Chapter 20

As soon as Miyano Shiho spoke, the atmosphere turned awkwardly cold.

Kudo Shinichi's mouth twitched slightly.

He had gone through all that effort to deduce the truth—

And she wasn't even a little surprised?

Damn… He had encountered someone who didn't follow the usual script.

This was a first for the great detective Kudo, leaving him at a rare loss for words.

Even Mouri Ran felt the awkwardness, her polite smile barely holding up.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xinyi became even more convinced that this Miyano girl was unusual.

Of course, there was no way for him to understand what she had gone through.

After all, as someone who had never watched Detective Conan, he still assumed he was living in a lawful, modern society.

And in a real-world setting—

A secret underground crime syndicate?

Setting up illegal drug labs in the heart of the capital?

Organizing armed groups and kidnapping overseas returnees?

Were they tired of living?

What, had the people suddenly lost their ability to dial the police, or had the city's surveillance cameras all mysteriously stopped working?

Such things were absolutely impossible in his understanding of the world. Even if Japan's crime rate was different, it was still a developed country—how could criminals just run rampant like that?

So, from a modern perspective, Lin Xinyi simply found Miyano Shiho strange:

She was young, had a promising future, yet her eyes carried an unfathomable weariness, as if she had endured countless darkness and suffering.

…Maybe she had just read too much of Japan's famously melancholic literature and became overly depressed?

Thinking this, Lin Xinyi looked at Miyano Shiho with even more exasperation.

But of course, Miyano Shiho didn't care about how others saw her.

After a brief silence, she was the first to speak again—

She absentmindedly toyed with two coins in her hand, her tone indifferent:

"Are you two still using the vending machine?"

"If not, please step aside. I'm in a hurry."

"Uh…" Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran exchanged glances.

The awkwardness deepened.

Lin Xinyi, standing beside them, offered an apologetic smile.

Sorry, she's always been like this.

Kudo nodded slightly, returning a wry smile—

I get it. I can see that.

Mouri Ran hesitated, biting her lip, unsure whether to say anything:

Having to take care of someone this socially oblivious… Lin Xinyi-san must have it rough.

I just hope he doesn't get too overwhelmed and… run off to the river again…

That would be too sad.

Silently, the three of them shared a brief, complicated exchange through their gazes.

Miyano Shiho seemed to pick up on their silent criticisms—

But she remained indifferent.

Given her circumstances, distancing herself from ordinary people was actually in their best interest.

Over the years, she had grown accustomed to a life devoid of social connections, completely alone.

And so, amidst this subtle tension—

Kudo and Mouri Ran turned back to the vending machine, inserting their coins and pressing the buttons.

Lin Xinyi, meanwhile, patiently waited with Miyano Shiho, as he was still on duty and had to prioritize her needs.

The air grew quiet once more.

If things had continued like this, they would have soon parted ways with Kudo and Mouri Ran, and Lin Xinyi would have gone on to escort Miyano Shiho to meet her sister.

But just then—

An interruption.

A pair of additional figures joined the line behind them.

Two male high school students in black uniforms.

Both had cigarettes dangling from their mouths—despite the law prohibiting minors from smoking—

Clearly, they weren't the type to follow rules.

As they waited in line, they casually chatted with each other:

"Ishikawa, are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?"

"If that kid goes to the cops again, won't it be a real pain?"

The skinnier of the two voiced his concern.

He wasn't speaking quietly—everyone in front of him, including Lin Xinyi's group, could hear every word.

"Tch, what's there to worry about?"

The bulkier teen, called Ishikawa, scoffed.

"Aoki, you're way too timid."

"We only bumped into him a little. It's not like we broke any bones or anything."

"So what if he goes to the cops again?"

"We're still minors. It's not like they're gonna throw us in jail over something this small."

Japan's juvenile law was notoriously lenient on underage offenders.

As long as they didn't cripple or kill someone, the police wouldn't bother intervening in a simple case of school bullying.

Ishikawa took a deep drag from his cigarette, exhaling the acrid smoke before sneering:

"That little punk had it coming!"

"Last time, we just borrowed some pocket money, and he had the audacity to go snitching to the police."

"And what happened? He made such a fuss that the school got involved, and now they're trying to expel us!"

"Since we're getting kicked out anyway, what's there to be afraid of?"

"We have to teach him a lesson!"

"But…"

The skinnier Aoki hesitated.

"The principal said we'll only avoid expulsion if that kid forgives us."

"If we beat him up again, there's no way he'll forgive us…"

"Hah! You think he'd forgive us anyway if we left him alone?"

Ishikawa rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"He probably just wants to get rid of us for good."

"Punks like that only understand one thing—fear. Beat him up enough, and he'll fall in line."

"…You've got a point."

Aoki nodded thoughtfully.

"So maybe we actually went too easy on him today."

"It's fine."

Ishikawa chuckled.

"We've got plenty of time. We can corner him every day after school."

"He needs to understand what happens when he messes with us."

"..."

Their conversation paused momentarily.

But every single word had already reached the ears of Lin Xinyi's group.

It was clear—

Ishikawa and Aoki had just finished bullying a classmate.

And far from feeling any guilt, they were openly bragging about it, reveling in their cruelty.

It was utterly repulsive.

Disgusting.

"Scum."

Mouri Ran's fists clenched.

Her knuckles cracked audibly, like a string of firecrackers going off.

A clear, powerful sound.

Her sense of justice was already burning bright.

Meanwhile, the two delinquents at the back of the line remained blissfully unaware that they had just enraged the last person they should have.

"Ahem… Calm down, calm down."

Kudo Shinichi hastily grabbed his childhood friend's fists.

Though Ran was gentle by nature and rarely resorted to violence, Kudo knew—

If she did decide to step in and deliver justice…

Most school bullies wouldn't be able to withstand a single hit.

So he hurriedly tried to soothe her and, as a last resort, turned pleadingly to Lin Xinyi.

Come on, say something.

They have to listen to you—you just survived a suicide attempt!

But his plea was completely ignored.

Not only did Lin Xinyi not dissuade Ran, he even nodded seriously and said:

"It's fine, isn't it?"

"I heard Mouri Ran-san practices karate. She should be able to handle this."

After all, she was training for the Tokyo Karate Championships.

If she could compete at that level, she'd have no problem handling two high school thugs.

Besides, if things got out of hand, he was there to back her up.

"Don't worry, Kudo."

"If Ran-san runs into trouble, I'll step in."

"…Oi, oi."

Kudo sighed.

"You're really not getting it…"

"Legally speaking, there's no problem."

This time, Miyano Shiho spoke up, her icy tone unwavering.

"This Mouri Ran girl is wearing a high school uniform—she's a minor too, isn't she?"

"Just like those two said…"

"As a minor, even if she breaks a few bones, it wouldn't matter much."

She stated it so matter-of-factly, it was terrifying.

"…"

Kudo was speechless.

These two… really didn't understand.

If Ran lost control…

People wouldn't just get injured.

People would break.