Accomplice__ Kudo Shinichi x Kaitou Kid, Kaito Kid x Kudo Shinichi

Part 25: The amiable visitor

By the afternoon, the third-floor conference room was sealed off, leaving Kuroba Kaito alone inside. There was heavy police presence outside the room, but for privacy reasons, he was the only one inside, as the prosecutor had left in the morning. As for why he had to stay? No one had informed him, and he didn't bother to ask.

Resting his forehead on the cold handcuffs, he felt a bit drowsy.

The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with a sturdy build and an ID badge from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department hanging around his neck. He casually exchanged a few words with Kuroba before the conversation turned to the mountain of files and photos spread across the table.

Kuroba instantly regretted having targeted too much jewelry, realizing that each case would take time to resolve—if he'd known earlier, he would have been more selective.

And not to answer or accept every challenge Suzuki Jirokichi made.

Anticipating another mental ordeal, Kuroba asked the guard outside for a cup of black coffee.

As he casually flipped through the papers, Kuroba took a sip of the coffee and nearly spat it out—it turned out the police department's coffee was this bad, like drinking medicent as water? Poor Inspector Nakamori.

Unable to bear the bitterness, he tore open a packet of sugar and boldly poured it in.

[Young man, can't handle coffee?]

A thick, gentle voice sounded, and Kuroba, always polite, responded with a smile. [I can't stand such bitter drinks.]

The man sat down casually. He was about fifty to sixty based on the look, with a round face and body, brown hair, round glasses, and a gray casual suit, with a "Visitor" badge on his chest.

Kuroba, feeling a bit wary, carefully licked the now sweetened, thin coffee. He took a sip, but his expression remained odd.

[Try adding some creamer. The protein neutralizes the coffee's bitterness and reduces the burning sensation in the mouth.]

Kuroba shook his head, declining the offer. [I'm not really used to drinking coffee. It's just that there's been a lot going on lately. And no one can force me to take another sip of that.]

The old man stood up and approached the coffee machine on the conference room wall. [I used to work here when I was younger. Back then, we didn't have these machines. Did your generation know that hot coffee used to be dispensed into paper cups from vending machines? Ah, I miss the old days. The present is good too, though, with your generation now in charge, while we elders step back.]

But sometimes old ginger is spicier. (With age comes wisdom.)

The old man smiled and shook his head, not denying it,[Today I'm meeting a young man who I see a lot of potential in. I want him to work for me.]

Kuroba took another sip of coffee before finally deciding to push it far away.

[Why are you here alone? Got yourself in trouble?] The old man pointed to the special handcuffs on Kuroba's hands. He didn't try to hide them, instead smiling wryly. [I guess you could say... I caused quite a big mess.]

[You look pretty young. How old are you? A high school student? I have a son around your age. He applied to a foreign university, Cambridge. He got in but then told me he wanted to transfer to Tokyo University.]

[Senior year. Your son's impressive—getting into Cambridge means he's in the top 1% of students, not to mention needing "connections and family ties" to get in.] Kuroba, without making direct eye contact, continued flipping through the assistant's papers while chatting with the old man.