Walking into the room to face a dark skinned loudmouth had not been on the list of things she had expected when she had walked into the Mouri Detective Agency that day. Walking into a room with a dark skinned loudmouth who had promptly demanded to see Kudo Shinichi had been even lower. In fact, it sat somewhere between Shinichi admitting he was Kaitou Kid to Eri-obaasan getting back together with Kogoro-san.
For a moment she had thought the two men in black had found out Shinichi was alive and were chasing him until she took a good look at the one demanding the answers. He looked near the same age as her, and judging by his dialect, was from the Kansai area. His behavior, however, contradicted nearly every idea she had of a professional assassin.
He was an attention grabber, someone who wasn't afraid of the spotlight and wasn't afraid to take it upon himself to be in it. Nor was he afraid to make enemies, if his manners were any indication. In the five seconds she had known him, it was apparent he was the quick tempered sort, the very definition of a hothead. And very unlikely to be working with those men. Or at least he was doing a terrible job presenting himself as anything but a rather annoying, and therefore memorable, teenager. With a dash of impertinence sprinkled on top.
Or perhaps he truly was working with them, but remained woefully incompetent. Shinichi had mentioned that it was the pair's almost movie-goon attitudes that had gained his attention. To be fair though, even if they were off putting, or in this one's case, irritating, the average person would hardly jump to hitman.
"And why do you want to meet my cousin?" she answered for the others, meeting his gaze levelly.
"You're Kudo's cousin? Great. I'll challenge ya, and then have ya tell me where he is." he had the insolence to grin triumphantly. She merely stared at him in response, waiting for the punchline. She had no idea how long he had been in here before she'd walked in, but Ran had her sincerest sympathies for it.
"Challenge?" Ran asked. From her tone it was clear that Aoko wasn't the only one getting annoyed with their unruly guest.
It was at that moment that Shinichi himself walked in, all four feet of him. What truly drew her attention, though, was the snot trailing from his nose and his obviously dazed expression.
"Oh, welcome home, Conan-kun," Ran greeted, momentarily ignoring the abrasive teenager in front of her to wipe his nose with a handkerchief.
"Conan, how long have you had a cold?" Aoko immediately moved to his side, placing a hand over his forehead. If his appearance hadn't made it clear, his temperature made it evident that he was sick.
"He wasn't feeling well yesterday," Ran told her. "Shinichi was sick too. I wonder if there's a cold going around."
"Maybe," Aoko allowed. Her eyes met his. "How did you even get sick? Did you forget to dry your hair? Were you in the cold too long yesterday? Did you forget your blanket?"
He scowled at her, looking every inch the ill, and ill-tempered, child. Which was true, but neither did he appreciate his cousin treating him like one. "It's just a cold. It'll get better in a day or two." Combined with his chubby cheeks and tiny frame, the glare was nowhere near as incisive as it would be in another ten years.
She pinched one such cheek. "It'll be another hundred years before you're able to retort to me." His glare didn't lessen, though it certainly looked more ridiculous as she pulled at his cheeks. "I'll call Agasa-Hakase and tell him you won't be able to play today."
Translation: I'll call Agasa and get him to check up on you later.
Judging by her cousin's narrowed eyes, he wasn't fond of her taking a cold so seriously, though he'd already given up trying to stop her after the first wave of tests she'd had Agasa run after his transformation and merely stood like a put out child.
She had already pulled out her phone by the time the other boy finally seemed to have enough of the room ignoring him, "Oi, Kudo's sick? How do you know he's sick if ya don't know where he is?"
"He phoned a minute ago," Ran answered. Despite his manners, he was still a guest, even if an unwelcome one. She knew Aoko wouldn't bother. And her father wouldn't have been able to answer even if he was paying attention to their conversation.
"Kudo did?" Ran frowned at him, wondering why he seemed so surprised.
"That's right. He calls every so often." Deciding to take a page out of Aoko's book, she bit out, "Is that a problem?"
It didn't have nearly the visible effect that Aoko's snapping patience did, but she was gratified to see him go momentarily quiet, even if it seemed to be more of a thoughtful silence.
"So I guess it's true that you're Kudo's girlfriend," the words didn't seem meant for her, rather he had merely muttered it while going over his thoughts, but the reaction it caused snapped him out of them.
"G-girlfriend?" Ran screeched.
"W-Who said that?" Conan added simultaneously, having shifted from pouting at Aoko to joining Ran when he'd heard Hattori's half mumbled words.
"That Suzuki girl said Kudo hadn't been ta school an' that you're probably hidin' him."
'Damn you, Sonoko.' They cursed. Somewhere in a large luxurious house a young girl sneezed.
"So, wha'd ya talk about with Kudo?"
Ran blinked at the sudden non sequitur. "Not much… an interesting mystery novel, the J-league, how everyone at school's doing…"
"That's it?"
She glared, irritation coming back full throttle, as was her urge to do so to him. "Yes! He never said anything about some weird Kansai-ben guy coming."
He ignored both her expression and glare, from extensive experience if nothing else, "Anything about you?"
"Huh?" His words made her pause before thinking back over their last few conversations. "Now that you mention it, he's always talked about himself, never anything about me." She said the words in slight bewilderment, looking down to try and remember if he had asked anything about her, only to startle when the boy raced for the windows.
"H-Hey!" Both father and daughter stood as the boy opened it and stuck his body far enough out that had the frame instead been a guillotine he would have lost his head. And a good portion of the rest of his body.
"What are you doing?" Ran stopped behind him, annoyed at the newcomer's ridiculous behavior.
He ignored her words, still looking out into the street below, though at least he wasn't as far through the window as he had been. "Don't you think it's weird?"
"Huh?"
"If he calls you every so often then he must care about ya. Why wouldn't he ask how you're doin'? Especially when he's so far away and hasn't seen ya in a while. There's only one reason fer that," he turned back to her. "He already knows. Kudou's watchin' ya, probably from close by, too."
"W-What?" Her words came out half stilted in her surprise.
"He must've been spying on ya. What a creepy guy." He said, conveniently ignoring said creepy guy's cousin turning her head to him.
Shinichi however, was still frozen from the Kansai-ben boy's astute deduction. Even if he wasn't entirely accurate, especially about his intentions, tall, dark, and annoying had figured out far more than he wanted anyone to surmise.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
It seemed that Mouri Kogoro was thinking the same thing, though he said so aloud. The boy smirked in response, "Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. The name's Hattori Heiji, a high school detective like Kudou."
His response stunned the father-daughter pair while Conan's reaction instead turned underwhelmed, apparently not seeing the interest in another prodigy detective. It even drew Aoko's attention from her conversation.
"And here I thought high school detectives were supposed to be rare," she muttered to Conan. Of course he'd attracted the other highschool detective sensation from his roost in Osaka.
'Oi, oi, don't talk about us a if we're some type of exotic bird.' Conan rolled his eyes back at her.
And then he sneezed, one turning into several and leaving a searing feeling in his throat. It caught Hattori's attention.
He turned to him, "Hey kid, I've got the perfect cure for your cold." He took off the bag on his back and took out a wrapped bottle, opening the lid as he poured a cup.
"I've heard of you," Kogoro blurted out. He'd thought the boy familiar since he'd set food in the door, and even more so once he'd given his name, and trying to identify him had made the man unusually quiet. "A young detective from Kansai who's pretty skilled."
"Yeah, we're called Kudo of the East and Hattori of the West, always gettin' compared." He handed the cup to the boy. "Here."
Conan eyed Aoko for a moment. She was still focused on her conversation and looking away from him so she hadn't seen Hattori's act of generosity. He knew without a doubt that she would, for lack of better terminology, strongly discourage him from drinking it, but he was already annoyed at her treating him like a child. And was far from looking forward to the endless, and tedious, tests she would no doubt subject him to later. Therefore, he deemed a simple act of petty revenge only expected.
"Thanks!" Conan said cheerfully. And promptly downed the contents of the cup.
Seeing how the boy didn't seem to have any problems with the flavor, Hattori continued to the older duo, "Then I suddenly stopped hearing about that Kudo an' he wasn't in the papers anymore. I heard he's disappeared."
Mouri took it as a chance to praise himself up, "So now it's Mouri of the East and-" Ran cut him off, mildly embarrassed he could shamelessly compare himself to someone nearly half his age, but more worried about Hattori's intentions.
"What do you want with him anyway?" The words came out more defensive than she intended, though no one in the room seemed inclined to comment.
"Nothin' I just wanna meet him and see if Kudo Shinichi is really a man comparable to me," Hattori smirked at them, the very picture of perfect confidence.
Aoko sighed. If nothing else he was definitely comparable to Shinichi in ego. Ran sweatdropped, 'Why are all these highschool detectives so arrogant?'
Her attention, however, switched to the tiny figure by her side when it suddenly started swaying, "C-Conan-kun?" She reached to steady him.
Seeing his dazed smile and reddened face, not unlike her father's usual inebriated one, she was momentarily dumbstruck before turning back to Hattori infuriated "What did you give him?"
The noise drew Aoko's attention, who immediately zeroed in on Conan's swaying form and Ran glaring at Hattori. Hattori himself was oblivious to the second stare he was receiving, proudly answering even as Mouri eyed his third charge warily.
"This is Chinese liquor, Paikaru" He presented it to Mouri with a smile, "I'll give this to you since I'll be stayin' here until I can meet up with Kudo."
"Y-You-" Ran started, too angry to speak. Her words were cut off when Aoko swiftly moved to her side, standing before Hattori and blocking his view of the room.
She grabbed him by the collar, the sudden force startling Hattori, and the angle she coerced him into forced him to rely on her to keep his balance. He awkwardly stood with his hands out, eyes narrowing and ready to pick a fight before he met harsh blue eyes.
He stilled, unconsciously leaning back in an effort to put distance between them, an effort made futile by her iron grip on his collar.
"Listen very closely," She began. Her voice was lethally quiet.. "I have every reason to break that bottle over your head. Who in their right mind gives a sick child alcohol?"
He stumbled back as she released his collar, shoving him back as she did so. He hit the desk, though he didn't seem to notice, still stiff as he stared at her wide eyed. "If you ever try something so idiotic again, prepare a hospital room in advance."
For a moment he just stared at her, and she met his gaze with equal, if not greater, intensity. Neither of the other three moved, one because of his own condition, one out of self-preservation, and the last took a sharp delight in finally seeing the boy cut down.
The tension was only broken by a sharp knock on the door. Five sets of eyes turned to it as the door opened and a woman walked in.
"Do you know how many times I rang the bell?" She lowered her sunglasses. "This agency doesn't take very good care of it's customers." She glanced around the room before sighing, "I'm in a hurry so let's get this over with."
"H-How can I help you?" Mouri stuttered, still not completely recovered from the past few minutes.
The previous confrontation seemed forgotten as everyone turned their attention to this new woman as she began to speak, as she, in mere moments, managed to rise above even Hattori in her ability to ruffle feathers.
Ran, ever the dutiful daughter, ran to get tea as Kogoro guided her to the table. "I see, you're concerned about your son's girlfriend's behavior."
Aoko ignored them, her eyes darting to Ran for a moment before shifting to Conan and back again, as though making sure he hadn't worsened in the few seconds since she'd taken her eyes off him.
"Yes, this is a photo of her and her personal story," the woman, Tsujimura Kimie, handed him a folder.
Mouri took a moment to look over it, "Katsuragi Yukiko-san, graduated as the top student from Mitsuba Jr High and Mitsuba High, is now enrolled at the Tokyo Medical University… well on her way to becoming a doctor," he skimmed.
"So what's the problem?" He asked, not seeing any issues with the girl.
"There is no problem, just that…"
"She's too perfect," Hattori concluded, having moved to the couch as Aoko had taken to leaning on the desk. "Humans are suspicious, jealous creatures. If they see someone perfect, they have to try an' find a flaw. Am I right?" By his smirk it was obvious he was more than confident in his statement.
"Who is this?" Tsujimura frowned, having dismissed him, and the other children's presence, immediately after entering the room.
"A friend of my daughter," Mouri forced a laugh, gesturing with his hand for the boy to leave.
"Anyway!" Tsujimura said, drawing Kogoro's to turn his attention back to her, "We'll go into more detail at my house. My husband also wants to talk to you."
"G-go now? Why didn't both of you come to begin with?"
"My husband is a diplomat. If he was seen coming here…"
"There'd be a scandal, huh?" Hattori once again finished her sentence. Mind suddenly made up, he grinned shamelessly at her, "Alright, I'll go, too."
"Huh?"
"It'll be less suspicious if he comes with a kid rather than going alone, right?" Hattori persisted.
"You're right. Fine." She considered it before nodding at the sound reasoning. Standing up, she placed her sunglasses back on and stood, giving Mouri an expectant look.
"You comin'?" Hattori nodded at Ran. Shinichi noted in slight amusement that he avoided Aoko's gaze.
"Me? Why me?"
"The more the better, 'sides Kudo might show up."
"Ran-neechan, let's go, too!" Conan turned to Ran.
"Conan-kun," she frowned at him. "But what about your cold?"
Conan pointed childishly at Hattori, "Gone! His medicine fixed it!" He beamed. He ignored Aoko's look.
"Told ya!" Hattori grinned proudly. The only two in the room with common sense fixed him with identical incredulous stares.
Aoko glanced back at her cousin. And this idiot just drank it without even knowing what it was. He's certainly stupid enough to be compared to you.'
Shinichi merely eyed the older boy with an irked smile, 'Idiot. It's gotten even worse. I don't really want to go but who knows what he'll say if I let him go alone.'
But he wasn't foolish enough to let onto his cold worsening, knowing neither of the girls would allow him to step a foot out of the door if they found out. It was hard enough getting them to agree as it was, let alone ill. He mentally cursed Hattori's idiotic notions on medicine. And probably everything else.
Ran appeared indecisive, torn between letting him go when he was clearly so excited and having him rest. It was rare that they encountered another detective and Conan seemed to like him, but she was worried about his cold. Though he did look better, his sneezing had stopped and his nose had stopped running.
Conan's eyes lit with hope as Ran finally seemed to give in before a sharp cough broke through the air. Both turned to Aoko, who looked down at Conan with a raised eyebrow, who immediately winced.
'Damn. That's why I was trying to get Ran to let me go first.'
Ran was far more likely to give in to a child's pleas than Aoko, whose interest in children began and ended with their involvement in cases. But he also knew that Ran would defer to Aoko if she decided to keep him back.
Sighing, he prepared himself for his inevitable shameful performance.
'Ano, Aoko-neechan," he cringed internally at both his voice and his mannerisms. "I really am feeling better." He peered up at her, willing his eyes to widen just so, in just the manner to win over difficult opponents, one of the most useful abilities of his new body.
Aoko remained unimpressed. His smile quickly turned sheepish when she spoke. "Don't think I've forgotten your earlier nonsense."
"B-but-"
"Do I need to give you a lecture about strange food and taking things from strangers?" She pressed.
His cheeks reddened, feeling more like a child in this instant than he had pleading. He was well aware that Aoko was deadly serious, and far from in a mood to tolerate his antics. "No, it won't happen again."
"Hm." She hummed noncommittally, and he was worried she would force him to stay back when her eyes landed on Hattori, who was watching them curiously, but hastily averted his eyes when he noticed Aoko's gaze.
"I'm not advocating he comes too, or anything. The brat should definitely stay at home if he's sick," he lifted his hands up and hastily defended himself.
She eyed him for a moment before her eyes landed on him, and from the way her frown deepened he knew she understood why he wanted to go. He didn't know whether to be grateful that Hattori stuck out enough for Aoko to allow him to follow along when she clearly wanted nothing more than to cart him off to Agasa's lab, or be irritated with him for making it necessary in the first place when all he really wanted to do was go to bed.
The reason that "When we come back I expect you to follow my instructions without so much as a complaint." She warned. His ears perked up as he grinned. "Understood."
"And be prepared for a lecture." His ears dropped, as did his grin, though he made an admirable effort to maintain it. "Okay."
They arrived at a large house, mansion rather, with three floors and several large balconies. The size of it was at least twice the size of a regular house and far wider. It was surrounded by a large wall, and walking through it they could see a grove of trees around it. It was beautiful, an elegant meld of western architecture with eastern touches.
"Wow, what an impressive mansion," Kogoro's sentiment was echoed by their agreement.
Tsujimura-san, however, wasn't inclined to marvel at her own home and ushered them inside. The interior matched the exterior in elegance, with white walls and carefully placed ornaments. A butler greeted them at the entrance.
"Welcome back, Madam," he bowed.
"Where is he?" Tsujimura asked in lieu of an answer.
Koike, the butler, appeared unfazed by her directness. He also appeared to know exactly who his mistress was speaking of despite her vagueness. "I believe the master is in the study on the second floor."
He turned to the people behind his mistress as if noticing them for the first time, "Who are these people?"
"Ah, we are-" Mouri's answer was cut off by Tsujimura's interjection, "My old friend, Mouri-san."
"Shall I serve something, then?" He asked in turn, keeping with his professional demeanor.
"Yes-"
"M-Mother!" The sudden voice turned the group toward the person. Behind them was the very girl Mouri had been hired to investigate, Katsuragi Yukiko. She was beautiful in person, with wavy blonde locks and dark eyes. A light touch of makeup enhanced her features. "Excuse me," she smiled sweetly at them.
"Oh, you're the one-" Kogoro's words were stifled by Hattori hastily covering his mouth.
"W-why are you here?" Tsujimura-san stuttered, flustered by the presence of the woman she had brought a private eye to investigate.
"I called her," came another voice, this time a man. By his age and the way he immediately went to Yukiko, Aoko assumed he was the son, and therefore Katsuragi's fiancee.
Takayoshi laid a hand on her shoulder, "Dad won't meet Yukiko, so I'm going to make him meet her." He tilted his head towards the stairs, "Although he's not coming out of his study."
"Oh, are you Mother's friends?" She asked Mouri.
"That has nothing to do with you!" The words came out sharply, shrill in tone and made everyone surrounding her wince. "And you have no right to call me mother. Know your place!"
Katsuragi's face went ashen, "I-I'm sorry." She bowed as Tsujimura led Mouri towards the stairs, his entourage following close behind.
"Who does she think she is? She's only the second wife," Takayoshi scowled. Aoko, who had heard the mutter, paused for a moment and threw a glance back to see the man scowling at his step-mother before continuing up the stairs.
Aoko had turned too quickly to see Takayoshi's eyes turn from his step-mother to Mouri Kogoro, with faint recognition instead of the fury he'd sent Tsukijima Kimie.
They came upon an old man at the top of the stairs, "Oh father," their client acknowledged. "You were here as well?"
"What are you saying, Kimie-san? You're the one who called me here to hear my fishing stories."Tsujimura Toshimitsu stood with his back craned in a stoop, a walking stick by his side, but he still held himself with dignity.
Which promptly fell the moment he pulled out a large sheet, "Huge isn't it?" He grinned broadly.
"Oh, yes… I remember now." She smiled. "Please wait in the Japanese room. I'll be right down."
"Right," he nodded and made his way down the stairs. He stopped to show the butler his fish, holding it up proudly, "What do you think?"
"Wow, that's amazing." Much taller than his master's father, Koike bent down to see, putting in the proper amount of awe in his voice to please the man.
His actions drew Takayoshi's attention to him, who immediately came over, "You're here, too, Gramps?"
"Yes! I wanted to show this to everyone." He once again held up the sheet. "By the way, who were those people with Kimie-san?"
"She said they were her old friends, the Mouris," the butler answered.
"Mouri?" Takayaoshi repeated before his eyes widened in sudden recognition. With how often the man had been appearing on the news recently, few wouldn't recognize his name. "He's that detective, Mouri Kogoro!"
"What?" The other three were equally surprised, both at his identity and his sudden appearance in their home.
'Why is a detective here?' Though the thought echoed through all their minds, Toshimitsu's expression alone turned stricken.
At the top of the stairs, the peculiar little group surrounded their client as she knocked on the door to her husband's office. "Dear, he's here. Dear?"
Seeing as there was no response even as she repeated her words, she opened her purse to take out a key. "Strange, maybe he's not in there?"
Tsujimura opened the door. Immediately, the sound of music flooded their ears. At the desk near the wall opposite them sat the man, eyes closed and head rested on his arm. "Oh, he is."
She sighed, "Really, leaving the stereo on and falling asleep here…" she moved to him.
"Opera," The three boys gathered around the music player.
"Dear, wake up. Dear." His wife's attempts to jostle him awake had no effect. When she reached out to shake his shoulder his arm fell, and gravity shifted, he fell to the floor. The sound immediately drew the attention of the rest of the room's occupants.
"D-Dear?" Tsujimura's voice was filled with both worry and a growing sense of panic. "Dear, say something!"
"De-" Her call was interrupted by Hattori. The teenager had a hand pressed to the man's neck, checking for the pulse, and finding none, informed her bluntly, "Too late, he's already gone."
"N-no," Tsujimura's eyes filled with tears, form frozen except for her trembling.
Just then, the door opened and the other occupants of the room walked in, curious at the fuss they'd been generating.
"I-is something the matter, Madam?" It was the butler who asked, taken aback by the placement of the people in the room. Each one of them knelt on the floor, eyes looking down as though searching for an object someone had lost.
It was the son who located the problem first, eyes fixed on it once he'd seen it. "D-Dad?" Worried, he began to make for his father when Mouri's sudden words made him halt.
"Don't come in!" He yelled over his shoulder. Despite his usual tendencies, with his fierce eyes and build, Kogoro made an intimidating man when serious. "Until the police come, stay out!" His head turned towards his client, "Don't move either, Madam."
"W-What happened?" The grandfather questioned, still confused over the attitudes everyone had adopted and why the police had suddenly been involved.
"Tsujimura Isao-san is dead." It was Kogoro who answered, glancing back at the man in question for a moment before his eyes turned back to the man's family.
"Wh-What did you say?" The foursome repeated in unison. More than one took a step back as if to distance themselves from the words, and therefore their possibility of it being true.
Aoko left it to him to explain. She knew that they would accept Kogoro's words more easily than her own or Hattori's. Despite his incompetency, he was the sole adult of their group and a famous detective. There would be few better than such a man in this kind of situation.
"Ran, call the police." She said instead. Given how often she ended up in crime scenes, Ran would be able to provide the pertinent information more easily than the shell-shocked family members.
Her own attention remained on the little boy everyone had else forgotten. 'Is it too much to ask that a single excursion with you doesn't end in a police report?'
Conan, however, was far too busy with his own observations to notice his cousin's exasperation. 'The body's still warm. And the lips are starting to turn purple.'
Another detail suddenly came to his attention, and therefore scrutiny, 'Hm? A red dot at the base of his hairline. M-maybe…' Unwilling to continue his train of thought and jump to possibilities without proof, he began to search the area around him.
Glancing around, he came upon a tiny pick, and understanding lit his eyes. 'Th-this is-'
Only for him to bump head first into the only other person both intelligent and interested enough to search for the possible murder weapon.
"Ow," both rubbed their heads as they sat back.
Hattori scowled at Conan, "Move it kid. This is no place for you anyway." His words were interrupted by a sudden arm grabbing Conan by the collar and forcing him up, and spinning him around.
"Is your head fine?" Aoko asked. Conan nodded, face still caught in a wince. She pressed several fingers to it and he immediately jerked. She frowned, but seeing how it looked little more than red she let him go.
"He's fine." She said. It was only after a moment that Hattori realized the words were directed to him.
"Eh?"
"He's already used to it. It won't bother him." Hattori blinked, then his face twisted into a dry smile. 'Did that really make it better though?'
Regardless, the brat wasn't his concern and he wasn't willing to test the girl's patience, especially since he had a feeling she'd been completely serious about her earlier threat.
"Just don't let him get in the way," he muttered before going back to searching for clues. The case was far more interesting than Kudo's odd relatives anyway.
Eventually the police arrived, and police cars surrounded the mansion, red lights whirling. Megure led them. Clad in his signature khaki suit and hat, he marched through the room.
"The victim is Tsujimura Isao, age 54, diplomat." He glanced down at the corpse. It had been left uncovered so the forensics team could capture their photos. "His wife, Kimie-san, found the body." He turned to the woman in question.
"You said that when you unlocked the door and entered the room, he was already dead in his chair?"
"Yes," she said, her voice quiet, subdued.
He turned, face blank as he spoke further. "And the detective who was hired by her, and just happened to be here when he was found was…"
"Me, Megure-keibu." Mouri pointed at himself happily.
"And? Is it murder again today, Meitantei-san?" There were few people who were as well versed as the Inspector when it came to sarcasm and he definitely made use of it.
"Well, there aren't any obvious wounds so maybe it was natural." Kogoro's earlier happy tone had shifted to become more sheepish.
"No, Ojii-san," Conan's sudden voice interrupted her thoughts. He tugged on the back of Kogoro's slacks. "Look, it's probably-"
"He was poisoned."
"Yeah, he was-" Blinking, Conan turned to the person who had beat him to the punch. Hattori was unphased by the sudden attention he received from the police.
"The old man was probably poisoned. You hafta look really carefully, but there's a little red dot at the base of his hairline, an' there's a needle on the ground next to him." Hattori shifted to looked over the body. "It could be suicide but he was leanin' on his elbow when we found 'im. An' that's a weird way to prick yourself."
He turned back to look at the officers as he gave his conclusion. "It's probably safer to assume that somebody propped 'im up like that after prickin' him with a poisoned needle."
"B-but that doesn't mean it was poison." Kogoro stuttered, taken aback by the sudden deduction.
"You didn't notice? Take a look." He nodded down. "His lips and the tips of his fingers are turning purple. And he's he's getting blood spots on his eyes. That proves he suffocated."
Aoko tuned out the rest of his words, her eyes returning to Shinichi again. She was still tempted to just turn around and bring him home, kicking and screaming if she had to, even if Hattori was a possibly spy. More importantly, she was wondering whether it would be risky to take him to the hospital. The only reason she hesitated was because Edogawa Conan's identity was flimsier than Mouri Kogoro's fame and she didn't want to cause any ripples. Especially if those ripples alerted any predators.
"But he wasn't strangled or drowned, an' he didn't struggle… meaning the poison must've paralyzed his nerves and caused him to suffocate." He finished with a single sentence. "A poison that could kill in one shot.
"And since his body was still warm, and he hasn't started stiffening yet, it means he was found within half an hour of death." His words were met with blank stares. "Which means he was killed in the thirty minutes before we got here. So it was somebody close to this house."
Megure immediately looked to the officers examining the body, "Is he right?"
"Y-Yes. Like he said, there's a red dot and a needle." In other words, all they would have to do was test the needle for poison and they would have good evidence Tsujimura Isao had indeed been murdered.
"Who is this anyway?" Megure muttered. First it was Mouri Kogoro, then some kid with a Kansai accent. And it seemed it was his team that always had to deal with them. He missed having Kudo-kun around.
"Just some kid named Hattori Heiji," Mouri waved off.
"Hattori." Megure mused before his eyes widened. "H-Hattori?" He stumbled over the name. " You're the Osaka's Police Chief, Hattori Heizou's, son." That earned more than a few wide eyes around the room as officers gave the impertinent teenager a second glance… and perhaps another one or two.
Kogoro stumbled, "Osaka's Ch-Chief of Police."
Hattori ignored their antics, "Who cares about Dad? This guy could have been killed by someone from outside. Doesn't look like anyone came from outside, but shouldn't you check anyway?"
His words seemed to spur them on, and Megure suddenly became far more accommodating of his presence. Aoko's head swivelled when she heard a sneeze. Conan toddled back a step, mucous dripping from his nose.
She sighed. "Is your cold getting worse?" She should have expected it after the imbecile had gone and drunk alcohol while ill. And stuck in a seven year old's body.
Digging through her bag, she pulled out a handkerchief, which Conan immediately accepted to blow his nose.
"Yeah, it looks like I'll have to go to Agasa's after all," with the way it seemed to be getting worse, there seemed to be little other choice. At least Agasa could see if there was anything especially concerning.
"I would give you medicine, but I don't know how it would interact with everything else. It might just make it worse," Aoko frowned. With his symptoms coming back, she was worried it would become worse.
Shinichi waved her off, "Hold on to it. It's mostly just annoying right now, anyway." He was about to leave but suddenly thinking of something, turned back to her with a raised eyebrow, "Hold on, you're just going to let me stay and finish the case?"
She shrugged, "I suppose I could forcefully take you out," he scowled at her. "But you'd also fight later so consider it being pragmatic." She narrowed her eyes. "Though be prepared for a thorough examination after your little stunt." He gave her a sheepish smile, and deciding it was the best he was going to get, hurried off.
He rejoined them just as Megure was inspecting the doors. "Hmm, they're all locked from the inside. Nobody could get in from outside… which means that one of you came in through that door!"
The portly officer turned to the lady of the house, "Madam, how many keys are there to this room?"
"Only two," she opened her purse and held one up. "This one is mine and my husband has the other."
"H-He does?"
"Yes, he always kept it in his pants pocket."Immediately after she'd said those words, Megure crossed the room searched the victim's pockets. As he did so, a keychain fell out, an identical key the only thing in it.
Hattori and Conan's expression's immediately turned stunned. Megure's words said it all, "H-How?"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Kogoro, ever clueless, asked.
"You don't get it? When we came in the door was locked. Which means the criminal locked the door locked the door on the way out. And since that lady has one of the keys, and the other was in the inner pocket of that guy's pants, this is an impossible murder, a 'Locked Room Murder'."
"Locked Room Murder?" His words were echoed by the family, in shock and disbelief.
"N-No way," Kogoro said. He was left completely astonished by the development.
Hattori didn't miss it. 'There's no way this guy solves the crimes he's put in the headlines for. It's gotta be Kudo. He's secretly calling him and asking for advice.'
There was no way he'd managed to come by his reputation through his own abilities. Kudo's girlfriend probably wasn't helping him either. And Kudo's cousin had barely deigned to give her surroundings more than a passing glance. Her attention was completely on the brat. She'd barely taken her eyes off him for more than a few minutes in the entire time they'd been here. It was starting to become kinda creepy. And kinda strange considering she hadn't cared about letting him go around exploring a murder or getting into a corpse's face so he wondered why she was keeping such a close eye on him.
He didn't miss the glances the others gave her either. Even though she'd been doing nothing more than leaning against the wall with crossed arms and keeping her eyes on the kid with pinpoint accuracy, he'd seen them glance at her.
Whenever they opened their mouth or threw out an idea, before they did a procedure, they'd glance at her. He'd seen Megure try to catch her eyes, and apparently failing, sigh slightly and turn back to Mouri.
It made him suspicious. She had to be the one telling Kudo. But she didn't seem to care about anything but the kid. Even when the guy had been declared dead, even when they'd declared it a murder, she hadn't bothered to give them any more than a passing glance. He doubted she even knew how he died.
He'd seen a lot over the years. But seeing someone so unaffected by a murder, not even a change of expression, was a new level of disconcerting.
But Kudo's creepy cousin aside, he had his priorities. Kudo was going down.
Completely fired up, Hattori's confident smirk and competitive spirit were a stark contrast to Kudo Shinichi, with his faintly dazed expression and the mucus dripping from his nose . He looked only an instant from dozing off. Or falling over.
As Conan mulled over the possibilities, Hattori began directing the police. Considering how they had been standing around like cows in a pasture, Aoko couldn't blame him.
"What are you doing?" He sounded annoyed. "We got here around 4 pm, which means he was killed sometime between 3:30 and 4 o'clock. Why aren't you asking the suspects for their alibis?"
"R-Right," Megure agreed. He then turned to Kogoro and whispered in his ear, "Don't let him beat you!"
"Huh?"
"Don't let some outsider show you up. I'm counting on you!" He patted his old colleague on the shoulders and beamed.
"Oh," was all the confused man said. Megure then left to follow the teenage detective's advice.
It took time, but they eventually managed to get everyone's alibis, with Megure leading the questioning.
"Hmm, I see. So you, Koike-san, were speaking to a neighbor near the entrance between 3-4pm?"
The butler nodded. "Yes, you can ask him if you'd like."
"Is it true that Takayoshi-san and Yukiko-san came here right before the wife came home?"
"Yes, we stopped talking when they came. Then I heard the Madam's car so…" he let his words trail off.
"And while Koike-san was greeting the Madam, where were you two?" He directed the question
"H-Here in the study, but the door was locked and he didn't answer us so we came right down." Takayoshi said.
"Then we met Mother at the entrance." Yukiko finished.
"And Toshimitsu-san came after 2:00?"
"Yes, I came all the way here but Isao was in the study and Kimie-san was out." The grandfather answered. "There was nothing to do so I was watching TV in the living room next to the study."
Megure finally turned to the wife. "And when did you leave?"
"Before 1 o'clock."
Hattori, who was standing close by, immediately began drawing conclusions, 'So excluding Koike-san and the wife, there were three people near the victim at the time of the crime.'
Megure suddenly noticed the large bookshelf collection. The sheer magnitude would stun anyone. When questioned, Koike explained that his employer enjoyed classical music.
'Classical?' Conan fought back a sneeze. 'Then why was opera music playing when we found him?'
"Oh?" Something caught Megure's attention. "What's this photo?"
"It's a picture of us when we were young," Kimie explained. "But so what? This photo is nearly twenty years old."
Conan's attention, however, was focused on something vastly different. After managing to get a glimpse at the photo, he blinked as it started swimming. 'Shit, my vision's getting blurry.' Luckily, it cleared up before Aoko could notice.
"Inspector," the voice only increased his headache. "What should we do with these books?"
"Leave them," Megure said. One of the basic tenants of crime investigation was leaving the crime scene undisturbed.
'Books? Oh yeah, there were books stacked in front of him.' Looking up he noted that there was indeed a barren shelf. How odd that he'd taken an entire shelf out rather than a selection of interest.
"Inspector, there's something strange about the key the victim had." An officer called. It immediately drew both Megure and the two young detectives' attentions.
"What!"
"Look, this keychain is in two halves and inside…"
"S-Scotch tape!" Hattori took it from the officer, noting the odd gap in the tape. Megure let him have it, though not without a puzzled look as the detective turned it over in his hands.
"Lemme see too!" Conan whined, the only one left from seeing the sudden clue.
"No! Don't get in Hattori-kun's way," Ran held him back. He turned to frown at her only to see the soft look she was giving Hattori. He glanced between them a few times, worried Ran had started developing feelings for the other boy.
Aoko brought him back from his thoughts, "It's alright, Ran. He's smart. You've seen how he always manages to help with your dad's cases."
Ran gave Conan a look, brows furrowing before hesitantly releasing him. She knew Aoko wouldn't allow him to mess up the case, but it was also… "I just don't think crime scenes are a good place for children."
"You're right," Aoko's sudden agreement surprised her, and she blinked before giving her friend a confused look. "Crime scenes aren't good places for children, but he's not a normal child. He's completely unaffected by them and even points out helpful information. He's more mature than children his age-"
"That's still not a reason for him to see this kind of thing," Ran protested.
Aoko shrugged, "No, but with the way your dad's going he'll be introduced to the details of it earlier than most people, and far more frequently. It's better than we teach him how to deal with it now than hide him away and hope he doesn't get into trouble on his own trying to solve a case."
Ran frowned but didn't argue with her logic, especially when it came to this particular little boy. Excluding Shinichi, she doubted she'd ever seen a child so interested in a crime scene. Or so likely to run into one.
"Instead, we should focus our attention on making sure the chibi detective doesn't overwork himself while he's sick," Aoko said. Her eyes were on Conan, who turned his head in a fit of pique at her address.
Only to grab at his chest as he suddenly felt deep pangs. They continued, almost following a regular rhythm and the pain began to increase. His vision began to swim.
Aoko suddenly moved, catching him just before he hit the floor.
She had one arm under his shoulders and used it to move him into her lap, feeling his forehead and cursing at the increased heat. She stood up, laying his head on her shoulder as she addressed the others in the room.
"Megure-keibu, get a doctor immediately." She instructed him. Megure startled at her sudden address, but quickly regained his composure.
"Hurry and go call one," Megure ordered his subordinate. He'd seen the boy fall, and even if he hadn't, he knew by Aoko's reaction alone that it was a grave matter.
"Y-yes sir!" The officer immediately ran off.
"Huh? Where's Hattori-kun? He's not here?" Megure looked around.
"He asked where the Japanese room was and went off," another officer answered.
"Is there a place where he can lay down?" She asked the occupants of the house.
"There's a bed in my room. It's at the end of the hallway." Takayoshi answered.
"Thank you," She nodded and immediately started for the door. Halfway there she turned her head to Ran, who was but steps behind her. "Ran, I need you to find some towels and get some cold water as well."
"R-Right." Ran nodded and immediately rushed off.
Aoko's own exit was blocked by Hattori's sudden entrance. His smug smirk showed exactly how pleased he was with himself, "I've got it. The trick used… and the criminal."
It grew wider at the stunned exclamations from everyone in the room, and he eagerly opened his mouth, only to fall silent when Aoko breezed past him. He blinked, but moved on, eager to show his deduction.
"I'll show you the proof right now," he said, the edges of coils of string hanging from his pocket. But there was only one person who caught that as everyone else was too caught up in his words to notice.
But Conan, already faint from illness and being carried away, had no chance to say anything before he disappeared down the hall with his worried cousin.
Placing him down on the bed, she immediately tucked him under the sheets, and once more checking his temperature.
"The doctor will be here soon, Shinichi" she said. "I know it's not the best circumstances but there isn't much choice. Try to hang on until they get here."
Shinichi's thoughts, however, were far different than Aoko's. 'This sucks, being held down by a cold at a time like this.'
It was annoying being stuck here in a room while Hattori was surrounded by the officers and, if the string had been any indication, giving them the wrong deduction. And since he'd held the string so strongly, he could guess who the other had pinned as his culprit. And that meant the actual culprit would be getting away.
He felt the sudden pounding again. It was powerful, almost like it was reverberating throughout his entire body. He wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like. But the thoughts melted when the next wave of pain came in and he lay trembling, fingers tightly gripping Aoko's own in a vain attempt to mitigate some of the pain. Her own were clenching his so hard that they had long turned white.
He forced himself up, shocking Aoko, who immediately tried to get him to lay back down. He struggled to stay up, and began coughing.
"Shinichi!" Her grip loosened immediately, only for her arms to hang in the air in helplessness as he continued hacking out his lungs. He could feel her worried gaze on him. She kept looking him over, as if searching for any wounds and distressed she could find no reason for his rapid descent.
'H-Hot. My heart feels like it's coming out.' Seeing his dazed expression, Aoko grabbed his shoulders, only barely managing to restrain herself from shaking him. She knew it wouldn't do any good but being left completely powerless clawed at her restraint.
It was at that moment that Ran burst in.
"Conan-kun!" She exclaimed as she came in. She carried the water in one hand and the towel in another. "Aoko, I brought it for you."
"Good," Aoko sighed in relief. Ran tossed a worried glance at Conan, who seemed to only have worsened in the minutes she'd been gone.
Aoko took the towels from her and placed the water container in her seat, dipping it in water and wringing it before placing it on his head.
"Ran, see if you can find some blankets as well."
"Blankets?"
Aoko moved the comforter around Conan's small shoulders, hands trembling seeing how he was shivering. Even then, he clenched his chest, face caught in a pain filled grimace. She knew he was trying desperately to stop any sound from escaping and worrying them more.
"He's shivering. I don't know if he's cold or not, but the comforter's too big and stiff. See if you can find something to wrap around him better. Get Hattori's sweater or one of the blazers if you can't find anything else." Ran nodded, and ran out.
Aoko pursued her lips, her eyes still on Shinichi. He was gasping for breath, hands still on his heart. His eyes were clenched tightly and his features twisted into a harsh grimace.
The real reason she'd sent Ran out hadn't been because Shinichi was cold. It had been the best excuse she could find to get Ran out for even a little while. With the toxins in his bloodstream, the alcohol, and his already compromised immune system there was no telling how bad this episode would be. She had no idea if this was a precursor for his condition worsening or if it was already past a threshold.
Ill children masked symptoms before suddenly crashing and it certainly matched Shinichi's own behavior up to that point. He could very well have been feeling only slightly worse than usual before the sudden drop. But when children dropped, they dropped faster than a stone.
And there was no telling if that would only stabilize once Shinichi himself was stable, stably dead.
He was still shivering, but instead of clutching at his chest, there were indents in the comforter where small hands had clenched them tightly.
He began shivering again, sweating immensely, and she worried over whether to have him lay down when he had been fighting for breath merely moments ago. Finally, she merely drew him into her arms, hoping her body heat would lessen his shivers. She kept one hand on the towel over his forehead. Even though the rest of him was ice cold, his forehead was burning.
She knew it was near useless, but she wanted to do everything she could. She was desperate enough even to try medication despite not knowing how it would react with his already upended body system, and a doctor despite the clear danger of his secret coming out, or the toxin in his body being discovered. There would be nothing she could do if he became a target again.
But if she didn't he might die.
Hearing the sound of a siren made her catch her breath. She stiffened, though stopped partway through so as not to jostle him. "Shinichi, it's the doctor. He's here. Just hold on."
Her words had no effect on her cousin, and a piece of her wondered if he could even hear her.
Shinichi clenched his teeth, fighting not to scream. His vision began to blur as the pounding began to increase. 'Am I going to die? Am I really going to die like this?'
Aoko drew in a shuttering breath, "Shinichi, just hold on. The doctor's going to be-"
Her words cut off as his body began smoking.
"Sh-Shinichi?" Her voice broke.
She held him back, trying to figure out what was going on to make a human body a furnace. His skin was hot in some places and cold and clammy in others. But despite that his body was smoking.
His eyes suddenly burst open as he gasped, curling forward and clutching his head as though he had a throbbing headache.
"Shinichi!"
She moved him to the bed as he began twisting in pain. He clutched at the comforter so she wrapped it around him. He kept writhing and so it kept falling around his waist.
"Shinichi… Shinichi!"
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at her, though with his unfocused gaze, she wasn't sure whether he was looking at her or a double only he could see. He was still panting, but his shivers had stopped. His hand went for his heart and Aoko immediately moved over him, though stopping as she realized, again, that there was nothing for her to do.
"Shin-" her words stopped in sheer disbelief. Her eyes widened as she witnessed the impossible.
Right before her, Conan aged ten years. His face lengthed and the baby fat faded. His hair lengthened and the dent in the mattress grew bigger. Short limbs grew and she hastily moved out of the way.
Her mouth opened and closed before opening again. And closing again, rendered speechless.
Finally, it seemed Shinichi, and it was Kudou Shinichi before her, was able to speak and he turned to her with a smirk. It was tired and not nearly as smug as she was used to, but she appreciated the familiarity.
"Did I render the ever articulate Nakamori Aoko speechless?" The teasing was a much appreciated anchor, even if it was to this strange hallucination.
"You just grew ten years in ten seconds," her voice sounded faint even to her own ears.
"Yeah," he grimaced, swinging his arms and testing his body out. "It's probably the same process they did to me, just reversed."
"How are you feeling?" She asked, worried that the transformation would only worsen his overall condition. What if there was some unknown variable? Or if the leftover poison would turn lethal? His situation was so surreal she'd already tossed out any traditional poisons knowledge she knew and kept a firm lid on possibilities to stop from guessing at limitations when it had already proved able to break the laws of biology.
"Terrible," he said. "Exhausted, mostly. I can still feel the phantom pains of the transformation."
"You don't look good," she noted worriedly. "Should I have the doctor examine you?"
He shook his head, "No, better not to risk it. I can't have them taking me to the hospital." Seeing her look he added hurriedly, "But I will definitely have Hakase look at me, and if there's so much as a tissue out of place I'll immediately go to the hospital."
She bit her lip, frowning at him before finally conceding, "Fine. I know I wouldn't be able to change your mind anyway." Short of using violence there was no other way she could think of to make him concede and she was wary of trying anything when he looked like a slight wind would shatter him. "But one thing, anything, and I will carry you to the hospital if I have to."
He huffed but nodded. "And we'd better get a change of clothes for me, too, seeing how Conan's are all torn."
He nodded down at the remnants of it. Like he'd said, in the process of his sudden growth, they'd become all but torn shreds. Bit and pieces clung to him but hardly anything for modesty, let alone walking out the door and joining the others.
She moved his arms to examine him, "It looks like you're fine despite the sudden transformation. No scars, no discoloration, no lacerations. If it hadn't been for the cold, you would look perfectly healthy."
He grinned at her, worn and tired, but definitely her cousin. She took his hand, "I'm glad you're okay."
His eyes softened slightly. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing the hands around his own. "I'm okay, Aoko. Really."
She closed her eyes for a moment, exhaled slowly, and then opened them. When she did, her face was as impenetrable as usual, or would be if not for the intensity with which they latched onto his every movement. Her jaw set and he knew she was figuring how to mitigate the situation. Unbidden, it drew a smile to his lips/the familiarity made him smile.
"Okay," she said. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out. "Okay. You need clothes. Your build is about the same as Tsujimura Takayoshi's. It might be a bit loose, but you should be able to wear it. I'll head out and distract the doctors while you find something to wear."
"Alright," he nodded in agreement. "But how are we supposed to explain me being in this room and Conan not?"
She frowned at him for a moment and then turned and went to the closet and drew it back. His wardrobe hung open and Aoko took a dark blue blazer, slacks, and a white shirt.
"New plan," she said. "Go to the bathroom. You might find some extra towels as well so wipe off the sweat. If anyone finds you just say you were looking for clues or whatever. I'll say I say I went in search of blankets and come in after they arrive. "
She handed them to him and turned to the door, "I'll see if the coast is clear and distract them if need be. He should have some sweatshirts or something you can use if you need it. If anyone asks, Conan got up by himself while I was looking for Ran or to find a blanket myself since he were so cold. "
"Okay." He nodded.
She stopped by the door and stuck her head out to see if there was anyone there. "There's no one, hurry up. The bathroom is to your right, the opposite direction of the study."
Shinichi put on the shirt and slacks and scuttled out the door, with Aoko keeping watch for him, and prepared to draw attention away. He hurried to the bathroom and shut himself in.
Aoko then crossed the hall and rushed down the stairs to the first floor. She made her way around. She doubted there was any other hired help since they would have been in the study as a suspect as well, so she was left to fend for herself.
She went to the closets first, opening several and finding nothing, and pondering whether she was desperate enough to make do with a dishrag when she finally came upon a closet with soap, towels, and other bathing items.
It was just in time, as she heard Ran speaking with whom she assumed to be the doctor. The thudding of the stairs gave way to flooring and she also made her way up the stairs, though taking care to go slow.
As she did so, she paused halfway as a thought entered her brain and she took out her phone. Opening it, she called Agasa.
He picked up quickly, which meant that whatever he was working on hadn't taken his complete focus. It seemed her luck was turning as the day went on.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Hakase," she greeted.
"Ah, Aoko-kun, how are you? You don't usually call. Is everything alright?" His voice quickly grew from friendly to worried.
"I'm alright, Hakase. But I need you to go to Shinichi's house and pick up a change of clothes. I'll text you the address."
"Eh?" There was a few moments pause as he took in what he'd heard. "But-"
"I'll fill you in later, but I need you to come with a pair of Conan's clothes. Preferably one similar to his usual clothes."
He was silent for a moment, but then he spoke. "I understand. It must be serious if you're asking so suddenly, Aoko-kun."
"Good. And I'm counting on you to have the tests as well, no, I'm increasing the number of tests."
"Eh? But that's not- I don't have-" His voice cut off as she ended the call. She ascended the stairs as she typed their current address. Finishing, she switched it off and slipped it back in her pocket.
When she finally entered Conan's room, it was to find Ran and the doctor, though mostly Ran, frantically searching.
"What's going on?" She asked, glancing between them.
Ran answered first, though not pausing in her searching, "Conan-kun's missing. I brought the doctor but the room was empty."
Aoko moved to the bed and placed a hand on it, it was still hot. "He was here until just recently. The bed is still warm. Conan's already sick, he might be hallucinating or not have wanted to be alone." She frowned to herself, "I only just left the room to get a blanket, he can't be far away."
She carried the blanket with her as she turned back to the door, "Search the surrounding rooms. He might have gone in there. He's a sick child alone by himself."
"In that case, he might have wanted to be in a room with people," Ran said.
"It's possible," the doctor agreed. "He wouldn't like having the buzzing if he's sick, but if he's all alone in a new house he might have gone to find someone familiar."
"Let's split up and look." Aoko finalized. They moved to the door and in different directions. She immediately went towards the bathroom, so the others would look elsewhere, and to help Shinichi move around more easily.
The other two both headed into different rooms, with Ran going into the study and the doctor heading down the stairs.
"It's safe now, Shinichi," she whispered.
After a moment the door unlocked and he stepped out. Despite how short it was compared to the years he'd been taller than her, she'd become used to towering over him and found it slightly jarring to no longer be able to see the top of his head.
"I'm guessing you want to solve the case," she crossed her arms.
He nodded, "Hattori probably has the wrong idea, and if I don't an innocent person will go to jail."
"Are you sure? We have no idea how long this transformation will last or what condition you'll be in afterwards."
His face set, "I know. But I'm also a detective, Aoko. And detectives solve cases."
She sighed, "Fine, but if you feel even the slightest bit worse, or anything odd, I want you to immediately stop and go to the doctor."
He grinned, "I'll just have to solve it before then."
"Just get going, idiot." Outstretching a hand, she pushed him forward. He stumbled for a moment and shot her a look over his shoulder. She ignored it and moved past him. The edges of the blanket in one hand brushed against his blazer as she did so.
But she stopped at the doorway, leaning against it and gestured for him to make his grand entrance. And he did. He could clearly hear Hattori's deduction through the walls, and knew exactly what the other detective was saying.
"No," he said, leaning against the doorframe, interrupting Hattori's triumphant words. "You're wrong."
His sudden words drew the eyes of everyone in the room. Some looked over because of his words, others in recognition of who said them. They found a highschooler standing in the doorway, and a more familiar face leaning against the doorframe.
"K-Kudo?" The words were said in chorus, from both police and other parties. But there was one person who called him by name.
'Sh-Shinichi!' Ran froze. Her eyes remained on the boy at the door as though it had been decades instead of weeks.
"Where were you? Coming back all of a sudden when I thought you were gone. I-I was worried."
"Stupid, don't cry." He teased.
"W-Why not?" Ran sniffled, irritated by his abrupt entrance and even more abrupt manner. Considering she'd been wondering if he'd been injured just a few days ago, she felt every bit excused to feel incensed.
Hattori joined them. With him by their side it was no longer a personal matter but a criminal case. And a clash of egos. "She's right, dropping by at the end and saying 'You're Wrong. You gotta do better than that ta one up me, Kudo."
Shinichi ignored him and kept his eyes on Ran, "Just wait a bit, Ran. I'll be done soon." He moved away from the doorframe and stepped into the room, Aoko following close behind. Ran, however, wasn't focused on his confidence but on something else.
'Sweat?' Just like Conan, Shinichi's cold appeared to have gotten worse.
"Hey, answer already, Kudo!"
He did. "That's right, I'm saying that ridiculous theory of yours is 100% impossible."
"What was that?" Hattori reared back, stunned.
If it hadn't been for Shinichi's own condition, Aoko would have marveled that Shinichi had finally met someone with arrogance equal to his own. As it was, her attention was mostly focused on his physical state, especially considering he looked like he might fall over any second. She stood beside him, still leaning against the doorway, but close enough to catch him in case he fainted again.
"Kudo-kun, it looks like you think he's wrong but his reasoning and trick is perfect. We even tried it with my own pants." Megure said. "First, you tape down the end of the catgut without the needle attached to the keychain, and then thread the needle through the inside of the pants' pocket. Then, holding both ends, you go out and lock the door, and while pulling the end of the needle, the keychain will pull itself into the pocket.
"And then if you gave the catgut a tug, it would come free from the tape. If you coiled it up, the evidence would be gone and the trick would be complete." Megure reasoned. It sounded plausible, and even the officers around him nodded along.
And yet, he wasn't deterred, "Did the key really go in?"
"Yes," The Inspector nodded, a bit hesitant and bewildered by the young detective's insistence.
"I heard that the key was in the victim's inner pocket…" Kudo began, only to be cut off by Hattori's interjection. It seemed he had had enough of quietly watching the debate.
"Of course!" Hattori moved up to the portly inspector, digging a hand into his pocket and rummaging for the key. "Because I threaded the catgut through the inner pocket. If you think I'm lying take a look."
He pulled out the man's pocket triumphantly, only to stare at his hands in incomprehension.
"What!" For when he drew out the pocket, the keys did indeed spring out, but not from the inner pocket. "No way!"
He picked it up from the floor, eyeing it in both frustration and bewilderment. "But I know I passed the catgut through the inner pocket. So why wasn't the key in there?"
It was Shinichi who answered, "Because the Inspector was sitting at the time."
"W-What?"
"Because he was sitting, the pocket was folded and left less space for the key, so the catgut separated from the tape before the key reached the inner pocket. Even more so when the victim was overweight like the Inspector."
"Now that you mention it," Megure mused, thinking back on how hard it had been to withdraw the keychain from the victim's pockets.
Hattori, however, was focused on other things, namely desperation for his theory to work, "B-but once in a thousand, no, in ten, at least once…"
Shinichi, however, seemed intent on destroying his hopes before they could even be fully articulated. "It'll always be the same."
He faced Hattori directly, "Remember the direction of of the keys inside the inner pocket."
"Direction of the keys?" Hattori repeated before he understood.
"That's right. Even if it did, by some chance, go into the inner pocket, only the keychain would have. There's no way the key could bend in the shape of a V in such a narrow space. And since it was put in like that, it can only mean the criminal put the key in the victim's inner pants pocket beforehand."
Shinichi continued before the others had a chance to collect themselves from the sudden bombshell. "They put the tape on the keychain and created a space to make it look like they used a trick tog et it in there."
"Oh yeah? Then what's this?" Hattori presented the catgut he'd found.
"Another trap set by the criminal," he explained. "To make it look like that old man did it."
"Don't be ridiculous," Hattori refuted. "He was told to wait in the Japanese room by chance. There was no way for the criminal to have set that up." He added on, "And how was the catgut supposed to have been prepared beforehand?"
"The proof is the six or so catguts found in rooms around the house." Shinichi said, holding up several loops of cords. "The criminal set up traps in rooms besides just the Japanese room, meaning it wouldn't matter which room the old man was in at the time of the crime."
"But the old man confessed of his own free will!"
"He got caught in that trap on purpose," Shinichi glanced back, "I don't know why though."
"Okay, say that's the case," Hattori acceeded. "Then how did the criminal get out of the study? It was locked until we came in. You're not gonna say it was suicide, are you?" By his glare, it was obvious Hattori wouldn't accept that answer.
"No, definitely not suicide." Shinichi agreed. "And the real trick the criminal used is still remaining."
"Whaddya mean/ What real trick?"
"Did you already forget about the scene we walked into? Opera playing when the body was discovered and the stack of books in front of him- the opera was playing to cover up any noise the victim made when he was pricked with the needle. And the books were to hide his face in case he showed any pain."
"That's ridiculous. What's the point of placing books in front of a dead body for us to find? And the family only arrived nearly half an hour after he died? Who was it supposed to fool?"
"You."
The new voice drew everyone's attention from the back and forth between Kudo and Hattori to the only person who hadn't engaged with the scene, and had instead until that moment stood on the sidelines.
Aoko explained, "Not merely Hattori, but anyone who entered this room- the police, family, and us as well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hattori asked.
It was Shinichi who answered him. "This crime happened before our very eyes."
His words shocked more than a few people, more than one repeating his words in shock. Megure asked for confirmation, an unspoken prod to elaborate.
"Wait a sec, that means-" Hattori began, the first to put the pieces together.
"Right," Shinichi nodded, already guessing where his thoughts were headed. "The criminal had to have been with our group, no, the first on the scene. They were the first to get close to the victim when they entered the study…"
Shinichi turned, as did everyone else, because there was only one person who matched that criteria. And that meant they were the criminal. "The wife."
Aoko tuned out the rest of the deduction. She was well acquainted with the pattern. Shinichi deduced the murderer. They protested. He prooved their guilt. And that was exactly what happened. As animated as the wife was though, she kept one eye on her to make sure she didn't try and attack him for outing her.
"O-Oi!" Hattori called out, noticing Shinichi's sudden coughing fit. On his other side stood Aoko, who placed an arm around him to support him. He stood leaning on her, even as he was doubled over. Ran was immediately in front, worriedly asking about his condition.
"Just a cold," he denied. It would have been far more convincing if he wasn't leaning so heavily on Aoko.
Hattori, however, was interested in something far different. "How'd ya know so much about the case though? Were you actually watching-"
"Of course not, idiot. I have Aoko."
He coughed again, ruining the moment, though Ran's eyes immediately drew tighter in concern. "Wait a second, Shinichi. I'll go fetch a doctor."
"Jeez, looks like my reasoning was wrong from the start." Hattori said, drawing their eyes on him. "This time was my loss. Good job, Kudo, your reasoning was better than mine." He took the defeat graciously.
"Stupid. There's no win or lose, higher or lower in this." He looked the other detective in the eye and smirked. "There is always only one truth."
Hattori grinned back. "You're right. I got so caught up in the challenge I wasn't thinking straight."
And they shared a bonding moment. Aoko thought it would have been far more emotional if she hadn't been practically the only thing holding the other idiot up.
The moment was therefore ruined.
It was ruined again when Shinichi suddenly wheezed, hunching even further forward. His weight slammed into her and she stumbled for a moment at the sudden shift in gravity as she was the only thing keeping two people from falling.
Then, Shinichi dropped his arm from her shoulders and stumbled away, ignoring Hattori's call. Aoko moved and saddled herself beside him, once more placing his arm over her shoulders in a odd, slightly twisted version of the three-legged game. Except she was the only thing keeping him from falling over and most of the driving force in them reaching the door.
His hand dug deep into her arm, trying to manage his pain. With her help, he managed to get to the bathroom and shut the door by the time Ran had brought the doctor up the stairs.
His own clothes had torn so he'd been forced to continue wearing the overly large shirt Aoko had raided. And it was in that condition that Ran found him as he opened the door. Aoko stood right behind her with a blanket, which she promptly swaddled him in.
The heft and warmth of the blanket began to calm his shivering. It ran the length of his entire body, trembling and shaking from cold despite it being no colder than a summer day.
Aoko immediately drew him into her arms and Shinichi didn't bother trying to resist. After the two physics defying transformations, which had completely changed his understanding of pain tolerance, he hardly had the energy to speak, let alone resist. Even if he had, her warmth was comforting.
He laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of her breathing and the drum of her voice. He could hear the faint thrum of other people's voices in the background. Kogoro's boisterous tones were far enough that, annoying though they were, were too distant to be more than a distant buzzing.
He could hear the faint hum of Aoko's own voice, and Ran's, as they spoke about something. He wasn't sure what, his mind too fuzzy to understand properly and too tired to put the effort in when he knew Aoko would relate it to him later. A bit later, he heard the gruffer thrum of the Inspector's voice, and Hattori's own, though they seemed muted.
Instead, he focused on the hum of Aoko's now that Ran's was fainter. Where Ran's was softer, Aoko's was deeper, the echoes of which he could feel when she opened her mouth. He felt the rhythm of her breathing and it's repetitive mantra lulled him into blissful unconsciousness.
Hi, long time no see. Would you believe me if I said editing this took the most time?
AN: Aoko's snarkiness is one of my favorite parts of writing her POV; it just fits so well with her character, especially since she grew up with Shinichi, and their back and forth banter is so fun to write
AN 2: I had a comment stating that this was a lot of authority for a high schooler; I am definitely playing on fictional disbelief here, since Kaito and Shinichi do some pretty crazy things and it's kinda handwaved- and canonically, Shinichi is a highschool detective that commands a lot of respect from the police- to the extent they will listen to his words even when he's not physically present; so, her also being respected isn't that much of a stretch- but she definitely doesn't hold any direct power, as she technically isn't in any governmental position; rather, it's more like how they respect Shinichi and listen to him because they understand he's competent and they trust his abilities; Aoko was right there with him the entire time so it makes sense for the police to not just dismiss her words- and notice how she words everything- that she can convince them- she's not directly making those decisions, she's just confident she can convince the people actually making them to do things her way, which is still impressive, but not as crazy as a highschooler secretly running the government
Also, Delon himself doesn't believe Aoko is doing this independently and thinks there's someone behind her who's instructing her- or that she has some kind of powerful backer and that's why she can get away with all this nonsense