A/N: Oh, hey... I updated. I hope you like!
Chiyuki loved animals. Watching nature documentaries was her favorite past time and she often pestered Nabiki to find some with original narrating but Japanese texts. Or then Japanese narrator but the scientists and zoologists speaking onscreen left undubbed. Refreshing her English skills was important and it was a fact that hearing languages helped learning them and thus could explain Chiyuki's knowledge of English in the future if needed.
So when Ayumi invited Chiyuki and Ayano to Paul and Annie's Animal Show, she agreed and pestered Nabiki to agree as well.
Nabiki did. Chiyuki was officially not grounded anymore.
(Not that she really had considered having been grounded at all. Nabiki was just worried.)
The first thing Chiyuki did with Ai and Ayumi once they arrived at the venue, was to check out the little stalls set inside. The boys and Agasa were taking last minute bathroom break and buying snacks for them all to share.
All three girls bought Leon the White Lion straps. Chiyuki planned on attaching her strap to her keys. She also bought a panda phone accessory with the same text tag attached for the event she had her own phone.
The show itself was wonderful. Mitsuhiko and Genta might've liked Leon best but personally Chiyuki liked parrots. They were walking on line, riding a bicycle and doing other tricks.
The show itself was spent by admiring and gasping in awe at the performances and thus it was after it that the gathered children got to gush over it to each other. Chiyuki was clutching one of the disposable cameras she'd brought with her in her hands. She had filled two entire rolls of film in then and halfway the third and couldn't wait to have the photos developed
"That was so fun!" Genta exclaimed when they were making their way out of the building.
"The animals were so cute!" Ayumi chimed in.
"The white lion's performance was amazing!" Mitsuhiko added.
"Because lions are the main feature of these shows." Agasa agreed.
"They even have these Leon straps!" Ayumi showed her souvenir.
"That's neat!" Mitsuhiko admired.
"I bought it in the store with Haibara-san and Moroboshi-san before the show! Right?"
"Ano… Yoshida-san… If you want to… You can call me Chiyuki." Chiyuki cut in. Because there was no way she could explain these kids why she used a different family name outside the school without revealing too much. So having them call her by her name was the only alternative.
"Really? I can call you Chiyuki-chan?" Ayumi beamed.
"Hai! And the same goes for Kojima-kun and Tsuburaya-kun!" Chiyuki chirped, heedless of the two stares at her back.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Chiyuki-san!" Mitsuhiko thanked the girl.
"That's awesome, Chiyuki!" Genta exclaimed. Chiyuki tried to keep her face neutral and calmly smiling. Despite the permission, it would take a while until she'd get used to such directness from them. But thankfully the appearance of James Black among the reporters distracted the kids from her.
"Are you sure you don't mind being so familiar with them?" Ai asked her quietly.
"It's okay. I can ask change of address again once we are older." Chiyuki shrugged and then glanced at between Black and the picture of Randy Hawk on the pamphlet. They didn't look that much alike… or maybe that was Chiyuki former western eyes discerning the situation plus her foreknowledge coloring the situation.
"Can't you give me a break!?" Black finally exclaimed in frustration.
"Oh my… The tough cowboy image is ruined…" Agasa commented.
"Sheesh. Praise will make him vain…" Ai continued. "I have to live my life in hiding, and I can't even have bodyguards but I brought that upon myself."
"Meh… he doesn't seem like a hawk to me… more like an eagle." Chiyuki stated, lifting her camera and snapping a picture of the scene. "Cornered by vultures…"
"Oh, well… Rather than blabbering, let's go help him, shall we?" Conan spoke up. "The man confined by bulls… That cowboy sent by Her Majesty the Queen."
Chiyuki snapped some other pictures as Conan stepped forward.
"Oh! There you are! Thomas-ojisan!" The shrunken sleuth called.
"Eh?"
"Thomas? This person isn't Hawk-san?" One of the reporters asked.
"Yes… That person over there is an English teacher who is ojiichan's friend." Ai pointed at Agasa.
"There! Let's go, Thomas-ojichan!" Ayumi continued.
"We've agreed to have lunch together, no?" Mitsuhiko added as Genta pulled the dumbfounded man's arm.
Chiyuki snapped a couple of pictures more.
"Thank you very much! You kids got me out of the pinch I was in!" James Black thanked them as they walked towards parking lots. "I've been told many times that I look like Hawk-san, but this is the first time that I've been mistaken as him!"
"Then you should've disguised, man…" Genta retorted.
"Do you like the Paul & Annie's Animal Show as well?" Mitsuhiko asked.
"Oh yes! Their show is superb! And, also… I wanted to get my hands on this! " Black showed the same lion strap that the girls had bought as well. "That's why I came to Japan!"
Chiyuki snapped a picture of the man's happy face and the lion strap. Hmm… seven photos left on the roll.
The conversation in the other hand rolled from the lion strap to Conan's recognition of Black not being Hawk. And thus the boy explained the British pronunciation in the man's English.
"What about you, Chi-chan?" Ai asked Chiyuki. "How did you know? You did call him an eagle and not a hawk."
"They look totally different." Chiyuki deadpanned.
"They are similar though if you compare him to the photo of the pamphlet." Conan retorted.
"No, they don't." The girl frowned back. "Hawk-san had thicker neck, wider face and broader shoulders. His moustaches are different sort of blonde too. Not to mention that Hawk-san has a butt chin."
"A butt chin?" Ayumi asked. Around adults and shrunken teens were sweat dropping.
"Yeah." Chiyuki lifted her hand on her face and pressed her forefinger in the middle of her chin and then squeezed on the sides with her thumb and middle finger. "A butt chin, see?"
Cue laughter from the kids.
"Not everyone pays that much attention to faces, Harumori." Conan stated then. "For most Japanese, like the reporters just now, it's easy to make the mix up. Just like how foreigners have it hard telling Japanese faces apart, the Japanese mistake foreigners just because their hair of skin color is similar."
"Oh! How perceptive of you!" Black complimented the boy. Well, Chiyuki had no intention of stealing his thunder. "My name is James Black. What's yours?"
"Edogawa Conan. A detective!" Conan introduced himself.
"Edogawa… Conan?"
"Conan isn't the only detective!" Genta joined in.
"We're also members of Shounen Tantei-dan!" Mitsuhiko explained. Ayumi showed their badge to the man.
"Hm? Oh~! Sherlock Holmes! So, you guys are the Baker Street Irregulars, then?" Black asked. Chiyuki snapped a photo of the Detective Boys with the man and the badge in the middle of the photo. She was a ninja, no one noticed her photo taking.
"Huh?"
"They're the kids Holmes used to gather information!" Conan explained.
"I was born on Baker Street! Since I met you Irregulars, I'll give you a present! I'll treat you to lunch at a great store I know!" Black told the kids.
"Whoah! "
There was some exchange over whose car to use and Conan's deduction over Black not living in Britain anymore. Which led to Black mentioning Chicago and Al Capone.
A bit random…
"Ah, I gotta stop by the store…" Chiyuki rummaged her small backpack. "I forgot to pack paper handkerchiefs."
It was the flu season and her nose had been runny lately.
"There was some combini close to parking lot." Ai advised. "Be quick."
"Sure! See ya soon, Ai-neechan!" Chiyuki jogged onwards, tracking the route Black had taken. Call her weird or any other names but she wanted to take a photo of the kidnapping situation in order to have clear chronology on her blackmail photos.
And thus Chiyuki bore witness to the kidnapping of James Black. Two more photos were taken. The kidnappers' faces were seen clearly and their actions telegraphed, including the gun and kick.
As the car drove away, Chiyuki stood up and left. She had a convenience store to visit before returning to the kids. She really needed those handkerchiefs as well as new disposable camera.
They were still waiting for Black. And once 40 minutes had gone past since the man's departure, the kids decided to investigate. Black's van was easy to find and some local kids pointed them to the direction the fake policemen had taken the man. Conan discovered the lion strap, stained in blood.
While Chiyuki could've told them what she'd seen, she decided to remain quiet. It was important for this case to go as canon in order for Conan to be suspicious of Black and Akai and Black be impressed by Conan's intelligence. Moreover, Chiyuki didn't want to be scolded for following weird men and putting herself in danger. Not to mention the awkward question of as to why she'd followed Black.
Thus even when they went to inform the police at the local police box, she didn't speak up about her photo evidence even when the two cops made fun of Detective Boys. Well, at least the kids got information about the radio interview going live, cluing them on the urgency of the situation. But even when they presented the strap as an evidence, the two officers remained skeptical and amused. So they only took the strap as evidence to it to be tested whether or not it was real blood in it.
"They are indulging us." Chiyuki muttered. While it was true than the blood had dried and turned rusty brown already, it was still annoying how… disinclined to help they were.
"If only we knew what 'P & A' meant…" Conan pondered aloud.
"P and A make 'PA', but…" Agasa said.
"Is it a store with 'PA' in its name?" Ayumi asked. "Like bakery [panya] or something similar!"
"No…" Conan rebutted. "If he was driven by necessity and wanted to tell us 'PA' then he would've put his blood on the 'PA' on 'Paul'. We should split the code in half and think about it…"
And thus the children started thinking. Chiyuki joined in that too even if she knew the code should be considered as one whole.
"P and A… P and A…"
"Pink and red [akairo]…"
"Wrestling [puroresu] and beanpaste [anman]…"
"PC and access…"
"Pistol and assassin…"
"Parrot and red panda [akai panda]…" Well, those were in Chiyuki's mind currently. And… apparently Conan didn't hear her as he got stuck with Ai's first thoughts.
"Ah, maybe is means 'Parking Area'!" Mitsuhiko realized.
"Oh, parking!" Agasa was on board.
"But we don't know which parking area!" Genta retorted.
"Maybe it means that he left another clue where he parked his car!"
"Yeah, I thought the same thing at first, so I checked the car-park again, but found nothing…" Conan added. "Alright, let's split up and ask if anyone's seen a couple of guys and a foreigner around! If you figure something out, contact me with the detective badge!"
And then Ayumi noticed her missing badge and Conan realized they could track Black through that. The faux-child finally called the police who knew him and would actually act on the information given by him.
Conan sent Agasa to get his car. Chiyuki swapped cameras. The previous one's last roll had come full when she'd taken photo of Conan making the call.
She listened with half-ear Ai's suspicions about Black. Rest of her attention was on the passing cars and…
Snap!
"Hello, father. I really don't need you to my life." Chiyuki thought idly but then went to calm down Ai who'd been spooked by Akai's still lingering BO scent.
"Are you okay, Ai-neechan?"
"J-Just fine. Don't worry about it, Chi-chan."
"…okay." Did Ai not want to worry Chiyuki or did she not trust her enough to actually tell her worries? Granted, Ai thought Chiyuki as a genuine child so she probably took to herself not telling things her because of that… But it was still… Chiyuki felt so useless.
Agasa arrived with his beetle and they drove to meet up with Yumi who was at a road blockade and thus should've spotted Black in one of the cars heading out of Tokyo.
"There was no foreigner…" The policewoman told them though.
"What does that mean, Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked.
"Where is the car at?" Mitsuhiko continued.
"It's still on the move, 8 kilometers from here but I'm about to run out of battery." Conan replied.
"So the culprits must have a way to not rouse attention." Chiyuki concluded. "Someway to get past the inspection by looking completely normal despite the unusual situation."
"If he's got the badge on him, then let's ask him where he is!" Genta suggested.
"That won't do… the ringtone would make the culprits notice it and our only clue would be crushed." Ai countered.
"So we'll have to solve the 'P & A' clue…" Agasa stated. Yes, they were indeed back in square one. And Chiyuki couldn't help but roll her eyes at the suggestions while taking two more pictures.
"Edogawa-kun…" She spoke up then. Sorry to steal Ayumi's chance to give a hint but this had gone on long enough. "I've been thinking for a while but… Could the clue mean 'panda'?"
"That's…" Conan blinked at her. "That's indeed it! Well done, Harumori-san! I got it now. I know where James Black is!"
"Great to hear." Chiyuki smiled, lifting the camera to capture Conan's smug smile. It was time to explain his deduction and hatch a plan in order to save Black. Chiyuki had her camera ready. This would be a nice investigation scrapbook.
Detectives Satou and Takagi arrived and to them Conan explained about patrol cars and the fact that they were first introduced in England and called there 'panda cars'.
"Speaking of which, I let one patrol car pass without checking…" Yumi remembered. "But there was no foreigner…"
"Did the officers inside look suspicious?" Ai asked.
"No… two officers were sitting in the back with the suspect, who had coat over him, sat in between them… Aaaaahhh!"
Bingo.
Time for chase.
Chiyuki sat happily on the back seat of Agasa's beatle. She had the middle seat and thus is was a bit though fit as there was five of them aboard. Genta was thankfully on the front seat. Conan was listening through a detective badge planted in Satou's car the conversation Satou and Takagi had about the suspects and very likely situation that they were armed.
"There's a way to do that!" Conan cut in the conversation.
"C-Conan-kun!?"
"A badge!?"
"Sorry! I secretly placed it there a while ago!"
"Where are you now?"
"About 500 meters behind your car! Hey, what will you do? I've got a plan in mind but will you try it out?" The boy asked. "Well, for this stupid plan to succeed, we'll need many other officers to take part."
About fifteen minutes later, Conan got the okay to start their part of the plan. Chiyuki snapped a photo of the kids cheering excitedly at the prospect of acting out a kidnapping scheme and thus lead fake cops to a trap.
Agasa sped by the car of the fake cops. Satou's car tagged behind them, sirens ringing. Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi put a good show for the fakers. Chiyuki giggled kiddily as she listened them.
"Well? Is it working?" Ai asked Conan.
"It's ok! It's going fine!" The boy reassured her, covering her from the view as Akai's car slowed past them. "You don't have to worry…"
Chiyuki twisted around in he seat and trained her camera through the back window at the fakers' car. It wasn't the best angle and view especially with as shitty camera as she had but… she made do.
And thus she managed to witness the group of police cars surrounding the fake patrol car and then brake in synchronization.
"They got them!" Chiyuki exclaimed. "Let's turn back!"
She really wanted to photo the conclusion of the case before Black slipped away.
She did get her photo. Photo of Black walking away after the culprits had been arrested (Chiyuki had a photo of the arrest as well). Then she took a photo of Black getting into Akai' car but then she had to hurry back to Ai, before she noticed Chiyuki had wandered off.
Ai and Conan were dissecting Black's name and possible references as the man had struck to them as odd and suspicious.
"I really hope that okaa-san won't be mad at me for getting involved in yet another case…" Chiyuki stated aloud, pouting.
"Ah… I'm sure she'll understand. Besides we were in no direct danger." Ai comforted her.
"Maybe you are right…"
"Alright, children! Time to go!" Agasa called to them. Ah, yes… they needed to go a give statements at the police station about this case.
"Coming!"
James got on Akai's car after being released from the kidnappers. There was a flash of something behind him but when he turned to look around, there was nothing to be seen. Curious…
"As expected…" Akai mused aloud once they were on the road. "Being able to make such a code immediately. When did you notice? That they were fake cops…"
"When they addressed me in Japanese." James replied, removing his glasses in order to clean them. "If they were policemen and knew I was a foreigner who could speak Japanese, they would've asked for my name first… So that's how I knew that they were fishy guys, pretending not to know who I was. Well, it seems they mistook me for someone else."
Amusing how such mix up had happened twice in the same day by two completely different groups of people. And interesting how on both times it had been the same kids bailing him out.
"But I'm surprised, you ended up cutting your hair."
"It's a renewal since my lover dumped me." Akai smirked.
"And? You bothered to call me so… think you'll be able to get back together with them?" There was a lot of unsaid context in the conversation. James was very aware of the death of Miyano Akemi and that Akai now had Gin in his sights. Oh dear, his subordinates, such vendettas they both had. First with Jodie and Vermouth and now Akai and Gin. James could only hope that they'd remember caution as well. But that was why he was here. He'd give operational support and oversight to them while being ready to pull them back if needed.
"Yes… I'll make them regret it. And shall shed bloody tears due to it." Moment of tension occurred before it vanished. "By the way… did you get a good look on that girl with the camera?"
"Not exactly… She was fairly smart and good at telling differences between faces but she was largely overshadowed by the young Holmes." Why was Akai curious about her? Had some new information come up? Jodie had already informed them about Edogawa boy and Vermouth's nickname to him even if meeting the boy himself had been a coincidence.
"She is the girl Vermouth rescued from the bus. Though initially it was possible for her to save the girl simply in order to keep up the façade, Jodie went through her evidence and discovered another photo from Vermouth's target board."
"Oh?"
"Aside from 'Angel', 'Cool Guy' and 'Sherry', there was a photo of that girl. She is named 'Star' in it."
"Any indication as to what the girl's name is then?"
"Harumori. But when Jodie went through Teitan elementary's records, there was no Harumori listed as a student."
"So you think she could be a plant."
"She was aiming a camera at you when you came here. And I bet she took a photo of me when I drove past the kids."
"This is worrying… We don't know what she is planning with Edogawa-kun and Harumori-kun yet it's obvious she is going to lengths in order to gain their trust."
"Unless they already work actively with her. The boy is already wary of me and was on the scene of Akemi's death. He is cozy with numerous police officers and regarding Sleeping Kogorou's reputation, has been on numerous crime scenes."
"While the girl takes directions from him and discreetly observes everyone around them."
"She was aiming for the watch of one of the busjackers during the boy's plan. The watch which turned out to be trigger to the bombs."
This was worrying… Worrying indeed. Especially when they didn't know how widespread the prospect of organization using children as young as first graders as agents was. Hopefully it was only limited to Vermouth and those two. The other four children hadn't seemed suspicious though one of them did resemble the assumed target of the woman, 'Sherry'.
"Let's focus on Vermouth's role as Araide and keep those two in mind in the case we see some interactions between her and the children." Black decided. And considering that Araide was the school nurse for both Teitan elementary and high, the likelihood that there would be future interactions was considerable.
A/N: I intended to have Akai pov here at the end but it became Black pov after all... but hey, at least we get some thoughts from Akai during the dialogue.
Replies to guest reviews:
-Topaz Leaves: (sorry, I couldn't pm you)
Thank you. I haven't written such an emotional character before so I sometime worry about whether or not I go overboard. Ah, you are talking about aftermath of Itakura case where Ran and Conan meet with Akai accidentally. Akai at first talks like he is speaking with Akemi (though it seems at first he refers to the New York meeting) before retracking and saying that Ran simply reminds him of someone else.
-Tsuki:
You're welcome! I hope you like this chapter as well!