For those who have me on author alert: Okay so I guess I should really, really work on Your Guardian Angel. I'm feeling better now for the last few months but now the problem is I've got no inspiration and a sort of writer's block although I did finish about roughly halfway.
For all readers: Hello! This is a genderbent Ran and Shinichi fic based on those tree thingies I sometimes see in people's profiles. You can look it up on google by typing in "Girls are like apples." The main idea is that girls are like apples. The good girls are at the top of the tree while the bad ones are at the bottom. The boys pick the rotten ones on the ground or lower branches because they are easy while the good girls at the top are wondering what is wrong with them when they're really wonderful but it just takes a guy of real courage to climb up the tree despite the fear of falling and getting hurt to get the girl at the top. I could still make Shinichi a guy but I wanted to stay true to this so I twisted it a bit.
Pairings: KaiShin, one-sided ShinRen, hinted HakuAoko
Shinko was never one to care much for the frivolous activities other girls her age does. She never bothered to smother her face in any make-up, hardly wore any dresses or skirts if she could help it, and never participated in the trivial gossip they loved so much. In her eyes, they were pointless. For all her intelligence, she never understood why people should make themselves look beautiful for total strangers. If you were beautiful on the inside, it wouldn't matter what your outward appearance looked like and if people judged others based on that, they wouldn't make very good friends at all. Or at least that's what she believed.
She never bothered much with what people thought about her and focused on what actually mattered. Lately, however, she noticed how people didn't seem to want to be near her and it wasn't just her peers as school. People on the streets and even some members of the taskforce steered clear. They avoided her and she was certain some were whispering about her behind her back.
She shrugged it off at first. It wasn't really anything new. It'll be fine after a week or so.
But the problem persisted.
Now, for all her beliefs and brilliant logical reasoning, she was still an uncertain teenage girl who had yet to truly form the firm ground of resolution of adulthood and it was with this festering insecurity she went through her school days.
She didn't want to talk to Ren about it not because of pride, although that did play a small part, but because she wanted him to keep seeing her as a strong, independent young woman who wouldn't let little, pointless things such as this get to her. Still, she found herself asking him in a discreet way anyway.
"Ren," Shinko addressed her childhood best friend one day, "Do you think anyone else likes crime solving as much as I do?"
Which was her way of asking, "Am I weird?"
Ren seemed to pick up on that and smiled at her gently. "Shinko, people may not share the same love for justice as you do but they can see how much it means to you and they respect that."
Which was his way of saying, "You're not weird. It's just people might feel intimidated by you."
Shinko was grateful he knew so much about her that she didn't need to directly voice her insecurities. It mollified her a bit but Ren might just be saying that to reassure her although she didn't believe he would outright lie just to do so. She still wondered why everyone chose to avoid her now. Was it something about her? The way she acted? The way she talked? What she said? All of the things she never let bother her suddenly crashed down on her head and for the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do.
Ignoring it didn't actually help because it still persisted in her mind. Trying to reason out of it was equally as fruitless because although her mind knew it didn't matter her feelings ignored any logic she drew out. Confronting it was out of the question because she couldn't exactly demand people to tell her what's wrong. Even if they did tell her, it'd probably be a lie. She absolutely refused to change herself for the sake of being liked. That was one boundary she will never stoop so low to cross. Instead, she started listing things that she found appealing about herself. It seemed a bit too narcissistic for her tastes but writing them down was the best thing she could think of to appease her unease.
She was intelligent, athletic, calm, cool-headed, straightforward, knew how to take care of herself, passionate about the things she cared about… That was where she drew a blank. She couldn't think of anything else about herself she found appealing. Thus, she gave up the list but repeated some of these qualities in her head any time the beginnings of insecurity started to rise. It worked for a while but she rapidly found that in the face of the continued avoidance, her self-assurance simply didn't match up to it and eventually running counter to her good traits, she unintentionally started to become more conscious of her bad traits. Her arrogance, her rashness, her social ineptitude outside of work, her sarcastic humor…
Ren seemed to sense her distress and did his best to reassure her as well as he could but for all of his support, Shinko knew he couldn't stop people from avoiding her for one reason or another. Still, she appreciated it and let his words ease her mind if only temporarily.
Sighing, she sat down at her desk and proceeded to flip open a book to read while she waited for the teacher, ignoring everyone around her until two slips of paper obscured her page.
Blinking at the colorful tickets, she looked up questioningly at a grinning Ren.
"They're having a big carnival and it's only a thirty minute train ride away. Want to come?" he invited, waving the tickets tantalizingly across her vision.
Shinko stared at them and shook her head. "I can't Ren. I have to—"
"Ah, ah! C'mon Shinko. You're always busy! Please? Just this once?" Ren begged and even threw in the pouty look he knew Shinko thought was adorable.
Shinko sighed in annoyance although they lacked actual irritation and tried to hide the growing smile. "Fine but I still have work you know."
"You're such a workaholic," Ren complained, rolling his eyes. "Such a detective geek."
This time Shinko didn't bother to hide her smile and even laughed a little. "Maybe I'm proud to be a detective geek," she shot back playfully.
Ren's grin grew wider. "So I'll meet up with you at your house at three on Saturday okay? Make sure you're ready!" he huffed, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, yeah I got you," she said, waving him away as the teacher entered the room.
With one last playful glare, Ren returned to his seat.
o-0-O-0-o-0-O-0-o-0-O-o
Shinko glanced around in wonder at the carnival. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Its theme centered around mystery and all around her were people wearing costumes and masks. It made her feel a bit out of place but she supposed it was fine since there were still a fair amount of people wearing regular clothes. Entertainment included mazes, winning prizes from figuring out puzzles or tricks, trivia, and even a performing magician. There was even Sherlock Holmes merchandise on sale along with many other items related to mystery. Shinko was completely submerged in her element.
"You like it?" Ren asked.
"I love it!" Shinko exclaimed, beaming as she took in her surroundings.
"Haha I thought you would and knowing how you work so hard you even forget to eat sometimes," his voice tinged in annoyance at the last part, "I thought you could use a break."
"I suppose," Shinko conceded although she saw nothing wrong with staying up late to catch criminals.
"Come on let's walk around a bit." He paused and hesitantly, shyly, took her hand and started to lead her through the crowds, determinedly looking ahead.
Shinko gazed questioningly at him but otherwise kept quiet and allowed herself to be guided.
They weaved through the vast carnival grounds, enjoying the many assortments of games with Shinko winning more prizes than they could carry and it was with no small amount of sheepishness that she decided to play the games just for enjoyment. Ultimately, however, she gave away most of her prizes to small children for attempting the challenges after spotting many disappointed little faces.
"Aw you're so good with children," Ren teased as they made their way to the main event, a grand magic show.
Shinko flushed. "Shut up. I was just trying to cheer them up is all."
"Of course," her childhood friend agreed laughingly, dodging her half-hearted swat. He backed away a bit but found himself suddenly put in a headlock.
"Yo Ren! On a date with your wife?" Soutarou greeted gruffly.
Ren sputtered and flushed a deeply as he struggled out of the hold his friend had on him. "She's not my wife!" he denied, blush turning even darker as he spoke.
Soutarou glanced towards Shinko watching them amusedly before turning back to Ren. "I need to talk to you for a sec." He swiveled his attention again towards his other friend. "You mind if I borrow him? Thanks." Without waiting for a reply, he dragged a protesting Ren away where they vanished amongst the crowd.
Shinko stared after them for a few more moments before finding herself a place to sit by a stand of balloons.
She watched the people walking by her as she waited, entertaining herself by using her acute skills to try to guess each person's occupation, emotion, or what they could be thinking of. But eventually she drifted further and further away from the bustling scene of reality in front of her to the quiet corners of her mind.
She wondered if she'll ever be able to get over this self-esteem issue that plagued her because it felt never-ending. It annoyed her that she was still feeling so down over something like this when she's handled worst before.
Ren was very nice about it though and it comforted her that he was there. The carnival really was a great idea to distract her and she really had to give him credit for succeeding most of the time he dragged her out of the case files she buried her nose in. Speaking of case files, as a former pickpocket, it's possible that Satowari could have stolen the pin but considering the fact that Matsuno entered the house at approximately the same time…
"Mind if I sit here?"
The sudden voice popped her thought bubble and Shinko quickly turned towards the speaker to be met with a face covered by half a white mask but the sheepish violet eyes and friendly smile was clearly visible.
"I'm sorry did I startle you?"
"No, it's fine," Shinko quickly amended, scooting over to allow the other room to sit.
"Thanks. You just looked pretty deep in thought is all. What could possibly be troubling a pretty young lady such as you?"
"Not trouble per say… Just…" Shinko blew at her bangs in a mixture of slight resignation and irritation but didn't finish her sentence.
Sensing she didn't want to elaborate, the boy changed subjects. "So I saw you giving out some of your prizes to kids earlier. That's really nice of you."
Shinko blushed faintly at the compliment, ducking her head slightly to make it less noticeable. "It was nothing. Effort is just as good as finding the solution."
"You mean the solution isn't everything?"
Shinko's head jerked back up to meet his eyes. "Of course the solution's important! But without tenacity, you'll never be able to get to the end and what good would the solution be if you don't pursue it yourself? They're both equally crucial when solving mysteries. Without one or the other, it just falls apart!" she exclaimed vehemently.
The boy grinned broadly, looking quite taken to the burst of energy embedded in the short speech. "Wow I'm impressed. You must really love mystery a lot don't you? I can feel it."
Shinko smiled placidly, having calmed down from her excitement. "I do. I love mystery but I love solving crimes even more. If only others see it that way too. Maybe…" she muttered before realizing herself, jerking slightly at the unintentional confession. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean that um…" she struggled to explain herself but the words tumbled over each other in her head like clothes in a washer before Shinko resigned herself to the fact she had just voiced her insecurity out loud to a stranger.
The other gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't others see you like this?"
"Well," she started to explain, tucking a strand of stray hair from her face. "I guess other people think I'm weird. I mean, I don't act like other girls and my interest in mystery might seem obsessive to them. You remember when I said that I'm not used to people approaching me? That's because they avoid me."
"Avoid?" The boy looked surprised then contemplative before a small knowing smile slowly made its way onto his face but before Shinko could question it, he spoke again. "There's a difference between obsession and passion, dear lady." He stood up. "I'll show you."
"Show… me?" Shinko echoed confusedly.
"Come to the performance. You'll see." With a wink, the other strode away just as Ren came running up to her, looking out of breath and just a bit harried but mostly apologetic.
"I'm so sorry Shinko! I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long but Soutarou just wouldn't leave me alone." A slight frown formed on his lips. "Who was that boy? Was he bothering you?" he asked worriedly.
Shinko stood and shook her head. "No, it was just someone who needed to rest a bit. Let's go to the performance. It's about to start."
Ren nodded, frown quickly quirking back up into a smile, and they moved towards the main attraction although Shinko could still make out some tension. She wondered what Soutarou and he could have been discussing to cause such a strained smile but didn't pry.
Halfway to the main attraction, something started to tug at her mind that refused to be shaken off. It was not until they were standing amidst the crowd that she realized with a start what it was.
She had not only spoken her doubts to a stranger but explained it too, something she had only briefly touched upon with Ren, her best friend since childhood. It was just so easy to talk to him and there had been no awkwardness whatsoever.
Why was that?
Maybe it was the Kaito's geniality or maybe it was easier to let things out to strangers. Whatever it was, it felt pleasant and maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they did somehow meet again.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Give a warm welcome to the ever elusive phantom magician who was gracious enough to attend this evening's main event, KID!"
An eruption of white doves burst forth out of midair immediately following the announcement. A thunder of applause and cheers accompanied the entrance of the well-known magician.
When the flock cleared, a teenager garbed in a pure white suit and cape was bowed elegantly at his audience, a white top hat clutched in one gloved hand. Light gleamed off a monocle as he straightened, popping his hat back onto his head as he did so. A beaming smile roused his viewers into another round of enthusiastic applause even as he began to speak.
"Thank you my kind audience," he greeted, his voice ringing clear over the ruckus. "Without further ado, let us begin the show!"
With that, he tossed one ball into the air, then two, then three, then four, each transforming into different items as they bounced up from the floor. One morphed into a watering can before their very eyes, one started glowing brightly, and another transformed into a pot with a small poof. The fourth remained unchanged and instead, bounced into the pot where the watering can tipped in midair, pouring water into the pot below it as both fell before disappearing with a pop. The pot landed firmly back onto the ground although the glowing sphere remained floating above and to the side.
KID slowly started to raise his arm and as he did so, a plant poked out the pot and steadily grew larger and larger, branching more and more the higher KID raised his hand. It had grown over five meters before KID halted its growth with a push of his palm.
There was a moment of pause.
With a snap of his fingers, he threw his arms back dramatically as the tree surged outward with an explosion of glitter into multicolored leaves, lights, and random assortment of items. Doves shot out from within its depths and a multitude of balloons of different shapes and sizes drifted into the sky.
Once they reached a distance, the balloons burst, showering the crowd in snow and right before their very eyes, the tree transformed. Its leaves and ornaments fell onto the ground where they melted into a white mist that gathered at its base. Silver condensed onto its twisting and curving branches while crystalline icicles slowly formed and grew. White and winter blue stars twinkled into existence, their gentle glows seeming to make the tree shiver with life.
Shinko watched in awe at the magnificent display. It was absolutely gorgeous. It stole her breath away; it entranced her logical mind completely. It was magic.
So this, Shinko thought breathlessly, is passion.
It wasn't simply an interest or an obsession. It was art achieved only by those willing to dedicate themselves heart, mind, and soul onto a single thing they loved with every fiber of their being.
Sudden smoke enveloped her vision and she let out a yelp as Ren gave a startled shout. A brief feeling of weightlessness overtook her before it stopped almost just as quickly as it had occurred. When her sight cleared, she found herself looking down upon the heads of the audience and the hundreds of pairs of eyes directed at her.
She blushed a bright red at all the attention and was about to move to get off what she now realized was the very tree she was admiring just seconds beforehand when she heard someone clearing their throat softly.
She turned her attention to her bottom right to find the white-clad magician kneeling on one knee on one of the bigger branches of the tree, holding out a hand for her.
"Shall we milady?"
Feeling a bit dizzy from embarrassment, she took the hand and suddenly the whole tree moved as the branch lowered until both were standing on the ground again.
Shinko was all too eager to get off the stage and out of the scrutiny of so many people. Crime scenes were one thing but being on stage was another. However, before she could do so, KID held something out towards her.
"A flower for the lovely lady," he said, winking as he held out a snow-white rose towards her.
Shinko didn't think her head could feel any hotter than it already was but nevertheless, she took the rose, gave a quick thanks, and hurried off the stage where she met up with Ren again, much to her relief.
"You alright?"
Shinko could hear some concern in Ren's voice but she avoided looking at him to hide how red her face was. Not trusting her voice with even one word, she simply nodded and returned her attention to the rest of the show, wondering why Ren's gaze always seemed to fall on her.
o-0-O-0-o-0-O-0-o-0-O-0-o
The next day felt oddly uneventful which was peculiar because Sundays were usually booked to the brim with cases she needed to solve before school began again to take up almost a third of her time. But she had finished her cases the night before in a strangely happy mood and today, Ren was spending time with his mom which left Shinko with nothing to do.
In these sorts of situations, she would normally hunker down on the armchair in the library and read the rest of the day away but today, she felt restless.
Deciding to take a quick walk to a nearby café and grab some coffee before heading back home to read, she made her way out the door and into the streets where she proceeded to head into the shopping district. When her favorite café was in sight, she quickly made a beeline inside and came back out with her favorite delicious, rich coffee the likes of which, in her opinion, no other coffee could match.
She had just walked out the door and was halfway around the corner when someone roughly collided with her. She let out a surprised cry as she dropped the coffee which spilled onto the floor, scalding her hand and wrist and wetting her pant legs and shoes.
The girl who had crashed into her gasped and quickly withdrew a handkerchief from her purse.
"I'm so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going!" the girl blundered apologetically as Shinko took the proffered handkerchief.
"It's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean to," Shinko assured as she wiped the coffee off her hands but the girl shook her head.
"I'll buy you another coffee. It's the least I can do after rudely bumping into you like that."
"Um…"
But she was already walking away, heading towards the café Shinko had just left.
Shrugging, she followed and stood beside the girl as they waited in line.
"I really am sorry about that um… What's your name? I'm Nakamouri Aoko," the girl now known as Aoko introduced.
"I'm Kudo Shinko. It really is no problem. No harm was done." She paused for a bit and wracked her memory to find where she heard the name from when it clicked. "Ah. Nakamouri. As in the inspector, Nakamouri who uncovered the Sakamoto fraud?"
Aoko beamed proudly. "Yep! That's my dad! He works on fraud cases! Nothing ever gets past him! He can sniff out any fraud there is!" she boasted enthusiastically.
"I see. So what are you doing in Beika? Doesn't your father work in Ekoda?"
"Well my dad has a case and he needed to investigate something in Beika so I decided to come along. I brought my friend too but… Argh! He disappeared somewhere and I can't find him and I think his cell's dead! If I ever get my hands on that idiot I'm going to give him a good one!" she exclaimed, punching the air in front of her.
"Ah, so um, i-is that why you bumped into me?" Shinko asked nervously, hoping to divert the girl's attention away from the rapidly increasing ferociousness towards the imaginary person.
Aoko stopped and turned back to her with a sheepish smile on her face. "Haha yeah. I was just kind of worried I mean, this is a pretty big place and we've never really been here before so…"
"So won't you get lost too?"
Aoko blinked and let out an embarrassed laugh. "I guess so…"
Shinko smiled. Aoko's vivacity reminded her faintly of Ren, the characteristic of which she found endearing. Maybe because it's a trait she doesn't have unless she went on a tirade about anything mystery or crime related.
"I can help you out if you want," she offered.
Aoko's eyes lit up. "Really? I mean, after I spilled your coffee all over you and everything? Ah! Not that I don't want your help. I'm very grateful if you can give it!"
"It's nothing. I'll help you find your friend and then we can go back to where your father is. It won't be a problem at all."
"Thank you so much!" Aoko said, looking relieved.
After Aoko paid for another cup of coffee, they both stepped outside and stood to the side while they discussed where they should look first.
"If I know that idiot half as well as I do, he'll probably be at the park doing magic tricks for kids or showing off," Aoko huffed. "But if he's not there, he might be hanging around shops looking for something he could prank people with." She pulled a face at this.
"Then let's start at the Beika Park. It's the largest park in the area."
Aoko nodded in agreement. "Got it. Let's go."
As they made their way to the park, Aoko began to describe what her friend looked like.
"His name's Kuroba Kaito and he has purplish eyes and really messy dark brown hair. He could break combs with that hair. He's very showy so it'll be hard to miss him. He's also annoying, mischievous oh and perverted too! He flips my skirt several times at school!" Aoko ranted.
Shinko gave her an amused look. "But you're friends with him anyway."
"Yeah we've been friends since childhood." Aoko smiled fondly. "And even though he's one big idiot, he's sweet and he knows when you're sad and cheer you right up again. He's clever too and even though he's really impish, he knows when to stop. He's just a fun person to hang around."
"That sounds a bit like my childhood friend," Shinko commented, smiling at the thought of Ren. "Well except for the idiot, perverted, annoying, and mischievous part."
"You have one too?"
"Yeah. He's really kind and gentle and he looks out for me. He's pretty protective and his karate could put dents into steel so…" Shinko winced at the memory of one unfortunate misunderstanding and hurried along. "He's understanding, smart, and patient and he helped me out countless times. I'm really glad he's my friend." She blinked at the grin on her companion's face. "What?"
"So do you like him?"
"Well of course I do. He's my best friend," Shinko said uncomprehendingly, increasingly unsure as Aoko's face turned dubious before letting out a laugh.
"W-what?" Shinko asked, starting to feel a bit self-conscious.
"No, no. I'm sorry I don't mean anything bad," Aoko placated, smiling consolingly. "I just meant that the way you talk about him, it sounded a lot like you were in love with him or something."
Shinko turned a bright red. "Oh no! I don't mean it like that! It's just… he's been the only person I can count on and he's a kind person but…" she trailed off, shrugging uncomfortably.
Aoko smiled understandingly. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. Oh is this the place?"
They stopped in front of a wide pathway that split into two roads a distance away, circling around the trees at its center. Children were running around playing and chasing each other while the adults kept a close eye on them. Teenagers also milled about, chatting or playing a sport of some kind.
"We'll split up to save time. This path loops around so it's not hard to find your way. I'll take the path on the right."
Aoko agreed and they split up.
There were lots of people about especially since it was a perfect warm Sunday morning with clear, sunny skies but even in crowds, Shinko's keen eyes had been trained to pick out people she was searching for. No one with Aoko's description turned up.
Shinko dumped her empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can and when they met up again, both confirmed that they have not seen even a glimpse of Aoko's friend.
"Oh! I'm gonna kill him!" Aoko cried angrily.
"So we're going to check the shopping district next?" Shinko asked, steering her away from a rant. "But it's pretty big. Do you know which stores he'll be likely to frequent?"
"Hmm… Well if there are any magic shops he'll definitely go there. If not, the next best bet would be a candy or a toy store." Aoko pulled an exasperated face. "He's such a kid."
Shinko nodded slowly as the boy at the carnival from the previous day flashed across her mind.
"If that's the case, I know several places. Let's go."
They checked every store the elusive Kaito could be but the search proved fruitless. With every store that they visited and with every clerk that shook their head at Kaito's description, Aoko's face soured more and more. She broke out more often into angered tirades but Shinko detected underlying worry she tried to cover up. The teen detective tried her best to reassure her but with each passing minute, she could tell Aoko was growing more and more anxious.
When they had checked the last store, Aoko's shoulders slumped in resignation. "Maybe he's already back with dad," she sighed doubtfully but Shinko put a forefinger to her chin thoughtfully.
"Can you tell me where Kaito and you were the last time you were with him?"
"Sure. Um… We were at a police station um… I think the Beika Police Station? Well we decided to explore a bit while dad finished up with the investigators there. I think we made it to an ice-cream shop before I lost track of him."
"Can you tell me where this ice-cream shop is?"
"I don't know the address but I know it had a large sundae cut-out placed beside the door and the inside was painted a light green…" Aoko flushed. "I'm sorry. I'm not being very helpful."
Shinko smiled at her reassuringly. "No you are. Here, let's try going back there. Maybe we'll have some clue from there where he could be."
The other girl nodded in agreement and they both tried to trace their way to the shop. Aoko gave inputs on familiar-looking landmarks and Shinko guided their way based on her knowledge of the area.
At last they arrived to a dainty ice-cream shop with cursive golden letters stenciled carefully on the windows that said the shop's name was The Dollhouse.
Shinko's eyes scanned the street.
What could be of interest to someone like Kaito?
There was a clothes store directly across the street. To the left was a grocery and to the right was bookstore. None of these would have appealed to Kaito enough to have left his friend so unceremoniously.
"If I'm not mistaken, Kaito is a magician right?" Shinko asked, turning towards her.
Aoko nodded in affirmation. "He's first and foremost a magic buff. He's taken after his dad to become the greatest magician in the world."
"I think I may know where he was."
Aoko's eyes widened. "Really? Where?"
"He might already be gone but we can always ask around for him. If he's as good a magician as I think he is, there's no way anyone could forget him so easily."
Shinko led Aoko a short distance through the maze of the city until they reached a quaint little restaurant.
"This restaurant's famous for its live shows and food. Every Sunday they hold competitions and the winner gets a silver token and a prize. If the winner collects five, they'll receive a gold token. Collect five of those and you'll pretty much have free meals for as long as you're in at least third place. Every time you don't make it to third place, you lose a silver token." Shinko explained as she entered the establishment with Aoko trailing behind her. "Every week, they also happen to have someone passing out fliers around this area. Kaito might not be from Beika but I would imagine that someone like him couldn't resist this opportunity."
"Wow," Aoko gasped in amazement at the inside.
It looked very much like a theater from the gleaming hardwood floor to the arched chandeliered ceiling. At the very front of the room was a large platform with dark purple velvet curtains. Tables were neatly arranged so that chairs could be pushed out comfortably without bumping into others and each held a candle, a vase containing a single flower of different kinds, and a menu.
As Aoko looked around, Shinko approached one of the waiters behind a counter by the doorway.
"Welcome to Commedia dell'Arte. How may I help you?" the waiter greeted.
"Hello. I'm looking for someone who might have been here. His name is Kuroba Kaito and he has purplish eyes…" she trailed off when the waiter nodded his head in amusement.
"Oh yes that guy. Boy he sure riled up the guests today. It was one of the best acts I have ever seen and I've worked here for five years." He shook his head. "Absolutely fantastic. Pure art."
"Yes I'm looking for him. Do you by any chance know where he went?"
"Hmm well I think he headed towards the right although I can't really be sure. He just vanished off stage after an encore but I might have caught a glimpse of him out the window."
"I see. Thank you."
Shinko turned back to Aoko. "It seems he was here."
The other girl looked happier at the news but a bit put-off. "I know he loves to perform but did he have to just up and vanish like that without telling me? I wouldn't have said no if he asked."
Shinko didn't answer but led the way out again.
So Kaito had been in the restaurant and it seemed like he might have been held back by the patrons. If he was held back and found out his phone was dead, where would he have gone?
Logically, the best solution was to go back to Aoko's father and have him call his daughter to let her know her friend is with him but no such call was made which meant two possibilities. One was that Kaito was lost but if he was half as smart as Aoko had made him seem, he would have stayed at the ice-cream shop waiting for her to come back again since wandering around a big foreign city was a bit counterproductive in finding a moving person. Not to mention the fact he could have asked for directions and returned to the Beika Police Station to meet with Inspector Nakamouri but again, no call was made. The other reason was quite understandable. Considering the fact that they had grown up together, Kaito would have been aware Aoko wouldn't be too happy with him and having seen her temper first-hand, he might want something to placate her.
"Aoko, what kinds of things do you like best?"
The other girl looked confused at the sudden question but answered anyway. "I guess I like flowers and plush toys… Why do you ask?"
"Because Kaito might be in a store that sells them. Let's go check the shop over there," Shinko suggested, pointing to a flower shop at the corner of the street across from them.
Aoko still looked a bit lost but agreed anyway.
A cheerful tinkling of a bell announced their entrance amidst gorgeous flowers of every kind and color that seemed to glow vibrantly from the midafternoon sunTowards the back was a small wooden counter but no one in sight was there to man it and towards the right crouching in front of a group of flowers was…
"Kaito!" Aoko cried furiously, stomping over to him.
Kaito jumped and swiveled towards her in terrified surprise. He backed away from the angry girl, putting his hands up in a parody of surrender.
"Why hello there Aoko. Fancy bumping into you here," Kaito tittered, a charming smile on his face but Aoko was not buying it.
"Don't give me that!" she snapped, looking like she was about to punch something. Preferably her friend's face. "Where were you? I was worried sick! I was lucky that Shinko-chan was kind enough to put up with me long enough to find you!"
"Shinko?" Kaito asked curiously, looking over Aoko's shoulder to see Shinko standing a bit awkwardly at the entrance. He smiled and quickly skirted around the displeased girl towards the detective, happy for the distraction.
"Well hello there. I believe we've met before haven't we?"
Shinko nodded. "Yes, at the carnival yesterday right?"
Kaito's smile brightened. "I'm glad you remember! We haven't introduced ourselves properly have we? I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out as a rain of confetti showered down on him from seemingly nowhere.
"I'm Kudo Shinko. Nice to meet you," Shinko introduced in turn.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Aoko asked interestedly, walking up to them.
"Yeah! We met at the carnival I went to yesterday which you didn't go to because you were on a date with Hakuba," Kaito explained, wrinkling his face at the name.
Aoko turned red even as she huffed, looking annoyed. "It wasn't a date! It—" She cut herself off with a firm shake of her head, her face regaining its normal color, and refocused her laser glare at her friend. "Don't try to distract me baKaito! Why did you just disappear like that?"
"I didn't disappear exactly. I mean you found me right?" he looked towards Shinko. "It's pretty impressive you've managed to find where I am. Do you do this often with wayward friends?"
"No it's just that tracking people is part of my job sometimes… Ah." Shinko blinked in surprise as Aoko gripped a nearby broom and swung it at the magician who ducked it fluidly.
"H-hey now Aoko," Kaito protested weakly.
"Answer me baKaito!" Aoko roared, raising the broom as though she was holding a baseball bat.
"Should we really be doing this in here? I mean—whoa!"
"I won't destroy anything here. The only thing I want to damage is you!" A fierce swing. "How could you just disappear like that?" A downward sweep. "I was so afraid that you might be lost and you couldn't find your way!" A sideswipe.
"Hey! How can I explain if you're trying to kill me?" Kaito yelped as a blow came close to hitting his leg.
Shinko watched the scene in a daze, half amused and half amazed. There was something remarkable about how well Aoko could utilize a common cleaning tool as a deadly weapon and how well Kaito was dodging her hits. It looked a bit rather rehearsed though, telling Shinko this wouldn't be the first time Aoko had to chase Kaito around the room wielding something although maybe she should intervene. She felt a bit sorry for the magician.
She stepped between them and neatly caught Aoko's wrist as she swung the broom downwards.
Startled that she was so suddenly stopped, her gaze shifted to Shinko who, seeing that she's gotten her attention, started speaking. "Wait a minute. Calm down Nakamouri-san. I don't think Kuroba-san left you behind purposely."
"Then why?"
"Because the prize given out today at Commedia dell'Arte was a rare, limited edition plush toy from the Kiyo Company."
Aoko froze, eyes widening. "From… the Kiyo Company?"
Seeing that she was now listening, Kaito jumped at the chance. "Someone was handing out fliers so I took one and I saw that Commedia dell'Arte was offering to give an exclusive plush toy to the winner of this week's show. You were busy talking to the ice-cream shop worker and I thought it wouldn't take long and if it did, I'd just call you. I was planning to give you the prize as a surprise and I also heard about the restaurant so I thought I'd give it a try so I slipped out and performed there. It took a lot longer than I hoped and when I went to call you, the batteries on my cell was dead. I thought that if I have at least the plush, you wouldn't be so willing to kill me for going off on my own like that but the audience demanded an encore and well… I gave one. By the time I was finished it was really late. I planned to go back to Inspector Nakamouri and have him call you but I decided to get you flowers too so I could calm you down enough to give the plush and…" Kaito gestured at his surroundings, "That's why I'm here. To be honest, I didn't expect you to find me here."
"Oh…" Aoko lowered her weapon. "So you were only planning to surprise me… But still. You really scared me you idiot!"
"I'm sorry Aoko," Kaito apologized, sincerity in his voice. "Here. Hold out your hands."
Aoko did as instructed, her palms facing upward. There was a puff of gray smoke and a cute purple octopus wearing a small black felt top hat dropped onto her hands. Four mini octopuses of various colors and patterns clung to its tentacles and all of them had watery-looking bead eyes with V-shaped mouths. The octopus's tentacles curled around a bundle of hydrangeas underneath it along with a small card reading 'I'm sorry' in elegant letters.
"Mr. Hattie," Aoko murmured, gently running her fingers over the toy.
"Yeah. I remembered how much you loved him when we were little and how upset you were when his show got cancelled," Kaito said, also looking down at the octopus, a smile quirking his lips at the memory.
"Yeah I was... Silly Kaito. That was a long time ago," chided Aoko, grin forming on her face as she looked adoringly upon the plush.
"You can never be too old for Mr. Hattie," Kaito objected merrily.
Shinko watched to the side, feeling more and more awkward. It felt so private that it was becoming extremely uncomfortable. She wondered if she should interrupt the moment to announce she was leaving but Kaito's attention diverted from the toy to her.
"Hey Shin-chan. Why don't you join us for dinner?" Kaito invited, suddenly focusing on her which also caused Aoko to turn her attention towards the lone girl standing a bit of a distance away.
"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Aoko chimed eagerly.
Shinko agreed that it could be fun. The two were fun people and together, they formed a humorous dynamic but she wasn't sure if she should. One awkward moment was enough and she wasn't sure how she'll do with two other people with her. If she had any company, it was usually one at a time and it was usually Ren but she didn't know these two very well and it made her a bit nervous.
Seeing her hesitation and the conflicting uncertainty flashing in her eyes, Kaito bounded up to her.
"If you refuse, you'll have to go on a date with me," Kaito said playfully, making a red rose appear in his hand.
Shinko stared at him, starting to blush. She was sure he wasn't serious but still, her heart jumped. It embarrassed her somewhat but she couldn't help it. No one had ever suggested they go on a date with her before.
"I'll join I guess," Shinko muttered, looking away before looking him in the eye and stating firmly, "But don't call me Shin-chan."
She didn't see Kaito's smile soften nor hear him chuckle under his breath as she walked towards the door.
Dinner that night was a very lively, eventful affair during which she was introduced to Inspector Nakamouri Ginzo.
Shinko was surprised at how natural it felt to be in their company. She had thought she might feel excluded since it was a dinner between family and friends but between their antics and their conversations, it was almost impossible to be left out.
That day, she found that she had gained not one friend but two.
A/N: Hey sorry if you found some characters OoC. I tried my best to stay true to them under the circumstances and I believe that it doesn't matter how smart you are, anybody would feel doubt about themselves if people avoided you and Shinko's only human even if she's a prodigal detective so I'm not trying to make her a damsel or anything.
I also made this KaiShin instead of genderbent ShinRan because for one reason, I like KaiShin XD But for a more logical reason, Ren can't be the guy who's brave enough to approach Shinko because he's already her best friend. I needed someone she's never met before bravely stand in front of her and ask her out against all odds of rejection and Ren can't do that since he already knew Shinko all his life so he knows she isn't really as unreachable as everyone thinks she is.
I kind of like how this went. It just flows.