A/N: My thesis is at the point where I need for it a sit for a while and get some peer review on it before fixing it further so I took the opportunity to write this chapter.
31
This needed some quick plans. First though, Yui needed to be brought up to speed. About Organization, about Naoto's role, about Hiro…
It was probably only because Yui had shrunk and had witnessed the transaction, that she actually believed Naoto. And agreed to come with her to Tokyo. After getting dressed in some kid's clothes Naoto had shopped quickly while Yui was getting her bearings at her hotel room.
"The good thing is that they do not know who you are." Naoto explained while they were on board a train back to the capital. "I can just take one of my back-up identities – food blogger Muramichi Rinako – and have her disappear. Last post I made about her was about a local Okonomiyaki place about two hours before you were drugged so that fits too. And since I took over the cleaning up, I'm the one expected to go and clean her apartment – a safe house rented under Rinako's name – and so on… Moreover, I simply stop updating my blog and later sign with some other name as Rinako's friend and say something along the lines of Rina-chan having disappeared and if anyone could tell anything…"
"And my life? Naturally I can't go back to Nagano but I still have obvious ties there." Yui asked.
"Anything specific you need to do?"
"Say no to Torada Yoshiro-san's proposal, resign from the headquarters… empty perishables from my fridge and cabinets…"
"… Is it okay to say no via phone? I can mimic female voices relatively well." Naoto mused and dug out her phone from her vest pocket. Oh yeah, she needed to make new identity to Yui as well. Time to call Yakuza soon… And probably hack Teitan Elementary. The new school year was starting and she'd heard from Hiro that there were some staff changes coming up.
"Go ahead." Yui muttered and tossed her phone to the only adult-looking female present. "Say something vague about stress at work and problems in personal life that I don't want to unload to him."
"Alright…" Naoto scrolled the numbers saved before calling Torada. She put up the phone against her left ear while with her right hand she wrote an email for her yakuza contact to craft papers for "Watanuki Yuuko".
32
"That was creepy." Yui was repeating when they stepped into Naoto's apartment. "No one should be able to mimic others like that."
"You've told me that since arriving to station, Yuuko-chan." Naoto sighed. "Tadaima, Hiro-kun!"
"Okaeri!" Hiro called from living room, television playing news.
"I got you a little sister, Hiro-kun!"
"What?!" There was a thump when the boy apparently fell off the couch and hurried to the entrance. Naoto was taking slippers out for Yui – now Yuuko – and smiled at the boy's bewildered face.
"Hiro-kun, this is Yuuko-chan, your new little sister. She's nine so I'm enrolling her on fourth grade at Teitan so do watch after her." Naoto explained cheerily.
"…I had to start on third grade." Hiro opted to say.
"So? You are sixth grader now. Now excuse me, I need to go plan emptying one of my safehouses. Introduce your real identities to each other in the meanwhile, you are older than I so I trust you can do that." Naoto shuffled through the apartment to her room, she needed to change clothes and take a trip to her Muramichi Rinako apartment.
33
Yui watched the young woman go before turning to look at the grade schooler in front of her.
"Real identity, huh? Matsuda-san said you had been an undercover agent like her but got turned into kid like her."
"Yeah." The boy – man? – Hiro shrugged, digging hands into the front pocket of his blue hoodie. "Morofushi Hiromitsu from PSB. Nice to meet you… Yuuko-san. I'm going by Watanuki Hiroaki now."
Yui blinked at the family name. Same than Koumei's…
"My name is Uehara Yui. I'm a police detective from Nagano Prefectural Headquarters. And apparently my new name is Watanuki Yuuko."
"Uehara… You wouldn't happen to be Kansuke-san's minder?" Hiro mused with an expression Yui just might've recognized but the childish features were messing with it.
"You know Kan-chan?" She gasped.
"Heard of him. He's Taka'aki-niisan's best friend. Though both of them will probably deny if asked."
"That they would." Yui sighed, then remembered the fates of her friends and turned her pensive gaze away.
"What is it, Yui-san?" Hiro asked carefully, gesturing her to follow him to the kitchen where he started to make tea.
"Kan-chan was missing. He was chasing a parole jumper when an avalanche happened. He was missing afterward. Morofushi-keibu is about to be demoted to a local precinct because he went to look for Kan-chan against orders… He did find Kan-chan but he is still unconscious. And now this. I look like a child. I won't be able to see them anytime soon, if ever, and I won't be there when Kan-chan wakes up…" Yui started ranting while sitting at the dining table. And burst into tears.
"Here." Hiro lifted a mug of steaming chamomile tea on the table in front of her. "Tea helps with everything."
"Arigatou, Hiromitsu-san."
"It's nothing. I know what you are going through. I haven't been in contact with niisan in years. Last proper message to him was when I graduated from Police Academy eight years ago." Hiro took a mug for himself and sat opposite Yui. "Then I began my mission for PSB and I cut contact with my friends as well… Nao-chan is actually a cousin of one of my friends and I met her again when she infiltrated herself."
"Hm?" Yui arched an eyebrow. "How did that happen?"
"One of our friend group, Hagiwara, died in the apartment bombings seven years ago. Nao-chan got mad at all of us and Police in general and said… not so nice things. She then went to finish her schooling abroad and when she came back… I helped her to get in. She never explained herself but I still trust her. Thanks to her we managed to stage my death when my cover was blown." Hiro explained and smiled bitterly. "Since then our group as dwindled one by one. Only my childhood friend Rei is left officially to be alive and he is within that organization as well."
"… And let me guess, he doesn't know you're alive either."
"Nope. He saw it happen and afterwards Nao-chan provoked him in a manner that led him no reason to believe she is anything but loyal agent. This form…" Hiro gestured his childish body. "…was us gambling on an experimental drug to provide me an extra layer of secrecy. I've been like this for three years, growing like a normal kid."
"I see… And there is no way to turn back?"
"Not that we know of. None of us are chemists and the drug has been advertised as one to kill without leaving any evidence in the body. Probably what was meant to happen to you."
"Please don't remind me. I've already panicked about almost dying." Yui deadpanned.
34
Muramichi Rinako was now erased. And Naoto was a single mother of two now. Two perfectly self-sufficient actually-adults but single mother anyways.
Newly-named Yuuko was enrolled to the fourth year of Teitan elementary and only the principal actually knew about it. As it was, both homeroom teachers for new fourth years were recently hired and thus had to get to know their respective classes from nil. Likewise, the students between the classes had been shuffled around a bit, with two students from last year moving away, one ending up in hospital before the first day and four new students coming in. So, no one pondered Yuuko's presence with all those changes going on. Only people that did notice something was Hiro's friends since the boy hadn't said anything about a sister attending the same school. But Hiro managed to distract them and as Yuuko was not clingy towards her new brother like actual children were, she wasn't bringing any more attention to herself.
All was good.
35
Naoto was filing in Uehara Yui's resignation to Nagano headquarters (and making a detour to clear stuff from the woman's apartment) when her phone announced that a new victim for APTX had been logged to the files. Ever since cleaning up after the mooks using the drug, she'd been given an access to the list so she'd know when her services were needed.
"Kudou Shinichi, huh?" She mused. So Tropical Land had happened just now… She probably should check the sports section from the past days' papers to see if Mouri Ran's championship win had made it. And also… "Probably should tell Hiro-kun and Yuuko-chan to keep eyes open for a Kudou-lookalike…"
Kudou's name was beneath Rinako's but only two steps above Haneda Kohji's. The list's order confused Naoto. It wasn't chronological either in ascending or descending order simply because Haneda's death was from seventeen years ago while Rinako's from a couple of weeks ago. Not to mention that if Naoto remembered right, the name between Kudou and Haneda was from last year.
Oh well… Not her problem really. And she needed to get back to Tokyo now.
36
Yuuko's first day had gone well. She'd tentatively befriended a shy girl from her class, Amemiya Shoko, and sat with her during lunch time but otherwise had nothing to note of the classes since most of the day was getting to know each other and the homeroom teacher. Hiro had had some classes and been bored but didn't complain much.
The little family of three invited Takagi to eat dinner with them and thus introduced Yuuko to him as well. The police detective was still in dire need of support and cheering up after Date's death so Naoto, as someone who'd known Date (and Hiro as well but more discreetly) stepped in to offer conversation and company. Apparently aside from Chiba Kazunobu, Satou Miwako and Miyamoto Yumi, no one really liked Takagi. Mostly because his obvious crush on Satou and the fact he quite often worked with her.
Jerks the lot of them.
37
"Ohayo, minna-san!" Madeira greeted her colleagues gathered once more. Apparently Kudou Shinichi's death had not been confirmed yet and since Gin and Vodka had left the high school detective to die and hurried off the scene, they could not testify either. Sticky spot for the silver-haired man. Could even fall out of Anokata's favor after this…
"Why not sent a team to his house then?" Kir asked. "It should be empty now. Everyone knows that Kudou Yuusaku-san and Kudou Yukiko-san live in America now and travel the world from there on. So, either Kudou Shinichi-kun survived miraculously and can be found there, most likely severely weakened due the poison and thus easily disposed of, or then he is not and someone else has done the body disposal for us. Maybe even the police and is keeping mum about it."
"Yeah, media would have field day with news like those." Madeira agreed.
"But whom to send?" Bourbon asked. "It should be one of the codenamed but someone familiar with investigating and knowing what to look for."
Madeira and Kir exchanged a look and with arched eyebrows looked back at the man.
"Are you volunteering yourself, Bourbon?" Kir asked.
"No."
"Hmm… I'd go but I'm required as a back-up for Irish…" Madeira seemed to mourn, the said man was leaning against wall behind her like a bodyguard. "Pity, I would've liked to see that house from the inside."
"And my schedule is tightly packed as it is for the next few weeks." Kir sighed. "Nichuri TV is making an overhaul with the distribution of the cast so I'm being moved from the 7 o'Clock Morning Show to other program slot…"
"Gin is not discreet enough and is already involved in this so he can't either." Irish spoke up from his spot.
"Tequila is tied up with investigating programmers. Last I heard he was intimidating some Mantendo worker for information." Madeira added.
"And who knows what Curacao is doing for Rum." Kir muttered.
"So that basically leaves you Bourbon as no one in their right mind would put Chianti or Calvados into investigating and Korn will follow those two anywhere. And Vodka is needed to babysit Gin and is too dumb to work independently." Madeira chirped.
"What about Sherry?" Bourbon countered, just to irritate the young woman – and failing in the attempt as she only blinked back in confusion. "She is the head of drug development and the responsible one for APTX4869. She may be young but she is smart enough to investigate as part of the team and as the developer definitely know what to look for."
"That's true." Kir agreed. "Well, one of you suggest that to Anokata, I need to go home and catch up some sleep before tomorrow's interviews."
"I'll come with you. Got early morning as well. See you tomorrow Irish, don't forget to pick me up." Madeira waved as she left after her civilian colleague.
"Won't." The tall man agreed.
38
The job with Irish went without a hitch. In the meanwhile, Sherry investigated Kudou's house twice before confirming his death. There was apparently nothing that indicated anyone living in there anymore.
Yuuko and Hiro reported class 1-B receiving a new student by the name Edogawa Conan and both expressed their suspicions of him being the missing Heisei Holmes. Neither approached the boy though.
On the organization side of things otherwise… Miyano Akemi committed a bank robbery with two outsider accomplishes. She also visited Dejima Souhei's studio to which Naoto later broke into to install bugs. She also checked the toilet to confirm the tapes were there before putting the lid back in place.
Gin killed Akemi. Sherry didn't hear about the matter until month later when she tried for suicide and a new student appeared in 1-B.
Also, Gin and Vodka tried to kill a contact by giving her a bombed suitcase. Plan failed due someone's (Conan's) interference. Tequila in the meanwhile got taken out by a bomb that was meant for someone else. Naoto placed bombs herself to Le Cocktail bar in Daikoku building that had been used as a meeting point by Tequila and his Mantendo contact.
And so life went on.
39
Yuuko and Hiro took a great delight in relaying the antics of the now five-membered Detective Boys and critiquing the work of the adults around them. The kids were running in murders and no one thought of putting them in therapy. Or simply removing them from the scene after getting their statements. It was ridiculous.
But on the other side, it was good that Yuuko was adjusting as well. She had even invited Shoko to visit once. A good sign.
Now, if only there was a way for her to be in contact with Yamato Kansuke and Morofushi Taka'aki… Especially once the former woke up from his coma.
40
Naoto was called to back-up Pisco and Vermouth at Haido City Hotel. She was part of the wait-staff rather than a guest.
This would be so fun…
Not.
Definitely not.
She was working with Pisco. Pisco who would die. And then Irish would go off the rails in search for revenge against Gin.
And depending on what Naoto would to, some of that rage could be directed at her too.
A/N: And voila! Next chapter will contain the Haido City Hotel case entirely. Plus maybe aftermath.
Replies to Reviews:
-Tsuki (guest):
You're welcome.
Umm... Not anytime soon. For now they'll maintain forced civility around each other. Naoto isn't actively poking at him either since an appropriate distance has been achieved. Likewise, Rei rather ignores her for now.
Thank you everyone for reading and for the faves and follows once more.