Chapter 537
No matter how much Shuichi Akai struggled and doubted, Yusaku Kudo was determined to win over Yukiko Kudo. Although he didn't get Saiki Usui's address, he was finally able to arrange a dinner date with her, which was a way to save face.
However, the fact that Usakuya Saiki also came along during the meal made Kudo Yusaku very uncomfortable.
Especially since Yukiko Kudo completely ignored him and kept chatting with Saiki Usaku... Even if Yusaku Kudo didn't feel like he was being cuckolded, he could still sense his wife's disapproval.
What's most speechless is that Usaku Saiki accepted this so well, without considering that Kudo Yukiko is Kudo Yusaku's wife. He even showed concern for her so much that Kudo Yusaku wondered if he hadn't been caring enough.
But this kid, Usakabe Saiki... is he really that clueless, or is he just too willful...?
Although Conan Edogawa wouldn't go around spreading information about Usui Saiki's connection to the Japanese Public Security Bureau—for example, Shuichi Akai still doesn't know—Yusaku Kudo is Conan's biological father, and his intelligence far surpasses Conan's. Therefore, Conan often keeps things from both sides, but he doesn't hide anything from Yusaku Kudo.
Therefore, Yusaku Kudo not only knew that Tooru Amuro in the Poirot Cafe was an undercover agent of the Japanese Public Security Bureau, but also that Saiki Usaba was the child of the Japanese Public Security Bureau. He also had some guesses about why Saiki Usaba was being targeted by the organization and why he was familiar with Vermouth, which made him feel more relaxed.
To prevent the interactions between Saiki Usui and Yukiko Kudo from continuing to dazzle him, Yusaku Kudo coughed, trying to divert everyone's attention with something serious.
"Bo Ye-kun, are you still safe?"
Although it's unclear what relics of Usuiba Saiki the organization was eyeing, Kudo Yusaku speculated that Usuiba Saiki, who usually did nothing, knew a lot of information about the Japanese Public Security Bureau... It didn't seem like he had joined the Japanese Public Security Bureau; he was more likely an informant or accomplice of the Japanese Public Security Bureau.
When people are eating out, they don't dare to talk about anything too deep. This kind of concern that is just touching on the point but is indeed worth discussing is more appropriate.
Usaku Saiki stopped explaining Conan Edogawa's 365 tricks of pretending to be a child to Yukiko Kudo and finally picked up on Yusaku Kudo's words.
"It's alright. I was busy for a few hours after receiving the news, and now there's nothing for me to do."
Yusaku Kudo nodded.
Well, I guess this half-day was the time it took for Usaba Saiki to receive the message from Amuro Tooru and then relay it to the Japanese Public Security Bureau... Such an important matter, yet Usaba Saiki didn't need to do anything, it seems he's really marginalized.
There's probably not much to worry about in terms of safety.
"Bell... cough, has Chris been looking for you lately?"
"No, probably busy," sighed Bo Yezaki. "Sigh, people who have no use to you are so easily cut off from contact for no reason..."
Yusaku Kudo knew that Saiki Usaba was just joking, since it was a good thing that the organization's attention had shifted away from him, so he smiled in agreement.
Yukiko Kudo sincerely comforted her, saying, "I think Sharon is quite sincere towards you too, otherwise she wouldn't have brought you to meet me in the first place. Maybe things will be better once she's done with her work."
Bo Yezaki nodded: "I think so too."
Yusaku Kudo: "…………"
Can't you two have a little sense of crisis?! Yukiko too, just because Vermouth goes easy on you and our son doesn't mean you can stop treating her as a proper villain!
"Speaking of which side Mr. Kudo is planning to help this time?"
Suddenly, Usoppei asked with a smile, "It's not the FBI, is it?"
Yusaku Kudo: "...Uh."
Upon learning that Usaku Saiki was actually a member of the Japanese Public Security Bureau, Kudo Yusaku felt a little embarrassed.
Okay, he is indeed more familiar with the FBI, and doesn't have many friends in the Japanese Public Security Bureau... But it's quite subtle that he said this to Usaku Saiki, who is suspected of being an assistant to the Japanese Public Security Bureau!
Fortunately, Yusaku Kudo is a great writer with a talent for choosing his words carefully, and he quickly responded, "Of course I'm on my son's side."
“Actually, I have some private contact with Mr. Akai.” Saiki Usaba covered his mouth and whispered, “So I personally have no objection to your cooperation with the FBI. However, apart from Mr. Akai, based on my observation, the other FBI agents are unreliable. You should be careful when you contact the FBI. Mr. Akai was betrayed by his own people back then and almost couldn’t get out of the organization.”
Yusaku Kudo: "..."
Oh, so Mr. Akai has already made contact with the Japanese Public Security Bureau in private?
However, judging from his conversation with Shuichi Akai, the FBI and the Japanese Public Security Bureau haven't reached the point of cooperation yet... By the way, Saiki Usui used the phrase "I personally have no objection"...
It's possible that, like Shinichi, it was merely a personal contact and trust without being reported to the Japanese Public Security Bureau, and like his predecessor, he tended to be an observer and occasionally lend a helping hand.
After all, Usaku Saiki wasn't anyone in their family; he was just a friend of Yukiko and Shinichi. Kudo Yusaku felt he had done more than enough and couldn't expect him to be completely open and honest with him.
Even without Usakabe Saiki's reminder, he knew that while Mr. Akai was reliable, the quality of the other FBI agents was another matter. However, he had never heard of Mr. Akai almost failing to escape back then, which was something worth paying attention to.
“I understand,” Yusaku Kudo said. “If you need any help, you can come to me.”
"What could I possibly encounter? Don't worry, I'm perfectly safe here," said Usakata Saiki casually with a smile. "But you should still tell Conan to be careful; his acting skills are really terrible."
That's the kind of thing only someone who doesn't get to the heart of the matter could say.
The Kudo couple nodded in unison.
Next, because she was worried about her son, Yukiko Kudo stopped deliberately ignoring Yusaku Kudo and joined the conversation, chatting ambiguously for a few minutes.
Yusaku Kudo quickly seized the opportunity to express his feelings and tried his best to coax Yukiko Kudo, finally changing her mind about spending the night at Saiki Usuba's house.
"I was planning to help Saiki-chan tidy up her house," Yukiko Kudo said regretfully.
Usuha Saiki blinked: "My house isn't that messy, is it? I was thinking of giving you some clothes to clear out my inventory..."
Kudo Yusaku's internal alarm bells rang: "Ahem, Usuo-kun, there are actually some things I'd like to discuss with your people. Would you mind introducing them?"
Usoya Saiki readily agreed: "Sure, but while I'm quite free, my people are very busy... Let's see how it goes in a week."
Taking over Rum's job is no easy task. Although Curaçao doesn't have much of a desire for power, it will take time for the two of them to figure out how to get along. Furuya Rei will probably need at least a week to catch his breath.
With a wave of his hand, Usoppei Saiki postponed the matter to next week. If it weren't for the fact that postponing it too late would have been too delicate, Usoppei Saiki would have preferred to postpone it to next month.
But Conan Edogawa didn't procrastinate. The next day, he sent Shuichi Akai, who was in disguise, and his parents to the sushi restaurant.
He didn't go himself because it's a sensitive time, and he didn't dare to make his presence felt in front of the organization members.
Shuichi Akai cooperated by ordering food and then observed the chef behind the counter.
After finishing their meal, the group returned to the Kudo residence. Conan Edogawa rushed up to them eagerly and asked, "How was it?"
Yukiko Kudo said smugly, "Thank goodness you brought me along! I went to talk to him and observe him up close... That guy was actually in disguise! The skin tone on the edge of the mask and his neck wasn't very even, he must have been lazy."
In Japanese sushi restaurants, it's normal to chat with the chef at the counter, so Yukiko Kudo's behavior didn't arouse any suspicion. In fact, she discovered some important information, and Conan Edogawa's eyes lit up immediately.
"It was a disguise! Something was definitely wrong!"
Who would disguise themselves for no reason?
Conan Edogawa further deduced: "Could it really be Potts? His reaction was a bit strange when he heard the word 'botanist' last time."
Yusaku Kudo smiled and looked at Shuichi Akai: "Mr. Akai, you must know a lot about Potts, right? What do you think?"
Having already rehearsed his story with Usui Saiki, Akai Shuichi calmly said, "I won't hide it from you all. I have some agreements with Potts, and it's not convenient for me to talk about him... I can only say that the person I met today was indeed a stranger to me."
Shuichi Akai didn't feel too guilty about keeping the information about Potness from the Kudo family. After all, knowing about these organizations wouldn't immediately dismantle them. Besides, there were plenty of things they kept from each other, so one more wouldn't make a difference.
The Kudo family may be clever, but Potts is a member of the organization, a terrifying figure with flawless strategies, and now he's even showing a willingness to cooperate... So of course Potts is a higher priority. He doesn't want this opportunity to cooperate to slip away, so he needs to perform well.
Conan Edogawa retorted, "What's going on with that Potts guy? The atmosphere changed when you mentioned him to Rena Mizunashi earlier..."
Shuichi Akai was silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "He's a terrifying guy. It's hard to tell what he already knows. It feels like everything was within his expectations... Rum's death was probably indeed part of his plan. I even suspect that he knew all along that Rum would be working at that sushi restaurant."
Conan Edogawa's expression turned serious: "Indeed, that chef arrived even earlier than Rum, and we have no idea what his purpose was. If he came for Rum, then it would make sense."
"So he's probably busy seizing power right now, isn't he?" Yusaku Kudo stroked his chin. "Working at a sushi restaurant at a time like this... Mr. Akai, do you really think Potts would do something like that?"
The FBI decided to gloss over the matter by feigning weakness: "...I'm not sure. His thinking is hard to understand. To my shame, my brain becomes slower than usual when it comes to anything related to Potts, almost as if I'm avoiding thinking about anything related to Potts."
Kudo Yusaku was somewhat surprised, and the way he looked at Akai Shuichi changed: "Is this post-traumatic stress disorder? Is it that serious? What has he done to you?"
Hideaki Akai remained expressionless: "The first time we met, he claimed I was an FBI agent, constantly reporting me as an undercover agent. He even took kickbacks from me for my work for the organization... Just when I thought he was just saying it casually, he suddenly told me he already had information on my entire family... But he did help me leave the organization. I almost messed up because I didn't heed his warnings. He even anticipated my faked death and didn't expose me, which was a favor. When the MI6 agent got in my way, he contacted me and asked me to tell my mother in MI6—but even so, I still can't be sure of his stance. Although he often acts crazy, I suspect he does have mental problems, after all, he came back from the Middle East..."
Yukiko Kudo was completely dumbfounded.
It seems like Mr. Akai has been holding back for a long time. I never expected that the elite FBI, who has always appeared calm and rational, seemingly unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain, would also have moments filled with resentment like an ordinary person...
However, Potts's wavering behavior and attitude of both tampering with and helping others... considering that undercover agents are already under a lot of pressure, encountering such a crazy person, it's no wonder he developed PTSD!
Kudo Yusaku also slowly broke out in a cold sweat: "This kind of person probably wouldn't like working at a sushi restaurant every day. Maybe that person is just his subordinate."
Conan Edogawa had subtly inquired about it beforehand, so he should have been mentally prepared, but hearing such detailed information all at once still left him a little stunned.
Mr. Akai has it tough... No wonder he falls silent every time he mentions Potts...
He may have inadvertently caused Mr. Akai to suffer from PTSD several times.
Yukiko Kudo cautiously suggested, "I know you probably don't have time right now... It would be better to see a doctor after everything is over."
Shuichi Akai nodded: "I know."
Once everything is over, he probably won't have to deal with Potts anymore, and he won't need treatment anymore.
Shuichi Akai thought optimistically.
After everyone finished discussing the topic, Yusaku Kudo said, "Usui-kun is willing to help us connect with the Japanese Public Security Bureau, but it will be a week from now."
Akai Shuichi: "…………"
Potts and the Japanese Public Security Bureau? Has any other Japanese Public Security Bureau undercover agent fallen to this level...?
Conan Edogawa: "A whole week...that's so slow..."
As it turned out, a week was already considered fast, because when the week was up, an unexpected event occurred, and Usakata Saiki said it would be extended again.
"I'm sure you've all seen what the accident was like in the news."
Usakabe Saiki said irritably, "It's about the explosion at the Tokyo Summit... The Japanese Public Security Bureau is currently investigating that case with all its might."
Is there no one left in the Japanese Public Security Bureau?!
The fact that the organization's second-in-command left behind such an important matter as dividing the spoils couldn't even take up all of Furuya Rei's time, and instead he had time to work for the Japanese Public Security Bureau and even appear on television?!
They can't even distinguish between what's important and what's urgent; the Japanese Public Security Bureau is truly incompetent!
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Zero's executor, Hanchuan Speedrun's home field
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