Phew! I was hoping to get out this update sooner, but at about like 5000 words in, I suddenly realized that the chapter would be better if I took it in a different direction and had to end up deleting 3000 of those aforementioned words. Ouch! But I do think the finished product is better than my original plan, and this way we now have a full chapter to expand upon the thing I was looking forward to the most- Heiji and Ran's friendship and the bond shared by having a mutual secret. Fun stuff!

As always, thanks for reading!

(don't) believe what you know

chapter seven

"nothing is abnormal here," says the liar

Just like he thought, the cause of the screams was a kuchisake-onna.

This one looked a little different from the one that had attacked Neechan- its clothes were spattered with blood, and its hair was even stringer. Guess the rumors hadn't solidified themselves to one consistent form yet.

Good. That meant there was still a chance to nip this in the bud.

Removing his mask from his satchel, he put it on, just as the kuchisake-onna down below reached for hers. The poor sap she'd appeared before had lost all strength in their legs, likely sent into a panic at the sight of an urban legend made real.

Well, things were about to get even weirder.

Removing a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his satchel, Heiji bit his thumb, using the blood to write. The weight of the sword that responded to his summon was familiar, a longtime companion at this point. He hadn't dared to bring it out around Neechan- it would raise too many questions he wasn't prepared to answer, but he didn't have to worry about that here. Thanks to his mask, no one would recognize him...

-which meant he could really cut loose.

This, he thought with a wide grin, was the fun part of the job.

"Here. This is Aiko's room."

"Thank you," Megure said, "-we'll try not to take too long. I'm sure you and your wife want to get back to sleep."

"Frankly, I'm not sure we'll be able to." Satoshi admitted.

Glancing over his shoulder at the man, Kogoro could understand that much. Nobody wanted to hear that their daughter was wrapped up in some kind of incident. If it were Ran...

...well, Ran wouldn't be running around cutting up people's faces.

But something about Nakao Aiko as the culprit just didn't sit right with him, no matter what he'd told the brat earlier. Kawakami-san said that she couldn't remember a reason why she might have a grudge against them, and while she could just be lying, it hadn't seemed like it. Would someone really do something like this without some kind of a reason?

Maybe her scars had just finally gotten to her? But that was sort of...

Hm?

"Hey," he began, looking back at Satoshi again, "-does your daughter have a laptop?"

"Yes, she does." Satoshi nodded. "Ah, but she brought it with her on her trip, if I recall."

"What's this about a laptop, Mouri-kun?" Megure asked.

"No, I was just thinking we could check it for more details about this friend she supposedly left to meet." Kogoro said. "But I guess it would make sense that she brought it with her. It is a laptop, after all."

Glancing around the room again, Kogoro frowned, his eyes briefly falling on the full length mirror attached to the closest. There was something about it that bothered him, but...

...come to think of it, would someone who had a grudge about their scars really have a mirror? Normally they'd avoid them.

"And you're certain your daughter didn't mention where she was going?" Megure asked.

"No, she didn't say anything." Satoshi shook his head.

Megure frowned, a considering look crossing his face. But before he got the chance to say what was on his mind, his cellphone rang. Answering it right away, Kogoro watched as his expression lit up in a way he'd only see it do on a handful of occasions.

If he didn't miss his bet...

"Oh, Kudo-kun!" Megure exclaimed. "It's been awhile!"

He knew it. Clicking his tongue, Kogoro wondered how that detective brat had heard about the case this time- since that was no doubt what he was calling about. Had that Osaka brat told him? The two were awfully close...

...come to think of it, where exactly was the Osaka brat?

"What?" Megure said. "You have a lead?"

Kogoro watched as the Inspector listened to whatever it was the detective brat had to say, though from this end, it wasn't particularly enlightening. The only thing he could gather was that it really was Heiji who had told him about the case- at least, that's what he guessed from the way the Inspector had briefly mentioned his name. Halfway through, the Inspector put a hand over his phone, glancing towards Satoshi.

"Excuse me, but does your daughter know a woman named Hirase Yumiko?"

"Yes," Satoshi nodded, "-they used to be in the same club together in high school. I believe she recently invited her to join an acting seminar."

"Is there a chance you know her address?" Megure asked.

"No, I'm afraid not." Satoshi shook his head. "I can ask my wife, but..."

From the way he trailed off, Kogoro was guessing that she wasn't likely to know either. But what did this Hirase Yumiko person have to do with the case? Probably something important, based on the furrow of the Inspector's brow as he continued to listen to whatever it was Shinichi had to say. What was that brat doing up at this hour anyways?

And speaking of brats, where was his?

"Okay, I got it." Megure nodded, even though he was on the phone. "I'll be sure to look into it, Kudo-kun. Thanks as always for your help. And naturally, Hattori-kun too."

Hanging up, Megure glanced at both him and Takagi. "That was Kudo-kun. He says he has a lead we should look into."

"We heard that much." Kogoro said. "Who is this Hirase Yumiko person?"

"As Nakao-san said, she was a club mate of his daughter's in high school. They were both in the movie research club." Megure said, locking eyes with his. "And from the sound of it, Hirase-san is quite skilled at horror movie makeup."

"Horror movie, huh..." Kogoro trailed off, certain gears clicking into place in his head. "In other words, she could probably make herself look like a kuchisake-onna."

"But why would she do that?" Takagi asked. "And why frame Nakao-san?"

"I can't say for sure." Megure shook his head. "But it's worth looking into."

"Um..." Satoshi began, looking more worried than ever. "Is my daughter...?"

"I'm afraid she might be in danger." Megure said, his expression grave. "If you could provide us with a recent picture, I can have my officers start searching for her right away."

"Y-yes!" Satoshi said. "I'll get one right away!"

Kogoro watched the man almost slip and fall down the stairs, he was in such a hurry. He couldn't blame him- from the sound of it, his daughter had already been in a bad accident, and now there was a chance she was being confined somewhere. The only silver lining was that there was a chance that she was still alive- if this Hirase Yumiko really was the true culprit, she wasn't likely to kill her until she'd accomplished what she'd set out to do.

Unless Sasakawa Shindo's death was the end, in which case...

...wait. Accident?

His brow furrowing in thought, Kogoro almost didn't notice Satoshi running back in with the photo- with the brat he'd half forgotten about trailing behind him. When he did, he turned to the man, a serious expression on his face.

"Excuse me, Nakao-san," Kogoro began, "-but could you maybe tell me a little more about your daughter's accident?"

"Her accident?" Satoshi asked weakly. "I can, but..."

"What's this about, Mouri-kun?" Megure asked.

"No, I just thought I'd ask." Kogoro said, holding up his hands. "There might be a reason why the culprit chose to disfigure those woman's faces."

"That's true," Takagi admitted, "-even if the intention was to frame Nakao-san, it does seem like the culprit still has some kind of grudge."

Megure hummed in consideration, before turning back to Satoshi. "Well?"

"It was a hit and run." Satoshi said after a moment of thought. "She was visiting Hokkaido at the time, and took a taxi between the airport and her hotel. The taxi driver died instantly, but thankfully, Aiko survived."

"A hit and run?" Megure asked. "Then, the other driver-?"

Satoshi shook his head. "We still don't know their identity."

Kogoro frowned, considering the information. It didn't seem related to the case, but...

"Ah, but," Satoshi continued, "-speaking of accidents, the plane that she was originally supposed to take to Hokkaido apparently crashed."

"Crashed?" Conan suddenly piped up. "She wasn't on it?"

"Yes," Satoshi nodded, "-apparently there was an issue with double booking. She and a few other passengers gave up their seats so that a group of college students could fly together."

"Other passengers?" Kogoro asked, his brow furrowing in thought. "Oi, Inspector, you don't think-?"

"...it's possible." Megure agreed. "I'll get Shiratori-kun to look into it."

Kogoro nodded, before sparing a glance down at the brat. The kid was clearly lost in thought, though it what he could be thinking about he didn't know and didn't care. The one thing he did know was-

"Oi, brat," Kogoro began, "-don't forget you're going home now."

Based on the look on his face, he definitely had.

"I'm home."

Quietly opening the door of the Mouri apartment, Conan made sure to keep his voice to a whisper. He didn't want to wake Ran up if she'd already gone to bed. It was already late.

Of course, that was provided that she hadn't tried to wait up for him. Smiling fondly at her dozing figure at the table, he debated if he should really wake her up. She looked so peaceful... but sleeping that way couldn't be good for her body. It was probably better if she moved to her actual bed.

"Ran-neechan," he said, lightly shaking her shoulder, "-Ran-neechan, wake up."

"Mm?" Slowly blinking open her eyes, she glanced sleepily up at him. "Conan-kun?"

"I'm home." Conan smiled. "You didn't have to wait up for me."

For a brief moment, something he couldn't quite identity flashed through Ran's eyes- before she slowly smiled at him. "I had to make sure you kept your promise."

The edge of Conan's lips twitched faintly downwards, wondering if he'd just imagined that. "Did something happen?"

"No," Ran shook her head, "-I just ran into Hattori-kun on my way home, that's all."

"Heiji-niichan?" Conan perked up.

He hadn't heard a word from Hattori since he'd left the hospital, though he'd kept texting him. He'd let him know about the recent developments in the case, as well as the fact that he'd borrowed his name to briefly involve Kudo Shinichi- probably best to give him a heads up, given how bad he was at lying.

...then again, maybe he wasn't as bad at it as he'd thought.

"Yes," Ran nodded, "-apparently his phone ran out of battery, and he forgot to bring his charger. He was hanging around the detective agency hoping to catch you or dad, but he ran off after I got back and said I'd tell the two of you he was fine."

"What, that's all?" Conan said, almost letting out a sigh of relief. "And I here I was actually worried about the guy."

He should have known it would have taken more than just one unpleasant confrontation, no matter how public, to rattle Hattori. But it was just like him to forgot something as important as his phone charger. For someone so observant, he could forgot the most obvious of things.

...is what he'd like to say, but something about that sounded almost too convenient to him. He didn't think Ran was lying, but...

...Hattori might have been.

Conan yawned. He might just be overthinking it. It was late, after all.

For the moment, he'd left the case to the old man and the police- with any luck, they'd be able to piece things together based off the clues he'd left. Uncle seemed to be in good form today, and with Hattori on the case as well, he felt a little more confident about temporarily clocking out.

Probably for the best, since Ran had waited up for him. Besides, if there were any major developments, he'd instructed the Inspector to call him before he'd hung up.

"That's right." Ran nodded, before glancing towards the front door. "Is dad not coming home yet?"

"Doesn't seem like it." Conan yawned again. "Apparently he and the Inspector are staking out someone's house. They'll probably be there all night."

At least, that's what he'd heard over the radio. The Inspector had called Detective Chiba to drive him back, while he and Detective Takagi tried to find Hirase Yumiko's address.

"I see..." Ran trailed off, her brows creasing with concern.

"But I'm sure it's fine!" Conan quickly added. "After all, he's with the police!"

Ran smiled after a moment. "You're right. I shouldn't worry so much."

Conan nodded, offering her a reassuring smile before yawning again. "Then I should probably get to bed. You too, Ran-neechan."

Ran nodded, lightly ruffling his hair in a way that would have made him grumble if it had been anyone but her. "You're right. Goodnight, Conan-kun."

He smiled at her, watching as she headed towards her room. She paused in front of the door, glancing back towards him with a suspicious look he definitely deserved.

"And no sneaking out this time."

"...yes."

Shutting the door behind her, Ran slowly exhaled. She didn't like lying to Conan, but...

Checking her phone with a slight frown, she read over the text she'd gotten from Heiji again. She'd told Conan what he'd asked her too, but she wasn't sure about this. It had seemed to alleviate his worries, but wouldn't telling him the truth be better? Sure, he might meet it with a little skepticism initially, but...

Then again, as far as she understood it, Heiji was probably out there right now chasing down a kuchisake-onna- so maybe not. She knew she was plenty worried. She was almost half tempted to mail Kazuha to ask if she knew what was going on, but Heiji had asked her not to do that either.

...did that mean this was something that Kazuha didn't know about? Or maybe she did, and he just didn't want her to worry. She couldn't imagine him keeping secrets from her.

Then again, she didn't know anything about the girl he'd been abducted alongside, or about the abduction itself. Maybe Heiji keeping secrets from Kazuha- or keeping secrets at all- wasn't as unlikely as she'd first thought.

Snapping her phone shut with a sigh, Ran set it down on her bedside table. There was no point worrying herself to death over it, not when Heiji had promised to explain things tomorrow- even if part of her was actually skeptical that he'd show up. He'd definitely been in a hurry to run away at first. He seemed to have come around, but...

...shaking her head, Ran dismissed the thought. He'd come.

...probably.

As the first hint of dawn broke across the horizon, Heiji watched as the kuchisake-onna's body faded away with it. Heaving a long sigh, he rested his sword over his shoulder, feeling a certain degree of tension leave them.

Including the one that had attacked Neechan, this was the fourth kuchisake-onna appearance tonight. He'd beaten them each time, but each time, another one had reappeared somewhere in the city, but with the sun coming up, this was probably the last one for tonight. Fortunately, the one thing most of the rumors had in common was that the kuchisake-onna only attacked at night- mirroring the fact that the fake had only ever struck after dark.

At least it would give him some time to work on the actual case that had started all of this. He'd half expected Kudo to solve it during the night, but from the sound of the mail he'd sent him awhile ago, it didn't seem like that was the case.

Well, in some ways that made things more convenient for him.

But first things first...

"Oi."

The would-be victim flinched, caught in the act of trying to crawl out of their hiding place and run. For the first time, he took a good look at them- it was a woman, probably a hostess, based on the way they were dressed and the late hours they were keeping. Out of all the things they'd thought they'd need to protect themselves from, he doubted a kuchisake-onna was one of them.

"Don't tell anyone about this," Heiji warned, "-got it?"

The woman frantically nodded, clearly just as afraid of him as she was of the monster that had just tried to slash her face.

Typical.

"Good," Heiji said, "-now go."

She didn't waste any time in doing just that, moving at impressive speed in those heels. Once she was gone, he sighed, pulling out his cellphone. He was pretty sure that was the last one, but...

"Ya got anythin' fer me, Koizumi?"

"Hello to you as well, Hattori-kun." Koizumi's tone was as honey smooth as ever, and he didn't fight the urge to make a face. "But no. I'm not detecting any further spikes. I'll let you know if anything changes, but it seems your theory was correct."

"Of course," Heiji smirked, "-what do ya take me fer?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Koizumi asked, not even attempting to conceal the amusement in her voice.

"Not a chance." Heiji said, before adding, "-but thanks."

"Oh, how rare." Koizumi remarked. "You don't usually thank me."

"Well, don't get used ta it." Heiji said, banishing his sword now that it was no longer needed, and moving to higher ground. "I'm already dreadin' the favor yer plannin' ta ask me in exchange fer all this. If ya make me collect me some weird ingredient again-"

"That is tempting, now that you mention it." Koizumi cut him off. He could practically hear her smirk. "It's hardly often you get to have a Guardian run your personal errands."

Clicking his tongue, Heiji bit back a sharp don't get used ta it. He didn't exactly have many allies, so he needed to take what he could get- even if what he could get was Koizumi Akako. They might have spent time as fellow prisoners, but he could never tell what that damn witch was thinking.

Then again, he wasn't so sure if prisoner had been the right word- at least in his case.

"Yes, yes," Heiji said, "-what about the other thing?"

"Ah, the accident?" Koizumi said. "It seems you were right about that one too. And what's more, it seems as if luck is on your side for once. That man really did reside in Hokkaido around that time, and it his driving record isn't exactly stellar. I sent the data to your phone."

"Oh?" Heiji grinned in spite of himself. "That's certainly lucky. An'? Did ya do the other thing I asked fer?"

"I had Lucifer tamper with the records." Koizumi said. "Although for the record, that isn't usually what one summons a great demon for."

"Big words, from someone who tried ta turn that flashy thief into her personal puppet." Heiji said. "Or did ya think I wouldn't hear about that?"

"Shut up," Koizumi said sharply, "-I can do what I want."

"I'm sure ya can," Heiji said, "-but if that's everythin', I'm hangin' up."

"Quite the attitude, considering you're the one who called me." Akako observed.

"Shut up." Heiji grumbled, even though she was right.

He still hung up, though.

Pausing to check the data Koizumi had sent him first, Heiji then tucked his phone away. He'd managed to dig up Hirase Yumiko's address last night during a bit of downtime, so the next best step would be to head in that direction- though from the sound of it, the Inspector and Uncle were staking out the place. He'd have a bit careful about his angle of approach.

He'd have to thank Kudo for the info later.

In the end, he easily spotted the car. Keeping out of the line of sight of any passengers, he watched it for a moment, before letting his gaze trail towards the apartment building they were watching. It was an old building, with an exterior staircase- and unfortunately, it didn't look like there was any way in that wouldn't put him in their line of sight.

Heaving a sigh, Heiji rubbed the back of his neck. He'd prefer to do this next part without any police involvement, but...

...well, he'd manage. He'd never pulled off something like this in Tokyo before- he'd never needed to- but it wasn't like he was without experience in this area. It might even be easier in this case since the Inspector knew and presumably trusted him.

All he had to do was make sure Kudo stayed away... and as for that, he had an idea. Shooting him a quick text, he quickly pocketed his phone again. Sometimes the simple plans were the best.

Removing his mask and putting it back in his satchel, he made his way back down to ground level. He lingered for a moment in front of a traffic mirror, doing a quick check to make sure nothing looked out of place- it wouldn't do if he had a suspicious bit of gold showing. Thankfully, everything was fine.

"Now then," he mumbled to himself, "-time ta finish this."

"Any movement?"

"No, nothing yet." Kogoro shook his head, accepting the can of coffee Takagi offered to him with a slight yawn. "Then again, it is pretty early."

Honestly, spending the night in a cramped car with two police officers... this wasn't exactly how he'd pictured spending his Sunday night. He longed for nothing more than climbing into a warm bed and sleeping for the rest of the morning, but that wasn't possible.

Not as long as there was a murderer running around.

"All we can do is wait." Megure said.

Kogoro huffed, though he knew the Inspector was right. They'd been able to track down Hirase Yumiko's address easily enough, but she hadn't answered when they'd knocked on her door. Given the late hour, it wasn't a surprise- but it had left them with no choice but to wait. Still, he must be getting old if pulling an all nighter had him this exhausted. This sort of thing was a task for the young.

Speaking of young people, he wondered again where that Osaka brat had gone off to. They hadn't heard from him at all after that one call from the other detective brat.

Ah well, he thought, cracking the can open. He'd show up at some-

"Hold on," Takagi cut off that thought, "-there's someone approaching the apartment."

Kogoro frowned, peering out the windshield. Takagi was right- there was someone approaching the apartment. It wasn't just anyone either- and in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd summoned Heiji by thinking his name.

Ridiculous. He wasn't some youkai.

"Isn't that Hattori-kun?" Megure asked.

"Looks like it." Takagi said, glancing at his superior. "What should we do?"

Megure heaved a sigh that was equal parts exasperated and relieved. He could understand where both feelings were coming from, given the abrupt way they'd parted yesterday, and the fact that he'd hadn't contacted anyone but that other detective brat since then. But he guessed if he was still investigating the case, he couldn't be in too bad of a state.

(He wasn't worried, of course. He had enough brats to worry about already.)

"For the moment, we should join him." Megure said, already getting out of the car. "He might be able to tell us something new."

Kogoro nodded, following the Inspector out of the car. The three of them hurried to catch up with the high school detective, who spotted them before they even got close, waving at them with the kind of grin that as usual completely didn't fit the situation. It took them a little while to join him- he really wished he didn't have to walk up three flights of stairs on no sleep, but such was the life of a great detective, apparently.

Heiji didn't look tired at all, annoyingly enough.

"Oh, Inspector!" Heiji met them at the top of the stairs- a bit away from the actual apartment. "Did ya get the message I sent Kudo?"

"We did." Megure nodded. "But why didn't you just contact us directly?"

"Ah, sorry." Heiji apologized. "I forgot my phone charger back in Osaka, so my battery died. Kudo's number was the only one I knew off the top of my head."

"Don't forgot something that important." Kogoro grumbled. "More importantly, are you okay?"

Heiji blinked, tilting his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Kogoro narrowed his eyes, wondering if he was playing dumb. "Last night-"

"Ah, that," Heiji hurriedly cut him off, his smile suddenly infinitely more strained, "-don't worry about that. Like I said, it was really nothin'."

Kogoro frowned, his hasty answer only convincing him that it most certainly wasn't nothing. But he wasn't paid to worry about the brat, so if he didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't about to push him on the subject. He just wanted to hurry up and finish this case so he could go home and sleep.

"So," Kogoro began, "-what brings you here?"

"Same thing as the three of ya," Heiji said, jerking his head towards Hirase Yumiko's apartment, "-yer here for that neesan, right?"

"That's right," Megure said, "-we think she might have a connection to the murders."

"More than might!" Heiji said. "I found out how our victims are really connected."

"Ah, you mean that accident?" Kogoro asked, unimpressed. "We already found out about that."

Heiji blinked, visibly surprised to an annoying degree. "Really? Then ya already know Hirase-han's got a motive."

"Yes," Megure nodded, "-it seems that all four of the female victims, as well as Nakao-san, were all supposed to board a flight to Hokkaido, but changed flights at the last minute due to a mistake with the booking. Apparently they gave up their seats to several members of a college skiing group that Hirase-san's younger sister was a member of at the time, but the plane crashed on landing and left her sister badly disfigured as a result."

"Yeah," Heiji said, his expression turning more grave, "-apparently her sister couldn't stand it, an' ended up claimin' her own life. That's a motive if I ever heard one."

"But that still doesn't explain the latest victim." Takagi mused. "What's his connection to all this?"

"Ah, I know that one." Heiji said, blinking when all eyes turned towards him. "What? Ya haven't figured it out yet?"

"How do you even know about the last victim?" Kogoro asked, squinting at him suspiciously. "You weren't even there."

"I am a detective, ya know." Heiji said, sounding more than a little offended.

"Figures." Kogoro mumbled. "So? What's this connection?"

For a brief moment, a strange glimmer surfaced in Heiji's eyes, though it disappeared as soon as he noticed it. "What if I told ya he was the one responsible for Nakao-han's accident?"

"Really, Hattori-kun?" Megure asked. "How did you find that out?"

"Well, that's not really important now." Heiji said, holding up his hands. "What's really important is that we catch that neesan in the act."

"What do you mean?" Takagi asked.

"I mean, she has ta be keepin' Nakao-han somewhere, right?" Heiji asked. "She wouldn't be able ta frame her if she's already dead."

"That's true." Megure admitted. "The time of death of wouldn't match up."

"Right, right." Heiji nodded. "That's why I was plannin' on shakin' her up a bit. I figured she'd lead me right ta her."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Kogoro asked, arching his brows.

"Well, ya can just leave that part ta me." Heiji said, the corner of his lip twitching upwards. "But if that neesan sees a bunch of cops with me, she's might be more on her guard."

"That's true." Megure admitted, before frowning. "But how will we contact you? You said your phone was out of battery."

"It's fine," Heiji quickly said, "-I bought a replacement charger."

"I see," Megure nodded after a long moment of thought, "-in that case, we'll withdraw to the car for now. Just promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks."

"Promise." Heiji's grin wasn't exactly convincing, but the Inspector just took it with a long sigh and began to descend the staircase. Casting a glance in his direction, Heiji cocked his head. "Yer not goin' with them, Uncle? Yer pretty famous, after all."

Kogoro couldn't help but preen a little at that. Darn right, he was famous. But he couldn't help but get the feeling the kid was trying to get rid of them for some reason.

...well, it was probably nothing important.

"Conan-kun, I'm going!"

Groaning in acknowledgement, Conan turned over in his futon to peek one eye open at Ran. He didn't know how she did it, brimming with energy at this hour.

"Sorry for waking you," she apologized, "-but I left some breakfast out for you and dad, in case he comes back."

"Thanks, Ran-neechan," he mumbled, actually managing to get out some actual words this time, "-have fun at practice."

"Thanks." Ran said with a smile. "Then I'll see you later, Conan-kun."

Conan grunted, slowly closing his eyes again. He didn't know what time it was, but it was probably too damn early. Turning back over in bed, he pulled the covers higher, fully intending to go back to sleep-

-before abruptly jerking upright, now wide awake.

The case!

Frantically grabbing his phone, he paused only when he noticed he had a new message from Hattori. Frowning, he briefly recalled that Ran had told him his phone had no power, wondering if he'd managed to pick up a replacement charger since then. He must have, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to send him anything.

(Unless he was lying about that too, some tiny part of him whispered.)

He shook the thought off, carefully reading over Hattori's message before letting out a sigh. What. So he hadn't needed to bother getting up after all. In a strange way, he was almost disappointed.

Yawning, Conan laid back down in his futon. If Hattori said he had the case handled, he was probably right... even if he got the feeling he'd rub it in his face later. Huffing slightly, he closed his eyes, about to drift back to sleep when his phone beeped, indicating he had another message. Grumbling, he checked to see to who it was from.

The Professor? Why was he-?

Oh, right. He'd almost forgotten.

Sitting back up, Conan opened the mail- and perked up again. Not only had the Professor finished aging up the photograph, he also recognized the girl now. He'd give him more details in person, he said.

Maybe he had a reason to get up early after all.

Good, the adults were gone.

Sure, there were some advantages to already having the police here- but if he was going to shake up Hirase Yumiko, there was only one thing he could say.

Someone had been murdered by a kuchisake-onna.

Narrowing his eyes, Heiji turned towards her apartment. Without Kudo around, it should be a simple matter to deceive the police. There would be some slight doubts, but not enough that the police might think he was lying. Thankfully, it turned out that Sasakawa Shindo really had lived in the Hokkaido region around the time of Nakao Aiko's accident, and it seemed as if he had a troublesome driving record on top of that. It wouldn't be a stretch for them to believe he really was responsible for her accident.

It would all tie up neatly- Hirase Yumiko had planned to frame Nakao Aiko, using her own disfigurement to her advantage to disfigure the faces of the four women who she blamed for the disfigurement and eventual death of her younger sister. He was just using her own plan against her- by claiming that Sasakawa Shindo was the driver responsible for the hit and run, it would make it seem like she'd killed him to frame Aiko further.

As for any protests from the culprit herself... resting a hand on his satchel, Heiji's frown deepened. This probably wouldn't have bothered him half as much before he'd met Kudo, but that guy had an annoying way of worming himself into people's heads.

But if he didn't do this, he couldn't stop the rumors.

If he didn't do this, there would only be more deaths.

If he didn't do this, he would fail in his duty. And if he failed...

...clenching his fist, he tried not to think about it.

Besides, if you thought about it, Hirase Yumiko really was responsible for Sasakawa Shindo's death. Without her, a real kuchisake-onna never would have appeared, and he would still be alive. On top of that, she was also likely planning on killing Nakao Aiko- making it look like a suicide after she'd successfully carried out her revenge. If she was already planning on becoming a murderer, what difference did it make?

A big one, he knew.

Letting out a long sigh, Heiji shook his head. He couldn't back down now. It wouldn't be the first time he'd lied like this... even if it was the first time he'd be doing it in a case where Kudo was involved. If he'd known that a case like this would be happening so soon, he definitely wouldn't have issued Kudo that challenge.

Ah, well. Since when was his luck ever truly good? Atsuko hadn't been wrong about him being a jinx. It was only fair that it came to bite him in the ass too every now and again.

Knocking on the door, Heiji waited a few moments before knocking again. It was still early, so there was a good chance she might still be asleep. He had a few tricks that might wake her up, but-

The door was practically flung open, an annoyed looking woman leveling a glare at him. "What do you want!? Do you even know what time it is!?"

-oh. Nevermind.

"Sorry, sorry," Heiji held up his hands, "-I just had ta talk ta ya no matter what, Hirase-han."

Now that was a suspicious look if he'd ever seen one. Just like in the photo at Nakao-han's place, her hair was tied up in a braid- and it was definitely long enough to match the description given by Atsuko's sister. Her body type was just right too- tall and slender.

"Talk to me?" Yumiko asked, narrowing her eyes. "Who are you anyways?"

"The names Hattori Heiji." Heiji told her. "I'm a bit well known in the Kansai region as a high school detective."

"Hattori...?" Yumiko frowned, before a brief spark of recognition flashed through her eyes. "Ah, you're the Osaka police's Superintendent son, the one who plays detective or something. What do you want?"

Heiji twitched, fighting back the urge to bark out that he wasn't just playing detective. Suddenly he felt a lot less guilty about framing this neesan.

"That's right, that's me." Heiji said through gritted teeth. "Do ya know someone by the name of Nakao Aiko?"

It was brief, but he didn't miss the way the edge of her lips twitched upwards. She must have thought her plan was on the path to succeeding. She must have really not checked the news then.

That worked just fine for him.

"We were in the same club during high school." Yumiko said. "But what's this about? Is Aiko in some kind of trouble?"

"Well, ya could say that." Heiji shrugged. "The police think she might have some kind of connection ta the recent kuchisake-onna attacks. They're lookin' into her whereabouts. I heard from her mom that the two of ya used ta be close, so I thought ya might have an idea of where she is."

"She's not at home?" Yumiko asked, doing a good job at feigning surprise.

"No," Heiji shook his head, "-apparently she left a few days ago ta meet a friend she met online. Ya don't know anythin' about that, do ya?"

"No," Yumiko shook her head, "-we haven't talked for a few months."

"Ya sure?" Heiji asked. "Her mom said ya invited her ta some kind of seminar."

"Yes, I did." Yumiko said. "But I haven't spoken to her since then."

"I see," Heiji put on his own act, pretending to sigh, "-that's too bad. The police are really itchin' ta find her, especially after that body turned up last night."

All at once, the color drained out of Yumiko's face. "...body?"

"That's right," Heiji said, tilting his head so he could just meet her eyes, "-a man was murdered last night, apparently by a kuchisake-onna."

"I-is that so?" Yumiko stammered. "I thought..."

She stopped herself before she could say anything else- likely something incriminating. He had to stop himself from smirking. He'd definitely shaken her up, alright.

"But if ya don't know anythin', I guess I'll move on." Heiji shrugged, acting like he hadn't noticed anything. "Sorry fer the disturbance."

Turning on his heel, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Yumiko slowly began to close the door- just not completely. He could feel her watching him as he descended the stairs, and still felt her eyes on him even as he made a show of walking past the apartment building, like he was really leaving. He didn't, of course- he just ducked out of sight, in the nearest alley, but it was must have been good enough to fool her since several minutes later, she left her apartment.

This time he let himself smirk. Too easy.

She was so preoccupied, she didn't even notice she was being followed. He stayed close, but far enough away so that she wasn't likely to pick up on his presence, but he didn't think it would matter much. Likely the only thing on her mind was to finish passing the blame onto Nakao Aiko before anything else could go wrong.

At the very least, it meant she was likely still alive.

That was good. Less on his conscience, and less for Kudo to hate him for later.

In the back of his mind, some darker part of him whispered that it would be more convenient to let Yumiko get away with her plan. Less to clean up. He quickly dismissed it- framing someone who was completely innocent and letting them die on top of that was magnitudes worse than framing someone who was at least involved.

(Both were still awful, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Kudo whispered.)

Up ahead, Yumiko suddenly ducked down an alley. For a moment, he almost thought she'd noticed him- but a quick peek around the corner revealed her fumbling with a doorknob instead. The building in question looked as if it hadn't been used in awhile- the perfect place to confine someone.

He waited until she slipped inside before quietly following her. It was dark inside, with only a little light creeping in from a half-broken window on the second floor, so it was pretty easy to hide. Yumiko promptly produced a penlight, using it to guide her up the stairs. She took no care to be quiet, her footsteps reverberating through the building, and if he strained his ears, he could hear the muffled sound of someone's voice.

Bingo.

He quietly followed Yumiko up the stairs, making it just in time to see her remove a knife from her purse. Nakao Aiko had been gagged and tied to a pillar, watching it with wide eyes- full of a mixture of disbelief, horror, and betrayal. Neither woman noticed him, until he came to a stop at the top stair, striking the metal surface hard enough with his foot to make a sound.

Yumiko whipped around, her eyes blowing out wide. Yeah. She'd definitely underestimated him.

"You're that-!"

"-high school detective?" Heiji finished for her, one hand resting on his satchel. "Sorry, but that's not what I'm here fer right now."

In the dimly lit warehouse, he finally stopped lying.

"Good job, Hattori-kun!" Megure exclaimed, before his tone and expression alike both flattened out, "-is what I would like to say, but I specifically recall telling you to avoid taking any unnecessary risks. I'd say barging in after the culprit without even telling us where you are qualifies as just that."

"Sorry, sorry," Heiji apologized, holding up his hands as if to appease the Inspector, "-I just thought if I didn't do somethin' quick, Nakao-han might not make it."

Megure sighed, clearly unable to deny that. As if on cue, Nakao Aiko was rolled out on a stretcher and carefully loaded into the back of an ambulance. She was showing signs of both malnutrition and dehydration, as well as exposure, but she was likely to survive. As for the one who had confined her, Hirase Yumiko had been taken away in a police car several moments ago. She'd confessed to everything- as thought, her motive really was the death of her younger sister.

The case was closed.

But in the back of his mind, Kogoro couldn't help but feel that something wasn't quite right. He quickly dismissed the thought- it was probably nothing.

After all, what was that something even supposed to be?

"Oh Shinichi, you're here earlier than I expected!"

"I was already awake anyways." Conan said, hurrying inside. It was colder outside than he'd been expecting. "You said you had the photo ready?"

"That's right," Agasa nodded, trailing behind him at a leisurely pace, "-plus I remembered where I recognized her from."

"Don't get too excited," Haibara chimed in, yawning like she'd been up all night, "-he still doesn't know her name."

"But I do know someone who might!" Agasa cheerfully countered.

"Really?" Conan asked.

"That's right." Agasa nodded. "I was planning on visiting them this weekend anyways, so I'll ask then."

"Thank you, Professor." Conan said. "That's a great help."

"Don't worry about it." Agasa said, picking up a printout from the counter and handing it to him. "Here. The results from the program."

Accepting it with another thanks, Conan scanned the image. He could certainly see why Kazuha might be worried- if the professor's program was right, then the girl Hattori had been abducted alongside really was pretty, almost like a model.

(Although if you asked him, Ran was still cuter.)

"How about it?" Agasa asked. "Do you recognize her?"

"No," Conan shook his head, "-I've never seen her before. But what about you, Professor? You said you remembered where you recognized her from."

"From a class photo." Haibara replied before the Professor even had a chance. "Apparently she's a classmate of a boy this friend of his knows. And since I'm sure you're planning on asking, he doesn't know what school he attends either."

Conan hummed, tucking the printout into his pocket. He briefly thought about showing it to Hattori to see if it could shake him enough to let something slip, but decided against it. He'd probably been busting his ass all night on the kuchisake-onna case, so he'd let him off this time. Bedsides, after what he'd witnessed at the hospital...

Actually, speaking of which...

"Can I actually ask you to do one more thing for me, Professor?" Conan asked, glancing towards Agasa.

"Sure," Agasa agreed, "-what is it?"

"I need you to look up information about an accident." Conan said. "I don't have many details, but it probably happened in Osaka around six or seven years ago, and involved a girl by the name of Kawakami Atsuko. She was apparently Hattori's classmate."

"A former classmate?" Haibara asked.

"Yeah," Conan nodded, "-I ran into her at the hospital. Apparently her older sister was one of the victims in the assault cases that have been happening lately."

"Ah, the creepy kuchisake-onna ones?" Haibara asked. "They just released a report on them this morning. I'm surprised you're not there right now, meddling with the investigation- though from the sound of it, you already have."

"I could do without you calling it meddling." Conan retorted. "And it's fine. Hattori's handling it."

Haibara blinked. "He's here?"

"Yeah," Conan said, "-he suddenly showed up last night."

Haibara hummed in thought, but whatever was on her mind, she didn't share it. He was about to ask, when-

"I found it, Shinichi!" Agasa declared.

"Already?" Conan blinked- now it was his turn to be surprised. "That was fast. I thought it would take a lot longer."

"Apparently it was a big accident." Agasa said, passing him the tablet. "Here, see for yourself."

Taking the tablet, Conan skimmed the article with a deep frown. He wasn't sure what he'd expected to find- probably something smaller in scale. Apparently a bus that had been rented for a fifth grade field trip had experienced a critical brake failure, leading to a serious accident that resulted in the deaths of several students and a teacher, with several others being seriously injured. No foul play was suspected, but the incident caused a massive amount of trouble for both the school and the bus company- an effort spearheaded by a woman named Kawakami Tomoyo, likely Atsuko's mother.

No wonder the Professor had been able to find information so quickly.

But what stuck out to him the most was...

"Two students weren't on the bus?" Conan asked.

"So it would seem." Agasa said. "Unfortunately, I can't find anymore detail about that part."

Conan hummed, skimming the article again. Without proof, he couldn't be sure, but his instincts were telling him those two students were probably Hattori and Kazuha. He certainly could understand how avoiding the accident might have prompted Atsuko to hold a grudge, but there was something that just didn't fit. Rather than a grudge, it almost sounded like she was blaming the accident on Hattori.

Which didn't make any sense. Why would Hattori be at fault?

Unless...

"This idiot has had weird dreams since he was little. More often than not, they'd come true."

No, it couldn't be. But... if he assumed that the reason Hattori hadn't been on the bus was because he'd seen the accident coming, then it might explain Atsuko's words. If he'd tried to stop the trip from happening and failed, then he could understand why she might view the person who had said such ominous things as a jinx.

But that meant...

Shaking his head, Conan set down the tablet. No, he was getting ahead of himself. He didn't even know for sure if Hattori and Kazuha even were the ones who'd missed the trip. Theories were good and all, but he couldn't get too far down that path without actual evidence to back them up. He could try tracking down Atsuko to ask her, but...

...as he thought, he didn't think he could listen to her without getting angry.

No, wait a minute. There was actually someone he might be able to ask. Not only did he already know where to find Kawakami Sakuya, but if she'd spoken to Hattori without a problem, then it was likely that she didn't share her younger sister's view that he was a jinx. Either that or she just hadn't recognized him, but something told him that was unlikely. He kind of stuck out.

"From that look on your face, I'd say you have something in mind." Haibara observed.

"You might say that." Conan said, getting to his feet. "Thanks, Professor. Let me know if you remember anything else about that girl."

"I'll be sure to!" Agasa promised.

Conan quickly excused himself. For the moment, he needed to hurry to the hospital. He might be able to use Uncle's connection to the case to get into Kawakami Sakuya's room, but that was only valid until it was solved. And from the sound of Hattori's mail, that probably wouldn't be too long from now. After that, it might be get harder to see her, so he didn't want to miss this chance.

...even if it did feel a little backwards that the one he was investigating right now was Hattori. It almost made it seem like he was the culprit.

As if.