Edogawa Secret Love Handbook - Chapter 3

Soon, the three of them arrived at Qianzi’s doorstep.

It was a traditional detached house—a two-story building. Unlike most traditional homes that looked somewhat dated, Qianzi’s house was much newer. Not entirely decorated with wood, it appeared fresh and clearly built within recent years.

Before entering, Conan noticed the nameplate read [Ling Ling].

But as far as he knew, Qianzi’s guardian didn’t share her surname… Normally, wouldn’t an adult’s name be used instead?

Or was it a guardianship issue? Qianzi had mentioned before that her custody had been contested…

The guardian listed on her school registration was Kurozawa Jin, and not long ago, a foreign woman had come to deliver her keys. Yet her current guardian was called Toru, and she had mentioned other names before.

But if Qianzi knew Conan’s speculations, she’d just say he was overthinking it.

The nameplate bore her name simply because the names of those around her weren’t exactly presentable, so using hers was more convenient.

The guardian listed on her school registration was Kurozawa Jin because that was Gin’s name. Though she didn’t know how he had briefly taken her out of the organization, her true guardian was indeed Kurozawa Jin.

Damn it! He was supposed to be her kid!

Next time he mocks her, she’ll make him spit out the medicine she gave him! It’s expensive!

Even though she knew Gin had no idea his injuries healed so quickly because of the medicine she secretly provided, Qianzi still felt indignant.

If he’s spending the money she earned through hard missions, he could at least be a little nicer to her.

After six months of saving, Qianzi thought she’d have accumulated a lot of coins, but when she opened the system page, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

She had saved nothing.

No surprise—two of her three kids were big spenders.

A full day of grinding daily missions only earned three coins, and occasionally, some extra tasks assigned by the system added five more. But a single potion cost thirty coins!

One bottle wiped out ten days’ worth of wages!

Extremely wasteful!

A navigation map cost twenty coins, and she occasionally wanted to buy things for herself too. Bit by bit, she ended up spending a lot of money.

At first, Qianzi had been very generous, always buying the most effective items. But now, she had to miserly count her coins to see if they’d last until the end of the month, then carefully opt for smaller bottles or cheaper alternatives.

The one who delivered her keys was Vermouth, a highly mysterious woman in the organization.

In the game, she represented the guide, giving the protagonist cryptic hints after leveling up.

But in reality, her favorite pastime was pinching Qianzi’s cheeks.

It hurt, but she always brought nice clothes and delicious snacks—emphasis on expensive.

Though Toru was generous with money, he wasn’t extravagant. So whenever she craved snacks, Qianzi was happy to have Vermouth visit and trade cheek-pinching for treats.

After all, it didn’t cost her anything.

Pulling the keys from her pocket, she unlocked the door. “I’m home.”

The house was silent, with no response.

Qianzi wasn’t surprised. “As expected, no one’s home.”

Tou-chan mentioned yesterday that he was going to investigate someone. When he has a clear target, his efficiency is remarkable.

These next few days, he’ll probably be completely focused on the person he’s investigating.

The kid’s grown up now and has his own things to do. Sometimes, Kane-ko feels like an empty-nester, and other times, she feels like a left-behind child.

How can these two states coexist in one person?

Conan wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or more disappointed—maybe a bit of both.

Exchanging a glance with Haibara, they confirmed their plan.

“Where did Rin-chan keep the flower she was growing?” Conan brought up the biology observation assignment from a month ago, which the teacher had assigned.

Everyone was required to care for a small living thing—whether it was a family pet like a cat or dog, a tiny insect, a tree, or even a blade of grass.

Though Kane-ko had a yard at home with plenty of flowers, she believed observation should start from before they bloomed. So, she went with the Junior Detective League to buy a potted plant.

Using this as an opening topic was much more natural.

“It was placed on the balcony.”

The first floor didn’t have a balcony, just a large sliding glass door, so if she mentioned a balcony, it had to be on the second floor.

The layout of the house was simple. The moment Conan and Haibara stepped inside, they could tell the first floor was entirely communal space—kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom.

Private areas like bedrooms and study rooms would naturally be on the second floor.

As they followed Kane-ko upstairs, Conan scanned the surroundings, hoping to find some clues, but he was stunned by how immaculate the entire house was.

“…It’s so clean.”

The windows were crystal clear, the light fixtures gleamed, and the wooden floors were well-maintained, coated with a smooth layer of wax.

He discreetly ran his fingers along the carved patterns on the stair railing.

…Not a single grain of dust.

“Do you hire a cleaning service?”

Kane-ko shook her head. “No, Tou-chan doesn’t like outsiders coming into the house, so he always cleans himself.”

She wasn’t usually one to pay much attention to household details, so Kane-ko had no idea just how spotless her home was—or how capable her kid really was.

Every time he left, he would meticulously tidy up the mess she left behind.

Once they reached the second floor, the lighting seemed even better, filling the entire home with brightness.

Conan found it surprising, yet somehow fitting.

It was as if Kane-ko’s house should naturally be bathed in sunlight, just like her.

He couldn’t help but reflect that, despite the unfortunate circumstances that left Kane-ko without her longtime family, her personality alone made it clear she must have had an incredibly happy childhood.

Her guardian had raised her well.

In fact, the first impression of the house was so good that Conan began to doubt whether his and Haibara’s earlier suspicions were even correct.

…From the looks of it, Kane-ko’s guardian was just a bit busy with work.

There was no connection to the Black Organization at all.

After all, what member of the Black Organization would constantly nag their kid to come home, excel at household chores, supposedly be a great cook, and have endless patience?

But even though he felt there might be some issues with their deductions, since they were already here, Conan decided to investigate thoroughly.

Qianzi’s room was located in the sunniest spot in the entire house.

The moment the door opened, they instinctively felt a wave of warmth from the sunlight—a comforting heat that, in the already chilly autumn air, made both Conan and Haibara’s tense nerves relax unconsciously.

It was only after relaxing that the two realized their minds had been wound so tight it made their temples ache.

After scanning the entire room, Haibara murmured softly, “It’s a very cute room.”

Oranges, light blues, soft pinks, and fresh greens—layered in varying shades. These weren’t colors Haibara was accustomed to, but they suited a child perfectly.

A bed so soft it made one drowsy, a carpet vacuumed spotless, and neatly arranged stuffed animals covered with a small blanket.

The moment anyone stepped into this room, they wouldn’t doubt for a second the love the guardian had poured into this child.

Qianzi set her backpack on the chair and eagerly led them to see the flowers she was growing.

They were ordinary little white blooms—so common even Conan couldn’t name them specifically, only guessing they were some kind of phlox.

These flowers bloomed in small clusters, bright and easy to care for.

Earlier, he and Haibara had agreed that she would keep Qianzi occupied while he investigated.

Seeing Haibara chatting effortlessly with the girl—just a few simple compliments had already made Qianzi’s cheeks flush—Conan thought to himself how easily the girl was pleased as he quietly slipped out of the room.

The study wasn’t hard to find, but…

“It’s locked…”

After twisting the doorknob a couple of times, Conan sighed in disappointment.

He glanced around, searching for another way in—maybe through a window or something similar.

Leaning out from the window, he craned most of his body outside to check the study’s situation.

But the study’s windows were shut tight, curtains drawn.

“Talk about overkill,” he grumbled before hopping back inside.

Still, it was a reasonable precaution. If no one was home for weeks, locking doors and windows was the right thing to do.

Especially with an energetic child in the house.

If the study was a dead end, what about the bedroom?

Conan’s hand reached for the innermost door handle, pressing down firmly—

“Conan.”

The girl’s voice froze him in place.

Qianzi stared at him curiously. “Did you get the wrong room?”

Haibara stood behind her, shaking her head slightly—she hadn’t been able to stop her.

Of course she couldn’t. To Haibara, separated by just a wall, Conan’s footsteps might as well have been a dinosaur’s stomping around.

Let it be said once more: every skill she had—except physical strength—was maxed out!

Conan turned with a sheepish laugh. “I just wanted to wash my hands.”

Qianzi felt something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Then again, this kid was always brimming with curiosity.

“Alright.”

This investigation had turned up nothing.

Dejected, Conan trudged home, though Haibara wasn’t particularly disappointed.

She had been prepared for this. In other words, if it really was someone from that organization, it would be strange for them to slip up so easily.

Considering their comrade-in-arms friendship, she reluctantly comforted Conan with a few words: “She’ll always be here anyway, there’s no need to rush.”

Conan sighed: “No need to rush, huh.”

But he was in a hurry indeed.

He wanted to quickly return to being sixteen years old, to become high school detective Kudo Shinichi again.

Ahhh, just what secrets does classmate Lingling have!