Chapter 2: Plan for the Future
The next afternoon, still in Prof. Agasa's house;
*Snap*
The sound of a camera capturing a series of shots could be heard from the room.
"Come on, Shin-chan! Give us a big smile!" urged a seemingly young woman to the so-called Shin-chan. A woman, who at first glance might appear to be in her early 20s— clearly due to the expertly applied layers of makeup and cosmetic trickery she had learned from her career in acting, concealing her true age of 43.
Of course, Shinichi had no intention of verbalizing his thoughts out loud. He liked living, and having narrowly avoided death the night before, wasn't too keen on risking his life facing his mother's wrath.
"You already have pictures of me when I was young. You don't need to take them again!" He snapped back, no intention of complying with his mother's request.
Yukiko playfully gasped, clutching her heart dramatically. "Our son is being so mean!" she cried to her husband, as fake tears welled up in her eyes. "I just wanted to recapture some of his adorable moments again."
Joining in his wife's amusement, Yusaku chimed in as well, "Now, now, Shinichi, you're the one who got himself into this mess. You can handle your mother taking a few pictures of you."
Yukiko's eyes sparkled with joy as she hugged her husband.
"Darling!" She exclaimed with a gleeful tone, "I'm so glad you always have my back."
A huge smile could be seen on Yusaku's face as he hugged her back, "Of course! No matter where, what, and when, you'll always be number 1 to me," he declared, matching her torturous enthusiasm.
The couple were soon busy in their own world, blissfully ignoring their child's mortified expression at their affectionate display.
"Oi, oi. You guys are enjoying this too much." Shinichi muttered as he turned to the person responsible for this whole mess.
"Hakase, why did you tell them everything?!"
Agasa Hiroshi, the man who had contacted Shinichi's parents late at night, after Shinichi had fallen asleep, was currently busy munching on his snacks.
The confession had been a necessary step as he knew Shinichi's parents would certainly want to know about their son's new condition. The night before had been a close call for Shinichi, and Agasa felt obligated to share the truth to keep his parents informed and alert them of the situation.
["Sorry for calling so late." Agasa apologized as soon as the call had connected, forgetting about the time difference between the two countries.
"It's almost afternoon here, Agasa-san!" Yukiko said, amused at the caller's mistake. She was in the streets of New York, currently having brunch with her husband.
"What's the matter? Did our boy stir up some trouble?" She asked the inventor.
"I hope he didn't skip too many classes to go solve cases!" Yukiko was eager to know what mess their son had gotten into now.
"No, it's not that. I'm not sure how to say this, but…he was poisoned." Agasa dropped a bombshell, bracing for their reaction.
"What, poisoned you say?!" Yukiko shouted loudly into the phone, causing a stir around her. Her husband. Yusaku quickly ushered them to a more discreet place, away from prying eyes and ears.
As Yukiko struggled to process this distressing information, her husband took the phone, calmly asking for the details. It wouldn't do them any good to both feel distressed, but he certainly was worried about his son too.
"Don't worry! Physically, he's not in danger, but he…Well, the poison caused his body to shrink into the size of a 7-year old kid," the professor continued, uncertain how they would handle such a bizarre truth. It certainly wasn't a lie, but who would even believe such a thing?
Yusaku remained composed, though inwardly, he wasn't sure if this was some kind of a sick joke his son had come up with. "I see. Is he there with you?" He inquired.
"He's currently sleeping in my spare room. He doesn't seem to be in shock, but I just wanted to let you know" Agasa confirmed his presence.
"Thank you, Agasa-san. We appreciate you taking care of him," Yusaku expressed his gratitude, knowing that they could rely on the professor's kindness and support.
"Alright, thanks for letting us know. We'll search for the earliest flight back to Tokyo." He ended the call, determined to return as soon as possible.
He then turned to his wife, gently comforting her in the wake of the shocking news. She looked paralyzed, like a fish out of water, and he knew he had to take charge of the situation.
He booked the earliest tickets he could find. And packed for an emergency departure.
Throughout the entire flight, they pondered over what in the world their son had become embroiled in.
...
Upon their return, they certainly found him, the size of how he looked roughly 10 years ago.
A miffed Shinichi was compelled to recount the events that led to this.]
And that was how Shinichi found himself being subjected to their whims. Once they had enough evidence to suggest that he was still healthy and with no major issues, besides the de-aging, they playfully dressed him up in children's clothes and took pictures of him, using it as a lighthearted reminder to be more cautious in the future. The whole experience felt like a mix of punishment and amusement, though he certainly wasn't amused by it. And he blamed it on the traitor who had called his parents on him.
Caught off guard by the accusation, the professor coughed, nearly spitting out the food in his mouth. His hand instinctively covered his mouth as he regained composure. Knowing that he was guilty, he apologized to the shrunken detective.
"Sorry, Shinichi, but it's not like I couldn't tell them that their son was poisoned. Who knows if the drug has any other side effects. It's better to be cautious."
"That's right, Shin-chan! How could you even think of keeping this from us? You should inform us when you're in trouble!" Yukiko interjected.
The young detective, slightly annoyed, mumbled something about them just having fun at his expense instead. However, deep down he knew that they deserved to know, at least to some extent.
But that wasn't the only reason he was sour. No, his parents had placed another restriction on him after this event.
Frowning slightly, he raised his issue, "Okay, but why do I need to go to school? It's not like I'll be learning anything in elementary school!"
To that, his father responded, "It's been over 24 hours and you haven't changed back to your original size. Looks like you'll be in this form for a while."
"Hmm" Shinichi just looked unconvinced.
Knowing that his son still had doubts, he kept going, "Besides, it's not like you can just stay inside the house all day plus it would also draw attention if a child were to wander around the streets, occasionally helping the Tokyo police solve murder cases." He teased his son.
"Think of it as a way of getting used to this body. You'll have to learn how to behave like a child again so that you don't raise suspicion."
Shinichi had to admit, his father did raise some valid points. He didn't know how long it would take him to find them, and he didn't know much about them either—Just the code names of three of their members and that whoever they were, they had substantial financial backing.
"Okay, okay. Geez."
"Well, if you do end up growing back to your original size, we'll just say that your parents had to transfer to another city." His father was making sure he covered all the possibilities.
Indeed, if he got his original body back, he would be able to get help from Inspector Megure and others. However, if the organization had ties to the police force and found out that he was alive, it would put his friends and family in danger.
While Shinichi was busy contemplating their reasons, his father presented an alternative option as well. One that he and his wife would rather their son take. An option that would be the safest for him.
"The decision is ultimately yours, but then again, if you don't want to go to school, you could always accompany us to the United States instead," his father suggested. "And we can assign the task of finding out more about this group with the alcoholic code names to one of my contacts in the interpol."
His mom was looking at him expectantly, hoping he would join them. After all, what mother would prefer to leave their son to fight a dangerous group of criminals alone. Before, as a detective, he had the other members of the police department acting as a protection to his deductions. But now, he'd be alone. With very few allies.
Shinichi looked back at his father.
With Kudo Yusaku being a world-renowned novelist, and Kudo Yukiko being a world famous actress, the family often traveled all over the world for work and pleasure. During his childhood days, a young Shinichi would eagerly accompany them, absorbing the diverse cultures and experiences. The journeys taught him valuable skills beyond his years - he learned to drive a car with confidence, he honed his marksmanship skills by trying his hand at shooting, and acquired an array of other practical talents from many different countries.
Yet, as Shinichi grew up, he developed an ardent desire to stay rooted in Japan, driven by an unwavering ambition to become a detective akin to his literary hero, Sherlock Holmes. The bustling streets of Tokyo, the mystique of its neighborhoods, and the allure of unraveling enigmatic cases ignited a passion within him, compelling him to choose a life dedicated to unraveling mysteries closer to home.
His parents had taught him to be independent, so they certainly weren't too worried about leaving him alone in Japan for months at times while they were busy traveling. But things were different now. Witnessing their son's vulnerability in the face of danger forced them to confront difficult decisions.
However, moving to New York wasn't an option he could bring himself to choose, even now.
That felt like running away to him.
Yes, Shinichi was determined to capture the people who had poisoned him himself. Bringing the villains to justice, figuring out their plans, and revealing them to the world was the reason he wanted to be a detective in the first place. The harder the case, the more exciting it was for him. Sure, he may not be able to do that as easily now, but even though his body had shrunk, his mind was still sharp. Just like Sherlock Holmes, he wanted to figure out a way from any situation.
And so while he appreciated their concern, he declined that option. "No, I'll stay here. I feel sorry for Prof. Agasa, but it seems like I'll need a place to stay until they're captured."
"No worries, Shinichi! You can live with me as long as you like!" Prof. Agasa beamed, delighted to offer his home to the detective as a hiding place.
The Kudo family had a really good relationship with their neighbor, Agasa Hiroshi. They had often shared meals and exchanged stories. And throughout childhood, Shinichi would visit his place to assist in his inventions. So the couple didn't mind leaving their son with him.
With a grateful smile, Shinichi replied, "Thank you, Hakase. I appreciate your understanding."
"I don't really like leaving you to fend for yourself, but if that's what you've decided, I guess we'll have to accept it. But you have to call us if the situation requires it!" His mom warned him to not try to hide things from them again.
His father accepted the decision as well.
Next, he stated," Alright, Since we didn't have any time to prepare a way for Kudo Shinichi to disappear, we'll have to add your name to the missing persons list instead. I'll take care of that part."
"But whoever did this to you might show up around our house to make sure you're dead. We should take precautions and install some hidden cameras and sensors. Professor, do you think you could install some around our house that would be hard to detect?"
"Sure! Leave it to me!"
"And we'd also need to make a new identity for you, Shinichi."
His mother chimed in as well, "Yes, if we want to enroll you in school, we need to prepare a fake birth certificate as well. For your name, I'm in favor of Kudo Yuusuke. Yuu-kun and Yuu-chan! That was our second choice during your birth!"
She started sharing details about how he was named, but Shinichi declined her naming choice. Posing as their supposed 2nd son who had never shown his face in public was rather questionable. Shinichi contemplated a name that would better suit his new identity.
"Ugh, if I had to pick a name…
Conan!
Edogawa Conan.
Borrowed from the names of my two favorite mystery authors!" He finally declared. His naming sense was rather poor, and his dad intervened to suggest a better alternative…"Huh, not going for any of the characters from my stories?"
But as payback for making him dress up into cutesy clothes like an actual child, he swiftly rebutted his poor father, "I never bothered to read any of yours."
It was now Yusaku's turn to pretend to be wounded at his son's hurtful words while his wife consoled him.
"Now, now." Prof. Agasa tried to break the tension. "So, let's go over the backstory."
"Your dad was recently transferred to Japan, and his family moved from England with him. As admirers of the mystery genre, they named their child Conan, a tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"Since it is a fairly common name in England, it wouldn't be implausible. Next, you'll be transferring to Teitan Elementary School. Using this place as his current address. Did I get everything?"
"Yes, this is enough, for now. We can add more details to the story if need be." Yusaku noted.
"I already bought you a new school uniform, Shin-chan!"
His mom was certainly having fun with her son's predicament, he thought. Along with some clothes for him to wear in his shrunken form, she had gone ahead and purchased the school uniform for him as well.
"Oi, oi."
Kudo Shinichi, henceforth going by the name of Edogawa Conan, had a renewed conviction of bringing the organization members to light, if only to find that "Sherry" responsible for his misery. Forcing him to go to school with little brats and having to learn how to behave like them as well.
He cooked up plans in his mind, vowing that whoever Sherry was, he'd make them prepare the antidote for his condition. Oh, he'd trap them in his basement against their will. They'd beg and they'd plead, but he won't be granting them reprieve! Not until he was back to his original size!
"Mwahahaha!" Conan laughed like a madman. The 3 adults in the room couldn't help but sweatdrop at the child's antics.
Elsewhere—in a remote, obscure laboratory—an inexplicable chill ran down a young scientist's spine. She chalked it up to the coldness inside the room and put on a sweater underneath her lab coat. Before returning back to her experiments.
A/N:
How was this for a change? I did want to keep part of the tone of episode 43 to a certain extent, so I tried to make it a bit comedic. But the Kudo Couple is really fun to watch! I love how his dad outsmarts him every single time, lol.
But besides that...the fact that Agasa didn't tell Shinichi's parents right after he had been poisoned felt weird in the original. Like, he doesn't know anything about the drug. There may be other side effects, or it might just be taking a while to work. I had so many questions in my initial reading of the original story, I just came up with my own context for some events that take place in it. Let me know if you have any questions!