Everybody in class 2-B of Ekoda High that day, including the teacher, were really scared and always on alert.
Their prankster was not acting normal that day. Most of his time was spent looking out of the window daydreaming. Sometimes he even sighed. Other times people could see him chuckling.
Which was absolutely not a good sign.
Aoko and Hakuba were all aware of what was going on. They kept sending each other nervous glances, wondering what was going on with their usually-hyperactive friend. Kaito hadn't even bothered to flip Aoko's skirt only once that day, meaning that there was something important going on in his mind.
Finally, decided she had had enough, Aoko slammed her hand down on Kaito's desk hard just a few seconds after the bell rang.
"Ok BaKaito, what on earth is going on with you?"
Hakuba also cleared his throat next to Aoko.
"You haven't been acting as your normal self today Kuroba-kun. What's wrong?"
Kaito didn't bother to turn around to look at his friends. He was still staring inattentively out the window. Raising a hand, he waved to his friends.
"Nothing, nothing. Go mind your own business."
Aoko could only stare at him in shock and disbelief. Her childhood friend, her best friend was ignoring her. Which he had never done before. Ever since his father's death, he had paid a lot of attention to his mother and her, and only them. But his mother had gone on a trip for a while, and since then he only had eyes for her.
And now he was actually neglecting her.
She couldn't stand it. She slammed a thick dictionary on his head.
"BaKaito! Turn around and tell me what is going on! Now!"
But he seemed like he hadn't paid her any attention. It was like his mind was too preoccupied to even feel any pain. He once again waved his hand in front of her face, replying only "Yeah, yeah, whatever".
Aoko was so mad that her face went red. She stormed out of the room immediately. Hakuba followed suit, calling "Nakamori-san!" as he also disappeared out of the door.
Sighing as he was finally left alone, his mind was about to go back into thinking when a voice was heard.
"Looks like the dove found its raven."
He turned around immediately only just in time to look at a smirk on Akako's face, before she turned and walked towards the door, eventually disappeared as well. He raised his eyebrow. Akako always spoke in riddles that he could never understand. Shrugging it off, he went back to staring out the window and thought of Shinichi. Again.
He believed that he must have been dreaming.
In one night and he made a new friend. A detective out of all people. And the best of them all.
When tantei-kun told him he had no intention to catch him, he was taken aback.
And then he said he liked his heists. Another surprise.
Next, tantei-kun grew from a 7-year-old child into a 17-year-old person. Nobody else other than the one he had had so much fun disguising as. The guy who had gave him the most interesting heist yet only stayed in a helicopter. Shock number 3.
After that, his identity was discovered easily by the detective only because of some stupid mistakes. The 4th mental slap.
Last but not least, tantei-ku.. No meitantei, he confessed that he wanted to befriend Kaito. Not to mention they got on first name basis only a few minutes after their official first meeting. And don't forget they even fell asleep next to each other. And he even let Shinichi wear his suit.
He couldn't understand what was going on in his mind.
He couldn't understand how he could trust the detective that speedily.
However, now that he had time to think about it, it wasn't that difficult to understand.
Among the detectives who had been chasing him, tantei-kun had always been his favourite. The one who had come the closest to capturing him. Even just by staying in a helicopter or in the body of a 7-year-old child.
And in tantei-kun, he couldn't sense the urge to actually capture him, like in Hakuba. He knew Kaito was a good person, judging by the fact that he had let him off countless of times.
When he heard tantei-kun's opinion on him and his heists, his heart literally jumped for joy. He was glad that his favourite little critic like his heists, glad that he saw him as a good person.
He was truly happy that tantei-kun didn't categorize him into the group of bad guys he had been chasing.
That night, when tantei-kun collapsed on the rooftop, Kaito was really frightened. He was also extremely worried for the child, to such an extent of bringing him to his real home, not any of his safe houses. It was like he was acting on autopilot since his mind couldn't focus on anything else but the unconscious child in his arm.
A solid proof of tantei-kun's place in his heart.
He didn't want to leave tantei-kun alone back when he was ordered to leave the room. He complied only because he saw the threatening expression on the child's face, which a 7-year-old child should never be able to show.
And when Shinichi told him the truth, he was shocked.
He always knew that his tantei-kun was too intelligent for a first grader. But he could never have come up with the idea of someone being shrunken... De-age...
And due to his habit of leaving random things in random places that Shinichi found out about his identity. It wasn't his fault anyway, since... How could he suppose to see that one coming? Heck, he could never imagine bringing tantei-kun to his room.
And now their identities have been completely revealed to each other.
Strange is, he didn't feel a little bit worried.
Somehow, he had that soothing feeling in his heart... That Shinichi could be trusted.
He smiled as he remembered what had happened last night.
At first he was still in his shell. He didn't want to open up to the famous Detective of the East. But what Shinichi did completely took him by surprise.
He never expected the detective to actually approach him and took off his hat. To wear it himself.
But what he did next was totally out of the blue.
Kaito put his hand on his head, trying to ruffle his hair. To imitate Shinichi's action.
But after a while he had to put his hand down and sighed in disappointment.
It didn't feel the same.
The feeling he had when Shinichi's hand moved around in his hair... It felt so different... So soothing, comfortable, so...
Safe.
He had to admit it, he had felt safety he had never felt before. Just from the detective's ruffling in his hair.
He had always been on high alert. He had always been afraid that Snake had found out about his identity. That his life, his mother's, Aoko's and everyone else around him...
But last night had been the first night he slept well since he took on the role that his dad previously took.
With Shinichi lying next to him... He didn't feel any fear at all.
However there was still something bothering him.
The reason of Shinichi being shrunken.
He didn't know what led to this, but judging by the fact that Shinichi had to keep it a secret from everyone else, it couldn't be good.
He had intended to skip school for the day. Stay home with his newly-made friend and talk about their lives, like they had promised the night before. But then...
He snorted. Ahoko had to ruin everything.
He wasn't ready to introduce Shinichi yet. Moreover, Shinichi was in his KID suit. Added to the similarities between them and the top hat had covered the most distinguishable factor which is their hair...
Shinichi looked exactly like KID. And Aoko was KID's number one fan. No, antifan.
Yeah he couldn't introduce Shinichi at the moment.
All day long he couldn't focus on the lessons. It wasn't like he need to concentrate to pass the exams. He was still the school's top student ever since.
But the point is he couldn't focus on anything. He didn't even mind to play pranks on anyone.
It was the first day of Hakuba's high school life that his hair didn't change color.
Well, blame it on Shinichi. All he could think about all day was Shinichi, Shinichi, Shinichi.
He had that feeling that Shinichi might be the one who could understand him completely. He didn't know, but he felt the reason Shinichi was shrunken to the size of a first grader and had to hide from everyone was somehow similar to his reason of being KID.
And he smirked. If that was true, then maybe he could persuade the Detective of the East to help him. He certainly didn't mind some help.
With their intellectual and abilities combined...
His smirk sharpened. Snake wouldn't know what hit him.
He couldn't wait for school to end. To finally get his talk with Shinichi.
And once more time, Lady Luck dumped him.
Hakuba was entering the room to grab something when he noticed Kaito was still sitting in his seat, with his chin on the palm of his right hand and looking out of the window. He was absent-mindedly using his right pointing finger to write something on the surface of his desk.
A moment of observation and it wasn't difficult to make out what Kaito was subsconciously writing.
Hakuba's eyes widened as the person he strongly believed to be the infamous Kaitou KID was writing...
"Shinichi Kudo".
