"Alright, I'll explain," Conan said, looking exasperated, "I remember Brother Hattori's Reasoning."
"Okay," Wataru Takagi checked his Notes, "But Mr. Chi, you also need to explain your Relationship with the victim, right? The Senyuan Family is also where Mr. Chi is staying..."
Chi Feichi: "..."
He's not a Plague God, it has nothing to do with him!
For the rest of the Time, Conan was mainly responsible for narrating, with Chi Feichi adding details.
After questioning, they verified the details and then proceeded to sign.
Conan was familiar with the entire process, just explaining things in a bit more detail. By the Time everything was finished, it was already past eight in the Night, and Doctor Agasa had already taken the three kids for a walk and returned.
Sato Miwako waited at the Entrance, smiling as she asked, "It's getting late, would you like to grab some food together?"
"No, no, that's alright," Doctor Agasa quickly waved his Hand, "We can just grab a quick bite Outside."
Wataru Takagi let out a long sigh of relief. This morning at work, he actually encountered the legendary July and was startled by a truckload of 'Home Delivery'. In the morning, he was a porter doing hard labor, and in the afternoon, he took Written Statement from a group of kids and Chi Feichi until Night. He didn't know if he was lucky or unlucky, but this day was truly magical and exhausting.
Thankfully, today's work is finally over.
"Um... Police Officer Sato..."
"Police Officer Sato, if you're free, how about joining me for French Cuisine?" Ninzaburo Shiratori approached from behind and invited gently, "Let's find a romantic Place where we can raise a toast under the Night View..."
Sato Miwako said dreamily, "That sounds lovely!"
Wataru Takagi remembered Miyamoto Yumi saying that Sato Miwako liked someone in Investigation Division One, and watching them chat and laugh, he felt a heavy blow.
Ninzaburo Shiratori smiled charmingly, "My uncle is the head chef at a Three-Star French Restaurant."
"That's impressive," Sato Miwako smiled, "But no thanks, I'm not a fan of French Cuisine."
"Huh?" Wataru Takagi perked up again. After Ninzaburo Shiratori left, dejected, he asked, "You don't like French Cuisine?"
"It's not that I dislike it, I just don't like eating in those stiff and formal High-Class Restaurant," Sato Miwako invited, taking the initiative, "I know a great Ramen Shop nearby, want to grab some Ramen there later?"
"Sure!" Wataru Takagi readily agreed.
"Sato, Takagi!" Inspector Megure called out, catching up to them, clearly in a good Mood. "We solved a lot of Cases today, want to join us for a drink? The others have already headed over!"
Sato Miwako immediately stood up straight and saluted, smiling brightly, "Yes, Sato Miwako would be happy to!"
Wataru Takagi's mind raced, wondering if Sato Miwako actually liked Inspector Megure, and he immediately became dejected.
This realization was definitely the most unbelievable thing of the day!
He thought he was full of energy, but he didn't expect to be not only physically exhausted, but also mentally drained as he was about to finish work...
Even after seeing Chi Feichi and the others to the Parking Lot, Wataru Takagi still hadn't snapped out of it, remaining in a daze.
Watching Wataru Takagi wander off absentmindedly, Ayumi asked worriedly, "Is he really alright?"
"He's probably just exhausted," Doctor Agasa said, turning away, and suggested with a smile, "Alright, let's go try the Ramen at that Ramen Shop nearby! I know where it is!"
...
The next day, Chi Feichi started getting busy with Graduation matters.
He wasn't the only one applying for early Graduation; there were a few spots every year. Those who passed the application process could generally pass the Theory Exam, though their exam would be a bit more challenging.
In Japan, a Veterinary Medicine Major is typically a six-year program, combining bachelor's and master's degrees. From the fourth year of university, students choose a Laboratory, and the fifth and sixth years are primarily spent in the Laboratory and internships.
Theory Exam, Clinical Exam, applying to a Laboratory, submitting a Research Proposal, preparing a Thesis... Even though Chi Shinnosuke had smoothed things over, only the process was faster; the amount of testing was still the same.
Supported by the Memory of the original body, he wouldn't fail, but Chi Feichi was still busy to the point of Dizziness.
If it weren't for the jumbled Dates in the Record, he might have forgotten what kind of world he was living in.
Ten days later...
At a Coffee Shop Outside the School, Doctor Agasa, Haibara Ai, Suzuki Sonoko, Mouri Ran, and Conan, who had come to visit, were all gathered.
"Pfft!" Conan looked at the two Data Record and couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of Coffee.
Luckily, Chi Feichi reacted quickly, preventing the Document from getting wet.
"Really, Conan, be more careful!" Mouri Ran chided, but still took out a Handkerchief to wipe Conan's mouth.
"Sorry..." Conan mumbled, then couldn't help but burst out laughing again, "Hahahaha..."
Chi Feichi calmly turned his Head and said to the waiter, "Please bring me another order of Fried Elementary School Student."
Haibara Ai, who felt like she'd been shot, looked up blankly: "..."
She was also an Elementary School Student now, wasn't she...?
"Uh..." The waiter broke out in a sweat, "F-Fried Elementary School Student?"
Suzuki Sonoko waved her Hand dismissively with a smile, "Alright, alright, he's just kidding."
Doctor Agasa flipped through the two Reports, looking puzzled. "Is something wrong? They look like identical Records, don't they?"
"One of them is signed by Brother Chi, so it should be the Data Record Brother Chi made, and the other is someone else's Data Record," Conan explained, trying not to laugh, "His Laboratory professor probably asked him to use it as a reference for revisions, right?"
Suzuki Sonoko leaned in curiously, "They really are identical! But if they're exactly the same, why revise them?"
"Look here!" Conan pointed to the Dates on the first page of both Documents, "The Time itself isn't wrong, but..."
The Dates are completely wrong!
Chi Feichi remained silent.
He wrote his Dates down on the actual day, whatever the month and day were, that's what he wrote.
Overall, it looks like they're arranged as July 13th, March 21st, September 2nd...
The Records were the same originally, even the professor's copy.
He'd even wondered if people in this world found this kind of Date order strange.
Then, early this morning, the professor gave him this Record and asked him to revise the Dates. He glanced at it, and the Dates on the professor's Record had actually changed to July 13th, July 14th, July 15th...
Even though everyone wrote down the same Date when recording Data that day, somehow, the Dates on everyone else's Records had become sequential, while his were still a jumbled mess.
What could he do about it?
He was also pretty desperate!
It was also at this moment that he realized just how badly this world had abandoned him.
If they were going to revise the Dates on everyone else's Records, why not revise his too?
The group looked at the Dates on both Records. Seeing Chi Feichi's chaotic Dates, they secretly stifled their laughter, but then couldn't help but feel worried again.
"Have you been to the Hospital for a follow-up recently?" Haibara Ai asked.
Chi Feichi's expression remained unchanged. "I have an appointment. I'm going for a follow-up in a few days."
Don't ask him exactly how many days until the follow-up; even he didn't know...
After Conan had his laugh, he couldn't keep laughing when he thought about it. "Generally, Time Perception Disorder is a Complication of Dissociative Identity Disorder. As the Illness improves, the perceptual disorder should gradually disappear. It shouldn't be that there's been no improvement at all..."
Chi Feichi really wanted to say, 'Give up, it's hopeless.'
In any case, he wasn't holding out any hope. He'd given up on treatment. Who cared what month or day it was? He felt much more relaxed this way.
"Take it easy, it'll get better eventually. Even if it doesn't, Brother Chi is still an amazing Detective!" Suzuki Sonoko grinned and leaned closer to Mouri Ran. "Ran, I think he's way better than your hubby!"
Mouri Ran blushed and gently protested, "What 'hubby'? Sonoko, you're talking nonsense again!"
Conan lowered his Head, his Face also turning a bit red.
Haibara Ai took a leisurely sip of Coffee, "I agree."
"But, Elder Brother Shinichi hasn't given up yet!" Conan couldn't help but state his stance.
He admitted that Chi Feichi's Reasoning was amazing, and he'd never gotten the upper hand, but that didn't mean he was giving up.
When it comes to Reasoning, well, different Incidents mean there will inevitably be situations where someone is better or worse at it. Being a step behind this time is normal. Anyway, he felt he'd win eventually.
"That's true, they haven't really competed head-to-head," Suzuki Sonoko said, always eager for drama. "It would be great if they could have a showdown. Oh, right, Ran, have you been in touch with that Kudo Shinichi guy? Is he coming tomorrow?"
Mouri Ran said regretfully, "I called him, but he said he's busy with a Case and can't join us."
"Then forget about him," Suzuki Sonoko said, turning to Chi Feichi. "Brother Chi, we're going on a Travel trip to Izu tomorrow. If you're not busy, would you like to come with us?"
(End of Chapter)