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Sky Colored Eyes

13: Kaleidoscope

Everyone on campus knew Kuroba Kaito by sight. A few of them tended to pale and back discretely out of rooms when they saw him, but most were eager to see his next trick if a little wary of becoming the subject of said trick.

Moriyama Jinta was one of the ones who paled and tried to bolt, but the magician snagged the back of his collar before he could escape and reeled him back into the classroom where Kaito, Shinichi, and Hakuba had been waiting for him.

"Now, now," the thief admonished. "No need to be rude. We just want a word."

The boy gulped and stared at them wide-eyed. "A—a word about what?" The question emerged in what could only be described as a squeak.

"Have you spoken to Chishima Sai lately?"

He blinked. "Who?"

"Chishima Sai," Kaito repeated patiently. "He's about this tall, has short hair of the porcupine variety, and runs for the track team."

"I—I don't know anyone on the track team."

"So you don't know him?"

"I don't think so." Moriyama finally seemed to be a little more relaxed. "I've been spending most of my time trying to catch up on my chemistry work. I don't have time to go out for sports meets."

"Right. Well, in that case you can go."

The words had just barely left Kaito's mouth before the boy had bowed then bolted out of the room to become one with the stream of students in the hall.

Shinichi watched his speedy departure with some amazement before turning to Kaito. "Why is he so scared of you?"

Kaito shrugged. "He's been like that ever since I had a little chat with him last year about his throwing a rock at one of my doves."

"Oh." The detective wondered what kind of chat that had been to have left Moriyama so deeply traumatized. "So…there was one more Jinta, right?"

"Yep. We can catch him on his way to volleyball practice later. They say he's one of the school team's best players this year."

X

"Oh wow, this place is so cute!" Nakamori Aoko giggled as she looked at all the round, plush tables and chairs in the café. They were covered in colorful cloths stitched with beautiful floral patterns.

"Exactly!" Keiko agreed. She dropped down onto one of the large, round puffs that served as chairs in this place and patted the puff next to hers. Aoko sat down on the indicated puff. It was quite sturdy but just soft enough to be comfortable.

It was technically a study session, but Keiko had decided that what they needed was to have an all girls one. And so here they were. Aoko wasn't sure if this setup was going to be very conducive to the completing of work, but it definitely looked fun.

Akako had come as well, though she currently had her nose in a thick, black tome that looked and smelled like an antique. Several other girls from their class were there as well, dispersing themselves amidst the tables and beginning to examine the menus.

"Have you decided what you want yet?" asked Keiko.

"How about we share the number four?"

"Ooh, the snacks in that one do look good. I'll go order. Then you can tell me what you've been up to. It feels like forever since we've just talked."

"Does it?" Aoko blinked, taken aback.

"Yeah! You're always hanging out with Hakuba-kun these days." Keiko cast her friend a snide look. "Is there something you want to tell me about you two?"

Aoko blushed. "What? No! Of course not."

The other girl snorted, flipping her pigtails over her shoulders. "Oh come on, who do you think you're fooling? Though I have to admit I'm a bit surprised. I always thought you and Kaito-kun would hook up one day."

Aoko rolled her eyes. "Like I told you before, Kaito and I aren't like that."

"Well, obviously you're not now since you're going out with Hakuba-kun—"

"I said I'm not!

"—but you can't tell me you didn't used to like Kaito-kun. I remember what the two of you used to be like." She might have said more, but the sight of several of their classmates heading to the counter reminded her that she was supposed to be placing their order.

The inspector's daughter watched her friend go with an odd sensation churning in her stomach. Used to be. Those words echoed through her head. The truth was that she was well aware that Keiko was right. There had been a time not all that long ago when she had thought—hoped—that she and Kaito might one day become something more. She wasn't sure entirely when things had changed, but she did remember the moment when she had looked into her old friend's eyes and realized that she couldn't read them anymore. It had been a perfectly nondescript moment in a perfectly normal day, but the instant had still stuck in her head. That was the day she'd finally admitted to herself that they weren't quite as close as they used to be. There were things he wouldn't tell her and times when she looked into his face and found that she didn't entirely recognize the person looking back.

But they were still good friends. That would never change. And that, she had decided, was good enough because she hadn't actually lost anything. All that had happened was that they had grown up. If they hadn't grown up the way she'd thought they would, well, who could say what the future held?

"Aoko, this is really heavy! Can you help me?"

Turning, the brunette saw Keiko staggering towards their table with a large, ornate tray in hand. She leapt to her feet and dove forward, placing her own hands under the tray to help support it. Together, they maneuvered it onto the table.

"Whoa, I had no idea one order would come with so much stuff!"

Keiko laughed. "You said it. But I guess they meant for it to be shared, so maybe it's not that surprising. We need to recruit a few more stomachs to help put it away. Oh, hey, Hasagawa!" she called out, leaping up from her puff again to wave at the girl who'd just come in through the café door. "Over here! Just what we need," she added to Aoko, grinning. "Athletes always have big appetites."

Hasagawa Ren picked her way past the other tables and puffs until she finally found an empty puff beside Aoko. Once there, she dropped her backpack onto the floor and slumped onto her puff with a heavy sigh. "Man, I'm tired."

"What's the matter?" Aoko asked, noticing the dark circles under her friend's eyes. "You look like you haven't been sleeping."

"That's because I haven't," Hasagawa sighed. "It's my stepmother. We've been arguing a lot lately, and I'm not even sure what we're arguing about sometimes or why. It's just these little things that don't matter, but suddenly one of us says something and the next thing you know it's like a volcanic eruption!"

"But I've met your stepmother," Aoko recalled. "I thought she was nice."

"Well, she was. That's what I don't get." Grumbling, Hasagawa ran a hand through her shoulder-length curls before letting the hand drop to the plush table with a thump. "We used to get along just fine. Lately though… I just don't know what I'm doing wrong."

The girl's tone went from angry frustration to a sudden lost weariness. "I think maybe it's because I've taken to playing tennis. Her son played too, you know, back when he was still around. She was happy at first when I started. I think she felt like it would bring all of us closer. But lately it's like I can't do anything right! Every time I win a game, she says Kosuke would have done it faster. When I miss a shot, it's Kosuke would have been able to get that one. Everything I do, I have to hear about how he would have done it better. I'm starting to think I should just quit the whole damned sport!"

"But you love tennis," the inspector's daughter pointed out. "You can't just give it up like that."

"I know, and I don't really want to either." Hasagawa sighed, slumping down in her chair as her voice grew quiet. "But if it's going to make everyone in the family argue all day, well, a sport is still just a game. It's not worth losing family over, right?"

"I still don't understand why you have to lose either," Keiko butted in. She poured them each a cup of tea before leveling Hasagawa with a frown. "All families fight. It sounds to me like your stepmother just needs to get over comparing the two of you. You're your own person after all."

"But…Kosuke's…you know, he passed away in that mountain climbing accident three years ago. You can't tell a mother to just forget about her son. And, I mean, I know I'm her stepdaughter, not her real daughter, but…I just… I guess I thought she'd be happy for me when I got on the school team and started winning at tournaments. I know I'm not as good as he was, but I'm doing my best, and I'm learning. I just thought she'd be happy and support me since she was the one who suggested I think about playing to begin with. I thought that was the kind of person she was…"

"Maybe she's just feeling upset because seeing you play is bringing back too many painful memories," Aoko suggested. "I mean, my mom loved hydrangeas. When she first passed away, I…I couldn't look at them without thinking about her. For a while I just couldn't stand them." She sighed, looking away as she fiddled with her teacup. "It isn't easy getting over that. I still remember the day I decided that I wanted to remember the good times when I looked at those flowers. It really is something you have to decide, you know? And even now, they still sometimes make me want to cry."

A somber silence fell over their table before Hasagawa broke it. "You're right. I don't really remember my mom, but I think I can understand. She talks to him, you know," she added. "I heard her the other day. She talks to him when she's alone in her room."

"Well that's a bit creepy. But really, you should go talk to her about it—er, about your arguments, I mean, not about her, uh, conversations," Keiko advised. "It's the only way to know for sure what the problem is."

"I'll do that. Thanks you guys."

"Remember to let us know how it goes," Aoko added.

"I will." Cheering up visibly, the girl turned her attention to the many plates of miniature muffins, sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks arrayed on the tray around the teapot. "So which one of these is for me?"

X

"Oh, Ogata Yuji. Yes, I heard about what happened," the head of the small accounting firm sighed deeply as he gazed across his desk at his young visitors. "It was a terrible tragedy. He was one of my best workers too."

Shinichi nodded, his own expression solemn. "We were wondering, did he seem troubled at all to you while he was working here?"

"Troubled?" The man blinked then steepled his fingers as he thought. The rich, afternoon sunlight seeping through the blinds behind his desk cast stark shadows across his face. "That word seems to sum him up quite well, actually. Like I said, he was a dedicated man. He worked hard every day. He was always on time, and he never snuck off to do his own things when there was business. In fact, I'd say he was one of the most responsible men I have ever had the pleasure of working with."

"But then why did you call him troubled?"

"Well, being a hard worker is good, but it starts to look funny to outsiders when you never go out to eat with anyone or meet up for coffee—you know, those things you do with your coworkers when you both need a break. Whenever the rest of the office was in that mood, you'd see Ogata still at his desk, working away like it was the only thing in the world. It was a sad sight to behold, to be honest."

"Has he always been like that?"

"As far as I am aware, yes, though Daijima—that would be the woman who recommended him to me when I was recruiting for the firm—tells me he was quite talkative before his wife passed away. He was only just starting to get past it, then this…" He paused then, head tilting slightly to one side as he regarded his three visitors. "You said you were detectives, yes? Since you're here, does it mean the police suspect that it may not have been an accident?"

"No, everything about the scene pointed to it being accidental, but there were a few loose ends that we wanted to tie up."

"I understand. Well, is there anything else you wished to know?"

"Well, we were wondering if Ogata-san's behavior seemed at all strange recently. More nervous, for example, or worried."

"He seemed normal to me. If anything, I'd say he was taking a turn for the better."

"Why do you say that?"

The man shrugged. "It wasn't anything particular. He just seemed happier."

X

"Yuji-kun? Why do you want to know about Yuji?" Dark eyes narrowed. "Who are you anyway?"

Daijima Anna relaxed slightly as the boys explained the purpose of their visit.

"The police huh? Don't tell me they think he jumped. Yuji-kun would never have done something so stupid!"

"No, no, the police are sure it was an accident. We just want to make sure we have all the facts straight."

"I see." Somewhat appeased, the woman's features smoothed into a more neutral expression. "In that case, what did you want to know?"

"Was Ogata-san a nervous person?"

"No. He was a little superstitious so he might get a bit uneasy when he saw a bad omen, but for the most part he was very logical."

"Was there anything strange about his behavior in the last few months?"

"Strange? I don't think so. If anything, I'd say he was finally starting to get back to really living normally. I've been trying to get him to go out more and start getting back in touch with people for years, but these things aren't much use when it's a bystander telling you to. He was finally starting to put some effort into it. He told me he'd joined one of those historical reenactment groups. It had been a long time since I'd seen him so excited about anything. You should have seen how down he was when they had to suspend their meetings for a few weeks." A sad smile flickered across the woman's face. "I wish I knew what group it was. They…won't know what's happened."

Shinichi nodded sympathetically. "Just one more thing. Was Ogata-san the kind of person who liked tattoos?"

Daijima-san actually laughed then. "Heavens no. He used to go all pale just thinking about getting a shot. There's no way he'd have gone for a tattoo."

X

Tossing his backpack into a corner of his room, Kaito pulled out the newspaper he'd bought on his way home and plopped down at his desk to read. A moment later, however, he was back on his feet and pacing around the room. He felt restless, but he wasn't entirely sure why.

He'd spent most of today accompanying Shinichi (and Hakuba, though Kaito could have done without him) as the detective went around interviewing first the Ekoda Jintas then Ogata-san's acquaintances. He didn't know what Shinichi was hoping to find, but he could tell from the detective's expression when they'd parted that he hadn't found it.

It was that look, Kaito mused. It had been a mixture of disappointment, frustration and anxiety. It bothered him. It made him want to do something—to fix it. But in the end they'd all simply gone their separate ways.

Snatching the paper from where he'd discarded it earlier, Kaito skimmed distractedly through the headlines before one in particular caught his eye. He paused, thoughts clearing as his attention zeroed in on the article in question.

The article was a short one about a wealthy foreign businessman with a taste for odd stories. He had collected everything from jewels to works of art, books, instruments, houses—anything that had a history he deemed interesting or significant. He had recently announced his retirement though, leaving his business in the hands of his children. The man himself had decided that he wanted to share his little treasures with the world. Well, show them off would probably be a better choice of word, Kaito thought, but the point was that he was taking his considerable collection on a tour of the world.

And amongst that vast collection were several large jewels, some said to be haunted and some said to be blessed. Kaito even recognized a few of the names as jewels he'd marked out as possible targets, though he'd always assumed he would have to go abroad for a chance to get at them.

A slow, sharp grin spread across the magician's face.

It would be some time before the collection reached Japan, but that just meant he had a good deal of time in which to plan. It had been a while since he'd done anything big. Lately, his heists had been mostly about getting the jewel. While he always put thought into his tricks, he had to admit that he hadn't been particularly innovative of late. Thinking back, his last truly spectacular heist was still that time he'd set up his teleportation trick, and that was quite a lot longer ago than he liked. Perhaps it was time he reminded people why Kaitou KID was also known as the Moonlight Magician.

Besides, there was nothing like a good heist to get his spirits up.

TBC