In Fujino's mind, Ayumi should grow up to be quite cute. After all, she had a good foundation; little girls in the world of Detective Conan usually turn out pretty well. However, when he leaned in closer, he was still a bit surprised.
The girl in the photo was radiant, with dark, shoulder-length hair and light blue eyes that seemed to hold a shallow bay. A playful smile tugged at the corners of her lips, giving her a gentle and adorable aura.
"She's really cute, isn't she?" Fujino remarked.
"Exactly!" Ran nodded, smiling. "Ayumi will be a beautiful girl when she grows up!"
"So cute!" Mitsuhiko leaned in to examine the photo of the girl with fluffy, shoulder-length hair and a slightly upturned mouth, radiating cuteness. His face flushed.
Conan, studying the picture, couldn't help but nod as well.
Ayumi, meanwhile, glanced at Conan, her face red, unable to speak.
"That's right!" Genta suddenly pointed at Sonoko nearby and shouted, "If you ask me, she's definitely much prettier than that older sister!"
Sonoko just stared. "You brat! Why are you dragging me into this?!" A wave of resentment welled up in Sonoko's heart... But looking at the photo, Sonoko's anger deflated. Still, as the Suzuki heiress, she couldn't possibly admit she was inferior to another woman.
"Hmph!" Sonoko scoffed, crossing her arms. "You kids, you just don't understand how to appreciate the charm of adults!"
"Heh heh... 'Charm of adults'?" Conan muttered under his breath, "More like an old hag, if you ask me."
"Hmm?" Sonoko suddenly felt like someone was talking bad about her and sharply scanned her surroundings. Conan, seeing this, didn't dare say another word, terrified Sonoko might actually have heard something and seek revenge.
"Let's try it too!" Mitsuhiko and Genta rubbed their hands together, eager to see what they'd look like... And what came out was a freckled, bullied-looking high schooler and a campus bully-style high schooler.
"Hahahaha!" Sonoko burst out laughing, getting her revenge. "I've seen delinquents like that on the street before!"
Mitsuhiko and Genta just looked dejected.
"Actually, they're pretty good," Ran, as gentle as ever, said with a comforting smile. "Both of your photos turned out really well."
"Really?!"
"Really!"
With Ran's praise, the two boys brightened up again, staring dreamily at their photos.
"Ran..." Fujino patted Ran's shoulder helplessly and whispered, "Gentleness is a good thing, but sometimes gentle lies are the sharpest thorns."
"Mmm-hmm," Sonoko nodded repeatedly. "It's better for them to face reality sooner. You can fool others, but if you fool yourself, you're completely doomed."
"Huh?" Ran was puzzled, then smiled. "But their photos really aren't bad."
"Forget it!" Sonoko knew her best friend's kind nature. Even if she had something bad to say, she'd never say it to their faces. In fact, she'd never say it aloud at all.
She didn't continue arguing the point. Turning her head, a glimmer of excitement flashed in her eyes as she looked at the "time machine" nearby. She was naturally curious about such a novel gadget... For instance, would she be a sophisticated beauty in ten years? Thinking this, she grabbed Ran's arm and quickly walked over. "Let's both try it! Ran, you'll definitely be a great beauty in ten years!"
Click!
Two more crisp sounds echoed.
Sonoko stared at the photo of a sharp-featured woman, lost in thought.
"Hahahaha!" Genta pointed at Sonoko's photo, gleefully getting his revenge. "I've seen old hags like that before too!"
"You annoying little brat!" Sonoko pouted, huffing her retort as she shooed away the two spectators, then quickly snatched up her photo, guarding it like a dog with a bone, warily scanning her surroundings.
"Sigh..." Fujino glanced at Sonoko in the distance, letting out a soft sigh. The results were probably not great, especially with that prominent forehead.
"So beautiful!"
"She looks exactly like Eri when she was young!"
"It's almost a shame for her to be with Shinichi!"
At that moment, Ayumi, Conan, Mouri-san, and Professor Agasa, who were gathered around Ran, were already voicing their opinions about Ran's photo. Fujino turned at the sound. He was quite curious about Ran's future appearance too, so he stepped closer to take a look.
In the photo, Ran's eyes were slightly narrowed, appearing somewhat hazy. Her thin lips were adorned with a light pink lipstick, and the "horn" in her hair had softened. Her entire demeanor was more mature and refined, exuding even more of a graceful, good-wife-and-mother aura.
"What a waste!" Sonoko, having regained her composure, leaned in to examine Ran's photo. She first covered her mouth in surprise, then clucked her tongue. "Such a beauty given to that Shinichi kid! What a pity!"
"Hehehe, no way!" Conan's face flushed, remembering the photo he'd just seen.
"Huh?" Kogoro Mouri looked down at Conan suspiciously. "Are you blushing, kid?"
"No way, I'm not!" Conan's face was beet red as he desperately scratched the back of his head.
"Hmm?" Ran smiled, collecting her photo, then turned, her gaze drawn to the noisy Mouri-san and Conan. Mitsuhiko's eyes flickered as he looked up at Ran. Ayumi's eyes, meanwhile, grew increasingly downcast as she looked at Conan. The scene had grown complicated.
Fujino sighed deeply. "This awful stench of a love triangle!" He took a deep breath, cutting off their banter. "Alright, it's my turn now!"
He turned to Kogoro Mouri. "Mouri-san, want to give it a try too?"
"Forget it!" Kogoro Mouri said with an impatient wave, hands in his pockets as he glanced at the "time machine." "I don't want to see my old face ten years from now!"
"Then I'll just take it myself," Fujino chuckled, saying nothing more as he walked toward the "time machine." He was actually quite curious about what he'd look like in the future. Though he didn't know the "Conan-Science" behind it, it was clear the machine worked. Would he look the same? Would he look much older? Who knew. He was eager to find out.
The helmet lowered, and flashes of light flickered before his eyes. Suddenly, Fujino felt a blinding white light. A crackling sound of electricity filled his ears. Then, a burst of fire shot out from inside the machine.
"???" Fujino forcefully pried open the helmet and swiftly rolled forward.
"BOOM!" An explosion echoed.
Fujino turned back to see the formerly high-tech machine billowing thick smoke. The machine had exploded.
Fujino stared silently at the smoking machine. So, the machine really blew up? If he had been a moment slower, would he have been covered in ash? No, he'd probably have been turned into ash!