Yukiko Kudo was naturally lively. After sitting on the sofa at Jiangxia's place for a while, she felt that—although the place was clean—it was a bit too cold and lacked warmth. So she unconsciously became even more animated, chattering non-stop and digging up random topics just to fill the air.
Unsurprisingly, the conversation eventually veered back to her family.
With a smack on the armrest, Yukiko huffed, "I used to think your Uncle Yusaku was different from those scummy men who go bad once they get rich. But I never expected him to sneak around like this…"
These past few days, Yusaku Kudo had been coming home drunk. One time, there was even fresh lipstick on his collar.
Now, normally Yukiko wouldn't raise a fuss over something like that—it could've easily come from a social event. But then she found a suspicious late-night credit card bill lying on Yusaku's desk. The amount wasn't huge, but it was definitely not nothing. And Yusaku hadn't bought anything she could see…
So, the great detective Yukiko Kudo mulled it over and came to one firm conclusion: he must've booked a fancy hotel room behind her back.
Infuriated, she promptly ran away from home, planning to seek refuge with her son.
But the moment she called Conan and vented about the "mystery midnight room charge," he got all cagey and evasive. It was as if he knew what happened to the money—but no matter how she prodded, he wouldn't say.
…
At Jiangxia's place.
Adhering to the unspoken rule of not airing dirty laundry in public—and slightly embarrassed—Yukiko, clutching a teacup, skipped the details about the lipstick and hotel bill and jumped straight to the dramatic conclusion: "Those two must be in on it together! Bah! Dog men!"
Then she suddenly remembered her host and hastily added, "Of course, Xia, you're not like them!" She slapped the armrest again. "Men really do turn bad when they have money. This time, once he apologizes, I'm taking over the finances!"
Jiangxia sat across from her, nodding along, saying "You're right," but in his head he was completely lost. This story… made no sense. It felt like someone had removed all the middle chapters.
After some thought, he excused himself to the kitchen to fetch dessert—and to quietly call Conan.
This way, Conan could come pick up his runaway mother (who, by the way, had forgotten her house keys). Also, Jiangxia was hoping that maybe, just maybe, their reunion would trigger a case…
Meanwhile, Conan was hiding out at the Mouri Detective Agency. Upon hearing the update from Jiangxia, his brain nearly exploded.
He knew for a fact that Yusaku hadn't booked any hotel room. That suspicious bill? That was from Conan's own midnight credit card swipe—to pay for a car he wrecked while trying to kick Amuro Tooru.
Recently, Conan had thrown a fit and declared, "You don't need to worry about me!" to avoid being dragged to America. And then he immediately used his parents' credit card in the middle of the night. Cough cough. Not a good look.
He had specifically chosen a weird hour so it wouldn't raise suspicions. And now look what happened.
Feeling guilty, Conan quietly told Jiangxia, "I'll give the spare key to the Professor. If it's too much trouble, you can just send her home."
"…Alright." Jiangxia was a little disappointed. Judging from the tone, Conan clearly didn't want to see his mom. That meant—no reunion, no drama… no case.
He sighed, grabbed the dessert, and returned to the living room.
But Yukiko was already putting on her jacket, looking ready to go.
Jiangxia blinked. What was this—mother-son telepathy?
…Nope. Overthinking.
Yukiko didn't mention the key or Conan. Instead, she grabbed Jiangxia like she was recruiting him for war: "Are you free today?"
Jiangxia thought for a second, then nodded.
"Then help me with a little favor!" Yukiko instantly brightened, checked her watch, and clapped her hands. "The timing's perfect. Let's go—we're investigating a case!"
Jiangxia: "???"
…
Several hours later.
Yukiko Kudo, as a composed adult with a 17-year-old son, hadn't flown all the way from America just to storm out over a lipstick stain. She was also helping an old friend investigate something shady.
To be precise, her childhood friend had asked her for help—but both parties knew they were really trying to get help from her husband, Yusaku.
But Yukiko was still mad at him. No way was she asking him for help.
She'd originally thought of enlisting her son, but he clearly sided with his dad, even covering up that suspicious credit card bill…
Thinking of this, Yukiko let out a low, villainous laugh. Heh. Did they think she had no other options? They didn't expect it—but she had a neighbor.
—Jiangxia could solve cases. He had a sweet mouth. And while he occasionally flubbed calling her "older sister," he never once called her "auntie," always slipping in a smooth workaround.
Truly a must-have neighbor child for home and travel.
Sigh, if only he were her biological son.
As she pondered this, Yukiko expertly drifted her motorcycle into a dramatic drifting stop outside a fancy mansion.
"We're here," she told Jiangxia, who was sitting behind her.
Jiangxia looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, hesitating to speak.
He'd thought she was just going to investigate something nearby. But once he'd gotten on her motorcycle, the neighbor sister just… kept… driving. Farther and farther.
They were now in Gunma Prefecture.
The good news: Jiangxia remembered a murder case was probably going to happen here.
The bad news: tomorrow was Maumi Endo's "Real-Life Detective Game Party." And this whole detour might make him late.
Yukiko didn't seem likely to bike him back to Tokyo overnight. And even if he took a train or hitched a ride, calculating the distance… he definitely wouldn't make the 11 a.m. meetup.
To be a polite "pigeon" (read: someone who misses prior engagements), Jiangxia shot Maumi Endo a message saying he might be late.
How late? Who knew.
…
Meanwhile, a little earlier.
Maumi Endo was wandering around a shopping center, checking off items on her list in preparation for tomorrow's cooking showdown.
They say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach. Old-fashioned? Sure. But Maumi found it extremely effective.
She was almost done shopping when, in the snack aisle, she spotted two very familiar figures: Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki.
Maumi instantly remembered how Jiangxia had brightened up at the stadium the moment he saw them.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and a few dramatic kanji practically flashed across her pupils:
Stumbling Blocks on the Road to Victory!
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 64/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*