Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

The station is not far from Kudo's house.

When the car stopped, Aoyagi Akimitsu had already told Edogawa Conan about the existence of Pramia and how Matsuda Jinpei had come to his door that day to help the Public Security Bureau disarm the bomb.

Conan Edogawa frowned upon hearing this: "Another attack on the Public Security Bureau... Could someone be deliberately targeting them today?"

"Perhaps, but that's something the Japanese Public Security Bureau should investigate. You get out of the car first, we've arrived."

Conan Edogawa turned around and, sure enough, saw the very familiar Kudo family home. The front door was tightly shut, making it difficult to tell if anyone was inside.

Aoyagi Akihiro got out of the car and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds, a boy's voice came from the pager next to him: "Who is it?"

Conan Edogawa's eyes widened upon hearing this short sentence.

This voice...

Aoyagi Akimitsu, who also recognized the voice, remained unfazed: "Hello, this is Aoyagi Akimitsu. Are you available right now? Could you please open the door?"

"Oh, it's you." The boy on the other end of the line spoke in a friendly tone. "Wait a moment, I'll open the door for you right now."

Even after the pager disconnected, Conan Edogawa still wore an expression of disbelief.

The people inside arrived quickly. The two didn't have to wait long before the villa door opened, and someone rushed out and jogged over to open the iron gate for them.

Upon seeing that face clearly, Conan Edogawa finally couldn't help but exclaim, "How could you—"

The newcomer glanced down at him, winked at the somewhat familiar, youthful face, and then squatted down with a grin.

"Hello, kid, I'm Kaito Kuroba."

The boy, who had the exact same face as Shinichi Kudo, greeted the shrunken Shinichi Kudo in a friendly manner, using the same voice as Shinichi Kudo.

Aoyagi Akimitsu, who was standing nearby, noticed their interaction.

He wanted to say something, but his gaze couldn't help falling on those two similar faces, and he silently swallowed his words. He didn't interrupt.

……

A few minutes later, the three of them went inside.

Why are you the one who opens the door?

Conan Edogawa has already processed the news that "there's someone who looks exactly like Shinichi Kudo," and he also knows the other person's identity. Now, he's starting to wonder about other things: "You're clearly a guest, aren't you?"

Kaito Kuroba scratched his cheek, his gaze shifting: "Well... I'd have to ask my dad and Kudo... uh, Uncle."

Conan Edogawa: "...?"

They walked down the hallway and into the living room. As soon as they entered, they immediately sensed a strange atmosphere.

Yukiko Kudo was sitting alone on a sofa with her arms crossed. Opposite her was Yusaku Kudo, Conan Edogawa's father, who looked somewhat embarrassed. A man who looked vaguely familiar to Conan Edogawa sat beside him.

"Kuroba-sensei," Aoyagi Akihiro greeted.

The man looked up, and Conan Edogawa recognized him as the world-renowned magician, Toichi Kuroba, who had announced his return to the stage a year ago.

He had heard from Yukiko Kudo that Toichi Kuroba was her teacher who taught her disguise. He had been chased by a group of people and had to fake his death during a magic show to hide. He was only able to reappear openly after the FBI destroyed the criminal group.

Because Aoyagi Akimitsu made great contributions in the operation, Kuroba Toichi, as a token of his gratitude, taught him some practical magic tricks and disguise techniques, making him practically a disciple.

However, what surprised Conan Edogawa at this moment was something else: "Why are you sitting separately?"

The proper way to entertain guests is for the couple to sit together, and the guests to sit on the other side, unless it's a single sofa. Why is his father sitting with this magician?

When Yukiko Kudo saw her son, she was about to answer, but then she saw Aoyagi Akimitsu standing next to her, so she quickly stood up and said, "Akimitsu is here too. Thank you for bringing Shin-chan back. Please have a seat, I'll get you some tea."

Aoyagi Akimitsu waved his hand to stop her: "No need to trouble yourself. I'm just helping someone get home. I have something to do later and I'll be leaving soon."

On the way there, Aoyagi Akimitsu told Edogawa Conan that he was very interested in the art exhibition and wanted to go in and take a look before it ended.

Yukiko Kudo sat back down. She looked at Conan Edogawa, whose face was full of doubt and who wanted to ask another question, and cut him off: "Ask your dad what he's been doing first."

Conan Edogawa's brow twitched, and he subconsciously turned to look at Yusaku Kudo.

Yusaku Kudo sighed: "It's all my fault... It's like this, Shinichi, actually I'm a twin, I have a twin brother."

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Conan Edogawa: "???"

He was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to be shocked that his own father had called him by his name in front of two outsiders (Kuroba Toichi and Kuroba Kaito), or to be shocked that an uncle had suddenly appeared.

Yusaku Kudo continued, "Your grandparents divorced before I could remember. I went with your grandmother and changed my surname to 'Kudo.' My original surname was 'Kuroba'... Toichi is my twin brother, your uncle."

Kuroba Toichi nodded politely to Edogawa Conan.

Yukiko Kudo said quietly, "As for me, I've been married to your father for seventeen years and studied with Master Toichi for several years. All these years, not one of them ever told me about this family relationship. I only found out today."

Another vein throbbed on her forehead: "Is having a twin brother something so shameful?! What's there to hide?!"

Yusaku Kudo said guiltily, "Well, it's because we haven't seen each other for many years. Although we keep in touch by email, he sends his thoughts every time I publish a new novel, and he also sends me gifts when I win awards..."

Under Yukiko Kudo's gaze, his voice grew softer and softer.

Conan Edogawa got more and more of a headache listening to it, feeling like he had a lot to say.

He turned to look away, intending to calm down, but suddenly his eyes met Aoyagi Akimitsu's face, and he froze for a moment.

Aoyagi Akimitsu stood to one side; after his family relationship was revealed, he became the only outsider in the room. Yet, he showed none of the awkwardness one would expect from an outsider interfering in someone else's family conflict; instead…

laugh?
Conan Edogawa was puzzled.

Is Mr. Aoyagi in a good mood because of this farce that can barely be called a family drama?
Before Conan Edogawa could take a closer look, Aoyagi Akimitsu noticed his gaze and turned to look at him.

“You two aren’t identical twins, are you?” he said. “Although you look similar, you’re not the same, and your voices are even more different. Mr. Kuroba’s voice is closer to that of one of my colleagues.”

Kuroba Touichi hummed in agreement: "We are indeed fraternal twins, but you recognized me at first glance."

Yusaku Kudo added, "That's right. When I went to the National Taxation Bureau as a 'visitor,' I recognized him as someone Shinichi knew, so I went over to talk to him. The first thing he asked me was about my relationship with my brother."

Aoyagi Akimitsu smiled and said, "Recognizing people is a required course in my job."

The three chatted merrily, almost forgetting about the furious Yukiko Kudo. Aoyagi Akimitsu noticed this and prepared to take his leave: "Since this is a family gathering, I, as an outsider, won't stay any longer. I'll visit again when I have time."

The adults didn't try to stop him, and Kuroba Kaito, who had been maintaining a high level of composure, said, "I'll see you out!"

Conan Edogawa also wanted to leave. His father was entirely responsible for this farce, and his newly minted uncle could also take half the blame. He himself shouldn't and didn't want to get involved: "Then I'll go to the study. Dad, Mom, and... uh, Mr. Kuroba, you all have a good talk."

The three of them entered the living room and came out together again in the blink of an eye.

They walked for a while, and standing in the corridor, they could faintly hear Yusaku Kudo comforting Yukiko Kudo. Conan Edogawa sighed.

Today, he spent the day running around for his classmate, and when he got home, he suddenly had a relative. His feelings kept switching between sadness, surprise, and speechlessness... It had only been a few hours, but it felt like months had passed...

He looked at Kaito Kuroba, at the face that was identical to his own, and asked with mixed feelings, "Do you know who I am?"

“I know,” Kaito Kuroba readily admitted. “I look a lot like Shinichi Kudo, so my classmates often mention his crime-solving news in class and always compare me to him. After his ‘sudden disappearance,’ I looked into it out of curiosity and found some clues through my butler.”

"You might not know this, but a lot of the magic props my dad and I use were made by Professor Agasa next door. He's friends with my butler grandpa," Kaito Kuroba added.

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Putting aside the fact that an ordinary high school student could find out about him... how come his mother's teacher is his father's older brother, and his neighbor and his cousin's housekeeper are also old acquaintances? How do they all know each other? Is the world really that small?

A thousand words once again raced through his mind.

After Kuroba Kaito finished sparring with his cousins, he turned his gaze to Aoyagi Akimitsu, his expression turning serious.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to see you.” He said earnestly, “I want to thank you in person for saving my father.”

“I didn’t find out my dad was actually alive until a year and a half ago when I saw the news,” he murmured. “My mom knew, but she kept it from me, making me believe he really was dead. For years, I’ve wanted to find out the truth about that accident, and even planned to…”

Kaito Kuroba shook his head, not continuing, and focused his gaze intently on Aoyagi Akimitsu once more:

"Thank you so much. Because of you, our family was able to be reunited."

"..."

Aoyagi Akimitsu looked at him, his expression as gentle as before.

However, Conan Edogawa noticed that after Kaito Kuroba said his last words, Akimitsu Aoyagi's lips seemed to droop slightly.

“No need to thank me, this is just my job,” he said calmly. “Also, if possible, could you please not bring it up again? After all, it’s not a good memory for me.”

Kaito Kuroba was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something and lowered his head to say, "Okay, I understand."

Conan Edogawa seemed to understand as well.

He knew that Aoyagi Akimitsu had been an undercover agent, and that not long ago, remnants of that organization had even come to Japan to hunt down Mr. Aoyagi... He didn't know exactly what he had done, but he could guess that it was definitely not a good experience.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Seeing their silence, Aoyagi Akira looked at Kuroba Kaito and asked, "I'd like to ask, are you familiar with the Japanese style beauty pageant?"

The topic jumped abruptly, and Kaito Kuroba asked in confusion, "I know, there was an accident at the scene, right? I heard Aoko—she's my childhood friend—mention that she saw the broadcast and was startled."

Conan Edogawa realized Aoyagi Akimitsu's intention and asked, "So you weren't at the competition?"

"There was a magic show that night, I went there." Kaito Kuroba was even more puzzled, "Why are you asking this?"

“We were at the scene and saw a ‘Shinichi Kudo’,” said Akimitsu Aoyagi. “He didn’t speak to me at the time, and left quickly after the case was solved, so I couldn’t confirm his identity.”

Kaito Kuroba glanced at Conan Edogawa, recalling his original appearance, and stroked his chin: "There's actually a third person who looks just like us... Wait, could Dad be a triplets? And we have a hidden uncle and cousin?"

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Conan Edogawa replied coldly, "I don't think so." Otherwise, his mother would be even angrier.

Kaito Kuroba bent down slightly and patted Conan Edogawa's head reassuringly: "I was just joking... By the way..."

He straightened up again and turned to Aoyagi Akimitsu.

"I saw on the news that many FBI agents came to Japan to investigate the embassy bombing... Are they still here?"

Aoyagi Akimitsu didn't answer directly: "Why are you asking this?"

"Qingzi sent me an email this morning."

Kaito Kuroba took out his phone, turned on the screen, and turned to the other two.

"She went to the pet supplies fair in Shibuya with a friend today, and then they encountered some suspicious foreigners near the station."

The email contained a photo showing a man with a distinctly foreign appearance emerging from the crowd in front of the station.

He was dressed in a suit, looking like an office worker, but his face had a somewhat sinister look. If you looked closely, you could see one side of his trench coat bulging. A few steps away from him was another foreigner, dressed similarly, and they were walking in the same direction.

"Besides these, there were a few more, but she didn't dare take too many or get too close, for fear of being discovered."

Kaito Kuroba scratched his hair, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Qingzi's father is a policeman and her mother is a prosecutor, so they are quite sensitive to the aura of certain professions. I am a magician, and I often do observation training. After looking at the photos, I also felt that these people were strange, acting suspiciously. They didn't seem like criminals, but they didn't seem like ordinary foreign tourists either."

Aoyagi Akimitsu examined the photos carefully: "They certainly don't look like ordinary people, but I don't know them."

He paused, then added, "It was a joint investigation between the two countries. As the police liaison officer, I went through the files of all the FBI agents involved in the investigation, and their faces weren't on them. I have a mediocre memory, but I rarely make mistakes."

Conan Edogawa looked at the photo and suddenly let out a soft "Eh."

Kaito Kuroba immediately asked, "Do you know them?"

Conan Edogawa shook his head: "Never seen it before."

His memory was still good; he had just searched his mind and confirmed that he had not seen these foreigners recently.

He recognized a man in the background whom he had seen not long ago.

Conan Edogawa pointed to a black-haired Asian youth: "This is the man. I saw him on Tuesday. He is Attorney Sakaguchi's colleague and junior. He just returned from Canada. He was the one who provided Attorney Sakaguchi with an alibi in the case."

This was said to Aoyagi Akimitsu because they had discussed the case of Sakaguchi Masayoshi's dog attack.

"Oh? It's him."

Aoyagi Akimitsu's gaze lingered on the young man's face, lost in thought. (End of Chapter)