When Ren Kuroda noticed Ran Mouri's eyes turn red as Conan winced under Mouri Kogoro's leather belt, he quietly sighed. Tears shimmered in her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.
"My condolences, Miss Ran," Ren said gently, offering her a handkerchief.
"Th-thank you…" Ran took it with trembling hands, wiping her tears as she spoke between sobs. "How… how could this happen? We just saw him earlier today… how could there be a car accident so suddenly?"
As she spoke, her voice broke. Memories from high school came flooding back — laughter, small quarrels, shy glances — and the tears came even harder.
Ren Kuroda watched her cry like a fragile blossom battered by the rain, and for a fleeting moment, he wanted to tell her the truth — that her ex-boyfriend was scum. That, in his twisted logic of "if I can't have you, no one can," he'd soon end his own life in her apartment, trying to frame her for it.
But… what was the point of saying that now?The dead should be left in peace.
So Ren said nothing. He simply led Ran away from the crowd and spoke softly, "Alright… there aren't so many people here. If you need to cry, just let it out. You'll feel better afterward."
Ran bit her lip — then suddenly broke down, wailing as she threw herself into his arms. "I—I'm sorry… can I just cry here for a while?"
"Of course you can," Ren said, smiling faintly. Even now, she still asked for permission.Somehow… that made her seem even more endearing.
Meanwhile, Mouri Kogoro had nearly exhausted himself. He'd finally stopped whipping Conan, his rage cooling as fatigue set in.
"You little brat!" Kogoro barked. "If you ever pull a stunt that dangerous again, I won't go easy on you next time, got it?!"
"I know! I know! I won't do it again!" Conan yelped, hopping from foot to foot as the pain set in. Still, deep down, he didn't resent Kogoro. Anyone else in his position would've done the same.
What really stung wasn't the beating — it was failing to capture the armed robber, Azuma.If he'd caught the guy, Kogoro probably would've just yelled a bit. Not this.
As Kogoro straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow, he glanced around—then froze.There was Ran, crying her heart out in Ren Kuroda's arms.
For a moment, Kogoro stood there in stunned silence.He didn't need to ask what was going on — anyone could tell Ran was overwhelmed by grief and needed someone to lean on.Still… damn it! That should've been his shoulder she was crying on!Miss Ran should've been weeping in his embrace, not that pretty-boy Kuroda's!
And it was all Conan's fault!If he hadn't been busy smacking the brat around, he wouldn't have missed his chance!
Regret burned hotter than before — and just like that, his temper reignited.
Conan had barely managed to stand for five seconds before Kogoro grabbed him by the collar again and resumed the beating.
"U-Uncle Kogoro! You're still hitting me?!" Conan cried, trying to dodge.
"The first round was for your parents!" Kogoro snapped. "This one's from me!"
The belt cracked through the air several more times before Kogoro finally stopped — only after noticing Ran had stepped away from Ren's arms, wiping her face.
Conan winced, rubbing his sore backside. He tugged his pants slightly to check and sighed with relief when he saw no blood. "Whew…"
Ren and Ran walked over then. "Detective Mouri," Ren said calmly, "why don't you and Ran take Miss Ran home? I'll see Conan back."
Kogoro nodded quickly. "Sure, sure!" he said — though what he really wanted was more time alone with Ran."Actually, Ran, why don't you take Conan home instead? I'll stay with Miss Ran — she might need someone to talk to, you know?"
"No way!" Ran cut him off without hesitation. "Yoko-san's a woman — you can't just send her home alone with you, Dad!"
Kogoro let out a deep, defeated sigh. So close…
"Thank you, Kuroda-kun… please be careful on your way back," Ran said tearfully, bowing politely.
"You too. Take care," Ren replied, watching them go before escorting Conan home.
On the way, he couldn't help chuckling at the boy's awkward gait. "Guess Detective Mouri went easy on you. If he hadn't, you wouldn't even be walking right now."
"So I should thank him, huh?" Conan grumbled, glaring down at his sore legs. He wasn't mad about the punishment itself — just that it happened right in front of Ran. Talk about embarrassing.
"If he didn't care, he wouldn't have bothered," Ren said. "He's got a good heart."
If it were him, honestly, he wouldn't have intervened. If Conan wanted to play at "Fast and Furious," that was his choice. Consequences included.
"…Yeah, I guess you're right." Conan muttered. He wasn't dumb — he knew who truly cared about him.
"Still, you've got some insane luck," Ren said, smirking. "Shot at that many times by a gunman, and not a single bullet hit you."
For a moment, Ren had the sudden urge to test that luck himself — just one shot, see if the kid could dodge it.
"Guess I was lucky," Conan said. "Besides, that guy wasn't aiming to kill me — just my skateboard."
He paused, frowning. "If it weren't for that stupid billboard… I wouldn't have gotten hurt at all!"
Ren glanced at him — that fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed one bit. Mouri's scolding clearly hadn't worked.But then again, if Conan were the type to back down that easily, Detective Conan wouldn't still be going after all these years.
As he'd once said himself, a detective is like a shark — once it smells blood, it has to keep moving.
No way he'd quit just because he got hurt.
When they finally reached Professor Agasa's house, Conan hesitated before speaking."Um… Ren-nii? Can I ask you a favor?"
"Hm? What is it?" Ren asked, watching the boy's suddenly sweet grin.
Conan gave him his best pleading face. "Please don't tell Professor Agasa about what happened today, okay? I swear! I'll never do something this reckless again!"
"Nope," Ren said flatly. He didn't even need a reason — he was just curious to finally meet Shinichi's mother, Yukiko Kudou, in person.If the Kudou couple heard about their son's 'heroic' stunt, they'd be sure to fly back home in a hurry.
"Ugh…" Conan groaned, shoulders slumping. He didn't argue further, just sighed heavily in defeat.
Ren pressed the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened to reveal a bald, middle-aged man in his fifties.After Ren introduced himself and explained Conan's "adventure," Professor Agasa's face went pale.
His mustache trembled with anger as he shouted, "Conan! That was far too reckless! No, absolutely not! Your parents will hear about this!"
"Professor Agasa—!" Conan started to protest, but one look at the man's stern face told him it was useless.He could only hang his head, already dreading the inevitable scolding awaiting him when his parents returned to Japan.