Yuji Kudo, the manga artist behind Detective Conan.

"Ms. Yoshida is really scary. She was talking about her first love again in class today."

The school bell rang on time at Teitan Elementary School, and the children, who were not much different from those thirty years ago, walked out of the school building in groups of three or five. Conan, who was watching all this from the gate, was filled with nostalgia.

"Look at you! You'll be going back to elementary school for a few more years after Koizumi comes to take you back. Are you already missing it? Didn't you do enough elementary arithmetic?"

Old Kudo, quite opportunely, reminisced about his past self, then pulled his mask up even higher, as if afraid of running into the "Yoshida-sensei" the children were talking about, and having to explain why Conan had only written to them all these years without ever returning to visit, and also to evade their repeated questions about Conan's address.

Goodbye! To the third generation!

The children who saw Shinichi Kudo at the door said goodbye to the boy with short black hair. The boy gave the suspicious-looking uncle standing at the door a look of disdain before noticing Conan leaning on the railing.

"Where did this little brat come from?"

"Ha, so the person who calls others 'little devils' is the one who's a little devil, right?"

What an arrogant guy! Conan suddenly felt a surge of dissatisfaction, as if a fire of anger was spreading in his heart. What was the reason for this?

"Ou-chan? Where's Sayoko-neechan?"

Ah, he finally remembered. The person in front of him, whose experience was almost exactly the same as his, seemed to be eyeing his cabbage covetously. Although Old Kudo had complained that it was his own cabbage that was eager to get involved, Conan had the feeling that this guy was an enemy the moment he saw Higashino.

[He's even more annoying than Gin.]

"Sayono went to her mother's to pack her things. We're going to the maiden voyage ceremony of that cruise ship tomorrow morning, so let's just eat something quick and go to sleep tonight." "Eh, it's that violent auntie..."

Higashino looked puzzled as to why old Kudo would have a wife like that, and, annoyed by Conan's behavior, took the passenger seat.

"Damn it, even my seat..."

Driven by Old Kudo, they soon arrived at an Indian restaurant near Tokyo Tower. The restaurant, which mainly serves naan bread and curry soup, was very popular, and they had to wait in line for a long time before they could get a seat.

"Why eat here? It's not cheap, is it?"

"What else could it be? Uncle must have taken on some random request again, which is why he drove all this way here." Higashino chuckled matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and taking the opportunity to mock Conan, implying that the new assistant that Kudo had found was terrible.

"What assistant? He's not my assistant. And you, kid, aren't you either!" Old Kudo poked Higashino's forehead with his finger. "You're just a lazy bum who freeloads at my house. Sometimes I really wonder, can a seven-year-old really be as shameless as you?"

Higashino mumbled, his lips being pinched hard, "What are you talking about... Of course I'm a genuine child, Uncle, did you drink too much and mess up your head?"

Seeing that the argument was about to go on and on, Old Kudo saw the freshly baked naan bread brought over by the waiter, immediately grabbed one, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into Higashino's mouth. He then tore off pieces of the slightly salty bread and observed his surroundings.

"Not here yet?"

(End of this chapter)