The next morning, before going to school, the Mouri household welcomed three guests.
The worried-looking Kudou couple and a young boy wearing glasses who looked no older than seven or eight.
Mouri Ran, just coming down from the third floor, saw the three of them immediately.
“Yukiko auntie, Kudou uncle.”
“Aren't you both overseas? Why did you suddenly come back?”
“Sigh...”
Kudou Yukiko sighed, her eyes filled with hesitation, but in the end, she spoke.
“Ran, actually, Yukou and I came back because of Shinichi.”
“Shinichi?”
“Didn't he go investigate some cases?”
Seeing that Ran was still clueless, Kudou Yukiko grew more worried about Ran's situation.
But at that moment, Kudou Yukou, with a face full of sorrow, spoke in a low voice.
“Ran, Shinichi… he… ran into trouble.”
“!?”
“The police found him in a deserted alleyway on a weekend night.”
This instantly made Ran freeze.
“You’re… you’re lying…”
“I’m not lying.”
Mouri Kogoro couldn't bear to see his daughter on the verge of breaking down.
But the truth was the truth.
When he first heard the news, he too had frozen.
He hated that stinky brat.
Because the stinky brat not only wanted to date his daughter, but also wanted to steal his business, how could he possibly stand it?
It'd be strange if he didn't scold the kid.
But he was quite impressed by the brat's skills.
What a pity.
The talented stinky brat got into trouble elsewhere. He was too righteous, facing danger without considering his own safety.
That urge to explore the unknown ultimately hurt the stinky brat.
Upon learning the reason, Mouri Kogoro fell silent.
“That kid charged headfirst into danger regardless of the cost.”
“As a former cop, I admire the stinky brat's actions.”
“But also as a former cop, his actions were too reckless!”
But his voice quickly softened.
“He should have avoided danger, the stinky brat was too impulsive. He was so impulsive he even forgot this.”
“Or perhaps the kid didn't trust the police from the start.”
“But the kid's thinking wasn't wrong.”
As a former police officer, he knew there were many cops in the Metropolitan Police Department who didn't do their jobs properly.
Their thinking was simple, they just wanted to stay in the system, without having to show their work capabilities too much, just going with the flow.
Those guys' work skills were terrible.
Perhaps the stinky brat truly had that thought, and chose to charge into danger himself.
Mouri Kogoro sighed.
He also felt that the stinky brat was a pity.
If the stinky brat had more exposure to society, had experienced some hardships, maybe he wouldn't be so impulsive.
Maybe the stinky brat would have learned to avoid danger.
“No matter what, the stinky brat was too young.”
“If the kid was older, he could have become a cop and maybe learned more.”
“What a pity…”
Mouri Kogoro genuinely felt a sense of pity.
At this moment, Mouri Ran couldn't help but cover her mouth, as if she didn't want to listen anymore.
Mouri Kogoro shook his head helplessly.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Do you know anything about the perpetrator?”
“We know a little, but it’s still very troublesome.”
“So, Yukiko and I plan to start from overseas.”
“International criminals.”
Mouri Kogoro nodded slightly.
It would be difficult to handle an international case with the domestic situation. If they had the channels, starting from overseas would be better, there wouldn’t be so many restrictions.
“If you need any help, just say it.”
“I, Mouri Kogoro, still have some connections in Beika. I can help you investigate.”
“Thanks, but it’s best if Mr. Mouri doesn't get involved.”
Kudou Yukou was grateful but also strongly refused.
“Investigating certain matters carries risks. It’s best not to casually investigate Shinichi's case. That's a big problem.”
“As long as you don't investigate, they won't act.”
“But if you take action and uncover information, things might get very complicated.”
“I see, it is indeed a problem.”
Mouri Kogoro could almost imagine the situation Kudou Yukou and Kudou Yukiko were in.
The investigation behind the scenes wouldn’t be easy to start.
If they accidentally got involved with some connections behind the scenes, this couple would also face trouble.
“But they won’t give up.”
As a father, Mouri Kogoro understood Kudou Yukou’s thoughts.
“But there’s something that still needs Mr. Mouri’s help.”
“It’s this child.”
Mouri Kogoro looked at the boy wearing glasses.
He felt a sense of familiarity upon first glance.
Then he realized.
“This child… you wouldn’t…”
“Mr. Mouri, this child has nothing to do with us now.”
Kudou Yukou forcefully interrupted.
“So, now?”
Looking at the sincerity in those eyes, Mouri Kogoro roughly understood what this meant.
It seems they wanted to find a place for the child because it was inconvenient to carry a child around while investigating overseas.
“No problem, I’ll take care of this kid.”
Mouri Kogoro directly agreed without hesitation.
Kudou Yukou nodded slightly, then signaled Yukiko to bring out something.
“Kogoro, this is some living expenses for the child.”
Mouri Kogoro subconsciously took it and looked, he was startled.
Wow, the bank account balance was 500 million yen, they were really not being polite at all.
“You guys aren’t really planning to go all out, are you?”
“No, we're making the worst-case scenario preparations.”
Kudou Yukou said it without hesitation.
“Yukiko and I are planning to go overseas for a “relaxing getaway” under the pretense of being emotionally unstable.”
“We’re not stupid, we’re just helping some foreign police with their investigations.”
“As long as our investigation doesn't go too deep, they won’t act against us.”
“So, I also need a reason to interfere with the investigation.”
“True.”
Mouri Kogoro put the memory card away.
“Don’t go overboard, you two.”
“There's still a child here.”
“Please rest assured, we are very aware of the dangers of investigating them, so we won’t be reckless.”
Kudou Yukou wouldn’t make such a mistake.
He indeed didn’t plan to fully participate.
As he said, he needed to stay away because he knew how dangerous that organization was.
All he needed to do now was go on a “relaxing getaway” with Yukiko.
He could provide information, but he wouldn’t personally participate in the investigation.
PS: The next chapter’s update will be a bit late.