Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

As she spoke, she added a handful of greens to the pot and explained the reason for tonight's meal, "Kaito helped us with something this time, so we're here to thank him... I didn't expect you to come, Uncle Yusaku."

Yusaku Kudo put down his chopsticks and gave an apologetic smile.

"I apologize for my intrusion and for disturbing you."

Qingze picked up a piece of green vegetable and slowly put it into his mouth.

"Knowing it's presumptuous of you to come, you've deliberately come to bother me." His tone was unusually calm as he stated the facts, showing no respect whatsoever.

Kaito Kuroba's chopsticks paused in mid-air, he glanced quickly at Aozawa, then lowered his head to continue eating his meat.

Ran Mouri glared at Aoze.

That glance carried a hint of reproach, and also a touch of helplessness, like "How could you talk like that?"

“Azawa, don’t be like that.” She lowered her voice, then turned to Kudo Yusaku, apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry, Uncle Yusaku, that’s just Azawa’s personality. He doesn’t really like being disturbed, but he doesn’t mean any harm…”

Yusaku Kudo chuckled softly.

There was no embarrassment in that smile; instead, there was a hint of understanding.

“I’m full,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “In that case, I won’t bother you any longer.”

He stood up.

Ran Mouri also quickly stood up.

"Uncle Yusaku, let me take you..."

As the two figures disappeared into the distance, the living room fell silent.

Aozawa poured himself a glass of cola, looked at Kuroba Kaito, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

How are you feeling?

"what?"

Kaito Kuroba frowned, not understanding what he was asking.

Qingze slowly took a sip of cola, then took out a signal detector from his pocket to check for abnormal signal transmission devices.

Sure enough, a very well-hidden listening device was found under the dining table.

Kaito Kuroba looked horrified as he stared at the bugging device.

This?

Where is it?

Did Yusaku Kudo place it?

Is that really Yusaku Kudo?

Qingze gripped the bugging device, his fingertips applying slight pressure.

With a soft click, a few tiny sparks of electricity peeked out from between the fingers and disappeared in an instant.

He released his grip, and the bugging device lay quietly in his palm, now just a pile of discarded electronic debris.

He casually tossed it into the nearby trash can, looked at Kaito Kuroba, and asked the same question again.

How does it feel to be cared about?

Kaito Kuroba frowned and remained silent.

He stared intently at the person in front of him, his expression no longer showing any of the carefree spirit that belonged to Kaito Kuroba.

"What exactly do you want to say to me that you called me here today?"

Aozawa looked at him with a pity in his expression that Kaito Kuroba couldn't understand.

"No rush, I'm not full yet. Let's talk about it after I've eaten."

Ran Mouri returned quickly.

She sat down next to Qingze, glanced at the silent Kuroba Kaito, and then at Qingze who was slowly continuing to cook meat in the hot pot. She didn't ask anything, but simply put a piece of food into his bowl.

Seeing that the ingredients in the pot had been almost completely emptied, Qingze put down his chopsticks.

"Ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang again.

Kudo Yusaku stood at the door, giving Aozawa a friendly smile as he walked out.

"Qingze-kun, I apologize for the intrusion and disturb you."

Chapter 572 How come everyone knows he's not dead?

Night had completely fallen.

The streets of Beika Town were so quiet that only the occasional barking of dogs could be heard in the distance. The streetlights cast a small circle of dim yellow light on the doorways, and moths circled around the lampshades, their shadows flickering on the steps in front of the doors.

Qingze looked at the person in front of him.

I had seen that face just over ten minutes ago.

But that outfit—a dark gray overcoat with neat cuffs and a clean collar—was completely different from the casual suit worn by "Yusaku Kudo" earlier.

A strange smile curved his lips, but it vanished in an instant.

He walked to the door, his face showing just the right amount of confusion.

“Mr. Yusaku,” his gaze fell on the other man’s clothes, his tone tinged with confusion, “did you leave something here with me? Why did you change your clothes so quickly?”

Yusaku Kudo was taken aback.

Something flashed quickly in the eye behind the glasses, like a faint flash of lightning, gone in an instant.

"Did I just come to visit?"

Qingze nodded honestly.

Then, the confusion on his face gradually disappeared, and his expression became serious.

"Could it be..." His voice trailed off, "that the person who came to visit just now wasn't you?"

In the darkness of night, their eyes met.

Qingze lowered his eyes and pondered for a second, then turned and opened the door.

"Mr. Kudo, please come in and have a seat."

Yusaku Kudo adjusted his glasses, his brow furrowing slightly.

Who is it?

He stepped across the threshold.

The aroma of hot pot still lingered in the room, and warm yellow light enveloped the entire living room.

His gaze swept across the room, landing on Ran Mouri, then on Kaito Kuroba at the dining table, and finally on the four used bowls and chopsticks on the table.

One of them is from Qingze.

One of them is for Xiaolan.

There's also one that's "him" and...

Kaito Kuroba's gaze fell on Yusaku Kudo, and he remained silent for a moment.

As a master of disguise, he could immediately tell the difference between the Kudo Yusaku before him and the one from before, and it wasn't just the clothes. The pants, shoes, and even the watch on his wrist were all different.

The "Yusaku Kudo" from before clearly didn't expect the visit of another "Yusaku Kudo," and his disguise wasn't very convincing.

Ran Mouri was just about to clear the dishes, her hand still resting on the rim of the bowl, when she saw yet another Yusaku Kudo.

She subconsciously looked at Qingze, whose face held just the right amount of seriousness.

She understood instantly.

There must be one of the two, Yusaku Kudo, who is a fake, and it's highly likely that the one we just saw was a fake.

Confusion crossed her face, and she couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Yusaku, why did you change your clothes...?"

Yusaku Kudo did not rush to answer.

Even after realizing that someone had impersonated him and come here, he remained calm.

That composure is not a deliberately maintained calm, but a cultivation that comes from the core, like deep water, calm on the surface, but with countless waves beneath.

His gaze fell on Kaito Kuroba.

He tilted his head slightly, as if seeing this person for the first time, his tone filled with curiosity:

Who is this?

Kaito Kuroba stood up.

He walked up to Yusaku Kudo, his steps unhurried. The light shone on his face, a face that bore a striking resemblance to someone else, yet it showed no trace of amusement.

"My name is Kaito Kuroba. I've long admired your name, Mr. Yusaku Kudo."

The real Yusaku Kudo has arrived.

So that one was undoubtedly fake.

As for the answer to who that person is—he no longer needs to guess.

Kaito Kuroba paused, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

“Perhaps,” his voice trailed off, “should I call you uncle?”

The air suddenly became quiet.

A distant bark drifted in from outside the window. The steam from the hot pot was still rising gently, but it seemed no one noticed.

Kudo Yusaku looked at him, recalling a small figure from his memory.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and a complex emotion surfaced in his eyes—a mix of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion), 怀念 (huái'àn, nostalgia), and a touch of indescribable tenderness.

"As expected of Kaito." His voice was very soft, almost like a sigh. "I didn't expect... he's grown up so much."

"Please sit down." Aozawa pulled out a chair, gesturing for Kudo Yusaku to sit down.

The hot pot was still steaming slightly, and the broth had almost completely reduced, with only a few scattered side dishes floating on the surface.

Ran Mouri got up and went to the kitchen to get a clean set of bowls and chopsticks, which she gently placed in front of Yusaku Kudo.

"Uncle Yusaku, would you like some more? There's still some in the pot."

Kudo Yusaku glanced at the bottom of the pot, smiled and waved his hand: "No need to trouble yourself, I've already eaten dinner."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Kaito Kuroba, as if he were looking at some rare object, but not in a way that made people uncomfortable.

Kaito Kuroba felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and used the rim of the cup to cover half of his face.

"Kaito-kun," Yusaku Kudo began, his tone gentle and mature, "how is your father... doing lately?"

He looked at Kaito Kuroba, a hint of probing in his eyes.

Kaito Kuroba paused with his cup at his lips.

His father died eight years ago and remains deceased to this day.

But how come it seems like everyone knows he's not dead?

His son knew absolutely nothing about it...

He put down his drink and gave a standard polite smile: "It's fine. Thank you for your concern, Uncle."

Yusaku Kudo noticed the barely perceptible pause and understood what was going on.

"That's good." Yusaku Kudo nodded, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. "I haven't seen your father for many years either."

“He mentioned you,” Kaito Kuroba said. “He said you are the most formidable opponent he has ever faced.”

His father had never actually told him this, but ever since he learned that his father was the Phantom Thief Kid, he naturally knew everything about the previous Phantom Thief Kid.

The name "Kid" was given to me by Mr. Yusaku, who is standing in front of me.

He was testing whether Yusaku Kudo knew that his father was Kaito Kid.

Kudo Yusaku raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled softly. The smile was complex, a mixture of amusement and wistfulness.

“Opponent…” he repeated the word, then shook his head. “Your father always likes to hold back some of what he says.”