Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here except the hotel staff and the television crew, and we've actually seen the last of them in the previous chapter. There's a last bit about Aya, though.
Author's Notes: I originally intended for the story to end with the last chapter (Pact and Promise) but here's just a little something to tie some loose ends so everyone can have a nice, peaceful nap.
Feature Story Part VIII
The Television Special
Nakamouri Ginzo was sipping a glass of red wine as he sat facing his desk at the police headquarters.
This was one of his ways to relax, after a troublesome encounter with the thief. As usual, his teams weren't able to catch the kaitou. They had just finished their post-chase assessment and most of the officers have left to go home. Those who remained, the ones closest to him, were all hanging out in his office and they all decided to share the red wine he bought earlier that week.
"Good wine," he said. "Bought several this week but it may not have been a good idea to have stashed them in my safety box there."
He eyed all of the officers and most of them exchanged glances and shrugged.
"Keibu, I forgot to raise this earlier… Do we need to get a statement from the reporter?" asked one of his assistants.
"Since it's an ambush interview, I don't think we have to," Ginzo said. "I still don't trust her but when KID attacked, he didn't spare her. Let's just hope she learned her lesson."
His assistant nodded and took down some notes.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Ginzo said, before taking another sip of the red wine.
"Your daughter, keibu?" suggested another officer.
"Aoko!" he screamed, before checking his mobile phone for messages.
There were several from the girl, the latest of which was telling him that she would stay overnight at the hotel.
He quickly composed a reply, saying he allows her just as long she doesn't sleep in the same room as the boys. He immediately received a "Yes, sir, and as for you, make sure not to drink too much."
Following a groan, he took another sip of the wine and exhaled quite loudly. The other officers did the same and commented that the wine is just the right kind of sweet.
"They sure mature well, don't they?" he said with a smile across his face.
O O O
It was almost midnight and the girls haven't returned from the spa. Kaito took a nap in one of the rooms and Saguru was in another. He was attempting to call Himekaidou Aya for the past hour.
"That bastard! If his little charade airs on national television, it would be such an embarrassment!" Saguru said after dinner, when Aoko told him about what KID did.
"Didn't that girl have perfect pitch? Why didn't she notice that Hakuba's voice was different from when KID pretended to be him?" Heiji thought aloud as he and Conan were left by themselves in the suite living room.
They were both slumped on the couch as they ate leftover popcorn Kaito sneaked out of the restaurant.
"The real Hakuba was just around for a bit, after the attack. That's the only time she heard his voice after her initial invitation for the interview," Conan supposed. "Prior to that, they haven't had much contact, compared to the others. Maybe she didn't have much to compare with…"
"Or maybe she is actually an accomplice of that thief!" Heiji said.
"Didn't you just say that she looked surprised when KID arrived?" Conan asked.
Heiji shrugged before stuffing his mouth with a handful of popcorn.
"That KID really is something," Heiji said. "I don't get why he even came back to give those damned roses. He's such a show off!"
The dark-skinned detective eyed the roses, which the girls have placed in several vases around the room. He kept on grunting and was chewing the popcorn rather loudly.
"Next time he sends a notice, I'm coming over Tokyo, got that?" Heiji said. "It's not over between us! Count me in for the next chase!"
Conan didn't know how to react and just replied with a shrug.
"Can you show a little more enthusiasm than that?" Heiji asked, who sensed the disinterest of the boy. "I'm really fired up to catch him, you know? All the trouble I went through today! First, Kazuha, and then I had to make up a reason why I was searching for the cleaning ladies… I had to tell them that I was looking for a sex toy! Do you know how embarrassing that is!"
Conan burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard, bits of popcorn flew from his mouth.
"Oi stop laughing! It's not funny at all! It was so awkward but it was the only reason I could think of when they asked me why I was searching for something without the police's help," Heiji said.
"I made up a reason for why I needed to see the security videos, too, and I just said I was looking for a family heirloom," Conan said after he tried to stop laughing. "Something from my otou-san who I don't see anymore."
"Oh," Heiji said. "An heirloom… Why didn't I think of that?"
"Maybe you were of thinking dirty thoughts the whole day…" Conan suggested.
Heiji blushed as he recalled his photo shoot with Kazuha. He imagined in vivid detail Kazuha's dress that accentuated her curves.
"Your nose is bleeding," Conan said.
"Temperature change!" Heiji said as he quickly grabbed for his handkerchief and attempted to stop the bleeding. "'Nyway, you said something a while ago about you needing to talk to me?"
"Oh that," Conan said and wondered for a second if he should tell Heiji about Kuroba Kaito's alter ego.
"Never mind that, it was just about Ran," Conan lied. He thought that he didn't owe Heiji any explanation. If Heiji, who is also a competent detective, wants to solve the mystery of KID's identity and motive, he would have to do it in his own time and using his own efforts.
"You were worried about her, ne?" Heiji said. "She was a bit shaken up after that whole KID-Kudou identity crisis."
"I think she's cheered up, though," Conan said.
"Speaking of the whole identity mix-up thing, it was just cleared up when KID appeared and you called at the same time," Heiji said. "That Hakuba asked me to call you when KID appeared – "
"Based from your call I sensed that something must be up so I worried for Ran and called her as my true self," Conan said right away. This was the reason he and Kaito agreed upon. They foresaw that Hakuba would call Conan to confirm if Kaito is still with him.
"It's a good thing Kaito and I were already at the hotel entrance and I pretended I saw some friends so I told him that I'll just follow," Conan said. "Of course I couldn't let him see me using my bow tie voice changer!"
Again, this was part of the alibi he and Kaito thought of. He, in fact, did use the bow tie voice changer to fake the voice of Kaito when Heiji called him. This happened while the thief's assistant met up with Nakamouri Aoko. The real Kaito was, of course, the one who appeared as KID in front of the girls and Heiji.
Conan hated lying to Heiji but if he broke his pact with Kaito, he shuddered to think what kind of tricks the magician would prepare as revenge.
"That Kaito seems like a nice guy," Heiji said as he emptied the popcorn bowl. "Still not a good idea to tell him you're Kudou Shinichi, but I feel like I can trust him. I dunno…"
"You're just saying that 'cause he sneaked in so many food," Conan said.
"Someone with a good taste in food can't be a bad person!" Heiji said.
Just then, the door to the room where Kaito was sleeping opened.
"Ohayou," Kaito said. He yawned then stretched his arms skyward.
"It's not yet morning," Conan said.
"Really?" Kaito asked before checking his wristwatch. "But it felt like such a long sleep!"
"Are you hoping you'd wake up with the keibu's daughter sleeping beside you, huh? Huh?" asked Heiji, who had a weird expression on his face.
"As long as your Kazuha is on my other side," Kaito said with a wink. "No man can resist her, wearing that kind of dress…"
"YOU – DON'T YOU DARE!" Heiji said as he stood up and pointed at Kaito.
"Hey I'll stop with the teasing if you stop yours," Kaito said as he walked to the couch. He sat beside Conan.
"We're all men here, c'mon! We should stick with one another!" Kaito added.
"Fine, you're no fun to tease," Heiji said as he sat. "I guess I have to bully someone else."
Heiji had the biggest smile on his face when he looked at Conan. Conan just narrowed his eyes at him.
"The girls aren't back from the spa yet?" Kaito asked.
Heiji shook his head. "Kazuha called a while ago to say they'll drop by the bar. They say it's open until midnight," he said. "Probably to flirt with some college guys or some businessmen or – "
"Heiji-niichan, I can see some veins throbbing on your head!" Conan said in a singsong manner.
"I know I'm just being protective of her but it really annoys me when I see or even imagine her with some guy," Heiji said.
"Chill, chill," Kaito said. "Aoko's with them and she's pretty conservative. She may just shoo those guys away," Kaito said.
"Really?" Heiji said as the shadow on his face disappeared.
Kaito nodded, only because he didn't want to see how Heiji would react if he said otherwise.
"You got any more food from the restaurant?" Heiji asked, whose mood automatically switched.
"Just the popcorn but I snuck out at least two containers – oi is that it? You finished it that fast? You didn't leave some for me?" Kaito asked.
The door to Saguru's room opened. The blonde detective walked out of the room. The look of defeat was recognizable on his face.
"I wasn't able to contact that reporter," Saguru said as he walked to the living room.
Conan saw Kaito trying very hard to hide a jubilant face.
"But I called the station and it seems that Himekaidou-san really did resign and turned over the story to another reporter," Saguru said "But they were also mumbling something about something missing, but I wasn't listening anymore."
Conan saw Kaito scowl for the very first time that day.
"That's great! So his purpose was defeated, ne? He wanted to make fun of you in front of national television but you informed the station right away even before the interview was shown on TV!" Heiji said.
"I also got the other reporter's number but I will just call her tomorrow morning," Saguru said as he sat on a chaise lounge that was beside the couch. "It's almost midnight and it would be unethical to call."
Just then, Saguru's mobile started to ring.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, I have a call," Saguru said.
His eyes widened as he saw the caller.
"It's Himekaidou-san," he said. "I wonder what she needs at this hour…"
He went to take the call in one of the rooms. As soon as Saguru entered the room, Kaito stood up.
"My tummy hurts for some reason," Kaito said as he took several steps to the living room bathroom. "Maybe it's indigestion or – "
"Yuck! You didn't have to broadcast that!" Heiji said.
"Hey want me to bring the empty bowl to the kitchen?" Kaito said. "It's on the way."
"Hmm sure," Heiji said as he stood up and handed Kaito the bowl. Kaito took the bowl then pointed to Heiji's pants.
"Oi you have a kernel dangling off your pants," Kaito said as he patted an area on Heiji's pants, near the pocket. "There, it's gone now."
"Erm, thanks," Heiji said.
Kaito smiled and proceeded to the kitchen.
When Heiji returned, Conan noticed that the bulge, where Heiji keeps his phone, has deflated.
O O O
Mouri Ran rejected the fourth glass of alcoholic drink offered to her by some man she did not know. They've only been in the Prince Royal Hotel bar for thirty minutes, but already, the girls have been attracting a lot of attention from traveling businessmen and college students, staying in the hotel for a retreat.
"Are we the only girls in this bar? Honestly?" Toyama Kazuha asked. She, too, have been offered drinks and a tall man in a business suit, who introduced himself as a senior in Haido University, has already asked for her number.
She was drinking a glass of tequila and she was already having her second one. The rest of the girls also ordered alcoholic drinks, except for Nakamouri Aoko who opted for a four seasons cocktail.
"I say after we finish with this round of drinks, let's go back to the room ASAP," Ran suggested.
"Relax, you guys," Suzuki Sonoko said. She was the only one of the four who seemed to be enjoying all the attention.
Sonoko downed her margarita in one gulp.
"The night is young and do you want to be cooped up in the room with those boys for the rest of the night?" she asked.
The rest of them did not reply but it's exactly what they had in mind.
"It's been a long day," Aoko said. "Maybe it's better if we go back now…"
"Oh no we won't! You just want to go back because you have two guys waiting for you!" Sonoko said. "What about me? And Ran?"
"Why am I not included?" Kazuha asked.
"You have Heiji!" Sonoko snapped back.
"No I don't! How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Kazuha said.
"And don't forget you already have Kyogoko-kun," Ran said to Sonoko.
Sonoko blushed.
"But doesn't Ran also have Kudou-kun? And Hakuba-kun and Kaito are not my boys, okay?" Aoko said.
"Iie, iie, Shinichi and I aren't together yet," Ran said as she took a sip of the glass of sherry she ordered.
"YET!" Sonoko and Kazuha said at the same time.
"Only a matter of time now, huh?" Sonoko said.
"Maybe once he finishes that case he's working on, he'll come back and propose to you!" Kazuha said as she clapped her hands.
Ran gulped down the rest of the sherry as Sonoko and Kazuha hummed the wedding march. She didn't know how to react to something like that so she just chose to keep silent.
"This is so fun!" Aoko said out of the blue. "A night out with girls!"
Sonoko stopped humming and looked at Aoko.
"Don't you have any girl friends?" Sonoko asked. She had a look of genuine concern and pity on her face.
"I do, I do," Aoko replied right away. "But all the girls in our school are weird. They're all KID fans and beside me, the only one who isn't is Koizumi-san. She's from my class but she's not that friendly…"
"You should join us when we hang out, then!" Kazuha suggested.
"We run into cases, though," Ran warned. "A lot!"
"My father is a keibu and as you can see, Hakuba-kun who is a close friend of mine is also a detective," Aoko said. "I'm used to it!"
"Ne, Ran, maybe we should already plan a trip with the boys… Let's stay in one of my family's villas!" Sonoko said.
"Or go back and visit us at Osaka again!" Kazuha said.
"Wow! It's been so long since the last time I went to Osaka!" Aoko said.
"You can stay with me if you and Kuroba-kun wants to visit!" Kazuha said.
Aoko nodded. "I'll be sure to remember that!" she said.
"Let's tell the boys of the trip!" Ran said. "C'mon, let's go back to the room now!"
"Since you made it sound exciting that way, well then, ok let's go!" Sonoko said.
O O O
"Is this your actual number?"
"Of course not."
"Where'd you get my number?"
"From that detective from Osaka. Stole his phone"
"Oh. Being naughty again, are we?"
"You just talked to Hakuba Saguru?"
"I just apologized for not being able to answer my phone because I was at our house, editing and I actually just sent – "
"Can I ask for a favor? Just this once? Hakuba will ask the reporter who will take over the story for another interview and I was hoping if – "
"I could stop him? I have something better prepared."
"What do you mean?"
"Be sure to watch Nichiuri TV thirty minutes from now. The midnight news will be interrupted by… something… Consider it as a parting gift."
"I'm flattered you thought of giving me something else other than the chance to taste your sweet lips."
"I'm hanging up the phone."
"Chotto! Just teasing, princess. Whatever it is, thank you."
"I just thought about it at the last minute, okay! As I left the station, I felt so liberated and I wanted to do something rebellious. So I took the tapes and pulled some strings with my contacts at programming and well, I hope you don't mind I use your name for this broadcast."
"Or you'll be implicated, ne?"
"Hai."
"Quick thinking."
"And that Hakuba kid annoyed the hell out of me during the setting of the interview, anyway – even asking me to give his food stubs early and then a while ago when he kept calling me. Good thing I called my junior at the station and she told me that Hakuba kept calling and was asking for her number."
"So you didn't notice earlier that I posed as him?"
"My perfect pitch recall was so focused on your voice and all the identities you and your accomplice took up that I forgot to identify the real Hakuba."
"But you already figured even that part, huh?"
"Just now, but yeah. That's when I thought of the plan that I'm sure you'll enjoy."
"You overwhelm me with your concern, love. I'll make sure to prepare something special when you return so you better – "
"One more thing."
"Hmm?"
"What's up with you and that boy with glasses?"
"Let's save that for another interview, ne?"
"Another exclusive with me, huh?"
"It's not my fault you're too charming that you're becoming my favorite reporter."
"Well, I won't be coming back to Japan any time soon. I've decided to apply for the wires. International news. Will be traveling a lot after my coverage for the trial."
"I'll be waiting for you, princess."
"Goodbye, KID."
O O O
"Where's Kaito?" Saguru asked as he walked out the room and rejoined Conan and Heiji at the living room.
"Bathroom, stomach problems," Heiji said.
Conan rolled his eyes. He passed by the kitchen a while ago and pretended to get a drink. That's when he heard the thief talking to someone. With the few words he overheard, he already knew what was going to happen.
"That fool even gets himself into trouble with food?" Saguru asked. He scoffed.
"Why did the reporter call?" Heiji asked.
"Oh, just to apologize for not being able to answer her mobile," Saguru said. "Says she's tired and fell asleep. She also told me that the hosts of the midnight news will plug the story of our interview. 12:30. Let's watch the tube for that."
"Aren't you worried that they might air some scenes of KID pretending to be you?" Heiji asked.
"The reporter said that they'll just mention our names," Saguru said.
"I thought you were world-famous too or something? Why are you overexcited about being mentioned on air? Aren't you used to it yet?" Heiji asked.
"Not because of that. It's possible KID will hijack the plug by pretending to be one of the anchors," Saguru said. "Make fun of us, probably. It's highly likely."
"It's a possibility," Heiji said.
"Boy, you've been silent," Saguru said as he sat down on the lounge. He stretched his feet.
"Anything bothering you?" Saguru asked.
"Just wondering where Ran-neechan and the others will be back," Conan said.
The truth is, he didn't know whether to tell Heiji his phone had been missing and at the same time, he's also trying to exact the chance when he can call Ran. He'd wanted to call the girl and really talk to her, especially after what he heard during the interview.
"Know what? I'm going to the bar now!" Heiji said as he stood up. "We already drank some wine a while ago and now they're probably consuming more alcoholic beverages there and then what if guys send them drinks and they get too tipsy and they wouldn't be able to resist if they get taken advantage of or worse – "
The door to the hallway opened.
"TADAIMA!" the four girls in the doorway chorused.
"We have an idea to plan a trip for all of us!" Sonoko said.
"But if we're all too tired, we can do it tomorrow," Aoko said.
The boys weren't really listening anyore.
"It's past midnight!" Heiji said. "Where have you girls been?"
"That doesn't concern you! You're nobody's boyfriend!" Kazuha said.
"But – but – I'm responsible for you!" Heiji said. "I mean – if you got – your parents know we're here together and if something happens to you, it will be my fault!"
"Nothing will happen to me! I'm quite capable as an adult!" Kazuha said.
"Hey where's Kaito?" Aoko asked. "Is he still sleeping?"
"Bathroom," Saguru said as he opened the television. "Stomach problems."
"Kaito-niichan in the one near the kitchen," Conan said. "When I passed by a while ago, I could hear him talking to himself but that's probably just grunting from the pain…"
"Was it that bad?" Aoko asked.
Conan made a sad face and nodded. Aoko ran to the kitchen.
"Kaito I have some meds in my bag!" they heard her say, together with some loud, rattling noises in her bag.
"What else does she keep in that bag?" Heiji thought out loud.
"Everyone, please hurry to here, in front of the television," Saguru said. "Midnight Tokyo in Nichiuri TV is on and Himekaidou-san says the anchor will advertise the story about us."
"Really?" Sonoko said as she bumped into Ran, Kazuha and Heiji to run to the couch in front of the television. "You think they will show scenes? The photos of me and Ran?"
"From what I understood, it's just a mention of our names," Saguru replied. "But who knows, ne?"
Sonoko crossed both her fingers and mumbled a short prayer to divine beings.
Conan looked at her and wondered why she hasn't just bought the station, since it's most likely her family can afford it. He saw Saguru seated beside the Suzuki zaibatsu heiress. He looked just as eager in anticipation.
Conan looked around and saw the three other teenagers were still standing near the door. Ran was trying to appease Heiji and Kazuha, who were now fighting over women's rights to ask men out on a date.
"What if we just settle this a tie, ne?" Ran proposed.
The two looked at each other and crossed their arms. They turned their cheeks to the opposite direction and were silent for a while.
Ran thought that at least, the room was quiet now, save for the news reports being narrated in Midnight Tokyo.
"I TOLD YOU I'M FINE!"
"BUT IF YOUR STOMACH GETS UPSET AGAIN, YOU'LL BE UP ALL NIGHT!"
Everyone in the living room turned their heads to the kitchen. Kaito and Aoko's voices now overpowered the news anchor's monotonous babbling from the TV set.
"IT WAS JUST A BIT OF INDIGESTION THAT'S ALL!"
"IF YOUR STOMACH KEEPS ON HURTING, DON'T COME RUNNING TO ME!"
"WHY WOULD I EVEN RELY ON YOU? YOU'RE TRYING SO HARD TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE! YOU SHOULD JUST – "
Aoko slapped Kaito.
The other girls gasped. Heiji covered his cheeks. Conan saw Saguru trying to suppress a giggle.
Kaito saw tears on the girl's eyes.
"Aoko, I'm – "
"I know I'm not as strong as Ran or as pretty as Kazuha or as rich as Sonoko," Aoko said. "I'm just doing my part in being useful to everyone but if you think I'm useless then…"
The girl ran to one of the rooms and closed the door. Kaito heard the faint locking sound.
"Oi Aoko, c'mon," Kaito said. "I didn't mean it that way. Oi Aoko!"
He looked behind him and saw everyone staring at him.
"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
Conan shook his head and thought the boy was a hopeless idiot. Saguru was still trying to suppress his laughter as he brought his focus back on the news. Sonoko was making a tut-tut-tut sound as her eyes followed Kaito, who walked to where Ran, Heiji and Kazuha were.
"You're another dense one, aren't you?" Kazuha asked.
"Eh?" Kaito asked.
"You girls just overreact a lot!" Heiji said.
Kaito put his arm around Heiji. Conan noticed Kaito's other hand slip something back onto Heiji's pocket.
"My man Heiji here understands exactly what I'm talking about," Kaito said.
"As you said, the boys should stick with each other," Heiji said. "Ne, Conan-kun?"
The dark-skinned detective craned his neck to glance at the bespectacled little boy.
"Don't drag me into this," Conan said as he averted Heiji's eyes.
"But Kuroba-kun, I really think you hurt Aoko's feelings," Ran said. "She was only trying to help."
"You really think so?" Kaito asked.
Ran nodded. Kaito sighed then walked back to in front of the room, where Aoko locked herself in.
The magician knocked on the door. There was no response.
"You know I can unlock the door with my magic, ne?" Kaito said.
"DON'T YOU DARE, KUROBA KAITO!" he heard the girl's voice from behind the door.
Kaito pressed his ear against the door and heard sobbing from the room.
"Aoko, I'm just kidding a while ago… Can you please open the door and let's talk?" Kaito said.
"I don't want to talk to you! Go away!" Aoko said from behind the door.
Kaito sighed and walked back to Ran.
"She doesn't want to talk to me," he told her.
"Sometimes, girls purposely tell you to stay away to see how far you'll go to chase after them," Ran said.
Kazuha nodded. Conan saw Sonoko and even Saguru nodding to Ran's little confession about girls.
"Is that true?" Kaito, Heiji and Conan asked at the same time.
Ran and Kazuha nodded.
"Isn't it a little early for you to be thinking about girls?" Sonoko said to Conan.
"Oh it's just an interesting topic," Conan said. "When I grow up I want to know how – oi!"
Conan pointed to the screen. The television set didn't show the anchor reading the news anymore. It just showed a black screen with no audio. Kaito looked at his watch.
"Did you change the channel?" Conan asked Saguru.
Saguru pressed the channel number for Nichiuri and the screen was still black. The other teenagers ran to behind the couch.
"Oi did you wreck the TV set? I don't wanna pay for anything!" Heiji said.
Saguru pressed other channels and Heiji sighed of relief when the other channels were working fine.
"It seems that only Nichiuri is experiencing this black screen," Saguru said as he flipped the channel back to Nichiuri.
"Oh no! My TV debut!" Sonoko said.
"What happened? Technical difficulty?" Ran asked.
"Maybe aliens invaded the Nichiuri station," Kaito answered Ran, who raised a brow at him.
"Or elementals, probably," Kazuha said.
"Kazuha!" Ran said.
Suddenly, words appeared on the screen. It was typed in large, white font.
"Emergency broadcast," Conan read the words that appeared.
The words faded and Sonoko gasped louder. More words appeared.
"Why high school detective Hakuba Saguru is chasing after Kaitou KID," Heiji read.
"What's the meaning of this?" Saguru said.
Then the screen faded to white. After about a second, the screen faded from white to a whole body shot of a smiling Hakuba Saguru. He was seated on the fainting couch and the background showed the game room.
"That's the game room!" Sonoko said. "This was taken just a while ago!"
"That's probably KID when he posed as you!" Heiji said. "That's his interview!"
The Hakuba Saguru on screen spoke.
"I think I chase after KID because he's the only case I haven't closed," the fake Hakuba said. "But if you ask me what I feel and not what I think, I'd say that I feel enamored by KID. I feel magnetized by his tricks and like a firefly to the light, I am hypnotized by his dashing good looks. I think – no, I feel that I may be in love with him."
Everyone gaped.
The screen faded to black and more words appeared.
"This broadcast is courtesy of KID," it said and his usual little caricature icon was also present.
The screen faded to black once again. The screen showed colored bars after a while and then it cut to the shot of the Midnight Tokyo's news anchor behind the desk. She, too, was gaping.
"Maa, if what I'm reading in the teleprompter is right, KID has stolen the tapes from our primetime reporter Himekaidou Aya," the anchor said. "Her interview with high school detectives which was supposed to be shown next week, will no longer air because of the missing tapes. What you just saw is part of the supposed interview, which KID sneaked in our programming. The program managers said that KID disguised as one of the employees and he must have sneaked in this edited video. More news about this as soon as we get information."
"Oh so that's what happened," Conan said as he looked at Kaito, who shrugged and shook his head.
"You mean all the trouble for today and the tapes are missing?" Heiji said. "That bastard thief!"
"You're worrying about your fame? What about my reputation?" Saguru said. "I must call the station up at once and schedule for a re-interview! And a public apology! I am ready to sue them if they are not ready to meet my demands."
"But the article will still run, ne?" Sonoko said. "We still have pictures there, at least."
"The article! They could also clarify my side in the article! If you excuse me, I will take immediate action now and call," Saguru said before heading to the room beside where Aoko locked herself.
"You know, even if that wasn't the real Hakuba, I would've believed that right away," Kaito said as soon as Saguru closed the door behind him. "He's kinda obsessed with KID, after all."
"But I bet people will dismiss it as a joke because it's a broadcast by KID," Kazuha said.
"But in fairness to KID, the acting is actually believable," Sonoko said.
"You're siding with that thief again!" Ran said. "Poor Hakuba-kun… He would be a laughing stock because of what KID did…"
"Don't worry about him," Kaito said. "He's used to it. In his first days in Japan, he was always cosplaying Holmes and then Aoko finally had the heart to tell him that cosplaying every day isn't considered normal."
"He was cosplaying Holmes?" Sonoko asked.
"Hai, he said he thought it was a regular thing in Japan," Kaito said.
"That freak cosplayed as Holmes?" Heiji said before bursting out into laughter. He even fell on his side and was thumping the ground with his fist.
"Oi Heiji now you're being the embarrassing one!" said Kazuha, who was pulling up Heiji by his shirt.
"Speaking of Aoko, you better get back to her," Ran said. "Try to be a little sweeter with your words."
Kazuha and Sonoko nodded.
Kaito sighed before dragging his feet, which he thought got heavier somehow, back to Aoko's doorway. As he raised his clenched fist to knock, he turned around and saw everyone staring at him.
"Can you all please do something else? This is making me conscious…" Kaito said.
At once, the other teens pretended to talk among themselves. Heiji and Kazuha found the use of carpet disagreeable and were once again engaged in a heated debate. Ran sat beside Conan and asked him if he heard from Shinichi lately.
"Oh yeah I promised to call Shinichi!" Ran said. "Maybe I'll do it tomorrow since it's such a late hour…"
Kaito took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Go away, Kaito!" Aoko said. Kaito can hear that she was still crying.
"I'm not going away," Kaito said. "I'm going to stay in the other said of the door until you finally open it… even if it takes forever!"
"Mind you, we're only allowed in this suite until noon," Heiji interrupted.
"Sssh!" Ran, Sonoko and Kazuha silenced him.
"Aoko, what I meant with what I said was you worry too much about other people and you might be forgetting your own safety or happiness," Kaito said. "It's actually a very admirable trait to be always thoughtful of other people, but when you worry about me too much, I feel guilty... But I can't stop you from worrying, can I?"
Kaito heard the sobbing stop. He must be treading the right direction, he thought.
"And about your insecurities, please don't doubt your own strengths," Kaito said.
"But you always tease me that I'm flat and I never heard you say that I'm pretty or smart or anything like that! You never compliment me…" Aoko said.
"One, you can always have implants – "
"KAITO!"
"Hey just lightening the mood! I'm kidding! You don't need that! All this complimenting and saying that you're pretty or cute or… You see, Aoko, it's just because that I never know the words to say to you… But to me, you are more than all of those nice words combined," Kaito said.
It was a lie. In Kaito's head, the word he wanted to use to describe her was 'perfect'.
"What do you mean?"
"You heard what I said," Kaito said. He was blushing mad and was worried that the others could see his face. "Don't make me say it again…"
The door opened. Aoko stepped out. Her eyes were bloodshot but they were dry now.
"You can be such an asshole, you know," Aoko said. "And you really don't know when to pick a fight…"
"Here," Kaito said as he materialized a single, red rose from his hand. "This always cheers you up."
Aoko took the rose. "I'm not that little girl you met at the clock tower anymore, you know…" she said. "One red rose won't solve this aguement."
"It's exactly why I thought several dozen would do," Kaito said.
"What do you – "
Kaito snapped his hand. Everyone felt a tremor coming from the ceiling. They all looked up and saw the chandelier vibrating. This chandelier was the one located in between the living room and kitchen. It continued to shake inexplicably and when it stopped, it shot out a single red rose from its bottommost part.
"What's happening to the chandelier?" Heiji asked.
That's when Conan noticed that it wasn't the chandelier affixed to the ceiling before.
The chandelier shook some more and when it stopped, it did not only give out a single, red rose this time. The chandelier opened like a piñata and emitted stem-less and thorn-less red roses and buds. It was like a hanging fountain and though it was not quite big, it didn't seem to run out of buds and petals.
"Sugoii!" Sonoko and Kazuha said.
It rained roses and buds in the room for a while. Everyone was at awe.
"And the roses smell so sweet!" Ran said.
"This is a pretty neat trick," Heiji said.
Conan gave Kaito the two thumbs up sign. Kaito returned it with a toothy grin.
"What do you say?" Kaito said to Aoko. "Peace?"
Aoko frowned but said, "You won't get away with magic every time, Kaito!"
"OH! I get it now!" Sonoko said. "Your magic gets better if it's for a girl you like!"
Both Kaito and Aoko blushed.
"We're just friends!" they said.
"And he's a pervert!" Aoko said.
"And she's a mop maniac!" Kaito said.
"Heiji, they remind me of someone we know," Kazuha said. "I just can't remember who…"
"I have to agree with you on that," Heiji said as he cupped a chin with a hand.
Hey, hey isn't it the two of you, Conan thought.
The chandelier continued to sprinkle roses and buds. After a while, it only rained petals until it stopped completely. The marble floors of the living room and kitchen were covered in several layers of crimson. Conan was surprised that the accumulated height of roses almost reached his waist.
"Let's make rose angels!" Kazuha suggested as she lay on her back and flapped her hands sideways.
"And snow – erm, rose men!" Sonoko said. "Hey brat, come here and help me make one!"
Conan nodded as he joined Sonoko and Ran, who were piling up the buds and petals.
"C'mon, Aoko, you can join us!" Ran said.
Aoko nodded as she dove right into the pile that Ran and the others were making.
"You killed rose man-san!" Sonoko said.
"Gomen," Aoko said with a giggle.
Ran and the others were building another pile when Kaito and Heiji caught each other's eyes. They both knew what to do…
"ROSE CANON BALL!" they both said as they ran to the girls and dove into the recreated pile.
"NO FAIR!" Kazuha said as she threw several buds onto Heiji's face.
Soon enough, they were all throwing buds and rose petals among one another. Suddenly, the door to Saguru's room opened.
"Good news, everyone! The station agreed to a public apology following an intensive expose about KID being the one in the interview!" he said. "And they also agreed to edit the bits in the article based on what he said as me so – "
His eyes widened as he saw the others approaching him with fists full of rose petals.
"What are you – what happened to the room? Where did all this come from?" he said as he backed against the wall.
"ROSE HURRICANE ATTACK!" they all shouted as they threw the petals into his direction.
He was completely covered in petals and even as he shook them off, several remained clinging onto his shirt and pants.
"Kaito! This is all your doing!" Saguru said as he pointed at Kaito.
"If it's not KID, it's my fault! Are you in love with me too, Hakuba?" Kaito asked.
Saguru turned scarlet and fumed at the ears. He gathered roses in his arms and ran towards the magician. Kaito sped off the other direction.
They all laughed, especially when Heiji stuck his foot out so Saguru could trip. The blonde detective retaliated by pulling Heiji's leg. Heiji was suddenly imbalanced and he fell onto a pile.
The girls laughed and made another rose man (which really didn't hold up so Sonoko christened it a rose mountain instead) and rose angels. For the rest of the night, they invented games using the rose petals and they played until they passed out, exhausted.
For the very first time that day, they all forgot that they have different deduction techniques or that their alter egos were chasing one another. They even forgot that they have different backgrounds, taste in food and men, or that large-scale syndicate groups were after their lives.
For the first time in a really long while, the young detectives allowed themselves to forget about the murder and theft cases which will inevitably be thrown into their paths… They slept a dreamless slumber – a peace that existed in an interstice of their otherwise chaotic lives.
O O O
The night after, when Ran and Conan returned to the Mouri Detective Agency, they were scolded by Kogoro for forgetting to ask permission to stay overnight.
"I had a lot of things on my mind, otou-san," Ran said. "It will never happen again."
"Maa, what's done is done," Kogoro said in a nonchalant fashion. "Just make sure you go to bed early but before that, can you and Conan-kun drop by the store to get me another bottle of sake?"
"Otou-san! I just bought two the other day!" Ran said as she placed her hands on her waist.
"Last night, while waiting for you and that brat, I invited several drinking buddies of mine over – "
"Okay, okay you don't need to say!" Ran said. "Conan-kun, would you like to go to the store with me?"
Conan shook his head. "I'm so tired, Ran-neechan. Is it okay if I rest now?" he asked.
"Gomen, Conan-kun, I dragged you along since yesterday and even today when we were planning for our trip," Ran said. "Well, I'm off now."
Ran walked out the door and removed her slippers. She changed into a pink pair of ballet flats before hurrying out the door. Halfway to the convenience store, her phone rang.
"Oh, Shinichi!" she said as she picked up.
"You said you were going to return my call last night! I waited!" the boy from the other end of the phone said.
"Oh, we were having a lot of fun then we got so busy planning for a trip," Ran said.
"A trip? And what happened to KID? Was he really there?" Shinichi asked.
"Hai, but don't worry, he didn't steal anything," Ran said. "What happened will probably be on the news tonight, as insisted by Hakuba-kun."
"Hakuba? Isn't it that guy with Heiji and Conan-kun at the Koushien?" Shinichi asked.
"That's him," Ran said. "We met him at the interview and he brought friends along. One is Aoko-chan, she's really cute. Oh, she's Nakamouri-keibu's daughter! And the other one is Kuroba-kun. He's training to be a magician like his otou-san."
"That's interesting. What's this trip you're saying? Are you going out with these new friends?" Shinichi asked.
Ran continued to walk the path to the convenience store.
"Hai," she said as she was walking. "Next, next week, in time for the long festival weekend. We'll go to Sonoko's mountain villa in Hokkaido. She says it's a new purchase by her family."
"That's nice," the boy said.
Ran sensed a certain melancholy in the boy's voice.
"Oh! They said that if you're available, you are definitely welcome," Ran said. "Hakuba-kun, Kuroba-kun and Aoko want to meet you. And so we can finally put to rest the issue if Kuroba-kun is your twin!"
"Twin? What are you talking about?" Shinichi asked.
"You two look alike a lot," Ran said. "When I first met him, I even thought he was you! I sort of slapped him."
"You mean if that was really me, you would've slapped me too?" Shinichi asked. "Maybe even if I could, I wouldn't go to that trip…"
"I only slapped him because I thought you were having a date with another girl!" Ran said right away.
"Oh," Shinichi said. "You're the jealous type…"
Ran blushed and didn't know how to answer.
"Only because you need to focus on your case so you can't afford to be dating girls around," she replied. "The sooner you solve that case, the sooner you can return, ne?"
"Soon," Shinichi said. "I promised you, didn't I?"
"I know," Ran said.
"And even if I couldn't make it to this trip, there's still others you can plan and I will always try to go to those," Shinichi said.
"So you can't make it to Hokkaido next, next week, then?" Ran said.
"Gomen, Ran," Shinichi said. "Most probably, I couldn't..."
Ran sighed. She was used to this and although it hurt her every time, she was handling it pretty well now.
"Since you can't go, I would probably ask Conan-kun since he got so attached to Kuroba-kun, and as you know, he's good friends with Heiji," Ran said. She tried very hard to keep her tone happy, so that the detective wouldn't sense the disappointment in her voice.
"I don't mind if that kid takes my place," Shinichi said.
"I'll make sure to send you lots and lots of pictures so you'll get jealous of how much fun we're gonna have," Ran said.
"Make sure you don't eat too much," Shinichi said.
"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" Ran asked.
"It's a festival weekend so there's going to be a lot of food," Shinichi said. "You might overeat and get indigestion!"
"I thought you meant I was getting fat," Ran said.
"Oh, and that," Shinichi said with a laugh.
"SHINICHI!"
"It was a joke! How would I know, right? I'm not even there," the boy said.
"Maa, I wish you were," Ran said.
"Yeah, me too," Shinichi said. "Hey cheer up! Don't you dare start crying!"
"I wasn't going to cry!" Ran said.
"I know, I know, I'm just messing with you," Shinichi said. "I've known you for the longest time, Ran. You're a very strong girl… I'm sure of that, even if I'm not around..."
"Thanks," Ran said as she turned at the corner of the street. The two were silent for a while.
"Hey Shinichi, you'll really return, ne?" Ran asked.
"I will… So please, wait some more," Shinichi said.
"And then you'll never leave again, ne?" Ran asked.
"Never," Shinichi said, which made Ran smile.
It was probably the conviction in his voice that cemented the certainty in Ran's heart. The girl couldn't explain it but somehow, she could tell that this happy ending in her wishes would come true, no matter what happens.
Epilogue / Appendix: Men of Mystery by Himekaidou Aya