"Ah! Ow! Owowow!!"
"It's not even my fault! Why should I be the one apologizing?!""You two were the ones pranking me! None of this would've happened otherwise!""Ahhh!! Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I was wrong! I didn't recognize you, alright?! Hontōni sumimasen!"
Smack! Smack!
Inside the Kudo household living room, Conan's howls echoed off the walls.
At first, he'd stood his ground, insisting he'd done nothing wrong. Why apologize for something that wasn't his fault?But a few slaps later, enlightenment struck him like a divine revelation:Logic is for Dad. Mom doesn't do logic.
So he wisely switched tactics—confess early, minimize damage.
"You had the nerve to shoot your own mother with a tranquilizer dart?!" Yukiko Kudo yelled, punctuating every word with another swat. "What if there had been aftereffects! What if I ended up spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair?! Did you think about that?!"
Each smack landed squarely on his backside.
Truthfully, most of her fury had nothing to do with the dart.It was about her car headlights—or rather, how thoroughly they'd been shattered.The humiliation still burned deep in her chest.
And since she couldn't exactly take her anger out on Ren Kuroda, Conan was the only available target.
"Dr. Agasa said that dosage was perfectly safe!" Conan protested between yelps. "You're just imagining things! You're not even a doctor—how would you know better than him?!"
"Still talking back, huh?!" Yukiko's tone dropped dangerously low—followed by three more sharp slaps.
"Okay, okay! I was wrong!" Conan cried, but he still hadn't realized that logic had no power here.Once the storm started, apologies were just background noise.
Just then, the bathroom door clicked open, and Yusaku Kudo stepped out looking greatly relieved.Still works… thank god. He made a mental note to visit a doctor tomorrow, just in case.
As he adjusted his glasses, he spotted Yukiko in full disciplinary mode."Yukiko, that's enough," he said calmly. "Shinichi didn't mean to. None of us expected things to go that way."
"I know! But I'm still mad!" Yukiko snapped, giving Conan one final, cathartic slap before letting him go.
Conan scrambled to his father's side, clutching his sore backside and glaring at his mother like a betrayed soldier.
"Your mother worked really hard to prepare that little act," Yusaku said gently, ruffling Conan's hair. "Try to understand her feelings, alright?"
"…"Conan wanted to say I'd rather not, but one look at Yukiko's smoldering glare was enough to make him plaster on a forced smile."Of course! I totally understand!"
Yusaku glanced at his wife. She was still fuming.Even he knew better than to poke that hornet's nest.
"Come on, Conan," he said. "Let's go to the study. I'll put some ointment on that."
"Yes, sir!" Conan replied instantly, seizing the opportunity to retreat.
The father and son grabbed a bottle of medicine and vanished into the safety of the study.
"From what you've said, it sounds like you don't actually know this Kuroda boy very well," Yusaku remarked as he gestured for Conan to lower his pants.
"I don't need help!" Conan said quickly. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Suit yourself," Yusaku chuckled, handing him the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Still… this friend of yours is an interesting one. He noticed something was wrong with you right away. That's quite the sharp eye."
"Yeah," Conan muttered, dabbing medicine on his bruises. "He's definitely not as simple as he looks. He's kidnapped people, shot people, even killed before."
He paused, frowning. "But every single time, it's been… justified. Clean. You can't even hate him for it."
Yusaku's brows lifted. "Oh?"
"Think about it," Conan said, his tone heavy with reluctant admiration. "The kidnapping—he let the victims go and even apologized afterward. The shooting—if he hadn't fired that hidden shot, I'd be dead by now. The killing—those robbers at the department store had guns. In that situation, even I wouldn't have gone easy, not with innocent people nearby."
Yusaku nodded thoughtfully. "So he understands people. Reads their hearts. He's dangerous—but only to the right targets. Fortunately," he added with a wry smile, "he's not your enemy."
Conan's reply was hesitant. "…Yeah. I guess."
"Listen, Shinichi," Yusaku continued patiently. "You're chasing a dangerous organization. This Kuroda boy might be exactly the kind of ally you need. He may not be a 'good person' in the usual sense, but he's the kind who'll get things done."
"I know that," Conan admitted quietly, looking away.
"Then don't overthink it," Yusaku said. "You could use more allies. The world isn't black and white—"
He was cut off by the click of the door opening.
Yukiko stepped in, arms crossed, looking smug."Yusaku, you're missing the point! The real issue is that this Kuroda boy—" she jabbed a finger toward Conan "—is Shinichi's love rival!"
"I am NOT! You're making that up!" Conan stammered, waving his hands frantically in denial.
"Oh?" Yusaku's eyes widened in amusement. "Ah… so that's how it is."He folded his arms, adopting an overly serious tone. "Sorry, son. You're on your own. Your old man's never dealt with anything like that before."
"What?! Really?" Conan deflated, genuinely disappointed. He'd been hoping for advice.
Yukiko smirked. "Want my help instead?"She crossed her arms triumphantly, her entire posture screaming beg me.
"You?" Conan eyed her skeptically. "Can you even give decent advice?"
Yusaku cut in with a nostalgic smile. "Don't underestimate your mother, Shinichi. Back in her day, she was Tokyo's biggest heartbreaker. Suitors lined up from Tokyo all the way to Osaka. If she hadn't starred in one of my adapted novels, I'd never have had a chance to talk to her."
"Really?!" Conan's skepticism vanished instantly.He slid up beside his mother, plastering on his best smile.
"Okaa-san~, I'm sorry for being rude earlier!" he said, kneading her shoulders with exaggerated sweetness. "You're the best! The prettiest! The wisest!"
Under the relentless flattery and shoulder massage, Yukiko finally huffed and gave in. "Fine… I'll help."
The Next Afternoon — Mouri Detective Agency
"So Conan's not coming by anymore?" Ran Mouri asked, a faint note of sadness in her voice.
After so many days together, she'd grown attached to the little detective. He was like a younger brother—one that somehow always got her into trouble.
"Don't worry," Ren Kuroda said reassuringly, setting down his cup of coffee. "He'll be back."
"Really?" Ran looked up, hope shining in her eyes.
"Of course," Ren said confidently. "As long as he still wants to be a detective, he'll come back."
Just as he finished, the doorbell rang.
"See?" Ran smiled and hurried to answer it. "That must be him!"
But when she opened the door, the person standing there wasn't Conan.
Her smile faltered.
Instead, a tall young man with dark skin and sharp eyes stood in the doorway. His expression was serious, his presence commanding.
"Uh—hello?" Ran greeted politely despite her confusion. "Can I help you?"
She took a closer look—and realized his skin wasn't just tan. It was deep and naturally dark.
The stranger spoke in a thick Kansai accent."I'm lookin' for Shinichi Kudo. Where is he?"