For 6-year-old Kudo Shinichi, his child Tantei career as an apprentice had brought him all sorts of surprises.

From uncovering petty thefts at school to solving complex cases involving a ruby heist, a missing extra, and even a serial killer on the island, Shinichi's child Tantei career was far from ordinary. Each case brought its own set of surprises and twists, keeping him on his toes and sharpening his detective skills.

So to hear Tiffany say that Mouri Ran, his former 6-year-old friend, had misguided feelings towards him was a huge shock.

Indeed, Tiffany's revelation about Mouri Ran's misguided feelings towards him was unexpected and shocking for the young Shinichi. He had never considered the possibility that his childhood friend's actions were driven by her feelings for him. "Tiffany, what are you talking about?"

The noble girl sighed and looked at Shinichi with a mix of sympathy and concern. "You know what Ranran told me about my past right?"

"Over how you were born with a weak body that won't be able to bear children, the prince you had a crush on was engaged to your twin sister? You later grew jealous, and your friend manipulated you into doing all those things? What does this have anything to do with me and Mouri?"

"A lot," Tiffany affirmed, "When I was around your age, I behaved the same way Mouri did towards my own sister. Nagging, sabotaging, you name it, I did it all." He could see the pain in her eyes as she spoke, and he understood that this was a sensitive topic for her. "The day my eldest sister hired The Fox, whom you know as Ranran, I was very resentful towards her. It wasn't until it was revealed my friend whom I trusted manipulated me and that the prince had a crush on me, it was then I realized that my feelings were all a lie."

Shinichi listened intently, trying to process Tiffany's confession.

"You told us that Ishbashi Mamiko, the psychotic girl who had a crush on you, conspire with Ran's best friend, Suzuki Sonoko, to discourage your dream as a Tantei so that she could marry you off to Ran. You even mentioned that Mamiko kept a video of that conversation she personally had with Sonoko on the school's laptop that she personally uses, usually, one does not simply store a video without serving their purpose, especially someone like Mamiko."

Acknowledging Tiffany's words, Shinichi is still doubtful. But for a different sort of issue, "Even so, is it possible to simply dupe someone into thinking that the other party had feelings for you? Enough to stir jealousy?"

"It is possible, especially when you're young and vulnerable." Walter interjected as he goes, "When I was adopted by Colleen's family, Colleen would keep on treating me kindly and say mean things to me, it got very difficult for me to even tell whether I had feelings for her or not."

"Same here," Ellie interrupted, "I was duped by Colleen into thinking that Walter is making her life difficult, so I grew hateful towards Walter till Colleen was removed by Ranran."

Shinichi felt a mix of emotions as he listened to the experiences of Ranran's friends from Edgewood Academy. It was eye-opening to hear despite the fact of their intelligence and maturity, they were all easy to have their feelings manipulated by other children.

"But if that were the case, don't you think I too would've fallen for Mouri?" Shinichi argued.

"You are different, you are too smart to notice, which is why it fell apart for you when reality kicked in. But not Mouri Ran." Veronica spoke up.

"Ranran too is no exception," Teddy's expression darkened. "But yeah, not everyone is as sharp as you, which make things dangerous."

Shinichi eying everyone in the patient room, and the machine of the IV drip still connected to the unconscious Ranran who is sleeping on the bed, "Think properly, Kudo Shinichi, why did that incident with Rokuro breaking into Tantei Association while attacking your mentor, Ranran, happened in the first place? From what I gathered, the address of the association you are all running....there shouldn't be a way for Rokuro to locate you. And yet, he did it. Why? Simple, Mouri Ran is a member of your association, surely she had to tell someone about it."

"Wait a minute," Shinichi exclaimed, connecting the dots. "No, that can't be.....I know Mouri nags and is a lot to deal with, but she wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"The prince I was engaged to once used to be that way," Samantha commented, "Righteous to the bone too, but then it happened: He turned corrupted and started to justify every single wrongdoing."

Amidst the revelation, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Shinichi's mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Could it be possible that his former friend, Mouri Ran, had changed so drastically? He couldn't help but recall their times as childhood friends, playing together, and laughing at innocent jokes.

"But no, she can't be that way!" Shinichi protested, unwilling to accept the possibility.

"Alright then, let me ask you those questions. Your answers will depend on whether our theory is true." Ellis decided before firing one question after the other, "Had Mouri been meddlesome since she joined the association? Let alone, had a past history of being one?"

"Not that I know of till I severed ties with her," Shinichi replied, his mind now starting to consider the possibility.

"And has she been causing trouble and trying to control things?" Georgette added.

"Yeah, one time by messing with my smartphone after I confronted her about that Mamiko video with Sonoko, another time when she hung up my smartphone when Ranran contacted me that there was an ongoing bank robbery. And other incidents as well. But the first incident was intentionally caused by me to stop Mamiko from manipulating her and Sonoko, the second one is to prevent me from heading there to put myself in a dangerous situation." Shinichi admitted.

"So she's been actively trying to interfere with your detective work," Veronica observed.

"That doesn't sound good at all," Teddy observed.

"Has she ever gone behind Ranran's back to make decisions or take actions without consulting her?" Veronica asked.

The apprentice thought for a moment before answering, "Now that you mention it, she has done that a couple of times."

"And how does she react when she disagree with Ranran?" Tiffany questioned.

"She gets really angry and defensive, and sometimes even tries to guilt-trip her into agreeing, which never works out well for Mouri to say the least," Shinichi replied.

"Has she shown signs of jealousy or resentment towards Ranran?" Tiffany asked.

"Um...I guess there have been moments where she seemed upset when Ranran excelled at something, in fact, not the first nor last. The recent one was when Ranran baked this whole cake with her mother to share with everyone in Tantei Association, and it was cooler looking than Mouri's." Shinichi acknowledged.

"And how does she react when you or others disagree with her?" Walter questioned.

"She gets really angry and defensive," Shinichi replied, starting to see a pattern.

"Alright then, one last question," Ellis said. "Has she ever tried to isolate Ranran or turn others against her?"

"Well...turning others against her ain't one of them-ah! But does trying to pressure Ranran to contact the cops count? Whenever we discover circumstantial evidence to suggest a particular crime is about to be committed, or that a crime that is likely to occur in the past that the police overlooked?" Shinichi recalled.

The Edgewood children exchanged glances, and Shinichi could see that they were all thinking the same thing. "Yeah, that counts," Ellis replied, "It's clear she's trying to undermine Ranran's authority and decision-making."

"I don't know....." Shinichi is still doubtful, "She didn't go about spreading bad rumours about Ranran unlike Mamiko did. Though she does speak ill of Ranran to her friend Sonoko, let alone, at times she didn't think I would hear, I would scold her."

"Yeah, but her actions speak louder than words," Tiffany chimed in. "Trying to control your detective work, going behind Ranran's back, and pressuring her to contact the police are all signs of someone who wants to take over and be in charge."

"You have to admit, Shinichi, the evidence is stacking up against her," Samantha added.

"And remember, just because she hasn't spread rumours doesn't mean she hasn't been trying to undermine Ranran in other ways," Veronica pointed out. "Manipulating situations and trying to make herself look better than Ranran is a subtle but effective way to turn others against her."

"And don't forget the fact that she's been causing trouble and being meddlesome since she joined the association," Teddy added.

Shinichi sighed, feeling the weight of the evidence against his former friend. "One more question, Kudo," Veronica had to ask, "Had she seen a therapist?"

"I wouldn't say she didn't, I had her parents send her to anger management. But...."

".....but what?" Samantha prompted him to speak.

"But I don't think it helped much," Shinichi replied, his expression troubled. "She still had a lot of unresolved issues, and her behaviour only seemed to worsen over time. The therapy sessions did address the root cause of her jealousy and resentment toward her parents, but....she kept insisting Ranran framed her. But to be honest, Ranran did frame her."

"Even though it was exposed Mamiko was behind it?" Georgette exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

"She doesn't trust Mamiko anymore after that video came up, but she still insists Ranran is behind it. But guys," Shinichi argues, "I doubt it would be possible to simply dupe someone to fall for the other."

"That's how it started for me, Shinichi," Tiffany said with a sombre tone. "First, my good friend managed to dupe me that the prince had feelings for me by giving me little hints and compliments. It felt so real, and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. But then, when the truth came out, it was like a punch to the gut. I realized I had been played, and my feelings weren't real at all."

"Same for me with Colleen back then," Walter added, "It preys on you unexpectedly with a 'joke', then it suddenly becomes real when you feel like you're on cloud nine. But it's all just smoke and mirrors."

"Think of it...as that time when Mamiko had Mouri's best friend, that dimwitted heiress Suzuki Sonoko, to keep discouraging your dream as a child Tantei by comparing you to 'The Fox', that legendary child Tantei of Japan. At that time, when Mamiko intentionally spread rumours that Ranran could've been 'The Fox' just to spite you....You didn't think of waking up one morning from your bed and saying 'I am going to break into Ranran's house and tell her to quit overnight' when those rumours began to circulate, right? Because you knew breaking in is wrong, plus, you didn't interact with Ranran for over a year." Teddy pointed out.

"And yet, you admitted you did regardless," Tiffany said. "And that itself is getting dupe, it would've remained a lie of Mamiko, had she not realised that it was the truth."

For a moment, Shinichi wanted to argue.

But deep down, he knew Ranran's Edgewood friends were right. It's possible for Ran to be duped the same way he was duped to hate Ranran.

"Sometimes, jealousy and misguided feelings can lead people down a dark path. It's like a slippery slope, and once they take that first step, there's no telling where it will end. The same was for my adopted sister, Isabelle," Walter recalled, "For many years, her biological mother kept making up lies that her dad abandoned her years ago, she detested her own dad. But then....when Ranran took up the case to look into it, to Isabella's shock at horror, what awaited her wasn't a deadbeat father who is going to make up excuses for abandoning her, instead, it was a father who had signs of severe Alzheimer since the beginning, locked up at some luxurious townhouse by the biological mother while cashing in on his estate for years." 

"Wow, that's messed up," Shinichi remarked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's crazy how people can manipulate others' feelings and perceptions," Georgette added. "And it's even scarier when you realize how easily we can fall for it."

"It's like the dark side in Star Wars," Teddy chimed in. "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you, it will."

Silence.

"On a serious note, you can see where we are heading with this,"  Samantha said, her tone serious. "With the video, it would've been good sufficient evidence to remove Mouri Ran from the association."

"How does that work?" Shinichi grew bewildered.

"Say that she hid the identity of the intruder, knowingly this was going to happen to Ranran," Tiffany suggested.

"But that would've been a lie! I know Mouri isn't capable of that!"

"That is true, but after getting to know bad children in our academy for so long, I am going to bet my money that even if she knew, she will not dare to say it out for fear of getting kicked out of the association. Remember, she is being duped into thinking that you had feelings for her," Samantha responded. "It would've been a perfect opportunity to finally remove her once and for all."

Shinichi sighed, feeling torn about the idea. On one hand, he wanted to protect Ranran and the Tantei Association from any potential harm caused by Mouri Ran's actions. On the other hand, he couldn't bring himself to fabricate evidence against his former friend, even if it meant her removal from the association.

"But that's not right," Shinichi said firmly.

"Exactly, as long as you keep the 'it isn't right' mentality, Ranran will continue to suffer because she took you in as your apprentice." Ellis pointed out.

Looking at Ranran's Edgewood friends, Shinichi knew that they were right.

For years he had fallen in love with the idea of idyllic justice that is righteous after reading about Sherlock Holmes, but when it came to the real world as he is now, Ranran and he had to put up with so much unnecessary hassle to obtain justice, those 'it isn't right' mentality could've made it all so worst up to a point, getting justice was like catching a slippery eel in a mud pond.

"But....." Shinichi wrestled with his fingers, as his elbow planted on the hospital bedside table.

"What is....stopping you?" Veronica inquire.

Seeing all eyes on him, he revealed, "Lately.....Ran and Sonoko are interested in digging around Ranran being The Fox."

"What!?" The British Edgewood children were in shock, not before Teddy confronted them, "Is this true?"

"It's true," Shinichi admitted with frustration and worry, "Since I refused to quit, I think they want to expose and prove that Ranran is The Fox. If that happens....."

"It would be like painting a bullseye on Ranran, right? Especially the criminals Ranran put away behind bars....."Ellis gulped in horror.

"Did you try to throw them off? Surely you must have done it to keep your apprenticeship." Teddy prodded.

"I did, but I guess the desire to forcefully become their friend again, along with their united hatred for Ranran is very motivating to them." Shinichi's words trailed off.

"Then how about this," Samantha had an idea, "Shinichi, are you alright with us taking matters into our own hands onto them?"

Shinichi looked at Samantha with a mix of surprise and concern. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if they're trying to expose Ranran and cause trouble, we can teach them a lesson they won't forget," Samantha said with a wicked grin.

The other Edgewood children exchanged glances, and Shinichi could see the devilish glint in their eyes. It was clear that they were all on board with Samantha's plan.

Recalling the stories Ranran used to share with him on how they 'Do things' in Edgewood, Shinichi worriedly says, "This won't involve torture, right?"

"No choice, that is how we deal with unreasonable dangerous children in Edgewood." Ellis quipped.

"Guys, I appreciate your willingness to help, but I don't want anyone to get hurt," Shinichi said firmly.

"She can't get hurt easily anyway, I heard from Ranran that she is a black belt student, right?" Walter recalled.

"Yeah, that's true," Shinichi nodded, "But I still don't want anyone to resort to violence or anything dangerous. Let's try to handle this in a more civilized way."

"Just out of curiosity, the 'civilized' way you had handled Mouri and that Suzuki girl, has it done well for you and Ranran so far?" Teddy protested, "Would we all be in this hospital room with Ranran here had we followed 'your way'?"

The apprentice didn't like where this was heading. But he knew that time was running out, and he had to make a decision. "Okay, fair point," Shinichi conceded, realizing that his attempts to handle things civilly had not yielded the desired results.

"Fine, I will let you all do it," Shinichi said finally. "We don't want to stoop to their level and become just like them."

"Oh don't worry about that," Tiffany reassured the little apprentice boy, "We are taught how to deal with it."

"And on that note," Georgette went down beneath the bed to pull out papers before handing it to Shinichi, "Read the contract terms and conditions before signing it."

Shinichi glanced at the papers and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"It's a contract for the operation," Veronica explained, "We need you to be on board with this fully. It outlines the plan, the risks, and the rules we will follow."

"And don't worry, it's all legal and above board," Teddy added, "We've done this before, and it always works."

"Done this before?" Shinichi repeated, before remembering certain things about the contracts, "You know, the other day when Ranran opened Tantei Association the first day with me, she was issuing out contracts to the other members. Is this normal for the children of Edgewood Academy to do so?"

"Absolutely, it's a standard practice in Edgewood," Samantha explained. "Contracts help ensure that everyone is on the same page, and it's a way of making things official and binding."

Then he remembered that incident with Sonoko, Ranran and Mouri that took place last year. "That hotel incident involving Suzuki and Mouri storming into the halls of a deceased duke last year, were you all present there at that time?"

"Of course, we wouldn't miss Christopher's death memorial for the world," Ellis said.

"Then....when Sonoko's family was about to declare bankrupt since your families withdraw their support after those bullying allegations towards Ranran...was there a contract signed between Sonoko who was around 5 years old at that time with the rest of you?" Shinichi wanted to know.

"Oh yeah, there was," Tiffany replied with a smirk. "We made sure Sonoko couldn't back out of our little agreement after that stunt she pulled. It was all very official."

"Did those terms include deducting money from her inheritance and allowance etc?" Shinichi inquired.

"Absolutely," Veronica chimed in. "We made sure she understood the consequences of her actions, and the contract laid out the financial penalties she would face if she ever tried to go against us."

"That explains a lot, I thought it was odd why Ranran is able to simply deduct her money the other day after breaking into our house, now things are adding up." Shinichi mused, starting to see the meticulous and cunning side of Ranran's Edgewood friends.

"And now, we're offering you a contract, Kudo Shinichi," Teddy said, passing him a pen. "Are you in or out?"

Shinichi looked at the pen in his hand and then at the eager faces of Ranran's friends. He knew that this was not the conventional way of dealing with things, but he also realized that conventional methods had not worked so far. Maybe it was time to try something different, something bold.

The blue-eyed boy studied the contract silently. Though he had a couple of questions, "What does this part mean? That you will all not be legally held accountable should any violent situations erupt?"

"Oh, that's just a standard clause to protect us legally," Ellis explained. "It means that if things go south and any violent situation arises, we won't be held responsible. It's more of a precautionary measure, you know, in case things get messy."

"Did this happen before?" Shinichi questioned them. 

"For Ranran's part, yup." Samantha acknowledges this.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean to be fair, she dealt with many psychopaths and sociopaths for 2 years since becoming The Fox," Veronica recalled with a grin. "Violence had been with her hand in hand since."

"Just out of curiosity, how many psychopathic or sociopathic children had she dealt with in Edgewood?" Shinichi wanted to know.

"Oh, you won't believe the number," Tiffany chimed in. "It's like a whole collection of mini-villains and troublemakers."

"I think the last count was around 20 or so," Ellis added. "But that was a few years ago, so who knows how many more she's dealt with since then."

"Twenty?!" Shinichi exclaimed, his eyes widening. "That's a lot for someone her age!"

"Tell me about it," Teddy said with a chuckle. "But Ranran can handle herself. She's tough as nails."

By this point, Shinichi is doubting their words that Ranran has ever mentally recovered from dealing with all of this questionable stuff. "Just one more question, does this contract support killings?"

The room fell silent, and the atmosphere turned tense. Shinichi's question seemed to have hit a nerve, and Ranran's Edgewood friends exchanged uneasy glances.

Finally, Ellis spoke up, "No, it doesn't support killings or any form of harm to others. We may be unconventional in our methods, but we are not killers."

"Unusual," Shinichi simply signed before giving them an odd look, "Cause I know if I were in all of your shoes, I would resort to that."

"We did at some point," Samantha admitted, "But then what Christopher said before he died made sense. Rather than let them have an easy way out such as death, why not gift them a torturous life so severe that they wish they are better off dead?"

 The dark and vengeful tone in her words sent a shiver down his spine. He had never encountered such a ruthless perspective before.

"That sounds...extreme," Shinichi replied, trying to process the idea.

"Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, Shinichi," Ellis said with a cold stare. "Some people deserve to suffer for the pain they've caused others."

Shinichi felt a surge of discomfort in the room. He knew that the situations they dealt with were far from ordinary according to Ranran, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the idea of seeking revenge in such a brutal way.

"I get it, revenge can be tempting," Shinichi replied cautiously, "But I believe in the power of justice and the legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable. We should be careful not to become the same monsters we're fighting against."

Ellis scoffed, "You're naive, Kudo. The world doesn't work that way. The legal system is flawed, and justice isn't always served. Sometimes, you have to take matters into your own hands."

"But that's a slippery slope," Shinichi argued. "Once you start down that path, it's hard to turn back. It's a cycle of violence that only leads to more suffering."

"And what about Ranran?!" Samantha's voice rose, "Do you think justice was served when our friend was murdered, and his killers who are around our age are still out there, roaming free? Do you think justice was served when the real culprits walked away without consequences, while they all laughed among themselves that they got rid of Christopher and celebrated an after-party hours after his death? Do you think all of us didn't consider all the legal means to achieve justice? Especially Ranran?"

Shinichi was stumped by their reaction. "We all did, so much so, we almost became killers. Those kids who pushed us in that direction should be the ones to pay for their sins, not us. And Ranran is no different than us. With her around, I learn that sometimes, you have to go beyond the law to get real justice." Dominic silently said.

"Those kinds of ideas are still too idealistic, Kudo," Tiffany said with a shake of her head. "Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty to protect the ones you love. Ranran knows that better than anyone."

Shinichi's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.

"If you are worried about this contract ever seeking the light, don't worry about it," Georgette kept the paperwork into her bag as the others stood up from their seats, "Anything for Ranran, it will never reach the press."

"But why keep it a secret?" Shinichi asked, feeling uneasy about the whole situation.

"Because the world we live in is not as black and white as you think," Ellis replied. "There are things that happen behind closed doors, things that people don't want to know or acknowledge. If this contract were to be exposed, it's one thing to ruin Ranran's reputation and the Tantei Association's image, but we do not want another episode of Edgewood Academy almost close to shutting down in the name of greed."

"Wait, your prestigious school almost got shut down!?" Shinichi exclaimed, "How did that happen?"

Ellis sighed, "It's a long story. But basically, the mastermind of Christopher's murder, his ex-fiance-"

"Ah, the crown princess, right?"

"Ranran told you about her too?" Tiffany tilted.

"Not her full name. Told me she is the worst psychopath she knows of." Shinichi was reminded of that conversation in the penthouse, "What did she want to do that?"

"Well, to cut a long story short," Ellis once more continue the story, "She wanted to be portrayed in a 'Diana style' light."

"I am sorry, what is a 'Diana style'?" Shinichi blinked in confusion.

"Oh, it's a reference to Princess Diana," Veronica chimed in. "You know, the late Princess of Wales, famous for her charity work and humanitarian efforts. She was often portrayed in the media as a kind, caring, and compassionate person, and that's what the crown princess wanted people to see her as."

"But she's nothing like that," Teddy added with a sneer. "She's a ruthless and manipulative b**ch, just like her family members."

For some reason, that b-word Teddy uttered sent shivers down Shinichi's spine.

"Anyway," Ellis continued, "She wanted to create a public image of herself as a 'modern-day princess,' and she thought not long after her arranged marriage to Christopher, who was from a noble family had taken place, she was thinking why not surround herself with those incompetent small-minded commoners to make herself popular."

"I am sorry....small-minded commoners?!" Shinichi's brows shot up in shock.

"Not to be rude, but I will explain how our school works," Tiffany coughed while glaring at Ellis before cautiously explaining to the baffled Shinichi, "Our school...aside from kids of royal and nobles, which we are, we have kids like you, the commoners. And the ones in our school....didn't have the basic fundamentals of human decency."

"To put it short, those children mostly come from those families who didn't hesitate to borrow money that is beyond their means of returning and ship them to Edgewood with hopes of a better future, only to be expelled because they fail to keep up academically." Veronica justifies.

"Or to put it lightly, they had no intention of studying and rather hang out with the bad crowd of nobles, most of them would woo those arrogant big-headed buffoon nobles with hopes of securing a high society career from their families after they graduate, which is a common short-cut they use to ensure success...Christopher's fiance was no exception." Samantha's face darkened as she revealed this.

Shinichi was taken aback by this revelation. "Is this for real!? I would've thought that those kids would've taken advantage of that."

"Barely academically, especially the girls. Most of them thanks to the false influence of Christopher's fiance, they came up with all sorts of delusional ways to woo those rich boys of high society, cause securing an arranged marriage with them through love was easier than studying." Ellis admits.

"That's a messed up way of thinking," Shinichi said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did that method actually work?"

"It did work for some of them," Teddy replied, "And I am certain had it gone their way, it would've gone smoothly if it wasn't for Ranran."

"I am sorry, how does Ranran fit into all of this?" Shinichi demanded to know.

"Simple, the arranged fiances who are about to be ditched or humiliated are the ones who hired her and Christopher's services." Samantha scoffed. "You see unlike what those idiot simpleton nobles or royals think, the ones who planned to paint those unfortunate kids as 'nagging b*ches' or 'villainesses' or 'scums' as a justification to ditch them before joining to marry those scammers are so far....reasonable children like us. Not many of us want such arrange marriages, but we had no choice due to either debt, or we are brainwashed by our own families to be fixated on one to avoid cheating and stuff, so Fox and Deer, the business Ranran and Christopher opened...is our last option to seek a life outside humiliation."

Trying to process the complexities of the situations of such noble and royal children, he proceeded to ask. "How does this have anything to do with shutting the down school?"

"Simple, you see...there has been a huge power imbalance between the commoners and nobles for many decades since Edgewood opened, so Christopher's arrange deluded fiance, Ernestine, who is a princess decided why not have those opportunistic commoners to support her, you know? Make herself like the 'People's princess'? Then try to paint Christopher as a sleazy noble boy who is out of touch with reality since he indulges in luxury."  Veronica rolled her eyes.

"I see," Shinichi nodded, starting to connect the dots. "So that is why she tried to shut down the school, making Edgewood Academy a place of privilege and corruption just to feed her reputation as a down-to-earth princess. What a psychotic 8-year-old."

"Psychotic isn't even the best word to describe her," Walter grew pale as he remembered, "She used to have those idiot nobles attack him severely, apparently, he was far more popular and well-liked compared to her, and she didn't like that." 

"She and his mom got along well, so she used to trick the mother to hit him a lot. His mother abuses him, she knows this." Samantha spoke sadly and with bitterness.

The image of a young boy being subjected to such abuse and betrayal was deeply disturbing.

Then seeing Ranran on her bed, he knew he had to ask, "Does Ranran know?" 

"She knows. She saw his abuse for 2 years. Since she was 3, until the day he was murdered by his mother, she saw it all. I had no idea about it till she slipped it out by accident." Tiffany was a bit uncomfortable in revealing this, but Shinichi had to know.

A wave of sorrow and anger wash over him. The more Shinichi heard of this, the more he was astounded by his mentor's way of living. How does she keep this a secret even until now? She is 6 years old like him!

"Of course, the plan backfired for Ernestine thanks to skilly scheming courtesy of Kudo Ranran, she was 3 to 4 years old when Ernestine was not only disgraced, but she even lost her spot as a royal, let alone, her engagement to Christopher fell apart when the abuse was revealed." Ellis chuckled. "As for the rest of the story, you know what happened next."

"I never knew Ranran had been through so much," Shinichi said quietly. "She never once shed any of these details to me."

"How could she? It will give the impression that she is a poor little rich girl from other kids, since it is normal for average joes like that ex-friend of yours, that Mouri girl, to use her privilege against her." Tiffany sneered.

Hearing this made Shinichi gulp, knowing that she was right.

Even he himself too was no different when he falsely accuse her.

"Anyway, after hearing all of this, I hope you do something about that Mouri Ran," Teddy said somberly. "It wouldn't be simply fair that Ranran took you in as her apprentice, but she had to constantly put up with your ex-friend being a huge nuisance in the association you both founded." 

Shinichi quietly nod as the Edgewood children packed up their things to leave.

"By the way, Kudo, it was nice knowing you."

Shinichi was taken aback by Teddy's parting words, before bowing back at them.

"Also, Kudo, about today's contract and our visit....don't tell Ranran about us," Veronica said. 

"Eh, why!?" Shinichi reacted in surprise.

"We don't want her to feel guilty about dragging us into this either," Samantha added. "She always worried about us losing our titles and privileges after she and Christopher worked hard to restore them for us."

"I understand," Shinichi replied, feeling a sense of responsibility for not burdening Ranran further. "I won't mention anything about our conversation or the contract to her."

"Thanks," Ellis said with a small smile. "We appreciate it."

As the Edgewood children left the hospital room, Shinichi was left alone with his thoughts and a heavy heart. He had learned so much about Ranran's past and the challenges she faced. The weight of the truth was almost suffocating, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions – anger at the injustices she endured, admiration for her resilience, and guilt for not fully understanding her struggles.

Looking at Ranran sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

Mouri Ran had to go. Shinichi finally decided.

With a newfound determination, Shinichi made up his mind that he would not let Mouri Ran continue to cause trouble for the Tantei Association and for Ranran. He knew that he couldn't simply turn a blind eye to her actions any longer.

As he sat there, contemplating his next steps, he knew where to begin with.

Kudo Shinichi was intimidating enough with Mamiko's nonsense, but now he was livid and the effect was petrifying.

...........................................................................

Days later after Ranran had recovered, and the same night they were looking into Professor Shibuya's case after the break-in as he and the other members are waiting for a cab to bring them home, he took Ranran aside to announce something surprising.

"Ranran, could you take a cab with Michio, Takuma and Junko? I will share the same cab with Mouri and Emiko." Shinichi notified her.

Ranran looked at him curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, but why the sudden change of plans?"

Shinichi hesitated for a moment before replying, "There's something I need to talk about some....recent findings unrelated to the case, something to do with them, and I think it's best if we discuss it privately."

Ranran narrowed her eyes, sensing that there was more to it than he was letting on. But she decided not to press further, trusting that Shinichi would share the details with her later.

"Alright, I'll take the cab with the others," she said, giving him a small smile. "Be careful if you see the guy on the motorbike."

Shinichi returned the smile, "Don't worry about it."

As Ranran left with the others in the cab, Shinichi took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead. 

"This cannot continue on, "Shinichi decided as he remain firm on his decision while muttering to himself, "If one is capable of such pretentious evil, they will do it again. Not to mention, tarnish the reputation of Tantei Association. And that itself is unforgivable."

Tonight will be the night he will confront Mouri Ran, though it will not be face-to-face.He tried it before and it didn't work, even though he was firm with her. Mouri Ran is after all stubborn to the bone. Scolding her did little to get her to leave. Even dragging her parents in didn't do much in his favour, despite her parents completely on his side, Ran refuses to quit.The truth is, he had no intention of talking with Ran or Emiko, no, he had bigger plans in motion that will finally get Mouri to leave for good.

As soon as they made it to the cab, within a few minutes after Ran waved her goodbye to Emiko and Shinichi, he began to scheme in his head.

When Emiko leaves the cab to go back home, he will get the cab driver to drive him back to Mouri's place. Around this time, Mouri Ran should be heading to sleep, so it would be a perfect opportunity to slip the official letter into the letterbox, the letter that dissolute her position in Tantei Association.

Now a lot of kids would think a letter is utterly useless, compared to a face-to-face confrontation. But not many of them are aware that a well-drafted official letter could carry significant weight, especially if it was from a person of authority or held legal implications. Shinichi knew that if he wanted to remove Mouri Ran from the Tantei Association, he had to do it in a way that was indisputable and legally binding.

To do it simply on a 6-year-old girl like Mouri Ran would've been utterly impossible. But she had records from the therapist Shinichi had her parents send her in advance, so it would simply indicate that she was indeed suffering from a mental health condition so severe that she isn't deemed fit to remain in the association for life.

In addition to that, he spent countless days since that meeting with the Edgewood kids on how to draft such a letter, it was so damning that it would leave no room for rebuttal. Shinichi consulted legal experts and crafted a letter that outlined Mouri Ran's unethical actions, her repeated attempts to sabotage the Tantei Association, and the harm she had caused to its reputation and its members. The letter also cited her refusal to acknowledge her wrongdoings and take responsibility for her actions.

Shinichi's mind was filled with conflicting emotions as he planned this course of action. On one hand, he felt a sense of guilt and sadness at having to take such drastic measures against a fellow child. On the other hand, after that medical report from Ranran revealing her medical condition, that was the last straw for him. 

Also, the last thing he wants to see was Mouri Ran aggravates Ranran so severely, that Ranran may use her violent tendencies against Mouri. Medically, Ranran can get away with attacking Mouri back due to her medical condition.

The cab pulled up in front of the house, and Shinichi paid the fare before stepping out. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching before he stealthily approached the letterbox. With a quick, almost trembling hand, he was about to slip the official letter inside, along with Mouri Ran's wallet before he saw someone unexpected at a restaurant opposite Mouri's place: Ran dining with Rokuro, Ranran's attacker and the intruder who broke into their Tantei Association.

Shinichi's heart skipped a beat as he observed Ran and Rokuro through the restaurant window. His mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. What was Ran doing with Rokuro? Why were they dining together?

But he hesitated. He knew that he had just placed the letter in Mouri Ran's letterbox, and any sudden confrontation might alert her to the action he had taken. Besides, he couldn't risk any interference from Rokuro if he confronted them directly.

Feeling torn, he decided to stay hidden for the moment, discreetly observing them from a distance. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he also couldn't ignore the possibility that Mouri Ran might be involved with Rokuro in some way.