A/N: Alright, a filler-y chapter is here again. I hope you like this anyways though... This time we shall take a look on Miyoshi a bit more.

Chapter 33.

Beep beep beep beep, beep beep be-p!

The alarm clock was silenced with a groan and a grunt. The owner of the clock sat up, pushing the duvet of her bed aside.

"I need a new clock with a nicer sound…" Miyoshi Mai muttered, getting on her feet and walking out of her room. On the way she undid her braid she had done for the night and said a good morning to the photograph on the wall. In the photo were a young girl and a teenaged boy. It was Miyoshi herself and her cousin, Takuya who was a police officer nowadays.

"Ohayoo, Mai-chan." The brunette's mother greeted the girl in the kitchen. Miyoshi tied her hair on a side ponytail while greeting back.

"Ohayoo gozaimasu, okaa-san."

The two sat at the kitchen table and began eating.

"Is otou-san…?"

"He left to work earlier today." Came the sharp reply.

"In the same time than every day." The girl muttered.

"What did you say, Mai-chan?" Danger, danger…

"Nothing." She ate quickly.

"How has your school been lately?" The woman asked. She had about the same hair than her daughter but it was pulled on a tight bun in her neck. She was already in a suit that was in a pristine condition despite the fact she had just made breakfast for the two of them.

"Just fine."

"No problems with anything?"

"No. Everything is fine."

"Good. We don't want anything affecting your grades after all."

"…Hai, okaa-san." Miyoshi finished her breakfast and got up to put it in the sink. "I need to hurry now thought. I'll buy my lunch from combini(convenience store) then."

The woman tutted disapprovingly. "You should wake up sooner to make your own breakfast."

"I like bento…"

"It's not proper."

"Yeah…"

"It's 'yes', not 'yeah'."

"Yes, okaa-san." Miyoshi corrected her posture slightly before hurrying out of the room and back to hers as quickly as possible.

The class president brushed her hair and was about to braid it again when she remembered what her class mate and only proper friend Okiya Tsukiko had told her once.

"Mai-san should have a high ponytail more often. It looks prettier."

"Maybe so…" Miyoshi smiled faintly before pulling her long dark brown hair up and tying it on the said style. When looking at herself on the mirror, her smile widened a fraction and her eyes became brighter. "This is my face. This is my body and hair. I decide what they look like." She stated while straightening her glasses. She pulled the jacket of her school uniform on and made sure her tie was straight.

"I need to hurry."

The brunette slipped from the front door without her mother spotting her and berating for such a free hair style. According to her, braids were the only acceptable style of hair at school. Otherwise the girl wouldn't be taken seriously.

"Guh, they made me look like a little girl…" Miyoshi muttered, hurrying to the combini right by the tower block she lived in. On the way she greeted Yoshida Ayumi who lived in the same house and was now hurrying to meet with her friends Kojima Genta and Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko with whom she'd walk to school then.

"One time I was like that too…" The teen girl sighed when going to pay her bento. "Those times are far behind though…"

She walked to school alone that day. She had left in such an early time that Tsukiko didn't catch up with her. Nor did Suzuki or Mouri. But it was fine. Anything to get out of that house.

"Ohayoo, Mai-san!" A cheery voice greeted Miyoshi quite soon after she had sat down at her desk and began to read one of her numerous books she always carried with her. This time it was Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleur. Tsukiko had recommended it to her. And speak of devil, there she was.

The brunette lifted her gaze from the book. Tsukiko was standing right next to her desk, smiling brightly even behind her glasses that hindered her eye-sight and almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Ohayoo, Tsukiko-chan." Miyoshi smiled. "What makes you so happy today?"

"I don't know actually. I just woke up today and had a feeling that this is going to be a good day." The blonde shrugged and went to her seat between the window and Miyoshi's seat. Lucky girl to have a window desk.

"You always seem to find something to smile about." The brunette chuckled.

"Yea… I guess I'm sometimes quite optimistic. Sometimes I'm pessimistic realist. It depends a lot really." Tsukiko grinned. "You like the book then?" She gestured the book Miyoshi had.

"Ah, I didn't really get to read it yet."

"Oh, I'll leave you at that then." The other girl took of her glasses and started to dig through her school bag. The class president followed that for a moment before turning her gaze to the book then.

"I noticed you had a put a ponytail this time. I like it." The blonde added.

"Yes, I decided to try something a bit different."

As usual, Hanajima came to bother them once again during a recess. She left soon thought when Tsukiko pointed out that the snoopy girl had forgotten her normal shoes on and not put on the shoes used indoors. Somehow she had failed to notice it until now.

And as usual they tried to strike up a conversation with Maki Namida. The shy girl replied with a reserved smile while glancing around for the Snob Club and her sister. When those were nowhere to seen, the girl gradually relaxed and they had quite an enjoyable conversation.

"Nee, Mai-san, what do you want to become when you grow up?" Tsukiko asked during the second recess.

"Hmm… My parents want me to become a doctor…"

"Don't they all?" The blonde laughed and Miyoshi had to join to that. The other girl's laugh was just so bright and made everyone else happy around her.

"Yeah, I guess so… But personally… I'd like to become a mystery novelist. That's why I read all those strange books. I want to know all the needed facts as accurately as possible for my books."

"Ooh, that's just like… Umm… It had something to do with a ghost story here…" Tsukiko trailed off, trying to remember something.

"Hosaka Hideaki-senpai? I heard of it too then. I've also read those books he borrowed from the library long time ago." Miyoshi remembered the ghost story from back then. It was solved though now. But she still remembered it clearly since the girl had spotted the books beneath the desks several times at the time of the ghost story was running wild.

"I see! But what makes Mai-san want to become a mystery novelist then?"

"I enjoy solving puzzles. I also like creating them. Sometimes I call to my cousin in the Metropolitan Police Department to ask if he has anything interesting going on. I think the facts he gives me from the point of view of both the police and the culprit and offer him possible explanations then. He told me that sometimes my ideas have led to the arrest of the correct culprit."

"Really? That's great! But you don't want to become a detective then?"

"No, I couldn't do it day to day, year to year. I'd rather be like Kudou Yusaku-san who is consulted sometimes by the police. One could probably say that he is my target."

"I see." Tsukiko smiled just when Kawaoka-sensei came to the room and next class began. Miyoshi didn't pay much attention to the lesson though. Her thoughts were in the girl next to her.

Okiya Tsukiko was one strange girl in her opinion. She asked a lot and listened well, talked much but didn't actually tell anything. Miyoshi had put her best skills in the game to find out anything about the girl. This far the class president only had gotten a glimpse of the girl's personality and interests. There was also a fact she had been hospitalized before coming to their school and was living with someone she'd rather not mention. She had an older brother with whom she wasn't blood related. She had said not a single word about her parents, adoptive or not. The girl knew a lot of things. Simply knew. And also had a knack for detective work. She got really well along with the people she met, especially Edogawa Conan with whom she had been investigating the serial murder case across Japan.

And then there were her looks and behavior. Her hair color was really blonde, not natural for Japanese or Asian at all, and her eyes were greyish blue, unusual color that one too. She wore glasses even though she said she didn't need them(And that Miyoshi had found out and asked about). Her mannerisms weren't exactly Japanese either which was weird, especially considering that she most likely was in a Japanese adoptive family. She did know how to use chopsticks and was polite enough to people but sometimes it seemed like she wasn't exactly sure how polite she should be. She also had problems with writing and reading kanji even though her pronunciation was perfect and she could speak and understand spoken Japanese fluently. It was like her hand wasn't used to write the characters.

In short, Okiya Tsukiko was a mystery.

"Say, are you going to meet Ishihara-san today again?" Tsukiko asked Miyoshi as they walked home.

"Yes, okaa-san thinks I'm going to study in library though." The brunette nodded.

"Okay, I'll go then. See you tomorrow again!" The blonde hurried off.

"Kouki-san, thanks for this evening once again." Miyoshi smiled to the young man with her.

"You are welcome, Mai-chan. It was nice to spend time with you. My days off the work would be tedious otherwise."

"Oh, are you saying that you date me only to have company during your off days?"

"Wh-What? Of course not, Miyoshi-san! I truly enjoy your company and you are my everything. I love to see you both at the café and outside it." Ishihara stuttered, slipping into the old way of addressing the girl. Miyoshi chuckled.

"I was only messing up with you, Kouki-san." She laughed, making the other smile.

"I know…" He pecked the girl on the forehead before they went to their own directions. After all Ishihara couldn't be seen near Miyoshi's house. One couldn't be sure who'd see them and gossip to her parents. It wasn't about Kouki himself, it was about boys in general. The class president wasn't allowed to date because she needed to concentrate on school work. Even friends in general were under Miyoshi's mother's magnifying glass. But since there hadn't really been many of them, there had been no worries.

"I'll be in trouble is anything about my private life leaks to them…" As much as Miyoshi hated to admit it, she was financially completely dependent on her parents.

The girl walked slowly through Haido Park, anticipating the moment when she'd be home. On the way she looked calmly around in the park.

"The sprinklers are replaced now…" Miyoshi noted, stopping to look at them. She had been in the park back in November when Mizunashi Rena had been interviewing Domon Yasuteru. And the sprinklers had been smashed for some reason and thus created rain.

"Who was it and why?" There had been a shadow slipping from one tree to hide behind another. The girl hadn't seen it properly though. It had been a person with short hair and long coat. Probably a female or very slim male.

"And on the very next day Mizunashi Rena-san left for an extended leave. Did she get a cold from that sudden rain?" The girl leaned her chin on her hand. "But for five months… and after that a notification that she had quit. That's highly impossible."

She dug out her cell phone from her bag and chose Takuya's number.

"Hmmh… Mai, I've told you not to call when I'm work." Miyoshi's cousin answered at the other end of line.

"Sorry, Takuya-nii, but this is important."

"Important or interesting? I know you won't call at this time unless you have a hunch for a strange case." There was some chattering on the background. Takuya was at the department.

"You got me." The girl laughed. She could hear her cousin was also amused. He knew her too well. Out of all of her family members, Miyoshi got the best along with her cousin. "I was wondering if there have been any incidents or general chaos concerning the absence of the news anchor Mizunashi Rena in the last… April. That's when she announced leaving after being on a leave for a long time already. No one does that for real." She walked to sit on a park bench. The call would take a while.

"Mizunashi Rena? I heard from my friend in Haido department that in Haido Central Hospital there was a television footage running about her. It said she was coming back to work soon and gave an impression she had been in some hospital. What's weird though is that the footage was shown only in that hospital. And a bit before the footage there had been three simultaneous incidents around the hospital that caused patients to flood there."

"Oh, I remember that too… A fire, a food poisoning and a gas attack, right? It was even on the news."

"That's right."

"When did this all happen?"

"Hmm… I not exactly sure. No, wait! My friend joked about all the bad happening before Friday the 13th so nothing was left to happen on that day. He was wrong though as a strange car fire happened on that day in Raiha Pass. I was the one to go and check it."

"Really? Could you tell me more? Please. This sounds really interesting."

There was a sigh but Miyoshi could tell it had no real emotion behind. "Alright then… There had been some other cops called because of an accident in the Pass and they happened to witness the car, black Chevrolet 1500, go up in a boom. That's when me and my partner were called in. It was an obvious homicide you see. A male victim and all. It was really hard to identify him but we had a stroke of luck with us."

"Stroke of luck?"

"Yes, an acquaintance of the police, Jodie Saintemillion, had met the victim in a roadside diner earlier during the day and was able to provide fingerprints in her cell phone and a basic description to us."

"Jodie Saintemillion?"

"Yeah, I don't know how exactly she is known to the police other than getting mixed in a couple of cases… I heard Megure-keibu and Takagi talking something about an FBI-agent on a holiday with a boyfriend and getting involved with their cases but I'm not sure whom they were referring to."

"Hmm…" That was odd. The class president decided to file that information for later use. After all Jodie Saintemillion was her previous English teacher's name. "Could you give me the description of the person in the car fire?"

"Sure…"

Miyoshi thought hard all the information she had just got. She was standing in the middle of her room and staring at her wall full of notes and newspaper clippings. She usually covered it with a dark blue sheet from prying eyes. She was certain that her parents wouldn't approve this pastime of hers either. They already disapproved Takuya's career choice.

"Mizunashi Rena disappears November 25th(dunno which date actually). Soon after that Hondou Eisuke who resembles her greatly comes to our school. He disappears after the Christmas holiday. Weird things happen April 12th at Haido Central Hospital. The next day in Raiha Pass a car is blown up. The victim is already shot dead… During the weekend Nichuri TV announces Mizunashi Rena to have quit her work. April 16th Okiya Tsukiko comes to our school. Later I found out she had been in an accident so she couldn't start earlier. A couple of weeks later Hondou Eisuke comes back to our school. He is said to have been in a hospital. On the next day he isn't there anymore. He has left to the States…" Miyoshi went through her notes and jotted down simple marks on calendar pages among the clippings on the wall. "Is it just me or does this sound like too big to be a coincidence?"

The girl looked up at the timeline. She had several questions in her mind.

"Where did Tsukiko-chan say to have been hospitalized?"

"Why is Jodie-sensei still in Japan even though she told us to go back to America?"

"Why are two FBI agents getting involved with cases in Japan?"

"Is it possible that one of those agents was Jodie-sensei? If so, why was she at our school as an English teacher?"

"What the hell is going on with this case?"

"…" The girl read the description of the victim of the car fire. "Why does this sound familiar? I don't forget faces. Ever."

A/N: Ooh, Miyoshi is after something! *le gasp* By the way, I suppose that the Police still knows Jodie as Saintemillion. There has been no reason for her to tell them that her real surname is Starling. And Ran and Sonoko(plus Eisuke) are the only ones in Teitan High who got to know that Jodie was an FBI agent and even they think that she has left back to the States after being hospitalized in the end of Vermouth Arc.

Review replies:

-chibianimefan26:
Well, is was meant that people fell for it but also that they realize the trick from the last line in the first part.
Uh, I do have D...oN pictures, they just have been in the same file than the rest of my anime inspired drawings. They're now in their own one.
What's next... Well... Red Robbery of course! XD

-coldbloodedPRINCESShanna24:
You're welcome. And thanks, I do my best. :)
Probably not yeah, I'm not sure yet.
KaiTsuki... No promises. Although there was some KaiBara(ko) in my previous DC-fic so... Could be, could be not.