"What's wrong Kindaichi?"
"Can't sleep on planes due to something that happened a couple of years ago, more explanations on the ground though"
"Understood"
Finally they landed and Kindaichi was half asleep by the time they got to his apartment and so the group simply let him sleep and Akechi and Kenmochi were the ones who explained Kindaichi's issues regarding sleeping on planes
"Won't he be mad you two gave the explanation?"
"Not really, he gave us permission in private before the flight because he wasn't sure how exhausted he would be at the end"
"Okay, what's going on?"
And so Akechi and Kenmochi explain the situation that Kindaichi found himself in one year before training to become a police officer that involved a plane
"That's why he can't sleep anymore, it's not simple paranoia keeping him awake it's the need to make sure that he's prepared for another emergency"
"Exactly, his therapist thinks he's gotten as good as he's going to get on plane rides because trust me he wouldn't even get on a plane initially"
"Has he been trying?"
"Regularly, with us and with his therapist, nothing seems to work though"
"Right, well in any case he needs sleep"
"Yeah, he doesn't have work tomorrow, there's a standing procedure regarding Kindaichi and plane rides because of his issues"
"I see, so how will I be able to help if I can't work officially?"
"That's something we're going to have to ask our bosses about"
"Maybe...maybe your doctor can certify me as fit at some point depending on how long I'm here"
"Maybe, we'll see as we go on"
"In any case it's getting late"
"Yeah, bed time for everyone"
And so they go to bed, eventually waking up and starting to try and figure out how Li would help in the meantime since he wasn't medically cleared for duty
"Let's just talk to our bosses and go from there, how's therapy anyways Li?"
"I can walk at least so that's something"
"You were also in an induced coma for a couple of months"
"That was just to let my body heal without me feeling any pain and for them to do surgeries"
"Didn't they mention recently a possible concussion that healed while in the medical coma?"
"Yes, but if I did have a concussion it was minor enough that it didn't cause any permanent damage"
"How can you know that for sure?"
"My sense of smell and taste were off for about two weeks after I woke up from the coma"
"Did the doctor's know?"
"Nope"
"Li..."
"Part of it was that I initially didn't even realize something was different since I was on a very bland and definitely liquid diet and was in a sterile hospital room, when I did realize that two of my senses were off I was already starting to recover them so I didn't think anything of it"
"Oh, that makes sense then"
"Yeah, anyways back to Li's situation, how about we simply drive him to the station and show our boss the tape of the trials that Li was involved in and go from there"
"That should work, and it's probably best I get a checkup anyways after such a long ride and little opportunity to stretch"
"Good point, that leg..."
"Exactly"
And so the group heads to the police station where the boss of the three expresses relief that Li had survived his ordeal, and while he wasn't medically cleared for duty they would accept his help in the form of watching the videos and then talking about what he remembered, he also got looked at by their doctor who was shocked at his medical file
"You're lucky to be alive you know that?"
"Yes I do"
"I don't know how your spleen wasn't lacerated or too badly damaged and needing to be removed through surgery"
"The doctor's aren't entirely sure how I managed to keep my spleen undamaged either"
"Good, everyone's clueless then because your memories also don't state how you avoided the damage"
"Yeah, it might have happened during one of the sedated periods of...of being raped that I should have been hurt there but it might not have, we just don't know"
"In any case, the main thing keeping you from being medically cleared right now is that leg of yours, you still have some work to do and that crutch and brace...they might keep you from being back on the force, but it's not definite yet"
"I know"
"For now though you can help us find the people who originally abducted you through watching the case in the US again with everyone and answering questions about whatever you remember from wherever you were at any given time, though the Americans sent a report regarding where you had been found and what condition you were found in"
"I see, did they also send pictures?"
"Yes, you weren't in any of them, though that's because the reports mentioned you being sent to the hospital in critical condition"
"Yes, I was barely alive when I was found and I apparently almost died during surgery three different times, as it was I had a couple of transfusions while in the coma"
"In any case I'll continue your physical therapy while you're here in Japan"
"Thanks"
"But tomorrow, today we need to do some special exercises that you might think of as physical therapy but they're not, mainly because it's exercises that I do whenever I'm on long flights and don't get many opportunities to stretch my legs"
"Then let's do them, I already know I need to stretch more"
"Sore leg?"
"Yeah"
And so Li is shown the exercises that definitely looked like physical therapy but weren't, and being guided by the doctor carefully does the exercises to help him, the doctor also makes sure that Li was taking a special medicine that was surprisingly not a blood thinner and yet helped prevent blood clots, however the medicine was not as effective as blood thinners were and thus were only prescribed for specific situations such as long plane rides
"Have you taken them as prescribed?"
"Yes, the first dose was one hour before the flight and then taken as told throughout the trip and I just stopped them this morning"
"Good, now then how are your legs feeling after that exercise, especially the left one?"
"They're doing good, the left one is a bit worse in regards to soreness but..."
"That's the one with rods"
"Exactly"
"And you were warned that leg would always be more affected by things then the right leg, you're going to have to be especially careful regarding weather"
"I know"
"Now then, let's get back to the group so that they know exactly what limitations are on you"
And so the group simply watches the video's and questions Li about everything he remembered including things that he had stated he would not be talking about since he deemed them irrelevant to the case which was true for the most part, what he remembered wasn't relevant for the American case, but could potentially be relevant for the Chinese case at the very least seeing as how part of what he had heard was in Chinese
"Why not simply explain that to the court?"
"Because what I heard might not actually be related"
"Oh"
"Exactly, I heard the words primarily through doors, and then there's the fact that I think one of the drugs given to me initially distorted my hearing"
"So...what now?"
"Physical therapy primarily and maybe helping identify people that were involved in my abduction and start the other international cases"
"Do you think you'll ever be certified again?"
"Not sure guys, time will tell though, time will tell"
"Very well"
Ultimately Li was right in that time would tell if he was able to be certified as a police officer or not, he had been in Japan for two and a half months with his family visiting him twice and he had done what he could to help with the international cases as well when one day he had been called to the station that Kindaichi, Akechi and Kenmochi worked at very suddenly on a day all three were surprisingly off and once there all four were escorted to the big boss' office and saw someone strange to basically everyone
"Li, this man here has something to tell you"
"Detective Li, I've been reviewing your medical files and all notes on your physical therapy for the past month, and I am pleased to say that you are now officially a police officer again, your transfer to the Hong Kong police has been official as of a month and a half ago retroactively and per an agreement between Japan and Hong Kong you are allowed to carry your arms wherever you go in Japan just as the Japanese police officers are allowed to carry their arms while in Hong Kong"
"Thank you, but I believe my friends have some explaining to do now"
"Er, right we totally forgot about that bit didn't we Akechi, ossan?"
"Yes, we totally did seeing as how we're so used to it now"
"Okay, now then one of you explain please, I do not need to hear three different people telling me what happened"
"Akechi it is then since he's the only person to know the full story of how that came about"
"That's right I was, forgot about that actually, and by the way it's not my fault I'm the only person who knows the full story"
"True, but things are what they are and it's a fact of life that you're the only one who can truly explain things to Li"
"How are you the only person to know the full story Akechi?"
"Because I'm right in the middle of it unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you actually look at things now that I think about it several years in the future"
"Wait what?"
"Yeah, story time Li"
And so Akechi explains just how the agreement between Japan and Hong Kong came about regarding both sides being able to use their weapons at need in either country. How during the year Kindaichi was healing and getting ready to finally become a police officer Kenmochi was sent on a six month training period in the United Kingdom of all places, however because it was done by people who spoke Japanese fluently Kenmochi didn't really have the chance to learn English. As for Akechi he had been sent to Hong Kong because of Takato Yoichi and things got complicated with him and Hong Kong officers going back and forth, but because neither side could use weapons in their counterparts home it was hindering their ability to arrest Takato and his associates and after two incidents one in each country it was decided that both groups needed the ability to use their weapons no matter where they were and so the two governments came together and sorted things out so that their was such an agreement