Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and My OCs. I write this fanfic for learning and entertainment.

Chapter 3

Inspector Nakamori's Suspicious Job

Lately Nakamori Ginzo was very busy. He had just recovered from broken bones, but as soon as he went back to work again, he suddenly had to face the most hellish work in his life. Meeting after meeting, investigation after investigation, and countless documents piled up on his desk. Ginzo truly never expected this before. Even though he was absent for a long time, he never really worried about work since he had many capable subordinates who could assist him. But what was this?! He had many subordinates, and yet when he returned to his office, it looked as if nobody had been helping him when he was absent!

"That's not true, Inspector. We did our best."

"Yes, yes. We've been working on a few of your works. See, even now we're still doing your work."

"It can't be helped, Inspector. Our division's been in chaos ever since the PSB joined force with us—ah, surely you've been told that we're working with PSB this time?"

"Thanks to them, our work has been doubled, but sadly our salary doesn't change at all. Isn't this injustice, Inspector?!"

When he was still recuperating at his house, Ginzo had received a notification from his superiors about working with PSB, just like what his subordinate said. The notification said that the PSB would help them capture Kaitou KID. Of course, there was also a warning that whatever happened, KID should be captured alive and unharmed.

At first, Ginzo did not think much about it. He only felt happy after receiving that news. How could he not be? The PSB were going to help them catch that arrogant thief! The time for KID to be thrown to jail was getting nearer!

Only after he got back to his office did he finally realize what exactly was going on.

PSB wanted to have KID under their protection.

They said the recent bombing heist and assassination could be connected to KID and the government. Since KID had helped the police solve the bombing, PSB decided to add a new status to him, a status as an important witness. They needed his information. For that reason, whatever happened, they could not allow KID to be killed. Something like the bombing heist should never happen again.

And so, the hellish days were begun for the inspector of Division 2. It would be good if he only needed to deal with KID, but lately cybercrime had been very popular in Tokyo. Not every cybercrime fell under his jurisdiction, but still, the most popular cybercrime was related to fraud which fell under his jurisdiction. If he did not have Aoko and Kaito who always supported him at home, Ginzo was sure he would have been fainted from overwork. He was so busy that he almost got no time for his family. Sometimes he felt guilty when he remembered that his daughter had been nursing him for months, but now after he was fully recovered, he just left her for work. Many times he apologized to Aoko for his lack of time, but as usual, his daughter did not mind.

"It's okay, Otou-san. You've been absent for too long. Of course you will be busy," she said. "Don't worry, Aoko is fine. Besides, Kaito's here and sometimes Keiko comes to visit. See? Aoko isn't lonely at all!"

"Is that so... That's good."

Ginzo was thankful that Kaito and Keiko were willing to accompany Aoko when he was not at home. It was thanks to them his daughter did not feel lonely without him, but somehow he felt sad remembering that. And he could not help but feeling guiltier knowing he could not tell Aoko the truth, the truth that one of the reasons behind his busy life was because of his work with PSB who wanted to protect KID at all costs. That information was not for anyone to hear. Not even officers outside his division could hear about it. He had to keep Aoko in the dark for who knows how long and that fact added the guilt in his heart.

Recently PSB had been pestering him with another matter about KID. They wanted to drag the thief out of his hiding and for that, they needed KID task force's cooperation since they were the expert in dealing with KID. KID had been on hiatus since the bombing heist even though that case had been solved. But that did not necessarily mean it was really KID who decided to be on hiatus. His hiatus could also be due to lack of interesting target. There were not any jewel exhibition ever since the bombing. Suzuki Jirokichi was also too busy dealing with the renovation of his museum to think about KID.

If PSB wanted his advice on how to drag KID out, his solution was very simple. They could just provide him with a target. KID often targeted big jewel, so they should prepare an exhibition of big jewel. It had to be real or else the thief would not even bother to come out. KID was a pro. He knew very well how to differentiate real from fake.

Their current problem was how to get such a gem? Small gem was already expensive, let alone big jewel! Besides, where were they supposed to get such a jewel?

Ginzo gave them another advice. Just try looking for it in online auction websites. Suzuki Jirokichi obtained most of his jewel collections from those auctions, but probably it was not the best solution for the police. Things that was sold at auction usually were very expensive. If the police could not afford to lose that much money, they had to come up with another solution. Of course, they also had to think about the probability of such target appearing in other countries. After all, KID was an international thief. If he decided to hold a heist outside Japan, it would be a trouble for them because they would not be able to do anything in other countries.

Basically, they were in a race against time. They needed to get KID before he flew to other country.

Then again, money was a real problem. After the disaster at KID bombing heist, the police suffered heavy losses. They could not afford to lose so much money only for a jewel when they still needed to rebuild themselves. Since that was the case, they only had two options left. One was to ask the government for money, the other was to find a sponsor from outside. Of course, outside did not mean from foreign country. It meant someone else other than the government and law enforcement.

Speaking of sponsor, they did have one that was rich. They were Hakuba family. This family, along with their line of business, had been assisting the government for many years. They were directly involved in law enforcement; just look at TMPD's superintendent. Not only that, the recent assassination of scientists who worked on a government's secret project also involved them since Hakuba Corporation was the one who facilitated the research project.

But was it really alright for them to ask their help when they still had to deal with cases of data breaches in their company after the assassination? Not to mention they would need someone to act as the owner of the jewel. It seemed impossible to ask that from the Hakubas since they were not people who liked to show off their wealth in that manner. Yes, they were rich and famous, but their lifestyle was not that glamorous, unlike a certain family who enjoyed displaying their wealth in their own museum, guarded by their private security forces.

Why did not they ask that family to help then?

Obviously because that family had just become a victim of bombing heist. Their museum was destroyed and now they were in the middle of rebuilding it. They also lost many valuable collections due to the explosion in the museum. It was obvious they could not afford to spend their wealth to challenge the thief right now.

Anyway, for the time being they decided to propose this plan to the higher ups in the government. Those conglomerates were still important, but they would think about them after the government gave their response.

As the head of KID task force, Ginzo's job was only as an adviser for PSB and later as their hand in KID heist. All the matters aside from that were not his responsibilities, which meant the sponsor recruitment for KID's bait also was not his responsibility. Until the government gave their response, he could take a breath and focus on his other job. He did not know how long it would take for the government to give response, but he wished it would be long enough to give him a chance to spend more time with his daughter.

He truly missed being with Aoko.

~o0o~

"I knew it! It's definitely suspicious!"

Hakuba Saguru, the brown-blond haired teenager who had been enjoying his tea time after school, suddenly stopped sipping his tea the moment he heard that exclamation of his friend. He glanced at another teenager who shamelessly lay on his bed as if it was his own bed. After he made sure he already put the cup back properly on the desk, Saguru decided to ask.

"What is?"

"Inspector Nakamori. Lately he's been acting suspicious," his friend, Kuroba Kaito, answered with a frown as he stared at the ceiling. "He's been so busy these days. I know he'd been absent for ages and he must have a mountain of paperworks waiting at his office, but I also know he has many subordinates who can help him. Even so, he always comes home pretty late and leaves for work so early in the morning. It's as if he doesn't have enough time for his own family! I can't understand what kind of work he's been doing for him to be this busy even with that many subordinates supporting him."

"Have you ever asked him about his job?" Saguru asked again.

"Yes, but he only said that he was busy because he'd been absent for too long," Kaito scowled. "Aoko may accept that answer easily, but I won't. To hell with that answer. I swear he must've been hiding something."

"You don't seem to be pleased with this situation, Kuroba-kun," the blond smiled amusedly. "Tell me, do you miss Inspector Nakamori that much?"

"No way! Why should I miss him?" The magician immediately sat up and turned to look at the sleuth with an unpleasant face. "I don't like it because if this keeps up, I will always have to go to the headquarters every night!" In an instant, his face changed expression. This time he looked as if he was being terrorized. "I only want to spend the night in peace, Hakuba. I want to spend the night by watching movies or TV series, or maybe by playing online games, or maybe by going out alone for dinner, or maybe by experimenting magic trick, but ever since that inspector started dating his job till late night, Aoko's been forcing me to deliver his dinner to his office! Not only that! I have to eat dinner there as well just because Aoko wants to keep him company for a little longer! Can you imagine, Hakuba? A dinner in TMPD everyday! Just how long do I have to go through this suffering?!"

"I see. You've been through a lot," Saguru chuckled sardonically. "But what a waste. It seems you forgot to take a look at his job when you were right at his office."

"As if I could do that. I was always with Aoko, and we were always having our dinner outside his office. I never had a chance," Kaito muttered.

"But you can always plant a listening device somewhere on the inspector's clothes, don't you think?"

"Huh?" the magician looked at his friend, stunned, but a second later, he grinned mischievously. "Hakuba, I never knew you could be so sly."

"Uh-huh, thanks to a certain magician who once forced me to be his assistant," Saguru replied nonchalantly. Ever since he made an agreement to be Kaito's partner, he had been learning many things about magic and intelligence work. After all, one of their main purposes in this alliance was to fight against an infiltrator agent of a dangerous syndicate called Vermouth who was also Kuroba Toichi's student in the past. Saguru had seen Kaito planting listening devices at their school for a few times, so to him, the fact that Kaito owned and used listening devices for intelligence work was not a secret anymore. Of course he had guessed the same thing before since he knew Kaito was KID, but now, he was able to confirm that Kuroba Kaito was indeed very familiar with intelligence work even though the magician argued that he just acquired the skill recently for the sake of their alliance.

"But seriously, Kuroba-kun, did you really forget to do that?" Saguru asked again. He really doubted the magician could forget such a basic knowledge in espionage.

"Heh. Of course I remember. How could I forget such a basic thing?" Kaito smiled proudly before suddenly his face fell. "But I couldn't hear anything suspicious at all. I guess I was already late when I planted that device on his suit. Whatever secret work that he's been handling, the talk about it was already done when I planted it."

"Hmm..." Saguru reached his cup again, sipping the tea slowly for a while before he looked at his friend again. "I presume this is the reason why you're here right now, intruding my afternoon tea?"

"Of course! You're a detective. It's your job to figure it out," Kaito answered, did not feel like he was intruding at all before he awkwardly added, "though it's not the only reason. I need to take a break from Aoko."

Saguru frowned. "What has she done to you?"

"Nothing much. Just dragging me to various places."

"Such as?"

"Shops. Supermarket. Game center."

"And why do you need to take a break from such fun activities?"

"Well, she's been doing that almost everyday! I know she's lonely without her dad around, I know! And I don't mind accompanying her, really, but it's only going to tire me out if I have to go everyday!"

"She only wants to have someone around her for a little longer since she'll be left alone in her home," Saguru said.

"She's not really alone. I live next to her house, remember?"

"Yes, but in the end you'll return to your own house and she'll be left alone. You can't possibly stay with her without anyone else until late night. A guy and a girl being together alone until late night... It will be improper and dangerous for the both of you."

"Wha—? Hakuba!" In a flash, Kaito's face flushed red after he heard the detective's remark. Seeing that expression, Saguru really wanted to laugh, but he still had a cup of tea in his hand. He put the cup back on the desk as he tried so hard to suppress his laughter. Meanwhile, Kaito was glaring at him, obviously annoyed by his remark just now.

"Hakuba, you'd better stop laughing."

"Pfft—I'm not—pfft—I'm not laughing," the blond replied, clearly had not managed to stop his laughter completely. Kaito was still glaring, but after a while, he sighed.

"Whatever. I know what you mean, Hakuba. She's really going to be alone the moment she enters her house."

"Ehm. Indeed." Finally, the detective had conquered his own laughter.

"But still, going to those places almost everyday is just too much."

"I agree," Saguru nodded. It was okay to visit such places sometimes to have fun, but doing that everyday would only bring trouble. It would only waste energy, time, and money. It was not fun anymore. Saguru was sure such excessive activities would not be good for Aoko even if it was only to drive away her loneliness.

"Seriously, Hakuba, this has to stop. I can't possibly do all these things everyday, going to those places after school and having dinner in the headquarters every night. It's impossible! I'm going to pass out sooner or later," Kaito whined.

"Can't you just refuse her sometimes and tell her to stop going to those places everyday?" Saguru asked.

"I don't have the heart to refuse her. How can I refuse her when I know she's been trying her best dealing with her loneliness?" the magician looked desperate. "Hakuba, you have to help me."

"And I suppose you want me to help you by figuring out Inspector Nakamori's recent work?"

"Yes. You can do that, right?"

"But what are you going to do once you figure it out? Unless you're planning to help Inspector Nakamori finish his work, I'm not sure it can stop Aoko-san."

"Well, I can't do anything if I don't know what the inspector's been doing all this time, right?" the magician tried to reason, but that only made Saguru roll his eyes.

"Kuroba-kun, talking in circles like this isn't going to make me agree with everything you said. I'm not that stupid," he said. "Now, why can't you just admit that the truth is you only want to know about Inspector Nakamori's recent job?"

"Tch. You found out," Kaito pouted annoyingly. "Fine, I admit. But what I said about Aoko is true. I still think we need to do something to stop her."

"About Aoko-san, I think it's fine if she wants to have dinner with her father everyday, but about her other habit, it will be best if you tell her to stop. It's not healthy for her."

"In other words, It's still a goodbye to my peaceful dinner, huh?" the magician sighed. "And what is she supposed to do if she really stops wandering around after school? It's not like I can always keep her company at home."

"Hmm..." Saguru was thinking for a moment. "How about inviting her to my house?"

"Huh?" Kaito was surprised. "You're going to invite her?"

"Yes, but not everyday. Maybe three times a week? She can learn many things from Baaya."

"Such as?"

"Cooking. Or baking. Or brewing tea. Well, basically managing household. Baaya is an excellent housekeeper," Saguru explained. "This is better compared to wandering around the town aimlessly, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," Kaito agreed. "Then, can I really leave her to you?"

"Of course, but maybe if you're with her, she'll feel more comfortable in my house. If she's already used being here with me and Baaya, you don't have to accompany her every time."

"I see, I see. That's a good idea," Kaito nodded his head again, looking convinced with Saguru's suggestion. "When are you going to invite her?"

"This week? Or maybe next week? Oh, but first, I need to tell Baaya about this so that she can understand Aoko-san's circumstances."

"Well, whenever it is, you have to tell me when the time comes."

"Sure. You'll have to accompany her anyway. Of course I'll invite you as well."

"Alright. This means this problem is solved. What about Inspector Nakamori's job?"

"I'll try to do something about it. I can't promise anything though."

"Eh?!" the magician suddenly perked up. "You mean you're going to investigate it? Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You said yourself it is suspicious. I'm just afraid it has something to do with Black Organization," Saguru answered.

"Huh? But isn't their case supposed to be handled by NPA and PSB? It doesn't have anything to do with Division 2, does it?"

"That is not necessarily true," the blond replied. "KID was involved in their case. He found out about Vermouth, remember? And Inspector Nakamori is the head of KID task force."

"Oh." Kaito was stunned. Only now did he understand what Saguru meant. "That sounds really serious, huh."

"True, since it probably has something to do with KID and the organization," Saguru said. "I'll try to look into it, but don't expect too much. If it's a classified job for Inspector, I probably won't be able to figure it out. Besides, currently my circumstances aren't easy, with me being in witness protection and all."

"I know," the magician replied. "Thanks, Hakuba."

"Don't mention it," the blond waved his hand nonchalantly before he sipped his tea again. It was already cold. "By the way, when are you going to leave?"

"Hmm... can I stay for dinner?"

"Aoko-san will be mad."

"Dammit."

TBC


I've been using the term of Hakuba Corporation since the first season of this story, The Crow's Game, but recently I realized I never explained the meaning of this term. Actually, as far as I know, this term isn't mentioned in the manga. It is only a term I invented for this story. Hakuba family own Hakuba Research Center and it was said that Saguru's uncle ran its business, but in this story, I want to make Hakuba equal to Suzuki who own a corporation, hence the term of Hakuba Corporation. I decided to keep Saguru's uncle as the person who ran the research center, but I made his grandfather as the big boss of the corporation, which means his grandfather is the chairman of Hakuba Corporation. The research center is only a part of Hakuba Corporation here.

Saguru's in witness protection program because he was involved in BO's recent crimes.

Review please, and thanks for reading!