A little explanation how this story came into existence.
I recently went crazy buying wool for several crafts projects and now the delivery came. Here I am having almost five kilogram of wool that wants to be turned into something. Everyone who has ever knitted or ricocheted knows how boring that can get after a while, espeially if you're not knitting complicated patterns where you have to count ever stitch. So, to keep myself entertained, I usually watch tv. This time I decided to rewatch Detective Conan … yes, all episodes, all of them (thank you youtube!). And while I was around episode 30, I had this idea. So now I interrupt my knitting effort and my Detective Conan marathon (it took my 100 more episodes to make this decision … ok, fine, I admit, I did skip some of the filler episodes :P) and write this little story.
It's completely nonsensical and has no plot relevance.
Have fun and let me know, what you think.
As always, nothing belongs to me.
It was early, too early, half past two in the morning to be exact and in the emergency call center in Tokyo a alarm clock rang insistently. With a reluctant groan Hayazawa Takeru crawled out of bed and into his clothes. What exactly had possessed him into offering to take the shift for his sick colleague? Only four hours of sleep on the uncomfortable stretcher that served as a makeshift bed just wasn't enough.
Still exhausted he shuffled into the kitchen and brewed a cup of very strong black coffee. A colleague had brought pastries and he treated himself to one.
Armed with coffee and food he went into the large room that was his working place. Besides him there were six other people at work at the moment. It was quiet, as was to be expected for this time of day. Most people were still asleep and only very few emergencies were called in.
Japan's emergency call centers were organized by regions. The number stayed the same but depending on your position, your call was automatically connected to one of the centers. Hayazawa Takeru had been working in the center in Tokyo for the last three years and he was happy with it. No day was like another. Accidents, domestic violence, fires, kidnappings, murders, robberies, thefts. There wasn't much he hadn't encountered yet. Just last shift, did he have to talk a terrified man through delivering a baby in an subway wagon that was stuck in a tunnel due to a power shortage. No day was like the other. But as exciting as it was, as exhausting it could be. Like today. Two eight hour shifts within less than twenty hours wasn't something he enjoyed, but Tokyo was the busiest center of Japan and they couldn't afford to leave even one phone unattended.
He sat down at his working space and prepared everything for the beginning of his shift. Yawning he looked at the clock. Another two to three hours and the morning rush hour would begin and with it a flood of calls. He took a sip of his coffee and signaled his colleague, he was ready to take over. With a press of a button his working day began.
The first hour was quiet. Only two calls. One breaking and entering and one prank call. If there was something that annoyed him about his job more than two shifts within one day, it was the increasing number of prank calls. Seriously, did people have nothing better to do, than waste his and their time by uselessly calling the emergency numbers?
At strike four the phone rang again. He picked up and listened intently, taking several notes while doing so. He didn't need to ask any questions. The person on the other end was swift and thorough in giving all the necessary information. A murder. Male victim. 38 years old. Strangled with his own tie. Attempt to disguise it as suicide.
A small smile spread on Hayazawa's face. He knew that voice! After taking all the necessary notes, he asked the person on the other end to stay on the line. Quickly he relayed the necessary information to the police. He rose to his feet and gestured to his colleagues still grinning widely. Surprised they all stared at him when he pressed the button putting the call on speaker.
"Ran! What a pleasant surprise so early in the morning! We really have to stop meeting like this." he said.
A laugh rang from the other end. "We have yet to meet in person, Takeru."
"Hey, Ran." a colleague of Hayazawa's came over.
"Minako! You're back from Europe! How was it?" Ran asked pleased to hear the young woman's voice.
"Fantastic! And you? Did your father find himself another murder? I hope it isn't too bad." Minako smiled.
"Yes, unfortunately he did. And no, luckily it's only you run of the mill strangling. I hate the weird ones or the ones with a lot of blood." the emergency call center employees could hear the young woman on the other end shudder in distaste. "It was supposed to be a weekend trip to the beach, but what happens? Dad runs straight into another murder and Conan is, as usual, right in the middle of it. What did I do to deserve this?" Ran complained.
"Maybe you should make a career off of it. By now, you have been witness to so many murder investigations, you could probably write a detective manga with more than sixty books." another employee suggested.
"Hallo Ryu … Maybe you're right, maybe I should." Ran agreed. After a moment of hesitation she groaned in distaste. "I'm clearly too much involved in crimes! I'm on a first name basis with basically the entire emergency call center personal of Japan. I know more police officers and hospital staff than normal people and even my best friend and Conan start to play detective! Before there was at least only one person in my life, who would constantly run into killers!"
"Speaking of which, have you heard anything from Kudo recently?" Ryu asked curiously.
"No, not for the last couple of weeks. He's probably still busy with his stupid case." She answered annoyed.
"That must be some case." Takeru mumbled.
"Very true." Ran agreed.
"Ehm ..." A young man, the newest colleague in the team, approached the phone, confusion visible on his face.
"Oh, right. Let me introduce you." Minako said. "Ran meet Sanada Hayato. He is our newest colleague. Today is his first shift."
"Pleased to meet you, Sanada-san." Ran answered politely from the other end.
"Sanada-san, meet Mouri Ran. Daughter of famous detective Mouri Kogoro and designated police caller. You will probably hear her voice a lot in the upcoming time."
"Pleasure to meet you." the young man mumbled.
"Oh, I can hear the sirens. The police is already here." Ran said. "So, guys, I wish you a peaceful shift."
"Thanks, until next time." Takeru answered.
"Hopefully not." Ran replied.
"If you don't call anymore, we will have to meet in person after all." Ryu laughed. "Life without your pleasant voice would be just too sad."
"You got yourself a deal!" Ran agreed laughing. "If I don't call within the next … let's say, three weeks, we will meet for lunch."
"We're going to hold you to that." Minako threatened jokingly, all of them being very aware it would probably not even be three days before she would call again.
"Do that. Bye." And with that Mouri Ran hung up.
The emergency call center employees stood up to return to their seats, when Sanada-san stopped. "Three weeks, doesn't sound too much." he stated.
"For ordinary people maybe. For Ran … let's say, a day without some kind of crime is a rarity in the poor girls life." Takeru grinned.
Sanada-san stared at him wide-eyed. He had of course heard of Mouri Kogoro. Who in Tokyo hadn't? But a life where a day without a murder was unusual …
"So Mouri-san really is cursed?" he mumbled confused.
Minako turned around. "Mouri-san? I'd rather say it's the kid that attracts trouble." she said thoughtful and remembered more than one call from the boy or one of his friends.
"Kid?"
Minako was about to answer, when suddenly several phones started ringing at the same time. It was five o'clock. Morning rush hour had just begun.
Mouri Ran, her father and the kid sipped from their consciousness for now.
Two months later:
"Hello, Ran. What do we have today? Murder, kidnapping or maybe a bank robbery for a change?" the young emergency call center employee Sanada Hayato answered to the by now already familiar voice.
What do you think? I know, Ran is probably very OCC but then, I never thought her character was even remotely logical. Really, how can you still scream hysterically after seeing your twentieth dead body? :P That's why I like Ai/Shiho. Another body drops. She looks at it thoughtful and says. "Hm, seems like you really can't take a day of." to Conan. xD
So, now I return to bing watching the show and knitting my shirt etc.. ^^