Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. Or a working internal clock.
Thursday.
"Good morning, Sempai..."
That was Shinichi's wake-up call from Kuroba that day, along with a new conversation along the lines of muttered protests and whines.
Somehow, that had become the norm. Such thoughts of change and how fast things were going scared Shinchi. Tomorrow, February would be over, and then there were fourteen days after that for Shinichi to gather up his emotions.
It felt so short. It felt like an eternity after Valentine's day.
"Good morning, Kuroba," Shinichi replied, to the sound of angry mutters on the other side.
"Today, I will prove that you're KID!"
Was that... could that be... Hakuba? And why was he at Kuroba's house?
"Hello? Kuroba? Is everything alright over there?"
Sounds of a struggle could be heard in the background, with the distinct mutters of... colourful language.
"Just go and break a leg you bloody-! Ah... Semapai... sorry about that... Hakuba came over to... say that I'm KID-sama... he tends to do this every month or so... so... it's not anything that..."
"Is that why he decided to recruit me?"
"Probably. What is it now you-! No~ way~. I'm not going to have you whispering strange things into Sempai's ear!"
"What happened? Oh wait, is Hakuba asking you for a turn on the phone?"
"...Yes... but..."
"He'll leave you alone if I answer, right? Give the phone to him, then."
"Sempai... your skills at deductions is really... at times... too much..."
"It'll be fine. He'll stop bothering you if you give him the phone, right? It's just for a few seconds, until he gets tired of talking to me."
After a bit more whispers of... colourful language, Hakuaba's voice came clear thought the phone.
"Good morning, Kudo-kun. I assume that Kuroba has informed you on my presence here, albeit with his own twist. I'm sure you know my opinion on the subject."
"Yes, I do."
"Then you should clearly see why I think that way! Can't you see the mounting parallels? The number of impossible coincidences? Although it's true that Nakamori-san has provided him with a useful alibi that one heist, they were sitting in a dark movie theatre. It's impossible to see anything clearly in there! Or perhaps you've failed as a detective, as a Sherlock Holmes fan, and let your growing adoration pull the wool over your eyes?"
A small seed of doubt lodged itself in the rich gardens of Shinichi's mind. Was it possible? Was he overlooking evidence? Could he have been so blinded by those strange heart palpitations he experienced as of late around his kohai? Could he have failed?
"Still, Kuroba says that he isn't KID. Maybe I want to trust someone for once."
"You're being naive. Look, I'll find you something you can't deny. What the-!"
A ringing crash could be heard in Kuroba's room. Then the aspiring magician's voice came on the phone.
"...Sorry Sempai... but..."
"I don't really mind. Hakuba was getting rather annoying. You said you're not KID, right? I'll take you for your word, in that case."
"...Sempai... I..."
"Anyway, do you want me to walk you to school?"
"Yay~! Thank you Sempai... um... could you also help me out with a history bit on political figures of the Meiji Restoration... after school...?"
"That's so romantic, Kuroba, a study date."
"Hey, at least it beats murder cases... it's so saddening that lovers can turn against each-other so easily... makes you wonder that there's any love left in the world..."
"That wasn't my fault. Plus Megure-keibu is an old friend and I though most people liked mystery stories. Besides, it's my duty to solve cases. Could I entrust you with putting my belief in love back together, Kuroba?"
"...'Kaito'..."
"Huh? I'm Kudo, Kudo Shinichi. Are you talking to yourself or something now-?"
"...'Kaito'... please call me that... please call me by my name."
His heartbeat sped up at that statement...
"K-Kaito."
...quicker and quicker, from a calm march..
"Yes?"
...speeding into a trot, changing into a canter...
"In that case, please call me Shinichi."
...morphing into a swift gallop...
"Shinichi..."
...beats merging together into a chaotic mess...
"I'll s-see you at your house, then. I'm hanging up."
...into the frenzy of a tarantella.
"...See you soon."
And roses, petals pulling almost inwards, stood quaking in the moonlight.
AN: Sorry for another late update... real life is crazy, and I accidentally deleted my work twice. This is going to be a major day, though, so it'll probably get faster from here. I really love the pseudo love triangle Hakuba brings in here; personally, I hate actual love triangles, so this is perfect. A few days ago, someone asked me if I had a secret life... if they're reading this, they can brag that they're right (not that they would be, since they probably don't even know this site exists... but still). Daylight savings time is probably going to drive me crazy this week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; it's a bit different from my usual writing style.