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"Chris, surprised to see us?"
"I'm really sorry. When Ran and I went out, we just happened to run into Yusaku on his way back to Tokyo from Okinawa. When he heard you were staying in Tokyo for a bit, he said it'd been ages since he'd seen an old friend and insisted on tagging along."
"We didn't tell you in advance. Please don't mind it."
Heh. What a scheming bitch.
Watching Yukiko eagerly explain everything, Vermouth mocked her silently.
Calling it a coincidence? Who knew how long they'd planned this behind the scenes.
"Mr. Kudo taking time out of his busy schedule to visit an obscure, no-name actress like me?" Vermouth smiled. "I'm thrilled. How could I possibly mind?"
"Don't just stand there. Come in!"
"Ran, you look thinner after just two days. Puberty comes with a lot of worries. You need to learn how to regulate your emotions."
As Vermouth led the three of them into the living room, her words carried a subtle warning, telling Ran not to dwell on that incident.
"Yes, I will. Thank you."Ran forced herself to smile and thanked her politely.
But the moment she saw Vermouth, her mind involuntarily replayed that flash of vivid red blood. She couldn't shake it, no matter how hard she tried.
"And this is…?"As they entered the living room and spotted Steven with his ridiculous afro, Yukiko frowned instinctively.
It was painful to look at.
That low-effort disguise was an insult to the art of disguise itself.
Yusaku Kudo and Ran Mouri both recognized who Steven really was.
Their reactions, however, couldn't have been more different.
Ran lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze, afraid she'd be hurt all over again. Yusaku, on the other hand, was quietly excited. He'd originally planned to ask Vermouth about Steven's whereabouts. Instead, the man himself was right here.
That meant a change of plans.
"Oh, this is my new Filipina maid, Guidan," Vermouth said casually, noticing the strange reactions and inventing a new identity on the spot.
"Guidan, can't you see we have guests? Go make some tea. Do you think you're the host here, or am I?"
"Yes, miss!" Steven played along, turning away while muttering under his breath.
Naming him "Guidan" was basically calling him a bastard on purpose.
If Yukiko and the others weren't present, he would've already shown Vermouth what a real head-on charge looked like.
Once Steven disappeared into the kitchen, the four in the living room exchanged pleasantries and chatted idly.
"Chris, you've got good taste," Yukiko said with a grin. "Guidan looks pretty strong. Must be good in a fight. I get it, women in their thirties have strong desires. Still, a servant is a servant. You need to teach him proper manners."
"Oh, you have no idea. Guidan runs to the bathroom over ten times every night. Even if I wanted to use him, he wouldn't last."
"You should go check out a gym sometime. Plenty of beefy guys there."
"…"
Publicly, Yukiko and Vermouth were glamorous stars. Privately, their conversations were no different from ordinary women.
Lewd jokes came out as easily as breathing.
Soon, Steven returned from the kitchen with a tray, placing tea cups in front of everyone.
Yusaku picked up his cup and shot Yukiko a subtle look.
As a married couple with nearly twenty years of unspoken understanding, they needed no words.
"Chris, I really like the style of your villa," Yukiko said brightly, looking around."I'm planning to renovate our old house. Would you mind showing me around so I can get some ideas?"
Life is all about acting.
Steven wasn't stupid. It was obvious Yukiko had made up an excuse on the spot to lure Vermouth away.
"No need to be so formal with me," Vermouth replied smoothly. "I'll have Guidan show you around. Feel free to look wherever you want."
She had already realized Yusaku was here for Steven, so she decided to send him away and stay behind to deal with Yusaku herself.
"Chris," Ran suddenly said, looking at Vermouth with pleading eyes, "forgive me for being blunt, but I don't want that person around. Could you show Yukiko and me around yourself?"
Ran's emotions were tangled beyond words.
She clearly wanted to see Steven behind bars, yet now that they were face to face again, there was an inexplicable feeling in her heart.
Something she didn't want to confront, and yet couldn't bear to let go.
"All right," Vermouth said softly.
Faced with a request from the angel she adored, she agreed without hesitation.
She then led Yukiko and Ran upstairs.
The living room fell into a brief silence.
"Guidan… no, Mr. Steven," Yusaku finally said. "You're not Chris's servant. Please, have a seat."
"Sharp eyes. As expected of a world-renowned mystery novelist."Having his carefully crafted disguise seen through so easily was a bit of a blow to Steven's pride.
Still, considering Yusaku Kudo's reputation in the Detective Conan world, it made perfect sense.
This was the legendary novelist who could solve cases from a single photograph. If he couldn't see through a disguise even Vermouth scoffed at, that would be character assassination.
"Mr. Kudo, if I'm not mistaken, you're here because of the Jo Murakami case."
"Strictly speaking, I suffer from social phobia." Steven poured himself a cup of tea and took a slow sip.
They were both smart men. Beating around the bush was pointless.
Since Yusaku wouldn't come straight out with it, Steven decided to fire a direct shot.
"So that means you have nothing to do with the case?"Yusaku looked at him intently. "The FBI found eyewitnesses and had them sketch the killer based on their descriptions. If you're interested, I can have the sketches sent over."
"I think you misunderstood," Steven replied calmly."By 'social phobia,' I meant social terrorist."
"I killed Jo Murakami. I deliberately let those two witnesses live. Otherwise, the Japanese police and that bunch of useless FBI agents would never have uncovered the truth."
"Mr. Kudo, you've got the answer you wanted. Aren't you going to call the police and have them arrest me?"
Crack.
Steven crushed the teacup in his hand and stared coldly at Yusaku.
One of the highest IQ minds in this world, and yet even he was hard to read.
"Mr. Steven, I think you misunderstood me."Yusaku replied, startled but composed.
Crushing a cup with two fingers was far harder than smashing one with a full grip.
He'd already known Steven wasn't ordinary, but he hadn't expected such terrifying explosive strength.
Little did he know, this was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Oh? So you're not here about Jo Murakami?" Steven asked, genuinely surprised.
"I suspected your relationship with Chris was unusual and planned to ask her about your whereabouts," Yusaku said calmly."I never expected to meet you here. Perhaps it's fate."
"Since that's the case, I'll stop beating around the bush."
"Mr. Steven, you're a member of the Black Organization, aren't you?"
"....."