Kaito and Shinichi met up with the rest of the group after stopping Heiji. Dahlia had finished the tour. Her and Chamomile were off to document their mistake and endure the inevitable lecture, which would eventually make its way to the boy.
Since it was getting late, everyone decided to go to sleep and meet at the breakfast area that next morning. The trio went to their room and sorted out the sleeping situation.
"So? Who's sleeping where?" the child questioned. It had been decided earlier that he would be the one sharing as he was smaller.
Kaito jumped at the opportunity, "Nose Goes! I want the single bed!" he yelled, slapping his hand to his nose.
Shinichi only laughed, "Well, you heard the man, Heiji! Guess you gotta share." he said while patting the empty space beside him.
The detective huffed and agreed reluctantly.
A look came over the child's face, "Oh, Kaito. Can I borrow some clothes?" he asked, "I forgot mine, and I haven't been able to exercise properly."
The thief only grunted in response and waved at his suitcase. Translation: he didn't care.
The sleeping arrangements only served to be awkward, though neither teen could quite discern why. It paired with Kaito's loud snoring left little room for proper sleep.
A sense of Deja-vu fell over Shinichi as he woke up yet again as the little spoon. The only notable difference this time was the fact that both Kaito and Heiji were still asleep.
He contemplated the figure behind him for a moment, but his sleep-hazed mind could only recognize how warm he was. Almost immediately, he was lulled back to sleep.
The assassin woke up again around an hour after the first time. The others were still asleep. Seriously, how long could they sleep for? Thankfully, Heiji had moved away from him so he could get up.
Kaito's suitcase was laid open and jumbled; the boy hoped that he could find something suitable. After a few minutes of searching, he salvaged a black shirt and yoga pants, which he went to the bathroom to put on.
His exercises were uneventful, but he was beginning to wonder when the two rocks would wake up. It was getting to be about noon, and they were meant to meet with the others hours before.
Once done with his shower, the assassin checked the burner phone. It had only one message, 'You're being followed. Phone bugged. Throw away.' He cursed. Who could possibly be following him, and how would he contact Jodie about it?
Suddenly, the phone rang with a sickening chime. He answered, dreading the words he would hear.
"This is a previously recorded message," an automated voice started. Soon, a woman's voice was heard, "It's a lonely thing. Terribly lonely. I hope you've realized yourself. It is naught but a way to escape atonement. You will feel the same pain, Kudo Shinichi." her voice was heavily modified, and the line went dead before he could reply.
Fear welled up inside him, a pipe ready to burst. He was well aware of who he was facing; this message was hideously ominous. Who were they targeting? Even worse, he had no feasible way to contact his boss.
"Shinichi? Good mornin'." Heiji had only just awoken. The assassin quickly pushed his fear down before he was questioned.
"Good morning…" he answered, angry at the warble in his voice, "A-anyway, wake up that boy. We're hours late."
Thankfully, the time startled the detective enough for him to dismiss the suspicious behavior.
The trio was finally out of the room, Kaito having to be dragged, and they met with the rest of the group. Understandably so, the others seemed angry at their tardiness.
"These two wouldn't wake up," Shinichi explained. He had changed back after taking his shower.
"Brats, we don't have time to do anything anymore. We have an office to run. Can't deprive the world of the great detective Mori Kogoro!" the so-called 'great detective' boasted.
While he had to act saddened, the assassin was elated that they were leaving so soon. Then, he wondered.
"Wait, what about the case we came here for?" he asked.
What followed was arguably the worst explanation he had ever been forced to listen to, but he was able to gather that the case was a fluke. The 'suspicious people' were the owner's kids trying to get attention during the break.
Out of the corner of his eye, the boy spotted a woman. She was tall, black jeans, black jacket, and black hat. She slightly waved and mouthed the word 'atone'. It took all he had not to bring attention to himself. Why was she so fixated on him anyway?
Quickly, he interrupted the detective and essentially pushed them out the door using his childish physique to sell them. He gained a few weird glances from those who knew his identity. He kept his gaze fixed forward.
Of course, those there for the KID heist were forced to stay either way, so they said their goodbyes at the door. Kaito was slightly sad about the shortness of his friend's stay, but he understood.
The thief, unbeknown to the assassin, had caught a glimpse of the woman and subconsciously made a note to keep an eye on her. His internal alarm was constantly blaring, enough so that he became unusually observant. However, as the heist was happening in a few short hours, he was made to hurry.
The room he had shared that night was still allowed to him as long as Nakamori was there. Someone well-known would create revenue.
His poker face steeled through endless training, he sharpened his perception and allowed his instincts to guide him. This would be a long night.
The sight of the building disappearing gave a sense of relief to the small assassin, but he knew that they were around each corner. It wasn't much of a hiding place when he was constantly around famous people on either side of the law. He briefly wondered why he had not recognized any agent he had worked under, but the inner machinations of Jodie's mind were a mystery.
The child soon became privy to the short glances he would periodically receive from Heiji. His behavior since that morning had been off, and he was perfectly aware of it. The phone call had shaken him more than it should have, and he hated that he had left Kaito alone in that building.
Kogoro had been speaking on the phone while he thought. He gained a peculiarly serious face as he listened.
"Hmm, yes sir…I understand. We're heading back now." he mumbled into the receiver. An audible click ended the one-sided conversation, "Looks like we got a suspicious letter back at the agency. Amuro Tooru checked our mail for us." he explained.
Amuro? Shinichi remembered something Jodie had said about him recently, that he was undercover as Bourbon for the
National Police Agency Security Bureau… something. He couldn't remember the full name at the moment. Wasn't his real name something else?
While curious, he decided that he wouldn't pursue it at the moment. As long as Jodie was aware that he was an ally. He even began to wonder whether they could work together eventually.
Heiji was slightly concerned by the boy's silence through the ride. Rather than seeming spaced out, he seemed acutely aware of them and their surroundings. His eyes narrowed with the conversation and glanced out the window with the passing cars. In fact, this behavior had begun early this morning before the detective had woken. What happened.
Thankfully, the car ride was only as long as expected. Though, expectations made them arrive late into the night. A storm had followed them throughout the trip and took their stop as an invitation to flood the streets. Rain streamed down the windows in sheets, discouraging any attempt to leave the car.
Soaked, the group was finally able to make it inside. On the table lay a note with an envelope beside it. In short, the message explained that the letter threatened their agency, and Amuro had been keeping a close eye on it. The rest was clearly pandering, saying that his surveillance was nowhere near what the 'great detective's' would be.
The letter had nothing to do with Shinichi's strange call earlier. Instead, it blatantly targeted Kogoro as revenge for an unnamed reason. Being his proud self, the oaf decided to pursue the case individually.
For once, the assassin had no qualms. He was more interested in contacting his boss. As things were, he assumed that the best way would be to visit the hide-out personally.
When Shinichi woke the next day, he immediately poured himself into exercises. Ran had conveniently gone out with friends and left the two boys to their own devices.
Suddenly, Heiji's phone rang. He answered nonchalantly, his face blank. Based on the loud screaming on the other line, the assassin assumed that it was Kazuha, and she was angry about something. The phone hung up abruptly, sending the detective into a panic to pack his things. He explained as he ran from room to room.
"Kazuha called me. She reminded me of a festival I was supposed ta go ta. It's tomorrow!" he ran over after gathering his things and surprisingly hugged Shinichi, "Don't do anythin' stupid, okay?" With that, he was gone.
The assassin sat silently in the office, emptiness constricting his thoughts. He hadn't been truly alone for the entire summer, and the sudden quiet was simultaneously relieving and exceedingly disturbing.
Loneliness gnawed at him, but he pushed it away and focused on the matter at hand. He needed to report to his boss, and his regular phone was unsafe.
The silence left his ears ringing loudly, but a sound shocked him from his stupor. It was the door. Creeping ever so slowly to the entrance, he was greeted with only an empty space before him and a phone lying on the welcome mat.
He picked the phone up carefully and inspected it before it suddenly rang.
"Hello?" Shinichi questioned.
"Hi!" a familiar voice sounded back, "I see you've received your new phone. I decided to send it to you directly because, as it stands, it would be too dangerous for you to return here."
While grateful that he was saved the trip, he wondered why she was worried about security. Other than that woman, he hadn't seen anyone else.
"Why don't you want me to come there?" he asked.
Jodie clarified quickly and concisely, "The Black Organization is now targeting you directly. I should have mentioned that their higher-ups have wires and cameras. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see that Gin himself was after you. His new gophers have taken parts of his job away."
"Wait, so I have one of the people directly under Rum targeting me?" he asked in disbelief. This was entirely too early.
"Yes, that's why I don't want you here. I'm going to send you jobs unrelated to the BO for now, but don't think this means you don't have to work." she reprimanded slightly.
Her words made the assassin think. He had heard of other agents being paid, but she hadn't mentioned it to him. Would he get paid; was this some sort of twisted job?
His silence prompted her along, "By the way, I do have a job for you. And, Because I know you're so worried about it, check your bank account." her smile could be heard.
At first, he resented her teasing, but then he realized what she had said. Had he already been paid? The child's bank account had been left unchecked for a while as he had no reason to buy anything. Sometimes being a 'freeloader' was nice.
The app loaded in, and Shinichi was taken aback by the sheer amount. While before his account had been relatively modest, he now had over one million wired in from an anonymous user.
"Lives are worth more than you think," Jodie chuckled as the line went dead.
Buzzing almost immediately after, the new phone provided him with information on a job.
Finally, some fun.