Kurosawa Hoshino was amused by the girl's adorable, silly reaction. It left him somewhere between laughter and exasperation.
He said helplessly, "Alright, stop nodding and shaking your head. Listen carefully. I am Kurosawa Hoshino. Do you remember me now?"
Aoko obediently nodded.
"Good. You're sure it's my face, right?"
She nodded again.
"Now, use your hands to touch my face and see if I'm wearing a disguise."
Aoko hesitated for a few seconds, then reached out and placed her hands on Kurosawa's face. Slightly warm. Soft. It didn't feel like a disguise at all.
To confirm, she subconsciously pinched his cheeks and pulled.
"Ow!" Kurosawa winced. "I said touch, not pull."
Aoko pulled her hands back in fright. Her beautiful eyes were watery, as if to say, I know I was wrong.
"Forget it." Kurosawa shook his head, puffed out his cheeks, and said after he felt a bit better, "Well, you're sure I'm not Kaito Kid. So I'll let go now, okay? Remember, don't shout. Don't cause unnecessary trouble."
Aoko nodded vigorously.
Kurosawa was about to let go, but hesitated again. He said suspiciously, "I'm a little worried. First, I told you to nod, and you nodded and shook your head. Now I'm starting to think you're lying to me."
Aoko's eyes widened. She started struggling again. "Mmph—mmph—"
"Alright, alright, I'll let go. I'll trust you this once."
Just as Kurosawa was about to release her, he heard Sonoko and Ran shouting from ahead.
"Hoshino, what are you doing?"
"Hoshino, you can't do bad things!"
Kurosawa stiffly looked up to see Ran and Sonoko rushing toward him. He knew he was about to be misunderstood.
Aoko's actions only deepened the misunderstanding. She looked like she'd seen a savior—her eyes brimming with tears, one hand reaching out toward the two girls. Truly, a girl in danger waiting to be rescued.
Kurosawa sighed, released Aoko, and watched her run into Ran's arms. He shrugged helplessly.
Sonoko stood in front of the two girls, arms outstretched, and declared righteously, "Hoshino, you've disappointed me so much. If you're so capable, come at me!"
"Come at you for what?" Kurosawa said flatly.
Sonoko blushed. "Anything! Just don't do bad things to others."
"It's all a misunderstanding. Here's what happened—" Kurosawa, too lazy to ramble, recounted the whole story.
After finishing, seeing their disbelief, he pointed to Aoko, still hiding in Ran's arms. "If you don't believe me, look for yourselves. Don't they look exactly alike?"
Hearing this, the two girls both looked at Aoko. Though Aoko was hiding like a quail, she wasn't deaf. She slowly raised her head to look at the girl hugging her.
Instantly, the three girls were stunned. They let out a collective "Whoa!"
"Wow!" Sonoko hugged Aoko tightly, rubbing her face against hers. "Another Ran! This is great—I have two Rans now!"
Ran said irritably, "Sonoko, don't scare her."
"I—I'm fine—" Though Aoko felt uncomfortable with Sonoko's enthusiasm, she wasn't disgusted.
Kurosawa said calmly, "Now do you believe I'm not Phantom Thief Kid?"
Aoko lowered her head, her face flushed. She said shyly, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect anyone other than police officers to come to the museum."
Kurosawa looked at the face nearly identical to Ran's and couldn't bring himself to say anything more. He waved a hand. "Never mind. Just be more careful next time. No—I hope there won't be a next time."
"Okay. I'll remember."
Half an hour passed in a flash. The three girls, all talkative, became like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
"Hoshino, you actually figured out where Phantom Thief Kid will appear tonight?" Aoko looked at Kurosawa, her eyes full of surprise.
"Yes."
"That's great! I'll call my dad."
Everyone knew who Aoko's father was: Nakamori Ginzo, Inspector of the Second Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department.
"No need." Sonoko laughed. "My dad already notified the police. And Hoshino said it was just an April Fool's joke. Kaito Kid won't steal anything tonight."
"Damn it! That cunning Kaito Kid!" Aoko angrily waved her little fist.
Nearby, Conan sneered at Aoko, glancing at Ran every now and then. He muttered to himself, "How can someone look so much like her? Could it be that Uncle Mouri is cheating? Hmm... that's actually quite possible."
Ran asked, "Aoko, do you want to go see my dad? He'll be shocked to see how much we look alike."
Conan's heart skipped a beat. He knew something was wrong. He quietly backed away, turning to find Kogorō Mouri to warn him that his affair might be exposed.
Soon, Conan found Kogorō having afternoon tea with Shiro Suzuki in the museum's entrance hall. He hurriedly said, "Uncle Mouri, you'd better hurry. Ran's coming."
Kogorō instinctively panicked, then caught himself. He said irritably, "You scared me! I didn't do anything. Why would I be afraid of Ran?"
Seeing Kogorō unmoved, Conan gritted his teeth and emphasized, "There's an older sister who looks exactly like Ran. They're coming together."
"Looks exactly like Ran? I'd better see her." Kogorō became interested.
Conan shook his head. He'd given all the necessary reminders. If Kogorō messed things up, he couldn't be blamed.
Just then, Ran and the others came over, chatting and laughing.
"Dad, look. This is Aoko Nakamori. The daughter of Inspector Ginzo Nakamori." Ran immediately pulled Aoko to her father.
"Hmm. They really do look alike." Kogorō looked Aoko up and down. "Your father is Ginzo Nakamori?"
"Yes, Mr. Mouri. Do you know my father?"
"I have. He came to report to Mr. Suzuki about the museum's exterior layout not long ago. By the way, what's your mother's name?"
"Nakamori Aoko."
Kogorō nodded. Actually, he'd asked this because he wanted to ask Eri Kisaki if they were related. Otherwise, how could two children look so alike? There must be some connection.
Conan stared in surprise at the scene. Gradually, he seemed to understand. Kogorō Mouri really hadn't cheated on his wife. This Nakamori Aoko just happened to look a bit like Ran.