Science Can’t Save the People of Beika

This story is currently on hiatus.

"Sister Ran."

A gentle voice echoed faintly from the far end of the street.

Mouri Lan's body froze in an instant.

He turned around in disbelief. Shinko, wearing Teitan High School's uniform, stood across the sidewalk, smiling at him.

"...I found you."

Her lips moved, forming those words.

"This is your 1,095th day in another world."

"You left me at home and had quite the exciting time, didn't you?"

Kudo Shinko, enrolled as a second-year student at Teitan High School under the name Edogawa Kona, stood before her childhood friend after their long separation, smiling warmly. "How did you become the Moriarty of the criminal world?"

"I used the novel material you gave me... Shinko, calm down. That title is just the villains making up rumors! I hate it too! Look at this newspaper. It says I'm a police consultant and crime buster. Tokyo's crime rate is zero this year!"

Shinko stared at the newspaper, her smile finally fading. "Yeah, I know what a good person you are. I was only joking... But who is this national idol in the paper?"

"That's Amuro-nee." Mouri Lan leaned over to take a look, surprised. "Her appearance hasn't changed much. You don't recognize her?"

"...You'd better tell me everything, from beginning to end." Shinko tried to steady her breathing. "What exactly have you, Amuro, and Akai, Haibara, and Hattori, whom I haven't managed to contact, been doing in this world?!"

Amuro (♀), having heard her name, briefly showed up and kindly helped Mouri Lan and Shinko sort out some of their information-gathering problems.

"...Amuro-nee, the dirt on Shu-nee is so thorough. Why does it also drag in this world's Mr. Akai?"

"Good question." Amuro (♀) raised her chin slightly. "Just like how I used to wonder why Akai (♀) could date two people at once, when one was her cousin and the other was her gender-swapped self..."

Mouri Lan covered her face. He wanted to explain that it was a huge misunderstanding, but had no idea how.

Shinko silently stared at the parts of the documents where Haibara appeared.

"The Teenage Forensic Pathologist and the Eighteen-Year Entanglement with the Winard Mother and Daughter"

"The Third Year of Changing Hearts: Silver Hair, Black Hair, and Pink Hair"

"A Deep Dive Into the Successive Vixens Between Doctor Miyano and Consultant Mouri"

She wanted an oxygen tank.

She was starting to wonder if she hadn't come to a new world at all, and had instead suffered all kinds of fatal hallucinations after being blown up by one of Dr. Agasa's inventions.

What was this about arriving in a gender-swapped world? That didn't make any sense at all!

Theme: Your origins don't determine your destination, and your circumstances don't limit your future