You Really Had a Flair for Acting

Sonoko Suzuki was the kind of shameless looks-obsessed girl who was exactly the same inside and out.

She could travel all the way to a mansion in the distant suburbs just to see a handsome guy, only to stumble into a Blizzard Mountain Villa serial murder case. She could also drag her best friend across Japan to meet an online acquaintance, only to stumble into... a Blizzard Mountain Villa serial murder case.

Though the endings were always similar, her love of beautiful faces remained steadfast and unshakable.

So when Conan, who had been waiting ages for Ran to come home from school, walked down the stairs of the detective agency, he found Sonoko Suzuki pulling Ran Mouri into a booth at Polo Cafe and speaking sweetly to the boy seated across from them.

Ran Mouri knew Sonoko's nature all too well and helplessly listened to her awkward small talk. When she turned her head, she met Conan's huge blinking eyes pressed against the window. She quickly waved him inside.

This was too awkward, unbearably awkward. Sonoko had gone from family background to local customs to celebrity gossip. If someone did not interrupt her soon, Ran feared she would start discussing international affairs and the financial crisis.

Tang Ze Zhao, however, had a pretty good temper. He kept humoring her with "Mm," "Ah," and "Really?" But Ran Mouri, sitting beside him, curled her toes so tightly that she was about to scratch cracks into the floor tiles.

"This is the child staying at our home, Edogawa Conan. Isn't he adorable?" Ran Mouri grabbed Conan as he ran over and placed him beside the table, cutting off the new topic Sonoko Suzuki was about to start.

"Ran! Who are these big brothers and sisters?" The fake elementary schooler immediately dashed through the door, calling out in an artificially sweet voice. The corner of his eye flicked toward Tang Ze Zhao's handsome face, and alarm bells began blaring in his mind.

He had only been shrunk for two days. Where had this hottie from Teitan High School come from? And Sonoko, if she wanted to hit on someone, could she not drag Ran along? Could she be a little more independent?

Neither high school girl reacted much, but Tang Ze Zhao was the first to shudder at Conan's sugary voice.

Thinking about how all kinds of murderers, detectives, and police officers would soon be surrounded by this fake child's excessively saccharine "Huh?" made a chill run down his spine.

"This is Sonoko Suzuki, and this is Brother Tang Ze Zhao. They're both Ran's classmates. You need to greet them, Conan."

Conan loudly replied, "Mm-hm!" and continued staring at Tang Ze Zhao.

Judging by the uniform, he was also a Teitan student, but Conan had never heard his name before.

"Oh, so this is the child you mentioned. He's pretty cute! But..." Sonoko Suzuki bent down to meet Conan's eyes, narrowing hers slowly. He clearly had an adorable little face, yet for some reason, she simply could not bring herself to like him. "Why does he look a little familiar?"

Oh no, Sonoko has seen what I looked like as a kid too! Conan's heart tightened. He laughed awkwardly and held his glasses with both hands, afraid that Sonoko Suzuki, who had been in the same class as him since kindergarten, might casually take them off. That would make it even easier for him to be exposed.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out. To Conan's ears, it was nothing less than heavenly music.

"Are these your classmates, Tangze?" Tooru Amuro, wearing an apron and carrying a tray, approached their table with a friendly smile.

"Yes, Mr. Amuro. This is Ran Mouri, and this is Sonoko Suzuki. They're my classmates."

Conan had just turned to study Tooru Amuro when Tangze drew his attention back, because Tangze had noticeably lowered his voice. Conan turned back to find that Tangze, who had been relaxed and calm moments ago, had lowered his head and tightly gripped the fabric over his knees with all ten fingers.

He was very nervous. Why?

The little detective's eyes moved back and forth between the two men as he instinctively began to speculate.

"Hello, ladies." Tooru Amuro put on his professional smile and rested a hand atop Tangze's head. "I'm Tooru Amuro. For the time being, Tangze is under my care. This child is a little introverted and doesn't like talking much. If anyone bullies him, remember to tell me, all right?"

Tangze nearly lost the expression he had been working so hard to maintain when Tooru Amuro's hand covered his entire head.

I only dodged you yesterday. Are you really holding that much of a grudge, Bourbon? Stop pressing down, my hair's going to go flat!

Tangze, dutifully maintaining his persona, could not avoid Tooru Amuro's hand as he took the opportunity to rub his head. He swallowed his grievance and glared at the tabletop.

Conan's gaze became increasingly suspicious.

Had Mr. Amuro said something outrageous? Why had Tangze frozen up like a cat grabbed by the scruff?

"Wow, Tangze lives here? Even the waiter is this handsome now. Ran, you're so lucky!" The first thing Sonoko Suzuki noticed was naturally Tooru Amuro's exotically handsome face. "And they're both gorgeous mixed-race guys. This is incredible..."

"Sonoko..." Ran Mouri hurriedly held her back before she could say anything even more embarrassing.

But the dreamy murmur Sonoko Suzuki uttered reached Conan's ears with an entirely different emphasis.

"Brother Tang Ze, what do you mean, you live here? Is the cafe your home?" Taking advantage of his elementary schooler identity, Conan directly asked Tangze.

Because of his height, Conan could clearly see Tangze's face as he lowered his head toward the table in a daze. At his question, Tangze's expression darkened further, as though those words had hurt him.

"Yes, Conan. This is my home now." Tangze met Conan's probing gaze and spoke in a weak voice, so faint it seemed barely there.

It did not look fake. He really seemed powerless.

That was because Tooru Amuro had started running his fingers through his hair and rubbing endlessly. Even with leather gloves on, if he did not stop soon, Tangze's hair would build up static and puff right up.

That's enough already! Haven't you rubbed it enough?!

"Tangze will be staying temporarily at Polo Cafe for a year. Miss Mouri, you're Detective Mouri's daughter from upstairs, right? I'll have to ask you to look after Tangze at school." Having enjoyed himself thoroughly, Tooru Amuro finally released Tangze's trembling little head. His smile became much more sincere.

That was more like it. What was there to dodge when his guardian merely rubbed his head a few times? He had made it seem as though Tooru Amuro were terrifying.

But the undercurrent between the two of them over the head-patting looked entirely different in Conan's eyes.

Tang Ze Zhao seemed deeply afraid of Tooru Amuro. His shrinking, tense posture made it seem as though he had been threatened, yet everything Tooru Amuro said had been ordinary polite conversation. Logically, none of it should have frightened someone this badly.

Unless those words meant something different to Tang Ze Zhao.

"Under my care," "remember to tell me"... Were those warnings? A warning that Tooru Amuro would know Tangze's every move, telling him not to do anything rash?

Was their relationship more like that of a guard and a prisoner?

If Tangze had heard Conan's wild analysis that somehow arrived at the correct answer, he would probably have been moved to tears.

Finally, finally, the performance he had put on for so long had not been him battling wits with thin air. Someone had completely understood the persona he was trying to convey.

"What would you like to eat? Any drinks?" Tooru Amuro, at least remembering that he was still at work, asked the students. "It's on me. Think of it as thanks for looking after Tangze."

After politely declining twice, the two high school girls enthusiastically began studying the cafe menu.

Taking advantage of their inattention, Tangze looked up and met Tooru Amuro's eyes.

His watery blue eyes were misty, and paired with his furrowed brows, they instantly conveyed a look of pain and helplessness.

Tangze silently mouthed, Please.

Tooru Amuro nodded with a smile, indicating that he would not say anything unnecessary.

So he really was afraid that people would find out about his juvenile offender status. Tooru Amuro silently pondered how to use that to pry information out of Tangze about his case.

What was going on? Rather than a guard and a prisoner, they were starting to look more and more like a kidnapper and a hostage. Conan, lurking nearby and observing, peeked over the tabletop with increasingly sharp eyes.

Having performed for the entire audience, Tangze felt that he had achieved his goal. He quietly restored his expression and gazed kindly at the two girls whispering over the menu.

This was so useful. Look at that, all the main characters had shown up at once.