Although saying that he would manage well on his own, Shinichi couldn't stabilised the bandage around his head with just one hand. His other hand has been badly injured because of the harsh contact with the heavy shelf in the art storage. Thus, he had to turn to his best friend Heiji Hattori for help.
[…]
Heiji Hattori was a reliable friend, also a talent high school detective. Although sometimes he might be light-hearted, hot-tempered and competitive in investigation, he was one of rare warm-heart tantei-san who always clung to hope and strived to save one's life rather than stick to the rigid rule reserving a crime scene.
Together with Shinichi and Kaito, Heiji took part in the mission to protect the royal scarlet Ryouko Hashigoshi and the family's precious crystal. It was very convenient that the three all attended the same highschool, thus; it is easily to undercover as a group of elite students, preventing other students approaching Ryouko. To make it more naturally, one of the boys would pretend to be her boyfriend so nobody would questioned about their intimacy such as whispering while exchanging information about the crystal. Kaito Kuroba wasn't chosen because of his flirtation. Heiji Hattori himself wasn't even on the list because he has a long-time girlfriend since childhood, Kazuha Toyama. Which led to Kudo Shinichi remained as a suitable option.
Regarding of their love life, three of them were very different, each held a distinguish position on the scale of love affair. While Kaito was a promiscuous boy, lady-killer who loved teasing girls and enjoyed his popularity over ladies, Shinichi never looked at a girls twice or took interest in women except for a case's sake. Heiji seemed to be a neutral one at the middle of the scale, to balance his best friends out. Heiji would never understand why Kaito could be all smiling and comfortable surrounded with girls all crazy for him. But he wondered if he would be like Shinichi disdainful and indifferent toward girls if he didn't befriend with Kazuha since childhood. It could be a reason that Shinichi grew up reading and idolising Sherlock Holmes, entertaining himself with mysteries, communicating with logic and deduction, therefore; he wanted to become Sherlock who devoted his love for detective work. Shinichi also earned himself a tittle "The Heisei Holmes". Perhaps his mind was always full of cases. Also his keen observation was used to detect culprits or victims while left no space looking for his love interest.
Heiji and Kaito were very sure about it. Thus, when they noticed Shinichi paid exceed attention to one of his classmate. They got suspicious. Is this girl involved, connected or linked to a mystery? And it turned out she was a victim of an unknown attach at school. But strangely, Shinichi didn't investigate it, even if they asked him, he just said it was an accident. Because neither of them were on the spot at the scene, they couldn't question him any further. When they received mission from the Royal family and even when Shinichi became boyfriend of the Royal scarlet, he still kept an eye on his 'classmate'. Heiji and Kaito both concluded that Shinichi's classmate's case hadn't closed yet. The way Shinichi stayed closely with her after the accident might lead the two think that she was wanted by an evil gang and her life was in danger. But when Ryouko came around, Shinichi seemed try to keep Ryouko away from that girl as if she was a threat. It's reasonable that pretending Ryouko's boyfriend, he should keep distance with any girls but he secretly cared for 'that girl' from afar. He always come to recuse her in time as in the art storage incident. He seemed very protective about the girl, as seen in the basketball practise. She definitely couldn't do any harm or being harmed in a space full of people and camera surveillances like the Sport Hall but he still come to her every times and hugged her twice. Twice
What kind of case hidden behind that mysterious girl? Heiji and Kaito wondered the same question. They both knew that Shinichi had a 'clean-scent' temperament (1), always shoulder pressures and burdens alone, kept others safe in faux carefree spirit. But is there anything more perilous than the Black Organisation they are investigating with FBI?
Heiji was surprised when Kudo asked him for help with the bandage.
"Why don't you ask Ryouko? She's better than me." he started cleaning the wound for his best friend.
"I don't want Ryouko to have a false impression. She doesn't need to do anything unnecessary to put on the act" Shinichi looked dully at his palm
"Do you mean you don't want the girl you love have a false impression about you and Ryouko?" Heiji continued treated his wound, not bother looked at his friend's face.
Shinichi shot him a deadly questioning glare.
Heiji casually ignored him.
"I mean the one you afraid to get the false impression is the girl you love?" Heiji smirked boastfully, seeing Kudo's facial expression
"You should know there's nothing between Ryouko and me. It's just an act" Shinichi tried to keep his voice low but honestly he wanted to scream into Heiji's face. Isn't he considered himself as my best friend when he couldn't tell the difference?
"I didn't talk about Ryouko"
Shinichi shot him another confused yet annoying glare
"I'm talking about your classmate."
Shinchi had his eyebrow frowned, not interesting in this conversation
Heiji still joyfully pressed on "The one that you saved in the basketball court and musical storage"
"What it's all about?"
"Wanna hear my deduction?"
"You call it deduction?" Shinichi tried to mock him.
"Yeah" Heiji playfully replied. Kudo really wanted to wipe that swaggering grin off his face.
"About such things?"
"What thing we couldn't deduce,… tantei san?"Heiji pondered the last two words very slowly as if to remind his friend that they were on the same page.
Shinichi kept silence and Heiji knew he could press, corner and gain the victory.
"Ok, let's start with the simplest, most obvious thing first. Ryouko actually has a crush on you"
"Wow you surprised me Hattori" Shinichi planned to play it cool, nobody supposed to know what happened between him and Ryouko. Hattori, don't try to fool me!
"You don't believe me?"
"Since when you become sensitive with these things?"
"Since I realised my love for Kazuha" he confidently asserted.
This aloof dork underestimated his competency. But he couldn't blame him. He used to be a fool and clueless about romance. He didn't realise he has feeling for Kazuha even though he had his eyes on her all the time. He didn't understand the jollity pumping up throughout his body when catching her smile, nor the exasperation spread all his cells when seeing her with other guys. He didn't notice how his blood vessel rushing under his skin whenever she nearby. He couldn't figure it out how she cast a spell on him, left him standing here dumbfound after giving him a peck on the cheeks on his kendo champion. He couldn't explain why since that moment, he wanted to possess all of her for his own. Why he didn't notice her lavender jasmine scent earlier. Was it from her hair or her skin? Because it completely shut down his logical mind, and sent him over the cloud. There's only one answer to his all his question. He loved her.
Pause. The room only filled with the tender sound echoed from the outside. Both detective took a moment to absorb the situation.
Heiji just softly smile, not a conceited smirk of a candidate defeating his opponent but rather a warmth grin of a friend sharing with one another.
"Ryouko likes you but she doesn't rush to you at the art storage incident, rather she came to you after that girl had left. It just proves I'm right. She knew you secretly in love with that girl"
Hattori did amazed him. His best friend had changed a lot since he confessed his love to Kazuha. Love surely possess amazing power.
He didn't accept or deny Heiji's deduction by words but he knew Heiji would take his silence as his admitting. It was really not a time to resolve it.
Shinichi supressed a tint of pain as Heiji's large hands pressed against his temper. Although Heiji did a good job wrapping the bandage around his head, it couldn't compared to the gentleness done by Ryouko and…Ran. Thinking of her, his mind accidentally replayed last night incident and reminded him the reason why he had to quickly withdraw from her.
"Kudo…" Heiji's words dragged him back to reality. "…You know I found it funny"
"What?!" Shinichi got slight irritated at the sound of Heiji's supressing laugh.
"I knew the reason why you asked me do this" the smile hadn't left Heiji playful lips
Darn it, Hattori. Shinichi went on alarmed. He couldn't, shouldn't have known it.
