"Why?"
"How does she know my identity?"
Panting, Conan reached Dr. Agasa's neighborhood, racking his brain for recent slip-ups.
He'd once used his bowtie to solve a case as Kudo Shinichi, but the police swore secrecy. What went wrong?
"Guess I need to talk to the doc first." Conan peeked toward the house from an alley.
Then he spotted the familiar red pickup parked out front.
"Tsuneo's here too—perfect!"
Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth and nose from behind.
"Perfect for what?" Edogawa Fumiyo's chubby face sneered.
"You…" Conan struggled briefly before passing out from the chloroform-soaked handkerchief.
"Rest well, kid!" Yukiko said her line, then couldn't resist pinching Conan's cheeks.
"Shinichi's cutest like this!"
…
In a derelict house on the outskirts, second floor.
Yusaku had prepped everything: props in the kitchen to help Conan escape, hidden compartments ready.
Yukiko soon arrived with the unconscious Conan. They tied him up, tossed him in the kitchen, and prepared to act.
Two or three hours later, Yusaku heard faint noises from the kitchen. He pulled Yukiko into position, lowering his voice. "What, you haven't killed him yet?"
"Please don't make this harder. It's orders from above," Yukiko replied, slipping into her Edogawa Fumiyo role like a pro.
In the kitchen, Conan spied through a small hole in the old door.
"Boss says his drug side effect is unique. We need to bring him back to the organization."
"Heh." The tall, cloaked figure in a hat sneered, turning to reveal a terrifying mask to Conan.
What the hell?!
Startled, Conan saw the figure approach and lay back, feigning unconsciousness.
"Is that really the high school detective Kudo Shinichi?" the masked man asked, glancing in.
Fumiyo nodded. "I still can't believe it, but Shinichi vanished the same day this kid showed up at the agency."
"And every case around him gets solved perfectly. Probably the organization's new drug shrank him."
They baited the hook, pulling out a capsule box, claiming it was for a man in tomorrow's deal—to see if he'd shrink or die.
At Dr. Agasa's, Tsuneo listened to their heated performance, shaking his head.
These drama-queen parents were toying with his good buddy. Heartbreaking…
"Tsuneo, wanna rehearse lines?" Dr. Agasa, thrilled with his props for tomorrow, asked.
"Doc, you got lines?" Tsuneo gave a dry laugh.
Yusaku hadn't given the doc a single chance to shine, probably to avoid slip-ups.
Dr. Agasa: …
…
At night, while the two "sleeping" outside, Conan wrapped a wine bottle in a blanket, smashed it with his feet, and used the shards to cut his ropes, escaping.
Under the blanket, he found a hidden compartment made for him.
The rabbit leapt into the trap without a second thought.
…
The next morning, bright and clear.
"What, the kid's gone?" Yusaku removed his mask, eyeing the compartment with a smirk, continuing the act.
"Yeah, he was gone when I woke up," Yukiko said, staying in character.
"Must've escaped through the window!"
She suggested Conan used snow to jump out, then prepared to "search" for him.
"Wait, he's still here," Yusaku said, going off-script.
Not just Conan, hiding in the compartment, but Yukiko froze. "What?"
"He wants us to think he escaped, but he's waiting for us to leave."
"Come out and face me!" The masked man's sneer and the sound of a gun cocking made Conan's heart race.
"No way, you're wrong, right?" Yukiko sighed in relief as Yusaku opened the fridge door.
His aura was so intense, she thought Shinichi was about to be dragged out and shot.
"Hmph, after today's deal, we'll catch and finish him," Yusaku said.
Hearing footsteps fade and the door close, Conan opened the compartment, crawling out.
"Thought I was done for."
Sighing, he watched them drive off, then scoured the house for clues.
In the trash, he found a newspaper with neatly cut holes.
Did they clip letters for a message?
"Flower, shop, big, rice, meal."
Rearranged: "Rice, flower, big, meal, shop."
"Beika Grand Hotel!"
Noticing a calendar with faint knife marks on the 27th, he deduced they'd cut out last month's 30th.
Beika Grand Hotel, 30.
Armed with the deal's details, Conan bolted.
…
"Hey, hey!" Tsuneo answered the phone, grinning.
"I ran into the organization! Where are you?" Conan called from a phone booth below the Beika Hotel.
"Not in Beika. Two hours to get back. Don't do anything rash," Tsuneo said, munching casually, voice concerned.
"Damn it." Conan's head throbbed.
Critical moment—Dr. Agasa was unreachable, Tsuneo was away. Waiting two hours might let the deal finish!
Hearing a woman's voice asking questions, Conan knew Tsuneo was working, urged him, and hung up.
The detective donned a scarf and hat, entering the Beika Hotel to investigate alone.
"Doc, adding your own lines now?" Tsuneo gave Dr. Agasa, holding a voice changer, a deadpan look.
"Mechanic, was my performance bad?" Dr. Agasa blinked, using a mature woman's voice.
"Your turn, Doc."
Through the window, Tsuneo saw someone dash into the hotel.
"Okay!" Dr. Agasa said, handing Tsuneo the voice changer. He climbed into a two-meter-tall dummy he'd built overnight, left the room, took the elevator, and reached the underground parking lot.
Per Yusaku's plan, he made the dummy glance at spot 30, then left.
Like father, like son—Conan spotted a tiny "1" next to 30, leading him to room 301.
As the deal loomed, the detective tricked a kid in the next room with the voice changer, setting his plan in motion.
…
"Your wine and food are here."
"We didn't order anything," Edogawa Chiyo said, eyeing the waiter with the cart, confused.
"But we got a call," the waiter said, equally puzzled.
"Just take it. I'm hungry anyway," the masked man sneered.
"But…" Chiyo started, only to be cut off by his roar.
"Quit yapping, bring it in!"
The startled waiter pushed the cart inside.
Then, the masked man tossed him out, and he fled.
"Before we toast, let's introduce another guest," the masked man said, raising his gun.
"Another guest?"
"The kid's in there?" Chiyo lifted the cart's cloth.
"Heh, the cart's a decoy. He's in the closet!" The masked man yanked open the wardrobe, aiming at the startled rabbit.
"Using the cart to distract and gum to jam the lock was clever, but childish."
"Regret underestimating me in hell, high school detective Kudo Shinichi!"
He pulled the trigger.
Pop! Conan yelped, collapsing, then realized the gun fired a toy dart.
"Hahaha!" The three in the room burst out laughing, shedding their disguises.
"Seriously…" Conan gave an exasperated look.
The family game ended, entering a warm moment.
But as Yusaku, Yukiko, and Dr. Agasa revealed themselves, a tall, lean man in a black coat with long silver hair appeared at room 301's door.
His lips curled in a cold smirk, eyes brimming with killing intent.
(End of Chapter)
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