic tone.

"Well then, you must know Agatha Christie's famous quote."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Shiho Miyano recited the English phrase with an unmistakable chill in her voice.

"Great Detective."

"Asking too many questions can get you killed."