Fleeing Through the Doors

"I'm not going."

"Why?! Tang Ze, please help!"

"How many times has this been?" Tang Ze switched the phone to his other ear, held it between his shoulder and ear, and picked up his textbook again. "Who's the reason I've only written two lines of homework?"

"Ahahaha…" Conan's childish voice echoed with an awkward laugh from the receiver.

Teitan High School wasn't a typical college-prep school, and the homework load was actually manageable. The problem was that yesterday, before Tang Ze could even write a few sentences, the Kudo family showed up to stir up trouble. He'd bolted out the door without even tidying his desk, leading to two store employees calling him repeatedly to ask about the situation.

"And aren't you relying on me a bit too much?" Tang Ze spun his pen, narrowing his eyes. "I don't think you're the type to involve your friends in your actions. Could it be that you're trying to stake your claim…"

Both times Conan had actively sought Tang Ze's help were after his alias was exposed, when situations arose that could jeopardize the relationship between Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo.

One had to remember that Conan was famously stubborn and reckless. If he weren't so headstrong and didn't rush into things alone, this manga wouldn't even have a chance to start. His frequent requests for help from Tang Ze were highly unusual.

Tang Ze judged that this was partly an attempt to emphasize the idea of "a friend's woman is not to be trifled with." After all, Tang Ze was Ran Mouri's neighbor and classmate, the most handsome guy she was likely to interact with in the future. However, if Tang Ze were aware of his feelings for his good friend and Ran Mouri, there would be no possibility of their feelings souring.

"How could that be! You're overthinking it!" Conan was grateful they were on the phone; otherwise, with Tang Ze's sharp eyes, his guilt would have been exposed in an instant. "It's just that you live nearby, so it's convenient…"

Tang Ze decided he couldn't let Conan exploit him any longer and promptly named his price: "How about this, you help me with two assignments, and I'll help you with surveillance."

Conan was taken aback by his outrageous demand and couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh? You want me, a grade-schooler, to do homework for you, a high schooler?!"

"You've only shrunk in size, not in brainpower. This would have been your homework anyway, right? And now you're emphasizing that you're a grade-schooler? What does a grade-schooler know about whether someone else, a high schooler, is going on a date?" Tang Ze showed no embarrassment and emphasized again, "Who's the reason I could only start writing today and now it looks like I won't be able to finish?"

"My homework isn't finished either…"

"Then I can help you with yours too," Tang Ze said without any psychological burden.

Could the workload of high school and elementary school homework even be compared? Imagining the scene of a high schooler and an elementary schooler swapping homework made Conan's temples throb. It was too bizarre.

But he had no bargaining power; this was a complete seller's market.

"…I'm not doing English." He made his final struggle.

"No worries, I've finished the English homework," Tang Ze said cheerfully, gathering the books on his desk. "Wait for me at the intersection, I'm coming right over."

"Ran Mouri is dressed quite formally," Tang Ze commented, trailing behind Ran Mouri with Conan.

Ran Mouri had specifically chosen a skirt and coat ensemble today, making her appear elegant and much more mature, a stark contrast to her usual style.

Conan nodded with a pained expression. "She even said she was 'going out to meet Shinichi.' Hmph, she never dresses up specially when she goes out with me."

Tang Ze patted Conan's shoulder, offering insincere comfort. "Investigating infidelity and affairs is a necessary skill for every private detective. Consider it professional training."

"Who wants to train for that kind of thing!" Conan swatted his hand away. "I, I just worry that she might meet someone unreliable!"

Tang Ze didn't expose Conan's stubborn denial and chuckled gleefully.

After receiving the call and overhearing the conversation, Tang Ze knew which part of the story this was. Ran Mouri had said she was going to meet a "very important person" and told Conan she was going on a date with Shinichi Kudo. The miniaturized Shinichi Kudo himself was struck by lightning and insisted on accompanying her.

However, Ran Mouri was actually going to meet her mother, Eri Kisaki. But because Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki had been separated for a long time, Ran Mouri found it difficult to say so directly and used an excuse to slip out of the house.

Still, this didn't stop Tang Ze from enjoying Conan's predicament.

"If Ran finds out later, you say you wanted to go for coffee. Don't let anything slip…" Conan mumbled, laying out his plan. "It would be best if you could help me plant a bug on her table…"

"Are the detective gadgets Professor Agasa gave you meant for violating privacy in this way?" Tang Ze hesitated, but under Conan's gaze, he surrendered and raised his hands. "Alright, alright, I'll plant it for you."

Just as Ran Mouri lost her reason upon seeing "Shinichi's girlfriend," Conan, whose rival radar had been triggered, was completely unreasonable. Tang Ze didn't want to argue with the jealous one; if he said yes, then it was yes.

Tang Ze and Conan waited for a moment before entering the coffee shop where Ran Mouri had gone. While Ran Mouri was looking down at the menu, they passed by her table. Tang Ze flicked his wrist, and a bug was gently dropped into the decorative flower on the table. Then, he nonchalantly pulled Conan to a table diagonally opposite, making it easier to observe Ran Mouri's table and anyone entering the shop.

Conan's radar was on full alert, scanning his surroundings vigilantly. Every time the door opened and the bell chimed, he immediately turned his head to observe carefully.

A clumsy, ordinary young man? Ran wouldn't possibly be interested in someone of that caliber.

A scruffy uncle? Also impossible, skip.

This young man with long hair is quite good-looking, but too greasy and flirtatious. Ah, he's walking towards Ran! Could it be…! Oh, it seems like he's just trying to strike up a conversation. No, even striking up a conversation is not allowed!

Invisible flames burned behind Conan. Tang Ze ordered himself a latte, uninterested in the romantic troubles of a grade-schooler. Remembering that this case also involved a murder, he stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom. You can do this."

Conan's attention was entirely on observing Ran Mouri's movements, and he didn't even turn his head, so it was unclear if he heard anything.

The restrooms in this establishment were completely enclosed single stalls and were not separated by gender.

Tang Ze still remembered the method used in this case: the victim was first stabbed to death outside, then thrown through the gap between the door and the ceiling into the single stall.

Therefore, as long as the murder hadn't occurred yet, he wouldn't be involved in a homicide by lingering outside.

Tang Ze entered and, seeing no blood seeping from under any of the doors, felt a slight sense of relief.

He then reconsidered, thinking it wasn't entirely safe. Blood would take some time to flow outside, so he decided to check each stall.

When he reached the third door, Tang Ze noticed that the indicator by the lock wasn't pointing to the occupied slot, yet the door wouldn't budge, as if it were being pushed shut by something heavy from the inside. He couldn't help but sigh.

It seemed the Grim Reaper's halo had intensified, or perhaps, in some mysterious way, the dignity of a mystery manga couldn't be interrupted by Tang Ze's intervention time and time again. He thought he had arrived in time, but the person was already dead…

Fine, he'd give the door a perfunctory push first. If no blood flowed out, he'd just call the police. He'd probably be considered crazy.

"Is anyone in there?" Tang Ze knocked politely, gripped the handle, and then politely pushed and pulled it a couple of times.

As a result, whether it was Tang Ze's combat power suddenly increasing and him not controlling his strength, or the door being just about to break and being too fragile to withstand further abuse, with this push and pull, the hinges of the single stall door detached from the frame.

And so, a female corpse with wide-open eyes and an expression of extreme terror tumbled out of the stall, landing directly on Tang Ze's shins.

Inside the private room, the walls were covered in splattered bloodstains. The victim's gushing blood had not yet congealed, and with the body's reclining posture, blood splashed onto Tang Ze's chin. A blood-stained dagger also fell to the floor by Tang Ze's feet.

Tang Ze, holding the entire door in his hands: "..."

"Ah—!!" Before Tang Ze could react, a shrill scream came from the doorway. The long-haired man who had entered to use the restroom was so terrified by the bloody scene that he fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. "Murder! Murder!!!"

Tang Ze looked at the door he was holding, then at the body leaning against his leg, looking very unpeaceful.

What was the meaning of this? Did I have to be a suspect again?