Characters: Gosho Aoyama

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Option

Once Conan got out of the shower, he changed and jumped on his bed. With a long sigh, he closed his eyes.

Strange how a murder can make everything in a day collapse. Well, there's no point in thinking about it. Conan got up from his bed and walked over to his bookshelf. Agatha Christie isn't half bad.

Shortly after lying back down, there was a knock on his door. I guess Haibara is done with dinner.

"One moment." Conan got up, worn-out, and opened the door. "Haibara, what are we…" she walked past him, hands behind her back, and sat down on his bed.

"Sit." She ordered, crossing her legs, placing her hands on her knees.

Conan blinked, but Ai continued to stare at him intensely. "S-sure." He muttered as he closed the door. Feeling uneasy, he sat at the opposite end of the bed.

"Come closer." She said, somewhat viciously, patting the section beside her. Conan moved closer to her, still feeling uncomfortable.

When Conan finally inched close enough, Ai reached for his face. "H-Haibara…?" She brought him closer to her own face, causing Conan's cheeks to heat up. When Ai closed her eyes, Conan followed.

"Have you ever looked at your options carefully, Kudou-kun?" Ai whispered. Conan frowned when she pulled her hands away, taking his glasses with them. He opened his eyes in confusion.

"What do you mean, Haibara?" he asked, watching Ai walk to the balcony door.

"Your options," she repeated, opening up the blinds, Conan's glasses still in hand. "What if you had never met Mouri-chan, yet still found yourself in this problem?"

"Easy," Conan said, letting gout a small laugh. "It wouldn't be a problem because if I had never known Ran, I would never had tried to fight."

"Well, well…" Ai turned to face Conan. "What if," she crossed her arms, "what I Mouri-chan never loves 'Edogawa-kun' the same way she loved 'Kudou-kun'?"

Again, Conan let out a snicker. "That's not an option, Haibara."

Perplexed, Ai walked closer to Conan. "Why isn't it an option?"

"Simple." Conan got off the bed and walked towards Ai. Calmly, he took the glasses from Ai and placed them on his face. Looking her in the eyes, Conan said, "Because that will only happen if I give up."

As Conan made his way to the door, Ai stopped him, "You can't change the heart, Kudou-kun."

"You're right." He said, shocking Ai, "But I can try." He opened the door to leave.

"She's down there." Ai said, smiling slightly.

With a smile of his own, Conan nodded and walked out of the room.

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-Dire Moonstone-