31 - Conan Comes Knocking! Damn You, Xiao Ran, Are You Playing Me?!

Here's the translated, corrected, and adapted version of the chapter into English, with the protagonist's name as Azuma Shoyo and character names aligned with their original anime counterparts. I've fixed grammatical and spelling errors for clarity and readability:

Behind the School Hill

Azuma Shoyo had brought Miko Yotsuya back to this spot again.

"Same old routine—point it out to me," Azuma Shoyo said.

Miko Yotsuya, standing in front of him, nodded. Her gaze drifted to one side, but her hand pointed in a different direction.

This was because making eye contact with an evil spirit would alert it to the fact that you could see it, sparking its desire to attack. So Miko couldn't look directly at the spirit—she could only point. That way, while it might still notice her, it wouldn't immediately lunge at her.

"Over there, huh?" Azuma Shoyo nodded.

He turned his head and fired off a blast of heat vision in an instant!

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

Amid a piercing scream, a twisted mass of black mist materialized in the air before rapidly dissipating until it vanished completely.

"Is it dead?" Azuma Shoyo turned back to ask Miko.

"Yeah, it's dead!" Miko nodded, then couldn't help her curiosity. "Shoyo, why do evil spirits keep clinging to you?"

"First, describe what this one looked like," Azuma Shoyo replied.

So Miko began describing the evil spirit she'd just seen.

Soon enough, Azuma Shoyo confirmed in his mind that it was indeed Akihiro Fujie's ghost!

How could he be so sure?

Because the spirit had a knife sticking out of its chest, a plump figure, and a face so distorted that Miko could only describe it as "terrifyingly ugly."

"So people really turn into evil spirits after they die? And so quickly?"

"Is it because Akihiro Fujie had some unresolved grudge he couldn't let go of?" Azuma Shoyo speculated silently.

He even wondered if this spirit hadn't originally been haunting him but Yoko Okino instead.

After all, what connection did Azuma Shoyo have with Akihiro Fujie? He didn't even know the guy.

It was probably last night's incident that shifted the ghost's hatred from Yoko Okino onto him.

But according to Miko, spirits didn't retain memories from their lives. They didn't even have intelligence—just pure resentment given form, acting on some kind of instinctual rule.

If you couldn't see these spirits, they couldn't directly harm you. They'd just latch onto you, draining your life energy at a rapid pace.

Take Hana Yurikawa, for example—she was constantly surrounded by spirits, which explained her enormous appetite. That life energy could be replenished by eating.

Yeah… pretty ridiculous. So, what, spirits were sucking up calories?

A dream come true for dieters, huh?

"Did you know that spirit?" Miko asked curiously.

"Yeah, I stumbled across a murder scene yesterday by chance. If I'm right, that spirit was the guy who died," Azuma Shoyo said.

"What?! That's terrifying!" Miko said, a little shaken. "Next time I hear about a dead body, I'm definitely not going anywhere near it!"

"Not necessarily," Azuma Shoyo countered. "If every death turned someone into an evil spirit, places like hospitals and crematoriums would be overflowing with them by now. Most people probably don't become spirits after they die."

"Hmm, you're right," Miko nodded, agreeing with his logic.

Otherwise, wouldn't the world be swarming with evil spirits by now?

Think about it—how many people die worldwide every day?

Nearly 300,000!

If that meant 300,000 new spirits every day, after all these years, the planet should be crawling with them.

But in reality?

Even Miko, who could see them, only encountered these spirits occasionally—not every single day.

…

After returning from the hill, Azuma Shoyo parted ways with Miko.

She ran off to find Hana Yurikawa, while Azuma Shoyo stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled leisurely back toward his classroom.

He hadn't gotten far when a familiar figure stepped in front of him.

"Shoyo, let's talk!" Conan said, his expression deadly serious as he stared up at him.

"Sure, over there," Azuma Shoyo replied, pointing to a nearby bench. He led Conan over and sat down.

Once seated, Azuma Shoyo turned to him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

The moment Conan saw that smug look, he knew Azuma Shoyo had already figured something out.

"Ugh! That face of yours—I swear, every time I see it, I want to punch you!" Conan huffed, exasperated.

"Really? Too bad you can't beat me," Azuma Shoyo shot back, his expression practically begging for a fight.

Conan: "…"

If I weren't stuck in this kid body, I'd take you on right now!

But then again, Conan should probably be grateful he was small—otherwise, Azuma Shoyo would've wiped the floor with him.

"Do you know something?" Conan asked.

Even now, he clung to a sliver of hope. What if Azuma Shoyo hadn't figured out he was Shinichi Kudo?

After all, a high schooler suddenly turning into an elementary school kid? Who'd believe that? Who'd even consider it without inside knowledge?

Unless… Azuma Shoyo was in league with the Black Organization?!

The thought hit Conan like a bolt of lightning, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

Just then, Azuma Shoyo leaned in close, locking eyes with him. With a sly grin, he said, "You've figured it out, haven't you? Guess I'll have to silence you."

What?!

Conan's heart skipped a beat.

He tried to bolt from the bench, but Azuma Shoyo's hand clamped down on him.

"Let me go!" Conan squirmed.

Suddenly—

"Hahaha!" Azuma Shoyo let go, bursting into laughter as he watched him.

"Kudo, you should've seen your face just now—it was priceless!"

Conan: "…"

Damn it!

This jerk was messing with him!!

Conan seethed. If he couldn't tell he'd been played by now, that brilliant brain of his would've been wasted.

"You rotten jerk, Shoyo! You did that on purpose!" Conan glared, fuming.

"And! You do know who I am!"

Azuma Shoyo had just called him "Kudo." Unless Conan was deaf or dumb, it was crystal clear—Azuma Shoyo knew he was Shinichi Kudo.

"Was it that hard to guess?" Azuma Shoyo said, reining in his laughter. "You just aged backward, not turned into someone else. Plus, you're still wearing the exact same clothes you wore as a kid. It's like you want people to recognize you!"

--- Translator Note ---

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