The earplug incident was just a minor hiccup.
Conan couldn't help himself and soon started griping to Dr. Agasa about Kogoro Mouri's clueless nature.
Once he'd vented enough, he got to the real reason for his visit. "By the way, Doctor, could you make me a pair of non-prescription glasses? Ones that look like these."
"Non-prescription glasses? Easy enough, just a few minutes," Dr. Agasa said, taking the old pair of Yusaku Kudo's glasses Conan handed over. "But what do you need them for?"
"For a disguise," Conan replied. "Yesterday, Ran kept saying, 'Conan looks so much like Shinichi!' If this keeps up, she'll get suspicious."
"But you didn't wear glasses when you saw Ran yesterday, did you?"
"I'll just say I forgot them at your place," Conan said, glancing at Sora. "Want a pair?"
"No need. Hardly anyone would believe one person could become two, so our existence is each other's best cover… glasses aren't necessary."
You know no one would believe it, huh? Conan thought, rolling his eyes inwardly. If he hadn't run out of better explanations, he wouldn't have bought it either.
More importantly, he sensed no malice from Sora—especially no intent to steal "big sister Ran" from him.
That put him at ease.
Thinking back to last night's encounter with Ran, Conan felt a flush of embarrassment and quickly changed the subject. He and Sora began discussing the two men in black, hoping to dig up some subconscious clue.
Dr. Agasa took the sample glasses to his workshop. A few minutes later, he returned.
"That fast?" Conan and Sora said, surprised despite Agasa's earlier claim. "You're amazing, Doctor!"
"Haha, I was already working on an invention shaped like glasses," Dr. Agasa said. "Here, Shinichi—oh, wait, I mean Conan. While I was making them, I realized something important."
"What's that?" Conan asked, trying on the glasses.
"Ahem, Conan, Sora," Dr. Agasa said, his sudden shift in address putting them on alert. "Since you've both turned into kids—"
He paused.
"You'll need to go to elementary school!"
"E-elementary school!?" Conan's face froze in shock.
"Exactly. I'll handle the transfer paperwork soon," Dr. Agasa nodded. "You're both high schoolers on the inside, but you look like grade-schoolers now. If you don't go to school, people will get suspicious!"
"Elementary school, huh… repeating it isn't so bad. Not like I've got much else to do," Sora said.
"Heh." Conan's face darkened. "Unlike you, I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I solved a case just yesterday."
"In peaceful times, how many cases are there for you to solve?" Sora lied, his face expressionless.
"Fair point," Conan conceded.
He couldn't argue against school either. Without it, he'd never get past Ran's scrutiny.
In the days leading up to school, Sora tidied the house and helped Dr. Agasa with inventions, using the occasional explosion to test his body's resilience.
Notably, despite looking and feeling identical to Shinichi Kudo, Sora's senses and physical abilities seemed far stronger than a child-sized Shinichi's.
All in all, Sora enjoyed his time at Dr. Agasa's—except for one thing. Unlike most isekai protagonists, he couldn't cook.
Unable to cook, he and Dr. Agasa relied on takeout for every meal. But the great Ran Mouri didn't forget him. Worried Dr. Agasa couldn't care for a child, she brought Sora to the Mouri household for a home-cooked meal.
The days before school flew by. Soon, enrollment day arrived.
"H-hello, everyone… I'm Conan Edogawa, transferring in today."
"Edogaww Doyle."
"Nice to meet you all."
A brief silence, then an eruption of laughter. Amid the noise, "Doyle" drew more chuckles than "Conan."
Sora didn't mind the laughter—he thought the name was odd too. Besides, he'd rarely use it outside school.
The kids' giggles faded quickly, replaced by cries of "So cute!" "Sit here, sit here!" "Teacher, there's a spot here!" and "I'm dead!"
It's a looks-driven world.
Their ridiculously cute faces overshadowed their weird names, especially since the "twins" had identical ones, making them doubly striking.
During break, the two, seated one behind the other, were swarmed by curious kids. In gym class, it was worse—they passed and dribbled a soccer ball under a crowd's gaze.
"You seem to be enjoying this," Conan said.
"No way!" Conan thought, I'd never admit I'm enjoying the grade-schoolers' welcome! Then, an idea struck. He kicked the ball toward Sora's right side, only for it to curve sharply mid-air toward his left.
Today's test had begun!
Sora caught it effortlessly and returned an identical pass.
Today's test was over.
Conan, deflated, caught the ball and lost interest. He crouched, fiddling with his right shoe.
"Trying the power-enhancing shoes?" The shoes, one of Dr. Agasa's detective gadgets, used electricity and magnets to stimulate foot acupoints, boosting strength to the limit.
"Yeah… no idea how strong they are yet."
Conan adjusted the shoes and took a shot at the soccer ball.
(End of Chapter)