Chapter 17 The game begins

"Haibara, I need a new antidote."

"No."

"W-what do you mean no?!"

"I said no."

It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated her answer, especially considering how he just took the last pill she'd not given him, he understood why Haibara wouldn't let reason with herself. But this was another emergency, maybe even worse than last time. It bummed him to no end.

Ran was neither picking up his calls nor was she answering his messages. He didn't get far as Conan either as she'd not really open up to him anymore. If she was sure he was just a child now, he could kind of understand why she wouldn't want to bother a seven-year-old with her grief. But still – it got him nowhere. And his telling her that Shinichi-niichan was still talking to him and there was no way it was an imposter? Well, Ran didn't believe him in the slightest. She'd smile warmly and nod, as if expecting him to believe her lie.

"Ran thinks I'm dead. I need to talk to her. Look, I really need my body back now."

Haibara didn't even glance his way. "Maybe it's better that way."

Better that way?! He begged to differ! How was it better that Ran thought he was dead? Killed by those people they'd met all that time back in the amusement park.

"She'll start looking into the BO herself. Do you want that, Haibara? If Ran's set her mind on something then nothing can stop her!"

Well, that seemed to get to her enough to make her stiffen but the girl stayed rigidly sitting on her chair and waiting for the lesson to start again. Shinichi knew he had to push more of her buttons, make her realize what a danger Ran would be for herself and for all of them if she started investigating these people.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Ran but the more people knew about them the more likely it was to be found out. And if Ran explicitly stuck her nose somewhere it didn't belong she'd stir too much dust and the BO would become aware of them – of her and him and Haibara, the FBI, CIA, everyone. The consequences were unmeasurable. He needed to stop her, he needed to talk to her, make her believe that he was in fact alive and then stop her from doing something stupid. Moreover, he needed to find out exactly how she met them again. Did they see her face? Hear her voice? If she witnessed the murder and they saw her witnessing it –

Conan grind his teeth in frustration.

That stupid girl, getting into unnecessary trouble and worrying him to death. What was she even thinking?

Unfortunately, Hattori wasn't any more successful of extracting information. Kazuha seemed as closed off as Ran was. Just what did it mean? Did they see something else? Something that made them distrust even their best friends? Or something so dangerous making them too scared to tell a single soul?

"Haibara, I need the antidote and stop Ran from killing us all," he harshly whispered and while he knew that he was being unfair to Ran it might be the only way to move Haibara to give him another antidote (he'd of course looked through her whole place, but to no avail).

There was a small spark of doubt that Ran wouldn't believe him even when he stood right in front of her because he'd have to go again, leave her again and didn't that make him hardly believable to be alive? He'd had all this help to deceive her and make her believe that he wasn't Conan and maybe wouldn't it have been smarter to let her know? Not that she'd believe him now but he wondered if maybe he made a mistake in planting all these lies in her head.

Gnawing at his lip absentmindedly his body felt electrified – but not in a good way. He needed to find a way to get Ran to talk and fast.

Threatening Aoko? Blackmailing her? Harassing her?!

Not on his damn watch.

Kaito was infuriated when Aoko confided in him – in Kid but that was a minor detail and while he was confused why she'd rather tell the man she hated the most on the whole planet than her best friends he was glad she told someone. And him at that. Even if it was technically Kid and not him. He couldn't know and so he couldn't confront her about it. He could tell her a lie how he eavesdropped or something like that, making her trust him again (when did she stop?) but then again, maybe it was better if Kuroba Kaito didn't know a thing and Kaitou Kid took care of things.

Because that's how it was. Kaitou kid would later pay Yamada-sensei a visit, asking him what the whole thing was about. (Even though a part of him doubted he'd be able to talk things through.) He'd get Aoko's paper, deal with that bastard and then bring her the paper. The whole thing would be done and over with.

But as infuriated as he was, was she scared? Hurt? Was she able to sleep or did she have nightmares because of this sorry excuse of a human being? He wanted to ask her, she'd tell him much more likely than she'd ever tell Kid, wouldn't she? But how would he believably find out about it without outing himself as Kid? And if she knew he was Kid, what would she do then?

Shit.

"Ne, Ran-neechan. Where are you going?"

Conan hurriedly caught up to her, having run all the way into the city because that idiot had apparently skipped the last lesson to go to Roppongi Hills once again so he couldn't pick her up from school. And by the time he'd arrived she was already on the way back home – or that was what he thought. She must have met Aoko once again leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He was sure he got the facts correct and the Nakamori girl was at fault for everything.

"Ah, Conan-kun." She stopped in front of a green light to wait for the boy to catch up to her and smiled down upon him. But it was an empty smile and blank look underneath all the layers she had built up during the last few days. Only because he'd known her for as long as he had he could see through her masks – masks she'd never had before.

Looking up expectantly, he took her hand and waited for her response. "I'm going home, Conan-kun."

"Where have you been? Weren't you supposed to have one more lesson?" He tried to sound innocent enough, like a seven-year-old curious kid would and wondered if maybe that was the wrong approach. Making her believe he wasn't Shinichi when she was so sure that he was dead, letting her make irrational decisions – was it truly right to continue keeping her in the dark? Should he just tell her? But then, even if he did – would she believe him? Could she believe him now that he was in fact still alive but in the body of a seven-year-old and that yes, he had lied to her all this time.

Though with her mindset right now he highly doubted she'd even listen to him in the first place much less believe his unbelievable story.

"Are you keeping tabs on me, Conan-kun?" She smiled that sweet fake smile of hers, only vainly hiding the antagonism out of her voice. It wasn't a threat per se but maybe a warning to not stick his nose in this where it didn't belong. Only it belonged there more than she could imagine.

"I'm not, I was just curious. Anyway, have you talked to Shinichi-niichan, yet? He sounded super worried about you. Maybe you should just quickly call him back and tell him you're fine."

Suddenly squatting down to his side, Ran put her hands on his shoulders, a serious look on her face.

"Conan-kun. Shinichi –" she started, looking him deep in the eyes before turning her head sideways, avoiding his questioning gaze. Biting her lip, for a second there was a look of utter pain on her face and Shinichi had to bite hard on his tongue to keep quiet – to keep up this charade and not tell her everything. Watching her agonize over his death made him wonder – for the first time in his life – if telling her wasn't the better alternative.

Forcing a smile on her face, Ran looked at him again. "You are still too small to truly understand what is going on. You see, the Shinichi you are talking to and the one who was my best friend? Those are two different persons. My Shinichi was taken away by some evil people and he will never get back again. You know what that means, right?"

Shinichi wanted to nod because, of course, he knew what that meant, that she believed him dead, killed by the BO when that wasn't the truth. He said nothing instead, watching her suffer in silence.

"But you know? I know who those people are, Conan-kun. And while I cannot bring Shinichi back, I can make sure those people get punished."

"What do you mean, Ran-neechan?"

There was a panic spreading through his too ttiny body, paralyzing him to the spot, stopping his brain from working because if she truly went after the BO, he'd not be able to save her and Ran dying? Out of the question.

"I will make them pay, Conan-kun."

She lost her smile, seriousness, determination and a spark of fatalism showing instead. Standing back up again, Ran took his hand and pulled him along on their way home.

No. no, no, nonono.

He needed an antidote. Now. He needed the damn antidote or he'd not be able to save her.

And even if she had a chance at winning, she was not thinking rationally. This Ran – he didn't know her. This Ran might not be above killing and he couldn't have that.

He'd drag her single handedly off this path of destruction if he had to – he would. He will.

"Ne, Kaito."

He just wanted to go home to start planning how to get rid of Yamada for good without endangering Aoko even one bit when she stopped him outside the classroom.

"Hm?" He would spat some usual remark like how she was suddenly talking to him again – did she need something? Be in lieu of things he swallowed those words.

"Let's go home together."

Kaito nodded and walked up next to her, taking their usual path home. Would she ask him for help? Would she tell him what happened? Would she confide in him and he could openly help her? Of course, he'd help her even if she didn't say anything to him but still, if they were on the same page things'd be that much easier for him.

After leaving the school grounds behind them and reaching the route alongside the now nearly frozen small river, Aoko spoke up again.

"You as Kid's number one fangirl, ne."

"Fangirl, huh? Says the one hating his guts to hell and back."

Aoko laughed dryly at that. "I wish."

"You wish what? That you'd hate his guts?" Raising a brow in wonder, he watched her like a hawk its prey.

Aoko shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Do you know how to contact him? Somehow he can find me whenever it pleases him. This time though I need to talk to him."

Watching her carefully, Kaito pursed his lips. "What's going on? Maybe you should tell me and not some thief. Besides, is this a trap? Are you secretly planning to handcuff him when he doesn't look and then hand him over to the police? Not that the great Kid-sama would ever let that happen."

"Exactly, as if he'd let it happen just like that. Now, can you contact him for me? I want him to meet me at home in two hours. Otou-san won't be home until late tonight so no danger."

Grabbing her arm and pulling her to stop, Kaito watched her seriously. "What's going on, Aoko? I'm serious. What happened and why do you need to talk to Kid? All those things are against your beliefs and standards and just you."

"Just contact him and let me go. Two hours, alright?" With that the girl turned around again and tried to get out of his grip but Kaito wouldn't let her go just yet.

"I don't know how to contact him. And if I knew I won't do it, anyway. Tell me what's going on? Why are you not asking me? What you are asking of Kid? He's a criminal for god's sake."

"Because you're never there and when I needed you most Kid was there."

"I'm here now." He growled frustrated. "Can't you see that I'm here now and trying to help you now? I'm sorry I wasn't there before but I am here now. This is not like you. You hated Kid. What changed?"

"Everything." She spat angrily.

Looking up at him, a hopeless look in her eyes, as hopeless as he'd ever seen her, Kaito shut up. Pain and anger and hopelessness were etched in her face and he felt guilty. Guilty for not realizing sooner that something was wrong, guilty for her not letting him in anymore, guilty for having brought this upon himself.

"Everything changed, Kaito," she repeated in a much softer tone. "Kid's in on it now. I'd much rather he wasn't, I'd much rather not cooperate with a criminal but then again, I'm not much better than him anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Aoko shook her head and laughed toneless. "It's too late for this, Kaito. For tonight I need Kid the criminal magician and not Kaito the goodhearted magician. You trust Kid, right? You think he's so amazing, right? Then let him do what I need him to do."

His grip loosened considerably but he wasn't finished yet. Kid or not Kid, that was the question. She wanted to go in, right? She wanted to break in Yamada's apartment, or she wanted to go in and she needed someone to make sure things didn't go awry. He bit his tongue. If Aoko thought she needed Kid's help for this then this was worse than he anticipated.

"Tell me what's going on, Aoko. Let me help you instead. Don't deal with criminals, Aoko."

She laughed, laughed like a broken doll, looking on the ground and then she raised her head, gazing up at him with that broken look of hers. "It's too late for that, Kaito. If it had been you instead of Kid, maybe I would have told you. But things are as they are and I don't want to involve any more people than necessary. It's not necessary to involve you when I can have Kid take care of things. And I know for a fact that he won't let me go in alone."

"Go alone where?"

Suddenly, Aoko broke out of his grip and grasped his shoulders tightly instead, surprising him by her bold move.

"Look, Kaito. I'm in trouble, ok? And I need Kid to have my back when I clean up this mess. I don't trust Kid and I hate this situation but right now, he's possibly my only ally, if he's one at all."

All his insides tightened in agony watching her struggle with a decision – or maybe the consequences of her decision. Her fists tightened around his jacket.

"I made some questionable things already, Kaito. There is no going back. And I need to keep walking in this grey zone for some time longer and your vest is still as white as snow while Kid is a criminal and if Kid breaks in somewhere, who cares? He has nothing to lose, right? Of course, there is no guarantee he will help me, why should he? He's a criminal not a good Samaritan. I-I know that."

Looking straight in his eyes, she shook him slightly. "But you, I refuse to drag you down with me. I don't care about Kid but I care about you even if you don't give a shit about me."

Shaking his head, grabbed her hands. "That's not true and you know it. I very much care about you too!"

"Yeah. Maybe you do. Maybe you do now but when did you start? Some things are irreversible, Kaito. Like time. Time changes people and you cannot turn back time. You may think you care about me and maybe you have at some point in time but I don't think you do anymore. Don't you see that there's this wall between us? A wall that you constructed, like, a year ago? I don't even know anymore. You're just busy and busy and busy with something. You don't even tell me and here you expect me to tell you all my secrets? You started this game, Kaito and I never wanted to participate but here I am now and I just can't trust you anymore."

He wondered when he'd seen Aoko this emotional before. He remembered her angry and frustrated with him, he knew her sad side, but not this. Not this knife she was plunging in his heart, again and again, every word another hit making him bleed all over. A wound that might never heal.

A truth that was undeniable but he never wanted to see. Of course, she wasn't wrong. Kid stood between them, from the beginning. He constructed Kid himself, he put him between them and pushed Aoko away. If there was a Kid heist and an Aoko event at the same time, he'd choose Kid without a second thought.

The realization hit him hard.

Pulling out of his grip, Aoko wiped the few stray tears from her face.

"Fact is, you never chose me. If you have the choice between me and whatever, it's always the other thing. And that's fine. Just, don't expect things from me anymore. And yeah, Kid will probably choose something else over me too but he's involved right now and if he helps me or not, I will not involve anyone else. Much less you."

Her voice broke at the end and Kaito watched her leave helplessly.

She wasn't entitled to know his secrets, but so wasn't he.

"Nakamori-san."

Because damn it, if she refused Kuroba Kaito's help, then so be it, he brought it upon himself. But he wouldn't deny her help in general. If he could protect her as Kaitou Kid then he'd do it. If she accepted Kaitou Kid then it was better than nothing. He'd still be able to keep an eye on her, he'd help her if she was in a pinch.

Aoko was sitting on her bed, head lowered and biting her lip, her hands fisted in her skirt. She looked tense, desperate and she hastily looked up when he entered through her window.

"Kid."

Nodding, he took off his shoes and sat down on her chair, facing her.

"You wanted to talk."

"So, Kaito contacted you after all, huh?"

She watched him lost in thought, maybe wondering why he'd do that when she'd been so harsh or maybe she was already calculating how to get him to do what she wanted.

"I have my ways, Nakamori-san."

"You know where he lives, right? I thought of looking it up, I know how to do it, when to do it but knowing means I have to go through with it. Knowing means I have to go there."

She lowered her head again, avoiding his gaze, swaying forth and back. "I'm not weak, Kid. I can do it. I can go there and find the paper. I can simply put some sleeping pills in his drink, I can make him drink it. I just. I just, what if I turn my back for one second and he uses that time?"

Shaking her head, Aoko closed her eyes shut tightly. "I thought about it. It's just one grade. It's just one failed. It doesn't change much. But it could actually not be a failed. And what more, I could tell the head master. But then people would know and what if he doesn't believe me? Mostly only those girls get blamed and those monsters get to live freely. I cannot have that. I need to go there. I need to get him unconscious. I need to find the paper and make sure he never ever does that again. I just. I just."

"Nakamori-san." There was no way he'd let her go alone. For the exact reason that she might not watch her back for one damn second and everything would be ruined. Just the thought made him rage inside.

Looking up at him with tears in her eyes, Aoko swallowed. "I just can't do it alone. I'm scared. i-"

"It's alright. You don't have go there at all, Nakamori-san."

Shaking her head, Aoko stood up, pacing up and down. "No, I will go in there. I need to do it. Just not alone. I need some backup. That's all I'm asking for. I will take care of the drugging part and the searching part. I just need backup in case something goes wrong. I don't want to end up as his victim."

Kid stood up, determination lining his face. "Alright. Let's discuss your plan in detail."

"Ran."

Looking up from her bed, Ran watched Conan enter her room, close the door behind him and face her with a serious gaze. It was a look he barely had on his face, he was way too young for that kind of wisdom in his heart and yet it wasn't the first time she saw it.

"You shouldn't call me like that, Conan-kun."

"I think I should, Ran. I did before."

She watched him take his glasses off dumbfounded and tried to process what was going on.

"I'm not Edogawa Conan, Ran. Edogawa is a thought up character I needed to impersonate in order to survive. But Edogawa Conan doesn't truly exist."

Ran furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about, Conan-kun?"

"It's me Ran, not Conan. Shinichi! It's me! Kudo Shinichi!" he shouted in frustration and while Ran had to agree that without the glasses, even with, he looked just like her childhood friend in his younger years, she'd believed that before, hadn't she? And he always successfully proved her wrong.

Pursing her lips, she stood up and walked up to him. "This is not a nice joke, Conan-kun. You cannot cheer me up like that."

Shaking his head in despair, Shinichi growled. "It's really me, Ran. I would never joke with something like this. I'm not dead. It's true I got in trouble that day at Tropical Land but I never died. I had to go into hiding but I'm still right here."

It hurt. His lie hurt.

"Who instructed you to do this, Conan-kun? It's not funny. Who told you to tell me this?"

She softly grabbed his tiny shoulders and shook him.

"No one did, Ran. Please believe me. It's really me. Conan doesn't really exist."

"I believed that before, do you remember? But you told me that wasn't true. I saw Shini-" Standing up abruptly, Ran walked to her window. "Shinichi's dead. He's been for a long time. If you are Conan or not doesn't matter. Shinichi's irrevocably gone anyway."

Talking about him, about his death, it made her angry, but before that it hurt so much that she was sure that her heart wasn't in one piece anymore. It wasn't. It was broken like a glass mirror, shattered into thousands and thousands tiny pieces. No one could ever put it back together. But she could put a band aid over it. She could bring a bit justice to this world and put a band aid over her bleeding wound. It would never be enough. But it might help for the moment.

"I'm so sorry, Ran. I lied to you. I had to lie to you in order to keep you safe. You and me and everyone else. No one was supposed to know about me. I'm not dead but I have to play dead."

She stiffened when she heard his voice. Shinichi's voice. He was back. He was-

"See, Ran? It's me. I'm so sorry. I couldn't tell you the truth."

Back to Conan's voice.

What was going on? What was he saying?

Turning around slowly, Ran held her breath – hoping against hope to find Shinichi behind her but there was only Conan, watching her with a guilty expression, holding his fly in front of his lips.

"See? I could call you and talk to you using little gadgets. There is also an unfinished antidote, giving me a few hours to get my body back. But it never lasts long enough."

Letting his hand fall, changing back into his Conan voice, Shinichi dropped to the floor.

"I'm sorry Ran. I never meant to lie to you. I never meant to hurt you."

No. This – she didn't believe this. This couldn't be true. It couldn't. Shinichi was dead. They were trying to trick her. Deceiving her. Again. And again.

"Shut up!" She balled her fists, feeling a betrayal she never felt before. If this was true – "You're not Shinichi. You can't."

"Ran…"

"Aoko-chan. I'm surprised to see you so soon."

The girl shrugged in indifference and smiled sweetly. "May I come in, sensei?"

Seeing the girl standing in front of his apartment, the teacher lit up even more as before he opened his door and thus let her in.

"You can't imagine how happy that makes me, Aoko-chan. Who would have thought she was right and you're here now."

Aoko stiffened, furrowing her brow in wonder. Did she hear correct? Did she understand correct? She? Who did he mean – what did he mean? Who was right and – was this whole thing maybe just a set up? Not real but a trap?

No – this had to be more than just a stupid trap. But for the life of her Aoko couldn't imagine why someone would want to set her up. She needed to find out what this was supposed to mean – but not now.

Shuffling behind Yamada, she watched him close the front door and walk into his tiny, tiny one room. And then she took out Kid's card gun and pointed at the man's head. He'd never even see what got him.

Being the prodigy archer that she was, her aim was perfect even though holding a bow and holding a gun were two not comparable things. Still. She pulled the trigger, not missing her target by even one millimeter and Yamada fell limply to the floor.

Kid had actually wanted to do this part. Go in, talk to him, maybe, and then sedate him. He'd let her inside after that and then, maybe, help her look for her paper. In any case he'd be there acting as a barrier in case the fucker woke up before he was supposed to. Aoko had agreed at first but she beat him in a little card trick she learned and mastered while watching Kaito over and over and over again.

Maybe he let her win on purpose but she'd really not bet on it. He seemed miffed enough having lost but it could still be just an act. This was Kid and she was none the wiser.

Turning around to go back outside and let Kid in because that was the deal she nearly jumped out of her skin when that idiot stood behind her, in his white full attire, silently watching and grinning like a maniac.

"What the hell. Weren't you supposed to stay outside?"

He whistled in awe and Aoko rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That was one incredible shot, Nakamori-san. Who would have thought? Somehow you're not taking after your father at all."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Kid grinned wider and shrugged. "Nothing. Anyway, Nakamori-keibu should be proud of his daughter's shooting abilities if nothing else. You'd probably make a fine officer."

"I don't think shooting is what makes an officer a good one. But whatever. There is a paper I need to find before that scum wakes up again."

The card that Aoko shot along his head was embedded in the wall next to his unconscious body and Aoko went to retrieve it. No need to leave any evidence. She pocketed the card just in case she might need it sometimes for something. She could easily analyze the contents and how the drug worked. It sounded handy enough.

It was a small room Yamada lived in, a one room apartment with the bed- and living room in one. The kitchen was off to the side with the bare minimum of necessities. But as small as the room was it was messy with books and papers and clothes all laying all around – and things she'd rather not view too closely.

Sighing, she scanned the room to her best abilities and tried to assess where her paper might be. She felt disgusted just thinking about touching anything here and she tried to keep it to the barest minimum.

There was a staple of papers in the back of the room, maybe she'd be lucky starting there.

"Well, let's do it."

"Have fun. Also, I would start with the staple in the corner of the room. I would check the insides of some books, too. Let's hope you're lucky and we won't have to wreak havoc in here. Though, wouldn't that be fun?"

Aoko deliberately ignored his manic looking face because she was sure that was the look he wore right now. She wouldn't fall into his schemes that easily – not that she wasn't already entangled.

Going through the first staple, she found mostly other exams but she guessed he just hadn't been able to give them back to the students yet and didn't actually put on an act like with her. But when she didn't find her paper and in the next two stacks either, she became desperate.

Knocking that guy out? That was criminal behavior no one would approve of. He threatened and blackmailed her – so what? She should have been better, right? If her paper really was not here, everything was all for naught.

"Aha. Look what we have here."

Aoko was so immersed in her search that she absolutely tuned Kid out and never realized that her helped with the search after all. Standing up and looking at him she watched him read her paper, if that really was her paper and then looking up at her, a serious expression on his face.

Pouting, she stamped over to him and took the paper out of his hands.

"I'd say you passed."

Aoko scanned her answers herself and she was pleasantly surprised to see she answered most of the questions correctly. His mark of 100% was wrong though and she'd have to get that changed.

"Yeah, 86%. I can live with that." It would ruin her straight 100s but Aoko still wasn't too sure she'd make it past April so she didn't really care about it.

Holding the paper in her hands, after all, she deeply exhaled in relief. So all this criminal energy wasn't in vain in the end. She had her paper now and her teacher had nothing on her anymore.

"Alright. Let's go. I found what I needed. I don't want to stay any longer."

"Alright."

"Thanks Kid. As much as I hate to say it and as much as I hate you but you didn't have to help me and yet you did. Thank you for that. But don't let it get to your head. I will settle my debt, one way or another."

With that Aoko turned around and left the apartment.

Shinichi was desperate. No, he was beyond desperate. Desperate was a stage he left a long time ago. This was much worse.

Should he have told Ran like that? Should he have told her at all? She didn't look like she believed him at all.

God, how could this have escalated like this?

Balling his fists, Conan watched Ran shutting herself away from him again, making it impossible to reach her.

Something, he needed to do something, tell her something to make her believe him again, to make her hate him less – or even, if she hated him he could live with it if it just stopped this sorrow.

"Ran." He said helplessly.

When it came to Ran his mind just didn't work. There were a lot of times, a lot of thing only the both of them could know and yet he couldn't remember a single one.

"Please leave me alone."

Shinichi watched her with a heavy heart, feeling her pain inside him.

He bit his tongue and nodded, defeated. What was there left to say? He could try tomorrow again. He could try when he got an antidote and then talk to her in his own body. Try to convince her it's him and have her tell him what happened, stop her before she killed herself. This had to stop.

He didn't want to go. He wanted to hug her, make things better but he didn't want to make things worse. He didn't want to see her in tears anymore. No more pain, no more anguish and much less because of him. He didn't want that anymore.

"Can we swap?"

Aoko looked through her window wistfully while holding her paper in the hands.

"Sure. Find a plausible reason why you needed to cut your hair to my length, like having gum in your hair and have somebody witness it. And tomorrow we can swap."

"…"

The sun had long set and she should be long in bed but the night's happenings still haunted her. the surprised and yet elated look of Yamada-sensei who she'd eventually have to face again during class. Kid's willingness to help her – it baffled her. He was a criminal and she was the daughter of the man who had been trying to catch him for how many years now?

And if Kid truly was Kaito then she was truly surprised how well Kaito could act – how pulled together he had his act.

"I'd like to stay away longer. And one more thing."

Raising an eye brow Aoko wondered what happened to make Ran want to leave home.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it now. And not here. I just – I can't take it anymore. This is how far I can go. Besides, I'd like to apply for an internship at the police headquarters. Do you think I can do that in your name? I don't think anyone would think anything of it if I did it as myself but maybe if I am you, things will be easier."

Aoko leaned her head on her hand and watched the snow slowly fall outside her window.

"I never truly showed much interest in police work, I guess. But why not? Try your best. My name might really help you out. And who knows, having one foot in the door is never bad."

"Thanks. You can't imagine how much that means to me."

"Don't worry about it. But you'll have to debrief me about Conan-kun because I doubt he won't see right through my disguise. I'll help you out with Kaito, too. Not that he will try much since I kind of broke our friendship today and while Kaito always tried to make up to me, I honestly don't think he will try now. Just watch out for Kaitou Kid."

"Alright. Let's meet tomorrow after school."

"Yeah. Otou-san will not be home before late at night since there will be another heist in a week's time and they still have to decipher the message. We can talk in peace here, get things cleared up, rules set and then I'll go to your place and you'll stay here."