Forged - HikariAA - 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan (2024)

Chapter 1: Conan Forger

Chapter Text

“How nice that you and your family are moving into a new home. Do you have a boy or a girl?”

“Ah, well… I’ll be deciding that soon.”

From the looks of it, a girl would be his ultimate choice. A petite one, pink haired, with big, round green eyes that twinkled in something akin to excitement the moment he settled his eyes on her.

There was nothing extremely relevant about her at first glance, just yet another kid who hoped to be part of a family and escape this run-down building that could barely be called an orphanage. But of course, Twilight wouldn’t have picked her if that was to be the case ─ she was one of the smartest kids around. Proof was that one impressively complex crossword on a newspaper lying on the table, forgotten after being solved in a breeze seconds ago by a girl so tiny.

Anya was six, which was perfect. She was the perfect pick. The only right choice.

“Excuse me, sir?”

A boyish voice. Bright blue eyes blinking up at him from behind oversized glasses. There was something oddly unsettling about it, which kept him from looking away and proceeding with his day ─ and his mission as well.

“Do you have a permit?”

“A permit?”

“To use a gun.”

Hadn’t been for his years upon years of experience working as the best spy alive in his country, Twilight had probably gasped, maybe backed away, too.

Instead, he flashed him a well-practiced, kind smile.

Humoring a comically serious small boy was the most natural response. So that was what he did, “What do you mean with that, little boy?”

“There’s a mark. Right on the top side of your index finger. That’s from pressing it against the trigger guard for extended periods over a long time.” His gaze wandered over to the man’s chest pocket, and added, “You’re carrying gloves. And your steps are rather silent, too… Say, are you a detective or something?”

The kid hadn’t even blinked once in his entire speech.

Twilight stood silent, then a heartbeat later, turned over to the flushed, obviously intoxicated old man who was supposed to be in charge of this sorry excuse of an orphanage. It took him another second to realize his response was needed.

“This kid’s new around here,” he said, waving a hand off. “His name’s Conan, I think.”

He thinks? thought Twilight, yet didn’t comment on it.

Conan continued to stand there, not moving an inch, holding a stare piercing enough to stab his soul through his body. He didn’t look like the kind who would be satisfied easily without getting the answers he wanted. A stubborn little one.

The only way of dealing with this kind of person was to simply give him one.

“I’m a psychiatrist.” An answer was, indeed, an answer, but it didn’t necessarily mean it had to be true. “I do have a permit, though, since I enjoy taking shooting lessons.”

Pausing, he peered down at the raven black gloves barely even peeking out from his pockets. “I’m a bit of a germ freak, so I carry these just in case,” he added. “I walk silently as well, but I’ve always been like that naturally, so I can’t say anything to that.”

Leaning slightly forward, he smiled as he said, “Will this be enough for you, little detective?”

Conan did nothing but narrow his eyes in silent judgment. Eventually, he seemed to either convince himself that it was sufficient, or simply lost interest. His far too sharp gaze strayed away from Twilight, spinning on his heels to approach the table Anya had been just sitting at. In a swift movement, he had plucked out the newspaper and moved to the furthest corner of the room.

Then he plopped down onto the floor and flipped over the newly completed crossword. Twilight found himself watching that strange boy, whose eyes shifted back and forth as they followed the words printed on paper.

It was rare for a child so young to pick up a newspaper of their own volition, instead of any of the colorful children’s books he could clearly see lying around.

An insatiable thirst for real-world information , observed Twilight. Impressive for a boy of his age.

Speaking of which…

“How old is he?” he asked.

“Beats me. Hey, brat, how old are you?”

Conan did not even look up. “Six.”

That’s extremely convenient.

He didn’t notice Anya’s sharp turn of her head towards him.

“Well?” the man beside him said, clearly lacking the patience to wait a second longer. “Have you decided already?”

Two children gazed back at him. Sharp blue shooting from over glasses like an unamused librarian, carefully analyzing every bit of his soul. Brilliant green sparkling in something akin to hope, or maybe excitement, at the prospect of a life like no other.

That vision was obscured by his lids, lowering as he breathed in, preparing himself for taking a decision. A decision that, were he to be wrong, could potentially damage the world peace he desired so desperately.

Somehow, he ended up getting both.

Before he knew it, there he was, making his way back to his newly rented apartment with a girl and a boy in tow. Anya, skipping slightly ahead with a sunny grin spreading all over her face. Conan, trailing slightly behind with his hands firmly tucked inside his pockets. And himself, Twilight, squeezed right in the middle, wondering, probably for the first time in his life, if he had made the right choice.

The job he had been entrusted with was fairly easy to understand. Getting married and having a kid to enroll in the same prestigious school his target’s son would be attending ─ clearly, he did not need two children for the job. Raising one should be more than enough to succeed in his mission.

Having two children might be beneficial, however. That had been his thought back then. If one of them were to fail, I’d get another chance with the other.

Increasing the chances to succeed to the maximum was elemental knowledge for spies, after all. World peace was at risk ─ if he needed to put up with two first graders for that, Twilight would certainly do it.

With that in mind, he stopped right in front of the building that he was supposed to call ‘home’ until the end of the mission. He turned around and faced the two little kids he was supposed to call ‘his children’, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Starting today, you’re my children. But if anyone asks, you’ve always been my children.”

Anya nodded, twice. Determined for some unknown reasons.

Whereas, Conan crossed his arms behind his head. “I suppose we’re supposed to be twins, too,” he stated, his voice plain and bored. “Since we’re both the same age.”

This time, it was Twilight’s turn to nod. “You have always been siblings, as well,” he clarified. Just in case. “And make sure you call me ‘Father’.”

“Papa.”

“Old man.”

Twilight wanted to sigh.

Conan had definitely not planned for things to go this way.

And certainly, this was not the way he expected to spend the rest of his days in the foreseen future. His body cushioned by a surprisingly comfortable couch, his eyes resting on the colorful figures moving behind a TV screen ─ all there was left was to wonder how long he had until his highly developed brain turned into a senseless mush solely stimulated by childish cartoons playing for hours to an end.

Spinning on the air, landing gracefully on his feet, the spy ─ he hadn’t bothered to learn his name ─ had the gall to smirk confidently, pointing his gun right at the enemies who, helpless to do anything, raised their arms in defeat.

The heel of his hand dug against his cheek, his gaze dulling further, if possible.

Spies aren’t this flashy. Or eloquent either.

In fact, had all of this happened in real life, it was obvious that this guy would have been fired. Or killed, if he kept doing all those stunts of jumping between buildings and dodging bullets, physical laws be damned.

Regardless of everything, it would seem like it worked wonders for young children. Or at least, so it did for the little girl sitting at the other end of the couch, aweing at the screen with her hands balled into little fists.

He ended up adopting us both. Conan pressed a hand to his face, because ‘adopting’ sounded so weird, surreal, even. I was hoping he would choose only me.

Not that he had been overjoyed at the prospect ─ in fact, he wanted nothing but to get out of this place and salvage whatever remained from his steadily dropping, once-privileged IQ.

The thing was, he might have not interacted a lot about this girl named Anya, nor did he know a lot about her, but she was still a child.

An actual child, unlike me.

Anya flinched suddenly.

Puzzled, he glanced back at the television, where the spy was gloating over his victory, tucking his gun back onto his waist ─ they haven’t even bothered to draw a gun holder! ─ and made a speech of some sort to his defeated enemies. Surely, nothing especially relevant was happening to justify her antics.

Probably, he was just overreacting.

Or maybe he had missed something important story-wise, he wasn’t sure. He had been only watching for a few minutes, but he was starting to feel a little dumber already. Striving to find logic and sense to a children’s cartoon was wearing his brain down, clearly.

Which I shouldn’t even be watching at all! Honestly, Conan wanted to scream, tear some hair from his scalp if possible, too. I’m Shinichi Kudo, the famous high school detective, for goodness’ sake!

His thoughts skidded to a halt. Large, round, emerald eyes were now fixed on his being, possibly stuck on his soul too, intensely enough for him, a teenager, to try to shrink away.

“What?” he blurted out.

Anya did not reply.

What am I doing, trying to reason with a kid?

I should be doing something far more mentally challenging than… whatever this is. Conan sighed heavily. Like chasing after those mysterious men in black that fed me the drug that shrunk me…

A gasp shook her entire frame, her eyes now twinkling. This time, he actually slid away to the furthest corner of the couch they shared, attempting to put as much distance as he could in between the two of them.

Weird kid.

Pointedly ignoring the broad spectrum of expressions flashing one after another in that little girl’s face, the detective leaned back on the couch. He needed to find a way to escape this her sight. Despite what appearances would lead him to believe, he didn’t think it would be particularly easy.

And he didn’t mean Anya, exclusively .

Steps echoed from behind, moved across the room from one side to another, making his presence known.

It can’t be a coincidence that he stumbled into such a shady orphanage, among all others, looking for a child. A literate child, specifically.

From the way he moved, how he had scanned every nook and cranny from the room as he walked in, it had been clear to Conan that he hadn’t been seeking a child just because he wanted one. That by itself was suspicious, let alone the way he had also expressly instructed them to lie if asked, to claim they were his biological children.

This man is probably a spy. It hadn’t taken him long to deduce it. Considering this stupid cold war that this country is involved in… I wouldn’t be surprised if he was sent from Westalis…

Against his will, his blinks grew longer.

The question remains, however… Is his mission to stop a war from breaking out, or is it to instigate one instead?

If a war broke out, then…

The colors on the screen began to blend together, fading in and out of darkness at random moments. Gradually, they took form, a slight resemblance to a human silhouette. Long dark hair failing over her shoulders, a warm violet gaze that would never fail to take his breath away, searching for him all over the room. Frantically. Frightened.

Ran…

White filled his vision, blocking her figure from sight. Long arms stretched at his sides, an awkward smile posed on his lips ─ it was a wonder how the girl had failed to see how panicky Professor Agasa was, desperately trying to keep her from seeing him, his shrunken self huddled under his father’s desk.

The glasses now perched on his nose felt just as heavy as his heart. His chest constricted, instigated by the single peek of her afflicted gaze he was allowed to when Agasa shifted slightly to comfort her. But Shinichi knew it had to be this way, understood what the old professor had been trying to tell him ─ the longer their bond remained unsevered through time, the more danger she would be in.

Yet, the Professor had failed to realize, it would not be only Ran. Anyone who had once been related to the high school detective Shinichi Kudo would be at risk as well.

If any harm came to them, all because of his own arrogance…

Footsteps resounded throughout the massive library, fading gradually until there was nothing but the heavy pounding of his own heart. Yet, for a while, Shinichi did not move. He remained there, crouched under that desk, contemplating his own balled fists.

Distraught as the girl had been, it had been up to Professor Agasa to escort her back home. Shinichi could only imagine what kind of expression must have reigned over his face upon finding the Kudo residence eerily empty after his return.

Conan’s eyes blinked back open, dazedly staring at the television, or rather, the pitch black screen that welcomed him back into the waking world. It took a moment more than necessary for his sluggish mind to realize that someone else must have turned it off at some point.

Did I fall asleep? He slowly sat up from where he had been slumped over on the couch, rubbing the last cobwebs of sleep from his eyes. Got that stupid dream again…

Of course, it wasn’t just a dream ─ or at least, it wasn’t as unreal as he would have wished it to be.

I barely even took a step outside my house before one of those police officers I had been running from caught up to me, he remembered. He took me to a hospital right afterwards.

An evident route to take after being witness to that especially nasty wound blossoming on the back of his head ─ it had been treated with relative ease, thus allowing him to play the concussed, likely traumatized, poor little boy who didn’t remember what had happened, so all in all, it might have been a blessing in disguise.

The perks of being a cute, tiny child, he laughed to himself.

Then he stopped himself because that sounded wrong and degrading.

With him falling silent, everything went quiet as well, and thus, the confusion came. Why was it silent? Weren’t there supposed to be two people living with him now? A look around confirmed what he had already known, that he was alone.

Not that he particularly minded the newfound peace, but it was, to say the least, strange.

It wasn’t until he stood up to inspect the place when he found a note stuck to the fridge at the back of the kitchen.

“ I’m We’re going out for a bit.

─ Loid Forger”

Conan could have laughed at that.

Forger, it is? Oh, the irony. A pretend-family forged for ulterior motives… How did I wound up in this? Never had he believed he would have been ‘adopted’ barely a day after he was taken to that orphanage. That he would become… a Forger?

Conan Forger. Snorting, he shook his head. Sounds terrible.

A part of him retorted that it really didn’t, that it suited him perfectly. For that Conan was nothing but an identity Shinichi had forged upon leaving this world, with the only purpose of fulfilling that one mission that had brought him to life.

In his mind, the silver-haired man adjusted his black hat, a cold, malicious smirk crawling onto his lips.

I’m getting the hell out of here.

With that thought in mind, he made it to the door, seeking a way out.

Now, he had definitely not expected that escaping a spy’s house would have been that easy, but then again, he was physically a child ─ a child who had finally gotten himself a home. So it probably hadn’t crossed Loid’s mind that he would want to do such a thing.

Alternatively, he might have been too distracted with Anya to properly lock the door, which was just as likely. Her absence indicated she had tagged along, and for what little Conan had known about her and her personality, it seemed to him that Loid had no other choice but to comply to her whims.

Conan could feel a snicker bubbling up, just by imagining what that scene must have been like.

“Hey, aren’t you…?”

Twirling around in shock and fear at the prospect of being found out, the boy found two older ladies blinking at him, in utter surprise ─ which was slightly better than running into Loid, but not by a great margin. Conan thought that smiling, and remaining silent until he could disappear from their sight, would be the best way to deal with the situation.

Yet, his plans were thwarted when one of them leaned slightly closer to him.

“You’re the little boy who just moved next door!”

He repressed a flinch. Word spread around so quickly that it was low-key terrifying.

“Yup!” But instead, he smiled broadly, doing his best impression of an adorable child. “My name is Conan Forger!”

Then cringed at the thought of that one name.

The lady smiled back. “Conan-kun, huh?” Yet, despite what he had been hoping, rather than leaving, the woman continued, “How old are you?”

“Six!” -teen, his mind completed.

“Are your parents home?”

This time, he couldn’t keep his eyebrow from twitching ─ when had this slightly unpleasant, definitely inconvenient, little chat had transformed into a full-blown interrogation? Right now, all he could think was in how badly he needed to leave this place. The sooner, the better. Brownie points if he got to it before the spy and that over-energetic brat returned home.

A flinch ensued, yet surprisingly, it did not come from him. The lady’s friend had grimaced, whatever thought that had just crossed her head prompting her to whisper into the other woman’s ear.

“Hey, we just crossed his father. You know, that handsome man with the little girl…”

Conan seriously considered letting them know that he could still hear them . Perfectly so.

“I don’t think he has a mother…”

“You mean he left this child home alone?”

“Maybe he forgot about him…”

“How heartless…”

The boy tilted his head. “I don’t mind staying home alone.”

This time around, he wasn’t even pretending to be confused. In turn, all the women did was to look back at him, and eventually, smiles covered their features. They patted his head, they praised him for being oh-so-brave, or whatever ─ and that need of fleeing he stored within himself rose exponentially.

Yet, despite everything, his detective’s gaze still prevailed, just as sharp as it had been in the past where he, ironically, had been ten years older. It made it easier to pick on the pity in their eyes, no matter how hard they tried to hide it.

That wasn’t something he was interested in dealing with.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go!” he chirped cutely, putting on the brightest smile he could muster. “My dad forgot something really important.”

He inwardly twitched at the word ‘dad’, but it didn’t seem that any of those ladies noticed.

“If I don’t hurry, I won’t catch up with him!”

And promptly spun on his heels, skipping ahead before any of them could stop him. Though her glances did not seem to vanish, boring holes in the back of his head.

What’s with these ladies? Such a pain…

He thus skipped down the stairs, hoping to sneak out of their sight as quickly as his ridiculously short legs could take him. Hoping down two at a time, rushing to the doors like the building was on fire, he successfully stepped into the daylight, panting as he stood there, in the entrance of that apartment complex he was supposed to call ‘home’ now.

Such a ridiculous thought.

I don’t have any time to waste, thought the shrunken detective, nodding to himself, and started walking. I won’t be able to find anything about those men in black if I idle around here, playing family or whatever.

Which, really, it was probably better said than done ─ Conan became aware of this fact only minutes after starting on his own little investigation. The city was so big, maneuvering through the sea of legs incredibly hard ─ strong currents created by dozens upon dozens of citizens that went about their day, unaware of the small form that tried to do the same, only to get pulled in so many directions that made him want to scream out.

But he wouldn’t, because he knew nobody would ever hear.

Sunset found Conan’s determination flickering away, his stubby legs stumbling with one another as they led him forward, no clear destination in his mind. Of course, he had known already that it wouldn’t be easy, but his conviction had stood firm, regardless. An unfounded belief that he could accomplish anything if he put his mind on it. That he was Shinichi Kudo, renowned high school detective ─ the word impossible wasn’t in his dictionary.

But for Conan’s, it was hard to tell. How long had been aimlessly investigating this city? He didn’t know, but results weren’t appearing to be too promising, either. No matter how hard he worked, with no lead to follow, it was all for naught.

He was only six now, after all.

Something at the corner of his eye froze Conan’s whole being solid, his steps halted, his line of thought paralyzed. Only his gaze was able to move, sliding to the side and zeroing on the object that had caught his attention.

Lips pursed, he drew in a deep breath. His feet moved again, entirely on their own, taking him to the ordinary phone booth he had just found.

The limited change he kept inside his blazer rattled lightly as it was plucked out. Before he knew it, a handset was pressed against his face, held in place with hands far too small for its size, listening to each beat attentively, his stomach churning and twisting, nervous for reasons he wasn’t entirely conscious of.

Until her voice reached his ears. “Mouri Agency, can I be of assistance?”

Eyes twinkling, Conan beamed. “Ran!”

There was a pause, far too long for it to be reasonable.

“A child?” he heard her mutter to herself.

Just like that, it had evaporated at the following second. A hand rose to his throat, fingers grazing against his neck. His smile faded, eyes widened at the horrifying realization that had just dropped over him like a bucket of icy water.

And his heart, once frantically pounding against his chest in anticipation, dropped somewhere at his knees.

“Hi, little one,” Ran said again. Softer, gentler ─ the tone she would use with a little child, like he was. “Is there any adult with you I could-?”

Although it was her voice the one he had been missing the most, he hung up right away ─ knowing well enough that this was for the best, the best for her. If he kept on the line any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. To keep her away from any of this.

And he couldn’t do this to Ran. That was why he had left in the first place.

He stepped out of the phone booth again, ten times as drained as he had been before. Aching feet only took him a few steps forward before they failed, his shoulder running against the bricked wall of a random building. He all but slumped against it, and did not move again.

Except for his hands extending over his own dulled gaze. Tiny, chubby fingers flexed, curled into small fists as per his input.

A laugh escaped Shinichi’s lips ─ dry and bitter in his thoughts, high-pitched and adorable to his own ears.

How pathetic.

“What are you doing here?”

Having barely avoided jumping out of his skin, he whirled around to find a figure of a man towering over him. He inwardly winced, not by his sudden presence per se, but by his current predicament. Large, dark bags collecting under his eyes, his arms full of books and grocery bags and little Anya, drooling on his shirt as she slept peacefully at Loid’s expense.

“I was bored and wanted to explore a little,” lied Conan. He eyed him for a moment, then added, “Do you, uh, need help?”

Loid observed him for a little longer than a beat.

A few seconds later, he was walking, his short arms fumbling to get the many groceries from slipping, smiling regardless to convince Loid, who eyed him intently, that he was holding on perfectly on his own ─ that he was no child. He could do as much, thank you very much.

Loid’s gaze, far too sharp, all too seeing, was still stuck to his form. He wondered if he had seen his eyebrow twitch, too.

“What?” Conan blurted out, finally deciding he had enough.

Loid stared at him for a second longer.

“Those glasses you’re wearing,” he began. “They don’t have any lenses.”

“I plucked them out,” admitted Conan. “Since I don’t really need them.”

But Loid continued on looking at him. His silence unnerved him more than anything else, so he put on a bittersweet smile, his head dropping lightly, focusing his gaze on the tips of his shoes.

“They were my father’s,” he whispered.

And he wasn’t really lying there, they were actually his. Granted, he had found them in his desk and had put them on, hoping that his face wouldn’t be as recognizable at first glance, at least. He doubted his dad would care anyway, in fact, he wasn’t sure he would realize they were gone.

Internally, he wondered if there was a possibility that his father did realize his glasses were missing, yet failed to notice his son was, too. He wished he could say, with utmost certainty, there was no way it would happen.

Shuffling with the many books and girl he carried, Loid managed to free one of his hands, which he extended to him. Conan stared back, not batting an eye, expectant.

“Lend me those frames,” Loid said. Conan appeared confused and surprised, all at the same time. “I’ll see to place some non-prescription lenses on them.”

It took a moment more than needed for the boy to understand, motioning to the bags in his arms as if telling him he couldn’t do so right now ─ a beautiful excuse not to admit he wasn’t comfortable roaming around the city with his real face plain in sight. Loid fell quiet, his hand returning to the books and gaze falling back on the road ahead, deciding they could do that once back at their apartment.

Conan found himself snorting. “You’re surprisingly nice, old man.”

Loid did not comment on that.

Chapter 2: Nothing but a Pretense

Chapter Text

The next morning found Conan wondering if this man, Loid Forger, the spy who had taken him in, ever slept. The night before, he had tried staying up, sitting atop the bed he had been assigned and keeping an ear out for any sounds that indicated he had retreated to his room.

Which never came. Loid did not do such a thing, and the flipping of some pages had told Conan that he was probably researching something until late. Sitting in the middle of the living room, thus frustrating any possibility Conan could possibly have to sneak away, in hopes of a second chance looking for clues, without his notice.

Whether it was his much smaller body, or the exhaustion that clung to his bones since that fatidic day, Conan cursed it all the same. While it had been easy for Shinichi to stay alert for entire nights working on cases with little to no problem at all, for Conan, it was a real struggle. So, when he woke up the following day to realize he had passed out at some point, he couldn't help a guttural, frustrated groan.

Loid looked up from his newspaper to see a tiny little boy glaring daggers at him. Honestly, he was unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Good morning," he tried.

And got no response. The little boy promptly brushed past him, then plopped down on the chair next to him, silent and unmoving.

Children could be so mystifying sometimes.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that Loid realized he was a 'father' now. And that, of course, implied preparing breakfast for his children. Especially when they were so young.

Thus, Conan followed him with his eyes as he stood up, until he disappeared somewhere in the kitchen. Once alone, he allowed himself to sigh, cradling his head with his palm, mentally dreading the thought that struck him suddenly ─ thatthiswould be his life from now on. Or, at least, until either of them fulfilled their mission.

Once this man completed it, it was clear what his destiny would be like. Beyond any shadow of doubt, he would throw both Anya and himself back to that orphanage they had come from, or perhaps a better one, if they were lucky. Then he would disappear from his life forever, leaving Conan free to do whatever he pleased.

Sure, it would be a pain to deal with the staff of an orphanage, or even eventually escaping to make his own investigation on the men who poisoned him, but even then, he supposed it wouldn't be as difficult as dealing with a spy ─ a sharp-minded one, like this one had been proving to be. So, all in all, letting Loid fulfill his mission as quickly as possible might prove to be beneficial.

But then again, I don't know what his mission is,reflected Conan, frowning to himself.Depending on what it is, I might have to stop him instead.

For all he knew, he may be trying to spark a full-fledged war between the East and the West.

Lifting his head, Conan was suddenly met by the sight ofpink.Anya was standing there at the doorway, rubbing her eye viciously as she dazedly looked around the her gaze finally zeroed on his form, Conan pointedly looked away.

There was a newspaper Loid had been reading, left over the table, so, he figured, there would be no trouble at all if he borrowed it for a bit.

And halted as he caught sight of his own face ─ his real, teenage face ─ there, printed on the paper. After a moment of staring, and several perplexed blinking, he finally proceeded to read the remainder of the article.

It was surprising that they were still talking about that roller coaster murder case, even if a few days had passed ever since.

Well, it was quite the disturbing one,recalled Conan. From the corner of his eye, he noted Anya making her way towards the table, slowly dragging a chair to climb on.One moment, the victim was smiling, enjoying a harmless roller coaster trip with his friends and girlfriend. At the other, his head was violently ripped off, splattering blood everywhere…

Anya winced violently, for reasons that escaped him completely. At this point, Conan had long learned that trying to explain her behavior was pointless, and that ignoring her was probably for the best.

So, his attention was drawn back to the newspaper. He remembered having that photo taken like it had been yesterday; that co*cky smirk had crawled up on his face naturally enough, proud of himself and his intellect for allowing him to wrap up yet another case the police force had failed to piece together.

I had everything. Fame, friends… A family, too, even if they were away most of the time. Somehow, they were still there.

Under his grip, the paper crumpled.

And now, look at me. Stuck as an elementary school student. Adopted by a guy whose intentions are shady, at best.

He shot a brief glance towards the girl sitting in front of him, who blinked back in return.

And stuck with a kid I'm supposed to call 'sister', even though I know absolutely nothing about her.

"I-I… I'm…"

Conan looked back up again. "Hm?"

Anya drew in a deep breath, her gaze narrowing, turning in something far more serious, sharper than even before.

"Forger. Anya Forger."

Still she remained, her eyebrows furrowed as she gave him a pointed look, as if therewasa meaning behind everything. But even Conan's thoughts were silent, a blank stare fixated on the girl in front of him, unmoving.

"I knew that."

Anya flinched, like she was taken aback. Conan's eyebrow raised, wondering what was wrong with her, or if the many cartoons she watched were to be blamed for it.

"I…" She shifted in her seat, her eyes wandering back and forth in the room, like she was trying to conjure the next words to say inside her mind. "I hate carrots."

Conan failed to see how that was relevant.

"I love peanuts."

"I'mallergicto peanuts."

Anya halted.

Well, not really,remarked Conan, mentally. But internally, he hoped that it would get her to shut her mouth, somehow ─ and give him some of that sweet peace and quiet he had been yearning for so long. The girl sat back, stared at him some more, then began pondering again.

"I, uh… um… like Bondman!"

"Duly noted."

As the girl began to stutter, Conan felt himself restraining an eye-roll ─ mostly because he was aware that being so rude to a kid was not cool, but somehow, he felt as if he was nearly past the point of caring. A lot had happened, too much for him to handle, even if he was reticent to admit it, even to himself.

And he shouldn't be here, dealing withthis, by any means. He should be out chasing cases, putting criminals behind bars.

I'm Shinichi Kudo,he reaffirmed in his mind.I have always been an only child, and that won't change just because of this.

I have no sister. My parents are alive and aboard. This is nothing but a temporary drawback I have to endure until I can get the hell out of here.

Conan had long looked away, his gaze wandering over to the kitchen, where he could see Loid's back as he moved around the room. He frowned profusely.

The Forgers are nothing but a pretense.

Loid is nothing but layers upon layers of deception. Anya is just a tool he's gonna discard the moment she stops being useful to him. And I'm a bit of both.

Seeing it like that, it's obvious. We aren't a family. Not even close.

And we'll never be.

A sharp intake of air caressed his ears, silencing his every thought. Turning his gaze towards the source, he paused, unsure how to react to the sight that met his gradually widening, bewildered eyes.

Anya was biting her lower lip, sobs shaking her entire frame.

"H-Hey…" tried Conan, softer this time. An awkward grimace, that had been intended to look like a smile, crossed his face. "You… aren't about to…"

As the first tear slipped from her eyes, the next followed, and before he knew it, the young girl had broken into a full-blown bawl. Startled, Conan jumped back, barely even avoiding tumbling down his chair to blink, perplexed at the scene that was developing in front of him.

Alerted by the noise, Loid practically materialized in the room, and watched in shock as the girl viciously wiped her flowing tears, her breath hitching with each sob. Slowly, he turned his head towards the boy and gave him a pointed look.

"I didn't do anything!" argued Conan, a bit louder than necessary. "I swear!"

But the look the man was giving him let him know that he wasn't believed. Rather than attending to him, the spy focused his attention on the girl, struggling to get her to calm down while Conan watched, still sort of freaked out, unable to conjure a single opinion on the matter.

Conan wasn't sure of what had just happened.

And Loid wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do.

Although Loid had only been a 'father' for less than a day, he was beginning to think that this might not be the job for him. How unfitting of him, he chastised himself, that after so many years in his profession, playing role upon role, wearing mask upon mask and performing every role to utmost perfection, he would be having those thoughts ─ thoughts of throwing these kids back to the orphanage and finding a way around this grueling mission.

But of course, his thoughts were no other's business than his own, and definitely, they werenotFranky's, of all people.

In silence, he accepted the documents he was being passed, and studied each and every single of them carefully. Applications, tickets for the exam, and exam questions ─ as well as a pair of large frames lying there in the corner, light refracted on the glass and hitting his eyes.

Anya's large, innocent emerald eyes met him through the photograph attached to the file as he flipped it over. Surprisingly,or not,there was far too little information about her. Nothing on her birth, age or parents. None at all.

"I could only find information from last year, but she's been adopted four times and returned each time," Franky told him. "She's also been to two other orphanages."

One look at the files confirmed that claim. There were so many names attached to a girl so small that it was almost unsettling. But, despite it all, nothing prepared for what he found next. Alongside Anya's file, he did not find a similar document, but a newspaper clipping.

"I couldn't find anything about the boy, either," explained Franky. "Every bit of information I could find dates only a few days back, a little before he was taken to that orphanage."

"He was said to be new around," remembered Loid.

"Very. He only stayed there for a day before you came, so you can imagine it's scarce, at best."

The spy remained quiet for a bit, trying to process the information. "What about this?" he asked, motioning to the newspaper clipping on his hands.

"That's the earliest piece of information on him I could get my hands on."

Curious, Loid scanned the article he had been holding onto, and inadvertently felt himself tensing up. A young boy had been found at Tropical Park a few days ago at night, bundled in adult clothes and wounded in the head. As reported, he had tried to flee from the police, but they had eventually caught up with him.

"Why would he try to run away?" he wondered. "Maybe he didn't want to go to an orphanage."

"He was probably confused. Freaking out, too." Franky shrugged. "He got himself retrograde amnesia, after all."

An amnesiac young boy ─ that didn't sound like something easy to deal with. Loid shifted his attention away from it, and gingerly plucked out the glasses he had been entrusted with last night.

He said these were his father's,he remembered. In fact, that had been the prime reason he had proposed to place non-prescription lenses on it, so that nobody would find anything amiss at first glance. Were anyone toask,Loid couldn't be entirely sure the kid wouldn't tell them the truth, be it intentionally or a mere slip of a tongue.

Naturally, that meant that he remembered him, or at least recalled him to some degree. It wasn't as if he had lost all of his memories.

Finally freed from his thoughts, he glanced over at Franky. He was giving him a serious, pointed look.

"They might be kids, but no good's gonna come out of getting attached."

Loid shot him a rather bland one of his own and promptly turned away. "Thanks for the concern," he mumbled, and left.

"Hello? Where's my money?!"

There was nothing more degrading than having to learn multiplication tables atsixteen.

Probably, he hadn't really checked. Granted, there were probably far worse situations and tragedies in life yet, had he been forced to prepare a ranked list, it would probably still be up there.

Keeping a sigh from escaping his lips, Conan turned a page over and began filling up the answers to the following questions. He hadn't been explained in detail why it was so necessary to study this rigorously, nor did he ask why Anya had been so deeply against it ─ though it might be just a typical childish behavior, he wasn't sure. For all the vast knowledge he had gathered on human psychology from cornering criminals, children's minds remained a mystery he wasn't particularly invested in.

It has to have something to do with the mission,thought Conan, his pencil rapidly scratching against the paper as he wrote.He's likely trying to get us to an elite school of some sort.Considering that he had been searching for a literate child in the first place, toppled up with his current predicament, it added up.And this school must require an entrance exam he can't afford to let us fail.

If it was just a kid's test, he could easily ace it without needing to study.

Or I could just flunk it on purpose…

The abrupt snapping of the tip of a pencil had him jerking back and looking down at his own. Realizing it hadn't been his, he turned to the girl seated right next to him, and found her scrambling to fetch a sharpener, then clumsily trying to use it.

Why was she this fidgety all of a sudden?Could it be that she's nervous just because she's around me?he wondered, the events of this morning vivid in his memory.Maybe I was being too mean to her.

Now, he couldn't recall saying anything particularly rude, or at least harsh enough to warrant her behavior, but he had heard that children were terribly perceptive. It could have been his tone of voice, his posture, or even his facial expression that conveyed some underlying irritation directed towards her, and she had picked up on it. Thus, she had been upset.

I'm the adult here.Well, not really, but close enough.Gotta get a hold of myself.

He breathed in deeply.

"Listen, Anya."

He was talking to a little kid; he needed to keep it together. Speak calmly, use a gentler intonation. Be kind, be gentle…

Just like…

In his mind, he saw it. That one beautiful smile he had fallen for since they were kids.

And so he did, mirroring that distant memory embedded in his brain to the best of his abilities.

"I'm sorry," he said. Her eyes widened slightly, though what was actually going through her mind, Conan could not be sure of. Maybe she didn't think he would apologize? It was likely. "I was being too mean to you."

Though having it intended to be friendly, Conan felt as if an external force was tugging his lips downwards, leaving nothing but a bittersweet ghost of what it had been. Gaze cast on his scribbled numbers, he continued.

"There's… a lot going on right now. Being suddenly adopted and moving to a new home, I know it's the same for you," he said. "But we're stuck together now. We gotta get along."

That hadn't ended as he had intended it to be, but Anya had yet to show any sign of being upset by anything at all.

In fact, she was staring. Staring at his soul.

He wondered what she could be thinking about right now.

"How can you see?" she asked, unprompted.

Conan tilted his head, not following. It wasn't until she motioned to her eyes, and after a few more seconds of awkward silence, that Conan recalled that Loid had taken his glasses this morning, so he wasn't wearing them.

Not that it explained what it had to do withanything,but shrugged it off. Children can be random at times, right?

"People don't wear glasses because they are blind," explained Conan. "For them, it's more like their sight is… kinda blurry."

"Blurry?" She blinked. "Like when Anya wakes up in the mornings?"

"Yes, exactly like that." It wasnotexactly like that, but Conan figured it would suffice. "But it's not the case for me. Because I don't really wear glasses."

The absolutely clueless expression the girl pulled out almost made him laugh.Almost.

He pointed over to the closest window that let them see the many buildings gathered under the sun. "You can see right through that window, even if your eyes are okay, don't you?" Anya nodded, so he added, "It's the same for me."

Besides, it's only a means to hide my identity,Conan thought, but obviously did not say.I didn't use glasses when I was a grownup.

Anya's eyes widened just a little. "Oh, that's right," she mumbled.

Then immediately twitched when the boy's puzzled gaze posed on herself.

"T-That's right!" Her eyes flickered all over the room, as if she was nervous for motives he couldn't bring himself to understand. "Anya forgot… to go to the toilet!"

"What-"

"So Anya is going now!"

Still confused, Conan watched as the little girl hopped off her chair, and in a blink of an eye, she had disappeared somewhere behind the doorway leading to the corridor. Frozen, he continued to stare for a few minutes, before eventually giving up and going back to his own childish, brain-rotting textbooks.

Because, to his great regret, there was absolutely nothing else he could do. Anya had been too adamant on following Loid that morning, so, after roughly fifteen minutes of him ushering her back inside the apartment, he had resorted to barricade the door.

Again, he could've just locked the door.The first time, Conan had thought it was a mere overlook from his part, yet at this point, he was starting to believe that the spy did not know how those work.Surely, they have locks, too. In the West, I mean.

Well, even if I had a way out, it would be for naught.Just like the other day.I haven't got a single clue to follow.

Checking the newspapers or the news had contributed nothing to his search. His disappearance had not been reported, and even if it had, he doubted it would provide any leads. Those men in black had been sneaky, used an untraceable poison not to alert anybody, unlike what it would have been with a gun ─ maybe they hadn't brought a silencer. While it was a good thing for Shinichi, in a way, it didn't make a lot of sense for an experienced murderer like those two were.

Yet, the fact that no body had been found at the site of his attempted murder was worrying enough.I have to hurry,he decided.Before they realize their mistake.

Having said that, he finished filling up the answers in his textbook.

Or at least, he tried to. His hand suddenly stopped, head perking up upon hearing a distinct sound. Eyes sliding close, he tried to focus, to determine what exactly it was, until finally, a faint sob was recognized by his brain.

She's crying?he wondered, frowning lightly as he stood up.But she was fine just a moment ago…

To add to his great confusion, she didn't seem to be in the bathroom, where she had claimed to be. No, the sounds didn't come from there, but from somewhere else entirely.

Where…?

His steps halted, eyes widening slightly as they finally located her. She was kneeling on the floor of Loid's room, surrounded by several boxes sprawled around everywhere in sight. Upon his presence, her teary gaze flickered towards him, visually astonished for some unknown reason.

"What were you doing?" asked Conan, almost hesitantly.

"I… uh…"

Moving further inside stole a flinch out of the girl, and a second look had him freezing on his spot. There, right in front of the girl, there was a suitcase ─ black, large, and fortunately unopened. He settled it with an extended look before his shoulders dropped, deflating with a sigh.

"Weren't we told not to touch his things?" Conan chastised her lightly, crouching right next to her to put things back in order. "I get you're curious, but it's rude."

And dangerous,he added in his mind. The man was a spy in his own right, he couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of gadgets could be there, gathering dust in his closet for nosy six-year-olds to stick their little fingers at.Especially this thing over here.

Intrigued, he leaned closer to it, placing a hand over the surface to investigate further. It was password-locked, for the better or the worse ─ at least this proved that hedidknow locks were a thing, thought Conan, with a shake of his head.

He gingelly lifted it, careful not to set anything off.Judging by its size and weight, it's not a mere suitcase. A computer, maybe? No, that's not it. You don't need to physically lock these things…

Finally, it clicked.Oh, a communicator.Conan smirked to himself, glad to have figured the mystery out.Good thing it's locked, then.

It wouldn't be any good if Anya messed with it. Who knows who she could accidentally be communicating to?

Unbeknownst to him, Anya froze.

Nodding to himself, Conan gingerly pushed the gadget back in place.Spies have a lot of enemies,he reflected.Just imagine if one of them intercepted her transmission and traced our location...

Color drained from her face, a faint tremor taking hold of her limbs.

We'd probably be dead by now… That was close, huh?

Wobbly still, the girl jumped back on her feet, earning yet another confused look from the boy and nervously began to stammer, lacking coherence in her words. Frowning, Conan tilted his head, trying to deduce what message she was trying to relay, yet failed miserably.

He stopped trying when the sound of the front door opening reached his ears.

Ah, he's back,he thought, taking a single step towards the doorway, attempting to get to the hallway.Better walk out before he finds us in his room-

He came to a sudden pause, yet not of his own accord. Haltingly, he turned his gaze to his arm, taking notice of the small hands that had latched onto it, grasping with as much strength as a six-year-old could manage. He blinked once, eyes flickering to her face, and did not fail to identify those wide eyes, and the sickly white shade her face had acquired, asfear.

He held his breath, and the newfound silence allowed him to hear better, clearer. Carefully silent steps, tiptoeing around. Slight shuffle of clothes, sliding against a surface ─ as if someone was threading close to the walls, slowly yet surely advancing towards their position.

That wasn't Loid.Intruders,the thought made his features harden.Two… No, three of them.

He reached blindly for Anya, ushering her to keep herself behind him. She did so right away, as per indicated by the small, quivering fingers digging on his shoulder.

There has to be something I can do.His eyes darted across the room, seeking for a way out, but of course, it returned no results. And of course, the intruders were slowly, but surely approaching their position, and by the way Anya had suddenly stopped backing up ─ he didn't even register he had been prompting her to do so ─ it was clear that her back had hit the wall.

This is not good. We're trapped.Anya's grip tightened. His teeth clenched, barely even restraining a frustrated growl.There's no escape.

And if they couldn't flee, there was only one option left for survival.

Anya's chimera-like plushie had been dropped at some point and was left on the floor. A box they had forgotten to put away was there, probably containing several gadgets and weapons all the same ─ which would be terribly helpful if hecouldget to it on time.

Especially when he could already see a shadowy figure peeking from the hallway, a giveaway of the sight that would meet them sooner than what he would prefer. That of a face they didn't know, wild-eyed and dangerous beyond any doubt, which would only widen as they came to rest on their form.

Just as the man's mouth opened to scream, Conan's head began to turn towards the frightened little girl hiding behind him, his lips curving in one last warm, reassuring smile.

It will be okay,he told her in his mind, even though he knew she couldn't hear ─ but hoped that his actions would relay the message, anyway.

As if in slow motion, lowered, his fingers grazing the floor as he crouched. His left shoe came off, sliding back to the front with a swift movement of his now socked foot.

"Kids!" screamed the intruder, whipping his head towards his partners. Conan's eyes narrowed. "They are kids in here-!"

With a short scream ripping through his throat, and drawing all the strength he could muster, Conan delivered one powerful kick. A smirk spread across his face as he stood back, watching everything unfolding in front of him; the intruder's eyes widening, darting to the shoe that hurtled his way.

It slapped him lightly on the cheek and dropped back to the floor with nothing but a light 'ouch' as a response. Not even the faintest hint of a flinch, either.

Conan could feel Anya's stare on the back of his head. He could feel theglarethe criminal sent him, incredibly irritated by the whole thing.

For a moment, Conan stared blankly, until realization finally dawned on him.

Oh.

That would be his last thought before the pain took over, spreading across his back like a raging fire. Wheezing, he let himself flop back onto the floor, curling into himself while trying to recover the air that had been snatched from his lungs so abruptly, but to no avail. Everything was fading away, his thoughts dissolving into a comfortable, numbing darkness he could not fight any longer.

Not even those little hands that had settled on his arm, shaking desperately, kept him from sinking deeper.

Anya's inconsolable weeping persisted, however, echoing somewhere in the distance until he knew no more.

Conan woke up an unidentified amount of time later, his head throbbing, his body in the most uncomfortable position ever. Yet, his eyelids did not flutter open, but rather, they remained tightly closed. Every other sense of his sharpened, in an attempt to assess his situation.

Arms that wouldn't move, kept in place by ropes tied around his torso. Iron-like bars digging against his shoulder ─ he was squished inside some weird kind of cage, maybe? Along with a warmer surface that wouldn't stop trembling.

When the sounds he was hearing were deciphered as sobs, Conan understood that it was Anya pressed against his back, and that they both had been kidnapped.

Of course we were.He could sort of remember it now; the crazy glint on the intruder's gaze as he lunged towards them, and how easily he had flung Conan to the side, sending him crashing to the wall. How utterly and irrevocably pathetic for Shinichi Kudo, he thought, capable of knocking criminals left and right with a soccer ball to be defeated just like that.

Inwardly groaning, Conan tugged at his binds, attempting, in vain, to free himself somehow.

"Oh, look. The brat's awake."

Seeing no other choices available, the boy finally opened his eyes, lifting his head to glare at whoever was his ─their─ captor. In doing so, however, he realized that there were more than one ─ far more than one, judging by the four, no, six pairs of gazes that remained fixated on him.

The one standing directly in front of him, the guy with the mean glare and the bushy eyebrows, took a step closer, and the rest shuffled out of the way instantly.So this guy's the boss, huh?That much was obvious, at least.

Swiftly, he sent a look around, trying to verify his theory of his current situation.

After being knocked out, he had indeed taken somewhere he could not recognize.A storage room? No, wait, it's some kind of abandoned supermarket.Which made a lot of sense, considering he had been squished together with a crying Anya inside a shopping cart they had likely found lying around.

Indeed, he had been kidnapped.

But I don't think it was a premeditated crime.He would be surprised if it was ─ they had been taken in by that spy just the other day, and they had barely reached the twenty-four-hour mark living together.I think they just found us there and snatched us, just in case.

The question remained, however. How had they tracked Loid?Maybe she did get her hands on Loid's things…Anya's breathing hitched, but he said nothing about it.He really should learn to lock his things, that guy.

With a sigh, he looked back at the leader and stared at him with a blank expression.

"So?" he began, his tone bored. "What are we supposed to be?"

"We're taking you as hostages."

It was impressive that these guys were willing to explain the situation to him. He would have remarked how much of a gracious gesture it was, hadn't it been for, well, the obvious.

He raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"You're a bait for Twilight. Once he comes here, we'll force him to join us."

Twilight? Ah, that must be that spy's codename.

That was good to know.

"And that makes you think he will come because…?"

"Because you're his children?"

An uncomfortable silence followed, with the boy merely raising his eyebrow even higher, far above his hairline.

"Are yousureyou thought this through?" asked Conan, a tint of disappointment in his tone. "You're the lamest bunch of criminals I've ever met."

"You might want to shut your trap," said the leader, his eyebrow twitching. "Unless you wanna end up like your sister here."

For the first time, he glanced over to the teary girl shaking right next to him, and took notice of the tape stuck to where her mouth was supposed to be. Immediately, he let out a light, dry chuckle.

Let me guess. She was crying too loudly for them to handle, right?

Anya's shock was visible. Conan's head tilted slightly, then glanced over his shoulder, just in case. This time, it washisturn to be surprised, and not in a great way, at the figure he had just spotted, sprawled across the floor, absolutely motionless.

There's a pool of blood next to his head,observed the boy, his eyes narrowing. It was expanding, flowing across the tile floor without any of the men being extremely alarmed about it.It seems to be fairly recent. Could have been shot in the head?It was the most likely scenario.I see.

Seems that Anya wasn't the only one getting on this man's nerves.Finally, he turned back to who he assumed to be the leader, and spotted a growing, smug grin making its way to his face.She just got luckier.

"Listen here," said the man, raising his hand to reveal the gun he had been carrying ─ at least this guy had bothered to use a silencer, Conan would give him that. "You're going to talk."

Clearly, he was attempting to intimidate him, but truly, all he did was confirm his most recent working theory. For all that was worth, anyway.

Conan did not blink at the unspoken threat. "You just told me to be quiet," he stated.

"You're a co*cky little runt, aren't you?"

A click ensued, yet the boy did not let his smirk vanish, despite every single thought that rushed through his mind, running in circles as he attempted to figure out a plan to escape.

If I was alone, this would be easier,he thought.Anya is here. I gotta find a way to get her out of here, too.

His fingers found their way to the metal bars behind his back, feeling for any sharp edges he could rub his rope against. Then, he would have to find a way to free the girl too, and escape, all at the same time.Maybe I could just use this shopping cart?It could work, he guessed. It didn't matter if he couldn't unbind Anya right away, as long as they were safe and out of their sight, he could do it later.

It was a good plan, except for the fact thateverysingle memberof this gang, including their boss, was surrounding them.

If only…He gritted his teeth.If only I had my old body…

"But you look like a smart one," continued the boss. "I bet you understand your position."

Of course he did.

"We're hostages," said Conan. "If you kill us, you won't be able to blackmail Twilight-san into following your orders."

He knew it wasn't like that ─ they weren't family, not even close. As a spy, it would be ridiculous to stumble into the enemy's hideout, risking his life for kids he didn't even know. It would be easier, safer just to choose another orphanage and pick another child ─ there were plenty of them in this country, anyone would make the trick.

"Or, we could just prove we are being serious…"

Tensing his muscles, Conan glared as the boss approached them, his gun in hand, leaning over them. Conan was aware of the events that were about to ensue ─ muzzle to his forehead, a sad*stic grin and a cold laugh that indicated he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger to end his life. That was a classical move, the boy had seen it once or twice throughout his short detective career.

Yet, it didn't happen. Not like that, in any case.

His eyes widened, horrified at the sight. Muffled cries reached his ears, Anya's pleading, terrified gaze fixated on him, and only on him.

"We could just wipe out one of you." Pressing the gun closer to the girl's temple, the man sneered. "So that Twilight understands what destiny will await the other if he tries to act smart."

Gritting his teeth, Conan could not hold a growl in.

With this small body, I cannot use my true strength.He had faced the fact in the worst way there could be. Even his kicking strength, his strongest weapon, his ace under his sleeve that had kept him alive for so long had, just, disappeared. Leaving him a helpless, six-year-old hoping for a miracle, praying to be saved.

And it's not only me… How could I ever call myself a detective when I can't even save a little girl?

Even though… she's right in front of me…

Damn it!

"Boss!" The calling of one of the other men captured his attention. He was right at the window, pointing at something outside. "Nguyen and his guys are back from the apartment!"

He took his time to look at Conan, then glance over to Anya, who winced violently, before snorting. "You got lucky," he told her, finally stepping away.

At first, Conan had absolutely no clue of what he was supposed to think, up until the moment yet another man appeared behind the door. He was carrying something, or rather, someone, over his shoulder, his face masked by a paper bag, for some reason ─ maybe so that their new kidnapping victim wouldn't know where their hideout was?

He was dropped back onto the ground, and Conan couldn't help but let his eyes open dramatically. That light green suit was exactly like the one Loid had been wearing earlier.

It wasn't hard to connect two and two together.

"We captured him."

Obviously.

As soon as he set his victim down, leaving him to squirm uselessly on the floor, Nguyen stumbled backwards, hands settling around his throat. "Those weren't the moves of an amateur," he muttered. "He's the real deal."

The boss waved a hand at him, fairly more interested in the living package he had received. "Go rest over there," he told him.

So he did, obediently moving away from everyone else's sight, currently gathering around their victim, swarming like bugs to light. Conan watched it with a tight frown on his face.

Maybe he could use this chance, the boy suddenly realized. He had nearly unbounded himself, and their backs were turned against them ─ thiscouldbe the opportunity he had been looking for so long.

That being said, he would be leaving that spy behind, which wasn't ideal, but unavoidable. Because he could take care of himself just fine, he convinced himself ─ the least thing he needed were kids hanging around and making everything all the more difficult.

Maybe.

That was, until he took notice of Anya's wide, wide eyes that stared up ahead ─ not as terrified as they had been before, surprisingly enough. Following her gaze, he met with the guy who had just arrived with Loid, cautiously moving closer to them.

Noticing his shock, he placed a finger in front of his lips, telling him to keep him quiet, and proceeded to walk around the shopping cart, settling right behind Anya. To his further confusion, and unlike anything he could have been expecting to come from one of those guys, the man began to undo the knots that kept her immobile.

Conan could barely keep himself from gasping.

Loid-san?!he cried in his mind.Then, the guy that was brought in…

Ah, I get it.

As Loid freed Anya and swiftly moved towards him, a smirk returned to his lips. They, Loid and this man named Nyugen, or whatever, had swapped places, he realized.That was pretty clever,he would give him that. He did not even think of questioning the way the man seemed to hesitate, ever so briefly, yet assumed that the sight of his nearly loosened ropes might have been a puzzling one to meet.

It hadn't even taken Loid a second to snap himself out of his shock, and promptly plucked him off the shopping cart to set him back on the floor, mouthing something along the lines of 'can you walk?' on his way. A nod was sent back to him, and swiftly, Loid picked Anya up.

By the time he had settled the girl on his arms, Conan had already rushed ahead, expecting him to follow close.

Predictably so, Anya started to wail the moment they stepped out of sight. Loid tried, in every way possible, to soothe her, to convince her she would be alright now, and that there was no reason to be scared. Which, naturally, didn't work. He was still disguised as one of his kidnappers, after all.

Her crying dropped to a mere sniffle by the time they had gotten to the exit. Only then did Conan stop running, coming to a rest right next to where the girl had been placed on the ground.

Together, they watched Loid pluck out a scrap of paper and jot something down on it.

"Listen up," he began, crouching down right in front of them. "My friends and I are pro tag players. Whenever we spot someone with potential, we immediately challenge them to a game."

Conan's eyelids slid down.Is that the best he can think of?They were supposed to be children, he thought, but they weren't born yesterday. But he kept it down in favor of paying attention.

Loid was pointing somewhere else, giving them directions to the closest police station.

"If you can get this to a police officer, you win the game." Ever so gently, he placed the note in a bewildered Anya's hands. Then he turned back to Conan, nodding. "Got it?"

Certainly, hedidget it, yet, that didn't seem to be what the spy was intending to get him to understand. The contents of the note Anya was carrying were all too clear for him, or rather, the intentions behind it all. He wanted them to go to the police, probably so that they could be settled into another orphanage, leaving them both out of the dangers that being involved in that mission implied.

Or so Conan wanted to believe.

"Pa-" Anya tried to stutter.

"All right, go! Hurry!"

Startled, the girl did as she was told, taking off running like she had been just told. Conan, for his part, took a few steps forward, glanced over his shoulder, and met eyes with the man who had just let them go.

Loid was a little surprised to see him smirk suddenly. "You better return right here in one piece," he said. "I bet it won't take longer than ten minutes."

Unable to make anything out of it, the agent nodded, which made the boy's smile even bigger. Adding nothing else, the boy spun on his heels, and hurried his way to catch up with the pink haired little girl.

As he watched the boy go, his initial surprise was smoothed out. He turned around, tearing the mask apart from his face as he made his decision.

He had some business to take care of.

Thus, he completely missed how the girl stopped in her tracks, twirling around once more, her big, emerald eyes unable to leave the door that the man had just disappeared from.

Or how a tight grip seizing her wrist almost pulled her off balance, encouraging her to keep on running. Startled, her gaze flickered back to the front, and he saw the back of someone's head, a dark tuft of hair poking out of his skull. The boy kept on running, not even pausing once to send a single glance over his shoulder.

A frown took over her features, digging her heels against the ground. This time, it was time for Conan to skid to a stop, all but stamping his head into the pavement, then surprised, slowly turning to finally look over the little girl.

Her bitten lip, her stubborn, fiery gaze made Conan halt. Yet did not loosen the grip on her hand.

"W-We…" she started to stutter, visibly troubled for some reason. "If… If we go there… We… Papa…"

Conan studied her carefully, and her trembling, tearful form.Looks like she knows,he thought.If we deliver that message to the police, we…

This forged family will cease to exist.That was a given, it had been like that in the beginning. Their artificial bonds that connected all of them were far too weak to persist, he had been aware of it from the beginning. That it was a matter of time until this fragile farce crumbled down into pieces, shattered beyond repair, no matter how hard this little girl cried and prayed for things to go back to normal.

Normal,what a funny thought.There is nothing normal about this.

Releasing a deep sigh, the boy turned fully.

"Now, did you really think we're going to listen to an old man we barely know?" A warm smile made its way to his lips, and all of a sudden, Anya's eyes had opened wide with surprise. "There was a dead body back there, wasn't there?"

She blinked owlishly. "Then…"

"Let's look for a phone booth. There's a murder to report."

Ten minutes. That was exactly how long it had taken Twilight to take out every single enemy in sight and threaten their boss, Edgar, not to ever bother him again. Ten minutes, and suddenly, the sound started to filter through the silence ─ police sirens were making their way to his ears, and while it did surprise him at first, it did not really confuse him.

Calmly walking over a dead body lying on the floor, it suddenly made sense why the police would be called. A murder was a murder, so if the police came across that scene, there was no avoiding an investigation, no matter how deeply rooted this organization was with Ostania's government.

At least it would give him enough time to escape.

"You better return right here in one piece,"the boy had said, throwing in the time lapse of ten minutes somewhere in his words. Here, of course, meaning the same backdoor he had used to set the kids free.

Finally standing outside, and fortunately out of sight, Twilight could not help but ponder about it all. If that boy had called the police at the right time, and had predicted they would first strike from the other entrance, then that could mean he was timing everything out. So that he, Twilight, could escape from there mostly unnoticed.

He was a smart kid, he would give him that. Too bad he would have been of great use for Operation Strix.

But I'm not involving children in this,he had long decided it.Besides, those two must have already…

It didn't take him two steps before he had to pause, bewildered by the sight that met him far ahead. First, there was pink, peeking out from behind a corner. Large, round green eyes found their way to him, and immediately, the girl was rushing towards him.

"Papa!"

Anya had already latched onto his legs by the time a second child walked out, albeit much calmer. His sharp blue gaze also fell onto him, studying for a few seconds, before smirking.

Thus, became the train of incoherent stuttering and excuses he, a grown man and skilled spy, began to shoot at a pair of grade schoolers he did not expect to see again. Conan missed most of it, because really, did it even matter? There was something about going out to shop, or some other similarly fabricated terrible lie.

Then it was their turn to explain.

"We were playing tag with some old guys," said Anya.

"And stumbled on a murder," finished Conan, absolutely unbothered by it all.But that's just a normal day in my life.

Anya peeked from where she was pressing her face against Loid's legs, shooting him an odd look.

"O-Oh, I see…" If hereallydid see, it was a mystery to Conan. One he couldn't care less about. "Did you… have fun?"

His features dulled.Is he serious?

"It was a little scary," muttered Anya, hiding her face in the older man's leg. "I wanna go home." Her hands curled into fists, clenching onto Loid's pants as if he were about to vanish if she held onto him any lighter. "To our home, Papa."

Surprised at first, Loid stared back at the little girl clinging to him, and for a moment, he said nothing, neither did he move. Just watched her, nuzzling against him in a desperate, also heartbreaking, search for comfort.

Finally, he yielded, placing a hand on top of her hair.

"Let's go home, then."

Then Anya grinned brightly. So brightly that Conan feared he would go blind, just by looking at it ─ but contagious, all at the same time. He barely was conscious of the smile that had settled onto his own lips, stretching further across his face as he watched, for a distance away, as the little girl and the spy started their journey back home.

The Forgers are nothing but a pretense,reflected Conan, hands sliding inside his pockets, content to see Anya smile once again, despite everything she had just gone through.

Loid is nothing but layers upon layers of deception. Anya is just a tool he's gonna discard the moment she stops being useful to him. And I'm a bit of both.

"But that apartment is far too dangerous, so let's move," he could hear Loid say. "I spotted a poisonous snake there yesterday."

"I don't like snakes."

Seeing it like that, it's obvious. We aren't a family. Not even close.

But…

Abruptly, Anya's steps halted, confusedly glancing around, looking for something in particular she could not find. Conan's head tilted slightly, mentally wondering what was up with herthistime around, until she twirled around, and their eyes met.

Before he knew it, she was running back towards Conan. He caught a glimpse of Loid's smile before she dug her fingers into his wrists, usingbothhands, and started to drag him around.

"Let's go, let's go home!" she exclaimed happily. "Let's go home, Niichan!"

Whatever confusion might have stricken Conan, he wasn't allowed any time to process it. He was quickly pulled back to the middle, squished in between a cheery Anya and a mildly amused Loid, and wondered if that was what his life was going to be like from now on.

It might be a pretense… But maybe, just maybe…

Despite himself, Conan smiled.

This might be the kind of pretense I could get used to.

Chapter 3: A Cool Liar

Chapter Text

"Woah! So huge~!"

"Come on, Anya. Don't bother the other passengers."

But as a pink blur darted its way through the tight hallways of the train, it became evident how little of use Loid's words would be. There was no sigh in return, yet the hand rising to message his forehead was a telltale of how aware the man was about the fact. Even if he was reluctant to admit it.

Conan gave him nothing but a brief, inquisitive look as he calmly walked past him.

As an actual teenager, Shinichi had never seriously considered the idea of having kids, and even if he did, it had been nothing but a passing thought that had probably struck once to entertain himself with, not to be reflected upon ever again. However, as he watched Anya excitedly screeching with delay, skipping ahead to get to their seats, and observed the dark circles under Loid's eyes, Shinichi felt a sudden twinge of sympathy.

Yeah. No, thanks.

"Dad! Niichan! Hurry up!"

This time, Loid effectively sighed. Conan let out a dry chuckle in return and plopped down in the seat in front of Anya. He watched her eyes sparkling with something akin to excitement, eagerly taking in the incredibly breathtaking view outside the window ─ even though they had yet to leave the station. Conan couldn't blame her, not really, since she had probably never had the chance to ride a train before.

He lazily propped his head with a closed fist. Unlike her, Shinichi had been in those several times throughout his sixteen years of age, so he couldn't feel the same enthusiasm about it. It wouldn't even be that long of a train ride, or so Loid had mentioned earlier.

As Loid took the seat at his side, opening a newspaper to read in silence, Conan continued to stare boredly at Anya.Seems she has taken a liking to calling me like that,he thought.Niichan, or older brother.

When did I become the older twin, anyway?

Of course, hewasthe older one byten years,but she obviously did not know that.

Well, the ten-year gap was pretty much a supposition, not set in stone.I don't even know when she was born.In fact, he knew she was six only because she had told Loid, but come to think of it, was thereanythingto say she hadn't just lied? Hell,hehad lied about it, he couldn't see why it would be different for her.

Squinting behind the glasses that Loid had gotten fixed for him, he studied the girl who sat in front of him, so unusually still he couldn't evenseeher breathing.I know children are short, but isn't this one too small?he wondered.Smaller than average, at least.

She speaks too immaturely for a six-year-old, doesn't she?Or so he assumed, he hadn't been around any for too long to tell, but it was a little strange, either way.

A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead, surely an obvious result of her running around earlier.

Could she actually…?

His gaze narrowed further, the intensity of his scrutiny increasing dramatically while Anya merely sat there, unmoving.

What would she gain from lying about that?Finally, she moved, if only to collapse back on her seat with an exhausted expression. Conan's head tilted lightly, wondering for a moment what could have possibly drained her so quickly and suddenly. Maybe his intense stare made her uncomfortable, he guessed.

I'm just being stupid.It was his turn to lean back onto his seat, his bored, dulled glance falling onto the buildings zooming past their window.And making up mysteries where there are none…

Dipping his head, Conan heaved out a heavy sigh.I feel like I'm going through some sort of withdrawal,he lamented.Cases. I need cases.

Anything to stimulate his brain, he would take it without batting an eye.

So, he thought he wouldn't be judged too harshly about his next actions, as harmless as they may be. He shuffled a little away from the window and towards the man sitting next to him, then peeked, not as discreetly as he would have preferred, at the words printed on the newspaper.

It lowered quickly enough, allowing Loid to look up and eye him for a moment.

"Do you want to read it?" Loid asked.

Conan wasn't ashamed to admit he noddedvigorouslyat the offer, nor that he had to restrain himself from snatching the object from a hesitant Loid's hands as it was passed to him. As a child, his access to real-world information would prove to be limited. Better to make use of every chance he got, he told himself.

Granted, Loid did not seem reluctant to give in when asked. In fact, he seemed like the kind that would encourage it. Reinforcing a knowledge-seeking little child like he appeared to be might even be beneficial for his mission, or so Conan supposed, since he didn't exactly been told what it was about but felt like he could make an educated guess on it.

With that, he turned back to the newspaper, eyes skimming through the lines in search of something that might peak his interest. He realized his name had not appeared today, and he was genuinely, and unusually, glad about that fact. Though he couldn't help but wonder how long he had until the media started questioning his abrupt cease from public appearances ─ and everything that would entail.

So boring,thought Shinichi, flipping through the pages, failing to find anything remotely interesting. Of course, therewerecases ─ Ostania would always be Ostania, even if Shinichi Kudo wasn't around. Crimes were piling one over another, but the information released aboutanyof them was scarce, at best. Nowadays, the cases of citizens being detained from treason and espionage get so much repercussions that the everyday murder or ordinary robbery.

Unless Shinichi Kudo was involved. Those had a lot of revenue, strangely enough. Maybe because they were already solved by the time they were made public, so there wasn't much room for speculation. He couldn't even tell if it was the government carefully keeping important details from the public, or the lack of competence from the police to gather clues.

Everything is just as likely,thought Conan, shaking his head.What a nice country to live in.

But as much as they didn't cover them as thoroughly as they should, assassinations were still a normal occurrence, and no soul in this world seemed to be exempted from them. Like that one minister, whose name he had just read but couldn't be bothered to remember, who had disappeared one night at his residence, alongside every single one of his bodyguards.

No signs of struggle, or even the faintest hint of a break in, despite what literally everything else would imply. Personal belongings were present at the scene, meaning that the victim had not headed out on his own. Valuable objects were still there, untouched, evidencing that it had not been a robbery either.

Which only left the option of murder behind. But the house had been sparkling clean, not a trace of blood spotted, even through the use of luminol.

Although the article had not gone so far in the description of the case, the detective knew what kind of murderer they were dealing with, like the back of his hand. Even though he had not the slightest idea of their identity.

Because Shinichi had come across that scene once, maybe twice, in the past. He had been called by the police, desperate for a single lead to follow ─ taken to the scene, breathed in disinfectant and the odor of cleaning supplies only to realize that he, too, was stumped.

Whoever the criminal is, they are quite the experienced one.Terribly smart and cunning, too, enough not to leave a single piece of incriminating evidence in their wake. And he had tried, tried with everything he had, but had failed, horribly so.

It was like chasing after a ghost evaporating the moment he thought he had something to go by, leaving noticing but an ugly stain in his perfect record.

You better enjoy those last moments of freedom,thought Conan, his eyebrow twitching in pure annoyance.Just wait until I get my body back.

With that, he pointedly looked away from that article, following onto the next which was, unsurprisingly, yet another murder.Oh, this one is a lot bloodier,realized Conan, suddenly interested.I see. The victim was stabbed in the-

Everything melted away in the face of surprise and fingers gently flipping over the page to reveal a harmless, or at leastbloodless, report of a robbery that occurred just the other day.

Loid did not even look his way when his head raised to glare at him. Conan huffed, resigning himself to read that one article that had been chosen for him.

Upon further inspection, he realized that it had not been an ordinary one, but a billionaire robbery that had taken place a while ago.

Although the stolen money had been recovered, the perpetrators were still roaming about somewhere ─ that was, in fact, the sole reason they kept talking about it. They had literally stolen from the government, so the police were desperate for any bit of help or information they could lay their hands on.

Because those filthy traitors to this country could not be forgiven. That much was the only thing everyone cared about nowadays.

Even though…

Even though Shinichi could still see that certain weak, fragile smile of hers, lips moving to convey one last message to him. Something about people who liked to wear black, that the young detective had not entirely understood, but that he had nodded to anyway ─ thinking of those words as nothing beyond a delirious mutter of a person slowly losing her grip on reality just before fading away from existence entirely.

To this day, he could still see her blood in his hand, the hand she had gripped so tightly, sticking to his skin like a burn that wouldn't completely heal.

A sigh clung to his throat, Conan put the newspaper aside ─ over the lap of a slightly surprised Loid ─ and turned his head away, his gaze falling on the window once more. The spy sat silently for a moment, until the shock came to pass, and gave the boy an inquisitive look.

Conan shrugged, refusing to answer before he could even hear the question. Loid's gaze remained there, drilling holes on the back of his head, yet the boy barely even paid mind to it.

He merely leaned his head against the window, his cheek squished against the glass as he gazed out at the passing scenery. In doing so, he completely missed the strange glance that Anya was giving him, shifting on her seat.

Abruptly, and completely out the blue, he straightened up, his breathing hitching and his eyes widening like plates as he continued to stare out the window.

Taking over reading the discarded newspaper, Loid eased back down onto his seat. "In that case, settle down," he said. "We're about to get off."

Conan's focus slowly shifted to the man behind him.

"We… Are we?"

The spy fixed him with an odd stare. "Is something wrong?"

He hoped his grin hadn't appeared as fake as it did to him. "Nope. Why?"

Yeah. It's not like we just passed Teitan Elementary minutes ago!he cried hysterically inside his mind. Panic began to settle in, and evidently, he wasn't doing a terrific job hiding it, proved by the fact that not only Loid was looking at him as if he had grown a second head, butAnyahad turned to gawk at him as well.

He hastily hopped off his seat. "I'm gonna go get some air," he muttered.

Loid blinked. "In a train…?"

But it went both unheard and unanswered, and Conan retreated away from sight in record time, a smooth, if bored, expression plastered all over his face. He decidedly made it to the end of the corridor, calmly opened the door leading to that narrow, enclosed place between carriages, and slipped inside.

Once in solitude, he allowed his facade to break. Palms pressed against the newly closed door, Conan wheezed.

He said we're about to get off,recalled the boy.But we… We were moving to Berlint, weren't we?!Or so Loid had mentioned earlier. Had he misunderstood something? Or maybe Loid had lied to him ─ which justcouldn'tbe, unless he had agoodreason to do that…

A flicker of realization crossed his face.Come to think of it, Beika is pretty close to Berlint,he thought, and suddenly, he felt infinitely stupid.Come on, how come I didn't realize that earlier?!

He stepped back, hands lingering in plain air, and forced himself to breathe out. Because, he convinced himself, it couldn't bethatbad. It wasn't like they were moving toBeikaspecifically.

Berlint is pretty big, too,Conan affirmed in his mind.It's not like I'm going to run into her, who is living in a completely different city altogether, every five seconds, right?

Behind him, the door creaked open, yet the boy failed to notice.

And actually, it also means I'm getting closer.

To that place, the place where everything started.His eyes narrowed slightly.Tropical Land.

If those men in black are still roaming around nearby-

"Hey, brat." His thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice behind him. "You're in the way."

The sight that awaited Conan as soon as he glanced over his shoulder paralyzed him completely. Every thought gone, evaporated at the raven black clothes, or the sunglasses the man behind him donned, for whatever reason, even indoors.

Just a little behind, he glimpsed silver. A cold murderous look settled onto his body, effectively freezing his blood solid.

Despite the insistence, Conan did not manage to move a single muscle.

Niichan's thoughts are loud…

So loud, that it was almost impossible for her to retain a wince with every shout, every rant, everymental, exhaustedsigh. And, again, it wasloud─ so incredibly loud that she could hear him, even from so far away.

Anya couldn't help herself and turned to peer over her shoulder. The door was still closed, but even so, she felt as if she had quite a good idea of what was happening behind.

Sort of.

It also means I'm getting closer,resounded in her head.

Anya couldn't help but notice how distinct his inner voice sounded compared to his outward one, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what made it so different. Maybe it was the overflowing confidence, or the maturity that contrasted with his apparent, young age.

He sounds cooler,she thought.

To that place, the place where everything started…Her eyes widened with each of his words, hands balled into loose fists in front of her.Tropical Land.

Her heart skipped a beat, every cell of her body brimming with excitement her little body could barely contain.

Meanwhile, Loid stared at her strangely, unable to figure out why she kept jumping ever so lightly on her seat.

W-What the-?

Her movements came to an abrupt halt, taken aback by the sudden shift in the tone of the boy's thoughts.T-Those are…he stuttered in disbelief, about something that Anya had absolutely no idea about.Those men…

Those are the men who poisoned me!

Once more, the girl jumped on her seat, yet this time, instigated by a violent flinch instead of the overwhelming excitement that had coursed through her veins earlier. Eyes wide, pale-faced, she slowly turned to glance over her shoulder.

The closed door gave no indication of anything extremely relevant happening beyond it, but those panic-driven thoughts that continued to echo in her head told another story altogether.What should I do?they continued.I-I need to get away somehow!

They're going to kidnap me, aren't they? Then, first, they will…

A sharp gasp escaped her lips, her body shaking with horror at the long,dreadfully detailedtheory of what would happen to him that followed right afterwards.

"Anya?" asked Loid, the perfect mixture of confusion and concern. "Are you okay?"

Anya stuttered incoherently, prompting his eyebrow to rise higher than ever before.

When in reality, all she wanted was to wave her hands around and tell him everything. "The bad guys that poisoned Niichan are about to chop him off into little pieces!"she wanted to scream, desperate for him to understand the situation and save the day like the cool spy he was.

"How do you know that?!"But of course, Loid would back away, freaked out of his mind. "What are you?!"

"You told Papa my secret!"Conan would then scream at her, his face twisting in anger. "I hate you!"

Her mouth clicked shut without making a single sound, her head shook from side to side, violently so. Loid stared at her for a while longer before muttering, "You arenotokay?"

Anya flinched, eyes opening wide after realizing her mistake, nodding just as frantically as before. A cold bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, his eyes narrowing slightly on her form, as if trying to piece together the most difficult puzzle there was.

Which one is it?he mentally wondered.

Not that she planned on answering.

Wha-?It was her brother again, but it was softer, much softer than before. That had Anya stilling, blinking at space in surprise at the clear lack of panic or fear ─ just plain, dumb confusion.

Once again, she risked a glance over her shoulder, and struggled to keep herself from squeaking at the sight ofblackemerging from behind the opening door. A man with sunglasses was huffing, clearly irritated about something ─ 'a brat', according to his equally grumbling thoughts ─ came forward, and right behind him, was a slender, taller man with long silver hair ─ such a pretty color, Anya would have also found herself staringevenif she hadn't known what she did, regarding her older brother.

Speaking of which, where was he? She found him just as the question struck, peeking from behind the door, studying the men in black with suspicion.

That's right,he thought.They don't know the drug made me small.

Again, Anya blinked, then once it dawned on her, sighed in relief. Closing her eyes, the little girl slumped back into her seat, exhausted beyond belief even though she had done practically nothing.

This could be my chance,she heard his thoughts again, and her eyes snapped back open.If I could get the ingredients of that drug somehow… Maybe the Professor can whip out an antidote…

And then, once I'm back as high school detective Shinichi Kudo, I'll reveal your evil doings!Fists clenched, Conan nodded to himself.You can count on it!

Anya stared at him dully, but he didn't seem to notice.

Niichan's thoughts are rather repetitive.

With her eyes she followed him, but much to her surprise, he didn't settle back onto his original seat in front of her, but rather, silently passed by, not even casting a glance towards her or their adopted father. None of that.

Instead, he focused his attention on the pair of men that reached their seat, not too far away from theirs, and simply sat down. In a stroke of dumb, borderline ridiculous luck ─hiswords, not hers ─ it turned out that the seats directly behind them were unoccupied.

Not a single thought crossed his mind as he swiftly took it for himself, a frown taking hold of his features, his gaze not straying away from the front.

Those guys… What are they doing here?he wondered.

After several seconds of her observing his every move, attentive to what she would describe as an exhilarating encounter between a great detective with his sworn enemies, Anya became aware of a potential issue. That, by itself, was a problem. She could see him, so easily at that.

Because the seat the boy was secretly stationed inhappenedto be right next to theirs, only separated by a narrow corridor. For maybe the eleventh time today, Anya's eyes went wide.

"Anya." She tried hard not to flinch, she really did, but wasn't any more successful than any of the other attempts. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes!" Anya exclaimed, a little too loudly, probably. "Anya couldn't be any gooder!"

It's 'better',Loid mentally corrected, mostly out of instinct that anything else. He smiled lightly at her, but internally, he was sighing with worry.With this girl, my mission…

Anya tried to pretend it didn't sting as much as it did.

Conan would probably do better academically,Loid continued.But it's too early to tell. It's not unusual for intellectually gifted children to lose interest in their studies. That may prove to be a problem.

Speaking of which, where is he?Anya repressed a gasp as Loid's gaze rose above her head.He should have been back by now-

"Ah!" His eyes flickered back to the girl before they could take on his surroundings, startled by her sudden scream. He watched her stand up, rushing to the window and press her face against it. "A cute doggy!"

It took him a moment to look over as well, but failed to see anything. "It's gone now," answered the girl to his unasked question. "There was a pretty lady holding a rope to its neck."

"That's called a leash," explained the spy. "If she didn't use one, the dog would probably run away."

She stared deeply into his soul. "Is Anya getting one, too?"

"Not if you behave."

His words were long heard, yet the girl did not seem to move, keeping her oddly plain stare fixated on his form, and making no attempt to explain what seemed to be wrong. Loid wasn't sure how he was supposed to deal with it, what he was supposed to say ─ or what in the world could this kid be thinking about, in any case.

I'm running out of ideas,thought Anya, sweating bullets.I thought that I could keep Papa from looking at Niichan if I kept on looking at him, but-

Gin and Vodka?rang in her head, startling her badly. Those weren't her thoughts, not even close. It was a deeper, familiar voice, male unlike hers, but did not belong to the man in front of her either.

That only left that one person.

Are those codenames?

Sparkly eyed, she twirled around.Codenames!

"Huh? Conan, what are you doing there?"

The girl froze immediately, noticing from the corner of her eye how the older man had slightly leaned forward, his every attention on the tiny figure sitting right across the hall. Not daring to move a single muscle, Anya saw her older brother twitch and turn slowly, forcing a childish smile onto his face ─ that did not match with the angry voice in his head, uttering several, strange words she had never heard in her life, but somehow did not sound like nice ones.

"Our seat is over here," Loid continued, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, yeah!" replied Conan, scratching the back of his head. "But the view is nicer over here!"

A nicer view, huh?Anya froze at the sound of the gruff voice that suddenly invaded her thoughts.

Though completely unfamiliar, it sent shivers down her spine.

Out of instinct, her gaze darted towards the man with sunglasses, who rose from his seat without even sparing his partner a glance. Not that he needed any kind of acknowledgement, since he did the same right afterwards, and together, the two men made their way to the exit, presumably to get off at the next station.

Similarly, the bespectacled boy also shot them a look, his body twitching with the clear intent of chasing after them, but held himself back instantly afterwards. It would be extremely stupid to do so, reflected the boy, especially with Loid's far-too-sharp gaze still on him.

You better enjoy it, little brat.Anya caught a sight of a smirk, crawling up his face just before he stepped off the train.Since it's going to be your last.

After that bomb goes off, you won't have another chance to do so.

"For the last time, Conan…"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

"Hm? You sound a little disappointed."

"Eh? Do I?"

"Why is that?"

"No reason."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, but…" His finger pointed somewhere else, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Issheokay?"

As prompted, he observed the girl in question. She was still standing, looking up at space eerily ─ and oddly ─ quiet, her little face palling with every second that passed by. Initially, Loid was genuinely worried about any motion sickness that could have struck, but then realized that she did not look like that was the case. She didn't curl into herself, or huddle in a corner of her seat like many children did. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

To which Loid was not sure if to be relieved or extremely concerned.

"Anya," called Conan, his expression similar to his. "Are you-"

"Hungry!" she screamed suddenly. They stalled, frozen by surprise, so she took advantage of it. A blink of an eye later, she was running through the corridor, darting to that one door Conan had come from minutes ago. "I'm going to get some peanuts!"

"Wait!" Loid jumped back onto his feet, stumbling into the hallway as if to chase after her, but stopping himself at the nick of time. "It's not self-service-"

A dark tuft of hair slid across the bottom corner of his view. "I'll go get her," he heard, and immediately afterwards, he was met with the small form of a boy, hands tucked inside his pockets as he calmly made his way out of the carriage.

The spy wanted to argue, yet all he did was deflate with a weary sigh.

It didn't take long for the faux child to find his supposed sister. She wasn't hard to spot, her bright pink hair standing out easily just as he got to the diner car, whipping around as her gaze flickered back and forth across the room. Frantically so.

She turned to him the moment he stepped into her vision, fists raised over her chest, green eyes wide with what he would assume to be urgency. Conan said nothing, but tilted his head slightly, trying to deduce the meaning behind her nervous muttering, words stumbling over one another as if she tried to tell himtoomuch, all at the same time, but her mouth hadn't quite caught up with her brain.

At first, he didn't think much about it. In fact, he was mostly worried about the glances that were shot their way from the passengers, most of them giggling at the cute scene of two children playing ─ or at least, he supposed that was how it looked like to everyone else, much to his dismay ─ while others appeared slightly peeved at their loud antics. To be fair, had he been in his old body and in their position, Conan guessed he would have empathized with them.

But then, he froze. It had taken a word; a single, innocent word he had managed to decipher in her panicked rant that changed everything.

Bomb,that was what Anya had said.Oh, a bomb, I see…

Wait.

"A bomb?" Conan repeated.

He didn't exactly interrupt her, because she had suddenly gone silent a moment ago, nodding just as frantically as before, her entire body shaking as a backlash of her own movement. She must have realized that her message had finally gotten through, thought Conan.

Since when had he been this easy to read? Perhaps it came in territory when becoming a child. He made a mental note to look into it later.

Pushing every other thought to the back of his mind, Conan shuffled closer. "Is there a bomb on this train?" he whispered. "Is that what you're trying to say, Anya?"

Again, she nodded. He frowned, asking, "How do you evenknowabout that?"

Anya froze solidly, and for a moment, Conan assumed he wasn't going to get a reply.

Could she have seen it?he wondered, stepping back to caress his chin.No, that isn't likely. If this bomb was positioned somewhere that even a kid would be able to see, anyone else would have noticed it…

Maybe she heard something?

"Anya… Anya heard something!" she suddenly said, jerking him out of his thoughts to give her a clueless look. "I, uh… heard a ticking sound!"

Briefly, he wondered where in the world could this girl have learned to recognize the sound of abomb, of all things.Ah, Bondman.Suddenly, everything made perfect sense, so he didn't press over that matter.

It was hard to believe that those men in black ─ Vodka and Gin, as he had learned only minutes ago ─ had nothing to do with it. No, it would have been too much of a coincidence.They mentioned a transaction,he recalled what he had overheard from their far too short conversation.Could they have planted it on the person they were dealing with?

Deeply immersed in his thoughts, Conan turned slightly away from Anya's wide, curious gaze.Then, the perfect place to sneak a bomb has to be in the object of the transaction.Probably a suitcase, since that was the easiest way to do so. All they had to do was to ensure that both parties carried similar suitcases, and they could simply exchange it without raising any suspicions.

Conan looked over to Anya, who flinched at how abruptly it had happened. "Where did you hear it?" he asked her.

"Uh…"

"Who was around when you heard it? What did they look like?"

She went silent for a while. Conan was growing impatient, but waited anyway until she finally responded, "Anya is bad with faces."

You've got to be kidding me!He wanted to sigh, he wanted toscream,but concealed it all within himself. Anya appeared spooked as it was now,obviously, so there was no need to alarm her any further.

Calm down, and think.

Drawing in a deep breath, Conan allowed his gaze to wander, stopping on each and every single one of the passengers in the carriage they had stumbled into. Two, no, three of them had brought large, black suitcases that could as well be carrying a bomb, unbeknownst to everyone.

A woman sitting contentedly to herself, humming a sweet tune under her breath. An elderly man sitting quietly, lost in thought as he stared out the window. A young man hunched over a tattered notebook, scribbling something with intense concentration.

If Anya had gotten here before freezing in fear, then the culprit must have passed by here.Well, the term 'culprit' may not be entirely accurate, but considering they had been involved in an illegal transaction, he felt he could take the liberty of calling them like that.

The dinner was the first car on this train, followed by the driver's cabin. If anyone were to leave, they would have crossed paths with him at some point, reasoned Conan, but there hadn't been anyone like that.

Which means…Conan narrowed his eyes.The culprit is still here. In this dining car.

Anya's hand raised, haltingly reaching towards the boy.

She heard a ticking sound, right? My hearing is not that bad, actually. I might be able to do it, too.

And then it froze. "Ah, no-" Anya tried.

Yet, it had been too late. Before she could fully register what was going on, the little girl found herself watching as his brother promptly crouched, crawling alongside the corridor. She blinked, witnessing how he brazenly moved closer to the passenger's belongings, a focused, almost comical, look crossing his face.

Niichan… Isn't cool at all.

Conan's first target was the old man, sitting alone by the window. He seemed to be too engrossed in his own thoughts, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery beyond the glass. So, Conan crept closer to the man's suitcase, listening intently for any unusual sounds.

After a few moments, where Anya had basically forgotten how to breathe, he heard his thoughts echo in her mind,It's not him,as he silently backed away.

The old man remained oblivious to his presence, lost in contemplation.

The young man had been fortunately too focused on whatever he was doing, writing so furiously with such a crazed glint on his eye that Conan, for a moment, hesitated even getting close to him. But, pressed by the imminent danger everyone in this train was apparently in, he decided to tough it up and do his task. But he couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, so he was soon gone with nothing but a dejected shake of his head.

Niichan mentioned it had been one of those three people,noted Anya, attentive to how the little detective approached the last seat in the row, where a lady sat, smiling pleasantly as she looked out the window, her thoughts comprising solely on that one catchy sound she kept on contently humming along.

She didn't look like what Anya expected culprits to be. But she had to be, evidenced by the sharpening of her brother's features, and the smirk that had crawled up into his face after he checked her suitcase.

"Hey! What are you-?!"

It all dispelled right away with a squeak of his own, scrambling to grab into the suitcase as she tried to recover it, desperately so. But Conan was stubborn and held valiantly with as much strength as a six-year-old could muster. His grip did not falter, even though he was easily lifted off the groundalongsidethe case, his small frame dangling in the air.

What's this brat doing?! Is he trying to steal this from me?!the woman was screaming, even in her thoughts.No way! Not after all the trouble I went through to get my hands on it!

This is bad. If we keep on shaking the bomb this much, there's no telling what will happen,thought Conan, gritting his teeth.I need to tell her… that there's a bomb, but how-?

Hesitantly, Anya took a single step forward.

"We're not bad people!" she exclaimed, fists clenched on each of her sides. "And we're not thiefs!"

Conan's once panicked expression dulled suddenly.Thieves,he corrected her in his mind. Anya winced in response.

The woman's confusion was evident as she stared down at the girl in front of her, pausing for a moment. But as doubt began to harden her features, Anya shook her head, and regained her composure.

"There's a bomb that's gonna gokaboomif you keep…" she faltered, failing to find the right words to say. "If you… If you keep doing that!"

Surprised, the lady effectively stopped this time. Her grip unwittingly lowered, allowing the boy to drop back to the ground. "What…" she began, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Conan frowned, knowing that they probably didn't have much time left. But then, just before he could even start explaining the situation, that one ticking sound grew louder and more insistent, resounding in the entire car much more intensely than ever before.

He cringed, and ever so slowly, turned to look over at the suitcase he was still holding onto. Horror painted his every feature, heart pounding in his chest, as he waited for the inevitable tragedy that was about to strike. Closing his eyes shut, he wondered if, in just a couple of minutes, he would find himself in an unbelievable amount of pain, or if he would have long stepped into the other world before it could reach him.

But, instead, all he got was the sensation of a breeze caressing his cheeks, alongside with his grip on the suitcase slipping. Perplexed, he opened his eyes again to find the languid figure of a blonde man, halfway through the window. He had not realized he had gotten the bomb from him until after he had thrust it far away, and watched in amazement as it dived deep into the river they passed through, an expansive wave breaking through the peaceful waters.

Conan scrambled to regain his balance as the train shook violently, and would have long lost his footing had it not been for the older man ─ in just two long strides, he had reached for Anya, who had been standing quietly still as she watched everything unfolding in front of her easily impressionable eyes, effortlessly plucking Conan off the ground on his way.

Crouching over the two kids, the man threw his arms around them, holding them tightly until the tremors came to pass. Once it was over, a period of silence ensued, and then chaos arose in the form of panicked screaming and muttering filling the air. Yet, neither of those three let that get to them.

As they were steadied back onto firm ground, Conan raised his gaze to find Loid's dark bags under his eyes. Through heavy panting, he managed such a stronglookthat urged Conan to avert his eyes, though he resisted either way.

"Just… What were… you two doing?"

Conan and Anya exchanged a look.

"Looking for peanuts?" the boy offered.

A massive groan followed.

Fortunately, nothing of utmost importance occurred on their way to their new home. Nothing besides, of course, a police interrogation that probably did not last over fifteen minutes ─ for them, in any case. Conan had portrayed the clueless little child who was playing around with his sister, got a tad too curious and discovered a bomb by chance. That, and Loid's smooth talking, allowed the fake family to walk free, completely free of suspicion.

He was sure that it might have taken significantly longer than that for the woman who had undergone a deal with the men in black. Conan got a glance of her as she was taken away, noticed the sickly pale shade of her face, the slight sway of her body as she walked ─ understandably spooked out of her mind. If it was because she had almost died, or because she was caught in an illegal transaction, he couldn't say for certain.

Some part of Conan regretted not having found the chance to question her, but after considering for another second, he realized that he probably wouldn't have gotten any leads, either. Seeing how shocked she had been at her attempted death, as if she had not even considered that this would happen, her being absolutely unaware of their true nature was the most logical conclusion.

"Conan! We're leaving."

Thus, the boy turned away from her, hurrying to catch up with Anya and Loid, giving closure to this unexpected encounter that had almost claimed his life with nothing but a couple of codenames to continue on his investigation. This wouldn't be the last time, he assured himself. Next time he ran into those people, he would make sure to squeeze every bit of information from them until there was nothing left.

So you better be prepared for it… Gin, Vodka!

Naturally, there had been something else that had eluded Conan completely. Something so crucial, soobvious, that he had not thought about for some reason. Something that could interfere with his mission, leaving him no time to do anything but to sit at a table next to a squirming, permanently distracted Anya for hours to an end.

"Review this part again. It's A, not B."

That, of course, beingLoid'smission.

Conan rolled his eyes, boredly leaning into his open palm. Loid sighed, placing a hand over his notes, and settled him with the sternest look he could manage.

"You aren't taking this seriously," he said.

Oh, so perceptive,thought Conan, sarcastically, but refrained from stating it out loud. Then again, it would have been just as if he had, since he wasn't exactly trying to hide his disinterest from his face.

"If you don't study, you won't pass the entrance exam," Loid chastised him.

Studying?Conan's mind repeated, raising an eyebrow.That's a funny way to say 'memorizing the answers from an answer sheet you mysteriously got'.

"Take another look at it," the spy insisted, placing the answer sheet he had supposed to be studying over his notebook. "We'll come back to it later."

He went back to Anya right afterwards, who was already flinching, probably having just witnessed what was coming for her, too. Unlike her, though, Conan was barely affected by it, his eyes wandering over to the paper sheet in front of him, inwardly sighing again.

Well, it wasn't like he had a particularly bad memory. But if he showed that he could easily remember every single of those answers, him failing the exam off the bat wouldn't have been believable enough.

I could just ace the exam easily enough if I wanted to,thought Conan, eyes narrowing on a certain corner of the paper, the fancy-looking logotype of a certain school he had heard so much about making it to his sight.

The prestigious Eden Academy.A place where all sorts of people entrusted their children so they could be provided with the most complete education any institution could offer. Of course, considering everything that entailed, it was a given that most of the student body consisted of spoiled brats coming from the most ridiculously wealthy, influential families.

His target must be related to it,deduced Conan.Their child, or children, must be studying at Eden.So, he was seeking to establish a connection through either Anya or him. A pretty well thought plan, if you asked Conan.

But none that he was especially concerned about. Not when he had his own troubles.

I can't even get out of this house to investigate.

At this rate, I won't get anything done,lamented the child.I don't remember being watched over this cautiously when I was a child. The first time around, I mean.

His grip on his pen slacked slightly, his gaze still cast on his notes, having failed to write a single word ever since.I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing,he wondered, a faint frown taking over his features at the mere thought of them.I haven't heard from them for a while.

He lowered himself, cushioning his chin in between his arms, and stilled.

I wonder if they noticed I'm not there,the thought crossed his mind, even before he could recognize it as his own.Or if the Professor had to point it out for them.

Or if they even came back home at all. They haven't even been in this country for a while…

The frown became a scowl, glaring down at the papers as if they were the only cause of everything happening in his life lately. Which was a lot to be charged with, actually.

He was broken out of his stupor when the bell suddenly rang, his head jerking up at the unexpected sound. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Anya and Loid had adopted a similar posture, appearing just as clueless as he was.

Which meant that Loid wasn't expecting any guests.Strange.

Anya gasped after a whole second passed by. "Thieves!"

"Thieves wouldn't ring the doorbell," answered Loid, rather plainly, just beginning to rise from his chair when he was beaten to it.

"It's probably the mailman," Conan said, quickly hopping off his seat before he could lose his chance. "I'll get the door."

Anything to get out of there, and do something marginally more productive than whatever he had been doing ever since morning.

So, not even bothering to wait for a reply, the young boy headed to the door, grumbling lightly at the incessant ringing ─ whoever their visitor was, they wouldn't stop ringing the bell, again and again. As if, for some reason, they weredesperatefor any sort of response.

Thus, Conan granted it to them, in the form of a plain, bored glance shot from the moment he opened the door. It shifted into surprise the moment he realized there was no mailman outside like he had predicted, but a woman. Round-faced, dark short curly hair and glasses; it was a face he had definitely never seen before in his life.

So Conan said nothing, simply tilted his head slightly, and waited for the visitor to introduce herself, or to explain what was her business there.

But he wasn't prepared for what happened next. The woman had crouched down, and promptly engulfed him in an embrace he desperately tried to squirm off from, both because he was asphyxiating andwhat the hell, why is this woman I don't know suddenly hugging me?!

"Oh, Conan-chan! I've finally found you!"

Conan's struggle ceased, every muscle in his body tensing up. But her hold on him tightened.

"You must've been so scared," she whispered into his ear, nuzzling against his cheek. "But don't worry, I'm here now."

He felt himself shudder. Haltingly, the boy lifted his head, his gaze flickering to the woman's face, catching a glimpse of her far too sweet, overly warm smile that had the back of his hair standing on an end.

Conan's ears caught with the sound of steps growing closer, stopping right behind him. "Excuse me," Loid said, his voice smooth and calm as ever, but if he tried hard enough, he could hear a hint of tension underlying his words. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

She released him slowly, allowing the boy to breathe again. Once freed, he watched her rise to her feet, her hands clasped in front of her with a perfect, polite smile.

"My apologies. I didn't introduce myself," she said, addressing the spy rather than to the bespectacled child. "My name is Fumiyo Edogawa. I'm Conan-chan's mother."

Silence struck down as lightning, even shaping Loid's permanently stoic features with shock. Conan flinched suddenly, his mouth hanging open at the bizarre explanation that had been thrust upon them.What do you mean by 'mother'?!he screamed hysterically within his mind. 'Conan' was a name Shinichi had just chosen at random; he didn't exist beyond whatever shady documents Loid had forged to justify his status as his biological son.

A part of him found it just as shocking that her family name, Edogawa, actually was the kind of name he would have chosen if given the chance, hadn't he adopted the role of an orphaned, newly adopted young boy. And that was slightly terrifying, in a way.

"I've been looking all over for you. I'm so glad!" Fumiyo focused on him again, extending her hand for him to take. "Let's go home, Conan-chan."

Again, he may have taken on the role of a six-year-old child, yet that did not mean he was stupid enough to blindly trust her. He took a step backwards, swiftly dodging away from her reach.

"I'm sorry, but…" Conan began, a frown crawling up his features. "Who are you, lady?"

Fumiyo flinched back with a sharp gasp, her hand raising to place itself over her heart as if it physically hurt, her whole joyful, relieved facade crumbling into pieces. She fell on her knees once more, eyes flickering all over his face, as if searching for something she was unable to find.

"It can't be… Don't you remember me?" She reached forward, her hands stretching to him once more, fingers trembling ever so slightly. "I'm your mama, Conan-chan."

Just as they were about to caress his cheeks, Conan took yet another step back, a disturbed look on his face. Unable to make any contact, they retreated, clasped with one another as they pressed against her chest.

She had this haunted look on her eye that, had he not known better, it would have stricken him as genuine. "The child that was said to be involved in an incident…" she murmured, her voice barely above her whisper. "Oh dear, so itwasyou."

This woman even knew about that incident ─ the realization made Conan's skin crawl. There had been no mention of his name, hisfakename, when the incident at Tropical Land had been covered. He knew that well ─ he had checked thoroughly so.

So how does this woman-?

His eyes snapped back open, looking at this woman in an entirely new light. Beads of perspiration covered his brow, rolling down his cheek to drop onto the floor.Could she have been watching me?he wondered, his breath suddenly hitching.Does she know about me?

Is she… one of them?!

"I heard he suffered from amnesia, but to think it's so bad he wouldn't recognize his own mother…" she cooed, and he cringed. "My poor baby boy."

Despite himself, despite what logic dictated, his survival instincts roaring at him to run for his life and never look back, Conan's feet did not move from place. Even though what was wise was not to let her out of sight, not allow her to make any strange, suspicious movements, his gaze strayed away from her.

Although he was the famous high school detective, Shinichi Kudo, who was used to dealing with the slyest, most dangerous criminals and had lived through thanks to his logical actions and strong survival instincts, Conan twisted his head, lifting it enough to meet Loid's eyes.

Big and pleading ─ not unlike the lost, clueless little boy he was pretending to be.

It was cut short by the feeling of fingers seizing his wrist in an iron grip, unyielding against his own struggling. Conan twirled back around to face Fumiyo, and saw her once serene gaze adopt a wild, crazed glint, but did not even have the time to feel unsettled at the sight ─ something had wrapped itself around his other arm, prompting his head to whip back to that one side.

Conan had to admit he was surprised to see Anya, who had been unusually silent until now; eyes scrunched close, clinging to him, holding onto him with all her might.

"You're a liar!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Niichan… You aren't Niichan's mama!"

Fumiyo's grip on him slacked and disappeared, an action that Conan attributed to her own bewilderment.

"He's a Forger!" Conan's arm shook lightly as Anya whipped her head from side to side. "He's part of Anya's family!"

Conan could do nothing but stare back at her, his thoughts awfully silent.

"I will kindly ask you to leave."

As something fell on his head, Conan blinked rather dumbly, and raised his chin to see a hand resting atop his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, spotted a tall figure step forward to partially shield him from the woman's view.

"I do not know what your intentions are, but if you try to get your hands on my son again…" Loid's voice lowered, in a way Conan had never heard from him before. It was deeper, more menacing somehow, he dared to say. "You will be in serious trouble."

After that, the door was slowly but firmly pushed closed, and the last thing Conan saw from the woman were her pressed lips and expressionless eyes, fixated on him. With a gentle click of the door, she was all gone, leaving the young boy unable to do anything but just stare at it. Trying, yet failing, to make sense of the situation.

He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was still alive.Will she come back for me later?Conan wondered, frowning to himself.To finish what she once started.

Will she wait until I'm alone? Or will she strike later tonight, nonetheless?

If that were to be the case, if she didn't truly care about him not being on his own… Then, these people…

The hand that had once been on his head dropped over to his shoulder, pulling him back to reality. Lifting his head, he saw Loid's entire attention on him, and for a moment he worried he had been able to see more than he was willing to share. That those sharp eyes had dissected the truth he had been struggling to hide and was about to confront him for it.

But to his surprise, all he said was, "I don't have to know everything."

Conan could not help but blink, unable to think of a proper response.

"If you aren't comfortable sharing your past, then it's fine with me," he continued. "I won't ask that much from you."

He wanted to be relieved, especially after those words were pronounced. Yet, Loid had crouched down in front of him to be at eye-level. The seriousness of his expression, the narrowing of his eyes, everything struck Conan in a bad way. Because that was the exact same expression Shinichi would often wear in the past, striving to extract information from the most closed of hearts from criminals and witnesses alike.

Conan pressed his lips together, doing his best not to let a single sound out.

"But there is something I need to know about," Loid said and Conan mentally sighed.

Just as he had been expecting. It would be ridiculous for a spy to content himself with so little information.

"Conan, do you remember your mother?"

Though that hadn't been exactly what he had in mind, the shrunken detective nodded his head, almost timidly, terribly hesitant. Then he waited in silence for the inexpressive spy to ponder over his response to his heart's content, preparing himself for the question that was sure to follow. One that, hopefully, he would be able to offer a vague response so not to raise any further suspicion.

Instead, Loid nodded as well. "I understand."

Conan stared back, perplexed. "You aren't going to ask anything else?" came out from his lips, against his will.

"I don't need to. It's irrelevant." With that, the man promptly stood up, his lips curving into a soft smile as he peered down at the boy. "You aren't going anywhere with that woman."

Though he would never admit to it, Conan found himself gawking at Loid, his mind drawing a black. He struggled to come up with a natural reaction, but as it was, the boy wasn't even capable of doing such a thing.

"You're safe here."

And like so he remained, stunned beyond any words, even as the secret agent moved closer to the door, properly locking it.

"So try not to think about it." Loid told him before he turned to leave, his expression hidden from those eyes that kept on widening behind oversized glasses. "I'll go make a quick call. Review those questions you got wrong. We'll go over them when I'm back."

Only when the man stepped into the corridor leading to their rooms and disappeared from sight did everything click inside his mind.

Considering that he had expressly told him that his glasses were his father's, clearly showing that he remembered him to some degree, it was natural that he would doubt about his alleged amnesia carrying over to memories that went beyond the incident.

By asking if he recalled who his mother was, he was narrowing all other possibilities down to two distinct scenarios. One where Fumiyo Edogawa wasn't his mother. Or another where Fumiyo Edogawa actuallywashis mother, but he vehemently refused to go with her, as if terrified at the prospect.

Any responsible adult would see the dangers of leaving a young child with such a woman. Whichever was the case.

Not for the first time, Conan smiled amusedly, and thought,You're surprisingly nice, old man.

He didn't quite notice the similarly tiny figure pressing her hands against the glass, peering curiously down at the world outside. Hurrying across the street, she could see a certain woman, her head whipping back and forth ─ as if she was frightened of eyes that she could not see, all fixated on her.

That one had been the woman that had almost taken her older brother away, Anya thought to herself, a bit of resentment bubbling up from her chest. The one she had just screamed at, swearing up and down that she was nothing but a liar. That there was absolutelyno wayshe was her niichan's mama.

But, actually…

I can be a cool liar, too.Her lips curved into a smug grin.A cool liar, just like Papa and Niichan.

For the next few days, Conan would notice Loid leaving their apartment when he thought they were asleep, even though that only remained true for Anya. He would remember to lock the door at his departure, and wouldn't return until early morning, frustrating any of the miniature detective's attempts to sneak out and investigate on his own.

For his part, Conan would do his best that his situation allowed. He would slip into the living room and keep watch outside the window at nights when they were alone, and would keep his senses sharp and alert for anything happening at night. He would also keep an ear out whenever that guy who usually wound up babysitting them came along.

Their conversation would be muffled, restricted to those times when they thought both children were engaged on that dumb TV show. But Shinichi was a detective. Had trained his senses to perceive beyond what normal people could. And that extended to his hearing skills, naturally.

So he knew they had been looking for her. He knew, too, that they had gotten no clues relating to her either.

Fumiyo Edogawa would be nowhere to be seen ever again ─ as if she had evaporated from this world altogether, leaving not a single trace to justify her existence behind.

Chapter 4: The Red-Eyed Mystery

Chapter Text

As the days passed, the leads about that mysterious woman grew scarce, not to say nonexistent; just like a mythical creature whose existence could only be proved by a few, elusive to the eyes of every other mortal. As if she had evaporated from this world, leaving not a single trace behind.

Eventually, it had become obvious that any efforts to locate would be in vain ─ this woman was too cunning, too good, to be located. And that was beyond terrifying on its own.

That left them no choice but to put the issue on the back burner and carry on with their lives, yet Conan knew he wouldn't be able to as muchbreathein peace until she was found. For he had no way of knowing when ─ not if,when─ she was going to strike again.

And when that day comes… I've got to be ready.Conan frowned profusely at the tip of his shoes, as if they were to be blamed for everything.As it is now, I'm defenseless. I couldn't stand a chance against any of them… Is there something I could do with this small body?

If only Professor Agasa were there, he lamented. He might have been able to think of something, anything. Probably.

At least, he wasn't the only one growing restless. Conan could tell, judging by the swift glances he kept on shooting at his surroundings while they walked, that the spy wasn't any better.

Which made sense, reflected the boy. He had a mission to accomplish, of utmost importance, Conan would guess, and he had no way of knowing how much of a threat this woman was to his grand scheme of things.

A woman who knew about him, who had followed his trail from the orphanage to his new house despite him being so careful not to leave any leads behind. Probably, that was the reason he hadn't even considered moving ─ this woman had proved to be capable, and would eventually find them againevenif did so. Besides, a family that kept on moving houses every few weeks would raise suspicion, and that wasn't the leastanyof them needed. Conan especially included.

All of this raised the question; why was Twilight still willing to keep him close? It would be much more practical, much easier to choose another smart kid for his mission, or even focus solely on Anya and drop him in another orphanage. For a spy, it surely did not make sense.

He caught sight of something in the corner of his eye, jerking him away from his musings. From the depths of Conan's being, he released a sigh and dipped his head slightly forward.

"Anya?"

"Huh?"

"You don't have to act like that every time we go out."

With a sharp gasp, the focused frown that once had painted her features dispelled. Her hands, that had been stretched at her sides as if to hide him while they walked, dropped at her sides, and graced him with quite an indignant glance.

Conan couldn't help but wonder if she truly believed he wouldn't notice her intentions, despite them being so painfully obvious.

"It's okay," he told her. "Besides, we'll stand out more if you do."

"But what if she comes back again?!"

Then I'll probably die,he thought, shrugging to lead her to believe he wasn't actually worried.

Which probably worked alltoowell, since she had winced instead, her mouth agape, almost scandalized for some reason. The sight of such indifference at the prospect of being kidnapped must have been a bit too disturbing, Conan supposed.

So, he motioned to the adult that silently walked behind the pair. "Don't worry. If push comes to shove, we have the old man here," he said. He caught the slightly surprised look Loid sent him and smirked. "With those mean eyes, I bet he can scare her away before she has the chance to do anything."

Loid wasn't amused, but Conan hardly cared. Instead, he looked back at the front, pretending he had not noticed the subtle narrowing of his gaze ─ which, ironically, only served as proof of his claims. It had worked before, frightened the woman into leaving, why wouldn't it work again?

"Besides…" Hands tucked in his pockets, his steps halted, and he raised his head. "It's not like she can walk in here freely, right?"

His words weren't exactly unfounded, considering the set of gates that stood right in front of them ─ both impressivelyandunnecessarily large, wide open to let them take a good look at the campus that extended beyond them. Imposing buildings and insanely long stairs he did not feel like climbing up, exuding an air of elegance and sophistication Shinichi had never witnessed before. Even though his familywassupposed to be on the wealthy side.

Well, Sonoko's residence is a close fit,thought the boy, later on.Yeah, this sounds like the kind of school she would go to… It makes you wonder how she wound up attending Teitan Elementary instead.

Saying not another word, the three started on their way up the stairs, unwittingly mirroring the several families that had come by for the same reason. For a place full of elementary-school kids, it was pretty silent, but he shook it away soon thereafter. Everyone, with no exception, must be going through a terrible stage fright and a healthy ─ not really ─ dose of anxiety and fear.

Conan lazily crossed his arms behind his head.Why did I go to Teitan Elementary, for the record?he wondered.They might be nothing like the Suzuki Corporation, but they are pretty famous worldwide. And they chose an ordinary public school.

He wasn't complaining, though. Had he been enrolled in a crazy rich academy like this one, he would probably have missed his chance to meet Ran. His school days would have been nothing like what he had experienced, and he wasn't sure he would have wanted to change that.

But rather than changing it,I'm repeating it.

Seriously, how is this my life?

Eventually, the three of them reached the end of the stairs and stopped in their tracks. Together, they all stood there, observing the massive building that had emerged into the sight, and a determined frown crawled up Loid's face.

"You know what you have to do," he said.

Anya nodded, just as resolved. Whereas Conan let his eyelids lower slightly, inadvertently taking the first step ahead. Thus, the girl was left to trip over her feet, hurrying to follow.

I know,he told himself.I know what I have to do.

The voice in his mind had taken on a strange undertone, Anya noted with a falter of her steps, which she couldn't deduce for the life of her. He walked rapidly in front of her, making his way through the crowd of young applicants that gathered in the hallways, a frown permanently stuck to his face. He didn't seem to sense her inquiring gaze, how her mouth opened slightly with bewilderment at how silent his thoughts had suddenly grown.

He was determined, too. But Anya couldn't help but feel that there was something different. And she lacked the courage, and the skill, to inquire without exposing herself.

So, she said nothing.

Her gaze lowered to her feet and proceeded to imitate her older brother's example. Valiantly, she dived into the mass of children, and together, they advanced to reach their destination. The classroom where the examination was to take place wasn't much further, she reminded herself ─ or so she thought; she wasn't sure about that, actually.

As she ventured deeper into the halls, the voices rose among the silence that reigned over everything. Voices that nobody else could hear, that everyone remained blissfully unaware of.

I want to go home…

Mother will be so mad at me if I fail!

O-Okay. Just count to ten and it's gonna be fine!

With each step she took, they grew louder, stronger ─ blending with her surroundings, intertwining with her own thoughts. Feelings of desperation, fear, anxiety sipped from each word, from each cry, or dejected sigh ─ they invaded everything, overrode anything, clashed against each other for a place within her head.

Where is the toilet?

One… Two… Three… Five… Ugh…

What should I do?! I'm drawing a blank right now!

"Anya? Are you alright?"

She hadn't even realized she had scrunched them shut until she had to open them again. Bright blue flickered from one side to another behind thick glasses, taking everything about her at once. His gaze narrowed and sharpened like she had seen detectives do on television, restlessly looking for something.

And this time, his thoughts were gentler. Quietly still, she listened as she mulled over how clammy her face was, over how her hands had begun to tremble, or how her shoulders were tense and her features rigid ─ among other complicated stuff Anya could not keep track of.

Most of his observations had been facts Anya had not realized herself. But he had seen through, even without her mind-reading abilities.Niichan's an amazing detective,she thought.

He secured her hand in a firm grip, and his lips curved into a reassuring smile.

"See? It's not scary," he whispered to her. "I'm here with you."

It really wasn't, she soon found out. Even as they were let inside and separated into opposite sides of the classroom, it felt as if it was just a little easier to breathe. Although the answers she had learned from her father evaporated from her mind the moment the exam sheet was set on her desk ─ full of questions that might as well be written in Chinese ─ Anya did not worry at all.

Because he was rightthere.With her.

And since he's here…

For the first one, I'll just write 'one o'clock' here,rang within her mind.Let's go for 'symbiosis' in the second one, and option B for the next.

He may have been positioned rather far away from her, but it wasn't enough to deter Anya. If she focused enough to block all the other panicking voices from all the other applicants, she could hear them ─ his mental musings, loud and clear. For the most part.

And this one… Uh, three- No. Cube root of three. That sounds better… And what about this sentence? I'll mark it as 'false'…

That way, it only took her a few seconds, and it was done. Well,minutes, actually ─ minutes that were mostly wasted by her staring at the sheet of paper in consternation while trying to figure out how to transcribe most of the answers she had heard.

As she sat back to contemplate that one piece of art she had created, a proud smirk crawled onto her features.

As expected from you, high school detective Shinichi Kudo.Satisfied by the splendid work she had just completed, the girl wiped her forehead.With these answers, Anya will be sure to-

With these answers, I will be sure to fail this exam.

Anya froze solidly, her mouth hanging open at what she had just heard. Slowly, but surely, the implications of it started to dawn, and sure enough, the panic did not take long to settle in ─ leaving her fumbling with her school supplies for an eraser, to get rid of the evidence of her failed cheating.

A tearing sound later, Anya's gaze flickered from the mess she had created to the examiner ─ who admittedly was giving her such a strange look that she wouldn't have been able to decipher, hadn't it been for her abilities. Blushing lightly from embarrassment, she wished she had remained ignorant of it all.

There was a sigh, and then the examiner walked over to his desk for a substitute for the answer sheet she had just ruined.

This is the right thing to do,Conan continued, too focused on his own musings to notice what was happening over to her side.I still have many things to do. I can't stay here playing family.

The examiner placed a new answer sheet on her desk, taking the old one with him, presumably to be discarded. Anya grabbed her pencil and began, once more, to carefully write her name at the top ─ not that it improved her calligraphy anyhow, but at least she tried.

That woman is definitely one of them.His brother went on and on. Her hand paused half-way through her family name.She knew who I was. And those people… Loid-san and Anya…

In his thoughts, Conan sighed just as loudly as the examiner from moments earlier.

This… Isn't something I can impose on them,he thought.I'll start all over again. I'll get myself another identity, another background, and start from scratch. It isn't like I made much progress, anyway.

And in order to do this, I need to prove myself useless for Twilight and his mission.

If I fail the exam, he will…

Suddenly, his thoughts fell silent, blue eyes meeting emerald ones, blinking in confusion. Until then, Anya hadn't realized she had been staring at him, but now that she had been caught, she didn't exactly try to look away.

She just kept on gazing at him intently, eyes as wide as they could manage, as if they wanted to take all of him in. Conan shifted in his seat.

Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I can help you out.He relaxed somehow, an eyebrow raising far above his hairline on its own accord.Do I look like I have some sort of telepathic powers or something?

Anya did her best, and succeeded in not wincing violently. She was pretty proud of her achievement.

Hey, quit it. They are just gonna get mad at you-

"Applicant K-212." This time, she didn't succeed. "Look back to the front."

With a jump, she obediently twirled back around, her every attention cast at the mostly empty answer sheet in front of her. Taking a deep breath in, she gripped her pencil and finished writing her name to take yet another good look at the questions.

Seeing no other way out, she closed her eyes and attempted to summon those memories of her father. Those tortuous studying sessions ─ if itcouldbe called that ─ and slowly, but surely, began to make her way through the exam.

Somewhere in the background, she heard Conan chuckle.

See? I told you.

Again, he sighed, yet Anya could have sworn she sensed a tint of something vastly different from annoyance, or even resignation. Something alike, she dared to say,endearment,or even affection ─ which was so incredibly uncommon, so rare to pick from other people's thoughts nowadays.

But they took a sudden sullen turn right afterwards.

After this day, I won't be with them anymore.

Tightening her grasp on her pencil, Anya refrained from turning once more. Yet, his gaze was just as burning, and stayed at the back of her neck as a faithful companion for the rest of the exam.

His thoughts had gone completely silent again.

After a couple of hours that surely felt like days, the silence that had seized the room was lifted, leaving way to the sounds of footsteps resounding all over the place. Amidst the sea of children that flowed through the corridors, Loid easily spotted that certain pair of children, working their way towards him.

Anya appeared to be a bit dazed, while Conan kept on sending irritated glares at those kids that walked a little too close for his liking.So both of them have a great aversion to multitudes,noted Loid.I'll keep it in mind.

He rose from his seat and met them half-way with a smile on his lips.

"How did you do?" he asked, casually ─ as if he hadn't been mulling over the matter for the entirety of their next.

Anya fidgeted in her spot. Conan averted his gaze.

And the smile on Loid's face fell to the ground, a feeling of dread settling in.

Too stubborn to leave, it clung like dear life to his own soul, tugging on that nagging feeling that something was about to go wrong ─terriblywrong.

It did not help that, for the entire, arduous and incredibly long wait for the results to come out, it was deadly silent.

He may have not been with those two for long, yet Loid thought he had lived through a lot to safely say that this behavior was not normal. Both of them remained sitting obediently at his side,withoutmoving a single finger ─ which was extremely worrying by itself.

Anya kept on shifting in her seat, solely focused on the tip of her shoes. If he looked closely, Loid could notice her biting her lower lip, a frown crawling in her features for whatever reason.

Conan's face was a blank canvas; the well-known coat of boredom gone from that gaze that just rested somewhere far, far away, as if in contemplation.

Twilight had never felt this anxious before.

Eventually, the waiting came to an end. Barely even a second after the results were put on display ─ set on a board on the school campus, somewhere near the entrance ─ Loid walked over to check, leaving Anya and her much shorter legs struggling to catch up.

Conan leisurely made his way over and eventually stopped right next to the spy. He observed Loid for a while, or rather, how frantically his eyes skimmed through the long list of numbers, hopeful for a miracle, the boy guessed.

As his eyes grew dramatically, Conan's drifted over to the ground. He allowed his eyelids to slide close and patiently waited for the news to sink into the spy's mind.

Eventually they did, and with that, Loid broke into a broad, brilliant smile.

"It's there!" Loid exclaimed, and Conan instinctively flinched. "You passed, Conan!"

Even Anya had a more intense reaction than him, a gigantic grin drawing itself onto her features as her head whipped to the side to look at him. Her bewilderment was crystal clear for him; had she believed he wouldn't pass the exam? Really?

Well, it wasn't as if she could blame her. Conan couldn't believe himself either.

A hand fell on top of his head all of a sudden. Loid crouched right next to him, and somehow, the smile felt unusually genuine.

"I'm so proud of you," he told him.

Conan only stared back, unsure of how to react.

For a few moments, of course, until Loid went back to check the board again. Now Conan wasn't sure how that was possible, but he could swear his smile stretched even further when he caught sight of that one applicant number. The one Conan was certain it would eventually show.

"Anya!" he exclaimed. "You passed, too!"

Anya was just a moment from jumping up and down, raising her arms towards her father. He, of course, obliged to her unspoken request, and soon enough, Conan found his lips curving on his own.

As the giggles of a little girl resounded in the air, encouraged by a father twirling her daughter in the air in pure joy, Conan's gaze flickered over to the board.

His application number was there, in plain sight; a testament of his own, unpredictable nature that, apparently, he couldn't even decipher himself.

He wondered what had gotten over him, changing most of his answers on a whim to get himself a passing score. He was Shinichi Kudo, a young detective whose life had always been dictated by logic. It was laughable,unthinkable,for his actions to bethisirrational ─ aside from him chasing after that shady man to the lone skirts of an amusem*nt park, but that wasone time.

Now that he was Conan, why was it so different?

"Papa!"

Her cheerful squeals morphed into frightened screams, drawing Conan's attention to the scene in question. "Don't leave me, Papa!" Anya had dropped to her knees, teary-eyed and desperately shaking what it seemed to be a body sprawled over the perfectly cared, emerald green fields of Eden. "Papa! You're going to make me cry!"

Instinct took over, feet hurriedly taking him closer to fully assess the situation, crouching next to a sobbing Anya. As per usual, his eyes narrowed, studying each and every corner of Loid's body, hunting for any clues he could find. Any trace if what the cause of death could have been, or even a hint that could lead him to the culprit-

Wait.This one was still alive.

Conan sighed, sort of relieved.

Though Loid was still collapsed, his face pale as a sheet, which made the dark, large bags under his eyes all the more prominent. He wasn't even unconscious, the boy realized, taking notice of the unfocused pupils that lazily followed his movements.

What had been a sob slowly building in, right at his side, broke into an explosive wail. That helped Conan set his priorities straight.

"Don't worry," he tried to reassure her. "He's still breathing."

She stopped, blinking the tears away as she stared at him.

"The old man is just tired," he clarified. "Nothing a good nap can't fix."

Not that he was sure of that. It barely worked forhimwhenever he got to that state, but he wasn't about to tell the kid that.

"Let's get him home," Conan suggested.

Anya nodded, and Conan did the same. They both stared deep into each other's eyes, sitting still in places for several seconds, maybe a full minute.

Until Conan's smile faded away.

How are we supposed to get him home?

Nobody answered his question.

Getting back home took about an hour longer than it should have.

It had taken them ─ or rather, it had takenhim,since Anya had been too busy tearing up somewhere in the background despite being repeatedly told that,no,her dad was not dead,andno, he wasn't dying. Probably ─ a ridiculous amount of effort to rouse the exhausted man to, at least, a semi-conscious state.

Of course, it wouldn't have been much of a problem if he had his old body, but there was so much a pair of six-year-old brats could manage. But coffee had been the strongest ally available ─ bought at a nearby café instead of the school cafeteria to prevent a future fainting spell in case Loid decided to peer inside his wallet. The spy had finally perked up at that, enough to haul himself over to his home, and collapse back again on the couch in his living room.

Then, and only then, it fell on Conan hecouldhave asked an actual adult for help. After a whole second of chastising himself for somehow missing theeasier, most sensible option, Conan heaved out a heavy sigh, similarly exhausted by the entire experience.

Anya, who had been staring at Loid for a while, solemnly lowered her head.

"Papa died," she stated.

"He still has a pulse," he replied. "I checked."

Then, took a deep breath in, and proceeded to push his legs slightly off the couch Loid had been occupying. Climbing in and settling onto that small spot he had freed, he reached for the neglected newspaper the man had left at the coffee table earlier this morning. Better kill some time until the man decided to wake up, he thought.

Yet, Anya was aware he did not even read a single word of it. His eyes flickered away from the pages, a small frown crawling over his features as they fixated on the man lying at his side. The expression did not last long on his face and was eradicated from existence with a firm shake of his head.

Her own head, however, tilted slightly. Though outwardly silent, it wasloudinside his mind. A continuous rant echoed through; that of a detective's brain struggling to make sense of his own actions, and that strange worry whose existence the boy stubbornly continued to deny.

She thought she had heard that term before in anime.Tsudere,or something like that.

Then the bell rang suddenly, pulling both kids out of the internal musings to glance over to the door.

Conan let out the air trapped in his lungs first, his gaze zeroing on the source as if he, somehow, could see the person standing behind if he tried hard enough. But to no avail, clearly.

The identity of their unexpected visitor remained a mystery. Loid remained mostly unresponsive, if not asleep, and a sense of dread started to settle in just byimaginingwhat was about to happen.

Last time I opened that door, it was that one woman,he recalled.It would be stupid for her to try the same approach twice in a row, but-

"I've got some mail for you!"

Conan had to struggle not to wince at that. Not that he thought he had been successful, naturally, but at least Anyaalsoseemed too focused on the person behind the door to notice any of it.

He forced himself to calm down. This time, the voice had been from a male, opposed to the woman he had been fearing to meet again, which should have been a source of utter relief by itself. However, the possibility of him beinganotherof those guys, seeking to finish what his partner had failed to do, still lingered.

Highly unlikely,Conan realized immediately afterwards.It would be illogical to try an identical approach, right after failing last time.

Better just get the door and get over it-

Or not.

He assumed he had hesitated for too long, or at least long enough for Anya to decide to take the task on her own hands. She skipped to the door to peek her head out, while Conan watched, attentive to what was transpiring between the girl and the mysterious visitor.

Though he stayed quiet, his hand came to settle over Loid's leg ─ hoping that hewouldreact, if things took a much uglier turn.

Later, he would muse about how strangely carefree kids could be, or being amazed about how Anya hadn't seemed to be even a bit frightened after what she had witnessed only weeks ago. Perhaps, Conan would conclude, she was too young to fully grasp the disturbing implications of what she had witnessed.

But now, he could only sigh in relief at the confirmation that hewas,indeed, just the mailman. After unwittingly convincing the poor guy that her mother had died in a bout of blunt honesty ─ because, for all intents and purposes, it was true that her 'mama' didn't 'exist', making her incapable of receiving mail ─ the girl closed the door back again.

"Papa! The mailman came!"

Bouncing with each step, she returned to the room, thus labeling 'the case of the mysterious person ringing their doorbell' as a mere case of his ever-growing paranoia.

Regardless of her yelling, Loid did not even react to it. Prompted by curiosity, Conan looked over to him one more time.

"Hey, don't bother him," the boy reprimanded her gently.

Because, being completely honest with himself, Conan perhaps felt sorry for the poor guy, whose daughter kept on slapping him with the envelope she had just gathered, curiosity clear in her eyes. Although the action by itself lacked any strength, or malice of any kind, Conan still found the fact that Loid didn't even stir more than a little disturbing.

But at least that got her to stop.

"What did you get?"

"Mail."

And without even being prompted to, she wordlessly passed him the envelope in question, so that it could be studied by his own sharp gaze ─ not that there was much to analyze, but really, he didn't have much to do, anyway.

He turned it from side to side, finding nothing remotely interesting about it. Just as he had been expecting. Then again, there was little he could tell about if he didn't open the letter, but surely, Loid wouldn't be pleased to learn he had gone through his mail…

So he opened the letter, mercilessly tearing through the envelope to discover Eden Academy's unmistakable logotype.

Oh, yeah,he remembered.They were going to send one, stating the following steps after the entrance test…

But to think they would get one a single hourafterthe results were published…Eden is scary,concluded Conan, half-lidded eyes skimming through the lines.

Oh? A family interview?He chuckled.I feel bad for Twilight-san already-

He stopped himself, reading over the letter once more. And then again, his eyebrow rising above his hairline at what he had just read.This is ridiculous,he thought once he realized that hehadread right.Is this seriously a requirement?

Then again, it wasn'thisproblem. Shrugging, he put the letter aside, stealing one glance at his side, and felt himself stop in surprise. Eventually, he relaxed, and was unable to fight the smile that drew itself on his features at the sight that had met him.

That of Anya cuddling with her adopted father who remained blissfully asleep and, Conan dared to say, comfortable like he had never seen him before.

Hadn't he known better, he would have said they looked like an actual family; father and daughter, linked by an unbreakable bond of love that would prevail forever and beyond. But of course, Conandidknow better, so he did not think further about it.

Appearances could be deceiving, he knew that well. No matter how genuinely comfortable he looked right now, with Anya nuzzling closer to him, Loid was still Twilight. A spy with a mission Conan barely even grasped, who had forged a family for intentions that went beyond affection and love. Who was definitely going to discard them the moment they proved they weren't fit for the work he had imposed over them, without their consent.

Today, Conan had gotten the chance to do away with this unfortunate predicament. But apparently, he couldn't even dothatright.

Sighing, he busied himself with the newspaper. Without Loid's filtering, thus free to read through the bloodier cases, he believed he would find something interesting to pass the time. His disappointment was great when he realized that had been far off the case, however.

Not even Shinichi Kudo, who had religiously appeared on each and every single edition, was mentioned evenonce.Instead, they had just filled the pages with another relevant case or story they had found somewhere else, and carried on with their lives.

It was as though the world had forgotten he existed.

And unfortunately, there was nobody to blame but himself. If only he had been smarter, if he had stayed put and called the police instead of chasing that one suspicious man in black ─Vodka,at least he knew that much.And Gin, the man who attacked me from behind.

He had their codenames now ─ such an outstanding improvement to his condition, he mused in between a dry laugh he couldn't help. It was astonishing how much progress he had accomplished ever since he became a Forger, truly remarkable and absolutely impressive ─ like, Conan had officially learned his multiplication tables last week and could recite the alphabet backwards.

He had never felt such a strong urge to smother himself with a newspaper.

Obviously, no good would come from it, so he settled with the next best thing. Muffling a groan with the aforementioned newspaper, Conan decided he didn't even want tothinkwhat those men could be doing right now while he was there, wasting time.

Maybe they were just making some harmless shady transactions and blowing people up, sure, but what if they were still poisoning unfortunate witnesses on a daily basis? What if someone shrinks in front of them and they make the connection back to him? If they haven't already. Then again, there wasthatwoman. What if she had…?

He gritted his teeth, keeping a growl in.Those men in black-

He stopped himself, suddenly reminded of something. People that wore dark… An organization…

Her faint smile flashed behind his eyelids, the bloody imprint she left behind after gripping his hand so tightly in her last moments.Masami-san,he thought, settling back.To think that you, at that time…

He cast a grim look over the newspaper from an increased distance. Even though it had been fairly more stubborn than any other there, her case had also faded away from existence. It couldn't be found anymore, anywhere.

Seems like the world forgot about you, too.

A startled shriek nearly made the boy jump out of his skin. His attention was brusquely torn from the newspaper to the figure that had abruptly incorporated, all but bumping into him, the small child that sat beside him. Unaware of the true extent of whatever emergency had seemed to startle the spy so badly, Conan tensed in alarm, ready to act in the face of danger.

"What do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to kill me?"

Loid was screaming atAnya,who kept on smiling, despite being explicitly told how much of a menace she was ─ maybe that was the point? Maybe shedidlike being the menace? ─ and while Conan understood that shecouldbe a danger by itself, it was not the kind of danger he had expected to face.

Conan stared, the tension draining instantly. "She's six."

Now, Loid was the one staring back at him, whatever burst of random adrenaline that had jostled him awake earlier vanishing. Conan did not bat an eye, and passed him the letter that he had been reading earlier.

The surprise of finding the name Eden Academy attached to it probably saved Conan a scolding for reading it before him. He waited patiently, searching in his face for any sign that could tell him hehadreached that one part.

But his face remained smooth as always. Maybe he, as a spy-

Nevermind. There it was ─ the slight widening of his eyes, the faint trembling of his hands as they gripped the letter.

Anya peered over at the letter. "What's the matter, Papa?"

"The second phase of the admission process is a family interview," he read slowly, as if carefully chewing each word. "It is mandatory that the applicant attend with both parents. Absolutely no exceptions."

Anya's face turned white with horror.

"But Mama doesn't exist."

For whatever reason, Conan found himself at a cemetery that night.

As to how, it was probably a long story of its own; a combination of luck and his own stubbornness not to be confined to a single place. That, and the fact that Loid had asked that one guy with the bushy hair ─ whose name Conan wasn't bothered to remember ─ to look after them to do whatever spies did around midnight.

He had found a window on the toilet just the other day. A small one, but big enough for an elementary school student to fit through ─ now, he was definitelynotgoing to thank fate's small mercies for his sudden shrinking, but he would take any advantages he could get.

In any case, it did the job perfectly, allowing the boy free to roam around Berlint streets like a stray cat at night.

Hence, his current situation.

He didn't know what had taken him there, really, more than thoughtless impulsivity and a lack of actual leads to follow. Maybe it had been nothing but an unconscious desire to verify that his name had not been engraved on one of those tombstones yet ─ which, were it to be true, it would be a truly irrational and stupid fear because he hadn't been missing for so long.

Perhaps he wanted to make sure there was no name he could recognize and cry over. That none of those people in black had decided to cut loose leads already despite his best attempts to prevent a tragedy, leaving no familiar face around to greet him once he returned to Beika, victorious and with an age-adequate body newly recovered.

Or maybe…

In the distance, he spotted a name he could recognize. That of a woman who he had once failed to save. Whose last words he had failed to comprehend until it was too late and reality had to rise to smack him on the face ─ or the head, technically.

There, he found Masami Hirota's resting place.

She wasn't alone. To his great surprise, Conan's eyes caught with slender fingers, grazing the cold stone where her name was engraved. He stepped back, finding solace in between the shadows and a safe hiding place behind a tree big enough ─ which, consideringthe obvious, wasn't all that hard.

Red eyes flickered to the spot where he had been standing a few seconds prior. They narrowed slightly in suspicion as Conan waited with a bated breath for her to call him out, or something. But eventually, she seemed to decide it was nothing but a product of her own imagination and went back to the tombstone, bringing the boy nothing but overwhelming relief.

A bittersweet smile drew itself on delicate features, tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear.

Conan watched it all in awe. Considering her way of life, he didn't think that Masami-san would have friends. But here she was; the living proof that he had overlooked something.

"I can't believe you would do something like that," the woman murmured. "That you… were such a different person than the one I met."

There was a hint of resentment in her voice, and truly, Conan could not blame this unfamiliar woman. He had been born in Ostania, too, so he could understand where she was coming from. The concept of patriotism had also been drilled into his head since he was a child ─ the first time around. He had been told over and over that this country was all it was good in this world, that dying for its sake was the most honorable way to go.

Even though he never spoke of it out loud, Shinichi knew his father found that belief incredibly illogical and faulted. His mother had been a little louder about her disagreement, though, but whole-heartedly shared that feeling. So, as a direct result of his upbringing, Shinichi had grown to be indifferent towards everything related to it.

But as his career as a detective progressed, he began to come into contact with all sorts of people. People like her were incredibly common these days. To her, robbing her country would probably be a truly unforgivable sin, no matter how close they used to be.

Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

He shrugged, then turned back around, seeking to give this grieving woman some space.

"But in the end… we all pretend to be someone we're not."

Conan stopped in his tracks. Twisting his head to glance over his shoulder, he saw her red gaze taking an extremely different, almost dangerous glint.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice."

Just like that, she stood up, bowed lightly and promptly left, steps muted as she disappeared from his much bewildered sight.

And even moments after she was gone, the boy did not even move a finger. It wasn't until probably a minute later that it really dawned on him that heshouldhave followed that woman.

Groaning, he pressed a hand to his face. Leads were hard to find as they were; he couldn't just let them slip away just because he was surprised. Considering hisabysmalamount of luck ─ note the sarcasm here ─ it was obvious that he would not cross paths with her ever again.

What a waste,he thought dejectedly, as he slowly undertook his way back home.But it can't be helped.

Hopefully, tomorrow might bring a brand new clue to him. Future was unpredictable after all, he had long learned his lesson by now, so there was no telling what would be awaiting him the next day. That notion would prevail well onto the next day, strengthening at the sight that awaited him the following morning. It was surprising, absolutely unexpected, indeed…

But at what cost?

Surprise dulled from his features as he came to terms withwhateverhis own two eyes were seeing.

"What are you doing?" he asked blandly.

The guy spun around, surprise filling every inch of his features. Covered with ridiculous amounts of makeup, enough to cause his face to fall off. And probably give his mother a stroke if she were to witness such a sight.

"That's how you talk to your mother?" the guy gasped indignantly. At the lack of reaction, he pressed his glasses closer to his face, looking down at him like an unamused librarian to a particularly loud child. "You better apologize to me, young man."

Rather than an apology, all the guy received ─ he should probably bother to learn his name by now ─ was a dull, long look, but soon even that was stripped away from him.

Conan turned to Loid, who currently sat there in silence. Regretting his life choices, for sure.

"Please, tell me she's not," the boy said, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the guy wincing, undoubtedly hurt.

"She's not."

A quick response from the blonde spy had his attention grasped from the kid and to him. Even little Anya, who had been eyeing him for a while now, appeared sort of relieved at her father's declaration.

"You're just not going to cut it for the mother role, Franky."

Oh, Franky-san, it is.Conan made a mental note to remember that name this time. For a couple of months, at the very least.At least that's better than calling him 'Mother'.

Fighting back a relieved sigh, Conan decided to step back and leave them to discuss ─ in between hushed voices and frantic whispering things he couldclearlyhear but wasn't supposed to ─ their next course of action. Though, even if he couldn't, it wouldn't be hard to imagine the desperation they were currently going through. It was obvious enough just by a single glimpse of their faces.

Finding a woman willing to marry a man with two children in so little time sounded like an impossible task.Don't they have female spies hanging around, or something?Conan was almost certain there were none available because, well, he couldn't think of a single reason why disguising Franky as a woman was a more viable choice.

He plopped down onto the couch, hands sliding inside his pockets as he watched the credits of an old movie, forgotten by anyone around, roll by. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Anya approaching a depressed Franky to offer him some peanuts in a childish attempt to cheer him up. Loid remained silent, sitting at the sofa on the other end of the coffee table, a distant, thoughtful look on his face.

Although the idea of having yetanothermother was disturbing enough, Conan found himself growing curious. About him, Twilight, the spy that shared a roof with him. About how he was going to turn things around in his favor.

His eyes flickered back to the TV and involuntarily smiled.

Ah, Detective Samonji, it's on,he thought, positively surprised.I remember following this series when I was in middle school, but ended up dropping it half-way.School was to blame, toppled over with the thousands of cases that wafted their way to him ever since his detective career took flight.I've been wanting to catch up forever…

Conan allowed himself to lean forward, paying close attention to the people moving behind the screen ─ wondering if those faces he couldn't recognize were recurring characters that were introduced in earlier episodes, or if they were going to be murdered in any second now.

Though a part of him wouldn't stop nagging at him about him. It kept on telling him that this waswrong─ what was wrong with him, relaxing around a bunch of people he wasn't acquainted with? It told him he was getting used to it too easily, too quickly to be normal.

These people were not his family, he had to remind himself. Conan Forger wasn't even a real person.

But then, someone got murdered on screen, and the thoughts about the show he used to love for so long overrode everything else, letting it all fade into nothing.

Franky showed up the very next day. Without saying a single word, or even glancing over to Conan as he walked past him, he made his way inside and slammed a pile of files over the table in their dining room.

Next, he raised his gaze to meet Loid's and stated, "I copied all the files of unmarried women from city hall."

Conan observed them from the doorway, unblinking.Wow, they aren't even trying to hide it.

As of late, that had become the norm in Conan's life, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. On one hand, this new, shrunken form let him slip through unnoticed, to overhear conversations he wouldn't be allowed to if he was a teenager who was more than capable of understanding the implications of it all. Adults wouldn't bother to spare a glance at the pint-sized bespectacled runt ─ secretly a detective ─ who simply was hanging around doing whatever six-year-olds liked to do in their spare time.

And the other, well, yeah. It was extremely embarrassing, revolting,degrading.

"You need one who won't care if you're divorced with kids, is refined enough for a prestigious school, and is willing to get married within hours?" Franky crossed his arms over his chest, scoffing. "If a goddess like that exists, I'd sure love to meet her."

To be fair, he wasn't the only one.I'm actually curious,thought Conan.But skeptical, more than anything else…

Finding someone that met all those requirements was no easy feat, if not to say it was basically impossible to happen. Frankly speaking, Conan doubted that, amongst the dozen upon dozen of files Franky had delivered to Loid, there would be a single woman who was gullible, or desperate, enough to commit to it.

If there was one, well, Conan wasn't sure whether he was interested in meeting her, or being worried over a character likethatbeing thrown into this crazy mix of strangers he was supposed to call 'family' nowadays.

Sighing, the boy made his way further inside the room, where Spy Wars' theme song started to fill the room and the whispers from the two adults began to subside into a mostly inaudible mutter.

Anya was jumping in front of the TV, unable to contain her excitement. Loid gazed down at his files, a focused frown fixed on his features. Conan could not help but wonder how drastically their days would change with the introduction of a mother figure.

Franky barely cast the boy a glance, giving his presence no further precedence. He turned to Loid again, and continued from where he had interrupted himself, "Finding dirt on them might help, too. If they don't have any, we can always make some up."

Loid did not even look away from the files to answer, "I'd like to avoid anything risky."

"Oh, please. She's plenty risky." His finger pointed forward. "She definitely doesn't look like any princess from a rich family."

Watching the pink-haired little girl bouncing on her feet as she stood a little too close to the television, Loid felt himself restraining a sigh. "I need to at least do something about her appearance," he admitted, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Franky observed her for a while longer, before returning to his work with nothing but a shrug of his shoulders. "If it makes you feel better, I suppose you don't have to work a lot inhisappearance."

Loid looked over at Conan who, in turn, merely stared at Anya ─ his gaze dull and empty, like he was secretly wondering what had his life come to. Today, he was wearing those clothes again. His only set, or rather, the only ones he had brought from the orphanage ─ the blue blazer, the bowtie… Certainly, it wasn't the outfit he would expect from a homeless kid, nor from the son of an ordinary, middle-class family, for that matter.

Not only that… The way he moves, the way he talks… It's as though he was born into a well-off family.

Fumiyo Edogawa, the woman who had once claimed to be his mother, immediately crossed his mind. From appearances alone, the woman could have certainly come from a wealthy family, so in that regard, itdidmake sense. Only that she had mysteriously vanished to the point that not even WISE was capable of finding her, making it impossible to investigate further.

With that in mind, how did he wound up in that situation?wondered Twilight.Alone in an amusem*nt park, wounded in the head, wrapped in adult clothes…

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't think of a single reason for that.

Or rather, he didn'twantto think of one.

"Hey, come to think of it, he might actually be able to pull it off," commented Franky.

"He might." He, again, sighed into his hand. "As long as he keeps his mouth shut."

"What, really? He just looks like a perfect angel, you know. Just look at him-" Franky looked up and promptly froze in place. "Huh? Where is-?"

"Eh~? It's full of pretty ladies here…" And promptly flinched back, hand on his chest as if to calm down an oncoming heart-attack after spotting the kid rightthere,next to him, wide eyes swiftly scanning each and every file spread all over the table. "Did you take these photographs, Uncle?"

Franky stuttered incoherently, far too taken aback for any proper response. Granting him no time to compose himself, little hands grabbed the file right at the top of the pile.

"Is one of these going to be our mother?" he chirped, going through the documents with a bright smile on his face. "Say, say, can we pick one? Hey, Anya, which one-?"

Abruptly, his words were cut off, just at the same time that his feet separated from the ground and were left to hang uselessly in plain air. There was a hand grabbing onto the back of his shirt, as if he was nothing but a tiny puppy ─ at the mere thought of it, Conan was unable to conceal a wince, but went unnoticed.

"You're not picking anyone today," he heard Loid's voice, brimming with annoyance and exhaustion, from right behind him. "I'm the one choosing."

"Eh?" he whined, his voice raising an octave higher than usual. "Why?"

Anya was digging holes in the back of his head, her gaze unreadably dull.

Whereas Loid merely raised an eyebrow, casting him one last, pointed look, before finally letting him back on firm ground. He wasn't told to go away to let them work this out in peace, per se, but the air had suddenly tensed around him, making the unspoken message painfully obvious.

Conan rapidly obliged, trotting away with a careless shrug ─ and maybe an obligatory pout to show his supposed disappointment over not letting him have his way. But in reality, he was struggling to keep a satisfied smirk hidden deeply buried within himself.

Because he had gotten a glimpse of her ─ the red-eyed mystery from the other night.

Yor Briar, 27,he had gotten to read.A civil servant with no criminal record.

Granted, he might have gathered much more information if he hadn't been stopped from reading any further, but then again, he figured there wouldn't be much further to find out about her. It would have been too easy, and Shinichi had long learned that nothing was ever that simple.

But a name is a name,he thought.At least I got something to go by.

And perhaps, he was just a step further… A step further into shedding some light in that one case he had been unable to solve, all that long ago.

Taking his usual spot on the usual sofa, the young detective allowed the memories from that day to drown over his every thought. Crossing his arms over his chest, eyes sliding closer, he tried to picture the scene, tried to feel, to pick on something he might have overseen back when the tragedy struck.

I barely even knew anything about Masami-san,he thought.She came to me one day, claiming that she wanted nothing but to see her father again.

Which had been an obvious lie. In reality, Masami had been a criminal involved in a billionaire robbery that week, seeking to find her partners in crime instead. Once he had figured it all out, Shinichi had immediately departed to look for her, to confront her.

He found her at the end, bleeding from a fatal gunshot to her stomach. Wasted her last breath warning him about those men she had been acquainted with. People who dressed black as crows, bringing death to those that dared to cross their way. Shinichi did not understand any of it until weeks later, long after he had found himself drowning in his own clothes and tangled in a fake family relationship he wanted no part of.

That woman, Yor Briar, seemed to know her, however.Conan opened his eyes, narrowing at nothing in particular.Apologized to her on her grave… for doing what? She mentioned 'having no choice'...

Could it be…? The person that shot Masami-san…

Now again, it was all circ*mstantial evidence. But there had been something about her that screamed danger, that spoke of something far darker dwelling beneath the surface. Something he was still unaware of.

Shinichi Kudo was a detective, a man of logic. And logically speaking, there was nothing to say for sure that she was someone to be suspected, or to worry about. But as long as Masami's feeble smile remained engraved in his retinas, he couldn't really stop thinking about it.

That being said, Conan did not think he would see her again.

But, of course, fate wasalwayseager to prove him wrong.

Every. Single. Time.

Chapter 5: An Unfamiliar Guest

Chapter Text

At his sixteen years of life, Shinichi could hardly remember having to worry about his height.

Falling somewhere in the average range, maybe a bit on the short side for a male, he had never been particularly proud of it, but he had never felt bothered by it either. Mostly because he was still a teenager, which meant that there was still some room for improvement until he hit his twenties. And besides, even if he was to stay that tall for the rest of his life, Shinichi wouldn't have really minded at all ─ it was practical and surprisingly comfortable, so all in all, would have been fine with it.

But now…

"95 centimeters."

Wow, he didn't even reach the meter mark.

It was hard not to cringe at the thought, to grin like the adorable youngster he was supposed to be and thank the proprietress for her hard work. Although hedidmanage a small smile, Conan guessed it had not been as perfectly natural as he had intended it to be, because the woman pulled out a sympathetic one of her own, adding,

"That's pretty impressive, for a growing young boy."

Yeah, impressive for a growing young rat, maybe.Conan nodded vigorously and promptly moved aside so that she could take Anya's measurements.

Was I this much of a midget when I was six?Being honest, he couldn't even remember.

Though, then again, if he wracked his mind, he supposed hecouldrecall one separate instance, far too trivial and uninteresting for his brain to hold on to so firmly. One where he had been so infinitely irritated at Ran for being taller than him, back in their earlier years ─ and therefore, he had been so proud of himself when he hadfinallyhit a growth spurt that summer and reached the astounding height ofone meter and one centimeter.

The years quickly passed by, and so did all of those concerns, allowing that bruised little ego of his to heal and forget. Yet, looking back, Conan figured he should have cherished those olden times while he still could.

I'm a first grader.Even if that had been the truth he had been living under for more than a few weeks already, it had yet to fail in making him cringe; it was sooddand ridiculous to even think that something like that would happen, let alone living through it in his own skin. Being shrunk wouldobviouslyaffect his height, he knew that already ─ so why was he getting all that worked up for?

As a first grader, that's a perfectly normal stature. I suppose that means I'm not actually all that short-

"99.3 centimeters."

Conan froze. Bit by bit, his head craned towards the source of that voice until Anya's all too lively, cheery grin appeared in his field of vision. She was jumping in her spot out of pure excitement, stealing an amused giggle from the woman before her ─ and a guttural groan out of him, as well.

That's…. a new kind of low.No pun intended.

"Now we're finished here," the proprietress said with a gentle smile on her lips. "Shall we return you two with your dad?"

Please don't,he was tempted to say. "Yes~!"

"My, what an adorable young boy!"

He grinned, wide and bright.Kill me, please.

Again, perhaps he had not done a great job hiding it, because it was hard not to notice the weirded glance Anya sent towards him. Or perhaps, it was true that children were intuitive, thus she had been unsettled by the clear dissonance between his smile and inner feelings.

He definitely needed to work a lot harder.

Whatever had piqued her interest, it eventually faded to dull normalcy. She shrugged it off pretty quickly and hurried her way back to her father.

He watched her run around the place, giggling the entire way. Without realizing it, his lips had quirked upwards with an abrupt chuckle.

At this point, Conan had given up on figuring out where in that small body of hers ─not small,he reminded himself. Otherwise, that would imply that he, too, was small,which he definitely wasn't─ she was storing such impressively vast amounts of energy. Anya was Anya, and she certainly was capable of breaking the laws of physics. Moderately. Probably.

Of course, it came with a price. Initially, Conan had actually tried to make an estimate of how many hairs Loid might have lost ever since she was adopted. But he lost count somewhere down the line, and he wasn't as interested in starting up again. Granted, despite everything, if there was something he had learned from staying with the Forgers for so long was that you couldnothate Anya, no matter how hard you tried to. But that didn't mean she wasn't a hell lot of work to deal with.

And of course, it pained to admit he wasn't any better. He might look six, or even younger, but his mind was over a decade older, so the disparity between his inner and outer age might put some people off. At times, he did come out as a pretty creepy child ─ or so he assumed. It was difficult to believe otherwise with all those odd glances and random bouts of flinching coming from Anya every time he tried to play the cute little kid.

Under those conditions, the boy doubted there would be a single soul in this country that was so selfless, loving enough to willingly appoint herself to the role of the mother. Conan couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing to him ─ probably the former, though.

"Papa! I now know how long I am!" Anya stopped suddenly, her head tilting slightly in her confusion. "Who's that?"

"Another customer," replied Loid.

A figure turned away rapidly, unwillingly catching Conan's eye. So, he hastened his pace to join his supposed sister in staring at the woman that stood in front of Loid, keeping her gaze as far away as possible from the man with her.

Could she be embarrassed about something? Maybe Loid, in his desperate search for a woman to marry, had tried to flirt with her. That would explain her reaction upon being so rudely interrupted by a certain pink-haired little girl, daughter of a man she likely believed to be single-

Wait a second.

His steps halted for a second before they began to move again. Carefully, he moved closer to that woman, his eyes round and big under thick glasses as stared up at her, feigning concern about another's well-being.

"Are you alright, miss?"

At his question, her gaze flickered towards him. "Oh…" She smiled, rather awkwardly. "Oh, no, I'm just…"

She finished her sentence with a nervous giggle, but he did not pursue the case any further ─ not because he didn't want to, but because hecouldn't. Far too busy with the sight before him to even remember tobreathe,Conan failed horribly to rely on any kind of response.

"Conan." Somewhere in the distance, Loid's voice barely made it through the rising haze within his mind. "It's improper to stare."

The woman turned to the man, waving her hand almost frantically. "No, don't worry about that…"

Only then, he noticed the strange itchy sensation in his eyes was an indicator of them going too dry to stay a second longer without blinking.

And so he did, and again for good measure.

Scarlet red eyes. Hair as dark as the night they met.

He… didn't expect to cross paths with her so soon. Scratch that, he didn't expect to meet with herat all.Like, here? At a random tailor shop in the middle of Berlint? Truly, he wasn't even sure it was a good thing, or the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. Besides the shrink, naturally. Nothing could beat that one.

Their conversation died down right after another few other words, however, bringing back the knowledge of the basics of how to breathe in Conan's mind.Looks like Loid-san is letting this one go,he thought, placing a hand over his chest as he exhaled deeply.That's… actually comforting.

I might be in a serious need of clues regarding this person, but having a possible murderer as a 'mother' is something I don't even wanna think about.

Looks like we're safe-

"Ah~! I'm oh-so-lonely because I do not have a mama~!"

For the second time today, blood froze solid in his veins.

Loid raised an eyebrow, and was just about to open his mouth when Conan rushed over with an expression that would be almost comical if it wasn't so mystifying.

"I long for a ma-!"

He was at her side in an instant to cover her mouth. "She clearly doesn't," he said, his body wracked by nervous chuckling.

Loid's eyebrow rose even higher.

His grip must have not been too firm, as she freed herself with a single shake of her head. She twirled about to face him, a strangely determined, if stubborn, expression etched in her face.

"Anya does!" she yelled at him.

Conan's face contorted in a scowl. "Anya-!"

"Anya wants a mama!"

"Hey, you two!" They both were broken out of the argument before it could even begin with Loid's stern scolding. In unison, they flinched, and turned their gaze over to where their father was slowly making his way to them. "What came over you?"

Anya's little fists rose somewhere in front of her chest, but otherwise failed to respond to it. Conan did not even try, turning his head firmly away, lips pressed tightly against each other.

"Are you…" the woman spoke from behind, shifting anxiously as she spoke, "…notwith your wife?"

It took a second longer than necessary for Loid to nod. "I actually lost my wife two years ago, so I'm raising them on my own now."

Conan did his best to conceal a flinch, which he probably did not succeed, but at least he had tried. The effect of his words on the woman before her was visible enough, her red eyes widening, her face lit up at the implications of what he had just said.

His hand latched on the hem of Loid's shirt. "Say, say," he called, purposely high-pitched and childish. "Now that they took our measurements, can we go home already?"

But no matter how much he pulled, all he got was Loid to look down at him, confused. "We still aren't done here," he answered, much to Conan's dismay. "You'll have to be a bit patient-"

Yor's steps resounded from behind, shuffling closer.

"Excuse me…"

And then, Conan knew. He was doomed.

Well, technically he wasn't doomed, he found later on. But it was a process, and surely by the end of the week, hewould be, even if it hadn't happened yet.

At least, Yor hadn't seemed to have fallen for Loid's charm and wanted to marry him on the spot because of a disturbing case of sudden infatuation, or obsession, with him. Far from that, she had actually wanted him to pretend to be her partner in some party her coworkers were throwing, so that could put her brother's mind at rest.

Conan wasn't about to wonder about her life choices, or how she had thought that some random stranger would agree to that ─ which Loid would, but just because she clearly had a bizarre amount of luck to ask a spy willing to form a fake family for the sake of his mission.Like, seriously. How crazy is that?

Loid had accepted in a heartbeat, but obviously, not for free. He didn't ask her to marry him, but to pretend to be his wife at the school interview. And through the use of such heart-moving acting skills worthy of a Macademy Award, he had convinced her that his late wife's last wish had been to send his children to a good school.

Moving as it was, Yor had agreed to play her part in return. He might not have gotten her to agree to an actual marriage, but that was surely a matter of time. Soon, Loid would convince her and she would finally become just another pawn in his game.

In only a few weeks, Yor would surely become a Forger on her own, and once then, their family would be finally complete.

Yeah. That wasn't happening.

Because hell could freeze over before Conan was letting her, someone who was likely to have blood on her hands, someone that might as well be a danger to his and everyone's lives, share a roof with him. Getting close to get clues was one thing. But this? It was practically asking for a bullet to the head.

I cannot let that happen,Conan came to the conclusion as he stood there, silently after closing the bathroom door behind him ─ actually, the conclusion had come long before the moment in fact, but whatever.I know the place where they agreed to meet, so maybe…

I might have a chance.

The babysitter that had been assigned to them both was… pretty normal, actually. She was nice, she found Anya's antics pretty amusing and his overly sweet demeanor quite adorable ─ which wasweird,because she was most likelyhisage, but he had to let it pass with nothing more than an internal cringe.

But the thing was, she seemed to be rather inexperienced. The way she had fallen asleep on the couch right after they went to bed reassured Conan that she wasn't another of those friends of Loid's, and rather, was nothing but a civilian.

Thus, he was free to do whatever he wanted. And that was keeping a marriage from happening.

Plucking his head out from the bathroom window, he looked down to the street beneath, where the seemingly miniature cars passed through without ever noticing his gaze ─ hewasa few floors off the ground, after all. Which wasn't ideal, but it was the best he could manage for the time being.

Later, he would think of a more efficient, less risky way out of the apartment. But now, he needed to getout.

Carefully, he climbed out of the window, landing softly onto a ledge on the walls ─ it could be worse, Conan supposed, even though there was clearly some room for improvement.

Besides, unlike the last time he used this way of escaping, he actually knew what he was doing. All he had to do was thread close to the wall for a little longer ─ the balcony from the apartment next door was just making it to his sight. From there, reaching the fire escape would be easy. All he had to do was to be quiet so not to spook his neighbors into calling the police, or worse,Loid,and he would be all set.

He's on a mission tonight.He wasn't sure what it consisted of, precisely, but he had snooped around him and his friend Franky to know that much. Twilight had been slightly concerned about the possibility of not making it to meet Yor, but he had been determined. And Conan really had no motives to believe otherwise ─ on the contrary. He was certain Loid would find a way to wrap up his mission and meet Yor in the accorded place, at the accorded time.

But for Conan, this might as well be the only chance he had.

Resolve burned from deep within himself, propelling his body forward, faster with the need to impede a tragedy from happening. However, his movements didn't grow any more precise, either.

So when he failed to land onto the balcony as gracefully as he had hoped to, Conan inwardly winced, all of his movements dying out abruptly. Still as a statue, the boy waited, attentive to any sound or movement that could indicate that he was inbigtrouble. When nothing of the sort occurred, his shoulders dropped and his breath left him in a quiet sigh.

The glass window slid open ─ so abruptly, so violently, that Conan worried it had shattered at the impact. In a way that was reminiscent of a cat, the boy jumped backwards, only to the bars of the veranda to dig against his shoulder blades.

Just as he was convincing his soul to hurry back to his body, a face peeked out from behind the curtains which, despite himself, he was capable of recognizing it as that of a little girl.

Her big blue eyes twinkled in what he could interpret as excitement ─not fear,which was strange ─ until they seemed to take all of him. They dulled with disinterest, a dejected sigh escaping her, as if his mere existence disappointed him like none other.

For a moment, Conan wondered how he ought to feel about this.

"You're not Kaito KID," she mumbled, dropping her head.

He blinked. "Who?"

"The famous phantom thief, Kaito KID! Don't you know him?"

His mouth opened and closed soundlessly as the girl, clad in her pajamas in front of him ─ which couldn't be older than six, for the record ─ raised her eyebrow at him. She was giving him a weird kind of stare, intense beyond belief. Unconsciously, he found himself standing straighter.

"Y-Yes, I do," he lied between his teeth. "I'm a big fan, actually. I just misheard you."

It could have been better, healwaysdid better than that, so there was no doubt she would call him out for it when she finished her scrutiny.

Despite what he had assumed, the girl brightened. "I see!" she exclaimed, strangely happy for someone who had just spotted a stranger on her balcony. "Well, I wasn't all that much of a fan before, but…" Her hands rose to her cheeks and giggled. "He landed on my balcony last night. He said he was resting his wings. Genta-kun and Mitsuhiko-kun didn't believe me, though."

So, this isn't the first time…?He kept his thoughts to himself, forcing a childish grin. "Really? I'm so jealous!" Even though he had no clue of what she was talking about.

She nodded, then glanced back at him. And stared, for a bit too long for Conan to be comfortable with. "If you're not Kaito KID…" she began. "Who are you?"

Conan flinchedagain."I'm… uh…"

The girl tilted her head, blinking curiously at the boy before him.

"I-I'm… Bondman!" he finished, his lips twisting upward. He stood proud with his chin high ─ though he wanted nothing but to jump off the balcony and be swallowed into the shadows of the night. "Yeah, Bondman. I was summoned to-"

"Who's that?" she asked, cluelessly. Not that Conan could answer that, for sure. Eventually, her face lit up with realization. "Wait! I think I know who that is! He's from that special crossover episode with Kamen Yaiba!"

Kamen… what?

"I remember now! You must like that show a lot, right?"

Of course it didn't work ─ she was likelysix,not three years old. As realization of the embarrassing scene he had just pulled out in front of a neighbor, his wish of decking himself against the balcony's veranda grew exponentially.

"I'm Ayumi Yoshida!" the girl chirped, mostly amused than anything else. "What's your name?"

"Conan Forger," he let out in a defeated whisper.

She seemed to ponder about it for a second. "Ah! You're one of the children that moved next door recently, aren't you?" As if things couldn't have gone worse, there wasthat."Mom said he wanted to go over and say hello, but she was too busy and I think she forgot about it."

"Okay, cool. So…" Conan held out his hands, hoping that she did not realize the beads of cold sweat rolling down his temple. "Could you…notmention anything about… Um…"

"About you sneaking out of home?" she repeated innocently.Tooinnocently. "It's fine. I've, too, snuck out of home once! Or twice."

Conan just stood there.

"There's a fire escape over there." A little finger pointed at a specific place, but Conan's eyes remained stuck to her bright, childish smile. "I could try opening the front door, but I don't want to wake Mom and Dad up."

"It's okay. Thank you."

He decided not to question it.Anyof it.

Once he was back on firm ground, he looked upwards and found Ayumi waving at him from the balcony, grinning from ear to ear. As he waved back with a muted smile, he realized that Anya might not have been such a strange kid as he had thought, after all.

As the time of Camilla's party drew nearer, Yor was starting to believe that, maybe, this wouldn't work out as well as she had hoped.

Not for the first time tonight, her eyes scanned her surroundings. They danced under the dim lights of the street, looking for a sign that things would go any differently. There was a young man with distinct dirty blonde colored hair, but the coloration wasn't quite the same after a second look. A girl with eyes strikingly blue as the sky on a sunny day, but they were rounder than she remembered. A businessman crossed the street quickly, but his suit wasn't the same exact shade of green.

Shivering against the chilly wind that had just picked up, Yor began to worry that this kind man who had lent her an ear had been in a terrible accident. For all she knew, he could be somewhere out there battling for his life while she was still there, awaiting someone who might never come.

And also, there was the possibility that he had just stood her up, but Yor preferred not to think about it. The realization that nobody would come did not settle well with her.

Yor heard the steps first, serving as the sole warning that she apparentlyhadcompany. It was just below her line of sight, so she actually had to lower her chin to see the tiny figure that currently stood in front of her, blinking large blue eyes behind a set of oversized glasses.

It took a moment for her to realize that she did know the child. "Conan-san?" she asked, unsure.

"Dad asked me to come and tell you," he said, tilting his head ever so minutely. "He's sorry, but something came up and he won't be able to make it."

Yor's expression barely even changed. "I see." It was almost as she had been expecting it, but the way her hold on the gift bag tightened led him to believe that, maybe, there was a part of her that had thought otherwise.

A second later, however, the boy had not moved an inch. He kept on looking at her with wide eyes, giving no sign of leaving. And Yor herself hadn't even tried, unable to piece together what should her next step be, with him right there.

"Say…" he began, she listened. "Could I please go to the party with you?"

That… Yor was surprised to hear it.

And it must have shown, because the child frowned, sending a glance at his surroundings. "I-It's scary," he admitted, his voice wavering a little even though he was clearly trying to hide it. "Being alone here. It'sdark."

Which, to Yor, actually made sense now that she thought about it. Late as it was, there was only so little light to see her surroundings better ─ who knew how many dangers could be out there, lurking in the shadows? And at that young age, it fell on Yor how vulnerable this boy would be were she to leave him to roam alone.

Out of everyone, Yor knew best of how cruel could humans turn out to be. If she let him walk back home on his own, Yor realized, there was a big possibility that this child could never get back home.

She forced a smile. The boy lit up when she nodded.

And Yor had to admit, she was surprised. After watching him talk so fondly about his late wife and the children she left behind, Yor wouldn't have painted Loid as that much of an irresponsible parent as to leave this child to wander alone in the dark just to deliver a message. Then again, she knew appearances could be deceiving ─ that was how she had survived for so long.

"Oh, Camilla. That bag you're using…"

"Where did you get it? It's so pretty~!"

A smile lit up Camilla's face. "I know, right?" she said in between giggles, pressing her beloved gingko-patterned handbag closer to her chest. "It was apainto get this one."

There was a chuckle, and instantly, a frown had taken over the woman's features. Her glare was hardly effective, but at least it got the man to try to muffle the sound with his hand, waving off with the other.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, leaning further into the couch he had been occupying. "I was thinking of a good joke, don't mind me."

She shot him a look, unconvinced.

"Could I get another look at it?" he asked.

"Eh? Why?"

"Just because."

Camilla hesitated, turning away and clutching her bag almost protectively. Eventually, with a huff, she gave in and passed the item. He, in turn, let his eyes narrow, as if taking into every inch and corner of the bag ─ for some reason, Camilla felt herself holding in her breath.

Finally, he let out a sudden bark of laughter, and she bristled.

"Don't be mean, Noah." Dominic walked over, plucking the bag from the man's grip, only to set it back on the empty spot beside him. "You know Camilla loves these things."

Noah rolled his eyes. "Like I couldn't tell," he mumbled. "It isn't like she carries designer bags wherever she goes. Even at home."

The blonde was just a minute away from shooting something back at him, when suddenly, the bell rang. Turning towards the door, she stilled, then allowed a smirk to creep up her face.

"I thought she wasn't going to show up," commented Millie from behind her, snickering.

Fair enough, Camilla had believed the same thing, especially as the night wore out without a single sign of a certain ivory-haired young woman. It took some guts, she would give her that, to actually come herealoneafter claiming to have a partner ─ because it was obvious she had not gotten anyone to come with her, she would blindly bet on that.

Thus, she opened the door.

Camilla's smile froze on her face, her eyebrows raising as she spotted a tiny child, blinking innocently up at her behind thick lenses.

"Hi!" he chirped, cheerfully waving back at her.

Who didn't even return the gesture, simply stared for another beat before she allowed her gaze to rise upwards to meet Yor's blank, unsettlingly calm expression.

"I thought you were… coming with yourboyfriend."

She couldn't even bring herself to laugh about it, and she was sure Sharon and Millie were finding her reaction to be unusually weird. From over her shoulders, she felt those two peeking outside to see by themselves what had shocked her so badly ─ and by the silence that ensued, Camilla could tell their reactions had been extremely similar to hers.

"I'm her friend!" The boy clasped his hands behind his back and beamed. "And I'm a boy, so it counts, right?"

Most certainly not, but nobody told him otherwise.

Sharon was the first to send Yor a pointed look. "Who is this child?"

Yor blinked. "A friend," she repeated, her tone surprised. She had just heard the boy himself saying, so why was she asking? "Unfortunately, something came up and my boyfriend couldn't make it."

"So… you brought a child?"

Rather than answering, Yor passed Camilla the gift bag she had been carrying for a while. "I apologize for my lateness," she told her. "Here's a gift."

Neglecting to offer any further explanation, Yor calmly stepped inside while, on the contrary, the child skipped ahead with an excited squeal. Camilla, despite herself, found herself rooted to her spot, confusion dancing in her gaze as she watched the unfamiliar boy stop beside a random kid his age he found, grinning widely as he started on a conversation.

Sharon sighed and made her way over ─ it was then that it fell on Camilla that it was Sharon's kid. She wasn't even sure what to make out of that situation.

Contrary to what people might come to believe, the child he had set his sights on had not been chosen at random. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he was well aware of who he was dealing with.

Well, sort of.

Black hair, glasses and an overall neat appearance ─ even abowtie, like the one Conan himself was using; he was the splitting image of the woman over there. Judging on how quickly she had left her family to make her way over to the door, Conan could tell she was in a close relationship with the blonde woman who had thrown the birthday party. Possibly a coworker of hers, and therefore, Yor Briar's coworker, as well.

He wasn't certain, but it was all he had. Better give it a shot.

Cheekily, Conan plopped down next to the child. "Hi!" He grinned as widely and brightly as possible. "My name is Conan! What's yours?"

The child recoiled, deciding against engaging in a conversation with him. Conan sat still, desperately keeping his smile from crashing down with pure determination.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the approach he should have taken. To his defense, all the experience he had with children wasAnya─ and the three-minute interaction with that other girl named Ayumi. None of them were the best examples of six-year-olds, he supposed.

He better keep that in mind.I'm starting grade school in a few weeks, after all.The thought did not fail to steal a shiver out of him.

As per predicted, the mother ─ Sharon? He wasn't sure he had gotten it right ─ came over to check on his son, and the weird kid whose existence they didn't know until five minutes ago and stumbled into their lives uninvited. To be fair, he was pretty sure nobody knew of his existence either until maybe a month back, if he was optimistic ─ and if they did, well, it would be a new kind of creepy. That woman named Fumiyo Edogawa certainly claimed to have done so, and she definitely was no exception to that rule.

With Sharon came the other two women. Camilla, the host of this party, and another one ─ whoever that was. He hopped off his seat and rushed over, and predictably, he was met with a collective flinch from all three.

"Camilla-san! Camilla-san!" She cringed at the notion of being addressed, and truthfully, Conan did not feel in himself to judge her so harshly. "Where is she?"

She blinked slowly. "Where iswho?"

"The pretty lady!" Camilla only stared harder, so Conan puffed out his cheeks ─ doing his best impression of an impatient child dealing with an adult who could not understand something he thought was obvious. "The pretty lady with the kind smile. Yor-san showed me a photo once, you know."

And then, there was understanding ─ a kind of understanding Conan was not too hopeful of seeing in that woman's face. Obviously enough, such a photograph did not exist beyond the story the boy had fabricated on the spot, and even if it did, Conan had not really interacted with the woman long enough for his story to gain some credibility.

Not that Camilla was aware of any of it.

"I can't see her anywhere!" Conan pressed on, seemingly oblivious, his head whipping from side to side as he pretended to search for her. "Did you perhaps forget to invite her, Camilla-san?"

Shinichi might have never seen those people in his life, but in the subsequent days of Masami Hirota's passing, he had tried to look into it. The robbery case, in which she had been implicated beyond a doubt, had been a good place to start, and hopefully, a step closer to uncovering the identity of her murderer. Or so he had believed.

He remembered having read files. Masami had never been out of suspicion for her crime, so an interview at the place where she had worked had been a must for the investigation.The City Hall.That had been the place she had chosen to be, surprisingly ─ or unsurprisingly, for a criminal like she turned out to be ─ enough.

Her coworkers had been of little help, actually, as practically nobody had claimed to know much about her. But there had been remarks, though, about something unnatural behind her smile, about her being nice to be around, but oddly closed off to herself.

Yor-san, Camilla-san, most of the people here… That must have been the impression Masami-san made on these people.

Regardless of that, it was easy to see the moment where it dawned on her. Her eyes widened slightly and shifted her weight on her other feet. "I… didn't invite her," she managed.

Conan blinked up innocently at her. "Why?"

Her friend stepped up, pushing her glasses closer to her face. "Because she isn't around anymore," she said on Camilla's behalf.

"Did she quit?"

She shook her head, leveling with a look that Conan did not bat an eye at. But he did open his mouth slightly, nodding rapidly in fake understanding. "Do you…" he began, sort of hesitantly. "Do you… miss her?"

Camilla considered the question. "I wouldn't say Imissher, but…"

She looked over at her bespectacled friend, seeking support. "She was surprisingly closed off," was all the help she got.

"That's why there were so many guys after her," commented the third girl, shrugging. "Because of that aura of mystery and everything."

"You sound jealous, Millie."

So far, it checked out with what he knew so far ─good.Eyes wide and innocent, he opened his mouth, hoping that he would get something more out of this group.

"Hey, Camilla!"

It was hard to keep himself from clicking his tongue out of pure annoyance when a gruffer voice beat him to it. Schooling his expression back to something between neutral and slight curiosity, he, just like the other three women, turned about to see a man. One with a lazy smile hung on his lips, sitting on the couch a few feet away from them with no other company besides a discarded and expensive-looking handbag.

Camilla immediately approached, hastily taking the item away from the man ─ proving that it had beenhersall along. Not that Conan tried to comprehend why she would take a bag with her when she was at her own home, because there was probably no reason at all but a desire to show off with her friends. From what little she knew of her, by his own observations alone, Conan felt pretty confident in his guess.

"Don't be like that," the guy said, snickering. "Now, do me a favor and bring me some wine."

Another man raised his eyebrow ─ Dominic, Conan thought was his name. He was Camilla's husband, or boyfriend, he couldn't be bothered to remember.

"What's this about, Noah?" Dominic interjected. "I'm pretty sure I just passed you a glassminutesago."

"Yeah, you sure did!" Noah laughed, raising his own glass over his head ─ filled alright, to its maximum capacity ─ why would he wantanotherwhen he had barely taken a sip of the one he already had was beyond Conan's comprehension. "But can't I just have another? It's not for me, actually."

The blonde woman squinted his eyes at him, and he winked back in response. Though rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Camilla eventually complied, stomping into the kitchen in hopes of, no doubt, getting him to stop being such a nuisance.

Conan wondered who that man was talking around. And it must have shown in his face, because Noah glanced over at him, smiled lightly before motioning with his head to the seat closest to the entrance, and therefore, the furthest from where they all currently gathered at.

Yor had been sitting there ever since she had gotten there. Back straight, posture rigid and a blank, sort of empty look in her scarlet eyes ─ standing out despite her very obvious intent of blending in with the crowd. And even though Conan still hardly trusted the woman, he couldn't help but feel sort of bad about it ─ he had, after all, been the one who had caused her to be stood up, and mostly forced her to endure it and go to the party alone either way.

Well, he had been her company, actually. But he was hardly any company at all.

Can't be helped,he thought.I'm not taking any chances in getting that close to a murderer.

Shinichididhave a soundly working survival instinct, even if Ran would strongly disagree.

Camilla walked out of the kitchen with a filled glass and a scowl on her face, all but shoving the glass to Noah, which he accepted gracefully regardless. With one cup in each hand, he approached the lone woman sitting in the furthest corner of the room. In the distance, Yor lifted her head, and momentarily, an emotion danced in her gaze ─ bewilderment, Conan was sure of it. She shook her head rapidly, rather embarrassed for some reason, but Noah hardly seemed the one to give up. He promptly sat beside her, nudging a glass at her with a grin on his lips.

Meanwhile, that certain group of three had shuffled together. Muffled whispering reached Conan's ears, a bit of giggle making it out from their circle as they threw obvious glances to their raven-haired coworker.

"I wonder if her 'boyfriend' will be jealous if he saw this."

"Like that person exists, anyway."

Conan had to admit, he was surprised ─ they weren't even trying to be discreet about it.So nasty,he thought.They seem like the kind of people that are a pain to deal with.

"She said he 'didn't make it'. What a lame excuse."

"How pathetic."

"I knew she was lying about having a guy."

"Should we report the liar?"

"Eh~? You're supposed to report liars?"

Three pairs of equally shocked glances fell upon him. He received all of them with a tilted head and bright, big eyes filled with fake confusion. "I didn't know that…" he murmured, then stopped as if considering something. "Wait, wait, am I supposed to report you, Camilla-san?"

She blinked owlishly. "Eh?"

But Conan hardly heard at all, and instead, crossed his arms over his chest, pretending to ponder about it. "What to do?" he murmured. "I'm not even sure how you're supposed to report someone."

"Really?" A light smirk crossed her lips, and soon, her other two friends giggled at the scene. "What are you going to report me for?"

Conan blinked. "For lying?" he stated, as if it was obvious enough. They all exchanged glances, so he elaborated, "Like, you threw this big party and invited everyone as if to show off your wealth… But you couldn't even afford glasses!"

Suddenly, the smiles were erased from each of their faces, allowing a bewildered silence to settle in. A single, tiny little finger lifted, pointing at the blonde woman in question ─ or rather, as they later figured out, the gingko patterned handbag she had been carrying for a few hours now.

"It's labeled 'Fuzae'," he explained, his tone high-pitched, but even through it all. "Shouldn't it be 'Fusae', with an 's'?"

Sharon was the first one to reach, plucking the item from the slackened grip from her friend to take a better look at it. "He's right," he mumbled, as if surprised by her own discovery.

"No way!" exclaimed Millie, unwillingly causing Camilla to flinch, and reached for the bag. "Let me see! It can't-"

She all but tore the bag from her friend's hands, stealing a startled gasp out of her. The abrupt, unexpected force of the motion caused the clip to click open, and the few contents of the inside to slip and fall out, to Camilla's utter dismay.

A muted, almost inaudibleclingdrew Conan's attention to the floor, to find a miniature flask rolling about ─ in one piece, actually, having miraculously survived the fall in some amazing turn of events. It was empty, the boy could not help but notice ─ which was, to say the least,weird.What reason would there be for someone to keep a container inside a bag if there was nothing to keep in it?

Having lost the remains of the initial force it had been subjected to, it slowed down until it eventually stopped right in front of his feet, and really, Conan wouldn't have bothered to pick it up hadn't it been for his eyes. They caught a label attached to it, and since the boy was too nosy to help himself, he actually crouched over and picked it up for closer examination.

His breath caught in his throat, his eyes snapping open at the words he certainly had not expected to read today:

"Potassiumcyanide"

"Uh, kid? What's that thing you-?"

"Cyanide," he murmured.

"Sorry,what."

Conan barely paid any attention to it. In a single movement, he had pulled the container open and held it under his nose, his eyes slipping close for a split second, deeply in thought. Whatever that was, something must have clicked because, at the next one, his head had raised sharply, his gaze darting from place to place in a desperate search ─ for what, though? Neither Camilla nor her friends had a single clue.

His gaze found Yor's polite smile, her hesitant hands cradling the glass she had been offered. As if in slow motion, he saw her lifting it to her lips, tilting until the wine was mere inches from touching skin.

A reverberatingcrashplunged the entire room into a deafening silence.

Surprised, Yor's gaze shifted from her own empty hand to the ground; and gazed, for a moment longer than strictly necessary, at crystal shards that scattered all over her sight. Beneath an expanding pool of deep ruby, she visualized a pair of small, vividly red sneakers.

Heavy breathing dragged her attention to the child that had suddenly manifested by her side, from all the way to theothercorner of the room, if only to swat the wine glass away from her grip. It took him a second to recover, but then he lifted his head to meet her eyes.

Instead of explaining, he silently passed her something he had been apparently carrying all this time. She eyed the container, gently turning it over until she could read the label attached to it.

Her gaze darkened with realization.I knew it,she thought, but did not say. That certain bitter aftertaste, reminiscent of almonds, she had grown used to… She hadn't imagined it, after all.

From somewhere in the background, there was a gasp of realization. "Camilla… Youdidn't…"

Camilla naturally went pale at the accusation thrown at her and started stuttering incoherently in a vain attempt to explain herself. But, curiously enough, the little boy did not even glance over in her direction. Instead, he settled Noah with one of his own, sharpening at contact ─ who, in turn, felt his muscles stiffen up despite himself.

With a heavy sigh, pierced blue dulled with boredom.

"Okay. Were you even trying?"

Noah blinked. "Huh?" he uttered, intelligently.

"To get away with murder, I mean. Of course you tried to kill her, that's pretty obvious."

There was no reply from Noah, none besides an incomprehensible ramble born of an incapacity to truly grasp the situation he was in.

But the boy seemed to grow more irritated, if possible. He tucked his hands inside his pockets and leveled with alookthat made him flinch ─ not unlike that of a mother, secretly disappointed at her amazingly unintelligent offspring.

"Me?! Kill Yor-san?!" he eventually managed, but Conan would hardly call it an accomplishment. "Why would I even do something like that?"

"I don't know. You're supposed to tell me."

"Iwasthe one who gave her the glass. Would a killer put himself on the spot like that?"

"You would." Conan did not blink. "Because you're an idiot."

And here he had thought himself to besosmart, when really, he was so far from it that it physically hurt his young detective soul. He would have explained that there was not a single logical reason for Camilla to have hidden the container inside her handbag while she was at her own home, and that she could have literally hid it anywhere else ─ but he deemed it too much effort to do so.

"Look, boy," Noah began, an awkward smile etched on his tense features. "If you want to accuse me, you'd need some proof first-"

A guttural groan interrupted him.

"Fingerprints," Conan said. "Youdoknow the police actually check those, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

Confused, Noah blinked owlishly when the boy lifted his finger and pointed at something; the wine glass he was still holding onto, he realized an embarrassingly lengthy amount of time later.

"Camilla-san's," was all the kid told him. He redirected him to the shards scattered all over and added, "Not Camilla-san's."

When silence met his statement, Conan could not help but roll his eyes. "She came back from the kitchen holding the glass with her bare hands, remember?" he explained, his tone even, uninterested. "The one she poisoned, according to you."

There were some larger fragments in the mess he had inadvertently made earlier, which used to belong to the glass that had been filled with wine and poison. They were big enough to look for Camilla's fingerprints if the police wanted, but it was clear that they would find none. The results would be different if they repeated the process at the glass Noah was holding right now ─ provingthatwas the one Camilla got from the kitchen, and not the other one.

As Noah's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, reminiscent of a fish out of water, Conan turned over to Yor, who was still all too much interested in the container in her hands.

"Yor-san. Mind telling us what that smells like?"

Without even pausing to consider the request, she gave it a careful sniffle and sat back, her eyes a sliver wider with shock. "It smells… like nothing."

"Exactly.Nothing." A co*cky smirk crawled up Conan's face, which widened at the sight of the horror that crossed his prime suspect's face. "There are no traces of poison in it. Can't say the same from the one you're hiding in your pocket, though."

Staggering backwards, Noah slid his hands inside his pants pocket ─ no doubt, clinging onto that one piece of evidence he had failed to get rid of. Now, with so many people staring, a way out did not seem likely.

"You brought an extra, empty container to the party, and placed it inside Camilla-san's bag when you had the chance." Conan did not allow him a respite, shooting the rest of the deduction back at him with no kind of warning. "Next, you got a drink from Dominic-san. You laced it with cyanide when nobody was paying attentionand thenasked Camilla-san for another glass before approaching Yor-san. You didn't offer the wine glass Camilla-san gave you, but the one you poisoned earlier."

The shaking that had been wracking Noah's body subsided, his head hung down in defeat. With a groan, he finally pulled what he had been hiding out of his hiding spot inside his pockets, for him to contemplate with a resigned smile on his lips.

On the palm of his land, laid another tiny flask, unlabeled.

"Hadn't we found the empty container, you'd have probably managed to kill Yor-san. But I doubt you'd have gotten away with it," Conan conceded with a lazy shrug of his shoulders. "You're clearly not criminal material, Noah-san. So, why did you do it?"

A frown carved itself into Noah's features. Fingers curling around the container, he closed his eyes and turned his face away.

"I did it… because I loved her!"

With that declaration, the man collapsed ─ sunk into his knees in a blink of an eye, shoulders trembling with sobs that wracked his entire body. Too shocked to do anything, the rest of the guests stared at him, still unable to process what their own two eyes had perceived.

Dominic was the brave one, crouching next to the man to place a hand over his shoulder. "With 'her'…" he murmured. "Do you mean…?"

"Yes,her!" he screamed in his face. "Masami Hirota-san! I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember!"

Even Conan felt his breath hitch at the revelation. For all he tagged along in order to gather some information on the woman in question, he could never have foreseen that her name would pop up in a random murder confession. He had not expected to find someone who had fallen for her so hard as to let hatred cloud his mind, to filter through his eyes as he turned to glance over to Camilla and her group.

"I've been watching over her, you know! I know how despicable you have been to her. Smiling at her, even though you talk trash on her back… Even though you made sure to make her life a living hell, in every other way possible…"

Next, his glare went to Yor. But even though the contempt had barely been dispelled, and rather, strengthened over time, she stood firm, immutable.

"You abandoned her. When she needed you the most… When everyone thought the worst of her, you should have stuck for her. You were her best friend, weren't you?! You… should have believed in her!"

Yor did not answer. Her expression did not shift.

But Noah broke down, forehead lowering until it hit the floor, dampened by the wine that had been spilled. "If it hadn't been for you… for all of you… Maybe she wouldn't have taken her own life." His breath hitched, his voice trembled. "Maybe, if it wasn't for you all, Masami-san would still be here… You all killed her."

His words hung in the air, echoed in the silence that nobody seemed to want to break. Eventually, a random guest came over from the back and helped him back onto his feet. They took him away from everyone's scrutiny, somewhere further inside the apartment, away from prying eyes.

Somewhere to wait patiently for the police to come and fetch him.

Slowly, Conan's gaze wandered over to Yor, and realized she had barely moved at all, her expressions rigid as always. There was something, however, in the way her lips pressed against each other, or a tinge of something Conan could not interpret in her gaze, that hadn't been there before.

Yor Briar was a puzzle on her own, Conan decided.

Whatever that had been, it was chased away when surprise took over. And not without good reason, because the door had been slammed open, drawing the attention to their odd, newest guest.

"I'm terribly sorry for arriving late. I'm Yor's husband, Loid Forger."

Conan felt the blood drain from his face. Though swaying in his spot, blood dripping from his forehead from whatever God's forsaken reason,hewas him.Him ─LoidfreakingForger, the last person whose face he wanted to see ─ in a place likethis,at an hour he, Conan, was not supposed to be wandering about.

Even though, Conan was certain, Yor had never outright told him the location of the party… But of course Twilight would know either way ─of course. What was I even thinking?

"Um… Mr. Forger, was it? You're bleeding…"

Lips clicking shut, Conan threaded backwards.Carefully… Slowly…

"Oh, pardon me. One of my patients had a violent episode. It happens all the time to a psychiatrist."

It wasn't until he was halfway through his disappearance mission that it fell on Conan that he was trapped with Loid literally standing by the front door. But then again, he guessed it really didn't matter ─ as long as he could escape Loid's notice, he would eventually figure an alternative way out.

He just couldn't have Loid figuring out he was perfectly capable of sneaking out at night if he put his mind on it,no. It would make things infinitely more complicated for him and his investigations in the long run.

"You're joking, right? You're married, Yor?"

The kitchen,he realized, hope seizing his chest. It was just a few steps away, so he could hide there for a while ─ at least, until Loid and Yor left. Then, he would be free to step out and leave through the front door. Then he could sneak back into his bedroom and pretend this had never happened.

Renewed with determination, he lowered to his knees in an attempt to make himself the least noticeable as humanly possible.

Good.He could do this.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Just a little longer… Just…

Loid laughed at Yor's clear hesitance.

"It's embarrassing to say so, but it's my second marriage and I already have two children, so it may have been hard to bring up."

Camilla blinked, vastly more clueless than she had been in the entire night ─ which was saying a lot, actually.

"Children…?" came out in a feeble whisper. "Do you mean…?"

The room shifted at the revelation, and in perfect synchrony, the crowd parted to look somewhere on the far back of the room. His polite smile, once so perfectly anchored to his features, faded at the sight of a tiny form crouched on the floor. That blue blazer and those red shoes, combined with the exceptionally stubborn cowlick at the back, made it impossible for him to look away.

Not even risking a single glance at where he was, the figure continued to crawl away ─ too focused on seeing his objective through to sense the sudden scrutiny he was subjected to.

"Conan?"

He winced, and gradually, began to turn his head until blue peeked from those ridiculously large frames of his. They grew like a deer caught in headlights, and his movements were cut short ─ as if he could somehow blend with the background if he stayed quiet enough.

Loid blinked once, then twice, before a stern glare took hold.

Conan could only laugh nervously, perfectly aware of what was coming for him.

Chapter 6: Encounter at the Dead of Night

Chapter Text

Conan found it peculiar, if not disturbing in its own way, how this woman still found the will to keep messing with Yor. After witnessing a murder attempt for which she was nearly framed, at her own birthday party, to make things worse, the shrunken detective would have believed that she already had too much on her mind to, say, throw a tantrum out of jealousy over the handsome husband Yor claimed to have.

He was wrong. Proof of that was the nasty burn that now painted her nose, born from a freshly cooked gratin that she had wanted to throw all over Yor, only to end up backfiring because karma was truly a force to be reckoned with.

There was also the fact that Yor had caught the thing with herfoot,but Shinichi had known Ran for simply too long to be fazed at it.

"Once again, I am terribly sorry that we have to leave so early," Loid apologized profusely, bowing his head while he waited for Conan to hurry to join him, and Yor, in the hallway outside the apartment. "And I apologize for any inconvenience this child may have caused you."

Camilla stared back in silence.

Loid's smile remained perfectly in place as he bent down to pat his son on the back, almost encouragingly ─almost,because it was a little too rough to be deemed a comforting gesture.

"Thank you for having me, Camilla-san! I had a lot of fun!" Conan exclaimed, a huge, brilliant grin stretching from side to side in his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Loid's smile relax a bit.

Until, of course, he added, "Don't forget to call the police, okay?"

It froze in place, then dissolved into an odd grimace. "Police?"

Camilla decided against explaining and shut the door closed with no further ado. It left the spy staring blankly ahead, as if forcing his brain to work overtime to process what he had just heard. His eyes slid slowly away, and downwards, to meet that pair of innocent blue ones that blinked back at him.

His features hardened. The spy noticed the slightest of winces from the kid beside him, but otherwise, he hid pretty well.

"Come," he said curtly, and began to walk. Conan did not need to be told twice and followed obediently.

Yor remained rooted at her spot for a moment longer, however. Her gaze was drawn to the closed door, where it remained, fixed, as if she could see what lay behind it. Had that been possible, maybe she would be able to see that man again ─ no doubt shooting her with that one glare from before, fueled by sheer hatred and resentment she had no idea he possessed.

The human was but the greatest enigma to have even existed, and indeed, appearances were truly deceiving. For it would never have occurred to her that someone like him would willingly stain his hands with her own blood.

It was as if it had been yesterday, the day she had first learned of his existence, though in reality only a few weeks must have passed since then, maybe a month. It had been an ordinary morning at her day-job, and had walked in to see Camilla and the others crowding together, faint giggling and frantic whispering coloring the air as she passed by.

"Oh, would you look at that!"

"Seems someone has an admirer…"

"I'm so jealous~!"

Soon, she had been allowed to see an extra person among the women ─ a light blush dusting her cheeks, a delicate hand tucking a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear, and that warm, if timid, smile painting her lips; Yor would recognize Masami anywhere, and certainly, this had been no exception.

She remembered having sent a hasty peek towards the bouquet of deep red roses that Masami cradled to her chest, then setting off to prepare coffee as she had been asked to. Masami, always so perceptive, had met her glance, and offered an awkward laugh.

Despite herself, Yor's lips had curved into an amused smile of her own, too.

"Really…" she heard Masami sigh to herself. "They're lovely, but what am I going to do with this?"

"Maybe stack them with the ones you got last week?" Sharon suggested.

Masami simply shrugged and did not say much afterwards. With that smile permanently stuck to her lips, she turned around to leave. As soon as she was out of sight, the remaining women huddled together once more ─ whispers rose anew, conspiratorial glances shot at their retreating coworker as per the norm.

They did not even try to hide it, but Yor figured it wouldn't matter, even if they did. Knowing Masami, she was sure to have noticed it even if they were trying not to be that obvious, but she didn't seem to be bothered. Instead, she simply approached Yor and plopped down on a seat right next to the coffeemaker. She settled the bouquet on a nearby table, a sigh ready on her lips.

Yor eyed the gift and read 'Noah', neatly written on a tag attached to it. So that was the guy who had been sending her those for a while now, she realized.

"What are you going to do, Masami-san?" Yor asked, unable to take her gaze away from the roses left forgotten over the table ─ deep red as fresh blood, beautiful like none other. "Noah-san seems like a nice person."

"I'll have to turn him down. I actually do have a boyfriend, you know."

"You do?!"

Her sudden outburst had only dawned on her a moment too late, mostly due to the fierce blush that coated her friend's cheeks in response. Embarrassed, Yor brought her hands to her mouth, and repeated in a whisper, "You do?"

Masami nodded, her gaze sliding to the ground in a timid gesture. "He's so strong and dependable… It doesn't help that he's handsome, too." A giggle escaped her lips ─ odd to Yor's ears, but genuine. "He can be shy, even though his appearance might be misleading. He seems mean at first glance, but he means well."

Perhaps it had been that warmth of hers, that affection as she spoke about someone so dear to herself, what tugged at Yor's lips. But then something surged from within her, a realization that flickered into life so spontaneously, so abruptly, that she wouldn't have been able to stop it even if she wanted to.

"I wonder if I could get a partner, too…" left her lips, unannounced.

Confusion was now written all over Masami's face. "I didn't know you were interested in this kind of thing," she confessed.

At first, Yor stared at her friend blankly, until a sudden realization warmed her cheeks. "No, no!" Masami just blinked in stunned silence while Yor frantically shook her head from side to side. "It's not like that. It's just..."

Scarlet eyes drifted to the side, a movement Masami caught and immediately followed. Camilla was snickering, a teasing smile plastered on her face, while Millie, face flushed, squealed about something that Sharon decidedly did not like, judging by the embarrassed scowl that pinched her face.

"That's… what 'normal' is, right?"

Masami's breath slipped away, her own eyes growing a sliver wider ─ as if she could finally see after being blind for so long.

"I don't want my little brother to worry. But I wonder…" Yor's voice trailed down into a feeble whisper, her gaze cast down at the tip of her shoes ─ preventing her from seeing the frown that was slowly taking its place in her friend's features. "... if it's even possible for someone like me-"

Yor would never get the chance to finish her sentence, because her hands were suddenly seized, held by a grip so firm, yet so warm and comforting somehow. Masami's gaze was fierce from up close, burning with a fiery determination that Yor never knew she had ─ even though she suspected it.

"Yor-chan. Please, you must promise me something…"

Her smile was so radiant that it was hard not to avert her eyes. Finally, she gave in to the urge and looked away, not knowing how much she would regret it. For this might have been the last time she would be able to appreciate such a fascinating sight.

Though she would get one more chance to see it, albeit from afar, holding a sharp blade close to her chest as she dived deeper into the shadows. The next time she smiled like that, she would not be the recipient of it, but rather, it would be that one boy.

A boy who Yor had seen plenty of times, one whose sharp gaze she had been ducking away from for so long. A young man who would stay at Masami's side until her body grew cold and useless; until the light in her eyes was extinguished and her smile withered away, leaving nothing but the ghost of something that could never be again.

Unlike her, however, the boy never let go of that hand.

"Yor-san?"

Yor blinked back to reality to see Loid scrunching his forehead in concern. "Are you feeling alright?" he added when she failed to respond, so she shook her head rapidly to reassure him.

Butverballyanswering took a little longer than that, with her struggling to find her voice. "Y-Yes, I'm fine," she finally managed to get out, though she hadn't been able to erase that nervous tint in her voice. "I just spaced out for a moment."

Loid did not look convinced, but allowed it regardless, thankfully. He turned his eyes away from her for a moment, which she took advantage of to scan her surroundings and realize that they were no longer in the apartment building, but out in the night on their own.

Not the two of them alone, Conan was there, too ─ who was, decidedly, much more interested in eyeing the bird that was resting its purely white wings on top of the van she had, apparently, been led to. Not that she had any idea ofwhenshe got there, exactly.Get a grip on yourself, Yor!

Once assured that it belonged to Loid, despite Conan's strangely bemused look, Yor climbed up into the passenger seat, and the boy settled beside her right afterwards. He was making it clear his intention to avoid eye-contact with his own father ─ a right Loid, in fact, fought for and claimed for himself, if only to glare at him sternly.

"You,young man, have a lot to explain," Loid stated, starting the vehicle. "What are you doinghere,in the dead of night, while you were supposed to be asleep at home?"

As Yor watched the exchange between father and son, realization was slowly blinked into those vivid scarlet eyes of hers.Oh, so Loid-san didn't actually…That certainly made things easier to explain, however marginal that improvement might have been.

The idea of a loving father sending his child out in the middle of the night, even though it could have resulted in a painful death, had been truly inconceivable for her, so knowing that it hadn't been his intention to begin with was pretty comforting. Of course, a child sneaking from home wasn't any better, but at least this way she could actually understand ─ children were inherently naïve, unaware of the many dangers that hid in the shadows.

Conan shrugged. "I was bored."

Loid scowled, and looked as though he wanted to say more,somuch more, before his gaze shifted from the boy to the woman sitting quietly by his side. It returned to the road right away, his frown missing, yet a little uncomfortable somehow.

"I'm sorry, Yor-san."

"Eh? What for?" It wasn't like Loid hadactuallystood her up as she had believed, so she couldn't understand what was there to forgive.

"Well, I accidentally introduced myself as your husband. Then, there's Conan. I know he can be a lot to handle…"

"Oh, not at all!" she exclaimed, her posture straightened. "I'mgratefulto Conan-san, in fact. He-"

Her words cut off so suddenly that it earned looks from both fatherandson. Despite herself, she found a bead of cold sweat tracing down her forehead as she inwardly panicked, struggling to come up with something to say.

"He-"-saved my life? Wait, that's a lie. He saved me from drinking poison? No, that's not true either,even if it had been a sip too small to be noticed by anyone else.Uh, what to do?

Conan was arching an eyebrow and Loid was growing concerned by the second.

"He… saved me?"Yes, Yor, that's it!"He saved me."From being exposed.

Had she drunk the wine without noticing the poison in it, and had magically survived without the slightest discomfort from her part, they would have discovered she was an assassin. So, itwastrue ─ this boy had truly saved her by preventing her from drinking any further.

Loid's inquiries seemed far from assuaged. "Saved you from what?"

Yor hesitated, and to be honest, Conan could not bring himself to judge her at all. Certainly, he wouldn't be able to explain it either ─ how do you tell a man that you were the victim of a murder attempt and that his six-year-old son pointed out the culprit in a few minutes?

It fell on him that heshouldhave shown some restraint, but come on. The case had been so easy it was almost insulting, and he was counting on Yor losing contact with Loid after him standing her up ─ which obviously wasn't going to happen at this point.

Conan crossed his arms over his chest, and though he kept the exhausted sigh within mental territory, the troubled frown that pinched his face was quite visible. Back when he had woken up at that amusem*nt park struggling to untangle himself from oversized clothes, he had thought things couldn't get any worse. But now, as he sat between the spy who had adopted him and his potentialmother─ also a potential murderer ─ he began to doubt himself.

It didn't take a detective to know that it was only a matter of time ─ that these two would be married in no time, even if it was beyond what they had initially agreed upon. Especially since he had caught sight of a strange shape of an object in Loid's pocket, earlier when they were walking to the van ─ which he still had yet to figure out where it came from, for the record.

Small and circular ─ it was pretty obvious he was carrying a ring around. Aring,of all things; no matter how much he looked at the matter, it only spelled trouble for Conan. He seriously needed to stop this, but seriously, what couldhedo? It wasn't like he could magically change Loid's mind, nor could he prove Yor that was suspicious as hell without makinghimselfsuspicious as hell in turn.

Loid's attention was suddenly away from him, but he wasn't counting on the moment to be anything but brief. The spy stared at the distinct red and blue light that passed right next to the vehicle, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

Conan's eyes, on the other hand, flickered downward, being especially careful not to move any other muscle, so as not to alert the man, or the woman, he was sandwiched in between of. From inside that pocket, light was glinting back towards him ─ reminiscent of a jewel of some kind. The urge to stick his little fingers in there and do away with the damned thing was certainly strong, but Conan resisted.

Luckily, he did nothing. Loid's focus was on him, again.

"What exactly happened there?" he asked, his eyes narrowing back to the road.

"Nothing much," Conan chirped nonchalantly. "Just someone lacing Yor-san's glass with potassium cyanide."

The perplexity in Loid's face was laughable, but again, Conan held on bravely. Whether he was worrying about Yor, or questioning himself if six-year-olds were supposed to know whatpotassium cyanidemeant, the boy surely could not tell.

Eventually, he settled on the former, "Are you okay?" which was probably the better one ─ for LoidandConan's sanity, that was.

Yor smiled and nodded. "If Conan-san had not been there, I probably would have drunk the whole thing." Loid was absolutely speechless, which, although it didn't bode well for a certain faux-child in the car, he found pretty hilarious. "Ah, but don't worry! Conan-san figured out who the criminal was-"

Yeah, heprobablyshould have stopped her before it got to that point. Now, he was finding himself trying not to wince when the man's head snapped in his direction, eyes wide beyond what Conan thought was normal capacity ─ normal capacity for someone likehim,anyway.

He laughed weakly. "It was just a lucky guess…"

Not the best cover-up he had managed ─ which, admittedly, wouldn't have been much of an accomplishment ─ but it worked, regardless. Yet, rather than being an achievement of his own, a completely unrelated event prevented Loid from even processing the answer, let alone putting together a proper response.

The car swerved violently, robbing Conan of his balance and a startled yelp out of him. And his dignity as well, since hedidend up sprawled across Loid's lap, his groans muffled by both cloth and surprise. Because it wasn't an everyday thing ─ he observed, once he had pulled his face out of his current predicament, obviously ─ to see two or three cars ramming into their van with the clear intent of taking itdown ─or, alternatively, making it stop.

Well, he wasn't complaining, as any other sane person would do. Then again, any other sane person might not have had this concrete plan in mind, and had the sudden opportunity and means to act on it.

If only that creepy pigeon would, just,stopogling at him ─ seriously, there was this bird that Conan could have sworn to have seen minutes earlier, flying alongside their car, its tiny little head facing the window. Just how fast could pigeons fly, anyway?

Dove,he corrected himself, after a second look.That's a white dove. Watching me.

Now,thatwas strange. He wondered why Twilight had not noticed it yet.Ah, right.He was being chased byfourenemy vehicles, had a child and a woman who was supposed to know nothing about his secret job on board ─ bleeding to the head, full of bruises and exhaustion that clung to his eyelids, as far as Conan could see.

He supposed it made sense.

Placing her hand over her chest, Yor leaned slightly forward. "Who are these people?"

Loid tapped on the steering wheel for a while ─ no doubt, effortlessly fabricating a lie to smooth out the situation.

"I-It appears some patients haven't recovered from their psychotic episodes."

Conan did not bother to hide his raised eyebrow.Smooth,he thought sarcastically.

To his ─their─ surprise, Yor nodded. "Being a doctor must be very taxing."

Time was far too brief to be wasted away, that was a notion Shinichi had long learned after years upon years of witnessing countless murder crimes ─ though it was ironic, coming from the one whose biological clock had literally tickled backwards. Still, it meant he wasn't about to waste time trying to classify that behavior as absolutely naïve or painfully clueless, and instead focused on getting as much information about the situation as he could.

Sending one look over his shoulder, Conan tried to see what exactly they were carrying at the back of this van. Wooden crates of all shapes and sizes had him wondering what they could possibly be carrying there.

Suddenly, it hit him. His hand slipped into his own pocket, and his eyes widened slightly at the feel of the fancy ring Loid had inexplicably acquired overnight.Jewels,he realized. He couldn't see Loid outright stealing these things ─ except for the ring, of course, but he supposed it was for the mission ─ so these people must have stolen them first.Jewel smugglers.

If they had found Twilight so quickly, then they must have planted a tracker somewhere.Inside these boxes… Or maybe…

Again, he met eyes with the dove. There was an odd little black thing on its leg.A camera lens,and behind it, Conan could have sworn he could see a mysterious individual grinning behind it.

Being aware that he was dealing with an experienced spy, Conan wasn't surprised to learn of his superb driving skills ─ though years of sitting in the passenger seat with his mother at the wheel might as well have robbed him of that ability. That didn't mean he wasn't grateful for them, as they allowed them to lose their pursuers in a matter of minutes.

They stopped their van at an abandoned factory, and without even saying a word, Loid had the boy and the woman understand what they were doing next ─ run, and hide, most likely. Yor nodded quietly, falling in step with him without as much as a protest, or even a simple question.

But for Conan, it took a little longer to comply ─ fairly more entranced by the dove preening its feathers, settled comfortably on top of the van, again. Puzzled by the sight, the boy blinked his eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Conan!" Loid hissed at him, a frown crawling on his features ─ if it was a product of the urgency or plain irritation, Conan could not tell.

The miniature detective complied in any case, shooting the strange bird one last, wary look, before he took off running too.

He reached the man as quickly as his shorter legs allowed ─ which wasn't a lot. As soon as he was within arm's reach, Loid had grabbed his shoulder and dragged him along before he could even express his dismay at the action.

His grip, firm as iron, pulled him to a darkened alley. The motion had been swift, and the hold disappeared right afterwards, leaving him reeling from the momentum. Thankfully Yor, who had noticed him stumbling towards her, had gently grabbed him by the shoulders, saving him from face-planting against the floor.

This time he was fully capable, and willing, of showing his discontent, so he spun around. He didn't find his eyes to glare at, though, as they were too busy with more important things than a six-year-old's tantrum ─ probably, but Conan didn't want to dwell on that thought for much longer.

Back pressed against the wall, Twilight peered around the corner. From the severity of that frown, and the crate he had gotten from God-knows-where firmly held in his hands, Conan had a good idea of what he was watching so intently.

Their pursuers were nearby, ready to strike as soon as they spotted them.

But despite everything, despite the tension that weighed on the air and was breathed into his lungs, his ears caught a sound he had not expected to hear. Surprised, he glanced over to where Yor was covering her mouth and whispering an apology for being so inappropriate.

Had that been a giggle? Conan stared in confusion andthennoticed an extra weight on his head that he could not remember ever having been there. To be fair, he hadn't been expecting anything to begin with, but even then, he wasshockedwhen he turned his head slightly to look up.

And saw a beak. A beak, a pair of little black eyes and white feathers.

It was that dove again, perched on his head as if he were just another branch in a tree. Such an unusual sight was the one Yor had found amusing enough to lose herself for less than a moment in the midst of danger ─ even if she was unaware of the true extent of it. Conan found it less as amusing, but a load more mystifying.

And terrifying ─ the notion hit him a second later than the rest.The camera,he remembered, panic slowly beginning to settle in.If this bird is watching us, then…

Yet, as the seconds passed, nothing extremely relevant occurred. Conan was at a loss for what to think, unable to explain why these people seemed to roam aimlessly, searching for them even though they had their exact location.Unless they don't have it.

Then, this dove, what was it…?

Twilight's gaze took on a much sharper edge. Conan watched with a bated breath as, suddenly, two men wearing black clothes walked past them, completely unaware of their presence. Once they were at the right spot, the spy struck, and had taken them both down with the same, now disintegrated crate he had noticed earlier.

"This way!" he shouted, then, with a newly acquired pipe in hand, began to run."Hurry!"

Conan obliged. The dove flapped its wings at the sudden movement and took flight. While he was kind of glad that it was gone, it still didn't explain a single thing on the long list of mysteries that had come up lately, so he wasn't sure what he would have preferred.

Survival should always come first, that was the lesson Ran had strived to drill into his thick skull, and after this whole ordeal of being poisoned and surviving by plain dumb luck, he thought he could finally understand what she was talking about ─ although there was a time in the past when he had firmly and foolishly believed that he already did. That meant, naturally, focusing on running and possibly surviving this.

"Um," Yor murmured, almost hesitantly, glancing from over his shoulder at the likely concussed gang members Loid had just taken down. "Are you sure it's alright for you to hit your patients like that?"

He could see the gears in Twilight's head turning. "The concussive recovery method is the latest in modern medical practices."

Conan stared back at him, blankly.This guy deserves an award for creativity. Seriously.

Naturally, they couldn't even take two steps without being spotted again ─ and truly, Conanhated itthat, with that small body of his, was hardly capable of doing anything but to scramble away from harm as Loid took them head on.

He could do nothing but watch as the spy spun on his heels, flinging the pipe at the man who had tried to sneak up behind them ─ and ignore the realization that Conan's own strength would have failed to do what he had accomplished. Rather than an unconscious criminal, all he would have gotten would probably be apissed offcriminal. Been there, done that.

Jealousy would surely become his loyal friend in this new, weird phase of his life.

The flapping of wings let him know there was more to the 'loyal friend' category than he already thought. Picking up his head, he saw the bird again, perched above the stairs and staring downstraightat him. Once it made sure it had seen him ─ Conan then considered that this situation might have messed with his head alittlemore than he had expected ─ it picked up flight again, yet into the sky like most birds did, no.

Conan watched as the white dove flew into a building, and realized that following it would not be the brightest idea of all ─ his mental Ran was shaking her head in disappointment at him, even if he had not even considered it,for real, he could swear.For he knew that engaging in such an action would mean never having learned from hisinconvenienceat Tropical Land. It would be making the same mistake, all over again.

Yes, humans were prone to making mistakes ─ and to making thesamemistake twice.

So, when Loid looked back to check on the little boy who had accompanied them, and found nothing but empty space behind, he didn't think much of it ─ not for lack of trying, but rather, because his mind was paralyzed by the encounter of a situation he hadn't accounted for. He blinked slowly, allowing his brain to reboot and come to the realization that there was a childmissingin the middle of a fight with jewel smugglers.

He snapped back to reality at the clank of the soles of his shoes on the metal stairs, and quickly spotted him ─ a focused expression, not unlike the one he usually wore when on a mission, strangely determined to reach his destination. Shock waned when he saw him disappear inside a building.

He gritted his teeth.

A rain of bullets had him scrambling for cover with Yor, but never did he stop swearing, even if it was in the privacy of his own mind.

The best he could do was to take his enemies down ─hewas their target, and they appeared too focused on him to even notice that the boy was gone. Which meant that Conan would be safe for the time being.

Or so he hoped.

The silvery glow of a full moon greeted him as he finally reached the rooftop, a chilly night breeze beckoning him back inside, where it was warmer, cozier ─ not unlike the smile of an enemy that passive-aggressively suggested he wanted him out of their sight. He rejected the offer, walking towards the edge of the building to take a deep breath in, savoring the stillness.

Although stillness did not necessarily equal solitude. A smirk quirked his lips upward.

"Did you know that white doves don't exist in the wild?" he asked into the silence. "That means you probably won't see one walking around town unless it was released by accident or at a ceremony, such as a wedding or funeral, and wasn't able to make it back afterwards."

The white dove stood in front of him, its head co*cked. When Conan held out his hand, it had no qualms about flying over to sit on his fingers.

"Or if it's a trained one. They are smart birds." Running his finger under its neck, Conan smiled, watching as the bird nuzzled against him with a contented purr. "It wouldn't take that much of an effort to train one to keep an eye on a specific smuggling group you're interested in."

For a moment, it was as though there was not a soul that could reply, yet the boy hardly even moved from his spot. Aware that there was someone out there, someone that had certainly listened to every word of his, someone that was grinning from the shadows in pure amusem*nt.

Company did not take long to take, announcing its arrival with nothing but footsteps ─ the sound muffled, completely inaudible to most people, but not to Shinichi's keen ears.

Behind him was the figure of what seemed to be a man ─ too old to be a child, too young to be a full-grown adult, if he were to judge by his complexion alone. Donning a pristine white suit, complete with a hat and a cape that fluttered with the wind ─ and a grin that strongly reminded him of sharks.

"I could be a member, you know." He was wearing a monocle, glinting as he lifted his head to study him further. "Watching over the jewels."

"Jewels?" Conan chirped. "Oh, you mean this thing?"

Followed by that, he plucked something from his pocket and held it up, almost teasingly. The diamond ring gleamed beautifully under the moonlight, but even though it was so obviously what this man was looking for, his expression remained unchanged ─ placid, he would say, hadn't it been for the smile that remained there, affixed to his lips.

"You're either the worst at teamwork, or you're in this alone," he clarified, closing his hand around the ring. "You've been keeping me watch on me since I picked this up, but your quote-unquote 'partners', were clueless to our whereabouts. They even lost us in a car chase."

His mysterious companion came closer, but Conan hardly moved away. He held eye contact for a few heartbeats, maybe even longer, before the man deflated with a snicker. "My, aren't you a brave little one? "

The little detective's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

At the question, this strange man seemed to brighten up, like he had been expecting to hear it for so long. A gloved hand rose and pressed against his chest before he bowed, not unlike that of a showman introducing himself to his audience.

"Internationally wanted, newly returned, Phantom Thief 1412," he said, a smirk on his features. "Kaito KID, at your service."

Conan stared, unblinking. "Who?"

The hand stayed where it was, even as the thief backed away with an offended gasp. "I beg yourpardon?" he hissed, his eyes widening as if witnessing something beyond the comprehension of the human mind. "Have you been living under a rock for the last month?"

"That's a way of putting it."

KID raised his eyebrows at him, but Conan stared back blankly, his eyes narrowing further on the absolutely offended phantom thief in front of him ─ which arguably was not his fault. He had been through a lot, with dodging deathandstudying for kid-level exams for whatever reason Loid might have had. He guessed hecouldbe excused for missing ─ he eyed KID ─ whateverthiswas supposed to be.

Though it ended up being far from lethal, Conan was unsure whether to be glad or terribly disappointed.What is this guy wearing, anyway?And that name,Kaito KID? How did he come up with that, anyway?

Then again, Kaito KID… Where did I hear it?His eyes shot back open in realization.Ah, the girl named Ayumi! Right. She wanted this guy to show up on her balcony…

Is he… some sort of celebrity among children?He didn't even want to begin to imagine it. A whole new generation of kids idolizing athief ─ what has the world come to?

"Normally," Conan jerked back to reality when the thief started talking again, "I would have put on an amazing, mind-blowing show for my audience. But since this jewel was smuggled into this country illegally, there wasn't much I could do."

He held the ring up to the moon, shaking his head and frowning as if not pleased with the result. Conan wondered what he had been expecting ─ then blinked at his empty hand and proceeded to experience a mini existential crisis over the fact that he couldn't remember, for the life of him, when and howthathad happened.

After eyeing the object for a little longer, a dash of disappointment crossed the thief's face. It was gone the moment he glanced back at the boy, however.

He stared again, and Conan felt his eyebrow twitch.

Especially when he grinned.

"But you provided me with plenty of entertainment tonight, so I'm grateful for that." KID said. Conan watched him warily as he walked right past him, standing at the very edge of the building. "Come to one of my heists one day, okay?"

"What if I don't want to?" he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

He turned around to look at him one last time. Back facing the abyss, he grinned at him one last time and uttered, "Give it a chance. I promise I'll deliver a performance that won't disappoint."

With that, he up and left ─ he tilted his body backwards and disappeared from sight. Alarmed, Conan immediately darted forward to peer down, fully expecting to see a shapeless mush of red and white stamped on the pavement.

He saw none of it; the spot on the ground directly beneath him was empty. Conan found his brain stuttering until a white blur zooming right next to him had him lifting his head.

The dove took flight, joining the figure that, shrinking as the distance increased, soared the sky in all his white majesty.

Realization sank slowly, but when it did, he felt himself groan. This guy had afreakinghang glider. He wasthatkind of person, Conan realized ─ a flashy, attention-seeking bastard with an insufferable smile; the kind he did not like ─ andno,that definitely was not because it sounded just like Shinichi himself,so shut up, Ran.

What now?Alone on the roof of an unknown factory building in the middle of the night, Conan stood awkwardly, uncertain of where to go next. Loid and Yor were still down there, so maybe he should try to join them? Of course, that would be counterproductive, as they were clearly more capable of defending themselves thanhewas, so maybe he shouldn't.

I could head back to the car and wait there… Or maybe… since I'm all alone, I could try to investigate around-

His train of thought was interrupted by a loud noise, and a slight tremor on the ground he stood at. In the distance, he saw the smoke and wondered justwhatwas going on down there ─ or, alternatively, who was out there blowing things up.

On second thought, maybe I should just sit there and wait quietly for someone to come get me.

So, he plopped down onto the ground, and did not move again.

He did not have to wait long for his arrival, announced by the creaking of an old metallic door that led to the rooftop. Loid was looking even worse off than he had before; his hair was a mess, his face pale as though he had not slept inweeks─ which was extremely likely, come to think of it. Now, in addition to the drying blood on his face, there was also the scent of gunpowder clinging to his clothes. And, of course, Yor, following right behind ─ impressively unaffected by the whole ordeal.

"Oh." Conan smiled from over his shoulder. "You're late."

Loid barely took a step forward before he froze on site, his face gradually losing color ─ was that even possible?

Conan tilted his head, unable to figure out the cause of his sudden distress until he realized it;hewas the cause. He, the six-year-old sitting on the very edge of a four-story building, kicking his legs in the air.

It would be best not to give him a heart attack, he reasoned. Although he might have skipped a beat when the boy swung his legs over and landed on solid ground.

A plethora of emotions crossed Loid's usually composed facade, until he settled with a long, exhausted sigh ─ complete with fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

Conan pretended not to notice, gazing innocently up at the man that walked closer to glare sternly down at him ─ not for the first time that night, for the record. If, after all the trouble he had caused this man, Conan didn't wake up to find himself back in an orphanage, well, he supposed it would probably mean that this man wasn't very good at cost-benefit analysis and liked to make terrible decisions ─ which would speak poorly of his abilities as a spy.

Ah, I already took the entrance exam,he realized. That meant that Eden was already aware of his existence.I wonder how he'd explain my absence if he did that.

"Why did you do that?" Loid asked, suddenly ten years older than he should be.

Conan blinked once, twice, then unexpectedly buried his face in his hands.

Silence stretched beyond what should be reasonable, and Loid was not sure how to stop it, nor did he have any idea of what his reaction should be. A switch of demeanor that had been too sudden to be natural ─who is going to believe that?

"Oh, Conan-san…" Yor stepped forward and crouched down beside the child who, with his hands still pressed to his eyes, had begun to tremble ─ twitching now and then in what Loid assumed to be an attempt to sob. "It's okay, you're safe now."

The boy nodded between hiccups, and Loid honestly wondered if this was what his life had come to be. Certainly not for the first time since the beginning of this mission in particular.

Yor's soothing tone had drawn the boy out from his protective cocoon, peering from over his hands with eyes so wide and innocent that would probably have fooled Twilight himself, had he not noticed there were no tears present.

The woman smiled sympathetically at the sight, stroking Conan's hair in a calming motion. At that moment, the spy knew he wouldn't be able to question him any further, not with Yor around in any case ─ what kind of father berated his child right after such a traumatizing experience? Especially since he would be calling him out on actions that were supposedly born from fear itself.

So, he settled with a sigh and approached the boy, patting him awkwardly on the head.

"Shall we go?"

Conan looked up at him and smiled. Loid could recognize a satisfied smirk when he saw one.That brat.

He had known he was smart, right from the very beginning. But this wasn't just it, he wascunning,and strangely manipulative for his age. And that was slightly terrifying, if Twilight was honest to himself.

Hopefully, it wouldn't prove to be a major drawback for Operation Strix.

"Huh?" Conan had not followed, and this time, had such a perplexed glint in his eyes that Loid identified as genuine. "Yor-san, that…"

He was pointing at her, or rather, at her hand. She was still wearing the grenade pin he had placed on her finger as a makeshift engagement ring, which she quickly covered with her other hand the moment she realized what he was referring to. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she turned to Loid, seeking for help.

"Ah, that…" He scratched the back of his neck as he laughed. "Yor-san and I are getting married."

The revelation hit Conan like a bucket of ice water, judging by the way he gasped, and his eyes widened in ahorrifiedfashion. Loid was yet to wonder what had brought in such a violent reaction.

Surprisingly, getting married in this country was not difficult. All that was required, really, was to fill out a bunch of paperwork, and done; Loid Forger and Yor Briar were officially a happily married couple. All he had to do was contact Franky, and then he would have evidence to claim to have been married for a year. Eden would never suspect a thing, and then his mission would progress smoothly-

Loid grunted as he bumped shoulders with a stranger on the way out of the city hall. It wasn't relevant enough ─ the culprit was just an ordinary worker that apologized briefly before walking in, huffing over his breath about wanting his shift to be over already or something.

Well, he wouldn't blame him, since itwasgetting pretty late; if anything, it surprised him that no one had questioned their decision of getting married at this hour. Which was probably a good thing, since he couldn't really tell them that he wanted to commit to it as soon as possible lest Yor regret it in the morning.

"Loid-san?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. Extremely polite as she was, she still maintained her distance ─ which couldn't be good in the long run. What kind of married couple acted like that even after a year of being together? That was something to work on, for sure.

He waved her off with a smile, deciding that he had enough problems to deal with for the night to add another to the list. That would be future Twilight's problem.

Present Twilight's problem for tonight was ─ thankfully ─ still sitting in the car. With his head resting on the glass window in the passenger seat and his eyes closed, the boy seemed oblivious to their arrival.

He had been like that since they pulled up at Berlint City Hall. Yor attributed it to the poor thing being too tired since it was obviously way past his bedtime ─what bedtime?Loid privately wondered ─ while Loid doubted he had really been sleeping to begin with. Not out loud, of course.

All things considered, he could easily be faking it to avoid further confrontation.

In any case, the spy opted to open the driver's door and let the woman slide inside, so as not to disturb the boy in case he reallywassleeping. She settled between the two of them, and he started up the vehicle.

They remained silent for most of the trip, only exchanging hushed whispers regarding Yor's address ─ he had promised to drive her home, after all. It had taken her three straight refusals before she finally agreed to it, though slightly red in embarrassment.

It wasn't until they were a few blocks away from her apartment that Yor gazed down at hands, folded neatly over her lap.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

Loid glanced at her in askance. She had been the one who had suggested their marriage by convenience, so why was she getting second thoughts about it? Granted, hehadactually considered her regretting her actions at some point, but he expected her concerns to surface a little later thanthis.Way into the following morning, at the earliest.

Yor turned her head, casting a look down at the slumbering child at her right. "This boy…" she began. "I don't think he likes the idea of a new mother."

Ah, so that was it. He had known this would be an issue in the foreseeable future. From the way the boy had acted at the tailor shop where he had met her, or how he had sneaked away from home to, as Yor had told him, tell her he had been sent byhim,Loid, to let her know he couldn't make it to the party as they had agreed to… It was obvious how it looked to Yor's eyes.

Even if he wasn't too sure of what it looked to his own.

He stilled, saying nothing at first. He glanced back at the front, driving for another block in silence until he finally broke it.

"They're too young, both of my children," he said, his voice heavy with what should sound like grief to her ears. "As you can imagine, it was hard for them to deal with my wife's passing. Even though they work so hard not to let me see it, I can tell they still miss her so much."

He realized that it didn't really matter if he couldn't ascertain the situation entirely. Even if this boy's feelings were a riddle he could not solve, all he had to do was to fabricate a scenario where they could take place. All that was needed was a different context that would make everything simpler, perfectly explainable to the woman sitting at his side.

"My daughter wants nothing but to feel that warmth one more time, for her family to be complete once again; she wishes nothing but to have someone to call a mother," he said, his grip on the steering wheel tightening with each word that left his mouth. "But for my son… Conan is different from her. He has never told me this, but he wants his mother back. I can tell the idea of me marrying another woman makes him extremely uncomfortable. To him, it must feel as though I'm replacing her."

Yor looked as though she wanted to contribute to the conversation, but did not come up with something to say. By that time, her apartment had come into view, and the van stopped on the sidewalk directly in front of it. Even then, none of them moved right away.

Loid stared back ahead, as if in contemplation, before shaking his head.

"But that's nothing you should concern yourself about, Yor-san," he said, dropping his head slightly forward. "I will talk to him in the morning. He… won't be able to move on if he keeps clinging to the past so tightly." A beat later, he was looking back up again, a pleasant, if apologetic, smile drawn onto his face. "I'm truly sorry for the way he's been treating you."

Yet, the woman did not immediately reply. She gazed down at her lap again, and her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.

"It's okay, I understand. I know what it feels like," she whispered, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Children losing a parent is a truly dreadful thing."

There was nothing he could say in response.

Thus, he stepped out of the car, holding out the door for her. She bowed slightly at him, uttering her gratitude for everything he had done for her that night, and turned about to leave. Just before she did, Loid stopped her, telling her that they should exchange their contact information ─ not that he didn't already have it, but it would be suspicious, not to saycreepy,if he called her without even being officially given a number.

Giving yet another glance at the note where he had scribbled her phone number down, Loid slid back into the car. He watched as she walked up to her apartment, but even after she disappeared behind the doors of her own home, he did not move from the site.

Instead, he leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples to stave off an oncoming headache ─ why, after all his years as a spy, this seemed to be one of the most taxing nights of his life? He could not figure it out.

But he suspected it had something to do with that strange boy he had picked from the orphanage one day, oblivious of how much trouble he was going to cause him in the long run ─ in a singlenight, how was that even possible?

He shot a sideways glance at the child in question. "I know you're awake," he said.

The lack of response made Loid glance over at the boy. Slumped against the car door, he was breathing softly in a perfectly steady pattern, an oddly serene expression on his face.

Maybe hewasasleep after all, considered Loid. A glance at his watch confirmed that his mission, the subsequent escape from the smugglersandgetting married, had dragged on until about three in the morning. Of course the boy was tired, he was achild,how could he forget?

He is a child. And a child has to know boundaries,or so he had read in the parenting book he had bought many weeks earlier.And this one has not just overstepped them. He completely jumped over them and ran at full-speed two miles past.

Evidently, a grounding was in order. Starting tomorrow, he would…

He stopped himself when he realized he was drawing a blank. When parents grounded their children, they usually did it, for instance, by banning them from going outside. But this kid did not seem to have any particular interest in doing so ─ the normal way, that was. Sneaking out of home was a different problem altogether he would have to deal with soon.

Alternatively, a proper grounding could work if he restricted the access to things he enjoyed doing. He supposed he could ban him from watching that show he seemed to take an interest in, Detective Samonji, but he had the feeling that the boy wouldn't think of it as more than a minor inconvenience, and therefore, would fail horribly as a proper disciplinary technique.

Whatever he tried was bound to fail, for he was faced with one of the most complex puzzles he had ever encountered. Beyond this wall of unsettling maturity and impressive intelligence, Loid had the feeling that hid something deeper, far more complex than his brain could ever comprehend. A young boy whose past was a mystery in itself, with a family background that left much to be desired, and whoseactualpersonality was probably hidden beneath that innocent facade.

A parent can discipline a child by knowing where their interests lie, by knowing what their likes and dislikes are.

But he wasn't his parent, never had been, and never would be. Operation Strix was the only reason he had forged this fake bond between the two of them, which would have to be inevitably severed when he completed his mission.

Twilight knew absolutely nothing about Conan, Conan knew absolutely nothing about Twilight. And that was more than fine with him ─ that was the way it always had been with all the other people he had gotten involved with at every single mission in his life. He didn't see why this should be any different for a child.

That being said, he couldn't explain why he couldn't seem to look away from the boy huddled against the car's door ─ why his mind wouldn't stop pondering about this peculiar child, worrying about what exactly he had brought upon himself the day he'd adopted him.

With a shake of his head, he stuffed the note with Yor's number back inside his pocket and halted. Slowly, he withdrew his hand to stare in utter confusion at the diamond ring he had plucked out from it.

Even though he blinked, the ring did not disappear ─ it wasthatone ring; the one he had been planning on using to ask Yor's hand in marriage, but had strangely gone missing. The realization did nothing but strengthen the feeling of bewilderment that bloomed within him.

"What's this doing here?"

Conan did not answer him.

The lack of proper confrontation had been a surprise for Conan. Not a pleasant one, but a surprise, nonetheless.

Not that he had beenfearingone, per se, yet denying that he had been dreading the inevitability of an interrogation ofthisguy would be a blatant lie. He had been aware that the man had questions, too many to keep track of, out of which Conan would probably have an answer for one or two, maybe, if luck was on his side that day ─ which almost never happened, so he hadn't been counting on that.

He neededtime.Time to craft a story out of practically nowhere, coherent and logical to explain his every action from that night ─ and maybe to try and sacrifice part of his soul to the devil so that Twilight actuallyboughtit, because that was probably the only reasonable way that was going to happen.

Believe it or not, Yor hanging out with them had been beneficial to him, for he knew that Loid wouldn't be able to question him to his heart's content for as long as she was there. But fortunatelyandunfortunately, it had been clear that she would have to head back home eventually, and her absence would leave him defenseless to his scrutiny.

He had not been not ready for it, not yet ─ maybe if he pretended he was actually sleeping, and therefore unable to engage in a conversation, he could buy some time, he had supposed.

Though the late hour had not registered for him until he had closed his eyes. He had woken up just as they pulled up in front of their house, slightly disoriented and several times as exhausted as he remembered ─ maybe Loid, in a surge of unexpected compassion, had realized this and forgo bringing the matter up.

Not for the first time, Conan had found himself cursing this darn small body of his even as he dragged his feet up the stairs ─ it wasn't even four in the morning, what was wrong with him? At least, he had woken up before he had to be actuallycarriedthere, or he would have been forced to watch his teenage detective pride die a gruesome death, incinerated by the flames of embarrassment and shame.

After Loid unlocked the door, Conan had unceremoniously made his way inside ─ without so much as a glance at the babysitter, who seemed more than ready to have an existential crisis just by seeing him at the door. All he had done was head back to his room, plop onto his bed and drop back to sleep ─ all worries and concerns forgotten at the promise of some well-deserved rest.

They returned with a vengeance the moment he opened his eyes well into the next morning, the many memories of the night before crawling back to him.What do I do now?he wondered from where he lay, eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling.

Oh, this will be so fun,thought the boy, sarcastically, carding his fingers through his hair. With a weary sigh, he hopped back to the floor and lethargically made his way to the door.

He really,really,did not want to start the day. But it wasn't as though he could lock himself up in his room for the unforeseeable future ─ not that he actuallycould,he didn't even have ways to lock up his own door, but maybe he should work a way around it. He may need it in the future, he considered.

But for now…Conan took a deep breath in and finally opened the door.Time to face the music. Or Loid-san.

Therefore, his surprise shouldn't have been as great as it had been when he found Loid's face just as he opened the door. It shouldn't have been as strange, since his bedroom was situatedrightnext to the man's, but his steps faltered either way.

For some reason, too, it had seemed like it was the same for Loid, who blinked owlishly from the doorway leading to his own room. He allowed the man to process the sight in front of him, mentally preparing himself for theinevitablewhen, out of the blue, he smiled.

"Oh, good morning, Conan," he greeted, and Conan found himself staring. "You're up pretty early."

Conan refused to respond, and instead, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Loid seemed either not to notice, orpretendnot to notice, and calmly made his way down the hallway to the living room. "I'll go prepare breakfast," he told him. "After you wash your face, could you wake Anya up for me?"

He stalled for a moment. "So, you aren't…?"

From over his shoulder, Loid gave him the most clueless look he could muster. "Something wrong?"

"N-No."

Butyes,everything was justtoowrong that he didn't know where to begin. There was no way thatTwilight,the outstanding spy that had been sent all the way from the west, had decided to ignore what he had seen and learned the other night. There was no way there were no questions, or evenconsequences,to what Conan had pulled out.

And to look thisinnocent,staring at him as if he had grown a second head ─the nerve, this guy.He had to be faking it; he had to belaughingright now at the sight of him, Conan, gaping like a fish out of water from the other way of the corridor.

With a shrug, Loid disappeared from sight, so reluctantly, Conan decided to do the same. Biting back a sigh, he opened the door to the bathroom, took exactlytwosteps inside before he halted.

Lifting his head, his eyes grew a sliver wider ─ and so did that certain feeling that he had thought long appeased by now. That feeling welling up in his chest that foretold thatthiswould be one hell of a day, or a week. Or a month.

For he could not see the window he had escaped from the other day, sealing the view from the outside world through planks upon planks affixed to it.

"You shouldn't have left the window open," a voice from behind said.

Conan suppressed a shiver, and turned, ever so slowly, until he saw Loid's bright ─ almost too bright ─ smile. He felt himself frown profusely at the sight.Fighting fire with fire, I see.

"Oh, because I could catch a cold, right?" he chirped, mirroring his expression to the utmost perfection. "Did you seal the window because of the wind, too?"

"That, and we're on thesecond floor," Loid replied. His figure was cut out of view by a door frame as he walked away, heading to the kitchen, Conan assumed. "That's basically a safety hazard. Don't even try it."

Again,was left unsaid, but for the boy, it was as though he had explicitly stated it. Of course, he knew better than to comment on it. Instead, he walked over to the sink, scowling to himself as he dragged a stool to climb over ─ even with the extra height, his reflection on the mirror only reached up to his nose which, while still degrading, it was a kind of degrading he had unfortunately gotten used to.

"Oh, but I thought concussive therapy was a thing?" Conan remarked, just before splashing water onto his face.

Loid's response took a greater time to be formulated than usual. "It's 'concussive recovery method'."

The boy had to cover his mouth to restrain a burst of laughter ─ though, from the heavy silence that fell over him, he had the impression that Loid was glaring at empty space, as a substitute of his face, which was currently out of sight.

"Yeah, whatever." A hand reached for the toothbrush, the other to the toothpaste tube, a snicker slipping past his lips. "Sure you don't want to try it on me? There's a few that would kill to get that chance."

"For example, the criminal you stopped last other night, I presume." Conan paused for a beat, his every movement halting at the remark that had come from practically nowhere. "Anyone else who we should keep an eye out for?"

The faux child hummed, as if deep in thought, then shrugging, stuck the toothbrush inside his mouth.Good try,he thought, and with that, he let the matter go.

Loid didn't seem to want to add anything else, something that Conan was infinitely grateful about. Relieved that this issue had mostly been resolved with much fewer casualties than he had been expecting, he bent down over the sink to rinse his mouth.

"Oh, and you're grounded, by the way."

Conan made a choking noise.

Anya was woken up by a sharp knocking, alongside some words that, muffled by both the door and the haze of sleep, she had not been capable of decoding. She might have mumbled out a response, though she wasn'ttoosure, and rolled over in her bed.

Closing her eyes again, she mentally apologized to Bondman for interrupting the mission and set off to save the princess, as she had promised. But she only got so far ─ Bondman had put on an admirable fight, but Mr. Chimera had been too strong for him. Extending his arms at both his sides, he smiled back at her ─find Holmes,he told her, closing his eyes as a massive ball of fire was shot his way.Find Holmes, and save the princess.

Anya jolted out of bed, head snapping from side to side in search of danger, but eventually, she found nothing at all. Realization soon fell on her that she was not off on an exciting adventure with Bondman, but alone in her room ─ her shoulders dropped, and a pout took hold of her every feature.

Now wide awake with disappointment, she headed straight to the bathroom to reluctantly get ready for the day ─ as her dad always reminded her to do. Once done, and sensing movement around, she walked up to the living room and stopped.

Color drained from her face, her blood going cold at the horrifying scene that awaited her, for her eyes, that grew bigger and bigger with each passing second, to stare at.

Books,countless of them, arranged in a neat pile that was probably a few meters high ─ not that Anya knew how high that was, but she estimated it waslarge.And behind them, in danger of being buried by them all, was Conan ─ a bored glint taking over his gaze as they moved across the lines, scribbling something in a notebook.

Unconsciously, Anya took a step backwards.

"You're awake, Anya." Anya winced violently, twirling about to see her father cleaning some dishes in the kitchen. "Come get breakfast. I'm sure it's gone cold- Conan, back to your notes."

Conan grumbled, rolling his eyes, and went back to do what he had been doing. Or so Anya supposed ─ she was too scared to even glancethatway to tell for sure.

"Your show is about to begin, right?" asked Loid. "We're going to study after it's over."

Anya did nothing but stand there, blinking ─ feeling more lost than she had ever felt before.

Multiplication tables, again?!he heard Conan crying in his mind. Though he remained silent, she saw him pressing a hand to his forehead, massaging it lightly.It doesn't even matter if I finish it quickly or not, he's going to just put more work on my table.

The blinking did not stop, but now it was directed mostly at her older brother rather than at her father. Dimly, she recognized Loid calling her name once, then again in a more irritated way, telling her to go sit down and have breakfast. But she couldn't bring herself to do so.

Did I seriously get grounded by this guy? When was the last time I was grounded by my actual parents, anyway?

Then again, I think I got off quite lightly. Considering I snuck away from home last night.

Anya's eyes went wide with shock.

And that I showed up at Yor-san's party… And that I might have pointed out the one responsible for the murder attempt on her…

Loid arched an eyebrow, unable to explain for the life of him why the girl seemed to be shaking in her spot, hands balled into little fists as she stared at her brother ─ was it her aversion to studying?When did it turn into fear?

Then suddenly, Anya flinched, spun on her heels and hurried to sit at the table. Her father thought little of it, moving back to the kitchen to arrange breakfast for his late-riser of a daughter.

Conan's thoughts had yet to fade away into the background, however. They echoed, loud and clear, within her mind.

That, not even considering when I ran away from him while we were chased by the members of that jewel smuggling ring Loid-san had failed to take. Of course, I'm not telling him that I encountered Kaito KID on that roof. That would really be… pushing it…

Why is she looking at me like that?

Her gaze tore away from her right away, and her figure went a little too still for it to be natural. But Conan thought nothing about it, burying his nose back in his book before Loid came back and doubled up the work he was supposed to be doing.

Her attention was soon drawn by breakfast, and later on was captivated by the anime show she put on the television, leaving Conan alone to suffer in peace ─ for the most part, that was.

From time to time, he would be jolted back to reality with the sharp stabbing of a stare. And for the next several minutes afterwards, he would find himself wondering what was the notice of all the glaring and pouting that Anya regularly kept on sending her way.

But it would be all in vain ─ not even the greatest detective of his age could figure out a mystery of such magnitude.

Weird kid,he thought, certainly not for the first time in his life.

Chapter 7: Just a Housewife

Chapter Text

Yor had yet to believe that this was actually happening.

A truly inconceivable thought it was, for everything to be progressingthissmoothly. The Shopkeeper had praised her for her wonderful cover, Loid had agreed on letting her move to his home the following morning, and Yor still was unable to tell why she hadn't done this earlier ─ if only she had known it would bethiseasy! Maybe Yuri wouldn't have to have worried about her sake for this long, or maybe she wouldn't have needed to concern herself about what other people may think of her, or the repercussions for her main job.

With a smile fixed on her lips, she picked a cardboard box up and headed to the bathroom to pack the few belongings there were still left.

Then again, it only worked because Loid-san needed a wife. I don't think anyone else would have agreed…

Her thoughts trailed down into silence, her attention brisked by her reflection in the mirror. Wincing, she shifted her hold in her baggage so that she could furiously scrub off a few specks of blood that had stuck to her cheek after that night's killing.

That was close,she thought, frowning at herself.I need to be more careful from now on.

Starting tomorrow, she would not be living on her own any longer. There would be more eyes to avoid, more people to keep that little secret of hers from.

That being said, the bloodstain was particularly stubborn today ─ no wonder, she thought with a heavy sigh, as it had been given plenty of time to dry, clinging to her skin as opposed to the usual, when blood was still fresh and much easier to wipe out.

So, she rubbed at it more roughly, and smiled when it seemed like it was working. The violent movement, however, had caused her box to tilt over, and while her honed reflexes had allowed her to catch it in record time, some of its contents inevitably spilled over, clattering noisily as it fell on the ground.

Yor cast one glance over to the object in question, and stilled. Her gaze narrowed and darkened.

Even now, she could still hear the phone ringing.

With one last choking sound, he stopped moving.

Yor took one step backwards, drawing her blade back, and couldn't help, for less than a second, but to contemplate the sight she had seen more several times in her life. Crimson red blended with brilliant gold, dripping from the tip to the floor to join the smaller pool of blood that had collected over the prone form of a man.

His name was Kenzo Hirota, and he was the second to die at her hand; a robber to this country, a traitor so disgusting that made Yor's stomach turn. One that had, as if the sins he had committed had not been enough, resorted to backstabbing his partners and keeping the money to himself.

He was nothing but trash, and Yor, the Thorn Princess, had sought to wipe out the dirt from her country. To make this country a safer place to live, free from criminals and traitors infesting her beloved country.

For that, she would do anything. Anything at all.

Lifting her head, Yor found her gaze drifting from Hirota's limp hand. Hanging from over a table he lay to rest beneath, there was a phone, swaying gently from side to side as if wanting to gather her attention.

She did not think much of it. She gently picked the phone up, held it to her ear, and waited in silence.

There, she heard a sigh. "I knew it," was murmured in her ear, far from disappointed but more resigned than anything else.

Yor did not answer, nor did her face change in the slightest. Her eyes, fiery red yet cold, flickered downward; just like waves washing the shore, a beautiful deep scarlet stained the ground, caressing the heel of her boots.

"I'm not going to run away," she was told, followed by a pause from the other side. Whether it was for this person to collect herself, conjure her words, or for Yor to have her chance to speak, would forever be a mystery. "I'll be waiting for you at the dock."

Despite every other cell throughout her body screaming at her, telling her that this was the way things were supposed to be ─ that eradicating the wrongdoers that polluted this country was the noblest duty she could have asked for, Yor heard the faintest of cracks next to her ear.

She forced her grip on the phone to loosen before she would break anything

"There's something left for me to do," the person continued to say, seemingly unaware of what was going on the other side of the phone ─ though Yor suspected she did. Somehow, she always did. "It shouldn't take long." She chuckled, but it was dry, grim. "Not enough for me to make a run for it, at least."

"Why?" The woman on the other side hummed, showing she had Yor's attention. Yet, the words took longer than expected to bubble up from her throat. "Why aren't you running away?"

There was a giggle, and Yor could swear she could see her smile right now.

"If I'm going to die, then I'm glad it'll be you, Yor-chan."

Yor did not know what to say to that.

"There's something else, though. I've left a little something for you. After all of this is over with, come pick it up, okay?"

Sighing, Yor bent down and plucked it out from the floor. For the longest time, she did nothing but to contemplate the object that laid, slightly cold, against the palm of her hand.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath before placing it back on the box it had fallen from. Deciding not to give it any further thought, she set off on continuing with her work from where she had left off.

It was day two since his grounding began, and Conan was already feeling his brain die from understimulation ─ a slow and painful death, smothered by loads upon loads of exam exercises that made him want to tear off his hair in pure desperation for thewrongreasons only.

Allowing himself a respite, Conan rested his forehead to his scribbled notes, and exhaled deeply, reflecting over his current situation, surely not for the first time. Back when Loid had informed him he would be grounded for a week, he had been nothing but intrigued. How was he planning to lay down the law on a child-not-child he had known for a little less than a month? Such a bizarre thought had amused Conan to no end.

Well, he wasn't laughing now, was he? In fact, there were still five days left to fulfill his sentence and he waskind ofconsidering asking for the capital punishment instead.

This is torture,he had absolutely no doubts about it. Being confined to a kiddie-chair, a coffee table and a mind-numbing selection of books, when there wasso muchfor him to do.Like investigating that thief, for example.Not out of interest per se,of course not,but… maybe yeah, he was a little curious. Mostly, he wanted to determine if he was really all that famous, as he had claimed to be, or he was nothing but a fool with an inflated ego that suffered from severe delusions of grandeur.

Besides, if thathappenedto be true, he would like to know more. For a detective, it was indispensable to be aware of the latest trends, to know about what was going on in this world he lived in, yet strangely, seemed to be slowly detaching himself from.

Groaning, he turned his head, cheek squished against the now crumpled pages of a book he couldn't care less about. Blue dulled with boredom flickered over to a certain piece of paper Loid had placed there earlier. The letters were barely even legible from his awkward position, but since he had already spotted it a few hours ago ─ had scrutinized it until his eyes had grown strained from opening so widely ─ he did not need to read it to identify what it was.

It was a marriage certificate. A forged one, obviously, unless Agent Twilight had a time-leaper friend somewhere to make it possible for Loid Forger and Yor Briar to have married a year before ever agreeing to it in the first place.

She's moving in today, right? That woman.

Even if his supposed father hadn't told him about it by himself, Conan would have figured that out, anyway. Just yesterday, in a quick trip to the toilet ─ also the only break he had been allowed from the dozen of modern history books he had long memorized in his first childhood ─ he had passed by that certain room that had been empty since they had moved there.

Loid had been cleaning the windows while Anya, well… It was hard to tell. Peeking into the room, Conan had been witness to how she had tripped on a bucket filled with water, and had wisely chosen to leave just as the horror started to seep into Loid's features. Now complete with furniture and a spacious bed, the room lay in waiting somewhere at the end of the hallway, foreboding the arrival of yet another member of this little forged family Twilight was putting on together for his own objectives.

So it's really happening, huh?Living with a murder suspect. Shinichi had never believed he would see the day that would happen.

Yor Briar ─ no, Yor Forger. Who might or might not have killed Masami Hirota-san…

He groaned, louder this time, forcing his gaze away from the certificate. No matter how intense was the urge to up and tear the damned thing to pieces, Loid would easily get another one so it would amount to nothing ─ nothing but further trouble for Conan himself, clearly.

The sound of a door opening reached his ears, yet Conan pretended he had heard nothing at all, and went back to his studies. Though, from the corner of his eye, he caught the movement of Loid who, throwing a polite, horriblyfakein his eyes, smile over his shoulder, walked into his own while carrying a few boxes.

A figure came in after him, stopping right at the doorway, and soon enough, Conan felt her gaze falling on him. Diligently, he kept on writing, barely even conscious of a frown on his own features that, certainly, had not been before.

It wasn't until the sound of steps heading away from his position that he lifted his head. Being an unwilling member of a family built upon secrets and appearances, Shinichi knew how foolish of him it would be to trust what his own eyes were seeing; a young woman with a kind smile on her face and a gentle cadence in his voice ─ trusting that would definitely be a mistake.

Yor was nothing but bright and gentle. The ones who shone brighter, however, were usually the most dangerous to encounter ─ these monsters that blended so seamlessly were the deadliest Shinichi had ever had to deal with. Which was saying a lot, probably.

Bubbly and bright as always, and definitely unaware of the secrets this womanprobablyhid behind that clueless facade, Anya bounced on her feet and offered her a welcome so warm that made the one Conan gave her lookgelidas though it had been fabricated in the North Pole itself ─ a description that might be accurateevenif Anya had not been there. It was hard to describe a welcome as warm and cozy when there had been none to begin with.

"I'm going to show Mama around!"

"Once we get settled in, we'll practice for the interview."

Oh, great. This day was surely getting better and better.

Finally, the woman retreated somewhere into the kitchen, with the pink-haired girl in tow, and he allowed his breath to escape after being confined in his lungs for so long. For a moment, he considered voluntarily forgetting about their encounter at the cemetery a while back, about her murmured apologies to the resting place of her supposed friend and turning over a new leaf.

Paranoia was but a high-maintenance friend with little over a few thousands red flags, certainly one he did not want to keep around if he was toliveunder the same roof as that person. A suspicious individual he would obviously have to keep a careful eye on ─ every single day, minute,second,for the rest of their existence, or at least, until this pretend family inevitably crumbled apart at the end.

He might be a lot of things, an overachiever for some, an idiot with a lack of survival instincts to others, but he knew his limits. Yor had only been, like, two seconds with him and he was already feeling drained from thinking too much. He would probably be tempted to walk himself back to the orphanage by the end of the day, and might have committed to it the following morning.

Besides, what was there to say she hadactuallymurdered Masami Hirota? Nothing but a single specific instance of odd behavior probably brought by grievance, or maybe genuine repentance for not believing in her when she was needed the most ─ something she had almost been murdered about, so he supposed it was clear thatthatmuch had happened.

He truly had nothing to justify his suspicion towards her. Nothing, but a hunch.

Only that his hunches had yet to be proved wrong thus far.

"This is Niichan's room!"

"Oh. Everything is so neat and organized!"

It was surprising how she still found something good to say, Conan would openly admit to it, at least. For he knew what a sight must have been, so widely different to what his supposed sister's had been. Where Anya's room overflowed with life; stuffed toys,pink, and every single thing she could her little hands ─ or Loid's ─ on, Conan's was… lacking, so to say.

When Loid had asked how he wanted to decorate it, he had told him to leave it as it was. There was no need to overcomplicate things, all he needed was a bed, everything else was pretty much an accessory he did not need.

Because that isn't my room,had been Shinichi's thought then, and was his thought as it stood now.This isn't my home either.

And he wasn't about to replace those. All he needed was to return there, to the one place he truly belonged, and forget any of this ever happened.

Suddenly, he was broken out of his own musings, alerted by the sound of steps approaching from the entrance. Conan returned to his work, no matter how utterly mundane, and tried not to react when he noticed they were heading down the corridor, as they were supposed to.

"You could take a break," offered Loid.

But as tempting as that offer sounded, Conan shrugged it off, and went back to writing. In turn, the spy hesitated, standing idly with the boxes in his arms, watching him work for a moment, or two, before he deflated in a heavy sigh Conan tried not to raise an eyebrow to.

"I'm aware you aren't happy with this," he said.

This time, Conan effectively rolled his eyes. "Well spotted."

"But you're only making things harder this way." Loid turned back to leave, sending one glance to the boy from over his shoulder, adding, "Harder for you, I mean."

Having said that, he disappeared somewhere to the back of the house, and soon, his voice joined all the others that had been present yet ignored, their concrete meaning muffled by the walls of the welcomer's brand new room ─ but something else remained, even though Conan could feel it but not describe it to utmost perfection. There wassomethingon the way Anya cheered, for whatever reason, so excitedly at that. Even on the way Loid's voice, though much calmer, pierced through with outstanding clarity, or even Yor's gentle giggling warmed the air around…

There was something, even if Conan could not put his finger on what it was. And thissomething,whatever it was, was ridiculously strong. Strong enough to make himforget,for less than a second, that all ofthiswas but a mirage.

It took him a little longer to realize that his hand had stopped moving, a scribbled word cut off in the middle.

A pen was gently settled onto the table, the chair scratching against the floor as the boy stood up. He walked away, a sigh hung on his lips, musing about how important it was to keep a watch on her, and that being shrunk, really, should not stand in the way of his duties as a detective.Besides, Loid-san told me to take a break,so it would be stupid not to use that opportunity to sneak away from his, uh,predicament,without the risk of his sentence being extended further from what he would be able to withstand.Especially when I have the chance to do this…

Yor's bright scarlet gaze fell on him the moment his head poked from behind her doorway.

The chance to investigate Yor Briar and her supposed involvement in Masami Hirota's murder.

Though obviously surprised by his appearance, she smiled down at him, warm and gentle.

Conan wasn't sure how to react to that.

Nor was he sure how to react to Anya's wide eyes, for her attention was drawn back to him from reasons he did not feel in the mood of trying to figure out. This was normal, however, so it didn't really bother him as it probably should.

Loid spared not a single thought, unlike any of the other two. "I'll come get your boxes once they're empty," he said as he stepped into the hallway.

Conan watched him for a second ─ for a second, he couldswear─ when Anya's quiet gasp drew his attention back to the front, or rather, theemptyboxes that were suddenlythere,leaning against the wall after their use came to pass. Blinking, the detective raised his gaze, and could not stop his mouth from dropping open at the sight that awaited him.

"Loid-san, I've got everything put away."

In front of him awaited a fully decorated room that, certainly, had been mostly empty just now. The fact sank slowly, yet it was never truly processed, not really, since his brain was fighting to work through the shock, barking orders all around to close the jaw that remained open, and try to appear a coherent,normalperson ─ or the closest he could manage.

Loid was standing next to her in no time at all ─ of course, because he hadn't even made ittwosteps before she had called him over ─ a pleasant smile drawn in his features that made Conan wonder where his common sense had disappeared to ─ becausehowwhy wasn't he freaking out right now? EvenAnyahad the decency to look reasonably surprised at her skill.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog of bewilderment away from his thoughts, distracting himself with letting his gaze wander about, searching for anything interesting enough to keep him entertainedand functional.The room was only so big, so it didn't really take him long to spot a framed picture sitting on her desk, and decided that would do.

Standing on his tiptoes, two figures welcomed his sight. One of them was Yor herself, and next to her was a man that bore a striking resemblance with the aforementioned woman. He was younger than her, but definitely an adult, or at least, older than Shinichi himself ─ hisrealself, that was, not the six-year-old runt that couldn't look over a single desk without having to stretch himself beyond human limitations.

Yeah, he wasn't amused about that.

"His name is Yuri."

Spooked at the sudden interjection, the boy all but spun around to stare, wide eyed, at Yor's probably permanent smile of hers. She seemed to remain oblivious about the fact that she had almost sent him straight to cardiac arrest, though the raised eyebrow coming from Loid told him it didn't go the same way for him.

"That's my little brother," she added. "Though he isn't that 'little' anymore, is he?"

Conan stared back and uttered no response.

Loid took over. "You said he's also a civil servant?"

Yor looked away from the boy to his father, and nodded. "He seems quite busy lately," she told him. "So I've only spoken to him on the phone."

"I should properly introduce myself once the entrance exam is over."

Now,thatwas something Conan wanted to see ─ how they were going to explain to a man that his sister had been married to a random dude for an entire year without him being any the wiser. Being a spy and everything, Conan normally would have thought that this was probably nothing to worry about, that this was a scenario he had long considered from the very beginning. One that he had whipped out a plan to counter, and that he was just waiting for the moment to execute it.

Only, Conan had once heard him say ─ what was it again? 'Concussive recovery method'?

From that day on, he hadn't been able to look at Twilight in the same light again.

Conan's gaze rose to meet Yor's face who, oblivious to her scrutiny, continued on conversing with Loid. A bead of sweat slipped from the boy's forehead, though he knew for sure it wasn't born from anything akin to distress, or even a stuffy hot day or sickness.

She bought it pretty easily, though.

Yor seemed to be… how to put it?Naïve,the word popped into his head first and foremost.Polite,would probably be the second, hadn't it been long obscured by the rest of his overflowing thoughts. The way she moved, the way she spoke or even how she smiled ─ it was hard to spot anything that denoted anything remotely shady, that would be worth noting for future use. Anything that would tell him that, yes, she actuallywasa criminal.

Yet, there was nothing at all. And that was what frustrated him the most.

But then, suddenly, therewas.Scarlet eyes grew wider than what he had ever seen them doing, and in two long strides, she had crossed the room.

"A-Anya-san!" she stuttered. "I'll take care of that!"

Conan followed her gaze, and indeed, he found the pink-haired little girl in question, and her big confused green eyes peering up at the woman from where she crouched next to a box.

Her arms were stretched forward, hands spread open as if ready to strike, to pluck the girl off the ground and away.Away from what, though?

Despite what Conan would have predicted, Anya obediently stepped away as per the woman's wishes, uttering not a single whine in dismay. Having successfully pried those sticky little hands of hers out of her belongings, Yor breathed out in what Conan could only interpret as relief.

No one, literallyno one─ not even thespy,for crying out loud! ─ seemed to give the matter any further thought than that. It slipped from their minds easily enough and straight to irrelevance, forgotten at the mention of cookies or whatever as they left the room, all of them, together.

But Conan didn't. For a moment longer than necessary, he lingered at the doorway, watching the box through narrowed eyes. He snapped himself out of it right away at the much familiar feeling of being observed.

And sure enough, his senses weren't lying to him. His lips curved into a faint smile as he turned to Loid, and promptly crossed over to the other side of the corridor, to the door that stood directly opposite from Yor's room.

"Toilet," was all he said. Loid raised an eyebrow at him, so he rolled his eyes. "You sealed the window, remember? I'm not going anywhere."

Loid stared at him, and while it didn't last further than a single second, Conan had to ward off a wince coming. At least, he managed to keep the carefree smile up until the spy hesitantly left him alone, rooted in that empty hallway with the sole company of his own thoughts.

He sent one last glance over his shoulder. Nobody seemed to be coming, or even pay attention to him, which was a nice gesture on their part, actually. Because it allowed his fingertips, that once had stretched over to graze the doorknob, to slip away. Quietly. Carefully.

His arm did not even have time to rest, to hang limp and useless at his side after falling. The boy had bolted off by then, and he was tugging at another door knob again, all but throwing it open ─ which he surely would have done in his hurry, wasn't his need for silence so present in that hurried, half-baked plan of his.

Only when he heard that gentleclickConan allowed himself to breathe out. Back resting against the door, the boy waited, attentive to any noise that would speak of someone else's presence, which he found none.

Looks like I'm safe,he thought.For now.

It was such a ridiculous situation, he grimaced at the realization, for a full-fledged detective of his caliber to be sneaking around adult's gazes like a mischievous little kid, breaking in cold sweat at the mere thought of being found out by a woman who, if someone were to judge by looks alone, wouldn't even kill a fly. Or Loid, he wasn't sure what would be worse ─evenif Yor turned out to be a murderer in the end.

He shook his head with a dejected sigh, finally stepping away from the door to proceed with what he hadactuallybeen trying to do, or inspect, more specifically.

Raising his head, he easily found the box in question, right at the place where it had been left ─ clearly, it had probably been less than a few minutes ever since they had all left, even if to him it sure felt a lot longer. There wasn't anything remarkable about this, at least at first glance.

It was, just, a box. A large one, if anything, labeled as 'Bedroom I' with black permanent marker and in a rather neat calligraphy. Just by looking at it, Conan could get the sense that Yor was quite the organized and practical person, as demonstrated by how she decorated her room inseconds,and the way everything had looked like in the end. Everything was put into place, neat to the point of perfection, giving off the impression that every single item had been there from the beginning of time, and not until recently.

Everything, but the box in question. It stuck like a sore thumb at the same corner where he had first spotted it, bound to collect dust if Yor didn't do anything with it soon. It begged the question, why hadn't she put the things inside somewhere else, like she had done with literally everything else? Surely, nobody wouldn't go through all the trouble to bring it along if it wasn't necessary or held any personal value.

Unless it's something you can't put on display.Conan frowned, crouching over the mysterious cardboard box.Something you are supposed to hide from plain view.

So, he paused to take a deep breath in, then carefully, opened the box just enough to stick a hand inside. Fingers twitching upon contact with something else, Conan frowned profusely, just a second away from starting to imaginewhatthis woman could be hiding in there, though, he realized he didn't have all that time to spare, and quickly pulled it out.

For a single heartbeat afterwards, his body refused to move, and his eyes, too busy with blinking at the strange object that rested atop his palm, failed to process what they were truly seeing.

Although he hadn't dared to stop andthinkabout what he had exactly been expecting to find, a cassette tape was beyond what he could have imagined.

What's this?He wondered, turning it around for further inspection. Yor's name was inscribed on it, by a person whose handwriting, while neat and clean, didn't resemble what he had seen in the box itself in the slightest.It's not Yor-san's,was the obvious conclusion to make.But maybe it was left behind for her?Someone close to her, since she was keeping this with her. Possibly someone who wasn't around anymore, if it truly turned out to be a recorded message, like he had first assumed.

Maybe, in this unassuming tape he was holding, was a voice who Yor wouldn't be able to hear any longer, thus fueling her wish to keep it alive, close to her, wherever destiny may take her.

I wonder if there's something I could use…His head shot up, wondering if he would find something to let him hear this message if he snooped around a little longer, yet at first glance, it didn't seem likely. A massive wave of disappointment washed over him; if only he had access to his old cassette player… Unfortunately he had left it at home so it was a bigno.

Heaving out a heavy sigh, Conan glared at the tape as if it was to be blamed for his massive misfortune, but it lay motionless and useless on his hand, uttering not a single word of the many secrets it may hold within.

It's probably for the best.How many times had Ran told him not to stick his nose in other people's business? Crime suspect or not, everyone had a right for privacy so he couldn't just, she had said once in an infuriated huff, overstep those boundaries for a silly mystery or whatever.

This thing right here was probably one of those so-called 'boundaries' he wasn't supposed to tamper with, and probably held much more sentimental value than he was allowed to peer into. Therefore, maybe, the right thing was to put it back where it belonged, and return from where he had come from, never to think about it again...Empty-handed…

He promptly stuck it firmly inside his pockets and left.

The cassette tape felt heavy as he walked into the living room, but since it wasn't noticeable for anyone but himself, he supposed it was all in his mind, so all was good. Smile fixated on his face, he allowed his footsteps, that once were muffled by urgency, to resound all over and alert everyone about his presence.

Yor was the first to react to it. Her smile was brighter than before, too, and it took everything from Conan not tostare ─not to scrutinize in hopes of revealing anything that proved it wasn't as real as it looked like to his own eyes. He wasn't successful, though, either on restraining his detective urgesoron finding anything at all, and had to content himself to just watch her set some cups on the coffee table. There were four in total, so he assumed one of them had been prepared for him; an absolutely touching gesture Conan barely reacted to.

"Conan-san." She drew his attention away from the cups and back to her. "I made some cocoa for you."

Though he had long figured out that much on his own, the boy still found himself faltering for reasons he couldn't exactly rationalize, but made Yor giggle either way. She stepped away so that Loid could set a tray of cookies down, and took a seat.

It fell on him a second too late that he was the only one left standing, so he sat down on the sofa right beside Anya ─ who, Conan noted right away, couldn't even sit still to save her life. She bounced lightly on her spot, kicking her legs with a smile so broad and bright that almost made him jealous. To be able to smile so carelessly, blissfully unaware of the true nature of those around them, or even thepossibilityof them not being the ones they claimed to be.

It was natural, though, since she was a child. Children did not have the need to stand on the tip of their toes every day, watching out for anything that might come to attack themor kill them.

A flinch later, however, her smile grew more tense, her face a bit paler. Conan crooked his head in pure curiosity, until he noticed the cup she was holding between her hands.Oh, I see.He chuckled to himself.She must have burnt her tongue or something.

Now that the mystery was solved, Conan cast one long look at the cups spread all over the table, or rather, the ones that remained since Anya had already seized one for herself. By scent alone, he could recognize the contents of two out of all three of them; coffee, the sacred beverage he had grown to love since middle school, brought by necessity after a particularly complex case that brought a few weeks' worth of all-nighters.Hauling himself off his bed and making it to school in one piece would have been impossible otherwise, so he wasn't even exaggerating when he said that he would forever be grateful for its existence.

It was hard to fight off the dissatisfaction that wanted to settle onto his features at the realization that those weren't for him. Cocoa was lighter in color, so it made it clear which one was supposed to be his. Thus, not wishing to suffer from the same destiny Anya had, he carefully cradled the cup in his hands, waiting for it to cool off.

Though he might not need to, after all. He used to drink his coffee while it still was a little hotter than people would be comfortable with ─boiling,Ran used to say, and he couldn't say he was wrong.It's not coffee, though. Children aren't supposed to get coffee.

Even though he wasn't a child.Or am I?

Peering inside his cup, the boy contemplated his own unreadable expression reflected on the surface.

Conan stared up at Shinichi; a boy with a face far too young, yet a gaze far too old.

As if a spell was cast over him, the mirage vanished altogether, leaving him blinking owlishly, rather dumbly, he had to admit. A magic spell that had taken physical form, capable of breaking abruptly into his field of vision, yet a bit too close to his eyes to be recognized as nothing more than a blurry blot Conansupposedit was a hand.

He sat back and blinked, finally distinguishing a cookie ─ acookie,of all things. It didn't make things any clearer.

Yet, at the same time, it somehow did. "Want one?" Because it washerhand ─ it wasAnya, staring at him with those wide eyes of hers, her mouth full of food ─ though it didn't impede her from speaking, to Loid's evident dismay ─ as she held the offering to him.

Hesitantly, he accepted it. He studied it for a second, then raised an eyebrow, "Is this edible?" he wondered out loud.Considering Anya was messing around when the old man made these, if I remember correctly.

Anya winced in response. Loid gave him a pointed look and, once more, Yor laughed softly at the scene.

For now, he would push everything to the back of his head, decided Conan. Believe it or not, the cookies were not half-bad, so maybe it wouldn't be that much of a big deal if he allowed himself to indulge in his most primal desires. Just for a little while.

He quietly sipped in his cocoa. At least Loid had remembered not to put too much sugar this time around. Or told Yor not to, which was essentially the same thing.

The mock interview that came afterwards left much to be desired, and probably had Loid considering changing careers, Conan was willing to bet. He would, at least, if he was in his shoes.

Now, Conan had kind of expected Anya's responses to be lacking at best, proper for a little kid's naivety and poor knowledge of the world. But certainly, he hadn't counted on them being Imminent-Call-To-Child-Services level of bad ─ remarking that all she did in the afternoon was to watch TV all alone with his brother with such a bright smile on her face had been kinda disturbing, actually.

That without even taking into consideration Yor, who was a grown adult. Somehow she had mistaken the question about passing the exam with passingawayand had gone ahead listing out a few gruesome ways of dying ─ barely any of them were natural causes to begin with which, while extremely questionable, was not enough to call the police on her. Needless to say, it was not quite the answer Loid had been looking for.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Loid turned to the last member, and likely last remaining hope. The boy looked over at him when he was addressed, arms not leaving from where they cushioned the back of his head, a leg swung over his knee as he waited, comfortably, for whatever question he was to shoot at him.

Yet he sighed again, instead. "It's hopeless," he lamented, passing a hand to his face. "There's no way we'll survive the interview at this rate."

Conan raised his eyebrows.

"Let's give up getting them into that school."

"Loid-san!" Yor interjected. "Please remember your late wife's wishes!"

The boy, on the other hand, slowly leaned away from the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't get a question?" he asked him, truly puzzled about whatever this meant.

Loid shot him a pointed look from between his fingers. "Would I even get a proper answer from you?"

"I don't know. I mean, you can try."

Deciding against uttering any response at all, the spy plucked out the glasses he had been wearing ─ for whatever reason. Conan doubted that putting on some glasses would magically make him look like an elite school interviewer, but whatever. He had known lots of people like this, people that lived out of dramatics and the like, so he didn't give it any further thought.

"Alright. Let's go out for a bit."

Conan froze.What?

"Let's broaden our horizons," Loid said as he stood up. "Become versed in what is normal for an upper-class family and make sure that we're all on the same page."

A family outing, that was apparently the best idea the great spy had. One that Anya was delighted to learn about, judging by the way she was already jumping off the couch with a delighted squeal, unlike a certain young boy who remained rooted in his spot, unmoving ─ this couldn't be any good. He knew what was coming next, and he could do absolutely nothing to stop-

Ah, there it was.A migraine.Great.

"I'm grounded, though," Conan said, trying his best to ignore it in favor of looking as nonchalant as possible. "Staying home is the basis of being grounded, isn't it?"

It took a single look from Loid to give up to his fate. He slid off onto the ground before the man got the chance to utter a single word.

"Are you sure?" the boy asked. Just in case. "Believe me, youdon'twant to take me with you."

It was almost as gratifying as disturbing to see such a puzzled expression on the spy's face. "Why?" he asked.

To which the boy shrugged. "Just because."

This… was not exactly what I had in mind.

The thought had sparked into existence before Twilight could even think of preventing it, a constant buzzing whispering at his head that remained, stubborn despite the screams, thechaosthat had infested the ambience. He did his best to shake it away, to remind himself that this was nothing but a minor inconvenience he would have to sort through if he wanted to go back to his mission.

Because, even if he hadn't accounted for an event of this nature, he should have seen it coming either way. Throughout all his years working as one of the most skilled spies his country has ever given birth to, Twilight had learned that, no matter how much you planned your next step, the unexpected would always be a factor to consider. No matter how flawless, a plan was always bound to falter ─ a spy must always be flexible, capable of carrying on with his mission, no matter what.

Therefore, an event of this magnitude should have been considered in his plans, well before stepping out of his home. It shouldn't have been a motive good enough for him to freeze over where he sat at his fancy, expensive seat he had reserved at the theater, nor should have sent him in a state of mind where he reevaluated all of his past actions to this day, or where he questioned his own supernatural-level of bad luck showing lately.

And certainly, he shouldn't have blinked at the scene displaying in front of his very own eyes ─ that of a man sprawled across the stage, having gone eerily still after a stage light had abruptly dropped on his head. He shouldn't have sat, deadly still, as he squinted his eyes enough to see the blood collecting in a pool under his body.

Alas, he did. All of the above, in that order.

"What, what?! Anya can't see anything!"

There was a sigh in response. "You're not supposed to, you know."

The graphic death of an opera singer on stage had been shocking on its own, it was far from the most unsettling experience he had to live through today. For there was this young boy rightthere;him, and his impressively fast reflexes that had allowed him to clap a hand over Anya's eyes. Which was an action the spy would surely have been grateful about, hadn't he been too busy trying to understand what had happened.

There should have been a split of a second between the light falling and the singer dying, and somehow, Conan had prevented the girl from seeing the deed ─ something that not even Twilight, a skilled spy that relied on his reflexes honed over the years tosurvive,had managed to do.

It was almost as though the boy already knew this was going to happen and had just been waiting for it.Almost.Because that just now didn't make sense ─he's a kid, Twilight. There's no way he could have-

His line of thought was cut off so abruptly that, for a moment there, Loid was left reeling by the momentum. The culprit of it had been a little hand, the only one available, reaching from over Anya to his hat. Before he could even question how he had done such a thing, the boy had shoved it over the girl's eyes and hopped off his seat.

"Take care of Anya!" was the boy's only warning, which, sadly, was processed far too late.

When hefinallyunderstood what was going on, the boy was already far from his reach ─ darting towards the stage, where the dead body was, without even looking back.

"Come back here-"

He made to stand up, yet failed when he caught, by the corner of his eye, yet another tiny hand clutching onto the rim of his hat. It forced his attention to shift to her, his hand flying to keep the object in place, and hopefully, her away from incoming trauma over witnessing something a child should never come across.

At leastthischild. He wasn't sure what to think about the one currently rushing to meet acorpse─ a boy who, for the record, had not even blinked an eye even after someone had died in front of him. He supposed he should stop that from happening, at the very least.

"Conan!" he tried again, but of course, there was no response. Gritting his teeth, he glanced over to Anya, and back to Conan.

And then to Yor, after she had sprung to her feet.

"Don't worry!" she told him, though the disturbingly bright smile that curved her red lips upward was probably the farthest from reassuring. "I'll watch Conan-san!"

He raised a hesitant hand. "It's notwatching…"

Yet, his words fell to deaf ears because she, too, had left. His hand remained there, hanging on plain air, as he thought over all the steps he had taken to lead him to the current situation.

Though he gave up easily, pressing it against his face to muffle an exhausted sigh instead.

Conan had not been the first to get to the body.

In fact, he had been far from that, to the point that it was almost laughable.Almost,namely because he failed to see a hint of anything remotely amusing on his new midget of a child status ─ a state of being that prevented him from seeinganything,even after running off to the front of the theater.

All he could see was the blood dripping from over the stage and all over his gaze.

"Francis! Are you alright, Francis?!"

Even though he couldn't see the scene, Conan could still answer that question for himself. Surely, that woman who was screaming ─ whoeverthatwas ─ would also be able to, were she totry.

"What's the meaning ofthis?!" a male voice joined in. "Why was this light hanging from a measlyrope?"

Rope?Conan blinked in surprise. Normally, stage lights would be affixed to a larger, sturdier support structure, but this? It was basically waiting for an accident to happen.

Or actively hoping for it.

"No, uh, I-I didn't…" It was another man, with a much gruffer voice. "It wasn't supposed-"

A little frown pinched his face when standing at the tip of his toes did nothing to improve his condition.I can't figure it out like this.With that in mind, the child's gaze wandered about, searching for a way to let him see what was happening up there. There were no stairs, none that connected the audience to the stage, in any case.

So, he tried the next better thing, and felt around for something to climb up. His fingers twitched at the felt of an uneven edge on the surface, which wasn't perfect, but he supposed it would have to do.

Besides, it wasn't all bad ─ he paused, turning his head upwards to see the distance he would have to climb up, which was probably three or four times his size, and realized thatyeah,maybe it was.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted himself off the ground.

Only for his hands to be yanked away from the ledge they were climbing onto, with a loud, "Conan-san!"

It was followed by the feeling of being settled gently onto the floor, instead of the humiliating dive into a shameful heap at the floor he would have expected after losing his grip. Therefore, he blinked up in confusion as hands slid away from under his armpits, but froze in his spot upon noticing scarlet red eyes, staring at him up from close.

"You mustn't do that!" Yor said from where she crouched in front of him, a stern frown caressing her features. "It's dangerous! You could get hurt."

Conan had the feeling that his definition of 'dangerous' varied from what this woman thought it was, but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he laughed quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching in both nervousnessandirritation.

What now?he thought, grimly.With her right here, there's no way-

"Here, let me help you instead."

Conan's brain stuttered. "Huh?"

From that point on, and for the next several seconds, Conan wasn't certain of what had happened. Because he must have suffered from a sudden fainting spell orsomething,because otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to explain what occurred next. There had been absolutelynothing,nothing but, perhaps, a breeze caressing his bangs ─ he had, just,blinked,and as if it was magic, it had happened.

Yeah, no way ─ he must have definitely blacked out. Because there was no way he was up several meters off where he had just been, perfectly capable of seeing the body on his own, whileupon the stage he had been trying to climb on. However, he suspected, that being the case, Yor would have probably said something; surely she wouldn't just stand there, smiling at him as if nothing had happened ─ as if he wasn't about to lose his mind there.

It doesn't matter… I guess.Conan pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, and decided it would best to focus on the body. Now that he was there, apparently.

Predictably, by the time he hadfinallymanaged to haul himself up the stage, there was a crowd forming around the deceased opera singer ─ and bycrowd,he was referring to exactly three people.

That perked him up.Oh, a three-suspect case!he thought, pleasantly surprised about it ─ 'pleasantly', to some degree. He was aware that someone dying wasn't ideal, he was not a monster, but it was hard not to be just a little excited at the opportunity to exercise his detective skills. He sure needed it.

For the sake of appearances more than anything, Conan schooled his expression into childish curiosity, and threaded forward ─ Yor serving as a presence that he could not shake off, trailing down somewhere behind him silently as if trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

At least she didn't seem to be stopping him? He still wasn't certain of what his opinion on the matter was.

For now, he focused on the case. More specifically, he turned his attention to these suspects; it was surprising how handy it was to just stand back, andobserve, in cases of this kind. If only the police force relied on that old trick once in a while, the criminal rate of this country would have gone down quite a bit, Shinichi believed.

He started on the bigger guy, the one that continued to pace back and forth, trying, and failing, to stop an anxiety attack to strike him on the spot. "This isn't happening," he continued to pace, or stumble was more likely, as continued to mumble to himself, as if a mantra, "This isn't happening… This isn't happening…"

There was a loud groan ─ surprisingly, different from his own ─ resounding from where another man, fairly smaller than the other, sat next to the corpse. "It is!" he yelled, angry beyond comprehension. The bigger guy actually stopped in his tracks, incidentally, directly behind the other.

It didn't save him from the daggers glared from the smaller man, as he easily turned fully to spat back, "And it is your fault!" He held up a rope, which Conan assumed to be the one he had been talking ─ yelling ─ about earlier, and the boy took that opportunity to take a better look at his hands. "The great lighting technician didn't realizethis thing?" He threw away the rope in anger. "As if I'd believe that!"

"I checked last night! It wasn't there, I swear! Director, you've got to believe me!"

Conan eyed them both for a second, then snuck up closer to the rope in question.

"He… reallyisdead." A clatter of what he assumed to be high heels had Conan glancing over. The third suspect was a woman, tall and slender; she couldn't stop biting her nails, even if her life went with it. There was some powder on her sleeve as she raised, and Conan realized that it was no wonder ─ this one had to be the makeup artist.

Rope in hand, the boy observed the three suspects for a while longer. His shoulders dropped in defeat.

I might have spoken all too soon.

"This…" the makeup artist began, her voice shaky as if it had been hard to find. "It's almost as if… As if someone…"

"As if someone wanted him dead? Yeah, pretty much."

All heads craned as one, three sets of wide eyes darting towards where the voice had come from, and found the source easily enough ─ though the part of the decoding of what their eyes were met with was a different thing altogether.

The kid turned his head slightly, as if confused by their reaction.

The smaller man ─ the director, actually ─ was the first one to wake up from his stupor. His gaze dulled, his words rolling from his tongue just as enthusiastically, "What's a kid doing here?"

"Antagonizing you," the boy chirped back.

Before responses of any kind could be given, the child had turned his attention back to the rope. He fiddled with it in between his fingers for a while, then nodded to himself.

"Yup, murder."

"What do you mean with 'murder'?"

"Well, 'murder' means to cause death-"

"Iknowwhat murder is!"

"Oh!" The boy grinned. "You should have told me earlier, then!"

He received a groan in return ─ oh, would you look at that? Someone eager to commit murder right next to a dead body! It was nice to see some things had not changed after being shrunk.

"What I meant to say is that there's no way it's a murder!" The director was shouting now. It still didn't faze him. "Even if someonedidmess up with the light setting, nobody would be able to predict how long the rope was going to hold on-"

"Sure they could."

He held up the rope at them, holding carefully from one end of it ─ with a handkerchief, naturally, hewasa detective. With a smirk, he waited as the three shuffled closer, then waited some more. And more.

It was hard to keep his smile from falling.

"See?" he asked, just in case.

"Not quite," admitted the woman.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at," added the bigger guy.

"Uh, a rope?" the director tried.

This better be a joke.

"Are you serious?" When nobody answered, he felt his eyebrow begin to twitch, as if suddenly granted with life of its own. "You seriously can't see anything odd in this?At all?"

The three exchanged clueless looks. For a moment all too brief to be considered criminal in nature, Shinichi seriously considered taking a rather sinful path.

"Oh, that's such a clean cut!"

Conan faltered, then, with a look as dumb and dull as the bunch in front of him, shifted his attention to the woman who had crouched closer. She was smiling as if in awe, her eyes on the piece of evidence he had been trying to get the others to see.

"They did it so easily, even though they used a knife…" she observed.It's a little choppy and messy, though.Mentally, she giggled to herself.It reminds me of my first kill. Ah, it's so nostalgic!

A broad, brilliant grin spread like wildfire, "Right-?!" before he stopped himself. Clearing his voice, he tried again, "Right."

Once again, he shifted his attention away from that smiling woman, lifting his head. His eyes squinted against the blinding brightness of a properly illuminated theater stage, but throwing an arm over them seemed to make the trick.

"Seems our culprit is amazing," Conan praised with fake bewilderment. "To be able to climb all the way up there at the beginning of the show."

When he looked back down, the kid wasn't all that surprised to see three sets of squinty gazes as they, too, turned their heads up as if it would magically make them understand what in the world they were talking about.

Only Yor had her attention on him, quiet and awaiting the rest of the deduction ─ which was… kind of nice, actually. Back when Shinichi had been an actual child, being allowed in the vicinity of a crime had been nothing short of a herculean task, and even on those times where he had actually run into them, hardly anyone had been interested in listening to a child-like he was ─ even if, back then, his deductive abilities could have used a bit of work.

It wasn't until he was a teenager that more people had gradually begun to listen to him, and he was pretty proud of his accomplishment when he rose into popularity as a prodigious high school detective. After being unexpectedly shrunk, he had been forced to bid all of his well-earned reputation goodbye and prepare himself to have to fight again for his voice to be heard.

He was definitely starved for attention if he was happy to receive it from a murder suspect.

"After climbing up, all the culprit had to do was to wait," Conan resumed from where he had paused. Yor nodded her head, attentive to his every word. "Once the victim was in position, all they had to do was to cut the rope with a knife."

"I see!" The woman clapped her hands together. "Then it fell on our poor victim, leading to severe head trauma and death!"

"I…" Conan moistened his lips, staring at Yor for a moment longer than strictly necessary. "That was a bit too much information."

"Eh? Was it?"

The boy faltered, unsure of how to reply to that. Slowly, he looked away, and turned again at the three suspects ─ whose faces displayed different degrees of startled and disturbed at what they had come to hear. Conan chose to mark a strong contrast to them, grinning widely, as if blissfully ignorant of the world around him.

"Now then!" he chirped, his gaze wandering over each and every one of their faces, scrutinizing them to his heart's content. "I wonder who out of you three…"

He stopped at the last, smaller man ─ which, incidentally, was much taller than him, but decided to ignore that fact for now, and raised his eyebrows.

"That was a joke. I already know it's you."

The culprit sputtered. "Wha-?"

Unable to fight the urge to roll his eyes, Conan explained, "Blisters in your hands. Toned muscles, especially in your arms and legs. Flexibility. You're clearly a gymnast. Or were one, in any case."

He waved over to the other two, and just as boredly, continued, "That guy is limping, and that lady is wearing stilettos." The culprit winced, and it only made Conan's grin widen ─ he wasn't even faking it this time around. "You three were the first to get here, shortly after the accident. You can't climb downthatquickly when you're injured, and putting on those heels fast enough is too difficult to risk it."

He sensed the director opening his mouth, so he added, with a pointed look, "Before you said that she could have climbed up all the way up with stilettos without breaking her neck, please do yourself a favor and think it over again. That's definitely impossible."

Too focused on his prime suspect he was, the shrunken detective completely missed Yor sweating profusely.

"But someone like you certainly would manage," Conan said with a shrug. "All you had to do was to set the trick up beforehand. But being the director, I suppose it wouldn't be too hard for you to find a timeframe where nobody would spot you messing with the light equipment."

"And… Why should it be one of us three?"

"Because the killer is one of the few that hurried to approach the body."

"What makes you think that?"

The boy brazenly pushed forward, crouching over the dead body with no sort of warning to stick his little fingers inside his pant's pocket. Yor took a hesitant step forward in response, her hand left to hang somewhere in front of her as something else altogether gathered her attention.

Thus, by the time Conan was stepping away from the corpse, and raised his hand to reveal a small dagger in between his fingers ─ smiling all the way, obviously ─ Yor had already glanced away. Her eyes widened slightly at whatever she must have spotted, far off into the back of the theater, then raised her hand over in the air, as if signaling for someone to come over.

In doing so, she gathered Conan's attention. He glanced over in askance, before he finally realized that the door was wide open now, allowing a flux of uniformed men to invite themselves inside. The sight didn't surprise the faux grade-schooler, in fact, it surprised how he hadn't been met with it earlier; being used to crime and death, meeting with the police was not exactly a rare thing in his life, but for Conan, he supposed itshouldbe.

Besides that whole ordeal of being shrunk, hospitalizedandsent over to the orphanage, Conan believed he had yet to meet the police in that form. Which was pretty impressive, actually, because he hadn't exactly been staying out of trouble's way ever since. Or rather, trouble hadn't been staying out of his way ─ which wasn'texactlytrue, Ran would say, but she wasn't there so he wasn't about to listen to her.

Therefore, there wasn't a good enough reason for Conan to flinch, to reactat all,when a brown hat popped up into his sight. Conan had definitelynevermet that one large inspector with the thick mustache that approached, standing a few meters away from the scenario, shaking his head as he realized, from what Conan had been able to read from his lips, he should have entered from the backstage.

But for the Shinichi dormant deep within him, it was hard to stay impassive, with the innocent little smile plastered all over his face as the man's gaze wandered over to his form before shifting somewhere else without truly seeinghim.

Inspector Megure,a part of him wanted to say. Wanted to smile and talk his head off about what he had observed and deduced. But as it was, he could only stand back, watching as all kinds of emotions passed by his face, including, but not limited to surprise, at the crowd that had formed around the dead body.

"Ah!" Yor motioned to the director,the culprit,with a polite smile of her own. "Here is the murderer, Police Officer."

Megure took his time to blink. "I'm the inspector, but…"

Then had to blink again when a child,a child,walked over to the edge of the stage and handed him something which, though hesitant, Megure accepted. Confused, he studied the small package in between his hands, before realizing, much to his increasing bewilderment, that it was a piece of cloth; a handkerchief wrapped around something.

Despite being a full-fledged inspector, the man stumbled backwards upon realizing there was adaggerinside.

"It was placed inside the victim's pocket," said Yor, her face pinched in a concerned frown. "Could the criminal have really placed it inside, Inspector?"

Megure spluttered incoherently, but eventually broke himself out of his stupor by shaking his head. He cleared his voice, lifting his head to meet this woman in the eyes, and again, felt himself falter.

Yor simply waited patiently.

"Who…" he began. "Who are you?"

Yor seemed surprised at the question.

"Oh, I'm just a housewife! Please, don't mind me."

Megure hadn't been able to wipe the odd, somewhat disturbed, expression from his face, even after the case was inevitably closed and promptly left the place with the culprit in handcuffs. Which wouldn't be a big deal at all, only that this time, Conan was more or less starting to share that one feeling.

He still didn't know what really happened.

Yor seemed to be unable to piece together either, but her case was probably a lot more severe than his. Because, while he wasn't capable of tellinghowthis came to be, he was still perfectly aware of the impression this woman had gotten on him. Despite her being absolutely clueless about it all.

As per her 'suggestion' ─ which, really, had nothing to do with her at all. The woman had only smiled his way as the child handed him the evidence and the guy had drawn conclusions entirely of his own ─ the rope and dagger had been taken away for fingerprint testing. Once then, they would have concrete proof that this man had murdered the opera singer on cold blood ─ not that it was really needed for nothing but proper procedure of law. Everyone in the audience, and even the other two individuals who had been freed from suspicion, had accounted for her testimony of the weapon being found in his pocket.

Just before leaving, though, Megure had turned over to face her. He had nodded curtly, in the same way he used to do when he was Shinichi. And even though Yor had never been able to deduce what that meant, Shinichi knew he was thanking her.

Thanking her for all her hard work.

Even though I did everything,Conan thought, gloomily.To make things worse, I can't even complain about it.

He pressed a hand to his face and breathed out. Right now, all the boy could do was pray that Anya had kept Loid entertained enough not to pay much attention to the stage. There was so much he could withstand for one day, he didn't need any more on his plate.

"Conan-san, are you okay?" Conan took his hand away from his face to look up to where Yor was crouching in front of him. "Are you tired?"

Hewas─ exhausted, actually. But for motives that she wouldn't understand, nor were her business at any rate.

"Maybe a little," was all he conceded to her.

"It's no wonder you are," she replied, looking at him straight in the eyes, as if searching for any other signs of discomfort. Finally she gave up with a sight, and for some reason, a smile crept up on her face. "But you were amazing back there!"

Conan blinked in surprise. "I… Was I?"

Yor nodded her head. "You'd make a great detective, if you ever want to become one."

Conan did not know what to answer, nor did he know how to stop his mouth from hanging open. Thankfully, Yor seemed to be extremely oblivious to his dumb disposition and stood back again.

"Let's go back to Loid-san and Anya-san," she told him. "I believe we should try the stairs this time."

With that, the woman hesitantly took a step away, her head turning from side to side in search of a way out of their current predicament. Conan did nothing at all, but to watch her approach the makeup artist from before, no doubt, to ask for directions.

In silence, he continued to watch her. His feet grounded, but his mind drifting somewhere, far, far away.

"There are a lot of other options."The voice in his memory sighed, weary beyond comprehension. In fact, that was probably not the first time that conversation had arisen, and certainly, it wouldn't be the last. "Why don't you sit back and reconsider?"

"I already have, plenty of times,"he had replied then. His fists had been clenching, his voice raising an octave higher than it should. "Why… What's so bad about being a detective, anyway?"

"I just don't believe you're cut for that job, Shinichi. Better give up on it before it's too late, don't you think?"

"Conan-san!"

Conan blinked back to reality. Yor had apparently noticed him straying somewhere away from her and rushed to join him. Once there, she nodded over to the woman he had spotted her talking to earlier, and said, "This kind lady has shown me where the next exit is."

The boy offered nothing but a hum in return, but Yor hardly seemed to mind. "Should we go back?" she asked, and though she received no answer at all, she took a tentative step forward. It wasn't until the child followed her stead that she took another, and started on her way back.

Conan remained silent throughout it all, but inside his mind, surged a chaotic mess of thoughts that not even he was capable of untangling.

Chapter 8: A Lovely Family

Chapter Text

It took roughly twenty minutes for the police to arrive on the scene yet, had he been told that several hours had passed ever since, Agent Twilight would probably have believed it regardless of what his own wristwatch said.

Naturally, being a survivor of death implied being no stranger to death, and his line of profession had only reinforced that sense of familiarity over the years. Years of witnessing that one moment when the light would fade from other people's eyes, leaving nothing but a withering husk behind. Sometimes at a distance, sometimes by his own hand, though he wasn't proud of it, butneverin a place like this one ─ a place that he had deemed safe, lacking any ties to a shadier business operating in the background that WISE was sure to know about.

Perhaps that was why it felt so different from anything he had experienced before. Because, for once, he hadn't seen it coming.

Or maybe it was because it wasexhausting,although that could be explained by a different set of factors.

"Papa! Anya can't hear anything!"

Loid could not help but blink as he was dragged out of his inner musings ─ or not so 'inner', if he was to judge by the little girl pressing her ear to a door. The focused frown adorning her young features made it hard to believe that this was the same kid who, too shaky on her own legs to evenstand,had to be rushed away from the theater hall a few minutes earlier.

His hat still sat atop of her head, but the ghostly pallor of her face was nowhere to be seen. At first, he had assumed that being in there with a corpse was a little too scary for a six-year-old ─ which was normal, as opposed to that one brat who had run head-first into the scene. But now, as he watched her eyes suddenly widening and sparkling in what he could only interpret as excitement, he felt as though his logic was somewhat flawed.

He doubted she could actually hear anything from so far off, but he wasn't going to ask.

Especially when there was such a bright grin etched on her face, words leaving her lips in a whisper. If he paid close attention, he thought he could make out something along the lines of "go, Niichan," and "beat the bad guys", and refrained from reminding her that her brother was no superhero.

He was a precocious child that couldn't even reach the bathroom sink without a stool. A cheeky, angel-faced little brat who should probably be kept on a leash for many reasons ─ all of which were delivered to him in the span of a single night.

And he's still inside.A foreign hint of a twist in his stomach accompanied that thought, stealing a sigh out of him ─anxiety,an old friend that hadn't visited in quite a few years. It had unexpectedly stumbled back on his life ever since Operation Strix was entrusted to him, and nowadays, struck almost daily. He was hoping it didn't decide to move into his life permanently, but as it was, he was starting to lose heart.

Yor-san went with him,he reasoned.She promised she would watch over him.

Therefore, there was no need to worry. It should be more than enough, he assured himself.

His stomach flipped on itself in protest.

Just as he was beginning to wonder if bursting back in would stir further trouble ─ which he doubted since, again, Conan was there ─ Anya stepped away from the door. It opened before he could even ask, and two familiar figures emerged from behind it.

Yor smiled gently at the sight of him. Conan, on the other hand, lifted his head to look at him, then sighed for some reason he definitely wasn't finding out today. Frankly, Loid was amazed that they were both in one piece.

The boy looked bored, though that wasn't uncommon with him. Hands tucked in his pockets, he stared and waited. "Shouldn't we get going?" he asked when Loid didn't move.

"Go where?"

It was one of those rare times that the boy looked so genuinely confused, tilting his head as if trying to grasp the complex meaning behind his words. "I thought you had plans?" he voiced it as a question, although he clearly didn't mean to.

A question he apparently had no answers for. Seeking some, he turned to the other adult available, but only found her waiting patiently for him to speak.

"Aren't we supposed to go our statements?" Yor and Conan exchanged a glance, so Loid added, "We're witnesses."

This time, it was her turn to blink. "Is it necessary for us to do so?"

Conan shrugged. "Formally, I think it is," he said. "But I doubt they'll care if we skip it."

Which didn't explain anything at all.

The rustling of chains filling the air drew Loid's attention to the group of uniformed men that walked past them, toward the nearest exit. In the middle of them was the answer he had been looking for, embodied in handcuffs and a dejected expression on a face he had seen before, crouched over the dead body of the opera singer back on stage.

The case was wrapped up and the criminal was arrested in a little overtwentyminutes. Had the Ostanian Police Force always been so competent?

Not, not to this degree, at the very least. From what he had gathered, they often required external guidance more than once to close their cases. Including ahigh schooler,if he remembered correctly ─ self-proclaimed detective or not, it didn't speak well of them to have to rely on a teenager to do their own work.

Maybe he was overthinking this. It could have been an extremely simple case, or maybe the culprit had confessed by himself. It wouldn't be wise to draw conclusions fromonecase he happened to stumble into.

"Loid-san?" Yor asked. Even Anya was starting to eye him intently, so he supposed he had spaced out a little. "What would our next stop be?"

Oh, right. The family outing, of course.

"I was planning to visit the museum…"

"I understand!" Yor exclaimed, with a little too much energy for someone who had just seen a corpse up close. "If we hurry, we should still be able to make it before it closes!"

Except there were a little over five hours left before it closed, but he supposed he could appreciate her enthusiasm. He made no comment as she walked ahead, Anya following her to the exit, but didn't realize there was a family member missing until much later, when he lowered his head.

There was Conan, yet at the same time he wasn't, a distant gleam in eyes that stared off ahead. Such a strange sight was that it made Loid forget where he was for less than a second.

Bending slightly, he reached out a tentative hand. It stopped when he realized he wasn't sure what to do with it, and left it to hover uselessly in the air.

He took a deep breath next, and let his arm fall back to where it had been.

"Are you okay?"

The boy's eyelashes fluttered in response, as if he was waking from a long dream. He dragged his gaze back to the man towering over him, raising his eyebrows in askance ─ and, as a side effect, making the spy hesitate. Had he screwed up somehow, he wondered. Was there some kind of miscalculation?

Wasn't it the most natural reaction of a father to worry about his son witnessing a potentially traumatizing event?

Even though he wasn't his father, and this boy didn't really look all that traumatized. He figured that hehad,in fact, miscalculated something.

"Oh, you mean the murder?" Conan finally said, breaking the awkward silence. The boy chuckled, and probably would have waved his hand off if it hadn't already been in his pocket. "It's fine. Just another day, I guess."

Loid had the distinct feeling he had heard that before.

Conan crooked his head. "Why do you look like you have never walked into a crime before?" he asked. Probably because he hadn't, Loid guessed. Not by chance, in any case. "What, you haven't? Wow, your life must be pretty boring."

None of them noticed Anya shooting a look over her shoulder.

Especially not Conan, who was fighting not to grin at the incredulity in Loid's face.Just because it's normal for me doesn't mean it's normal for everyone else,was a lesson installed into his brain for sixteen long years. He wasn't about to forget now, but Twilight did not know that, nor did he know what he knew.

Pretending to be none the wiser to his condition worked wonders for the oblivious little kid role he had been hoping to portray ─ besides, there was something oddly satisfying about puttingthatexpression on a usually fake, smug face like his.

He was struck in a child's body and starved for any semblance of entertainment, so he assumed he could be cut some slack for his actions.

"You… knew this was going to happen." The spy's forehead scrunched up, as if trying to solve the puzzle that gazed innocently back at him. "Earlier today, you told me thatthiswas going to happen if I took you with me."

Despite the narrowed eyes fixated on him, Conan felt a smirk grow on his face.

"Sure you don't want to drop me off at home?"

Even though a part of Loid screamed that, yes, it would be better to go home before his day could be ruined beyond comprehension, he just sighed. It would be stupid, he realized, and decided to go through the day as planned.

And pray, to no deity in particular, that there would be no further mishaps in his plan.

Unfortunately, Loid did not drop him off at home.

Therefore, there he was. Staring up to a random portrait of a random sunflower painted by a random guy he couldn't care less about ─ none he didn't know beforehand, however. All thanks to his mother and her week-long museum tour to instill some non-existent love for art back when he was younger ─older?─ and eight.

Lots of things had blossomed deep within Shinichi's little heart that day. Sadly, an undiscovered passion for postimpressionism was none of them.

"Um, excuse me…"

Conan turned around, perhaps a little too quickly, in his eagerness to do anything else but whatever he was supposed to be doing. He didn't expect a stranger to be addressing him so casually, even less achild.

Such an oddity deserved his full attention. An oddity that was about a head taller than him, and shifted on his shoes, his eyes flickering anywhere but Conan's face; this couldn't be normal, he thought, but kept it from his face.

"Hey," he said, softly. The kid flinched, whichdefinitelywas not normal. Conan pulled out the most friendly smile he could manage as he asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

And waited, patiently on the outside. His eyes took into his form, in the way he grew all fidgety when he got his attention, and tried not to frown so as not to scare the child. He had started trembling, and it took everything from Conan not to pressure him further.

Recent experience taught him children were nothing but timed bombs of tears and screams, and he definitely needed none of that ─ especially when he did not know who was out there, who was responsible for this kid's visible distress.Gentle, he remembered. He needed a gentle approach for optimal results. To find out what was wrong.

Blood had drained from the child's face before he could ever say a word. There was a large hand over the boy's shoulder, and the smile of a man towering over the both of them.

Ah, there. That's what's wrong.

"There you are. I was so worried about you!"

There was something in the man's voice that he couldn't place, but it made Conan pause to thinkhuh, that's pretty dangerous.That was probably why he didn't move an inch as he made contact with him, his gaze narrowing for a split second before it returned to that unsettlingly friendly predisposition.

"A friend?" he asked the child,cautious,Conan would say.

The child flinched under his grip and promptly shook his head before Conan could say otherwise.This kid doesn't have survival skills,he thought, fighting back a sigh.

"Eh?! I totally thought we were!" Conan screeched, eyes wide open. The boy was confused, yet he pretended not to notice. "Hey, hey! Let's play!"

"Sorry, but we have to go now," the man said, and his grip on the child tightened, pulling him backwards. "Come on, say bye-bye to your friend."

"B-Bye-bye…"

A half-hearted wave later, the boy was already stumbling away, dragged by the man's iron grasp. Conan watched the pair go, his hand hanging in the air. The child sent one last look, his mouth open in a muted scream, before it disappeared somewhere to the end of the hallway, behind a door he did not know where it led to.

But he definitely would ─ by taking a step forward.

Alas, he didn't get to take another one. There was a grip on his wrist, and twitching eyebrows, and all he could think was to smile sheepishly.

Loid's glare darkened. "I think I told you not to run off."

In his defense, Conan had notexactlyrun off ─ just consciously wandered away from his sight. And those of others as well, drawn to themselves by Anya's indiscreet, loud…appreciationof the art that surrounded her.

In any case, it was true that Loid did tell him not to do that. Which was good; everyone should have the freedom to say whatever they wanted whenever they felt like it. Conan was free, too; to listen and to ignore.

Loid actually stopped to give him an odd glance. It didn't mean Conan advanced an inch.

So, he pointed over to the door. "I want to go there."

The spy paused, taking his time to look over the place in question, and his eyebrows shot up over his hairline.

"I suppose it's fine," he said, much to Conan's surprise. "Let's get Yor-san and Anya first."

Well, that was better than nothing, he supposed.

In retrospect, he should probably have gone with 'nothing'.

Which would most possibly be much better than this; him, a giant whiteboard and the laughter of children serving as background music ─ of the eardrum-bursting variety, sadly. One of which belonged to Anya herself, giggling as she doodled across a stained canvas that should probably have been changed eons ago ─ it had been that way last time he had been thereeightyears ago, so he guessed a changewasin order. Not that Anya seemed to mind.

After a few failed attempts to make it look like something a six-year-old would have created, Conan stepped away from his soccer ball drawing to glance around. There were so many children around here, findingthatone would be difficult, not to say impossible.

But there's no way out of this place but the entrance itself,Conan remembered, filling at the pentagons with a black, cheap dry erase marker while making sure to spill over the lines, just enough times not to be too obvious.There are a few other exits, but after a group of thieves used them for a heist two years ago, they should be locked shut.

That man shouldn't have not known that, and might have tried to escape there.If he tried to run back to the entrance, I'd have passed by him while we were getting here.Not to say, it'd be suspicious as hell if he entered the Kid's Place with a young boy in hand and decided to turn back immediately after. Therefore, theyshouldstill be here, somewhere.

All I need is to wait,thought Conan, keeping a careful eye at the entrance.And then, with so many adults around, I should be able to get that kid away from him.

That was what he'd thought, "Anya, Conan," until Loid called from behind him ─ which may or may not have spooked him a little more than it should. "We're going to our next spot."

Conan struggled not to let the horror crawl onto his face.

"No way!" he cried. Loid tilted his head, so he grinned sheepishly, holding the marker up. "I haven't finished my drawing yet!"

He contemplated hislone, messyexcuse for a soccer ball for a moment, then glanced over to what Conan assumed to be Anya's sad attempt of abstract art, spreading everywhere where their eyes could see ─ even though she was making a valiant, if pointless, effort to cover it with her tiny arms. He had no idea this girl would ever be capable of feeling anything remotely similar to shyness.The more you know,he guessed.

Loid turned back at him again in askance.

"I strive for perfection," he said.

And got no answer at all. Not even in the privacy of his mind, like Anya was used to secretly listening to.

Usually, it was loud within her dad's head, filled with several thousands of thoughts that bumped and overlapped with one another; each word more confusing than the previous one, they habitually ended up wreaking havoc in her own mind, leaving nothing in its wake but a massive migraine.

But now, it was dead silent. Anya wondered how her brother always managed to accomplish such a feat, so effortlessly at that.

At some point, he seemed to give up on him, and Conan was both outwardly and inwardly glad about it. His shoulders dropped the moment Loid's eyes left him, and was already back at scanning his surroundings just as the man turned his back on him.

I just know he's here,he thought.I need to find him, or else…

It looked as though he didn't even want to imagine it, because that was where his train of thought ended. Not that Anya couldactuallytell what would possibly come next, but if it worried her older brother like that, then it had to bebad.

Niichan mentioned there was a boy in trouble!A determined frown pinched her features.We need to stop the bad guy before he… does bad things.

A bad guy should be plotting horrible things as he walked ─ Anya had watched enough anime to know how it worked. But it was no trouble at all. If she focused very hard, she should be able to read his mind and then-

"Wow, that's quite the masterpiece."

Anya flinched as her attention returned to her dad, and the smile that he put on his face as he examined the picture her back barely managed to cover. Her horror grew, suddenly remembering the pinchshewas in.

I need to buy some time,her brother was back at thinking.

And she knew she would have seen his eyes narrowing and acquiring that sharp and absolutelycoolglimmer she had seen maybe once or twice in her life, had he been facing her way. But instead, he took a few steps backwards, away from them, and closer to the corner of the whiteboard.

He pretended to casually lean against it, his hands latched behind his back. But Anya realized that he had never let go from the marker he had been using, and could sort of see his hand moving.

Normally, her heart would be beating wildly in excitement, eager to figure out what his next move would be. But now, it galloped in her chest withfearas Loid examined her drawing; no doubt, a second away from dissecting every little secret her heart contained.

His mouth opened, and her eyes scrunched shut.

"There seems to be a pig in the forest."

This time, it was her time to draw a blank. Somewhere in the background, she thought she spotted Conan exchanging smiles with their mother, who didn't seem to realize his was a little too bright to be believable, or that he was still furiously scribbling something behind his back.

"That…" It took everything in her power not to look over where he was, and focus on her papa. "... is Mr. Chimera. He lives in a castle."

"I see. I definitely see Bondman over there." He skimmed past the unidentified representation of his own self and focussed on the most graphic section of her art. And swiftly concealed a wince with a cough. "So this witch-looking must be the princess… And a professional tennis player? No wait, that must be the castle's chef!"

Anya wasn't interested in explaining that the woman in her drawing wasn't holding a wand, but her mama's stabby things. Neither was she going to point out that what he had interpreted as a chef with a frying pan was actually a teenager with those magnifying lenses she had seen detectives using several times ─ in movies.

Far from any of that, the girl simply nodded along.

"Ah-le-le? What's this thing?"

Finally, her dad's gaze was lifted off her, yet she couldn't even allow herself a sigh out of relief.

Conan batted his eyelashes, curiously examining the drawing as though he hadn't been the one behind it all. Her mama had walked up to him at some point, her head cooked to the side as she peered over his head.

"That's a strange drawing," Yor pointed out.

"What is it?" asked Loid, approaching the duo.

Anya followed close behind, moving around her dad's legs in order to get a glimpse of it. And once she did, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening as two plates. There was a doodle, of a grinning face wearing a top hat and monocle, and beside it there were three identical characters ─ the letter 'z'.

The girl held back her breath ─ she had seen Bondman enough times to recognize a code when she saw one. And since it was her older brother, secretly teenage detective Shinichi Kudo, who had drawn it, ithadto be one.

And, beyond any doubt, the secret message is…

Her eyes narrowed.

…something Anya has no idea about!

After a few minutes of analyzing it, Loid stepped out, a smile posed on his lips.There certainly is something odd about this drawing,he thought.When presented with such an ample space for drawing, children tend to use as much space as possible.Except for, probably, his newly adopted son ─ though, to be fair, even Conan's soccer ball was massive in comparison to it.But this one is small enough to miss at first glance, and I can't seem to find a direct correlation to those two drawings.

The doodle grinned back at him, the letter 'z' repeated over for some reason that escaped completely.

Laughing lightly, the man let his hand atop the boy's head ─ who jumped a little too violently to be normal behavior for a son at the receiving end of his father's show of affection. Yor didn't seem to notice, miraculously enough.

"I'm sure it's nothing you should worry your little head about." Conan's eyebrow twitched, but Loid ignored it. "It's just an ordinary drawing."

It's definitely a cypher,Loid reaffirmed, just as the boy started scowling, tensing up as if he had a lot to say, but couldn't truly put it into words.It couldn't be from WISE ─ they operate differently.

From the position of the drawing, he would have assumed it had been made by a child ─ a short person wasn't out of the question, but he had not met an adult this small, and probably would never. Not small enough to draw this at such a short height from the floor without gathering the attention of any passerby.

That being said, it's hard to believe a child made this.Because, if the estimated height was something to go by, this kid couldn't be older than six. At that age, their fine motor skills would barely have improved ─ but this drawing wasneat,the strokes strangely precise and controlled. If he didn't know better, he would have assumed the artist to be a teenager, or maybe a young adult.

"T-This is-!" Anya suddenly screamed, jolting him out of his thoughts, but the confused blinking she received from three different ends made her hesitate. She shook herself out of it to point over at the mysterious code. "It's the magic man!"

Loid was at a loss for what to say. "Magic man?"

She nodded vigorously. "The magic man! Anya saw him on TV!"

She seemed a little more exasperated now, and even Conan was staring at her as if she had grown a second head ─ though he had spotted him just now, pressing a hand to his forehead as if suddenly developing a migraine. Loid wondered if he should do something about it.

"The magic man! Kaito Child!"

"Um…" Conan raised a hesitant hand, his mouth twisting awkwardly. "Isn't it Kaito KID?"

Anya nodded. "Kaito KID!" she exclaimed, and Conan shook his head, dejectedly.

Kaito KID?Twilight had certainly heard about him before, the infamous phantom thief that had disappeared eight years ago. Apparently, he had recently returned, but Loid failed to see what this had to do with that.

But it still remained true that this doodledidresemble this thief ─ top hat, and monocle and all. And there were also the three 'z's scribbled alongside it.Sleep,he thought, wrapping his head for possible related words that made a little more sense.Dream… Slumber… Doze…

Nap. KID… KID. Nap.In a split of a second, Twilight's eyes had opened as if they could finally see the light.Kidnap.

Someone's been kidnapped.

He didn't get to see Conan's grinning face.Bingo,the boy thought, watching in pure satisfaction as the spy lifted his head, and instantly started scanning his surroundings ─ swapped his environment in an instant, eyes focusing on each and every face that cohabitated that room they were in.

Neither did he notice Anya's wide eyes focused on him, and only him. Even if she couldn't hear his thoughts, blended with her older brother's endless rambling, it was easy to feel the gravity of the situation; a boy had been kidnapped, and for Anya, it was beyond scary. Just from thinking about being taken by a bad guy, and away from her, made her tummy flip on itself.

They had to save him, Anya decided. Before it was too late.

Mother… Father… Neesan… Where are you?

Anya had to physically stop herself from gasping when an alien voice invaded her head. Hand clamped to her mouth, she desperately sought its source.

Please,it continued.I don't know what to do!

The girl took a step backwards ─ her brother and father still had not caught sight of him, her mother bent slightly to inspect the odd drawing of the whiteboard, and she felt more than ready to burst out crying.

Anyone, please…

Her breath slipped away, her body turning around on its own. Emerging from behind the whiteboard, his small hand clutched by a much larger one, she saw it from afar; the same pallid, freckled face she had seen in her brother's mind.

Please, save me!

She took a deep breath in, and released it in an ear-shattering whine.

"Don't wanna!"

Never had Loid shifted his attention so quickly to her, yet it hadn't been fast enough. The spot behind him was strangely vacant, and it wasn't until he lifted his head that he spotted that certain blur of pink darting across the room.

"Anya wants to play more!"

And behind her, there wasbluezooming past a bewildered Yor, and Loid had to repress an exhausted sigh to see Conan running offagain─ after his sister, for a change. In the half-a-second it took him to even process what he was seeing, let alone worry about the most obvious consequences, Anya had promptly barreled into someone.

She tumbled down onto the ground, and Conan hastened his pace to catch up with her.

Sharing one look with Yor, both parents made its way there. Fulfilling his role as an upstanding citizen, the spy supposed an apology from his daughter's behalf was in order.

Conan had already crouched in front of the girl at that point, checking for damage. He scanned her over for a moment, and once having ascertained no injuries at all, he allowed himself to shake his head.

"You need to be more careful," he told her.

Anya averted her gaze as she nodded, and suddenly, he found himself unable to scowl at her. He relented, smiling lightly as he rose back to his feet.

It was short-lived, however. The man flinched as soon as he made eye-contact, unconsciously tightening his grip on that one kid that wouldn't stop staring at him, with that one kind of gaze that he had probably seen a handful of times already.

Apparently, the guy Anya had run headfirst into was the kidnapper he had been looking for.What are the chances, really?

Conan's jaw dropped to the floor and shamelessly pointed at the kid. "It's you!" he screamed.

It was hard to hide his satisfaction when the man's eyes began to dart in every direction in something Conan could easily identify as panic. Nice that he still could instill that kind of fear in criminals even though he barely even reached their knees.

Loid was making his way to them. For the first time, he was glad.

Startled, the boy blanched as Conan brazenly reached forward and wrapped his hands around his wrist. "Say, say!" he chirped cutely. "Let's draw some pictures!"

"I…" He shot one glance at his kidnapper, then tried to smile. "I'm bad… at drawing."

Wow, still no sign of survival skills. It must be clinical.

Anya was probably giving him that plain stare of hers, but for plenty of reasons, he pretended not to notice. Instead, he crooked his head to one side, and blinked at him.

"But you must have been drawing for a while," Conan said, forehead scrunched up in his own confusion. He pointed at the entrance with one hand, crossed over with the other to motion at the whiteboard area, then halted, thinking. "We met before, and you didn't walk out of this place until now…"

Nobody answered him. Again, Conan pretended to be none the wiser to that, turning to Anya with a grin. Anya stepped back by reflex.

"There was a picture like that, wasn't it? It wasbad." Conan laughed, but Anya only stared back. "You know, that one…"

The Kaito KID code I made,Conan thought.

Anya gasped, her eyes suddenly wide. "The magic man!"

Conan's smile was more genuine at that, illuminated by delight. "Right! The Kaito KID one!"

Just in time, the couple was only a few feet from reaching him, and the kidnapper was moments away from melting into a puddle at their feet ─ served him right, that bastard. He must be aware, thought the detective, that he was only moments away from hammering the last nail of that coffin named 'prison'.

In a stroke of age-appropriate emotional maturity, Conan flashed him one last grin. And instead of waving him goodbye as he would've liked to, he waved the fake couple instead.

"Dad! Mom!" he shouted, pitching his voice so high that he would probably have scowled, had he been a mere external spectator of his own charade. "You won't believe who I found!"

Loid's step faltered for a moment too brief. Conan could perfectly pinpoint the instant realization sank in ─ his eyes had narrowed slightly, and if Conan was to guess, it must have been the fact that Conan was holding the boy, who was being grabbed by this shady man in turn.

If the coffin was prison and Conan was the hammer, then Loid would probably be the nail.

"He's the one who drew it!" the shrunken detective shouted, as obnoxiously loud as his little lungs allowed. "The strange drawing with-!"

Loid's widening eyes, along with Yor's opening mouth, made the boy hesitate ─ what was with that, he wondered. But the next thing he was aware was of fingers ─ a trembling grip on his shoulder, sweating through his blazer. After turning around, he was met with eyes that flickered everywhere and nowhere in a single second and a man that trembled ─ that pleaded in silence for mercy, for him to keep his mouth shut.

So that you can fade into the background and take this kid away? Yeah, not a chance.

Evidently, he must have picked up on the boy's refusal, because his grip tightened considerably ─ and this time, Conan winced, tried to shake himself away. But the man hardly yielded at all ─ just continued latching onto him, squeezing,digginghis nails into his shoulder, and it fell on Conan that this, probably, hadn't been a good idea at all.

But suddenly, it was gone; the next grunt of pain resounding in the air, yet not from his lips. Unaware ofwhenthis came to be, the detective found himself staring back in shock as a figure manifested right to his side, as fingers ─ far too delicate to be Loid's, far too slender to be Anya's ─ curled around the man's wrist.

From his position, Conan couldn't see Yor's face. "Please, pry your fingers away from my son." Though from her voice alone, the boy believed he could paint an accurate approximation of it in his mind.

The man breathed out something intelligible, his hand sticky on Conan's shoulder. But then, the detective heard a sickening crack, and before he could even cringe, he was free ─ free to see a grown man's legs giving out under him, whimpering as he nursed his wrist to his chest.

Conan stared in amazement, while the boy, now liberated in the process, stumbled backwards ─ gaping at the scene instead of running away as any sensible kid would probably do. Anya wasn't any different from him, though in her defense, she hadn't been the kidnapping attempt victim.

Loid had yet to move from his spot, a safe distance away, with an unreadable expression. Something on it snapped her out of it, the weight of her actions finally dawning with a furious blush on her face. Excuse after excuse, she started rambling, and though Conan wasn't sure who she was apologizing to ─ not to the criminal at her feet, that was for sure ─ the boy felt the tension drain from his shoulders.

A pang of nostalgia made his lips curl.Nothing I haven't seen before,or felt on his own skin. Well, to be fair, the person he had in mind had never broken a single bone on his body ─ but Shinichi was certain he was just lucky, that she had never really tried at all.

"Mit-chan!"

Yor halted in her tracks, her head whipping towards the entrance. At the doorway, there was a teenager ─ around Shinichi's age, maybe a little older. Hair matted with sweat, wheezing as though she had run a marathon, then started another one, she stumbled into the Kid's Place. Her eyes, already wide open, grew even bigger as though they couldn't believe what they were seeing, and only after ascertaining it wasn't a mirage they were seeing, they began filling up with tears.

In a second, she had crossed the room. As she buried the freckled child into her arms, all but knocking him off his feet, Conan realized it ─ their faces; they were the splitting image of each other, those two.

Something must have clicked in the boy's mind, as tears finally slipped from his eyes. "Neesan!" he cried, nuzzling on her chest. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wander off!"

She shook her head in a sob, whispering something that Conan couldn't quite hear, but didn't feel it was his place to know about. Instead, he felt a sigh coming in, and after a glance over at the wounded criminal on the floor, the smirk sparked into life.

Later, when Inspector Megure arrived for his second crime in over two hours, he would find the criminal hunched over in the ground, all of his fighting spirit and desire for freedom gone at the need for medical treatment. He wouldn't ask many questions, and would probably just shake his head and be grateful that yet another case was closed without issue.

Only the child would remain, his gaze on the door that one strange family had excused themselves from. He would think of that certain bespectacled boy, of that smile that so innocent had seemed at first, had but rescued him.

"Mit-chan? Hey, Mit-chan…"

His eyebrows would then draw closer to each other, remembering he hadn't gotten to thank him and his family for practically saving his life.

"Mitsuhiko!"

Mitsuhiko then would snap out of it, and awkwardly scratch the back of his head as he promised his sister he wouldn't get distracted again. Together, they walked away from the scene, and to meet up with their parents after what felt like ages ago.

Okay, thought Twilight.Maybewalking out of that home that day hadn't been as much of a brilliant idea as he had believed it to be.

Perhaps, he should be contacting WISE to have them investigate if there was a legitimate reason crime rate had apparently risen exponentially overnight. Because he might be a spy, and therefore not prone to anything akin to a comfortably peaceful life, but even he could recognize this was kind of pushing it.

At the opera theater, a murder. At the museum, a kidnapping attempt.

Surely, that had been enough crime for a day ─should have been.So, he had assumed nothing wrong would happen if they made a brief stop at the local tailor shop, seeking anything remotely presentable for everyone to wear at the school interview. And at first, everything seemed to go normally, and Loid had felt himself breathe out at the realization that, finally, everything was perfectly normal.

But Conan had pointed at the cashier, and with those round, brilliant blue eyes of his fixated at the proprietress, pointed out, "That lady is hiding some coins under her sleeve!"

Which was unfortunate, and yes, absolutely illegal ─ but Loid supposed he could work with that. He hadn't worried much about it, and by the time they had wandered into a photograph studio, it had admittedly disappeared from his mind.

Yor had sat down in an elegant chair, her lips a bit too tight. Loid made sure to maintain a perfect smile on his face as he stood behind the two children ─ Anya, extremely tense in her attempt to look good, ironically enough. He fully expected Conan to be reluctant to cooperate, to look away just as the photo was about to be snapped.

But surprisingly, he had been attentive, his eyes wide and focused on the camera lens. Loid did not have the time to be elated at the change of behavior and unexpected obedience, because Conan had to ruin it while screaming, "Don't take the photo! There's a bomb!"

Loid didn't have any idea of how he spotted that, but he had been right ─ easily fixable, though. It wasn't hard to disarm, and it was solved within seconds when it was revealed that the photographer's middle brother wanted him dead because of an inheritance or something.

Eventually, they got their photograph, and Loid realized that Conan had rolled his eyes.

"We, the Nationalist Party, believe that there's a road to peace with the West."

Taking the past few hours into consideration, Loid assumed he could be excused for his actions. It remained true, however, that none of those present were aware of any of it, and felt entitled in their own.

But, even though he was aware it was improper, at best, Loid could not bring himself to pay attention to the politician making a speech to a crowd he had willingly walked into. Probably not one of his brightest ideas, with him too distracted to set an example for the children he had been trying ─ emphasis intrying─ to culturalize in a single day.

That, and the fact that crowds were greatly favored by run-of-the-mill pick-pocketers. Murder was certainly possible, but not likely to happen without a solid motive and an absurd amount of either planning or luck. Normally, he wouldn't even consider that something would go awry in a place like this, but those few hours into his family outing had shaped into a new person, and now he didn't seem to get rid of the idea that a simple robbery could easily turn bloody in seconds.

Conan had definitely sensed all the staring from his part, reason for which he kept shifting on his feet in clear discomfort. Lateral damage, decided the spy; so far the boy had demonstrated he wasn't just skilled in attracting ─ or being attracted to ─ trouble, he seemed to have a knack for spotting it, evenpredictingit in some cases. He wasn't ashamed of relying on it, especially if he had the chance to figure out what it was while he was at it.

He was, however, slightly reluctant to admit he tensed up when Conan raised his hand ─ and fully expected him to point at something and shatter all semblance of this fickle, fake peace they lived in. For twenty minutes, at most.

But all the boy did was cover his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Just as he was about to deflate with relief, Loid remembered he was supposed to be a father. So he fixed his face into a stern scowl.

"Pay attention," he told him.

Normally, he wasn't above acting like the world's worst hypocrite, but he never was this obvious. But he would have to be one, because he knew that patriotism was extremely important within Eden and he would have to instill a lot of it on his children.

Knowledge of politics and history was a must for those two.

Conan crossed his arms behind his head. "They all say the same thing."

This one was probably a bit too knowledgeable. He thought he ought to do something about that, although he had no clue how he was supposed to fix a lost cause like this one ─ or the irate glances shot towards him, which the boy reflected with plain indifference. Loid thought he heard someone snickering in the background, and he was suspecting it wasn't as unrelated as he would have wanted.

A spy should never stand up in a crowd ─ he didn't need to be part of a secret intelligence organization to know that. He would have said he wanted to give up and head back home, except that he didn't have one. The apartment he was renting was practically a base of operations for his mission, he reminded himself.

Suddenly, he was remembered that he had adoptedtwochildren. First came the little fists gripping his pants, then the pressure of her head to his knees ─ Anya wasn't holding up so well, that much was clear. She had acted like that, dazed amidst the flow of students walking out of their entrance exam with Conan in tow ─ something like this should have been predictable, so he couldn't understand how he hadn't been able to see it.

"Let's go rest somewhere," Yor suggested.

And for once, Conan was actually cooperative, nodding and obediently tagging along after Loid plucked Anya up from the ground. He hurried alongside them without saying a word at all, hoping to get the distressed little girl away from that place as soon as humanly possible-

Anya lifted her head. "Papa, I'm hungry."

But had the nerve to laugh out loud at the absurdity of their situation.

Taking his pretend family to a fancy restaurant shouldn't have been a big deal. Even though he knew beforehand that instilling proper etiquette on those two would be close to a herculean task ─ especially Anya, if his suspicions regarding Conan's background were to be proved true ─ Loid thought it wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle.

"No, Anya. Don't just pick the nuts off the top, and no eating with your hands." He looked away from the girl and his chipmunk-like cheeks to his wife, "Yor-san…" only to find her tracing the blade of the knife with a finger, oddly mesmerized. "Uh… Hm."

Slowly, he forced himself to look away from the strange scene that he could not find an explanation for, and almost reluctantly, fixed his gaze on his supposed son ─ or, rather, his son's back. He was kneeling on his chair to look backwards and anywhere but his meal or his family, and for some reason, Loid didn't find within himself the will to be surprised any longer.

He released a long, heavy sigh. "Conan," he called. "It's improper to stare at other people."

The boy gave him an outrageous look. "But that clearly married man is dating another woman!"

Coming from the table directly next to them, he heard a woman gasp. Partly covered by the boy's innocent blue eyes on him, Loid saw a lady rise to her feet to slap the man sitting across the table. She whipped her head back with a scowl before storming away, the clicking of heels cutting off with a violent slam of a door.

Conan sat back again and chewed on a mouthful of pasta, contentedly.

Loid buried his face in his hands.

"Don't mind, Papa," his daughter said, her eyes cluelessly wide as she clutched at her utensils. She would have to keep her elbows away from the table, but good enough, he supposed ─ he couldn't really ask for more, honestly. Anything else would be impossible.

I definitely picked the wrong child.Anya choked on a peanut, but thankfully Yor had it handled, allowing him to grimace to his heart's content.Children,he corrected himself. He picked out two of them ─two ─and somehow none of them had been a good choice. For several, varying reasons.

No, this is all because I was expected to rely on others.After this mission was over, he would surely avoid this kind of approach for future ones, no doubt.

Conan was back at eyeing that man from before, who was now pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead ─ a feeling that Twilight could actually empathize with, especially after today. He wondered what had caught the boy's eye this time. Was it the pile of peanuts he had pushed to the side of his plate, in enough quantities to have Anya drooling and begging for some? Or was the angry red rash that peeked out from under his sleeve as he raised his arm? Loid truly had no way of knowing ─ and wasn't sure he wanted to know, either.

"Um…" Yor's soft voice pulled him and Conan out of their musings. "Why don't we go get some fresh air?"

"Sure!" Conan nodded, then turned over at the man he had been kind of harassing for a while. "Oh, sir? I think you'd want to avoid whatever your wife cooks up for you tonight." He grinned, bright as the sun. "She knows about your affair ─ and your allergies!"

Worst of all, Loid couldn't brush that off as childish, senseless ramble. Instead, all he had been able to do was ask for the bill, and hoped that the waiter would hurry things up so that they could leave this place, and this stranger's bewildered, slightly terrified, gawking.

It was a nice place, Conan would give her that.

The park Yor had taken them to had no remarkable attributes to it, but that was charming in its own sort of way. Located somewhere in the outskirts of town ─ but thankfully not quite in Beika yet ─ and secret for many, judging by how little people hung around this place, the boy thought it wasn't all bad.

It was nice, actually. There was a breeze too gentle to even mess with his hair too roughly and had quite a pleasant sight from the pedestrian street beneath. It almost made him forget himself enough to smile, oddly content.

Despite knowing that the bushes over there were a perfect spot, if unconventional, for snipping. That you could easily pretend someone drowned in the fountain if you slipped the right drug in their coffee, or how simple it would be to push someone off this fence he had climbed onto ─ or rather, pushed himself up just enough to cross his arms over it, even with his feet hanging in the air, because he absolutely refused to sit there and risk being held from the waist by Loid like Anya was ─ and 'accidentally' deck their head against the one directly beneath them.

Conan could probably just slide between the bars and survive. And he would probably then smash his head by himself if that happened to him.

"I don't come here that often either, but I wander over here when I'm exhausted from work," Yor said. "Thinking about how the work I do helps everyone in this city encourages me to work harder."

Glancing over at Yor, Conan found a fond smile on her face. If she wasn't his prime suspect for a murder case, the boy would have thought it was almost admirable; someone striving to help people out in such a rotten society they were forced to live in… It was a breath of fresh air.

Slowly he looked away, resting his chin on his crossed arms, and had to fight off a smirk from his face.They do look like bits of trash from up here,like Anya had said before. Bits of trash that rolled in the pavement, back and forth, as they carried on with their lives, unaware of when they would be taken away by an unfamiliar set of hands and left alone to rot somewhere else.

There was a time where Shinichi was proud of his job in this society they lived in. Helping sort out the trash so that the world became a better place, as minimal as the improvement it would be. He would never extirpate crime from this country, there wasn't a day he wasn't reminded of this terrible fact. But he liked to think that he was changing some lives out there, even if just a little.

It had been a while since he had last seen his name written in the newspaper.

Yet it seemed like little had changed at all, with him stumbling upon so many crimes even without Inspector Megure time and time again going out of his way to ask for his oh-so-valuable insight.I've been through so many cases I've lost count already,he thought.Too many, I can't remember most of them anymore.

Again, Anya had turned to glance back at him. Yet this time, she didn't immediately turn as soon as she noticed she had been spotted, as Conan was used to ─ just stared at him, with those big emerald eyes he couldn't hope to read. He pretended not to notice.

Criminal rate has been increasing after my shrink, though. Are the criminals' brain cell density decreasing to compensate?

While it hadn't been long since he had gotten a case, not by a long stretch, ithadbeen long since he had gotten a challenging one, come to think of it. That was something to ponder about later, for sure.

Speaking of crime… Is that guy about to-?He stopped himself when the old lady was shoved onto the ground, and the thief took off running with her purse.Yup. Saw that coming.

Too busy with the thievery developing in front of their eyes, nobody noticed him hopping back onto the ground.

But what theydidnotice was Yor hoppingoverit with a determined frown and a loud, "You won't get away with it!"

She had jumped off the moment they realized she had shouted at all, and despite himself, Loid found himself rooted on his spot, watching as Yor skillfully hopped from fence to fence in her chase to the robber, disregarding the stairs altogether.

And would probably have stared for a lot longer, hadn't he noticed that blue blazer and that distinct cowlick, sliding down the hill, and past the bars, to reach the level ground with a frown so determined ─ so similar to Yor's that he would have pegged him as her actual son.

The entire day they had lived through proved how useless it would be to shout after Conan, so he didn't try. Just picked Anya up and made it to the stairs.

"Thank you for escorting me all the way here! You're a fine young man."

Once again, Conan strangled out an awkward chuckle ─ like he had been doing for long enough for his face to hurt from the effort. Surely his arm would be sore in the morning, all because of that elderly woman that kept on shaking his hand, so forcefully that it was hard to keep himself upright in that small body of his.

Skidding into the crime scene had sounded like a wonderful idea at first, so cool as he had pictured in his mind ─ he should have known it would vary from reality. He should have known he would end up with a scraped knee, and several minutes late, only arriving at the sceneafterYor had rushed off to chase after the criminal.

Him, in a grade schooler's body, actually catching the thief before this woman, possessor of a Ran-esque strength and will, could ever lay her hands on him, was a truly ridiculous thought. With nothing else to do, Conan supposed he could tend to the victim instead.

There had already been a few hours into the afternoon when they ran into the assault, so he wasn't surprised to see an orange-tinted light shedding over everything in sight the moment he stepped out of the hospital, the lady in tow. Ever since then, she had been thanking him for his help, a little too enthusiastically for a simple walk to the hospital, and given him so much candy he could stuff his pockets with.

"You don't have to stay," Conan told her, after refusing evenmorecandy. At least she wasn't offering money anymore, so he guessed it was better. If slightly. "You should go back home before it gets late, Obaasan."

"Oh, don't you worry about that, dear." She waved her hand, giggling at him. "I'm not in a hurry, and besides, I have yet to thank your mommy and daddy."

Normally, those words would provoke a shiver out of it, instigated by the mere idea of having another set of parents when, really, he had enough with one as it was. But this time, he found that his body hadn't really reacted to it ─ his eyes had just flickered forward, somewhere in the distance, unable to think of anything to say at all.

"I… don't think they're coming." The lady seemed surprised, and that had been the only way he even noticed he had talked at all. He scratched the back of his head, a faint blush warming his cheeks at the realization. "I-I mean, I didn't exactly tell them I was there."

She brought her hands to her mouth, muffling a quiet gasp. "You can't do that!" she told him, a concerned frown taking over her face. "They must be worried sick about you right now!"

About that, Conan wasn't one-hundred percent sure. It would probably be true, were he an actual member of a real family created organically and with no intent but to raise a child with love and care. But he had only known his 'mother' for about a week, and his 'father' had only picked him because he thought he could be useful for a world peace mission. There was nothing remotely organic in a forged family, after all.

And he knew what it looked like to that woman, elderly enough to know more of the world than he would ever comprehend at his sixteen years of age. He could recognize the pitying look she gave him when he climbed up into a bench, and stared blankly back ahead.

Maybe I should just go back home.Only that home was in Beika, and not available any longer. Not after he did what he did; how he had messed up with the worst kind of people there was, and ran away to protect those of the few his heart actually cared for. Without them in the picture, Shinichi truly had no place to return to. Nobody to return to, nobody to search for him.

The lady sat silently at his side, a hand over his knee and a patient smile on her face.

"They will come," she told him.

And Conan wasn't sure if he wanted to believe her. His existence was practically a fabrication, a lie just as half-baked as the one the woman was uttering ─ he knew better, he really did. Maybe he shouldn't wait any longer, he realized; the later he gave up on this useless waiting game, the later he would get back to the Forger's apartment, and the more annoyed Loid would be after he walked back in. And that wasn't something he wanted to experience.

But for some reason, he didn't move.

For some other reason he didn't understand at first, the woman's lips quirked into a soft smile. Conan certainly wanted to ask, yet that didn't mean was successful in his endeavor.

"Conan!"

He felt himself freeze, his brain stuttering at the familiar voice calling out for him. Whipping his head, Conan only got to see a flash of green before it reached him, hands seizing his shoulders as the figure skidded to a stop in front of him.

Blinking, he took into Loid's crazed eyes, flickering all over until they met his, as if searching for something. What he had been looking for, Conan had no clue.

The grip on his arms tightened, yet not enough to hurt ─ just a pressure that reminded him he was there, that he wasn't going anywhere. "Just…" Loid whispered, out of breath. "Justwhere were you?"

"At the hospital?"

Suddenly, his gaze turned into a scowl, the kind that told Conan he was indeeptrouble. Some sort of trouble whose origins Conan wasn't sure he could deduce ─ it wasn't like he had run off to meet a corpse, or a phantom thief in the middle of a smuggling ring attack, now did he? All he had done was take a lady to get a medical checkup, what was the big deal with that?

"Don't." Conan would be lying if he said he wasn't both puzzled and astonished, in equal quantities, when Loid spoke to him; his voice firm, with a hint of some concealed something he couldn't pick up. "Don't ever do that again."

Despite himself, Conan nodded a little robotically. "Will try."

The answer hardly pleased the spy, but Conan didn't live up to please him. Behind them, the old lady giggled, and Loid started suddenly ─ yanking his hands from the child's shoulders as though his skin was scalding.

It took a moment further for Yor to arrive, Anya watching them with clear curiosity while sitting in her arms. The fact that they didn't reach them until much later made Conan conscious of the fact that Loid had practically run off to meet him ─ he hadn't yet worked out the implications behind that fact. And he wouldn't, even as he watched the woman walk up to Yor to thank her just as profusely as she had to him. Rinse and repeat with a composed, yet still slightly winded, Loid.

Hegenuinelythought he saw Loid blushing at her gratefulness and praise. Maybe he should consider getting an actual prescription for his glasses.

"Thank you, Yor-san," Loid said ─ completely unprompted, if you asked Conan. "Today was a nice change of pace. Now I'll be able to work hard again."

Not what Conan would call 'nice', exactly, but at least he could say it wasn't… as awful as he thought it would be. Loid was smiling at Yor, brightly enough for Conan to forget, for less than a heartbeat, of the spy's second nature, and that it had to be fake. Yor's was a little more believable, complete with a pinkish dust coloring her ivory white cheeks.

Anya blinked at them. "Papa and Mama are flirting," she observed.

Their reaction wasdramatic,complete with vividly flushing cheeks. "We are not!" they screamed in perfect synchrony.

It had to be fake ─ ithadto be, the logical part of his mind whispered back to him. The other, normally the one he set aside, however, told him that it was okay to hop off his bench and walk over, a light smile on his face that may or may not have been genuine.

"You kinda are," Conan said, shrugging.

Loid's glare wasdangerous.And ineffective.

"Does Anya get a thank you, too?" Anya pipped in, peering up at her parents with her wide, innocent eyes.

"Well... I guess we did find the thief because you were hungry again," Loid admitted, all signs of irritation gone as he placed a hand on top of the girl's head. "Good girl."

They found the thief because she was hungry?thought Conan, his eyebrows shooting up. That was some story he surely wanted to hear.Once we return home.

Conan paused, blinking.I didn't just think that.It wasn't a question ─ it was a fact.

With a silent smile perched on her lips, the old lady watched the four of them, in contemplation. "My, what a lovely family you are."

It was nice that he wasn't the only one taken aback by that comment. The lady did not realize it, or probably she did; she smiled wider than ever before, and without adding a word, passed a candy to Anya. Which, naturally, she accepted, and smiled accordingly.

What he hoped that nobody noticed was the smile she had senthim. A smile so sweet that nobody would ever predict what meaning it held within, waiting for him to deduce it.

I told you so.

By the time they arrived backhome,the sun had already fallen over the horizon and a chilly breeze was just beginning to settle in. Conan did not think much of it, far too tired from overthinking things, and walked in right as Loid unlocked the door.

It was hard not to notice that, in an instant, things had grown quiet. Quiet, perhaps in a sense of the word that Conan was not familiar with; Anya was loud in her antics as always, Yor kept on banging cups together as she prepared cocoa, and of course, Loid wouldn't stop sighing with every wrong answer Anya gave him when their resumed that mock-interview he had invented.

Should he tell him it wasn't going to work? Probably not. He was no sad*st, but maybe, it was a bit funny to see him despair like this ─ it made him look different from the always composed, perfect spy he was making himself to be; more human, Conan dared to say.

That expression was different, too ─ the one he had made when he found him outside the hospital. A different kind of 'different' ─ if that made sense at all.

Mentally shrugging, Conan accepted Yor's offering as she walked back from the kitchen. He would probably ponder about it later, he had enough for a lifetime as it was.

So, for now, all he was willing to think about was how warm the cup of cocoa felt in his little hands.

That was, until the bell rang, gathering everyone's attention and looks of confusion. Who would it be, they wondered, that stumbled into their door so late at night?

They weren't expecting visits, as far as Conan was concerned. They didn't, besides probably Franky ─ who never ever knocked on the door, just normally waltzed in a way that suggested that he very obviously had a set of keys for their door.

"Coming!" Yor called.

And Conan just sat back, frozen with uncertainty, as she walked over and opened the door. He picked up on her shoulders tensing, in what he would interpret as surprise, and the fact that he couldn't see a single thing from where he sat.

Out of the blue, Yor crouched. Conan felt absolutely and irrevocably lost at that moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you!" Yor apologized. "Who may you be?"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Conan slowly threaded closer to get a better look at their visitor. First, he spotted a petite girl, brunette, holding her hair back with a tiara. Then, he caught sight of the vibrant blue of her eyes and the broad grin that stretched from side to side in her face; a grin that bode no well for Conan, he could already tell.

Realization hit like a bucket of ice water, freezing Conan solid in his spot.

"Good evening! My name is Ayumi Yoshida!" the girl chirped. "Can Conan-kun come out to play?"

Chapter 9: Welcome Back

Chapter Text

Conan actually considered having that door sealed permanently.

Not that he had any plan in mind, either on how to do it by himself, or on how to convince Loid about doing the job the same way he had done it with the toilet window. But neither possibility seemed likely to happen in the foreseeable future, which was unfortunate, because Conan believed he had spotted a safety hazard there.

First, it had been that shady woman who had tried to kidnap him ─ whose whereabouts were an unsettling mystery he had yet to solve. Second, Yor Forger, née Briar, whose innocence had yet to be proved to him ─ as well as her culpability, to be fair, but he wasn’t letting her off the hook just yet; presumption of innocence could be damned right now, he just wanted to live long enough to see another day .

And then, there was this. Brilliant, round, big blue eyes. A sunny, adorable little grin. Conan recognized the signs of incoming danger ─ and definitely not because it resonated with him at all.

Yor was the first to snap out of it, and was smiling by the time Loid’s brain was just starting to reboot. Facing Conan, she called, “A friend of yours is here, Conan-san!”

He knew. He had heard it already ─ everyone had heard it already. But he nodded stiffly either way, raising a hand just as awkward as the smile crawling on his face while he approached her.

“Hey, Ayumi-chan,” was the best he could manage.

Momentarily, he wondered if that was the correct honorific to use for someone he had literally met once before today ─ someone who, incidentally, had come looking for him like they were good friends. But since Ayumi beamed at him with an energetic nod, he supposed it was alright.

The surprised reaction he had expected did, in fact, surface, though not from the girl herself. Loid rebooting process seemed to be nearly over, as he blinked rapidly at the unfamiliar child, and then back to Conan himself. His eyes opened, as if seeing him for the first time, causing the boy to tilt his head slightly.

“She…” Loid began, pausing as though he was trying to put his words together ─ which was creepy, coming from him. “She actually is… ?”

Conan crossed his arms. “What’s with that reaction?”

Loid didn’t answer, but didn’t cease with all the staring ─ intense to the point of making him want to hide behind the nearest couch and pretend he didn’t exist. Conan resisted the urge, though he may have taken a hesitant step backward.

“I live one floor below here!” Ayumi cheerfully explained. “I came to say ‘hi’ a few weeks ago and we became great friends!” She glanced over at Conan, who simply stood there without offering a reaction of any kind. Ayumi hardly seemed to care, and turned back to Loid to finish off with an innocent little smile. “I guess you were out, Mister.”

Which definitely hadn’t happened. But since reality was that he had literally fallen on her balcony and made a fool of himself by pretending he was Bondman, Conan didn’t dare to contradict her.

Anya kept on boring holes in the back of his head from afar.

Conan put on the most convincing portrayal of an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I can’t hang out today,” he told her. “It’s late.”

“But that’s the whole point!” Ayumi raised her fists a little over her chest, oddly determined. “I’m having a few friends over for a sleepover party. They are dying to meet you!”

To be fair, Conan felt like dying too.

So, in order to starve off a headache, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He might know little, close to nothing, about this girl named Ayumi, but there was something about her that spelled both trouble and an infinite source of migraines just for him ─ that desperately screamed back at him, pleading for no engagement at all.

Therefore, a sleepover was obviously out of the question.

Good thing I’m grounded. It was surreal that he could ever get to think like that, but all things considered, he should probably have learned by now. No matter how deplorable his situation may be, there would always be some room for improvement ─ or decline?

Like, take running into a crime syndicate member, for example. Normally, Shinichi couldn’t have imagined anything worse than getting on their bad side and an attempted murder on him. But then, came the shrinking ─ surely, there couldn’t be anything worse than that, right?

Wrong. There was still the part of getting adopted ─ by a spy on a mission of some kind he had nothing to do with. That not even taking into consideration his adoptive mother, who may or may not be a killer ─ clearly, things could, and had, gotten considerably worse.

But this wasn’t it, not this time, for once. Because Loid had risen from his couch to narrow his eyes at the tiny, innocent figure at the doorway. Conan was certain of what he would say next, and for the first time he could remember, a sense of gratitude washed over him-

“I don’t see why not.”

Conan’s mind skidded to a stop. What?

“What?”

He hadn’t meant to echo his own thoughts, and neither did he intend to sound just as bright as the plot from that anime movie Anya had watched last night before dinner. But it happened anyway, and he sure hoped he was allowed some leverage for this one, because, seriously.

Loid turned a blind eye to the bewildered state his son had fallen into, and patted him on the head with a serene smile.

Ayumi couldn’t get over her own excitement, only barely keeping herself from jumping on her spot.

She’s the Yoshidas’ only child, Loid knew ─ had known, long before she had introduced herself.

So as to avoid any complications for his mission in the long run, Loid had figured that a quick investigation on his neighbors was in order. Among them were the Yoshidas; a young sweet family that had moved into this complex about five years ago when their daughter was just one year old. Open-minded, generous and friendly ─ there was no soul in this world to have ever spoken ill about them, and they were held in high esteem by the neighbors. Putting it simply, they were the perfect family Twilight strived to become.

Conan was still staring at him as if he had grown a second head. He needed to do something about it.

“We can negotiate in the morning, when you’re back.” Loid said gently. It made Conan frown profusely, as if deeply concerned about his own, possibly mental, well-being. “For now, go have fun and make some more friends.”

From what I’ve gathered, Ayumi Yoshida is a sweet little girl that makes friends easily, so it isn’t surprising that she’s befriended Conan. Conan befriending her in turn, or anyone at all, was fairly beyond my calculations, however.

Behind them, Anya blinked owlishly.

Between him and Anya, I assumed it was going to be harder to get him to socialize. But since he’s already making friends on his own, I should probably encourage it.

Allowing them to hang out with kids of their age before Eden should be beneficial for my mission.

Anya’s eyes opened slightly in realization. Quietly, she approached them, only to falter a few steps later; her eyes wide open, her every muscle paralyzed. If Loid noticed it, he thought nothing of it, instead offering her that warm smile of his.

“Take Anya along.” Loid told his son. “That’s everything I’ll ask in return.”

Even though Conan looked as if he genuinely wanted to cry, Ayumi brushed past without noticing him. She studied the pink-haired girl with curiosity, her head tilted slightly to one side.

“Anya?” Ayumi echoed.

Conan made an affirmative sound. “My sister,” he said.

“Oh.” She blinked once, and then her smile was back at full power. “Nice to meet you then, Anya-chan!”

Anya nodded, in a way that Conan privately described as ‘robotic’, and had Yor giggling under her breath. Gently, she placed a hand behind her head to coax her into joining the other children at the doorway. Albeit hesitantly, she did as indicated, and successfully stepped into the hallway, a bit too stiffly for Conan to believe it was natural.

Only after the door had closed with a wave from both faux parents, Conan would reflect on her behavior. It was undoubtedly strange, especially when it came from her ─ Anya, that bouncy, loud little thing who seemed to have so much energy stored in her that, at times, Conan wondered if she might secretly be the result of some mad experiment to solve the global energy crisis or something.

But he would admit to being a little glad that at least he wasn’t the only one who felt like this was a terrible idea-

Nevermind, scratch that out, he thought with a sigh.

Because Anya, after an eternity of scrutinizing Ayumi’s face, had inexplicably perked up. Her eyes had widened, twinkled, and the faintest of smiles was just beginning to grow in her face when she…

She… just took off running behind Ayumi. And Conan, with his useless hand extended to where the duo had gone to, was therefore forced to accept the unjust reality he was being subjected to. Suddenly, there was nobody left to share his pain with.

That, and that he should probably get going, too.

But okay, fine. It wasn’t like it was going to kill him. Or at least he hoped it wouldn’t, since he had neither the means nor the will to calculate his chances of survival.

Being not nearly as ecstatic as those two to walk a little faster, Conan was the last to reach the floor below. Lethargic feet took him to a certain door, one that he seized with a long, if plain, glance. According to his calculations ─ also known as ‘experience’, seeing that he had been on the balcony before ─ this one was what they had been heading to. The door leading to the Yoshidas’ apartment ─ or to hell itself, depending on how one looked at it.

I’m probably overreacting, he told himself. It’s just a sleepover with a bunch of six-year-olds.

It’s late as it is, so they probably will chat and play for two hours, at most, before they go to bed.

And then, peace. It shouldn’t be so bad. There was nothing to be worried about-

“What are you doing, Conan-kun?”

Oddly enough, Ayumi’s sweet, puzzled voice sounded from afar. So, he checked and confirmed that, yes, the girl in question hadn’t moved from the stairs and was blinking owlishly in his direction ─ just like he was, probably.

For the record, he could only see Anya’s distinctive pink antenna peeking out from where he was, proving that she had already been heading down before stopping. Conan had the nagging feeling that he had missed something important.

He pointed at the door. “Isn’t this your apartment?”

Ayumi blinked again. “It is.”

And said nothing else, as if she was waiting for him to explain something to her. Now it wasn’t just a feeling, but a fact of life ─ Conan had missed something important.

A ‘something’ that apparently included a set of stairs and getting to the ground floor, for no good reason he could think of.

But surely, there should be one, right? A plausible explanation could, perhaps, have to do with the rest of Ayumi’s friends ─ after all, she would be a horrible guest if she didn’t properly welcome them in and helped them get to her apartment-

He felt a tug on his shirt. Ayumi was holding a finger to her lips. Anya’s head whipped back and forth with an oddly determined glint in her eyes, pressing her back to the wall.

Huh, strange, Conan thought. It was almost as if they were fixated on the reception desk, and oddly content with the thought that it was empty, and that there was no soul around to see them-

The tugging turned into pulling. He was sent stumbling forward.

“The coast is clear. Come on, you two!”

And thus, he was dragged away ─ running off like a group of underaged fugitives, through the front door of the apartment complex building.

“It’s been a while since she went in, right, Mitsuhiko?”

Mitsuhiko checked his wristwatch and felt his forehead scrunch up at what he found. “It’s been a little over fifteen minutes,” he said. “I wonder what she’s doing.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed his friend’s head jerking up. His eyes were practically sparkling as he gasped. “Maybe her mom is preparing a feast for us?” he breathed out in amazement.

“If that was the case, she wouldn’t have told us to wait here, Genta-kun.”

Genta slumped, dejected after his dreams were so crushed so badly. Mitsuhiko knew he ought to feel bad for it, but even though he fought with the need for a semblance of remorse, he found himself too exhausted to care at the moment.

His gaze shifted back to the front, where Ayumi’s apartment complex stood imposingly in front of them and decided that, maybe, telling them about his kidnapping attempt earlier today had been a mistake.

Being the empathetic sweetheart of a girl he had known her to be, Mitsuhiko would have thought she’d be a lot more understanding of his situation ─ but instead, she had decided to drag him to her house, for some reason he couldn’t understand yet. Now, he had been aware that she, and Genta, had been up to something for quite a while ─ whispering amongst each other whenever they hung up to play, waving it off with a laugh whenever he asked about it. It had irked him a little at first, but as the weeks passed and his interest subsided, he had decided that it was fine ─ they could do whatever they pleased.

But to think that she would act now, of all times.

“Hey, guys! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

That was when Ayumi walked in, a bright smile growing on her face as she hopped off the last few steps and onto the ground. She stopped right in front of him, her hands tucked behind his back, and for a moment, Mitsuhiko wasn’t sure if he was supposed to ask for an explanation, or say nothing at all.

Genta beat him to it. “What were you doing, Ayumi?”

“Collecting members!” she chirped.

There was a second there where both boys were left wondering what she meant with that, until they lifted their heads to find that, surprisingly, they weren’t as alone as they had thought. A boy and a girl, probably as old as they were, or maybe a bit on the younger side if looks were to be judged, came to a stop right behind Ayumi.

The girl froze, immediately gathering the boy’s attention. He blinked in surprise as her eyes grew extremely wide ─ an expression that Mitsuhiko was, in spite of himself, mirroring to the faintest detail. They both gasped in harmony, synchronized fingers raising to point at each other.

Everyone else turned at them, alarmed. Even the bespectacled boy who, with eyes slightly wider than before and a slight hint of surprise coloring his tone, asked her, “You know him, Anya?”

Mitsuhiko seemed shocked, while Anya stared back blankly. Conan tilted his head in askance.

“He’s the bad magic man drawer,” she told him.

Her words hung in the air, bringing silence to everything around them. Exchanging odd glances, Anya heard them wondering what she was talking about, but to her, that didn’t matter. She met her older brother’s gaze, his narrowed eyes and furrowed brow, and nodded ─ slowly, yet firmly, a look of understanding clear in her bright emerald eyes.

I don’t get what she’s saying.

She caught her jaw before it fell on the floor, but despite her best efforts, she wasn’t able to hide it from her eyes as well as she’d have liked ─ but was somewhat successful, she supposed, since nobody pointed it out.

Conan crossed his arms, silent on the outside. But as always, inside his mind, it was a different story.

Bad magic man, though? Like an evil magician? And what does a drawer have to do with anything?

But wait, this is Anya ─ she was probably trying something else altogether. With ‘drawer’, as in a person who draws, and maybe ‘bad’ referring to the artist instead…

Honestly, Anya wasn’t sure whether to be glad to be understood, or terribly disappointed by his deduction process.

Conan’s eyes opened slightly in understanding. “Oh, you mean the kid who was almost kidnapped today?”

She nodded, and for a moment, Conan was confused at the lack of enthusiasm that had seemed to overflow her movements just seconds ago. Anya pretended not to notice, and fortunately, he said nothing about it.

What?! Anya all but jumped, startled. The freckled boy next to her was practically shaking in his spot, his eyes wide as plates as he ogled at Conan as though he was something else entirely ─ something out of this world, probably.

How did he draw that conclusion?! That sentence made no sense at all! Mitsuhiko mentally screamed, nearly hysterical. Is it some kind of elaborate code that only those two can understand?!

Anya blinked. She shifted her attention somewhere else, away.

That was incredible! Ayumi gushed, smiling from ear to ear as she admired Conan from afar ─ which was, actually, a few feet away. I didn’t get a word that Anya-chan said, but Conan-kun understood her perfectly! Maybe, as siblings, they share some sort of mystical bond that allows them to communicate beyond human comprehension!

She turned to glance over at Anya, so she immediately turned her head away ─ which earned her an amused giggle, but luckily, no comment so far. In doing so, however, she found herself meeting eyes with the last boy of the group, known as Genta, as she had come to learn.

Which he didn’t avert, and instead stared back just as intensely.

Man, I hope there’s eel and rice for dinner.

Anya’s dull stare continued to drill through his skull even as he looked away. He didn’t notice.

“So, uh…” Conan faltered, a tight smile growing on his face. “It’s nice that you’re alright. Be more careful next time, okay?”

Mitsuhiko blanched. Next… time?

Ayumi giggled under her hand again. What exactly had she found funny would probably be yet another mystery that Conan could never solve.

“Now that’s settled with,” Ayumi began. “Shall we go, guys?”

Well, finally, thought Conan. He had both dreaded and hoped for this moment to come; the moment where they stopped wandering like lost souls in an abandoned building, and settled into the comfort of a warm home. One that would, admittedly, be full of children ─ the second most likely creatures to shatter his sanity without even trying. Second, because there was no beating those one-brain-celled, sad excuses for criminals that he tended to cross paths with. Usually, those drove insane within seconds.

Two hours, he reminded himself. He could make it.

“Conan-kun, you’re heading the other way.”

He didn’t even make it to the stairs. “Isn’t your house that way?”

“Yeah. But the bus stop is just across the street.”

A faint sense of dread settled in the pit of Conan’s stomach. “Bus stop?”

“Yup! We’re going ghost-hunting!”

He should totally have seen this coming ─ should have locked his front door, too.

By the corner of his eye, Conan thought he saw Mitsuhiko freezing solid, his eyelashes fluttering as though he had woken up from a long dream ─ or wanted to wake up from one, a nightmare in Conan’s humble opinion.

Quite a reasonable reaction to have ─ if only he wasn’t the only kid, besides Conan himself, of course. Because, for some reason he couldn’t figure out for the life of him, his alleged sister was practically vibrating in her feet, her wide eyes so bright that could probably light up the night better than any lamppost could.

Genta was surprised, too, but to a much healthier degree. “We’re doing it now?!” he shouted, although from the grin etched in his face, he didn’t look like he wanted to object.

“I thought we talked about this,” Mitsuhiko interjected. “There’s no such a thing as ghosts!”

“Oh, yeah?” Genta raised an eyebrow at him. “Says who?”

“Science!”

Genta looked as though he wanted to reply, and in that very moment, Conan decided that, no, he wasn’t dealing with this tonight ─ with none of this. He stepped up, brushing past Genta with his hands extended.

“Wait,” he said, calm as per his role as the voice of reason demanded ─ or what he thought it demanded, because he actually had not a single clue. If he had, he would also probably be the proud possessor of a black belt in karate and about sixty extra centimeters on his height record. Out of which he had none, sadly.

“Wait,” he repeated, firmer. “We can’t do that.”

Ayumi tilted her head to one side. “Why not?”

“Our parents. They will be worried.”

More like moderately inconvenienced and remarkably irritated, but Conan figured that worked, too.

It didn’t, though. She laughed ─ freaking laughed at his absolutely reasonable response.

“It’s fine! They think you’re in my house.”

At this point, Conan wasn’t above running back in and claiming he was almost kidnapped tonight. It would be hard to convince Loid that his captors were a bunch of six-year-olds that happened to include his little sister, though… Still tempting. Very tempting.

“Hey, I told mine the same!” Genta grinned, as if this was some sort of strange coincidence he should find funny at all. “How about you, Mitsuhiko?”

“Yeah…” Mitsuhiko sighed. “Same here.”

“See?” Ayumi said. “No problem!”

No ─ yes. Yes problem. “Your parents!” Conan realized he had exclaimed it from the odd look Anya had given him, so he cleared his voice before trying again. “Think about your parents, Ayumi-chan. They will worry about you.”

To his horror, she shook her head. “I told Mom I’m staying over at Mitsuhiko-kun’s.”

Conan wasn’t surprised. Mitsuhiko was.

She beamed brightly, hands firmly tucked at each side of her waist. “It’s settled, then!” she exclaimed, her fist high in the air. “Let’s go, guys! To an exciting adventure!”

Anya threw both her arms over her head, a grin threatening to split her face in half. “Adventure!” she exclaimed before taking off running to the bus stop.

Or rather, the direction Ayumi had almost wandered to. Conan was almost one hundred percent sure she had no idea where the bus stop actually was.

Genta nodded vigorously, a determined frown growing on his face. Without being told, he took up on his self-assigned role ─ hooking an arm around Mitsuhiko and dragging him away against his will. For the second time in a single day.

Sounds tough, and like he might have encountered a worthy opponent for a competition neither of them probably wanted to be part of.

And so, he watched the trio walk away, including Anya, who, much to his chagrin, practically bounced on her stead ─ an obvious clue to how much of a waste of time it would be to talk her out of it. None of the other two were any better; Genta was a lot more determined to fight whatever ghost jumped in his way ─ wait until he learns that ghosts are supposed to be incorporeal ─ and Mitsuhiko, his only hope for an ally, had practically lost all hope in going against his friends’ wishes.

Meaning that all was left was the mastermind, currently standing in front of him with that sweet little smile couldn’t fool him.

I’m the adult here, or at least the closest thing available at the moment. He crossed his arms over his chest, stubbornly rooted in his spot. I refuse to be bossed around by a bunch of little kids.

Ayumi tipped her head skyward, a tiny finger pointing at something. Conan’s facade crumbled at the confusion, blinking twice before, finally, following her gaze.

It took him a full second to identify what she was referring to, and about half a minute to process the implications of what he was seeing. Then, he spent the remaining half of that minute trying to convince himself that, no, he must be misinterpreting things.

Surely, this innocent child wasn’t purposely pointing at the sealed window in his apartment, was she?

“They found out, didn’t they?” Ayumi asked in that innocent, angelic voice of hers. “That you tried to sneak out the other night.”

“Uh, well…” Conan babbled. “I… No.”

Ah, yes. Perfect. A fitting response for a renowned high school detective of his caliber, to a six-year-old that probably hadn’t started elementary school yet.

The silence stretched for a few seconds longer, in which Shinichi wished, more than ever before, that he could just dig up a hole and die. But then the girl’s smile dropped, her eyebrows scrunching up for some reason Conan couldn’t exactly deduce.

“If you come with us, I’ll help you out!” she suddenly exclaimed, taking a step forward ─ Conan took another backwards, startled. “Next time, you could tell your parents that you went over to play at my place!”

Conan was left speechless, his mind reeling by the momentum; wondering if he had heard things right, or if it had wandered somewhere in the realms of delirium. Is… Is this girl…

Is this little girl trying to bribe me?!

“I won’t say a thing, even if you don’t show up!” Her eyes were bright, glimmering with sheer will and determination. “I promise, so please, Conan-kun! It will be fun!”

Sighing, Conan pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe he was actually considering it.

There was a time in his life where Shinichi thought of himself old enough to make his own decisions. Being already sixteen and independent enough to be allowed to live alone at fourteen, he had believed himself pretty capable of building his way to adulthood as a great, and hopefully healthy, young detective in the making.

As a logical person, Shinichi had thought himself capable of making excellent decisions that always included putting criminals behind bars as an obvious consequence. So what if he had to chase a criminal up to a darkened ally to assure their arrest? It was fine ; they ended up being caught. All thanks to his own quick, logical decisions.

Ran had never approved of that, and it wasn’t until one ─ or two ─ of those criminals finally caught up to him that he finally could see why. He came to understand that his life was paved by a series of decisions, ranging from pretty bad to terrible, occasionally veering towards ‘suicidal’ levels of stupidity.

And while it was somewhere in the middle of this range, he couldn’t say this had been a good one at all. It was a decision that had stripped from what little spare change he had left in his pockets, because his and Anya’s fare wouldn’t pay themselves on their own, and left him riding a bus in the middle of the night with a bunch of rowdy children. Heading to God-knows-where, since he had forgotten to ask.

So there he was, standing in the corridor, holding himself as well as he could from Anya’s and Ayumi’s shared seat while the remaining two sat in the one directly in behind of theirs ─ like he was some sort of chaperone in some kids’ school field class, because apparently those were the last seats available, as per his luck would allow.

Note to self: do not negotiate with a child ever again. He wasn’t bribed ─ they just negotiated. Conan wasn’t sure which option was worse.

“So!” Ayumi grinned. “You already know me, Ayumi Yoshida!”

Regrettably, yeah.

“Those are my friends, Genta Kojima and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya.” They lifted their heads slightly when mentioned. Unsure of what else to do, Conan awkwardly nodded back. “We have known each other all the way since kindergarten!”

Which equals two years at most.

Anya stared deep into his soul for some reason. Quite honestly, the detective could not explain the reason behind that silence he believed so incompatible with her ─ just when he thought he was just beginning to get the grasp of her unique personality, it turned out she was, what, shy around strangers?

He couldn’t get rid of the impression that wasn’t it, but since he couldn’t come up with anything better, he settled on that. It still didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t going to respond on her own, so he took in his own hands to make the introduction for the both of them.

“I’m Conan Forger.” He kept it simple. “And this is my twin sister, Anya.”

Ayumi blinked in confusion. “Twins?”

Conan was opening his mouth to reply, “That’s a lie!” when Genta interrupted him. Straightening in his seat, and likely a moment away from rising to his feet, the boy sent Anya, and then Conan, a very incriminating look. “You two look nothing alike!”

Of course, such a loud outburst drew the attention from the passengers nearby, and with it came the annoyed glaring. Conan sighed into his hand, exhaustion seeping in his bones as though he was suddenly twenty years older than he was supposed to be ─ oh, if only…

Had he been looking, he would probably have seen Anya twitching, her blood draining from her face ─ holding tightly in the seat she shared with Ayumi with as much strength his little hands could manage, in a fruitless attempt to stop the world from spinning on its axis.

He knows, was her single thought, piercing through the haze in her mind with dazing clarity. World peace… Is world peace in danger?!

Desperate, her gaze flickered away from the suspicious boy ─ and soon-to-be enemy to defeat, probably ─ and searched for her brother’s. When she did, she found that… he actually didn’t look too panicked ─ he wasn’t panicked in the slightest, his mind quiet as opposed to the chaos of merged thoughts she had expected it to be.

“They don’t have to be identical to be twins, Genta-kun,” Mitsuhiko explained, the epitome of calmness and patience ─ both wonderful virtues that Conan sadly didn’t have. “That’s what they call fraternal twins.”

At first, it was silent ─ the words sinking slowly despite their massive weight. Eventually they hit rock bottom, and Genta couldn’t stop himself from gasping.

Anya gasped, too.

And Conan stared at her in disbelief. It didn’t occur to you until now?!

She pretended not to have heard a thing ─ rather skilfully, she would add.

“Okay!” Ayumi clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we all have properly introduced ourselves… Let’s talk about our business here!”

Business ─ that reminded him, he wanted none of it. But since that was way out of the question, he supposed he could at least listen, if only to be aware of what he was up against. As per experience had taught him, ignorance was one of the most likely causes of death ─ second to misfortune… and his own decisions, possibly.

So, he waited. The others remained just as silent, attentive gazes stuck in the girl who continued to smile, not moving a single inch ─ for an entire second, then for another one.

She stood up suddenly, and would probably have rammed into Conan if he hadn’t jumped backwards just in time. They followed, right in tow, and even though he wished he could crawl under a seat and hope they didn’t notice him missing until after stepping down the bus, he did the same ─ they did have a deal, after all.

They stepped out, naively immersing themselves in a certain pitch black darkness that pointed out to the late hour they were navigating at. Actually, Conan was kind of tempted to point out how obviously dangerous it was for a group of children to be wandering about in such conditions, but had to refrain himself. Mostly because Ayumi was part of the group, and she was a witness to that stunt he had once pulled out ─ that certain one that included running off at the dead of night and completely on his own.

He didn’t want to come off as a hypocrite right off the bat, for credibility issues. Also, Anya was there ─ God save him from Loid and his own sanity if she wound up following his example. Which probably was what she was doing right now, but he was counting on this being an exception and not a first time.

“We’re nearing our destination. Prepare yourselves, guys.”

Ayumi was walking in front, a frown crossing her features ─ or at least he thought it was a frown. He looked around and grimaced, realizing that he couldn’t see a thing.

What, here too? he thought. Beika was the same, he reckoned ─ and then the authorities wondered why there were so many crimes happening at night. Maybe they should invest in proper illumination for their streets before tackling any other issue.

“Our objective for the night is a creepy mansion,” she continued, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly. Conan thought it proper not to point it out. “According to the rumors, it’s supposed to be filled with strange books.”

Strange books? Well, that wasn’t exactly what he would call ‘terrifying’, but he kind of had the impression that it would be quite the scary sight to witness for, at least, half of the population in this group. Surely, that’s nothing in comparison to the library in my house.

Just imagine they have Sherlock Holmes, though, he thought. Maybe that would be his only shot at making it somewhat bearable for him ─ pretending to be spirited away or whatever, and just hide somewhere to read and recover some well-needed peace of mind. It could work.

He chuckled at the thought. Genta shot him an unfriendly glare. He didn’t apologize.

Instead, he raised his gaze. In the distance, barely peeking from behind a cluster of trees, the aforementioned mansion gradually emerged into view. A pang of nostalgia tugged at the corners of his lips, his heart recognizing it as familiar before his mind could even process it. Perhaps he had finally lost it; perhaps it was that homesickness he had thought long buried surfacing back to get revenge. But, somehow, he was reminded of his own house. His one and only home.

That feeling, whatever it was, only grew stronger as the distance lessened. He just couldn’t get rid of the impression that… it looked somewhat similar to his house. Okay, maybe it was a little more than that… More like a carbon copy, actually; a perfect replica.

Wait… Wait.

Ayumi’s feet stopped moving. Conan’s heart skipped a beat.

“The boy who lived there all by himself was eaten up by a demon.” Ayumi had probably turned around to face them ─ probably, because he couldn’t get his eyes to tear away from the building. Not even for a single second. “So nobody is supposed to live there anymore.”

And as Ayumi pumped her fist in the air, Conan quite literally felt his soul slipping away from his body.

“Tonight’s objective: the Kuoo’s mansion! Let’s go, exploration team!”

A wince successfully dragged his soul back where it came from, eyes instinctively darting to the nameplate at the entrance. Whatever ounce of hope that this was just a massive misunderstanding on his part melted at the word that, even partially covered by shadows, was pretty much visible ─ and sadly, confirmed it was the right one. He felt like crying, and possibly yelling, too. Tearing his hair from his scalp didn’t sound like a terrible idea, either.

With everyone’s attention on the gates that led to his private property, Conan was free to stand there, and glare at the plate as though it was the reason for all the evil in this world.

Ayumi had misread it; the letter ‘d’ faded away with the years and his parents’ unwillingness to get it changed ─ and the fact that they barely even were there, to begin with ─ all had contributed to Ayumi’s clerical error.

It’s ‘Kudo’, he thought. My house.

Anya flinched, her grip on the bars slacking.

Niichan’s house?! she cried internally. She pressed her forehead against the cold rusty metal, fighting valiantly against the urge to spin around and gape ─ and risk his older brother to wonder, and possibly discover , the reason as why her face was contorting so unnaturally, overflowed by so many emotions her little body wasn’t able to contain properly.

Groaning, Genta tried to pull it open ─ with all his might. It didn’t budge.

“It’s of no use,” he breathed out, shaking his head. “It doesn’t open.”

“Maybe it’s locked?” Mitsuhiko suggested.

Conan snorted, but since nobody else reacted to it, Anya assumed it had been contained within his mind realm. It’s not locked, he thought. It just opens the other way.

Anya raised her head, staring up ahead in contemplation.

Then gave the gates a gentle push. They swung open right away, revealing the imposing mansion that lay behind ─ just like a pair of inviting arms that welcomed them into an exciting adventure like none other.

“Yay~! It opened!” Ayumi cheered, jumping in her spot.

“So it opens the other way,” observed Mitsuhiko, watching the gate up from close.

“Oh! Nice going, Anya!” Genta exclaimed, a wide grin etched on his face.

Meanwhile, Conan remained quiet. Anya couldn’t seem to understand why his head was drowning in thoughts about how much he wanted to headbutt the wall and not wake up in a week at the latest. Knowing better than to ask for answers, the girl was forced to shrug it off and follow the other kids inside.

For Conan, it took another moment. Well, it could be worse, he supposed, finally taking a step forward. They still need a key to get in.

A key that he currently did not have on him, making it fortunately inaccessible at the moment. To be fair, he didn’t exactly remember where he had left it ─ maybe dropped somewhere in his house when he was last there, before running away and forgetting about it altogether. It was likely that it was still there, unless the Professor had found it and took it with him, which would be a fairly more reassuring thought.

Professor Agasa…

He wasn’t entirely aware that he had halted in his step. The light coming from a certain room in his neighbor’s house stole a smile out of him ─ same old Professor, he thought fondly, wondering what he could be doing, up and about when literally everyone else on the block was sleeping, like any sane person would ─ not including Shinichi himself, but that was a given.

Had he repaired the wall he blew up the week before his disappearance? He had told him twice that morning, and had reminded him one last time just before leaving for Tropical Land that night. He sure hoped he hadn’t blown up another one.

I wonder what he’s building right now. Maybe he had found a way to make the jetpack work as intended, as opposed to the murder weapon he had unwittingly created. Or maybe he had moved to other projects, too ambitious for his mind to picture ─ born out of an equally ambitious mind that would never stop dreaming about the impossible.

Or maybe he finally gave up. He wanted to laugh, because he knew that was a foolish thought. The day he stopped doing what he was passionate about would probably be the day Shinichi stopped being a detective.

“Conan!” Genta suddenly called, snapping him out of it. “We’re gonna leave you behind!”

He repressed a sigh ─ couldn’t these brats allow him one second to mope around to his heart’s content? Sure, his front yard was more on the large side, but it wasn’t enough to lose sight of them if they strayed a bit too far. With his front door firmly locked, there wasn’t anywhere else to go.

But of course, when he turned around to see what the fuss was about, he found all of them crowding at the entrance of his house. Peeking inside from a door that, as his luck would dictate, was fully open.

Conan took his time to stare, breathe in, then out.

You had one job.

Seriously, there was just this one thing he had trusted him to do in his absence, but no. Of course, he didn’t. Granted, he hadn’t specifically told the Professor to grab his key and lock his door, but he had thought it was common sense ─ or was it, actually? Loid, for all his intellect and skill as a spy, had neglected locking their door when Anya and he were alone a few times before learning his lesson.

Maybe Agasa was the same, but he sure hoped that the old professor didn’t learn his lesson at the expense of his house. Certainly, he wasn’t interested in getting back home for the first time in what felt like years and having the experience ruined by tripping on the cold rotten body of a random drug dealer with a strangled brother he bullied in his youth ─ or similar. I mean, with my luck, that could happen.

As he approached the entrance and peered inside, he ascertained there were no corpses in plain sight, which was a relief. However, he did spot something strange in the door itself, more particularly around the keyhole. His memory could be failing him, but he was almost completely sure that those scratches hadn’t been there the last time he had been there.

His gaze narrowed, taking into the sight before he dragged it away.

For the first time in a long while, Conan stepped into his home. And even though he had believed he would be back to his old body, he allowed himself a soft little smile; content to be there, finally back home.

Only silence welcomed him in his grand return. But for Shinichi, that was what normalcy looked like ─ what happiness looked like to him.

“Wow, it’s so big!” Ayumi exclaimed, twirling around. “I feel like a princess in a castle!”

Anya nodded, her eyes bright in the darkness ─ darting from place to place as if to take in every corner of the living room.

“This isn’t… what I expected a haunted mansion to look like,” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Maybe it hasn’t been abandoned for long,” Conan tried. It was worth a shot. “The owner could just be on vacation and could be returning any minute now. Which brings me to my point that maybe we shouldn’t… Where are you going, Genta?”

Genta peered around the corner. That would be the kitchen ─ his kitchen ─ and he even had the nerve to look so innocently confused. “I’m hungry,” he said, as if it explained everything. “If this house has been abandoned, nobody will mind if I-”

“Sure, if you’re after a severe case of food poisoning.” Conan crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. “If nobody has been living here for so long, both water and electricity supply should have been shut up. Without proper refrigeration, the food in there must have spoiled already.”

A faint sense of accomplishment warmed his chest at Genta’s dejected sigh.

The same couldn’t be said about Mitsuhiko’s perplexed blinking. “Conan-kun, didn’t you just say-?”

“Niichan!” Anya came running in, towards him ─ which made him wonder when she had left, in the first place. “Anya found a creepy staircase!”

Creepy? Conan wasn’t sure what his opinion on the matter was, so he decided to skip it altogether. “Where’s Ayumi-chan?” he asked, finding her missing.

“In the creepy staircase,” Anya replied matter-of-factly.

Of course ─ why had he ever expected something else from her?

“Eh?! No fair!” He barely even registered that Genta was talking before he brushed past him and broke into a run. “Having fun all by yourself!”

“Wait, Genta-kun, don’t run!” Mitsuhiko chased after him. “It’s dark ─ you could get hurt!”

Conan considered telling him that he too could injure himself, but again, refrained from it ─ they wouldn’t listen, so why bother? Better to save his energy for the rest of the night, because he seriously needed all he could get from it.

More to the reason, he leisurely made his way to them, allowing his gaze to wander just as lazily.

Everything was exactly the way he remembered it ─ that ugly navy blue atrocity of a couch his mother had bought on a whim when he was ten, the old TV his father had once brought home because he thought it fit nicely with the ambience.

I used to hate it, Conan thought, sort of amused. It was about that period of his life that his mother had sole-handedly decided that Fridays were movie nights ─ movies that, of course, always happened to have her name listed as a part of the cast. As a direct result of it, he was thus sentenced to a nightly two-hour sitting between his parents and a specialized kind of torture named romance dramas.

Never once had he managed to experience it as it should, always nodding off somewhere in the first twenty minutes and waking up at the ending credits. None of his parents ever seemed to mind, and in fact, he always found them smiling at each other when he opened them, for whatever reason he wasn’t interested in finding out about.

At first, his mother had declared this event as a must, not to be skipped under any circ*mstances despite what Shinichi might have to say about it. But soon came the exceptions ─ his father having an unexpected late meet up with his editors, his mother running into a friend in the convenience store that ended up with dinner to catch up, his parents’ anniversary and plans for a romantic dinner out somewhere…

Shinichi wondered when the exceptions became more of a permanent thing.

Now, there wasn’t even anybody to welcome him back, even after being away for so long.

“Niichan.”

Conan looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. Anya was staring with those eyes ─ those that puzzled them like no other, the only ones he somehow couldn’t read. She nodded over to the stairs before turning around to join the others upstairs.

He found himself staring at her retreating figure, and eventually, his jaw unclenched. A huff left his system, but a small smile didn’t take long to creep up his lips; what a traitor it was, this child-like face of his.

Out of habit more than anything else, he stuck his hands inside his pockets, but instead of catching up like intended, he found himself faltering. Turning slightly away so as not to be spotted, he pulled out whatever strange object he had felt in his pockets, and opened his eyes wide in realization.

He had forgotten he was still carrying the cassette tape he had borrowed ─ borrowed for investigation, not quite stolen ─ from Yor’s belongings. One that he hadn’t gotten the chance to listen to for the lack of better equipment.

“Niichan!”

“Yeah, yeah. Coming.”

Silently, he put it back where he had taken it from and lifted his head.

Looking at the enormous staircase leading to the upper floor, and Anya’s puffed-out cheeks, born of what he would assume to be exasperation, he smiled to himself.

Well. Welcome back, I guess.

Chapter 10: A Despicable Liar

Chapter Text

Shinichi had never been good with children.

It was a major flaw in his character that he had learned to recognize in himself, long before he himself had shrunk into one in an ironic turn of events. Had he been asked when he had discovered it, Shinichi wasn't sure if he would have been able to give a proper answer, but he had the vaguest of memories that he had associated it with ─ not a distant one, probably dating back to at least a year before the present, but smudged over by the several thousand cases that came afterwards.

One that included Ran flashing him a furious glare as she held a tiny child, maybe a toddler even, closer to her. Angling her body so the kid was as far away from him as possible, as if he was something so terrible that this innocent creature had to be kept away from.

As he stood there awkwardly, racking his prodigiously brilliant mind for anything to do, her frown had deepened ─ a child's wailing disturbing the silence otherwise existent between both teenagers.

"You just don't get it, do you?!"Ran had screamed at him.

He still didn't get it, truth to be told ─children,and their inherent power to bring together all that was illogical in this world and make it make sense. Make sense to their extremely young minds exclusively, but enough to live comfortably in their imaginary world, or whatever.

How did this happen?was probably the question that summarized everything going on in Conan's brain. He could have sworn that these children had said something about hunting ghosts ─ which, logically, should be an extremely scary experience for those willing to believe.

But now they all were collectively ignoring the tense atmosphere they had tried to recreate, singing some song that, while foreign to Conan's ears, had Anya cheerfully humming along ─ reason for which he suspected it was the opening theme from some anime show children liked to watch these days.

He wondered how long it would take them to notice that he had trailed somewhere far off where they were, hands too tiny, legs too short to keep it from falling, that one vase Genta had ─ unknowingly ─ bumped into.

Eventually, when he managed to safely place it back on the stool where it belonged, Conan allowed himself to breathe out. That was his mother's favorite vase, and shrunken or not, he knew there would be no escaping her wrath once she returned home to find its pieces scrambled all over the hallway. Which wouldn't be all that bad, actually ─ he had been telling her forever to throw that thing away, for it served no further use besides being a waste of space ─ but he'd prefer not having that shady organization ultimately findinghispieces scrambled all over the nearest river.

She can be scary sometimes,he thought, standing back to contemplate the vase he had valiantly fought, and succeeded, to save.My mom.

He wondered if being terrifying was a prerequisite to being a mother ─ be it real, or a highly convincing impostor.

Unprompted, the memory of a tall figure standing before him and the pale features of the criminal Conan had tried to confront all alone, earlier today, came to mind. Of course, the sickening crack of fingers that came seconds later still made him physically wince, but it was his expression, wordlessly describing pure, genuine horror, what would probably stick for a while. One that had stirred that sense of curiosity that made him a detective, that left him wanting to know what kind of face Yor had shown him, as well as wish ignorance for the rest of his mortal existence.

She definitely filled the terrifying quota.Surprisingly enough,especially with that sweet undertone carried over by her voice whenever she talked, or that radiant, kind smile that Conan had thought permanently affixed to her features.She really is the perfect replica of a mother.

His gaze drifted downward, settling themselves on the tip of his bright red, tiny shoes.

A mother, huh,echoed in his mind. And suddenly, his right pocket felt just a little heavier ─ reminding him of that certain item he was not supposed to possess, awaiting its time to share its contents with him. Hopefully, it would be the definite evidence he needed to piece together the mystery behind this woman, once and for all.

Such had been the reason that had propelled him forward and up those stairs. Maybe it would be his chance to do away with it, for once and for all.

That being said, the cassette tape felt slightly cold against his fingertips. Conan wondered why.

"What about you, Conan-kun?"

Conan blinked rapidly. Ayumi had turned to glance at him from over her shoulder, expectant. Just as her eyebrows started to inch closer to each other, the shrunken detective hurried to catch up with the rest of the group ─ and hoped that a friendly laugh, no matter how forced it sounded to his ears, would keep her from realizing he hadn't heard a word at all.

Against common belief, or rather his own expectations, Genta saved him from having to articulate a proper, contextually reasonable sentence. He wouldn't have been successful anyhow, being real.

"He's definitely the villager!" Genta declared. "I'm the hero, of course."

Conan wondered if seeking coherency in their conversation was worth anything in the end.

"I'm the cute girl warrior!" Ayumi exclaimed, grinning.

Mitsuhiko thought about it for a little while longer. "And I'm the smart wizard!"

Oh,they were talking about those RPG archetypes, weren't they? He thought he had Aizawa talk his head off once, going on and on about this cool video game he'd lost sleep over. Sadly, neither he nor Nakamichi of the other two had been nearly as invested in the conversation as he was with his games, and eventually they managed to stir it back to that upcoming Big Osaka vs. Tokyo Spirits' soccer match he had been waiting for all week.

The match ended up with a narrowing win from the Tokyo Spirits, and Shinichi had predicted that was all that they'd talk about throughout the school day. Needless to say, he hadn't made it, and had been helpless to do anything but to imagine how that conversation went, all the way from his all-too-big hospital bed.

Conan mentally pinched his own cheek.Alright, back to topic.

He seemed to be straying out lately, more often than usual. Perhaps it was because of where he was, roaming through the darkened hallways of his own house with a bunch of children in tow ─ together like this, he supposed they really resembled a fighting party advancing through a dungeon in some kind of game. It was surprisingly fitting, somehow.

Anya had fallen silent, a look of utter concentration pinching her face. It made him smile a little.

"What would you be?" he asked her.

Nothing had prepared him for the severe expression that met him when she turned her head to him. With a serious tone in her voice, she answered, "The nation's toughest spy, Agent Anya."

It was hard to keep his face from falling. "Does that even count?"

"Why not?" Ayumi shrugged.

Genta nodded his head, showing his approval. "It sounds cool!"

"Then, instead of the villager, could I be-?"

"No."

Just ─ okay,fine.He didn't even want to be part of their stupid game to begin with, so they could do whatever they wanted as long as they kept their little hands to themselves and off his things ─ off hisbooks, for crying out loud. He sure hoped they didn't realize he was discreetly leading them away from the library because,no,he'd rather lose a limb than letthemin there.

Also, Anya should totally stop staring at him like that at such random moments-

Until, suddenly, she wasn't. Her head had snapped up, alarmed by a random creaking sound that had literally come out of nowhere, and the next thing he was aware of were small hands clutching his shirt from behind.

Which he wouldn't have minded at all, except that Anya hadn't moved from her spot ─ eyeing the darkness in front of them with nothing but sheer curiosity. Later, he recognized the hands as Ayumi's, and one unamused glance backwards confirmed that the other two werealsothere; the skilled wizard, the powerful warrior, and the brave hero all trembled with fear as they hid behind the scrawny villager.

Conan rolled his eyes. "I'll go check," he told them.

Ayumi nodded, slowly and fearfully. Not even stopping to look back once, Conan departed from his group ─ their shouted words of encouragement, as well as their heartfelt wishes of good luck still clear to his ears, even after he had disappeared around a corner and out of their sight.

The culprit of their distress did not take long to show itself in the form of an opened door that blocked most of the hallway. Hardly the one to give up even after being spotted, the creaking hardly stopped at all, and that door continued to waver slightly, as if subjected by some invisible force it couldn't fight against. As if it had suddenly become a sentient being by an ancient magic spell, and somehow was inviting him inside.

Conan took a breath in, and took his first hesitant step forward.

Peering inside the room, he found a window ─ wide open to leave the chilly breeze of the night to push the door open, and unwittingly painting a horrifying monster in those children's minds right now. The boy grumbled to himself as he closed the door with a gentleclick, and crossed the room to repeat the process, with the window this time.

Now, that was one mystery solved, he supposed. He probably should get going, or those children would start worrying that he was spirited away or something. No matter how tempting it would be to hide himself and get some more minutes or peace, he reckoned it wouldn't be worth having a bunch of panicked first graders stomping around his things, or yelling loud enough to wake up the Professor next door.

That being said, his hands did not move from where they were, gripping at the windowsill. His eyes wouldn't tear away from the sight ahead, a darkened street he used to stare at for hours, watching out for the moment that a young Ran finally stumbled by after waiting for so long, so that they could play together.

I wonder if the Professor left it open,Shinichi wondered. For the first time, he noticed that the window was sparkly clean, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember finding a single speckle of dust throughout this entire house.I wonder if he has been there…

Suddenly, he couldn't see the outside anymore, and not for the first time, that same child stared back at him ─ with those same disturbingly old eyes of his that Shinichi could not, or didn't want to, understand. His lips were moving, his whisper echoed in his mind,

I wonder if Ran has been here.

He broke eye-contact, resting his forehead against the glass ─ relishing in the cold feel against his cheek, a makeshift anchor to the reality his mind had been trying to take him away from all night long. Eyes closed shut tightly, because he was afraid he would actually see the ghosts Ayumi and the others had been looking for so long. The ghosts of his past, that had tirelessly been chasing through this haunted house of his.

It would be a matter of time, however. Eventually, he had to spin around, and allow his gaze to take every detail around him, in a single sweep.

There he was met by the most mundane sight of all, one that he had grown accustomed to during these long sixteen years of life. A bed that had warmed every cold night since he could remember. His shelves were overflowing with his favorite books, all borrowed from the library in his father's office for easier access, and on top of them, in a perpetually unstable state of equilibrium, was the old battered soccer ball Professor Agasa had gifted him on his eighth birthday.

A small smile played at Shinichi's lips as his fingers brushed against the smooth wooden surface of a desk stuffed somewhere in the corner of his room. That was the place where he had spent most of his earlier teenage days, he recalled, back when his father was home and claimed the library as his office. Where he would devote himself to those cold case files he had managed to steal from his desk, well until the next morning when he had to head back to school and pretend to be a normal, and absolutely not severely sleep-deprived, human being.

Middle school was hard,he thought, stepping away to leave. Or at least, that was his intention, before he spotted something he had not expected to see there, something so foreign to that desk that he had to pick it up to scrutinize it.

It was a black knight chess piece.What's this doing here?

He scanned the desk for more clues, but found nothing that would explain its presence. Lowering his gaze to his feet, however, he found it ─ there, in danger of being stomped over by accident, a strange piece of paper. Further inspection revealed it was a postcard, so confused, the boy crouched over to pick it up.

The printed words that read 'Tropical Land', along with the humanoid squirrel mascot thingy Ran had adored so much were, strange as that sounded, not what had caught his attention. Rather, it was the pen-written strokes, her eternally beautiful handwriting, what had taken his breath away.

"Shinichi, where are you?

Please call me…

Or rather, call me immediately!"

He didn't quite realize he was on his knees until he tore his eyes away from the note she'd written. A photograph lay in front of him, initially hidden from him by the desk, probably having slipped under by a gust of wind from his open window. Gingerly, Shinichi picked it up.

There was a careless grin stretched all over Shinichi's teenage face as Ran shuffled closer to him, seeking a place in the picture ─ her smile sincere,radiantlike it,no, likeshehad always been.

They had taken that one in Tropical Land, he remembered ─ a happy, albeit fleeting, instant in their lives captured by the camera lens. Little had any of them known that this would be the last photo they would ever take together; an accidental memento of the life Shinichi had thrown away.

With the reappearance of that same creaking sound from before, the door opened. Just a crack, just enough for a set of large emerald orbs to stare back at his bewildered self.

Genta's head popped up right above Anya's.

"Oh, that's where you went!" he exclaimed. "Good job, Anya!"

He was half-tempted to shove it closed on their faces and use his desk as a barricade, but then Ayumi opened it fully and single-handedly spoiled his plans.

"Geez, don't just disappear like that!" she complained. "I was worried a ghost caught you!"

"Like I said, there is no such a thing as ghosts," Mitsuhiko said, inviting himself to Shinichi's room. "Everything has a logical, scientific explanation. For instance, the sound we heard must have been caused by-" He faltered, his face strangely white when he looked ahead. Before Conan could ask, he murmured, "T-The window is…?"

Conan didn't even blink. "I just closed it."

Hand on his chest, Mitsuhiko breathed out. The bespectacled boy hesitated, unsure of how to react, but soon that wasn't all that important any longer since strands of pink-colored hair had covered his field of view out of nowhere.

Anya was leaning over, trying to catch a glimpse of the photograph in his hands ─ the photograph of himself, of Ran, and the past they once shared.

His smile may have been small, but he liked to think that it became a little more genuine as he offered it to the curious little girl.

"I found this thing," he told her while raising to his feet. Discreetly, he slipped the note inside his pocket, because that was definitely out of limits. "It was lying on the floor."

So, he allowed his pretend little sister to hold the prized picture between her two small hands, and to be gawked at until she was satisfied. Though he'd admit to feeling a little self-conscious when the other three huddled together to peek from over her shoulder.

Especially when Mitsuhiko suddenly gasped. "Wait, isn't this the famous high school detective, Shinichi Kudo?!"

"Is he famous?" Ayumi squinted her eyes. "I think I've seen him somewhere, but…"

Conan flinched and turned his face away, pretending to busy himself with the chess piece left on the desk ─ as if he hadn't scrutinized it to the most subtle detail before these kids got there.

Momentarily, he wondered what could this thing be doing in a place like this. Perhaps Ran had taken it from where they kept it in the library, after a long, frustrating search for a paperweight they somehow didn't have. It was probably the best she could manage, so he'd give her a pass.

"Does that mean we're in the house of such an important person?" Ayumi continued, smiling from ear to ear. "Wow, lucky~!"

"I thought you said the 'Kuoos' lived here," Genta pointed out, sending her a look.

"Hmm… Maybe I misread it?"

Now that I'm at it… Let's see if I can find that cassette player while those kids are busy.

Conan opened his closet, trusting both the surrounding darkness and his ability to be extremely quiet when necessary to keep the kids from noticing him snooping around ─ snooping aroundhis own room,to be fair.

He glanced down at the few boxes he had chucked in there a while back, certain that he had left it somewhere over there.

Woah, there's a lot of dust here,he thought, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve as he checked. Unlike the rest of the house, this place definitely hadn't even been considered as a part of Ran's ─ or Agasa's, in a much less likely chance to happen ─ cleaning crusade.

Well, Shinichi didn't blame her ─ or him. He hadn't touched this place inageseither, which, ironically, was probably the prime reason it had been ignored for so long to begin with.Seriously, just one breath in the surrounding, heavily polluted air and was sure he'd end up in a heap on the ground coughing Conan's tiny lungs out.

Completely oblivious of their last member's disappearance, Ayumi glanced over to where her new female friend was. Anya had been staring at the picture for a long time by now, her eyes gleaming in something akin to curiosity, or even amazement.

It had Ayumi smiling, and asking, "Do you know him, Anya-chan?"

She replied with an energetic nod. "He's a super exciting detective that solves cases!"

"Right?!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, his face bright. "I find the way he solves his cases so amazing!"

"And the way he defeats the evil guys is so cool!" For emphasis, the girl kicked the air as if mimicking the image embedded in her mind. "Justice Kick, go! Bam!"

Conan almost choked to death, and he couldn't really blame the dust for his murder attempt.Justice… Kick?He had never said that ─ never, ever,he could swear. His moribund teenage ego begged for the chance to testify against it and sue a literal child for slander too, if that was possible.

"Anya sometimes sees him in the news," Anya explained after her embarrassing demonstration of… whatever anime series he had mixed him in. "He usually shows up right after Bondman is over."

He wished he could charge the TV media for that, but unfortunately, Shinichi had already given them his consent. He'd thought it would be neat to be filmed as he apprehended criminals, and certainly it had made wonders for his overly fed self-esteem. But now that she'd worded it likethat, he was seriously starting to regret it.

"High school detectives are incredible!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in such a palpable admiration that warmed Shinichi's severely wounded heart ─ and ego. "Saguru Hakuba, Natsuki Koshimizu, Harley Hartwell, Junya Tokitsu, Masumi Sera… Oh, I wish I could be like them!"

Nobody noticed the slight widening of Ayumi's eyes.

Anya nodded excitedly, bouncing in her spot, until her smile froze on her face.

"Who are those people?" she asked.

Mitsuhiko stared back, his excitement dead at the hands of confusion.

"Hey, Mitsuhiko-kun. I was thinking…" Ayumi began, slowly, as if thinking through her every word. "Instead of beinglikethem, we could bebetter."

Conan's hands stopped inside the box he was shuffling through, wondering if he had heard things correctly.

"We've been doing a great job so far," she continued, a familiar smile, that Conan decidedly didnotlike, possessing her once angelic face. "Thoroughly investigating this haunted mansion likeprofessionals."

The only detective in the room begged to differ. And almost wanted to breathe in the cloud of dust on purpose, hoping for fate to let him cough enough to warrant himself a fainting spell. Or literally anything else that would impede him from kneeling down there and listening to whatever this cunning demon of a girl was scheming ─ at the expense of his poor mental health, he'd bet.

"What are you talking about?" Genta paused, pondered over it, then finally gasped. "Hey, you're not saying…"

She nodded, "You know what's more impressive than a high school detective?" and grinned wider. "A group of elementary school detectives!"

Conan had the feeling that this shouldn't be happening under any circ*mstances. He stood up from his place, approaching the group as if he could prevent the tragedy if he tried hard enough.

"Let's make a detective club!" Ayumi proposed. "All five of us!"

Genta smiled from ear to ear. "I'm claiming the leader spot!"

Mitsuhiko considered it for a while, and when he was done, a smile appeared on his face as well. "That sounds interesting."

Anya pumped her fist in the air, adding, "And exciting!"

"No." Though gasping for air, Conan finally caught up with them ─ setting a pair of likely dirty hands on each of Anya's shoulders. "Not… Not exciting."

"Don't be like that, Conan-kun!" Ayumi argued, but Conan had long decided that one agreement they had made would be the last time he listened to her. "If you don't want to do it for yourself, then do it for Anya-chan!"

As if on cue, the aforementioned little girl spun on her heels, gazing deep into his eyes with her large, brilliant eyes, blinking once. Conan had to wonder if she had mastered that lost puppy look through a load of hard work, or if she had rolled with it on the spot and turned out to be a genius in the making.

Too bad Conan had been practicing that one lately. Being a user himself gave him immunity.

He crossed his arms over his chest, seizing her with an unamused stare, and said, "Don't think those puppy eyes will make the wind blow in your favor-"

And then stopped himself, staring up at space.

Make the wind blow…His eyes shifted from the children's bewildered, sort of worried, glances to gaze at the photograph in Anya's hands.The photo and the note I found on the floor must have been blown away by the wind coming from the window I just closed.

That being the case… He looked over at the lone chess piece sitting at his desk and stilled.If Ran used that thing as a paperweight… How did that happen?

Someone must have moved it. But who? Why would the Professor do that? More like, would the Professor do that?

"Conan-kun," Mitsuhiko asked, his voice distant. "Are you okay?"

He didn't get a reply, instead was forced to watch as the boy wordlessly turned away from his sister and headed away, as if in some sort of trance. They watched vanish somewhere to the back of the room, where the moonlight wasn't able to reach and the shadows of the night prevailed.

Conan kneeled over the boxes, staining his eyes to see better. He was counting on the most imperceptible details and their power to become the key to solve this mystery, the same way they always did in the most complex cases he had encountered in the past. There had to be something there ─ his instinct as a detective wasscreamingat him. But where-?

That box.There was a faint smudge in the dust accumulated over the years on the floor of his wardrobe, as if it had been recently dragged over ─to be checked over?he wondered. Wasting no time, he leaned over to check, and to both his great surprise and horror, he found that his mother had once labeled it for him.

In permanent black marker, it read,

"Shin-chan's Children Clothes♡"

He wasn't sure of when his hands had started shaking, or where this feeling had come from ─ that of his mind drowning with endless questions, and failing to find a single answer to keep himself afloat.

Why would the Professor…? Why would Ran…?

It didn't make sense ─ nobody had evenattemptedto clean this spot. Which would mean that someone had only gotten there to check on his old childhood clothes. But for what reason? It would be illogical to think that any of them would… out of the blue…

An image of the keyhole in his front door suddenly popped up in his mind, slicing the sea of doubt in half for him to contemplate those few faint scratches he had found as interesting as foreign. The more he looked at them, the less they resembled an old accident he couldn't remember, but something fairly more recent.

More like… a result of lock-picking.

It wasn't the Professor.He sucked in a deep breath.It wasn't Ran, either.

Masami Hirota's fragile smile came to his memory. And then, with the cry of a crow, a wave toppled over him ─ fiercer, much stronger than ever before. Thus unable to even gasp for air, the boy found himself sinking and sinking into a pitch black, unrelenting darkness.

"The members are fond of wearing it… B-Black clothes, as if they're crows…"

But all of a sudden, there was light ─ a white-hot brightness that had him shielding his burning retinas with his arm. Just before he could even orient himself, and wonder what was going on, he heard children's laughter.

"See, the light still works!"

It didn't take him long to find him, now that the darkness had parted to let him see the culprit ─Genta,and his naïve, proud little smile as he stood by the room's light switch. His heart skipped a beat at the realization, but at the next one, Conan had already gotten to where Genta was.

He quickly flicked the light off and slumped over the wall to recover his breath. Now more than ever, he wished he could pretend there were no gazes stabbing at the back of his head right now, but since he couldn't actually do that, he had to face his group.

Conan decided he would never complain about their loud antics ever again, for their silence was far more telling.

"It…" He moistened his lips. The smile on his face was so forced that it actually hurt. "It will scare the ghosts away!"

Three out of four exchanged dubious glances, probably due to their inability to make up their minds about what they had just witnessed.

But there was also that certain pink haired girl, who just stared ─ right into his soul, as usual. It was that kind of look that Conan usually had to disregard for the lack of a better explanation of her behavior, but this time, he didn't. He held her inquisitive gaze, asking without uttering a single word, what had she found ─ what had sheseenthat Shinichi himself wasn't able to perceive. Yet, she offered no answers.

He didn't have time to be verbal about his inquiries, for everything scattered away with the slam of a door. Hisfrontdoor.

The exchanged glances turned from perplexity to fear; Ayumi clamped a hand to her own mouth to muffle a blood-curdling scream, while the other two boys frantically looked around, searching for a way out that Conan knew they wouldn't find.

Anya had just lifted his gaze from his face, just a little above his head, attentive to every sound that could reach her ears. Which was infinitely better than Conan could ever manage to do, for the rush of blood was everything he could hear ─ his raspy breathing, his galloping heart, the little voice in the back of his head whispering the same words, over and over again,

They are coming.His hands were sweaty, the edges of his vision blurring and darkening ─ he felt as though he could faint at any moment, yet at the same time, he felt as if he couldn't even do that right.

They must have been watching this place,he realized.And because Genta turned the light on earlier, they now know that there are people here.

And even though he knew far less about these people than he would like to, Shinichi knew how ruthless they were ─ unafraid to poison a teenager if it meant getting away with their crimes. Who was there to say they wouldn't resort to the most violent of elimination methods the moment they were spotted by a harmless, bespectacled little kid that just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong moment?

He didn't need to be a detective to deduce what the outcome would be.

I'm going to die.

Her hand on his shoulder startled him, but not as much as the serene,confidentsmile that crept up Anya's face. Before he could even gasp a question out, she'd nodded and brushed right past him.

Confused, Conan turned around as the door creaked open. The girl had paused to face him one last time.

"Don't worry," she said. "Agent Anya is going to check."

And promptly disappeared for sight, the sound of her shoes as she ran away the only sign she had been there to begin with, and eventually even that was gone. Her absence marked a moment of silence, followed by the deafening fall of the realization ─ as a bucket of ice water, dripping all over the sea of doubts once filling his mind and freezing everything in reach.

With the first crack, realization came.

She's going to die.

And by the second one, the shrunken detective was already rushing out of the room ─ allowing his legs to take control, to take him through the halls of his own home as quickly as they could. Not even letting his mind eventhinkof what would happen to that one girl if they found her first. Of what they would do to her, of what he would find ─ifhe ever found her at all. If they…

No.He pushed himself off the wall as he got to the corner, forcing himself to keep on moving forward.That isn't going to happen.

He needed to hurry ─ he needed to run faster. He needed to find her.

I won't let them.

Her distinctive hair color attracted his gaze way before his brain could point it out. She seemed to have sensed his presence or heard his steps, both of which he hadn't tried to hide in his hurry, because by the time he realized he could see her, she had already been facing his way.

And when he met her eyes, he thought of the several thousand things he wanted to scream directly at her face; about how she shouldn't run off like that, about her needing to think more carefully before acting, about how many child murderers were currently on the loose and how extremely dangerous it was to run straight towards a potential one…

Yet, as he finally reached her and squeezed her shoulders, everything he could think of was,

"I got you."

Anya blinked back at him, before a big bright smile blossomed on her face. Conan's eyebrow trembled. She clearly did notgether situation at all, now did she?

A chance for an explanation didn't seem viable, however. With a violent wince, Conan's eyes flickered to the staircase ─ there was someone there, he realized with a settling sense of dread. Their steps were all too audible from where they stood, slowly making their way upstairs,closerto them.

Conan gritted his teeth, rapidly seizing her hand. He barely had time to rush into a nearby room before the footsteps grew dangerously louder, stopping right where they had just been, wandering in the darkness to escape the impending danger.

With his hands gripping Anya's shoulders, he willed himself to be still. The intruder had stopped, the shadows of their feet poking out from under the door he had just closed. Hovering, moving back and forth ─ probably unaware of how close they were to their next victim.

They took a deep breath, and then their calls echoed throughout the entire mansion.

"Hello?! Is someone there?!"

Conan's eyes went wide.

That voice… Isn't he-?!

Mitsuhiko had been the third, and hopefully the last, to leave that bedroom. Warned against it by a sobbing Ayumi and a frustrated Genta, the boy had stepped out ─ rushing after the bespectacled young boy, in hopes that he could catch up before any harm could get to any of them.

With Conan's footsteps echoing in the silence of an abandoned home, he didn't find it difficult to keep up with him ─ or at least, it shouldn't have been. The boy wasfast,probably forcing himself beyond his own capabilities ─ which, sincerely, Mitsuhiko wouldn't have expected him to be. Not from this boy who, mere seconds ago, was practically shivering, completely paralyzed by fear up until his sister had decided to check on her own.

He, who Mitsuhiko had thought sobrave─ who, alongside his twin, had stood up for him against the man who had tried to abduct him. That fearless young boy who had saved his life…

Finally, he spotted them at the end of the hallway. His hands were on Anya's shoulders, gripping her tightly ─ tightly enough to leave marks, the boy realized. His eyes were on the staircase, wide enough to pop out of their orbits at any second now.

Conan didn't even notice him in his hurry, rushing to hide with Anya inside a room. It didn't sound like him, being so absolutely terrified. But Mitsuhiko had seen him ─ had witnessed it, with his own two eyes.

Eventually, another figure emerged from the stairs, their face shadowed by the ever-enveloping darkness they had been wandering for so long. Mitsuhiko hurried to move closer to a wall, hoping that it would help him not to get discovered by this stranger that had scared Conan this much.

The man stopped, right in front of the room where the twins had hidden. Placing his hands to his mouth, he yelled, "Hello?! Is someone there?!"

Mitsuhiko couldn't help but flinch, a chill running down his back, but managed to keep himself silent. The man continued to look around, his eyes moving dangerously close to where he was, but narrowly avoiding spotting his crouched figure at the end of the corridor.

With his heart leaping at his throat, Mitsuhiko wondered if that was how Conan felt back then. If, under that brave and careless facade, hid a scared boy that wanted nothing to run away. If, deep inside, Conan was no different from his frightened self that they had witnessed earlier. Looking at it like that, he wasn't all that different, now was he?

Now the man had turned to look at that one door, and to his horror, his hand slowly inched towards the knob. Mitsuhiko held back his breath, afraid ─ afraid for those two, of what his own two eyes would witness in the following seconds.

He needed to get away, realized Mitsuhiko ─ to escape while he had the chance. Maybe if he ran fast enough, he could manage to-

His breath hitched, his eyes opening at the epiphany that had struck. That was it, he thought. That was what made him different. The key difference between Conan and everyone else, the one thing that made him special among others.

It wasn't the incapability to feel fear, no. It was the ability to act, despite being terrified to the core.

Could Conan-kun, too, at that time…?

"I wish I could see them again,"Mitsuhiko's own words came to mind.

He wasn't sure why he had thought of them at that specific point of time. It hadn't been anything relevant, not really ─ just a comment after the story he had told, fiddling with Genta's soccer ball in his hands. About his kidnapping attempt ─ about the two children that had helped without asking, those who had lent him their hand and disappeared before he could do anything about it.

"I didn't get to thank them,"Mitsuhiko had said with a sigh. "They saved me, those two. And I couldn't even…"

Ayumi had hummed for a bit, pondering over his words before her eyes widened. "Wait,"she had said. "The boy you're talking about… You mentioned he was wearing an ugly red bowtie, oversized glasses…"

"And an arrogant smirk on his face, yes,"the boy had replied, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Which had done nothing but increase exponentially when Ayumi grinned. "Just leave it to me!"

At his side, Genta had blinked, probably feeling just as lost as he was at the moment. She had just giggled in response.

"I'll give you a second chance. Try to make it up to them next time you see them, okay, Mitsuhiko-kun?"

Renowned with determination, the freckled boy stepped firm in the middle of the hallway. He took a deep breath in, then one out.

"Over here!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

And just as the unknown man had started to turn his head to him, Mitsuhiko had already taken off running ─ eyes closed shut as he rushed past, not even daring toseewhat was going to happen next.

From close ─closerthan he would have been comfortable with, he heard a gasp, and right on cue, he felt the ground disappearing from under his right shoe. His eyes flew open with a hitched breath, just in time to discover a massive staircase ─ whose existence he had momentarily forgotten about, up until this very moment when he tried to get away.

A hand seized his shoulder, pushing him back before he could fall off. And once released, he found his legs giving off to his weight, dropping him to the ground to stare, wide-eyed and beyond horrified, at the face that towered over him, finally visible with the shadows scurrying away.

In front of him, he found a white-haired old man, a mustache growing under a perfectly round nose. Round glasses, and black beads as eyes staring down at him in perpetually surprised expression.

Back flushed against the wall, Mitsuhiko whimpered. The man's hand reached over, inching bit by bit closer to him, fingers stretched, a moment away from grazing his shoulder…

That was when Mitsuhiko screamed.

"Mitsuhiko!"

"Leave Mitsuhiko-kun alone, you thief!"

With a hesitant hand hovering in the air, the man blinked. "T-Thief?" Mitsuhiko heard him mutter, mostly to himself, probably in his own confusion.

He didn't get the chance to ask, as his only possible source for answers was now drowning in screams, toppled over by a pair of elementary school children trying to fistfight him for the sake of their friend. While their attempts to save him endeared him to no end, the pathetic spluttering of the old man gave birth to a strange touch of sympathy, stealing a wince out of him.

That… wasn't quite what he was expecting a child murderer to look like.

"I'm not a thief!" the man screamed, struggling to sit up. Ayumi's hand tugged at his shirt, all but pushing him back down. "I live next door, I swear!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Genta stood back to arch an eyebrow. "Then explain how you got in here!"

Mitsuhiko raised a finger, wondering if he ought to remind Genta of the obvious.

"Technically, it was unlocked, but, uh…" The man shuffled through his pockets for a little, until a relieved smile graced his face. "I got the keys here, see?"

Ayumi was the last to step away, sending a dubious look back at her two friends. With a pained groan, the man rose back to his feet, a hand pressing to his lower back as though that was the sole cause of his discomfort.

"I'm Hiroshi Agasa, a professor and a friend of the owner of his house," he introduced, his words stumbling with one another as if in a hurry to get them out. "I saw the light on and had to check in."

Once more, they all exchanged glances, and just as Agasa was beginning to panic again, they all relaxed, laughing carefree amongst each other. Seeing that made the older man sigh, and wipe the sweat collecting on his brow.

Unanimously, they all decided to head down. None of them noticed Mitsuhiko pause, ever so momentarily to look backwards, and to the lone pink girl peering outside of the door.

Never the ones to be observant enough, Mitsuhiko wasn't even a bit surprised that he found them on his return, placidly chatting with the older man without showing the subtlest signs of ever noticing his disappearance. He shrugged it off, slipping into the group as though he had never left.

"Oh, so ghost hunting, huh?" Agasa was saying, a look of utter understanding crossing his face. "I see. But I don't think you'll find anything like that here."

"We know already," Genta said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This house is boring."

"But don't do that again. You could get in trouble if you keep on breaking into other people's houses," Agasa said with a stern look. "You don't want to worry your parents, do you?"

Ayumi dropped her head, sighing. "You're starting to sound like Conan-kun…" Having said that, she looked back up, her eyes flickering all over the room. "Wait, where is he?"

Agasa fell strangely silent, blinking owlishly at the trio.

"Anya isn't here either," Genta pointed out.

"Ah, Anya-chan told me they were heading home," Mitsuhiko explained. "Conan-kun escaped through the window, apparently."

A snicker pushed past Genta's lips. "What a scaredy-cat."

"Oh, but I think I saw you crying back there," Ayumi replied, smiling. "Big tears, as you tackled this mister into the ground."

"It can't be helped, can it?! I thought I was going to die there!"

After a few attempts to get his words out, Agasa finally managed.

"Conan… kun?" he murmured.

His voice sounded strangely fragile to Mitsuhiko somehow. It confused him at first, but since he could not find any reason for him to do so, he quickly brushed it off as a result of his own overactive imagination.

"Our new friend!" he replied instead, a bright smile on his face. "He's Ayumi-chan's neighbor, and Anya-chan is his twin sister."

"Non-identical twin sister," Genta added while puffing his chest out, proud to have remembered that.

It took Agasa a moment to smooth out the shock off his face ─ a moment fairly longer than what Mitsuhiko would have considered to be normal. But once it was gone, a placid smile drew itself on his features.

"I see. Oh, speaking of which, I have a daughter about your age and I was wondering…"

On the bright side, it seemed like nobody was dying today after all.

On the other, well, Conan suspected these children wouldn't last much longer. For it appeared that the clinical lack of survival skills he had once diagnosed Mitsuhiko with wasn't as much of a rare case, but more than an epidemic between children.

Because he couldn't think of a single reason as towhythese children thought it was an excellent idea to follow a stranger into their home. In fact, he would probably have been screaming at this point, all the way from the window he had his nose pressed against. But since the stranger was Agasa, he decided against it.

Both because he trusted him not to murder them in cold blood, and because he didn't trustThem─ capital 'T' ─ not to murderhimin cold blood.

A sigh escaped his lips ─ he was definitely having a word with those kids, if they ever met again. Though the use of conditional was more of a result of wishful thinking, since he knew for a fact that Ayumi wouldn't let him have a ─ mostly ─ peaceful life if she could help it. With her living in the same apartment complex, and the proposal of founding adetective clubtogether, Conan didn't think his future looked too bright.

And don't get me started with Professor Agasa.What washedoing, encouraging such dangerous practices in children? He sure hoped he did explain to those kids that this should be an absolute exception, or else…

Or else… He didn't know what he would do. It wasn't like he could scold him in person. He'd left for a reason, and besides, it would have made all the suffering he'd gone through a moot point.

At least he didn't see me.He ought to be relieved about that, even though, deep down, kind of wanted him to turn around ─ to look athim,the lone boy peering outside from his beloved library's window. There was a part of him that urged him to chase after him, totalkto him ─ to tell him he was alright, to be told that he wasn't alone in this world.

That it would be okay if he just went back home.

But instead, Shinichi watched him from afar through Conan's big, round eyes. His mustache moved slightly with every smile, in the same way Shinichi had always found it so distracting, even if it was somehow fitting. He could see him stopping at his front door to tap his pockets, in a frantic search for the keys Shinichi knew he wouldn't have ─ and wouldn't need, either, because he hadn't even locked it in the first place.

Eventually he realized his mistake, bursting out laughing like he always had when Ran gently pointed it out. And then, he opened the door ─ wide and inviting, allowing those kids to hurry inside in the same exact way Ran and Shinichi used to, when they were about their age.

Just before heading back inside, the Professor halted, however. He lifted his head and Conan felt himself freeze, overtaken by the weird sensation that he was being looked at ─ thatShinichiwas being looked at, finally noticed for, maybe, the first time he could remember.

But then, Agasa looked away and disappeared inside the comfort of his own home. And thus Shinichi was left there, his hand resting where his tiny heart was, unable to put together a single thought ─ let alone figure out how he was supposed to feel.

Eventually, it came to pass.That's impossible,he told himself. The Professor had never ever learned that he was there to begin with, so it was probably his own mind playing tricks on him. But it was for the best, he reminded himself one more time. And stepping backwards, he sent one last glance at that one house; that one precious place that held so many memories, of when he was nothing but a little kid and life was much simpler.

His eyes softened, and a gentle smile blossomed on his young features.

I'm glad you're doing okay, Professor.

Finally, he drew the curtain closed. There was something else he had yet to deal with ─ a certain little thing with pink hair and an inquisitive gaze permanently stuck to his back.

Anya was still there as he turned around, eerily quiet, as if she could blend into the darkness if she tried hard enough. It looked as though she was waiting for something, even though he wasn't sure of what. Conan supposed it could wait until they got back-

Oh, right.Loid wasn't expecting them back until the next morning. Under those circ*mstances, chances of stumbling back into that apartment at such a late hour without being questioned about it were slim, at best.

Do I really want him to know what we've really been up to?he thought, weighing his options.I wonder if the kidnapping excuse would fly, after all…

Emerald met sapphire, staring at each other without even blinking.

Conan forced an awkward smile out. "I'll get the couch," he told her. "You get the bed tonight."

Anya nodded, and Conan did too, for good measure. He was glad that they had an agreement.

"I'm… a truly despicable person, aren't I-?"

His finger hit the 'stop' button, immediately cutting off her voice.

He let out a heavy sigh and took off his headphones to look at the cassette player lying still in front of his socked feet. It was almost as if it was waiting for him to take it up again, to discover the mysteries that it hid within.

Masami Hirota, the woman who had died in his arms, who had warned him about the worst kind of people ─ those that not only had taken her life away, but had also stolenhisin the end.

He had hoped that there would be a clue in her message ─ finally, a lead that he could follow, in order to finally,finally,get his life back and forget about everything else. But instead, Conan only brought his knees up to his chest. For some reason, his hands refused to move from where they were, clenching around the blanket as he held it even closer.

In the absence of her voice, the silence prevailed ─ his ever-faithful companion he had grown to love over the years; the same comforting silence that always let him know that all was well, that he wassafe,now that he was back home.

And this time, too, it reminded him of it. He was back ─ back to the only place in this entire world where he truly belonged.

Conan sighed and curled up into a small ball. Maybe it came with the territory of being much smaller than what he was used to, but for some reason this house felt big ─ a little too big, and strangely empty.

"Niichan?"

He recognized Anya's voice right away. Tiny and frail as it was, it all but made him jump off his skin. She was rooted at his doorway, with her head slightly tipped downwards, and truly, he wasn't sure whether to be impressed or disturbed about the fact that he hadn't ever noticed her presence until she talked.

How long had she been standing there? Where had she learned to be so disconcertingly quiet? For some reason, Conan didn't have the courage to ask any of these , he forced a laugh out, hurrying to tuck the cassette player between himself and the armrest, and buried it all under the covers, hoping that she hadn't really seen anything at all.

"What's wrong, Anya?" Conan asked. "Can't sleep?"

She didn't answer, she didn't move either. So, he tried a gentle approach and a smile, "There are no ghosts here," he told her. "We just made sure, didn't we?"

That got her to shake her head, at least. "Anya isn't scared of ghosts," she said.

Well, he supposed that she had made that point across pretty well, even without stating it out loud. And while he would admit that it was surprising that such a little girl wasn't even slightly frightened by the concept of terrifying supernatural creatures, he figured it was only fair.

If you asked him, living people were far scarier than the unliving ones, but may just be his experience as a homicide detective talking. He didn't think that Anya, at her extremely young age, had been exposed to that side of humanity yet. And he sure hoped she never, ever did.

"Anya misses Papa and Mama," she finally confessed, in a weak whisper. "And Mr. Chimera."

"You've only met Yor-san for a week," came out of Conan's lips, entirely on their own.And didn't even get to spend a single night under the same roof.

And then proceeded to immediately regret it when her head dropped. Apologies rushed out of his mouth in a single breath as he scooted over, patting the spot next to him moments before hopping back onto the ground.

Hesitantly, she approached. Conan was now next to the TV, zapping through the channels, grumbling under his breath every time he failed to find whatever he was trying to look for. By the time she had sat down and slipped under the covers, the boy had already hung his head down in defeat.

"I was hoping for some late-run of Bondman or something, but…" Conan half muttered, half huffed, as a random superhero came up on running towards the screen, if only to pull one of those extremely embarrassing poses that children seemed to love for some reason.

"Anya likes Kamen Yaiba," she suddenly said.

Conan glanced over at the masked hero on the TV.So that guy is Kamen Yaiba?The more he knew, he supposed. Shrugging, he stood away from it and plopped back down in the same spot he had been just until now.

It was a strange feeling, thought Conan as he settled down right beside his fake little sister. Him being there, on that same old couch his mother had loved so much, and that he had despised just as passionately ─ and the music coming from that old television, warming the once overwhelming silence. He didn't know what exactly that was, but it kind of felt familiar, somehow.

Yet at the same time, he found himself staying there ─ the urge to get up and leave before his brain melted into a thoughtless mush at the hand of bad plot points and questionable physics was, somehow, nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was just a lost cause, maybe that was where his intellect gave up and committed suicide on the spot. But it was what it was, he supposed.

Anya inched a little closer, her eyes wide and attentive to the action behind the screen. Conan couldn't help but smile a little, raising a fist to support his head's dead weight. Maybe this time, he could make it a little further into the episode without nodding off at any point of it.

Bad habits die hard, however ─ next thing he knew, he was blinking his heavy eyelids open to discover, much to his chagrin, the credits rolling on the screen.

And digging against his leg was the sharp edge of a cassette player, whose existence he had forgotten altogether. Involuntarily, his fingers curled around the object, and found that it felt warmer ─ possibly because it had been pressed against his body warmth for so long. For some reason, it reminded him of a warm mug of cocoa. Of a warm smile, bright and encouraging ─ of her praise, her conviction that he would make a great detective one day.

I have only known Yor-san for about a week,he reminded himself.And haven't yet spent a single night under the same roof as her.

And he knew ─ he knew appearances were nothing to hold on to so tightly. He knew, but…

"Do you like Mama?"

Anya's question had come out of nowhere, snapping him back to reality. Glancing towards her, he found that her unwavering gaze ─ though her little hands were still clutching the duvet they both shared, tightly enough for her knuckles to grow white.

Sighing, he turned his attention back to the television. "Can't tell yet," he admitted.

"Do you think… Mama is a bad person?"

Although Conan didn't offer a proper response, a gentle smile took hold of his lips as he placed a hand over her head. It seemed to have worked for her, he supposed, seeing that her shoulders had relaxed right afterwards.

A cheerful grin lit up her face, and though Conan didn't think he'd ever figure out the motive for its sudden appearance, he wasn't complaining either.

It wasn't nearly the first time Conan found himself wondering what was wrong with him.

To be exact, he wasn't even sure what he was doing here, of all places. Perhaps it had something to do with his unexpected trip to his old home, and the reminder that there was a life he had left behind ─ a life that he wouldn't have needed to throw away, had he taken her words more seriously.

'Her' being the woman he had once failed to save, and was now rendered to nothing but a name engraved in a cold tombstone among many others. A voice he hadn't listened to when he had a chance ─ and now that he could, it left him with a nasty taste in his mouth. Like he was intruding into something he definitely shouldn't.

"C-Conan-san?!"

Conan took a breath, then turned around, not in the slightest bit surprised to see Yor standing there ─ her vivid scarlet eyes blinking repeatedly, as though they couldn't believe what they were seeing and were expecting him to evaporate at any moment.

And even though she still found this a bizarre, mind-blowing coincidence ─ because hehadtold Loid he would be at Ayumi's for the afternoon ─ Conan believed it was only fair.

After all, this was the place where she had first seen her. It was logical that, in some strange but predictable twist of destiny, it would happen again.

A gasp tore apart from his throat, hands clapping together as he exclaimed in a single breath, "Please, don't tell Dad I was here!"

Yor's head tilted to one side. Conan peered from over his hands, timidly, before he avoided her gaze altogether.

"I don't want to make him sad," he said, in a whisper.

Just like that, all semblance of confusion seemed to crumble apart, and Conan could swear that he could see her thoughts through her eyes. Sympathy, pity, understanding ─ nothing that the detective wouldn't have expected to see. And while he knew Ran would probably be shaking her head in disapproval if she ever knew of what he had done, Shinichi knew it was the absolute best he could do.

He shifted on his feet,genuinelyuncomfortable this time. "Did… Did you come to visit someone, too?"

"Yes," she said with a soft smile. "Someone very dear to me."

"I see." He latched his hands behind his back and added, "They must be very happy that you came to visit."

"I'd like to believe that." Her smile faded over, on the edge of disappearing from existence altogether. "But I don't think that's the case." Conan blinked in response, so she clarified, "I broke a promise I made."

"A promise?"

Her gaze fell on the tombstone, silent for a beat, until she finally responded.

"To live an honest life."

Her words struck well before his mind could properly process them, but his breath had already slipped away as she walked right past him. Wide eyed, the child watched her stop in front of the resting place of a beloved friend, close her eyes, and bow slightly.

"But in the end…"she had said back then. "... we all pretend to be someone we're not."

Yor, who had once lied to her younger brother about having a boyfriend. The woman who had strived so much to become something she wasn't made to be ─ a normal human being, in an utterly mundane country they lived in.

In order to fit in a tight, close-minded society they lived in, she had needed to lie.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice."

The last piece clicked into place, the puzzle within Conan's mind was finally complete. His shoulders dropped with the strange sensation that a tremendous weight had finally lifted off him.

Yor straightened back, a tender smile on her lips. There it remained, even as he turned to face the bespectacled little child accompanying her, and slowly crouched down in front of him.

Though surprised at the gesture, Conan didn't dare to say anything. Yor leveled him with an odd, troubled stare, until she finally sighed ─ like she hadfinallycome to terms with what she really wanted to say to him.

"Conan-san," she began. "I am aware of how hard it must be for you. For a stranger like me to suddenly barge into your life and suddenly be required to consider me part of your family."

His eyes widened slightly. For some reason, that seemed to make her shift, sort of anxious, as far as he could tell.

"But I wanted to tell you, it's fine!" she added, quickly, as if she didn't want him to ponder about it any further. "I never wanted to replace someone so important in your life."

"Yor-san…"

"What I mean to say is… Your mom will always be your mom, and I swear never to step into the memory of the wonderful woman she… she must have been! That's why… That's why, um…"

Her head jerked up, startled when two little hands suddenly placed themselves on her shoulders.

"You're replacing nobody," Conan assured her. He stepped back, his hands at his back once again, and a brilliant grin stretched all over his face. "I think we can get along just fine, Yor-san!"

She blinked once, and then, her face mirrored his. Brighter, lighter than how he had last seen her, Yor stood back up, and offered to walk home together.

Just before leaving, though, Conan glanced over his shoulder. His eyes posed on her tombstone, and without prompting them,herlast message echoed in his mind.

"It seems that you found my message. That makes me a little happy, you know.

Thank you for giving me this chance, Yor-chan. For being willing to listen, one last time.

I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry for how things turned out to be. I wasn't intending to deceive you, nor did I ever want to hurt your trust, but I truly had no other choice.

Which doesn't change anything at all, does it? I can't change the past, even if I wished to, so desperately at that. But you know what the most unforgivable sin of it all is? It's that I'd do it all over again, again and again.

I'm… a truly despicable person, aren't I?"

Suddenly, he remembered that he never ended up listening to the whole tape Masami had left for Yor, but as it was now, he was considering that it was probably for the best. Maybe he would sneak into her room one last time and leave it where he had found it ─ closing this case for once and for all.

And if on their way back home Yor decided to purchase a cassette player on a whim, Conan wouldn't question it.

Certainly, Yor didn't think she would ever hear Masami's voice ever again.

But there she was now, sitting in her new bedroom with that one cassette tape she had once left behind for her. One last message that she had never gathered the courage to listen to, and nowadays, had been left to collect dust with all of her other belongings. For words could be terrible poisons, much deadlier than anything else in that box, and memories were the perfect blade to scar a bleeding heart.

Yet, it had to be done ─ she needed to know. For Masami, and for Yor herself as well.

"I have a little sister, have I ever told you that? She's been in my care ever since our parents died, and is someone I'd do anything for. And I… Well, I suppose you can understand what I'm talking about."

Her gaze flickered towards the photograph on her desk, where a young man with bright scarlet eyes smiled happily in her presence. More than ever, she wanted to tell her that yes ─yes,she absolutely understood her; probably more than anyone else.

He was the reason she undertook that obscure path, to begin with. Maybe, at the end of the day, they weren't so different after all.

"Hey, Yor-chan… I know you probably don't like me too much right now, and I totally understand that! But… Could you please do one last favor for me?

If not for me, please do it for my sister instead. My sister, who I've left alone to fend off by herself.

There should be more tapes where you found this one. Would you please deliver them to her?

It's an important task, and you're the only person I can entrust it to, Yor-chan."

Allowing her voice to guide her, the woman stood up from her bed, and reached over for the box tucked at the corner of her room. Peering inside, she saw them ─ the several other cassette tapes she had found at her desk, alongside with the one intended for her to listen to.

Yor nodded her head. She hoped that her friend was witness to her resolve, even though she couldn't see her anymore.

"Well, I guess that's about everything. I can't talk for much longer, I gotta go. I'm meeting with a detective, can you believe that? He's still in high school, but I've heard nothing but great things from him. Guess I'll have to brush up my lying skills, or he may see right through me…"

Suddenly, she was remembered of a pair of gelid blue eyes, sharp like blades slicing through the most impenetrable darkness.Shinichi Kudo─ a detective as young as dangerous, a force to be reckoned with, and a threat to her night job as a whole. She had been warned against him several times in the past, so to her, that was all he had been. A threat.

Except she had seen him. There, at the dock ─ she had remained in the shadows, even after finally finding her, motionless on the floor with a bullet wound to her stomach, the perpetrator nowhere to be found.

His eyes had been warmer than she remembered, as they did his best to comfort Masami in her last moments. His bloodied hand had never stopped squeezing hers until the moment she gave out her last breath.

Meanwhile, all she had done was to hide and watch from afar.

"I've told you before, haven't I? Not to live a lie ─ funny, right? I made you promise never to lie for the sake of appearances only, not to pretend to live a life you don't want to…

But that's impossible, right? You, me, and every single soul in this world… We're nothing but a bunch of liars. Big or small, there's always a secret that we keep from our loved ones."

Sighing, she stood back up and slowly made her way back to her bed. That was what she was, right? Someone who pretended to be someone she wasn't, someone who would lie to everyone if it meant keeping her true identity.

That wouldn't change, even though she had promised her; a broken promise that would never be amended.

"Yet, you should never lie to yourself. Live the life you truly want, be true to yourself."

She paused, her breath caught in her lungs for a moment. By the time her eyes began to widen, ever so slightly, Masami was laughing ─ in that same sweet cadence she always remembered from her.

Being true to herself… Could it be that all this time, all Masami had wanted was…?

"Should I do the same, I wonder? This time, without the lies.

I'll be honest with you, maybe for the first time in my life, so listen carefully, alright?"

Masami cleared her throat.

"I was utterly and irrevocably blessed to have been your friend, Yor."

A faint smile blossomed on her lips as she hugged herself, as tightly as humanly possible. And for the first time since it had happened, tears rolled down her cheeks.

She understood now ─ she finally understood. And a part of her wondered if she had understood her, too.

Yor had the feeling she did. Better than she ever would.

"There's a bright future waiting for you, I just know it.

From your despicable liar of a friend, Akemi."

Chapter 11: Surviving the Entrance Exam

Chapter Text

When Conan found that certain, lone phone booth across the street, he knew it was going to be one ofthosedays.

Admittedly, at this point it was becoming more of an everyday thing, but Conan was adamant that it was but a phase brought by his impromptu visit to his old home. One that was bound to vanish without leaving a trace, and soon, he would be free to forget that any of this had even happened in the first place.

Soon, he would be finally freed from thoughts of a phone handset far too large for his tiny fingers to curl around, and the sweet voice that he hadn't been able to respond to. From that one photograph they had taken together, or her scribbled note that begged at him to say something,anything,to her.

His feet, having long halted at the sight, itched to move closer. His fingers, however, grazed his throat as if they wanted to talk some sense into his thick skull. As if they could remind him that it was useless, no matter how alluring.

One day,Shinichi decided. Tearing his gaze back forward, and with a bitten lip, he walked away.

One day, I will tell her with my own voice. I will tell her that I'm okay, that I'm finally back home.

One day… Surely, it will come.

Blue eyes flickered towards the tip of his bright red shoes, that were a few sizes too small. A pair of non-prescription glasses sat heavily on his nose bridge, where he had spotted the smallest of bruises forming this morning, when he washed his face and found that strange kid reflected in the mirror.

When will that be?he found himself asking, before he could stop himself. It didn't matter, in the end. For one day, he'd be sitting at his home again, smiling in realization that it had been worth the sacrifices, and even the extremely long wait.

For all he knew, it could only take weeks. Weeks could easily turn into months, however, and months intoyears. Years in which his favorite books would sit to collect dust and mold had free rein to climb over walls. Years in which Ran's words would fade away, leaving behind a forgotten postcard and an old photograph stuffed into some random drawer.

Years wasted away, wishing both to go back and forward in time, striving to recover the life he had cherished so much.

And then, he'd come back. Shinichi wondered if Ran would be there, arms open and a warm smile on her face, or if she would have already grown into the independent woman he knew she'd become. If she would have already moved away from the small town they had both loved, to follow the path she had chosen for a bright future.

Where wouldhefit in all of that? Shinichi could not seem to find an answer to that.

"I'm telling you, guys! We'll become the greatest detectives to have ever detectived."

"That isn't even a word, Genta-kun."

"Who cares?"

Well, Genta didn't, that was for sure.

He had the nagging suspicion that the same applied to both girls, Anya and Ayumi, currently too busy taking the lead to be truly interested in grammatic. Not that Conan had a clue where they were leading them too, and probably neither did they, but in the grand scheme of things it did not really matterwhere,as long as they wentsomewhere.

Or so Ayumi had said earlier. He doubted theywereheading somewhere in particular, but if you asked him, Conan hoped that place was home ─ or more like, the closest thing currently available, which happened to be the apartment complex he currently resided in.

Home momentarily was out of limits. In order to get there, he'd have to take the long way back. First, he would have to find more about the organization that shrunk him so that he could destroy it for good.Thenhe could think of getting his body back and finding his way home again.

It looked good on paper, difficult, but not impossible. High School Detective Shinichi Kudo was on the case, so one way or another, he would find a way to make it happen, right?

Conan sighed audibly, certainly not for the first time today.

He might not be all too clear on how to take down an entire criminal syndicate all on his own, but he had the feeling that getting roped up into a detective club with a bunch of rowdy six-year-olds wasnotthe way to go.

Detective Boys was the name the kids had chosen, 'unanimously', even though Conan had argued that it was a horrible name. His opinion had been vetoed for a supposed lack of coherency and completely disregarded ─ which was, in reality, a subtler way of saying that his voice did not have any weight at all. Well, color him surprised, because he had been forced to join even though heclearlywanted no part in this.

Children could be extremely unfair when they wanted to be. Even Anya, wasn't she supposed to play her part as his sister? That little traitor.

"Confidence is a great skill to have," Conan pointed out. "But it's hard to back it up when we haven't even takenonecase in yet."

He sure hoped they never did, though. Normally, the most children their age could aspire to get were missing cat cases, and God, it was almost offensive to call them 'cases'. He would rather snack on a few cyanide pills than endure such mind-numbing torture.

"We just need to be patient," Ayumi said with a bright smile on her face. "Once school starts, we can get clients. We'll become famous in no time!"

Anya beamed, her eyes sparkling. "Fame!"

His inner Shinichi couldn't help but cringe, remembering a time when he was just a kid, forever excited by the prospect of fame and recognition for his deductive skills. Needless to say, given the recent turn of events, he was now aware of how easily it could backfire when he got a few years older. It had in his case, and admittedly, he could've gotten it much worse.

It'll eventually get into your head.And kill you way before you hit your twenties.

Suddenly, every bit of expression was wiped out from Anya's face. Noticing this, Ayumi blinked her eyes in confusion.

"Anya doesn't want fame anymore," she said, staring blankly back at her. "It only brings bad things."

For a moment, Ayumi didn't seem to know what to do. Conan couldn't help but feel a tinge of satisfaction at seeing her, the cunning little demon who had dragged him into this mess, speechless like this.

Welcome to the club, Ayumi-chan,he thought, fighting off a smirk.We don't have cookies, though.

Without a clear reason, Mitsuhiko smiled ─ had been, actually, for the entirety of the odd interaction. And while Conan couldn't say he wanted to act much differently, it made Conan wonder if he had actually been listening to begin with. That, or Mitsuhiko's inner voice was not as kind and polite as his outer persona was.

"Oh, speaking of which," he said out of the blue, turning to Conan. "Are you two going to attend Teitan Elementary too?"

Shinichi's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his old school name.

Mitsuhiko seemed to mistake that reaction with confusion, so he clarified, "I know it's in Beika, but I think it's the closest from where you live. It's like that for Ayumi-chan, so I assumed..."

"Mitsuhiko and I live in Beika," Genta commented with a grin. He turned to Anya, who stared cluelessly back. "So, are we seeing you two there?"

"Probably not," Conan answered. "We enrolled for Eden, but the interview is tomorrow, so we don't really know."

At the very least, he was almost completely sure he wasnotattending Teitan Elementary under any circ*mstances. Even in the highly unlikely case that Loid didn't turn them back to the orphanage as soon as they failed, he'd definitely have to find a way to avoid going there. If his old teachers were still working there, and one of them happened to recognize him… No, that was out of the question.

If push comes to shove, I'll have to run away, possibly to another city far from Berlint. I'll choose another identity and start all over.

It's not like Conan Forger has made much progress here, so there's nothing for me to lose even if we fail that interview.

Anya took a hesitant step closer to him.

And flinched as soon as he turned to her, frantically shaking her head before he could even arch his eyebrows.

He wasn't even allowed a word in response, interrupted by the collective gasp that snapped both of their silent, extremely brief and confusing exchange.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Genta was ogling at them, as if he was seeing them for the very first time, and though he was half-tempted to remind him that personal spaces were meant to be respected, Conan said nothing. "You're rich kids?!"

"Definitely not."

Well, pretty sure Anya isn't, at least.

He cut himself mid shrug when his gaze fell, by chance, on the clock tower standing in the middle of the public plaza. His eyes grew wide, and following his lead, his sister did the same, only that in her case it was confusion what he noticed dancing behind those big eyes of hers.

Conan suddenly was reminded that Anya had cheated on her exam and didn't really know how to read a clock. Loid definitely needed to do something before a teacher noticed it, the boy thought. It wasn't like she could indefinitely cheat her way through school.

"We should start heading home," Conan told Anya, grimacing. "I don't want Dad adding three extra hours of world history to my study schedule."

Mitsuhiko looked slightly surprised to hear that. "Sounds like he's strict."

"He kind of is. But this time it's because I'm grounded."

"And he still lets you hang out with us?!" Genta gasped in pure disbelief. "Mom doesn't let me take a foot out of my house whenI'mgrounded!"

I think that's the whole point,Conan mused, struggling to keep his smile straight and his eyebrow from twitching.I wouldn't be hanging out with these kids if I could help it.

And thus they kept on walking, falling back into casual, childish conversation. Immersed in themselves as they were, hardly nobody noticed the bespectacled young boy shooting one last glance over his shoulder, before deflating in a dejected sigh, and leaving for good.

Nobody, but a little pink haired girl who, in silence, contemplated the telephone booth for a moment further, watching as it shrunk with every step they took until it disappeared for good.

Before long,thatday came.

'That day' being that specific event that had turned Loid into the personification of stress, anxiety and a stomach-churning dread that grew more and more powerful with each day passing by ─ a fact that he had strived to hide so valiantly, Conan would admit to it.

Loid's only mistake had been ignorance, and with that he meant not knowing that he had brought a detective to live under his same roof. One that wouldn't fail in recognizing the tension on his shoulders every time he sat down with a mug of coffee and pretended to be relaxing ─ but come to think of it, it didn't really take a detective to see all of that. In fact, he even remembered one instance where Yor had noticed the same thing, and had tried to reassure him that they'd do just fine.

It could've been her broad smile, or maybe the sight he caught from over her shoulder of Anya dropping her cocoa all over her lap, but in the end, all that happened afterwards had been an exacerbation of his symptoms.

He's tougher than he looks, that guy,Conan thought, back in the present, humming as he fixed his bowtie.I'd have expected to find a few white hairs on him at the end of the week.

Once finished, the boy stepped back to contemplate his appearance reflected in the mirror, and saw himself squinting his eyes.Indeed, I might as well be using the same clothes I wear every single day.That, with the sole exception of the black, fancier pair of shoes that replaced those bright red regular ones, he looked none too different from his usual attire.

But the last time he had brought that up, Yor had only responded that he looked absolutely adorable in his new clothes, and Loid had reminded him that the people they were trying to impress could tell the difference, even if Conan could not.

Which was insulting on so many levels. What kind of self-respecting detective wouldn't notice that his blazer was now a shade of blue deeper, or that its texture felt much smoother against his skin? Conan wasn'tblind,he could see that the materials it had been fabricated with were of an obviously much higher quality, which in turn justified its much elevated price. His glasses did not have a prescription for a reason.

All he had been trying to say was nobodyelsewould be able to tell, not thathecouldn't. Thank you very much.

The nerve, some people.

"Conan?" He heard Loid's voice calling for him. It was thicker than he remembered, but he wasn't sure if it was anxiety-shaped or just muffled by the toilet's door.

"Coming!" he replied right away, fearing that Loid would somehow convince himself he had somehow unsealed the window and jumped off to freedom.

Which hehadbeen tempted to do, but had to refrain himself because he couldn't think of a way to seal it back after he was gone. Scribbling 'good riddance' on a sticky note, slapping it into Anya's forehead and sending her Loid's way would have been subtler.

Left out of options, he jumped off his stool and joined the rest of his pretend family in the living room.

"The time has come," Loid announced, grabbing onto his hat ─ not his usual hat, mind him, but a black, clearly more expensive, one. "Personal effects check."

Yor diligently rummaged through her purse and nodded. "All clear."

"Appearance check."

Conan didn't even get the chance to tell Yor that he'd fixed his bowtie already. Once she was done with him, she quickly checked on Anya and nodded again. "All clear."

"Final check of your verbal etiquette."

"All set, please," Anya said, suddenly rigid. "Will do my best, please."

I want to die, please,Conan thought, sarcastically.

And so, they were set ─ fully prepared, even if Conan's opinion conflicted with the general one. Or at least, what theofficialopinion was, because he knew for a fact that Loid would probably be quaking in his boots right now if he didn't have pride, and a few years of experience as an intelligence agent under his belt.

Eden Academy was just as imposing as the last time he had seen it, extending all over what Yor's bewildered eyes could see. She had stumbled back earlier, a bit too close to the stairs for Conan to be comfortable with, so he had actually suggested that she step away from there ─ for he was sure that a cracked skull wasn't the way she wanted to start her day, nor would it make their graceful family act any more believable for the hundreds of eyes currently on them.

Because, yeah, they were being watched ─ closely, from so many directions that he couldn't even tell anymore. If he raised his head, though, he knew he would be able to see the examiners' sharp gazes carefully surveying the entire crowd from behind the windows. But that would also screw over any chances of playing the clueless little kid if needed in the future.

Judging by the intensity of the scrutiny they were subjected to, Conan had the feeling he would need all he could get.

"I need you all to be on your guard," Loid said, pointedly looking at the front.So he's avoiding eye-contact too, huh?"We're being watched by the examiners."

Conan wondered if he should act surprised, but then he realized his lack of an immediate reaction had already ruled that possibility out. He decided that a non-committal hum was the best he could offer and lifted his head without giving the spy the chance to ponder about it.

"Oh," he said, his voice plain with boredom. "That's the thing you mentioned before, isn't it?"

The object he was nodding towards was a statue, positioned in the middle of the road and massive enough for Conan to wonder why nobody else was stopping by to, at least, look at it. Whoever had built this thing hadn't been very subtle in their attempts to show how important that person was to Eden as a whole, so the question was why no one else had thought to pay their respects ─ if only for the sake of a few, juicy extra points and a nod of approval from the examiners.

Then again, none of them probably realized they were being watched in the first place.What a bunch of clueless fools.

Which was a funny thing to say, since Conan definitely felt like one right now ─ with his hand pressed to his chest in front of some old guy's statue, in a grand display of the unwavering respect and admiration he definitely did not have.

Loid had molded his features into a rather believable, but definitely fake, solemn expression. He was going all the way, he seemed, which Conan could find rather admirable.

Especially since it took some skill to pretend not to notice that Yor's smile was a little too awkward ─ Conan would bet she didn't have the slightest idea who this man was. It was easy to see how Anya's eyes kept drifting to the flawless rendering of the sparkling bald head of Eden's founder. And Conan, of course, who had to hold back a yawn because he couldn't carelessabout this whole thing.

After an uncomfortable few seconds of standing in silence, they walked away. Whether they had convinced the jury above their heads, Conan could not be sure.

"K-211 and K-212. Please head to Hall 1."

And so their journey continued, past what was probably the only examiner who had the courage to actually face them ─ though, to be fair, he might not have been ranked high enough to earn the privilege of hiding. But at least they had passed the first test, which meant that the statue thing had miraculously worked.

That hardly meant they were allowed to rest. The gazes had not vanished, and in fact, they had strengthened ─ piercing through their souls with the sharpness of a thousand knives, concentrated on a single point.Not that makes any sense, though.

"Oh, no!" The wind carried the desperate call of help of a young boy to his ears, and instinctively felt himself sigh. He didn't need to look to know what they were trying to test them with. "I've accidentally fallen into the gutter, and I can't get out!"

Eventually he turned his head to the source, and yup, he had been right. Exactly as the voice had described it, the boy, clad in his possibly ridiculously expensive school uniform, was chest deep into the smelly sewage water.

Normally, Conan thought he might feel bad about this poor little boy who had accidentally slipped into this horrible, terrible predicament he couldn't get off on his own.

Except for the fact that the lids of the gutter were laying a few feet from him. Their position, and the fact that they were open without proper supervision on this day in particular, did not make it any easier for the shrunken detective to believe it was accidental.

Or that, even though the boy was a bit on the chubby side, Conan could clearly see that he was much smaller than the hole he had fallen to, so he wasnotstuck to begin with. He wasn't too deep in either, and couldeasilypush himself up if he wanted. And besides, he was wearing the uniform when the school year hadn't even started yet.

Hard to believe he had been here and fallen by chance.

Surely, he couldn't be the only one seeing all these faults in the examiner's planning, could he? Even if it was fake, it wouldn't have hurt to put a little more thinking on this, if only for coherence's sake.

And his sanity's too.

"Ah, I don't know what I should do? Who knew there'd be a gutter here?" the boy kept on screaming. "I'm so shocked. I'm really stuck."

Oh, be careful, Mom,Conan thought sarcastically.This young actor in the making is sure to become a movie star, a much brighter one than you've ever been.

Even on the verge of rolling his eyes, Conan managed to restrain himself. If only because he felt Loid's gaze fixing on his back, and the urge to sigh was fairly stronger. He didn't do either, though, and merely opened his eyes wide with a quiet gasp.

"Oh, no," he said, blandly. Robotically, more like it. "It would seem there is someone in deep trouble."

His mother would probably be ashamed if she ever saw that, but to be fair, he hadn't really tried. Fortunately for him andher,she wasn't there to witness it, let alone comment on it.

"Brother is correct!" Anya exclaimed, pointing towards where the boy 'in distress' was. "Papa! Mama! Let us save him!"

Well, at least she was trying. Which was more than what anyone else around could say.

Loid immediately walked over, Anya trotting right in tow. A concerned frown shaped the father's features as he asked him, "Are you all right, lad?"

The boy started struggling harder, splashing filthy water everywhere and crying, "Oh, no! I've slipped and I cannot get up!"

Conan would probably have slipped right then and there, plainly stating that hehadalready stated that, maybe a dozen of times already. But if he stopped himself, it wasn't for his self-control, but an honest concern blossoming from deep within him.

This can't be sanitary,he thought, struggling not to scrunch his nose.

Next thing he knew, the boy was being flung out of his predicament ─ effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing. As the dirty water splattered all over him, and Anya, who was standing nearby, Conan wondered if the man had a secret thing for dramatics. Even if he stood with one foot on either side of the gutter, and notinside,the final result would barely change at all.

Why were most people he knew likethat?Shinichi could definitely do without the overuse of dramatics.Overuse, because just a little bit was fine; worked like a bit of spice to his deduction shows, so there was no way he was giving that up.

If you added too much of it, you'd get that ─ a family seeking a source of water to cleanse the smelly sewage off their clothes, and the recently rescued boy, standing a few feet away while fiddling with the handkerchief Anya had kindly offered him ─ as ifthatwould help, the boy was drenched from chest to toe.

But whatever, Conan supposed it was his cue to act.

The friendly smile came easily to him as he approached.

"What is wrong?" he asked, blinking owlishly when the boy's head snapped towards him, almost violently enough to snap his spine in half. "Do you feel unwell?"

"N-No… I mean, uh…" He avoided his gaze, biting his lip. Shinichi had cornered enough murderers to know what a guilty look was when he saw one. But didn't act on it, instead watching as the boy shook his head and he screamed, "I'm so sorry!"

Fake confusion knitted his eyebrows for a moment, before he broke into a grin.

"There's nothing to be sorry about!" he told him, much to the boy's disconcert. "Look for yourself."

But the boy's bewilderment was nowhere as artificial as the detective's one, and honestly, it almost made him laugh for real. His eyes drifted away from it and fixated somewhere above his shoulder, which encouraged the young boy to spin on his heels. And gasp.

"Thank goodness we anticipated this," Yor said, a smile posed on her lips, "and prepared a change of clothes just in case!"

Then she turned to Loid as he buttoned up his brand new,cleanjacket. "Besides, your gray suit seems to fit the attire at this school more," she pointed out.

"If I had continued wearing my previous suit, we would've been mistaken for commoners from the countryside." Smiling gently at the boy, who stepped back in a well-founded fright, he told him, "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to change, lad."

The boy wasn't sure how to reply, but Conan figured it was alright. It was never about him to begin with, but Twilight using every tool in disposition to make himself look good. Even the ones that were supposed to be used against him.

Anya magically manifested on Conan's side, with her arms raised and a bright grin stretched all over her face. "And we're matching now!" she exclaimed in joy. Then paused, pondered over her words and, softer, added, "... Please."

Conan sighed, but couldn't stop his lips from twitching into a small smile.

He took on the little girl's form, on the dress she had changed into that just sohappenedto be the same shade of blue his blazer was made of. And if that wasn't enough, there was that red little ribbon in the same spot where he had fixed his bowtie this morning.

As if Loid-san wasn't planning on this.

Conan suspected he had been, from the very beginning. Having the twins wear matching clothes was considered much more visually appealing for many, and considering they were going to be interviewed by people to whom a proper appearance was a must, Conan could see why he had thought of that.

"Please be more careful next time," Conan called, waving with a bright smile. "Have a good afternoon, senpai."

Bowing lightly, the boy joined his family, and together, the Forgers left this poor, lost boy to gape at their backs.

Back on their track to Hall 1 they were, ready to face the interview that Loid had been, and clearlywas,dreading for. Once and for all.

It shouldn't be long.Unbelievable as that sounded, even to him, Conan actually wished they could hurry it up, so that he could finally get over and out with it. But being gracefulalsomeant a slower walking pace, which the boy didn't think he could keep with for much longer.

But it was fine. He was almost there.

Just stop it with the stupid tests, for goodness' sake. Or at least, throw in one that shows that someone sat down and thought about it for at least a minute before approving it.

This wasEden,the famous academy where only the elite of the elite were allowed to attend. For all they pride themselves on exclusivity and quality, he'd think their examiners would have a slightly higher brain cell count than most people.

But now? He was seriously starting to reconsider his initial assumptions.

Please, anything,he begged, to nobody in particular.Anything, no matter how extreme-

A bell snapped him out of his thoughts, if only to wonder what was with all that noise, suddenly erupting somewhere behind him. Confused, he turned around, and promptly froze in place when he saw, for the first time, the commotion forming somewhere in the distance, steadily approaching them.

"Watch out!" someone yelled, somewhere in the distance. "The animals have escaped the farmhouse!"

Okay.He grimaced.Maybe notthatextreme.

People were running, their terrified screams filling the entire campus as they tried to escape their otherwise inevitable death at the hands ─ or paws, or hooves, orclaws─ of a full-blown stampede.

And while it was undoubtedly an emergency situation developing right there in front of him, Conan wasn't able to keep himself fromstaring.

For school farm animals, there were all kinds of species right there, running without control and out for blood. Cows, horses, sheep, pigs, you name it ─ he was pretty sure he had even seen an owl, an eagleand anostrich, for goodness' sake.What reason could there be for keeping any of those there?!

There are plenty of important people here, as examinees,Conan thought, his eyes narrowing.No examiner would be stupid enough to risk their lives for this.

Which meant that wasn't an accident.Maybe an assassination attempt?he wondered, before shaking his head.No. A tactic like this would only put the culprit in an unnecessary risk of exposing themselves. I doubt there are many people in charge of keeping an eye on these animals, let alone at this specific time and hour. The culprit would be busted in no time.

Then… What could it have been-?

His eyes widened slightly.

Isn't that ostrich running a little strangely?A second look confirmed that, indeed, there was a peculiar swaying as it moved, as though it wasdifficultto put its weight on its left foot.

The horse on the back, too ─ the way it moved its head from side to side as it dashed. The third eagle on the far right was flying a little lower than the rest on its row, and if he squinted his eyes, he could swear he could see the faintest of traces of a hoove, in the middle of a pig's round, large nose.

Huh,Conan thought. His fingers rose to cup his chin, watching as all those fragments of information agglomerated within his mind.Maybe that's what happened-

Something brushed his shoulder.

Startled out of his thoughts, the boy turned his head, just in time to see a few strands of strawberry blonde hair, from so close that it almost tickled his cheeks.

Gelid, teal-colored eyes pierced through his bewildered ones, and for some reason Conan couldn't figure out for himself, his breath caught in his throat. He could have sworn her lips had twitched into a smirk then, but before he could process a single thought, let aloneconfirmwhat his eyes were telling him, she was gone.

So he spun around, knitting his eyebrows together as he watched her go ─ a girl as small as unfamiliar, sandwiched in between a young couple that Conan could not hope to recognize either, as they ran away for their lives. Such was the sight that Conan couldn't seem to let go of, for motives that, again, eluded him completely.

Until he was forced to ─ was plucked out from the ground, and before he could even tell what was going on, his chin was hooked over someone else's shoulder. Likely Yor's, if the bits of ivory black hair waving in front of his eyes, along with the sight of Loid scooping Anya into his arms not far away from them, was something to judge by.

Warmth rose to his face at the delayed realization that he was beingcarriedlike a little kid.

This is… so degrading.

And the worst part was that he couldn't complain either, considering that hehadbeen standing in front of the approaching stampede without moving a single finger. It was better to give up any hope he might have had about convincing them that he could take care of himself ─ it had never worked withRan,why would it now?

That didn't make it any less frustrating.

"Do not break formation D!" Loid declared, loud enough for everyone to hear. "We will show these animals nothing but benevolence!"

To be honest, Conan did not have the slightest clue of what 'formation D' was. Hell, he didn't even know what 'formation A' had been like, let alone all the other letters that followed it.

Could 'formation D' mean, just, run for their lives? Because that was the only thing they had been doing all along.

Run away, and apparently pass his startled daughter to Yor so that he could jump out and save the vice minister of the Ministry of Finance's young son from being stomped to death. Conan supposed that worked, too.

That was kinda cool, actually,Conan admitted, gulping down the bitter spike of jealousy that had latched onto his throat. Why did he get to do all of that when he was stuck being held by Yor's iron grip like a literal first-grader? Sometimes, life just wasn't fair.

A groan, so soft he could have lost it among the cacophony of screams they were immersed in, brought him right out of his musings. It drew him away from his mind and the tiny figure in front of him, curled into the motherly hold they were both sharing.

"Anya?" he called out softly, concern tinting his voice.

But the girl hardly responded, nuzzling into her mother's chest in what he would assume to be a desperate search for warmth or comfort. Her cheeks had lost their adorable rosy color, and had drained into a ghostly white shade Conan had only seen a handful of times on her face ─ eyes closed tightly, her forehead scrunched to show the discomfort whose origins the detective wasn't sure about.

But he could make a guess, and was inclined to believe it had to do with the mass panic afflicting her ─ she didn't do well in crows to begin with, so he imagined thatthismust be infinitely worse.

He raised his head to share a look with Yor, and found her mirroring the expression he was probably making. Her grip on them tightened, drawing both children closer to herself and each other as she quickened her pace.

"Loid-san!" she cried. "It's happening to Anya-san again."

Like the woman before him, worry shaped Loid's normally stoic features as he gazed upon his daughter. Not that Conan was any better himself, he could tell, feeling his eyebrows draw closer the more he looked at the weak little girl beside him.

There must be something I can do,thought the detective, shifting so that he could look from over Yor's shoulder. And surely there must be something, only that Conan could not, for the life of him, figure it out. Yet, as he looked back at the herd that continued to approach them, too fast for his own liking, he was seriously doubting there was a way to stop them.

Or more like, stop the leader of this herd. The cow with the strange dark spot on its face, shaped as though a mask covering that glare that burned with the inextinguishable flames of rage. A clear signal that maybe they shouldn't stand there any longer, and had run before they could be flattened like a fresh batch of pancakes-

Conan was startled by the sudden notion of Yor's gentle, but strong hold ceasing to be. Then, it passed over into confusion when he realized that she had deposited him, and the little girl, into the arms of a similarly bewildered Loid.

"Please look after Anya-san and Conan-san for a moment."

Needless to say, there were so many questions that were spontaneously brought to life at the sight of those scarlet eyes ─ those eyes he had grown used to, yet at the same time, he found unfamiliar somehow; sharper, missing that certain adorably naive glint he had thought permanent in them.

She turned around, and Conan could have sworn her back used to be much smaller. She walked, closer to the deadly creature, her steps too light for his ears to pick on any sound. And even though there wassomuch he wanted to say, the bespectacled little boy found that his words had left him ─ taken by the wind that gently played with Yor's raven black hair, not to return them again.

He managed a weak croak, a hand shooting up as though he could reach her if he tried hard enough.

That was when she jumped.

More like, sheleaped─ several few meters into the sky before she landed on her heel shoes, gracefully as though as a bird landing for a well-deserved rest after an entire day of flying. And just as Conan was starting to process what his eyes had seen, the cow promptly fell ─ dropped with a resounding thud, not dissimilar to an old ragged puppet whose strings had been viciously cut down.

Loid gently placed them back onto the ground, his eyes stuck on Yor's motionless figure from afar. But even free from the hold that he had found so degrading before, Conan did not feel it within himself to step away so as not to risk a repeat, like he had been planning up until a few seconds ago.

His feet refused to move from their spot. All he did was to watch her, unblinking as if in a trance, and to get his sluggish brain to get back from its impromptu strike to do some work, as minimal as it may be.

She started with a flinch, the weight of her actions finally falling on her as she spun around.

"I-It's not what you think!" Yor screamed, and honestly, Conan was tempted to ask because he genuinely had no idea himself. "I once learned about pressure points that can stop one's movements in yoga class!"

Conan knew he might need to blink soon. His eyes were starting to sting.

"I-I figured they might work on cows, too!" Noticing that the rest of the herd was slowly backpedaling, she gasped. "D-Don't look at me like that!"

Wise animals, they were. Conan felt himself sigh wearily, massaging his temples as if that could keep the upcoming migraine at bay. It had never worked in the past, so logically there was no reason it wouldnow,but Conan was beyond caring at this point and willing to do anything to prevent it.

Because he had the feeling that this one would bemassive.

Remember Ran,he told himself.It's okay, you've seen her how she is, haven't you?

Yor-san is older than her, so it's probably those years what make the difference. In fact, there's a chance that Ran is going to be just as strong when she grows up, so it's not that strange-

Wait. I think I just scared myself even further.

"That's dangerous, Anya!"

Anya?

Confused, Conan opened the eyes he didn't remember closing to witness, much to his horror, what had guaranteed such a reaction from Loid. Anya was there, crouching in front of the cow that had beensecondsaway from slaughtering them and all of the examinees in one go.

Smiling, she petted the fallen animal. "It's okay," she soothed. "Don't be scared."

Loid was quick to scoop her into his arms andaway,which Conan mentally thanked him profusely for. Not even giving him time to step back, the cow promptly stood up and met eyes with the girl.

Calmly, it turned around and walked right past Yor. It joined the rest of its group, and together, they went back to where they came from.

All four of them stared after them, watching them head away from them, until they eventually vanished into the distance. But even then, silence prevailed ─ though, as long as their minds were concerned, Conan had the sensation that it wasn't all that peaceful at all. It wasn't that way for him, in any case.

So it was scared, huh?he mused, a bit of a smile creeping up into his face.I suppose it makes sense.

He shrugged it off, fighting the urge to place his hands inside his pockets. Loid had mentioned it wasn't proper, and he knew for a fact that they were still being watched. The scrutiny on them had barely vanished after all, and he'd even dare to say that it had strengthened somehow. He supposed that shouldn't be surprising at all.

"Say, Dad," he called, blinking those innocent, big eyes at him ─ those that secretly told him that the exam wasn't over yet. "Nobody is going to get in trouble for this, right?"

He narrowed his gaze for a split second, but fairly enough to let him know that his message had been received. At the next second, he was smiling, placing a hand over his head.

"You do not need to concern yourself over it. Eden's authorities will have everything handled," he told him. "They will access the situation responsibly and thoroughly, and I have no doubt in my mind-"

"But it was just an accident!" Conan exclaimed, shaking his head from side to side. "If some poor, hard-working soul lost their job because of an unfortunate misunderstanding…"

"That…"

"There was a mark on that cow's forehead! That must mean that it head-butted its way out of where it was confined, doesn't it?" the boy pressed, his forehead scrunched up. "And the rest of the animals have marks as well, in their legs, tails and even ears. It was probably a chain reaction, where one of them accidentally hurt another, and then everyone grew more and more hostile to each other until there was no stopping them…"

Loid looked like he wanted to talk, but did not really know what to say. Conan struggled not to smirk at the expression he was painting for him.

This definitely wasn't necessary ─ in fact, it was probably counterproductive to him and his need not to stand up, especially in front of this person. But with Loid's swift rescue of a child in need, Yor's terrifying exhibition of her raw strength and Anya's display of her pure, empathetic heart… came this strange itch he couldn't seem to soothe.

I can't be left behind,he thought.I need to do something, too.

"What I'm trying to say is… Nobody was at fault for it. That's why…"

"That is why nobody is going to be punished for this incident."

At the unfamiliar voice, Conan turned around, perhaps a little too violently for his tastes, but it did serve its purpose. Because now he could see a figure towering over him ─ tall and with a perfect posture, his hair white as a testament to his long life, and a monocle to his right eye.

At first sight, the detective had the impression that he seemed to be an important person, and not a mere examiner. But seeing him there, breathing a little too heavily and trying to ignore the bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, Conan couldn't help but wonder if he had run the entire way here.Not so sophisticated now, huh?

"Your concern for people you are not acquainted with is truly elegant, young boy," he told him, his face rigid despite his kind tone. "However, as your father said, you should not concern yourself. We will assess the situation as it is required."

Conan nodded, slowly. The man's attention was drawn from him and to Loid.

"Forger. You have helped avoid a crisis. Thank you." He bowed lightly. "And… you have bested me today."

The bespectacled boy raised an eyebrow.Were they competing?he wondered. Though from the look the blonde spy was sporting, Conan could guess that this competition wasn't as bilateral as this examiner had hoped it to be.

"To give us all time to collect ourselves after this chaos, we will be delaying the start of the interviews."

Oh, really?Conan thought sarcastically as he looked around and, well. No words would describe the scene as perfectly as 'disaster'.I do wonder why that would be.

"Return to your hall once you've had a moment to tidy yourselves. Your family has the right to apply to this school."

There was a strange rustle from behind him, and really, Conan did not need to know to turn about to know what it was all about. And would probably have made a perfect guess, even if the examiner hadn't been there, with his bewildered, low-key terrified expression for him to read as easily as a book.

"I humbly thank you for your generosity. But have no fear. We anticipated something like this and prepared another change of clothes."

Loid tipped his fresh black top hat slightly forward, while Yor, in her beautiful pink dress, bowed slightly at the examiner.

Conan would probably have laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, but that would imply breaking character ─ and an angry Loid was something he definitely did not need.

He may have smirked, though.