In the lounge, Yukiko was changing clothes, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Fortunately, Eri's clothes fit her well enough, even though they didn't quite align with her usual style. Her two elegantly slender legs moved gracefully as she tried to pull on the stockings. Even in such a mundane act, her beauty shone through.
Yet, Yukiko's thoughts were far from composed.
It had been years since she'd felt this stimulated. Ever since Yūsaku was attacked by an obsessive fan at a book signing, their lives had been thrown into turmoil. The move to the United States had been necessary for his treatment, but the results were marginal at best.
For years, Yukiko had been sleeping alone, adapting to solitude.
But this...
Reacting so intensely just from being hugged by a little boy? It was baffling and utterly ridiculous.
Recalling the events earlier, Yukiko's gaze drifted, a mixture of embarrassment and confusion clouding her expression.
Eri, noticing her friend's distracted demeanor, broke the silence with a gentle voice of concern.
"Yukiko, are you sure everything's all right? You've been in the United States for so long, but you seem...more frustrated?"
There was genuine worry in her tone, the kind reserved for a lifelong friend.
Yukiko quickly waved off the concern. "Eri, it's not what you think!" she exclaimed, flustered. "It was just a misunderstanding. I spilled something by accident, that's all. Really!"
But Eri wasn't buying it. Narrowing her eyes, she teased, "Oh? But as I recall, we were drinking coffee—not water."
Yukiko's face burned with mortification. Unable to retort, she shot to her feet, playfully shoving Eri down onto the bed.
"Eri, stop it! You promised not to say anything!"
Eri, her black-stockinged legs now tangled on the bed, chuckled as Yukiko loomed over her.
"Okay, okay, I won't say a word," she relented, raising her hands in surrender.
Yukiko finally let her go but couldn't help muttering under her breath, "That little brat earlier... so infuriating!"
Her words were casual, but Eri's sharp ears caught them. She frowned.
"Hmm? What's this about Akashi?"
Yukiko froze for a moment, and Eri immediately picked up on the subtle shift in her expression.
What's going on?
Eri's mind raced, piecing together fragments of what she'd observed earlier. Her curiosity was piqued, but one look at Yukiko's conflicted face made her hold back from pressing further.
Instead, she shifted the conversation, her tone light and conversational.
"So, Yukiko, how long are you staying this time? And where's Yūsaku?"
At the mention of Yūsaku, Yukiko's thoughts veered sharply to her son, Shinichi—and the mess surrounding him.
Her son had been drugged and physically reduced to a child. Instead of coming to her, he had chosen to live at Ran's house without informing her directly. She'd learned about the situation secondhand from Dr. Agasa, which left her fuming.
This wasn't something Yukiko could let slide.
She had returned to Japan with a plan: to kidnap her son and teach him a lesson.
Originally, she'd intended to handle it herself, showcasing her skills as a world-class actress to catch Shinichi off guard. But with her visit to Eri delaying her plans, she had entrusted the task to Yūsaku instead.
It had been agreed that Yūsaku would carry out the "kidnapping" first, setting the stage for Yukiko's dramatic entrance.
How was Yūsaku handling it?
Yukiko wasn't too concerned.
"Those two are probably enjoying some father-son bonding. Nothing to worry about!" she thought, dismissing them from her mind in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, far away in an abandoned factory, Yūsaku was enveloped in a faint sense of gloom.
Disguised as a middle-aged man with a mask, voice changer, and the pseudonym "Toshio Edogawa," Yūsaku was fully immersed in the role Yukiko had scripted for him.
Yes, Yukiko had orchestrated the entire plot, writing the script and setting everything in motion. But as soon as the performance began, she vanished, leaving Yūsaku to handle all the heavy lifting.
It had been no easy feat capturing Conan, who had cleverly evaded him multiple times. Now, the stage was set for Yukiko's dramatic reveal.
Yet, she didn't even reply to his messages.
Still, the show must go on.
Left with no choice, Yūsaku embarked on a one-man performance. Realizing that Conan had regained consciousness, he began leaving cryptic clues designed to lead the boy to the Beika Hotel.
Once the breadcrumbs were in place, Yūsaku quietly exited the scene.
Meanwhile, Conan, ever the detective, immediately set to work, chasing the trail laid out for him.
——
Back at the law office, Eri and Yukiko emerged from the lounge, their earlier tension seemingly forgotten. The two women were now chatting and laughing like old friends.
The dynamic between these two was truly puzzling—one moment fiery and contentious, the next warm and intimate. Even Akashi couldn't make sense of it.
As he sat eating the bento Ran had brought for him, the young boy observed their shifting camaraderie with mild bewilderment.
Ran noticed her mother and Yukiko's return and addressed Eri.
"Mom, I'll leave Akashi to you. I have karate practice this afternoon, so I need to head out now."
Reluctantly, she ruffled Akashi's hair before leaving.
Eri watched her daughter go with pride. "Ran is so dedicated. She's been training hard for the national karate competition coming up soon."
Yukiko shook her head and sighed. "She's much more disciplined than my son. Shinichi spends all his time playing detective instead of focusing on his studies. It drives me crazy!"
Hearing this, Akashi paused, his mind connecting the dots.
National Karate Competition?
Wasn't that supposed to take place before the amusement park incident—the one where Kudo Shinichi was drugged and transformed into Conan?
The timeline felt off, but then again, the peculiar chronology of Conan's world was always confusing. Shrugging it off, Akashi continued eating.
After satisfying her curiosity about "Akashi," Yukiko decided it was time to leave.
"Alright, Eri, I'll head out now. Let's meet up again soon."
As she opened the office door, the scene that greeted her froze both women in their tracks.
Midori, Eri's assistant, lay unconscious on the floor.
Standing over her was a masked man wielding a gun.
"Lawyer Kisaki? Long time no see," he said with a chilling tone. "Our boss has requested your presence."
The color drained from Eri and Yukiko's faces as they realized the gravity of the situation.
Akashi's expression darkened instantly. His hand instinctively moved toward the pocket pistol concealed on his body.
Before he could act, another masked man appeared, also armed with a pistol. This one aimed directly at Eri.
Akashi froze.
Two gunmen. This just got complicated.
If he took out one, the other could easily retaliate, putting someone at risk.
As if things couldn't get worse, a third man entered the scene, masked and armed with a stun gun. It was clear now that he had been the one to incapacitate Midori.
Realizing the odds, Akashi clenched his jaw, deciding to wait for a better opportunity. Acting impulsively now would only endanger.