Kimiko: This is a short side story explaining what went on with Shinichi that day. It's my Christmas present for Kaida-14Kage, one of my favorite authors!
Chapter 3: Parallel Story—Discovery
Earlier that day, while Shinichi is walking with Heiji to the Hattori house
"So, we're going to have the club meetings after school every other day?" Heiji asked his best friend, Shinichi.
"Yeah, that sounds okay. I'll text the others about it. We'll start tomorrow," He paused, remembering something. "Oh, wait, the trip to the science museum is tomorrow. If it runs late, we might only be able to set up the basic rules for the club."
"That's fine," Heiji said. "It's not like we'll really be doing too much. I mean, it's only a school club, not a real—" He stopped, both what he was saying and where he was going. Shinichi almost ran into him.
"What's wrong?" Shinichi asked, looking around. Heiji pushed him back behind a pile of boxes, crouched down and pointed down the alley they were standing outside of.
Two men in black suits were talking with another man in a lighter business suit. Heiji could hardly hear what they were saying, but both boys could guess what was going on when they saw an exchange of a unmarked white envelope and a plain suitcase. One of the men in black opened up the case to reveal lots of money inside. The man in the business suit quickly looked inside the envelope and looked panicked. He seemed to be begging the other men for something, but one of the men showed him the gun he was holding. The businessman stopped, and instead listened to what the other men were saying.
Shinichi had his phone out in a heartbeat, taking pictures of the illegal actions. Heiji, meanwhile looked around for any of their partners. Something like this could be dangerous. If they were found, they might be killed. After a few moments, the men in black started to walk out of the alley, towards the place where Shinichi and Heiji were hiding. The two boys quickly moved away from the alley.
Heiji pulled Shinichi into a nearby antique shop. The door shut just as the two men emerged from the alley. They watched out the store window as the men walked across the street and disappeared from their view.
After a few heart-pounding seconds, Heiji looked over at Shinichi. He was breathing heavily from released apprehension. "Hey, Kudo, do you realize what we just saw?"
Shinichi nodded, sharing his friend's anxious and ecstatic feelings. "Yeah! This is going to be the first case of the Beika High Detective Club!"
Heiji peeked out the door of the shop, checking once more if it was clear of the black-clad men. He walked out and Shinichi followed.
Heiji looked down the alley again. By luck, the businessman was still there, but he was walking out right towards them. The boys pretended they were just walking down the street. The man passed them and started walking in the opposite direction.
Shinichi faintly heard one thing the man muttered: "It's okay, I'll get the rest at Tropical Land next week on Saturday."
Kimiko: Do you like it? The next one will be much longer and it'll explain more of the setting. Like I said, this is a short side story [if you read the stuff at the top]. And just so you know, Kaito isn't KID yet and Shinichi doesn't work with the police.
