A young lady who could rival the Suzuki family?
Conan was just as surprised.
There weren't many wealthy heiresses in Japan who could stand on equal footing with the Suzuki family.
And yet, such a person had enrolled at Teitan High School.
Conan couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper reason behind this.
But there were too few clues to make any conclusions for now.
Kogoro's attention shifted to the boy standing near Ran and Sonoko.
Ren shook his head slightly.
"Just an ordinary club member."
"I joined because I was interested in the club's purpose. I don't come from a family like the Suzukis."
"I'm just a regular high school student."
Kogoro nodded slightly. He wasn't too concerned about family background after all, he came from an ordinary household himself.
"What kind of club is it?"
"A research club focused on occult studies."
Kogoro understood the meaning of the term, but he couldn't figure out why Ran would be interested in such things.
Was she into the supernatural now?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't connect Ran's usual interests with anything occult-related.
Conan also found it odd.
Ran liked the occult?
Didn't she hate anything scary and supernatural?
Ran could already tell what her father was thinking.
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"What, is it so unbelievable that I like the occult?"
"Dad, do you really think I'm just some muscle-brained girl?"
"N-No, that's not it..."
Kogoro waved his hands in defense.
He was just confused about why Ran had suddenly taken an interest in the occult. It wasn't that she couldn't like it just because she was afraid of ghosts, he was just curious.
And besides, who would call a girl with such a great figure muscle-brained?
Ran was still growing, and after that brat died, it made sense that she might start developing new interests.
"Well, occult studies, huh? If you like it, then learn more about it."
Having said that, Kogoro decided to drop the subject.
"You go enjoy your club activities."
Although he didn't want to leave just yet, Conan knew that Ran wasn't exactly fond of seeing his face right now.
If he wanted to spend more time with her, he had no choice but to wait for the impact of Kudo Shinichi's death to fade.
But... if Ran's feelings for Kudo Shinichi faded, wouldn't that mean she was forgetting him?
That thought left Conan feeling conflicted.
He wanted Ran to never forget Shinichi.
But at the same time, he also wanted more chances to be with her.
At the very least, if he stuck around, he could keep an eye on the number of guys trying to court her and be mentally prepared.
And maybe even find a way to get in their way.
Unfortunately, some things were beyond his control.
Especially the fact that Ran still couldn't accept Kudo Shinichi's death.
If Conan turned around at that moment, he would have seen it.
Ran and Sonoko's eyes were locked on his back.
"That Kudo guy still hasn't given up."
Sonoko found his persistence annoying in some ways.
Ran, on the other hand, said nothing.
She simply watched Shinichi's retreating back and shook her head slightly.
"Whether he gives up or not doesn't matter to me anymore."
A month ago, she might have still accepted Shinichi's feelings.
She might have even been happy, waiting for his confession.
She would have enjoyed watching him struggle to find the right words.
She had been disappointed too many times.
She had come to understand Shinichi's selfishness the way he hid things from her under the excuse of protecting her.
All of her expectations and hopes had been shattered.
Ran shook her head and lifted her gaze.
A translucent evil spirit floated in front of her.
It had jagged fangs, its eyes pitch black, but deep within them, a crimson glow flickered ominously.
Its face looked just like a corpse moments before death, its skin appearing as though it could peel off at any second.
A suffocating aura of despair and terror radiated from its form.
Ran's pupils shrank, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
She was about to scream.
But before she could, Ren swiftly covered her mouth.
"That's an evil spirit."
Her large eyes were still filled with tears, but her dazed gaze slowly regained clarity.
The stiffness in her body lessened slightly, and she nearly collapsed from the shock.
Ren carefully let go of the hand covering her mouth.
But the experience had been too overwhelming.
Her mind shut down from the sheer fear.
...Was that too much for her?
Ren sighed and looked at the evil spirit floating in the air with a headache.
This spirit hadn't been caught by him, it was moving around freely.
And by sheer coincidence, Ran had just unlocked her spiritual vision at the exact moment she looked up.
If only Kogoro hadn't interrupted earlier, she would've had some time to adjust.
She should have been able to observe the spirit from a distance first, gradually building up her tolerance.
But instead, she stared straight into its face.
No wonder she couldn't handle it.
Before Ran could fully collect herself, she heard Sonoko's trembling voice.
Even the usually energetic Sonoko was visibly shaken.
She had also seen the evil spirit's terrifying visage up close.
Her legs felt weak, her body shaking.
Barely staying upright, she clung tightly to Ren's clothes, as if letting go would cause her to collapse.
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