Kogoro was driving with Ran and Conan to the mansion of a client.

"And he was disguised as you, Ran-neechan! Can you believe it?" Conan excitedly rambled. "And then he threw down a smoke bomb and completely disappeared! No matter where I looked I couldn't find him. He's so cool! And guess what! He called me a precious fan, a precious fan!" The boy gushed.

"Yes, we know." Kogoro grumbled. "You've told us this story like five times. Can you shut up already?"

"Dad..." Ran glared. "That's very interesting, Conan-kun. I wonder where he escaped to." She encouraged.

"I bet he jumped into the sea." Kogoro sarcastically said.

"Of course not." Conan said. "He must've had several escape routes planned. He wouldn't have to resort to that."

"But didn't you say you couldn't find him no matter where you looked?" Ran asked.

"Well yeah, but he probably just disguised as someone else. Although, I didn't see anyone nearby..." He trailed off bringing a hand to his chin.

"Anyway..." Ran turned to Kogoro. "You said that the president of the Nagato group wanted you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't they as big as Sonoko's family? What would such a big person want with you?"

"I bet it's a difficult case." Kogoro gloated. "He wanted me, the great detective Mouri Kogoro, after all."

"Could just be an affair investigation." Conan jibed.

Kogoro gave him a quick but furious glare. "You better be glad you're in the back seat."

Conan shut up, having some self preservation, and just looked out the window until they eventually arrived at the mansion. It was almost even more huge and extravagant than he was expecting.

They were led inside and, turns out, the president wanted Kogoro to find his long lost love, which Conan couldn't help but chuckle at (not without a glare from Kogoro). The secretary, Hyuuga, explained to him the details.

Kogoro dejectedly asked, "So, who's this old friend of yours that recommended me?"

The door opened and an official looking man came in. "That would be me." He said. "Although, it was more my son who recommended you."

Kogoro looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Who're you?"

"Ah, that's Hattori Heizo." The president said. "The superintendent of the Osaka prefectural police."

"S-superintendent!?" Kogoro yelled.

"Eh!?" Ran shouted.

Conan just looked at him nonchalantly. He looked boring, and just not pleasant to be around in general.

But, wait. Osaka? Hattori? Did that mean..?

"Hey, Kudo!" A familiar Osakan popped out from behind Heizo. "How's it been?"

Conan sighed. This guy again. He seemed a little.. out of it. At least he seemed nice, though.. maybe.

"Hattori Heiji!?" Ran and Kogoro both yelled in surprise.

"Wait, did you say Kudo?" Ran asked, confused.

Conan's eyes widened in realization. He gave Hattori a pointed look and furiously brought his finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.

Hattori's eyes also widened in realization.

"What do you mean 'Kudo'?"

"Ah, kiddo! I said kiddo. Not Kudo." Hattori laughed and ruffled Conan's hair. "Y'know, this little guy."

The two gave her nervous, cheerful smiles, and she seemed to buy it.

Thankfully, a couple of others came into the room, taking the attention away from the two.

Members of the household soon came and left, and Heizo said that he should head back to Osaka.

"Huh? You're not gonna stay the night? And what about that thing?" The president asked.

"It's alright." Heizo awkwardly put his hand atop Heiji's head. "I'll leave this boy in my stead. He's still a novice but he's got good instincts so I think he'll be helpful."

Hmm...

Conan would like to think that he and Hattori are at pretty much the same level in terms of their detective skills, and, since him and the Sleeping Kogoro were the same, that means he was saying Kogoro was still a novice.

Heh. Ironic.

A few hours later, they gathered back in the president's room to celebrate his birthday.

Conan grabbed Hattori's sleeve and pulled him down so he could ask, "So, why'd you call me here?"

"Do I need a reason? I just wanted to see ya." He answered with a cheeky smile.

Conan just nonchalantly flipped open his watch and pointed it at the teen.

A panicked expression immediately formed on Hattori's face and he put his hands up in a placating motion.

Nice reaction.

He's always wanted to threaten someone with that.

"Fine, fine! I'll tell you, okay? Just put the watch away." Hattori pleaded.

Conan put down the watch with a satisfied smile.

However, unfortunately for the boy, the phone rang interrupting their conversation. The butler picked it up and soon a loud scream came from the other end. The man, Mitsuaki, said that he had been stabbed by someone in the room below. They rushed to the balcony and saw what seemed to be the son, Hideomi, with a bloodied knife in his mouth. They ran to Mitsuaki's room and, unsurprisingly, found him dead, impaled on the fence below.

The police soon arrived and began their investigation. They were able to figure out that the murderer wasn't necessarily Hideomi (thanks to Hattori) considering they were wearing bandages on their face and a hat, but the fact remained that they still needed to find the guy.

Conan pointed out that there was an odd wound on Mitsuaki's hand with fake childish curiosity, but was immediately brushed off by Kogoro as usual. But Conan kind of agreed with him; it didn't seem too important.. yet.

But, they were currently all walking away from the president's room, after a quick scare that he was in danger because the culprit could still be in the mansion. Conan and Hattori strayed behind the group.

"Heiji-niichan." Conan called out to him. "Isn't it about time you told me?"

"Hmm?" Hattori looked down at him in acknowledgement.

"Y'know, why you called me here in the first place." Conan said.

"Ah, the president said that he's been hearing strange noises in the night."

"Strange noises?" Conan repeated.

"Yeah, like someone runnin' down the halls and something hitting the walls."

"So it could be premeditated huh?"

"Yeah-"

"Ah, you two have become good friends, haven't you?" Ran suddenly appeared behind them and asked, startling the two.

"Y-yeah, this kid was pestering me to tell 'im who the culprit is." Hattori said and put a hand on Conan's head, which the boy silently grumbled at.

"Eh? The culprit isn't Hideomi?" Ran asked.

"W-well, when I figure it out I'll tell everyone."

"Then, will we hear that funny accent you used last time during your deduction?"

Conan could practically feel Hattori bristling with anger. He furiously laughed. "Maybe... Don't expect much!" He gave a quick glare to Conan.

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Hattori yelled at Conan. "Look at what you've done!" He sighed and put a hand to his head. "What am I gonna do now..?"

Conan stifled a laugh and gave him a cheeky grin. "I'll be expecting it!"

Hattori sent him a smirk. "Well, it doesn't really matter to me if your secret's exposed. I hope you won't mind if I show that nee-chan that bowtie of yours."

It was now Conan's turn to send him a glare. "Fuck you."

"Ah! Language, language!"

The two laughed and headed back to the others.

As much as Conan may say he doesn't like Hattori, he can't help but admit he enjoys spending time with the guy. It was nice to have someone treat him as an equal despite his age (even if he did think a completely different person and ten years older than he actually was, but that's besides the point). (And it was also nice to be able to swear in front of adults with little to no repercussions.)

Anyway, they eventually found Hideomi two days later, when Miyuki dropped her fountain pen in the pond. They found his body at the bottom, weighed down by some rocks, with a suicide note in his pocket.

Everyone was convinced that Hideomi was the culprit, but both Conan and Heiji knew that wasn't the case. The two convened back in the mansion and they shared their thoughts. They both agreed that Hideomi was murdered, perhaps even before the first case. They then went off to gather information from the staff but only found out that no one left the house and Hideomi ate more than usual on the day of the murder, and that a few sheets went missing.

"Hey, Kudou!" Hattori called out to Conan who was still in the kitchen. "C'mere for a second."

Conan took a second to realize he was being called and followed Hattori out of the kitchen.

"Look at this." Hattori pointed at the underside of one of the balconies. There was an odd mark that looked like something hit it.

"There's some over here too." Hattori said, looking at the next balcony over. Conan ran over. "And a lot of them too."

This was definitely suspicious.

"Who's room is this?" Conan asked.

"Nobuko's I believe." Hattori answered.

"Good, let's go." Conan said, running back inside, with Hattori hesitantly following.

Conan quietly opened her door and quickly began searching the room. Hattori took a quick peek outside and nervously shut the door.

"Hey, Kudo..?" Hattori asked but the boy didn't reply. "Kudo?"

"Ah-! Yeah?" Conan looked up to the teen, finally realizing he was being addressed.

He should really get used to responding to the name Kudo, now.

"Ya sure we should be doing this?" Hattori asked. "I feel like a thief."

"Come on! We're not actually stealing anything." Conan brushed off. "We're just looking through her stuff that's all!"

"I hope you realize that's still illegal."

Suddenly the phone started ringing, startling Hattori. "I-it's ringing! What should we do?" He panicked.

Conan fiddled with his bowtie and casually picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Nobuko..." He spoke into the device.

Hattori stared at the boy as if he was crazy.

"Ah, sorry it took me forever to call." The man on the other end said.

"What about?" Conan asked.

"You don't remember? Two days ago you were drunk and left a message on my home phone."

"Two days ago? When?"

"Around 10 PM, I think. You spoke for like 30 minutes, going on and on about marriage and stuff. But, if you don't remember, then don't mind it. Bye."

A perfect alibi, huh?

Conan hung up and headed out the door.

"Hey, where ya going?" Hattori quickly followed after the boy.

"Nobuko isn't the culprit; she's got an alibi. She was on the phone during the crime."

"Ah, so it really is Hideomi, huh?"

"Well, let's search his room first."

In Hideomi's room, Hattori began searching through the books, sending them every which way. Conan sent him an unnoticed glare.

And he was so careful before.

Hattori found a few unread messages on Hideomi's phone, and now they had a new suspect. They headed to Miyuki's room and found a bloody sheet, a swimming cap, and a syringe, confirming their suspicions.


Conan and Hattori stood in Miyuki's room with Kogoro sleeping, positioned on a chair.

"So..." Conan began. "We have everything we need, everything's set up, and our deduction is perfect, but..."

Hattori sighed and put a hand to his head. "Evidence. We've got no evidence." He finished.

"I can't believe it. I completely forgot." Conan groaned.

"Hey, what's the time!?" Hattori asked.

Conan checked his watch. "7:30. We've only got twenty minutes left!"

"Man! Why didn't you notice!?" Hattori yelled. "Aren't you the famous detective of the east!?"

"Well, aren't you the detective of the west!?" Conan yelled back. "And besides, aren't you the adult in the room?"

"Idiot! We're the same a-" Hattori suddenly stopped and his eyes widened. "That's it! The time!"

"Huh?" Conan asked.

"Miyuki didn't have her watch!"

Conan's eyes also widened in realization. "Ah! And her pen, the tip was broken too!" He added. (Hah! It actually was important.)

"Great! Then let's do what we planned in twenty minutes." Hattori grabbed the shopping back and started to leave for the door.

Conan turned back to the table and noticed that the water heater wasn't plugged in. He hopped up onto the table and curiously looked inside and a sad expression soon came across his face.

"Hey, Heiji-niichan..?" He asked.

Hattori stopped and turned around. "You know you don't have to call me that, right?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, 'Heiji-niichan'. It's not like anyone's around."

Yeah, he should really stop doing that.

Conan's eyes widened in panic, realizing his mistake. "A-ah! Sorry! I- I mean.. I'm just so used to it with Ran-nee-, or Ran, pestering me..." He stammered, giving Hattori a sheepish smile.

Hattori gave him a skeptical look. "That nee-chan must be real, strict huh?"

"Haha, yeah..."

"Don't tell me.." A mischievous smile formed on Hattori's face. "– you're actually a child and have been lying to me this whole time!" He joked.

Wow. He got it exactly right.

Conan nervously laughed and sweat formed on his face. "O-of course not..! I would never. Stop joking around, Hei- ah Hattori!" He corrected.

Hattori laughed. Conan sighed in relief. He seemed to buy it. "Sorry, sorry. So, what did ya want in the first place?"

"Oh," The 'amusement' on Conan's face left. "-there's gasoline in here." He tilted the container so Hattori could see.

"Oh..." Hattori said in realization.


"We're here, Hattori-kun." Megure said as he walked into the room. "What do you want- huh, Mouri-kun?" He asked, noticing the man.

"I've figured it out, Inspector..." Conan spoke from behind the bed. "The culprit who killed Mitsuaki and Hideomi."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"But wait, Hideomi killed Mitsuaki and then committed suicide." Megure said. "We analyzed the handwriting on the note and it was definitely his."

Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Ah, could you please answer that, Inspector?" Conan spoke into his bowtie.

Megure gave Kogoro an odd look. "Alright, then..?" He picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ah! It's me, it's me!"

"Hattori?" Megure asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just doing what Kogoro told me to- UWAAAAH!" Hattori suddenly screamed.

"H-hey! What happened!?"

"I dunno! Someone turned off the lights and stabbed me!"

"Where are you!?"

"The room below ya!"

Megure rushed to the balcony and, when he saw who was there, he shouted, "What!?"

"W-what happened?" The butler asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going down there to see-"

"Please wait." 'Kogoro' stopped him. "Now, this was how the culprit made everyone leave the room," A hook latched onto the balcony railing. "-to hide the truth of what truly happened." A man, face concealed in bandages, climbed over the railing.

"W-who..!?" Megure asked, shocked.

The man unraveled the bandages. "It's just me." He said, letting the final bandage fall.

"H-hattori!?"

They then began their deduction.

Hattori explained how the Hideomi they saw that day was actually Mitsuaki; he tricked them in an attempt to kill the president. But, he was killed by his accomplice, Miyuki. Hideomi had actually committed suicide and Mitsuaki had sunk him into the pond a day before his murder.

"But-!" Ran shouted out with tears in her eyes. "Hideomi saved her life! She wouldn't frame him like that! You can't just say that without proof."

Conan peeked out from behind the bed and narrowed his eyes. "Miyuki.. could you tell me the time?" He asked as Kogoro.

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Ran angrily asked.

"Oh, uh..." Miyuki looked around for a clock.

"Oh? What happened to your watch?" Conan asked.

"I, uh.. just forgot to wear it today..."

"No, you didn't forget. You couldn't wear it, the strap broke after all." Conan explained how, when Miyuki pushed Mitsuaki off, he grabbed her watch. If he tore it off, it'd be found at the crime scene, so she panicked and stabbed his hand with her fountain pen.

"But- but why!?" Ran asked.

"Probably that fire." Hattori replied.

"If we're correct, that fire 20 years ago was caused by Mitsuaki and Hideomi." Conan said.

"W-what!?" Everyone was once again shocked.

"But, there's still one thing I don't understand." Hattori turned to Miyuki. "Why'd you anger Nobuko and get us to find Hideomi's body earlier?"

"I couldn't bear to leave him there.." Miyuki said with a blank voice and a sad look in her eyes. "...In that cold water any longer."

She dashed to the table and grabbed the water heater. "Stay away!" She yelled and brought out a lighter from her pocket. "There's gasoline in here!"

Conan and Hattori both looked at her with sad, knowing looks.

"H-hey!" Megure yelled. "Don't..!'

"I mean it!" Miyuki flicked on the flame. "They're right. The note explained everything about the fire."

"Miyuki..!" Ran called out.

"I couldn't forgive them. Either of them! But.. Hideomi, I..." Tears formed in her eyes. "I.. I loved him! He- he was the only one who was there for me after the fire." She opened the lid of the container with a sad smile. "But.. he's no longer here... I'm alone again. I have to go join him."

"Miyuki wait!" Ran yelled.

"It's no use." Hattori suddenly said. "We replaced it with water."

"Huh..?" Miyuki looked inside and her eyes widened in shock, realizing he was correct. "Why? Why!? Why!?" She sobbed. "Mitsuaki's lit so easily! Why won't mine!?" She shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Conan and Hattori both looked at her with sad, guilty expressions.

A couple of officers grabbed her up. "Let me go! Let me go!" She shrieked. "I have to see him! Why can't you just let me see Hideomi!" She struggled against their holds and sobbed. "Hideomi! Hideomi!"

The police took her out the door, and, eventually, her shouts and cries faded off.

Hattori looked towards the slightly ajar door, guilt in his eyes. "Do you think it would've been better to just let her die..?" He asked the boy.

Conan looked downwards. "Who knows..."