Shinichi lightly pressed his fingers onto the keypad, just enough for the buttons to give way, and dailed a number, Ran's phone number.

When he brought the handset up to his ear he heard a hesitant voice ask, "Is that you, Shinichi?"

He sighed, scratched the back of his neck. "Yes, it is."

Ran's reluctance vanished. "Why didn't you come to school today?"

Ran was worried; Shinichi knew that she was. Several missed calls originating from her house were logged on the phone, and Shinichi knew he should have informed her earlier about his current circumstances. However him missing school wasn't what he'd rung up to talk about so he ignored Ran's question, got straight to the point. "I can't go with you to tropical land."

"Why not?"

Ran's voice was quiet, hushed. Not what Shinichi had expected, he'd expected it to be loud, rage filled; had braced himself for such. He'd expected the girl who'd threatened him by punching concrete to be at least a little pissed off at him breaking his promise, something that Shinichi had told her that detectives always kept.

Shinichi shook himself out of his thoughts, glanced at the bespectacled boy, lying on the sofa, reading mysteries. "The same reason I haven't come to school."

The first thing Shinichi saw that mourning were two bright blue eyes, framed in glasses, staring back at him. His chest was heavy. He stared at them, at the face of the child to whom they belonged, and spluttered in recognition, "Conan! What are you doing here!

The six year old pouted. "Mum and dad dropped me off so I could go to school in Japan; I think they've left a note."

Shinichi had been ten when his little brother was born, and could remember nearly everything. He could recall every little detail; like just how enthusiastically the midwives had gossiped about socks; like how he'd gone outside the hospital, while his mum was in labour, to shoo off the reporters lying in wait: like how his dad had snuck in his laptop and typed with such vigor that by the time Conan was born he looked to be in a worse state then his wife; like how Shinichi's mum passed Conan to him, how he'd held his little brother, cradled him, for the first time.

Shinichi hadn't noticed, hadn't realised that his brother was born six years ago, that he was already in school, in first grade.

Conan had pressed a crumpled note into his hand. Tentatively, Shinichi unfolded it, read his mother's hastily scrawled message.

- Shinichi, we've decided that Conan should go to school in Japan, can you take care of him? Love mum and dad. -

School? Take care of him? Shinichi had barely seen his younger brother for three years, since thier parents had taken him with them to Europe, barely knew him. For how long? Years? Shinichi didn't know how to raise a child, albeit a freakishly smart one.

Conan would have a suitcase, would have clothes, would have a toothbrush, so Shinichi wouldn't have to

Shinichi glanced at Conan. "Do you have your suitcase?"

The six year old nodded.

That was good. Shinichi wouldn't have to buy clothes, wouldn't have to buy a toothbrush, but he still would need to do a considerable amount of shopping to account for the unexpected arrival. Since he could leave him

For a time lagged six year old, Conan did a pretty good job staying continuous, while Shinichi made his way from shop to shop, from supermarket to stall, he stayed awake for nearly two hours before finally succumbing to exhaustion. He'd woken up the moment Shinichi got home, borrowed himself into a sign on four, something Shinichi had always (and still did) done.

After hearing his story, after a moment of silence, Ran sighed, "Why don't we just bring him along, then?"

Shinichi hadn't thought of that. He'd (secretly) seen this as a, sort of, date and so hadn't considered the possibility of someone tagging along with him. Having Conan, the brother he barely knew, with him wouldn't be too bad. He'd be able to catch up with his younger sibling, alleviate some of his awkwardness with Ran while he was at it. Her idea wasn't half bad, it made a lot of sense.

Shinichi turned to look at his brother. "Do you want to go to tropical land?"

His brother's eyes, still staring at the book, glicened. "Only if you'll let me ride on the mystery coaster."