Chapter 28: Group Behavior of Magic Enthusiasts (…

Chapter 28

On the way back, Kurokawa Kaoru kept trying to get Gong You to tell him about his conversation with Mrs. Kurokawa. However, Gong You was stubborn and refused to say a word, saying that he had promised Mrs. Kurokawa not to tell him.

"That's my mother."

She looked at Gong You with a betrayed look in her eyes. Seeing him turn his head away, he refused to look at her. Kurokawa Kaoru took a deep breath, grabbed Gong You by the collar, and forced him to look at her. "What did your mother say to you? Tell me quickly."

"You also said it was your mother."

Who would have thought that Gong You would be so stubborn this time, not telling him a single word: "Since she is your mother, she is an important elder. She has already said that she cannot tell you. Whatever I say must be kept secret for Madam Kurokawa."

Kurokawa Kaoru::)

He simply won't listen to anything.

"Speaking of which, what exactly did Mrs. Kurokawa mean by that?"

As if she had thought of something, Gong You suddenly said, "You don't like skirts? So you really don't have a cross-dressing fetish?"

Kurokawa Kaoru looked at him helplessly: "Didn't I tell you about this a long time ago?"

“That’s not what I mean…”

Seeing the helplessness on the other person's face, Gong You laughed dryly and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Don't I think you're being stubborn?"

He'd been in similar situations before, saying he was forced into it, but actually he just loved it. But when they discovered the truth, he just gave up and refused to even act anymore.

Although the news of a cross-dressing man could easily lead to ridicule, Miya Yuu didn't think it was a serious matter. Since Kurokawa Kaoru didn't intend to let anyone else know, he would do his best to keep it a secret, even telling Miyaji.

So when he heard from Mrs. Kurokawa that Kurokawa Kaoru didn't like skirts, Miya Yu was a little surprised.

Even in the corners that he didn't notice, he felt a little regretful in his heart.

"What can I say?"

Kurokawa Kaoru was almost amused by Gong You: "No matter how stubborn I am, I won't be as stubborn as you when you didn't hand in your homework."

“…”

Gong Yoo: That’s too much!

Mrs. Kurokawa did not bring Kurokawa Kaoru home, which meant that he could continue to live in the Gong family for a while. In addition, she gave him a secondary card before leaving, so at least he didn't have to worry about money until he returned home.

"If your mother says something strange to you, don't take it too seriously. After all, she has always been like this."

Passing by a cold drink shop, Kurokawa Kaoru walked over and took two popsicles from the hot-selling display case. He walked over to Gong You and said, "Is there anything you like here?"

"If Ah Zhi were here, he would definitely say that just having something to eat is good enough, there's no need to be picky."

Smiling, he took the one closer to him and continued, "But for me, as long as it's not natto, everything is fine."

So this person hates natto? Kurokawa Kaoru's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"...You're not thinking about anything terrible, are you?"

"What you mean is, next time I want to ask you for something, I'll buy you a box of natto and ask you to finish it or agree to it?"

“…”

He just knew it!

"So you really are a mafia member?"

"I haven't even been on a mission, how can I be considered part of the mafia?"

He glanced at Gong You casually, then saw a taxi on the side of the road. He took two steps forward and stopped the taxi: "I'm not interested in that kind of life. The Mafia or the Kurokawa family have nothing to do with me."

After unwrapping the popsicle and taking a bite, Kurokawa Kaoru narrowed his eyes and relaxed completely: "The Kurokawa Kaoru you know is just an ordinary high school student. Apart from that, I am nothing."

However, if Kurokawa Kaoru was an ordinary high school student, they would have died long ago. Thinking of the two men he had seen at Dorobigaar Paradise before, Gong You chuckled softly and lowered his head to bite into his own popsicle.

“…”

"Xiaoxun is a child who likes to keep everything to herself."

At that time, Mrs. Kurokawa told Gong You, "Xiaoxun's father is very busy and rarely has time for personal conversations. Besides, even if I told him, I'm afraid he would just tell me to relax and say it's a necessary process for boys to go through on their road to growth."

"I heard that Xiaoxun has a close friend, so I want to see what kind of person you are and whether you will hurt Xiaoxun."

Having said that, Mrs. Kurokawa also knew that with her son's strength, there were probably few people of his age who could hurt him, but she still wanted to reassure herself in this way: "I brought you here because of some selfish reasons. You shouldn't mind, right?"

"I came here on my own."

Perhaps due to the relationship between Gong You and Kurokawa Kaoru, the people sent by Mrs. Kurokawa were very polite to him, even including the word "please" in every sentence. Under such circumstances, even if Gong You really didn't want to cooperate, they couldn't do anything to him.

"Kurokawa has good grades in school, and there are usually people like us in class who talk to him and never leave him alone."

"real?"

Mrs. Kurokawa had thought about Gong You's answer, but she hadn't thought he would say this to her. Hearing the seriousness in his words, she laughed, and suddenly understood why her son, who had no interest in anyone, was so close to Gong You.

"Do you prefer smart yet simple idiots to geniuses of the same type?"

"Mrs. Kurokawa?"

"nothing."

Mrs. Kurokawa finally reacted after hearing Gong You's voice. Looking at the other person with a complicated look, Mrs. Kurokawa sighed, and some inexplicable emotions flashed in her eyes: "If possible, please don't tell Xiaoxun about these conversations between you and me."

Seeing the man nod honestly, Mrs. Kurokawa raised the corners of her lips as if she had thought of something interesting. The idea of bringing Kurokawa Kaoru back to the Kurokawa family in her mind finally disappeared with the wind.

When Kurokawa Kaoru and Miya Yu arrived home, the Miya couple and Miya Osamu had already returned. After washing their hands in the bathroom, they sat at the dining table and started today's dinner.

I have to say that the food cooked by Mrs. Gong is really delicious. I don’t know how many times I have eaten so much that I am completely full. Kurokawa Kaoru lay on the sofa and began to suspect that he might die in this life from eating too much and being bloated.

Speaking of which, Hattori Heiji hasn't contacted him since his last meeting with those two. Edogawa Conan did chat with him on LINE, but he asked about things related to magic enthusiasts, and it was obvious that he still hadn't given up on catching Kaito Kid.

Kudo Shinichi: Is there someone called "Takushu Doi" in that magic enthusiasts' forum?

Look, here we go again.

Looking at the message that popped up on the phone screen, Kurokawa Kaoru chuckled and clicked on the other party's dialog box to reply.

[Kurokawa Kaoru: There is indeed such a person.]

[Kurokawa Kaoru: So you are also interested in men? ]

【Kudo Shinichi: Idiot, of course not.】

Kudo Shinichi: Sonoko suddenly started dating online, and she met Doi Takeki on this magic enthusiasts' forum. So, I've asked you to drive me to a magic enthusiasts' gathering tomorrow afternoon.

A gathering of magic enthusiasts? Kurokawa Kaoru blinked. Thinking about it, it seemed Kuroba Kaito had discussed this with him a while ago. The forums were buzzing with rumors of a "Shadow Mage" suddenly appearing and wanting to meet everyone.

He was not interested in the guy who was obviously dead but no one knew who was impersonating him. In addition, he had only chatted with a few people in the forum, and the only one he could consider a friend was Kuroba Kaito, so he turned down the party.

[Kurokawa Kaoru: He's an avid magic enthusiast, and has become quite famous in the forums in recent years.]

[Kurokawa Kaoru: If you need, I can give you his contact information.]

Kudo Shinichi: I already said it was Sonoko who was interested.

Kudo Shinichi: Sonoko has been talking about how great he is these past few days. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll become her Prince Charming.

[Kurokawa Kaoru: Maybe he's a rare handsome guy? The eldest daughter of the Suzuki Group met a handsome guy with similar interests online. It's quite romantic to think about it.]

[Kudo Shinichi: The premise is that you don’t bring Xiaolan with you.]

[Kurokawa Kaoru: So you're worried that if Doi Takeki is really as good as Suzuki Sonoko says, then Maori Ran will be attracted to him.]

【Kudo Shinichi: No way! 】

[Kurokawa Kaoru: Yes, yes, I know you're jealous.]

Kudo Shinichi: I won’t explain all that to you.

Kudo Shinichi: I was originally planning to go with them, but I've had a cold these past couple of days, so Ran asked me to stay home. That's why I came to you and asked if you would like to join this magic lovers' gathering.

“…”

Do detectives have to go through such a big detour before revealing their main purpose?

It was not until this time that he understood why Edogawa Conan came to find him. Kurokawa Kaoru twitched his lips and felt a little helpless.

[Kurokawa Kaoru: I really have nothing to do tomorrow.]

Kudo Shinichi: Really? I'll leave it to you.

I really owe him. Kurokawa Kaoru sighed.

He left a message on the forum, telling them that he would be there tomorrow. After assuring Edogawa Conan that he would help take care of Mao Lilan, he put his phone in his pocket, turned around, and looked at Gong You beside him: "Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"

tomorrow?

Gong You shook his head.

"That's great."

If the "Doi Takeki" Suzuki Sonoko mentioned was the same person he knew, then tomorrow would be the online meeting for the daughter of the Suzuki Group, and he wouldn't want to drag Kuroba Kaito along to chat. Even Suzuki Sonoko would bring Maoli Ran along out of fear of boredom, let alone Kurokawa Kaoru.

Hearing that Gong You had no plans for tomorrow, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have a magic lovers' party tomorrow afternoon. Remember to accompany me."

"Tomorrow afternoon?"

Perhaps it was because he had just promised Mrs. Kurokawa to take care of Kurokawa Kaoru, but after hearing what Kurokawa Kaoru said, Gong You tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded: "It's nothing anyway, then..."

"Sorry to interrupt."

“…”

Miyaji interrupted Gong You before he could finish his words. Seeing the confusion on his face, Gong Zhi chuckled and turned to meet Kurokawa Kaoru's gaze: "I'm quite interested in the magic lovers' gathering that Kurokawa mentioned. If possible, can I go with him?"

"Aji?"

Hearing Gong Zhi's voice, Gong You's expression froze, and he said, "When did you become interested in magic?"

"Didn't I perform magic at the junior high school festival?"

With Miyaji's limited brain capacity, he couldn't remember such an old story. However, Miyaji wasn't there to remind people of such things. Seeing him scratching his head and reminiscing, his expression was calm, and his eyes fell on Kurokawa Kaoru. "Aside from volleyball, Miyaji has absolutely no interest in anything else. Instead of letting him stare blankly at the party, why don't you let me accompany you?"

"What do you think, Kurokawa?"

“…”

"This is the first time I know you're interested in magic."

After a brief silence, Kurokawa Kaoru chuckled. He placed his bowl in the dishwasher, watching it begin to work. He lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I was worried that having Gong You accompany me all the time would be annoying. It's great that you're interested in magic."

When did he feel that Kurokawa was annoying? He didn't notice the strange atmosphere between Kurokawa Kaoru and Miyaji. Miyayo's brows were furrowed, and his expression looked distressed.

Just like Miyaji said, he really wasn't interested in magic or anything like that. But after all, Kurokawa Kaoru was different from his peers. Miyayo was worried that something uncontrollable might happen if he let Miyaji and him go to the party.

Seeing the two people in front of him quickly confirm the time for departure tomorrow, Gong You opened his mouth, and when the person turned back to the room, he grabbed the other person and said, "How about... I accompany you to the party?"

"Didn't you just say that you wanted Miyaji to accompany me?"

"That's true..."

Gong You's brows knitted together in confusion, and he said with a troubled look on his face, "After all, I've seen the world. Even if I encounter those strange things again, I won't be surprised."

"Aji..."

Gong You paused, glancing obscurely at Gong Zhi: "What if Azhi's psychological endurance is too weak and he pees his pants out of fear?"

"Let's not talk about what can happen at a gathering of magic lovers."

Looking at the "gathering of vengeful spirits" behind Gong You, Kurokawa Kaoru's shoulders trembled, and a smile crept into his eyes: "Think about how you're going to explain what you just said to the other person first, right?"

Another person? Gong You looked confused. Just as he was about to ask who to explain to, a hand appeared on his shoulder. At the same time, Gong Zhi's voice rang out from behind him.

"You just said... who would pee their pants?"

Gong You, died.

Due to some force majeure factors, Gong Youxi got a pair of asymmetrical panda eyes, so naturally she could not attend the magic lovers' gathering.

The gathering was held at a holiday cottage. By the time Kurokawa Kaoru and Miyaji arrived, Suzuki Sonoko and Mori Ran had already been there for a while. Everyone else who had said they would be attending on the forum had already arrived, so naturally, the only person who was there at this point was the person whose pseudonym was "Timeline Checker."

"Could it be that you are the timeline puncher?"

After all, there was already a Suzuki Sonoko who brought her friends with her, so no one would be surprised to see Kurokawa Kaoru and Miyaji appear together.

The person who opened the door for them was a middle-aged man in a brown shirt. He smiled and took the backpack from Kurokawa Kaoru's hands. The man laughed and turned to look at Miyaji and said, "The magic tricks you proposed on the forum before were very interesting. At that time, I was wondering what kind of person you are in real life."

"That's right."

Behind him was a relatively younger man. Perhaps because he was a magic enthusiast, he gave off the impression of a magician. "Just now we were discussing your age, but you're actually even younger than we thought."

"Timeline puncher?"

Miyaji listened to their talk in a daze, his expression slightly shifted. He turned to look at the "girl" beside him, whose whole body, even her hair, was exquisitely crafted. "Is this your pseudonym on the forum?"

"Aren't you a timeline puncher?"

Miyaji's words stunned everyone. It took them a few seconds to digest what he said. Araki, who opened the door for them first, opened his eyes wide and looked at Kurokawa Kaoru in disbelief: "So... you are the timeline checker?"

"Hey, hey, is this true?"

Hamano Toshiya, dressed more like a magician than anyone else, took two steps forward and said excitedly, "That timeline checker who's always so cold and indifferent to everyone on the forum, turned out to be a pretty girl?"

"I'm here with a friend because he's quite interested in magic, and there's a gathering of magic enthusiasts today, so I brought him along."

Not paying attention to what Hamano Toshiya said, Kurokawa Kaoru's expression was calm. He turned to look at the owner of the holiday cottage, Ara Yoshinori: "If it's not time for dinner yet, can I go to the room and rest first? I felt a little carsick on the way here."

The girl's expression was calm. When met with her gaze, Huang Yi felt as if he was locked in an ice cellar and his whole body was frozen.

"Is it not possible?"

Kurokawa Kaoru continued to ask.

“Yes…yes!”

As if realizing it, Arara Yize raised his voice and made way for the stairs behind him: "The rooms on the second floor are mostly empty. You two can choose yourselves."

"Thank you very much."

After hearing the satisfactory answer, Kurokawa Kaoru lowered his eyes and walked straight to the second floor. He took Kurokawa Kaoru's backpack from Ara Yoshinori's hand, smiled and nodded to him, and then slowly caught up with him.

After all, it was a holiday cottage, so it had all the necessary things. He randomly chose an open room and walked in. Kurokawa Kaoru yawned, and just as he was about to turn around and close the door, he saw Miyaji walk in.

“…”

It seems there is no way to rest.

"You followed me to a place like this, do you have something to say to me?"

"Didn't I say it before? I'm more interested in magic."

Miyaji smiled as he stepped forward, closing the door behind him. Seeing someone looking at him, the corners of his lips curled up, and he pulled a chair and sat directly across from Kurokawa Kaoru.

"But since Kurokawa has asked, I'd be sorry if I didn't say something."

"Whether it's the youth team training camp or you're staying at the Miya family right now, Kurokawa...what made you choose Ayou?"

Why "choose" Gong You? Kurokawa Kaoru blinked and looked at the other party, hesitant to speak.

Isn't it because Miya Osamu stood up Miya Yoo and Miya Yoo happened to see him that the following events happened?

The other party asked this question, obviously not to hear this. Seeing the seriousness on Miyaji's face, Kurokawa Kaoru leaned back and huddled himself into the sofa.

"You suddenly came to me, maybe something happened to you?"

“It’s convenient to talk to smart people.”

Miyaji laughed, picked up the bread on the table, and started eating it. "Fortunately, there is bread in the room. I almost thought I would starve before dinner."

Kurokawa Kaoru snorted: "On the way here, I asked you if you wanted some snacks."

"I can't help it. After all, I'm really too sleepy."

After all, they were brothers, and Miya Yo didn't believe a word of Miyaji's claim of being "interested in magic." However, Miyaji refused to explain why, so he pestered him until late at night, until dawn, when Miya Yo regretfully gave up.

“阿侑那个家伙还能睡觉，而我却要来陪你参加魔术爱好者的聚会，真是的……早知道多揍几拳了。”

“Puff.”

Kurokawa Kaoru laughed out loud: "He already has two panda eyes, just let him go."

Unlike his attitude towards Miyaji, when Kurokawa Kaoru mentioned Miya Yu, his tone was obviously much more familiar. Seeing that he and Miya Yu were really close, Miyaji's expression changed slightly, and then he said: "Yesterday after school, I met a man who was dressed in black."

Not surprisingly, seeing the surprise on Kurokawa Kaoru's face, Miyaji lowered his eyes and clearly heard his own voice: "Judging from your expression, Kurokawa should be clear about the identity of this man."

The man, dressed entirely in black, could only think of the people from the winery. After all, something like that had happened at Dorobigaar Land, and after all, he had promised Gong You that he would be responsible for this matter. During this time, Kurokawa Kaoru had been keeping an eye on the vehicles near Inarizaki and the Gong family to avoid any accidents.

Who would have thought that the time when the winery appeared coincided with the time when his mother appeared. He didn't know whether it was a coincidence or the other party deliberately avoided the time when he was there.

Wait a moment--

"Since you encountered them, why were you able to escape unscathed?"

"them?"

Miyaji raised his eyebrows. "I only met a man who looked like a fitness trainer. Because he mentioned Ayou, I wondered...whether this happened because of Kurokawa."

The winery and their group were targeting Gong You, most likely because they hit a wall while investigating him. The Mafia, when faced with setbacks in their investigations, would often invent interesting stories. Plus, the Kurokawa family members were definitely following them in secret for their own protection. A few more times would tell them they weren't easy to deal with.

Compared to myself, Gong You's information is much easier to investigate.

Although he didn't know how they mistook Miyaji for Miya Yu, he did have something to do with what happened. Thinking of this, Kurokawa Kaoru sighed and said calmly, "I will take care of the matter of the man in black."

Does that mean… apart from these, you can’t tell me anything else? Miyaji frowned, his eyes fixed on the other person.

"You haven't replied to the question just now..."

"Are you sleeping, Kurokawa?"

“…”

The door was pushed open.

"So you're on a date?"

The person who pushed the door was a chubby boy. He greeted Miyaji with a smile, and his gaze looked back, landing perfectly on Kurokawa Kaoru.

"The Escape King hasn't been contacted yet, so everyone thought we'd introduce ourselves first. It's also a warm-up before the party."

What a hassle. Kurokawa Kaoru sighed. Instead of introducing himself to those people, he would rather stay in the room and continue playing "word games" with Miyaji.

"It's such a boring thing, why don't you just go by yourself?"

"Everyone is here because they signed up for the party. It's okay for the Escape King, but since you're already here, wouldn't it be a shame to be absent?"

"It's terrible."

In his heart, he reprimanded Edogawa Conan, who had asked him to come here. Kurokawa Kaoru stood up, but without looking at the boy who was talking to him, he turned to look at Miyaji behind him: "You should have heard what I just said, right?"

"Since the other party has said so, let's go over and take a look."

"Those who are interested in magic...Miyaji-san."

TBC.