Seeing Aoko's reluctant expression, Ran almost wanted to delete her contact information out of frustration.
But after thinking it over, she let it go.
At that moment, Sonoko's phone rang. After answering it, she quickly turned to Ran and said,
"Ran, I have to head home! My mom's looking for me."
She then added, "Oh, and don't forget to pick up the package later—there's a dress for tomorrow in it. Alright, I'm off!"
Before Ran could react, Sonoko suddenly crouched down and planted a quick kiss on Akashi's cheek.
Then, with a mischievous grin, she dashed away.
Ran's face darkened instantly.
She was really starting to worry that Akashi would keep getting taken advantage of by women.
Without hesitation, she scooped him up like a protective mother hen guarding her chick.
The little succubus himself had no objections—he really didn't mind being kiss.
But seeing Ran's determined expression, he decided to keep quiet.
Behind them, Conan watched with a bitter expression, his mood souring even further.
Lately, he had no idea how to act around Ran anymore.
No matter what he did, it always felt wrong.
It's true what they say—if a girl doesn't like you, nothing you do will ever be right.
As the three of them continued walking toward Eri's house, a group of children suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Conan! Akashi-san! Why weren't you at school today?"
It was the Detective Boys, fresh out of class.
Behind them stood a smaller boy, looking nervous.
The chubby kid, Genta, immediately grabbed Conan's arm and introduced the newcomer.
"Conan! Perfect timing! Our Detective Team just got a new case!"
He pointed at the little boy behind them.
"This is Toshiya, our new client. His brother was kidnapped this morning!"
"We're heading to his house right now. As a member of the Junior Detective League, you have to come investigate!"
Without waiting for a reply, Genta tightened his grip on Conan's arm and started pulling him away.
Conan's face stiffened.
"Wait, I—"
He was still trying to keep an eye on Ran and Akashi! He didn't want to leave!
But Genta's strength was overwhelming—far beyond what Conan's tiny body could handle.
Before he could protest, he was dragged off against his will.
A moment later, the entire group had rushed off, vanishing down the street.
Akashi couldn't help but smirk.
Good thing I didn't get involved with that detective team.
That would've been way too much trouble.
Still, according to the original plot, Toshiya's brother had indeed been kidnapped.
If he remembered correctly, it was the counterfeit bill gang—they needed him to forge fake currency.
But since no one actually died in this case, there was no real need to get involved.
As long as there was no bloodshed, he had nothing to gain.
Noticing Ran's slightly worried expression, Akashi reassured her,
"Sister Ran, don't worry. Conan and his friends just love playing detective games."
He shrugged casually.
"Most of the time, they're just helping people find lost cats and dogs. It's nothing serious."
Then, he grabbed Ran's hand and tugged her forward.
"Come on, let's go to the mall!"
Ran blinked in confusion.
"The mall? Why?"
Akashi answered without hesitation.
"I'm going to buy you clothes. A dress, too!"
In his mind, he was absolutely certain—Kaito had overheard Sonoko mention the dress.
That meant there was a chance he'd show up later, pretending to be a deliveryman.
If he managed to swap out the dress for a similar one, he could disguise himself as Ran.
No way I'm letting that happen.
This problem needed to be dealt with at the source.
Meanwhile, Ran was taken aback.
Her eyes softened, full of emotion.
Akashi…
He really meant what he said before.
He genuinely thinks about me…
Her heart warmed as she looked at her little brother.
Without thinking, she leaned in and nuzzled her cheek against his soft, smooth face.
In public, Ran hugged Akashi tightly, rubbing her cheek affectionately against his.
Akashi could barely hold back his frustration.
What's with all the fuss?!
Just then, Ran leaned in close, her soft pink lips brushing against his ear as she whispered warmly,
"No need, I already have plenty of clothes."
"Besides, Sonoko is sending me a dress, so there's no reason to buy another one."
Her warm breath tickled Akashi's ear, making him shiver slightly from the sensation.
Then, Ran suddenly asked, "Wait a second, Akashi, where would you even get the money?"
Akashi replied matter-of-factly,
"Of course I have money. When I left the orphanage, I found a black card among my personal belongings."
"There's money in it—enough to buy a lot of things."
With a confident smirk, he added, "Maybe I'm the long-lost heir of some rich family~"
Ran chuckled, ruffling his hair fondly.
"Oh, sure, sure—you're totally a young master of a wealthy family."
Then, playfully, she asked, "So, Akashi, if you really turned out to be the heir of a rich family, what would you do?"
The little succubus grinned mischievously.
"Of course, I'd marry Sister Ran and make her my little wife!"
The words caught Ran off guard.
Her heartbeat stuttered for a moment, and her face turned bright red like a blooming rose.
She immediately smacked Akashi's bottom lightly.
"Nonsense! I'm your sister, not your wife!"
Then, a sudden realization hit her.
"Wait—why a little wife?"
Akashi smirked devilishly.
"Because the main wife is Auntie Eri! You can only be my little wife!"
Ran gasped in shock.
"You brat—stop talking nonsense!"
She smacked his back again, this time in playful frustration.
But after a few light slaps, she burst into laughter.
Why am I even getting mad at Akashi?
He was just a child, full of whimsical thoughts.
As smart as he was, he still didn't understand these kinds of things.
There was really nothing to do but let it go.
With a patient smile, Ran gently explained,
"You can't marry like that, silly. Everyone can only have one spouse. Bigamy is illegal."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, I'm your sister. We can't get married…"
For some reason, she didn't feel like finishing that sentence.
Instead, she changed the subject.
"Mom's a lawyer. I'll ask her about it when we get home!"
Ran continued walking with Akashi, gently guiding him while fulfilling her role as a big sister.
In the end, she never did take him to the mall.
With her responsible nature, how could she justify spending a child's money?
Even though Akashi had a net worth of over 100 million, she still refused to let him spend a dime on her.
Under the warm glow of the setting sun, the two of them walked side by side, chatting and laughing without anyone disturbing them.
Ran strolled with Akashi for over 20 minutes, yet she didn't feel tired at all.
Finally, they arrived at Eri's house.
But as soon as they reached the front door, they were met with an unexpected sight—
Gift boxes and shopping bags were piled high at the entrance!
All of them had been delivered from the mall.
Strange… Why didn't Haibara bring these inside?
Akashi unlocked the door and stepped inside, searching around the house.
No sign of Haibara.
Frowning, he pulled out his phone and sent her a text.
"Where are you?"
A reply came almost immediately.
"I'm observing Subject No. 1."
Akashi sighed.
So Haibara went off to follow Conan and the Junior Detective Team…
Which means she's going to run into the counterfeit money gang!
If he remembered correctly, the counterfeiters had rented a place right next to the police station.
It was supposed to be an easy case—Conan only needed to alert the police, and Inspector Megure would handle the rest.
But, of course, those three mischievous kids just had to get involved.
That's when things got dangerously complicated.
Without hesitation, Akashi typed out a warning message to Haibara.
"Stay on the sidelines. Don't follow those brats upstairs, and you won't be in danger."
A moment later, Haibara's reply came.
"Ok!"
But on the other end of the phone, Haibara frowned, looking suspicious.
She had only been following Conan in secret—so how did Akashi know what was happening?
Could that guy be spying on me?!
The little scientist glanced around cautiously.
But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't spot any familiar figures.
Meanwhile, Ran had already started carrying the shopping bags and gift boxes inside.
One by one, she unpacked them, sorting everything neatly.
Shoes, accessories, and hair ties were carefully put away.
Clothes, pants, skirts, and socks went straight into the washing machine.
Outer packaging, tags, and receipts? All tossed out.
She was efficient—like a perfect housewife.
But by the time she finished, her own clothes were covered in dust.
She sighed, brushing off her sleeves.
"Ugh, I'm all dirty now."
Turning to Akashi, she called out,
"Come on, Akashi, let's take a bath."
As soon as she entered the house, she started preparing the bathwater.
Clearly, this had been planned in advance.
Akashi sighed internally.
She's not even trying to be subtle about it.
But instead of arguing, he simply followed her toward the bathroom.