A/N: Filler chapter is filler. Please enjoy this somewhat pointless chapter. XDD Also, there's lots of time skips in this, so I hope you don't get confused. XDD (I'm pretty sure you won't, but.. –shrugs– )
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito in any way or form. (or shape!) Ryukaze Erise is owned by Iriss-sama.
Chapter Fifty Five
Contrary to my expectations of the building, the hotel I eventually found my way to wasn't freakin' giant. It was a decent size, stretching several floors up, but nowhere near the sky-scraper heights I'd been looking for (which, in hindsight, was probably why it had taken a while to find the place). The building was a faded beige and the entrance was quite nice, a porch cover that was a dark green stretching over a generous expanse of the drive-by spot of the parking lot. Cars lined the lot and it seemed they got a lot of business, since I could hear laughter coming from inside from where I was standing a few feet from the glass doors.
With a sigh, I stuffed the directions given to me by Noboru into my sweater pocket, striding up to the doors and pushing through easily. Almost immediately, my nose wrinkled at the assault of smells; cigarettes and alcohol lingered in the air and freshly baked goods drifted by. It was a bad combination, to say the least, but it was something you got used to in minutes and I relaxed a bit. I wandered further inside, feeling a bit out of place in the high-class place.
The front desk was currently busy, business men talking with the lady behind it as she typed some things out on a computer, but my attention was snagged by the bar to the far right of the lobby. A bar in a hotel lobby? That was a first – for me, anyway. It struck me as odd, especially the overwhelming amount of people lounging around said lobby, as if everyone here was holding a big party – there was a group of teens sitting at the couches, a few older men speaking to each other while they sat on a long table modified to have plugs for your electrical devices, and there were women gossiping to each other near the pool table. Yes, pool table.
There were even a few children running around, seemingly playing tag while maneuvering through the other people skillfully. The sight brought a smile to my lips and I spotted the elevator, heading towards it with determined steps. The faster I got this done, the faster I could go back to the Kuroba household and eat some of the sweets Kaito had hidden somewhere in the top cupboard while he was gone with Aoko. I think he was starting to notice that a few cookies and snacks would go missing every few days.
I hesitated as I was about to press a floor, feeling my eye twitch. He hadn't put the floor, I realized, and I had no idea how many rooms were on a floor. Heck, it didn't even seem possible for the floor number to be so high! With a sour expression, I pressed the first floor, deciding to just look for the room on every floor. It would take a while, but it was better than floundering around like an idiot.
Checking the first floor was a dud – though, I did figure out that this building started it's room numbers started at 2,000. Why? I had absolutely no idea. Maybe it was to make themselves unique and freak people out who see people's room numbers? Who knows. Either way, now I knew that they were merely in this hotel's room #425, carefully disguised as something unreachable. I passed through floor two and three, both dud, before finally reaching the door to the elusive room on floor four.
I bit my lip pensively, raising my hand before carefully knocking on the wooden door. I waited patiently, rocking back and forth on my heels nervously. What would these people be like? Were they scarier than Akako? Scarier than Gin? I snorted at the thought. Yeah right – I don't think anyone could manage to terrify me as much as he did. I was worried that if I ever did run in to the black organization member again, I'd freeze in fear instead of making a hasty getaway.
Shaking the thoughts away, I paused, raising a brow in question. It had been a few minutes since I knocked…
…Don't tell me they weren't in at the moment?
A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I ran a hand through my hair. I just walked through three floors and they're not even here. I was slowly beginning to dislike Osamu-kun and his group, even though I'd never met them personally or remembered who they were exactly. A clattering from my side caught my attention and I jolted, my head whipping around to stare at a small woman pushing a cart. She had come to a halt and I analyzed her, taking in her beautiful kimono with long sleeves that sagged over, hiding her hands, and the fox mask covering the top half of her face, cutting off at the muzzle. It was white with small ears and black designing the ears, circling the eye holes, and creating the nose, while bright red created different symbols along the face. I recognized it as an okami fox mask.
She spoke first. "Ah, are you here to visit Koizumi Osamu-sama?" Her voice was soft and pleasant to listen to.
"U-Uh, y-yeah." I nodded, blinking in slight interest. She gave me a smile, "I see. They're down in the lobby, honey."
My brow twitched. Are you freakin' kidding me? I had been down in the lobby and I didn't see anyone that looked even vaguely familiar. I suddenly felt like just giving up and going back home, but I had to do this. For myself. Otherwise Akako would betray my trust. And then Kaito would know and he'd treat me different as Alice and I didn't want that. I'd fallen into a comfortable routine as Alice at his house and to have that change would be…hard, I suppose.
"I see…thank you." I gave her a bow in thanks, stepping to go around her back to the elevator to take me back to the lobby, but a hand caught my arm as I was about to pass. "Dear, come with me first. We should get you cleaned up. This is no way to present yourself to unfamiliar people." Oh no, she was mothering type! My face paled a bit as she began to drag me to the room that I'd searched diligently for. She grabbed a towel and a bottle of shampoo and soap from the cart she'd been wheeling, the door opening as if it hadn't been locked as she surged forward, dragging me to the bathroom with her.
"W-Wait! If you're so adamant about it, I can bathe myself!"
"Nonsense! By the way you came in, I can only expect that you don't particularly care about personal appearances."
"B-But–!"
I sighed, swallowing my useless words of protest as I shoved her out of the room and closed the door, pulling off my shirt begrudgingly. Might as well get cleaned up, I suppose. And now that she mentioned it, I did feel grimy.
ooOOoo
I fiddled with my new clothing as I headed down to the lobby. After I'd bathed, the woman had given me a pair of clean clothes and brushed my hair, even going so far as to put a clip, shaped like an 'X', to keep half of my bangs away from my eyes. Some part of me was curious if she had her own kids, 'cause she'd be a great mother, but I discarded the thoughts. We'd parted after I thanked her immensely and then she'd disappeared down the hall to get back to her original course of work.
The elevator dinged at my arrival at the lobby floor, the doors sliding open. With a grin, I stepped out, heading over to where she told me I'd find them – around the bar area, supposedly. The smell of alcohol got stronger as I walked closer, weaving through the ridiculous amount of people in the lobby. My eyes scanned over the hordes of people before landing on three certain people, speaking to two other people, standing out. There was nothing too extravagant about them, regular clothes blending them into the crowd and they seemed like regular customers at the hotel.
What did stand out, however, was their eyes. Bright crimson of the same shade peeked out behind their bangs, very similar to some of the other Koizumi clan members' eye colors. What really sealed the deal of me, though, was that now that I saw them, I vaguely recalled seeing them at the family reunion. They were a group of three that had sent uneasy shivers down my spine. I fidgeted before walking closer, hoping to just give them the Pari Passu and then book it back home, where I'd promptly reward myself with some cookies and then go to sleep like a useless piece of furniture on the couch before inevitably being woken by Kaito when he got back from his trip with Aoko.
However, since I wasn't a rude individual (or, at least, I hoped I came off as somewhat polite), I stood off to the side as they continued a conversation with a tall woman and, what I'm assuming was, her husband. Well, there was no ring and they both looked decently young, so…boyfriend and girlfriend, maybe? …Or just friends, I berated myself with a hint of a sharp smile. I caught the odd tale end of their conversation as I glanced around the room patiently, turned away as to not seem opposing.
"–haven't actually met you yet~!" It was accompanied with a snicker that sent an uneasy shiver down my spine.
"Ah, is that so?" The woman was speaking and she sounded amused. "I actually think it was today. My memories actually seem to be altering a bit." Her friend gave a laugh after a second before replying in a scratchy voice, "That wouldn't actually be surprising, considering…," I blinked as the words disappeared, seeming to be whispered.
After a moment of silent laughter, the woman spoke again. "Anyway, we need to go. See you!" Prompt and to the point, the two began to head away as I turned back to the group of three who were waving. Golden eyes blinked back at me before the two disappeared into the surrounding crowd. I stared after blankly. Those eyes had oddly reminded me of Kin. I shook away the prickling feeling of discomfort and a voice stole my attention.
"Ah, is that you, Koizumi Midori-chan~?"
I twirled on my heel quickly at the call of my name, offering a grin to the group of three. My eyes drifted to the one that seemed to be the ring leader, offering a smile and welcoming eyes, his hand lingering on the arm of the one that I believe had just spoken; wild silver-grey bangs obscuring the upper half of his face, bits of red eyes piercing through. He looked like the only one capable of speaking in such a frivolous tone, with a downright creepy grin while the others remained politely reserved. The arm on his hand oddly reminded me of someone holding back their dog when meeting a new person.
The one smiling greeted me first, keeping his hand on the silver haired fellow. It seemed a bit demeaning to the person in question, but the boy himself didn't seem to mind and it did make me feel a bit more at ease with him, so...
"I'm Osamu." I drilled his features into my brain for future reference; soft black hair and crimson eyes, housing a cold distance despite his kind attitude at the moment. Then again, Akako had said that they were decent if you disregarded most of their personality. Maybe Osamu was the type to be a complete fake all the time? I did admit, his smile was a bit irksome, in a way that made me want to pull his cheeks just so that he would display a different expression. I didn't, though. I like living, thank you very much, and I could feel a thick discomfort from being near him. Or maybe it was his 'dog'. They were all kind of blending together.
Osamu gestured his other hand at the other boy with them, his face turned away, headphone placed firmly over his ears. He was wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, so I could only assume he was sick or something. Better keep my distance then, I noted; I didn't have any intentions of getting sick so early in the new year. Or anytime soon for that matter. Despite not having his gaze on me, I could clearly see that he was the one with the softest looking eyes, not harsh or cold or obscured. He almost looked like he was thinking of something that made him cry, his hands fiddling with the scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, brown hair splaying across the faded blue fabric.
"That's Yuuto-kun. He's probably the nicest here, so you'll probably get along with him the best, if he decides to stop being antisocial." Osamu introduced, his face still neutral despite the odd extra information. Finally, he moved his hand from the other's arm, drawing my attention from Yuuto (who was still avoiding looking at me, jerk…), and instead settled it in the silvery locks of the other, patting and smoothing down hair. My brow twitched as I struggled to keep a polite grin at Osamu. This was getting a bit weird.
"This is Takashi." They were either close or he had no respect for the other, I concluded, but seeing as how Takashi seemed to light up at being referred to by the other, I'm guessing it was the former. However, by his name being mentioned, it was like Takashi lost all concept of self-control.
"It's nice to meet you! It's been a while since we've talked to someone casually, so it's nice to know that you willing came to us! You also retrieved something that once was Osa-tama's, so that earns you bonus points!" I blinked at his surge of speech, excited and bubbly. He was leaning forward, grinning widening with every word – which was an impressive feat, since his face had looked like it was going to split in two earlier without the added happiness.
"I-It's nice to meet you, too!" I laughed, feeling his enthusiasm spread to me as well. Despite being the one that Akako had called an 'undeniable psychopath', he seemed more like a little kid on a sugar high to me; with a quiet brother and a doting father who didn't like people associating with his 'little boys'. I snorted internally, biting my lip to keep from laughing as I thought of that. Osamu gave a small chuckle, seeming to soften ever so slightly – definitely a doting father. I held back another round of giggles.
"By the way, Midori-chan," The black-haired young adult (at least, that's what he looked like, but he was a Koizumi) began after a second of silence. "Have you been to a shrine yet?"
I blinked at the seemingly random question. "Um, no, I haven't yet. I actually didn't plan on going to one." I replied, brow raising in silent questioning, toying with the fabric of the hem of the shirt I was borrowing. It was a nice thing, similar to one Akako had bought for me on that one shopping spree for clothing for Midori; black with graphic designs and random English words printed on it in a 'punkish' way. When I had picked it, Akako had given me an amused look and then insisted that I get clothing to go along with it. In the end, I'd ended up with half my wardrobe clothes punkish clothing and the other half 'odd', as Akako had put it, since I apparently had a 'weird' sense of fashion.
Takashi brightened, hand tugging on my wrist to pull me closer, eyes shining happily behind his bangs. "Then we should go together! We haven't been to one yet, either~!" He chirped before turning his attention to Osamu, as if in permission.
They had what appeared to be a staring contest before Osamu sighed lightly, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I suppose it should be alright. Once we go to the shrine, we can come back to the hotel and then eat something, then Midori-chan can go home." He nodded and the whole sentence sounded more of a command then a suggestion of any type. Even if I tried to deny going to the shrine and eating with them, I knew I would be pulled along. Osamu was somewhat of a tyrant, I realized, feeling a bead of sweat slide down my cheek.
"I-I guess that would be okay." Damn, I stuttered. I felt my cheeks heat in slight embarrassment and I looked away towards the only person who wasn't looking at me to hide it – except, he was looking. Staring, more like it. I flinched. I think I know why Akako didn't want to come now. They weren't normal, but they didn't come off as completely weird, either. They were at a neutral-ish zone that made you uncomfortable.
Shifting my gaze to my boots, I shuffled. "We should go now, then… I have to be back home soon, so that Kaito-niichan doesn't worry."
"Yay~! Let's go, let's go!"
With that, Takashi had tightened his hold on my wrist and took off to the exit, the other two following us close behind.
ooOOoo
I was slowly learning that Takashi was the type of chatterbox person who would talk and talk and talk. I mean, I didn't have anything against chatterboxes, but he kept asking questions about me and I was getting a bit irritated, since I was still a bit tried despite my short nap. With my hands shoved deep in the pockets of my jeans, I considered ditching them in the crowd and heading back to the hotel, leaving the gem in their room, and then going home to sleep and eat. But I had a feeling it'd make the child-esque adult cry, and I'd feel guilty.
"So, what's your favorite color?"
I held in a sigh. "Red."
"Favorite food?"
"Pizza."
"Favorite Japanese dish?"
"Udon."
"Any specific type?"
"…Miso-nikomi udon."
He gave a thoughtful hum, nodding in mock-serious concentration. "I see, I see~!" My brow twitched. What did he 'see'? What was there to see? Before I could lose my self-control and input a witty comment, he cut me off to start the flow of questions again.
"Favorite bands?"
"Linkin Park, Broken Iris, Breaking Benjamin, and others, I guess…," That was a tough question, since I didn't exactly have favorite bands and I just chose several that came to mind that I knew a lot of songs for. "I listen to a lot of different genres, though." I amended.
Despite his confused face – since he probably didn't know the English bands and they might not even exist here – he nodded in assent before firing off yet another question, "Japanese bands?"
"B'z and Aya Kamiki, if she counts as a 'band'." I listed, snorting to myself when I realized I had come to know B'z because of the anime I was currently stuck definitely had to be my favorite band of all time, excluding a few others, so I found it amusing that I was conversing about them in the place I'd discovered them.
"Did you see the sunrise with anyone last night~? I watched it with Osa-tama! It was really pretty~!"
"No, I did–" I paused, looking to the right in thought, "Actually, I did. I watched it with someone weighing me down like a sack of potatoes. And he was asleep, so technically, I watched it alone."
"Fair enough. Favorite brand of shoes?"
I paused. What kind of weird question was that? Weren't shoes just shoes? A small laugh caught my attention and I turned to see Yuuto looked purposefully away, a hand up to his mask, his shoulder shaking in suppressed laughter. My eyes widened in surprise. I think that was the first emotion he's shown since I've shown up. A grin stretched across my face and I didn't comment on his laughter, turning my attention back to Takashi.
"I don't care about the brand of shoes, as long as they're comfortable and not crap-ugly, and I can run from someone in them." Especially the run part, I added internally.
"Run from someone?"
"Yes."
"Care to elaborate~?" His grin was shit eating. When the heck were we going to get to the shrine?
"No, thanks."
"Takashi, that's enough pestering." Osamu cut in, making my shoulders slump in relief. With a pout, the silver-haired male turned to his friend. "Aww, why, Osa-tama? She was just beginning to crack~!" He gave a strangled giggle, sounding almost like he was choking holding it back, before it turned into erupted into full-blown laughter, his frame shaking as he latched onto the leader of their little group, seeming to have a weird type of seizure that made him unable to stop laughing.
I shivered at the sound, stepping back, the laugh echoing off the pavement with high lilts as all four of us stopped walking, since Takashi couldn't stand straight anymore, tilting to laugh upwards to the sky before tilting forward to laugh into Osamu's shoulder. Maybe the title psychopath was justified…but how come? He had been acting fine a second ago. His face was twisted up in a large grin, but his brows were curved downwards.
I jolted as a hand came in contact with my shoulder, my head whipping around to stare at Yuuto's expressionless face.
"He's just having a moment. Osamu-kun will take care of it. Let's go to the shrine." He stated, his eyes still compassionately soft, beginning to pull me away in the direction of the shrine as Osamu began to say something quietly to Takashi, who had finally stopped laughing, but was gasping, as if low on air.
"U-Um, okay…,"
I stumbled forward, following Yuuto through the crowd of people who were starting to disperse after Takashi's little episode. I admit, it was a bit odd, but I couldn't bring myself to think of Takashi in a scary light. He was too childish most of the time, and so just because he was 'having a moment' didn't represent him in a dislikable light to me. I really couldn't understand why Akako was practically terrified of him.
In a way, it made me laugh.
ooOOoo
Yuuto and I had arrived at the shrine and had gone inside together, the place practically overflowing with people in kimonos and other fancy clothing. He and I looked kind of out of place with our casual wear as we travelled in, heading to the place where we could pray, slowly meandering through the line, but nobody paid any mind to the two of us.
"So…what exactly happened to Takashi-san…if I can ask?" I question hesitantly, curiosity brimming in my voice. I fidgeted, hoping it wasn't a sore spot as we waited in line, twirling a five yen coin in my fingers in preparation for making a wish. As soon as we had arrived, Yuuto had handed it to me with a prompt to think of a wish before we reached the shrine. I was beginning to learn he was a nice guy, even if he hid it behind a blank face.
"Don't worry, it's not classified information or anything. It's because of his possession. He's kind of unstable. It's Osamu-kun's job to watch over him. They're childhood friends, or something like that." He explained briefly, pulling his headphone off his ears to sling around his neck, one of his hands shutting off his MP3. "You don't have to worry about it. Takashi-kun is a good person, so he won't do anything bad. The elders just think it would be best to have someone watch him." He rolled his eyes in a brief display of emotions, showing his annoyance with such a thought.
There it was with the 'possession' thing again. What the hell was it? "If you don't mind, can you tell me what possess–?" I began before I was cut off at the arrival of Osamu and Takashi, the latter who was clinging to the other like he was his life line, with a kicked-puppy look on his face. I winced at the look, feeling my heart pull in my chest. I usually wasn't weak against that look, but on his face, it made me want to get him something sweet to eat just to get him to smile that oversized grin again.
"Sorry, Midori-chan." Takashi started, "I hope I didn't scare you. People tend to avoid me afterwards…, so…, um…," I couldn't see his eyes properly, but it was obvious that he was about to cry by the way his grip tightened on his friend and how his voice became thick and waterlogged.
"A-Ah! Don't worry about it! I'm not scared or anything, I was just caught off guard!" My hands waving to and fro, I offered him a friendly smile. "Truthfully, I've had moments like that, too, so it's fine." Like with Conan as Jester and KID as Jester… now that I think about it, I tend to burst into laughter as Jester. Hm…
He brightened and I relaxed as we finally reached the shrine. "I'm glad~! I thought Mi-tan was going to hate me~!" Takashi said, a smile beginning to stretch at his cheeks once more.
"Let's make our wishes, then how about some ramen?" Osamu offered, already tossing his coin into the offering box. We all nodded in agreement, offering our coins as well before chiming the bell, clapping our hands together and making our wishes.
I'd like this year to be filled with happiness.
ooOOoo
In the end, we ended up stopping at a local Burger Shop and eating there instead after visiting the shrine, then heading back to the hotel, where Osamu received the Pari Passu with a nod of thanks. We'd said our goodbyes – Osamu with a another fake smile, Takashi with a big bear hug, and Yuuto with a brief nod before telling me I could keep the clothing, since it was apparently his, which would explain why it was kind of baggy. Turns out that lady in the okami fox mask was his attendant, or something.
And in the end, I once again never figured out what 'possession' was, but it had long slipped my mind once I returned home, where Kaito and Aoko were already back from their trip and we spent the rest of the day together.
And that concluded my new year's day and before I knew it, time was flying once again, days once again blurring together into a haze of normalcy.
ooOOoo
"And so, the class ended up filled with pink paint, I heard!" Erise giggled, relaying to me one of Kaito's latest pranks to his class, which had circulated throughout the whole school. I chuckled, taking a swig of my hot chocolate, resting my cheek in my palm as I listened to her tell me about her week.
"By the way, have you solved any cases lately, Midori-chan?" She asked after a small bout of silence when she'd taken a drink from her pink lemonade.
"Nope. It's been pretty peaceful lately~!" I grinned, relaxing into my seat. She'd completely overlooked the whole two-name incident and I knew she wouldn't be bringing it up anytime soon, even if I knew she didn't believe in me one hundred percent. That was one of the great things about Erise. We'd completely and utterly returned to our old routine.
"That's good." She smiled, sky eyes glittering. "So, how was your week?"
"It was good~! Lately, we've been working on individual projects, so I've been having an easy time finishing the essays and book reports on time. Actually, I read a book the other day about…"
ooOOoo
I yawned, my eyes drifting closed as I stared at the characters staring back at me from my history book. Conan was also slumped over in front of me, probably more bored than tired, considering he'd probably already learned this stuff. I hadn't learned it, but that didn't make history any more interesting than it was back in the US.
One of my classmate's voices was lulling me to sleep, "–first attempts by the Imperial government to form an organized army modeled after the Chinese system. It was called "Gundan-Sei" by later historians and is believed to have been short-lived…"
Just as my eyes were beginning to slide shut, our current teacher's voice, Totani-sensei, cut through my sleepiness. "Can you start up on the next paragraph, Koizumi-san?" I jolted, hastily grabbing my book, finding the paragraph, and standing up.
"Uh, y-yes." I took a breath to compose myself and blink the sleep out of my eyes, ignoring Conan's small smirk directed at me, making a mental note to bug him later on at lunch.
"The Taihō Code classified most of the Imperial bureaucrats into 12 ranks, each divided…"
ooOOoo
"What?!" I yelped, slamming my palms onto the tabletop of Agasa's coffee table, staring at Ayumi in disbelief. She cowered under my intense stare, blinking in confusion at my supposed wrath. "You guys met TWO-MIX and I'm only hearing about this now?!" I whined, sighing deeply before falling back into the couch. "What the heck, man? I thought we were friends, you guys…" I dramatically clutched at my heart before grabbing my cup from the table and taking a sip of the milk I'd gotten from the fridge earlier.
I heard someone sigh from my side and I glanced over to see Conan deadpanning at me. "Are all Americans this dramatic, or is it just you?"
I gave him a smirk-ish grin, "There are probably people more flamboyant than me and probably 'normal' people, too. I'm just doing this specially to get on your nerves, see~?" I laughed, seeing his lips pull down in distaste. Seeming to finally deem me no longer angry, Ayumi spoke up.
"We are friends, Koizumi-san." She protested my previous statements and Mitsuhiko picked up her next sentence, "And you never asked about it until now, so…,"
I rose my hand in defeat. "Alright, you win. But, seriously, where was I when this happened?" I had wanted to see Conan in a dress. That would've made my life complete! Can you imagine, Conan in a dress in real-life while I got full-teasing purposes?! One word: heaven~!
"I think you told us that you already had plans." Mitsuhiko said, hand under his chin as he looked up in thought. I blinked, thinking back tolast weekend, when I had told Genta over the phone that I wouldn't be able to make it, since I had made plans with Erise previously.
I shrugged. "Oh well. Want to play Old Maid again?" I questioned, sneaking a grin at Genta, who was nodded his head in determination. "Yeah! I'll definitely win this time, Koizumi!" He cheered loudly, gathering the cards together.
"I'm not too sure~" I hummed, "I even beat Edogawa-kun at this game." My eyes met cerulean ones. "Several. Times." I flaunted, watching as his eyes narrowed in some irritation, glad that he couldn't give me those questioning side glances that he'd been giving me for a while now that we were actively interacting with each other.
"It's just dumb luck." He retorted.
I laughed, "Whatever you say, sore loser~!"
ooOOoo
It was nearing the end of January when I got a call from Heiji when I was arranging things in The Den. Oddly enough, I didn't see a sign of that black diamond ring I'd accidently stolen before, but I shrugged it off as misplacing it somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time I lost something carelessly, far from it, in fact. I flinched as Zero to Hero, from the Hercules Disney movie (they had it here, too), rang throughout the room. Giving a small chuckle, I picked up the phone, smiling in amusement at the ringtone I'd recently chosen for the Osakan detective.
"What's up, Heiji-han~?" I answered, feeling a bit odd using an Osakan honorific while in Alice's form. I perched onto the chair behind my desk, deciding to take a break while chatting. Glancing to the clock, I realized that I should probably head home soon, anyway.
"Hey, Midori-han~! It's been a while, huh?" I blinked, immediately catching an odd tone in Heiji's voice that normally wasn't there when we were chatting. It sounded like a cross between excited and serious – an weird combination in an situation.
"Yeah, it has been…" I trailed uncertainly, my brows furring, "So, what do you need?"
"Need?" He laughed, "How can ya tell I need something? You're not a psychic or anything, are ya?" He joked.
"If I was, I wouldn't be asking you that, now would I~?" I hummed, shifting in my chair, "So, what is it? I actually need to head home soon and my caretaker doesn't know I know you." If he did, he'd probably freak out and then try to subtly tell me to stop hanging out with you, in small but various ways. That sounded about right, I mused, snickering to myself.
"Ya got a babysitter?" Heiji chortled, obviously amused at my situation, but he cut me off before I could say anything back. "Anyways, I was wondering if ya want to work on a case with me! It's probably just a regular burglary or something, but my dad and I are heading over to Tokyo soon! I even called Kudou in! It'll be fun!"
Pausing in my thoughts, I tried to think of a viable way to get out of this, knowing that there would inevitably be a murder case showing up. It was probably one I knew, too, but this wasn't sounding too familiar at the moment. "Isn't that pretty cold, Heiji-han, to say that someone getting robbed will be 'fun'~?" I joked lightly, not finding a good escape route.
He laughed again. "Come with us and you'll see! I think you'll like robbery better than murder, anyway." He commented and I snickered at how close to the truth he was, yet slightly out of context. He was right – I did prefer stealing things than solving murder cases.
"…fine. When are you getting here?" Sighing, I readied myself for a tiring day in the future.
"Tomorrow!"
"Wow, thanks for the advance notice." The dry sarcasm in my voice was easily detected.
"No problem!" I rolled my eyes with a huff of laughter at Heiji's quip, "So I'll see you, then, right?"
My brow twitched. "Yup, I'll see you tomorrow. Give me a call when you arrive, so that I can go meet up with you."
"'Kay! See ya~!"
With that, the phone call ended and I shut my phone with a weary smirk. Looks like I better prepare for a murder case tomorrow, I noted, getting off the chair and heading out of The Den. Walking through the forest, I still couldn't help but be a bit bothered, though. Heiji would have been able to have his 'fun' with just Shinichi there, so why had he bothered to call me, as well? I guess it could've been his 'the more the merrier' mindset, but that didn't feel quite right.
With an unsettled feeling, I headed back home.
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To: MiniMiao – Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, and it's cliffhanger! 8D (Laughs) Me neither. She's just the kind of person who works on a whim, though, so I decided to have her act somewhat recklessly (since that's in her nature). Ahh, I see. XD Yeah, it had just finished when I wrote that reply, lol! I love Kyoukai no Kanata~! It was really good! I was so glad that she was still alive at the end. I was like, "noo, she can't be dead, that's too depressing!". XDD (Laughs) That's okay! I like getting long replies and replying just as long, myself. XD It makes me connect with my readers and that makes me happy – though, it does look really big and blocky at the end of every chapter, but whatever. (Shrugs) XD Yeah, she was, huh? But that's Akako for you, I guess. XD Yup! Conan is slowly yet surely piecing everything together, but he's a person who likes to gather all the evidence and put everything together before he accuses anyone. XD
To: Kid Next Door – Thank you, I'm glad you like it! It makes me happy to know that the last chapter was pleasing! 8DD (Laughs) Conan would have himself a rollercoaster ride with bother thieves. XD Both their expressions would be priceless! XD I look forward to writing their reactions when that time comes! Here's the update and thank you! ^^ I've actually read your story as well and look forward to reading more! At the time, I was too lazy to login and review and favorite and such, but since I'm on now, I'll do so. XD
To: kittyfinatic515 – No problem! ^^ And here's another chapter before March! XD I ended up finishing it before then, surprisingly. I still have some things to do, though, so the next chapter may be updated in March. Maybe not, though – depends. XD Thank you!
To: Iriss-sama – (Stumbles back with a laugh at the force of the jump hug) Ah, that sucks. . Without my mail telling me everything that updates, I'd be lost, since I legit rarely check my profile page, lol. I'm glad you got it as a late Christmas present! 8D (Laughs) Yeah, she does! Since she keeps doing things so recklessly, she'll eventually end up with a lot of problems, lol. Don't worry, it's alright! 8D Short reviews are just as great as long reviews! And sure, I'll tell you if I watch it! ^^ I actually think I'll try it out sometime soon, since I just watched Btooom! and now don't know what to do, except read the manga for it (which I've already started, but I haven't caught up yet). Thank you for the luck, Ri-chan! 8DD (Gathers Luck)
To: Sora Maro – (Laughs) Thank you! I'm glad you think so! o^^o
To: DDmasters – Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! 8DD And he may… (Grins)
Note(s):
Okami fox: it literally means something like "wolf fox", so, yeah. I can't find a wiki page for it, so I can't give you much information of it, but you can look up an okami fox mask and it will give you how it looks in general.
Takashi's honorifics: Some honorifics have baby talk versions—mispronunciations stereotypically associated with small children and cuteness. The baby talk version of sama is chama (ちゃま), for example, and in fact chan was a baby talk version of san that eventually became an ordinary honorific. There are even baby talk versions of baby talk versions. Chan can be changed to tan (たん), and less often, chama (ちゃま) to tama (たま). As you can see, Takashi uses the baby talk versions of baby talk versions to refer to people , giving way to his general personality. The question asking is also a somewhat adult version of a toddlers' constant "whys".
Shrine visits and watching the sunrise: Celebrating the new year in Japan also means paying special attention to the first time something is done in the new year. Hatsuhinode (初日の出) is the first sunrise of the year. Before sunrise on January 1, people often drive to the coast or climb a mountain so that they can see the first sunrise of the new year. Hatsumōde is the first trip to a shrine or temple. Many people visit a shrine after midnight on December 31 or sometime during the day on January 1. If the weather is good, people often dress up or wear kimono. There are also other things, like the first calligraphy of the year and other things, but I won't go into too much detail about that, since that wasn't mentioned. XD
Miso-nikomi udon: hard udon simmered in red miso soup. The soup generally contains chicken, a floating cracked raw egg that is stirred in by the eater, kamaboko, vegetables and tubers. The noodles are extremely firm in order to stand up to the prolonged simmering in the soup; additionally, the noodles do not contain salt, so as to avoid over-salting from the salt in the miso.
History lesson: The history lesson that takes place in this chapter was taken from the "samurai" Wikipedia page and is completely irrelevant to the plot. Also, I'm pretty sure you don't learn about samurais in first grade, but let's put that aside for now, lol.
-Thanks for reading this chapter! It was pretty much filler, but a case is in the next chapter, so I hope to get that one out soon..ish. (Laughs) Don't expect anything really soon, though. XD See you next time!
"Next Conan's Hint: Great Detective of the West!"