February 14th finally arrived. The announced day of the ball. Yukiko insisted to do Ai's make up. "Okaa-san, are you done yet?" He's annoyed by the time girls always took for dressing up.
"Ah, finished" Yukiko replied cheerfully. Inside Ai's room.
"Yukiko-san, will he really love this?" Ai asked worried that he might not like the dress.
"Trust me Ai-chan. You look very beautiful in it" Yukiko smiled. "And don't call me Yukiko-san. Call me okaa-san" She winked to the little girl.
"Here goes…" Ai thought before stepping out of the room.
"Ai… Come on or were gonna be la-" She was wearing a red dress that Yukiko bought for her. It fit her perfectly, and it looks beautiful with her hair. "U-uh…" He stared at her.
"It's awful isn't it?" Ai asked turning her head.
"No it's not. It's beautiful" His mouth is still agape. She blushed.
"Come on, let's go" He stretched his hand and Ai took it. They went into a car his mother rented and drove to school.
"Hey Conan" Ai called.
"Yes Ai?" He smiled at her.
"Here" She gave him a box. He opened it and took the chocolate inside. It was a heart shaped chocolate with his fake name on the middle and real name on the edge.
"Ai… Thank you" He kissed her cheek and she blushed very hard.
"Umm, sure. No problem" She replied then they both went into the building.
A woman was standing in front of the scientist house. "Should I meet him?" She thought.
"But what if his heart break knowing that you waited him for 40 years. And he already lives happily with his grandchildrens" She hesitated for a long time until another woman came. It was Ran.
"Excuse me, do you want to meet the hakase?" She said.
"Uhm… Well, I wanted to but I think I shouldn't" She replied nervously.
"Why not?" Ran asked curiously.
"Well, I was Agasa's first love" Ran gasped.
"Well, what are you waiting for… go in there" Ran said pushing the other woman closer to the door.
"But he's already living a great live with his grandchildrens" She answered.
"Grandchildrens? Agasa hakase doesn't have any grandchildrens. Oh it must be the Detective Boys" Ran said.
"The Detective Boys?" "Yes. Agasa hakase is the chaperone for that group. But they are not Agasa's grandchilds" Ran laughed nervously.
"Well, except for Ai-chan. The girl with strawberry hair. She is taken care by Agasa. Oh and Conan too. He moved to Agasa recently" Ran explained.
"Oh, but what if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he hates me for going away years ago?"
"Look- Wait, I haven't asked for your name?"
"Oh, it's Fusae. And I think this is not the first time we've met" Fusae smiled at Ran.
"Fusae? You're the designer of that purse brand? Oh my gosh, it's an honor to meet you" Ran shook Fusae's hand.
"Don't you remember, we already met a couple of years ago. If I'm not mistaken, you're still a first grader"
"Oh, I remember. You lent me your umbrella when it was raining at school" Ran smiled back.
"Yeah. You remembered" Fusae replied.
"But Fusae-san. I really think you should meet Agasa. Even if he doesn't like you anymore, he must be happy to see his old friend visiting him" Ran advised. Fusae still hesitated.
"Well, good luck. Please tell hakase that Ai-chan and Conan-kun is going home a bit late today" Ran waved to Fusae.
"I guess she's right" She ringed the doorbell.
"Hell- Fusae?" Agasa was surprised seeing her here.
"Come in. Would you like some tea or coffee maybe?" Agasa offered Fusae.
"No thanks, Agasa. Could we talk?" She's still nervous.
"Okay" He sat on the opposite seat of Fusae. "Agasa, I'm sorry for leaving without goodbye's or anything when we're in elementary school. And the truth is-" She was cut by him.
"The truth is that you've waited for me for 40 years and have been coming here every 10 years, am I right?" Agasa smiled. She gasped.
"How did you know?"
"Remember when I met you under the apricot tree not long ago?"
"Yeah"
"That time, I already knew it was you. I was going to greet you when your husband showed up" He looked down.
"I'm sorry, but that's not my husband. It's my step-father's friend"
"But why did you lie?" He asked frowning.
"Because I don't want to make you sad when you're already happy with the kids" He smiled.
"So Fusae… Will you stay?" Agasa asked holding her hand. After a brief moment of silence she answered.
"Yes"
"Hey, you already got the tickets?" Sera asked.
"Yeah I have them right here" Kazuha took out two tickets from her purse.
"We still need to ask the kids to help us right?" Sonoko said.
"Yeah. But we need to wait until Ran came back" Sera replied.
"I'm here. Sorry, I was having a chat at the hakase's house for a while" Ran explained to them.
"Good, now where is Heiji?" Kazuha looked around annoyed that her companion is missing.
Somewhere in the ball. "Would you like to dance?" Conan offered her.
"W-well, I can't dance that good, but I'll try" Ai accepts his offer and went to the dance floor. It was a slow dance. They got into a dance position. They danced for a long time until a teacher came up onto the microphone.
"Ehm. Kids, you already know that there is going to be a winning couple in this ball right?" The teacher said.
"YEAH" The children's chorused.
"Okay, we're going to announce the best couple for Valentine day, and the winner is…." He looked to a paper then spoke again.
"The couple, Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai" The lights went off and a spotlight is flashed at the couple. A music begin to start.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen. This is the winning couple" Conan glanced at the teacher and understood his body language. They started to dance. They didn't stop until the song was almost over.
"Conan, thank you for making me happy" Ai whispered.
"No, thank you for making me happy, Ai" They hold each other closer and the song ended. Everyone clapped their hands.
"Wonderful" The teacher said. "And now is the free time. You can go home already or continue the dance" After that some of the kids went home while the other's stayed to dance and for some chat.
"Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan. Over here" Ran whispered from behind the curtains. The two walked there.
"Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan. Will you help us?"
"Conan-kun~ Ai-chan~" Ayumi waved at Conan and Ai.
"What is it Ayumi-chan?"
"We want to say congratulations for being the best couple at the ball. And we want to give you a present" Ayumi showed Conan two tickets for Tropical Land.
"Wow, thanks Ayumi, Mitsuhiko. But when did you buy this?" Conan asked curiously.
"Well, we thought that you two will be the winner so we bought it beforehand" Mitsuhiko lied while scratching his head.
"Oh… Well thanks again" Conan thanked Ayumi and Mitsuhiko before going out.
"Hey Ai, let's go to Tropical Land" Conan grinned. "Okay" She replied.
"Yes, step one is done" Sonoko pumped her fist.
"That ahou~ is still not here. Where in the world is he?" Kazuha said annoyed.
"I hope the plan would go well" Sera wished.
"Hey Ai, wanna ride this one?" Conan gestured his hand to the rollercoaster ride.
"N-no, I think I won't ride that one" She bit her lip.
"Oh… Are you scared?" Conan teased.
"Of course not" She replied embarrassed.
"Then let's go" He pulled her hand and started going into the rollercoaster. At the beginning of the ride she was quiet. A little too quiet.
"Ai, are you scared?" Conan asked concerned.
"When I was in the organization, me and my sister once visited an amusement park" Conan kept silent to tell her to continue.
"We played so many games, and went to every ride. My sister asked me to ride a coaster, but I was scared. But she told me to not worry because she's going to protect me. That was one of the best times of my life. But now, my sister is not here anymore. And I'm afraid that nobody will help me" She finished her story and a single tear dropped from her left eye.
"Didn't I told you already?" Conan wiped her tear with his thumb. "I will protect you Ai. I will be here for you. I will lend my shoulder to you to cry on. So don't hesitate to tell me anything" He smiled and holds her hand.
"So, are you still afraid?" He smiled very warmly.
"No I'm not… Because you are here" She said then holds his hand back. They finished the ride and decided to go home.
"Hey, wait kids" The rollercoaster operator called.
"What is it, oji-chan?" Conan asked, trying to sound like a kid.
"Congratulations. You are our 10.000 guest and earned a free ride at the ferris wheel"
"Wow, thank you, oji-chan" Conan held the two tickets in front of his face.
"Today must be our lucky day, huh?" Conan said to Ai.
"Yeah, I guess so"
"So, are you going or not?" Conan asked.
"Yeah, coming"
They went into the ferris wheel and sat beside each other. "The night sky is beautiful" Conan admired the sky.
"Yeah, and those stars. When I was a child, I always looked to the stars and searched for my mother's and father's one" Silence filled the room.
"Hey Ai"
"Yeah?"
Conan gave her a box. "What's this?" She asked curiously before opening the box.
"Just open it and see" She opened it.
"Wow. It's the brand new model of the Prada purse?" She opened her mouth in awe and looked at him.
"It was last week. After the day we went out to watch a movie. You said you wanted me to buy it for you, so I bought it" He smiled gently. She chuckled.
"I was only joking at that time, silly"
"It's okay. Even if you don't asked me to buy it I will still give it to you"
"But why?" She asked.
"Can't you tell?" He held her waist so her head falls on his shoulder.
"Hey, Ai"
"Yes?"
"After we defeat the organization. Are you going to leave?" He asked sincerely.
"Huh? Why do think so?" She replied it with a question.
"Ai, I know you are an adult. You can make your own decisions. But please, stay. You have everything you wanted here. A family. Friends. And others"
"But I'm only a burden to you all. I only bring danger around you"
"No, Ai. You are not. Don't you know how delighted hakase is when he adopted you as his child? Don't you know how enthusiastic the kids are when you played with them? And don't you know… How happy I am when you are here?" He holds her tightly as if she will be gone otherwise. She didn't replied. The only reply he got was silence. He looked at her and she was asleep.
"I guess she's tired" He smiled and kissed her forehead. The ride was over and he carried Ai home. He didn't to wake her up after being asleep like that.
"Hakase… Tadaima"
"Hi, Conan-kun. I've got a surprise for you" Agasa said cheerfully.
"Hi Edogawa Conan-kun. My name is Fusae" Fusae appeared from behind Agasa.
"She's living with us now Conan. Ah, Ai-kun's asleep?"
"Yeah, I don't want to wake her up so I carried her" He smiled at the little girl behind his back.
"Aww~ You kids look very cute" Fusae said while crouching.
"Hakase, Fusae-san. I'm going upstairs"
"Okay" Hakase replied.
"You know, they're going to make a beautiful pair someday" Fusae said.
"Yeah, I agree"
In the detective agency.
"Seems like our plan was a success" Sera beamed.
"Yeah, they're really cute together. I can already imagine them being a couple" Kazuha said.
"So, what will we do next?" Sonoko asked.
"Hmmm… Why don't we ask Shinichi's mom. I heard that she is staying here in Japan for a couple of months" Ran suggested.
"It doesn't sounds like a very bad idea" Sera agreed.
"Hey…" Heiji greeted.
"HEIJI?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU AHOU~?!"
"Sorry, sorry. I was doing my part of the plan, but it had a little flaw in it, so I have been calling my friend to help me"
"Who is your friend?" Sonoko asked.
"It's me" Kaito showed up. "Hello, my name is Kuroba Kaito and this is my girlfriend Nakamori Aoko" He gestured his hand over Aoko.
"Nakamori? Then, you are Nakamori-keibu's daughter?" Ran asked.
"Yes, you're right. And Kaito is the son of Kuroba Toichi, the magician" Aoko answered.
"Oh… So are you a magician?" They asked at the same time.
"Yes, yes I am" Kaito answered.
"Hey Ran, she's like your twin isn't it?" Sonoko whispered.
"Yeah, except for the hair" Ran replied.
"So, what's your relationship with Conan-kun?" Sera asked.
"Well, I owed him a favor for helping us being together, so when Heiji called earlier, I decided to help him"
"And what help did you gave him?" Kazuha asked. "I helped him disguise as a ride operator, and I disguised as a teacher at the school" He explained.
"So, what's the next step?" Heiji asked.
"It's…"
"Good morning Ai" Conan greeted.
"How did I get here?" She asked.
"I carried you home when you fell asleep at the ferris wheel"
"And who changed my clothes?"
"Of course it wasn't me. It was Fusae-san" He blushed at the thought of changing Ai's clothes.
"Fusae-san?"
"Hello, Ai-chan" Fusae greeted.
"Ah, I remember. You are Agasa hakase's first love" She stated.
"Yes, and from now on I'm living with Agasa" She smiled.
"Oh, then hello, my name is Haibara Ai" They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, Ai-chan" Conan scooted over to Agasa.
"Hey, hakase. Should we tell anything about the org to her?"
"Well, if you don't mind then it's okay. But just remember that she couldn't tell anybody about it"
"I'll ask Ai" He signaled Ai to come to the basement.
"What is it?"
"Should we tell her about the org?"
"Why should we? Or are you saying that her financial status will benefit for us?"
"Well, being helped by a famous person is an advantage, but I want to know your answer first"
"I guess it's okay if your very sure"
"Okay" They came up from the basement and discussed with Fusae.
"So, you three are fighting a criminal organization?" Fusae asked.
"Yeah, and we need your help if you're willing to lend us some" Conan said.
"What help do you need?" She asked again.
"We only need to watch out for the members roaming out there. There is still two months until the awaited battle comes, but the organization already knows our plan" Conan replied again.
"Okay, I'll tell my employees to watch out for any suspicious man in black" She took out her phone and dialed a number.
"This is great. The more allies we have, the easier the organization will be defeated" Hakase said.
"Yeah, but we still need to be alerted. Those people work in the shadows" Conan said.
"Conan, what about Bourbon?" Ai said scared.
"I don't know. I think he spotted us but he didn't do anything except smirked" Conan calmed Ai.
"Okay, done" Fusae said.
"Arigato Fusae-san" Conan thanked the elder woman.
"No problem" She replied cheerfully.
"Co-chan~" Yukiko called.
"Okaa-san?"
"Hey, Co-chan, Ai-chan. We are going shopping today"
"What for?"
"Of course for you, silly"
"But we already have clothes"
"Yeah, but it's getting old. So we are going to buy another" Conan sighed.
"Okay, okay"
They went into a mall near their district.
"Ai-chan, try this"
"But this is expensive"
"It's okay, Ai-chan"
"But Yukiko-san-"
"I already told you not to call me 'Yukiko-san'" Ai sighed.
"But Yu- Okaa-san, the price is too high"
"Don't worry, I have many credit cards with me" She holds three cards in front of her. "And there's still many more in my purse" She smiled.
"How many credit cards does she have?" Ai thought.
"Okay then, I will try it" She walked into the changing room.
"Hey Co-chan. Ai-chan is trying her new clothes, why don't you see her?"
"O-okay" He waited outside the changing room.
"Yu- Okaa-san, I'm done. How do I look?" Ai opened the door, and found Conan staring at her instead of Yukiko. "Conan?" She asked shocked.
"Beautiful" Conan said still staring at her. She turned her head and blushed. "Y-you think so?"
Conan was snapped from his thoughts. "Y-yeah. You look great in anything" He covered his mouth with his hand after realizing what he said. She turned redder.
"W-what I meant was-" He stuttered.
"Thanks" Ai said embarrassed.
"Y-yeah" Conan replied. They continue shopping until afternoon.
"Argh, this is killing me" Conan said while holding all the bags.
"Well, you're the one who said, 'you look great in anything' Co-chan" Yukiko smirked. Conan and Ai both blushed.
"OKAA-SAN" They said together.
"Well, looks like we're home" Yukiko went in the Kudo residence and the two went to the hakase's.
"Conan-kun, how was the shopping?" Agasa grinned. "Don't, ask, about, it" Conan replied while catching his breath. Agasa laughed.
"Dinner's ready" Fusae called. The four ate dinner and chatted. "Hey, Ai-chan" Fusae whispered.
"What is it, Fusae-san?" Ai turned her head to the woman.
"You like him don't you?" Fusae pointed her finger at Conan. Ai choked her food.
"Umm, yeah. I guess so" Ai blushed. Fusae just chuckled when hearing her response.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Tomorrow, we are going camping with the Detective Boys" Agasa announced.
"Another camping?" Conan asked.
"Yeah, and Fusae will come too" Agasa said cheerfully.
"Isn't tomorrow Sunday?" Conan asked again.
"Yeah, but they said Monday is a school holiday" Agasa replied.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that" They continued eating.
"Hmm, somehow, I like camping with kids" Conan said.
"Yeah, we've become attached to them" Ai smiled.
"Ah, I forgot also. There's a match between Tokyo Spirits and Big Osaka tonight. Wanna watch it?" Conan grinned.
"Of course, Big Osaka will crush Tokyo Spirits" Ai beamed.
"Oh yeah, let's see then"
Conan turned the television on. "And today, Big Osaka is on the visiting team while Tokyo Spirits are the home team" The commentator said.
"GOOAAALL… HIGO DID IT, THE FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH" The commentator shouted.
"Looks like I was right" Ai smirked.
"Oh please, it's only the first half, let's see how Big Osaka can keep up in the second half" Conan defended his team.
"Hide and Naoki are approaching the opponent's goal. HE SHOOTS AND… OHHH, HE MISSED. WAIT, NAOKI JUMPED AND… GOOOAAALLL. NAOKI HEADED THE BALL INTO THE GOAL. HIDE AND NAOKI ARE STILL THE GOLDEN COMBINATION" The commentator spoke again.
"The score is 1-1. Who will be the tie breaker? Will Tokyo Spirits defend their winning streak or will Big Osaka come home with a trophy?" The commentator reported.
"Hmph, lucky" Ai said.
"Oh, are you angry?" Conan teased.
The game continues at second half. "AMAZING. HIDE DRIBBLED THROUGH FOUR PEOPLE AND, OH NO HIGO INTERCEPTED THE PASS. HIGO RUNS TO THE OPPOSITE GOAL. HE SHOOTS AND HE SCORES. THIS IS IT FOLKS. BIG OSAKA FINALLY BREAK THE TOKYO SPIRITS WINNING STREAK" The commentator said excitedly.
"Hey, what do you know, my team actually wins" Ai smirked at Conan who is still shocked by the outcome of the match.
"How about you buy me a dress for losing?" Ai smirked even wider if possible.
"What? There's never been a deal like that?!" Conan yelled.
"Now there is" Ai said coolly. Conan sighed.
"C'mon. I'm just kidding. Don't be too serious will you?" Ai said.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say" He turned the tv off and they went to bed.
"Taku. Where is the hakase?" Genta said.
"Yeah, we don't want to be late" Ayumi said.
"Maybe, he lost his car keys again" Mitsuhiko said. A moment later Agasa ran out of the door.
"Sorry kids. I forgot where I placed my keys" Agasa panted. The three sighed.
"Don't be sad kids. We're still going camping are we?" Fusae cheered.
"Yeah, you're right, Fusae-obasan" Ayumi said. The five kids sat on the back seat. Conan and Ai sat beside both windows and the rest in the middle. The front seat was occupied by Agasa and Fusae.
"It's cramped" Genta complained.
"You shouldn't have ate too much on breakfast, Genta-kun" Mitsuhiko replied.
"Oi, are you saying I'm fat, Mitsuhiko?" Genta replied annoyed.
"Hey, I'm just stating the facts"
"But I'm not that fat. Not like the hakase" Genta snickered.
"Oi, oi. You are both fat" Conan thought. The rest of the ride was silent. The three kids was asleep. And the other two was looking out of the window.
"Where are we going hakase?" Conan asked.
"Hmmm… You'll know when we get there" Agasa hummed happily. They arrived in the middle of the day.
"Sure is hot out here" Conan said.
"But it's better than sitting in a cramped car with no air conditioner" Ai replied sarcastically.
"Well sorry for the car" Agasa said apologetically.
"So where is our camping spot?" Conan asked.
"Hmmm, ah, there it is" Fusae pointed at a spot beneath a large tree.
"Wow, I've never seen a tree like this" The three kids said amazed.
"I used to come here when I was a kid. But the tree is not as tall as now though" Agasa said.
"C'mon guys, let's set up the tent" Conan said cheerfully.
"Okay, so this is the tent for the hakase and Fusae-obasan. This one is for the three of us. And I think this last one is for Conan-kun and Haibara-san" Mitsuhiko notified.
"Wait- Ai and I are alone in one tent?" Conan asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, what does it matter anyway?" Genta complained since he didn't get his own tent. Conan and Ai blushed.
"Hey, kids. Could you help us finding some woods for the campfire?" Fusae requested.
"Okay" The three kids answered. They went to the forest searching for branches and twigs.
"Hey Ai, are you okay with me sharing the tent?" Conan asked nervously.
"I mean if you don't like the idea I could sleep outside"
"It's okay. I trust you" Ai blushed. They went deeper into the forest and saw a lake.
"Wow, it's very beautiful" Conan admired.
"Look, there are swans and other animals" Ai pointed.
"Why don't we come here again later. After bringing the sticks back to hakase?" Conan gestured his hand to go back.
"Yeah, okay" Ai replied.
They were seating by the campfire.
"Mmmm… Marshmallows" Genta said hungrily.
"They're awesome. But unagi is still the best" Genta said while chewing his food. The others rolled their eyes. Agasa yawned.
"It's getting pretty late, why don't we go to sleep?"
"Aww, hakase. I'm still hungry" Genta protested.
"Keep doing that and you'll die from too many calories" Conan sweat dropped. "Well, I think the hakase is right, we should go to bed earlier so we can wake up first thing in the morning" Conan backed hakase up.
"Are you sure you don't just want to be with Haibara?" Genta snickered while smirking mischievously.
"Baro~ Of course not. Why would I do that" Conan blushed.
"Whatever you say, Conan-kun" Mitsuhiko imitated Ran.
"Oi, Mitsuhiko" Conan yelled. Then all of them went into the separate tents. Conan sighed.
"Taku~ Kid's these age" "Well, you can't blame them. You're the one who said it" Ai replied sleepy.
"Are you saying I'm a pervert?" Conan replied annoyed.
"Why don't you ask yourself, tantei-san?" She went to her sleeping bag and followed by him. They both fell asleep.
"Onee-chan…" Ai shivered while sleeping.
"Huh? What's that?" Conan was awaken by her dream-talk.
"Hey, Ai. Wake up. You're having a nightmare!"
"What? Who's there?" Ai wakes up also.
"Calm down, you had a bad dream" Conan soothed her.
"Can I go outside?" Ai asked.
"Be my guest" Conan smiled.
"The sky is clear, the stars are shining, the moon is glowing, what a beautiful night" Conan said.
"And the air is not cold either" Ai added.
"So where do you want to go?" Conan asked.
"How about the lake we visited earlier?"
"Hmmm, not a pretty bad idea" They went to the previous lake and sat on the grass.
"Hey, there's a shooting star" Conan pointed.
"Yeah, better wish for something before it's gone" Ai replied sarcastically.
"Oi, oi. You're ruining the moment. Can't you leave the sarcasm for one day?"
"Sorry, it's already a part of me" She replied coolly.
"So, did you wish for anything?" Conan asked.
"What? Do you really believe in those kinda things?" Ai asked annoyed.
"Well, it works for me though"
"Oh, so what did you wish for, o mighty wizard?"
"Hmmm, let's just say it's all granted" Conan smiled, leaving Ai confused.
"It's already past midnight. Let's go back to the camping site"
"Sure" They walked back to the tent and sleep.