Mission 5: Masquerade
Ran, Sonoko, and Sera arrived back at the Mouri Detective Agency after school. Sonoko excitedly waved around fancy-looking cards.
"Hm? What's this..." Kogoro said as he took one of the cards. "Masquerade?" He scoffed. "As if I'd be interested in some stupid dress up party."
"I didn't come here to invite YOU." Sonoko hissed. "Where's that hot apprentice guy?" She looked around excitedly.
"Oh, Amuro-kun? I don't know, he said he was busy today."
She clicked her tongue. "Tch. Well, can you give that to him when you see him?" She said, pointing at the card.
"Yeah, yeah." He waved off, flipping through channels on the TV.
Sonoko handed two invitations to Sera and Ran.
"You should bring Conan-kun and that brown-haired girl... Haibara-chan, right?" Sera said.
"Sure, but we'll need a ride and chaperone for them. I'd ask Agasa-hakase, but he's supposed to be going to a convention..." Ran said. Everyone turned to her father.
"No way." He said. "I'm not wasting my precious night to babysit some brats."
"That's too bad." Sonoko said, shrugging. "I'm sure all those rich, young, beautiful women will be sad they missed the chance to meet the great Sleeping Kogoro."
Kogoro paused, looking up in a daze.
"...Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Well we wouldn't want to disappoint them, would we?" He said excitedly, clasping his hands together.
'It's so easy it's sad...' Sonoko thought.
"Who's that one for?" Sera asked, noticing another invitation in Sonoko's hand.
"It's for that guy living in Kudo-kun's house."
"Subaru-san?" Ran said.
Sonoko nodded happily. "Yeah! He's pretty good-looking too, don't you think?"
'Oh yeah, that guy...' Sera thought.
"Something wrong, Sera-san?" Ran asked, noticing her deep in thought.
"Huh?" She snapped back into reality. "Uh, it's nothing! I gotta go, see you at the party." Sera waved, leaving the agency.
The two girls looked at each other, shrugging.
"Let's go invite Subaru-san!" Sonoko said, taking Ran's hand.
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Ran knocked on the door. Waiting for Subaru to come down, Sonoko decided to mess with her a little.
"Ah, if only Shinichi-kun were here..." She said dreamily.
"Oh, Sonoko! As if I'd want that detective freak around." She said unconvincingly.
The door swung open. "Oh, good evening. What brings you two here?" Subaru asked, half-expecting it to be Amuro on one of his schemes that he found quite entertaining.
"Subaru-san!" Sonoko said happily, showing him the card. "We would like to invite you to the exclusive Suzuki Corporation Annual Masquerade Ball! It's next week, what do you say?"
"A ball? I don't know..." He said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Please? If Amuro-san doesn't show up, we gotta have at least ONE hot guy there!" She said, pleading.
"Amuro-san?" Subaru smirked. "Well in that case, it would be an honor." He said with a slight bow. "I trust that the children will be there as well?"
"Mm. We were going to invite Conan-kun and Ai-chan when they got home. Sera-san wanted them to come." Ran said.
"I see... I'll be looking forward to it." He said, heading back inside.
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Amuro, who had just returned from his work with the Public Security Bureau, received his invitation as he entered the Mouri Detective Agency. He called Haibara as soon as he saw it.
"You got an invitation as well?" She said immediately as she answered the phone.
"What makes you say that? Maybe I just wanted to talk to my favorite girl."
She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was making that stupid grin.
"It's tomorrow night." Haibara said. "I normally wouldn't go to things like this, but I heard Subaru-san is going. I guess we'll meet up at the party?"
"Mm. I can't wait to see what you'll be wearing. It's a masquerade, after all. You'll look so adorable!"
"Yeah, yeah. See you there."
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Conan and Haibara arrived at the Suzuki Mansion Conan was wearing a tuxedo with his signature red bowtie, while Haibara wore a long sleeve vintage-style dress and a lace mask. Haibara quickly scanned the building, looking for Amuro. 'I wonder if he arrived already…'
"I'm surprised you came." Conan said, interrupting her thoughts. "Normally you would say something like 'Pass.'" He waved his hand, doing an uncanny impersonation of her.
"I'm not completely anti-social, you know." She smirked. "And don't you know what a masquerade is? You're supposed to be wearing a mask." She said, poking his face. "Besides the childlike one you wear all the time."
He held up a mask on a stick. "Right here." He looked up and down at Haibara, noticing her dress. He was about to comment, but Amuro beat him to it.
"Hey there, guys!" He was wearing a black tuxedo and a white phantom mask that covered half of his face. "Cute dress, Haibara-chan!"
"Thanks..." She mumbled.
Conan glanced around. Spotting Subaru-san, he quickly sprinted over to him. "I'll see later, Haibara. Bye, Amuro-niichan!"
Amuro happily waved, turning his attention back to Haibara.
"So, got any plans for you know who?"
Haibara shrugged. "Let's just play by ear this time..." She shrugged as she glanced past Amuro. "Speak of the devil!"
Subaru walked towards them, with Conan trying desperately to stop him. "They're not gonna- Mmph!" Subaru covered his mouth, quickly walking towards them.
"Hey, there!" He waved to them. He was wearing a brown tuxedo and holding a mask on a stick like Conan's. "You look nice." He said, glancing at Amuro. He stared at Haibara.
"And you..." He began kneeling down to her. Subaru took her hand, placing a flower in it. "Look beautiful."
Before she could respond, Amuro grabbed Subaru's shoulder. "Hands to yourself." He gave an innocent smile. "Okay?"
Subaru stood up, putting his hands in the air. While their attention was on each other, Haibara took a quick glance at the flower, carefully placing it in her pocket.
The three of them entered the building together.
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"I'll get us some drinks. What would you like?" Subaru offered.
"Anything's fine." Amuro said.
"Nothing for me." Haibara waved her hand.
Subaru nodded, leaving them alone.
"I'll go look for Edogawa-kun." Haibara said, walking away.
Amuro frowned. "Don't like my company?"
Haibara smiled. "Amuro-san, I didn't take you to be the jealous type. I'll leave you two alone to talk, and hopefully you can catch him slipping up and get some info, ok?"
Amuro nodded with a grin, giving a salute. "You got it, boss!"
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Haibara was still walking around the mansion, looking for the shrunken detective. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was completely lost.
'Ugh, How could anyone find their way around this place?' She frustratingly thought.
"Haibara-chan?" She heard someone calling her from behind.
Turning, it was the girl that had a striking resemblance to Dai-kun.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Conan-kun's friend, Sera Masumi." She held out her hand. "The truth is, I've been meaning to talk to you..."
Haibara began to move backwards, with fear written all over her face. 'This person...'
Not noticing the dip in the flooring behind her, Haibara tripped over. But instead of feeling the hard ground like she expected, she became enveloped in a strong pair of arms.
"Are you okay, miss?"
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"Bourbon?" A voice suddenly came behind Amuro. Hearing that name, he almost had a heart attack.
Amuro quickly spun around, only to find Subaru holding two drinks.
"Oh, thanks..." He said as he took a glass.
"It's a nice night, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Amuro blankly said, slowly taking a sip. 'I'll get him drunk, and hopefully get some information out of him.' He thought.
They finished their drinks, chatting about general things. Sports, weather, work (or at least their fake work)...the basics.
"Would you like a refill?" Subaru offered.
"Huh? Thanks..." He said, giving him the glass.
Unbeknownst to Amuro, Subaru only had one of the glasses filled with Bourbon. He had his own simply filled with something of a similar color.
Amuro sighed. 'This is gonna be a long night...' He thought as he checked the time on his phone. 'I wonder what Haibara-chan is up to...'
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Haibara looked up at the man. It was someone she didn't recognize, yet he seemed so familiar...
"You seem a little feverish... come." He held her hand. His eyes darted to Sera. "Excuse us."
They both left, the man smirking at the slight "Tch." He heard from Sera.
After she left their sight, Haibara quickly removed his hand from his grasp.
"Thank you, but I feel fine." She said, taking in his appearance.
He had jet black hair combed back, a red suit, and his face was completely covered by a full Venetian mask.
"I know, but I could tell you wanted to get out of there. Just think of me as your knight in shining armor!"
He held out his hand. "Ikeda Ryo."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't you know children aren't supposed to talk to strangers?"
He chuckled. "Are we really strangers?"
She squinted her eyes at him, annoyed. "Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm looking for my friends." She walked away, only for him to follow suit.
"I'll come with you. We wouldn't want you running into that girl again, right?"
She hesitated. Between running into Sera or being stuck with this guy, she'd rather take her chances on the latter. She sighed. "Fine."
They began walking together. Haibara would normally make a run for it, but something about this man felt strangely trustworthy...Her gut told her to stay by his side.
"So, what do your friends look like?" Ikeda asked.
"Why do you want to know?" She spat out. She gave up on looking for Kudo. Besides, Sera-san might be with him. Haibara decided to go find Amuro instead.
"Well, I won't be of much help if I don't know who I'm looking for." He explained in a triumphant tone.
Haibara paused. "A guy around your height, tan skin, light hair." She said monotonously.
He looked up in deep thought. "I think I saw someone like that at the bar. He was with another guy. Glasses, a high collar..."
"Oh... him." She said with a hint of annoyance. She nodded. "Take me there."
"As you wish." He sang as they headed towards the bar.
"So, how do you know those guys? Miss…" He motioned his hand for her to speak. She realized that she never told him her name.
Ignoring him, she sped ahead, looking for signs of Amuro and Subaru.
He shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't seem too fond of the guy in the high collar I mentioned."
She turned around. "Maybe. But at least he knows when to take a hint. Besides..." She lightly patted her pocket holding the flower. "He's not all bad."
"Is that so... Please, continue."
Haibara inwardly groaned. 'Dammit, where are those guys?!'
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Amuro was feeling a little tipsy, surprised that Subaru could still drink. "Woah, you can really hold your liquor, huh?" He downed the rest of his drink. "But I'm no lightweight!" He exclaimed in a slurred voice, pointing at Subaru.
"Hey. If I get drunk, don't tell Haibara-chan, ok?" He held out his pinky.
Subaru awkwardly wrapped his pinky around Amuro's.
Amuro suddenly swung his arm around Subaru's shoulder, giving him a side hug. "You know, you're an alright guy! I feel like we can tell each other anything!" He smiled cheerfully.
He noticed a slight blush from Subaru. 'Heh, he must be getting drunk…' He internally laughed, ready to start his plan.
"You go first, got anything you want to get off your chest?"
"Well there is something I've been hiding from you and Haibara-san..." Subaru said.
"Really?" Amuro tried his best to hide his excitement. "What is it?"
"Well...it's about my identity..."
"Your identity?" Amuro gulped.
"Everyone knows me as a smart graduate student who's passionate about engineering, but the truth is..."
"The truth is?"
"I, well..."
"Go on..."
"I don't know what I'm doing with my life!" Subaru cried as he held onto Amuro. "Is this really my calling? What should I do, Amuro-san..." He sniffled.
Amuro just looked down at him with annoyance.
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Haibara and Ikeda were walking together, talking about the two men.
"Hm. From the way you describe him, this Subaru person seems like a weird guy." Ikeda-san commented.
"He is." Haibara looked up at Ikeda-san. "But not as weird as you."
"He also seems to care a lot about you."
Haibara gave him a weird look, but didn't comment.
"Hmm... And if I didn't know any better, I'd say this Amuro character has a crush on you." He said, trying to get a reaction from her.
That made her stop. She gave him her signature glare, making him laugh.
Luckily, Haibara didn't have to be bothered by this person anymore, as she had spotted the man in question.
"There they are, so you can leave me alone now, okay?" She said, turning to him, but he had already disappeared.
"There you are!" Amuro clumsily ran up to her.
"Something wrong?" Subaru asked, noticing she kept glancing around.
"No... it's nothing." She said, shrugging off curiosity about her newly found acquaintance.
"Ai-chan." Amuro suddenly kneeled down to her, grasping her shoulders. "I..."
'Eh?' Haibara became startled. One by the call of her first name, and two by his sudden action.
He held her tightly. "I don't feel so good!"
Her red face immediately went back to normal as smacked him on the head. "Ugh, you reek of alcohol!"
Subaru held up Amuro. "I'll take this guy home, have a good night, Haibara-san!"
Subaru helped Amuro into the back seat. Haibara and Conan both met up at Kogoro's rental.
They sat together in the back. Kogoro seemed considerably disappointed, probably because of his failed attempts to meet a woman. Haibara took out the flower, checking to see if it was alright.
Conan noticed the object in her hand. "Is that the flower Subaru-san gave you?" He said as he leaned in to get a closer look.
"It looks like a viscaria. If I recall, it means..."
"Dance with me." She smiled, lightly touching the delicate petals.
"Oh?" Conan looked teasingly at her, nudging her side. "You actually danced?"
"Well, I guess you could say we're always dancing around."
"Huh?"
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Subaru and Conan met back at the Kudo residence. Conan gave Mouri the normal excuse of forgetting something at Agasa's.
Conan sighed. "I still don't get what the point of this was."
Subaru ripped off his mask and turned off the voice changer. "Come on, Shin-chan. Now they'll probably let Akai-san off for a few days. Oh, and I gave her that flower like you asked, Akai-san!"
It was none other than Yukiko Kudo.
"No, I mean why did you come back here? How'd you even know about the party?" Conan said, annoyed.
"Well, Ran-chan called me and mentioned it, asking if I knew how you were doing. You better call her back, okay?" She said, nudging him.
"Ok, ok, I got it..."
"Now, now." A familiar voice spoke up. One more person came out from the shadows. It was... Ikeda-san?!
Ikeda removed his mask, revealing his distinctive eyes and curly bangs. "When Yukiko-san came for a visit, I thought she might be able to do a better job of it than I could. I tend to scare them off, after all. Besides..." Akai paused, thinking about Haibara. 'I got to know a little more about how she feels.'
"Plus, I got an excuse to come back here!" Yukiko shyly put her hands to her face. "You didn't tell me that secret police guy was a looker as well, and such a sweetheart! I should come back more often!" She blushed happily, making a little jump.
"Besides what?" Conan turned to Akai, ignoring his mother.
He smirked. "Messing with those two is WAY too much fun."
"Oi, oi..."
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Amuro's apartment: the next day...
"Yeah, sorry... I can't come in today, I have a slight fever. Yes, thank you. Good bye." Amuro hung up after talking to Poirot's manager.
"Urg!" He quickly grabbed an ice pack, placing it on his head.
'Damn you, Okiya Subaru...since when did you become such a terrible driver?! I bet you were just trying to make me nauseous...I'll get you for this!' He stood up, but immediately sat back down, groaning.
'Right after I get over this hangover.'