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The Suzuki family was one of Japan's top conglomerates, so they enjoyed privileges that most people could only dream of.
In the jujutsu world, there were always sorcerers willing to help if the price was right—
Mei Mei was a good example. As long as the Suzuki family could pay her fees, she would help without hesitation.
After everything that happened, the banquet couldn't go on. Thanks to Fumino Yukinoshita's careful planning, the guests left in an orderly way.
Before leaving, almost every family representative gave Kai a business card. Even having him remember their faces was considered a win.
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"Conan?" Ran noticed the boy standing frozen in place and called to him in confusion.
Conan did not respond. His eyes remained fixed on the unconscious Mr. Yukinoshita lying on the floor.
"Are there... a lot of things like cursed spirits?" he asked at last, turning toward Kai.
Kai raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that Conan had chosen to ask him, but he answered anyway. "Recently, quite a few have been appearing. Listen, kid. The next time you run into a dead body, don't charge straight into the scene. Places connected to death are exactly where cursed spirits are most likely to appear."
Kai had no intention of exposing Conan's true identity as Shinichi Kudo. There was no need.
Conan did not argue.
He was obsessed with solving mysteries, but he wasn't foolish. Cursed spirits didn't follow human logic, laws, or common sense. No matter how good his deductions were, he couldn't handle something like that. They were on a whole different level.
For the first time, Conan felt like the detective skills he'd always been proud of were just a cruel joke.
"Are there many jujutsu sorcerers like you?" he asked.
"I suppose there are a fair number."
Detectives were always more curious than most people. After a short pause, Conan went on, "Then does that mean... if you were stronger, you could have noticed this cursed spirit earlier?"
Kai paused. He had not expected Conan to ask that.
Was that an accusation, or merely the boy's unconscious frustration speaking?
Conan kept looking at Mr. Yukinoshita. Maybe he didn't mean anything bad by his question. Deep down, both Conan and Ran were good people. If they could stop someone from dying, they would never just watch it happen.
"Sorry, I..." Conan stopped himself, realizing he'd spoken out of turn. No matter what happened, he had no right to blame Kai. If Kai hadn't stepped in, Conan and everyone else might have died tonight.
Before Conan could apologize properly, Kai chuckled.
Then, under Conan's bewildered stare, Kai leaned down and looked directly into his eyes.
"How do you know I didn't notice it?"
Conan froze.
Kai trusted his senses completely. He had just never said he was a good person.
Save him? Why should he??
Did people really believe he was a selfless genius here to save the world?
Conan's mind raced. In less than a second, he understood what Kai meant, and all the color left his face.
"You..."
"What?" Kai asked lightly. "Are you going to report me?"
Conan fell silent.
He had only learned about the jujutsu world tonight, but Tomoko Suzuki's attitude toward Kai had already told him a lot. Jujutsu sorcerers had a frighteningly high status. Even if Conan told someone what Kai said, and they didn't think he was crazy, what could they actually do?
Conan had already seen the darkness hiding in this world. If he tried to play hero now, he wouldn't get anywhere. Worse, he might make Kai angry and put Ran, Sonoko, and everyone else in danger.
Whack!
Ran marched over and brought her fist down on Conan's head. Before he could even cry out, she grabbed him by the ear and lifted him slightly.
"Conan! What do you think you're doing? Stop bothering people."
Ran hadn't heard what they were talking about, but she saw them standing close together. Knowing Conan's knack for getting into trouble, she rushed over, worried he might say something rude and upset the powerful sorcerer who had just saved everyone.
"Ran-neechan!! I didn't do anything!" Conan pleaded as pain shot through his ear.
Ran ignored his protests and gave Kai an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kai. Conan can be a real handful."
"It's fine," Kai said, waving it off. "He's an interesting kid. He's a bit impulsive, but the way he acts and thinks doesn't seem like something an elementary schooler should be able to do."
He smiled faintly.
"If anything, he acts more like an adult..." Kai didn't want to reveal Shinichi Kudo's secret, but he thought teasing him a little was harmless.
"..." As expected, Conan's face went pale.
Kai was amused by Conan's dramatic reaction. It was like watching a classic anime moment happen right in front of him—and he had to admit it was entertaining.
"Ahem! Ran-neechan, I was just curious. I wasn't causing trouble!" Conan immediately slipped back into his innocent child act, afraid that Ran might notice something.
Unfortunately for Conan, Ran had already been suspicious for a while. Now that Kai, who was incredibly powerful, had pointed it out, it was much harder for her to ignore her doubts.
Why would someone like him make something like that up?
'So... is Conan really Shinichi?' Before, Ran would have thought the idea of someone turning into a child was just nonsense. But after seeing monsters, curses, and sorcerers herself, de-aging didn't seem so impossible anymore.
"Ran-neechan?" Conan tugged at her sleeve when he noticed her staring into space.
Ran snapped back to herself. "It's nothing. Let's go home."
Conan watched her closely. Her reaction made him even more uneasy, but knowing how strong Ran was, he didn't dare push his luck. He just followed her out.
Besides, everything that happened tonight had turned his world upside down. Genius or not, he needed time to put his worldview back together.
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"Kai-kun, when you have time, please honor our home with a visit," Tomoko Suzuki said gracefully.
Before leaving, she made sure to exchange contact information with him. With Kai's power, not trying to win his favor would have been careless for someone in her position as the head of the Suzuki family.
Kai had no reason to say no. For one thing, Tomoko Suzuki was a beautiful woman. More importantly, like Fumino Yukinoshita, Tomoko had two daughters, and both were attractive in their own ways.
Sonoko might look plain at first, but Kai knew from the anime that her beauty was hidden by that cursed headband. If she ever took it off, she'd instantly become much more attractive.
The real mystery was why she liked wearing it so much.
Before long, everyone else had left. Only the three Yukinoshita women remained, along with Mr. Yukinoshita, who was still unconscious on the floor.
"Mr. Kai, if you're not in a hurry, would you mind staying a little longer?" Fumino asked with a polite smile. "I'm sure Haruno and Yukino would be sad to see you go so soon."
"..." Yukino and Haruno weren't foolish.
They understood what their mother was trying to do right away. She wanted to use their connection with Kai to pull him closer to the Yukinoshita family.
The obvious scheming made both sisters uncomfortable. Haruno's feelings were more complicated, but Yukino had always thought her friendship with Kai wasn't about status or protection. Seeing her mother treat it like a political tool made her pull back inside.
"Kai-kun," Yukino said before her mother could say more, "if you have other things to do, you can go home first. After everything that happened tonight, you must be tired."
"YUKINO!" Fumino had not expected her youngest daughter to defy her openly. She shot Yukino a sharp warning look.
Yukino didn't look away.
In the past, she might have backed down under her mother's pressure. But after everything she'd been through, she wasn't that helpless girl anymore. Now, at least, she had the courage to look Fumino in the eye.
For a moment, Fumino said nothing. 'She really has grown...'
"I don't mind staying," Kai said with a chuckle.
Kai noticed that Yukino was willing to put him ahead of her family's plans.
"Besides, something like that didn't tire me out."
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