"Akashi!"
Just then, a voice called out.
Ran, lifting the hem of her skirt, hurried over.
She reached for Akashi, who was now surrounded by the girl group members, and scooped him up.
"Where have you been? I was so worried about you!"
"I thought I lost you!"
She turned to Vermouth, still disguised as Yukiko, and frowned.
"Aunt Yukiko, where did you take Akashi?"
Vermouth—still playing the part—chuckled softly.
"Oh, nowhere special. Just wandering around the ship."
"Maybe we just missed each other."
Ran's gaze sharpened.
"Really?"
She studied Yukiko's face, sensing something wasn't quite right.
At that moment, Kaoru Kusano pulled out a pen and waved the freshly taken photo in front of Yukiko.
"Senpai, could you sign this for me?"
Vermouth, eager to steer the conversation away from suspicion, nodded and signed.
But the next second—
A strange feeling crept over her.
Kaoru Kusano stared at the signature, brows furrowing.
"Yukiko-senpai… I don't mean to be rude, but… this signature looks a little different from before."
The moment the words left her mouth—
Conan's ears perked up.
He rushed forward.
Jumping up, he snatched the signed photo and examined it closely.
His eyes widened.
This isn't my mother's handwriting!
In an instant—
He bolted down the stairs.
But by the time he reached the bottom—
Yukiko was gone.
Or rather—
Whoever was pretending to be Yukiko had vanished.
Conan gritted his teeth.
Who was that imposter?
Was it… Kid?
No—
A chilling thought crept into his mind.
Could there be more than one Kaito Kid?
His heart pounded.
Did Kid come back to steal the Black Star?
Without wasting a second, Conan whirled around and sprinted up the stairs.
I need to confirm this with Mrs. Suzuki!
The small detective dashed past everyone, a determined glint in his eyes.
The rest of the group could only watch in shock.
Sonoko, arms crossed, let out an exasperated sigh.
"That kid seriously never runs out of energy."
When Conan asked about it, Tomoki Suzuki replied that the Dark Star hadn't been stolen, which only deepened Conan's confusion.
At that moment, Conan received a call from the real Yukiko.
"Shinichi, you just texted me saying you wanted to talk—what was it about?"
"Mom is still at her friend's house." Yukiko's answer left Eri, seated in the Japanese-style room, completely speechless.
Yukiko really was shameless.
Coming over just to eat and sleep again?
That's right, after briefly following Vermouth on the cruise ship, Yukiko had returned straight to Eri's house upon landing—like it was her own home.
"I feel more at home here!" Yukiko would claim proudly.
Conan couldn't help but ask, "Mom, did you come to the Suzuki Foundation's celebration today? I saw someone who looked just like you!"
"No—she looks exactly like you!"
Yukiko frowned.
"She must've had plastic surgery after seeing my face. It's only natural. What can I say? Your mother's just that beautiful."
Eri, who was nearby, was rendered completely speechless by that comment.
"But I really didn't attend any celebration. I've just been here in Tokyo," Yukiko added. "In fact, I've just been watching the news about your cruise ship. Have you arrived at Yokohama Port yet?"
She sounded intrigued. "That Mōri detective you were with seems to have become some kind of news hero!"
On the TV screen, Kogoro Mōri—looking utterly confused—was being interviewed by the media.
Yokohama Port was swarming with reporters, all equipped with professional gear and short-tempered personalities.
Originally, they were only here to cover the maiden voyage of the Suzuki Foundation cruise ship.
But they had been sternly warned by the Suzuki Consortium not to ask about anything that had happened onboard.
Most of them thought they were going to leave with nothing.
Until a surprise scoop presented itself at the port!
Kogoro Mōri, who had recently been gaining fame, was now at the center of a new whirlwind.
Police investigations were underway.
The news itself was eye-catching—but the potential hidden story behind it made it even juicier. Reporters were hungry for more.
And just like that, the still-dazed Kogoro appeared on national television!
Eri, sitting on the couch, could only shake her head in disbelief.
Her disappointment in Kogoro deepened.
As she reached for the remote, little loli Haibara came walking into the room. Eri quickly snatched the remote and switched off the channel.
Meanwhile, Yukiko hung up on Conan mid-conversation and lunged for the remote too.
But Eri ignored her. She turned to Haibara and smiled warmly.
"Ai-chan, would you like to go with Auntie to Izu Beach for a vacation tomorrow?"
There was something about Haibara's calm and composed demeanor that resonated with Eri.
She found herself developing a fondness for the little girl.
And so, she spoke to her more gently than usual.
Haibara frowned slightly.
She didn't want to go.
A lot of equipment and research materials had just arrived at the school lab today.
Everything needed organizing and calibrating—something that couldn't be done overnight.
The little loli quietly began thinking of ways to decline.
But before she could speak, Yukiko suddenly threw her arms around Haibara and leaned against Eri with a bear-hug squeeze.
"Eri! You're going on vacation tomorrow?" she exclaimed. "Take me with you! Please take me too!"
Yukiko, ever the extrovert, loved going out and having fun.
But Eri replied coldly, "I didn't book a spot for you. Why don't you stay home and watch the house?"
"I want to take Akashi and Ai-chan out. They've only just moved in, and I've been so busy with work I haven't had time to take them anywhere. Don't cause trouble."
Yukiko immediately stood on the sofa, hands on her hips.
"Trouble? Me? How dare you!" she said dramatically. "I'm plenty useful, you know! I can help Akashi apply sunscreen, teach him to swim, play volleyball—maybe even take care of him for you!"
Hearing those words, both Eri and Haibara's expressions shifted.
Haibara instantly raised her little hand. "Then I'm going too!"
Eri chuckled, "Yukiko, it's not your place to decide. Ai-chan's coming because of a hotel coupon Ran won in a raffle."
"Tsk! Whatever—if I have to, I'll pay out of pocket!"
Yukiko looked determined to tag along no matter what.
Eri could only sigh in exasperation.
Meanwhile, Ran and Sonoko had just bid farewell to Yoko Okino and her friends, disembarking the ship with two little ones in tow.
As soon as they stepped onto Yokohama Port, Akashi acted with precision.
System, start check-in!
A soft click! echoed in his mind.
The system's check-in interface appeared, displaying the Yokohama Port as the current location.
Suddenly, the screen shattered into countless glimmers of purple light.
The lights swirled together, forming a glowing treasure chest that opened with a burst of brilliance—
Several streaks of light flew into Akashi's body.
[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Horse Riding Lv1! Updraft Lv2!]
[Ding! Updraft skill upgraded! Now Lv3!]
[Updraft Lv3: You can now summon two wind currents simultaneously. When combined, they possess minor lethality.]
[Horse Riding Lv1: You have now acquired proficiency in horse riding. When using a riding skill, you gain a double power effect that lasts for one hour!]
Seeing the effect of double strength attributes, Akashi's eyes lit up.
This skill came at just the right time!
He had been held back by his low strength stat, which prevented him from fully utilizing many of his abilities.
He immediately checked his status panel.
With the doubling effect, his strength had jumped to eleven—surpassing that of a full-grown adult.
And if he activated Cyclonus, his speed would double as well.
No weaknesses in his five main attributes.
Even as a child, he could confidently face off against adults now.
Though the restrictions were still quite limiting, Akashi was satisfied.
Back at the dock, Ran and company saw Kogoro Mōri wearing a police jacket. He looked utterly miserable.
Uncle Mōri was a mess.
After freezing out at sea and then getting ambushed by sneaky reporters once ashore, it had been a brutal experience both mentally and physically.
"Dad, are you okay?" Ran asked.
"Achoo! I'm fine!" Kogoro sniffled. "That damned Kid… How dare he do this to me! I won't let him go next time we meet—achoo!"
Sonoko quickly intervened, "Uncle, Ran, hurry and get in the car. Let's get you home before you catch a cold!"
She waved over an attendant from Yokohama Port, instructing him to escort the group to the waiting vehicles.
A line of sleek black luxury cars awaited them—each arranged specifically for honored guests of the cruise.
But considering how the Suzuki Foundation's 60th anniversary celebration had ended in chaos, it was hard not to see the event as a complete disaster.
Sonoko didn't dare leave just yet. She stuck close to her mother, doing her best to pacify the still-upset guests.