Ran was still torn—should she ditch Sonoko's invitation and go with Conan to give a statement at the police station?
Luckily, Jiangxia showed up, instantly solving the problem.
Ran felt a bit touched. Sure, Jiangxia's methods were a little… aggressive when saving people, but he was actually a decent guy. Not only did he rescue folks all the time, he even volunteered to take the kids to the police station.
She handed the kids off to him with full confidence, took Conan downstairs, and strolled off to meet Suzuki Sonoko at the bus stop, completely worry-free.
Now Jiangxia was left in charge of four miniature murder magnets, leading them all to the police station.
As a long-time member of the spoiler squad, Jiangxia was already mentally prepared for the inherent chaos of the Junior Detective League.
But reality still managed to surprise him.
The kids didn't cling to his legs and shout "Buy us eel rice!"
Instead, they behaved. Seriously. They waited at red lights, walked at green, yielded to pedestrians, and even marched in near-military unison chanting "One-two-one!"
Jiangxia stared at them several times, half-suspecting these were actually adults who'd been APTX4869'd.
And the more he looked, the quieter they became.
By the end of the walk, even the usual bickering had evaporated.
Jiangxia: "…"
No idea what happened, but hey, he wasn't complaining. Obedient kids beat bear children any day.
——
It was drizzling.
As they neared an intersection, Xiaobai, the little shikigami riding on Jiangxia's shoulder, suddenly perked up. It wiped the corner of its mouth and made a grab for Jiangxia's collar, clearly intending to wipe its drool on it.
Jiangxia silently flicked it away with a finger.
Xiaobai tumbled to the ground, scrambled back up, and climbed onto him again, undeterred.
Soon, Jiangxia got the message: mushroom broth base.
He blinked, then understood.
A few dozen meters ahead, a man in a black raincoat was walking toward them.
It was the same guy who'd smelled of murder over hot pot—Dr. Kazuto.
In addition to the raincoat, Kazuto had on a hat and a mask. The hat brim was pulled low and the mask high, making him hard to recognize—especially on a rainy day with umbrellas blocking the view.
Kazuto didn't seem to notice Jiangxia at all. He walked straight to a nearby phone booth.
There was already someone inside.
As Kazuto approached, the person in the booth finished their call and stepped out.
The moment the door opened, Kazuto whipped out a gun and fired several shots.
The man inside clutched his chest and collapsed in pain.
Behind Jiangxia, the kids screamed in unison. "Ahhh!!"
Jiangxia turned to look at them.
…They really saw it.
When he turned back, the shooter was already sprinting toward him. Judging by the direction, it was the only path open—because on the other side, several large men were giving chase.
One was a scruffy uncle who'd just been buying cigarettes. The others looked like your average overworked salarymen… but the way they moved, they were clearly more than that. No hesitation, no shouting—just laser focus.
They didn't look like brave passersby. More like plainclothes cops who'd been planning this for a while.
Kazuto Kyosuke suddenly got a very bad feeling.
Something had clearly gone wrong. But what?
Still, the cops hadn't managed to surround him yet.
There was still time to escape!
Kazuto spotted Jiangxia ahead, and the kids nearby. His plan: dash past, grab a hostage, and buy time to get away.
Jiangxia looked at the approaching shooter and said calmly to the kids, "Come behind me and stay back for a while."
The three kids had been arguing about whether they should heroically tackle the murderer.
But Jiangxia's sudden command made them act before they could even think. Instinctively, they ducked behind him and shuffled to the side of the road.
Conan, of course, had zero intention of standing down.
He made a move to grab a nearby flowerpot—probably to kick it at the gunman—but just as he reached for it, Genta and Mitsuhiko grabbed his arms.
Conan struggled, but the two dragged him to safety.
A few days ago, if Conan yelled, "Let go!" the bear children might've listened.
But today, with Jiangxia's order in place, his protests were useless.
Worse, when he did shout "Let go!" Genta slapped a hand over his mouth and whispered frantically, "Stay still! If you don't behave, you'll turn into a pig's head!"
Conan: "…&*%￥#!"
It only takes a few seconds for an adult to sprint a few dozen meters.
Kazuto raised his gun and growled at Jiangxia, "Move!"
Jiangxia obligingly stepped to the side.
Kazuto let out a breath. Okay, just some civilian scared of guns.
As he passed Jiangxia, he extended an arm, reaching to snatch one of the kids.
But before he could grab anyone—
His collar tightened.
The world spun.
Jiangxia, using Kazuto's momentum, yanked him into a wide arc and slammed him into the sidewalk.
THUD. The bricks rattled from the impact. Kazuto's nose exploded in a burst of blood, his vision going white.
He groaned and tried to get up.
But before he could recover, a shadow loomed overhead—
Jiangxia stepped in and kicked him square on the wrist.
The gun flew out, clattered across the pavement, and landed seven or eight meters away.
Kazuto let out a howl and shot up again, but before he could fully balance—
Thwack. Another hit, this time to his waist.
He collapsed back to the ground.
Jiangxia's follow-up strikes weren't hard—just slightly firmer than a therapeutic massage. Very much the energy of a brave, cautious citizen.
But somehow, Kazuto couldn't get up.
He lay there, groaning, as the plainclothes officers closed in.
His eyes reddened. With one final burst of fury, he shouted, "Jiangxia!!!"
Genta and Mitsuhiko were stunned.
The murderer just called out Jiangxia's name?!
And he got wrecked the moment he did?!
Good thing they'd followed instructions.
The two exchanged a look and tightened their grip on Conan, feeling like they'd just saved their classmate's life.
Jiangxia, for his part, wasn't surprised. The killer stank of hot pot broth up close—hard to miss.
But of course, just because he recognized Kazuto didn't mean he'd admit it.
So when his name was shouted, Jiangxia froze and stepped back, looking startled.
And as Kazuto struggled to rise again, Jiangxia just watched silently, making no move to stop him.
—
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 19/60(approx)*
Glossary
Bear child: Spoiled or bratty kid.
Hot pot/mushroom broth: Recurring motif in this story tied to supernatural murder-sensing through different murderous flavours.
Pig's head: Slang for someone who gets beaten up—"you'll turn into a pig's head" = you'll get wrecked.
APTX4869: Canon poison that shrinks adults into children in Detective Conan.