After leaving the detective agency, Ran felt the gaze behind her finally fade away.
"So troubleso," she muttered.
"But it's fine now."
The purpose of her visit this ti was to improve her father's als. But more importantly, it was to reduce Conan's suspicion toward Ren.
"Detectives are such a pain. Whenever sothing happens, they start speculating and end up making trouble for themselves."
If Shinichi hadn't insisted on becoming a so-called detective, maybe he wouldn't have been attacked from behind that night. He wouldn't have had to throw away his identity just to avoid danger.
Ran shook her head slightly. At this point, she had co to accept that Shinichi's personality probably wouldn't change. He had his own convictions and pursuits. If that part of him were lost, he wouldn't be Shinichi anymore.
After a month of silence and a shift in her perspective, Ran's lingering affection for her childhood sweetheart had faded.
In her heart, she had already accepted that Kudo Shinichi was dead. Now, there was only Edogawa Conan, the second son of Aunt Yukiko and Uncle Yusaku. Nothing more.
"Ran?"
Suddenly, a voice filled with a hint of recognition and uncertainty called out, making Ran instinctively turn toward it.
A mature woman in a yellow-green dress with slightly wavy, long hair stood there, as if confirming Ran's identity.
"It really is you, Ran."
Seeing Ran's reaction, the woman walked over with a handbag slung over her shoulder. Though still a bit unsure, she approached with familiarity. After all, being stopped suddenly on the street by soone who seed to know you could be surprising.
"Um... hello, and you are?"
"Oh my, have you forgotten after all this ti? Honestly... The last ti we t was five years ago."
"Five years ago..."
Ran stared carefully at the woman in front of her, trying to dig up mories from five years ago. Then, it clicked.
"Are you... Aunt Yumi?"
Yumi Horikoshi, one of her father's college classmates and one of the main organizers of the class reunions held every five years.
"So you do rember. You've really changed a lot since then. Five years ago you were still a little girl, and now you've grown into such a beautiful young lady."
Yumi Horikoshi couldn't help but feel nostalgic. In the blink of an eye, the daughter of an old classmate had blossod into a stunning beauty.
"Aunt Yumi, you haven't changed either. Just like five years ago."
Ran felt a little shy from the complint. Honestly, Aunt Yumi didn't look all that different from how she rembered, though the faint crow's feet near her eyes did show a bit of ti's passage.
Of course, she noticed, but she wasn't rude enough to ntion it. Ran's emotional intelligence wasn't that low.
"Oh my, you're so sweet now."
The words were pleasant, and Yumi Horikoshi was clearly pleased to hear them. Then, as if rembering sothing, she asked,
"Ran, are you coming to the class reunion with Mouri this year?"
"Huh? The reunion is already coming up? I just left Dad's place and he didn't ntion anything."
"Aha, sounds like Mouri didn't want to tell you."
Yumi Horikoshi figured she'd guessed correctly. It wasn't surprising if Kogoro didn't want to bring his daughter along to the five-year reunion.
Ran glanced at her and smiled faintly.
"This year's reunion is happening this weekend. We picked a ti when everyone's off so we could all get together. It's been a while, after all."
"It's going to be at the Benkei Onsen Hotel in Tochigi Prefecture. Ran, if you're interested, you should co. Bring your boyfriend too. I bet Mouri will be shocked if you show up."
Aunt Yumi... Still playing tricks at your age? Ran couldn't help but complain inwardly. But after thinking about it, her dad hadn't told her anything. It might be fun to show up and surprise him. And the timing was perfect, too—right on the weekend.
As for the ntion of a "boyfriend"...
Ran couldn't help but think of a certain soone, and her face instantly turned red.
"Oh my, you're blushing."
Yumi Horikoshi noticed Ran's flushed cheeks and the youthful glow of soone in love. She imdiately understood—this girl had soone she liked.
"Ti really flies."
She sighed again.
The little girl from five years ago was now old enough to fall in love.
And what about herself? There was a bitter taste in her mouth.
But Yumi Horikoshi knew her own situation. If she hadn't pushed people away again and again, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
This reunion might be the last. After that, they'd likely beco strangers on their own paths.
Looking at Ran's youthful face, Yumi Horikoshi gave a heartfelt reminder.
"Ran, if there's soone you like, don't hesitate. Go after him. If you hold back because of fear or doubts, you'll regret it later. Take it from soone who's been there."
Ran could feel how serious Aunt Yumi was. Maybe that's why her face grew even hotter.
"Aunt Yumi... I'll think about it seriously."
Yumi Horikoshi smiled in satisfaction. Emotions required both passion and courage.
"I won't say anything to Mouri. If you decide to show up this weekend, surprise him good. Oh, and one more thing—there are a lot of onsen hotels in Tochigi. So of them have open-air baths. Mixed bathing, too. Be careful when choosing where to stay."
Her reminder was definitely necessary. And it made Ran's face burn even redder.
For her, that kind of topic was just... too much.
Still, she nodded slightly and replied in a soft voice,
"I-I got it, Aunt Yumi."
Seeing Ran's reaction, Yumi Horikoshi couldn't help but laugh.
"Then I'll see you this weekend, Ran."
(To be continued.)
***
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