OS 89 - Last Hope

He didn't have a choice. He had to do it. Not that she actually comes up with the idea of ​​making the wrong decision. Well, he would consider it a wrong decision. It would be the right one for her. Consider these at least as those.

Conan sighed. Why did this guy have to show up now and propose to Ran? Couldn't he wait? No, he had to fall into the house with the door. And Ran actually seriously considered accepting it. It really wasn't easy for him at the moment. He had taken the poison, but unfortunately Ai had no way of analyzing it exactly. At least that's what she said. For some reason he didn't believe her. After all, she had invented something else for pills or helped Professor Agasa with them.
Shinichi had long pondered how he could save his future. Over and over again he went through all the scenarios and always came to only one conclusion: He would tell Ran the truth. Without exception. If she went to hell with him and married this guy, he couldn't blame himself for not saying anything to her.

“What's wrong with you?” Ai, who had been walking next to him the whole time, had noticed that he was completely lost in his thoughts.
Conan gave her an angry look. "You still ask that? You're the one who can't produce the antidote. Or as I want to think." He was irritated.
"Quite right. I don't want it. I don't feel like being exposed because of your stupidities." She spoke the words calmly and somehow cold. She was only interested in herself again, she was aware of that. Just as she knew why he is like that right now. She knew about the proposal made by Ran. It was her right, only Shinichi went against the grain. She could also guess what he had thought of. Once again, like so often lately, he toyed with the idea of ​​telling Ran everything. Even at the risk of losing it. Maybe she should tell him that ...?
Her mind was interrupted when she heard Conan tell her that she was being selfish. Of course she was. Why not? There were many people. Although ... She was holding someone's life in her hands. His life.
Maybe she should reconsider her decision.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow," she said just before she turned the next corner.
Conan looked after her grimly. He shook his head. "It's just pointless ..." he muttered.

So far he hadn't found a way to tell Ran everything. It has been a week since he made the decision. Fortunately, Ran hadn't made any official announcements as to whether or not she would accept the proposal. So he still had time. How much he didn't know though.
As he climbed the steps to the detective agency, he heard Kogoro shouting."You have something?"
Conan hurried. Who knows what was going on again. Maybe something irrelevant again, as is usually the case. Or it was about Ran. And if it was the latter, he didn't want to miss what it was about under any circumstances.
"Getting a marriage proposal," Ran said meekly. That's right, the old man didn't know anything yet. Why also. Conan shot through it like lightning. Oh no, if she told Kogoro it means yes ... It means ... He had to do something and do it now. Just as he was about to open the door, Kogoro stormed out the door. He was just able to save himself.
"Dad wait." Ran stuck her head out the door and looked after her father, shaking his head.
"You will take it on, won't you?"
Ran turned and saw Conan. He looked kind of sad, she found. When he asked, she just nodded. Somehow she couldn't speak to him. Why didn't she know. Maybe because he reminded her so much of Shinichi? Yes that could be.
“Why?” She winced. Why was he asking such questions?
"Well, you know ..." she hesitated.
Why didn't she just tell him why? Or a better question for him was whether she still felt anything for him. If not, he could accept her decision. But if she still loved him, what was the reason?
“No, I don't know. Will you tell me Ran?” Once again he pretended to be childish. Why he did it now, so shortly before he would tell her, he couldn't explain to himself. Well the power of habit. He didn't hear what she was saying to him. He didn't want to hear it.
“Ran I have to tell you something urgently.” Ran was amazed at the seriousness in his voice.
"U-what?"
"I know that you can never forgive me for that, but I have to do it. I don't want this anymore." Conan paused and gave Ran a piercing look.
"What do you not want anymore?" asked Ran when he made no move to continue after a while.
Conan took a deep breath. "This is how Ran live. Not with this lie. It must be, you were right all the times. I am ..."
Ran gave a start. A phone rang. Conan looked slowly at his bag. As if in a trance, he took out his cell phone and picked it up.
“Yes?” He couldn't say more at the moment.
“If you want to run around the world as Shinichi again, you should come to the professor.” That was all they said. He breathed a sigh of relief. So he could tell Ran in his real form after all. He put his cell phone back in his pocket.
He wanted to run, go to the professor as soon as possible. But he was held by the arm by Ran.
“What are you Conan?” Ran. He had completely forgotten what he was about to say to her.
"I'm ..." I had to find an excuse. A quick one, and hopefully a last one.
He looked up at Ran innocently. Then he quickly looked down, ashamed.
"I'm a truant Ran. Today I went to play football with some friends."Buy it from me. Please, Ran, believe me. He hoped he'd inherited enough of his mother's acting talent.
"Oh. Well, that's bad. But as long as you promise never to do it again, I'll forgive you." She let go of him. That was why he was so upset. The guilty conscience had seized him. She smiled after him as he ran down the stairs and called out to her that he would promise her.

He ran as fast as he could. As fast as his short legs would allow. Not much longer and he would be Shinichi again. So it had helped that he had ignored Ai all week.
He stopped breathing in front of the professor's house. It was in there.

The last hope to be happy with Ran after all.