Conan took the face mask and nodded vigorously.
Then he suddenly turned and sneezed.
Kudo Yukiko froze. "That sounded so real. Your acting shouldn't be this good... Shin-chan, do you have a cold?"
Conan rubbed his nose speechlessly. "My acting is already pretty good compared to ordinary people! You can't keep comparing me to you."
Kudo Yukiko shook her head and sighed. "Catching a cold at a critical time like this—you're terrible at taking care of yourself. Why not move to the United States and live with your parents?"
"I'm not going!" Conan could not help saying. "And whose fault is it that I caught a cold, anyway?! Who hid behind the door last night, scared me with a Water Gun, and sprayed my whole head soaking wet?!"
"Ahem!" Kudo Yukiko smiled guiltily. "You were too tense, so I just wanted to help you relax! All right, it's almost time. You... why don't you come back to the United States with Mom? There's a flight in half an hour."
Conan looked up at his mother, who seemed relaxed but could not hide her worry, and did his best to look confident. "Don't worry, I'll come back safely. You should get going too, to that Halloween Cruise Ship."
With that, he waved goodbye, left the Kudo Residence, and returned to Professor Agasa's house through an inconspicuous corner by the back door.
Agasa Residence.
Professor Agasa was pacing back and forth nervously. When he finally saw Conan return, his eyes lit up and he hurried over.
Conan glanced at where the Listening Device had been installed and quickly raised a finger, signaling this careless old man to be quiet.
Then he adjusted his tone and asked casually, "How's Haibara?"
Professor Agasa promptly recited the lines they had agreed on. "Ai has