A/N: And the karaoke case is about to begin.
Chapter 17.
Ai gave a look to Conan and nodded to the boy to come a bit closer.
"What now?" Conan asked.
"Those two… They are Hondo Eisuke and Okiya Tsukiko then." Ai glanced two teens in front of them, talking quietly.
"Yeah, but Okiya doesn't have her glasses right now." Conan admitted and couldn't help but wonder why as at the hospital she'd used them all the time. Eisuke didn't seem to even blink at the change though. Maybe he'd seen her without glasses… Or maybe he was overthinking the matter.
"I see. She was helping you at the hospital with Mizunashi's case and seems to get along well with Hondo-kun."
"FBI is still keeping an eye on her. I don't really get it. She has done nothing suspicious. Not at the hospital and not outside of it. Ran has told me occasionally about her."
"Well, knowing much about the situation even though she had been in coma for the duration of the situation developing is pretty suspicious. It's more than natural that she is suspected to be a spy." The young scientist remarked.
"I know. But I also know that she isn't a spy, just has a good eye for details and deduction."
"Saa… And how do you know that?"
"Eh… I…"
"Hey, brat, we are going now!" Sonoko interrupted the conversation between the two faux children. Conan shrugged and followed the rich girl out of the book store where Ran, Eisuke and Tsukiko already were, waiting for him. Ai followed him a couple of steps behind.
It was time to decide the place where the quintet would go to celebrate Eisuke's 'comeback'. While Tsukiko already knew the place due manga, she didn't take a part to the conversation. After all she was supposedly not from around Tokyo but Kyoto with only occasional visit to the area. The first suggestion was a cake place. Then came an eatery with spicy food. Eisuke denied both of the suggestions so Sonoko said there was only one place left.
"Karaoke! Let's go to Karaoke Box!"
"Yappari…" Tsukiko muttered unenthusiastically. Behind the high schoolers walked Conan and Ai, still whispering to each other. Tsukiko turned slightly to glance at them and then the man behind the vending machine. The man that had been following them since leaving the book store. A stalker who'd be killed at the karaoke place. Frankly, Tsukiko didn't care much about him. He was a creep and murderer himself after all. And to her just ink on pages.
Tsukiko didn't feel like singing. She knew about none of the songs that were played but she still had to try. She was more familiar with songs used in anime openings than J-pop or children songs.
"Okiya-neechan, you sing well but you don't catch all the words and that's why you lose points." Conan told her when the girl had finished with her first song and given the microphone to Sonoko. Tsukiko found she'd gotten the lowest score she had ever scored in any singing game.
"Look who's talking, Mr. Tone-deaf." The girl glared. "I'm just not used to these songs."
"What kind of music do you like to sing then?" Ran asked the blonde.
"I prefer European and American music. I really like singing in English." Tsukiko ran a hand through her hair. Then she spotted the look Conan was shooting at her and let out a short laugh. It was like he wanted to say 'Okiya-neechan… I'm not tone-deaf.' with his glare.
"Conan-kun, why are you looking at Okiya-chan like that?" Ran asked.
"No. It's nothing." Conan muttered, looking away.
"Did you get mad when I said you are tone-deaf? I'm sorry. But your singing is just horrible." Tsukiko smiled at the boy apologetically. He turned to glare her once more.
"Okiya-chan, you shouldn't say things like that." Ran said then to Tsukiko. She thought the blonde was being mean. "Conan-kun is just a child."
"I think it's better if we are honest to kids. They are terribly honest back after all. Besides I don't like telling lies."
"Ran, it's fine. I'm sure that brat doesn't even care." Sonoko said as she was choosing a song for her. "Besides, she needs some outlet to make herself feel better after her own low score."
"Oi!" Tsukiko shot a glare at the other girl who just snickered in response.
"Ano… Ran-neechan… Okiya-neechan is right, I can't really sing." Conan smiled shyly to his 'Ran-neechan'.
"See, he even admits it. Okay, now my song is coming. Great Sonoko will take the high scores!"
Tsukiko leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It all was pretty relaxing actually. She had never been to karaoke before, just played SingStar with her friends occasionally. Besides, she had to take it easy until the receptionist of the Karaoke box would scream.
The songs went on. Conan sung again, then Eisuke, then Ran and Sonoko sang a duet. Sonoko again on her own.
"Tsukiko-chan, it's your turn now. Choose something you can actually sing." Sonoko said.
"Huh? Is it my turn already?"
"Either you or Eisuke, but Eisuke isn't back yet so go ahead. Sing us something good."
"Well…" Tsukiko picked up the microphone and leant towards the screen where all songs were shown. "Maybe this…" It was one of the first songs she'd learnt for that band and still one of her favorites. The music started playing. Ran and Sonoko didn't seem to recognize the song but Conan did.
"Beatles?" The boy asked aloud. Tsukiko nodded with a smile and began singing. The song was for Eisuke and Hidemi even if the unfortunate boy wasn't in the room with them currently.
"Yesterday… All my troubles seem so far away…
Now it looks as though as they're here to stay…
Oh, I believe… in Yesterday…
"Suddenly… I'm not half the man I used to be…
There's a shadow hanging over me…
Oh, Yesterday… came suddenly…
"Why… she… had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say…
I… said… something wrong, now I long for yesterday…
"Yesterday… Love is such an easy game to play…
Now I need a place to hide away…
Oh, I believe… in Yesterday…
"Mm mm mm mm…"
The song ended. It was a short song. But it didn't matter. Ran clapped her hands.
"Great job, Okiya-chan. You did much better than with your previous song." The kind girl complimented.
"Thank you, Mouri-senpai…" Tsukiko blushed at the praise.
"Hmm… not bad but you can't still beat me." Sonoko sighed with a shrug. The younger girl arched her eye brows at her.
"I can't? And who says so?"
"I say. I, the Queen of Karaoke."
"The Queen of Big Ego, more like." Tsukiko smirked.
"What?!" Sonoko rose up from the sofa and grabbed the microphone from the blonde's hand. "What did you say, kouhai Okiya Tsukiko-chan?"
"Well, shall have a competition then?" Ran suggested slightly. "There is a competition mode too, in these machines."
"Sounds good. You can choose the song, Okiya-chan." Tsukiko really didn't like the way Sonoko was saying her name and thus asserting her as better but nevertheless picked up the other microphone from the table.
"Fine. But you better look out because this song might be too hard for you, Suzuki-san." Tsukiko countered, not acknowledging the other girl as her 'senpai' and thus as better.
"You keep just talking. I can sing anything. And win you even when you have an advantage." Sonoko declared.
"We'll see." Tsukiko picked up another song from the Beatles. It was Hello, Goodbye. It was a funny song and quite good to be sung together.
The intro ended and we started to sing.
"You say yes… I say no…
You say stop… I say go go go…
"Oh… no…
You say goodbye and I say hello…
Hello, hello…
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…
Hello, hello…
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…
"I say high… You say low…
You say why… I say I don't know…
"Oh… no…
You say goodbye and I say hello…
Hello, hello…
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…
Hello, hello…
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say goodbye…
"Hello, hello…
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello…"
When the song ended all four of them(minus Conan) waited eagerly for the results. Which one had sung better? Sonoko or Tsukiko? The veteran or the newbie? The challenger or the challenged?
Bling!
"Fi-Five…" Sonoko stuttered staring the screen. Tsukiko gulped. She had won but only by five points. There was no telling how Sonoko would react to that.
"Awesome. You both were so awesome." Ran was clapped her hands, praising both girls.
"Okiya-neechan, that was great!" Conan smiled to Tsukiko. The girl smiled back, tiredly. She had given her everything to that song. Her tense shoulders relaxed.
"You just had luck with that song. And the advantage…" Sonoko muttered.
"Suzuki-senpai…" Tsukiko tried to appease the older girl by reverting back to 'senpai'-address. "Don't be a poor loser. You did great job with that song. It's only five points."
"Hey… It's been 30 minutes since he left. Where's the star of the party gone?" Sonoko huffed, picking her phone and checking the time. Tsukiko sighed internally. She had had a lot of fun time with them even though the girls were quite tiresome. But they were nice and good people. Good friends maybe even.
A/N: Damn this chapter was short. But because I decided to keep the numbering of the chapters I decided not to combine this with the next chapter. In a sense that chapters 16-18 probably should have been one instead of three...