Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 22 The Clingy Father

After finally seeing off the incessantly chattering Lin Xiuyi, Kobayashi Chengzi took Ran's hand and walked towards the classroom.

"I'm sorry, teacher, I..."

Xiaolan hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, her expression showing some struggle.

"...My dad is a bit too clingy."

Why do you say that?

Sumiko Kobayashi crouched down and gently patted Ran's head, her eyes full of understanding.

"Your dad said all that just because he's worried about you and afraid you'll be mistreated at school. You can't blame him, okay?"

Worried about me?

Xiaolan blinked, a strange warmth suddenly welling up in her heart.

She had attended elementary school before, but back then Eri Kisaki was so focused on her work that she had no time to take care of her, so she had to stay at the Mouri Detective Agency.

At that time, Kogoro Mouri was a detective in the Metropolitan Police Department, and he was so busy every day that he barely had time to breathe. Although Ruri was very good to him, as an actress, he often couldn't take care of her when he was filming...

Fortunately, Xiaolan was sensible from a young age and managed to pull through on her own.

But as a child, she had secretly envied her classmates who had their parents with them, envying that they could be picked up and dropped off by their parents and could act spoiled and unreasonable.

She never imagined that after her body shrank, she would unexpectedly experience the feeling of being worried and concerned by her parents.

Although I found Lin Xiuyi's nagging a bit annoying just now, thinking about it now warms my heart, and I can't help but smile slightly.

"I understand, teacher."

Xiaolan smiled brightly, nodded obediently, held Teacher Lin's hand tightly, and strode towards the classroom.

……

Teitan Elementary School, Classroom of Grade 1-B.

"Class, please be quiet!"

Sumiko Kobayashi stood on the podium and gently clapped her hands, instantly silencing the chatter in the classroom.

"Today, a new student joined our class."

Ms. Kobayashi smiled, turned to the side, and gently placed her hand on Xiaolan's shoulder.

"This is Lin Xiaolan. From today onwards, she will be a member of our Class 1-B. Let's give her a round of applause!"

The classroom erupted in applause, albeit unevenly, but enthusiastically.

Xiaolan took a deep breath, raised her head, and forced a sweet smile.

"Hello everyone, my name is Lin... Xiaolan, I am six years old... Please take care of me."

Below the podium, more than twenty pairs of bright eyes all fell on Xiaolan, and curious whispers immediately rose and fell.

"What a cute girl!"

A chubby boy with a pointed head and a round belly suddenly straightened up from his seat, his voice so loud it almost lifted the roof off the classroom, drawing the attention of the surrounding students.

"Genta, you're being too loud!"

Beside him, a boy with a neat middle parting quickly reached out and tugged at the chubby boy's sleeve, whispering a reminder.

"Lin Xiaolan is so cute, Ayumi wants to be her best friend!"

In front of the two, a cute girl with chubby cheeks wearing a pink headband spoke with anticipation in her voice.

Ms. Kobayashi looked around the classroom, her gaze landing on the empty seat by the window in the second-to-last row.

"Lin Xiaolan, please take that seat for now. The teacher will rearrange the seating according to everyone's height in a few days."

"Okay, teacher."

Xiao Lan nodded obediently, carrying the backpack that was a bit too big for her small frame, and walked to her seat.

As she passed by her classmates, the girl could feel curious gazes falling on her.

After sitting down and putting her schoolbag away, Xiaolan adjusted her posture, trying her best to look like a real first-grade elementary school student.

On the podium, Ms. Lin had already begun explaining the course content.

But Ran's thoughts drifted away; she thought of Sonoko, Shinichi, and her original life.

Now, she sits here with a group of real children, learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division...

This feeling is truly indescribably absurd.

……

A black Mercedes-Benz was parked quietly under the shade of a tree in front of Teitan Elementary School.

"Xiaolan has gone to school..."

Lin Xiuyi sat in the back seat, his elbows resting on the car window, his eyes fixed on the school gate with the words "Teitan Elementary School" printed on it not far away, his tone tinged with a sense of loss.

"Boss, you've said that almost thirty times already."

Judy, in the driver's seat, didn't turn her head. Her voice was filled with a weariness that made her feel utterly hopeless. She had clearly been driven numb by Lin Xiuyi's incessant nagging.

"What time is it, Judy? Ran should be out of school by now, right?"

Less than ten minutes later, the man in the back seat asked again.

"Boss, you've asked this question almost fifty times!"

Judy finally couldn't take it anymore. She turned her head sharply, her blue eyes filled with annoyance.

"If you miss Miss Lan so much, why don't you just go to the school and see her?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she met Lin Xiuyi's gaze, which seemed to look at her as if she were an idiot.

"What's wrong?"

Judy was a little confused by his gaze, and subconsciously straightened her back, wondering if she had said something wrong.

"This is a school; parents can't just leave during class time..."

Lin Xiuyi had only spoken halfway when he suddenly stopped as if something had awakened him, and his eyes lit up instantly.

He slapped his thigh, his voice full of excitement.

"That's right! Even if we can't go inside, we can still see it from the outside! Why didn't I think of that!"

"ha?"

Judy's heart skipped a beat when she saw his sudden excitement; a bad feeling welled up inside her.

……

In a high-rise apartment building opposite Teitan Elementary School, a window on the top floor was suddenly opened.

Immediately afterwards, a dark, high-powered telescope emerged from the window and was steadily placed on the windowsill.

"Not bad, Judy!"

Lin Xiuyi leaned closer to the binoculars, adjusting the focus while clicking his tongue in satisfaction.

"The spot you chose has a fantastic view! It's practically tailor-made for observing Xiaolan!"

Ha ha.

Judy leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring blankly at her boss, inwardly rolling her eyes.

This was a location she carefully selected according to the FBI's standards for surveillance targets; how could the view be anything but good?

With a 360-degree view and no blind spots, you can see everything clearly, not just a primary school, but even a fly flying across the street!

"Haha, I found it!"

The familiar little figure finally appeared in the lens of the telescope, and Lin Xiuyi cheered excitedly, almost throwing the telescope in her hand.

But the next second, his brows furrowed tightly again, his tone full of annoyance.

"Damn it! Why did they make Xiaolan sit in the second-to-last row?"

"That seat is so far from the podium, what if I can't hear the teacher during class?"

"No, I'll have to talk to Ms. Kobayashi later!"