Chapter 282: Kudo Shinichi’s Worn Out?

"Probably just wiped out." 

Fujino poked Kudo Shinichi's cheek, gave it a couple of pinches, and peeked under his eyelid before answering seriously, "If you want him to wake up fast, splash him with a bucket of cold water." 

"Water?" 

Ran blinked, looking unsure. "Would that really work?" 

I mean, he's not a plant in a coma or anything. 

"Let's skip the cold water—he's too weak for that right now," Araide Tomoaki, the doting "mom," cut in, shutting down Fujino's wild idea. 

She might not be a medical expert, but she could tell her kid was in rough shape. 

After a pause, she offered a more sensible take. "From what I can see, he's passed out from exhaustion. Take him to the infirmary to rest, and he should come to soon." 

Ran let out a relieved breath. 

"Kudo?" 

Hattori Heiji wandered over at that moment. 

He stared at the familiar face, convinced it was Kudo—no doubt about it. 

He'd recognize him even if he turned to ash. 

But when did this guy get back to normal…? And who was that Conan earlier?! 

Hattori's brain short-circuited, giving him a headache. 

"Is this guy Kudo or what?" 

"Looks like him…" 

"Then why didn't he show up earlier? Scared Fujino would outsmart him or something?" 

"Idiot, didn't you see him pass out?" 

"Must've caught a cold—gave Fujino an easy win." 

The surrounding students noticed the unconscious lead actor and started crowding around. Some from Class 2-B instantly pegged him as Kudo Shinichi. 

Araide Tomoaki frowned, scanning the growing mob. "Too many people here—it's no place to rest. I'll take him to the infirmary." 

With that, she hoisted Kudo Shinichi up and onto her back. 

"Thanks, Dr. Araide," Ran said, hurrying to keep up. 

A few other Class 2-B students tagged along too. 

*Was I imagining things just now?* 

Haihara Ai watched them go, frowning as a weird feeling nagged at her. 

Why did it suddenly feel like the Organization vibe coming off that doctor had dialed way down? 

Fujino stood there, hands in his pockets, saying nothing. 

If he had to guess, Belmod was hauling Kudo Shinichi off to avoid getting exposed. 

He wasn't sure if that sly fox knew the Organization had "taken out" Kudo Shinichi, but from her behavior, she clearly didn't want him in the spotlight. 

And just now, the moment she'd picked him up, that century-old femme fatale's aura had noticeably softened… 

Guess being a "mom" really does mellow out the killer vibes. 

Fujino smirked to himself, watching Belmod carry Kudo Shinichi away. 

Gotta admit, it was kinda heartwarming. 

A fifty-something stunner of a mom lugging her kid around. 

--- 

Inside the infirmary: 

In the dim light, Kudo Shinichi's eyes fluttered open—only to be greeted by Fujino's giant face looming over him. 

"Holy—Fujino!" 

Kudo jolted upright, yelping in shock. 

"Hm?" 

Fujino raised an eyebrow, a sly grin tugging at his lips as he played dumb. "Kudo, huh? Do we know each other?" 

"Huh?" 

Kudo froze, glanced at his hands, and realized he'd almost blown his cover. 

He quickly scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh. "Oh, uh, of course I've heard of you! Fujino, the high school detective from my school… Nice to meet you, by the way!" 

"Oh… I've heard of you too. The Sherlock Holmes of the 21st century, right?" 

"Heisei era, actually," Kudo corrected. 

"Shinichi, why're you so wiped out?" Ran asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. 

She was dying to know what he'd been up to lately. 

Why were both the medically-savvy upperclassman and the doctor types calling him "worn out"? 

"…?" 

Kudo blinked, totally lost. 

What kinda wild accusation was that? 

Since when was he "worn out"? 

After a moment, he shot a glare at Fujino. 

It had to be this guy's fault… 

*Fujino, you're the worst!* 

Stumped by the question, Kudo clammed up, racking his brain. 

In the end, he mumbled something about being exhausted from cases and brushed it off. 

After some small talk and confirming Kudo was fine, the group decided to head back to the gym to clean up the mess. 

"Man, the play was just getting good, and then a murder had to happen…" 

Sonoko grumbled as she pushed open the door. "That deduction freak—people just drop dead wherever he goes!" 

"C'mon, Sonoko," Ran said with a light laugh, trying to cheer her up. "There's always next year." 

"Ugh… We finally got a big crowd, too." 

Sonoko sighed, her teenage director dreams crumbling again. 

"Next year, huh?" 

Fujino trailed behind them, muttering thoughtfully. 

A second school festival… 

With this world's messed-up timeline, who knew when "next year" would even be? 

He turned to "Conan" and Hattori. "You two sticking around here?" 

Hattori nodded. "Yeah, it's rare to see him in person. Got some stuff I wanna chat about with Kudo." 

Haihara Ai, in Conan's voice: "I wanna catch up with my big bro Shinichi too!" 

"What the heck…" 

Kazuha rolled her eyes at Hattori. "You see Kudo and suddenly can't walk straight, huh?" 

Fujino: "…" 

That tone—definitely from a pro acting family. 

--- 

Soon, the infirmary was down to just Haihara Ai, Kudo Shinichi, and Hattori Heiji. 

"Hey, Kudo, what's the deal here?" 

Hattori plopped onto the bed's edge, glancing between Kudo and "Conan." "Are you actually Kudo, or is someone else pretending to be you?" 

"What deal?" 

Kudo looked confused. "I'm Kudo Shinichi, obviously." 

"I mean *that* Conan," Hattori said, nodding at the kid. 

"Oh, that's Haihara," Kudo explained. "She recently whipped up an antidote for the drug that shrank me. So, for the festival, I turned back, and she's playing Conan to throw Ran off." 

"Ohhh, got it… Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" 

Hattori rubbed his chin, suddenly enlightened, then glared at Kudo. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have pretended to be you and made a total fool of myself!" 

"You've got some nerve complaining…" 

Kudo groaned, recalling Hattori's Osaka-accented flop. "If anyone's embarrassed here, it's me!" 

"Haha…" 

Hattori scratched his head awkwardly but quickly changed the subject, grinning at Haihara. "Didn't expect this little lady to be so impressive…" 

Haihara Ai: *Cold stare…* 

Hattori: *Chills down spine.* 

"She shrank too, just like me," Kudo said, glancing at Haihara before giving a quick rundown of the drug situation. 

Hattori took it in stride. 

Sure, Kudo shrinking was wild—but another one? Made sense. 

Tokyo folks were freaks, after all. 

After the brief catch-up, Kudo turned to Haihara with a pout. "By the way, Haihara, why didn't you warn me I'd pass out like that?" 

He lowered his voice. "And this 'worn out' stuff—you didn't tell me anything…" 

*You're not settling a score here, are you?* 

"Who told you to show off right after turning back, when your stamina's still shot?" Haihara said flatly. 

Dropping from the sky to impress your princess? If you're not wiped out, who would be? 

Kudo: "…" 

So it's *my* fault now? 

Haihara suddenly remembered something and asked, "Oh, right—who was that guy earlier?" 

"Which guy?" 

"That pretty boy." 

"Oh, you mean Dr. Araide," Kudo said, catching on. "Araide Tomoaki—he's our basketball coach and part-time school doctor. What's up?" 

"I sensed the Organization on him," Haihara said, eyes narrowing seriously. "That feeling… I'm not wrong." 

"Huh?" 

Kudo froze, then chuckled. "You must've gotten it wrong. How could Dr. Araide be tied to the Organization? What, you think he's one of them in disguise?" 

"…" 

Haihara lowered her gaze, lost in thought. "I think it's possible." 

--- 

With the murder case killing Sonoko's show, Fujino lost interest in sticking around. He grabbed "Conan" and Mouri Kogoro and drove them home. 

**[Detective Career Task: Solve the Murder Case at the School Festival] Completed]** 

**[System Rewards: 1.5 million yen, 200 detective reputation points] Issued]** 

**[Current Balance: 7.28 million yen]** 

**[Current Detective Reputation: 900/1500]** 

Fujino opened the system interface, and the task completion screen popped up. 

Just as he reached to close it, his phone rang. 

He pulled it out—[Suwa Yuji] flashed on the screen. 

Fujino picked up, exchanged quick hellos, and Suwa got to the point. "The kendo exam's tomorrow. You ready, Fujino-kun…? Eh, with your skills, you could probably stroll in with a wooden sword and still rank up." 

"Tomorrow's the 15th?" 

Fujino glanced at today's date, frowning. "Wait, isn't tomorrow a weekday? Why's the rank-up exam on a Monday?" 

"Yeah, it's Monday," Suwa explained. "This isn't your typical open exam. It's a special promotion test approved by the Kendo Association for 'promising' dojo students. Each dojo gets two slots." 

"Oh, I see," Fujino said with a nod. "In that case, I'll meet up at the dojo tomorrow." 

So, a backdoor deal for well-connected dojos, huh? 

Suwa's network was impressive, though… 

Pulling strings to be the head examiner for a rigged test? 

Hard not to suspect he cooked this up himself. 

*Ding-dong!* 

Right after hanging up, the doorbell at the detective agency rang. 

"A client?" 

Fujino stood, pocketing his phone, and headed to the second-floor office. A woman stood at the door, ringing the bell. 

She carried a bag and wore an orange dress with white collar accents. Her black, medium-length hair draped over her shoulders, covering her ears. Pale skin, a sweet and innocent vibe. 

"Excuse me, are you Detective Fujino?" she asked softly, a little shy. 

"That's me," Fujino said, stepping forward. "You got a job for me?" 

"Yeah, I've got something I'd like your help with." 

"Let's head inside and talk." 

Fujino ushered her into the agency. 

After a quick chat, he learned her name was Yumeki Haruna, an art school student. 

Her request? Finding someone. 

Yup, another missing person case. 

Fujino couldn't shake the feeling that "find someone" jobs were piling up lately. 

He still preferred infidelity gigs—easy work, big hush money. 

"A friend you met through a pager?" 

Fujino poured her a cup of tea and handed it over. "So, Miss Yumeki, you want me to track this person down?" 

"Yeah, his name's Aki Satoru. We met three years ago," she said. "Back then, I'd just moved to Tokyo from the countryside to find a place to live for art school. I didn't know anyone, so I randomly dialed a number on my pager. To my surprise, he actually replied." 

She paused, then continued. "His message was something like, 'His first love was named Haruna too, and he'd love to be friends.' After that, we kept in touch through the pager. He felt kinda like a gentle older guy—whenever I was stressed, I'd vent to him." 

Fujino rubbed his chin, thinking. 

Pagers? Pretty rare these days. 

But that kind of friend-making was big back in the day. 

Like the modern "shake to chat" thing—except you weren't guaranteed to get someone nearby. 

"So, you're asking me to find him because he's gone missing?" Fujino asked. 

"Not exactly. I've got his pager right here," Yumeki said, pulling a blue one from her pocket. "Last Christmas, I was in Tokyo, working hard to cover tuition. But I hit a wall and was about to drop out. Before heading back home, I wanted to meet him at least once, so we set up a spot by the Hachiko statue in Shibuya." 

"I waited forever, but he never showed. Later, I found this pager nearby, along with this music box." 

She lifted her bag onto the table. "He said the music box was valuable and told me to sell it for tuition—said I shouldn't give up on my dreams." 

"I see," Fujino said, eyeing the music box. 

It was an old, rustic piece—well-crafted, with some years on it. 

"So, you didn't sell it?" he asked. 

"It's too precious for that," Yumeki said, shaking her head. "I figured if I traced where it came from, I might find its owner. So I took it to an antique shop. But they said it's just a damaged music box—not worth much." 

"Maybe it's valuable to *him* for some special reason," Fujino suggested, squinting at her across the table. 

Something about this girl felt off… 

Did she hit up the antique shop to price it for a sale? 

But if she's hiring him to find the guy and return it, that didn't quite fit either. 

This job felt tricky. 

Finding someone? No problem—he could handle that easy. 

The real issue was the price. 

She could barely afford tuition—could she even pay his fee? 

(End of Chapter)