Confused Feelings (CoAi Story)

CF 05

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"Are you feeling okay, Shinichi?" the doctor asked as he continued his examination.

"Yes," Shinichi replied with a nod.

Ai, on the other hand, silently watched them with her hands intertwined.

She still couldn’t believe what was happening—finally, he was awake.

She felt a sense of completeness for some reason.

"Open your mouth," the doctor instructed, and Shinichi complied.

"Shinichi!!" Everyone stopped what they were doing when Yukiko suddenly shouted, with her husband behind her.

Yukiko scanned the room and saw Shinichi blinking with obvious shock on his face; her eyes began to water.

The doctor, sensing the emotional scene about to unfold, stepped back.

As Yukiko walked towards her son, she saw Shinichi moving and looking back at her.

Shinichi looked up slightly, waiting for what would happen next. His mother held onto his shoulders, gently squeezing them, but then she began shaking him.

"Kudo Shinichi! How dare you make us worry! How dare you make us wait! How dare you—" As Shinichi began to feel dizzy from Yukiko’s shaking, he felt warm arms slowly wrapping around him. "B-but I’m so glad you’re safe..." She began to cry.

Yukiko hugged Shinichi tightly, never wanting to let him go.

Shinichi’s expression softened as he unconsciously wrapped his arms around his mother.

He then looked at the man by the door—Yusaku, who was teary-eyed and watching them with a genuine smile.

When Shinichi smiled back, Yusaku walked over and hugged his wife and son.

Ai, meanwhile, wiped her own tears, stood up, and left the room to give them more family time.

In the hallway, the doctor called her.

"About Shinichi..." the doctor began. Yes, he was talking to a child about Shinichi’s condition because they knew Ai was smart enough to understand. "I want to keep him in the hospital for two weeks to conduct some tests..." he added.

Ai nodded. The doctors couldn’t believe Shinichi had woken up even though he had been declared brain dead.

But then, they knew there was a miracle.

When the doctor checked Shinichi earlier, it seemed as though the teenager boy had merely been sleeping, and the accident hadn’t happened.

There was nothing wrong with his body.

But they needed to be sure, especially regarding his current condition.

"I guess you’re the one who will tell them about Shinichi, huh?" the doctor said.

Ai fell silent.

‘Who are you?’

‘H-huh? It’s me, Kudo, Ai.’

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know you—and who’s Kudo?’

Kudo Shinichi had woken up, but now, he couldn’t remember anything.

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Ai sat on a bench in the garden at Kudo’s mansion, her laptop on the table with her fingers resting on the keyboard, not moving.

Her braided hair rested on her right shoulder, the strands flowing with the gentle breeze.

"My little sister seems to be deep in thought again, huh?"

Ai blinked and looked to her right. There was Shinichi, leaning on the bench with a smile, looking at her.

Weird—this was the first word that came to Ai’s mind.

It was strange that Shinichi was smiling peacefully at her. Everything seemed right, but the truth was—everything was messed up.

"What did I tell you, Kudo? I’m not your sister," she rolled her eyes at him, just like she always did before.

"What did I tell you, Shiho? Not to call me ‘Kudo’." Shinichi replied with a teasing smile.

‘Shiho’ always gave her shivers whenever he said her name—it made her feel awkward but at the same time, happy.

They had explained everything to Shinichi: who Ai Haibara (Shiho) was, who Kudo Shinichi was before, his role as a detective, the drug, the shrinking incident, the people who knew him, and of course—Ran.

But Shinichi didn’t act the same. He accepted the reality, his past, and the information they gave him.

They even showed him pictures of himself with Ran and others.

Ai clearly remembered when Shinichi looked at those pictures. He smiled, but his eyes showed that those pictures were not familiar to him.

They even told him that he and Ran loved each other, and that he had made her wait for quite some time. They waited for him to say he wanted to return to Japan and see Ran, but instead, he said—

‘Some other time, I want to know myself before I face her.’ He said that with his new genuine smile.

His smirks and grins had been replaced by a peaceful smile, which gave them a strange feeling, though they were happy that Shinichi was fine and seemed content.

"Shin—" Ai coughed. She couldn’t bring herself to call him by his first name, even though it had been a week since Shinichi started insisting she call him that.

Today was the day Shinichi would be released from the hospital.

"Alright, fine—Shin is fine," he said, still with that teasing smile, which made Ai raise an eyebrow. "Isn’t it great that you have a nickname for me?" Then he smirked, making Ai pause.

That smirk, the one he wore when he was close to solving a case or knew who the suspect was.

She missed it.

"Shiho? Are you alright?" Shinichi asked as he noticed her staring at him.

Ai blinked and blushed slightly, but before he could see it, she avoided facing him.

"Whatever, Shin—Kudo!" He laughed at that.

"Shin it is." Shinichi sat beside her and playfully messed with her braided hair, causing her to slap his hand, earning another laugh from him.

"Tss..." Ai muttered, that was the only response she could manage—if it could even be considered a word.

Shinichi, on the other hand, stared at her for a while before looking away.

He couldn’t remember anything, but for some reason, he felt like this must be the right thing.

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Edited version.