Detective Conan: Death Note

Drip, drip... The showerhead sprayed hot water.

The high school girl stood in the steamy bathroom, letting the water soak her entire body.

Her sleek black hair, wet and clinging to her skin, took on a soft pinkish hue under the warm water's touch.

Ran looked down, watching carefully...

Is something a little different here?

It seemed slightly swollen and even a bit red...

She couldn't help but lift her hand and gently press it.

The faint pain quickly made her realize it was indeed different from usual.

"What the..."

Ran blushed deeply.

She remembered that moment on the sofa in the evening—when he lifted his head and that spot was shiny, almost showing tiny teeth marks...

No, she couldn't think about that anymore.

Her cute face, sometimes playful, quickly turned serious as she forced her attention elsewhere.

But halfway through washing, her mind began to wander again.

During dinner earlier, Teacher Jodie called Yoshiki-kun...

At that moment, Hayashi Yoshiki's expression instantly turned serious, and that caught Ran's attention.

They shouldn't know each other, right?

The first time Ran saw Teacher Jodie was when she and Sonoko went to take photo booth pictures and bumped into her at the arcade—and then they met Yoshiki-kun. That was their first meeting...

After that, Ran hadn't heard anything about them interacting.

So why would Teacher Jodie have Yoshiki-kun's number and call him?

Ran started overthinking.

She'd heard that overseas relationships could be more open—like friends with benefits, who aren't a couple but keep physical contact—and sometimes casual flings...

But Teacher Jodie couldn't be that kind of girl, right?

Ran remembered Sonoko complaining that Teacher Jodie always unconsciously tempted the boys at school. At the time, Ran thought that was an exaggeration—but now she couldn't help but wonder...

From Yoshiki-kun's physical exam report, he seemed to have pretty strong desires in that area.

And Teacher Jodie seemed to think Yoshiki-kun was handsome and to her taste, so maybe that was why they had some secret contact...?

After a moment, Ran turned off the water.

Wrapped in a towel, she came out and checked her phone.

Eri: "Seriously, couldn't you wait until I got home from work to come pick it up? Are you really in such a rush to go on a date alone with Yoshiki? (lol)"

What the heck...

As expected, teasing her again.

Ran pouted.

She quickly replied and switched to texting Hayashi Yoshiki—her last message was that she was going to shower, but he hadn't replied yet.

Ran: "I'm done washing, Yoshiki-kun."

Yoshiki: "Okay, I just parked the car."

Ran: "Did you go home too, Yoshiki-kun?"

Yoshiki: "Yeah."

Ran: "So you didn't go out with Teacher Jodie?"

Yoshiki: "Why do you suddenly ask that?"

Ran: "...Nothing, it's just that when you got Teacher Jodie's call earlier, you looked really serious."

Yoshiki: "That's because I heard something important that needs handling. You can think of it as a request, but I can't really tell you much about Jodie."

So it was a request after all?

It made sense—Yoshiki-kun had opened an agency, and Teacher Jodie had suddenly quit her school job, like something had happened...

This logical explanation made Ran feel relieved.

Of course,

Yoshiki-kun wouldn't do something like that.

Ran: "I see. So what are you planning to do next, Yoshiki-kun?"

Yoshiki: "I'll take a shower and then watch some TV."

Yoshiki: "Sorry for scaring you earlier today, though a little embarrassed... but do you understand now? I like you more than Princess Mira."

That sentence instantly made Ran blush again.

Sometimes, between a man and a woman, a little spice is needed to make the heart race.

Yoshiki-kun deliberately bringing up old things made Ran deeply realize she had "done something naughty" today.

This vague thrill and excitement lifted her mood, but also made her shy.

She held her phone for a long time but couldn't reply.

Ran: "...Okay, I get it."

Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed.

That excitement even made her want to tell Yoshiki-kun about the swelling—but she held back... that would be too much.

She pouted to herself.

Just as she was about to say something to Yoshiki-kun, a voice outside startled her—Mouri Kogoro was urging her.

She had stayed in the bathroom a bit too long today.

Quickly, she got dressed in pajamas and stepped out, only to see Mouri Kogoro yawning drunkenly by the door.

"Dad, you're drinking again!"

"Just one more bottle of beer than usual... a bottle... Well, Yoshiki gave me a nice request again, so I was happy."

Mouri Kogoro tried to cover up with a dumb smile.

Yeah, right!

Ran couldn't stand it but unusually said nothing and just left.

Conan, in the living room, noticed this and found it strange.

However, he was more focused on something else and, with a childlike tone, asked Ran:

"Ran-onee-chan, did you go out with Yoshiki-kun today?"

"Ah, um..." Ran blushed but quickly replied, "Mom had some new clothes to give me, so I asked Yoshiki-kun to take me to her apartment... and then we ate with Mom."

The girl instinctively lied.

How to put it... she was a little embarrassed to let others know about Yoshiki-kun.

Like with Sonoko, who had always liked Yoshiki-kun—if she found out, she'd definitely say something weird and probably hurt Ran's feelings... But sooner or later, Ran was ready to say it.

The problem was Conan.

This kid seemed very close to Shinichi and often contacted him secretly.

If Conan found out about her and Yoshiki-kun, then Shinichi would know too...

Not that Ran had feelings for Kudo Shinichi, but this unexplained guilt made her want to bury her head in the sand.

"So that's how it is!"

Conan relaxed.