Chapter 16 Investigating Matsukawa Yuichi
"No, Shinichi Kudo."
"What...what are you talking about, Brother Cheng You?" Conan scratched his head, revealing an innocent smile. "How could I be Brother Kudo Shinichi? Hahaha."
"I wonder if you have any impression of Matsukawa Yuki or... Li Hua?" Cheng You asked with a smile.
"!" This sentence struck Shinichi Kudo like a bolt of lightning, bringing back a long-forgotten memory. Seven years ago, on that night, after he escorted Ran home safely, he kept thinking about the mysterious man he had met. However, he never met that mysterious man again, and this memory had been buried deep in his heart ever since.
"I...I don't know him, hahaha, what exactly is Brother Cheng talking about?" Conan continued to play dumb.
"Sigh, Kudo, your acting is terrible. Stop playing riddles, Great Detective." Cheng You patted Conan's head and said helplessly, "I know about the Black Organization. My mission is to eliminate them."
Conan finally stopped pretending to be clueless, his glasses reflecting an unscientific, ultra-white light as he looked at Cheng You, his tone suddenly much more mature: "I'm not sure about your stance. Besides, how did you know me? What do you want with me?"
Cheng You felt that this mature voice sounded normal; why pretend to be a child every day? He smiled and said, "Don't I look like a good person?"
“Although we’ve only met a few times, you’re acting very strangely.”
“Sigh, there aren’t many normal people in Beika Town,” Cheng You shrugged. “I’m asking you to cooperate. Of course, I’m giving you time to think it over. Think it through and then tell me, and we’ll have a good talk. I’ll handle the Black Organization’s deal. You should go help Uncle Mori solve the case, Great Detective.”
Conan remained serious, but upon hearing the other person's last sentence, he couldn't help but think to himself: What? How can I possibly concentrate on solving a case?
Seeing Cheng You head east of the haunted house, Conan hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. He needed to discuss this with Ai Haibara; after all, it was still unclear whether the other person was actually alcohol, and Cheng You seemed to know far too much. Conan hoped the other person was truly one of their own; if they were members of the Black Organization, their situation would be dangerous.
Cheng leisurely strolled to the vicinity of the winery's trading point. He did not intend to confront the winery head-on. He could not guarantee the safety of the persona Matsukawa Yuki at the moment, so it was best not to cause too much trouble for his real body.
After wandering around the area without seeing anyone making a transaction, Cheng You was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
He was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy wearing a blue tracksuit and a baseball cap that concealed a seriousness and inquisitiveness in his eyes that didn't belong to his age. He was hiding in that corner, seemingly observing something.
The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed, but he had only been in the world of Detective Conan for a short time and didn't seem to remember this person. However, this strange sense of familiarity only confused him more.
When he saw those mature eyes that didn't seem to belong to his age, a childlike face suddenly flashed into his mind, stirring up memories. He thought of that night in Nishino Ward, of that boy—
"Matsukawa-nii, my name is Yuichi. I hope we'll meet again." The little boy waved to him and ran off excitedly.
At that time, Cheng never expected that they would actually meet again.
"He's here? He knows about the Black Organization?" Cheng You narrowed his eyes and sat down on a park bench in the distance, waiting quietly. About ten minutes later, two men in black passed by him. Cheng You caught a glimpse of their blurry figures out of the corner of his eye and guessed that they were his old acquaintances, Gin and Vodka.
Cheng counted silently in his mind, and only when he could no longer hear any footsteps and was sure they had left did he get up from his chair and walk in the direction where Youyi was.
The tall, thin young man was no longer in that corner. Cheng Youxin thought that the other party had left so quickly that he hadn't even noticed him leaving. But filled with curiosity and doubt, Cheng Youxin continued to walk forward. Behind the dense bushes casting shadows, he found a child curled up there.
Rather than saying the boy was wearing adult sportswear, it would be more accurate to say he was draped in adult clothes. Cheng frowned; the familiar clothes stirred up his worry. He quickly helped the child up; it was a familiar face.
——Yuichi!
So... Gin discovered Yuichi and then fed him Drug A?
Cheng didn't think much of it and shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up, but it was no use. After all, Youyi had just been given the drug, and the side effects of the drug were probably starting to take hold.
He wrapped Yuichi's clothes around his young, pained face, returned to the haunted house, and saw the Mori family. He turned and walked in another direction, and said nervously at the rest area, "Um, my little brother seems to have a fever at the amusement park."
The staff arranged a private lounge for him and gave him some fever reducers and a blanket.
Cheng You quickly wiped Youyi clean and sat quietly waiting for him to wake up. Youyi shrinks like Conan; could he be some important person? They couldn't just leave him unattended, so what should they do with him?
Should we keep him here? Yuichi isn't an ordinary person; he'll be wary of me. Even if I tell Yuichi that I'm Matsukawa Yuki, he might not completely believe me.
After much deliberation, Cheng decided to introduce Conan and Yuichi to each other, as they are both high school students and, despite their shrunken appearance, are still quite intelligent.
"Hmm..."
Turning his head, Cheng You smiled gently when he saw that Youyi was awake: "You're awake?"
Yuichi showed no shock. He looked at his shrunken hands and touched his face, remaining calm throughout.
He looked at Cheng You with completely indifferent eyes, tilted his head, and asked, "Brother, who are you?"
"I saw you were unconscious there, so I carried you over." Cheng You changed the subject, moving on to something else.
“…Oh, thank you, brother.” Youyi paused for a moment, then spoke innocently.
Cheng Youxiang adapted too quickly. He showed no reaction to his shrinking appearance, instantly switching back to childlike mode. His acting was... impressive.
Though wary, Cheng You maintained a gentle smile: "You'd better go home quickly, so your family won't worry."
"..." Yuichi sat motionless, his eyes darkening. "Why am I wearing adult clothes?"
"..." Cheng You fell silent. The other person's words were clearly a test, a test tinged with suspicion.
"Why aren't you saying anything, sir?" Yuichi's eyes instantly switched from a radiant innocence to a ruthless composure.
What do you want me to say?
"Who are you?" You asked, emphasizing each word.
Cheng You remained calm, not worried that such a young child could do anything to him, and said with a touch of leisure, "What do you think?"
"I know you."
"?" Cheng You narrowed his eyes. The other party recognized him? How could that be? How could anyone discover the system's disguise? Or... did he see Cheng You somewhere?
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Matsukawa Yuichi." He smiled, his face beaming with a childlike innocence.
"Brother, I have no home. Would you take me in?"
"..." Cheng didn't answer, staring at the child in front of him. After a long while, he slowly replied, "Then tell me who you really are?" Matsukawa Yuichi, his surname is Matsukawa. Is this a coincidence or is it something the other party did on purpose? Is this his real name?
“But brother, we’re on the same side. If you won’t tell me, I will,” Yuichi shrugged helplessly, a barely perceptible hint of regret flashing across his face, “I’m an enemy of the Black Organization.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng You's pupils dilated in shock. He felt a strange sensation in his heart. Seven years ago, Yuichi was in Nishino Ward. Was he also going against the Black Organization? He was only ten years old then. How could that be? Or did something happen to him in Nishino Ward, and from then on, he and the Black Organization became enemies?
“I’m a scientist,” Yuichi continued, “but that’s not entirely accurate. I’m also a chemist and a medical scientist…”
"My name is Cheng You." Cheng You suddenly spoke, smiled, revealing a row of neat teeth: "Brother Cheng, can you take me in?"
"Can."
"Thank you so much, Brother Cheng! I love you the most!" Youyi jumped off the small sofa with a smile. His oversized tracksuit dragged on the floor. He looked at the clothes and frowned.
Cheng helped him take off his coat and used his scalpel to repair his pants and shirt. The cuts were neat but asymmetrical. Although the repair wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, it was still barely acceptable.
"Um... this should be okay, right..." Cheng You smiled awkwardly.
"It's okay, Brother Cheng You, you're amazing!" Youyi smiled and rubbed Cheng You's hand.
"Alright, come home with me. But I have a roommate at my place, so I hope you get along well." Cheng You took his hand and left, planning to go to the haunted house to see if Yagami Shangcan had finished get off work yet.
They talked in a very vague way, but everyone knew what was going on. They didn't explicitly say anything, but it was as if they had talked about everything.
Cheng You was most uncertain about whether Youyi had discovered that he was Matsukawa Yuki. He wondered if Youyi could understand why his age had remained almost unchanged over the past seven years, while his appearance had changed so much.
In the depths of night, the lights are bright.
Looking at the obedient boy following him, Cheng You couldn't help but suspect that You Yi had deliberately gone to the winery to be given the drug A. But what was his motive? Was it for drug research?
In the distance, a familiar figure can be seen standing amidst the eerie green lights of the haunted house—it is Yagami, who is waiting impatiently.
Cheng quickly went over and asked, "Oh? You're off work so soon?"
"Hmm," Yagami Uesugi didn't give Cheng You any attention, but couldn't help glancing over when he caught a glimpse of a very short figure out of the corner of his eye. "Who is this?"
“This…this is my…college classmate’s younger brother!” Cheng You said.
"Oh." Yagami Kamishin showed no other interest and turned his face away into the distance.
"He wants to live with us."
"What?!" Yagami abruptly withdrew his gaze, looking at Yuichi with disdain. "You take care of this grumpy little brat, don't bother me!"
"I know, I know."
On the other side, Gin and Vodka returned to their organization after successfully completing their transaction and wrote a mission progress report, indicating that they already knew Cecil's next objective and that a new round of pursuit could begin soon. The report also described how they were discovered by a high school student, knocked unconscious, and given APTX-4869, likely resulting in their death. Upon examination and identity verification, the student turned out to be a genius high school student named Matsukawa Yuichi.
Soon after the report was submitted, new tasks were assigned.
[Continue investigating Li Hua; assassination or persecution will be determined based on the circumstances. Gin, vodka. —Rum]
[Investigate whether Matsukawa Yuichi is truly dead. Vermouth, Bourbon. —Rum]
A note from the author:
Gin is unsure whether he died after being given drug A, haha.
According to Rum, their organization had a rule that administering drug A required confirming the victim's death on-site.
Neither Gin nor Vermouth confirmed the death with their own eyes, so... hhhh
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