This chap focuses more on Ayumi and Mitsuhiko, and how they'll get over everything that has happened. Not much Conan and Ai, but hey, the confession's nearing. In the story it's Wednesday, just two more days to go!

Disclaimer: There's no need to say it, right?

Note: Japanese traditionally finish meals with "Gochisousama" and start with "Ittadakimasu." "Irrasshaimase" means welcome (mostly said in shops). "Taisho" is what you usually call the master in traditional Japanese restaurants (well, in this case, it's only a stall, but, who cares?). And yes, I know, the shopping district is usually where food is bought but hey, am I not allowed to put some hardware stores or something there?

~~~~CHAPTER 14: SOME CHILDISH CRUSH~CONAN'S POV~~~

I walked over to my seat, glad that Mitsuhiko was not paying me any attention. Not that I was mad at him. I wasn't, just a little annoyed. But I do wish that he'd give up on Haibara and stop being so ridiculous.

"Yo, Haibara," I greeted her as I sat on my desk.

She ignored me, just went on eating her lunch. I grinned, swiped a shrimp tempura from her bento and took a bite. She raised her head and finally looked at me. "Just because you forgot your lunch, doesn't give you any reason to eat mine," she said.

I just smiled innocently and took the chopsticks from her, blushing a little when her hand and mine touched. I helped myself to her food. She was half-way done and I ate what was left. When I finished, I tried to hide my face from her view and took a glimpse of her. She didn't seem mad, so I pasted that smile back on my face and put her bento box down with a "Gochisousama."

She had on an amused expression. "Kobayashi-sensei was right."

I cocked my head to the side, asking "About what?"

"People who say 'shut up' are ill-bred. They go around eating other people's bentos without asking." She shrugged, dropping the topic. "I'm going to the shopping district later."

"I'll come with you," I said automatically. Then I paused. "What for?"

She looked at me curiously. "Did I forget to tell you? Hakase called yesterday. It seems he ordered something from a couple of stores and it's going to arrive today. He wants me to pick it up."

"Why would he want it now? Can't he pick it up when he gets home?" I asked.

She frowned a little, as if trying to remember her conversation with the Professor. "He said something about rival and being first. I'm not really sure, he was talking so fast I didn't understand much of what he was saying. Well, he did leave a list behind. He told me where it was and asked me to pick up the things written on it."

I blinked once, twice, and decided to conclude that as 'one of the times Hakase goes nuts with his inventions.'

RRRIIINNNGGG!!! (yes, it's the bell)

~~~~AFTER CLASS TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~AUTHOR'S POV~~~~

During afternoon classes, Mitsuhiko was not himself and Ayumi was avoiding Conan. That was to be expected of course, considering what happened during lunch. Either way, classes had just ended and Haibara and Conan left together, heading for the shopping district.

When they were gone, Ayumi heaved a sigh. What am I doing? she asked herself. I'm being so immature, acting like this.

She picked up her bag, leaving the school with a bitter smile. On her way out, she bumped into a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties. "Gomenasai," said the woman, holding out her hand. "Daijoubu? (Are you okay?)"

When the girl took her hand, she helped her pull herself up. That's when she noticed who the shoujo was. "Ayumi-chan?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Onee-chan?" Ayumi replied. "What are you doing here?"

Yukiko smiled when she said 'onee-chan.' "I came to pick up Shi- I mean, Conan-kun. Have you seen them?"

Her gaze dropped and she didn't answer for a moment. When she looked up, her face had on what was obviously a forced smile. "Conan-kun left with Ai-chan a few minutes ago."

Yukiko, though sensing the girl's low spirit, acted as if nothing was wrong. "Oh, that's a shame..." Then she brightened. "Hey, how about you come with me?"

"Eh?" Ayumi seemed surprised.

"There's this cake shop a few minutes from here that I wanted to try out. But I didn't want to go alone." Ayumi opened her mouth to politely decline the invitation but didn't get to say a word. Yukiko smiled at her, taking her by the hand. "It's my treat, okay?"

Ayumi might've resisted more, but as they say 'misery loves company,' so she probably needed someone to talk to. She let herself be led away.

~~~~CAKE SHOP~AYUMI'S POV~~~~

The walk took about ten minutes, a lot of time to start a conversation. But Onee-chan didn't say a thing. I didn't try to look at her, kept my stare at the ground, but still I was wondering why she wasn't asking. It must've been obvious to her that something was wrong.

We arrived at the shop. It was a cheery little store, with a few customers inside. Onee-chan smiled at me but didn't enter the building. Instead, she took a seat by an outdoor table shaded by an umbrella. I followed her lead.

A waitress approached, handing us a menu. "Irrasshaimase! May I take your order?"

Onee-chan gave it a quick glance and said, "A strawberry shortcake and orange juice for me." She turned to me. "How about you, Ayumi-chan?"

"Ummm... The same for me," I said awkwardly.

The waitress said, "I'll be back with your order." She walked away, leaving the two of us alone. I looked at my companion, but her eyes were closed and she was humming.

Carrying a tray, the waitress came back. She put it on our table, leaving with a smile and a 'Please enjoy!" I took a bite of the sweet cake, still waiting for onee-chan to speak. But she didn't say anything. I kept eating, bite after small bite, but she kept silent, except for her consistent humming. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "I... I... I like Conan-kun!"

She looked only mildly curious. "Hmmm..."

"I-I liked him," I stuttered, "E-ever since we first met, but he...He... Even though five years has passed... He hasn't noticed it..."

She smiled in that comforting way only mothers can, and somehow that smile made me calmer. "I think," she started out, "Conan-kun is the type of person who doesn't understand love much. He's a pretty dense boy." She chuckled. "I don't think he didn't know of your little crush on him. Just that he didn't know how to react. He may be smart but he's clueless when it comes to stuff like that."

"I... I guess so..."

"So, what do you like about him?" That made me pause. Not that it was out of line. It was still related to the topic, but I never expected anybody to question me about my love for Conan. It made me think, What do I like about him?

"He-he's cool. And-and nice. And he's smart, he can do things nobody else can do. He's saved us a lot of times," I was on a roll, telling her all about Conan's good traits. She just sat there quietly, listening to every word. I talked for a few more minutes before realizing how shameless I must seem. "Ummm... So I... I..."

I didn't know what to say to cover up my embarrassment, but thankfully, she didn't seem to mind.

"Ne, Ayumi-chan. Shitteru? (Did you know?)" she asked, putting her elbow on the table, cradling her head in her left hand. "That a crush comes from the surface stuff you know about a person? You like him because of the things he chose to show you, the shallow impression you have of him. You think of him as cool, or handsome or whatever it is that attracted you but... Is that really true love?"

I was silent for a moment, taking in what she just said. Then it occurred to me that she's trying to tell me was...

"You think my feelings for Conan-kun is just some childish crush!?" I shouted. I blushed, noticing that some people had turned to look at us. "Sorry," I muttered.

~~~~A FEW MINUTES EARLIER TEITAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GATE~MITSUHIKO'S POV~~~

I wasn't acting normal. I knew that. Even the teachers were giving me strange looks, since I wasn't paying attention in class like I usually do. It's just that... I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to think. That conversation with the dodgeball boys has turned me into a big mess.

I left my body on auto-pilot, arranging my things, picking up my bag, heading for the gate. The usual. It was for the better I guess, that I'm in this sort of condition. When I got angry at Conan-kun, my mind was crystal clear, yet, now that I look back on it, I guess I was blinded by that anger. I didn't think of the consequences of my actions.

If it weren't for me, Conan-kun wouldn't have had to kiss Haibara-san in front of everybody. If it weren't for me, nobody would know that Ayumi-chan cried when she confessed to Conan-kun. If it weren't for me, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

I was depressed. That much was obvious. But I never really knew what it was like to drown in self-pity. I guess I know now.

"... i... itsu... ko..."

I kept walking, not really aware of my surroundings. I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the hand on my shoulder, well, until it started shaking me. "Oi, Mitsuhiko!"

I snapped out of my reverie. I looked in the direction of the voice, surprised when I saw that it was the familiar face of my childhood friend. "Genta-kun?"

He grinned that carefree grin of his. "Yo."

I looked at him and smiled bitterly. "Even you must hate me now, huh?" I said, not really expecting an answer.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes telling me that he really didn't know. "Anyway, there's something I want to show you. Let's go!"

"B-But Genta-kun I-" That was all I could get out since Genta-kun started running and his hand was still on my shoulder. I dropped my bitter smile, deciding that, even just for a moment, I'll pretend nothing's wrong and relish the time I have with my friend.

We ran for a while, maybe about three minutes. This surprised since Genta was not used to physical activities, and he was usually the one who was against them. But my surprise disappeared when I saw where we were heading. It was a ramen stall, the same place he was eating when he revealed to me that he loved boiled eel more than Ayumi-chan.

He pushed me into the bench, sitting down beside me. "Taisho, I'll have two of the usual!" he called out.

"Genta-kun, what is this for?" I asked.

He blinked at me, then said "Okaa-chan told me." He grinned. "That eating will change your depression into happiness." Two bowls of ramen appeared. "I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want my friends depressed," he said before starting to eat.

My small smile grew bigger. You don't know how happy your innocent actions make me, Genta-kun. I started eating and discovered why Genta was always at this stall. "Oishi! (delicious)" I exclaimed. I finished it just a few seconds after Genta did.

Seeing the smile back on my face, Genta seemed satisfied. He turned to the Taisho and said, "I'll pay as usual."

Isn't he going to eat more? "Ne, Genta-kun, we're leaving?"

He turned to me, an apologetic expression on his face. "Gomen. Okaa-chan asked me to run an errand and I have to go."

"Then why-" Why did you bother to spend time with me? That was what I was going to ask, when I remembered what he just said. I don't want my friends depressed.

"Ja ne," he said, leaving. I looked at his retreating back and whispered, "Arigatou."

I picked up my bag, and was about to head for home, when I heard a familiar voice say, "You think my feelings for Conan-kun is just some childish crush!?"

I stopped cold, earlier events coming back to haunt me. "I never said that Ayumi-chan. But if you knew more about him on a personal level, do you think your feelings for him will stand?" a voice replied.

I recognized that voice and when I turned to look in their direction, I saw Ayumi-chan and Conan's relative talking. I knew that eavesdropping was wrong, but somehow, I couldn't make myself leave.

"Bu-but... That crush can become true love right? I-If I tell him I like him, then maybe, maybe he'll like me back!"

Ayumi-chan...

"I don't think there's a big chance of that happening, if you just confess out of the blue. If you're going to tell a boy your feelings, I think it's better to wait until the other person shows that they feel the same way for you before expressing your feelings. If they feel anything for you then they would share things with you that nobody else knows or they know you don't know. They share a lot of personal things without you having to even ask them about it. That shows they trust you. And that maybe, they like you back."

Ayumi-chan just kept looking at her, absorbing the knowledge she was sharing. I was doing the same, even though they were not directed at me.

Conan's relative smiled, as if contented with Ayumi-chan's reaction. She sat back in her chair, looking at the sky not covered by the umbrella. "I think..." She started talking again, "I think you need to try to get to know the other person better.

"When you're truly in love with someone, little to no words are needed to express things since you understand what the other is trying to say right away. I don't mean clinging to him, not letting him go, but just getting him to open up willingly without having to do much."

She paused for a bit. "Have you ever seen two people like that? Two people who are close enough that they are able to communicate without words?"

Her words struck home and an image of Conan-kun and Haibara-san appeared in my mind. I am such a fool. I never realized that those two...

My eyes caught a sudden movement and I saw that they were standing up to leave. The older woman left money at the table. She turned to Ayumi-chan and winked, saying, "Ja ne." She walked away, leaving Ayumi-chan staring after her.

I, too left, smiling to myself and thinking of a way to apologize to Conan-kun.

~~~~CHAPTER 14: SOME CHILDISH CRUSH end~~~~

PREVIEW: You're probably thinking, 'Another useless preview?" but I'm gonna prove you wrong. *clears throat* Now that Mitsuhiko and Ayumi finally understand their feelings, will they be able to patch up their friendship with Conan?

Yes, long chap, I know. To make up for the shortness of the last chapter and because... I won't be on for 3 whole days... *sobs* My parents and I are going on a countryside trip to have some so-called 'bonding time.' Sigh...

Oh, to occupy your time, I have a code for you to solve! It's not related to the plot but it's related to the story and well, who cares? OK, here goes:

Speel cel iael lel thel anksel todrel ael goel on-zel eel roel xel forhiel shelel pandel supel pel ortel! Ael ndel thanel kel stoel blooel drel edtoel pazel, mel eel andel blel uel ehuel rel ricael neel! threel echel eeel rel sel tothel eperel sonel whel odecoel desel thel isel!

Leave reviews please! I need something to give me energy when I come back!