Jealousy is a part of nature as Ran's mother once taught her when she was younger.

It will always bring out the ugliest part of a person, therefore, one shouldn't act out the way those bad guys in Tv would, because otherwise, you will be that sore loser everyone love to hate. Yet, as much as Ran tried, it was becoming too difficult to contain any longer as Shinichi grew more and more distant towards her and grew closer to Ranran.

Mouri Ran's jealousy towards Ranran's talents and her close bond with Shinichi began to fester and grow over time for the past few months. As she witnessed the success of "House of Winter Vs The Trolls" and saw how Shinichi and Ranran were cheered by the applauding crowd, in the case, given a standing ovation during the play, her feelings of resentment intensified.

In her heart, Mouri Ran knew that this part of her jealousy was irrational and unfair. It wasn't as if Ranran intentionally wanted to rub her idiotic arrogance in her face by acting clingy over Shinichi to hurt Ran's fragile heart. Unlike those villainesses Mouri Ran saw on Tv where they do that to the male lead to spite the pure heroine loved by many which earn their hatred, Ranran never did any of those things in front of her, or even as Ranran and Shinichi assume no one was looking while they banter about as they laughed, it was utterly very cordial to the eyes of many. With that mentioned, Mouri Ran has no reason to attack her character as a result.

At the same time however, it can't be help since Kudo Ranran herself is born with a cunning mindset. Nothing about her is sincere. Yet....everyone around loves the little child detective girl.

Neither of them were friends, but the hatred towards Ranran is evident. For taking Shinichi away from her, for ruining Sonoko's reputation....everything in Mouri Ran's life was at fault all thanks to the she-demon's schemes. But Shinichi knew about it and didn't care, he was fine with Ranran being this way. Which irked Mouri Ran completely.

As time went on, Mouri Ran's jealousy and resentment towards Ranran became consuming. She couldn't understand why her ex-friend Shinichi was so enamoured with her, despite knowing about her manipulative nature. Ranran seemed to have this magnetic charm that drew people in, and it frustrated Mouri Ran to no end. Her once vibrant and lively personality seemed to dim as her negative emotions took over. She couldn't escape the constant comparison to Ranran, and it ate away at her self-esteem.

Despite her feelings of anger towards Ranran, Mouri Ran couldn't deny the undeniable talent and charisma the girl possessed. It was evident in the success of "House of Winter Vs The Trolls" and the adoration she received from the school and community. Ranran seemed to effortlessly excel in everything she did, and it only added fuel to Mouri Ran's envy.

The last straw...was when Mouri Ran, who months ago was cast in the role of Greda through Sonoko, was given a script that require her to not act the typical stereotype heroine loved by many, but a heroine who is very ignorant.

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

"What is this?!" Ran exclaimed, her frustration evident in her voice. "I'm supposed to play this bumbling, idiotic character?"

The drama club leader, who was also the director of the play, tried to reason with her. "Ranran actually suggested this, and she thinks this character generally suits your personality."

"You must be joking! Am I that much of a fool!?" Ran protested, "How can you listen to someone who has barely been in the drama club since day 1!? When Sonoko was the one who had been with you since the beginning!?"

"Mouri, you know that Sonoko had to pay for what she did when she broke into the Kudo residence and hurt Ranran." The drama club leader sighed, understanding Mouri Ran's frustration but also feeling the pressure to maintain harmony within the club. "Before that incident took place when Ranran was cast as the Snow Queen, did you hear her whine about it? And this was before Ranran was put in charge of changing the entire script Sonoko wrote."

"What is wrong with Sonoko's script anyway!?" Mouri Ran's eyes flashed with a mix of emotions.

"Sonoko's script...it lacks depth and originality."

"In what way did it seem to be the case!?" Ran confronts.

"Alright, let me read it out to you." The drama club leader pulled out Sonoko's original script and began to read it out loud. "Let's start with Ranran's part as the snow queen, and Shinichi's part as Kai. Here we go. The male lead confronts Snow Queen, after witnessing her freezing a flower at the side of the street for being hideous. When he threatened to yell for help to stop her, she brainwashed him and took him willingly by the hand to her sledge to hide the truth, which failed at first. In the first place, Kai is a country bumpkin, right? For what reason did he have to simply go up to the queen and accuse her of being a witch before rushing back to the village to tell everyone, Mouri? It ain't as if she murdered someone, she just merely froze a plant on a street that anyone would barely cared!"

"That's...." Ran struggled to come up with something, but then said, "I mean if you were a kid living in the village, and then see this for the first time, would you not want to rush back to tell everyone to kill the snow queen?! I mean a plant is still a living thing, no? It did nothing to her, and yet, she frosted it. Doesn't this make her evil?"

"Yeah. But in the first place, it didn't explain why she did so."

"It's....because Sonoko said she is evil, she did it for fun!"

"I have seen many worst ways on how to be evil while considering this might be 'fun',  but freezing a flower that barely anyone cared is nothing, comparing to freezing everyone in the village, which on Ranran's script writing is pretty realistic if you ask me," The drama club leader raised an eyebrow at Mouri Ran's response. "Also, Shinichi's character according to Sonoko is based on some of his personal traits in real life, right? And I know him roughly to be curious intellectual, rather than confront her, he will hide somewhere to film it before showing it to the villagers, then gather then to trap her."

"I-"

"Plus, as Ranran mentioned this to me, why bother to take him with her when she could've just simply killed him instead? Brainwashing is too much work and effort. Taking him to her palace would be like increasing unnecessary expenses to feed him, clothe him, and even letting him sleep in her palace like a house pet. Not to mention, it's merely giving the male lead, a country bumpkin, a huge upgrade in lifestyle since queens are rich in general."

"She literally said that?!"

"She did. The next scene, this one is scene 12."

The leader flips the following page as she goes, "This is Ranran's part, where she returns to meet Shinichi the second time before taking him away to her place forever, as this was 'love at first sight' for the snow queen during the first time they have met. Now, I read all sorts of variations of this Fairy tale inside out, and the scene of the queen taking him away had no romantic elements!"

"But...the snow queen's age is 6 years old, the same age as the two main characters. So does it not make sense to you that she could've had a crush on him enough to steal him away from Greda?" Mouri argued.

"Not according to Ranran, who used to study in a school filled with nobles and royalty," The leader argued, "One, the last thing they would want to do is to fall for someone in tattered clothes because they have come across a lot of the kids who are dressed up this way to merely masquerade and conceal themselves as scammers. They do so to earn people's sympathy and give them money. Don't forget, if the Snow Queen can afford to live in a palace, and queens are highly educated people, which meant that she is one rich lady who will never bother to give a glance at Greda or Kai who is dressed up that way. And two, even if you say that the Snow Queen is infatuated with Kai, the early stages of the story only showed Ranran meeting Shinichi twice, so don't you think that is unnatural and forced!?"

Mouri Ran was taken aback by the drama club leader's analysis of Sonoko's script.

"But this scene in Sonoko's script was by far the most annoying one of them all," Then the leader announced, "In this scene, Greda confronts the Snow Queen and demands that she release Kai. The Snow Queen, in turn, challenges Greda to a magical duel to prove her worthiness. But here's the problem with this scene – Greda, according to Sonoko's script, is portrayed as a clumsy and bumbling character with no magical abilities whatsoever. So, in what world would Greda, who is born in a world with no magic, be able to challenge and duel with the powerful Snow Queen?! Did you expect Kami-sama to simply give her magic powers out of nowhere just to simply fight the Snow Queen!? And if that happens, wouldn't that universe be more chaotic than ever?"

Ran listened as the drama club leader read Sonoko's script aloud, her frustration mounting with each word. The lack of depth and coherence in the storyline became apparent as the leader continued.

"Well, I...I suppose you have a point," Ran admitted reluctantly.

"And one more thing, these parts bother me the most...." The leader flipped one of the pages before pointing specifically at one part, "Snow queen brainwashing Shinichi, why? Snow Queen declares war against Greda to keep Shinichi, why? Snow Queen loses everything just by keeping Shinichi....why does it feel like all of the scenes Ranran is supposed to be in as this iconic character...are to make it as if she was unreasonable, Mouri Ran? Does Sonoko....hate her that much to do this to her? Or is it because Sonoko envied Ranran's talent so much so....she wants to ruin her by writing such a lousy script?"

As the words flowed from the leader's mouth, Ran grew speechless.

The drama club leader's words hit Mouri Ran like a ton of bricks.

"Of course, Sonoko never thought about it that way! It's just...." Ran whispered, her voice filled with guilt and self-doubt. "Ranran did things to Shinichi, you know? So to get him back...."

"I don't care about any of that, but I don't like it when Sonoko is using the drama club just to hurl insults at a talented child," The leader silenced Ran with a glare, "I know you and her had a huge fallout with Shinichi thanks to that former neighbour of yours, even more when he has grown closer to Ranran, but using the drama club and scriptwriting as a means to attack and undermine Ranran is not the right way to handle things. It's unprofessional and unfair to everyone involved."

"But Ranran did the same with my character!" Mouri Ran burst into anger.

"And I gave her permission to do so! Can you imagine how she looked when she saw this script? I didn't have the guts to show my own face because of this!"

There was nothing but silence.

"Mouri, unless she and you stop pestering her about letting Shinichi go and getting him back, this will continue on till you and Sonoko get back to your senses."

Before Ran realized this, the drama club leader left Ran alone.

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

And so, the rehearsals for the play continued, with Mouri Ran putting her heart and soul into portraying the seemingly naive character of Greda. She poured her energy into every line and gesture, determined to make her mark and prove that she was more than just a side character in someone else's story.

As the days went by, Mouri Ran's portrayal of Greda began to evolve. She added layers of depth to the character, infusing her with a sense of innocence that made her endearing to the audience. Her comedic timing and expressions were on point, earning her laughter and applause during rehearsals.

However, even with her impressive performance, Mouri Ran couldn't shake off the feeling that she was living in Ranran's shadow. No matter how much she excelled in her role, the spotlight always seemed to be on Ranran.

The final blow to Mouri Ran's confidence came during one of the dress rehearsals. As she performed a particularly emotional scene, she overheard a group of students in the audience whispering about Ranran's stellar performance.

"Ranran is amazing! She's stealing the show!"

"I know, right? She's so talented."

"Mouri Ran is good too, but Ranran is just on another level."

"Shinichi, bag!" Ranran suddenly shouted as a foreign object begins to fly towards their direction.

"Duck!"Shinichi drags Ranran as he forcefully dragged, resulting in Ranran bending her legs as low as Shinichi's to the floor, where the object later became clear upon completing the swing meant for Shinichi. It was some gym bag.

And the person holding it was none other than Mouri Ran.

Gasps filled the school hallway as Mouri Ran stood there, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She didn't know what had come over her, but seeing the students praising Ranran and belittling her performance had ignited a spark of frustration within her.

"Ranran, are you alright?" Shinichi checked to make sure the red lip girl before him is alright. Ranran nodded, assuring Shinichi that she was okay despite the scare.

He then proceeded to yell at his former friend, "Mouri, have you lost your damn mind!? Did you forget Ranran had to be hospitalized not long ago for a head injury after that recent break-in!? The doctor said no trauma to the head!" Shinichi snapped, looking at Ran.

"I...I didn't mean to-"

"Shinichi, the bag is empty." Ranran opened the bag on the ground to show it was empty before reassuring Shinichi, "I think she didn't mean it, otherwise, she could've put things into the bag to hurt me."

"Even so, an empty bag is enough to make you blind if one is struck severely in the eye!" Shinichi spoke with fire in his eyes, before glaring at Ran, "You are damn lucky you didn't violate Tantei Association rules when you did this to Ranran, otherwise, I would be more than happy to kick you out!"

Ran was taken aback by Shinichi's strong reaction as he escorted Ranran away from her, triggering whispers among the children of Teitan Elementary School.

"Kudo-kun is a bit overly protective of Ranran nowadays, huh?"

"I mean not long ago, Ranran almost died under a burning house, thanks to some lunatic serial killer who manipulated his on-and-off lover to end up killing his comedian mother and half-sister, and I heard he planted a bomb with the intention of having Ranran killed. Had Shinichi not figured things out quickly and rushed into the burning building to save her, she could've died."

"And then shortly after that incident, while Ranran was on the way to the main HQ of Tantei Association, I heard that she was attacked by the robber when she spotted them in there and knocked unconscious, so Shinichi had to frantically call an ambulance"

"How scary, that is the life of a child Tantei for anyone."

"You know what would make Ranran's life safer? When Mouri Ran leaves the HQ."

As the gossip spread, Mouri Ran felt a pang of guilt and regret. She hadn't meant to hurt Ranran or endanger her in any way. Her emotions had gotten the best of her, and she had acted impulsively without thinking about the consequences.

The long brown-haired girl just stood there, feeling a mix of shame, regret, and anger.

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

As Shinichi accompanied Ranran, he mumbled to himself, "That idiot! What is going through her head this time?!"

"What is with you?" Ranran glanced at Shinichi, noticing his frustration. "You rarely act out like that whenever Mouri throws a tantrum."

"I....found out things about her recently that I shouldn't have," Shinichi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What sort of....things did you discover?"

Shinichi is very much reluctant to share any of this for one good reason: This involves Mouri Ran's former neighbour, Kasumaki Rokuro, a former 3rd-grade student at Teitan Elementary School.

The bad blood between him and Shinichi goes way back to when they met at a soccer club. Before Shinichi was suspended, he has no idea about Rokuro's crush on Mouri Ran, let alone, the fact he was a former neighbour of hers. Thanks to the manipulations of Mamiko, the founder of the journalism club in Teitan Elementary school, Rokuro whom she easily manipulated through his feelings for Ran, Rokuro literally tormented Shinichi with petty stuff that was enough to trigger a feud.

A feud that escalated so severely, that Shinichi was not only suspended, the rift between him, Ran and Sonoko was beyond repairable since.

Although Rokuro's family had long moved away to another city, there have been clues to suggest that he may reappear in their lives once more, but this time, to hurt Ranran.

As much as Ranran is very much aware of Rokuro's despicable role in Shinichi's life, she has no idea about the fact that Mana Yoshida, another boy whom Ranran framed to have him expel out of school for safety purposes, had been secretly meeting up with Rokuro at some cafe. Making matters worst was, Rokuro had been secretly contacting Sonoko, basically asking her to monitor Ranran's actions towards the unreasonable Mouri Ran.

In other words, that meant Rokuro is targeting Ranran.

But Shinichi felt like he had to keep this info a secret from his mentor for now. Not because he didn't trust her, but after the news coverage regarding their sixth major case 'The Last Laugh' was broadcast all over Tv, especially since that case involved a famous comedian who was murdered by her own son, the number of cases they had been receiving through Tantei Association have gone up a lot, so they are a bit over overwhelmed in handling them at the moment.

Also, if she knew the identity of the intruder, she will put herself as bait to capture them. And it was enough for Shinichi that she endangered herself far too many times.

Shinichi hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words to convey his concerns without burdening Ranran with unnecessary worries. "I am annoyed that we can't find a rule that Mouri could've violated to get her to leave the association."

That ain't a complete lie.

Ranran noticed the tension in Shinichi's voice and the weight of his words. She could tell that there was something he was holding back, something he didn't want to burden her with at the moment. While she was curious about what was bothering him, she decided to observe from afar and see how things play out.

"You ain't wrong," Ranran replied, trying to ease the situation. "It's frustrating that we can't find a clear solution to deal with Mouri's behaviour, but let's look on the plus side. Had I not put that contract on Sonoko, our class school play would not only have become a major flop, but we could also become a laughing stock by the other classes within our own grade."

"You're right," Shinichi nodded in agreement, "Honestly when I read that scattered brain's script, it was a complete disaster! I mean, she made it as if my character was all over the place, like a chicken running around without a head. Had you even read my part....ugh, what was going through Sonoko's head when she wrote this?"

"Right? Let me recall in detail," Ranran reminisced the script's lines for Shinichi's part, "So, like, in the script, your character, Kai, is all like, 'Hey, Snow Queen, you're a witch! I'm gonna go tell everyone!' And I'm just thinking: When you broke into my house and tried to get me to quit as The Fox at that time, you barely made threats about telling anyone about it. And then in the next scene, I'm supposed to be all head over heels for you, like, love at first sight or something. Like, what even is that?"

"And then, to top it off, they expect Mouri and you to have some magical duel with the Snow Queen! I mean don't get me wrong, but Mouri and I are supposedly country bumpkins! Magic barely exists there! How is it that two regular kids like us ended up getting blessed by magic out of nowhere due to the 'miracle' of Kami-sama who is seemingly touched by Mouri's dedication to saving me!? It's so absurd! If Kami-sama keeps behaving that way the way Sonoko wrote, the End of the World will speed up in an instant!" Shinichi ranted about Sonoko's content.

"But you know what's even more ridiculous? The fact that this whole play is supposed to be a romantic fairy tale between you and Mouri, but there's no romance at all! It's just a bunch of random events and characters thrown together. If Sonoko was going to write a proper love story, at least do it in a logical sense!" Ranran adds, "And don't even get me started on the part where they say I brainwashed you. I mean I lived in a luxurious palace since I am the evil Snow Queen, brainwashing you, then kidnapping you to my place despite knowing you are a village bumpkin...I would be stupid to be giving you a free luxurious life!"

"Honestly, the whole thing is simply made up for morons to watch," Shinichi agreed with a chuckle. "Thank Kami-sama that you are a talented writer, or else we will be marked as fools for life!"

"You think?"

"I mean before it became a script, it was a fanfiction that you had plans on posting. Had I not come across it on your smartphone you forgot to lock, it would've been a huge waste!" Shinichi pointed out, as he rambled, "And finally for the first time, I felt the urge to take my role seriously after the Drama club leader approved it. So did the rest of the actors, otherwise...."

"You probably would have it light, compared to me." Ranran scoffed, "The way Sonoko wrote for my role as 'The Snow Queen' was so idiotic and mind-boggling, I am certain she intentionally wrote my character that way to ensure I received all of the hate from the entire Teitan Elementary school. Fortunately, Sonoko stupidly broke into our house, so I can change the character the way I would've portrayed the Snow Queen to be while making Ran's role the most unreasonable little girl in the world."

"Though, are you going to be alright later on?" Shinichi grew worried, "I am certain Sonoko and Ran will hold a grudge over the things you did to them."

"Please, I've dealt with worse than them," Ranran said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They can hold all the grudges they want, but it won't change a thing. The bottom line is this: They are idiots who refuse to acknowledge their faults, so the characters I wrote match their personality to make it more natural."

"True," Shinichi chuckled at that thought, not before mulling about one thing, "I hope the entire school isn't busy hating on Mouri thanks to your script-writing talent."

"Why would they be that stupid to do that? I mean there is a huge difference between our acting personality and our real-life personality." Ranran grins.

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

Meanwhile, Mouri Ran still had to deal with other kids gossiping her about.

As Mouri Ran walked through the school hallways, she couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversations and whispers from her peers. It seemed like the entire school was talking about the drama club's play and the controversial changes that Ranran had made to the script.

"Did you hear what Ranran did to Mouri's character?"

"Yeah, she totally turned her into this annoying little brat!"

"I can't believe Mouri is taking it so calmly. I'd be furious!"

"Ranran must really hate Mouri to do something like this."

"To be fair, Sonoko did the same to Ranran in the original script, so I considered it a fair game. Also, Ranran didn't provoke her."

Mouri Ran tried to ignore the gossip and keep her head held high. After all, she was used to being the centre of attention, both positive and negative. But it still stung to know that Ranran, the girl who had caused so much pain to her and Sonoko had portrayed her in such an unfavourable light.

As she continued to walk, she noticed Moriko, Ranran's best friend's cousin/close friend, also a member of the drama club, approaching her with a smug expression on her face. Ran braced herself for whatever snide remark Moriko was about to make.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Moriko said, crossing her arms. "The star of the show, or should I say the bratty side character."

Ran rolled her eyes, refusing to let Moriko's words get to her. "You must be loving all this drama, huh? Enjoying the chaos Ranran had caused?"

"Of course, it's been quite entertaining watching you and Sonoko squirm." Moriko shrugged, a sly grin playing on her lips.

Mouri Ran took a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "You know, Moriko, you can be so petty sometimes, to let your friend do this to us."

"Says the girl who started it all," Moriko's eyes narrowed, and her grin faded slightly. "To show everyone that Ranran isn't as perfect as she seems, Sonoko wanted to portray her as the selfish brat who thinks she can do whatever she wants."

"Is that what you truly believe?"  Ran asked, her voice steady. "Or are you just trying to justify whatever shady nonsense Ranran pulls because it benefits you, Reina, as well as Takuma?"

"Whether we do benefit or not, it has nothing to do with the fact that you were being a pest in Tantei Association."

Moriko's comment made Ran's face flush with anger. "A pest!? Is that how Ranran sees me?!"

"Even Shinichi too. It has gotten so bad....that they are considering moving out to another school should you continue to remain there."

"Eh!?"

As the shock of Moriko's words settled in, Mouri Ran felt a mixture of emotions.

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

"Mouri Ran has no respect for anyone. How is it her mother is different in terms of personality? Is she really her child, Shinichi?"Ranran ranted to Shinichi the other day in the main HQ while Mouri Ran eavesdropped from the outside of the hallways."She just walked around the association as if she owned the place and never know when to listen."

"I don't like her being around too, Ranran." The little boy groaned, they both were sitting opposite each other, "But I can't find a rule to remove her under school grounds."

"Had I not tasered her with a mosquito racket, she wouldn't even bother to listen to a damn thing I said." Ranran spat.

"Excuse me?! You did what?!"

"She needs to know her place. If we don't kick her out sooner, I am certain she would eventually drive you out of your apprenticeship."

And Shinichi couldn't deny this. Even if he told her that she can't come here, she didn't even care. It had taken everything from him to tell her to leave, and somehow she reminded stubborn, irritating, so unbearable!

Seeing Ran arguing against Ranran whenever the founder pointed out her mistakes would often Shinichi make even more annoyed.

"Ran is a stubborn mule, you can't kick her out unless you have proper justifications." Shinichi sighed to his mentor, walking around the room. "I didn't think she had that malice in her to just ruin my dream, all because of your reputation. What is with her, seriously? Is she still holding a grudge towards me because of what I did to her former neighbour?" he asked no one. "I don't even know what goes in her head anymore, Ranran. I just don't."

"I do. She is becoming those kinds of unreasonable heroines, that whenever they declare war against the villainess, the opponent is always 100 steps ahead of her, resulting in Tv series to end up extending 100 bloody episodes of incompetence and idiocy to get to their happy ending. If isekai exists, where I become the villainess and she the heroine, the first thing I am going to do is scheme and speed up her execution that is meant for me, so I can live a peaceful life."

Ranran answered calmly as she played video games, it didn't make Shinichi feel any better than his mentor considered 'beheading' as an option."That is rather extreme for someone you hate."

"Oh no, I wasn't just solely focusing on beheading. I would also plan many months of torture I watched on the internet, break her will to live, mentally and physically before I solely end her life for good."

Shinichi stopped and looked at Ranran in shock, "Why?"

"Beheading is an easy route for her. Villainess suffers in all forms of hell before doing what she does best later on, while heroines get to live life as if all they needed to do was walk on a red carpet to a beautiful future without hardships because God will shower her with all the blessings without suffering in an unreasonable manner. Handsome prince, magicians and knights to date, beautiful dresses and huge upgrade in lavish parties and status awaits her, at the price of the villainess' life. No, she had it far easy in life, and just easily judge someone's misdeeds without looking at the bigger picture, so someone needs to teach her a lesson that she is unqualified as a person."

"Well...when you put it that way, it does make sense."Shinichi couldn't help but think she has a point.

The more Mouri Ran hears of this, the more she shivered in fear as to how is it that a 6-year-old child can speak so coldly and naturally as if it was normal to her.

"Why don't we move to another school?"

Wait, what?!

Ran tore her eyes away from the two in the room, even Shinichi shared the same surprised expression as her, as Ranran insist, "You heard me, move to another school."

"Another school? Like....where? Do you mean the others nearby? She could get her parents to move her where we are studying, Ranran! Even if you pick a school as far away from here, she will find public transport to take independently just to be with us."

"No, there is one school she can never set foot in and survive, which is the old school back in my hometown. Because that school needs a crap ton of money her family, her family can't afford except you and me."

"Don't worry about it, my old school isn't as bad as it was after kicking out all those scoundrels." Randan showed him a reassuring smile. "They will be amused with your detective skills, trust me on that."

Shinichi's expression didn't change.

"Of course, you don't have to follow with the idea I had in mind."Ranran continued when Shinichi didn't say anything. "But you ain't looking happy in a long while since Ran moved here leeching onto us like a raccoon." Shinichi turned his eyes back to her. "Also, I recalled you are interested in the U.K. way of life like Sherlock Holmes, right? I have plenty to show you around if you do choose to come."

Shinichi stared at her for a moment processing what she had said before he leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. "You are right, I think we should consider that as a final option." he let out with a sigh. "Ran coming over is unbearable."

Hearing this made Mouri Ran's heart drop.

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

So that conversation was true, those two had the intention of leaving Teitan Elementary School.

It took her surprise, even when it shouldn't have.

She had long known that her presence wasn't welcomed by the two Kudos, but Ran didn't think they would hate her this far to even consider moving across the state to some rich school where they knew Ran's family couldn't afford to enrol her in. One way or another, it would end, and their patience was truly wearing thin because Ran chose to be here as an uninvited guest, she should have been prepared for it. She should have been aware of how Shinichi was willing to go to such extreme lengths to distance himself further from her to pursue his detective dream.

And if that happens, Teitan Elementary is no longer going to have Shinichi around.

They would continue in their separate ways.

The thought that Shinichi actually did consider transferring to another school in some faraway country just so to avoid Ran...made her realize that she really like him a lot more than she could admit.

She didn't have anyone waiting for her at home aside from her drunkard dad. Ranran and Shinichi although don't have both parents waiting at home for them, they can often drop by each other's house freely all the time.

Her life seems somehow empty while Ranran's life is fulfilling because she is the only one who lives nearby Shinichi.

And she realized how sad it is that Shinichi is no longer hanging out with her anymore.

Anger, frustration, and hurt surged through Ran, but she refused to let it show. Instead, she put on a brave front and forced a sarcastic smile.

"Oh, wow! I had no idea my presence was causing such a huge inconvenience for Ranran and Shinichi," she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I guess they can't handle having someone like me around, huh?"

"Finally, the real you had surfaced," Moriko smirked, clearly enjoying Mouri Ran's reaction. "Ranran can be harsh at times, but she meant well for others."

"Meant well for others?! If you had only been in the same room as her for several hours, Moriko. Ranran is impossible to deal with!"

"Impossible? Is she the type to simply scold anyone unless one makes mistakes!?"

"She is! She kept going after me and finding fault in the things I do! Always belittling my efforts despite me trying my best! And whenever I go against her, she would use a mosquito racket to taser me!"

"Belittling? Who was at fault when you stopped Shinichi from locating Ranran during a bank robbery case at that time?!" Moriko shot back, her eyes narrowing.

"Those guys have guns! I would be crazy to let him join Ranran if I did!"

"Yeah, but did you not forget the number of police were very understaffed at that time!? Including the association at that time?! Because of you, Ranran could've died had Shinichi not fought you off!"

"But-"

"Mouri, Shinichi's apprenticeship requires him to encounter dangerous situations. If you don't let him go, are you not merely being meddlesome?" Mouri Ran clenched her fists, feeling the weight of Moriko's words as the child actress continued, "Knowing this, you shouldn't keep challenging Ranran right from the start."

"I know..."

"Then why keep doing that to Ranran? I mean for her to resort to tasering you...it sounded like you stopped behaving around her."

"I never had the intention to, but Ranran shouldn't be the route over why Shinichi should go after his Tantei dreams! I don't know what Shinichi see in her!" Ran complained to Moriko, "Ranran never listens to me or Junko. She always talks back at me as if I am a stupid ignorant girl who doesn't know what she is talking about. The worst part is Shinichi agrees with her all the time! Always!"

"I mean with both of your different personalities, it's no wonder you keep getting madder and irritated."

"You ain't wrong, Moriko! I offering help and she thinks I am some stupid girl who never knows a thing!"

"In what way did she think of you that way?"

Which made Ran annoyed," Ranran behave so nice around others, but never with me or Junko."

"You didn't even make an effort to try to understand Ranran, so she thinks your views ain't worth understanding."

"Why should I when she kept on justifying her cruel acts onto anyone she meets?! After what she did to Sonoko and I...."And that made her only frustrated. "She would intentionally bring up the things I did with Sonoko before the cross-dressing incident. It's like she kept on prejudicing me over those things like I am a branded criminal for life in her eyes!"

"Then why don't you just quit then? The association?"

Like she could make herself do that.

"I feel like I am giving up on Shinichi if I do so."

"Giving up?!" Moriko scoffed at her, "Who was the one who gave up on him when someone's former neighbour framed him and never believed in his innocence!?"

Ran's face flushed with embarrassment and anger at Moriko's words.  "It's not like that!" Ran protested, trying to defend herself. "I made a mistake, but I've been trying to make things right. I've been working hard to prove myself, to be there for Shinichi when he needs me."

"Prove yourself? By constantly challenging Ranran and causing more drama?" Moriko shook her head disapprovingly. "You need to stop this endless cycle of conflict. It's not doing anyone any good."

"And if I don't?! Don't you think I am merely a pathetic side character in some movie who constantly loses to the main character!?"

"You...."Moriko shook her head, feeling a mixture of frustration and pity for this girl,  "You know, Mouri,  you are not the only child who felt this way before."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ran asked, her curiosity piqued despite her frustration.

But before she could respond, Reina suddenly appeared next to Mouri Ran, looking uncharacteristically serious.

"Enough of this nonsense," Reina said firmly. "Moriko, let's go. The leader of the drama club had to come into my office to look for you to act for the next play."

Ran scowled at Reina's interruption, left with the thought that Ranran is like an OP character in a video game, one that Ran can never defeat.

"And as for you, what you did to Ranran earlier was uncalled for!" Reina snapped at the shocked brunette unexpectedly, "I know you are not likely to heed my words, but for the last time: Stop pressing Ranran's buttons!" Reina warned. And when Ran was about to apologize, Reina raised his hand to stop her. "It's one thing if you disagree on what she has to say, let alone, reason with her actions, "Reina continued. "But don't ever jeopardize the investigation by dragging your personal problems with Shinichi. Otherwise, you are asking for death."

Ran blushed, feeling humiliated by Reina's seething. But she said nothing as the two girls walked away.

"Rei-chan, why did you stop me from revealing what I am about to say about Ranran?" Moriko pouted at her cousin as the two headed to the drama club.

Reina sighed, glancing back at Mouri Ran who was still standing there, looking bewildered. "Because that girl doesn't deserve to know a shred of Ranran's past, after feeling all so unremorseful over the things she did to her! Especially that damn Sonoko!"

Moriko crossed her arms, and her frustration is evident. "But she needs to hear the truth, Rei-chan! At least this will stop her from harassing Ranran further!"

"Moriko, as long as their hatred towards Ranran doesn't leave, there is no point telling. It would just end up....harming Ranran. Which I can't bear to see anymore." Reina replied with a sad tone in her voice.