Ke Xue: I have a knife, and you still dare to fight me?

It happened so fast that even Kurokawasaki Tsuki barely had time to react.

Kurokawasaki Tsuki: "?"

"If you don't grab my hand, I'm not going to make it," Xiaolan said weakly to the highway killer.

At that moment, Shinichi Kudo also arrived on their floor and reached out to help restrain the highway killer.

Seeing that the highway killer had been saved by the two of them, Kurokawasaki Tsuki was certain that it was Vermouth who had fallen.

So I went up to someone I recognized and said, "Let me do it."

Then he pulled Vermouth up in one swift motion.

Upon arriving, Vermouth quickly distanced herself, not daring to be careless because she had witnessed the power of Kurokawasaki Tsuki.

"Why? Why did you save me? Why?"

“Killing someone might require a motive, but saving someone in an emergency doesn’t need a reason, right?” Shinichi Kudo said, looking at the “highway killer.”

At this moment, Xiaolan, having exhausted herself pulling people and already suffering from a cold, also collapsed from exhaustion.

"Ran!" Shinichi Kudo turned around when he heard the noise, quickly picked up Ran, and completely ignored the murderer behind him.

At this moment, the "highway killer" also pulled out a gun and pointed it at them again.

"I advise you not to do anything foolish, because before you fire your gun, I have a hundred ways to send you flying." Kurokawasaki Tsuki stood at Vermouth, his restrained aura unleashed at that moment, surging towards Vermouth like a flood.

Kurokawa Saki's forte is kendo, but that doesn't mean his hand-to-hand combat skills are lacking. It's just that his kendo is slightly stronger than his hand-to-hand combat skills, by a small margin, roughly equivalent to the difference between a fingertip universe.

Vermouth sensed danger; she had only ever felt this kind of pressure from Gin.

"This man is indeed terrifyingly strong, Kurokawasaki Tsuki, I'll remember you," Vermouth thought to herself.

Seeing that Kurokawasaki Tsuki didn't make a move, Vermouth assumed that he was looking after the two people behind him.

As the saying goes, if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move; if Kurokawa doesn't move, Vermouth won't move either.

Shinichi Kudo then spoke up, saying, "Your gun isn't equipped with a silencer, and you're injured. The police are probably nearby. You know the consequences of firing your gun."

As Shinichi Kudo carried the unconscious Ran away, he continued, "I don't have time to arrest you right now. I can let you go for now, but it won't be so simple next time we meet. I will gather all the evidence against you and leave you no chance to recant your confession."

Kurokawasaki Tsukiya followed Kudo Shinichi away, but remained wary of Vermouth's actions.

"Kudo is such a show-off. If you were a real highway killer, he wouldn't listen to your rambling and would have shot you dead by now," Kurokawa Saki thought to himself.

Before leaving, Kurokawasaki Tsuki turned back to look at Vermouth and said meaningfully, "The angels really do favor you."

However, Vermouth remained motionless in place even after they left the warehouse.

After they left, Vermouth put away her gun and murmured, "Am I being looked after by an angel?" A smile appeared on Vermouth's lips.

After leaving the warehouse, Kurokawa Saki beckoned to Kudo Shinichi to follow, then got into his Ford Mustang. At the same time, Kudo Shinichi didn't forget to contact the police and report the location they had just been to.

After reporting the incident to the police, Shinichi Kudo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Shinichi started bragging to Kurokawa, saying that Kurokawa left too early, otherwise he would have encountered a case and witnessed Kurokawa unraveling the truth at the scene.

Kurokawa's lips twitched. Why did I leave so early? It's so hard to guess.

Suddenly, Shinichi seemed to remember something. "But with Kurokawa's deductive reasoning skills, he should be able to find out the truth faster than me."

Shinichi begins by telling Kurokawasaki Tsuki about the case that just happened, but doesn't tell him the truth, leaving him to deduce the real culprit himself.

Pshaw, I already had the answer.

Kurokawa revealed the murderer as actress Rose a second after he finished speaking.

"Huh? How come Kurokawa-san is so fast?"

Kurokawa's lips twitched again. Although I know you're praising me, it still feels so irritating.

Shinichi started telling Kurokawa about the case on the plane again, and when he mentioned the murder weapon, he suddenly blushed.

Kurokawa glanced at him and said it for him: "The murder weapon is the underwire of the underwear, right? After all, the murderer is a woman, and the murder weapon has to be hidden on her body. She also has to go through airport security first, and she doesn't have any jewelry or pendants on her body."

"But I'm really curious about what Kudo-kun was thinking back then."

"This, this..." Shinichi blushed and scratched his head, giving an awkward laugh.

A slight smile curved Kurokawa's lips.

Kurokawa quickly dropped Shinichi and Ran off at their hotel and then headed home.

on the way home.

"Is there something I've forgotten? Never mind, it's not important."

Meanwhile, inside a high-end restaurant.

The vice president of the US branch of the Japan Martial Arts Tournament was staring at his watch. Half an hour had passed, and there was still no one sitting opposite him.

The assistant beside him spoke cautiously, "Mr. Kurokawa, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

The deputy minister's expression was a bit grim. "Wait another ten minutes. If Mr. Kurokawa hasn't arrived yet, call him again. Remember to be polite. I'm going to the restroom first."

The assistant nodded in agreement.

Of course, in the end, Kurokawasaki Tsuki happily stood him up.

When he finally received a call from his assistant, Kurokawasaki Tsuki remembered about this matter, but that didn't stop him from turning the tables.

“I went to see the stage play you arranged, but I was delayed because of a murder case.”

"..." The assistant apologized.

"I encountered that highway killer on the way, and that delayed me again."

"..." The assistant continued to apologize and express concern.

"I finally got home and had a chance to rest for a while, and you woke me up again."

"..." The assistant apologized frantically.

The assistant then informed the vice minister, who in turn apologized to Kurokawa Sakizuki.

Kurokawa, of course, generously forgave him.

Then the dinner was rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

"All done, time for bed."

Chapter Thirteen: Encountering a Fellow Villager

In the morning, in a park in New York, Yukiko was playing with Shinichi and Ran.

After sleeping for one night, Xiaolan miraculously recovered.

Yukiko Kudo, who was on the phone nearby, smiled with satisfaction as she watched Shinichi and Ran playing happily.

"Yes, it was on TV too. The person who discovered that highway killer was my precious son. But I heard that when the police arrived, they found that he had committed suicide."

The person on the other end of the phone praised Shinichi and then inquired about Ran's condition.

"She felt much better after a nap, her fever subsided, and it seemed like what happened yesterday was over."

After speaking, Yukiko Kudo hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering her.

"Sharon, did you notice before this that Ross was acting a little strange afterward?"

Sharon on the other end of the phone replied, "Yes, I've always had a keen intuition in this area, but I never expected her to kill someone."

Then Sharon asked about Kurokawasaki Tsuki, asking Yukiko how she knew him.

"What's wrong, Sharon? Have you taken a fancy to this handsome guy?" Yukiko asked teasingly, and then told Sharon about her two encounters with Kurokawasaki Tsuki.

Sharon on the other end of the phone was staring at the computer screen, which displayed Kurokawa Saki's identity information. She also noticed that Kurokawa was the kendo champion of this World Martial Arts Tournament.

"No wonder!" Sharon finally understood why she could feel such a powerful sense of oppression from Kurokawa.

After listening to Yukiko's account, Sharon gained a new understanding of Kurokawa Sakizuki. What Yukiko was talking about was Kurokawa solving cases on the beach and independently deducing the truth of cases at the ski resort.

This man seems quite interesting; he's intelligent and skilled in combat.

He's a reliable, gentle, and gentlemanly man, Sharon recalled how Kurokawasaki Tsuki had her Angel and Cool Guy, namely Ran and Shinichigo, behind her.

As for the assessment of his good manners, Sharon recalled the silence she felt during their first conversation.

In the past, while disguised as Sharon, Vermouth had seen far too many men lose their composure in front of her, but someone like Kurokawasaki Tsuki was truly rare.

"Hello, hello? Sharon, are you listening?"

Yukiko's call came through the phone, and Vermouth snapped out of her reverie. "Sorry, I was a little distracted."

"Honestly, I only told you this because you wanted to hear it."

"Sorry, sorry. By the way, could you please pass on a message to Xiaolan? Just say, 'You're right, I've discovered that there seems to be an angel around me,'" Vermouth said meaningfully.

"Huh? That's a good point," Yukiko agreed.

After chatting for a few more minutes, they hung up.

Vermouth looked at the black Kawasaki Tsuki on the computer screen and gave a cryptic smile.

.........

I slept until noon and felt refreshed.

Upon discovering several missed calls on his phone, Kurokawasaki Tsukito returned them.

Ran and Shinichi invited him out, but when Kurokawa said he had just woken up, they expressed their regret and said they would make plans another time.

Another call came from the assistant from yesterday, reminding Kurokawa not to forget what happened in the afternoon. Kurokawa said he wouldn't stand him up again.

After returning the call, Kurokawa began to think.

With only one year left until the inaugural year of Detective Conan, it's about time I went back to Japan.

Shimotsuki Ryoma has mastered the swordsmanship tradition, and his body, enhanced by the Ackerman bloodline, has long since adapted to it.

The only thing he's not quite familiar with is his pair of modified Sharingan eyes. He's only using them as auxiliary tools and hasn't really delved into learning how to use special abilities like genjutsu.

It's time to put mastering the Sharingan on the agenda. Speaking of which, it's also possible to cast genjutsu on small animals, right?

Kurokawa Sakizuki vaguely remembered that there was such a thing.

Time quickly passed into the afternoon, and Kurokawa Saki finally met the vice-president of the Japan Martial Arts Tournament, a slightly overweight middle-aged man.

"Haha, Mr. Kurokawa, it's great to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you, it's truly a pleasure to meet you in person. Let me introduce myself, my name is Tōno Hideki." The vice minister bowed slightly before extending his hand, his posture rather humble.

What Kurokawa considered an exaggeration was perfectly normal to the vice-minister, after all, the man in front of him had won the championship representing Japan and had a bright future ahead of him.

Well, players who are doing well always admire the strong.

Kurokawasaki Tsukiya extended his hand and shook hands with Vice Minister Jono.

After sitting down, Vice Minister Jono waved to the waiter.

The waiter quickly brought over three cups of coffee and some desserts.

"Mr. Kurokawa, please try it. This place is very famous for its matcha benigne, and the reviews are excellent."

Kurokawa tried it and found it to be quite good. With the addition of matcha, it wasn't too sweet and had a refreshing taste. Moreover, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Vice Minister Tōno finally got down to business.

"We sincerely invite Mr. Kurokawa to deliver the opening remarks at the martial arts tournament to be held in Japan next year, and to present the champion trophy to the athletes at the final stage."

Looking at Vice Minister Jono, who suddenly stood up and bowed to him, anyone who didn't know better would think he was going to kill someone.

Kurokawasaki Tsukiya stood up. He had almost finished eating anyway. "Okay, Director Tōno, please email me the arrangements as well. I'll be going back to Japan soon. If there's anything else, you can have someone from headquarters contact me. I have some things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

"Hello! Take care, Mr. Kurokawa." Vice Minister Jono bowed and watched Kurokawa Sakizuki leave.

Kurokawasaki Tsuki quickly drove his little lover, the Ford Mustang, home.

After deciding to start training his Sharingan, Kurokawasaki Tsuki didn't hesitate and stayed in the United States for a few more days. During that time, he overlooked the New York night view from the Empire State Building, experienced the hustle and bustle of Times Square, and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Then, the plane landed at Tokyo International Airport.

Kurokawasaki Tsuki returned to Japan once again.

It was late at night when he returned to his villa.

This small villa was originally a kendo dojo, which Kurokawa incorporated Chinese elements into it. After the expansion, a sizable courtyard was left for Kurokawa to practice his swordsmanship.

It was getting late, so Kurokawasaki Tsuki quickly washed up and went to bed.