A/N: Hoo, a whole case in one chapter! I'm so proud of me! And I'm so happy too. Sorry, no Kid yet. He comes up later. I guess. We'll see it then. ;)

I had some troubles with how people address Tsukiko. Especially Haibara, Takagi and Megure. I decided that the Detective Boys and Agasa will use the same way than they do with Ran.

But enough of my babblings! I let you to the case itself. By the way, can you guess what was my favourite part of this chapter?

Chapter 26.

Agasa's car was full. That's the thought Tsukiko had as they headed to a sushi place. Thankfully she was seated on the front seat. With Conan on her lap. She had been surprised to hear she'd been invited since she had never before met Agasa and Conan – and possibly Ai too – didn't exactly trust her. But she had heard that the other members of Shonen Tantei-dan had gotten the idea to invite her too because she was 'pretty', 'nice', 'not as busy' and 'smart'. Their words not hers. When they had met, Ayumi had been quick to compliment to Tsukiko's new hairstyle. Ai had also given her approval, saying it suited the older girl better than the previous one and gave her more mature look.

One other thing that bugged Tsukiko was how the professor had gotten her cell phone number since she had given it this far only to Akai/Okiya, Jodie, Miyoshi, Ran and Sonoko. Even Conan didn't have it yet. Unless he had gotten it via Akai which Tsukiko doubted. So she had asked about it.

"Ah, Conan-kun asked it from Ran-kun." Agasa had answered. Right, so now Tantei-chan also had the girl's number.

The third thing bothering the blonde was Tantei-chan himself. He was talking on the phone with Hattori Heiji while sitting on Tsukiko's lap. He wasn't even trying to cover his conversation. Maybe because he knew that Tsukiko knew about his real identity and her body could act as an extra barrier against the curious ears of the little detectives. It didn't help much though.

"Hey, hey! Didn't I tell you guys not to disturb me?" The bespectacled kid chastised his friends.

"Ne, Tantei-chan… If you want to have private conversations on the phone it should be in a place where people don't have a chance to eavesdrop. A car is one of the worst places." Tsukiko stated while keeping her eyes on the road and half hugging the boy. She could just imagine Heiji's face when he heard her voice at the other end of the line.

"Hey, Kudou… Where are you calling from? And who was that girl with you?"

"Ah, it's okay… We're all on the way to lunch. And that was Tsukiko… -neechan." Conan added the suffix with a bit of delay. In his mind he rather called the girl Okiya-chan but in front of the kids he had to keep it a bit more childlike. "And stop saying things you shouldn't be saying…"

"Hey, kids, let Edogawa-kun have his conversation. It's rude to listen to other people's calls." Tsukiko turned to face the Shonen Tanteis with a smile.

"Okay, Tsukiko-oneesan/-neechan/-san!" They chorused and sat back.

"So then, what did you mean by 'I think so too'?"

"I asked Haibara to give me 100 pills of that drug…"

"A… A hundred!?"

Tsukiko kept her chuckle in her throat.

"Yeah, even if it sounds like a lot, what if it isn't enough?" And then Conan retold what Haibara had said to him when he had made that request.

"Kudou… Even though that little girl had it right on the mark, I think it's best if you tell you Ran-neechan everything… Besides, you want to tell her too."

"You idiot! It's not like that! Besides, I can't do that!" This time Tsukiko couldn't hold it back anymore and her shoulders started to shake in suppressed laughter. Especially when the Shonen Tanteis appeared again in the gap between the front seats. One thing led to another and Conan hung up his phone call. When Agasa started talking about the sushi place where they were going, Tsukiko got a chance to ask the chibi detective a question.

"Ne, Tantei-chan… Have you told Haibara-chan yet? That I know about you." She asked quietly and felt the boy stiffen. Whops, she wasn't supposed to know about Haibara's real identity. "It was exactly hard to figure out that she has the same predicament that you. Besides I heard your phone conversation loud and clear. Did you already forget that? I don't know who she is but I bet she is going to ask you about my knowledge sooner or later."

"She doesn't know anything yet. I decided not to tell since she is already suspicious about Subaru-san."

"Ah, I see… And the kids don't know yet that we are actually 'siblings'."

"You denied it back then."

"Because I didn't want it to affect on the investigation. Well, I'll tell it someday when it comes up again."

"How did you-?" But they were already at their destination.

"Okay, everyone out!" Agasa announced as cheerily as he could after Haibara's accusation. They were – indeed – at a revolving sushi restaurant. Tsukiko got out happily that Conan's question about her knowledge about the Plan had been interrupted.

"Wahoo!"

"Awesome!"

"The sushi is revolving!"

"I can eat whichever plate I want?" The kids were absolutely thrilled to see how the system in the restaurant worked.

"That's right! Eat all you want." Agasa smiled. "But be sure not to put the empty plates back on. That's rude and against the rules because you pay according to how much you ate and what plate you took."

"But what if the sushi I want never comes around?" Genta asked.

"Then you can order it from the menu." Conan answered. "Tell the professor what you want and he can order it from the touch-screen. They even have tea and egg custard!"

There was a little mishap when Genta tried to take a dish that wasn't for him but in the end the kids ended up happy.

"Looks like it wasn't a bad choice coming here." Haibara smiled.

"Yeah… Even though it can't compare to proper sushi restaurants, it's still best to find a place where everyone, especially kids, can eat happily." Conan agreed.

"True, true… Thank you one more time for inviting me with you, Agasa-hakase." Tsukiko thanked from her place between the professor and Haibara.

"You are welcome Tsukiko-kun. I hope you enjoy the food too."

"I will!" The girl took chopstick and separated them neatly. The trick was to pull them evenly and slowly apart while holding from the end to the sticks, like she had learnt from Azumanga Daioh. "Itadakimasu…" She chuckled mentally.

"Whew, I'm full!"

"It really was tasty!"

"Yup!" The Shonen Tanteis complimented.

"Ah, they even have pudding for dessert!" Mitsuhiko noticed, making Genta accidentally knock his empty sushi plates off the counter table. When the kids were picking up the plates, a guy accused them for trying to tamper with the bill. Tsukiko stayed emotionless and sat still on her seat, straightening the plate pile in front of her. That guy would die soon, no worries there. Annoying bastard…

Commotion occurred, the irritating food critic practically provoking everyone in the shop. Tsukiko got enough.

"Sir, your meal for today is on the house, so could you please leave?" The owner of the sushi place asked the oh-so-great-imbecile.

"Oh? It's free? Then I'll have to eat more before I leave!"

"S-Sir, how could you?"

"Hey, you!" The blonde girl got on her feet and crossed her arms. "Do you have a problem with your hearing? The owner guy said that it's on the house if you leave. In the other hand it's not free if you stay."

"Who are you? Who do you think I am?" The almost dead guy half shouted.

"My name doesn't matter but I know you alright. You are that infamous food critic that has taken as his job to rule over the world of restaurants like some sort of God. You decided which ones get to blood and which ones you drive into bankrupt. It sickens me. I was having a great time here until you decided to open your mouth and ruin the atmosphere and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that." The girl glared the man from a safe distance. She didn't want to become a suspect on the murder case after all.

"Shut up, brat! You know nothing about my line of work! It's hard and demanding from a person and it doesn't help that people like you interrupt it!"

"There are few occasions that make me pissed. One of those is being locked into my own room." Tsukiko continued despite the stares she was getting. She didn't even notice how Haibara stepped behind Conan, eyes wide in fear. "Other is people who think they are better than others. Thankfully those people meet their end soon enough because there're always others to avenge the wrong they or their acquaintances have faced. You are no God, sir. You are a Devil and even devils shall meet the judgment of the God. Sooner than they think actually.

"So if I were you, I'd think of my sins and pray for forgiveness." And with that Tsukiko turned on her heels and strode to Agasa. "Shall we go now? I guess the prick got the general idea now."

"Yes, let's go to pay."

Agasa paid their bill, shocked about the high price but hey, there were seven people eating together and Genta ate as much as an adult if not more so it was naturally high. Tsukiko had offered to pay her own but the offer had been promptly squashed by the rest of their group. She had been invited after all.

"Professor, you should bring us back here sometime!" Ayumi chirped.

"But only when there aren't any disruptive customers…" Ai added.

"Yeah, but Tsukiko-san was so cool when she confronted that guy." Mitsuhiko smiled before shooting a glare towards the person in question. Conan and Genta were also glaring to that direction.

"Oh, thank you Tsuburaya-kun. But it was nothing really. He just managed to piss me off properly." The blonde high school student waved her hand dismissively.

"WAAAH!" Was heard behind them and them a thump when a body hit the ground. A chaos took place before Conan managed to make it stop. He explained the food critic had been poisoned by cyanide and told professor to call the police and an ambulance.

"You know… This's what I'd call an irony." Tsukiko smiled from her place by the wall. She was leaning against it casually, her arms crossed on her chest and one leg over another. She didn't notice the worried and frightened looks Haibara was sending to her direction.

"Why is it you again…?" Inspector Megure asked when he had gotten an overview of the situation. "Conan-kun… I used to think that is was old Mouri who was the jinx. It looks like it should be you…"

"Ha ha…"

"We aren't any jinx!" Ayumi butt in. "We are Shonen Tantei-dan!"

"It's not our fault when a case occurs!" Genta agreed.

"You should say that the case calls to us!" Mitsuhiko added proudly.

"So? How did the poison get into the sushi?" Haibara asked.

"That… We haven't checked the victim's stomack contents yet, so we're not sure if it did…" Takagi answered. "But the investigation team just reported that the plate the victim last held had poison on this part of the plate so it's highly probable." The detective pointed the left side of the plate.

"I see… that culprit pretended to go get the sushi, used their hands with poison on them to hold the sides of the plate and then had it circle to the victim…" Megure thought aloud.

"Yes… When the victim took the plate, the poison transferred onto his hands, so when he held the sushi to eat it." Takagi confirmed the theory.

"But isn't that unlikely?" Tsukiko asked and the attention of the police officers and the kids were on her. "What I understood from the facts Takagi-keiji told us… the poison was only on the left side of the plate… It's uncertain which hand the victim would use to take the plate and eat the sushi, or would he use different hands for those… And even if the whole edge of the plate was laced with the poison, the victim's hand shouldn't wipe it away from that big area. Besides I don't think the culprit would put poison on their own hands. After all there is no certain way to wipe it off in such a short time safely. And there is no way the culprit would've used gloves to do it. No one uses gloves in a sushi restaurant. Not only it's impolite but also attracts attention."

"And you were again?" Megure asked a bit tiredly. Apparently he was quite tired with people other than the police butting into his investigations.

"Okiya Tsukiko. I was here with the kids. I… had an argument with the victim."

"Yes, but there is no way that Tsukiko-oneesan would be the bad guy!" Ayumi stepped forward. "Tsukiko-oneesan didn't go even close to the guy and when he collapsed she was with us all the time."

"That's right!" Genta nodded.

"Anyways, what are you saying anyways with your… opinions?" Megure asked the blonde then.

"I'm asking if it's possible that the victim got the poison with something else than the plate. Did you check the fingerprints on it yet? I bet it's only the victim's. Poisoning the plate is uncertain anyways since anyone here could've taken it."

"Whah, Tsukiko-neechan is smart!" Conan gasped childlishly.

"Of course I'm smart Edogawa-kun. I'm sixteen after all." The girl huffed, and puffed her cheeks.

"Food critic? The poisoned Agatsuma-san was a food critic?" Ah, they finally had the ID of the victim known.

"Yes, he's famous for his biting reviews. The restaurants he gave good reviews for were indeed very good. And he has very positive reader response." Takagi read from his notebook. "On the other hand, the restaurants that got bad reviews would suffer from a decline in business and some even had to close."

"Hmm… This may be the motive for the murder…" Megure thought aloud. "The question is, how did the culprit get him to take the poisoned plate…"

"Eh? What?" Tsukiko blinked. Hadn't they listened to her at all? She crouched on the level of the chibi detective. "Ne, Tantei-chan… Is it just me or did Megure-keibu and Takagi-keiji just shrug off my observations?"

"I think they don't know you yet that well so they can't take you points into a serious consideration." Conan sweatdropped and laughed nervously while Tsukiko pouted.

"Mou… That's not fair. I thought them really hard…"

"Ehehehe… I think they were great though."

"Really?"

"Yup, have you been on crime scenes before we got to know?"

"Are you fishing for information, Tantei-chan?" Tsukiko thought, resting her chin on her hand. "No, I haven't… But I do have seen my fair share of crime shows. The American ones. You know CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Mentalist…"

"Ah, I see."

"Yes, I pick up things from those and use the knowledge that I get." The girl smiled. "But putting the whole situation into a definite conclusion isn't my forte. I'll let you handle that part, meitantei." She winked and got up, leaving Conan watching her back as she walked to Agasa and the kids.

The day turned to an evening. Conan had asked Takagi to have all the other plates to be checked for any poison, just in case. The result, just like Tsukiko had predicted, had been zero plates with poison. When the kid dashed to check out Genta and Ayumi's seats, the girl merely smiled from her own where she casually leaned against the table. Time for the deduction show.

"It really was bad luck…" Conan began with Agasa's voice. "But I'm not talking about the murdered Agatsuma-san. I mean the culprit who's laughing inside because they think they've succeeded!"

Oh, the faces the suspect were making.

"I say this because I've discovered not only how Agatsuma-san was murdered, but also how the poison was disposed of. Even though I came here by chance I was still able to see through this childish trick instantly."

"That means the culprit really is one of these three!" Takagi said in joy. Was it really that nice to be right since the beginning at least in something? Well, that was probably a consequence of working with freelance detectives.

"That's right, just as you police suspected. The culprit was one of these three who had a grudge against Agatsuma-san."

"Hey, what's wrong with you!? Saying things like that out of the blue!" The female suspect whose name Tsukiko had already forgotten shouted. "Don't think that just because you're big you can stand there and pretend you're some great detective. Did you see it? Did you see one of us put the poison on the plate!?"

"No, I didn't see it…" Conan/Agasa said.

"Then, you're bluffing!"

"It's because none of you actually did it. The one who put poison on the plate was actually Agatsuma-san himself!"

"But Agasa-san, if the one who put the poison on the plate was the victim himself, wouldn't this be a suicide?" Megure frowned.

"No, Tsukiko-kun was on the right tracks since the beginning. The poison wasn't only on the plate but also on something he touched before he took the plate. This is why only Agatsuma-san's plate had poison on it."

"B-But you're talking about…" Megure stuttered.

"What is it?" Takagi frowned.

"Hey, kids!" Tsukiko called from her seat. "When you're eating at a revolving sushi restaurant and something you like comes around… What will you do before you take the plate? What will your hands touch?"

"Hm, let's see… First, I'd prepare the chopsticks." Mitsuhiko thought.

"Pour water into the tea cup…" Ayumi mused.

"Put soy sauce in the saucer…" Genta muttered.

"Hmm… Those are good too but how about in-between different dishes." The blonde looked at the sushi plates in front of her. "What would he touch every time he finishes a plate? What do you do Kojima-kun?"

"Eh? Me?" The boy in question pointed himself.

"But Okiya-san… All the things at Agatsuma-san's seat were tested, and there was no poison on anything." Takagi explained. "So it doesn't matter what he touches before taking the plate, he wouldn't…"

"Then…" Tsukiko turned her gaze calmly from the detective to the seats in front of her. "Yoshida-chan, would you come here for a moment?"

"Yes, Tsukiko-oneesan!" The little girl hurried to the older with a smile. "What is it?"

"Could you tell me what's at Tsuburaya-kun's seat but not at Kojima-kun's?"

"Let's see… Oh, chopsticks! Genta-kun's seat doesn't have chopsticks!"

"Because Genta-kun always uses his hands to eat…" Mitsuhiko chuckled.

"My dad told me before! If you're from Tokyo, you eat sushi with your hands!" The bigger boy defended.

"Then, after using your hands to eat, wouldn't there be something you'd need to touch?" Conan asked, like ha had just gotten hang on Tsukiko's train of thought. But of course it was just and act.

"Something I want to touch? I just lick my fingers…"

"Then, after you lick your fingers."

"Umm… After I lick them…"

"Is it like this?" Haibara stepped forward. "The wet towel! Since you're directly touching rice with your fingers, you would want to wipe off the oil, water and rice before taking a plate. So, do you mean the poison was put on the wet towel?"

"Is that it, professor?" Conan asked, looking up at the elder man.

"Ah, yeah…"

"But there wasn't a wet towel at the victim's seat…" Megure pointed out.

"But a proof of using one is, right?" Tsukiko asked, glancing at the professor and the kid with a bowtie behind him.

"Exactly!" And at that moment the inspector noticed the corner of the plastic wrap of the towel.

"This- This is-!"

"That's right… This is the corner of the plastic packaging housing the wet towels…" Conan/Agasa continued the explanation. "…that are available right at the entrance. The culprit likely put the poison into the pack beforehand using something like a syringe."

"I see! Taking a plate after wiping your hands with the poisoned towel and then using your hands to eat sushi would result in death… That way, there would only be one plate with poison on it!" Takagi got it now. "Just like Okiya-san said in the beginning!"

"Right!"

"But, before Agatsuma-san was poisoned, he ate a lot of sushi! When he was eating these, didn't he use a wet towel at all?" Megure questioned while peering at the pile of plate's at the victim's seat.

"No, because his wet towel was replaced sometime in the middle. Possibly when he was arguing with the manager or confronted by Tsukiko-kun."

"B-But if someone went to touch your wet towel, wouldn't someone notice right away?" Takagi asked. "Something like 'Hey, what are you doing?'"

"Agatsuma-san was left handed. He used the towel every time before eating a new sushi so it most likely he but it somewhere near his left hand." Tsukiko pointed out. "Which basically means that the person sitting on his left is the culprit."

"That means you, Aizono-san. That towel was placed right next to you!" Conan/Agasa announced. "Sitting next to Agatsuma-san on the left, pretending that the poisoned towel was your own and putting it next to his would make switching them not difficult at all!"

"W-What are you talking about!?" The culprit stuttered. "If that were the case, how did I get rid of it? That poisoned wet towel! Was I carrying anything like that officer sir?"

"No… When we conducted the body search, we didn't find anything like that." Takagi answered a bit uncertainly.

"See! If you're going to accuse me of being the culprit, first explain how I got rid of the towel!"

"Ah, suspects… Always asking for proof." Tsukiko chuckled. "Don't you understand it makes you sound even suspicious? But yes, there is a proof other than your motive, opportunity and lack of a proper alibi… The towel simply disappeared. Poof!"

"'Poof'?" Conan sweatdropped. "What Tsukiko-kun means… You used the revolving sushi transport system that automatically removes the plates after a while."

"Right! All you have to do is put the poisoned towel onto a plate you removed, than put it back again! That way, when the time's up, the plate will disappear on their own."

"It was probably when Agatsuma-san collapsed. While everyone's attention was on him, the place got replaced. Agatsuma-san's old towel was probably wrapped around the poisoned towel and the plastic packet, then placed on the plate… Since both the towel and the rice are white, it wouldn't be noticed unless you looked carefully."

"And since people around were shouting about food poisoning and panicking, no one noticed the switch because everyone was putting the plates back on the conveyor belt." Tsukiko added.

"B-But wasn't that belt stopped immediately?" The culprit tried to squirm his way out of the situation.

"Yes… It was stopped about two or three minutes after he collapsed." The owner-no-more-suspect answered.

"Then how could it be so coincidental with the plate being removed in those two minutes…"

"True, if it were a plate that had just been taken off, it would take awhile before it was recycled…" Conan, now by the culprit's seat stated. "But if it were switched with the first plate that was taken, the machine would scan the micro-chip and think it had been going around too long. So, wouldn't it recycle it right away then?"

"Where is the disposed sushi put?" Megure asked. Confession time, finally. Tsukiko got up from her seat. She was about to walk out of the shop when she heard Conan's next words. She had forgotten how dramatic they had been in this case.

"But, niisan, do you know? The one who stained this delicious food was you yourself. Using that which can never be wiped away… The poison known as 'murder'."

The murderer was escorted away by the police and the group of five kids, a teenager and an adult watched him go.

"Ya know… Even though that Agatsuma guy had it coming and in my opinion deserved what he got… that culprit was quite pathetic. True, it's sad that he had to split up with his girl but it was his own fault too. He let the prank and the comments bug him too much. He should've acted as an adult and ignored the situation, maybe even start a new blog anonymously, but most of all paid more attention on his girl than to Agatsuma." Tsukiko stated.

"Tsukiko-san is right." Mitsuhiko nodded. "There was no real victim his time."

"But that doesn't mean that murder is right. Got it?" The teen looked seriously at the boy. "Murder and crime in general is never the right answer. Remember that, kids."

"Yes, Tsukiko-oneesan/-neechan/-san!"

The group left the restaurant and packed into Agasa's car. This time Ayumi got to sit on Tsukiko's lap. The little girl was delighted about that fact. Meanwhile on the backseat Haibara gripped on Conan's shirt with her left hand. No one but the boy noticed it though but even he didn't take it up. Not in the car with the kids able to hear. Not to mention Okiya-chan…

"But Tsukiko-neecchan was cool back there." Genta announced. "She could figure out the case with professor and Conan just like that."

"Yes, Tsukiko-neesan was brilliant." Ayumi chirped.

"Ah, guys… It was nothing. I only got those ideas after listening Agasa-hakase's explanation. Before he started to tell us his deductions I had no idea who was the actual murderer." Tsukiko laughed.

"But you were on the right tracks since the beginning." Mitsuhiko pointed out. "You could be a great detective in the future."

"You think?"

"Yes!"

No one saw the uncomfortable and suspicioning look Haibara was sending at the high schooler's direction.

"What I saw… What I felt… What she said… Could she be… one of them?"

A/N: Heh, Haibara is suspicious now... What did she feel then? The Black Organization aura? But Tsukiko isn't one of them so how is that possible? Well, I leave you at that. The characters might be reading this too and I don't want to spoil this on them.

Answers to reviews:

-zXFallenAngelsXz: Thank you for the review once more. I hope you like this chapter too. I can't wait for the Iron Tanuki case either! I have so awesome plans for that one! XD

-chibianimefan26: Nope, this one wasn't a filler as you can see. :) Ooh, maybe we did! We have a secret organization here you see. But shhh! Don't tell anyone. I don't want any troubles...