For ordinary people, ten years is an eternity.
Morpheus figured that by the time Conan grew back into Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri would have graduated college years ago.
Would the two of them still end up together?
Could Ran really wait a decade for Shinichi?
Morpheus pondered for a moment, and his first thought was… yes.
Given Ran Mouri's personality, she might actually wait ten years for Shinichi Kudo.
As for why?
The power of pure love needs no explanation.
However, Ran's next words caught Morpheus off guard.
"Shinichi isn't missing. He's just been kidnapped."
Huh?
Morpheus stared at Ran, dumbfounded. Did she hear herself?
Not missing, but kidnapped.
And that "just" kidnapped part?
Just?
The word choice was… intriguing, to say the least.
"From the way you said that, it sounds like Shinichi gets kidnapped so often you're used to it?"
Ran quickly waved her hands. "No, no, it's not like that! I'm not used to it!"
That's more like it.
But then Ran added, "But Shinichi has been kidnapped a few times."
'What? Seriously?'
Sonoko Suzuki chimed in, "That guy Shinichi Kudo is a famous detective, right? When he's in the spotlight, he exposes a lot of criminals' schemes, so he often gets targeted for revenge by criminals or their families."
"He's definitely been kidnapped a few times."
Morpheus couldn't help but suck in a breath.
This wasn't in the original Detective Conan plot.
In the source material, all the criminals Shinichi exposed either repented on the spot or confessed their crimes.
None of them showed any desire for revenge.
Who would've thought that in this world, Shinichi Kudo would actually face retaliation?
These local criminals were downright rude.
Can't handle losing? Can't take it, huh?
Ran continued, "In the past, whenever Shinichi was kidnapped, he always managed to get out of it with his sharp mind and impressive skills."
"But this time, he's been gone for three whole days."
"In those three days, we haven't heard a single word from him."
"So I suspect the people who kidnapped him this time are no ordinary criminals. He might be in serious trouble."
Morpheus asked, "When and where did Shinichi disappear?"
Ran replied, "Three days ago, after school, Shinichi said he'd wait for me to finish my karate club activities so we could go home together. But halfway through, he got a phone call and left in a hurry."
"After that, he never showed up again."
Not at that park? So Shinichi hasn't turned into Conan yet.
Morpheus said, "Have you considered that maybe he wasn't kidnapped but got held up by something else?"
Ran nodded. "At first, I thought that too, but…"
She paused, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to Morpheus.
Morpheus took the note and read it. It clearly stated:
"Shinichi Kudo is in our hands. If you want him alive, have Yusaku Kudo prepare one hundred million dollars for his ransom."
Morpheus clicked his tongue. No wonder it wasn't a disappearance but a kidnapping.
A ransom note had been sent. What else could it be?
Morpheus remarked, "Looks like Yusaku Kudo's the one who got his son into this mess."
Ran gave a bitter smile.
She thought so too.
Yusaku Kudo wasn't just Shinichi's father; he was a world-renowned mystery novelist, best known for his Night Baron series.
His deductive skills even surpassed Shinichi's.
Currently residing in United States, Yusaku had frequently assisted the Japanese police with cases before moving abroad.
After settling in the U.S., he continued writing novels and often made deductions about cases he read in the news, which helped elevate his wife, Yukiko Kudo, into a household name as the "Night Baroness," a famous detective in United States.
On top of that, Yusaku apparently had connections with the FBI.
He'd likely helped them crack plenty of cases.
Getting targeted for revenge was practically inevitable.
But no one expected that this time, the target of retaliation would shift from Yusaku to his son, Shinichi.
"Does Yusaku Kudo know about this?" Morpheus asked.
Ran nodded. "I informed Yusaku-san as soon as I got the ransom note. He returned to Beika Town immediately."
"But we have so few leads that even Yusaku-san can't pinpoint Shinichi's location."
Morpheus agreed. With just a vague ransom note, lacking even a time or place for the exchange, Yusaku Kudo would need magic to find Shinichi.
Even deduction requires sufficient clues.
Sonoko said, "Ran's been so worried she hasn't slept well, so I brought her here for a massage. When Nanami heard about it, she said you, Lord Morpheus, could help."
Morpheus turned to Nanami with a wry smile. "You called me for something like this?"
Nanami clasped her hands together, pleading, "Please don't be angry, my lord. I took it upon myself to involve you, but Sonoko and Ran are my good friends."
"I beg you to show mercy and help them."
Morpheus shook his head. "I'm not mad about that. I'm glad you thought of me, your divine lord, when you faced a problem. It shows my followers rely on me."
"But at the same time, I'm a bit displeased. Do you know why?"
Ran and Sonoko sat silently, too intimidated to speak.
Nanami shook her head, unsure.
Morpheus explained, "I'm upset because you could've handled this yourself, yet you chose to bother me. While I'm happy you think of me, I don't want you relying on me for everything."
Nanami seemed to understand. "So, you mean you want me to turn to you only when I can't solve something myself, not for every little thing, right?"
Morpheus nodded, pleased. "Exactly. You're a quick learner."
Nanami hesitated. "But can I really handle something like this?"
Morpheus teased, "I've placed plenty of magic in the follower network, including a tracking spell. If you'd learned it, you could use one of Shinichi's personal items to trace his whereabouts."
"Finding him would be a piece of cake."
***
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