The name of the chapter is the first case, because this is the first actual case where Conan uses his detective smarts in front of Akai in solving a case, not because it was the first case of them working together or anything. Just thought I would clarify in case there was any confusion. Also, this one is so long it took forever. I was going to make it longer, but I got a little carried away and decided to cut it a little short. Sorry about that. This is 509 and 510.

I yawned as I slowly stretched, pulling myself out of bed. So begins another day in the mundane life of Okiya Subaru.

It has been three weeks since I had moved into the quaint little apartment and began my now peaceful existence. I can't say it wasn't a bad change of pace, although it did take some getting used to. Now that I was up, might as well go water the plants. Ah, wait, it's raining today, so I didn't need to. Great.

I had arrived and the first day had decided to take Yukiko-san's advice, and that one of my new hobbies would be gardening. There was a flower bed, woefully neglected, in the yard, and it wouldn't take much of my time to just water and pull weeds every day. The first couple of days I had sighed, wondering what Gin would think if he found out, the great Akai Shuichi, wielding a hose instead of a sniper rifle. He would have probably not stopped laughing for days. Ah well, it was the intent to be different, so different that Gin would never consider Okiya Subaru and Akai Shuichi was one in the same. I was also trying to stop smoking, which was proving more difficult than I suspected it to be, but I was working on it.

I had slowly been molding and shaping Okiya Subaru into the man I wanted him to be. He was polite, a lot more delicate then Akai was, which was not exactly what I liked, but what I needed. I tried to stay in the shadows, not drawing attention to myself or my true abilities. I had not really fraternized much with my neighbors, although I had seen them around, I stayed to polite greetings and pleasantries. I had dropped by the university I was supposedly going to, and had already earned my reputation there as a quiet model student. I was going for the relaxed, laid back character, instead of the paranoid normality of Akai, which was very difficult, but I was managing.

The mask that Yukiko-san had put on me was uncomfortable to wear. The wig was scratchy at times, and it was always hot with the clothes that I constantly had to wear with long sleeves, usually a scarf or turtleneck, and seeing was a pain without opening my eyes fully, but I was slowly getting used to it. It wasn't as bothersome as dealing with the organization breathing down my neck, and I was content with the amazing work that Yukiko-san did, and would not waste her efforts.

I had returned the rental bike, under the lie that my friend had been the one to rent it, but a family emergency had come up and that I had to return it for him. Kir had returned my email with a simple message of be careful and hadn't contacted me since. James had taken care of moving everything out of my apartment, and had sent me my sniper rifle with a note saying just in case. I had bought a small car with the funds that James had wired from my Akai account to my Okiya account, and life was looking up. I was settling in.

The best thing about this setup was that I got to see her every day. I had already made it a habit of every morning and every afternoon, when it was time for school to begin and let out, to look out my window and every morning and afternoon I would see a small mop of reddish brown hair walk down the sidewalk past the apartment. She never sensed me, and she looked so relaxed and natural, compared to how uptight she was when she was with the organization. It made me slightly happy to see her like this, enjoying life, and I am sure the boy has something to do with it.

I go about my day, with the intention that I had to go back tonight to visit Yukiko-san. It had been another week after all, and it was time for me to get a new mask. This one was starting to unstick from my skin and not fall apart but no longer look natural. I was becoming closer to Yukiko-san. She was such a friendly, remarkable woman; I couldn't help but relax around her, even if she was high maintenance.

It was around two in the afternoon when I got an email from Kir.

Watch out. New member. Bourbon.

I narrowed my eyes and sighed. You just had to ruin my favorite drink didn't you organization? I wonder who it could be. Kir wouldn't tell me that a new member was on the move unless this person was a threat to me, or Haibara. I will have to be on my guard for a little while. I wonder if she gave Jodie the same information, and had passed that information onto the boy. I bet he would like to be privy to that info since he is helping me protect her as well.

It was around ten when I walked outside, with the intention of just walking over since I know it isn't far. Soon enough I knock on the door and once again Yukiko-san opens it with a mischievous grin.

"Oh Subaru-kun, come in I was waiting on you."

"How are you Yukiko-san?"

"Doing well. Are you ready to learn how to cook?"

That wasn't exactly what I came over here for, but I suppose I can learn a little something while I am here. She skipped into the kitchen.

"Come along. It won't take nearly as long to do tonight Subaru-kun, since I have already done it a couple of times. I have already started on the mask. You can go ahead and take that off."

I carefully take off the wig, hairnet, and peel the mask away from my face, breathing a sigh of relief. Fresh air against my skin never felt so good.

"Tonight first though, I am going to teach you how to take the mask off and putting it back on so you can take it off when you sleep."

I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You mean you can take this off without damaging it?"

Then why did I suffer through three weeks of not taking it off if that was the case. Yukiko-san giggled.

"So you could get used to it. If I didn't do that, then you would have taken it off most chances you could get, and it was important the first few weeks for no one to get suspicious of you."

I sighed. That did make a lot of sense. While she was showing me how to take off and put on the mask, she gave me pointers of how to preserve the mask, and asked me about my week and how everything was settling in. After that she kept asking about my personal life, like past cases that I had worked on. I obliged in all of her questions, and mostly kept the cases to simple ones that were long resolved and didn't involve the organization. When I asked why she was curious, she just grinned innocently.

"My husband writes mystery novels and was a detective, and he loves a good case. You seem like you come across some very intriguing ones."

She taught me some more about makeup, like I shouldn't wear makeup when it was raining outside because it would run, and other tips that made my head spin. I had already learned some and had practiced on myself with her supervision. I have never felt so stupid in my life, but she patiently explained everything that I needed to do.

After practicing some, she allowed me to stay in my regular face as she taught me how to make some simple dishes like rice, soup, and eggs. This is my first time learning how to cook, and I am slightly nervous that there is no fire extinguisher or any other precautionary methods nearby. She had grinned very terrifyingly as I had burned the rice, stated that she loved a challenge and tried again. At one point we heard sirens, and I accused her of calling the firemen when I tried to burn down her house and she giggled coyly.

"You didn't almost burn down the house, and this kitchen has seen way worse."

It was around 3 when she started to reattach my disguise and fix me up.

"It is rather late. Would you like to stay the night Subaru-kun?"

I couldn't help but be tempted. It was really early and walking back seemed like a pain. However I could manage. It would be way too suspicious seeing a grown man walk out of an unoccupied house.

"No Yukiko-san, you are doing enough for me. When are you leaving again?"

She looked like she could go for days on her energy. She waved her hand.

"Oh I will have to go back in the morning. Yu-chan is currently in America, so it won't take too long for me to head back."

She glanced meaningfully at the door.

"I wish I could have seen him before I left though."

I raise my eyebrow.

"Who?"

She seemed to snap out of her reverie and smiled fondly.

"My son."

Ah Kudo Shinichi.

"So you don't know where he is? Or if he is safe?"

It seemed rather strange that the answer she gave me last time was vague, like she had no clue where he was or what he was doing. Detectives usually drew trouble and criminals. What if he was kidnapped or lying dead somewhere? She shook her head.

"No, he is ok. He contacted me recently, saying that he is all right and I shouldn't worry."

Not exactly the answer I was looking for. How can this teenager disappear for almost half a year and no one knew his exact whereabouts? That sounded very fishy to me.

"Would you like me to find him for you?"

I am sure I could spare the time, considering all I had to do was attend a few classes, and protect Haibara and the boy. It would give me a good mystery to solve. Not to mention, I owed Yukiko-san a lot for giving me her time, effort, and my life. She gave me the strangest look and started laughing.

"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you for your concern. Shin-chan will come home in his own good time."

She continued working in silence now. I leaned back in my chair that I was sitting in, and holding still wasn't taking much effort. The next thing I knew, she was shaking me awake.

"There you are all set. Same time same place Subaru-kun next week?"

I blinked blearily. Had I really just fallen asleep? Maybe I was getting old. A quick look at the clock said it was 6:30. I stood up and stretched.

"Yes Yukiko-san. Thank you again for everything."

"No problem Subaru-kun."

I walked out of the house and I didn't miss how she giggled and blushed as she waved goodbye. She was married right?

I yawned as I walked down the sidewalk. At least it was Saturday so I could sleep in a little bit. Then I should probably go buy some cooking supplies and cook books if I was really going to learn how to cook. I had almost set the Kudo house on fire, and I was bound and determined not to do that next Friday. I might as well practice as much as I could.

I blinked as I turned the corner and saw a bunch of police and firetrucks. No it couldn't be. But it could, and it was. My apartment was now a mixture of ashes and blackened rubble. What horrible luck. So this was the sirens I heard last night. I didn't believe they were coming to the place I was staying. I felt like I just wasted Yukiko-san's efforts of purchasing the first month for me. It also looked bad that I was just now arriving back. I might be suspected. It looks like I wasn't the only one that was getting in early either. The other tenants were standing talking with police. Almost immediately I was set upon by police officers.

"Hello sir, would you like to come over here with the rest of the tenents. There are some questions we would like to ask you?"

I counted and didn't see the landlord and his son, who I knew went to the same school as Haibara.

"Is everyone ok?"

I asked in concern. One of the officers nodded.

"Yes, the boy and his father made it out with burns and smoke inhalation and are in the hospital. Now if you would just tell us where you were last night?"

I went through the whole interrogation routine. I made up some lie that I was going out for a drive to clear my head to write some paper, because I definitely couldn't say I was going and getting a disguise because I am really supposed to be dead.

They seemed to buy it and began questioning the other two. So this is an arson case then. They must have deduced the fire was an external source and not like me dropping a cigarette on the carpet or something, not that I have, I have been trying to quit after all.

After about an hour of questioning, and the police getting absolutely nowhere, I noticed the main investigator of the case slide off toward the entranceway. I didn't pay much attention to it, until the man called us over. What could he possibly…wait was that who I think it was?

There he was. The boy. He was talking with the investigator like they were old friends. I hid the smirk underneath my mask. The criminal definitely was going to jail now.

I didn't think we would meet this soon, although it also feels like far too long. Fate did seem to have a plan for us, although I thought we would meet under better circumstances, not a crime scene. I can see on his face that he is slightly panicked, probably asking if everyone had survived. Did he know I was here? Yukiko-san probably told him. I wonder how he will solve this case.

Although, this should be interesting. I had never gotten to be a fly on the wall to see how he usually solved cases. Sure, with the bus incident, but that wasn't a mystery, and with the FBI, however with the FBI he had no qualms showing me his real personality, and it is obvious he only showed that to me because it was essential for me to trust him and his judgement on a plan that involved taking my life. I will get to see his deductive powers at a normal crime scene.

He wasn't alone either. The young girl and two boys that were his little lapdogs also came, and there she was, Haibara. I walked with the rest of the suspects over to the small group and I couldn't help but focus all of my attention on her. I hadn't seen her up close since she was shrunken, without taking small glances.

Her eyes widened with fear and she subconsciously drew back behind Edogawa Conan, clutching at his jacket. The boy glanced back, questioning with his eyes what was wrong, but she didn't answer verbally. Ah crap, I didn't mean to scare or intimidate her, I was just simply curious. I drew back my gaze, looking at the ground instead, and out of my peripheral I saw her relax in surprise and brush off some concerned questions of her friends.

"Well, would you mind answering some more questions from the officers?"

More questions. Fantastic. Well, I am guessing the boy will manage to worm his way into the interrogations, trying to find clues. They must have found something though, to be interrogating us again. While they were talking to us again, I see the main investigator hand a book to another officer. Was that the clue that they had found?

In any case, I need to tell the boy now that I have found him again, who I really am and drop hints. I will just have to wait my turn. Sure enough they take Hosoi-san first, I see the investigator start asking him questions, and the boy right as his elbow, interjecting in probably his helpful little way. Which is curious. Do all police officers know this boy and let him actively participate in investigations? That was a huge breach in protocol, however it's not like we FBI agents didn't do the same thing, but I thought he tried to stay under the radar. In any case this officer must trust the boy's judgement, at least from a previous case to be able let him in on the interrogations.

I was called over. I gave the same story I had told every officer that had asked so far, and even gave that I was the gardener of the apartments. The boy didn't interject, however I felt him studying me closely. Was he also searching for me during this case? Maybe. Then I was asked a strange question.

"Oh so your favorite color is green or something then?"

Why would they need to know my favorite color? Although, this is a good chance if I ever saw one. It will probably freak Haibara out, but it might give the boy the clue he needs to figure out my identity.

"No, if I had to pick one, it would be black."

Sure enough I see her stiffen where she had strategically placed herself behind the inspector, while the boy narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It covers up the things inside me that I don't want to be known, well for the same reason; black is also the color I hate."

Black referring to the organization and it is because of them that I am covering up my true identity. That was pretty obvious, I thought. The boy however showed no reaction. Was it because he hadn't seen all the suspects yet? That was probably it; it was foolish of a detective to pick a culprit without seeing all the suspects. I was led back to the group and Makabe-san was put forward. I watched the boy's facial expressions. If he got an inkling of something, it would usually show on his face. He examined the man's fingernails, and asked him some questions, which made the man very flustered, and then the boy asked a final question, eyes sharpening. The man must have given the answer he wanted, because he smiled childishly, although I wasn't fooled. He must have found something.

"Hey Officer, do our favorite colors matter to this case?"

"No, well you never know."

That was something I was confused about as well. What did colors have to do with the case? That might be the key I need to help solve it. I know it isn't me, but who of the other two could be the culprit, although I can't exactly show my intelligence and tell the boy. I was also a suspect, and like the bus jacking case, help from a suspect doesn't count.

I glance over at Haibara, curious as to what she is doing. She was grabbing one of the boy's by the shoulders and walking him backwards toward us. What was she doing? Not important I suppose. I should focus on the case.

Although why were they here in the first place? This group specifically had been involved in several crimes. Why did they come here in the first place? More questions, no answers. Maybe if I eavesdropped a bit I could figure it out.

After Haibara had pushed the boy down, which I still didn't understand her intention, and Hosoi-san had bandaged it, we were escorted back away from the children. The boy was looking quite stumped, but eyes were lit up excitedly as I see him try to look through all the possible options. He was enjoying this, wasn't he? I could at least narrow down the suspects for him, by giving him my true identity, but I couldn't just randomly say a Holmes quote unless it fit with the current situation. In any case, I needed to hear what they were saying in order to interject so I shuffled a little closer, paying attention to both conversations at once.

"Inspector, isn't it dangerous to keep concentrating on a kid's diary? It might be possible he is talking about an imaginary person."

So the key to this case is in this diary. He must have irrefutable proof, that has to do with colors, that is written in code and they haven't figured it out yet. No wonder the boy was so intrigued. It sounded very interesting.

"That's not true!"

I glance over. The other young girl interrupted with conviction. The bigger boy added.

"That's right, he told us there was a guy who was doing suspicious things at night."

The smaller boy pointed out.

"I don't think it sounded like he made it all up."

Ah, so they knew the landlord's son, and he had asked they would investigate a man doing strange things, if the other girl and bigger boy were telling the truth.

Crap was that me? I didn't think I had been doing anything strange, unless of course going out on Friday nights to get a new face. The Boya then spoke up calmly.

"Exactly. Moreover, when you police have a child who has done something bad, don't you start by asking questions the adults around him if they know what kind of child he is? If that is the case, can the converse also be true? Even if he is a child, Kaito-kun has observed the residents closely, even going so far as to give them nicknames."

Wait, this conversation, it sounded familiar. Wasn't that a Holmes reference? Ah yes, there was a quote that pertained to this situation. Wait, did he say that on purpose to give me a chance to expose myself? It was a slight stretch between this and Holmes, but from what I could tell he takes a lot of inspiration from Holmes, so maybe pertaining Holmes to normal cases is normal for him, if that was normal for a child who shouldn't be able to read English or Kanji.

I see the minuscule glance toward us the suspects. He probably had an idea that I was Akai, however he wasn't completely sure. He was trying to lure me into giving myself away. All right Boya, I will take your cue.

"The Adventure of the Copper Breeches, right?"

He turned and looked up at me, suspicion clear in his gaze. I smirk as I step forward and continue, determined to pass the test he had given.

"During the case of the Adventure of the Copper Breeches, it was one of the lines Holmes said to Watson. 'My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining light as to the tendencies of a child, by the study of the parents. Don't you see that the converse is equally valid?' Was that it?"

As I spoke I see the slight relaxation of the face, and the boy's face fell into an easy smile, like the night when we first discussed Holmes.

"Eh, you like Holmes too?"

His words and tone is innocent enough but his clear gaze and soft smirk told otherwise. They both seemed to say I found you. It was also endearing how glad he looked to see me that had nothing to do with the fact I had enjoyed Holmes. I answered his question simply.

"Yes, I used to have all of it, but they have all burned up, eh?"

The boy glanced at me and gave me a barely conceivable nod. He understood who I really was. To be honest, I didn't expect to use the Holmes quote on him. I kind of thought that was a last resort, not as a way of definitely telling my identity, but it seems the Boya is not the kind to take only one piece of evidence. He wants several, so if one piece of evidence is explained or tossed out, he has backups to make sure the truth is undeniable. He wanted to make completely sure, that there was no room for doubt.

In any case, I had narrowed down the culprit at least by a factor of one. Right now, he probably knew who the arsonist was, however he could not move without connecting more pieces of evidence. He was sure who the murderer was, but his explanation wouldn't hold up against police. He needed to trap the criminal completely.

"Speaking of Holmes, he wouldn't ignore this diary."

"Hey can I look at that diary?"

The other girl spoke up.

"Investigator, we found a bunch of minicars in the boy's room."

The boy turned, looking puzzled. My smirk grew wider. He was getting closer, I was sure of it.

"It is not strange for minicars to be in a child's room."

"But there were quite a number, easily more than a hundred of them."

The three other normal children clamored around the diary.

"Huh what's this?"

"Where, where?"

"What's up?"

The girl pointed to a spot in the book.

"Look, here. The characters for Edogawa have been erased and rewritten several times. The paper has gotten a bit dark."

"Could he have been trying to write it in Kanji?"

"No you can faintly see what looks like katakana underneath. Could it be Kuroshi?"

The Boya narrowed his eyes, like he had a thought.

"Kuroshiro-kun."

He jumped stared at the man like he had said his own name.

"When I called the hospital earlier, Kaito-kun's mother said something. The really smart boy who had solved a case that happened at school instantly is coming over to our house tomorrow. Kaito-kun seemed really happy when he told her that over the phone. He said he was called Kuroshiro-kun."

The boy straightened shock apparent on his face. What happened? Did he figure something out? While the other children discussed what it could have meant, I watched him. What are you doing, Edogawa Conan?

Suddenly a change I had never seen fell over the boy. He relaxed, a devious confident smirk filling up his whole face. He knew. Something had clued him in, all of the pieces had fit together, and he had solved the mystery. I don't exactly know what it was, but there was no mistaking it. That smirk was one of the scariest things I had ever seen. It looked a lot like Yukiko-san's grin now that I thought about it, the one that promised enjoyment to her, but torture to me as she fixed up my face. This will be fun I thought as I stood up, intent on going back to watch the show as he stepped forward.

"No, that won't be necessary. Shall I be Kuroshiro-kun, and make what's plain black and white right here? I will tell you which one is the yellow arsonist."

How dramatic. Now that I think about it, the boy did have quite the air for theatrics. His planning was indeed a lot of acting and over the top gestures. Hmm, didn't think the boy who liked to be in the shadows liked to draw attention to himself. Interesting. I was curious as to what this case was about, so I decided to get the ball rolling.

"What do you mean yellow arsonist?"

"I thought I heard something like a diary."

The inspector looked a little taken aback.

"It's the diary belonging to Kaito-kun, the son of the landlord of the apartment building that caught fire."

One of the little boys that was with Conan spoke up.

"It was written right there in the diary, that the yellow guy came back home in the middle of the night and had a quarrel with Kaito-kun's father. The three of you said that you went out the night of the fire and returned home in the morning didn't you?"

The girl interjected forcefully.

"That means one of you is lying."

The big boy nodded in agreement.

"Yes, the one who is lying is the yellow guy and he is the one who set the fire last night."

Ah, so that's why they were talking about colors. Hosoi-san stated.

"It's true that I do know the landlord's son."

I narrowed my eyes even further, but kept my tone neutral as I asked.

"Was that boy calling somebody things like the yellow guy?"

"I don't know."

Makabe-san answered my question. I don't remember being called a special name by the boy, but it might have just been in private. The inspector waved the questions away.

"Well now, it is just something a child said, so don't worry about it."

I glanced at the other two as the inspector bent down to talk to the children. No, that wasn't right. This was conclusive evidence. I can see that telling us about this 'yellow man' was a bad idea because it made us try to explain that we weren't the man the boy described.

"No, it's ok. Which of these three people is the yellow arsonist? I already know who it is."

The boy gave me a smirk, his intense stare sweeping over the three of us. His eyes seemed to challenge me, telling me to watch and see how he worked, which I wasn't going to complain about.

I pretended to look surprised at the accusation, although this was something I already know. Although Boya, is it all right, giving a deduction here? I thought you were trying to stay on the down low. I suppose it is all right if he thinks it is. The inspector stares at him in disbelief.

"Hey kid, is that true?"

Conan nodded assuredly.

"Yes. Ayumi-chan, may I borrow the diary for a second?"

The girl, Ayumi-chan, handed over the book. The Boya flipped through the pages, talking aloud his thoughts as he did.

"The diary also mentioned a red and white guy as well. I figured out who the red and white guys were and then with process of elimination I figured out who the yellow guy is."

I see. This was getting interesting. So a red guy, a white guy, a yellow guy, and the boy had a bunch of mini cars in his room, and the Boya was Kurosh—

"Wait there is a red and white guy too?"

"Yes, this is what is written in this diary: The weather has been bad since this morning. I have to get up early to get to school, but I bet the red guy can sleep in late. That must mean the red guy does something every morning, but if it rained that morning it wasn't necessary to do something."

He turned back to his children friends.

"What do you think that something could be?"

Oh, is that their relationship? Not only is he their leader and commander, but teacher as well. It looks like these are protégées that are learning his deduction methods and he takes them to crime scenes so they can grow. Of course, he is too good not to have little disciples. It was almost adorable.

The other children dutifully gave answers that they thought was correct, and I thought about it too. What could have possibly…wait a second. No way. I didn't water the plants yesterday because of the rain. Did that mean I was the red guy? My suspicions were confirmed when Haibara spoke up softly.

"Watering. Watering the flowers."

Ayumi-chan gave her a friendly smile.

"Oh, that's right."

The Boya nodded his approval.

"Yeah, so the red guy is the one who give the plants at the apartment building every day, Okiya-san."

He gave me a smirk, also finding the name comical. I am still not making the connection though. It is on the tip of my tongue, but not quite there. The inspector asked what I was thinking for me.

"But Kid, why is this young fellow the red guy?"

The Boya turned to look at him.

"Remember, you all found a bunch of minicars in Kaito-kun's room? Kaito-kun loves cars. If you think about cars and red, what is the first thing you think of?"

Oh, now I see. This Kaito-kun was very clever. The three children gasped in surprise and shouted joyously in unison.

"Oh a fire engine!"

The inspector turned to look at me with a warm smile.

"I see, he must have seen this young man sprinkling the water from a hose, like a human fire engine. That's why he gave him the nickname red guy."

Well I am glad it wasn't because he somehow found out my real name that was for sure. The thinner boy placed a hand on his chin, thinking.

"If that is the case, the white guy also refers to a color of a car."

So following this pattern, white must be…oh I see. Then the culprit is… I smirk sitting back, waiting and watching the boy. I am sure this will be very entertaining to say the least.

"But there are a bunch of white cars."

Haibara spoke up calmly, lending the other children the correct answer again. If the Boya was the teacher, she was the student with the top grades that the other children cheated off of.

"An ambulance. In Japan, under the Road Trucking Vehicle law, the body of an ambulance has to be white."

The three children replied enthusiastically.

"That's right."

"But who could that be? The ambulance."

The boy, who had been surveying the discussion calmly, hinted.

"What does an ambulance do for you?"

"It transports injured people."

"They give you medical care inside the vehicle."

The boy, who had been bandaged only a few minutes earlier, exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, that's it. Band-Aids. The white guy is the one who gets injured a lot and carried Band-Aids wherever he goes. That must be Hosoi-san, right?"

Hosoi-san looked quite surprised. The inspector read from the diary again.

"Yes, in the diary it says: When I got home from school, I fell down in the entryway, I am glad the white guy was just coming out."

Hosoi-san nodded.

"His knee was bleeding. I gave the boy one of the Band-Aids I was carrying. That sort of thing happened several times earlier, but a dark skinned guy like me is the white guy?"

"Then we are left with the yellow guy."

I turn minimally to see Makabe-san starting to sweat, as the kids put out more answers as to what the yellow car could be. The inspector is the one who finally said.

"Construction vehicles are yellow."

The Boya's face hardened as he turned to look at the culprit.

"Exactly. In short, it is the person with the dirt under his nails, Makabe-san, that means you are the yellow guy."

Ah, poor bastard. This kid has gone up a powerful and evil organization and has won multiple times. You don't stand a chance. He seemed to sense that as he tried to deflect the accusations.

"What are you saying? I got this dirt from running around playing survival games in the mountains."

The Boya didn't look phased by the excuse.

"If I remember correctly, you said your clothes were ruined because they got stained by paint from a paint gun."

Paint? That's a totally different game altogether. The man nodded in affirmation. The boy's eyes burned with the new knowledge and pounced on the lie.

"In Japan, what they use for survival games are airsoft guns that shoot BBs. Paint guns are used in a different game called 'paint ball'."

The man stuttered.

"Th-they are mostly the same thing right?"

Conan-kun continued casually, his eyes never losing their predatory gleam and that confident smirk that said he knew everything.

"But paint guns use a water soluble ink that comes out clean when you wash it."

The inspector took several steps forward, intimidating the man even further. Even knowing he was caught in his lying, he still tried to defend himself. The Boya dealt the finishing blow.

"Moreover Makabe-san, you said your favorite color was the navy green used in camouflage, but I think what is usually in camouflage clothes is called olive drab."

With that many lies, there was no way he couldn't be convicted now. The inspector stepped forward, in Makabe-san's face.

"Have you really played this whatever it is called ball?"

Makabe-san stuttered.

"I'm still a beginner."

I glance back at the boy. He wasn't giving up yet, what are you going to do? The boy raised an eyebrow fractionally before stating casually.

"Well, shouldn't we just check around where the garden was in the apartment building?"

Makabe-san's face turned an unhealthy white shade. The Boya continued, stepping toward the rubble of the building as he resumed his childish persona.

"According to what Kaito-kun wrote, the yellow guy was doing something suspicious night after night, and if we add in that Makabe-san is lying about the dirt under his fingernails, we might conclude that Makabe-san was digging in the garden at night to avoid being seen. He must have been burying something, something he didn't want to be seen."

Makabe-san was now looking very shocked, not even trying to hide it.

"And most likely, that was, the money you earned as a day trader, correct?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Makabe-san, blue eyes piercing, grin smug, aura intimidating. It was like he was saying I know all of your secrets. Back down quietly. Holy crap this Boya was intense. Was he like this at every crime scene? Was this why Jodie had taken such a liking to him?

The inspector was quick to follow up on the accusation.

"What about it?"

The boy had backed him into a corner; there was nowhere he could run now. He sighed, and gave up his confession.

That was incredible. I wonder if the boy did the deduction because he wanted to show off to me, what he could do, but that wasn't necessary. I knew what he could do.

The Boya was like a spider, patient, lying in wait for the information about the case to slowly trickle in to him. When the timing was right, and all of the evidence was in place, he lured the culprit into his web, and when they tried to escape, he piled more and more evidence on, more thread attaching them to the net, until he had finally and absolutely caught them. He didn't want to give a deduction that was half baked, or didn't have all of the evidence. He wanted no room for argument that they were the culprit. Amazing Boya, you impress me again. You truly are a hunter, more so then I first thought. I can't believe a seven year old just made a grown man yield in submission. Has he done this at every crime scene? Probably.

After the case was wrapped up, and everyone was ready to go home, I eavesdrop on the children's conversation.

"Why is Conan-kun's nickname Kuroshiro-kun?"

"What car is black and white?

The inspector smiled warmly.

"I bet that is the car us police use, a patrol car."

Ah yes, the boy was probably with police more then his own family.

"Since that is a suitable nickname for the boy who puts most of us police to shame."

Don't worry inspector. He puts a lot more people then the local police to shame. Although what was I going to do now? I had no place to live, and no where nearly as convenient as being so close to keep an eye on Haibara. What was I going to do?

"How about we go visit Kaito-kun?"

"Agreed."

"We should have the professor drive us, since it is so far away."

Oh, maybe, just maybe this will work. I doubt it, but it was worth a shot to try what Yukiko-san had suggested.

"Professor?"

The children all turned to look at me. I smiled pleasantly, trying not to look or feel intimidating as I knelt down, not missing how Haibara gravitated toward the boy.

"You guys know a professor?"

Ayumi-chan nodded, answering innocently.

"Yes, we do."

The bigger boy added.

"But he is always coming up with stupid games."

I relaxed totally, focusing on trying to not intimidate Haibara, because this was delicate.

"Oh I would like to meet this professor."

"That's fine, I will introduce you."

Do these kids usually get all chummy with previous suspects of crimes? I doubt the boy or Haibara would allow them to if they knew they were dangerous.

"I'd appreciate it."

I don't miss the step, and the glance the boy gave her as she practically hid behind him. I sigh inwardly. This was going to be a Herculean feat, getting her to trust me, isn't it? Ah well, I have all the time in the world I thought, as I allowed three young children, one shrunken adult, and one genius detective, lead the way to Professor Agasa's house.