Conan hit the ground hard. The robber came towards him menacingly.
Realizing he had to do something, Takagi swallowed and then ran at the robber who was threatening Conan.
That's right, he thought. If I can grab his gun, maybe I can flip the tables. Even if I die, maybe I can at least protect...
Nope.
Takagi's face hit the floor, his head throbbing from being punched.
Then they gathered around and began beating the tar out of him, and roughing up Conan also.
Sato looked on, horrified, for about ten seconds, and afraid, both of betraying the confidence of her fellow police officers who had entrusted her with the safekeeping of the money, but also of letting this go on.
Finally she couldn't take it any more.
"ALRIGHT!" she screamed. "I'll TELL YOU where it is, so just STOP!"
They stopped and looked at her.
"It's in the top of the kitchen pantry."
Takagi, half-conscious, could hardly believe it.
They failed. He...failed...
Then everything went dark.
He opened his eyes, disoriented for about ten seconds.
Oh, I'm in...a hospital, he realized.
Then it all came back to him.
He had tried to protect Conan-kun and Sato, and only succeeded in getting himself beat up. It was Sato who saved him.
She handed the money to the Southpaws to keep them from hurting him further.
Because of course, he thought bitterly. Of course Sato-san would end up having to save me. I'm just useless that way. Any other guy might've been able to do it, but I just lied down on the floor and let them hit me. Jinpei Matsuda could've done it, I bet...but not me. Didn't even land one punch or anything. Sato-san probably could've protected the money just fine if I weren't there, if that stupid useless Takagi wasn't around...
Sato raised her head off the bed and looked at him, her eyes looking puffy and tired.
But then she practically pounced on him in her efforts to embrace him.
"Oh Takagi-kun!" she sobbed, her head buried into him like a pillow.
He felt a flush of manly confidence, seeing Sato doing this, but he recomposed himself and understood that it was undeserved. He hadn't done anything that a man was supposed to do for his woman. Instead he just, he just...
Man, I can't even keep myself from crying, he realized, his face hot and a lump in his throat. I might as well be a woman, for the good it does me. At least nobody would think anything of it then...
He turned to the left.
"...Why is there an empty bed?" Takagi asked.
He sat up with a jolt. "Don't tell me that Cona-"
"I'm fine, Takagi-keiji."
Conan stood at the entrance of the room, a bandage on his head but otherwise looking fine.
"Lucky for me, they didn't bang me up as badly as they did you," Conan said.
Takagi sighed in relief. If nothing else, Conan-kun was alright.
"Sato-san, did they recover the money?" Takagi asked. "The police, I mean. After the robbers took it back."
Sato shook her head. "Those six men are still at large."
There was a pause.
Conan left the room. In the hallway Kogoro, Eri, and Nancy were waiting.
"You ready to go?" Eri asked.
"Y-yeah," Conan said.
"Hmph, I hope now you've learned your lesson, boy," Kogoro said. "About sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong."
Eri elbowed him, put off by his insensitivity towards this boy who'd almost died.
So they began to go home.
"This is the second time, though," Kogoro said. "Just like three weeks ago they came back from that island resort, where they say he had a seizure. I mean, he's been with me and Ran for about a year and not a single episode."
"Maybe it was the water that triggered it?" Eri said.
"No, I've seen the brat go swimming before and nothing ever happened," Kogoro said. "Something's not right."
"In any case, I think you're being irresponsible, letting that boy come and go as he pleases across murder scenes," Eri said.
"I've tried keeping him away, believe me," Kogoro said. "It never works for very long. It's like...it's like there's something in the core of his being that drives him towards danger. And that's going to be the end of him one of these days. He was got lucky last night; but what about tomorrow?"
Nancy could see that Conan heard very well what Kogoro just said. And she could see also that it troubled him deeply.
Scene Transition
The Next Day
As soon as he stepped through the door, he heard a sudden cheering.
"That's our Takagi!" Meguri said jubilantly, standing beside half a dozen other officers. "He gets knocked down but then gets back up again. Welcome back."
"Thanks," Takagi said.
No, he thought, I didn't do my duty when it counted. I don't deserve this hero's welcome.
His eyes started welling up.
Again?! he thought, suddenly taking off towards the bathroom.
He looked at himself in the mirror. He grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser.
There was a knocking on the door.
"Oi, Takagj-kun," Yumi called out. "You alright in there?"
As soon as he felt he had recomposed himself, he opened the door and stepped out. Without saying a word to Yumi he headed for his desk.
Scene Transition
Megure entered. "Ah, Takagi-kun. Just the guy I was..."
Huh? he thought.
"Takagi-kun?" Megure said. "You're still filing that report? Didn't you get started on that an hour ago?"
Takagi didn't answer, or look up at the Inspector.
"All right, that's it," Megure said. "Go home."
Takagi stood up. "No, wait, Inspector, I can still...!"
"You may've shown up for work today, but a big part of you isn't even here," Megure said. "I understand, what happened to you would've shaken anyone up. Give it a day or two and come back when your head's back in the game."
"But-"
"That's an order, Takagi-kun."
"...Yes sir."
Scene Transition
Slamming the book closed with a satisfying scrunch, Shiratori stood up.
"As usual, Herr Kant, you didn't let me down," he said out loud.
*knock knock*
Shiratori put the book in its proper place on the wooden shelf and attended to the door.
He opened it. There was Takagi.
"My, by that look on your face something must be troubling you," Shiratori said. "Come inside."
They sat down on the couch.
"Keep in mind Sumiko's scheduled to come in about a half-hour," Shiratori said. "Not to be rude or anything but at that point I'd appreciate it if you could leave and afford us some privacy."
"I'll get straight to the point then," Takagi said. "I lost it."
"It?"
"My mojo."
"Your what?"
"Well, I'm not sure if that's the ideal way to describe it," Takagi said. "What makes me get up in the morning, go to work, try my hardest, and take satisfaction out of what I do. My mojo. I lost my mojo."
"And I'm guessing those men who beat you up play no small role in this?"
"Yeah. Really, though, it wasn't just what they did to me. It's what I wasn't able to do. Shiratori-san, truth be told, one of these days I would like..."
"...You would like?"
"I would like...to move...to move things forward! My relationship with Sato-san, that is! One of these days, I would like to ask her to...to..."
"Say no more, Takagi. I'm sure you'd be able to make Sato-san happy."
"Yeah, and, from there...well, ever since that *false alarm* there's something that I found myself wanting. I want to be a father, one of these days."
"That's understandable. I would like to think that one day Sumiko and I will be proud parents."
"But that's just it!" Takagi said. "A father, a husband has responsibilities!...It was Conan-kun being there that did it, I think. If he were my son, I wouldn't have been able to protect him. H*ll, I can't even protect myself. It was all Sato-san. She was the real man. So what's that make me, the woman?"
"Well, I hear househusbands are becoming more and more commonplace," Shiratori said.
"That's not even funny."
"Oh?"
"I don't want to feel this way anymore," Takagi said. "To be this way. I always knew it, from the beginning of my relationship with Sato-san. I just chose to ignore it. But...I can't anymore. This isn't something that I can just live with, I don't think."
"So what were you thinking in turning to me?"
Takagi clasped Shiratori's hand. "Shiratori-san, you've always been one, so, please tell me...! How do I become a real man?"
Shiratori shook his hand free. "Takagi-kun, it isn't so easy for a person to change who he is. Some people were simply destined to be lesser men than others. That's nothing to be ashamed of; Sato chose to be with you, not some beefcake. You have qualities that most other men don't, and Sato loves you all the more for that fact."
Indeed, she rejected my chiseled physique, he thought. My finely sculpted figure, my likeness of the Greek gods which has caused women to swoon and even some MEN to...!
Takagi began to walk away, angry.
Snapped back to reality, Shiratori chased after him. "Takagi, wait!"
"Forget it," Takagi said. "If you won't help me, then-"
"That's not what I was saying," Shiratori said. "Takagi-kun, if you're really that desperate, I'll help you."
Scene Transition
Two Weeks Later
A lazy summer morning in the world's busiest city. A sole police car sitting on the shoulder of the road, lying in wait like a predator staking out its prey's favored watering hole.
"...kitte sunao ni nare nakute Mou kimi wa ima, Are You Happy Now?"
As the radio played some song in the background:
"...and then Chiba said yes!" Naeko Miike said enthusiastically. "So tomorrow he and I will be-"
*grooooooaaaaannnnn*
"Aw, don't be like that," Naeko said.
"Gimme," Yumi ordered crassly.
"No way. You drink one of these every day, and it's just loaded with sugar."
"I can't function without it," Yumi said. "Gimme my cappuccino, now."
"Yumi-san, today's as good as any for breaking bad hab-"
"I SAID GIMME MY CAPPUCCINO, CRAZY WOMAN!"
They both stopped dead in their tracks as a light blue sports car whizzed by.
"There's no way that guy wasn't speeding," Naeko said.
"Hold on."
Yumi fastened her seat belt and floored the pedal. With a screech the patrol car chased after the traffic offender, sirens blaring.
A minute later, both cars were pulled over. Yumi and Naeko got out, as did the speedster, a really big looking guy.
Both Yumi and Naeko cringed when they saw him.
"Hey, Yumi-san," Naeko whispered. "Do you really think we can handle this guy?"
"W-well, we have to try," Yumi replied.
"Morning ladies," the man said.
"Don't 'morning' me," Yumi barked. "Do you realize how fast you were going?"
"Yeah? So?"
"Alright, let's see some ID," Yumi said.
"You first."
"Excuse me?" Naeko huffed.
"ID," the man said. "If you can ask that of me then I can ask the same to you. So let's see some."
"Oi, what's the point of that?" Yumi asked.
"Oh? So you won't do it?" the man said with a sly grin. "Then how do I know that you're real police officers?"
"Lookey here," Yumi said. "If you're really gonna to be such a turd about it I'll show you my ID this..."
Huh? she thought.
"Eeeeehhhh?!"
"Hey, Yumi-san, what is it?" Naeko whispered.
"I-I don't have my ID on me!" Yumi replied.
"Leave it to me," Naeko said, pulling out her...
"What's this?" Naeko said. "I don't have mine on me either!"
"Maybe they're in the car?" Yumi suggested.
Naeko went to look. Yumi scowled at the man, who evidently couldn't hold back a chuckle or two.
After half a minute:
"Th-they're not in here!" Naeko said, panicky.
After this, the man burst into a fit of laughter.
"Well, if you can't prove you're police officers then I guess I don't have to listen to you," the man said smugly. "It's been a pleasure, ladi-"
Just then, another police car pulled onto the shoulder.
The door opened. A police officer stepped out. It was...
"T-Takagi-kun?" Yumi stammered in disbelief.
Takagi, wearing sunglasses, approached Yumi and Naeko, holding two police IDs. "Here, you left these at the station."
The man cursed underneath his breath.
He stood before Takagi, breathing down on him menacingly. "Who do you think you are, huh?!"
Takagi took his sunglasses off and looked the man in the eye. "Haven't you heard? I'm Takagi. And you're in a world of trouble."
Angered, the man swung his fist at Takagi, who dodged with a rare sort of clean precision and with striking ease. The man tried again. Takagi dodged again.
With that, Takagi kneed the man in the groin and sent him toppling with a solid right hook to the jaw.
"My, my," Takagi said, picking his sunglasses up off the ground. "What an ugly bruise that is. You should take better care of yourself."
He turned to Yumi and Naeko. "Well, I'll leave the rest up to you. Ciao."
As he was driving off:
"Something's changed about Takagi, hasn't it?" Naeko asked.
Yumi didn't know how to answer but to nod.
Scene Transition
Eyes turned when he walked inside. Ever since Takagi showed up for work that morning, it was immediately obvious that his behavior and mannerisms were...off.
In the best way possible.
Gone was the old wimpy Takagi. In his place was Takagi 2.0. No longer a herbivore man, now he was a carnivore on the prowl! A real lady killer, a Japanese James Bond!
The members of the (now defunct) Miwako Sato's Line of Defense were chafed at this new development.
As the janitor finished mopping the hallway, he put up a "Caution: Wet" sign.
One officer saw that Takagi was climbing the steps.
"Alright, he's coming!" he whispered to his comrades.
They removed the sign and scrammed, waiting for Takagi to pass by. They giggled, not wanting to blink when Takagi would inevitably slip.
But instead of slipping, Takagi cruised by them, moving across the wet floor with the grace of a figure skater on ice. His body was even in the posture of a figure skater, with his leg raised behind him.
"Dagnabbit that Takagi," one of them said upon witnessing the spectacle.
"We're gonna have to try something else."
Scene Transition
Takagi returned to police station cafeteria from the bathroom.
He sat down just to find that his bowl of soup was gone. Then he spotted it at the end of the table, where a group of hostile officers sat.
Takagi stood up and then slammed both of his elbows onto the edge of the table.
The other end of the table went way up, causing a big mess all around. Takagi's bowl, untouched, simply slid down. The table came down and Takagi enjoyed his lunch.
"Pardon me," he said simply.
Scene Transition
Takagi walked into his office just to find...
From some distance away, a group of officers snickered. They had dumped all of their paperwork onto Takagi.
"That'll teach him for acting so stuck-up."
"Yeah, it's gotta be like a thousand pages worth."
"He'll be stuck in there forever."
Five Hours Later
"Guys, you gotta check this out!"
They gathered around to see Takagi on his knees.
"Is he...praying?"
"And to sum it up," Takagi prayed out loud, "I'd like to see lasting peace on earth within the next five years, if that's alright with you. Alright, thanks in advance."
Then Takagi rose and walked away.
Curious, the officers went inside Takagi's office.
And they marveled.
"It's...it's...!"
"It's a thousand origami cranes!"
(Author's Note: In Japan, it's believed that the person who folds one thousand origami cranes will have their wish granted.)
They all immediately took out their phones and started snapping pictures. One guy, deeply touched by this beautiful scene, started crying.
Scene Transition
Wrapping up for the night, Sato turned to leave.
She bumped into Takagi.
"Oh, sorry!" she said.
"No, it's quite alright," Takagi said. "I came here because there's something I need to ask you."
"Are you finally going to tell me where it is you've been sneaking off to for the past two weeks?" Sato asked.
"That's not important," Takagi said. "This is."
He took an envelope out from under his suit. He handed it to Sato.
She broke the seal on the envelope and took the paper out. It was a formal-looking invitation to...
"Your house?" Sato said.
"Tomorrow night," Takagi said. "At 7:30. We'll have dinner for two, with hors d'oeuvres and champagne. It'll be just the two of us, baby."
"Baby?" Sato repeated.
"So will you come or not?"
"Yeah, okay," Sato said. "7:30 tomorrow night, I'll be there."
Scene Transition
The electronic lock automatically undid itself when the combination was inserted. The door slowly creaked open.
He closed the door behind him carefully, oh so carefully, when-
"About time."
Conan nearly jumped out of his skin. "It's nearly 3. What are you doing up?"
"I could ask the same of you," Nancy said. "You know it's a school night."
"And you know I could still ace all my classes half asleep," Conan retorted. "You didn't tell *them?"
"No," Nancy said. "They think you're fast asleep in our room right now. You've been spending a lot of time out. Have you found them yet?"
Conan grinned. "Yeah. After two weeks of searching I've figured the real identity That Person, and where they're going to meet up next."
"And that would be...?"
"Huh?"
"If you're going after the Southpaws again, you have to at least let me know where you're going," Nancy said.
"Tomorrow night at 9, they're all going to gather in one place, to plan their next course of action," Conan said. "And that place is..."
Scene Transition
The Following Night
*knock knock*
Takagi opened the door and looked at Sato.
"How do I look?" she asked. "Since you gave me a formal invitation and all I figured I should dress up tonight."
She was wearing a knee-length white dress, over which she wore a turquoise blue shirt thingy.
"You look great," Takagi said. "Please, come in."
Takagi, on his part, was wearing a black tuxedo with a bowtie.
"Mmm, I've never seen you with that hairstyle before," Sato said, sitting down at the table. "It looks good on you."
The apartment was dimly by low lighting and some candles. There was one candle positioned at the middle of the table, emitting a small bright flame and a scent that was undeniably that of pumpkin.
Sato read the label.
"Do you like it?" Takagi asked from the kitchen. "I had it imported from the United States. Shiratori recommended it."
"I've seen you and Shiratori together a lot lately," Sato said. "Have you two been planning this dinner all this time?"
"That among other things," Takagi said.
"So um, what are we having?" Sato asked.
"First is the hors d'oeuvres, butterfly shrimp cooked with red wine," Takagi said.
"Ah, um, I have certain seafood allergies," Sato said.
Takagi was dumbfounded. There was an awkward pause.
"You know, I think I mentioned that before," Sato said. "It came up in a conversation about...five months ago, was it?"
Takagi tried to remember. His mind was blank.
"B-but that's okay," Sato said. "I'm still looking forward to what you prepared for the main-"
"Uh, about that," Takagi said.
"Yes?"
"It's Maine lobster."
There was another pause.
"S-so, um, I don't really have the ingredients or the practical knowledge on hand to prepare anything else," Takagi said. "Nothing worth your time, that is."
"What do you have on hand, Takagi? What can you make now?"
"Well, um, I've got the ingredients needed to whip up some okonomiyaki, but for a dinner like this I don't think you should want to settle for-"
"Okonomiyaki will be fine."
(Author's Note: Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake. Unlike its western equivalent, it usually isn't sweet or covered in sweet syrup.)
Takagi sighed. "I guess I'd better get out of this suit, if I'm gonna be cooking again."
"Where'd you get it anyway?"
"Shiratori let me borrow it. I figured that, with the expense that went into all this, I shouldn't be spending any more..."
"What? How much did you spend on all this?"
"I don't think that's so very impor-"
"How much did you spend, Takagi?"
Takagi hesitated before answering. "¥90,000."
(Author's Note: Approximately $900 U.S. Dollars)
"What?! Takagi, you know as well as I do that you don't have that kind of money. How'd you even spend that much anyway?"
"Well, Shiratori let me have one bottle out of his private champagne collection, but I thought one bottle seemed a little skimpy, so I bought one more. That, combined with the costs of the lobster, the shrimp, the mashed potatoes, the asparagus, the red wine used for cooking, and other ingredients, plus the imported candles...I guess I went a little overboard?"
"I'll say. Go change and I'll get started on the okonomiyaki."
"Wait, but I'm the one who's supposed to-"
"It'll go faster if we both prepare it. Oh, and can I please turn these lights on and blow out the candles? The smell's kind of sickening, to be honest."
Takagi nodded reluctantly.
Scene Transition
The okonomiyaki batter sizzled on the grill thingy.
"You know," Sato said, "I think I've asked you several times in the past two weeks."
"Asked me what?"
"About the Escape Room, remember? I've been telling you about that place that opened about two blocks from my place, and how it looked fun."
Then Takagi remembered. "Yeah, I do recall that. But each time I was busy with my lessons with Shiratori."
"Lessons?"
"You'd just think it's silly."
"Try me."
Takagi sighed. "He was giving me lessons on how to act like a real man."
Sato put the spatula down. "Is that what all this is about? After what happened with those robbers, you don't think you're worthy of my love?"
Takagi was silent.
Sato grabbed his cheeks and made him look her up close in the face. "Takagi, I never asked for you to be a 'real man', whatever that means. I only wanted, well, you. The real you. There's a lesson in this, and until you learn it I don't think our relationship can progress any further."
Takagi's heart pounded. "And what lesson is that?"
"It's not about what you eat, or what kind of house you live in or what kind of car you drive. It's about who you enjoy it all with. You don't need to try so hard to impress me. Just spend time with me, just continue to be my closest confidant, share good and bad times with me. In short, just continuing being the person I fell in love with."
And so, after the okonomiyaki was finished, they sat down and ate talked, laughed, and enjoyed themselves more than they had in a little while. They agreed that Takagi would return the unopened wine bottle to Shiratori, and return the other one to the wine vendor from where Takagi bought it, so that he could maybe get some of his money back.
After they were done, it was time for Sato to leave.
"Hey, Takagi," she said right as she stepped through the door.
"Huh?"
"Escape Room, you and me. Friday at 8. My treat?"
Takagi smiled. "It's a date."
Scene Transition
As he walked down the sidewalk, he looked at his watch. The time was 8:57.
He saw lights coming from a nearby bar.
He stepped inside, took his coat off, and had a seat.
"Rough night?" the bartender, a buck-toothed guy with an eyepatch, asked.
"In a way," Takagi said. "I'll take a light beer."
Someone else walked inside and had a seat right next to Takagi.
"Wakita, I'll have the usual," Conan said.
"Conan-kun, what are you doing in a bar late at night?!" Takagi demanded.
The bartender handed Conan a cup of apple juice.
"You first."
"I'd like to take my mind off of the fact that I'm a major idiot," Takagi said.
Conan took a sip. "I'm here for the Southpaws."
Takagi abruptly stood up.
"Shh, don't draw attention to yourself," Conan hissed. "Sit back down."
Takagi obeyed.
"Without being too obvious, turn your head and look at the six men sitting at that table over there," Conan said.
Takagi did so.
"Oh, there's that man," Takagi said. "What was his name...?"
"Daisuke Amagi," Conan said. "That's not his actual name, though. And he's not really a nightclub bouncer. No, in truth he is...the Leader of the Southpaws."
"And how exactly would you know something like that?" Takagi asked.
"Elementary, my dear Takagi," Conan said. "Back then, it was immediately clear that Takeshi Ohta was a liar. Ehh, I trust your colleagues filled you in about those three people who came to the park and asked they be allowed to search around while the police had sectioned off the area?"
"Yeah," Takagi said. "Chiba told me."
"Good. Anyways, Takeshi Ohta claimed that he had spent the day trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Clearly this was impossible; the Stock Exchange is always closed on the Emperor's Birthday."
"T-then why aren't you suspecting him?" Takagi asked.
"He was all too eager to show the police his ID," Conan said. "No forged ID is 100% guaranteed to fool the experts, who are trained to spot that kind of thing. Therefore, any smart criminal using a fake would only show it if asked to do so. We can just automatically assume that a member of the Southpaws would be a smart guy, so that rules him out."
"Why couldn't he have used a real ID?" Takagi asked.
"Simple. In the aftermath of the burglary, the police might've investigated those three people who came to the park at that time. In this case, wouldn't it be best to give the police a fake name instead of your real one?"
"That's true."
"Regretfully, I was informed five hours ago that Mr. Ohta took his own life."
"Huuh?! Why?"
"Because he was living a lie, and drowning in debt. Eager to impress his girlfriend, he told her that he was a successful day trader, even though in truth he lost money on virtually every investment he made. To maintain the ruse he had several credit cards with different banks. On that day, he was actually returning from a job interview when he decided to stop by the park."
"If he was drowning in debt, doesn't that make him all the more suspicious?"
"Remember, the robbers had to wait until the statute of limitations expired before the money could be used. I seriously doubt Ohta-san could've waited that long."
"Okay, so what about the girl?"
"No, it wasn't her either. I saw it, though the police didn't: she was relieved whenever the police said they were present at that park because of the money."
"Maybe she was a good actor?" Takagi suggested.
"Not good enough to hide the symptoms of heroin withdrawal."
"You don't mean to say-"
"She was a drug addict. I even found the needle, which still had some traces of heroin in it, along with samples of her DNA. I had a friend of mine (*cough* Haibara *cough*) analyze it and she was able to confirm this much."
"So you knew because of the needle you found but conveniently neglected to tell the police?"
"No, I knew before that," Conan said. "She claimed to be part of a swim team, but that was a lie."
"And how did you know that?"
"I saw the swim cap she supposedly uses. It had a rip in it. That meant that, within the span of several hours at least, her hair would be fully exposed to the chlorine water that swimming pools contain. She had a Japanese name, and she certainly seemed to have Japanese features, and yet she had streaks of blonde hair."
"She must've dyed it, then."
"That's the point. Prolonged exposure to chlorine has a noticeable adverse effect on dyed hair, especially hair which has been dyed blonde. In some cases that blonde hair might even turn the color green."
"Even if that didn't happen," Conan continued, "she still shouldn't have been able to keep that blonde hair of hers. You see, chlorine has adverse effects on all kinds of hair. A person who swims every now and then can usually avoid it, but a professional swimmer can't. And so, they cope with this by chemically removing the chlorine from their hair, using a product known as chelating shampoo. Problem is, chelating shampoo will also remove hair dye. Plus, I didn't smell shampoo or chlorine on her."
"So she lied about being part of a swim team," Takagi said. "How's that make her a drug addict?"
"When she appeared then, she was wearing short shorts but also a long-sleeved jacket. The reason for the jacket, of course, was to hide the visible signs of repeated injection into the veins on her arms. This kept her from swimming, since upon getting into the pool one normally is dressed only in swim clothes, which leaves the arms exposed. As a girl, suppository injection would've been an option for her, but I guess she didn't know that. My guess is that she regularly went to the park to use heroin, so that her parents and sister wouldn't know. As she went to the park solely for that purpose, around the time each day when the cravings peaked in intensity, coming somewhat earlier in the day, even for a different purpose, triggered psychosomatic withdrawal. It was in her head, but the symptoms were visible to us."
"Wouldn't a heroin addict have ample motive to steal stuff?" Takagi asked.
"It isn't her," Conan said. "And again, she wouldn't have been able to use the money for several years. I've tipped off her parents, and last I heard she's been entered into rehab, albeit kicking and screaming. That only leaves one suspect: Daisuke Amagi."
"But what if none of them were guilty?" Takagi asked. "You can't say he's a bank robber just because the other two people weren't."
"He said that he lost his wallet," Conan said. "How convenient for him, that he had an excuse for not showing the police some ID. And he left immediately after 'finding' it, no? Without letting the police check it out. But what really tipped me off was that he was blatantly lying about being a nightclub bouncer."
"Should I even ask?"
"One of the main tasks of any bouncer is to inspect people upon entry. This includes checking their IDs, making sure they're legit. As a general rule, bouncers are scary good at spotting fakes, often by spotting discrepancies in the information stated as compared with what the holder is actually like, such as with age...or height."
"By the looks of things, Daisuke Amagi was approximately average height," Conan continued. "By the information given on Ohta-san's American Driver's License, you would think that he was a little bit below average height. Yet when the two men stood side by side, it was clear that Ohta-san was marginally taller."
"Maybe he lied about his height?" Takagi suggested. "A lot of men do."
"Almost universally height is correlated with social status in men," Conan said. "For reasons pertaining to vanity men will often overstate their height by an inch or so. But unless a man was freakishly tall what reason would he have to *understate* how tall he was?"
"So his Driver's License was a fake?" Takagi asked.
"No," Conan said. "I investigated later on and found that some time after moving to Japan Ohta-san had undergone Scoliosis Surgery, which does often boost one's height by as much as 2 inches, maybe more. The problem I have is that, given Daisuke Amagi couldn't possibly have known this fact about a stranger he had just met, he didn't notice the height discrepancy. A real bouncer would."
"Well, the Americans do use a different measurement system," Takagi said.
"But as a bouncer of a nightclub which received many foreign visitors, probably also many Americans, surely he would know how to convert that to our measurements, and quickly enough to not significantly slow down the traffic of people seeking entry. Also, he didn't notice that girl was suffering from withdrawal, even though another big part of a bouncer's job is to spot users inside of the club. Surely he would be able to recognize heroin withdrawal when he saw it, if he were a real bouncer. Finally, to describe what Ohta-san had he used the term 'Standard Issue American Driver's License', even though in the US the issuing and production of Drivers' Licenses is the responsibility of each state, not that of the American Federal Government. A bouncer working in the Golden Gai would know that."
"So what now?" Takagi asked. "Surely you didn't just follow him here for no reason? And who's those people sitting at that table with him?"
"Whenever Daisuke Amagi was there at the park, he consistently used his right hand. But now, when he thinks the police aren't watching, notice how he holds that cup with his left hand. In fact..."
"Hold on a minute," Takagi said. "They're all left-handed!"
"Correct," Conan said. "Statistically, about 1 in every 10 people is left-handed. The odds of any two people randomly meeting and then both of them being left-handed is 1 in 100. Raise that number to 3 people and it's 1 in 1000. Raise it to 6 people, as is the case over there right now, and that number is now 1 in 1,000,000. That's one h*ll of a coincidence; rather, it's no coincidence at all. Those people are, in fact, the notorious gang of left-handed bank robbers, the Southpaws."
(Author's Note: In American English, southpaw is slang for a left-handed person.)
"Their most recent course of action was the retrieval of their stolen money," Conan said. "The fact that the act of burglary, and especially assault, is a crime in its own sake, and especially considering that the money has been stolen by them a second time after the police recovered it, the statute of limitations has reset. Given the fact that only about 2 weeks have passed since then, it wouldn't make a significant difference in the time they'd have to wait if they pulled off one more heist. The fact that they're all gathered here in one place tonight would seem to suggest that's what they're discussing now. Up until now I haven't come forward to the police with what I know because there's no evidence."
"And now you plan on following them until you obtain such? No, Conan-kun, I'm sorry, but this is insane Let the police handle this."
"It's too late. Surely by now they've seen us sitting here, the man and the boy who they beat violently during their operation to recover the money that the police confiscated. Obviously they can't do anything to us inside of this bar, where there's about two dozen potential witnesses, but once we step outside, there's a good chance they'll react, on the sheer chance that we may have recognized them. You could call your colleagues and ask them to drive here and take us home, or to the police station, but then these six criminals would escape justice for their crimes. We can put them all behind bars, tonight, but only if you're willing to step out on a limb and trust me. Do you trust me, Takagi-keiji?"
He looked straight up at Takagi, who was in that moment stunned by the amazing contrast: that this brilliant, ruthless detective was an innocent-looking little boy.
He gulped and nodded. "Yeah, I trust you. What's your plan?"
Conan stood up, and proclaimed loudly: "Ah! Takagi-keiji, it's them! The mean, scary men from that night! You got to take me to the police!"
Conan went so far as to point right at them, and by now all six of them were looking at Conan and Takagi, bewildered.
What kind of stupid plan is this?! Takagi thought. If they might've planned on coming after us before, now there's no doubt they will! Conan-kun, you'd better have some secret plan!
Conan tugged at Takagi's shirt, and the pale, lanky police officer stood up.
"Are you sure?" Takagi asked, playing along.
"Yes, there's no mistake!" Conan said in a childish voice. "Hurry, we got to go tell Inspector Megure!"
Following Conan, Takagi headed out the front entrance. About ten seconds later, those men got up and left as well.
Scene Transition
And so, that's how Takagi found himself in the truck of some small white car with Conan, tied and gagged.
In the dead of night they had been ambushed, beaten and thrown in the back of somebody's vehicle. Now, presumably, they were on their way to their execution, after which their bodies would be dumped somewhere in the countryside. Maybe up in the mountains. Maybe in the far fringes of Hokkaido.
We're dead, Takagi thought.
If he could scream, he would really let Conan-kun have it for throwing both of their lives away. He wouldn't go easy on him because he was a kid; it was abundantly clear by now that Conan-kun had the maturity of someone twice his age, somehow.
Then, they heard a loud bang. And with a screech and a swerve the car came to a sudden stop.
Scene Transition
"What the h*ll just happened?!"
"A tire blew."
"Yeah, we get that, Einstein."
"That was no stinkin' tire mishap."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm SAYING somebody blew the d**n thing out."
"No way! The police couldn't react this fast, could they!"
"Not unless they were waiting for us from the start."
"Grrr, how da h**l did the fuzz trap us so easily?"
"Whoa, guys, I don't see any sirens. Maybe the tire really did just give out."
"So who's gonna get out and check?"
"...No volunteers?"
"Grrr, fine."
One of the six men got out of the crowded car. He looked at the tire.
"Ah s**t."
"How's it?"
"That's a bullet hole if I ever saw-"
*pew*
With that, the adjacent tire was blown out.
"Get in the frickin' car, man!"
Instead, he made a run for it.
Then he came across a man, with a skeletal face and a glock in his hand.
The robber drew his gun, but nearly in the blink of an eye Yoshiteru Nichimura raised his gun, fired a shot, and disarmed the man.
"On your knees," he ordered.
The robber did as he was told.
Several shots from afar hit the hood of the car.
"All the rest of you, get out too, or my friend will blow you all to kingdom come!" Yoshiteru ordered.
The remaining five robbers got out, put their weapons on the ground, and surrendered.
Jodie Starling snuck around to the back of the car and opened the trunk door. She helped Conan and Takagi out and then untied and ungagged them.
"But...how...?" Takagi said to Conan, awestruck by the influence this child seemed to wield.
"Takagi, it's important that you don't tell the police my role in this," Conan said. "Just tell them I recognized the men from the burglary and that's it."
Takagi nodded. Just then, he could hear the police sirens getting closer.
In the end, two of the six Southpaw members agreed to testify against their comrades in exchange for light sentences. The stolen money was returned to its rightful owners at last.
It was over.
Ending
(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)
There are only two kinds of people in this complex world
Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else
Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is
Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?
It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize
Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war
Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"
What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again
Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages
Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!
Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour
All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you
You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you
Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!
Post-Ending
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
They made it out just in time. A few seconds later, the timer buzzed.
They high-fived each other.
"That was close," Takagi said.
"Yeah, I'd like to see if we can do it a little faster next time," Sato said.
"N-Next time?" Takagi repeated.
"What, you didn't like it?" Sato said. "I thought it was exhilarating."
More like nerve-wracking, Takagi thought.
"I have it!" Sato said.
"Have what?"
"Our next date," Sato said. "I wanna go...here!"
She used her phone to browse the web. She opened a certain web page and gave the phone to Takagi.
On it was an extreme-looking amusement park ride, "Niagara Falls".
"They're installing it at Tropical Land in two days," Sato said. "Wanna come?"
Takagi groaned.
Scene Transition
"How does it feel"
The music boomed across every corner of the laboratory.
"How does it feel"
He flipped through the pages lazily, knowing that he wouldn't have to start working for another 25 minutes.
"To be without a home"
Then it practically leapt out of the pages at him.
"Like a complete unknown"
He dropped his coffee mug. It shattered.
"Like a rolling stone"
On the front page of yesterday's magazine, a picture of seven children:
Conan Edogawa, Nancy Akechi, Ai Haibara, Shiro Ayamori, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, Ayumi Yoshida, and Genta Kojima. The discoverers of buried cash at Haido Park.
He looked at the children in the picture very carefully.
"...There's no mistaking them," he said.
Trembling, he abruptly stood up and made a run for the hallway.
"HEY! Somebody, get me on the line with The Boss right now!"
End of Episode