The unique scent of "Yusaku Kudo" lingered on the tip of my nose. It was unfamiliar, but not repulsive.

Is this dad...?

Yukiko Kudo reached out and rubbed Kudo's head, then tilted her eyes and smiled, with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"Shinichi, you have something to say. Crying is not a good idea." Kudo Yukiko said further.

Say it out?

When Kudo heard what Kudo Yukiko said, he opened his mouth tentatively, but his throat was tight and he couldn't say a word.

Kudo Yusaku reached out and touched his head, "You need to speak out your grievances and worries. If you keep them in your heart, they will slowly rot and corrode you."

Wronged?

A series of images flashed through my mind.

Ayang's death, Shiho's death,...his death.

Are these considered grievances?

Kudo doesn't feel wronged, he just thinks he is hateful. Why didn't he protect Ayang? Why didn't he protect Shiho?

Why... didn't he die?

When these things happened to him, his eyes were dry from beginning to end, without any trace of tears.

To the point where he thought he had lost this ability and accepted it well.

Since he's a monster, it's normal for him to be different from other people, right?

A monster will envy human life and will imitate it, but he can never be a human being.

Sometimes Kudo began to doubt whether he had existed as a "human" in the past?

He doubted his possibility as a human being, but he never doubted that he was not "Kudo Shinichi".

But after arriving here, he began to doubt.

They are the same person, why are their circumstances so different?

He won't be jealous, because monsters have no right to be jealous of humans; but he will also be envious and puzzled, why is he completely different from Conan?

Maybe, it’s because he is not “Kudo Shinichi” at all?

Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they will begin to take root and sprout.

Theoretically, this seed cannot take root here in Kudo, let alone sprout. After all, if it wanted to sprout, it would not have waited until now.

But a group of people couldn't help but keep watering and fertilizing the seed that had no hope of survival.

Under such conditions, these seeds are not dead, so how could they not germinate?

And now, Kudo Yusaku is trying to pinch off the seedling that has taken root and sprouted.

A few short and broken syllables came out of Kudo's throat, "...It hurts, it hurts..."

The cold river water, the feeling of water up your nose, and the feeling of a bullet going through your brain.

It’s all… so painful.

Yusaku Kudo gently stroked his back, giving him comfort and strength with this action.

The boy did not say anything else, but silently put his arms around Kudo Yusaku's waist, buried his head in the man's arms again, and continued to cry quietly.

Kudo Yusaku was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and smiled helplessly at his wife.

This child is like a proud cat, tough on the outside but soft on the inside and very sensitive. Sometimes it really makes one feel sorry for him.

——

Buried in Kudo Yusaku's arms, the darkness in front of him brought him a great sense of security. Not being able to see the "happy birthday" all over the wall also made him feel much more relaxed. He couldn't help but rub his head against this warm and broad embrace and squinted his eyes slightly.

After a while, he stepped out of Kudo Yusaku's arms, stood up straight, looked around at everyone in the living room, pursed his lips, walked to an empty sofa and sat down, and began to speak.

The voice was not loud, but the words were clear, echoing in the quiet room, making the room even quieter. "If you have any questions, just ask."

There was a layer of light in the boy's eyes, which made his pupils look less dead, and even made his unique tone of voice seem less calm.

It was like a painting suddenly came to life and the scenery in the painting suddenly moved.

Kudo Yukiko came over with open arms, and asked with an aggrieved expression, "Shinichi, won't you give mom a hug? Mom is so sad~~"

The boy was a little stiff, but still followed Kudo Yukiko's wishes and leaned over to hug her gently.

However, the unsportsmanlike Kudo Yukiko pushed him into her arms and even turned the tables on her, "Hey - Shinichi is so kind that he just threw himself into his mother's arms!"

Kudo:?

Kudo, who was a little confused by her move, raised his head and looked at Kudo Yukiko. The other party looked innocent and continued to sigh that her son actually liked her so much.

She's still showing off to her husband.

Kudo: ... walking around with your mouth shut :-)

Kudo Yusaku coughed obscurely, signaling to his wife to put their son down quickly because he was going to speak!

Yukiko Kudo turned a blind eye.

A few minutes later, she finally let go of her hand that was pressing on the back of Kudo's head and let him leave her arms, not forgetting to sigh.

"Oh, our son was so cute when he was little."

Kudo's ears turned red, and he couldn't help but pursed his lips, and said calmly, "You guys can ask me if there is anything."

The young man looked much more lively with his red face and forced composure.

The room suddenly became quiet for a moment, and finally it was Kudo Yusaku who spoke first. He sat on the sofa next to him and asked, "Shinichi...what happened to you?"

After thinking for a while, he chose a relatively broad question, which would allow Kudo to adjust his words according to his wishes and avoid things he didn't want to mention.

He could also infer the type of things that Kudo didn't want to mention based on the information he had, and then consider whether to ask.

Deep down, he didn't want to use these words on Kudo, but the boy had tightly closed his shell to the outside world, so he could only pry it open and then prescribe the right remedy.

Kudo glanced at him and said with his head down, "I can't tell you what I went through before I was twelve."

Noticing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, he paused and added, "Because I have no memory before the age of twelve."

Everyone's expression became more solemn.

As if he didn't know where to start, the boy frowned in annoyance, "I didn't lie to you, I am indeed an experiment of the organization, and the experiment is on the brain."

The boy smiled and patted his head with his hand. "And I am the most successful experiment in this project, a complete brain developer."

"But at the same time, I am also a member of the organization codenamed Tita~"

The fifteen-year-old boy smiled a slightly malicious smile, with dark currents surging in his sea-blue eyes, as if telling them to stay away from him.