'I'm falling for you, Shiho…'
'Rei…' Shiho gazed into his gentle eyes, surprised by this sudden confession.
He held her tight, leaving no space in between them.
'No teasing this time.' Rei smiled as he tilted his head.
Shiho shyly nodded, slowly closing her eyes as Rei did the same.
Their lips were just about to touch, until…
…
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Shiho's eyes opened. She blinked in confusion, taking in the jarring environment. She was still laying on the couch where she had fallen asleep.
'...A dream?'
"Oh my god, you're finally awake!" Rei gasped as she rushed over to her. "I was so worried, you've been asleep for 2 days!"
"What?!" She leapt out of the couch, rushing to check her phone.
"It's 4:27 PM…today?"
"Just kidding!" Rei laughed at her confusion. "You were just sleeping for a couple hours, you should see the look on your face!"
"You…" Shiho rolled up the blanket, throwing it at Rei.
"Sorry, sorry!" He chuckled. "Did you have a good nap?"
"I guess." Shiho mumbled, remembering her pleasant dream. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you needed the rest." Rei said as he put the blanket away. "Want some coffee?"
"That's ok, I've intruded enough for one day." Shiho yawned. "Thanks for the hospitality, Furuya-san."
"Oh, one cup won't hurt." He said as he began heating up some water.
"Wait, I forgot it's Saturday!" Shiho gasped as she looked at her phone again.
"Yeah, are you late for something?"
"Sort of…" Shiho hesitated as she sat back down. "Do you mind if I borrow your TV?"
Rei smiled, relieved that they could spend a little longer together. "Sure. Is there another soccer game?"
"Er, no…" Shiho said as she began flipping through the channels.
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"TAKE THAT!"
A man in latex and a mask shouted from the television. He was fighting off an alien monster.
"So…you like Kamen Yaiba?" Rei asked as they sipped on their coffee together.
"I don't like it per say." Shiho blushed in embarrassment. "I want to keep up with the story, so I can write about it in my letters to the kids."
"Uh-huh…" Rei smirked.
"Besides, it's very popular among all ages!" She huffed.
"Mm-hmm…"
"Whatever…"
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.
The two continued watching.
"Thank you Kamen Yaiba!" A young girl on the TV called out. "But why did you forgive the alien, even though he hurt you?"
"Kamen Yaiba doesn't fight for revenge… he fights for justice, to protect his planet! No matter how much I might dislike a foe, I won't give in to those feelings…"
'Geez, why is this kid's show hitting so hard?' Rei gulped.
BEEP BEEP
"Hm?" Shiho checked her phone. It was a text from Agasa.
Shiho-kun, just checking if everything is ok! :) :D :D :)
'Maybe I shouldn't have taught him how to use emojis….'
BEEP BEEP
I wanted to know if you will be joining us for dinner.
'Us?' Shiho thought as she reread his text. 'Maybe Kudo-kun is with him. I should go, it's getting late anyway…'
Shiho glanced at Rei, who was petting Haro as the Kamen Yaiba ending theme played on the TV.
'Furuya-san spent the whole day tending to me.' She sighed. 'He doesn't seem to mind, but…'
"Do you want another cup?" Rei asked, pointing at her mug.
"Eh? Ah, no, thank you…" Shiho shook her head.
"..."
"Hey, Furuya-san…"
"Yes?" He smiled.
That darn smile. That smile that makes her forget all her worries, but simultaneously fills her with new ones. That stupid smile that is now appearing in her dreams too. Here she was, an anxious wreck over this man, and he just smiles with such nonchalance. Part of Shiho admired his carefree demeanor, another felt envious of it, and a small part felt disappointed that he didn't seem to get these same flustered feelings that she does.
"Why are you being so nice?" Shiho narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You never seem frustrated or annoyed." She crossed her arms. "I borrowed your clothes, I took a nap on your couch, and I cut your jogging time short. You really don't mind at all?"
Rei was taken aback by the sudden question. "I guess I could be bothered if it was someone else but…"
"But…?" Shiho held her breath, nervous to hear his answer.
"Miyano-san, I told you before, I like spending time with you." He shrugged. "Besides, that's what friends are for, right?"
"I suppose…"
"But seeing you in my clothes, your sleeping face, and taking care of you when you're not feeling well…" Rei placed his hand over his chest. "I get really frustrated, trust me."
"…"
"Hah?!" Shiho groaned. "If I'm frustrating you, you should have said so. I'll return the clothes now if you want."
"Eh? No, not that kind of frustration." He chuckled.
"What other kind is there?" She huffed.
"The other kind…" Rei drifted off in thought as his cheeks started to turn pink. "The kind of frustration when I want to call you Shiho, and hear you call me Rei." He looked away, wanting to say more, but stopping himself.
Shiho stared back for a moment, trying to contemplate her answer.
"...If you really want to, then…" Shiho looked down, trying to avoid eye contact. "I guess I wouldn't mind."
"Really?" Rei's eyes lit up.
"Since you've helped me out a lot." She smirked. "I'll allow it."
"Aw, admit it. You want to call me by my first name too, right Shiho?" He grinned.
"It doesn't matter to me…." She rolled her eyes, blushing.
"It doesn't?" Rei said with an exaggerated frown. "It matters to me. You don't feel the same?" He leaned in closer to her, just inches apart.
"Don't you get tired of being such a flirt?" Shiho scoffed. "You shouldn't mess around like that, what if someone took it the wrong way?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him farther away.
Rei tilted his head, placing his hands over hers.
"Someone…who do you mean?"
"Y-you know, other girls…"
"Do you think I act this way with other girls?"
"I'm sure you do." Shiho snatched her hand away. "Mr. Popular."
"Maybe Amuro Tooru or Bourbon did, occasionally." Rei shrugged. "To help stay undercover."
"...And Furuya Rei?"
Rei looked her up and down, making her feel a little shy. "You bring out a side of him that no one else does."
He got in close again, feeling particularly bold. "Do I do the same for Miyano Shiho?"
Shiho paused, trying to process this situation. She thought back to her dream, wondering if her and Rei could really be something more.
"I-"
RING RING RING
Rei pulled back as Shiho's phone began ringing. She checked the contact name, quickly answering it.
"Agasa-hakase! I forgot to reply to your text. Yes, I'm coming home now, see you soon, bye."
"Heading home? I'll grab a bag for your clothes…" Rei said as he got up from the couch.
Shiho glanced at him, wondering if their conversation was going to continue.
"That's right, I almost forgot, Shiho!" He exclaimed as he rummaged through one of his drawers. "Here, Shiho, why don't you take these for the kids? I think they'll like them, Shiho."
"I'm gonna take away first name privileges!" Shiho glared as he waved something in his hand.
"My bad." He chuckled. "Look, Kamen Yaiba stickers."
"And here acted like you've never seen it…" Shiho smirked. "Are you secretly a fanatic?"
"When I was a waiter at Poirot, I taught one of the regular's kid to ride a bike." He explained. "I would give him a sticker each day as a reward. I found these extras the other day when I was cleaning up my room."
"Mm-hmm…."
"It's true!"
"Sure it is…Well, thanks for these." She examined the holographic stickers, thinking about Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko. "I'm sure the kids will love them, Furu-"
Shiho looked up at him with a caring smile. "Thanks, Rei."
"Yeah, anytime…" Rei bit his tongue, trying to hold back the redness he felt rushing to his cheeks.
Haro rushed up to Shiho as she put on her shoes, sensing that she was about to leave.
She kneeled down, petting his head. "Bye bye, Haro!"
"Want us to walk you home?" He asked as he handed her clothes.
"No, that's alright." She said as she opened the door, hesitating to step out.
"By the way, to answer your question earlier…" Shiho looked back at him. "I guess I wouldn't disagree."
Shiho turned back, waving as she exited the apartment. "See you later, Rei."
The door slowly closed as she left, hiding his boyish grin. He rested back against the door.
"Bye, Shiho."
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While walking home, Shiho scrolled through her phone, looking through her emails.
Thank you for your interest in this role…
We regret to inform you…
The company is moving in another direction…
She sighed. 'Well, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I'll apply to some more jobs tomorrow…'
Shiho texted Agasa that she was almost home. As she was about to close the app, she glanced at the message history for her other contacts. She tapped on the one labeled Furuya-san.
'We're on a first-name basis now…' She smiled to herself. 'I guess it makes sense to change his name on my phone then…' She changed the label to Rei, but her finger lingered over the update button. 'Is it too soon to update it? Maybe I should wait…No, I shouldn't be so worried about it!' She stared down at the phone. Taking a big gulp, she pressed down, updating his contact name.
"It's no big deal…" She mumbled to herself.
"What's no big deal?" A voice crept up behind her. It was the formerly shrunken high school detective.
"K-Kudo-kun!" She gasped, hiding her phone. "What are you doing, sneaking up on me?"
"I was just gonna ask you why you're hanging out outside. Why don't you come in and say hi to everyone?" He said as he pointed to his house. "Dinner should be ready soon."
Shiho blinked in confusion. "Everyone?"
"Oh, Hakase didn't tell you? We have some guests tonight."
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"Yo!" A tan teenager waved as Shiho and Shinichi entered the house. "Long time no see, Hai- er, Miyano-san!"
""Nice to meet you, Miyano-san!" A girl in a ponytail walked up to them, putting her hand out to Shiho. "I'm Toyama Kazuha. Heiji, Ran-chan and Kudo-kun told me all about you!"
"Ah yes, Hattori-san mentioned you before too…" Shiho said as she pulled out her phone.
'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY KAZU-'
"Ahhh!" Heiji yelled out as he leapt across the room.
"Eh? What was that?" Kazuha raised an eyebrow.
"Is everything ok?" Ran called out from the kitchen. "I thought I heard Hattori-kun yelling…"
"Everything is fine!" Heiji blurted out. "I see you haven't changed…" He said as he glared at Shiho.
"Not true." Shinichi grinned. "It's not even her ringtone anymore."
Shiho nodded with a sly smirk.
"R-right…"
"Dinner's ready!" Yukiko sang as she, Ran and Yusaku brought out plates of beef, rice and vegetables. "Come sit, everyone!"
"So, what brings you here?" Shiho asked as they headed to the table.
"What else?" Heiji said as he patted them on the back. "You two are back in action! Of course I had to come see ya for myself. I woulda come earlier, but I had to do something before seeing ya again…"
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.
"Eh?! You two are a couple!?" The group said in unison.
"That's so great, Kazuha-chan!" Ran cheered.
"Thanks, Ran-chan!" She said, blushing. "I'm sorry we missed Conan-kun and Ai-chan's goodbye party…"
"Yeah, ya couldn't wait a couple weeks?!" Hattori groaned at Shinichi.
"Ya dummy, how would Kudo-kun control that?" Kazuha sighed. "Besides, this is our last year of high school! Ya can't skip the first week of school just cuz ya wanna visit Kudo-kun! Ya wanna get held back?"
"I explained it on the plane, didn't I!?"
"Can you believe it, Kudo-kun, Miyano-san? He's been going on and on about how you two were Conan-kun and Ai-chan the whole time." She rolled her eyes.
Shinichi and Shiho both looked at each other, sharing a mischievous smile.
"Wow, that's a really strange thing to say, Hattori." Shinichi said, shaking his head.
"If you're going to tease Toyama-san, at least pick something more believable." Shiho chuckled.
"I know, right?!" Kazuha sighed.
"I…you…they…" Heiji stuttered as he glared at the two, who grinned back.
"Speaking of which, I'm surprised you never mentioned Miyano-san before today, Ran-chan" Kazuha said. "She seems to know you all pretty well."
"Ah, well…" Ran nervously giggled. "It's like Hattori-kun said…"
"Not you too! I'm not fallin' for that, ya know..."
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.
"So, Miyano-san, do you go to Teitan too?" Kazuha asked in between bites.
"I'm not in school. I'm looking for work at the moment."
"I didn't know that. You would make one scary boss…" Shinichi smirked, earning an eye roll from her.
"Eh, working already?" Kazuha looked up in surprise. "You're so young…What about university?"
"I completed my education when I was 13."
Wow, so you're like a super genius! I bet ya even smarter than Heiji and Kudo-kun then, huh?"
"You could say that… " Shiho smirked.
"Oi oi…." The two detectives mumbled in unison.
"You should come along with Kudo-kun and Ran-chan when they visit us in the summer!" Kazuha smiled. "We were talkin' bout it before you arrived."
"That's right!" Heiji grinned. "Osaka has the best beaches! It's gonna be a blast."
"I don't know…" Shiho hesitated. "You all are so close, I wouldn't want to be a 5th wheel…"
"Oh, please come, Ai…Miyano-san!" Ran said. "Besides, what better way to get to know each other?"
"You should go, Miyano-kun." Agasa chimed in. "Enjoy your youth!"
"Yeah, the more the merrier!" Kazuha smiled. "Besides, I know we just met, but I feel oddly familiar with you."
Heiji smirked. "That's not surprising, considering you've met before."
"Will you drop that joke already?!"
The group all laughed together. Shiho smiled to herself, enjoying the company.
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.
After cleaning up the table and dishes, the group headed upstairs to hang out in Shinichi's room. Yusaku went to read in his office, while Yukiko put the dry dishes away. Agasa went back to his house, taking Shiho's bag for her.
Shiho stayed behind downstairs. She tied up the full trash in the kitchen, hauling them out.
"You don't have to do that dear, you're probably tired from being out all day." Yukiko said as she offered to grab the trash.
"I'm fine, I took a nap earlier, so I'm wide awake."
"You took a nap? Shin-chan mentioned that you weren't home. Where did you take a nap?"
"O-on the train…" Shiho stuttered. "I fell asleep on the train."
"You did?" Yukiko smirked, examining Shiho's appearance. "Come to think of it, those are men's clothes, aren't they? They look too small to fit Agasa-hakase, and a bit too big to be yours, even if it was just oversized…" She held her hand up to her chin playfully. "I wonder who they could belong to?"
"These are…um…" Shiho blushed.
"You kids are so bold these days!" Yukiko playfully patted Shiho on the back. "I'm surprised, Shiho-chan. Can't blame you though, Furuya-san is very handsome."
"It wasn't like that!" Shiho stammered.
"Oh, did I misunderstand?"
"COMPLETELY." Shiho said, red in the face.
"Miyano! Are you coming?" Shinichi called out from upstairs.
"Ah, you go on ahead, I'll take care of this." Yukiko smiled, giving a thumbs up. "Remember, I'm rooting for you, Shiho-chan!"
"...Thanks…"
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Rei sat at his table with Haro by his feet, eating dinner.
'Thanks, Rei.'
He smiled, replaying the evening in his head. "It felt nice, hearing her say my name..."
'I'm glad she liked the stickers, it was lucky I had some laying around.'
He had his computer out, looking for something to watch while he enjoyed his meal.
'Maybe I'll just watch the first episode, so I understand the plot…' He thought as he typed Kamen Yaiba into his search bar.
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A FEW HOURS LATER…
Haro was sound asleep in his bed. Meanwhile, Rei was still on the computer.
"Shit, it's this late already?!" He said to himself as he glanced at the time. "Oh well, I guess one more episode won't hurt. Mm, after that, I'll definitely go to sleep!"
He did not, in fact, just watch one more episode.
Shout out to XxThe-Crest-Of-AnubisxX for suggesting to include Heiji, I really appreciate it!
*The scene with Rei mentioning the stickers and biking is a reference to a chapter in Zero's Tea Time.
As always, thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think :)