Shinichi had always known that his parents were different. From their relaxed attitude when it came to parenting, their unconventional jobs, their restlessness and their unique abilities they were far from normal. Sometimes, even outsiders noticed their odd behaviour, but they always had a plausible explanation. Of course they had to travel a lot, Yukiko had to network with other actors, producers and people of high society - even though she hadn't been on the screen in years. And Yusaku needed a change of scenery to get out of a writing block, for research or to promote his newest novel. Novels that were famous for their realism. And of course his descriptions of torture and murder were realistic because he occasionally helped the police with especially difficult crimes.

No one ever dug deeper. Did a former actress really need to be able to create highly realistic masks with which she could impersonate anyone she wanted? With her abilities she could even fool the parents or the spouse of a person. It's a skill one does not learn just by spending a few weeks being taught by a magician.

How many people that were found guilty with the help of Yusaku Kudo to this day deny being guilty? But who would you rather believe? The highly respected author who was friends with police officers, someone who could put all the clues together to create a realistic sequence of events with enough proof that it was incriminating without seeming intentionally left behind? Or the apparent criminal with a strong motive whose fingerprints were on the murder weapon and who didn't have an alibi? Most of the time it was almost too easy.

But Shinichi did notice. He wasn't so arrogant as to believe that it was only due to his intellect. Of course he was smarter than most people but he knew better than to underestimate his father's abilities. If he had really wanted to keep his side-business private, Shinichi would not know anything about it.

He had always suspected that his parents wanted him to know. His mother liked to show off her skills. She often put on disguises and randomly crossed his path during the day, questioning him afterwards whether or not he had noticed her. It made him wary of every person he encountered. He used to find it annoying, but nowadays he is grateful for her efforts because it made him more observant.

His father had a more direct approach. Shinichi had just started elementary school when his father took him to his first crime scene. In front of Megure and the other police officers he had played the easygoing, but considerate father. I know a crime scene is no place for a child. But I had just picked him up from school when you called me, urgently requesting my help. I had no choice, but I will keep him from seeing anything. But he did not hold Shinichi back when he had sneaked closer to the body, claiming to have been distracted by the case after a police officer had stopped the child. Afterwards he had held him in his arms which gave Shinichi a perfect view of the victim on the ground and the close-up photographs on his father's phone.

Yusaku often had case files in the library where Shinichi spent the majority of his time. Some were hidden in a safe, others were left on his desk, easy to reach and devour. As he got older, the cases got more complicated and gruesome and sometimes he discussed them with his father.

Shinichi was intrigued by death. In the beginning it was the mystery itself. Although a dead person can not speak, the body can tell you everything you need to know as long as you know what to look out for. Putting the clues together and creating a picture of a person's last moments on earth was like a morbid puzzle for him.

After solving a few cases, he began to feel frustrated. Most criminals were amateurish and it was infuriating. How could you leave behind a knife with your name on it? Why did you not notice that the dying message spelled out your name backwards? He rarely encountered a case that took him more than fifteen minutes to solve. He was desperately craving a real challenge.

The boredom made him wonder if he could devise the perfect murder. After all, he had solved enough crimes to know the most common mistakes. He had spent many nights mulling over the perfect murder, his potential victim, the method, the alibi …

Coincidentally, it made him a better detective - the irony was not lost on him. He didn't set out to become a detective. He just happened to stumble over a few corpses and he analysed them by sheer force of habit like he did with the case files. And if his deductions led to the arrest of amateurs, so be it. It was the fitting punishment for their incompetence.

And as it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise. His rising fame as High School Detective allowed him access to more elaborate crime scenes with complicated tricks and cunning murderers. He could even draw inspiration from some of them!

But his parents did not only focus on his mind in his upbringing. They constantly took him on trips to different parts of the world. His most memorable trip had been to Hawaii. In just two weeks he had learned how to shoot, fly a plane, drive a car and motorboat. His parents also invested time and money in his physical abilities.

Whenever it was possible, he had been taught self-defence and different martial arts. Always by a local trainer and only the basics as to not arouse suspicion. It was enough for Shinichi to find out which style suited him the most and with the resources the internet provided he could hone his skills. Sometimes he wondered how well he could hold himself in a fight against Ran. Honestly, he was not too eager to find out. Although he was confident in his abilities, he had seen her fight often enough to know what she was capable of. He did not want to end up on the receiving end of her kicks.

Ran. She was an anomaly in his life. So pure, naive, kind-hearted and joyous - the total opposite of himself. If they hadn't met in kindergarten, he was doubtful that they would have ended up as friends. But they grew up together, learned to understand and to accept each other's quirks. She was his constant companion and he cherished their time together. It made him feel normal and it was a welcome change from all the deaths he was surrounded by.

How much time did they have left as friends? Shinichi had no illusions about his future. Even though he is yet to harm or kill anyone, it was merely a matter of time. For years he had begged his parents to let him in, let him be part of whatever they were doing, but they had remained steadfast. They had insisted that he had to wait until he was of age.

Throughout the years he had gathered enough evidence to know that they were part of something large. Late night calls, whispered orders and excerpts of files all created an informative, albeit incomplete picture. He had always assumed that his parents moved out when he was 13 because he had gotten too close to the truth and so he could no longer spy on them.

He knew that his parents were part of a criminal organisation, quite high on the chain of commands. The organisation was a dominant player in the underworld and had connections to most of Japan's major agencies – the police, military, parliament and the largest corporations. They used blackmail, deception, torture and murder to expand their influence and increase their wealth. Shinichi was still unsure what their ultimate goal was, but he was determined to find it out.

But his eagerness has put him into this unfortunate situation. When he had solved the murder at the roller-coaster, he had recognised the two operatives as members of the organisation. He had read their descriptions years ago when he had sneaked into his father's study.

It was the perfect opportunity to find out more. Unfortunately he had been overzealous, impatient to see them in action, which led to him being negligent.

He could barely believe his luck when he woke up and was alive. That lasted as long as it took him to realise the situation he had ended up in. They had shrunk him. He stared at his own hands in disbelief. No, that was impossible. People couldn't shrink. Except – he saw the evidence with his own eyes.

For a few minutes he just sat there and tried to come to terms with the situation. He only moved when he heard voices. With a glance at his phones he realised that the park was about to close. Not good, he had to get out of here without being noticed. Which would be difficult considering he was drowning in his own clothes. He could barely move.

He had to acknowledge his defeat. Reluctantly he called the only person that could help him.

"Dad?"

Even the always calm and collected Yusaku had been surprised by his son's phone call, Shinichi could hear it in the way he greeted him. He rarely called either of his parents and even though he had only said a few words, the change in his voice was obvious.

Shinichi hadn't said much because he was not sure whether or not his father would believe him. He had only asked him if he was in Tokyo and if he could pick him up from his current location.

Half an hour later Yusaku had arrived. Shinichi didn't question how he was able to enter the park at this time.

"I'm here." He exclaimed.

"Shinichi, why did you … Oh!" Yusaku stopped when he caught sight of the little boy.

"Before you ask, it's really me. Mors certa, hora incerta." When Shinichi had been 8, his parents insisted that they needed code words only they would know. In case of someone holding one of them captive or someone using a disguise. With their line of work, it was no surprise that they had wanted to be prepared for the worst case. At the time it had seemed overly cautious and Shinichi had almost forgotten about it, but now it proved useful. It saved them a lot of time.

"We should talk in the car." Yusaku scanned the area. They appeared to be alone, but you could never be sure if and how someone was eavesdropping on you.

Shinichi nodded and took off his pants. They were simply too long and his jacket would cover his legs well enough. His father didn't even offer to help him, they both knew that he would decline it anyway.

They stayed in the shadows and took a secret passage to get past the fence. Even though they did not have to go far, Shinichi grew increasingly frustrated. His legs were too short, he could barely keep up with his father and his shoes were too big which slowed him down even more. He was glad that they did not talk, because he did not want to show how out of breath he was. It was infuriating.

Finally they reached the car and Shinichi sat in the passenger seat. Everything seemed unnaturally big.

"So, how did you end up like this?" Yusaku started driving and kept his eyes on the road.

"It's your men's fault." Shinichi watched his father intently, but the man did not show any kind of reaction. Just as he had expected. He knew that his father had a lot of influence in this organisation and if they had created pills that could shrink people, he had to know about it.

Shinichi took his father's silence as a cue to go on. So he told him everything that had happened with as much detail as he could remember. He had almost forgotten the blow against the head he had received, but now that the ache in his limbs became weaker, he noticed his throbbing head more and more.

"Can you describe them?"

"One was tall and had impractically long, blond hair and the other was a bit shorter, bulkier and wore sunglasses."

Yusaku nodded and then reached for his phone. Without taking his eyes off the road he typed something.

"Do you know them? Can they reverse it? How is this even possible?" Shinichi was beginning to get impatient. He needed answers and reassurance that he wouldn't stay in this body forever.

"One thing after the other. Before I answer all your questions, I have to ask you something." He accelerated the car. "Are you ready to join the organisation?"

Shinichi was stunned. This was the last thing he had expected. It had been his dream for years, but he had given up hope when his parents had proved to be unrelenting with their insistence that he had to reach adulthood before they would discuss this further. "Are you sure?" Shinichi could barely conceal his excitement.

"Of course. There is no need to wait any longer since you are already entangled with us. So, can I take this as a yes?"

"Yes. Yes, I want to join you." Shinichi said, not caring if he sounded too eager. "Do I have to prove myself? Is there a recruitment test I have to pass? Do we need the approval of someone?"

"You don't have to do anything. As your father I know that you are capable enough and would be a valuable asset. As for the approval – " During their conversation, Yusaku had taken a right turn and driven into the underground parking of an inconspicuous office building. Only when the car had come to a stop did he finish his sentence. "Being the boss makes certain things easier."

The kind smile was a stark contrast to his words. Shinichi looked at him in disbelief.

"You are the boss? Seriously?" He had already suspected that his father had a leading role, but he never thought that he commanded the whole organisation. His head was filled with questions and he wondered which to ask first.

"I'll tell you everything in due time. But first you have to be examined by a doctor."

"I can't just walk into a hospital and tell them that I have been shrunk."

"I'd expected more of you. Don't you think an organisation of that size has their own medical professionals?" Yusaku looked at him with raised eyebrows. "After all, you have just experienced first-hand what our scientists are capable of."

That made sense. Shinichi was angry at himself for not thinking before speaking. He had to focus, otherwise his father might withdraw his offer to let him join.

"Afterwards we need to get you new clothes and something to eat." Yusaku looked at him with a mischievous glint. "And I definitely need to have a serious talk with two of my subordinates. Care to join me?"

Shinichi didn't need to be asked twice.