Dr. Araide instinctively shook his head. "Nothing."
Conan looked at him suspiciously. Recalling what had just happened, he suddenly made a connection. After thinking it over, he repeated a keyword Suzuki Sonoko had just used: "Role?"
Dr. Araide: "!"
"You really did react to that word!" Conan's gaze instantly sharpened. He grabbed Dr. Araide and whispered, "What's going on?"
Dr. Araide looked at him, remembering that this child was somewhat informed about the situation—and according to Jodie, he seemed to be no ordinary kid.
After hesitating for a moment, he crouched down and spoke quietly. "When Teacher Jodie explained the situation to me earlier, she said some very strange things—she told me to be careful of things like drama and stages.
"When I asked her why, she refused to elaborate. She only told me to contact her immediately if I encountered any similar keywords."
After a pause, recalling what had just happened, the school doctor who cared deeply for his students muttered, "But Suzuki just made an offhand remark. There's probably no need to bother Teacher Jodie over something so trivial... Hm? Conan? What's wrong? You look awful."
Conan didn't answer. The Fake Elementary School Student devoted all his energy to thinking, his mind seeming to buzz and roar. Drama and stages...
When he had gone to the United Kingdom before, a woman dressed entirely in black had come to the Mouri Detective Agency in the middle of the night. She had delivered a passport and told him that an actor who fled the stage had no value in existing.
*"When I got to the United Kingdom, I used those words to probe that suspicious Mr. Okiya. His expression looked like he'd been struck by lightning... Based on my deductions, keywords related to 'stages' are very likely connected to one