Mouri Detective Agency.
A red pickup truck pulled up downstairs, and Tsuneo accompanied the mother and son as they climbed the stairs.
"What?!"
"Your son's staying here again?!"
Kogoro Mouri loomed over Conan, his face twisted with obvious reluctance.
Just a few days ago, this Fumiyo Edogawa woman had promised to send a thank-you gift, only to vanish without a word. And now she was dropping her kid off here?
"Well, my son insists on staying," Fumiyo said, her round face breaking into an embarrassed smile.
"But…"
"Here, this is for his living expenses. Feel free to use it as needed."
Kogoro took the bankbook, flipped it open, and his face instantly lit up, his eyes sparkling with clarity. "T-Ten million yen!"
"Ma'am, your son's so adorable, we're thrilled to have him!"
Tsuneo's lips twitched.
Money really does make the world go round. How do you even say something that insincere with a straight face?
Yes, despite Yusaku adding an extra scene to the mix, the outcome hadn't changed much.
Well, not entirely unchanged.
At the very least, Tsuneo felt like the experience bar above that famous detective's head had inched up just a tiny bit.
After sorting out Conan's lodging arrangements, Tsuneo drove the Kudo couple to the airport.
…
"Will Shinichi really be okay?"
Once aboard the plane, Yukiko's voice trembled with worry.
She had no idea what her husband and Tsuneo had discussed late last night, yet today Yusaku was acting as if nothing had happened, casually talking about a world tour.
"This path won't be easy, but it's his choice, isn't it?" Yusaku replied with a relaxed smile.
Just then, a commotion erupted on the plane.
"He's over there!"
"Quick!"
A stampede of footsteps thundered toward the first-class cabin, a pack of people charging in like ravenous wolves.
"Oh no, it's those foreign magazine folks!" Yusaku's face fell, a headache brewing.
"There you are, Mr. Kudo! Someone named Tsuneo called and said you'd be on this flight!"
"You've got 308 pages left to finish—get to it!!!"
The crowd bombarded him with demands.
"Damn that kid!" With Yusaku's intellect, it didn't take long to figure out that his son had likely impersonated Tsuneo to tip off these people.
The plane filled with the frantic clatter of keyboard typing.
Another heartwarming day of father-son bonding, it seemed.
…
Tokyo.
Night fell, and the city glittered with dazzling lights. Above, dark clouds loomed, and a biting chill swept through the streets, urging passersby to quicken their steps toward home.
"Autumn's here again, huh," a tall man in black mused, his face obscured as he gazed up at the sky from a dark alley, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Y-Y-You!"
In the alley's corner, a middle-aged man with a balding, Mediterranean hairstyle pointed at the towering figure, too terrified to form words.
The man was heavyset, his tailored, high-end suit a clear sign of wealth and status.
Of course, even without the attire, the sprawled bodies of his burly bodyguards on the ground spoke volumes.
"I hear you've been looking for me."
The man in black's voice was low and icy, his slow, deliberate steps echoing like the whispers of a demon in the balding man's ears.
"I-I didn't mean it like that!"
The man frantically waved his chubby hands.
Ever since that so-called Dark Knight appeared, a wave of wayward youths had followed the trend, decking themselves out in black.
Where there are people, there's a underworld.
And in the underworld, turf wars and power grabs were inevitable.
Without a doubt, this trend had come at the perfect time—a golden opportunity to recruit fresh talent!
President Oda, eager to expand the "enterprise" his father left behind and eliminate unstable elements in his territory, had extended his claws toward these black-clad youths.
Through threats and violence, he'd absorbed a batch of new blood into his ranks in record time.
His plan was to bring all the small-time punks roaming the streets under his control.
But his underlings? They had other ideas.
Didn't matter who you were—if you wore black, you paid up, no questions asked!
Oda had turned a blind eye to their antics. After all, everyone's gotta make a living, right?
But today, he'd provoked a true demon right to his doorstep.
At first, Oda hadn't been scared.
Well… not until the man in black dodged a bullet point-blank, that is.
"If you're so eager to meet, I can pay you a visit next time," the figure sneered, then lashed out with a swift kick.
Crack!
The sickening sound of breaking bone rang out.
Oda clutched his mangled leg, howling in agony, his cries echoing far into the night, chillingly eerie.
…
"Tsuneo-kun, where'd you run off to this time?" Dr. Agasa asked, slurping instant noodles as he opened the door. Seeing Tsuneo dressed head-to-toe in black, curiosity flickered across his face.
"Some old client's kid was getting hassled for wearing black clothes. I took care of it," Tsuneo said, stepping inside and peeling off his mask.
The voice-changing mask the doctor had made was a bit stuffy—needed some tweaks.
"Just for wearing black?"
"Why not just wear a different color?" Dr. Agasa said, puzzled, as he took the mask.
"It's his high school uniform," Tsuneo replied, exasperated.
Those goons were shaking down kids for pocket change worth a few hundred yen.
Rob them once, fine—but to keep going back, like shearing the same sheep over and over?
Hell, they hit the kid seven days a week! The poor guy was practically traumatized.
…
Two days later.
A leisurely afternoon.
Tsuneo was eating lunch while watching an entertainment show.
The beef, a gift from one of Dr. Agasa's friends, was fresh and tender. Stewed into a pot of beef curry, it was pure heaven.
"How's it taste?" Dr. Agasa asked, apron on, brimming with confidence.
"Amazing!" Tsuneo nodded.
Yusaku wasn't kidding when he said the doctor could handle both the lab and the kitchen like a pro.
Ring, ring, ring.
Tsuneo, plate in one hand, fished the phone from his tool bag with the other and answered.
"Mr. Tsuneo, it's starting!"
A low, curt female voice came through before the call abruptly ended.
"What's up?" Dr. Agasa asked, noting the smile spreading across Tsuneo's face.
"Doctor, that thing I asked you to make—is it ready?"
"Yep," Dr. Agasa nodded, then frowned with concern. "Tsuneo-kun, are you about to do something dangerous?"
"Oh, it's dangerous, alright," Tsuneo said, his grin widening. "But I've been waiting for this for a long time."
Gin…
(End of Chapter)
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