Detective Conan: The System Takes Me to Zero's World

When Kudo Yuki and Amuro Toru returned to their residence, the early morning mist was condensing into tiny water droplets on the glass windows.

The sensor light in the entrance hall lit up with warm light, making the night dew on the tips of their shoes particularly obvious.

Kudo Yuki changed her shoes and casually took out her white phone from her pocket. The moment the screen lit up, a text message from Mao Lilan appeared on the screen:

Sister Xue, do you want to join me, Sera, and Sonoko for high tea tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock? That new English tea house is near the station, and they say scones with clotted cream are super delicious!

Her tiredness was dispelled by this warm invitation. She turned to look at Rei Furuya who was hanging up his windbreaker: "Ran asked me to have high tea tomorrow, along with Masumi and Sonoko."

Amuro Toru raised his hand and rubbed her slightly furrowed brow, his fingertips still carrying the coolness of the night breeze. "Go ahead, it's a good time to relax. You've been focusing on Rum these days and haven't even had time to sit down and have a cup of tea."

He walked over to the coffee table, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to her. "But you have to tell Manager Kuroda in advance, so that if there's an emergency in the morning, someone can fill in."

Kudo Yuki took the cup, touched the warm wall with her fingertips, and opened the text message to reply:

Okay, see you at the station tomorrow at 10 o'clock.

He then placed his phone on the tray in the entrance hall.

As she turned around, Amuro Toru gently grabbed her wrist and said, "Go wash up and rest now. I'll take care of the rest. You don't have to stay up all night to check on the monitoring equipment and liaise with Matsuda and the others."

She wanted to talk about some more details about the connection with Vermouth, but seeing the fatigue hidden in his eyes, she nodded in the end.

The sound of water running in the bathroom was heard. Amuro Toru walked to the balcony and called Kuroda Heibei, quietly reporting on tomorrow's schedule. At the end, he added, "We're still keeping an eye on Gin. Rena Mizunashi hasn't sent any new information, so for now, we're judging that the explosion plan hasn't changed. If you have any leads about the laboratory this morning, just call me on my work phone."

He hung up the phone and looked back at the frosted glass door of the bathroom. The tension he felt in the safe house during the day had not completely faded away, especially when he saw Kudo Yuki's tense profile when she stared at Rum. He couldn't help but want to share more of the burden with her, even if it was just to let her sleep well and have an undisturbed high tea.

The next morning, Kudo Yuki was gently awakened by the alarm on her cell phone.

The seat next to her was empty, so she sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she walked into the living room, she saw Toru Amuro standing in front of the bar in the open kitchen, holding a toast in one hand and filling her thermos with hot milk with the other.

"Awake?" Amuro Toru turned around and smiled, pushing the toast on a plate towards him. "After washing up, eat something to fill your stomach. There's still an hour until ten o'clock."

Kudo Yuki came back after washing up as instructed, took a bite of toast with strawberry jam, and watched him clean the kitchen. She suddenly remembered what Shushu had muttered while hiding in her pocket last night - "The way Mr. Fūya looks at Xiaoxue is gentler than the warm lights in the cafe."

She couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, took out her phone and sent a message to Mao Lilan:

I'll be there around 9:50. Are you there yet?

Mao Lilan replied almost immediately:

Sonoko and I are already here! Sera hasn't arrived yet, and Sonoko is asking the staff about the signature desserts. She said she wants to order your favorite raspberry tart.

By the time the two of them packed up and went out, the morning light had already filled the streets.

Toru Amuro drove and deliberately avoided the block where the safe house was located last night.

Kudo Yuki leaned on the passenger seat. The detective badge Conan had given her before had its corners worn smooth.

"Do you want to go to the convenience store and buy a hot drink first?" Amuro Toru noticed her fingertips curled slightly and asked with his head tilted. "The black tea in that teahouse is served after you're seated, and you're still hungry."

Shushu poked out his messy head with his fur and dug into her pockets with his chubby little paws: "Xiaoxue! I want some hot cocoa too!"

Amuro Toru gently pressed its head with his palm: "Behave yourself. The hot cocoa from the convenience store has double the sugar. Don't drink it and make your paws sticky again."

Shushu's fur was pressed against his forehead, but he didn't move. He just muttered quietly, "I'm replenishing my energy! I was squatting under the bed watching the bodyguard yesterday, and my paws are numb from the cold."

When Toru Amuro heard this, a smile flashed across his eyes: "It's on my way. I'll go buy it. You wait for me in the car?"

Kudo Yuki nodded, watched Amuro Toru's back as he walked into the convenience store, and recalled the tension in the safe house last night.

A few minutes later, Amuro Toru came back with a paper bag and handed Shushu a cup of hot cocoa, using a small cup with a lid to prevent it from spilling. He also handed Kudo Yuki a cup of warm honey citron tea: "Don't drink anything too sweet if you have a weak stomach. This warm one is just right."

Shushu held the small cup, hooked his chubby paw around the straw and took a sip, squinting his eyes in satisfaction. "Amuro Toru really understands me! It's much better than the bitter coffee Xiaoxue bought last time!"

Kudo Yuki tapped its little head gently: "Who told you to steal my black coffee last time and say it tasted like medicine?"

While the two men and the rat were bickering, the car had already approached the English teahouse in front of the station.

Through the car window, you can see Ran Mouri standing at the door and waving, while Suzuki Sonoko is standing next to her, pointing at the dessert stand inside and saying something excitedly.

Amuro Toru parked the car, opened the door for Kudo Yuki, and whispered, "Relax and have fun. My work phone is on vibrate. If anything happens, I'll tell you the first time."

As soon as Kudo Yuki walked to the door of the teahouse, Mao Lilan grabbed her arm and said, "Sister Yuki, you're finally here! Sonoko just confirmed with the clerk that there are only two raspberry tarts left, and we specially saved one for you!"

Suzuki Sonoko came over and waved the menu in her hand: "Oh, right, the scones here are best served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I've already ordered them for you!"

Kudo Yuki followed Mouri Ran's gaze and found that Conan was standing beside Ran, with his little hands in his coat pockets, looking up and smiling at her.

Conan saw Amuro Toru following behind, but he maintained a childish appearance in front of outsiders: "Amuro brother."

"Why is Conan here too?" Kudo Yuki bent down and gently ruffled his hair with her fingertips. "Didn't you say yesterday that you would help organize the experimental data?"

Conan's eyes flashed, and he whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Sister, Mr. Okiya Subaru sent a message this morning. The explosion plan on Gin's side has not changed, but it seems that Rum's backup laboratory has increased its sentries."

He was afraid that Mao Lilan and Suzuki Sonoko would get suspicious, so he immediately raised his voice: "The doctor said that the data has been sorted out and asked me to have dessert with Xiaolan sister!"

Amuro Toru happened to hear the latter part of the sentence when he walked over, and naturally took over the conversation: "That's perfect, this chocolate cake is said to be very suitable for children, I will help you order one later."

He caught a glimpse of the rat's tail sticking out of Kudo Yuki's pocket and added, "But don't eat too much sweets, or you might get a toothache later."

Shushu grumbled in dissatisfaction in his pocket: "Xiaoxue! He was obviously talking to me! I won't eat too much!"

Toru Amuro's ears twitched slightly, a smile flashed across his eyes, but he didn't expose the little guy's little thoughts.

In the hotel room, Masumi Sera picked up her helmet with one hand, turned to look at Akai Mari who was sitting at the table, and said, "Mom, I've made an appointment with Xiaolan, Sonoko, and Sister Xue to have high tea at the hotel in front of the station today. Don't make do with dinner, order directly to your room. I've already told the front desk."

"High tea?" As soon as Mary Akai picked up the menu on the table, she felt an itchy feeling in her throat. She quickly raised her hand to cover her lips and suppressed a few coughs.

After her coughing subsided a bit, Akai Mari looked up at her daughter, her tone full of curiosity about the unfamiliar meal, "Is it something more sumptuous than afternoon tea? I didn't expect to be able to enjoy this kind of British food in this country now."

"Forget about the high tea for now." Sera Masumi walked quickly to the table, his gaze fixed on his mother's still red eyes, his brows furrowed even tighter. "You've been coughing for almost a week, and the medicine hasn't helped. Is it really just a cold? Do you want to go to the hospital for a checkup?"

"I told you it's okay," Akai Mari put down the menu, but she concealed the compromise she didn't want to worry her daughter. "It's just a cold from the change of seasons. It will be gone in a couple of days. When you come back after eating with them, just bring me a box of cough syrup. Remember, don't buy anything too sweet, or you'll be unable to sleep at night."

Seeing her mother's stubbornness, Sera Masumi felt anxious and helpless. She thought to herself, "That's true, but Mom has never been very attentive to her own health."

Back when she was in MI6, she fainted once because she was too focused on documents on an empty stomach. Another time, she twisted her ankle and forced herself to go on a mission, only to end up unable to walk. She even secretly went to Vauxhall Bridge in London to see the man who claimed to be her father, but she came back with a high fever. No matter what she did, she couldn't bear it again this time.

She knew that if she continued to persuade her, Akai Mari would only become more resistant, so she could only pick up the coat draped over the back of the chair.

"Then I'm leaving. I'll have the hotel deliver dinner to your room at 6 o'clock sharp. Remember to eat and don't lose track of time again while looking at documents."

Masumi Sera took one last look at Akai Mari's pale profile, hung the helmet on the door handle, then gently closed the door and left.

The elevator slowly descended, and the mirror reflected her tense expression.

Sera Masumi took out her phone and sent a message to Kudo Yuki:

Sister Xue, my mother still refuses to go to the hospital. Her cough hasn't gotten better, and she doesn't look very good. You know more than I do, so could you spare some time to come and see her?

A few seconds after the message was sent, Kudo Yuki's reply popped up:

I'll go with you after high tea. Don't show any emotion yet, so Aunt Mary doesn't notice our concern and start to get angry again.

Seeing the reply, Sera Masumi's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She put away her phone, the elevator door dinged open, and she walked quickly towards the parking lot.

The sun shone on the motorcycle, but she was still thinking about her mother in the room. She thought to herself: "After Sister Xue examines her, if the situation is not good, I will drag her to the hospital, even if it means having to force her."

Kudo Yuki tapped lightly on the screen of her mobile phone to close the chat interface with Sera Masumi, and looked up to meet the gaze of Amuro Toru.

Toru Amuro didn't speak immediately, but just reached out to brush away a strand of hair that fell on her shoulder. His action was so natural that it seemed like just ordinary care.

Kudo Yuki put her phone back into her pocket and leaned sideways in the warm light at the entrance of the teahouse. Her eyes swept over the endless stream of people in front of the station, but her ears were quietly paying attention to the movements in her pocket.

Shushu was tugging at the corner of her clothes with his chubby little paws, rubbing his little head back and forth, muttering in dissatisfaction, "Xiaoxue! Why hasn't Sera Masumi come yet? My raspberry tart is almost cold!"

Amuro Toru stood beside Kudo Yuki and naturally picked up on her soft complaints. A faint smile appeared in his eyes, and he raised his hand and gently tapped her pocket: "Wait a little longer, she should be on her way. And the tarts, fresh from the oven, need to cool for two minutes so they don't burn your mouth. It's just right for her to come and eat them together."

These words seemed to be spoken to Kudo Yuki, but in fact they were a response to Shu Shu.

The little guy in my pocket immediately quieted down, with only the occasional sound of its claws scratching against the fabric. It was obviously convinced by the excuse that it "won't burn its mouth."

Conan stood next to Ran Mouri, his hands still in his pockets, his attention all on Kudo Yuki and Amuro Toru.

He raised his eyes quietly and happened to meet the look given by Amuro Toru. The two exchanged a "reassuring" look and said no more about the Rum Laboratory outpost.

Suzuki Sonoko tiptoed towards the station and looked: "What's wrong with Sera? We agreed to meet at ten o'clock, but it's already nine fifty-five. Could he have overslept?"

"I don't think so." Mao Lilan smiled and pulled her arm. "Masumi is very punctual in doing things. Maybe there was a traffic jam on the road."

"Tick-"

The phone in Kudo Yuki's pocket vibrated slightly. Just as she was about to reach out to take it, she saw Sera Masumi parked in front of the teahouse on a motorcycle. He took off his black helmet, and his hair on his forehead was still cool from the wind.

The plastic bag hanging on the handlebars swayed, revealing a box of cough syrup inside, which was obviously bought for Akai Mary on the way.

"Sorry I'm late!" Sera Masumi tucked his helmet under his arm and his eyes fell on Kudo Yuki. "We ran into a little traffic jam on the way. Didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"We just arrived." Mao Lilan smiled and pulled her into the teahouse. "Sono has already reserved a table. The window seat has a view of the cherry blossom trees at the station. It's really beautiful!"

Suzuki Sonoko immediately held up the menu and came over, fingering the dessert page. "Sera, you're finally here! Let me tell you, this caramel pudding is incredible. The caramel shell on top of the pudding is so oozy when you crack it. I saved a portion just for you!"

Sera Masumi stuffed the motorcycle key into his coat pocket and patted the plastic bag on the handlebars. "I'll go to the parking lot to park my motorcycle and come back. I'll leave this at the front desk and take it back when I leave."

She pointed at the bag, a hint of worry in her eyes.

That was the sugar-free cough syrup I bought according to Akai Mary's request, but when I thought of my mother's pale face, I still felt unsure.

"Okay! We'll wait for you at the window seat!" Conan replied, looking up.

Kudo Yuki's fingertips touched Shu Shu's little head in her pocket and comforted him with telepathy: "Don't worry, we'll go see Aunt Mary after high tea."

Amuro Toru's sharp ears caught this silent conversation, he looked up at Kudo Yuki, and said goodbye: "I'm going back to Poirot first. I need to prepare new dessert samples this afternoon. If you want to go shopping after dinner, feel free to send me a message."

His eyes fell on the twitching tail of Kudo Yuki's shrew. He lowered his voice, with a hint of "complaint," "Don't let this little guy eat too much sweets. Last time he drank double sugar hot cocoa, he insisted on brushing his teeth with your little toothbrush at night, saying that if he didn't brush thoroughly, he would get cavities."

Shu Shu grumbled in dissatisfaction in his pocket: "I'm just being hygienic! And the chocolate cookies made by Amuro Toru are sweet!"

Kudo Yuki suppressed her laughter and pushed Amuro Toru's arm: "Go and get busy. I'll leave you some freshly baked cranberry cookies when I come back tonight."

Warmth appeared in Toru Amuro's eyes, and he turned and walked towards the Poirot Cafe.

To be continued...