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

Conan paused slightly, watching Kudo Yuki put away her phone. His brow furrowed slightly as he thought, "I just caught a glimpse of the screen and saw a familiar silhouette—it looked exactly like Sera Masumi, but my sister didn't mention it at all."

He didn't press for more details about the photos: "Sister Xue, Mr. Domoto just mentioned 'the Mud Ginseng Gathering'..."

Kudo Yuki interrupted her younger brother, looking down at him: "That's something politicians should worry about. Don't mention it in front of Sonoko and Ran, lest they worry."

Conan nodded immediately, and was about to respond when Sonoko Suzuki grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the dessert shop: "Conan, hurry up! If you dawdle any longer, the strawberry cake will be sold out!"

He stumbled after her, turned back and winked at Kudo Yuki, secretly giving her a "I understand" gesture.

He planned to ask Kudo Yuki about the blurry figure in the photo privately later; for now, the important thing was to enjoy a cake with Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko.

As she approached the dessert shop, Sera Masumi quickly pulled out her phone to reply to a message.

Conan glanced at the note "Mom" on the screen and instantly understood.

After Sera Masumi put her phone away, he deliberately leaned over and asked, "Sera-neechan, who were you texting just now? Was it urgent?"

Sera Masumi ruffled his hair: "They're family. They asked when I'm coming back so we can eat cake."

Conan noted this detail: [It seems the photos my sister deliberately avoided are mostly related to Sera's family. I should mention this to Ai Haibara when I have the chance; maybe we can uncover more clues.]

As dusk settled over the street, the warm light from the dessert shop was blocked by the glass door behind it.

Sonoko Suzuki waved her phone goodbye to the group, the screen still showing a message she'd sent to Makoto Kyogoku: "I'm going home now! Let's meet up another day!"

Ran Mouri smiled and nodded, then turned to take Conan's hand and said softly, "Conan, we should go back to the agency. Dad is probably waiting for takeout again."

Conan looked up and responded, but secretly glanced at Kudo Yuki not far away.

She was standing side by side with Sera Masumi, the two of them talking in hushed tones, Sera Masumi's hand instinctively protecting her phone in her pocket.

"Sister Yuki, Ran-neechan, I'm leaving now!" Conan waved in Yuki's direction, deliberately pronouncing "Ran-neechan" clearly.

Kudo Yuki looked up, subtly making an "OK" sign with her fingertips at her side, and said in a light tone, "Be careful on the road, call me if anything happens."

After Ran and Conan disappeared around the corner, she turned to Sera Masumi, her gaze falling on the other's tense profile: "Is Aunt Mary's cough still not better?"

“He had a bad cough this morning and refused to go to the hospital.” Sera Masumi took out her motorcycle keys from her pocket, climbed onto the motorcycle, kicked open the frame, and looked back at Kudo Yuki: “Hold on tight, we’ll take a shortcut and we’ll be at the hotel in ten minutes.”

Kudo Yuki sat up sideways, the evening breeze carrying the chill of late autumn brushing against her face. She looked down at the streetlights flashing past her ankles, but her ears were sharp enough to notice the deliberate slowing of the car beside her.

Sera Masumi deliberately suppressed her anxious thoughts: "Mom always says it's okay, but she doesn't tell me the specifics."

"Aunt Mary won't tell you the situation, is it because she's afraid of distracting you?" Kudo Yuki's voice was carried by the wind to the driver's seat.

Sera Masumi tightened her grip on the handlebars, her furrowed brows reflected in the rearview mirror: "She's always like this. Last time she coughed and had a fever, she hid it from me. I only found out when I found fever reducers under her pillow."

As the motorcycle rounded the street corner, she deliberately slowed down. "She brews the Jin Jun Mei tea you sent her every day, saying it's more effective than cough tea, but actually she just doesn't want to drink it."

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes and smiled faintly: "Aunt Mary has always been like this, always hiding her feelings deep inside. Last time I sent tea, I specially chose charcoal-roasted tea, thinking it would be more mellow. I didn't expect her to treasure it so much."

Sera Masumi loosened her grip on the handlebars a little, and the arch of her eyebrows in the rearview mirror softened a bit: "If you had told me earlier that the tea was special, she might have brewed two more cups every day."

“If I say it outright, it will lose some of its meaning.” Kudo Yuki looked up at the warm yellow lights of the hotel in the distance.

The little mouse, hidden in her trench coat pocket, was nibbling on a cake: "Xiaoxue, this strawberry cake is sweeter than the one at Poirot Cafe last time! If Amuro Tooru were here, he would definitely say it's too sugary!"

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes and smiled slightly, responding softly through telepathy: "Remember to put the wrappers away properly after you finish eating, or I won't bring you dessert next time."

The mouse immediately wilted, its chubby little paws pawing at the cake box as it obediently replied, "Okay, okay! By the way, just now next to Sera Masumi's pocket, I think I heard a cough coming from her phone, and it sounded a bit louder than before!"

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on Sera Masumi's hands gripping the handlebars.

The other person's knuckles were still taut, clearly still worried about Mary Akai's health.

Kudo Yuki responded to the mouse with her heart, saying, "When we get to the hotel, you stay in my pocket and don't run around."

The mouse chewed on the cake and mumbled an agreement, rubbing its little head in the pocket before swallowing the last piece.

The evening breeze, carrying the scent of autumn, caused the hem of my clothes to sway gently.

Sera Masumi slowed down the car and turned to look at Kudo Yuki: "We're almost there. Mom should still be waiting for news at the hotel."

Kudo Yuki gathered her thoughts: "Hmm, let's check on Aunt Mary's condition first. If she's still coughing badly, we'll have to think of something to do."

The motorcycle turned into a small alley next to the hotel.

The mouse muttered softly in the pocket, "I hope Akai Mary, who's been coughing, gets better soon. Otherwise, Sera Masumi always has that frown on her face, and it doesn't look good at all..."

Kudo Yuki didn't respond again, but gently patted her pocket as she parked the car, signaling the mouse to be quiet.

Sera Masumi dismounted from the motorcycle first, then helped Kudo Yuki up, pointing to the hotel sign at the alley entrance: "Entering through the side door means you don't need to register, which saves you from being questioned by the front desk. Mom hates these procedures the most."

Kudo Yuki nodded and patted the pocket of her trench coat.

The mouse had just finished eating its cake and was curled up, dozing off, when it was gently patted awake: "We're finally here! The wind almost froze my little ears."

Kudo Yuki reassured her with telepathy: "It will be warm soon."

Then she followed Sera Masumi toward the side door.

The moment the electronic door opened, the warm light in the corridor enveloped the aroma of food.

The mouse perked up its ears: "Wow, it smells like miso soup and grilled sea bream! It smells even better than the lunch at Poirot Cafe!"

Kudo Yuki's lips curved into a smile. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw Akai Mary holding a bowl of soup at the small dining table next to the sofa in the living room. She looked like a middle school student, and there was half a piece of tamagoyaki that she hadn't finished eating next to her.

"Mom, we're back." Sera Masumi casually placed the motorcycle keys on the entryway cabinet, walked quickly to the dining table, and touched Akai Mary's hand. "Why are your hands still so cold? Did you not turn on the air conditioning?"

Mary Akai put down her soup bowl, looked up at Yuki Kudo at the door, her eyes softening instantly. She beckoned to her, "Miss Kudo, come and sit down. I just had the hotel kitchen heat up some sea bream. I know you like it with a slightly charred flavor."

She looked at Sera Masumi again and helplessly slapped her daughter's hand away, "The air conditioner is set to 26 degrees. You rode your bike back and your hands were freezing. Don't blame me."

Kudo Yuki walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She asked softly, "Aunt Mary, is your cough any less severe than this morning? Masumi was worried about you the whole way here."

Mentioning the cough, Mary Akai paused slightly in her hand holding the soup bowl, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes, and replied vaguely, "Much better. I coughed badly this morning because I choked. Don't listen to Masumi's nonsense."

Sera Masumi immediately exposed her lie: "Mom, don't lie to Yuki-nee! You were coughing terribly before I left this morning!"

Akai Mary glared at her daughter, about to retort, when she saw Kudo Yuki take a small porcelain jar out of her canvas bag and place it on the corner of the dining table.

"These are Sichuan fritillary and tangerine peel pastries that I had the chef at Polo Cafe bake yesterday. They use a low-sweetness recipe, so they can be eaten as a snack or to soothe your throat. They're gentler than taking cough medicine directly. If you feel your throat is dry, you can grab a piece to eat anytime."

The little mouse peeked into the pocket, staring intently at the porcelain jar: "Wow, it's Sichuan fritillary and tangerine peel pastry! Amuro Tooru secretly saved me a piece last time, it was so delicious! If Akai Mary eats this, her cough will definitely get better faster~"

Kudo Yuki ignored its grumbling and reached out to put a piece of grilled sea bream on Akai Mary's plate. "You should eat first. It won't taste good if it gets cold. We can talk about it after we finish eating."

Akai Mary looked at the sea bream in the bowl, shook her head helplessly, picked up her chopsticks and ate it in small bites, muttering to herself, "You always go to so much trouble. I haven't even finished the Jin Jun Mei tea you sent me the other day, and now you've brought some snacks."

Sera Masumi sat to the side. Seeing that her mother was eating properly, her tense shoulders finally relaxed. She picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of tamagoyaki on Kudo Yuki's plate: "Yuki-nee, you should eat too. This tamagoyaki was specially made by my mother in the kitchen. It tastes exactly the same as the one at home."

Just as Kudo Yuki was about to thank him, the mouse in her pocket let out a soft "Eh?": "Yuki, I think I heard the sound of a car engine in the distance, a muffled sound, unlike Sera Masumi's motorcycle from earlier. Could someone be coming?"

Kudo Yuki paused slightly, but remained calm on the surface, responding telepathically: "Don't overthink it, there are cars passing by the hotel entrance anyway."

She then smiled and accepted the tamagoyaki that Sera Masumi had put on her plate, and slowly began to eat it.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop opposite the hotel, Subaru Okiya was leaning against the railing, his fingers gripping binoculars, his gaze fixed on the window of the room where Yuki Kudo and the others were.

He looked at the warm yellow light inside the window and the three people chatting happily at the dining table, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes, before turning his binoculars toward the distant street.

A Porsche 365A was parked there, Gin's car, clearly still secretly monitoring Rum's movements.

Subaru Okiya ran his fingertips along the edge of the binoculars, thinking to himself: [With Yuki Kudo looking after my mother and sister, I don't need to worry about them for now. But I need to keep an eye on Gin and Rum's movements, making sure they don't cause trouble for Yuki and the others.]

Inside the room, Akai Mary ate a small bowl of rice and drank two bowls of miso soup; her complexion was much better than before. She put down her chopsticks and asked, "Ms. Kudo, you said before that Rum has been keeping an eye on the 'ES Dark Amber Project'?"

Kudo Yuki nodded, without going into details, and said softly, "That's right, my colleagues and I have been keeping an eye on it. Don't worry, we won't let him do anything reckless."

Although Sera Masumi had doubts, she didn't press the matter further since neither her mother nor Kudo Yuki was willing to elaborate.

The hamster in the pocket yawned, curled up, and prepared to go back to sleep. Before falling asleep, it didn't forget to say to Kudo Yuki, "Yuki, this room is so warm. I'm going to sleep now. Remember to wake me up if there's anything delicious later~"

Kudo Yuki smiled helplessly, patted her pocket lightly, and turned her gaze back to the dining table. She chatted with Akai Mary and Sera Masumi about everyday things, without mentioning anything related to the organization.

Subaru Okiya, watching from the rooftop in the distance, observed Gin's car for a moment before putting away his binoculars, turning and disappearing into the shadows of the rooftop, leaving only his tall, straight back, silently guarding the warmth in the room.

Mary Akai put down her porcelain spoon and pointed to the motorcycle keys on the entryway cabinet: "Masumi, put the keys in my bag. I was afraid they'd get scratched if I left them outside. There's a small velvet pouch in the side pocket of the bag, remember to put them in there."

Without much thought, Sera Masumi replied "okay" and got up to walk towards the entrance.

As her figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor, the gentleness in Akai Mary's eyes faded, and she whispered, "We didn't talk much at the dinner table. Actually, I coughed even harder this morning than yesterday. My chest felt tight, and my head felt heavy too."

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on Akai Mary's pale lips, and she asked softly, "Have you ever experienced chest pain when you take a deep breath? Or coughing so much at night that you can't sleep?"

“Yes, I have everything.” Akai Mary looked down at the remaining miso soup at the bottom of the bowl. “I was afraid that Masaki would worry, so I could only pretend that nothing was wrong. The Jin Jun Mei tea you sent last time I brewed it very strong. It could suppress my cough when I drank it, but the effect was still the same.”

The mouse in the pocket perked up its ears: "No wonder I heard Sera Masumi coughing more loudly on her phone earlier on the motorcycle! Akai Mary is just putting on a brave face!"

Upon hearing this, Kudo Yuki took out a sealed bag from her canvas bag, which contained light brown powder, and pushed it in front of Akai Mary.

"This is a lung-nourishing powder that I had a familiar traditional Chinese medicine doctor prescribe. Just mix it with warm water. It's more effective than fritillaria cirrhosa and tangerine peel tarts, but it's not bitter. Take one packet before bed tonight. If you still cough in the middle of the night, eat a piece of tangerine peel tart to suppress it."

Mary Akai picked up the sealed bag, a hint of warmth flashing in her eyes: "I always make you worry about me... Actually, I know you've seen through my deception of Makoto all along."

“You don’t want to distract her.” Kudo Yuki looked up, changing the subject, “Aunt Mary, did you start having these cough symptoms after taking APTX4869?”

Mary Akai tightened her grip on the sealed bag, staring down at the light and shadow on the rim of the bowl, and murmured, "It started after my body shrank. At first, it was just an occasional cough in the morning, but it gradually got worse, especially at night, when I would cough so hard I couldn't even catch my breath."

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on Akai Mary's profile, and she instantly connected the symptoms to the side effects of APTX4869: [This unknown side effect wasn't even mentioned in Ai's previous research records.]

To be continued...