Hi guys! This will be my first Detective Conan/Case Closed multi-chaptered story, so tell me what you think. It's written in English, but I will be using a few Japanese words here and there. When I first wrote this, I had only watched up to episode 398 of the anime and I did realise that one of my own characters may be similar to Masumi Sera, who appeared later, but I had not watched that yet, so I didn't mean to copy anything if I did. Enjoy! Here are their ages:
Conan Edogawa – 7
Shinichi Kudou – 17
Ran Mouri – 17
Kogoro Mouri – 38
Heiji Hattori – 17
Kazuha Toyama – 17
Haru Shimizu – 17
Shuichi Nakamura – 17
Chapter 1 – New Arrivals
"I understand." A girl said, talking to someone on the phone. "Don't worry, I'll make sure everything goes to plan. Speak to you soon." The girl reassured as she ended the call and closed her phone. She picked up her bag and took out a piece of paper. It was a photograph of an elementary school student with dark brown hair that mostly hangs downwards just above his blue eyes as well as a few strands that stick up at the front and back of his head. He was wearing a white shirt underneath a blue suit jacket, with one button, and a pair of grey shorts, white socks and red and white trainers along with a red bowtie and black, round glasses. "So, this is the shrunken detective. This should be a lot of fun," The girl murmured as she grinned, slyly.
"Conan-kun! Otou-san! Breakfast is ready!" Ran called. The two males grumbled as they brushed their teeth. Exiting the bathroom, they both yawned as they sat down to eat. "Conan-kun, you're not even dressed yet! You better hurry up and eat or we're going be late." Ran told him.
"Hai," Conan replied, lazily, as he ate his breakfast.
"Ran, why did you have to wake me up so early?" Kogoro complained.
"In case you have clients. The famous 'Sleeping Kogoro' must be prepared for any case and therefore must be presentable at all times." Ran responded.
'All you do is drink and sleep all day anyway, so you shouldn't be that tired.' Conan thought. He looked over at Ran and noticed that she appeared to be deep in thought.
"What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" Conan inquired.
"Nothing. I just feel like something interesting is going to happen today and I'm trying to figure out what it could be." Ran answered. "Maybe I'll make some new friends today." Ran suggested.
"That's possible. You're a very nice person, Ran-neechan." Conan complimented, making Ran smile.
"That's sweet of you to say, Conan-kun." Ran thanked him as she finished her breakfast. She waited for her father and Conan to finish before cleaning up all their bowls. Conan went to get dressed and once he was done, Ran was standing by the door, waiting for him.
"Bye, Otou-san." Ran said as she and Conan left to go to school. The two walked together to Agasa Hakase's house and found Haibara waiting outside.
"Ohayō, Ai-chan." Ran greeted. Haibara smiled and nodded her head towards her. The three continued on their journey and met up with Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta.
"Conan-kun! Ai-chan!" Ayumi cried as she and the two boys ran over to them. Ran smiled at the sight of the five kids before waving goodbye to them and heading off to school.
"Ran!" Sonoko shouted, waving, as she spotted Ran heading towards the gates. Ran smiled and jogged over to her friend. The two started talking and entered the school as they placed their shoes in their lockers, put their slippers on and went to their homeroom, 2B. As Sonoko sat down, she took a picture out of her purse and looked at it, sighing.
"What's the matter, Sonoko?" Ran queried.
"I was just wondering what Makoto-san was doing. I miss him so much!" Sonoko wailed, hugging the picture to her chest.
"Don't worry, Sonoko. I'm sure he misses you too." Ran reassured. "Just remember. When you do see each other, the time apart will make you even happier when you see him." Ran told her. Sonoko smiled at her response before grinning slyly at her.
"Is that how you feel when your husband turns up?" Sonoko teased, elbowing her, making her blush.
"Sonoko!" Ran yelled, embarrassed.
"I'm just kidding, Ran, but where is Shinichi-kun? He's always busy with some case when he should be here with his wife." Sonoko pointed out. Ran gave a small smile, shaking her head.
"Shinichi is a detective, so there will always be a case, but he promised to come back, so until then I will wait for him." Ran replied, looking over at Shinichi's empty seat. Sonoko was about to say something when their homeroom teacher spoke up.
"Everyone, we have two new students that will be joining us." The teacher declared as a girl and boy walked into the room. "This is Shimizu Haru and Nakamura Shuichi." The teacher announced, pointing to the girl and boy, respectively. The girl had a tan complexion and mid-length, light brown hair, tied in a left side ponytail, with a full fringe. She had hazel eyes, with black, plastic square glasses on top, and was 5'3" tall. She was wearing the female Teitan High uniform which consisted of a white shirt and a green tie underneath a blue blazer with a blue skirt, shin-length white socks and black, flat shoes. The boy had a tan complexion and short, slightly spiked, black hair, smoothed down in a leftwards direction, with a full fringe. He had blue eyes, with black, plastic rectangular glasses on top, and was 5'8" tall. He was wearing the male Teitan High uniform which consisted of a white shirt and a green tie underneath a blue blazer with blue trousers, white socks and white trainers.
"Konnichiwa." Haru and Shuichi greeted, simultaneously, as they bowed towards the class.
"Shimizu-san, you can sit next to Mouri-san and Nakamura-kun, you can sit next to Suzuki-san." The teacher decided as the new students took their seats and class started.
"I'm Ran and this is Sonoko. Nice to meet you," Ran whispered as she introduced herself and Sonoko before holding out her hand.
"I'm Haru and this Shuichi. Nice to meet you too." Haru replied as she shook Ran's hand.
"Just to let you know, both of us are taken, although her husband isn't here right now." Sonoko informed, jerking her thumb at Ran when she mentioned her "husband" before holding out her hand. Shuichi smiled in response before shaking her hand.
"Husband?" Haru questioned.
"He's not really my husband, but Sonoko likes to tease me about it. His name is Kudou Shinichi." Ran told her.
'Kudou, huh?' Haru thought, smirking inwardly.
"Isn't he the famous high school detective?" Haru asked.
"Right, but he's off solving some case which apparently is more important that his wife." Sonoko answered.
"Sonoko," Ran whined, making Haru giggle, before the four of them turned their attention back to class.
After a few hours of lessons, it was finally time for lunch.
"Would like to sit with us for lunch, Haru-chan, Nakamura-kun?" Ran offered.
"No, thank you, I'm going to stay indoors." Shuichi replied, lifting his head up to answer before returning to what he was doing.
"Oh, okay." Ran responded as she, Sonoko and Haru walked off together.
"Is he okay? He hasn't said a word all day." Sonoko pointed out.
"It's nothing to worry about. He's usually quiet and shy around new people and prefers to stay inside and draw rather than going outside." Haru said. Ran and Sonoko nodded in understanding before the three went to lunch. After they finished eating, they headed back to the classroom and noticed that Shuichi was still sitting there, drawing.
"Shuichi, did you make sure to eat something?" Haru queried. Shuichi nodded in response, not looking up at her, as he finished off his drawing and put down his pencil. Sonoko quickly grabbed the paper off his desk before he was able to protest.
"Wow! This is really good!" Sonoko cried, in awe, before showing it to Ran.
"She's right! You really captured the girl's beauty." Ran agreed as she observed the drawing. She blinked and looked between the picture and Haru before realizing something. "Sonoko, the drawing is of Haru-chan." Ran told her. Sonoko took the paper back and finally noticed the similarity.
"You're right it is," Sonoko murmured before a sly grin etched itself on her face, once again. "I think someone has a crush," Sonoko teased, making both Haru and Shuichi blush.
"Sonoko, leave them alone," Ran lightly reprimanded as she took the drawing from her hands and gave it back to Shuichi.
"Fine," Sonoko huffed as she sat down in her desk. Haru smiled at Ran gratefully before they both sat down, as well, and endured their last couple of lessons for the day.
"So, where did you guys transfer from?" Ran inquired as she, Sonoko, Haru and Shuichi walked out of school.
"Shuichi and I used to live in Kyoto, but his mum got a job here in Tokyo so we had to change schools and now we live in an apartment in District 5, block 30 of Beika." Haru informed.
"Hey, that's really close to where I live." Ran realised.
"Where do you live?" Haru asked.
"I live in District 5, block 39. My dad is famous detective, Mouri Kogoro, so his detective agency is on the second floor and the apartment is on the third." Ran replied.
"Wow. Your dad is 'Sleeping Kogoro'. It must be really cool to have a famous detective for a dad." Haru said.
"I guess so, but he always gets caught up in some case wherever we go, so it can be quite annoying at times." Ran responded. As the four of them continued on, something in Sonoko's mind clicked and she stopped right in front of them.
"Wait. You two live together!?" Sonoko yelled, shocked, causing people to stare at them and Haru and Shuichi to blush out of embarrassment.
"Sonoko," Ran muttered, giving her an annoyed look. Sonoko grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head in response.
"So, you two live together?" Sonoko repeated. Haru looked down and let her fringe cover her eyes with no sign of a response, making Ran and Sonoko worried.
"Is it okay?" Shuichi questioned. Haru nodded mutely and Shuichi sighed as he put his left hand on her right shoulder. "You see, Haru's parents and my parents were university friends and always stayed in really close contact, so Haru and I have been friends since birth. One night, when we were seven years old, she stayed over at my house. However, that same night, her house caught alight and both her parents were killed in the fire, so Haru has been living with my mum and I while my dad works abroad." Shuichi told them. Ran and Sonoko made 'o' shapes with their mouths and looked over at Haru with sympathetic eyes.
"Gomen'nasai, Haru. I didn't mean to pry," Sonoko apologised.
"No, no, it's okay. You didn't know." Haru reassured.
"Well, I have to get going. Bye, Ran. Bye, Haru-chan and Nakamura-kun." Sonoko said as she waved goodbye and ran off.
"Why don't you guys come over to my apartment for a while?" Ran suggested.
"Sure." Haru and Shuichi agreed. As the three of them reached the outside of Ran's apartment building they spotted a little boy walking towards them.
'Brown hair, blue eyes, red bowtie and glasses. It's him.' Haru thought.
"Conan-kun!" Ran called. Conan looked up and saw Ran waving at him, standing next to an unknown girl and boy.
"Who's this, Ran-neechan?" Conan queried as he made his way over to them.
"Remember that I said I had a feeling something would happen today?" Ran reminded. Conan nodded his head in response. "Well, I was right. These are my two new friends, Haru-chan and Nakamura-kun, and they joined my class today." Ran informed. "This is Conan-kun. He's staying with me and my dad while his parents are away." Ran introduced, turning towards Haru and Shuichi.
"Konnichiwa." Conan greeted.
"Konnichiwa, Conan." Haru replied, smiling, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
'What's this weird feeling?' Conan thought, looking at Haru. The four of them walked up the steps and entered the detective agency.
"I'm back, otou-san." Ran announced. She found her dad asleep on his desk with empty beer cans lying around. "Otou-san," Ran grumbled, cleaning up his desk.
'It must be a slow day.' Shuichi thought.
"Let's leave him, Ran-neechan," Conan muttered as he and the others walked up to the apartment.
"Would you like something to drink Haru-chan, Nakamura-kun?" Ran questioned.
"Some juice, please." Haru responded.
"Same for me, please." Shuichi said.
"I'd like some juice as well, please, Ran-neechan." Conan told her. Ran nodded in response and headed towards the kitchen.
"I'll help you." Shuichi offered as he followed Ran into the kitchen, leaving Conan and Haru alone.
"It must be cool living with a famous detective, ne, Conan-kun?" Haru commented, smiling sweetly.
"What are you up to?" Conan inquired, seriously.
"What do you mean?" Haru asked, feigning innocence.
"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Conan stated, narrowing his eyes at her, making Haru laugh.
"Very perceptive, Conan-kun." Haru remarked. "Or should I say, Edogawa Conan, tantei-san," Haru murmured causing Conan's eyes to widen slightly.
"How do you know my name?" Conan queried.
"Oh, I know a lot more about you than you may think." Haru replied, ambiguously, with a sly smile as she winked at him.
'She can't know about that. There's no way.' Conan thought to himself as Ran and Shuichi re-entered the room. The four of them chatted for some time, Conan eyeing Haru suspiciously all the while, but eventually Haru and Shuichi had to go home.
"I know. Since you're new to the area, why don't we show you around this Saturday? How about we meet here around 9am?" Ran offered. "Ne, Conan-kun?" Ran questioned.
"Mm." Conan responded, smiling.
"Actually, that would be very helpful, thank you." Haru thanked her. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow." Haru said as she and Shuichi left and walked back to their apartment.
That Saturday morning, Ran and Conan got ready to show Haru and Shuichi around Beika City. Ran was wearing a sleeveless, baby blue turtle neck with light blue jeans and blue and white trainers. She was also carrying a white purse on her right shoulder. Conan was wearing a short-sleeved black and white striped top underneath a short sleeved, blue denim jacket with blue jeans and his red and white trainers.
"We'll be back later, Otou-san." Ran told her father. Kogoro grumbled as Ran and Conan closed the door behind them. As they walked down the steps, they spotted Haru and Shuichi standing outside. Haru was leaning against the wall with her right foot against it and her hands behind her back. She was wearing a rose pink playsuit, which consisted of a sleeveless top and mid-thigh length shorts, underneath a white denim jacket with white trainers and a white backpack on her back. Shuichi was standing next to her, with his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky. He was wearing a short-sleeved, green top with dark blue jeans and green trainers.
"Ohayō, Ran-chan. Ohayō, Conan-kun." Haru greeted.
"Ohayō." Ran and Conan replied.
"Where should we go first?" Ran wondered.
"Ran-neechan, why don't we show them Touto Tower?" Conan suggested.
"Good idea, Conan-kun." Ran responded as the four of them started to walk down the street until…
"Ran-chan!" Someone called. Ran turned around and saw a girl running towards her with a boy following behind. The girl was wearing a red tank top with white jeans and red trainers. The boy was wearing a short-sleeved, chocolate brown top underneath a long-sleeved, light brown button up shirt, with the buttons left undone, with dark blue jeans, brown trainers and his signature hat with the 'SAX' logo on it. Both of them were carrying bags with them.
"Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun!" Ran cried, surprised. "What are you doing here?" Ran inquired.
"We had nothing to do today, so we thought that we'd pay you a surprise visit." Kazuha said as Heiji appeared from behind her.
"What's up, Ku-ku Conan-kun?" Heiji addressed as he bent down and ruffled the boy's hair. Haru raised an eyebrow at the near slip-up, but let it be.
"Who's this?" Kazuha queried, noticing the girl and boy standing beside Ran and Conan.
"Oh, these are my new friends, Haru-chan and Nakamura-kun. They just moved to the area, so Conan-kun and I offered to show them around the area." Ran answered.
"Hi. I'm Toyama Kazuha and this is Hattori Heiji." Kazuha introduced, holding out her hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shimizu Haru and this Nakamura Shuichi." Haru replied, shaking her hand.
"Cute outfit." Kazuha complimented Haru.
"Thanks. I like yours too." Haru thanked her as the girls and Shuichi headed back inside so that Kazuha and Heiji could drop off their stuff.
"Oi, Kudou. What's the deal with the new people?" Heiji whispered, also having a weird feeling.
"I don't know, but the girl is definitely suspicious. She seems to know quite a bit about me, even though she didn't meet me until yesterday," Conan murmured in response as the two followed the group inside.
"This is Touto Tower." Ran told Haru and Shuichi, referring to the tall red and white tower in front of them.
"Sugoi. It's just like the Eiffel Tower." Haru commented.
"The Eiffel Tower?" Kazuha questioned.
"The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located in Paris, France, that was built in the 19th Century and was named after the engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. The design of Touto Tower was actually inspired in design by the Eiffel Tower." Conan informed before realizing that what he said sounded too smart for his age. "Uh, I saw it on the TV." Conan added, laughing nervously. The group headed inside the tower and took the elevator to the top.
"Look at the view!" Shuichi cried as he ran over to one of the tower's viewing binoculars and looked through it, out the window.
"It would be great for drawing, right?" Haru said, walking up to him.
"Definitely." Shuichi responded, admiring the landscape. Haru looked at him and smiled fondly.
'He's so different from other guys. I guess that's why I love him.' Haru thought, but then turned away as she began blushing madly.
"As a friend. That's what I meant," Haru whispered to herself.
"What's what you meant?" Kazuha asked, popping up from behind her.
"Ah!" Haru screamed, surprised. "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Haru told her, placing her left hand over her heart.
"Gome," Kazuha apologised, giggling.
"Stop scaring the new people, ahou." Heiji insulted.
"Don't call me an ahou, ahou!" Kazuha yelled.
"Why not? It's true." Heiji stated.
"Is not!" Kazuha shouted.
"Is too!" Heiji hollered.
"Is not!" Kazuha shouted, leaning forward.
"Is too!" Heiji hollered, leaning towards her. Sparks could be seen flying between their eyes. Everyone sweat dropped at their behaviour.
"Hey guys, why don't we go visit the Aquarium next." Ran suggested.
"Yay!" Conan cheered, trying to keep up his little kid routine.
"This place has a great design." Haru pointed out as the group walked into the aquarium. There were glass pillars distributed around the place and escalators that led up to the first floor.
"Yeah. I remember coming here before with otou-san and Conan-kun. We came to watch the water show that they hold here sometimes." Ran informed.
"What's the water show?" Kazuha inquired.
"It's a show that they put on with actors. The last time we went to see one there was a lady swimming around the big tank and she had all the fish following her. It was like watching a beautiful underwater ballet." Ran remembered as she clasped her hands in front of her and smiled.
"Until the main actor was found dead in the tank." Conan added. Ran gave him an annoyed look causing Conan to grin cheekily at her.
"Let's go check out the fish." Haru said as they took the escalator up to the first floor. Upon entry into one of the rooms, the girls gasped in wonder. There was an electric blue light emanating from the ceiling that filled the entire room, and several mini tanks on the walls.
"Haru, look over there," Shuichi whispered, pointing to one of the tanks. Haru followed his gaze and her whole face lit up.
"Mandarin dragonets!" Haru cried as she ran towards the tank and placed her hands against the glass.
"I've never seen anyone react like that to a fish before." Heiji commented.
"It's just that mandarin dragonets are my favourite fish and I haven't seen one in a long time." Haru told them. "They're the most gorgeous shade of sapphire blue and they have a really cool pattern on them." Haru described.
"Don't they have mandarin dragonets in Kyoto?" Ran asked.
"Oh yeah, they do. The first time I saw them was when I went with Shuichi and his mum when we were eight years old." Haru replied.
"Then how come you haven't seen them for a long time?" Kazuha queried.
"Well, I was always busy with school or when I had to go out on a ca-" Haru started, but stopped when she almost blurted out her secret. "Uh, hey, let's go check out the huge fish tank over there!" Haru suggested as she quickly ran into the next room. Everyone looked at each other with weird looks on their faces, except Shuichi who gave a small chuckle, before going after Haru. Haru was standing in front of the big tank with her hands behind her back, trying not to look anyone in the eye in case they pressed her further for information.
"Nice going there, Diamond," Shuichi remarked, walking up to her.
"Shut up, Winters," Haru muttered. She glanced at Shuichi out of the corner of her eye and smiled.
'It's been so long since I've been to an aquarium. I can't believe he remembered.' Haru thought. Kazuha looked over at Haru and Shuichi and nudged Ran with her elbow.
"Don't you think those two look so cute together," Kazuha murmured, grinning.
"Yeah. Like two other people I know," Ran teased causing Kazuha to blush.
"Ran-chan! Sshhh! Heiji's over there!" Kazuha whispered, making Ran giggle.
"The sharks are so cool." Conan commented.
"Here Conan-kun, I'll give you a lift up." Heiji offered as he picked Conan up and put him on his shoulders, knowing full well that he hates being treated like a kid.
"Heiji-niichan is so much fun!" Conan cried, feigning a childlike nature. As soon as no-one was looking, he smacked Heiji around the head. "Put me down, you idiot." Conan ordered, making Heiji laugh.
After the guys left the aquarium, they headed to McDonalds for lunch.
"What do you guys want?" Heiji asked.
"I'll have a chicken burger, chips and Sprite please." Kazuha answered.
"I'll have a fish burger, chips and Fanta please." Ran responded.
"I'll have a big mac, chips, chicken nuggets, chocolate ice cream and Coke please." Haru replied causing everyone to give her surprised looks, except Shuichi. "What?" Haru said.
"I still don't understand how you can eat so much and stay so thin, Haru." Shuichi remarked only to be met by a punch in the arm. "Ow!" Shuichi shouted, holding his arm.
"Never insult a girl's weight because they get really touchy about it." Heiji informed, patting Shuichi on the shoulder.
"Yeah, and then you'll have to face their wrath." Conan added.
"What was that, Heiji? Conan-kun?" Kazuha and Ran asked the respective boy, simultaneously, narrowing their eyes at them.
"Nothing!" Heiji and Conan yelled, grabbing Shuichi and running over to the counter, making the girls giggle.
"So, Haru-chan. You and Nakamura-kun..." Kazuha started.
"Me and Shuichi, what?" Haru questioned.
"What's your relationship status?" Kazuha inquired.
"Shuichi and I are childhood friends and have been since birth. No more, no less." Haru told her.
"But, you want to be more, right?" Ran queried, knowingly, making Haru blush.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Haru lied, looking away to try and rid her face of the blush.
"Oh, I think you do. Your blush just gives you away." Kazuha responded.
"Yeah, well, you like Hattori-kun and you like Kudou-kun." Haru stated, pointing at the Kazuha and Ran, respectively.
"What!? No we don't!" Ran and Kazuha protested.
"Yes you do. Ran-chan, there is clearly a reason as to why Sonoko is always teasing you about Kudou-kun being your husband. Also, whenever we're in class, you subconsciously look back at Kudou-kun's seat with a smile on your face." Haru said as she turned towards Kazuha. "As for you Kazuha-chan, like Sonoko, Ran teases you about Hattori-kun which causes you to go bright red. Plus, you two argue like a married couple." Haru finished, as she crossed her arms, smirking at the two girls with red faces.
"Ran-neechan, are you ill? Your face is all red." Conan pointed out as he and the guys walked over with their food.
"No, I'm fine, Conan-kun." Ran replied as the girls took their food and ate in silence, making the boys look at them in confusion.
Once they finished eating, the gang walked down the streets as they tried to decide what to do next.
"Na, Heiji, what time is it?" Kazuha asked.
"2:00pm" Heiji answered.
"That means we still have a few hours left for…" Kazuha trailed off as she turned towards Ran and their eyes began to sparkle.
"Uh oh, I've seen that look before," Heiji murmured, gulping.
"Shopping!" Kazuha and Ran cried, in unison, making all the boys groan.
"We can get Haru a dress to show off to Nakamura-kun," Kazuha added, winking.
"Oh yeah, good idea, Kazuha-chan." Ran praised as both girls began grinning at Haru.
"Ah, you know, I just remembered that I have somewhere to be- Ah!" Haru lied as she pointed behind her and turned to run, but Kazuha and Ran were not going to let her slip away, so they linked their arms through hers and dragged her with them. Haru mouthed 'Help me' to Shuichi, but he just grinned and waved at her, along with the other two boys, as they started to walk away. "Oh no you don't," Haru growled as she ran towards the boys, bringing Kazuha and Ran with her, and grabbed them by the back of their shirts. She yanked Conan up by his collar with her right hand and gripped onto Heiji and Shuichi with her left hand. However, Haru couldn't hold both boys with one hand so she pulled Shuichi towards her and wrapped her legs around his neck.
"Oi, oi, let go of us!" Conan and Heiji yelled.
"Haru, let go, you're choking me!" Shuichi managed to get out.
"No way! This is your own fault for trying to run away! If I'm going down, then you're all coming with me!" Haru shouted as the group moved along in a strange and awkward clump causing passers-by to stare at them, weirdly.
"Okay, we're going to look for some dresses and you guys stay here." Kazuha ordered.
"What if we don't want to?" Heiji retorted, with his arms crossed. The two boys sitting on either side of him also had their arms crossed and an unimpressed look on their faces as they nodded along with what Heiji said.
"Do you really want to find out?" Kazuha and Ran murmured, scarily, as they took on martial arts poses.
"N-n-no! We'll be good, Ran-neechan!" Conan responded as the boys began laughing nervously. Kazuha and Ran smiled and walked off with Haru as the boys breathed a sigh of relief.
Haru stood at the side while Kazuha and Ran were busy scanning the racks as they looked for a dress for her.
"What do you think of this, Ran-chan?" Kazuha questioned as she took out a dress and held it against Haru's body. It was a sleeveless red dress with a low V-neck cut that ended mid-thigh.
"It's pretty, but the colour isn't right." Ran replied. "How about this?" Ran inquired as she picked out a dress and also held it against Haru's body. It was a ruched strapless violet maxi dress that ended just below her ankles.
"It's gorgeous, but the style isn't right." Kazuha informed as you looked at Haru's annoyed expression. "Haru-chan, I'm sorry if you feel like we're forcing you into this. We just want to help you with Nakamura-kun seeing as our relationships with the boys are going nowhere," Kazuha admitted, sadly, as she and Ran looked down. Haru's eyes softened at the sight of her friends and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic, yet angry at the same time. It was so painstakingly obvious how they all felt about each other, but they all refused to admit it. The boys had too much male pride to confess their feelings which in turn made the girls feel insecure and caused them to deny their feelings. This fact alone angered Haru and made her want to knock some sense into the boys for making her friends feel this way.
"I know that, Kazuha-chan, and I'm grateful for that, but don't you worry, I'll help you two with your relationships if it's the last thing I do." Haru told them, determined.
"Hontōni!?" Ran and Kazuha asked, hopeful.
"Of course. What are friends for?" Haru said, smiling.
"Arigatō, Haru-chan!" Ran and Kazuha cried as they engulfed Haru in a hug, making her laugh.
"Okay, I'll agree to buy a dress and wear it in front of the boys…" Haru started as Kazuha began to smile at her. "…but you have to do it with me." Haru finished, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look of horror that made its way onto Kazuha's face.
"No chance!" Kazuha stated as a feeling of nervousness overcame her.
"Oh come on, please?" Haru pleaded. Kazuha looked at Haru giving her puppy dog eyes and gave in.
"Okay," Kazuha surrendered. "But what about Ran-chan? Kudou-kun's not even here." Kazuha pointed out.
"Don't worry. Conan-kun gave me his phone earlier so that I could take a picture of Ran-chan in her dress and send it to Kudou-kun." Haru added, with a wink, as she took out Conan's phone and waved it at them.
"He did what!? Oh, we will be having a little talk later," Ran muttered as she clenched her fists.
"Don't blame him, I asked him to. Plus, he knows just as much as I do how you feel about Kudou-kun and he just wants to see you happy," Haru murmured, bringing a blush to Ran's face.
'He's so sweet.' Ran thought, smiling.
"Okay then." Ran agreed.
"Great! Now, Kazuha, you wear this and Ran, you wear this." Haru commanded as she picked out two dresses and held them out to the two girls.
"Wow, you have great fashion sense." Kazuha commented.
"I know, now hurry up!" Haru ordered as she pushed the two girls into the changing rooms.
While Ran and Kazuha were getting changed, Haru grabbed the boys and made them sit on the seats outside the changing rooms.
"Okay boys, you ready?" Haru asked as she stood in front of them. "First, is Kazuha-chan!" Haru announced. The boys looked but no-one came out. "Come on, Kazuha-chan." Haru encouraged as she grabbed her arm and pulled her out from her hiding spot. Heiji's eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he stared at her, making Kazuha blush. She was wearing a strapless green bodycon dress with a straight neckline. It fit all her curves, perfectly, and ended mid-thigh.
"What do you think, Heiji?" Kazuha queried, shyly.
"I think it would look better on someone with nicer legs." Heiji remarked, infuriating Kazuha. She was about to retort when a fist came flying down and smacked Heiji on the head. "Itai!" Heiji yelled, clutching his head.
"What did you say?" Haru growled, giving Heiji a murderous look that sent shivers down his spine.
"I-I said she l-looked really c-cute." Heiji stuttered, scared of Haru, making Kazuha giggle and blush.
"That's what I thought you said." Haru replied, smiling, as she walked back over to Kazuha. "Now, Ran-chan!" Haru revealed as Ran stepped out. Heiji looked over at Conan and smirked as his mouth opened and a red blush coloured his cheeks. She was wearing a sleeveless light blue peplum dress that was slightly revealing, but not too much. It had a square neck-line and ended mid-thigh. The fact that the top of her cleavage was showing intensified Conan's blush.
"How do I look, Conan-kun?" Ran inquired.
"You look very pretty, Ran-neechan." Conan complimented as he ducked his head down to try and rid himself of the blush.
"Alright, now it's your turn." Kazuha told her.
"Huh?" Haru said, feigning cluelessness.
"You said that you would wear a dress if we did it too, so let's go!" Ran instructed as she and Kazuha pulled Haru into the changing room. Haru changed into the dress that she picked out while Ran and Kazuha were changing and pulled open the curtain as she stood in front of Ran and Kazuha.
"You look gorgeous!" Ran cried.
"Sexy even." Kazuha commented, with a wink, making Haru blush. "Now, out you go." Kazuha ordered as she pushed Haru out in front of the boys. Shuichi's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. She was wearing an off the shoulder sapphire blue skater dress that had a straight neckline and ended mid-thigh. It complimented her figure and flared out, slightly, at the hips. Although she protested, Ran and Kazuha made her take her hair out of its ponytail, saying she looked prettier with her hair down. Conan grinned and nudged Heiji with his elbow, pointing at Shuichi, making him snicker. Too nervous to say anything, Haru gripped her right upper arm with her left hand and looked down at her feet with a bright red blush staining her cheeks.
"Hot," Shuichi murmured, without realising causing Haru's eyes to widen, slightly, as she looked up.
"Isn't she though? She's very attractive." Ran pointed out.
"Yeah. If I wasn't straight, I would have taken her for myself." Kazuha admitted, making Haru burn with embarrassment.
"Guys!" Haru whined as she ran back towards the changing rooms, making Ran and Kazuha giggle.
"Honestly, those two can be so embarrassing," Haru murmured as she exited the changing room, in her original outfit, with her dress in hand. As she was walking along, a sudden force shoved her to the ground as someone ran past. Haru managed to catch a glimpse of the person as she got back up.
'What's their problem?' Haru thought as she brushed herself off. She turned towards the changing room that the person had dashed out of and the sight that met her eyes made her drop the dress in shock as she looked on in horror. Ran and Kazuha had finished changing and were now sitting with the boys as they waited for Haru to come out.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Someone screamed, catching everyone's attention.
'Mia.' Shuichi thought, worried, as he, Conan and Heiji ran towards the source of the scream.
"Haru-neechan, what's wrong?" Conan asked. Haru took a step back as she shakily held a hand up towards the changing room. Shuichi ran over to her and held Haru against him as Conan and Heiji rushed over to where she was pointing.
"Ah!" Conan and Heiji whispered as their eyes widened, slightly. Inside the changing room, sat a young woman with waist-length brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a hot pink skater dress, with a black belt across the waist, and hot pink heels. A painful expression was splayed across her face as she sat there, still and unmoving. Next to her was a couple of other dresses. Ran and Kazuha came over, wanting to know what all the commotion was about, and gasped at the horrifying sight. Heiji walked over and took the young woman's pulse before shaking his head.
"It's too late," Heiji muttered.
"The deceased is Fukuda Akiko-san, 20 years of age. She's a young, promising soap actress who began her career at the age of 16." Officer Takagi informed. After discovering the body, Ran had called the police, and her father, and told them about the murder that had taken place at Haido Shopping Mall. Inspector Megure was inspecting the body while Officer Takagi and Kogoro were standing behind him and forensics were gathering evidence.
"What's the cause of death?" Inspector Megure questioned.
"Cause of death is strangulation, as you can see from the marks around her neck, and the murder weapon appears to be this necklace string." Officer Takagi replied as he pointed to the broken necklace on the floor with all its beads scattered around the place.
"Well, from the look of the crime scene, this murder doesn't seem to be pre-meditated. They didn't bother to take the murder weapon and this place is a mess." Kogoro pointed out.
'Īe, that's what the culprit wants you to think.' Conan thought as he walked over to the body to get a closer look.
"Kora, what have I told you about interfering with police business. Get out of here!" Kogoro shouted as he beat Conan's head with his fist and chucked him out of the changing room. Conan hit the ground a few times before rolling to a stop. He sat up and narrowed his eyes at Kogoro's back.
"Oi, Kudou. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Heiji whispered as he knelt down next to Conan.
"Ah. The room looks too prepared to be impulsive. This murder was definitely pre-mediated." Conan responded. Heiji nodded in response.
"Oh my God, Akiko!" Someone shrieked as they ran towards the body, but were held back by police officers.
"Excuse me, I'm Inspector Megure." Inspector Megure introduced as he held up his police badge. "May I ask who you are?" Inspector Megure queried.
"Hai, I'm Kimura Emiko..." Emiko started as two other girls ran up to her. "…and this is Yamamoto Hanako and Sasaki Maiko." Emiko finished gesturing to the girl on her left and the girl on her right, respectively. Emiko had mid-length black hair that was tied back and put into a side fishtail plait, and green eyes. She was wearing a short-sleeved, white and black spotted crop top with a black leather skater skirt, black fingerless gloves and white ankle boots. Hanako had shoulder length dark brown hair that was left loose, and brown eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless, white halter shirt that was tucked into a black leather skater skirt which ended mid-thigh, and white heels. Maiko had mid-length light brown hair that was tied in a high ponytail, and blue eyes. She was wearing a ¾ length sleeve, white collared blouse which was tucked into a black leather skater skirt that ended mid-thigh, and black ankle boots.
"How are you related to the victim?" Inspector Megure inquired.
"We've all been best friends since high school and we came shopping today, together." Hanako answered.
"I'll need to ask you some questions, but we have to wait until we know the time of death." Inspector Megure told them. All three girls nodded in understanding.
"Um, actually, I know." Haru cut in as she stood in front of Inspector Megure.
"Who are you?" Inspector Megure asked.
"Ah, this is Haru-chan. She's my friend from school." Ran informed.
"You said you knew the time of death?" Officer Takagi pressed.
"Mm. As I came out of my changing room, I walked past and the killer ran out and pushed past me. I think it was around 3:30pm." Haru recalled.
"Did you get a look at the culprit?" Inspector Megure questioned.
"Well, I was shoved to the ground so I only managed to get a glimpse. I remember seeing a black leather skater skirt, but that's all." Haru replied. Looking around, Inspector Megure and Officer Takagi noticed that nearly every girl in the shop was wearing a black leather skater skirt.
"It must be the latest fashion or something, but at least we know our culprit is female." Heiji pointed out.
"Tonikaku, we'll need to know where you three were at 3:30pm. Takagi-kun, you go take their statements with Mouri-kun and I'll go check the CCTV footage." Inspector Megure ordered.
"Hai." Officer Takagi responded as he held his right hand to his head in the form of a salute. Inspector Megure went off to the surveillance room while the others went to the office that the manager allowed them to use to have their statements taken. Conan was about to go with them when he noticed something on the victim's hand.
'A chipped nail?' Conan thought, suspiciously.
"Kudou, you coming?" Heiji queried. Conan blinked and nodded at Heiji, following him into the office.
"I'll need to know your whereabouts at the time of death. Maiko-san, let's start with you." Officer Takagi suggested. Maiko nodded her head in response.
"Hanako-chan and I were waiting on one of the benches near to the front entrance of the store. We had already bought our clothes and were waiting there from around 3:15pm til 4:00pm. Then we noticed a commotion by the changing rooms and headed over there which is when we saw the police." Maiko stated.
"Is this true, Hanako-san?" Officer Takagi asked.
"Hai. We were together, but then Maiko-chan had to go to the bathroom. That was at around 3:25pm and then she came back at 3:50pm." Hanako added.
"Why were you gone for so long, Sasaki-san?" Kogoro inquired, suspiciously.
"Well, because of women things and then I decided to reapply my make-up. A girl always has to look her best, although I wouldn't expect you to understand," Maiko remarked as she crossed her arms and looked away, with her eyes closed, angering Kogoro.
"What was that!?" Kogoro shouted with his fists clenched.
"Ima, ima, Mouri-san." Officer Takagi said, trying to calm him down. "Now, where were you, Emiko-san?" Officer Takagi questioned.
"After helping Akiko-chan find a dress, I went to find myself a dress for a party that I have to go to next weekend, but it was rather difficult since there was a whole rabble of girls fighting over clothes. They were having a sale and I got caught up in it, so by the time I managed to get out of there, it was 4:00pm and then I heard about the murder and rushed over to see what happened which is when I saw you guys." Emiko answered, playing with her hair. Conan eyed her suspiciously, noticing how she kept fiddling with her plait.
"Sōdesu ka, so the culprit used that fact to their advantage and killed Akiko, knowing that there wasn't much of a chance of anyone seeing them." Officer Takagi realised.
"Which means that the culprit must have also known about this in advance." Heiji pointed out.
"So, the murderer has to be one of you." Kogoro concluded as he pointed a finger at the three girls causing them to gasp in shock.
"What!? How can you accuse us! We're her friends!" Hanako cried, standing up.
"That maybe so, but your statements suggest that this murder was pre-meditated. Since Akiko-san was a famous actress, the culprit could have been a number of people, but if this murder were impulsive then it wouldn't be so carefully thought out." Heiji explained. "Besides, none of your alibis are valid because each of you were alone at the time of the crime and there were no witnesses to back-up your stories." Heiji told them. Hanako sat back down and the girls all looked down, not knowing what else to say. When Heiji was explaining, Conan noticed the way Emiko winced at the words 'famous actress', making him even more suspicious of her.
"Haru-san, I will need to take your witness statement as well." Officer Takagi informed.
"Hai." Haru replied as she told him what happened. Conan saw Emiko place her hand on the back of her head as if she were adjusting something causing him to think back to a previous murder case that involved a ski lodge and some elementary school teachers. Suddenly, it clicked in Conan's mind what was going on here.
'That's it!' Conan thought as he dashed out of the room.
"Conan-kun, where are you going?" Ran queried.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Heiji said as he went after him.
"Oi, Kudou, what's going on?" Heiji asked as Conan ran over to one of the forensic officers.
"Nē, did you find something strange with the victim's clothes?" Conan inquired.
"Īe, there were no strange marks or anything. The only thing we noticed was that the zip at the back of her dress was undone." The forensic officer told him. Conan nodded in response, but blinked when he noticed something in the forensic officer's hand.
"What's that?" Conan questioned, pointing to the evidence bag.
"Oh, this is just a hair strand that we found lying around the scene. We'll have it examined as soon as we get back." The forensic officer responded.
'Black hair?' Conan thought. 'Naruhodo, everything makes sense now. The culprit is that person!' Conan thought.
"Kudou, fill me in will ya?" Heiji demanded. Conan whispered his deductions into his ear, ensuring that Heiji finally understood. Little did they know that someone was spying on them from close by. The person looked down with a smirk on their face as their glasses began to glint in a sinister way.
After they finished the questioning, everyone returned from the office to the scene of the crime, where Inspector Megure was.
"Keibu, did you find anything out from the CCTV footage?" Officer Takagi queried.
"Īe, it showed the culprit running out of the changing room, but they were wearing a black hoodie to cover their face. They probably borrowed it and returned it to where it was, so we can't check it for DNA because it is most likely that other people would have tried it on as well." Inspector Megure replied. Just then, Takagi's cell phone began to ring.
"This is Takagi." Officer Takagi answered. "Hai. Wakarimashita." Officer Takagi said as he ended the call.
"That was forensics. They examined the murder weapon and found that had it both Akiko-san's and Maiko-san's DNA on it." Officer Takagi informed.
"That proves it. The murderer is Sasaki Maiko-san!" Kogoro announced, pointing a finger at her. Conan and Heiji both gave him disbelieving looks and chuckled under their breath.
"No! I didn't do it!" Maiko protested, but Kogoro ignored her.
"You were jealous of Akiko-san's fame and you killed her for it." Kogoro stated.
'Well, he's got half the motive right at least.' Conan thought.
"Maiko-chan, how could you?" Emiko whispered, saddened.
"It wasn't me, I swear!" Maiko cried as Conan walked towards the wall.
'Goodnight, otchan.' Conan thought as he aimed his stun-gun wristwatch and shot Kogoro with a tranquilizer dart.
"Ha nyaaa…" Kogoro dragged as he started doing a weird dance, backwards, until his back hit the wall behind him and he slid down it, sitting in his famous pose. At the same time, Conan quickly hid behind the wall, on the other side, and got his bowtie ready.
"Oh, Mouri-kun, have you figured it out!?" Inspector Megure asked, excited.
"Sōdesu yo ne, keibu. Sasaki-san, I apologise for my accusation. That was just what the real culprit wanted us to think." Kogoro (Conan) told them.
"Eh, real culprit!?" Officer Takagi replied, shocked.
"From the evidence, it would appear that the culprit is Sasaki-san…" Kogoro (Conan) started. "…if the necklace string was the real murder weapon." Kogoro (Conan) finished.
"Huh? If that's not the weapon then why was it there?" Inspector Megure inquired.
"It was used simply to frame Sasaki-san, but neither she nor Yamamoto-san are the culprit." Kogoro (Conan) said.
"Then that means…" Inspector Megure trailed off as he turned to look at the only remaining suspect.
"Ah, han'nin wa, Kimura-san, anatadesu!" Kogoro (Conan) declared causing everyone to look at her in shock.
"How can I be the culprit? I already told you that I was busy looking for a dress at the time." Emiko reminded.
"Maybe after that, but it's what you did before that that proves you are the murderer." Heiji responded.
"You said that you were helping Fukuda-san find a dress before you went to look for your own. During this time, you picked out a few dresses, including one that had a zip at the back." Kogoro (Conan) informed.
"Why would she do that?" Ran questioned.
"This way she could gain entry into Fukuda-san's changing room without raising any alarm. Since Fukuda-san's changing room is hidden by the wall, Kimura-san can easily hide behind the wall or hide in the changing room next to her. Therefore, people would assume that she is caught in the crowd because people cannot see her." Heiji explained.
"The body was found with the zip of the dress left open which shows that she had asked for someone to help her. Haru-san was nearby at the time and didn't hear anyone scream which proves that whoever entered her changing room must have been someone she knew." Kogoro (Conan) concluded.
"But, Mouri-san, that kind of evidence won't hold up in court." Officer Takagi pointed out.
"That's why I have other evidence. I noticed that one of Fukuda-san's nails had chipped slightly. Now, being the celebrity that she was, there was no way that she wouldn't notice that before leaving the house." Kogoro (Conan) told them.
"Then, how did she break it?" Kazuha queried.
"While Fukuda-san was struggling against the weapon, she gripped onto something tight enough to break her nail." Kogoro (Conan) replied.,""I fail to see how that proves I'm the murderer." Emiko said.
"Why are you wearing gloves, Kimura-san?" Conan inquired, making Emiko gasp. "Are you trying to hide something?" Kogoro (Conan) asked as Officer Takagi walked up to her.
"Could you please remove your gloves, Emiko-san?" Officer Takagi instructed. Emiko complied with the order and removed her gloves, revealing nail marks on the back of left hand.
"You were right, Mouri-san!" Officer Takagi cried.
"I could have gotten these anywhere. This isn't enough evidence to blame her murder on me." Emiko responded, confidently. "Besides, the necklace string is clearly the murder weapon and it has Maiko-chan's DNA on it, not mine." Emiko reminded.
"Īe, you must have taken one of Sasaki-san's necklaces beforehand and then after you killed Fukuda-san, you placed it there to trick us." Kogoro (Conan) stated.
"Where's your proof?" Emiko challenged.
"This should be proof enough." Kogoro (Conan) answered as he used Kogoro's hand to hold up the evidence bag containing the black strand of hair, making Emiko's eyes widen. "I noticed that you kept playing with your hair while you were being questioned. You were making sure that it wouldn't come loose because it's not you real hair is it, Kimura-san?" Kogoro (Conan) added as Emiko closed her eyes and looked down, deciding not to argue back. "You're wearing extensions which you used to kill Fukuda-san. There will be plenty of her DNA left on it and probably the chipped piece of her nail." Kogoro (Conan) finished. Emiko smirked as she undid her extensions and took them out, showing her naturally short hair.
"You win," Emiko murmured, defeated, as she opened her eyes.
"Dōshite, Emiko? Akiko was your friend." Hanako questioned.
"That bitch was not my friend!" Emiko shouted, angrily. "Remember back in high school when that talent scout came to one our school performances? He was looking for a new, young actress to star in one of his shows, so he was visiting high schools around the area to find one. When he came to our school, he watched all four us perform and was actually going to pick me, but Akiko-chan found out and slept with the guy just so he would choose her." Emiko revealed.
"But, why try to frame Maiko-chan?" Hanako queried.
"She knew about it!" Emiko yelled, pointing at Maiko who was looking away, shamefully. "She knew all these years and it wasn't until a few days ago, when I heard them arguing in my living room, that I found out about it." Emiko added. "That's when I came up with this plan to kill her. All these years, she's been living the high-life whilst I've had to work multiple jobs to pay off my student loans. She stole my life. I was supposed to be the one who became rich and famous. She deserved to die!" Emiko hollered.
"It wouldn't have worked out." Heiji commented.
"What?" Emiko whispered.
"Fame isn't just about being known for how well you do something. It's also about personality and as I'm sure you know, cold-blooded killers aren't popular with anyone." Heiji stated, making Emiko gasp. Tears welled up in her eyes as she fell to her knees and broke down crying.
After the police took Emiko away, Kogoro stretched as he awoke from his slumber.
"Great work, Mouri-kun!" Inspector Megure praised as he slapped him on the back, good-naturedly.
"Brilliant as always, Mouri-san!" Officer Takagi complimented.
"Huh?" Kogoro said, blinking. "Of course, leave it to great detective, Mouri Kogoro!" Kogoro replied, laughing like a madman, making everyone sweat drop. Kogoro walked with Inspector Megure and Officer Takagi as they left the building. Ran, Kazuha and Shuichi were about to follow when they noticed that Conan and Heiji were still standing there.
"Heiji, aren't you coming?" Kazuha asked.
"Ah, we'll be there in a minute, the kid says he needs to go to the toilet." Heiji responded as the girls and Shuichi nodded their heads and exited the building.
"Oi, Kudou, how did you figure out what the murder weapon was?" Heiji questioned.
"I've had to deal with a similar case before, so it made me think." Conan told him as someone quietly slipped out of one of the changing rooms behind them and silently crept up to him.
"My, my, those were some excellent deductions…" They started as they bent down, making Conan and Heiji jump. "…Kudou Shinichi." They finished, whispering in Conan's ear.
Hope you enjoyed it! Can you guess who the mysterious person is? Find out in the next chapter. Please R&R! Here are the Japanese translations:
Otou-san – Father
Hai – Yes
Ohayō – Good Morning
Konnichiwa – Hello
Gomen'nasai – Sorry
Sugoi – Amazing
Ahou – Fool
Hontōni – Really
Arigatō – Thank You
Itai – Ouch
Īe – No
Oi/Kora – Hey
Tonikaku – Anyway
Ima – Now
Sōdesu ka/Naruhodo/Wakarimashita – I see
Keibu – Inspector
Otchan – Uncle
Sōdesu yo ne – That's right
Han'nin wa anatadesu – The criminal is you
Dōshite – Why
xBandanaRosesx