Chapter 5: Who Is That Stranger Planning on Meeting?
Once the coast was clear, Shiho left for her meeting. As usual, it was taking place at her favorite family restaurant. She entered the establishment and glanced around to locate her sister. Their eyes met, and Akemi greeted her with open arms.
"Shiho! It's been a while. How have you been?" Akemi warmly hugged her.
"Same as always." Shiho deflected the question. Though that wasn't unusual for her.
Part of her wanted to talk about her latest mission, but she didn't want to upset her sister by revealing that the detective Kudo Shinichi was dead.
Once Shino was done ordering her meal, Akemi resumed with her usual conversation.
"Oh, that's right. I wanted to talk to you about this kid I met the other day."
"Huh? Come on, now. Did someone else catch your attention? Just the other day, you were talking about that detective." Shiho sweatdropped.
"Oh, it's not like that! I'm not looking to introduce this one to you as a date! He's a child! He seems to know Kudo Shinichi and he's so cute! At times he feels really mature, but then he gives the sweetest smile!" Akemi explained enthusiastically, as she started to share the events of her meeting with her little friend.
Shiho was glad her sister had the freedom to meet so many people. She didn't really feel jealous, because she knew her sister wanted the same for her as well.
"We sometimes meet up to share stories about Shinichi!" Akemi finally added with excitement, as Shiho escaped from her trance.
Why exactly was her sister meeting with a child to exchange information about a complete stranger to them, was a question Shiho wanted to ask, but decided not to. Instead she brought up her own encounter with a kid resembling the one her sister mentioned.
"Hmm, I actually saw a young boy who looked like that detective as well. Just before our meeting, actually. Seems like he's that detective's cousin." Shiho shared about her meeting.
"Really? Did you perhaps see Conan-kun?! Ah, This feels like fate!" Akemi exclaimed, eager to hear more before she started talking about the one time her boyfriend ended up doing something crazy...
Shiho just smiled at her as she listened.
Akemi was the type of person who believed in things like fate and destiny. Shiho didn't. She preferred to evaluate things using the scientific method. Despite their different personalities and interests, they both truly loved each other.
So this was nice.
After the death of that detective, the one person who could put a genuine smile on her face, once again, was solely her sister.
"This is nice." Shiho said out loud, making Akemi pause her story mid sentence. "I missed you, Onee-chan. I'm glad we could meet today."
Akemi didn't know what was going on, but she could sense that her sister was feeling depressed. Shiho didn't cry often, but when she was upset, she opened up to the people close to her. It would be endearing, if it wasn't overshadowed by sorrow.
Before she could come up with a way to console her sister, a new voice interrupted their conversation.
Ah! I was right! It's Masami-neechan! Conan greeted the older girl by hugging her. "I thought I recognized you!"
Conan had entered the restaurant as well, having followed the woman who had broken into his house. He wanted to make sure that she didn't notice him following her, so he waited a few moments before going in there and intruding on their meeting.
"Oh, Hello, Conan-kun! What are you doing here?" Akemi asked, partly observing her sister's demeanor making sure she was feeling alright, as she engaged in conversation with her little friend.
"Did we plan on meeting today?" She fondly asked him.
"Nooo" Conan shook his head, "but we were having dinner in the restaurant across from here! I saw you from the corner of my eye and came to chat."
Conan turned to the person he had followed here. He had no idea the two were related, so this certainly was a surprise to him as well. Initially, he had planned to use Shiho as the ruse, but since he knew the person she was meeting better, he found it easier to enter their conversation using Akemi instead.
"Oh Miho-neesan is here as well?! Do you two know each other?" He asked Shiho.
"Miho?" Akemi wondered but decided to ignore it. "Yes, she's my little sister!" She replied in place of her sister.
"Really?!" Conan pretended to be taken aback.
"But aren't your last names different? Hirota Masami-neechan and Yashino Miho-neesan?" He innocently inquired, using his childlike curiosity to trick them into offering him information.
Akemi hesitated, unsure of what to say, prompting Shiho to quickly interject. She knew her sister wasn't adept at coming up with lies on the spot.
"Oh, right," Shiho explained, stepping in, "Our parents are divorced. I lived with Mom while Masami-neechan lived with Dad. So we ended up with different surnames."
"Ah, I'm sorry I asked!" Conan said with a hint of embarrassment, trying to lighten the mood in a way only a kid could. "But even if your parents are separated, you two seem really close! That's good!" He grinned, hoping to bring some cheer back into the conversation.
"Of course! She's my lovely little sister! I'm extremely proud of her!" Akemi proclaimed, her eyes sparkling with joy. She ruffled Shiho's hair affectionately, showcasing the bond they shared.
Akemi's grin radiated warmth. Shiho couldn't help but reciprocate with a gentle smile at the affectionate gesture from her older sister.
"Ah, But how did you two meet?" Akemi had wanted to ask Shiho this as well, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"Oh, I had gone to Shinichi-niichan's house to see if he was back yet and found her there in his room." He confessed.
"I…I see." Akemi blinked twice to make sure she heard him right.
Suddenly, a ringtone chimed. It was coming from Conan's phone.
"Oh, my parents are calling me. They must be getting worried. But I'm glad I got to know that you two are related." he shouted before wrapping his arms around Shiho to say bye…or more importantly to retrieve his tracker. The call was from Prof. Agasa, who had planned on calling him once Shinichi gave him the sign. If the conversation went awry, he would come up with an excuse to do so. This was his exit strategy.
"See you later! Sorry, I couldn't share more of Shinichi-niichan's stories today. Say hi to Dai-niisan from me!" Conan exclaimed before leaving the restaurant.
"Didn't I say he was adorable?" Akemi asked her sister, after waving bye to Conan.
"Hmm" Shiho replied, not fully paying attention to her sister. She was busy looking at the sight of the kid slowly fading away.
Shiho hadn't really been hugged before by anyone besides her sister. And she barely even remembered her parents hugging her. It certainly felt strange, as if she had been treated like a normal person by a little kid. Twice in one day. It certainly felt weird , but not in a bad way. Somehow, meeting her sister, and meeting this kid, had almost entirely washed away her sorrow.
"So…What was that about being in Kudo Shinichi's house?" Akemi asked.
"Hmm?" Shiho's mind took some time to catch up with her sister's question.
"I mean, I know I wanted to introduce you two and I know you've been a bit obsessive as a child—spending hours observing those specimens of yours—but doing it to a person, and breaking into their house, isn't really the best way to get to know him." Akemi scolded her younger sister.
...
"It's not like that!" Shiho almost shouted, her face turning red realizing just how abnormal her actions might have seemed without context. Deep down, however, a sense of worry lingered in Shiho's mind, fearing that there might be something wrong with her own family as well.
She opened her mouth to respond but felt unsure about what to say. After all, it wasn't like she could reveal the whole truth to her sister either. Gathering her thoughts, she decided to be honest, without disclosing anything relevant.
"I know. And I've realized that I'm content with just the way things are. I cherish the time I spend with you more than anything else. And I wouldn't want to lessen it in any way." This time, Shiho said it with genuine warmth in her voice, devoid of any sorrow. This wasn't a lie, after all.
Akemi just grinned in response, gently squeezing her sister's hand. Her little sister really was adorable.
They had a few more minutes before Shiho had to return back, so they discussed more things that had happened to them that month. About Akemi's future, and about Shiho's future. It certainly wasn't going to be filled with happiness, thanks to the organization, but they still had each other.
Before long, it was time to head back. While Akemi left for her apartment, Shiho entered the car filled with the other Black Organization agents. Her assistants from her lab—who were waiting for her to return.
Meanwhile with Conan and Agasa; in his car,
"So, she is somehow connected with that woman working in the bank. But are you sure they're really sisters? It might just be a lie they came up with to evade any prying eyes." The professor asked Conan.
"I'm not 100% certain, but I think they are. I had met Masami-san before and she did once mention she had a sister. Shiho's personality seems to match Akemi-san's sister's description. And with the way their conversation was going, it certainly felt real." He explained his reasoning.
"Now the question is, is that Moroboshi Dai character a part of the organization as well?" Conan wondered. "If he is, then they're much more formidable than I initially thought."
"No wonder he seemed to be on guard even in front of a child," he recalled his meeting with him a few days ago.
"Shiho/Miho/Sherry, Akemi/Masami, and Moroboshi Dai-if that even is his real name." He added their relationships and roles in his mind to create links.
"Not to mention, Gin and Vodka."
"Whatever their real names are, there's a lot I'm still missing." He accepted that he didn't gain much crucial information from this investigation, but he at least had a few more leads to go through.
"Are you going to place a tracker on him as well?" The professor's question brought him out of his thinking process.
"No, that just might be too dangerous for now." Conan admitted. The man, while not rude, was rather wary towards anyone, even towards Conan as a child.
"He's quite sharp. If he knows I'm following him, things might turn disastrous rather quickly." He addded.
Conan wasn't sure what Moroboshi Dai's role in the organization was, but he had a feeling that the man had certainly killed before. His eyes had given it away, similar to Gin's ice-cold stare when in a trance. That was one of the reasons he kept meeting the woman from the bank. Initially, he was worried for her, but now he was also wary about her.
"For now, I'll send a copy of his face to dad and see if he can track down who this Dai figure really is." Though he was worried about putting a tracker onto him, he did manage to get his picture from his glasses a while back.
Indeed, being a child really got you away with a lot of things that would raise suspicions if done by adults.
A/N:
Boo! Shame on you Conan for butting in on Shiho and Akemi's conversation like that. Wait…since I am the one writing this, shame on me instead?
If I'm being honest—as a guy with no sisters—I have no idea how they would interact with each other. I do hope it was passable though. But if you have any advice on making it seem more realistic, please feel free to add any suggestions! I promise I'll add anything that makes the story better. I want to read this story just as much as I want to write it!
With that being said, the next chapter will be Conan's encounter with Tequila (or as limited an encounter as it was in the original) + the realization that he's far over his head with them, unlike his interaction with the members here.
