Is Kudo Shinichi Weak?

"It must be weak."

Fujino poked and pinched Kudo Shinichi's cheek twice, then glanced at his eyes and replied seriously, "If you want him to wake up quickly, you can pour a bucket of cold water on him."

"Watering?"

Ran blinked in confusion, looking somewhat hesitant. "Does watering really work?"

After all, this isn't a vegetable.

"Let's skip the cold water; he's still too weak."

As Fujino's Tomoaki Araide mother, Fujino stopped her from having any bad ideas.

Although she is not a medical expert, she can see the condition of her own son.

After a pause, she offered a more reliable opinion. "In my opinion, he fainted because he was exhausted. He should wake up after resting in the infirmary for a while."

Ran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Kudo?"

Hattori Heiji arrived at that moment.

Looking at that familiar face, he secretly felt that it was indeed Kudo.

He would recognize me even if I turned to ashes.

But when did this guy recover...? And who was that Conan just now?!

Hattori Heiji looked completely bewildered, and felt a slight headache coming on.

"Could this person be Kudo?"

"It seems so..."

"Then why didn't he step forward just now? Was it because he was afraid of being crushed by Fujino's reasoning?"

"Idiot, didn't you see he's passed out?"

"He must have caught a cold, and Fujino took advantage of him."

The surrounding students also noticed the unconscious lead actor, and after gathering around, some students immediately recognized Kudo Shinichi.

Tomoaki Araide frowned and glanced at the students around him. "There are too many people here, it's not convenient to rest. I'll take him to the infirmary first."

As he spoke, he helped Kudo Shinichi up and carried him on his back.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Doctor Shinide." Ran quickly followed.

Several students from Class 2B nearby followed suit.

'Was it all just my imagination?'

Ai Haibara watched the departing group, her brow furrowed, and she lowered her head, sensing that something was amiss.

Why does it suddenly feel like the doctor's aura has weakened considerably?

Fujino stood silently in place, his hands in his pockets.

If he's not mistaken, Vermouth took Kudo Shinichi away because she was afraid of being exposed.

Although he didn't know if this enchantress already knew that the organization had killed 'Kudo Shinichi', judging from her behavior, she still didn't want Kudo Shinichi to show his face.

Moreover, judging from the feeling just now, the aura of that middle-aged enchantress noticeably diminished when she carried Kudo Shinichi on her back...

Sure enough, mothers do seem to have less of a killer aura.

Pulling himself back to reality, Fujino glanced at Vermouth's retreating figure carrying Kudo Shinichi and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Surprisingly, it's quite heartwarming.

A mother who is over fifty but still has a charming appearance carrying her child on her back.

Inside the medical room.

In the dim light, Kudo Shinichi opened his eyes and saw Fujino's large face in front of him.

"Fuck, Fujino!"

Kudo Shinichi sat up abruptly, uttering a surprised exclamation.

"Um?"

Fujino frowned in confusion, then smiled and asked with feigned curiosity, "Kudo-kun, do we know each other?"

"Well?"

Kudo Shinichi moment, then looked at his hands before realizing that he had almost exposed his disguise.

He quickly scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Of course I've heard of you, Fujino, the High School Detective from my school... By the way, nice to meet you."

"Oh... I've heard of you too, the Sherlock Holmes of the 21st century, right?"

"It's the Heisei era."

Kudo Shinichi corrected.

"Shinichi, why are you so weak?"

Ran's eyes were full of suspicion.

She was very curious about what Shinichi had been doing all this time.

Why would medical Senior and leading medical professionals say it's unreliable?

"...?"

Kudo Shinichi was completely dumbfounded.

What kind of inappropriate language is this?

When did I become weak?

After a moment's thought, he decisively turned his gaze to Fujino.

Sure enough, it's that guy again...

Fujino, you deserve to die!

A bit bewildered by the question, Kudo was speechless and fell into deep thought.

In the end, he could only say that he was too tired from investigating the case, thus glossing over the issue.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and confirming that Kudo Shinichi was alright, the group decided to return to the gymnasium to clean up the mess.

"Seriously, the performance was going so well, and then a murder happened..."

Sonoko pushed open the door, complaining, "How come wherever this deduction maniac goes, people die?!"

"The Sonoko is ready."

Ran followed beside her, chuckling as she comforted her, "There'll be another chance next year."

"Sigh... It was really hard to attract so many viewers."

Sonoko sighed softly; the young girl's dream of becoming a director had shattered once again.

Next year?

Fujino followed behind the two, muttering to himself as he pondered.

The second school festival...

This world's damn timeline.

Who knows when the second year will be?

Turning his head, he called out to Conan Hattori Heiji, "Are you two going to stay here a little longer?"

Hattori Heiji: "Ah, it's not easy to meet, I have some things I want to talk to Kudo about."

Ai Haibara in Conan's tone, said, "I also want to catch up with Shinichi."

"What...?"

Kazuha glanced speechlessly at Hattori Heiji: "You really can't resist Kudo."

Fujino: "..."

That tone is befitting of someone from a family of professional actors.

Soon, only Ai Haibara, Kudo Shinichi, Hattori Heiji, and a few others remained in the infirmary.

"Hey, Kudo, what's going on here?"

Hattori Heiji sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Kudo on the left and Conan on the right, "Are you Kudo or someone else in disguise?"

"What? What happened?"

A little confused by the question, Kudo Shinichi replied, "I am Kudo Shinichi."

"Of course it's Conan." Hattori Heiji looked at Conan.

"She's Haibara."

Kudo Shinichi explained, "Not long ago, she developed an antidote for the poison that shrunk me. Then, during the school festival, I turned back into my current form. I also had her impersonate Conan for a bit to dispel Ran's suspicions."

"Oh, I see... Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

Hattori Heiji scratched his chin in realization, then looked at Kudo Shinichi with a resentful gaze. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have impersonated you! You made me look like such a fool of myself."

"How dare you say that..."

Kudo Shinichi couldn't help but feel speechless when he recalled how Osaka Black Chicken had made a fool of himself by impersonating him. "I should be the one making a fool of myself, shouldn't I?"

"Ha ha..."

Hattori Heiji scratched his head awkwardly, but then, glancing at Ai Haibara beside him, he changed the subject with a smile, "I didn't expect this little sister to be so capable..."

Ai Haibara: Staring coldly...

Hattori Heiji: I feel a chill run down my spine from being stared at.

"Actually, she's the same as me; she's shrunk."

Kudo Shinichi glanced at Ai Haibara, then briefly explained the matter of the medicine.

Hattori Heiji was used to this.

Well, Kudo Shinichi has already shrunk, it's quite reasonable for him to shrink even more...

Sure enough, Tokyo is full of monsters.

After a brief exchange of information, Kudo Shinichi looked at Ai Haibara: "Speaking of which, Haibara, why didn't you tell me sooner that I would suddenly faint?"

He paused, then whispered, "And what about the 'false' stuff? You didn't tell me about it beforehand..."

Are you taking revenge for someone else's personal grudge?

"Who told you to show off when you've just recovered and your stamina hasn't caught up yet?" Ai Haibara said calmly.

Imagine someone suddenly appearing out of nowhere in front of Princess – if you're not nervous, who is?

Kudo Shinichi: "..."

So it's my fault?

Ai Haibara suddenly remembered something and asked Kudo Shinichi, "By the way, what was that person just now?"

"Which 'that person'?"

"That pretty boy."

"You mean Doctor Shinide?"

Kudo Shinichi immediately understood. "His name is Tomoaki Araide. He's our school's basketball coach and part-time school doctor. Is there a problem?"

"I sensed the presence of the organization in him."

Ai Haibara narrowed her eyes slightly and said seriously, "That feeling, there's no mistake."

"Ah?"

Kudo Shinichi was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment and joked, "You must be mistaken. How could Doctor Shinide be related to the organization? Could it be that someone from the organization is impersonating him?"

"..."

Ai Haibara lowered her eyes and head, lost in thought, "I feel it's possible."

Because of the murder case, Sonoko's show had to stop, and Fujino had no interest in staying any longer. He took Conan and Mori Kogoro and drove home.

[Detective Profession Mission detected: (Solve the murder case at the school festival) - Solved]

[System reward: (1.5 million yen, 200 Detective Reputation points) has been issued]

Current balance: 7.28 million yen

[Current Detective Reputation: 900/1500]

Fujino opened the system interface, and a light screen appeared before his eyes indicating that the System Task was completed.

Just as I reached out to turn it off, a phone rang in my ear.

He took out his phone, and on the screen was the contact name [Suwa Yuji].

Fujino answered the phone, and after exchanging greetings, Suwa Yuji got straight to the point. "The kendo exam starts tomorrow, Fujino- kun, are you going to... well, with your skill level, you could probably get promoted even if you just showed up with a Wooden Sword."

"Tomorrow is the 15th?"

Fujino glanced at today's date in surprise and frowned. "Speaking of which, tomorrow should be a workday, right? Why is the promotion exam on a workday?"

Tomorrow is indeed Monday.

Suwa Yuji explained, "This promotion exam is not one that anyone can usually participate in. It is a special exam approved by the Kendo Association for all students from dojos with 'potential' for promotion. Each dojo only has two slots."

"So that's how it is."

Fujino nodded. "In that case, I'll meet you at the dojo tomorrow."

So you mean you're giving preferential treatment to all the dojos you have connections with, right?

However, Suwa Yuji's network of connections is quite impressive...

It's unbelievable that someone could become the chief examiner in a competition where connections were made.

It's hard not to suspect that this promotion exam was something he proposed to pull strings.

"Ding-dong!"

Just as I hung up the phone, the doorbell of the detective agency rang.

Has the client arrived?

Upon hearing the sound, Fujino stood up, put away his phone, and went to the entrance of the detective agency on the second floor. There he saw a woman standing in front of the detective agency, ringing the doorbell.

The woman was carrying a bag, wearing an orange dress with white lapels on both sides of the collar. Her medium-length black hair was draped over her shoulders, covering her ears. She had fair skin and a pure and lovely appearance.

"Excuse me, are you Detective Fujino?"

The woman's voice was soft, and she asked Fujino cautiously.

"That's me."

Fujino stepped forward, looked at the woman, and asked, "Do you have any requests for me?"

"That's right, I have a request for you."

"Let's go inside and talk."

Fujino invited the woman into the detective agency.

After a brief introduction, the woman's name was Haruna Yuki, and she was an art student.

The reason she sought Fujino's help this time was to find someone.

Yes, it's about finding someone again.

Fujino felt that recently, the number of requests to find people had inexplicably increased.

He still prefers to commission extramarital affairs.

Not only is it simple, but the commission and hush money are also high.

"Friends I met through a pager?"

Fujino poured a cup of black tea and handed it to Haruna Yuki. "So, this time, Miss Yuuki, you want to ask me to find someone?"

"Yes, his name is Qiu Wu, and we met three years ago."

Haruna Yuki explained, "At the time, I came to Tokyo from the countryside to find a place to stay in order to attend art college. However, I was unfamiliar with the area and didn't have any friends around me, so I randomly dialed a number on my pager. Surprisingly, the other party replied to my message."

She thought for a moment and continued, "The message was something like this: 'His first love was also Haruna, and he hoped to be friends with me.' From then on, we communicated via pager. I felt that he was as gentle as an older man, so I would talk to him about any troubles I had."

Upon hearing this, Fujino pondered and rubbed his chin.

Pagers seem to be a rare sight these days.

However, this way of making friends was indeed quite popular in the past.

To give a concrete example, it's similar to the current "shake" feature.

However, the person you draw may not necessarily be someone nearby.

After thinking for a moment, Fujino continued, "So, you asked me to come find him because he's missing?"

"Actually, that's not the case. His pager is in my hands right now."

Haruna Yuki pulled a blue pager out of her pocket. "Around Christmas last year, after I came to Tokyo, I worked hard to earn tuition fees, but in the end I couldn't keep going, so I thought about dropping out of school... But before I went back, I had to see him, so we arranged to meet in front of the loyal dog statue in Shibuya."

"But I waited for a long time and it didn't come. Then, I found this pager nearby, along with this Music Box."

As she spoke, she picked up her handbag and placed it on the coffee table. "He said this Music Box is very valuable, and that I should sell it to pay for my tuition. He told me not to give up on it, as it has always been my dream."

"So that's how it is."

Fujino narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Music Box.

It was an old-fashioned Music Box, which looked quite old, and the workmanship was still quite good.

After a pause, Fujino asked her, "So, you didn't sell this Music Box?"

"Of course I wouldn't sell something so valuable, so I thought that if I could find out where the Music Box came from, I might be able to find its owner. That's when I found an antique shop."

Haruna Yuki shook her head. "But the people at the antique shop said it was just a damaged Music Box and wasn't worth much at all."

"That could also mean something special to that person, which is why they think it's so expensive."

Fujino offered his guess, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Haruna Yuki sitting opposite him.

There's something fishy about this woman...

Going to an antique shop, are you perhaps planning to ask about prices and sell it?

However, since the other party wanted him to find someone to return the Music Box, it doesn't seem like that.

Fujino felt this task was a bit difficult.

If you need to find someone, he can easily do it.

What he found difficult was the price.

After all, she can barely afford her tuition, how could she afford the commission fee?