You're All Jiang Xia's Accomplices

Mouri Ran had been agonizing over whether to flake on Sonoko's invitation today and accompany Conan to give a statement.

Now that Jiang Xia had arrived, the problem was immediately solved.

Before long, Mouri Ran led Conan downstairs. She entrusted the children to Jiang Xia without worry, then headed for the bus stop without a care, ready to meet Suzuki Sonoko for their appointment.

Jiang Xia led the four Case Magnets to the Police Station by himself.

As a proud Spoiler Party member, Jiang Xia had already mentally prepared himself for the Detective Boys' bear-like nature.

But things turned out differently from what he expected along the way.

The children did not cling to his legs and shout things like, "Treat us to Eel Rice!" Nor did they chatter around him, asking question after question. Even less did they run around everywhere.

Instead, they were remarkably well-behaved. They stopped at red lights, went at green lights, yielded to pedestrians, and were only missing the part where they lined up and shouted, "One-two-one!" as they marched forward.

Along the way, Jiang Xia turned to look at them several times in mild surprise. He practically suspected they were fake children who had been shrunk by APTX4869.

Then he noticed that the more he looked, the quieter they became.

By the end, even the occasional whispers had vanished.

Jiang Xia: "...?"

He did not know what had happened, but it was unexpectedly hassle-free.

It had been drizzling all day.

As they neared an intersection, Jiang Xia noticed that Xiao Bai, which had been listlessly sprawled on his shoulder, suddenly perked up. It raised its tiny hand to wipe its mouth and even tried to tug over Jiang Xia's collar to wipe its mouth on it.

Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment, then flicked it away with one finger.

After landing, Xiao Bai floated back with a bounce in its step, undauntedly climbing back onto Jiang Xia.

Soon, Jiang Xia received the message it was trying to convey—Mushroom Soup Base.

Jiang Xia paused, then understood.

He surveyed the area and spotted a man in a black raincoat walking toward them from Dozens of Meters Away.

It was Doctor Kazato, with the Hot Pot-scented Killing Intent.

Besides the raincoat, Doctor Kazato was also wearing a Hat and a Face Mask today. His hat brim was pulled low, and the mask was drawn high, concealing most of his face and leaving only his eyes exposed.

The outfit was somewhat strange, but on a rainy day, with umbrellas blocking the view, it was not easy to notice.

Kazato Kyosuke had wrapped himself up Tight-lipped before leaving home today, and naturally, Jiang Xia was not his target.

He adjusted the brim of his Hat and soon arrived beside a Telephone Booth.

There was someone inside the Telephone Booth.

As Kazato Kyosuke approached, the man inside had just finished his call and pushed open the door.

The instant the door opened, Kazato Kyosuke suddenly pulled out a Gun and fired several shots at the man.

The person in the Telephone Booth clutched his chest and collapsed with a pained expression.

A string of screams rang out behind Jiang Xia. Clearly, the children had seen it too.

Almost at the same time, the gun-wielding man in black charged toward Jiang Xia and the children.

At that moment, Kazato Kyosuke could only run in this direction, because several burly men were sprinting after him from the other directions.

Among the fierce men chasing him, one was the Decadent Uncle who had just been buying cigarettes at the shop, while two were bored office workers passing by... Yet now, none of them hesitated as they pursued the murderer. Their imposing manner made them look less like passersby Acting Righteously and more like Plainclothes Officers who had been lying in wait.

A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Kazato Kyosuke's heart.

He realized that something seemed to have gone wrong, but he had no idea what the problem was.

Fortunately, those Plainclothes Officers had merely followed him normally before this and had not formed an encirclement.

Kazato Kyosuke sprinted desperately. That means I still have a chance to escape!

Kazato Kyosuke looked at Jiang Xia ahead of him, focusing especially on the children beside him. As he passed, he planned to grab one unlucky child as a hostage and buy himself some time to escape.

Jiang Xia glanced at the masked man charging toward them and said to the four children, "Get behind me. Move farther in."

The three children had still been debating whether to rush over and stop the murderer.

But when Jiang Xia suddenly spoke, their minds had not even processed it before their bodies moved in unison, taking a step aside toward the roadside.

Conan, however, had no intention of making way.

He was about to grab a Potted Plant from the roadside and kick it over to subdue the criminal. But before he could touch the Flowerpot, his arms suddenly tightened—Genta and Mitsuhiko each grabbed one side of him and whisked him off to the roadside.

Conan could not break free and could only be dragged away by the two of them. A few days ago, if Conan had shouted, "Let go!" the Bear children might have obeyed.

But now, with Jiang Xia's words coming first, nothing Conan said mattered.

In fact, after he shouted, "Let go," Genta covered his mouth with one hand. Genta nervously whispered, "Behave yourself. If you don't listen, you'll turn into a Pig Head."

Conan: "...&*%￥#!"

Dozens of meters were not much distance for adults sprinting at full speed.

Kazato Kyosuke raised his Gun and shouted at Jiang Xia in an altered voice, "Move!"

Jiang Xia took a step to the side.

Kazato Kyosuke secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good. It seemed Jiang Xia was just an ordinary person afraid of guns.

As he passed Jiang Xia, the Doctor Reach Out with premeditated intent, wanting to randomly grab one unfortunate child as a hostage.

But before his fingertips could touch anyone, his neck suddenly tightened, and his whole body Flew Out backward as the world spun upside down.

—Jiang Xia grabbed Kazato Kyosuke by the collar from behind, used his momentum to swing him through half an arc, and slammed him heavily onto the ground.

Kazato Kyosuke hit the pavement with a thud, flat on his back. Even the sidewalk bricks trembled twice from the impact.

Stars filled his vision, his head buzzed, and blood trickled from his nose. Several seconds passed before the haze in his vision gradually faded.

Kazato Kyosuke was both hurt and bewildered as he struggled to get up.

But then a shadow suddenly fell over him—Jiang Xia walked to his side, looked down at him, and abruptly kicked his wrist.

The Gun traced an arc through the air and was kicked away, landing seven or eight meters away.

Kazato Kyosuke let out a pained roar. He abruptly tried to stand, but before he could find his balance, he took another blow to the waist and stumbled back down.

Other than the first time he had swung him down, Jiang Xia did not strike heavily. His force was only a little stronger than a massage, making him look very much like a cautious citizen Acting Righteously.

Yet no matter how Kazato Kyosuke struggled, he could not get up.

Lying on the ground and watching the Plainclothes Officers draw closer and closer, his eyes reddened with desperation. After yet another failed attempt to rise, he let out a helpless, furious roar, "Jiang Xia!!!"

Beside him, Genta and Mitsuhiko jolted in shock.

"..." The murderer who had shot someone in the street actually knew Brother Jiang Xia, and he had been tossed around like a Roly-poly Toy the moment they met... No, not a roly-poly toy. A can't-get-up toy.

...Choosing to listen to Brother Jiang Xia just now had indeed been an extremely wise decision.

The two boys exchanged a glance and silently gripped Conan even tighter, feeling as though they were doing One Good Deed a Day by saving their classmate.

Jiang Xia felt the large mass of High-Grade Killing Intent by his feet and was in quite a good mood. Moreover, the more he hit him, the more Killing Intent Kazato Kyosuke produced—now, besides wanting to kill the police, the Doctor also wanted to kill Jiang Xia, the "passerby" who had obstructed him.

Jiang Xia had originally wanted to keep hitting him for quite a while.

But unfortunately, after Kazato Kyosuke called out his name, he could no longer pretend not to know him...

At that thought, Jiang Xia paused slightly and hesitantly stepped back, carefully studying the man on the ground.

When Kazato Kyosuke tried to get up again, Jiang Xia merely stood by silently and watched without stopping him.