In a private hospital in Tokyo, Kudo Yukiko sat on a chair in the corridor, staring at the operating room not far away.
Not long after, the lights in the operating room went out, and a doctor walked out.
"Are you Ms. Kudo Yukiko?"
The doctor walked up to her and asked.
"I am. Is my husband alright?"
Yukiko stood up, her face full of concern.
"Your husband, Mr. Yusaku Kudo, is not in any life-threatening condition. The gunshot wound to his palm isn't fatal. However, Mr. Kudo has some... additional complications."
The doctor hesitated, as if carefully choosing his words.
His pause made Yukiko anxious. She quickly asked, "What complications?"
"Well, aside from the injury to his hand, Mr. Kudo also sustained trauma to his groin area. Some organs have ruptured. Even with modern medicine, it cannot be fully healed."
Though the doctor had phrased it tactfully, Yukiko understood what he meant.
Yusaku's testicles had been ruptured.
Hearing this, Yukiko didn't feel especially upset.
After all, Yusaku already had a son, so the family line was secured. In his early forties, even if some functions were lost, as long as he was alive, it wasn't unacceptable.
Thinking of Shinichi, Yukiko asked nervously, "How about Shin... Conan's condition?"
"That child, Conan Edogawa, isn't in serious danger. He just underwent surgery. His body is weak right now, but with a few days of rest, he'll be running around again."
"He's awake and in the ward. You can go see him."
Yukiko asked cautiously, "Did anything unusual come up in Conan's physical exam results?"
The doctor shook his head. "Aside from being a bit weak, everything looks fine. He's in good health."
Only then did Yukiko feel relieved.
At least in a standard physical exam, Shinichi's abnormal condition wouldn't be exposed. Blood work and routine tests wouldn't reveal anything.
To get more precise data, an in-depth cellular analysis would be necessary, and regular hospitals wouldn't conduct that. That kind of test already fell into the realm of research.
The director of this hospital was an old friend of Yusaku. Besides being a hospital, it also operated as a medical research facility.
Yusaku had originally planned to bring Conan here for a full check-up. Unexpectedly, he ended up being the patient first.
The reason Yukiko brought both Yusaku and Conan here was because the gunshot wounds were hard to explain.
The doctor wasn't interested in prying either. Since the family was close to the director, he simply turned a blind eye.
"Mr. Kudo is still under anesthesia. You can visit him after he wakes up. As for little Conan, you can go now. I'll take my leave."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Yukiko politely bowed.
After collecting herself for a moment, she pushed open the door to Conan's ward.
He was in a private VIP room, with only one bed.
Lying on the bed, Conan stared blankly ahead. When he saw Yukiko enter, he immediately asked, "Mom, where's Dad? Is he okay?"
He had seen Yusaku get kicked and shot by that man in black with his own eyes.
"Your father is in the next room. His life isn't in danger."
Conan finally relaxed. He frowned and asked, "How... did we survive? Why didn't that man in black..."
That was the part he found most baffling. When he came to, he was already in the hospital room. He had no idea what had happened after he passed out.
Yukiko briefly told Conan what had happened after he lost consciousness.
But she omitted the part where she was ordered to approach Toru. She couldn't bring herself to say something like that in front of her son.
Conan frowned tightly. He felt something was off. Would the man in black really let them go so easily?
But that was the reality. Even if he found it hard to believe, their family had indeed survived.
"You mean that man in black wanted to keep the drug's effects to himself out of greed, so he didn't kill us because he didn't see us as a threat and thought we couldn't escape?"
To Conan, this sounded ridiculous. Just how arrogant and confident did that man have to be to make such a choice?
But then he considered another possibility. There were plenty of strange people in the world. Maybe the guy was insane. Either way, this result was in their favor.
Conan quickly became more excited.
"This is good news. The fewer people who know about my condition, the safer we are."
"Now, our only real enemy is that man in black. There's even internal conflict within the Organization. Maybe we can use that to destroy them."
"Even the strongest fortress can be broken from the inside. This is a great opportunity, a chance to bring them down once and for all!"
Yukiko looked at him, expressionless.
So he was going to continue to dig into that organization like before.
After just barely surviving, he wanted to go back to digging for information? Did he think he would get lucky next time too?
Knowing Shinichi's personality well, Yukiko felt nothing but a headache.
Tell him to stop?
Impossible. Shinichi was the rebellious type. The more you tried to stop him, the more fired up he'd get. He hadn't learned a single thing from this life-threatening experience.
"This time, it wasn't a total loss. Before they took my blood, I overheard some members of the Organization talking."
"There was a woman there. That man in black called her Sherry. And she called him Martini."
"These are all names of alcoholic drinks. It's very likely the Organization uses alcohol names as code names."
Conan was extremely excited. He felt like he had gotten one step closer to uncovering the Organization's secrets.
Only Yukiko was speechless. What use was that kind of information?
Still, seeing how excited Conan was, she felt drained. She said, "I'm going to check on your father."
"Okay, go ahead."
Conan didn't notice his mother's exhaustion at all, still lost in his thoughts.
That Organization loves wearing black. If I see them on the street again, maybe I can identify them ahead of time.
Yukiko shook her head, left the room without disturbing him, and returned to the corridor. She sat on a bench, resting for a while.
The mental pressure and fatigue she had endured lately made her want to sleep for days.
But she knew things weren't over yet. She couldn't rest just yet.
After resting and recovering a bit, she didn't go see Yusaku. Instead, she left the hospital and walked to the road outside.
Breathing in the cold night air, Yukiko finally felt a bit refreshed.
At that moment, a Land Rover stopped beside her. Seeing the vehicle, her nerves tensed.
Only when the window rolled down and Eri Kisaki's face appeared did she finally relax.
Yukiko gave a self-deprecating smile, realizing she might be developing PTSD.
"Yukiko, it's cold out. Come sit in the car."
"Okay."
Yukiko opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. She leaned against the backrest, covering her face with one hand and rubbing it.
"What's wrong with you? You've got dark circles."
Eri Kisaki, wearing glasses and exuding her usual strong-willed aura, frowned as she looked at her friend's messy hair and exhausted face.
"Is Yusaku hurt? What happened? Is it serious? Do you need my help?"
Faced with her friend's barrage of questions, Yukiko replied wearily, "Eri, can you not ask? We'll handle it ourselves. Thank you."
Eri opened her mouth to say more, but when she saw the plea in Yukiko's eyes, she stopped.
Yukiko took a deep breath. She hadn't forgotten the task the man in black had given her.
It had a time limit. She didn't dare waste time.
"Eri, I heard you know Fujiwara Toru, the guy who's been making waves lately. They're calling him Japan's superhero?"
She had gathered this information while resting earlier. To get close to Toru, she needed an introduction, and that meant finding a mutual acquaintance.
After some quiet inquiry, she found out Eri already knew him.
"He's a client of mine. I've handled two major cases for him. Why? What about Fujiwara?"
Eri looked confused but answered truthfully.
"Eri, are you familiar with him?"
"Fairly. We even had dinner once. I was thinking of introducing Ran to him. It'd be good for her to gain some social resources."
"You really put in effort for your daughter."
"Hmph. If I don't help her, am I supposed to rely on Kogoro?"
Eri snorted coldly, clearly annoyed by Mouri's cluelessness.
"I don't think that's your only reason. He's young and handsome, and gives people a strong sense of security. He's a rare find. A real puppy."
"You haven't had a boyfriend in years. You must be lonely. We're the same age, and women our age have... certain needs. Don't tell me you're not interested in him?"
At that moment, Yukiko's devilish personality returned as she teased Eri.
Eri's gaze turned sharp, but seeing Yukiko's playful expression, her stern face softened.
She was helpless against this woman.
Her usual serious demeanor didn't work on her at all.
"Mind your own business."
Eri replied ambiguously.
But to Yukiko, that was as good as an admission.
She immediately revealed her true purpose.
"Eri, when can you introduce him to me?"
Eri was stunned. She couldn't help but blurt out, "Yukiko, you're married! You're a married woman!"
(To be continued.)
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