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

Kudo Yuki snapped out of her daze, met Amuro Tooru's smiling eyes, and slapped his hand away in annoyance: "I was just interested in Senso-nee's reaction to Inspector Yokomizo, so it was only right to give him a little push."

"Yes, yes, yes, Xiaoxue knows how to seize opportunities." Amuro Tooru took her hand and they intertwined their fingers, showing no intention of letting go.

He looked around. Kogoro Mouri was yawning and preparing to go back to the hot spring room to catch up on his sleep, while Ran Mouri and Conan were discussing the details of the case in hushed tones.

“Speaking of which,” Amuro Tooru turned around and leaned against the corridor railing, “I saw Matsuda and Hagiwara on the system screen just now, and I suddenly wondered what they were doing.”

Kudo Yuki held his hand, looked up at him, and smiled mischievously: "Isn't that simple? Didn't you say they were enjoying some alone time together? Why don't we just go and join in the fun?"

Amuro Tooru paused for a moment, then chuckled: "Are you serious?"

“Anyway, we have nothing to do right now.” Kudo Yuki looked up at the end of the corridor, a sly glint in her eyes. “Besides… I’m also a little curious about the gossip between those couples.”

Amuro Tooru was amused by her "the more the merrier" attitude, and grabbed her fingers with his own, his palm warm: "Aren't you afraid that Matsuda and the others will tease you in return?"

"Who's teasing whom is still uncertain." Kudo Yuki's footsteps followed the corridor toward the other end of the annex.

That's a separate hot spring guest room area, with good soundproofing and strong privacy, which is exactly where those people are most likely to stay.

"Sister Xue and Mr. Amuro seem very happy." Ran Mouri looked at the two people holding hands in front of her and couldn't help but smile.

Conan hummed in agreement, adjusting his glasses, but his gaze behind the lenses held a hint of understanding: "Probably... he thought of something interesting."

He knew perfectly well what Kudo Yuki was planning—to "observe" Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji's date. As for Amuro Tooru… Conan glanced at that figure, his lips twitching; this guy was clearly enjoying himself too.

In the courtyard of the annex, Matsuda Jinpei casually rested his hand on the back of Sato Miwako's chair.

Sato Miwako, wearing a yukata and holding a teacup, her ears slightly red, said, "What were you thinking just now? You were smiling so... infuriatingly."

"I was thinking about someone's expression at the fireworks festival yesterday." Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow. "He was clearly about to cry, but he stubbornly insisted that it was just sand in his eyes."

“That’s because…” Sato Miwako glared at him, but wasn’t really angry, “That was the first time you… spoke to me so seriously.”

Matsuda Jinpei's fingers paused slightly, and the nonchalance in his eyes faded. He leaned closer to her, his voice low: "Miwako, I'm not just someone who can defuse bombs and show off."

Sato Miwako looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat: "I know."

The air between the two was becoming tense when a "click" sound suddenly came from the side—the sound of a phone taking a picture.

"Oh my, this scene is perfect as a memento." Kenji Hagiwara held up his phone, grinning broadly. "I'm going to send it to Date and make him so jealous."

"Kenji Hagiwara!" Miwako Sato was so embarrassed she almost turned her teacup upside down.

Matsuda Jinpei wasn't annoyed; he just glanced at him lazily and said, "Hagi, you ignore your own girlfriend and come here to be a third wheel?"

"Who said I don't care?" Kenji Hagiwara turned to the side, put his arm around Ayami Ogino, and grinned like a cat that had just stolen some cream. "Ayami said she wanted to see you two argue, so isn't this fulfilling her wish?"

Ayami Ogino shook her head helplessly, but didn't push him away: "Renji, stop fooling around. Date and the others are coming over later."

When Date Wataru was mentioned, Matsuda Jinpei's expression became more serious: "Isn't that guy supposed to have dinner with Natalie today?"

"He said he'd spend lunch with Natalie and then come meet us in the afternoon." Kenji Hagiwara shrugged, tapping his phone screen a few times. "But judging from the messages he just sent, he's probably been dragged shopping by Natalie again. That guy, typical 'henpecked' potential."

Matsuda Jinpei chuckled and reached out to pinch Sato Miwako's reddened earlobe: "Instead of that guy, let's take care of ourselves first."

Just as Sato Miwako was about to speak, she heard light footsteps coming from the entrance of the courtyard.

"Oh dear, it seems we've arrived just in time." Kudo Yuki's voice came with a smile as she and Amuro Tooru walked in side by side, their fingers still intertwined. "The atmosphere here is much better than at the main building."

Kenji Hagiwara's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his phone: "Perfect, let Yuki and Amuro also appear in the shot. I'll send it to Date right now and make him give up completely."

“Kenji Hagiwara, you bastard…” Miwako Sato sighed and rubbed her forehead, but her cheeks still couldn’t help but burn.

Matsuda Jinpei was quite generous, even giving the middle finger to the camera: "Let him be envious."

Amuro Toru chuckled and walked to a stone bench to sit down. He casually pulled Kudo Yuki over to sit on his lap, the movement as natural as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times: "You guys seem quite relaxed."

Kudo Yuki took the tea offered by Ogino Ayami, took a sip, and glanced at the group. "Speaking of which, I just saw Senso-nee and Inspector Yokomizo together at the main building."

Mentioning Hagiwara Chisato, Hagiwara Kenji's smile widened: "My sister is being pestered by Inspector Yokomizo, who wants to learn some 'love secrets.' But knowing my sister's personality, she's probably already got him completely wrapped around her little finger."

Ayami Ogino gently poked his waist from the side: "Don't talk about your sister like that. Also, stop playing on your phone, the tea is getting cold."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kenji Hagiwara put away his phone, picked up his teacup, and adopted a respectful posture, which made everyone laugh.

The mouse peeked its little head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket, twitching its whiskers: "Wow—Yuki! The sugar concentration here is way too high! This mouse is going to faint from sweetness!"

Amuro Tooru tightened his grip on Kudo Yuki's fingers slightly, a smile flickering in his eyes, but he didn't expose the little guy's exaggerated performance. He turned his head and whispered in Kudo Yuki's ear, "It seems that the mouse also likes the atmosphere here."

Kudo Yuki poked the mouse's little head in annoyance and responded telepathically: "You little rascal, if you talk nonsense again, I'll throw you into a bomb charm."

"No, no, no! This mouse is scared!" The mouse shrank its neck, its chubby little paws gripping tightly onto Kudo Yuki's clothes. "Things like bombs can make your fur stand on end! This mouse is so cute, it won't be cute if its fur stands on end!"

Amuro Tooru chuckled softly, his warm breath brushing against Kudo Yuki's ear: "Yuki, it seems your threat has a significant effect on the mouse."

Kudo Yuki rolled her eyes in annoyance, gently swirling the teacup in her hand, causing ripples to spread across the emerald green tea. She replied in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Serves him right for always trying to get involved in other people's business."

Sato Miwako looked at Kudo Yuki with some curiosity: "Speaking of which, Yuki,"

She rested her chin on her hand, her tone inquisitive: "When we were working on the case before, I saw you chatting with Amuro together, and I thought you were having a private conversation. Yumi even said she wanted to schedule a time to have a good talk with you, but then Kagekawa was sent on an undercover mission. You're really something, managing to get everyone on their toes."

Upon hearing this, Kudo Yuki put down her teacup, a smug smile playing on her lips. "I couldn't help it. Kagekawa is better at these kinds of covert missions, and..."

A sly glint flashed in her eyes. "This is also an arrangement from above. I'm just responsible for relaying it."

Amuro Tooru's eyes held a smile.

He naturally knew that these so-called "undercover missions" were actually to cooperate with Kudo Yuki's side in their plans against the brewery.

The mouse peeked its little head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket and muttered, "It was clearly Yuki who came up with this plan, but you're acting like you're so innocent."

Kudo Yuki poked the mouse's head with her finger, annoyed, and retorted telepathically, "Shut up, what do you know? Hiro is more than happy to help, he'd love to."

Amuro Toru turned his head and whispered in Kudo Yuki's ear, "The progress on Kagekawa's side is going smoothly, and Administrator Kuroda is also very satisfied."

Kudo Yuki looked up at him, nodded slightly, then turned to Sato Miwako like a cunning little fox, her tone light and cheerful: "If Yumi wants to ask Kagekawa out, she can do it anytime, as long as he's available. But—"

She drawled out her words, her eyes sparkling, "Those 'conversations' between Tou and me were stories that Chisato told me herself~."

Sato Miwako blinked, clearly not expecting the topic to suddenly turn to Hagiwara Chisato. She paused for a moment, then smiled sheepishly: "Chisato-nee... well, she's not completely indifferent to Inspector Yokomizo, it's just that he's so oblivious. Every time, Chisato-nee has to give him a hint, and he always thinks Chisato-nee is joking with him."

Kenji Hagiwara chuckled. He put down his teacup and replied with a smile, "There's nothing we can do about it. Inspector Yokomizo is just naturally a bit slow on the uptake. But speaking of which, my sister seems to be getting a little anxious lately. She complained to me last time that if things continue like this, she'll start to wonder if Inspector Yokomizo has no interest in women."

Ayami Ogino gently nudged Kenji Hagiwara's arm. "Stop gloating here. Instead of teasing your sister, think about how to help Inspector Yokomizo. After all, he's our colleague too."

"I'm just helping him out." Kenji Hagiwara shrugged. "If I don't tease him, how will he be motivated to pursue my sister? Besides, when it comes to relationships, it's up to them to decide. We outsiders can only give them a little push."

Kudo Yuki couldn't help but laugh as she listened to their conversation. She turned to look at Amuro Tooru, a hint of slyness in her eyes: "See, I told you so, didn't I? There's clearly a lot going on between Chisato and Inspector Yokomizo, they just need someone to break the ice."

Amuro Tooru chuckled softly, reached out and pinched Kudo Yuki's cheek, his tone indulgent: "Yes, yes, our Yuki is the best, she can see through other people's thoughts at a glance."

“Of course.” Kudo Yuki proudly raised her chin and looked at Matsuda Jinpei. “Senso-nee said that when a certain handsome guy was in high school, he would confess to her from time to time, but he was always politely rejected by Senso-nee.”

Upon hearing the words "high school confession," Matsuda Jinpei raised his eyebrows even higher, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate exaggeration: "Oh? Chisato-nee is telling you this? She certainly has a good memory."

Sato Miwako couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So you were this good at flirting back then?"

“I was being sincere.” Matsuda Jinpei said matter-of-factly, casually tucking a stray hair behind her ear as if he had done it countless times. “Unlike someone else, who is clearly smitten but pretends to be all serious.”

Sato Miwako's cheeks flushed from his words, and she gave a soft humph: "But aren't you the same now? You're always so sharp-tongued."

“I’m just being playful.” Matsuda Jinpei leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, “Miwako, if you keep blushing, I might take it seriously.”

Just as Sato Miwako was about to retort, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard, and Date Wataru's voice came from afar: "Sorry, sorry, I'm late!"

He walked into the courtyard, wearing a yukata and with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. Natalie followed behind him, carrying a paper bag and smiling gently. "Everyone's here."

Kenji Hagiwara's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his phone: "Date! You've finally arrived! Perfect timing, we're filming a 'Happy Couples Compilation,' you and Natalie should take one too!"

Date Hang froze, then subconsciously looked at Natalie. Seeing her nod with a smile, he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Take...take the picture then."

He walked over to Natalie, somewhat awkwardly placing his hand on her shoulder, but Natalie took his arm and smiled gently, saying, "Date-kun, don't be nervous."

Kenji Hagiwara snapped a picture and looked at the screen with satisfaction: "Perfect! Date, it would be even better if your expression were a little more natural."

Ida glared at him: "Shut up."

Kudo Yuki leaned against Amuro Tooru's chest, watching the heartwarming scene before her, a faint smile playing on her lips. She gently picked up the teacup in her hand, the warmth spreading from her palm, bringing her a sense of peace.

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Mouse opened the phone to check the messages, and her little head popped out: "Xiaoxue, Amuro Tooru, something's up! Kuroba Toichi has sent a message!"

Kudo Yuki's smile faded, her hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes. She asked telepathically, "What's wrong? Did Uncle Toichi find anything?"

Mouse quickly read the text message aloud: "Kuroba Touichi said, 'I've disguised myself as Karasuma Renya's secretary and followed her into the archives. I found her looking up information on "Jia Niang," and the information mentioned that Jia Niang had saved Karasuma Renya before joining the organization.'"

"It was also confirmed that the female secretary was reporting to Vermouth. Based on her style and manner, this person should be a confidante of my apprentice, Sharon Vineyard." The text message read.

Amuro Tooru's grip on Kudo Yuki's fingers tightened slightly.

Vermouth never mentioned to "Fine Wine" that the female secretary was a confidante; she only hinted privately that the secretary could cooperate unconditionally if needed.

Amuro Tooru's eyes were deep, and his fingertips gently caressed the back of Kudo Yuki's hand, as if to soothe her or to ponder.

He whispered, "Sharon's confidant... In other words, while Vermouth had spies around Karasuma Renya, she was far more interested in your 'Fine Wine' identity than she showed."

To be continued...