The city lights came on, four beauties walked slowly down the sidewalk with a little boy in tow.
Ada's final words had struck the killer so hard he broke down in tears. Everyone was shocked. They all thought Ada had been too harsh.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Jodie didn't like it, so she said, "Suzuki-san really impressed me. That reasoning was no worse than a famous detective's."
Sonoko didn't remember a thing but shamelessly accepted the compliment anyway.
Ada noticed everyone seemed unhappy with her last words. As a teacher, she felt she should give some guidance to the two girls. "Sonoko, Ran, think carefully before you act in the future. Don't make the same mistake as the culprit. Caring about friends and family is good, but blind indulgence isn't true care. It's getting late, you two should head home. From here on, it's adult time."
"Okay, sensei." Sonoko and Ran left with Conan.
Ada turned to Jodie. "Then Jodie-sensei, isn't it my turn to treat you?"
"Uh, sure!" Jodie agreed with a smile.
The next day, as soon as Ran entered the classroom, she felt a pair of eyes drilling into her, making her tense up. It was Liu A'dou. Sonoko had already suffered this treatment before. Now it was Ran's turn to sit stiff and uneasy.
Liu A'dou's eyes were clearly saying: Do you have any info for me? Damn it. Her mood had just recovered, and now it was ruined again.
"Sonoko, we need to talk to Liu A'dou again. We can't keep going like this. If he wants to chase Ada-sensei, he should do it himself, not through us."
Sonoko nodded. She felt the same. She gathered her courage and nodded again. "Okay."
So once again, they went up to the rooftop.
"Do you know why I like rooftops?" Liu A'dou stood with his back to the girls. "Because here you can speak plainly, no need for hints. Whatever you want to say, just say it."
"Um, Liu A'dou-kun, we've thought it over carefully. We still can't help you collect info on Ada-sensei," Ran said. "If you like her, you should get to know her yourself. You don't need to go through us at all."
"That's right."
Liu A'dou was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I see."
That answer made the two girls breathe a sigh of relief. But clearly they misunderstood. Liu A'dou suddenly spun around, speaking with deadly seriousness. "There's no free lunch in this world. If you want something, you must pay an equal price. That's the principle of equivalent exchange. I get it. So what do you want? Aside from my chastity, I'll give you anything, as long as you're willing to help me."
"Pffft!" "That's not what we meant." The girls were totally out of sync with him. Why couldn't he just understand their meaning?
"Say it. Even if you want to be queens, I can grant it," Liu A'dou said earnestly.
"That's not the point. You can't cheat by going through us. You should honestly work hard, and earn Ada-sensei's favor through your own sincerity and communication," Ran said. She was still a beginner at romance herself, but girls liked reading romance magazines. Otherwise, they'd have no topics to talk about. Ran had read plenty borrowed from classmates, even if she didn't buy them herself.
Of course, there was one more thing she didn't say. Deep down, Ran didn't believe Liu A'dou had any chance of winning Ada-sensei's heart.
"Ran, Sonoko, I understand what you're saying. But love is also a long battle. Just like you and Shinichi, Ran—don't you want to know him better? Don't you want to know what he's doing right now?"
"Who would want to know that reasoning freak?" Ran's face turned completely red.
"Back to me and Ada-sensei—I'm serious about pursuing her. And I'm not relying only on you for information. I've investigated plenty myself. Like the fact that Ada-sensei is single right now. Even though she has a daughter, she's definitely single. But I'd like to know more about her hobbies. Would you ask a lover's hobbies straight to their face? Or would you find out through others? Ran, do you know anything about Kudō Shinichi's hobbies outside of reasoning and soccer? His favorite color, favorite food, favorite star?"
Of course she wanted to know everything. Ran wanted to understand Shinichi more. So she started to see where Liu A'dou was coming from.
"Ran?" Sonoko saw Ran wavering and quickly squeezed her hand.
"Sonoko, Ran, aren't we friends?" He played the friendship card. "Help me."
Ran looked at Sonoko. She was basically ready to agree, but Sonoko was still nervous. A'dou had acted too creepy before, like some delusional stalker worshipping a goddess. And his earlier harassment had gone way too far—Sonoko had almost called the police. Even though he was softer now, she still couldn't bring herself to trust him.
"Please, please, please! I really need your help."
But Sonoko still didn't want to push Ada into a pit. She and Ran both thought the same thing—Liu A'dou wasn't good enough for Ada. Maybe from the start this was just a foolish fantasy of his.
Looks like he needed to up the stakes. Liu A'dou gritted his teeth. "How about this: you two tell me your wishes, and I'll make them come true. I mean it."
Sonoko's eyes lit up. Why not throw out an impossible wish to make him give up? "I want a pair of glass slippers."
"Sonoko…" Ran felt nervous for Liu A'dou when she heard such an outrageous demand.
But A'dou only smiled. "I thought it'd be something else. Figures, you're still girls at heart."
Sonoko thought he was bluffing. "Well then, if you can give me what I want, I'll help you." She lifted her chin like the proud heiress she was, glaring at A'dou.
"Easy. Tomorrow I'll hand you the glass slippers myself. What size do you wear?"
"Don't just talk big," Sonoko said. She didn't believe anyone would actually have real glass slippers.
"Ran, what about your wish?" Liu A'dou asked.
"I… I don't really have one." Ran felt Sonoko's request was already too much. If she asked for something else, it would feel unfair.
"It's fine. Say it. I won't play favorites."
Sonoko nudged Ran to speak. Ran had no choice, so she said, "Then I want tickets to a soccer match." She didn't like soccer herself, but Shinichi did.
"Leave it to me. I'll give them to you tomorrow morning. Just help me get excused from class this afternoon. See you tomorrow." He needed the time to prepare anyway, and he already knew all the lessons.
The glass slippers were a bit trickier. But once Liu A'dou returned to Earth No. 1, he could just borrow two large crystals from Superman. As for the tickets, he planned to give Ran a permanent FIFA pass—free entry to any match under FIFA's management.
Even if Kudō Shinichi wanted to take her to a match, it would depend on his schedule. Ran might have to wait a long time for the chance to watch soccer with him. So a permanent pass was the best gift. A'dou was even thinking of Ran and Shinichi's future.