Looking at her daughter, Eri Kisaki knew that her daughter was wrong, but she did not explain immediately. Instead, she looked at Aizen and said, "Aizen, if you were in Ran's father's place, what would you do?"
She had expectations in her heart, hoping that Aizen's choice would align with her own thoughts.
Aizen looked at her and said, "I will make the same choice as Master Mouri and shoot you, Miss Eri."
Eri Kisaki couldn't help but laugh when she heard it, feeling satisfied.
"Aizen, why did you choose to shoot too?"
Mouri Ran turned her head and looked at Aizen in confusion, not understanding why he would make such a choice.
Aizen looked at her and explained, "Ran, you need to understand that if you comply with the prisoner's demands and let him take Eri away, he may still end up killing her. However, if you shoot and injure Eri, she becomes a burden. The prisoner won't be able to take her away at all, ensuring her safety. Do you understand now?"
Ran listened carefully and then said, "So, you're saying that my dad did that to save my mom?"
Eri said, "That's right. Your father made that choice to protect me. I didn't want to tell you at first because I was afraid you would overthink it, but I realized that if I kept it from you, you'd misunderstand the situation even more. So, I decided to tell you the truth."
Ran smiled after hearing this and said, "Mom, now that you know Dad still cares about you, can you stop being so stubborn?"
"Let's not mix things up. These are two separate matters," Eri replied.
Eri looked at Aizen, and then said, "This has nothing to do with feelings. I've had enough of him."
Having said that, Eri paused, looked at Mouri Ran, and said carefully, "Ran, if I fall in love with another man, can you accept me being with him?"
"Mom, you are kidding, right?"
Mouri Ran became anxious when she heard this, and looked at her mother anxiously.
Seeing this, Eri said awkwardly, "I was just saying that. Don't worry."
"Phew! I thought you were serious about liking someone else," Ran sighed in relief before lowering her head. "Mom, I know I can't force you, but I hope you can give Dad another chance. I truly believe he can change. Please don't rush into finding someone new, okay?
"Ran!"
Eri was deeply moved. She understood that Ran's words meant she wouldn't oppose her being with another man but simply wished that she would give Mouri Kogoro another chance. Ideally, Ran hoped her parents would reconcile.
If the man opposite hadn't appeared, maybe she would still give Mouri Kogoro a chance, but she has fallen in love with the man opposite now. She knows that she can't give Mouri Kogoro another chance, but after all, it was her daughter's plea. even if it was just to make her daughter happy, she would agree.
"Ran, I will give your father another chance. But if he remains the same, don't blame me for my decision."
"Yeah!!"
Ran nodded heavily, raised her head, and smiled.
"I didn't expect that Eri would have the courage to tell Ran about this. I underestimated her."
Aizen, who was watching from the side, was slightly moved. He couldn't help but glance at Eri. At the same time, Eri turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and they exchanged knowing smiles—no words were needed.
That night, after learning that Conan would be staying with Yukiko, Ran decided not to cook at home. Instead, she chose to have dinner with Eri, bringing Aizen along as well.
The three did not go to Eri's apartment but ate outside.
After dinner, Aizen escorted Eri home before heading back to the office with Ran. Mouri Kogoro was still out, and Conan wasn't coming back that night either. In the end, only Aizen and Ran remained at the office. However, they did nothing special—just chatted while Ran cleaned, and Aizen watched.
At ten o'clock, Aizen went downstairs.
When the time came to twelve o'clock, Aizen turned into the appearance of Joker, left the office, and went to find Yukiko. Before Yukiko left, he was going to meet with Yukiko.
Yukiko's room was on the second floor. When Aizen arrived at her balcony, he noticed that the curtains were not drawn. Under the moonlight, he could see Yukiko and Conan lying on the bed.
"Who's there?"
Conan's low voice rang out. He hadn't fallen asleep yet and immediately noticed Aizen's presence.
Yukiko, woken up by the noise, initially thought it was Jimmy Kudo. She reassured Conan and got out of bed to check the window. Upon seeing Aizen, she opened it.
Conan followed behind her. When he saw Aizen, he inwardly scoffed and simultaneously felt relieved that he had chosen to stay here tonight.
Looking at Aizen who came in, Yukiko said, "Why are you here?"
Aizen looked at her and said, "You are leaving Japan tomorrow, so I wanted to see you."
Yukiko looked at Conan beside her and couldn't help but crouch down. "Shinichi-chan, can you go to bed? I just need to talk to him for a moment."
"Mom, I'm not leaving."
Conan turned his head stubbornly. He refused to go.
Seeing this, Aizen said, "Forget it, Yukiko. I just wanted to see you. That's enough for me. If he wants to stay, let him stay."
"He's getting more and more disobedient," Yukiko sighed, pinching Conan's cheek. She gave up insisting and stood up.
Aizen then turned to Conan and said, "Kudo Shinichi, you'd better be careful. The Black Organization came here a few days ago. I don't know if they found anything."
"What? They came here?!"
Conan was shocked. He dropped his usual composed demeanor and urgently asked, "Who was here? What were they doing?"
"The leader was a woman, codename Sherry. I don't know what they were after," Aizen said, shaking his head slightly.
In truth, he did know—but he had no intention of revealing it. His goal was simply to put Conan on high alert. He understood Conan's personality well: if he didn't keep some pressure on him from time to time, Conan's vigilance might decrease. Aizen didn't want to play babysitter every day, so it was better for Conan to stay sharp on his own.