Kogoro doesn't seem surprised to see me. He gives me a glass of water and asks why I came to him alone. I have a bad feeling about this.

"I'm afraid Conan won't be able to attend the wedding."

"That's a shame! I miss this tiny little boy, you see?"

Miss him?! You punched me dozens of times, you perv!

"Ran is really looking forward to our wedding day," I say.

"Unfortunately, I won't attend the wedding if Conan doesn't."

"Could you please try? It would mean a lot to Ran if you walk her down the aisle."

"And it would mean a lot to Ran if Conan was here, too! She loves him so much, she even took baths with him!"

Yeah, I remember. It's a miracle I wasn't sent to the hospital with those massive nosebleeds.

"I had Conan on the phone yesterday," I say. "His parents told me he really cannot come."

"Why don't you phone him now? I want him to tell this himself with his squeaky voice."

He's handing me a phone, smiling smugly. I wonder how I can phone him with Conan's voice while being myself in the same room. And then I understand. He knows. Somehow he guessed I used to be Conan and he's using this knowledge to prevent his own daughter's special day.

"How did you guess?" I ask coldly.

"How did I guess what?"

"The truth about Conan."

He reaches out and touches my hair.

"A few years ago, I hit Conan so hard he kept a small scar. You have the exact same scar."

"Some people have similar scars. This is called a coincidence."

"Yeah, I know but I kept some of the kid's old stuff and you just left your fingerprints onto this glass. I know experts who can confirm that your prints are identical."

He smiles smugly. For once, I feel impressed. How did he get so smart?

"That's… a brilliant deduction."

"Isn't it? Now go away. My daughter is out of your league, you pig."

I feel anger fill me slowly.

"You're calling me a pig? Nice one from someone who has no qualms in hitting a child!"

"You were NOT a child."

"I was three times smaller than you. I will never, ever hit my own children."

"Good, because you won't have children, at least not with my Ran. I won't let you soil her body."

Soil her body?! He sounds like I never shower! This is so ridiculous I can't help telling him:

"Actually, we already lost our virginity to each other."

Now I cannot help smiling. He's staring at me, horrified.

"You WHAT?!"

"Don't worry, we used a condom and it was 100% consensual. Actually, it was her idea."

"HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY BABY GIRL LIKE A WHORE?!"

"She's not a whore and she's not a baby, either. She's 20. She's a grown-up, a primary school teacher, my to-be bride and she makes her own decisions. You didn't expect her to remain a virgin forever, did you?"

"NO! I EXPECTED HER TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE WORTHY OF HER!"

"That's what she did. She waited for me."

He glares at me for at least one minute. When he speaks again, he sounds like he wants to kill me:

"I hope you'll burn in hell forever, Shinichi Kudo. Remember that day in December, a few years ago? Ran was lying onto the couch and crying. She kept saying: 'I'm so worried about Shinichi, oh I'm so worried and so sad, I hope nothing happened to him.' And while she was crying her eyes out, you were sitting on that same couch, waiting for her to feed you and wash your clothes like she was your maid. Remember?"

Actually, I do remember and I feel shame about it. However, I'm so annoyed that I just say:

"You treated her like a maid, too. What kind of grown-up man expects his teenage daughter to do all the chores?"

"At least I didn't lie to her about my whereabouts. Are you proud of you?"

"No but she would have been in danger if I told her my secret."

He looks like he would punch me if I were still tiny. I'm so glad I'm back being my tall, athletic self.

"In danger? She went through more crap within a year than most people in all their lives! She visited dozens of crime scenes, walked into a burning house, was drugged, nearly drowned and fought killers with her bare hands! She even listened to you sing in karaoke! How can you believe she was safe?"

OK, she wasn't safe. Wherever I go, people get murdered, I don't know why. Is that my fault? And does he really have to insult my singing? I know I'm not the best singer ever but what's the point?

"I know you don't like me," I say as calmly as I can, "but I'm still going to marry your daughter. And I still believe her day wouldn't be perfect if you don't walk her down the aisle. So make your choice."

"Then I'll have to tell her the truth. I'll tell her you were Conan and you've been lying to her all the time. How do you think she will react?"

"She already knows."

His face falls.

"And she forgave you for taking baths with her?!"

"She beat me up with karate first, but yes!"

Now he looks sad and broken. Somehow, I feel sorry for him.

"You leave me no choice," he eventually says.

Then he grabs his phone and dials a number.

"Ran, it's Dad," he says. "You need to choose. It's him or me."

"…"

"Either you give up marrying that jerk and you'll remain my beloved daughter forever. Or you choose him and I'll cut you out of my life."

"…"

"Oh yes, I can. Me or that jerk. Who do you choose?"

Ran says something on the phone. Kogoro's face falls. He stutters something about not bothering to come home tonight. Then he hangs up and turns his back to me.

"You won," he says. "You just stole me the most important person in my life. I will never forgive you."

I don't know if I'm happy or sad now. Kogoro may not be my friend, I don't like to see him broken.

"You don't have to do that," I say. "Ran needs you and…"

"GO AWAY NOW BEFORE I MURDER YOU."

I leave quickly. I know him well enough to know that he'll start drinking the moment I close the door. My phone rings. It's Ran. She's crying and asks if she can sleep at my place tonight. I tell her to come so I can comfort her.

I won. But it's such a sad victory.

To be continued…