Conan was so anxious he wanted to jump out of the plane. "I promise I won't use this to catch you, okay?!"
"Really?"
Conan nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
Kaito Kuroba thought for a moment, then crooked a finger and gestured for Conan to lean closer.
Conan breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly moved in.
The next instant, his arm hurt—Kid jabbed him with a needle, even more decisively than when Conan had fired an Anesthetic Needle at him last night. "Get some rest."
"!!" Conan grabbed him. "I'm not joking! You might be under someone's control—I'm trying to save you! You..."
Before he could finish, the drug took effect, and he collapsed unconscious with a thud once again.
Kaito Kuroba silently let out a breath.
He picked Conan up and, with practiced ease, brought him back to the two high school girls. "Your kid ran off again. Oh, and don't let him read weird books usually. Just now, he actually tried to tell me a ghost story."
Mouri Ran looked even more embarrassed. "Sorry, sorry! I'll definitely keep an eye on him this time!" ...When had Conan run off? She had not noticed at all just now.
Suzuki Sonoko leaned over curiously and stared at Conan, who looked anything but peaceful in his unconscious state. "Why did he fall asleep again?"
Kaito Kuroba made something up without missing a beat. "Oh, he accidentally hit the armrest again. You know how it is—there's been a lot of turbulence lately, and the plane keeps shaking. Kids have trouble keeping their balance."
Mouri Ran looked even more grateful. "Good thing you found him. If he rolled into some corner and got stuck, his life might have been in danger. Thank you so much."
Kaito Kuroba nodded without the slightest