Chapter 123 Who is Nekono's lover...?
The picnic ended in a pleasant atmosphere. After packing up their things, the group strolled along the park trails in twos and threes, while Akashi Teru, Amuro Tooru, and Okiya Subaru walked quickly to the parking lot to get their cars.
The warm sunlight bathed everyone's figures in a warm golden glow. Just as they passed a small square where street performers were playing, a pretty girl who looked like she came from a nearby university seemed to be attracted by Nekono Ikuya's appearance and temperament. She mustered up her courage and ran over to stop him.
"Um... excuse me!" The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Nekono Ikuya. "Could... could I have your contact information? Email or Line, either is fine!"
"Wow!" Sonoko Suzuki's eyes widened immediately, revealing an excited expression of anticipation. Ran Mouri and Masumi Sera also stopped in their tracks, curious. Conan Edogawa, on the other hand, looked up at Ikuya Nekono with little surprise. He silently thought to himself, "Here we go again, Nekono-nii's face is always the center of attention wherever he goes..."
However, Conan rarely sees this situation. Although theoretically, the more outstanding a person's appearance, the more popular they should be, being popular and being pursued are not the same thing. In reality, it is actually the men and women who are good-looking but not exceptional who have more suitors.
It's true that everyone has some self-awareness; when faced with someone too dazzling, they often lack the courage to move forward and are more likely to back down.
As for the girl in front of him, Conan looked at her face, which was that of a school beauty, and thought to himself that the reason she dared to ask for his contact information was because she herself was also very beautiful.
Conan looked away uninterestedly.
Nekono Ikuya paused, her emerald eyes calmly meeting the other's gaze, before she gave a polite but distant smile.
"I'm sorry." He shook his head gently, his voice soft yet clear, without any hesitation, "I'm afraid it's not convenient."
The expectant look on the girl's face dimmed for a moment, but she still pressed on, unwilling to give up, "Ah...is that so? Why...is it because you have a girlfriend?"
Her eyes secretly glanced at Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki—she mistook Sera Masumi for a boy.
Is it one of these two girls? Both girls are indeed very beautiful.
She felt a little disappointed, but not too much. She'd only asked out of wishful thinking—what if this handsome guy was single? The brave get to enjoy the world first!
This time, Nekono Yuuya nodded, a sincere and gentle smile flashing in her emerald eyes, and said firmly, "Yes, I'm sorry, I already have a lover. He's not here right now, but we're very much in love."
Conan looked up: "...?!"
Lover, who? Could it be Amuro Tooru?
Just a few days ago, when he asked, Nekono-nii said that he and Amuro Tooru were in a relationship where they could go on dates, and that Amuro Tooru was a suitor who suited Nekono-nii's taste. How could Amuro Tooru's status have been upgraded so quickly?
But Nekono-nii was quite cold to Amuro Tooru during the picnic just now, wasn't he?
Conan was puzzled.
"Oh...I see. Sorry to bother you!" Although the girl was disappointed, she politely said goodbye and quickly left.
Once the girl was out of sight, Sonoko Suzuki, who had been unable to contain her curiosity any longer, immediately crowded around, her eyes sparkling: "Mr. Nekono! You just said... a lover?! Really?! Wow! I've never heard you mention that before! Who is it? Is it someone we know? She must be a great beauty!"
This is big news! Although she had long felt that it would be difficult for someone with Mr. Nekono's qualities to be single, this was the first time she had heard him admit it in person!
Mr. Nekono is so good-looking, so the person he likes must be good-looking too. Sonoko Suzuki's gossip and her love for good looks were both stirring at the same time.
As soon as Nekono Ikuya turned her head, she met three pairs of bright eyes filled with curiosity.
Sonoko Suzuki, needless to say, had "Tell me now!" written all over her face. Ran Mouri, though not as outgoing as Sonoko, also had her eyes full of curiosity. Sera Masumi crossed her arms, her interested gaze also falling on them.
Despite being the focus of several gazes, Nekono Ikumi showed no sign of panic. Instead, he gently raised the corners of his lips. The sunlight bathed his handsome profile in a pale golden halo. He turned his head slightly, and his emerald green eyes rippled with a faint smile in the light, like a tranquil lake in the forest rippling with captivating beauty.
“Him…” His voice was soft and clear, with a gentle certainty in his tone, but he stopped quietly at the most crucial point, leaving a blank space that left room for imagination, “He is indeed very handsome.”
This single, warm description was enough to make Sonoko Suzuki cover her mouth and let out a small, imaginative "Wow!"
But Nekono Ikuya didn't continue. He extended his long index finger and placed it to his lips, making the classic "secret" gesture.
"As for who it is..."
His emerald green cat eyes curved into a cunning and delighted arc, and his voice was light and cheerful:
"—It's a secret for now!"
Keeping it a secret? Is it because of "him"? Mr. Nekono likes boys.
Sonoko and the others nodded in understanding, their thoughts already drifting towards a Romeo and Juliet-like scenario.
Is there a barrier from worldly customs and family?
The girls gave her warm and encouraging looks: "Keep it up."
Nekono Ikuya chuckled softly, "Thank you."
I'll keep going, keep fighting against the organization.
...
The next day, Kaito Kuroba once again strolled to the Nekono residence. He entered the house with practiced ease, and after changing his shoes in the entryway, he took a few steps into the house and saw Conan Edogawa curled up on the sofa, his little face scrunched up, looking completely lost in the mystery novel in front of him.
This appearance is quite unusual. Kaito Kuroba walked over curiously, casually scooped an apple from the fruit plate, and tossed it in his hand.
"Hey, little detective, you look so gloomy. What case has stumped you this time? Or..." He mischievously bent down, stared into Conan's eyes, and ruffled his soft, chubby head. "Are you worried about your Ran-neechan?"
Conan was startled by him, snapped back to his senses, slapped his hand away, and glared at him irritably: "No... Also, call me cousin."
Given the prolonged contact, it's quite normal for two equally intelligent individuals, both facing off against an organization, to fall from grace one after the other, right?
Kaito Kuroba immediately straightened up, put his hands in his pockets, and flashed a smug smile: "No way. Cousin? I was only born a little less than, uh, two months after you..." His voice trailed off.
"Alright, alright, I won't call you Little Detective anymore, you're the Great Detective!" He nimbly sat down on the single sofa next to him, crossed his long legs, and took a big bite of the apple with a "crunch," chewing away.
Conan rolled his eyes at him, too lazy to argue about the form of address.
Kaito Kuroba quickly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping around the room: "Where's Yuya-nii? Isn't he home?"
"They've gone out," Conan replied briefly.
Then he put down his book, turned his gaze to Kaito Kuroba, and said in a low voice with a worried look, "Hey, Kuroba, do you know? Nekono-nii has a lover."
And it's highly likely to be that suspicious blond guy.
Kaito Kuroba couldn't understand Conan Edogawa's sorrow. His expression remained completely unchanged. He raised an eyebrow and answered casually while continuing to munch on his apple.
"Of course I know. What's wrong? You just found out?" He had an expression that said, "What kind of news is this?"
"?" Conan's eyes widened slightly as he realized something was wrong.
How did he know that Kaito Kuroba hadn't come to visit a few days ago, and hadn't gone on a picnic with them yesterday?
They can't possibly be chatting so frequently and in such depth on Line, can they?
Conan's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed, "You knew all along?"
“Of course, I’ve known Yuya-nii for a long time.” Kuroba Kaito nodded matter-of-factly, raised his hand, aimed, and was about to throw the apple core into the trash can. Good, a perfect shot. “They’ve been dating for a long time, their relationship is incredibly strong… but I’ve never actually met him, I think it’s because his job is a bit unusual.”
Conan was bewildered: "?!!"
"Having been in a relationship for... a long time?" He caught the key phrase. And her job was unusual?
“Yes.” Kaito Kuroba flipped through his memories, recalling the bits and pieces of gossip he had heard from Ikuya Nekono when he was a child.
"As far as I know, it's been many years, it seems like... they've been together since high school?"
Conan: "High-High School?!" Is it a high school classmate? It can't be...?
"If I remember correctly, it should be high school." Kaito Kuroba looked at Conan's thoughtful profile, then suddenly seemed to remember something and gently nudged him with his elbow: "Speaking of which, why are you asking this? Although I haven't seen it, shouldn't you have?"
"Huh?" Conan was stunned. He pointed to the tip of his nose in confusion. "When have I seen this before?"
He'd seen her? When had he ever seen Nekono-nii's lover? He himself didn't even know who Nekono-nii's lover was!
Conan Edogawa could tell that Kaito Kuroba wasn't talking about recent events.
Seeing his blank expression, Kaito Kuroba wagged his index finger smugly and prompted, "Think about it, where did you first meet Yuya-nii?"
"Our first meeting... was in Hawaii?" Conan answered instinctively. That was many years ago, when he was just a little kid...
"Bingo!" Kaito Kuroba snapped his fingers, his smile widening. "It's Hawaii. Although I didn't go at the time, Yuya-nii told me about it afterwards."
Although it's about encountering Shinichi, who has the same model as him.
Shinichi Kudo only recently learned about Kaito Kuroba, but Kaito Kuroba didn't only recently learn about Shinichi Kudo.
He soon learned that he had another cousin, but later his father got into trouble with the Zoo Organization and was forced to fake his death. They were afraid that the Zoo Organization was monitoring them and that their close ties with the Kudo family would implicate them, so they kept their distance from them.
"Yuya's lover also went on that trip to Hawaii, and it's said that the two of them were inseparable. Weren't you the first person you met Yuya back then? Hmm? Wasn't Yuya's lover with him at the time?" Kuroba Kaito tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.
Boom—Kaito Kuroba's words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaving through the fog deep within Conan Edogawa's memories!
He suddenly remembered the person who had hurriedly called Nekono Ikuya away at the Hawaii hotel many years ago. Could it be him?!
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