"Hey! Hey! Hey! Who are you? Do I know you?"
The high school boy turned his head, his face filled with annoyance.
And the moment Conan saw that face, he froze.
What the hell?!
Why does this guy look exactly like me?!
Sonoko, on the other hand, grew even more furious.
"Kudo Shinichi! Don't think you can fool me by changing your hairstyle and wearing another school's uniform!"
"Come on, spill it! What's your relationship with this girl?!"
Loyal as ever, Sonoko immediately jumped in to defend Ran.
But Ran, who had a vague feeling that this person wasn't Shinichi, quickly interjected.
"Sonoko, wait a second!"
The girl standing next to the boy turned around and spoke up.
"I think you've got the wrong person. His name is Kaito, not whoever you're talking about."
Her voice was soft and gentle, with a soothing tone.
But the moment she turned around, both Ran and Sonoko's expressions stiffened.
This girl… looks exactly like Ran!
Aside from a different hairstyle and body shape, the resemblance was uncanny—like they were carved from the same mold.
Ran's face was frozen in shock, as if she had just met herself in another life.
Q quickly shook off Sonoko's grip and spoke up.
"I don't even know you."
"My name is Kaito Kuroba. You must be mistaken!"
And sure enough, when he spoke, his voice was completely different from Shinichi's.
Ran immediately turned to Sonoko.
"Sonoko, this isn'tShinichi!"
"I'm really sorry, my friend mistook you for someone else."
Sonoko, however, was still reeling from the shock.
"This is insane! This guy looks exactly like Kudo!"
"And this girl looks exactly like you, Ran!"
"What's going on? Parallel dimensions? Time travel?"
Then, with a smirk, she added:
"Ran, maybe you should go home and ask your mom if she has an illegitimate daughter outside?"
Ran let out a dry laugh before pinching Sonoko's arm.
"Don't say stuff like that—it's rude!"
Turning back to Kaito and the girl, she quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Haha, my friend has a very creative imagination. I'm really sorry about that!"
Kaito exchanged glances with Aoko, then looked at Ran again.
He had to admit—the resemblance was uncanny.
With a teasing smirk, he turned to Aoko.
"Aoko, maybe you should go home and ask your dad if you have a long-lost twin sister?"
Unfortunately, his smart mouth was swiftly punished.
Aoko stomped down on his foot without hesitation.
Kaito yelped and started hopping on one leg.
Seeing that it was all a misunderstanding, Sonoko sighed and apologized.
"Sorry about that. You just really look like a friend of mine."
"My bad, my bad! Tell you what—I'll cover your meal as an apology."
Kaito and Aoko, fortunately, weren't the type to hold grudges.
They simply shrugged it off and let it go.
Meanwhile, Ran dragged Sonoko back to their booth, sighing in exasperation.
"Sonoko, even if you did run into Shinichi, you really don't have to react like that!"
"Haven't I told you before? I have nothing to do with him!"
As soon as those words left her mouth, Conan—who had been eavesdropping the entire time—felt like an arrow had pierced his heart.
Nothing to do with me…?
After all these years together… that's what she thinks?!
Sonoko narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Really? I thought you were joking before!"
"No way—you weren't like this before!"
Ran chuckled.
"That was then, this is now!"
"Now, I have a little brother to look after. I just want to take good care of Akashi and watch him grow up!"
Hearing this, Conan gritted his teeth.
I knew it! It's all because of that little brat!
If he hadn't stolen Ran's attention, things wouldn't be like this!
Sonoko smirked mischievously.
"Oh? Is it really just about taking care of him and watching him grow up?"
She leaned in conspiratorially.
"Ahem, Ran, we're best friends, so I won't hide it from you…"
"What if I fall in love with Akashi when he grows up?"
Ran immediately panicked.
She reached out and pinched Sonoko's waist.
"You idiot, what are you even saying?!"
"Akashi is still a child! What's going on in that head of yours?!"
But Sonoko shamelessly shrugged it off.
"What? Good things shouldn't be given to outsiders! Besides, it's not like I can't wait."
Akashi sat there, completely speechless.
Are they seriously talking about this in front of me?!
Pfft!!!
From the seat next to them, Kaito—who had been quietly listening—suddenly spat out his orange juice.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
This Suzuki heiress is insane!
Is this how rich girls have fun? Raising their future lovers from childhood?! That's so twisted!
Kaito had recognized Sonoko immediately.
After all, he had originally been planning to steal the Suzuki family's heirloom gem.
He had even been preparing to infiltrate their cruise ship.
So when he happened to run into the famous "Second Miss Suzuki," he naturally started gathering intel.
But this was not the kind of information he had expected to hear!
And it was way too entertaining!
Meanwhile, Ran turned red with frustration.
"I swear, if you keep talking nonsense, I'm really going to get mad!"
But Sonoko, being her usual self, picked up on something.
She and Ran knew each other too well.
They could read each other's micro-expressions like an open book.
And Sonoko had just been testing the waters.
Now, she was starting to have a strange, ominous feeling about all of this.
For a brief moment, the two best friends just stared at each other, something unspoken passing between them.
The air grew strangely tense.
Everyone sat back in their seats, falling into a brief silence.
Meanwhile, Conan—completely oblivious to the subtle tension between women—was still staring at Sonoko with excitement.
Please, please, please take Akashi away!
Just then, Jodie returned from the counter with their orders, looking curious.
"What were you guys talking about? It sounded pretty lively!~"
Sonoko quickly changed the subject.
"Nothing!"
Then, as if struck by an idea, she turned to Jodie.
"Oh, Jodie-sensei! My family's cruise ship is setting sail tomorrow night!"
"It'll depart from Tokyo Port, head into international waters, and dock at Yokohama Port. There'll be all kinds of performances onboard!"
"Both Ran and Akashi are coming. Want to join us?"
Jodie raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
"Wow, I had no idea! Sonoko, your family is loaded—you guys even own a cruise ship?"
But then she let out a sigh.
"Unfortunately, I have other plans tomorrow. I already have an appointment."
If the FBI agents weren't arriving from the U.S. tomorrow, she would have loved to tag along.
Especially since Akashi was going to be there.
Her green eyes flickered toward him, filled with curiosity.
Just who is this kid?
How did he pull that off earlier?
That moment… it felt like standing in heaven one second and falling into hell the next!
The sheer intensity of it—it's unforgettable!
I want to experience it again…
Sitting in his seat, Akashi suddenly felt an unsettling gaze on him.
He glanced away, pretending not to notice.
But then—
Something brushed against his leg.
A nimble little foot slowly crept up from beneath the table, sliding along his calf.
"?!?!"
His whole body stiffened.
The only people sitting opposite him were Jodie and Conan.
Ran and Sonoko were seated in the booth next to them.
Which meant…
Damn!
This shameless woman!
As expected of a foreign lady—she's way too bold!