Disclaimer: Detective Conan and all of its characters belong to Aoyama Gosho, but my OCs and this fanfiction are mine.
Chapter 4
His Self, His Family
The advisor of the student council was Serizawa Rika, a PE teacher. She was a woman around thirty with short hair and a strict look. To his surprise, Asagi could recognize her the moment he saw her at the teacher's office, just like how he was able to recognize the members of the student council. It was a strange phenomenon, but he put that thought aside since he still had an unfinished business with the advisor.
Asagi and Asakura told their teacher about Ueda and Hasegawa's misconduct. They told her how they caught their misconduct, how they got the evidence, how Ueda had admitted and explained his misconduct to them. They told her that Inaba and Yoshino were on their way to confirm Ueda's situation. They told her that they wished her to talk this out with Ueda's and Hasegawa's physics teacher and homeroom teacher. They told her that they hoped the teachers would lighten Ueda's punishment if all his claim about his circumstances was true. They told her that they hoped the teachers could settle this matter quietly so that there would not be any complications in the future, such as bullying. After settling their business and handed over Hasegawa's notebook and evidences from Ueda's phone to their advisor, Asagi and Asakura went home.
Asakura's home was in the opposite direction, so Asagi could not count on her to help him reach home. He could only count on himself. Fortunately, he remembered the name of his apartment, so he could also count on the GPS on his phone.
According to his GPS, his home could be reached in 20 minutes from Teitan High by walking, but since it was his first time in Beika, Asagi could not help getting lost even when he got a GPS with him. It was not that he could not read the map and direction on his GPS or could not understand the words the GPS said. It was just that he got distracted by many new things he found as he walked home (Tropical Land! Professor Agasa's and Shinichi's houses! Mouri Detective Agency! Poirot! Oohh, Touto Tower! Wait, wait… he seemed to have passed this road before… where was he again? Oh no no… He was so sure he made the right turn, so why couldn't he find that big mansion that he had passed before?). It made him lost track quite a few times, causing him to be unable to determine his position. The GPS did tell him where he was, but since he was in a completely foreign environment and a fictional one to top it off, he had a hard time to fully count on it. He ended up asking passersby or someone from nearby shops to determine where he was and where his home was just to make sure the GPS was right. He was so embarrassed because really, how could a Teitan student who was also a resident of Beika ask the direction to a place in Beika? How shameful! He really wanted to hide in a hole and never come out again!
He should be able to get home in 20 minutes, but he ended up spending more than an hour. When he got home, he was so tired he wanted to sleep, but sadly he could not because he still had his "homework" to do.
First homework: investigate his fictional identity and his fictional family's identity.
After taking bath and changing his uniform into a T-shirt and trousers, Asagi locked himself in his room, rummaging all the things he had inside. His phone, his books, his clothes, his files in his laptop (the password was exactly his laptop password in the real world!), his video collections (he was sure that what he had in the real world was Godzilla, but here, it became Gomera. He loved Star Wars, but here, he could only find Star Blade). From his student book and other formal documents, he managed to get his basic data, like his name, his parents, how many siblings he had, and when and where he was born. His name was Nagayama Asagi, born on March 23rd in Tokyo, identical with his own birthdate and birthplace in the real world. His father was Nagayama Kosei and her mother was Nagayama Natsuko. He had a younger sister, Nagayama Akari. His mother was a housewife while his father was a journalist.
In the real world, his mother was a housewife as well, but his father was a simple salaryman. Again, he noticed that his new life was not completely the same as the old one. He had the same name, the same birthdate and birthplace, but his family was completely different.
"Journalist, huh? It's so much different from my dad," Asagi mumbled. Asagi was a novelist and had a close tie with the publishing company, so he more or less could relate to journalism since one of their main jobs was to write. If a novelist's job was to write novels, a fiction, then a journalist's job was to write articles and news, non-fiction. Contrary to his father's job in the real world who was almost always indoor, journalists had many chances to work outdoor. It was quite a good profession for those who loved traveling and meeting new people.
"My new dad must've gone to many places," he said. He was interested in his new dad. He wanted to know him better, to learn his experiences, and if he could, he wished he would be able to make a new novel based on his new dad's experience. Asagi tried to see if he could find anything about his new dad in his room, but that was pretty much all that he could find there. His name and his job. Nothing more.
Ah, but if he's a journalist, he may have some articles published online, he thought. He grabbed his phone, then typed his new dad's name on the search engine. When he found his new dad's name on the list showed, he felt more excited, but when he read the articles, his excitement instantly turned to dread.
His new dad was a crime journalist.
Ah, a crime journalist! Asagi wanted to scream. How could this happen to him? Life was already hard with him being in Teitan High, but now his dad had to be working as a crime journalist. He avoided the protagonists because he did not want to get close to crime cases, but if his dad was a crime journalist, did not that mean his exposure to the crime cases was becoming even higher? Wasn't this literally a ticket to doom?
… Maybe he should bid goodbye to his peaceful life right now.
Wait, no! I can't think this way. I have to be optimistic.
Asagi tried to cheer himself up. He tried to persuade himself that his father's occupation was not as bad as it seemed, but what good could it be from having a crime journalist father in this terrible world? That he would always be updated by the crime news he brought? No! He could update himself by reading or watching the news, no need to be closer to someone who chased after crime cases at all! On the contrary, not only would he be getting more exposure to crimes by having a crime journalist dad, he and his family could also die due to some criminals or criminals' family who might have bear a grudge against his dad. Journalism was a dangerous job. In the real world, he had read articles about journalists getting killed and jailed due to their job. He had watched some dramas telling a story about a journalist's family getting kidnapped due to the journalist's provocative articles. Journalism was exciting, but it was not as safe as being a fiction author and as a fiction author, he very much loved to stay away from real danger. But with his dad being someone who loved chasing after crime cases, how could he stay as safe as he wanted to be? There was no way he could live happily when danger kept lurking around his dad!
Aaahh! Isn't this really a doom to him?! Why? Why oh why did he have to live like this?!
In the end, Asagi failed to be optimistic. He slumped on his bed, soulless and hopeless. Thankfully, he did not have to—or could not, actually—lament on his misfortune any longer because his mother called him to have dinner shortly after. With a heavy heart, he headed to the dining room where his little sister had been sitting obediently waiting for her dinner. When he saw Akari, Asagi instantly recalled where the little girl's school was, which successfully made him even gloomier.
O Almighty God, please don't let my sister be in the same class as Conan. Please.
"Onii-chan, you don't look good," the little girl said once she saw his gloomy brother approaching. "Did you just see a spider?"
"No," he replied in irritation. This girl, must she always remind him about spider every time she found him being unusual? Was she really this body's sister? What good was a sister who could only remind her brother of his fear every time he was feeling down? Did she deliberately do this to tease him or did she do it without a clear conscience? Either way, she certainly needed to be taught a lesson!
"No?" Akari tilted her head questioningly. "Then why are you looking like that?"
"I'm tired. I haven't gotten enough rest after coming back from school," Asagi answered randomly as he took a seat before the dining table.
"Well, Okaa-san has made us dinner, so in a while, Onii-chan won't be tired anymore. Don't worry!" the girl said cheerfully, but then, suddenly her eyes turned cautious. "But Onii-chan, you can't have my dinner, okay? You absolutely can't!"
"Haha. Fine," Asagi laughed dryly. Wow, this girl still kept what happened in the morning in her head. What a grudge-bearing sister he had!
When dinner was finally ready on the table, Asagi only realized that his father was not with them, so he asked his mother. His mother told him that his father was still working. He had decided to work overtime tonight, she said, since he just found a piece of important news about a crime case.
"He may be busy again for another day, so perhaps tomorrow and the day after, he won't be able to join us for dinner," she informed further. "Well, you know what kind of job he has. It's not your first time seeing your father working overtime for days."
"Oh." Asagi knew very well the meaning of working overtime; he had done that countless times and it was working overtime that made him stranded in this world to begin with. He could also understand why a journalist had to work overtime sometimes. After all, they had to chase the latest news and then announced it to the public as soon as possible. He was not a beginner in this kind of world since he was a novelist, someone whose work was similar to the work of a journalist. That was why he did not question why Asagi of this world had seen his father working overtime before. However, since his father's job was crime journalist, he could not help but feel uneasy. After all, his father was chasing crime news which in a way could also mean that he was chasing after the criminal. And if he had to work overtime for more than a day, most likely the case that he wanted to cover this time was quite big. The bigger the case, the bigger the danger.
"Tou-san… will he be okay?" he subconsciously let his concern out. Hearing that, his mother smiled.
"He will. It isn't as if he's the one who chases the criminal. It's the police's job."
"Yes, but…"
"Besides, he doesn't have to work outside anymore these days. He only needs to stand by at his office, order his subordinates, and listen to the news brought by them. There is no need to worry about him."
"Ah, I see…"
After listening to his mother, Asagi immediately recalled the exact job of his father that he had read from online articles. His father was a journalist, but there were a few articles with his name as the editor, not the writer. No wonder his mother said that he no longer needed to gather information like reporters. As a news editor, he only needed to give orders for other journalists to cover the news and listen to their reports as well as edit their articles. In other words, his father was a supervisor in his office.
"What kind of case has he been covering?" Asagi asked again, curious whether or not his father's case was related to Conan.
"Do you remember Isobe Corporation? The one suspected of tax evasion," his mother answered. "I heard it's about the continuation of that case."
Asagi frowned, failed to remember anything related to Isobe Corporation. He could not even remember what kind of company Isobe Corporation was. Either it was not in the manga or he just forgot about it. "Continuation?"
"Yes. You know that yesterday, the police found out that the confinement case was related to that corporation." After that, his mother sighed. "Really, to think such a small and happy family had to experience such things. That's why, Akari, Asagi, I told you many times not to open the door for strangers."
"Yes, Okaa-san!" Akari replied obediently. "Sensei also told us the same thing at school. Onii-chan, you absolutely can't open the door for strangers!"
"Yes, yes," Asagi rolled his eyes at his sister. He was not a kid to begin with, so of course he would not let just anyone enter his house. This sister of his was apparently quite bossy and smart-ass.
"Ah, that's right, Ayumi-chan told us that the boy of that family was a liar. That's why none of his neighbors wanted to help him. They all didn't believe him when he asked for help," she said, then with a justified look, she added, "That's why we can't lie to people too. You heard me, Onii-chan?"
"I heard you," Asagi answered flatly, but inside, he felt uneasy after listening to her. "Ayumi-chan?"
"Ayumi-chan from class B. You know what, Onii-chan? The confinement happened in her apartment!" the little girl replied enthusiastically. "She told us today that the boy had asked her help, and so she helped him together with the Detective Boys!"
"Oh, so it's the Detective Boys who helped him? No wonder the news stated that the police received a report from a child in the neighborhood. It turns out it was them," their mother responded with interest. "They are really smart. Akari, if you encounter any danger, don't forget to call the police like them, okay?"
"Okay!"
Asagi kept silent as he listened to his sister and mother. While he did pay attention to their conversation, a part of his mind was thinking about something else. From their conversation, he found out that both his sister and his mother were familiar with the Detective Boys, which meant those kids might be quite famous in their neighborhood. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were Akari's schoolmates as well as children who were acquainted with police force and even mentioned in the news sometimes. As a family of a crime journalist, it was not strange at all for them to know those children. Not only that, judging by Akari's words, it was clear that the little girl was not the Detective Boys' classmate albeit in the same grade as them. When he learned this, Asagi was so happy and relieved at the same time. God had granted his prayer! O Almighty God, thank you so much for your boundless grace!
He was truly grateful because it was really meaningful to him. With this, at least there would be less chance of his sister getting involved in Conan's cases because he still remembered that there were other students in Conan's class who sometimes were involved in cases. They were not members of the Detective Boys, yet they still had to be involved in those cases just because they were Conan's classmates. It was truly worrisome, so of course Asagi was relieved knowing his sister was not a part of this class.
"Say, Akari, which class are you in again?" Asagi asked his sister to get more information. He already knew she was not in class 1-B, but he still did not know which class she belonged to.
"Class A," the little girl answered.
"Are you good friends with Ayumi-chan?"
"Yes! We've known each other since kindergarten after all! Did you forget, Onii-chan?"
"Ah?" Asagi was startled, surprised that his sister and Ayumi were friends since kindergarten, but soon he calmed himself and acted as if nothing had happened to him. "No, not that. Just… I didn't expect you to still be that close to Ayumi-chan since you're in a different class."
"Hmm, we don't talk that much, so maybe we aren't as close as before, but we're still friends," Akari said, admitting as well as denying his brother's guess.
"That's good. Keep befriending her, Akari. Friends are precious. You have to treasure them," their mother complimented and advised her daughter. Akari obediently said yes again while Asagi chose to keep silent and eat his dinner instead of encouraging his sister. He agreed that friends were precious, but when the friend that they talked about was Ayumi, one of the Detective Boys, he felt conflicted. The Detective Boys had Conan with them and were often involved in crimes, so he was not sure that befriending them would be good for the safety of his sister. He preferred his sister to keep their current type of friendship; not too close but also not completely ignoring them. He did not want his sister to end up joining their group.
Besides, this time the suspect of the crime is a corporation, he thought warily. It was definitely a big case and such a big case was involving the Detective Boys who were just children. The danger was quite high. He did not want his family to experience things such as confinement or even worse than that in the future just because they were close to them.
I have to keep those kids at bay, he decided quietly. Not just those kids, he also should not get close to Ran, Sonoko, and Masumi. He should distance himself from Kogoro and Poirot's employees, Amuro and Azusa. Of course, the Kudos, Subaru, and Agasa were to be avoided as well. He wanted to live peacefully, so he should not try to approach them, should not try to be involved in their affairs.
After dinner, Asagi returned to his room. He reviewed the subjects for tomorrow as well as checking on his homework. It had been a long time since the last time he learned high school subjects, so he found himself in quite a serious predicament when he realized that he almost remembered nothing about them except English, Japanese, and history. Fortunately, Asagi of this world was diligent. He had finished all his homework during winter vacation, so he did not have to think about not being able to do his homework. He could immediately start to relearn them little by little. The ones that he had to be wary of were science and math. He used Japanese and English on a daily basis, so they were easy for him. History was not hard either since he only needed to read and memorize to master it at the high school level. Learning history would be like reading stories and he was used to it. However, math and science were different. He had forgotten them because he never used them at such a high level. Once he had graduated from high school, he did not need to use that kind of advanced math and science since he went to study literature in college and after that, he worked as a freelance translator before changing his career into a novelist with a side job being a reviewer.
It would not be easy to relearn high school math and science, so Asagi chose to prioritize them over any other subjects. It would be hard, Asagi admitted, but although science and math were not his forte, he was not completely foreign to them and he was not stupid. And since he had learned them once, he should be able to master them again at an acceptable level for a high school student.
That night, Asagi found himself relearning until almost midnight before going to bed. Before falling asleep, he recalled the confinement case and Isobe Corporation's tax evasion that had been mentioned by his mother and sister during dinner. He did not remember that case at all, but since the Detective Boys were involved, it should be featured in the manga. Asagi wondered how far the story had progressed. Did Shinichi already confess to Ran? Was Amuro already working in Poirot?
Asagi wanted to think about it longer, but his eyes did not want to keep him awake. In the end, he fell asleep wondering where he was in the story plot.
~o0o~
Isobe corporation's case is mentioned in DC manga chapter 759-761.
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