Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

"Such a cute rabbit, you won't really give it to that eagle as a toy, right?"

Kuroba Kaito looked at the rabbit in Hakuba's arms, curled up in a ball with white fur and red eyes, and trembled all over at the thought that it might be torn apart by the steel claws.

[Damn, my shoulder hurts again.]

"Well, Watson is actually a lazy and cowardly eagle. It can't hunt by itself. I was just joking before." Hakuba glanced at Kuroba Kaito.

It was around midnight, and the shops on the hot spring street began to put up various closing signs one after another.

It was probably a common thing to soak in the hot springs here, and the two watched as many families who owned shops came out of their shops, carrying wooden basins, talking and laughing as they walked towards the hot spring mountain. Children on the street gathered around and started playing, and teenage boys and girls also left their families to chat and laugh together.

"It's really different from Tokyo. No one goes out in the residential area of ​​Ekoda-cho after 11pm."

Kaito Kuroba smelled the sulfur in the air, and passed by the noisy mahjong hall with Hakuba. He deliberately deviated from the crowd's route and walked to the corner leading up the mountain and towards the city.

Because of the wide turn, cars cannot drive into the corner. Probably to protect the hot spring mountain, the local residents built a crude shrine with wood at the entrance of the mountain.

You don't enter the shrine when you go up the mountain. You just walk along the bluestone path on the side of the shrine. So the only two people in the entire shrine are Kaito and Hakuba who enter from the corner.

"It's called a shrine, but it's actually just a torii gate and a place of worship."

Kuroba Kaito looked at the cash box, took out a Natsume Soseki card and threw it in, then tapped it twice.

"Okay, it's your turn."

Seeing Hakuba not moving forward, Kuroba Kaito thought it was because of the rabbit in his arms, so he reached out to hug him in an attempt to free up Hakuba's hands, but when he found out that the other party was empty-handed and hesitant, he realized something was wrong.

"My wallet is empty."

"what?"

Kuroba Kaito was stunned for a moment, then walked straight to Hakuba and took her wallet. Seeing that the originally thick wallet was empty, not only was there no money but even the cards were gone, he sighed helplessly.

"When...I didn't even notice it."

"Probably when I was walking with those people just now."

Bai Ma took back her wallet worriedly. She had been taking hot spring baths everywhere these days and didn't have much money to begin with. Now she had spent all of it in one go. What's more, she hadn't even finished bathing in all the hot springs in Hakodate.

The girl lowered her head dejectedly, looking at the floor with dull eyes.

"Money..."

"If you're out of money, I can just lend it to you." Kuroba Kaito didn't understand why this guy suddenly became so arrogant. He was about to stuff all the money in his wallet into Hakuba's bag, but found that the other party directly snatched his wallet back and then walked away a few steps.

"Don't feel sorry for me, you bastard!"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Kuroba Kaito didn't know what was going on. He simply thought that borrowing money was no big deal as a boy. But he didn't expect that after living as a girl for nearly a week, Hakuba's thinking began to lean towards women.

Bai Ma clutched his wallet. The reason he was so excited was that he still didn't realize that his thoughts were completely different from when he first became a girl.

At first, he didn't know that he couldn't change back, he just followed the note and tried his best to help Kuroba Kaito. Later, he found that he couldn't change back. Although he was anxious, he didn't feel it. It wasn't until he took a hot spring bath in Hakodate and couldn't change back to a boy that Hakuba realized something very serious.

She might not be able to change back.

Therefore, the white horse detective in the past will probably live as a woman in the future, and then... fall in love, get married...

When she thought of this, Bai Ma's head felt like it was on fire. She couldn't imagine herself getting married at all. But when she was taking a bath at night and looking at her proud figure, the guy lying in the room suddenly appeared in her mind.

[If it was Kuroba-kun...]

Hakuba discovered with horror that he had developed feelings for Kuroba Kaito, and when he planned to take a hot spring bath at night, he forced the other party to accompany him like a lunatic.

[No one can accept it, but he...]

The girl opposite Kuroba Kaito seemed to suddenly lose her strength, and she sat down on the ground with a plop. Because of the structure of the hotel yukata, the hem of the girl's skirt was lifted above her knees, and when she knelt on the ground, her calves and half of her thighs were exposed.

"White horse?!"

Kuroba Kaito put the rabbit on the ground, not caring about the animal that was jumping and running away. He took a few steps and held Hakuba's shoulders, trying to lift her up. "You are so heavy!"

With his hands under the white horse's armpits, Kuroba Kaito lifted her up with an effort, but she fell limply into his arms again.

"Hei Yu, only you... only you..."

"Huh? What do you mean only me?"

Bai Ma's eyelashes flicked and he whispered, "It doesn't matter to others, but you alone, don't treat me as a woman."

"Why?! You discriminate against Kidd!"

Kuroba Kaito felt as if he was offended, and slapped Hakuba's shoulder hard, forcing her to stand up straight.

"You guys will definitely change back in no time, don't worry."

The magician took out a handkerchief from his bosom and was about to wipe away the traces of tears or sweat for her, but then he remembered Bai Ma's violent reaction just now and simply slapped the handkerchief on her palm and let her wipe it herself.

This was not the time to stay in the small shrine and say weird things. Besides, Kuroba Kaito, who sensed that the atmosphere was not right, did not dare to continue. He noticed that Hakuba's emotions seemed to be out of control suddenly tonight, so he led her up the mountain to take a hot spring bath to lift the curse.

"and many more."

Hakuba still lowered her head. She turned to the money box and made a wish. Then, to Kuroba Kaito's surprise, she said, "You put so much money in. God should not be stingy with my wish."

"You seem to have regained some of your sanity." Kuroba Kaito breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's go up the mountain."

Go up along the path and turn right at the first fork in the road. After calculating the location, Kuroba Kaito decided to take Hakuba to soak in the Sixteen Ponds. It is located at a higher position, so they just need to pay attention to see if there is anyone coming below.

“So there are bamboo fences.”

Seeing the solid green fence outside the 16th pond, Kuroba Kaito urged Hakuba to go and take a dip, while he found a large rock, wiped it clean, and sat down to wait.

……

"I see."

Gojo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had been lip-reading, and only looked back at Yuuji after the two stopped talking.

"Sir, why is it that only Kuroba Kaito can't do it?"

Wu Cheng's question immediately caused an explosion in the communication system. Several female subordinates said that the second boss didn't understand girls, while the other men were bored and didn't say anything.

"Because it's obvious that Hakuba is attracted to the magician."

Yuuji was polishing his nails with a file: "If anyone else treated her as a woman, she might just smile, but Kuroba Kaito is different."

"I understand. Only if Kuroba Kaito doesn't treat her as a woman can she keep telling herself in her heart that they are both men and it's impossible for them to be together."

Gojo suddenly realized: "But if Kuroba Kaito treats her as a woman, she will not be able to control her desire for Kuroba Kaito."

"It's a matter of perception." Yuuji picked up the telescope and observed Kuroba Kaito who was sitting on a big rock looking at the stars: "As long as Kaito is not confused, Hakuba can always treat himself as a man in front of Kuroba."

"But can a hot spring bath really remove the curse? Wouldn't it be better to consult a Feng Shui master or Yin Yang master for this matter?"

With the status and financial resources of the Bai Ma family, it is not impossible to find a capable person.

"Since curses really happen, supernatural beings must exist. If they exist, they will be found."

Gojo noticed Yuuji holding a tablet through the rearview mirror.

"Did something happen?"

Yuuji nodded and said, "Nishimura and the others know about our attack on the Axue family, and they are now leaving the hotel and heading to the Axue family."

"All those gangsters have followed the police, and it seems that not many people have left the hotel." The surveillance report came through the headset.

Putting the tablet down, Yuji pinched his chin and said, "Looks like there's nothing to do tonight."

He reclined the seat, took out an eye mask and put it on his face, leaving Gojo, who was still observing, to sleep soundly. (End of this chapter)