[Conan Doujin] The Mystery of Theseus

Puzzle9□□ will be forgiven.

what are you doing here?

The moment he heard the question clearly, Edogawa was a little surprised.

Hey, what a strange tone.

This is the question I want to ask.

What are you (accent) doing here again?

The doubts I had before disappeared, and the teasing greetings and severe questioning were forgotten in the back of my mind.He looked up at the other party from an uncomfortable perspective, the oncoming moonlight was not dazzling but enough to make the pupils contract slightly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly to try to see the other person's face clearly, but under the backlight, even the most subtle changes in expression have been swallowed up by the shadows.

While the body has not yet taken action, the mind is still constantly chewing on the information it has just received.

kid?

For no reason, Edogawa was conflicted about this statement.

Since when did he use that title?

Before becoming Edogawa Conan, Kudo didn't have much special opinion on the term "little ghost".He would say this when talking about those elementary school students who didn't understand anything, and most of the older people around him would use this title.But their intention is definitely not ridicule, and their tone will not show contempt or impatience.

In my impression, when I was quite proud of solving those ordinary or difficult cases perfectly, my father would occasionally rub his hair vigorously and say "little devil", with a feeling of "newborn calves are not afraid of tigers" in his eyes.

But now, in people's eyes, "Edogawa Conan" is just a real kid, an elementary school student who needs to lower his eyes to see.Many times, they couldn't see him.

They would call him "the kid," in the same tone that he himself spoke of "schoolboys who didn't understand anything."And he couldn't argue for himself, he was not as immature as he looked.His shadow will not be seen, his voice will not be heard.

The existence of "Kudo Shinichi" will not be observed by those who only see the appearance.

Therefore, when someone really recognizes that "Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi" and admits this fact, he feels that his existence is no longer denied.He doesn't need to imitate those pretentious child voices according to his memory, but only needs to throw away those serious ignorance with the most relaxed mood.At least in front of the companion who shared the secret, what can be touched and captured is not the skin but the soul.

But what is this guy who calls himself a "companion" talking and doing now?Wearing a ridiculous costume and stuffing yourself into an inexplicable role, and now you have to pretend that you don't know each other?

There must be a limit to joking.

"What are you talking about?" Raising his eyebrows uncomfortably, Edogawa took two steps back to make the angle of his neck less uncomfortable, "I think I need a solution—"

As if deliberately interrupting his speech, the strange thief in front of him sighed.The top of the tall building at night is so quiet that there is only the sound of the wind, but if you listen carefully, you can catch the approaching siren.

"This is not cute." The helpless tone was somewhat alienated, and the monster thief didn't pay much attention to the distance between them. "I said, it's very dangerous here, children should not play here to compare—"

In the next second, everything that happened in front of the strange thief completely exceeded his cognition and common sense.

Regarding the high-probability event of encountering Edogawa Conan in action, Kuroba is not completely unpremeditated.He had already planned several ways to deal with it in his heart, and even designed the lines for the decisive victory.

But he didn't expect that before he stepped on the stage, the other party would rush to the performance venue in a hurry.Facing this unpleasant unexpected encounter, he was neither prepared nor knew how to deal with it.

Let's improvise.Kuroba Kaito has always believed in his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and he can still handle the role of a magnificent and contrived gentleman.

But the other party does not seem to buy his account.Stared at by the pair of eyes with narrowed pupils, Hei Yu felt that there was nowhere to hide from his existence.Whether it is the exaggerated costume of Kaitou, or the umbrella of the shadow under the backlight, it seems that it does not exist.

"Kuroba Kaito" was being watched.

There seemed to be something stuck in his throat and he couldn't make a sound. As his heart beat faster, cold sweat began to slide down his cheeks.Hei Yu vaguely felt that if this stalemate continued for another second or two, he would definitely crouch with his head in his arms to prevent a full confession.In order not to let that embarrassing scene happen, he had no choice but to continue to play the role of a stranger to the end, warning the kid in front of him "it's dangerous here" and "children should not play here." Better."

In the next second, flashes of lightning flashed before his eyes, and a gust of wind brushed against his face sharply with considerable force, and finally hit the wall behind him directly.

……What?

Even though his expression was still trying to maintain a professional calm, his knees had already softened like a conditioned reflex.It would be too ugly to be frightened and slumped on the ground at this moment.Taking a step back to stabilize his balance, the Kaitou turned his head to confirm what kind of weapon the detective was using.

In the white and bright field of vision under the moonlight, an ordinary-sized football rolled on the ground and tended to stand still.

……what is this?

"If you use all your strength, the spine might break in an instant." The familiar child's voice stated the terrible fact lightly, "Of course, you have to aim first."

Kuroba, who turned his gaze back, felt a little shudder for an instant.

When what the eyes see does not match the psychological expectations, people call it "violation".

And when the degree of this nonconformity is magnified, people describe it as "terrible."

Edogawa, who had just completed a perfect volley, tightened his lips, and the lenses, which were too wide for a seven-year-old child, reflected a cold light. It was only for a moment, but it carried a sense of warning.

Seeing that expression on a child's face is indeed terrifying to the point of horror.

Edogawa didn't want to use the doctor's new invention at first.But the ability of the child's body is limited. If he does not use any external force, he feels that he may not be able to express the most basic anger truthfully.

If Kudo Shinichi was standing here at this moment, he believed that he would have punched him long ago.

The kind that spares no effort.

Still pretending to be the big brother there, huh?Do not make jokes.

He wasn't outraged at being concealed.The distrust shown by the other party that completely rejects others is the climax of his emotions at the moment.Even though Hei Yu had been hiding the facts before, at the moment when they really met as opposites, he still vaguely expected that the other party would let go of their guard.

Why not?Why not consult with someone at the very beginning?Is it contemptuous of someone who clearly has reliable teammates around him but still doesn't mention the crisis in which he is in?

Under Kuroba's terrified gaze, Edogawa walked straight past him and took back the football.

He toes the ball up, stops, and gives a new-house look back.

"Why don't you say it?"

That night, the doctor's house.

After the day's operations were over, Kuroba followed Edogawa's instructions and came to the doctor's house.After he entered the entrance, Edogawa, who had been waiting there for a long time, never looked at him or greeted him, but just searched for something in the locker in the inner room.

The doctor does not appear to be at home at the moment.Somewhat at a loss, Kuroba stood in place.

He felt that he should admit his mistake.Although subconsciously he thinks that he is only keeping his personal privacy to the maximum extent, and clearly there is nothing wrong with it, but a sincere attitude at this moment is the best way to relieve embarrassment and dissatisfaction.

However, opening the mouth is not easy.

Just when Kuroba was debating whether to admit his mistakes directly and honestly and say "I was wrong!", or to flatter the other party with "I should have consulted with you a long time ago, a famous detective can definitely solve everything!", Edogawa took his own just now. The found items were returned to the living room.

Hei Yu raised his head and wanted to say something, but the other party pressed an OK bandage directly on the side of his face without any prior notice.Only then did he realize that there was a slight tingling where the face was brushed.

"You should be glad I'm not Kudo Shinichi now," Edogawa crossed his arms angrily. "I'll beat you until your mother won't recognize you."

"Yes...is it that serious..." Hei Yu shrank her shoulders, "You have enough things to do, if you don't know a little bit, it will be less troublesome..."

"You still dare to quibble?"

"……I was wrong."

"Concealment itself is stupid, are you looking down on people?" Putting away the cardboard box with the OK stretcher, Edogawa straightened the frame that had slipped, "Even if I'm just Edogawa Conan, what I can do Far more than the incompetent bystanders."

Kuroba just sat in the living room in a training posture, without saying a word.It was a long time before he made a sound.

"Detective," he said, "I suggest that when you become Kudo Shinichi again, don't tell Ms. Lan that you used to be Edogawa Conan."

"Huh?" Edogawa, who returned to the living room, raised his eyebrows disapprovingly, "Let's discuss the facts, don't confuse the public."

"You will be beaten." Kuroba said seriously, "You will definitely be beaten."

"...It was you who said 'she will understand' before."

"Now I believe that Ms. Lan will not believe it so easily," Hei Yu continued, "she will definitely be angry."

"Why do you—"

"It's the same as your attitude now."

"..."

Looking at the deflated expression of the primary school student detective in a good mood, Kuroba congratulated secretly, and he finally won the game.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have hit you from the side with a football." Unexpectedly, I received an apology from Edogawa.But before Hei Yu had time to say something jokingly, he choked on the other party's next sentence.

"If you kicked you unconscious and handed over to the police from the front, there would be nothing wrong with it now."

What did we say...

There was an expression on the child's face that didn't belong to a child, and sometimes it was so inconsistent that it was a little scary.