invisible signal

gas.

"You're just taking advantage of my sense of justice," Kudo continued, "using my sense of justice as a detective, aren't you? You're betting that I won't leave you alone because of the damn justice feeling, isn't it?!"

"I didn't want you to think that..."

"So what?!"

"Calm down, detective," the Phantom Thief coughed twice, "I'm not using you or your sense of justice."

"I have no choice. The only person I can reach is you."

"You could have cut off the communication in the first place, couldn't you?"

"..." Kudo Shinichi didn't speak.

"But you didn't," the phantom thief adjusted his sitting posture to relax his left foot, "because you don't want me to die, right?"

"It has nothing to do with the detective's sense of justice, it's 'you' who don't want me dead, right?"

"Heh, haha..." Kudo laughed, "Why do you say that..."

"Then, even if it's for your so-called 'detective's sense of justice'," the strange thief looked at the clean night sky after the rain.

"Try to keep me alive, detective."

【Call seven】

Kudo Shinichi was awakened by the screams.

After yelling out those words last night, he went straight to bed.

Of course, under the premise of maintaining the smooth flow of communication.

He blinked, but his vision was still blurry.He tried his best to look at the alarm clock next to the bed, and finally saw the numbers and hands clearly.

4:24 in the morning...

What is that guy doing again.Kudo took the badge next to his pillow: "What's the situation?"

The voice of the strange thief was obviously still in shock: "What... what?"

"what happened?"

"I want to catch up while it's dawn... Ah, damn it!"

"What did you see?" Kudo heard the sound of rushing water coming from the other end.

"I see... oh my god, my god... oh my god, don't be..."

The voice of the Kaitou trembled, drenched in fear.

"Are you ok?"

"One! One point! Both! No! Good!" Losing his usual calmness and cynicism, the current Phantom Thief looks like a lost child.Kudo could almost hear him panting violently.

"Calm down, take a deep breath." Kudo was no longer sleepy at the moment, "Speak slowly, what did you see?"

"I...it's so wet here, I can't sleep..."

"Seeing that it's dawn, I plan to hurry up and hurry up...Damn it, bastard! Don't come here!"

"Calm down!" Kudo had never seen such a strange thief before, "What did you see?"

"I see the water flow! The water flow!" The strange thief's voice was completely out of control, "I have reached the place where the water sounds!"

"Isn't this good news?" Kudo sighed, "What's the problem?"

"I can't get through! I can't get through!"

"□□?"

"No...the problem is not here..." The tone of the strange thief weakened, "I can't make it through..." The end of the sentence seemed to be crying.

"..." The unknown Kudo didn't know what to say.

"……Detective."

"I'm here."

"Can I... rest for a while..."

"can."

"I already... don't want to do it anymore..."

"What?"

"That's it, leave me alone..."

"...Who was it that asked me to help him survive?"

"Drag me to the boat, and now you want to give up on your own?" Kudo's voice became tough.

"Sorry, I'm not going to give up yet." He put on his coat and walked to the middle of the room. "Since you asked for help, I will take care of it to the end."

"..." The strange thief just sniffled.

"Okay, now tell me what's on the other side of the stream."

"I can't see," the strange thief's voice was still trembling, "I don't know what's on the other side..."

"Are you watching?" Realizing that the Phantom Thief was still in a low state, Kudo raised his voice, "Raise your head and look carefully!"

Through the thin morning fog in the forest, the strange thief tried his best to identify the scenery on the opposite side.

"bright……"

"have what?"

"There is light," the strange thief was almost speechless, "artificial light."

"Listen, I know this is not a good idea." Kudo looked at the still dark sky, "Today you have to go to the other side."

"must?"

"must."

"I said it was impossible..." The strange thief knelt down with a sob, "I can't do it."

"why?"

no answer.

"...Is there no other way?"

"……No."

"If you can't do anything anyway, I can't do anything." Kudo felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

I can't see the situation there, I don't know what the phantom thief is afraid of, and I can't observe what the so-called "artificial light" looks like.That's right, in the absence of information, he can't do anything.

What's more, the strange thief is in an extremely uncooperative state.

"... a detective," the strange thief finally broke the silence after an unknown amount of time.

"I'm listening."

"...can you, don't stop talking to me"

"?" Kudo froze for a moment at this request, "It is possible...can I ask the reason?"

"I'll get to the other side," the strange thief was already standing by the water, "although I think it's still impossible..."

"Why? What happened?"

"...Because I'm afraid!" Most of his body was submerged in the water, and the voice of the strange thief was shivering from the cold.His lips trembled.

"You will pass." Kudo has never been good at comforting, "If you just give up on yourself so casually, it will be very difficult for me."

"Hell, it's coming again..." The next second, Kudo's eardrums were pierced by the scream again.

There was a fierce sound of water from the communication side, and the strange thief seemed to be struggling to move forward in the water.

"Are you okay? Hello!"

"Hmm...cough..." Crying in real earnest, "I don't want to do it anymore...don't want to leave..."

"Don't cry," Kudo said dumbfounded, "Phantom Thief Kidd shouldn't be in such a mess."

"Quit! Don't be a phantom thief again!"

"Huh?" Choked by the other party's childish declaration, Kudo could hardly imagine the scene on the other end of the communication.

"I don't want to do it anymore...I'm tired..."

The sound of the water finally faded away.

A long sigh of relief came from the other end of the communication.

"I am coming."

"Haha, did you hear that? I'm coming!"

"Hahahaha, long live Lord Kidd!"

"Don't you have a few compliments?"

"Stop laughing, laughing like you're crying." Kudo couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, and Kudo felt that he was exhausted too.

The strange thief swayed, dripping water on his body, and leaned against a tree on the opposite bank.

"Thank you, detective."

"I'm so exhausted..."

I don't know whether it was tired from crying or because of physical exhaustion, the strange thief soon fell silent.

Through the badge, Kudo heard only his heavy breathing.

"Thank you." Putting the badge back on the pillow, Kudo planned to go back to sleep again.

He didn't realize that there was an involuntary smile on the corner of his mouth.

【Call Eight】

The sleep after settling down, although short, is of high quality.

When Kudo Shinichi woke up again, it was dawn outside the window.

Is it sunny?

This is one of the best news in two days.

"Hey, are you awake?" His first reaction was to reach for the badge next to the pillow. "Good news, it's sunny."

I don't know if I haven't woken up yet, but there is no response from the communication side.Kudo, who was in a good mood, didn't make any more noise, put the badge in his jacket pocket, and got up to make coffee.

I don't know how long the strange thief can last with the chocolate on his body.

When he finished his breakfast, cleared the dining table, and returned to the study with half of the coffee left, the communication end was still quiet.

Communication cut off?

Kudo held the badge in his hand and checked it repeatedly.The signal tone of rustling is still weak but sounding.

no problem.

Kudo was almost ready to ask the doctor to help him see if there was something wrong with the speaker, and the badge finally sent a signal vaguely.

"cold……"

"Are you awake?" Kudo immediately returned to the house with the badge.

"It's so cold..." The strange thief was still half confused.

"Are you serious?" Kudo looked out the window at the bright weather. "Is there no sun over there?"

"……"no answer.

"Wake up, I have to hurry today."

"...Let me rest for a while." The strange thief's voice was a little hoarse.

Kudo looked at the time, it was past 09:30 in the morning.As long as the hour hand has crossed the "6", it is not an exaggeration to say that it is almost ten o'clock.

If it's just a nap after mental exhaustion, this time is too long.Kudo really wanted to erase a certain possibility that was born in his mind, but he couldn't.

If it is not sleep caused by mental exhaustion, then it is likely to be pathological.

Rain, cold, wet clothes, excessive fright... Kudo couldn't think of a reason to maintain good physical condition in this environment.

"Hey, wake up." He turned up the volume and tried to sound soft, "I know you're too tired to move, but at least stay awake, OK?"

It's too dangerous to sleep in that kind of place where no one is there.

In order to help the phantom thief stay awake, Kudo chatted with him occasionally.

"How's your body?"

"I feel so cold..." The strange thief's vocal cords were so suffocated that he could hardly make a sound.

"Have a cold?" Kudo only hated that he wasn't there, that he didn't even have the most basic information.

The strange thief wrapped the torn cloak around his body, "As long as it doesn't develop pneumonia..."

"You didn't take measures to keep warm?"

"It's been raining, everywhere is wet," blamed