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

Part 44:Shinichi, let's break up

Kudo was taken aback, but the frightening thing was that he seemed to understand what Hattori meant.

"What... What are you talking about?"

It was better to just tear down the obvious facade.

"Kudo, have you fallen for Kid?"

Hattori, who always referred to Kuroba Kaito as Kuroba-kun, unlike Kudo who freely called him "Kid," was direct as always. The moment the words left his mouth, a chill ran down Kudo's spine.

Why... Why could even Hattori see through the feelings he was trying so hard to suppress?

"Does he know?"

"He probably doesn't." Kudo lowered his gaze, "Honestly, I'm not even sure myself... things are complicated."

Hattori sighed, "Could it be that you've misunderstood? I can understand his charm, or rather, if it were any ordinary guy, it would be hard to resist when he's dressed like... you know."

No. Kudo shook his head.

What really captivated him was never Kaito's appearance in female disguise.

Perhaps the dance with Aya was breathtaking, but what truly made his heart race was Kuroba Kaito, the one behind the mask of Kaito Kid.

It was the young man in the suit, the one who had a playful yet regal aura, who, even in the depths of despair, refused to kneel or bow to fate. It was his defiance, his solitude, and the way he bore it all with a smile for others. It was his courage and madness to walk into peril alone.

"If that's the case, then it's fine. After all, he often blurs the line between truth and illusion. You might just be confused."Hattori said.

"It's not like that, Hattori." Kudo gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "I... I'm very clear about it."

He was so clear about it that he had danced with Kuroba in his white suit, so clear that he had crossed the gray lines of the law for Kaito Kid time and time again, redefining what it meant to be an accomplice to an international criminal.

Hattori wasn't surprised, more like he felt a sense of relief after confirming what he already suspected.

"Was it... that obvious?" Kudo asked, still with his head lowered. Hattori answered, "It's a completely different feeling. Your attitude toward him, and the way you look at him, it's different."

"Please don't tell him." Kudo said in a low voice, but Hattori cut him off, "What do you take me for? Do I look like the kind of person who'd go blabbing about this?"

Kudo silently counted the times Hattori's big mouth had nearly exposed his identity as Conan and Kudo Shinichi, choosing to stay silent.

"So, Kudo, what are you going to do next?"

"I am not sure."

Hattori wanted to ask him what exactly he liked about Kuroba but then realized there was no point.

The answers were plenty and obvious: they knew each other too well, a love forged through rivalry.

"What about Ran?"

"I haven't figured it out." Kudo buried his face in his arms in frustration, "I have no idea how to face Ran. No matter what happens in the end... It seems like there's no future for me and Ran. After all... it feels like... the feeling is gone."

Hattori slowly nodded. Though it was hard to imagine Kudo saying such a thing, as a detective who had witnessed countless farewells and romances, this situation was not surprising. Love has no guarantees and cannot be forced. Sometimes, it's just a matter of destiny.