"Ran, where have you been? I've been calling your house all day. You're not still out gallivanting with Shinichi, are you? You know that we had specific plans to hang out."

"Sorry Sonoko, something came up."

"Uh, your voice…"

Ran decided to just get it over with. "Well, uh, I've been turned into a kid, so…"

Sonoko began to laugh on the other line. "That's great, Ran! But you really shouldn't be playing with helium. I heard it's not good for your brain."

"Really, Sonoko."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should probably just come over to Agasa-hakase's house and see for yourself."


Sonoko walked down block 21. What was Ran talking about? Was this some sort of convoluted practical joke?

No, wait, Sonoko trusted Ran. Ran was an honest individual. Why would she doubt what Ran had told her over the phone? Why would Ran call her up in that strange high pitched voice and tell her that she was a kid?

That kind of insanity only happened in romantic mangas that some of the more different girls in class would ogle over. She was no fool. There had to be something up with this situation.

Maybe the caller on the phone wasn't actually Ran, and it really was a practical joke. But it had been Ran in all her speaking mannerisms. Someone might be really good at imitating her. Unless that really was Ran, which it wasn't.

Finally she stopped in front of Agasa's laboratory. What business did Ran have here? She didn't normally call her friends to come hang over at the old guy's house, which was full of dusty technology and dangerous chemicals. She walked up the pathway and knocked on the door. It was answered by Detective Mouri.

"Oh, Mouri-tantei," said Sonoko. "What are you doing here?"

Kogoro sighed. "What Ran told you on the phone is true."

"What do you mean by that? That she's a kid or something? What kind of practical joke are you all pulling?"

"None whatsoever. Do you need proof? Ran's in the kitchen."

Sonoko half-ran past Kogoro and then stopped. "Where's the kitchen?"

"I'm right here, Sonoko," said Ran, who walked out of what was presumably the kitchen.

"What the heck?" said Sonoko.

"Ran and Shinichi were turned into kids by a rare side effect of a poison that they were poisoned with made by two suspicious men who they were tailing," said Agasa.

"Uh, can they… turn back?"

"I'm afraid not, at least not at the moment."

"That sucks, Ran. I'm sorry I doubted you on the phone."

"I wouldn't expect anyone to believe this at first sight, anyway," said Shinichi.

"I had this really nice outfit I was saving for your birthday, too," said Sonoko. "Now what? Do we just live with this?"

"I guess so," said Ran.

"I'm gonna miss having you at school."

"Also," said Agasa, "they were supposed to die, so you have to pretend Ran was murdered in a strange incident."

"Really?"

"We gave you the benefit of letting you know the real situation before it gets all over the news tomorrow that Ran and Shinichi were allegedly found dead. Don't pass a word of this on to anyone else."

"I wouldn't for my life."


"Are you serious?" asked Eri.

"I wish I wasn't, but it's true," said Ran.

"Are you… okay otherwise?"

"I guess so."

"I think I'm going to have to come over and assess this myself."

"Go ahead, we're staying with Agasa for a while anyway."

Eri hung up from the phone and turned to her secretary. "I think I'm going to have to take a bit of a leave from this case."


"Hey, aniki, check out the headlines for today." Vodka handed Gin a newspaper.

Gin opened it up. "Mysterious double death of two teenagers. That's exactly what we wanted to hear."

"Look at who the girl was."

"Mouri Ran?"

"She's the daughter of a small-time detective. It says that he's going to do the best he can to search for the killers."

"I don't think we need to be concerned. He doesn't appear to have any talent in the first place."

"The police are convinced it's a murder, though. They're on the lookout for 'two suspicious-looking men in black.' Someone witnessed this."

"If that's all the details they have on us, we have no need to be concerned."