[Note: From here on, Shiho will be called Haibara.]
——
At around ten o'clock in the evening, Kogoro and Conan finally returned home.
This time there was no obstruction from Akashi. The sleeping Kogoro was summoned again and performed steadily.
The case was finally solved!
The person who killed Yoshiteru Araide was his wife, Yoko Araide.
She was dissatisfied with her husband's debauchery, so she took advantage of the power outage to electrocute Yoshiteru Araide while he was taking a bath.
However, because it was the nanny who turned off the switch, she also suffered from heart disease.
Therefore, in order to prevent the nanny from learning the truth, she took matters into her own hands and led to the death of Yoshiteru Araide.
Finally, Mrs. Araide's confession testimony was revised.
Conan felt so excited after finally solving a case that his cold got much better.
The heavy rain stopped, Conan and Kogoro returned home and wanted to share their feelings with Ran.
However, they came back too late.
Ran has already entered her room to rest.
Staring at the closed door, Conan felt a strange sense of loss—though he couldn't quite grasp what it was that he had lost.
In the end, under Kogoro's orders, they made instant noodles, had a quick dinner, and went to rest.
But Ran?
How could she possibly sleep?
She tossed and turned, her slender legs constantly gripping the pillow between them.
Or she would clutch the quilt tightly in her arms, yet sleep refused to come.
Her mind wouldn't stop replaying the memories of her—
Practicing kissing techniques with Akashi.
Akashi's hands moving over her chest and body as he worked his massage skills.
The face of that succubus shota kept surfacing in her thoughts.
Ran suddenly felt tormented.
She was awful.
A terrible sister.
She had led Akashi into doing bad things!
Is Akashi mad at me?
Thoughts circled endlessly in her head, making it impossible to sleep. Frustrated, she grabbed her phone and turned to the internet for answers.
'Is it a crime to kiss an underage boy? Will I go to jail?'
'I'm with a little boy and I keep wanting to pee. Is there something wrong with my body?'
'Do normal girls have strange thoughts about cute little boys?'
'What is Shotacon?'
Ran couldn't help but let out a cry after typing the words 'shotacon'.
She immediately dropped the phone and covered her head with a thin quilt.
"I'm not a shotacon!"
"Akashi is just my younger brother, and I just take care of him."
But another thought popped into her mind.
So being with my little brother is not considered a mess...
Thinking of this, Ran hit her head hard with a pillow.
She kept condemning herself in her heart. How could she have such rebellious thoughts?
This female high school student suffered from insomnia for the first time in her life.
Meanwhile, at Eri's house, the lights had already been turned off.
Haibara had definitely met her exercise quota for the day.
And with the lingering effects of the medicine, her body was completely drained.
Once she settled in, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
But in this household, there was one little loli who proudly claimed to be Akashi's girlfriend.
Because of that, Eri—flustered and embarrassed—ended up taking Akashi to bed with her.
In the dimly lit bathroom of Eri's home, Akashi continued his "preaching" session with Yukiko, determined to teach her something valuable.
The reason was simple.
Akashi's Grasp of Immortality still had a third and final opportunity to absorb physical enhancements.
If he wanted to grow stronger, every chance mattered—there was no room for waste.
With that thought, he seized the opportunity, reaching out to absorb Yukiko's physique just as she stepped out of the bathroom.
[Physique +2]
The upgraded Grasp of Immortality provided a substantial boost in physical strength.
As an added bonus, the skill triggered a critical strike from his God's Right Hand ability.
Yukiko, who had initially planned to head straight to bed, narrowed her captivating eyes.
One moment she was walking out of the bathroom, and the next, she had been caught in little Shota's grasp.
Yet, Akashi felt no guilt.
After all, there were at least ten lessons Conan's mother needed to learn.
Besides, wasn't it Conan who was always making his life difficult?
The only drawback was his height.
At his size, he had to stand on a small stool just to be eye level with Yukiko and maintain his presence.
However, Yukiko wasn't exactly a cooperative student.
Instead of focusing, she continued to pry into other matters, her curiosity unrelenting.
"That girl… she's not really from an orphanage, is she?" Yukiko mused, her tone light yet inquisitive.
"The way she looked at you earlier— that wasn't the gaze of a child."
She tilted her head slightly, eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"Akashi, tell me, tell me—" she coaxed in a playful, almost singsong voice.
"Who exactly is Haibara?"
As a renowned Grand Slam actress, Yukiko had an exceptional talent for reading people—especially their eyes.
She knew what a child's gaze looked like.
Unpolluted by the world. Clear. Naïve.
But Haibara's?
Her eyes were filled with wisdom and resolve—far too mature for her supposed age.
She wasn't pretending to be clueless.
That look… it reminded Yukiko of someone.
After all, she had a certain someone at home who had mysteriously shrunk due to taking a drug.
The resemblance was undeniable.
Curious, she turned to Akashi for answers.
But he only found her chatter annoying.
Right now, he had no interest in discussing Haibara. He was focused on something else entirely.
With a mere thought, 『Retractable Bandage』 activated.
A white bandage wrapped around Yukiko's mouth, sealing it shut.
Ah, finally… peace and quiet.
With the distraction out of the way, Akashi resumed his teachings, diving into the legendary combat art—Awei's Eighteen Styles!
Version 2 of Awei's Eighteen Styles was unleashed.
Each move flowed effortlessly, ingrained deep in his memory.
By the end of the lesson, he had successfully absorbed a portion of Yukiko's Yin energy.
Completely satisfied, Akashi headed straight to bed.
Meanwhile, Yukiko remained behind, carefully processing and internalizing the results of her "lesson."
Later That Night…
The house was dark, the corridors shrouded in shadows.
Barely awake, Akashi walked down the hallway on instinct, his body moving on autopilot.
Upon reaching the master bedroom, he opened the door and slipped inside.
After all, he had been sleeping here for the past few nights—his body was simply used to it.
As he climbed into bed, warmth immediately surrounded him.
Soft. Comfortable. Familiar.
Before he could react, a pair of arms wrapped around him.
Akashi yawned.
Didn't bother questioning it.
At this point, sleep was sleep.
Where didn't matter.
Burying his head into the covers, he drifted off instantly.
Beside him, the beautiful woman, who had been tossing and turning all night, finally felt a sense of calm.
With her tension eased, she too fell into a peaceful slumber.