Conan Edogawa could not figure it out.
Everyone had been acting very weird today. It seemed like wherever he went, people were whispering and pointing obliquely at him. Even Ran Mouri was behaving peculiarly. As soon as he had woken up this Sunday morning, she had hustled him out of the detective agency. When he protested, she just asked him to go for a walk and not return before 6 in the evening. He tousled his jet-black hair in frustration. It was infuriating that there was a mystery that he, the shrunken famed teenage detective, Shinichi Kudo, could not solve!
Feeling rather annoyed and bored, he went to the baseball field where the Detective Boys usually assembled. However, when he got there, the whole field was empty. Yes. It appeared as if even the birds, canines and felines alike, had abandonned the field. What was going on?
He was about to walk away when he heard a barely audible sob. Orle? He quickly determined the source of the tiny weeping voice. It was a little boy of about four crying behind a giant tree.
"Why are you crying?" Conan asked him. The little boy looked up.
"Who are you?" he sniffed. Conan sat down beside him.
"I'm Edogawa Conan. Can I help you?"
"I'm Gajiyo Teiji. I-I lost my pet dog Bobby." After confiding that, the little boy burst into tears again.
"Don't worry, I'll find him for you. Where did you lose him?"
"I was playing catch here with Bobby when the Frisbee soared behind this tree. So I went to pick it up. When I turned around, h-he's gone! He ran away!" Teiji relapsed into another fit of wailing. Conan left the boy alone and inspected the scene.
"Teiji! Come here!" Conan beckoned, "I have something to ask you." Teiji came immediately. "Is Bobby a pedigree dog, like a spaniel or something?"
Teiji gasped. "How did you know? Bobby IS a spaniel." Conan grinned in satisfaction.
"Bobby did not run away. He was stolen," Conan explained, his eyes gleaming at unearthing a case. "Look! There're your small footsteps and Bobby's doggy steps," Conan said while indicating to the footprints in the sand. "Bobby's prints disappeared suddenly there beside two large footprints. This shows that he was taken by a man. What's more, the enormous footprints are made by spiked soles. It should be easy to identify the culprit."
Teiji was thrilled. "You mean we may be able to find my dog?"
"Aah, it drizzled here this morning and the sand has not dried yet. It would have wedged between the shoe spikes, displaying where the man went," Conan deduced. Teiji cried out in jubilation.
"Let's go! Let's follow the sand marks!" Teiji urged. Swiftly, both of them tracked the footsteps to a small wooden hut nearby. They peeked in through the window. Inside was a smoking redhead with a sinister look on his face. He was swaying his elevated right spiked-shoe-clad foot and talking on the phone.
"Yeah, it's a purebred spaniel. How much can I get for him?"
"Look! There's Bobby!" Teiji pointed a finger at a little brown spaniel. It was clawing at the door and whimpering, desperately trying to get out. Before Conan could stop Teiji, he darted towards the door and opened it. Bobby was overjoyed to see his master and leaped into his lap.
"Bobby!" Teiji exclaimed. The redhead was momentarily caught off guard but he recovered instantly.
"Hey you! Whatcha think you're doing?" he bellowed furiously, swinging his powerful hand. He was going to strike Teiji!
Conan acted rapidly. He dashed to the door and pressed a button on his belt. It ejected a football while Conan bent down to activate his super shoe. Then, he aimed a mighty kick at the football which flew straight into the redhead's face! The redhead fell back on the floor with a thud.
"Wwwhat just happened?" he wheezed, feeling as if there were birds circling his head. Conan beamed smugly. Another case solved!
The police was alerted and the culprit apprehended. Conan watched the proceedings contentedly as Teiji gushed with gratefulness. Then he glanced at his watch. 6: 15 flashed back at him. I can go back now, can't I? It's after 6.
Conan capered back to Mouri's Detective Agency and pranced up the stairs. He was still bemused over everyone's bizarre conduct. He opened the door mechanically, still musing profoundly-
"SURPRISE!" several voices chorused as confetti rained on him, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONAN!"
Conan blinked. What? Everyone including Kogorou Mouri, Ran, the Detective Boys, Prof. Agasa, Heiji, Kazuha, even his neighbours, was crowded in the detective agency. The room was adorned with balloons and ribbons. A huge banner hung on the wall with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONAN emblazoned across it. In the very middle of the room was a 3-storey cake with a spherical icing football on the very top. Then he slapped his head. Of course, it was his birthday!
Ran swooped down and placed a kiss on his cheek. Conan flushed a dark shade of scarlet so promptly it was like magic. A blissful guise flitted onto his face. This is the best birthday ever...