Chapter 225: New Student
The past few days had been deceptively calm, settling over the city under a blanket of bright, sunny skies. It felt as though a fragile peace had returned.
Inside Teitan Elementary School, Conan Edogawa sat slumped in his classroom chair, propping his chin on his hand in a posture of deep boredom. His gaze drifted aimlessly out the window, his thoughts a million miles away.
On the podium, the teacher's voice droned on, a monotonous lecture on basic arithmetic that a high school detective like him could have taught in his sleep. He felt a familiar listlessness creep in, the quiet between cases always feeling more unnerving than the danger itself.
'I really wish something interesting would happen…' he muttered under his breath, the words barely a whisper.
As if on cue, a gentle knock sounded at the classroom door, cutting through the quiet atmosphere.
Conan gave a slight start, his head snapping up. He straightened in his seat, his sharp eyes fixed on the front of the room. 'No way,'he thought, a flicker of anticipation chasing away the lethargy.'Did something really happen just because I thought about it?'
Their homeroom teacher, Sumiko Kobayashi, walked into the classroom with a warm smile, holding the hand of a small, quiet-looking girl.
"Everyone," Ms. Kobayashi said gently, her voice full of cheer, "we have a new student joining our class today."
She gave the little girl's shoulder a reassuring pat, signaling for her to step forward.
Conan's curiosity was piqued. He sized up the newcomer: she had light purple, ear-length hair and a pair of magenta eyes that were clear and bright, yet held a strangely distant quality. Dressed in the neat Teitan Elementary uniform, she had an exceptionally well-behaved and doll-like appearance.
The girl's expression was innocent and blank as she began to introduce herself, her voice soft and her words delivered with a slow, deliberate cadence. "My name is… Qiqi. Please… take care of me."
Her speaking pace was halting, but her voice was crisp and pleasant. The serious, focused look she wore as she spoke only made her seem all the more adorable.
A seed of doubt immediately sprouted in Conan's mind. 'Who is this girl? Why would she transfer here, of all places, at a time like this?'
He subconsciously scanned her uniform, his eyes searching for any unusual adornments. It had become a nervous habit of his lately—whenever he encountered a striking stranger, he would instinctively check for the tell-tale gleam of a Vision.
However, to his mixed relief and disappointment, the little girl wore nothing but the standard school uniform. There was no familiar, gem-like orb hanging from her clothes.
The other students, oblivious to Conan's internal analysis, burst into welcoming applause. The arrival of a new classmate had injected a lively energy into the room. The Detective Boys, in particular, were practically buzzing with curiosity and excitement for the girl named Qiqi, already whispering among themselves about her background and what stories she might be hiding.
"Qiqi's memory isn't very good," Ms. Kobayashi added with a final, gentle instruction. "So I want everyone to look after her and make sure not to bully her, okay?" She then shifted her gaze toward Ayumi.
Patting Qiqi's shoulder once more, she gestured toward the empty seat beside her. "You can go sit right there, next to Ayumi."
Qiqi nodded with a dazed expression, showing she understood. She walked quietly to the corner of the classroom and took her seat.
Ayumi Yoshida immediately greeted her with an enthusiastic smile, taking the initiative to introduce the other classmates in their little group. Qiqi responded occasionally. Though her reactions were a bit slow, she seemed to listen to everything Ayumi said, offering a small nod or a quiet word in return.
Time passed quickly, and soon the final bell signaled the end of the school day. The classroom emptied as students left one by one, until only the Detective Boys, Ai Haibara, and Qiqi remained.
Qiqi paid little attention to the dwindling crowd, her focus entirely on the task of slowly and methodically packing her schoolbag. She had just carefully zipped it shut and was about to stand when Genta, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, bounded over and playfully pressed her back into her seat. The rest of the Detective Boys quickly surrounded her.
They had been itching to talk to the new student all afternoon. Seeing how shy and soft-spoken she was, they had worried that crowding her earlier would scare her off, so they had patiently waited until after school.
The Detective Boys eagerly introduced themselves one by one. But before they could launch into a grand speech about their group's many achievements, they watched as Qiqi lowered her head again, rummaged through her now-packed schoolbag, and took out a small notebook and a pen. She began writing with intense concentration.
"Qiqi, what are you writing?" Ayumi leaned over, her own curiosity piqued. She saw Qiqi carefully recording the names they had just shared, along with a few notes next to each one.
"It must be because her memory is bad," Conan observed from a short distance away. Though he couldn't see the page, he accurately deduced her purpose. "She's writing down our names so she won't forget."
Qiqi had been about to answer, but hearing Conan state the reason so plainly, she simply closed her mouth and nodded in silent affirmation.
Ayumi slowly read the contents of the notebook aloud.
"Headband girl — Ayumi Yoshida (cute).
Freckled boy — Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya (smart).
Round and chubby boy — Genta Kojima (gluttonous)…"
She paused for a moment. Amidst Genta's indignant complaints and a poorly suppressed snicker from Conan, Ayumi read the last two entries.
"Bespectacled boy — Conan Edogawa (very smart, mature).
Brown-haired girl — Ai Haibara (like an adult)."
Hearing Qiqi's final descriptions, both Conan and Haibara simultaneously fixed their attention on the little girl. A shared thought passed between them: this girl's powers of observation were remarkably keen.
The others, however, didn't give the last two adjectives a second thought, already steering the conversation to the next topic. Haibara listened quietly from the side, occasionally chiming in with a word or two as the group's questions grew more personal.
Slowly, everyone learned that Qiqi had been in a major accident once, one that had nearly cost her her life. She was saved by a doctor named Baizhu. Since she had almost no relatives at the time, Dr. Baizhu had adopted her.
"Dr. Baizhu was recently transferred to work in Beika," Qiqi explained softly. "That's why I transferred to this school with him."
After listening to her story, Conan was lost in thought.
'Baizhu…'
That name sounded so familiar.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]