A/N: Hey, guys. Here's another pointless chapter~! If there's a lot of food mentioned, it's probably because I'm watching two of my favorite boys eat delicious-looking food and I haven't eaten much, since my throat was too hurt to swallow down the painfully solid food my family had for dinner tonight. Also, I'm sick – my throat hurts like heck and my nose is running, not to mention the random spurts of eye-watering, so if this chapter seems odder than usual, that's probably why. Colds suck. Immensely. Anyways, enjoy~? Also, it'll probably take me longer than usual to update again due to me wanting to focus on recovering my health and wanting to focus on my schoolwork for once (I'm a bad student, lol).
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito in any way or form. Ryukaze Erise is owned by Iriss-sama.
Chapter Fifty One
I breathed out a huff of warm air that crystallized in the cool air, disappearing upward into the grey sky. We were currently just outside of Haido Department store, since Chikage was convinced that it was the best department store ever. She was quite adamant about going there instead of to the Ekoda outlet stores, so we had finally caved into her will. The building was large, towering over since it obviously had more than one floor and looked quite busy due to the Christmas season. People flowed in and out of the doors, an endless chain.
Out of habit, I latched onto Kaito's hand as we began our way inside, not wanting to get lost in the flood of people. Chikage walked ahead of us, a bounce in her step as she practically exploded with energy – I could tell she probably liked shopping as much as her son. At least I knew where Kaito got it from now, I mused with a smirk, glancing upwards to Kaito, who looked like he was already having fun despite us just arriving in the building. Warmth poured over us as we entered and Chikage turned to the both of us.
"I'm going to buy both of your presents, so I'll go on ahead~! Just don't go to the fifth floor, okay~?" She chimed, giving us a small little wave before quickly darting into an elevator just as the doors were about to close. She disappeared behind the two metal doors and I blinked in surprise at the sudden departure.
"Well, she kind of just gave away what she was getting us." Kaito chuckled, "The fifth floor mostly sells clothing and electronics."
I elbowed his thigh – the highest I could reach – in a mock-scolding gesture. "Kaito-niichan, don't ruin okaa-san's fun~! When we get the presents, at least act surprised." I laughed, amused. He grinned down at me with a spark in his eyes, "Alright, squirt~!" He reached down and ruffled my hair playfully, giving my already messy hair an even more messed up look. Bringing my hands up to protect my hair, I shot him a small glare which he promptly ignored, pulling me over to the other shops on the first floor.
There were things from clothing stores to pet shops, and cafés. "Wanna check out the toyshop?" Kaito asked with a smile, easily maneuvering the both of us through the people to reach the store on the other side. I gave a short nod, thinking over what I could possibly get the Detective Boys from Christmas with my own money – we had all decided to meet up early on Christmas, exchange gifts, and hang out before we went separate ways to spend time with family and the such. Plus, we'd all feel bad leaving Agasa alone on the holiday.
Just as we were about to enter the toyshop, a familiar voice broke through my concentration. "Koizumi…," The tone was surprised and I turned around, face just as surprised as the voice sounded. There, just behind us, stood Conan and Ran in all their glory, holding hands much like Kaito and I were. "Edogawa-kun." I blinked, Kaito stopping as he realized I knew the two people. "And, Ran-neechan." I tacked on for the sake of courtesy. The two headed closer to us, Ran's face warm at the sight of a familiar face, while Conan inspected Kaito behind his glasses.
"Alice-chan!" Ran greeted happily and she looked up to Kaito, "Is this your brother?"
Well, this is a bit awkward. I brought a hand to the back of my neck sheepishly, giving a small grin, "I…guess you could say that." I murmured, looking up at her through my lashes – she looked a bit confused, but was satisfied with the answer. She offered Kaito a smile, "I'm Mouri Ran, it's nice to meet you." Her hand gestured to Conan, "And this is Edogawa Conan. He's staying with my family for a while." Both of them gave a small bow of greeting and I rolled my eyes as Kaito's earlier smile went from friendly to flirty in a mere second.
He gave a theatrical bow, popping a yellow rose into existence and presenting it to Ran, who looked a bit flustered. "It's always a pleasure to meet a lovely lady such as yourself – Kuroba Kaito, at your service~! Alice-chan is also staying with my family for a while." He peered up at her through his lashes with a look that would rather suit KID when he was trying to seduce a woman. I deadpanned, face palming when I looked over to Conan, who was now glaring daggers at my poor companion.
"A-Ah, thank you." Ran stuttered, accepting the rose a bit hesitantly. After a moment of slightly awkward silence, I cleared my throat noisily, easily gaining the attention of the other three. "So, um, what are you two doing here? Christmas shopping, too?" I inquired, giving Kaito a pout to convey my dislike of him flirting with Ran to which he returned with an overly innocent grin. He and I use that way too much…
"Oh, you're Christmas shopping, as well?" Ran gave another sweet smile, her eyes alight with joy. Christmas simply made everyone happy – no one could deny the feeling that practically radiated in waves off everyone during the season…well, other than a few people who were demented or bitter, but that was a completely different matter. I grinned, "Yup! Ch–err, okaa-san is upstairs buying our presents, so we can't go to the fifth floor." I chuckled, rewarded with a similar chuckle from Kaito and a bell-like giggle from the angel-like teen.
"I see." Ran hummed, "Actually, I was just going to buy Conan-kun's present myself. Do you mind if he stays with you two for a while?" She questioned, looking at Kaito more for confirmation than me – but, then again, he was my guardian for the time being and would be the one watching both of us.
"Sure, that's fine!" Kaito agreed, putting a hand on my head and ruffling my hair once again. I flashed him a glare, but didn't make a move to remove the offending limb, slumping a bit in defeat. My hair couldn't be saved now – I was abandoning the prefix of fixing it. Sorry, hair. "I'm sure Alice-chan would be happy to spend time with Conan-kun, anyways. She talks about him quite a lot." The last part was mock-whispered, like it was some secret and my brow twitched.
My face flushed indignantly when Ran gave a small 'ohh', looking over to me with what seemed like knowing eyes. Oh, gosh, they thought I was…
I suddenly felt like smashing my head into the nearest surface, but resisted. But, only just. How could they possibly think I like the chibi tantei?! I mean, he was–! And I was–! It was just all baseless accusations that Kaito did to make me embarrassed, since he knew well enough that I talked about all of the Detective Boys equally, not just Conan – in fact, I tended to avoid talking about Conan since it felt weird to talk about Kudou Shinichi with Kaitou KID. I'd definitely get him back for this somehow…
His violet-blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he waved at Ran as she gave her thanks before heading towards a nearby escalator. She quickly disappeared in the flood of people sans Conan and Kaito released my hand so that I could walk next to Conan as we began a trek into the toyshop once more. As usual, he had his hands in his pocket with his usual disinterested expression, looking at the toys around, thoroughly unimpressed.
The toyshop was a decent size, plush animals stuffed in a big bin in the center of the room, along with a bin filled with plastic balls. The color of the shop mostly was focused on yellows and blues, all blindingly bright and made to entertain kids younger than Conan and I's physical age. Aisles ran throughout the shop, filled from top to bottom with toys covering each shelf, ranging from simple Barbie dolls to remote-controlled airplanes. As soon as we had entered the shop, Kaito had disappeared into one of the many aisles.
"Erm…sorry about Kaito-niichan flirting with Ran-neechan. He's like that with everyone – trust me." I informed Conan in an exasperated voice, who turned his eyes to me. He followed me as I wandered into a random aisle, which happened to be the boys' toy section – I spotted something that looked familiar, almost like Pokemon, and another thing that looked similar to Ben 10, but I kept walking slowly, not particularly interested. "So, he's just a playboy, then." Conan stated in a deadpanned voice that had me snickering.
"You could say that, yeah~!"
After a moment of debate, I went on, "But he's a nice guy – plus, he already has his sight set on a certain girl. He just flirts for the entertainment of it all. No harm." I shrugged, stopping at a Kamen Yaiba toy that caught my interest. Hmm, all three would definitely like this… but who to give it to was the question of the day – all three of them loved Kamen Yaiba.
The other pint-sized teen stopped by my side, still looking unimpressed by the toys all around and I popped out a question, "Hey, by the way, where's Kogoro-ojisan? I didn't see him earlier. At home watching Okino Yoko-san?" I checked the price on the Kamen Yaiba toy and with a decided nod, I pulled it down from the shelf, beginning to move on to find another gift. Conan followed as I rounded a corner and headed down another aisle, this one holding girl toys.
I grimaced at all the pinkness, immediately turning tail and heading into the next aisle, which was filled to the brim with stuffed animals. Again, Conan followed close behind, "Right on the mark." He smirked, amused. "Since it's close to the holidays, she's been holding special concerts and occhan is determined to watch them all." He gave a small laugh as we travelled slowly through the zoo-like aisle. Different colored bears and fluffy-looking dangerous animals were stacked together in a big, friendly, pile of fluff.
I paused in step, gazing at a pink, fluffy, teddy bear with a checkered black-and-white ribbon tied around its neck. With a grin, I pulled it off the shelf, where it was laying between a tiger and a much bigger bear; Ayumi would definitely like this!
"By the way, Koizumi…," Conan started and I ignored the instinct to squirm as I glanced over to him. His eyes were narrowed in interest behind his glasses in that unnerving stare once more. By now, you'd think I'd be kind of used it. But I wasn't. It was still just as piercing as ever, feeling like it would dig under my skin, just to see what would make me tick – which, in hindsight, was probably what it was supposed to do. "You never told me that you were living with someone else. I always assumed that you were living with your own family, since you'd mention your 'brother' and 'sister'." He quirked a brow, following me as I broke eye contact and quickly rounded around the bend to more gender-neutral toys.
"You never asked." I quipped, flashing him a Cheshire smile, "Besides, it wasn't really that important. I mean, you aren't living with your parents, right?"
What to get Genta was the question of the day it seemed. I honestly had no idea what he'd like, other than food – specifically unagi. I bit my lip, eyes darting around. I guess I could give him the Kamen Yaiba toy, but then what would I get Mitsuhiko? A book? It sounded like a half-hearted gift at best and I didn't want him to feel like I spent the less time trying to choose his present than the others, but if I didn't, then what would I get Genta? I didn't know that much about him still personally, other than he loved food and sometimes said the most fascinated – and funny – remarks…
I blinked out of my thoughts, realizing I was overanalyzing a simple problem. It wasn't really my fault, though – I couldn't even remember a time when I wanted to buy a present for someone other than my sister. And even with her, I usually just gave both her and my mother hugs Christmas morning and would talk to my father over the phone… there wasn't much I usually did in preparation for Christmas. It was just a simple holiday that I'd spend at home, but now I had people to take into account. It was kind of disconcerting to think that I had more to do here than there.
A cold chill slipped down my back and it had nothing to do with the weather outside.
"Koizumi?" My mind snapped back into reality and I quickly shuffled back from Conan's concerned face, which was right in front of me. "Err…sorry. Got distracted." I muttered lamely. His brows didn't move from their furrow and before I knew it, I was laughing at him, "Don't be so worried! It's weird." I chortled, slapping his back in a friendly gesture that might have been a bit too strong, seeing as he almost toppled off-balance. I got the perfect idea for Genta now!
He deadpanned at my mockery of his concern and his expression smoothed away – he probably thought it wasn't worth the trouble if I could mock him over it. Which, really, was the truth of the matter. I shot him yet another grin and began heading for the check-out counter. "Anyways, shrimp, how's the rest of December been? Other than that one murder, anything else interesting happen?" I questioned conversationally.
He gave a small, unsatisfied, hum in the back of his throat as we reached the counter. The woman behind it gave us a motherly smile as she began to scan my items. "Not really." He muttered, quirking a dry smirk, "Should I be worried that you think a murder is something interesting?"
"You find them interesting, so I can find them interesting, too!" I huffed with playful exaggeration. "Unless you're saying it's okay, since you're older than me or something, but we both know that's not true…, right?" I cast him a wayward glance with a smirk crawling on my lips slowly. A bead of sweat ran down his cheek as he resigned to his fate, "N-No, we're the same age…more or less."
"Well, then, nothing to be worried about, Edogawa-kun~" I hummed a bit sinisterly, paying for my items and thanking the woman behind the counter before grabbing my bags – which had my purchases – and heading off in the general direction of where Kaito vanished.
Without much choice, the chibi-tantei followed and as I spotted a familiar black cat, I beckoned him over with a hand and Kin easily clawed up my clothes to wind around my neck, most of his body resting in the hood of my coat this time. Conan deadpanned at the sight as I gave a grin. "Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you'd gotten to…Jack." I stifled a laugh as gold eyes stared at me balefully.
ooOOoo
"So, do you two already have plans for Christmas?" Chikage asked over dinner one night, taking a tofu from her bowl and popping it in her mouth with an interested expression directed towards both Kaito and I. Chikage had whipped together a hearty sukiyaki meal, which was now steaming from the place in the center of the table in a hot pot she'd fished from under the cabinet. It was warm – a welcomed attribute this time of year – and had tofu, beef, and a variety of vegetables to create a nice evening meal.
I blinked, slurping up some noodles from my bowl – I was still getting used to that not being rude here – and chewed on them curiously as I turned to Kaito. I had assumed that after the party with the Detective Boys and Agasa, that the three of us would spend some time together. It had completely eluded me that Christmas here wasn't as family-oriented as it was for parties and couples. I lowered my chopsticks, feeling a bit accomplished at my success with slurping noodles up despite having gotten a hang of the chopsticks a while ago. It was still very uplifting to know that if Akako and I ever went to get ramen again, I wouldn't make myself out to be a bumbling fool.
"Aoko and I are going to go to karaoke with some friends from school before heading over to shop in Shibuya." Kaito informed with a smile at his mother, easily speaking decently despite the piece of beef in his mouth. My lips curled up mischievously as Chikage and I exchanged knowing looks. Kaito was spending Christmas with Aoko, huh? A snicker was building up in my throat and begged to come out, but I held it in for the sake of not teasing Kaito – it just wouldn't be ethical. My grin grew the slightest.
"So, Alice-chan," As if sensing the atmosphere of his impending doom, Kaito quickly cut into the silence, turning the attention to me, "What do you have planned for Christmas?"
At the sudden shift in attention, I straightened almost unconsciously. "Um, nothing much. The Detective Boys and I do plan to spend some time at Agasa's house, but that's it." I told them, immediately taking out a beef and dipping it in raw battered egg. At first, I'd been skeptical about it due to salmonella and all, but after you first try it, you get over it – things like that just don't matter when it tastes good.
I popped the egg-covered meat into my mouth as Chikage once again began to speak. "That sounds like fun, you two!" She cheered in her ever-happy way. "But enough of that~!" Her friendly smile turned into a sharp grin that reminded me of when I was looking a mirror. "Tell us more about your date with Aoko-chan, Kai-chan~!" She crooned.
Dinner suddenly got a lot rowdier.
ooOOoo
"Merry Christmas!" I chimed in English as I walked into Agasa's house from the cold. Winter break had officially started on the twenty-fourth – just yesterday – and would extend until January seventh, so all the kids were free from school as of now. I closed the door behind me swiftly, shivering as warm air replaced the cold that had enveloped me just seconds before. I toed off my snow boots in the genkan and raised a hand to brush snow out of my hair. Next off was my scarf, jacket, and then my gloves and then I was on my way further into the house, Kin trailing by my side.
The low music of American Christmas carols rang throughout the building, gradually getting louder as I entered the main, center, room. Agasa was obviously a sucker for the holiday – a large Christmas tree stood off to the side, brimming with decorations as a few presents were tucked beneath the plastic pine, and the whole house smelled of cookies and hot chocolate, put together with the fire-like warmth radiating throughout the house.
I easily spotted the kids and the good professor, getting happy smiles and waves. I hauled my small bag of present to the tree and tucked them underneath neatly, grinning to myself at the excited chatter that elicited from the kids at the sight of new things.
I turned and engulfed Agasa in a brief friendly hug before he led me over to where the others were sitting, all drinking hot chocolate and eating the cookies. Well, for Genta, it looked more like inhaling cookies. Swiftly, I snatched a chocolate-chip cookie to make sure that by the time I got situated, there'd still be at least one left for me. Agasa handed me a steaming cup of the liquid chocolate and took a seat beside me on the couch. To my right sat Mitsuhiko and on the other couch in front of ours sat Ayumi, Genta, and Conan.
There was a long, comfortable chat as Kin snuggled into my lap, stealing crumbs that fell from my cookies and basically being a lazy cat in the familial atmosphere. His gift from me hung on his neck proudly. It was a black collar with a red stripe running through it, a small golden-like plague hanging from it with his name engraved in it. The good thing about engraving it myself is that I purposely made it reversible, so that on one side, it said 'Kin' and the other said 'Jack'. Currently, it was on the Jack side, glinting in the lighting from the holiday lights wrapped around the tree. And despite cat said to not be able to express emotion, I swear I saw his mouth curve into a smile when I'd strapped it around his neck.
I don't know how long we sat there talking, but it was already getting kind of dark when we finally decided to do our present exchange. I was the first to give away gifts, handing them to each person with accomplishment. They were all neatly wrapped boxes, the wrapping paper showing little drawings of what I assumed was Rudolf, since I wasn't sure if the story had the same name – I'd just saw it while getting wrapping supplies with Chikage and thought it was cute.
Ayumi was the first to rip the paper off box, revealing a plain box underneath. She blinked and I beckoned her on with a grin. She opened the box and gasped in delight, pulling out the fluffy bear I'd picked out for her. Her eyes glittered as she gave it a hug before coming over and pulling me into an unexpected hug. "Thank you so much, Koizumi-san! I've been wanting this bear for a while, but I never was able to buy it!" She gasped out happily, smile wide and child-like. It tugged on my heartstrings and I patted her back awkwardly, "No problem, Yoshida-san." I gave her a smile as she finally released me.
Next to open their present was Mitsuhiko, who thanked me wholeheartedly for the cool Yaiba toy. There were no awkward hugs exchanged, though, thank goodness. It wasn't like I disliked hugs – in fact, I loved them – but I liked to be the one to initiate the contact, otherwise it feels weird. Genta was ecstatic with his gift card for Columbo – as was Agasa, since I'd got them a set so they could go together. Last, but never least, was Conan.
"Erm, I wasn't quite sure what to get you, but I thought that you might like this, even though it's smaller than the others' things. I saw it while I was shopping." I muttered anxiously, a bit curious as to whether he would take it. I knew it was to his taste and I knew he didn't have one already, but still. Who can not be nervous when giving a gift to the main character of their favorite anime? You'd obviously want them to approve of it. I handed him the small box.
He easily tore off the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the tiny box before pulling out the string and letting the small soccer ball phone-strap hang. He blinked at it and I squirmed nervously, but I felt like I already knew his answer. Slowly, he put it back in the box and closed the lid, putting the tiny box in his pocket. His next words made my day.
"Thanks, Koizumi."
And just like that, I felt like I'd won the lottery.
ooOOoo
"Ah, Alice-kun, wait a moment." I paused at the genkan, boots already on and winter jacket halfway on one arm. I turned to look at the professor as he came closer to where I was. Everyone else was already gone, but I had stayed to help clean up the small mess we'd all made. "I have something to tell you about the necklace I gave you."
My eyes glanced downward to the necklace I was currently wearing. It was a small silver – painted gold – fox running in a random direction above an arrow, connected to a small metal bead that was attached to the metal chain that went decently low down my neck, reaching just below my chest. If I put it under my clothing, no one would be able to see it. I'd already learned that the fox could twirl on the metal ball, which was a cool feature. "What is it, Hakase?" I questioned curiously, tugging at the necklace to fix its awkward angle pointing towards the door.
He looked a bit nervous before he started talking again. "Well, you see, Alice-kun, as you know, Conan-kun tends to get a bit ahead of himself sometimes and it worries me that one day he'll go missing…," He trailed and I raised a brow. What the heck did my necklace have to do with Conan? I exchanged a look with Kin, who looked equally curious despite being a cat. Sometimes, I wonder about him…
"There's already two pairs of the Criminal Tracking Glasses, but that only works within a certain radius. So, I designed your necklace to be a counterpart of Conan-kun's glasses." He explained and I felt my mouth gape open in disbelief. This wasn't going where I think it's going, right? Sure enough, he continued, "Both the Glasses and your necklace are installed with a certain magnetic component that only reacts to its counterpart. Wherever the Criminal Tracking Glasses go, the fox points in the direction they are."
Oh my gosh, this was serious… I had a tracking device for Kudou Shinichi. I'd know what direction he's in at all times… it sounded a bit stalker-ish in my head. "But…why'd you give it to me?" I asked in an incredulous whisper, now knowing why the angle was awkward. In fact, now, it was pointed to the left. My mind calculated the direction and I knew he was headed back to the Mouri Detective Agency. The knowing feeling whelled in my chest, leaving me a bit uncomfortable and I promptly stuck the necklace/gadget under my shirt so I couldn't see where it was pointing.
Agasa gave me a paternal smile. "Because I trust you, Alice-kun, and even though you and Conan-kun are always teasing each other, it's easy to see that you worry about him, too. And, if any smart criminals get a hold of him," The was a dark undertone to his words and I shivered as I realized he was talking about the Black Organization, "they wouldn't expect a child to have his whereabouts."
I gulped at the huge responsibility that he'd just unknowing chucked on my shoulders. I was basically the fail-safe for them if the idiot detective got captured by the big bads. I shook the thought away – after all, why worry when I knew they wouldn't catch him anytime in the timeline I've read? – and gave Agasa a thumbs-up and grin, picking Kin up easily.
"I see. Thank you once again for the necklace, Hakase." I thanked, feeling myself relax with the added assurance in my arms. "See you~!" With that, I finished pulling on my jacket one-armed and them quickly wrapped on my scarf before heading out into the cold snow of winter.
ooOOoo
I sighed happily, enjoying the walk back home. If there was one thing I loved about winter – it was the scenery. There was just something poetic about the never-ending white landscape, even with buildings and other people around to create colorful meshes. Everything just seemed to blend into the atmosphere to create a peaceful world. I really did love winter…
My thoughts were interrupted with a buzz and I blinked, carefully shifting Kin in my arms – after the first attempt of trying to put him down, I figured out his was scared of the snow; big baby… – and pulled my cellphone out of my jacket pocket, a grin growing on my face when I read it was Erise. I quickly opened the text and scanned it over. The Gomera cellphone strap Mitsuhiko had gotten me swayed as I continued to walk.
Merry christmas, Midori-chan! Sorry that I couldn't see you today, but you know how family is sometimes, lol. xD Anyways, we'll still see each other this weekend, right?
I laughed, clumsily texting my reply as I neared the Kuroba household. My boots crunched in the snow and it was already twilight out, so I knew Chikage would probably be home already from her visit to her friends' place. Merry Christmas, Erise-chan! And it's okay, I know how family goes, lol. And yup! See you in two days!
I clicked my phone shut and quickly entered the house when I arrived, eagerly welcoming the warmth and the smell of Christmas cake. And if there were a few boxes on my bed filled with girly clothing, the culprit totally wasn't Chikage. Please note my fond exasperation.
Review Replies:
To: Iriss-sama – Thank you~! (Returns Hug) And I won't, don't worry! I'm having too much fun! XDDD (Laughs) Yup, she likes to cheat a lot when it comes to KID. XD I suppose it's her way to feel like she has an upper hand, lol. I would've been shocked, too. And would have promptly hung up. XDDD Their relationship is allllll about irony~! XDD And yeah, she'll just butter things over like that. XDDD It's in "Jester's" personality to do things like that. XD And no, it's not~! I do that too sometimes and then I realize that I said something that was unnecessary after I posted it… XD;;; Yeah, that's one of the ever-present challenges throughout the Revolver series. She's happy there, but she's also happy in her own world with her family, but she's also creating new "family" bonds with other people and the such, so… (Conflicted) I'm gonna feel kind of bad when I finally bring something serious up about that situation. XD And both worlds (DC universe and her universe) continue with their time-stream, so it's always moving. However…it's still not clarified if they move at the same time… (Sneaky Grin) ((And, yes, there are a lot of loop-holes in situations like these~! It's fun to spot them, lol)) And I'm excited for their heist, too! I can't wait to write it. I was supposed to, but life decided to get in the way… (Sighs) Oh my gosh! I love that idea~! It'd be fun to see that! XDDD I'll probably add that in! XDDD And yes, I'm really happy at how many names I was able to thank for supporting this story~! It made me feel all warm and bubbly inside~! (oh, there's my mushy side again. XD) And awesome! 8DD And thank you! My sister just recently watched FMA: Brotherhood and her favorite character is also Pride! XDD I've also wanted to do something like that! XDD *raises fist again* And thank you, Ri-chan~! (Returns Lucky Hug) Thank you once again~! *grins at Kaitou KID theatric bow before joining in*
To: MiniMiao – Thank you, thank you, thank you~! (Dramatic Bows) (Accepts Award with a Grin and Cuts Cyber Cookie Cake to share) And I'm glad you're excited! It was supposed to be in this chapter, but health issues and life got in the way. Sorry. ;_; But! I'm making it my goal to do it as soon as I get everything in check! (Determined) (Laughs) Yeah, a lot would happen if Midori/Alice got back home. XDDD You'll just have to wait and see~! Since you mentioned it, I realize that Conan – despite being the main character of the original show – doesn't show up too often in this story… Opps. XDDD; So, I added him in this one, along with a few other people who haven't appeared in a while. He'll also appear in more chapters, too! I'll be sure to add him in, lol. XDD And, nope, I haven't seen movie 17 yet, but I'm really looking forward to it! 8DD I'mma wait 'til it's English subbed, since otherwise I'll spoil things without knowing about the case (which is always a fun part~!). XD Don't worry, I'm like that too sometimes~! XDDD (you should've seen my reaction to the Q&A opening for DC, since I knew the Mystery Train Arc was closing in quickly and B'z is, like, my favorite Japanese band ever. XD) (Eats Piece Of Cookie) Thank you, MiniMiao~!
To: MagicMilkbone – Yup! Fifty! 8DDD Thank you so much! ^^ I'm glad I was able to surprise you with that. XD Spider was my little hidden card that I was excited to play, lol. XDD As for Midori's height, she is 5'6 (167 cm) and Kaito is 5'8 (170 cm) while Spider (in my story, anyways) is about 6'2 or 6'3 (187 cm or 190 cm). So, while she and Kaito are close in height, Spider would tower over her somewhat with his taller height. XD Here's the update~! I tried to add Kin more, but it's kind of hard since he doesn't talk. XDDD He'll definitely get his chance to shine, though! (Nods)
To: Kudo Shinichi Tanteisan – WOOOO~! (Celebrates with You) Thank you, E-chan~! 8DDDD ((And of course that secretly…we're just that awesome. – grins – )) And yes~! Jester Venom Gas for allllll~! (Evil Laughter) XDD I just love calling him Haku-boy. XD It's easier to say than Hakuba and it sounds funny~! XD *ignores displeased grumbles and laughs along with you* (Laughs) Perhaps… XDDD
To: DDmasters – …*stares in awed silence before…* PIES! Those sound really, really, good right now! XDDD *shares truckload with you while stuffing my face with pie~* Thank you, DDmasters! 8DD And who knows~! XDD It would probably be a battle for the fittest and she'd probably end up getting caught since she'd be between two geniuses, lol. XDD She'd be the "weak-link", so to say. XD Unfortunately, Conan won't be making an appearance this heist due to other reasons. XDD It would be very funny and interesting, though, if he did. (Thoughtful Hum)
To: Kotegawa Yuriko (all in one) – Yesh! I'm the cyber cookie monster~! Rawr! (Does completely unintimidating growl) …(Awkward silence)… Annnnyyyways, you're probably right. (Nods) I hate school with an audacious passion, so I probably do write more during the school time to avoid work. XDDD (Laughs) Yes, I tend to do very large A/Ns, whether at the end or the beginning. XDD It's a bad habit, but meh. (Shrugs) (Proudly Accepts World-records award for longest A/N) XDD And I eat so many cyber cookies since my readers reward me with cyber cookies~! They're yummy and low on calorie (lol – sorry, forgive me slap-stick humor. XD) and they're cyber! Who doesn't like a little data bits for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, right? XDD
-Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was short than it was supposed to be because of my health and other things. XD Next one will be the heist – promise! Though, it may take a while, since I'm going to take some time to focus on my health and schoolwork. Also, if this chapter seems cruddy, it's because I feel cruddy. Apologizes. (Bows) Anyways, see you next time~! 8DD