Under the relentless pestering of Tsuneo, a self-proclaimed magic enthusiast, Kaito finally relented and agreed to teach him how to train pigeons.
Conan rolled his eyes into a dead-fish stare.
Just wait and see. It wouldn't be surprising if this guy ends up drinking pigeon soup very soon!
Seeing the look on Conan's face, Tsuneo reached out and snatched the famous detective's glasses right off his nose.
Kaito couldn't help but glance at the elementary schooler, whose face was now unobstructed.
Good lord. He looks like he was carved from the exact same mold as me when I was little...
"What are you looking at?" Conan turned his head to look out the window. The three kids were still playing in the yard; nothing was happening.
"When we spoke on the phone a few days ago, I felt your dad's reaction was a bit strange." Tsuneo recalled the moment he mentioned getting KID to impersonate Shinichi. Yusaku had laughed and said it was very interesting...
First of all, Yukiko's disguise skills were learned from Toichi Kuroba. Even the title "Kaitou KID" originated from Yusaku's hand. There should be some intersection between the two sides.
However, given Yusaku's abilities, it was impossible for him not to realize that the person under the mantle of the Phantom Thief had changed generations.
So, what exactly was the point that he found so 'interesting'?
"Maybe this incident gave him an idea for a novel plot or something. What's there to make a fuss about?" Conan snatched the glasses back from the repairman's hand and put them back on, instantly feeling much more at ease.
Sure enough, the identity of Edogawa Conan required glasses to feel secure.
"This guy won't be appearing alongside me next time, right?" Kaito whispered to Tsuneo, watching Conan go over to talk to the children who had just come inside.
These high school detectives... counting every last one of them... it would be best if they all disappeared from my sight...
"You both have your respective fates; I can't guarantee anything about that." Tsuneo shook his head.
Fate was a very strange thing.
"Hey, isn't it dangerous for me to be out here with Jii-chan???" Kaito asked speechlessly.
Adding another person just added another risk of exposure.
"Heh heh heh. Chasing you relentlessly isn't his mission, so rest assured." Tsuneo smiled. Of course, the Death God elementary schooler would still be very happy if he could see through your magic tricks on the spot.
"Besides, you have other troublesome rivals, don't you?"
"Like that Young Master Hakuba..."
"His father is the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police. In terms of rank, he's even higher than Heiji Hattori's father, the Superintendent Supervisor in Osaka."
"The resources and connections at his disposal are unimaginably vast."
"Tsuneo-niichan, what are you guys talking about?" The Detective Boys walked over, looking at Shinichi Kudo sitting opposite them.
This high school detective used to be in the newspapers all the time, showing off in the limelight, but recently he seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
"By the way, I have something to tell you. The fact that this person is here is a secret that absolutely cannot be told to others. Understood?" Tsuneo made a shushing gesture to the three children.
Caution. One must be cautious.
Although there was a high probability that Gin had already forgotten who Shinichi Kudo was, it was best to be careful.
"Why?" Genta was curious. The guy wasn't a criminal, so why be afraid of people knowing?
"I get it!" Before Tsuneo could speak, Mitsuhiko revealed a look of sagely wisdom.
"You must be tracking some heinous criminal, right?"
After speaking, Mitsuhiko nodded, convinced this was the correct answer.
If his whereabouts were leaked and the criminal found out, there might be trouble.
And familiar friends could get dragged into it too—it was a very dangerous situation!
"That makes sense!" Ayumi nodded her little head as well.
She really admired this high school detective for doing such dangerous work all by himself.
"That's amazing!" Genta said in agreement.
"Exactly! We, the Detective Boys, must also have this kind of resolve!"
Somehow, Mitsuhiko had steered the conversation toward career planning and life philosophy.
Conan smiled speechlessly.
Great. Now I don't even have to lie to them; they've learned to deceive themselves...
"These brats are really precocious..." Kaito was getting more confused the more he listened.
What is going on here?
I haven't said a single word, and the act is already complete.
"Alright, we should buy some things and go pay a visit to my teacher, Maori," Tsuneo decided. He planned to get some extra judo practice in tonight.
Calling him "teacher" wasn't just lip service.
When Maori-ossan got serious, his skill level was even slightly higher than Ran's. According to reliable sources, this muddled detective's marksmanship was just as impressive as his judo.
...
Evening.
Downstairs at the Maori Detective Agency.
Kaito sat in the pickup truck and asked, "I helped you once before. How did people get suspicious again so quickly?"
"I..." Conan opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
I can't just watch a criminal run away right in front of my eyes, can I?
Besides, sometimes the urge to deduce is really impossible to suppress.
"Just wait and see. I estimate it won't be long before you have to act again," Tsuneo said with a smile.
There's a saying that a dog can't change its habit of eating... well, you know.
Even if the two of them appeared at the same time, as time passed, suspicion would rise again.
"I'll be more careful in the future," Conan said, shaking his dog head.
Just help me muddle through the immediate problem first...
...
"Why are you here? And you brought that detective brat..." Maori Kogoro was somewhat surprised to see Tsuneo arriving with gifts, followed by the high school detective he hadn't seen in ages.
Carrying so many things... he isn't here to propose to me, is he...
Keep dreaming! I won't agree to it!
"Teacher Maori, are you free tonight?" Tsuneo revealed a grin.
You look so idle, you must be free, right???
Let's have a good judo session!
"..." Maori Kogoro suddenly had a very bad premonition.
Whenever this brat called him "Teacher," nothing good ever came of it.
"Ahem, Shinichi-niichan is here on behalf of my mom and dad!" Seeing the topic drifting, Conan tugged on KID beside him and explained with a smile.
Don't just stand there, say your lines!
"Y-Yeah, that's right. This little brother of mine has caused a lot of trouble." Kaito looked down and vigorously rubbed the head of the elementary schooler from his relative's family.
This head... it actually feels pretty nice to rub!
"He is indeed troublesome, that's for sure..." Maori Kogoro looked at the two large bags of beer in Tsuneo's hands and smiled happily.
"By the way, Uncle, is Ran not home?" After Kaito had rubbed the dog head enough, he cut straight to the chase.
"She's upstairs." Maori Kogoro put a few bottles of beer on ice, then shot a guarded look at him.
"You'd better watch your step, you brat. Don't go getting any ideas..."
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