"Urgh…"
When Yusaku Kudo slowly regained consciousness, he realized he was lying on what looked like an operating table.His head spun as he blinked at the blinding fluorescent lights above.
Huh? What am I doing here…?
Then his memory started to piece itself back together.Right—he remembered now.
He and Yukiko had planned a little prank to mess with Shinichi. The two of them had staged an elaborate act, playing their roles perfectly.But in the middle of it, some young guy had shown up out of nowhere—fast, strong, and terrifyingly skilled. He'd locked Yusaku in a joint hold before Shinichi had the chance to kick a soccer ball right at him——and that's the last thing he remembered before blacking out.
Now that he understood the sequence of events, Yusaku was even more confused.So why am I lying on an operating table?
Just then, Yukiko appeared beside him, tears streaming down her cheeks."Yusaku! You're awake? Thank goodness—you're alive!"
"I… I'm fine," Yusaku replied, still foggy and bewildered. Why was she crying so hard?
Then Conan rushed over, guilt written all over his face."Dad… I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be like this!"
"What… what's going on?" Yusaku asked, unease creeping into his chest.
At that moment, a doctor stepped forward, his face full of pity."Mr. Kudo," he said gravely, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
He paused, as though searching for gentler words, but none came."The injury… is catastrophic. The area is completely destroyed. There's nothing we can do to save it."
Yusaku blinked, uncomprehending.
"For the sake of normal urination and to avoid infection," the doctor continued, "I recommend we remove it entirely."
Boom.The words hit him like an explosion. His mind went blank.
He finally understood what they were talking about—and terror gripped him like ice.
A single kick… from a soccer ball… turned it into that?!That's got to be a joke. It has to be.
He looked desperately from face to face. "You're… you're joking, right?"
But neither Yukiko nor Conan could even meet his eyes.Both wore expressions of raw sorrow, Yukiko's face streaked with tears.
"Mr. Kudo," the doctor said softly, "see for yourself."
A sick feeling crawled through Yusaku's gut. Hands trembling, he sat up and pulled back the sheet—
—and froze.
It was… unrecognizable. A mangled mess. Beyond saving.
For a moment, even the famously composed Yusaku Kudo felt his brain shut down.
"Please, Mr. Kudo," the doctor urged gently. "It's no use keeping it. You need to let us operate."
Yukiko sobbed harder. "Yusaku, please—for your own good, just do it!"
Conan bowed his head. "Dad, if it gets infected, it'll be even worse!"
Yusaku couldn't speak. His mind screamed in disbelief.How could this happen—from one single kick?
Fear overwhelmed him—cold, suffocating, absurd.He couldn't accept it. But denial didn't change reality.
Then, suddenly—The room began to waver. The walls rippled and faded.
Somewhere, through the haze, he heard a familiar voice."Yusaku… Yusaku! Wake up!"
He turned toward Yukiko's crying face, confusion twisting inside him.Wait… she's right here crying. So who's calling me?
The voice grew clearer—closer."Yusaku! Wake up!"
The world dissolved into darkness.
"Yusaku! Wake up!"
"…Huh?"
He heard the words again—this time sharp, real.
Yusaku blinked hard, struggling to focus. Slowly, the blurry pixels of his dream world sharpened into reality.
He wasn't in a hospital at all. He was on a sofa.And standing around him were Yukiko, Conan, and a certain young man with a calm, composed face.
"Yusaku, you're awake!" Yukiko said in relief, clutching his hand. "You were frowning in your sleep—I thought something was seriously wrong!"
"Ahaha… sorry," Yusaku said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Just… a nightmare."
Realizing it had all been a dream, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he looked over at Conan, who immediately averted his eyes—only to straighten up a second later, trying to sound indignant."Hey, it's not my fault, okay?! You and Aunt Yukiko started it! If you two hadn't dressed up and tried to scare me, I wouldn't have hit so hard!"
"Ah… right." Yusaku scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I can't really argue with that."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. I'm just disappointed our little prank backfired—and turned into your comedy show instead."
He turned toward Ren Kuroda, a flicker of genuine respect in his eyes.
Conan quickly filled the silence. "Oh, right! This is Ren Kuroda—he's a high schooler from Teitan High, same as Shinichi-nii."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ren Kuroda," Ren said politely. "Sorry—I didn't realize it was a prank. I might've… overreacted a bit. You're okay, right?"
Yusaku waved a hand, laughing easily. "Oh, I'm fine. Still in one piece. Guess I'm sturdier than I look!"
Yukiko, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as forgiving.Her expression darkened slightly as she remembered that "double palm strike."But with no way to explain that without sounding absurd, she swallowed her complaints, lips pressed tight.
Yusaku stood, straightened his jacket, and offered a gentlemanly smile."I never introduced myself properly. I'm Yusaku Kudo, this is my wife, Yukiko Kudo, and Shinichi's our son. As for Conan—well, he's a distant relative of ours."
"Anyway," he continued cheerfully, "this isn't exactly the best place for a chat. Why don't we find a restaurant? We can talk properly over a meal."
Ren shook his head lightly. "I appreciate the offer, but I shouldn't intrude. It's rare for your family to be together like this. You should enjoy it without a third wheel. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the detective agency."
Yusaku nodded, understanding immediately. "Fair enough. Another time, then."
"Goodbye, everyone," Ren said with a small smile before turning to leave. His footsteps faded down the stairs of the abandoned building until silence returned.
Once Ren was gone, Yusaku looked at Conan and smiled knowingly."Shinichi… looks like you've made yourself a good friend. I didn't account for his appearance in my plan at all."
Conan laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "Honestly, I didn't know he'd come either."
"Tell me more about him on the way back," Yusaku said with interest, straightening his glasses.
"Sure," Conan nodded. He'd been planning to talk about Ren anyway.
The two exchanged a knowing smile as Yukiko sighed in the background, still not over her bruised pride.