Chapter 62: The Kudo Family's Little Game
At a crossroads in Beika Town, a green sedan stopped at a red light. Snowflakes drifted onto the windshield, mercilessly crushed by the wipers.
Inside, a bone-chilling cold enveloped Conan.
Conan, in the passenger seat, looked grim, his mind racing. The biting cold, combined with the falling snow, seemed to freeze his very heart.
He hadn't given himself away. He'd solved all the cases using Uncle Kogoro's ridiculous voice. How could anyone have discovered his identity?
As a detective, he felt utterly lost and confused.
Meanwhile, in the driver's seat, the woman named Edogawa Fumiyo—who claimed to be his mother—gripped a pistol tightly, the dark muzzle pressed against his forehead.
"Don't move, sweetie. Be a good boy and I'll take you somewhere fun."
Edogawa Fumiyo's eyes gleamed with malice, and the smirk on her lips betrayed her mockery.
This woman!
But the gun's way too close, lady!
Conan reacted swiftly, swatting away the pistol and leaping forward. Half his body shifted into the driver's seat as one foot slammed on the accelerator.
With a roar, the car shot across the intersection like an arrow. The traffic camera flashed overhead—the mastermind, Night Baron, had just received a ticket.
"Kid!"
Fumiyo Edogawa, thrown backward by the momentum, barely adjusted to the acceleration when the car suddenly slammed on the brakes, lurching her forward. Her face nearly hit the steering wheel.
Before she could recover, Conan had already opened the passenger door and was escaping!
"Damn it!"
Fumiyo Edogawa—also known as Yukiko Kudo—slammed her hand on the steering wheel in frustration, feeling utterly humiliated at being tricked by her own son.
Just as she prepared to give chase, she realized her target had vanished without a trace.
Conan's Escape
Conan, having already hidden in a narrow alley between buildings, leaned against a wall, panting heavily. His heart pounded like a runaway train, and even the snowflakes falling on him melted quickly from his body heat.
"It's that Organization!"
Conan was absolutely certain. This was someone from that Organization—the same group as Gin, Vodka, and Tequila.
Though he didn't understand why this operative wasn't wearing black, now wasn't the time to ponder such details.
He had to reach Professor Agasa.
His identity being exposed had caught him completely off guard. His mind raced with possibilities, finally settling on Professor Agasa's villa. Only Professor Agasa could provide him with a sense of security now.
He acted on impulse, but just as Conan stepped out of the alley, a gray GTR screeched to a halt in front of him.
Conan reacted like a startled deer. The first thing he thought upon hearing the brakes was that Edogawa Fumiyo had caught up.
Without bothering to look closely, he activated his Power-Enhancing Shoes, preparing for a Conan-style escape.
"Conan!"
Seeing Conan activate his shoes to flee, Natsukawa rolled down the car window. "Anya said your mother picked you up. Why are you still here?"
Conan, his heart leaping into his throat, stumbled and fell to the ground. Recognizing the familiar voice, he struggled to turn his face, which was pressed against the cold pavement.
"Uncle Natsukawa?"
Natsukawa turned on his hazard lights and exited the vehicle. This wasn't a designated parking area, so it was best to keep the hazards on. Otherwise, if Miyamoto Yumi caught him, Yor would definitely find out, which could leave a poor impression.
He'd been able to locate Conan thanks to the Detective Badge.
As a member of the Detective Boys, Anya also possessed a Detective Badge, and Natsukawa had Frank extract the badge's wireless signal to track their locations. Finding Conan hadn't been difficult.
"Are you alright?!"
Natsukawa picked Conan up.
"It's below freezing, and you came out in just a suit and shorts?" Natsukawa frowned and touched Conan's hand—it was ice cold.
He couldn't tell if it was from fear or the temperature.
Kids like this are prone to catching colds. Is Conan planning to drink baijiu while sick?
"I'm fine," Conan shook his head, indicating that's how Aoyama-sensei drew it, probably considering that wearing too much would affect his brain's processing power while deducing.
"That won't do. I have a pair of Anya's thermal leggings in the car. You can wear them temporarily. They're pink, but we can't be picky right now."
No need for that.
Conan gritted his teeth and tried to stand. The cold ground had scraped his knee, and a trickle of blood seeped from the wound. Although he was a seventeen-year-old high schooler, his pain tolerance seemed to have decreased considerably since becoming a child, and a few tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.
"See? You're tearing up from the cold."
Natsukawa's arms wrapped around Conan's waist, lifting him completely.
Natsukawa often did this when Anya and Bond misbehaved, so he was extremely practiced at it.
Conan felt somewhat embarrassed by this position, but Natsukawa's arms were like steel vises. After struggling briefly, he gave up.
Pink Thermal Leggings
In the car, Conan's blue suit shorts were tossed aside while Anya's thermal leggings were already on him. Children's builds were fairly similar, and they didn't feel tight on Conan despite him being a boy.
"Could you pull them down a bit?" Conan asked, blushing, indicating that the crotch area was too high and somewhat uncomfortable.
"Sure."
The leggings were something Natsukawa had purchased at Beika Department Store and left in the car. Given the unpredictable weather in this world, he could leave them for Anya to change into during emergencies. Therefore, the leggings were still brand new, with tags still attached.
The light pink cotton thermal leggings paired with the blue blazer looked somewhat odd. Natsukawa had originally wanted to give Conan the matching coat as well, but Conan waved his hands frantically after seeing the bunny pattern on the pink coat and the bunny ears on the hood.
Natsukawa chuckled and didn't insist. Then he asked, "By the way, where's your mother? Didn't you leave with her?"
Conan's relaxed mood evaporated, his expression quickly shifting from embarrassed to serious.
His glasses reflected a white gleam as he looked down. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Uncle Natsukawa, actually that woman isn't my mother!"
Seemingly afraid Natsukawa wouldn't believe him, Conan added, "My mother isn't even in Japan right now, and that 200-pound old lady is way too old."
From a young, beautiful actress to a middle-aged, overweight woman—Conan couldn't accept this transformation. Even if the Black Organization were impersonating his mother, they should at least use an attractive woman. What kind of operation used an old lady who looked at least forty or fifty?
Natsukawa coughed twice, suppressing the smile threatening to break free.
Fortunately, Kudo Yukiko hadn't heard this, or she'd definitely be furious.
Being described as an old lady in her forties or fifties weighing 200 pounds by her own son would probably make her want to exact severe retribution on Conan.
"Really?"
Natsukawa's surprise and doubt were feigned, but in Conan's eyes, it clearly registered as disbelief.
He probably thought of him as an elementary school student arguing with his parents.
Conan didn't want to explain further at this moment. "Then, Uncle Natsukawa, can you take me to Professor Agasa's house?"
Natsukawa considered briefly. Taking Conan there wouldn't waste much time, and Frank's villa was also near Professor Agasa's residence.
He just wasn't certain if this would affect the storyline.
However, considering the world should possess its own corrective mechanisms, Natsukawa immediately relaxed.
"Alright."
Before leaving, he'd called Frank to prepare some entertainment for the prank game—to increase its realism and immersive experience. He believed Conan and the Kudo couple would enjoy it.
Professor Agasa's House
A dozen minutes later, the car stopped in front of Professor Agasa's house.
"Professor Agasa doesn't seem to be home." Natsukawa rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered.
"Didn't you agree to visit Professor Agasa's house today? Why isn't he home?"
Conan checked his watch. "He must have gone for a walk. We agreed to meet at 10:00 AM, and it's only 9:30 now. I remember Professor Agasa has a habit of taking morning walks."
"I see!" Natsukawa nodded slightly, then suddenly sensed something was off—as if someone were secretly watching them.
Through the rearview mirror, a flash of red fabric disappeared around the street corner.
Natsukawa's pulse quickened. He had a good idea who it was.
His knowledge of this particular plot was limited to the Kudo couple pranking their son, but he'd long forgotten most details due to the passage of time. However, at this moment, the only person likely to be spying on them was either Kudo Yukiko or Kudo Yusaku.
The Night Baron's costume was probably black or dark blue.
The red fabric... if he wasn't mistaken, it must be Yukiko Kudo.
"But it's okay—I have a key to Professor Agasa's house."
Conan pulled out a key and waved it. "Uncle Natsukawa, you can go ahead with your business. I can let myself in."
Seeing Conan's eagerness to dismiss him, Natsukawa smiled and nodded slightly. This was exactly what he wanted.
The GTR roared away moments later.
The real show is just beginning.
The Trap
Watching the GTR disappear into the distance, Conan breathed a sigh of relief.
He shouldn't involve Natsukawa in this matter, though Natsukawa seemed far from ordinary himself.
After Natsukawa left, Conan still didn't enter.
The key was actually for the Mouri Detective Agency—he really didn't have a key to Professor Agasa's house.
A gust of snow-laden wind brushed against Conan's cheek, making him shiver involuntarily. He glanced at his pink thermal leggings. Though they looked ridiculous, they were genuinely warm.
But he should probably move aside—the wind was quite strong in the middle of the street.
Conan turned around, seeking a corner to wait in, and nearly collided with someone's knee.
Oh no!
The hem of a red coat billowed in the cold wind, revealing a dark pistol holstered in an inner pocket. The exposed grip sent a chill down Conan's spine.
He turned to look in the direction Natsukawa had gone, but the car had already vanished.
"Mmph!"
A white handkerchief suddenly appeared before him, completely covering his mouth and nose.
The smell of ether rendered Conan utterly powerless to resist. His legs weakened, and his eyes gradually lost their light.
"Let's see you run now, kid."
Edogawa Fumiyo's voice echoed in his ears. Conan's head lolled to the side as he fell into deep unconsciousness.
(End of Chapter 62)
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