After arriving at Kiyomizu Temple, Ran, Mira, and Sonoko naturally switched to vacation mode, while Kazuha, serving as their guide, kept sighing and looking troubled.
"What’s wrong, Kazuha?"
Seeing Kazuha sigh, Ran couldn’t help but ask, and Mira, Sonoko, and the others also curiously gathered around. Faced with Ran’s inquiry, Kazuha hesitated for a moment before finally confessing.
"What? Heiji’s first love?"
Sitting in a café, everyone was shocked to hear Kazuha’s words.
"That’s right, although it’s not something I heard from Heiji, I saw it in a magazine."
As she spoke, Kazuha pulled out a magazine and opened it in front of everyone. It was an interview with the famous Kansai high school detective Heiji Hattori. The reporter had asked Heiji about his first love, and Heiji actually talked about it. He even showed a small cloth bag he carried, inside which was a glass bead. Heiji said he saw a girl in a kimono playing with a ball and singing at a temple when he was a child, and he fell in love at first sight. But when he ran out to find her, she was gone, leaving only the glass bead. Since then, Heiji has always carried it with him...
The story is quite romantic, but it also depends on who hears it...
"Kazuha, you don’t have to mind so much. No matter what, you and Heiji have a great relationship now, right?"
Ran quickly tried to comfort her.
"That’s true, but it still doesn’t feel good..."
"That’s also true."
Fang Zheng flipped through the magazine and spoke casually.
"If you’re really that worried, why not just go and confess to Heiji Hattori? If you keep dragging it out, and Heiji really finds his first love, what will you do then?"
"Eh? No, no, no... That’s too early. This..."
Hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Kazuha panicked, but Fang Zheng clearly had no intention of letting her off the hook.
"Besides, just because you think your relationship is good now, don’t assume everything is fine. People often don’t see things that are right under their noses. You might think you understand his feelings, but unless you spell it out, it’s always going to be uncertain. Imagine if, after all your hesitation, you finally decide to confess to Heiji Hattori one day, and he says, ’Sorry, Kazuha, I’ve always seen you as a sister (or brother). By the way, let me introduce my girlfriend. Actually, she’s my first love...’
"Bang!"
Before Fang Zheng could finish, Kazuha slapped the table heavily, startling everyone. Looking at Kazuha, her face was ashen, she was trembling, and tears welled up in her eyes... Fang Zheng’s vivid description was too realistic for her to ignore!
Just thinking about the scenario Fang Zheng described made Kazuha want to cry!
"Really, Mr. Fang Zheng, don’t scare Kazuha like that."
Ran quickly tried to comfort her.
"Alright, alright, Kazuha, don’t get so worked up. You and Heiji grew up together..."
"That’s why it’s dangerous."
But Fang Zheng chimed in again, timely with another jab.
"Childhood friends often take each other for granted because they’re always around, just like air. We know air is essential, but only when you lose it do you realize its value. If you two keep things unclear, one day you might give up on him, marry someone else, and only when he stands at the wedding, watching you on another man’s arm, will he understand what he lost..."
"Mr. Fang Zheng, you should just shut up. Look at how you’ve frightened them..."
Sonoko hurriedly covered Fang Zheng’s mouth, seeing Ran and Kazuha both with their heads down, faces pale, not knowing what they were thinking...
"I’m not trying to scare them. Youth is fleeting, and time once passed will never return. Being reserved, sometimes, leads to losing everything,"
Fang Zheng chuckled and said no more, while Mira shook her head helplessly, reaching out to pat Ran on the head in a show of comfort—after all, she was the only one among them with a man in her life and could afford some grace towards these stuck-at-the-starting-line losers.
Meanwhile, the real turmoil was happening inside the minds of the main players.
Kazuha: Mr. Fang Zheng is right. Even though Heiji has protected me many times, he’s never shown any shyness towards me. Does he really only see me as family? I don’t want that! But for me to confess to Heiji? No, no, no, that’s too embarrassing. But what if, just like Mr. Fang Zheng said, what if Heiji finds his first love, and they start dating? What would I do then? I can’t just stand by and watch.
At this moment, an unwelcome scene played out in Kazuha’s mind. In it, Heiji, dressed in a suit, escorted a cute girl hand in hand amidst the blessing of friends and family, while she stood among them, waving and smiling.
"Heiji, congratulations on your marriage."
"Thank you, Kazuha."
"No problem."
Smiling, Kazuha patted Heiji’s shoulder, then turned to the girl.
"Heiji and I grew up together. I’ve always seen him as a little brother, so if he ever bullies you, come find me, and I’ll deal with him!"
"Oh, come on, I’d never bully my wife."
Hearing Kazuha’s words, Heiji pulled the girl into an embrace with a playful grunt at Kazuha. She pointed at him, raising a finger.
"Says who? You’ve always liked teasing me since we were kids."
"You’re not my first love, though..."
"Um, dear...?"
Just as the two seemed ready to argue again, the girl spoke up.
"We should go greet mom and dad. Thank you, Sister Kazuha."
"Ah, um..."
Watching them walk away, Kazuha forced a smile and waved. In that instant, she finally understood that her relationship with Heiji could never return to what it once was.
Simultaneously, tears, brimmed red in Kazuha’s eyes, streamed down.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Ran: Thinking about it carefully, Mr. Fang Zheng does make some sense. Shinichi, that guy, even in high school, still peeks under my skirt. If he really liked me, he shouldn’t do such perverted things... Wait, does Shinichi see me only as a childhood friend? No wonder he was so flustered when I asked him yesterday. Gosh, it’s embarrassing... If someone I never considered romantically asked me that, I’d feel awkward too.
Wait, now Shinichi is Conan, so his childhood friend isn’t me but Ayumi. Could he be interested in Ayumi... No, no, Conan only looks like a child, he couldn’t like Ayumi. But if there’s no cure and Shinichi keeps living in this form, what then? In ten years, I’d be older, and by then Ayumi and Little Ai would be beautiful high schoolers. At that point, Shinichi might not choose me but someone younger and prettier...
Thinking this, a scene formed in Ran’s mind.
"Ran."
After growing up, Conan went in front of Ran, smiled sheepishly at her, and then pulled Ayumi over.
"Actually... um... I’m currently dating Ayumi. Sorry, I wanted you to know first."
"Ah, is... is that so..."
Looking at the two in front of her, Ran was silent for a moment, then forced herself to smile.
"Congratulations to you both. Ayumi has always liked Conan since childhood."
"Yes, thank you, Sister Little Lan. I’ll work hard to make Conan happy!"
Ayumi, hugging Conan’s arm, also smiled sweetly, her happiness almost bringing tears.
"By the way, Sister Little Lan, hasn’t Shinichi come back yet? You should be thinking about marriage, right?"
"Ah, actually I already have a boyfriend, you know?"
"Really? When can you bring him for us to see..."
"..............."
"Woo... woo woo..."
Thinking of this, Ran also felt sadness rise within her.
"...It’s all your fault, what do we do now."
Looking at Ran and Kazuha, who were crying with their heads buried in the table, Sonoko speechlessly reached out to press her forehead.
Clearly, it was a trip, how did it turn out this way?
"Just chill, I was just teaching them the harsh realities of society. Quick hands got it, slow hands don’t... time is like a butcher’s knife."
Fang Zheng said this, then raised his hand.
"Waiter, please bring me another cup of coffee, thank you."
When Fang Zheng brought them back to the hotel, it was already nighttime, and as everyone walked into the hotel, they saw the waiting figures of Heiji Hattori and Conan.
"Honestly, where did you guys run off to, coming back so late?"
Seeing everyone appear, Heiji Hattori grumbled while walking over, and Mira answered with a smile.
"Sorry, sorry, it’s just that it’s rare to go out and play, so we ended up getting a bit wild."
At this, Mira squinted her eyes, smiling as she glanced at Fang Zheng, who looked fatigued. After that, as if to retaliate against Fang Zheng’s heart-rending words, Ran and Kazuha dragged them everywhere—to baseball fields, arcades, karaoke places—running wild like they were venting their inner frustrations.
Once they let it all out, Fang Zheng was almost exhausted.
"Heiji..."
Looking at Heiji Hattori, who came over smiling to greet him, Kazuha suddenly remembered the scene she imagined, and her eyes turned red again.
"Huh? What’s wrong with you two? Why do you look like you’re about to cry?"
Conan and Heiji looked at Ran and Kazuha, confused, and Conan curiously blinked.
"Sister Little Lan, your eyes seem swollen, what’s going on?"
"Ah, it’s actually nothing much."
Ran quickly waved her hand.
"It’s just that we watched a very emotional movie today, so Kazuha and I cried a lot."
"Yes, yes, that’s it."
Kazuha also nodded urgently, while Heiji Hattori yawned lazily.
"What, so women are just strange... Okay, Kazuha, should we head home?"
"Ah, right, Heiji!"
Seeing Heiji Hattori turn to leave, Kazuha suddenly felt a jolt inside and quickly called out to him.
"What’s the matter, Kazuha?"
"That, actually... I, I want to tell you..."
"...!?"
Hearing Kazuha stammering, Fang Zheng, Ran, Mira, and Sonoko were all stunned and looked at her together.
Could it be that Fang Zheng’s words earlier stimulated Kazuha into confessing directly?
"Um, what I mean is..."
"What is it? Do you have something to say?"
"I really li-li-like..."
"???"
"I really like your mom’s meatballs. How about sharing some with Ran and the others!"
"What, just that? No problem."
"..."
Seeing this, everyone sighed inwardly.
Coward, truly a coward.

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