Edogawa Conan, or Kudou Shinichi as our protagonist was known before Aoyama-sama created the plot for Detective Conan was facing his biggest dilemma since, well, he has been in so many tough situations recently that the former statement really wouldn't have held much meaning. I suppose what I mean to say is that our little friend found himself in what could turn into a really big pile of doggy splat.
000
Ran was busy in the kitchen getting dinner together for the two greatest bottomless pits- ahem I mean detectives of Japan. Well...one of them. The other was plotting unique ways of getting back at his childhood friend for laughing her head off when he...well that's beside the point. Unlike most days, Conan wasn't feeling the pangs of hunger quite as acutely. He was more worried about what was going to happen to him if the Black Opps found out who he was.
000
Conan sat on the steady couch in the main room of the Mouri Detective Agency, his chin resting in his fingers, and staring off into space. In reality he was thinking about what had happened earlier that day. The incident in his math class luckily hadn't become too public, but there was a brief mention of it in the six o'clock news that evening.
It used to amaze Shinichi how fast the media found out about things like that, but after working as a detective for a while, he got to experience first hand just how alert reporters were to unusual happenings. It always seemed to Shinichi that the people in the news business kept spies in every nook and cranny of the city, It was a silly idea of course but still...
Conan new that even the smallest of mentions in the paper or television could ruin everything he had worked so hard to establish since his accident. Any one of the organization members could decide to look into it and notice the similarities between the child genius and the supposedly dead high school detective. They would not leave any ends untied, and Conan was well aware of that.
Still...Conan was secretly kind of glad that he would be going to school with Ran, even for just one class. This would give him the opportunity to catch up on his math studies and he could keep a better eye on her. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would get tired of waiting for 'Shinichi' to come back. Though the thought weighed heavily on his heart, Conan couldn't help the small smirk that found its way onto his child like features.
000
About a half an hour later Conan was snapped out of his pensive daze by Ran's announcement that dinner was ready. After everyone had sat down and begun shoveling chopstick-fulls of rice into their mouths Ran decided to tell her father, the famous detective sleeping Kogorou, about the new arrangements.
"Guess what dad? Kogorou looked up at the sound of his dear daughters voice. "Conan is going to be attending math class with me from now on! Isn't that cool?"
Kogorou's eyes bulged out of their sockets and he slammed his can of beer down onto the cluttered table.
"What? That little brat is smart enough to go to high school! That's impossible! Are you sure?" he exclaimed.
Ran laughed at the comical expression on her father's face. "Quite sure. His teacher told me about it after he showed superior math knowledge in class today."
Conan, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, was immediately rounded on by Kogorou.
"Well now, isn't that something! So when you become rich for being a child math prodigy you'll let me in on the benefits right!" The detective's look of surprise had turned into one of excitement.
"Uhh..." was Conan's only reply.
"Father!" Ran glared at him with a look of severe disapproval. Kogorou quickly reverted his attention back to his plate. Conan chuckled quietly to himself. He had lived with Ran and her father for almost a year now, and still he found these exchanges between them amusing. It was funny how good a job Ran did of keeping her father in line.
000
The next morning Ran and Conan set off for Conan's first day of high school. (Or so Ran thought.) Ran was acting especially cheery that morning Conan noticed. He was glad he could make her happy, even if it was in exchange for the longevity of his secrets.
'I wonder what my old classmates will think?' Conan thought, 'I just hope nobody recognizes me.'
They walked through the familiar front doors of Teitan High side by side, Conan's hand firmly encompassed by Ran's own. Conan fought down the initial embarrassment that came with walking into a high school holding hands with someone, especially Ran by reminding himself that he was only seven now, and it wasn't unusual for a seven year old to hold hands with somebody.
"So Conan, looking foreword to your first day of high school math?" Ran smiled at him. "I can't wait to introduce you to everyone."
"Uhh...yeah sure. I umm...can't wait to tell my uh friends about it." Was Conan's rather lame response.
The duo stopped by the school Library to pick up Conan's new textbook and then headed towards Ran's classroom.
Conan, Ran thought, was being exceptionally quiet that day. Usually he would get excited at the idea of something new. She decided that his silence was probably caused by nervousness about being in a new place.
In truth it was the exact opposite. Conan couldn't be nervous about attending a new school since he was supposed to be going there anyway, but the thought of Gin and Vodka finding out about him was still a hot topic among his thoughts. He was already having enough trouble with Vermouth as it was. And that new English teacher Jodie-sensei...while he and Heiji had investigated her, he still felt uneasy, like she was hiding something.
As Conan entered his classroom for the first time in months, he decided to himself that he was just going to have to keep an eye out for her for the time he was there.
Upon entry, the teacher, Ms. Mikawa strode up to greet them.
"Ah, this must be young Conan," she said to Ran. They exchanged bows and Ms. Mikawa went over the classroom rules as was mandatory. A couple minutes later after everyone else had arrived Conan, still holding Ran's hand, was summoned to the front of the class. A couple people caught sight of him and whispered to the person next to them who in turn whispered it and soon the whole classes attention was on him.
"Class," began the teacher and everyone fell silent. Conan vaguely remembered doing this in front of his Primary school class not too long ago.
"Please welcome our new student Edogawa Conan. He will be joining you for this class from now on. Conan, would you like to tell the class about yourself?"
Conan looked at the familiar faces of his old classmates. "Um...Hi. My name is Conan and I'm seven years old. I'm uh pleased to meat you?" the last part came out sounding like a question.
The class just stared quietly at him. Conan gulped.
'Oh jeez...'