Mission Fourteen: In the Name of the Black Star
There were just so many reasons that could easily justify Conan's disdain for this place that he felt like he should find a way to ban it from his life altogether.
Were he forced to choose the most prominent of them all, however, he would probably fail. Perhaps, it were the sugar-coated smiles, the way older women toned their voice several pitches higher whenever he as much breathed in the way they, in their unexplainable delirium, found 'adorable' ─ and please, just don't get him started with the cooing. Please, no.
Then again, it could have also been something else. If that was the case, he could probably give an actual face he could blame for the reticence that he'd seemed to build throughout the years ─ which would make things a little easier, but not the memory any less cringe-inducing. A woman with a giggle always ready in her lips, and the most perfect curls his eyes had ever seen.
A beautiful face, worthy of the camera lens that she'd always loved even years after retiring from her job as an actress. One that would inevitably light up every single time he put on the brand new set of clothes she'd bought for him for the fifth time that week, but would whine at her little model's blank, and absolutely, not cute expression as he glanced up at her camera. She would say that it was almost as if he didn't appreciate her gifts, and truth to be told, six-year-old Shinichi could not exactly say she was wrong.
Both were suitable answers, yet, as a deeper part of Conan's subconsciousness liked to remark, none were the answer. They felt strangely lacking, as though there was something out there that, while unidentifiable, fit in better than any of them could ever hope to. Something that lingered in the air, that made his nose scrunch up in disgust and-
"And… 99.5 centimeters."
Oh, so there it was, Conan dimly realized. He distractedly rubbed at his chest, pretending that he wasn't trying to soothe where the words had stabbed at his heart ─ fatally wounding Shinichi Kudo's poor battered ego and leaving him wondering if he should prepare a funeral in honor of his lifelong companion.
Likely oblivious of his own feelings, Anya single-handedly buried it about ten feet under, with a bright smile and a loud, "I'm two millimeters bigger than last time!"
"I'm sure it's just an error," Loid replied right away.
Conan certainly wished that was the case. Having his height measured through the same means and finding that the number had not changed at all made it impossible to believe in miracles.
A literal six-year-old is taller than me. By about five centimeters. Five.
He tried to let that sink, but it never really did.
"You never know," the proprietress said, her lips curved in an ever-friendly smile. "Kids grow up so quickly."
But to him, her words were nothing but venom that he had to swallow up.
"They sure do," Conan muttered under his breath.
This directed her attention back to him, thus making Conan realize that the sympathy variant was actually much worse than her default smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it, dear," she told him. "It's just that girls grow a little faster than boys."
He nodded at her, the brightness of his adorable grin renewed by a fake hope for what the future had reserved for him. Just kill me faster and get over with it.
Sadly, she took his reaction at face value, and did not even consider resorting to such a hideous crime. Which would have been a blessing, he wasn't even joking, because Loid then had decided that they should probably make both uniforms just a little bigger in case they grew up. Conan may not be prone to a positive mentality, especially since his life had made a one hundred and eighty degree turn from one day to the other, but he had the unsettling feeling that he would have to endure the baggy, oversized uniform for the years to come.
Years? Scratch that, I meant months. I mean, it can't take that long to get my old body back, right?
Not even his own mind had the courage to respond.
"But it was quite a shock to hear that you were suddenly married, Yor-chan. You should have told me the last time you were here!" the proprietress was saying, wrapping the measuring tape around Anya's waist. "And to think that your lovely children are going to the prestigious Eden Academy." She smiled down at her, then to Conan, who just stood there. "Congratulations."
"Thank you very much!" the pretend twins chorused, equally bright grins etched on each of their faces.
This earned them a giggle, brought forward by the endearing sight in front of her. However, for the father watching from a little farther back, he found it hard not to raise an eyebrow at the hands that, clasped behind the little boy's back, quivered as though he held on tightly enough to break a finger.
Anya was good, though. Like always, her response was as genuine as it could get.
"Are you an Eden alum?"
"Oh, no," Loid replied, an affable smile on his lips. "I went to an insignificant little school out in the country."
Out of the country, that was what he meant. Conan didn't dare to say that out loud, though.
"Oh, then do be careful," the proprietress said, her once lively gaze darkening with every word she spoke. "There's something of a wall between parents who are Eden alumni and those who aren't."
Only when Conan's shoulders dropped did he realize his body had tensed up in anticipation. That's it? Well, in that case, color him surprised, and God forbid him from rolling his eyes when he was doing such a good job with the cute kid charade.
Anyone with half a brain cell and over ten years of age could have figured that much on their own. This was Eden, what they were talking about, where almost all the students came from the most influential families ─ little brats who had been raised in privilege and knew practically nothing out of that circle. People from other social standing were a mystery their undeveloped little brains had yet to come across. And how did children normally react to the unknown?
Some try to stay away. Others opt to laugh as a self defense mechanism, even seeing them as easy prey to deal with their own insecurities and mental instability.
That's when discrimination and bullying start. And there was no way to escape it, as inconveniencing as that sounded.
That being said… He sent Anya a look, and she quickly averted her gaze. The poor girl was pale in the face, her limbs shaking as she listened to this insensible woman's rant about all the things to expect from school. None of them were good.
I wish she didn't have to deal with any of this. The thought popped up before he could stop it, and even before he could realize that his eyebrows were inching just a little closer by the second. But it's unavoidable.
If only…
The pressure of a hand keeping him from losing his balance on that one balcony made him glance down to his waist, but found nothing alike. Suddenly, that smile, illuminated by the gentle silvery glow of the moon, came to mind.
"Please keep an eye on her for us at school."
Conan waved it off right away to find that, to nobody's surprise, the proprietress was barely done with her monologue.
"Speaking of, I hear that kidnappings of commuter kids are on the rise… It's not surprising, considering most of the kids who can attend Eden are rich."
Tearfully, Anya sought her father's gaze.
"Anya doesn't wanna go to school anymore," she sobbed. Loid flinched.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said, placing a hand to her mouth. "I didn't want to scare you."
Good. Conan didn't want to imagine what it would be like if she was actively trying to freak a little kid out.
"Don't worry," she tried to reassure Anya. "There are plenty of fun things about it, too."
The boy tilted his head and asked, "For example?"
She stared at him for an entire second before she offered him a friendly smile.
"Okay, all done with your measurements…"
Just like that, she stood up and made it to the counter, leaving behind an unamused shrunken detective behind. The smile remained perfectly in place as she went over every item every Eden student would need where clothes were concerned, and topped it off by reminding the young family that two children implied, of course, twice as much and double the price.
Loid's was a little stiffer, and had already fallen halfway before they even got to the door. It made Conan wonder if spies did have a limited budget for their missions, and how much had Anya's castle adventure taken from it. Or how much of it remained, in that case.
Quite the reward, huh, Conan thought, chuckling to himself at the memory of Loid's flushed face and the little girl rushing to hug him. He had even gotten her a princess tiara, and he couldn't quite recall when she had asked for such a thing. I wonder how much of it was Franky pressuring him into accepting, how much was for the mission…
And how much was a result of a soft heart he couldn't hope to hide beneath all those layers of deception. With Twilight and Anya, he could never be sure. One way or another.
He hasn't asked about it again. He crossed his arms behind his head, humming to himself. About my… 'reward'.
His gaze fell on the back of the head of the man he was trailing behind, and let his arms flop back to his sides. I didn't do much at all, he thought. For a high school student, passing a child's test is barely even an accomplishment. And at the interview, I ran my mouth without caring about the consequences…
Why should he even care about the consequences, though? Why am I still here, for that matter? He had run off before, had vanished from under Professor Agasa's nose and abandoned his life altogether. What was stopping him, really, from running off at night and seeking a more discreet, less complicated background that helped him move about more easily?
Strangely enough, Conan kept on walking. In front of him, Anya clung to Loid, her eyes darting from side to side as though a kidnapper would jump at her in any second now. At his side, Yor was smiling to herself, walking in step with him.
The boy felt himself sigh.
If he asks again, I'll just ask for a book and leave it at that.
And when they all cut their walking short, he also stood still. Waiting for them, as though an instinct had long been installed within him.
"Yor-san," he heard Loid say. "Is it alright if we eat out today?"
"Yes," she replied. "Of course."
Anya peered up at him. "Are there any kidnappers at the restaurant?"
More than you could count, thought Conan, wisely keeping that information to himself. The proprietress had already done a wonderful job in freaking her out as it was. Any more of this and, let alone school, she might get too terrified of stepping out of her own home.
There's no such thing as a safe place, the world is filled with people with horrible intentions that may hurt you, or even kill you.
Life is mostly about counting your chances and hoping for the best.
Conan smiled. "I'm pretty hungry, actually," he stated, passing by Loid so that they could get going already.
"Okay. Let's see where-"
He tried to take a step forward, but found himself unable to even move right. Peering down, Loid distinguished Anya's little hands gripping onto his shirt like claws, and her face pressed against him.
"Anya?" he tried, but she didn't budge.
So, the spy stood there, gazing down at his daughter. His breath escaped him in a huff, while Conan had to keep himself from laughing too loudly at his misery. Clearly, the spy had not known what he had been signing for when he adopted this quirky of a young girl.
Eventually, by some sort of miracle Conan's mind wasn't able to identify, they managed to steer the hesitant little girl away from the sidewalk she had rooted herself in, and into her that one fancy restaurant Loid had picked up.
Coincidentally, that was. Conan then would definitely pretend he did not see that waiter at the back, eyeing them carefully until they were led to their table. Come on. I know he thinks I'm six, but I wasn't born yesterday.
Was he really supposed to believe they chose that one table at the far off back, where almost nobody ever passed by, just by coincidence? Or that Loid had not even taken a glance at the menu, but had still easily pointed out that the peanut chicken in the third line for Anya to salivate about? Or that he didn't even think about it and ordered the special menu without knowing for sure what it consisted of?
It was almost insulting. For his intellect, for his trajectory as a detective and as a rational, normal human being.
That being said, he could understand that Loid had no way of knowing that ─ and thank God he didn't. But still, he decided to take his sweet time to pick out his own order, only to settle with the most simple curry he could set his eyes on. Just for the sake of pettiness.
"Here's our special for the day," the waiter would then say, louder than necessary. As though he was making a point. "Pork sauté in pawpaw sauce with porcini mushrooms and potato potage."
Conan eyed the dish that was settled in front of the spy and felt his eyebrow twitch. There was no way nobody noticed that there were freaking letters written with sauce for Loid to smear over the moment he read them.
Surely, someone else must have seen it, he thought, eyeing his surroundings. Anyone who was in that waiter's path must have-
Although Loid could not, for the life of him, listen to the constant murmur of his thoughts, it was like he had sensed their sudden stop. Confused, he looked up, and could have sighed when he saw the boy, or rather his eyes, stubbornly focused on the table right behind them.
"If this is another marital dispute, just leave it be, Conan."
But Conan just observed them further, with those big curious eyes of his that Loid had long since learned to view in a negative light. He saw him raising his hand, waving the waiter over to their table, and before he could even ask a thing, he had already been summoned right at his side.
As if oblivious to all the staring he was receiving from his part ─ and the waiter's, for that matter ─ the young boy peered up at him.
"Could I have some milk, please?" he chirped adorably, tilting his head slightly as required to complete the picture of that harmless cute child he had to have to be rehearsing in secret.
But Loid knew better than to believe any of that.
"Milk?" he echoed.
Conan nodded. "I heard it's useful to neutralize sodium hydroxide."
Loid felt his brain stutter, his forehead plucked out in confusion.
"And why exactly would you need to do that?"
And thus, the universe responded with a thud, resounding from somewhere behind him.
As the room shifted and their collective, laser-like focus fell on that specific point he had yet to see, Loid combed a hand through his hair. Dimly, he noticed that the waiter was gasping at whatever terrible scene his own two eyes were struggling to comprehend, whereas he found himself sighing at what his could not see.
Of course, Conan's chair was empty. Loid heaved himself up, and exhausted as though he was suddenly twenty years older, set off to search for his trouble magnet of a ward.
Roughly five days after their… scene in that luxurious restaurant he only happened to be in ─ and was by no means summoned to receive instructions for his mission ─ Loid Forger walked out of his mundane apartment complex to face just another ordinary day in his life. Just moments earlier, his boss ─ his handler ─ had called because of an emergency ─ a briefing ─ he had to attend to, and that had gotten in his way of picking up the school uniforms he had ordered beforehand.
But fortunately, his wife Yor had it handled, and his daughter Anya had been too excited to resist coming along.
His son Conan wouldn't be with them, though, having rushed out the moment the phone rang with nothing but a call that he'd be hanging out with his friends today. He had already been gone before he could say something, but really, what could he do? He'd been officially declared free from his grounding last night, so as long as he stayed ─ or tried to stay ─ out of the way of trouble, he supposed it was fine. Besides, he'd only be a floor away, so what would be the harm in-
Clang.
He spun around, perhaps a little too quickly. "Who is there?" he asked, his voice firm, demanding, yet only the silence replied. Silence, and that certain unusual quietness that Loid barely even remembered existed in this chaotic whirlwind of a life he had ended with.
An empty street, a few garbage cans tucked in a plain and old photo booth just around the corner of his apartment complex ─ Loid frowned, warily making its way closer and closer. Slowly.
Fingers graced the locking clip on his suitcase, ready to snatch the gun within if something were to strike. They twitched, and so did he, watching as the trashcan began to shake, subtly at first, until it turned into a violent rumble that had all alarms in Loid's head blaring so loudly that it almost hurt.
His grip on the suitcase tightened, his feet stopped mere inches away from it, and a cold bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
A black blur suddenly emerged and jumped out of the can, all but making the spy stumble backwards and onto the ground. Blinking, and still out of sorts, he glanced over his shoulder.
With a soft 'meow', the stray cat ran off somewhere, leaving Twilight to try and get his bearings back ─ as well as his breathing, if that was possible. It did not last further than a split second, before the man had tugged his hat closer to his eyes and walked off, willing to pretend that nothing had happened at all.
Get a hold of yourself, Twilight, he chastised himself and, without further ado, disappeared inside the photo booth. Hoping that his handler had not, somehow, witnessed such an embarrassing spectacle.
In doing so, he missed the trash can sliding away from the wall as if granted with a life of his own. He would never know of the big round blue eyes that, from behind oversized non-prescription glasses, darted from side to side before they slipped closed with a relieved smile.
Crawling out of his hiding place, Conan Forger wiped the sweat off his brow.
He's terrifyingly sharp, that guy, he thought, his finger absently tracing one of the many angry red scratches carved into his forearm, and bit back a hiss. Thank goodness I managed to lead that cat inside. Who knows what would have happened if he found me there?
Especially so shortly after struggling out of that tortuous grounding he had put him in. He kind of had the feeling that smiling sheepishly from behind the trash can he had hidden behind would not save him from his wrath when it had failed the first time around.
I barely got to glimpse it, but that was definitely a code. Conan's eyes narrowed at the photo booth he had just seen the spy disappear into. This is the first time he walks out of that house after that message, so it definitely has to do with his… secret profession.
One may wonder, though, what did any of this have to do with Conan? Well, actually, Conan wondered the same thing. His order of business started and ended with the organization that had stripped a good ten literal years out of him. So, unless this overly secret espionage organization that seemed to hide in a random photo booth in the middle of Berlint for no reason at all actually turned out to have a thing for the color black and de-aging drugs, Conan should not even bother with them at all.
That being said, he still had not a single lead to follow, not a single bit of information besides a pair of codenames that failed to occupy a relevant space within his mind. These people dealt with information ─ they were intelligence itself, even though they aimed for a different purpose, so if there was anyone around that may have at least seen a single silver hair in an unlikely place, it would be them.
Perhaps he was grasping at straws here, but it was everything he had. And, besides…
When will I ever get a chance like this? The possibility of learning more about a secret intelligence organization like this one. There was no way he, a detective, would let an opportunity like this slip away.
Conan's lips curved in a smirk. He stepped out from his hiding place, and prepared himself for a run.
"Wait, isn't that Conan over there?!"
He almost face-planted in his sudden stop, and refused to turn around. Because no. He had definitely not heard that one voice among literally any other; it was just a product of his own overactive imagination ─ yeah, that had to be it. He must be losing his mind, and besides, if he didn't turn and see it, it didn't exist.
As simple as that.
"He is! See, right there, next to… that trash can." There was a pause. "Hey, what is he doing-?"
"Conan-kun!" a third voice broke in, louder and distinctively female. "Over here, over here!"
He had already known life disliked him, but this level of contempt towards his person? It was well beyond his expectations, really. Here he had been hoping for a break, but obviously, he wouldn't get one, not even a respite.
Here, of all places? Seriously?
Still, he raised his head to find a certain trio of children waving him over with equally bright grins. He bit back a sigh and rose to his feet, drawn near by the all mighty powers of fear. He certainly didn't need them to scream his name, no matter how fake, one more time, thus risking having the spy listening from wherever he was hiding within that photo booth.
Though the fact that nothing had happened yet worked as a faint speckle of hope to keep on going. Maybe that seemingly banal photo booth had some sort of secret mechanism that isolated the proper hideout from plain sight, and furthermore, acoustically isolated it. He supposed that made sense, it would be the worst hideout ever if it was this easy to find.
"We were just about to pass by your house," Mitsuhiko said. "But it seems like you found us first."
It was, indeed, likely that running into these children was more of his doing than their own, more or less in the same way he kept stumbling into dead bodies ─ or rather, their hands, apparently. Whatever it was a case coming his way, or those innocent smiles aimed his way, the result was the same. Trouble, trouble, and more trouble.
"Say, where is Anya?" Genta said, his gaze wandering about. "I can't see her anywhere."
"She went out with Mom," Conan kept his answer simple.
He had actually asked if she wanted to tag along, even though he had been secretly hoping that she was too excited to see her new uniform to accept. Fortunately, all she had done was glance over at Loid, then Yor and finally back at him, before reaching over to hold on to the hem of her mother's shirt. Conan had assumed that was all the answer he was going to get, and tried not to look too relieved about it.
Otherwise, he'd have been forced to actively look for Ayumi and the others, and act according to his own word so that little Anya didn't suspect a thing. Joke was on him now, though, and so was the trouble coming back to bite him for being this overconfident.
There should be a way to dodge this. Anything he could say, an apology or an excuse that would allow him to head back home alone and prevent any of this from happening-
"Is that a photo booth?!" Ayumi suddenly exclaimed. "Hey, guys, why don't we-"
Conan slid into her view and laughed awkwardly.
"What's the plan for today?" the boy asked, not at all blocking the building in question as well as his little body could. "You were looking for us, so I thought there was…"
Ayumi's eyes widened suddenly, and truly, Conan wasn't even sure whether to call it a success or a bad omen.
"The bus!" she exclaimed, turning to his friends. "If we don't hurry up, we'll miss it!"
So a bad omen it was, huh. He had been on a bus with them only once, but he felt like that was enough evidence to back up his theory; this was a horrible, terrible idea.
"You…" Conan tried to speak through his suddenly drying mouth, failed, moistened his lips, and tried again. "You're not planning to go ghost hunting again, are you?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Not at all."
Conan breathed out in relief, but then Ayumi smiled.
"We're going to the museum!"
Before he could even process what she had said, even less articulate a proper response, the girl had turned tail and left running. Soon, her friends did the same, and Conan was left there, counting his chances. He could just walk away.
He could, yes, but Ayumi was pretty much capable of telling his fake parents what exactly had transpired right there. And then…
So, he sighed, and forced himself to follow close behind. Surely, on their way there, they would graciously explain what in the world was going on.
They never did, in fact, explain what in the world was going on.
And honestly, at this point, Conan wasn't sure if he really wanted them to. That certain uneasy feeling that had been brewing deep within himself in their short bus journey ─ stirred into existence by an excited chattering that, without proper context, was but a senseless talk about magic, of all things ─ grew significantly stronger the moment they got to the museum.
Or more like, by the several police cars parked nearby that swarmed everything, just like a colony of ants going for a forgotten sweet delicacy. Normally, he'd have expected that such a sight would deter these children from whatever they were planning to do in a museum, but of course, he should've known better.
But their grins never did lose their radiance, even as they cut through all of that without blinking an eye. As if a massive crime investigation of some kind wasn't happening in the exact same place they were trying to get in.
Could they really be that clueless? Conan didn't think so. They probably just didn't care enough, which was all the more concerning.
He did wonder, though, if these kids unironically thought they could, just, walk in. If they had not taken into account that one of the many police officers would do the sensible thing and stop them right at the entrance.
"What?!" Clearly, Genta had not. "How come we can't get in?!"
"We're a little busy in here, that's all," the police officer tried to reason, his voice soft the entire exchange. "Could you kids please go play somewhere else for today? You can come by tomorrow."
"Eh?! But tomorrow won't be any good!"
This looks like it will take a while, Conan decided, taking into the man's friendly, yet quickly faltering smile. We should probably head back, but…
He allowed his gaze to wander about. What happened here? he wondered. The large influx of police cars coming in and out from here was extremely unusual, even for Shinichi, who's seen his fair share of it. Something big is happening.
This police officer had been trying to convince them for quite a while, the poor guy, and Conan wouldn't be one but surprised if he ended up reconsidering his career choices by the end of this day. That being said, the detective did not keep that thought in mind further than a single second, instead peering from around him to the inside of the building in question.
A figure passed by quickly, just enough for Conan to blink and check if his retinas had caught the image. He retained the image for long enough to recognize the scowl in this man's face, yet even if he hadn't been able to, his voice was still pretty much audible from all the way over here ─ maybe a bit too much, loudly barking orders and cursing all the same. Thank God Anya wasn't there to hear all of that.
Isn't that Inspector Nakamori? They may have never interacted in the slightest, with Shinichi being specialized in homicide and all, but he recalled seeing him around more than once. Mostly when he went to visit Inspector Megure at the Police HQ for a case.
Why is the second division here? Conan shook the question off when he remembered it was a museum, and that robberies were not exactly uncommon in such a place.
That being said ─ he took a glance back at the kids, and watched as their heads hung down in defeat, and the police officer tried not to sign in relief but failed ─ why were these guys so adamant about coming here?
It was almost that they knew something big was going on here. But that was impossible, right?
"We couldn't even get in," Ayumi whined as they walked, out and not in like she had been hoping. "After all the trouble we went through to come here."
Apparently, by 'trouble' she meant the fifteen-minute bus trip here. No comments about it on Conan's part.
"It can't be helped," Mitsuhiko tried to reassure with a rueful smile. "With such a notice, I supposed it was to be expected."
"Man!" Genta threw his head back. "I really wanted to see it!"
"See what, exactly?"
All of a sudden, they were walking anymore. They twirled and stared, hard enough for him to tilt his head slightly and wonder if he had missed something. Besides the obvious, that was.
Eventually, realization was blinked into Ayumi's eyes. "We forgot to tell him!" she screeched, unbelieving. "Geez, Conan-kun, you should've said something!"
As a matter of fact, he did. Several times.
"You tagged along even without knowing why?" Genta raised an eyebrow at him. "That's kinda reckless."
Of all people, really, this kid was probably the last he'd have liked to hear it from.
"Do you know Kaito KID, Conan-kun?" Mitsuhiko asked suddenly. He perked up at that, which the boy may have taken as a confirmation and his cue to continue. "It seems he sent a notice recently."
Kaito KID? echoed in Conan's mind as he realized that, yes, he did know who he was talking about ─ more than he could even imagine ─ yet, at the same time, he probably knew about him a lot less than he'd be comfortable with.
His knowledge about this infamous phantom thief that children loved to talk about nowadays started and ended in first impressions, of what little he could get from an impromptu ten-minute faceoff at some rooftop midst of some jewel trafficker gang's attack back in the day. And none of them were good ─ arrogant, self-centered and irritating beyond human's comprehension.
He's a showman through and through, was his overall impression about him. An attention maniac that lives off the thrill of a good challenge. Since he had looked extremely pleased about him realizing his dove-driven 'stalking', and had gone ahead to invite him to one of these 'heist' he apparently loved to run in broad daylight ─ or moonlight, more precisely.
"So, you're saying he left a notice?" Conan asked him, deciding that he wouldn't believe it until he could see it with his own two eyes.
With 'notice', did he mean that he was actually announcing his next move? He could not imagine a thief so terribly daring, or stupid, enough to do such a thing.
Ayumi immediately started digging through her pockets, unbothered at his own blank gaze fixated on her as she rummaged and rummaged. Eventually, a grin lit up her face, and at the next second, Conan was blinking at the piece of paper she was offering him.
Though he accepted it without a word, his movements hesitant, Genta had been the one to react vocally for him. "You took the notice with you?!"
But she shook her head. "I just transcribed it," she explained, shrugging. "Just in case."
Conan decided not to answer, gingerly unfolding the note he had received instead.
"April fools,
When the moon splits the two,
I shall enter upon the waves,
in the name of the Black Star.
─ Kaito KID."
He wasn't sure what he had just read ─ even after the second time going through the scribbled words, at which point he was just tentatively starting to believe that the girl must have made some sort of mistake when transcribing it.
Like, what was this he had written about 'April fools'? April is still a long way away, he thought. So it's definitely not a date.
But as to what it actually meant, the shrunken detective was pained to admit he didn't really have a clue ─ internally, of course, because being six again was enough humiliation for one lifetime, so he wasn't risking any further than he could probably endure.
By the third re-read of the mysterious note, they had already gone back to walking, leaving him to bury his nose on the notice without even considering it a safety hazard ─ either for himself, or for any innocent passerby that wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Such was the case for that one teenage girl, who narrowly stepped out of his way before he could run into her. Never did the boy notice any of it, all too focused on the piece of paper he was narrowing his disturbingly sharp bright blue gaze at.
For some reason, though, she found herself turning around to watch him, as though in a trance, walk away ─ at this strange young boy, and that one back that grew smaller with every step he took away from her.
Her feet, unlike his, refused to move.
"That boy…"
Though her whisper had been all too weak for anyone to hear, it did bring the attention from the girl accompanying her. Leaving the older man by himself to cover a yawn with his hand, she glanced over to her friend to find her there, standing quietly there as though time had frozen still.
"Is something wrong, Ran?" she asked her, worried.
For a single heartbeat, she was left to wonder if her words had even reached her at all.
"It's just that…" Ran murmured, her forehead scrunching up. "I feel like I've seen him before."
"Looks like a pretty ordinary brat to me," the older man said before she could even think of a response, waving it off with the back of his hand. "You're probably overthinking it again."
"I… guess so."
Casting one last glance over to that mysterious child, Ran promptly shook it off, and went on with her day.
Just in time, too, Conan finally raised his head back up.
"So, this Black Star…" he murmured, deep in thought. He glanced back from over his shoulder, completely unaware of that certain trio that had just disappeared inside the museum.
Ayumi nodded, recognizing that she had been addressed even without a single word.
"It's the jewel Kaito KID's planning to steal," she told him, her face contouring into a pout. "We thought that, if we got to watch it from real close, we'd be able to figure out the code but…"
Somehow, Conan had the feeling that they wouldn't be able to, even if they had been allowed entry. And he wasn't only saying this because they were a bunch of six-year-olds that had not even started elementary school yet, it was mostly because, well, the code itself.
Just knowing about the jewel wouldn't cut it. He had the feeling that it went further than that, that it was far too elaborate, complex enough for Shinichi himself, a well-known detective back in his day, to scratch his head and wonder what in the world he had just read.
Sighing, he lowered the note. "Where did you get this, anyway?"
"Remember the professor we befriended the other day?"
He immediately regretted ever asking ─ and privately, scolded himself for not doing anything to stop that encounter from happening. Not that he knew how he'd be able to do such a thing except, perhaps, suddenly developing some kind of precognition powers or something crazy like that. Even coming from him, who'd de-aged an entire decade just by gulping down a pill, that sounded ridiculous.
But still, it didn't take away the fact that it definitely shouldn't have happened under any circumstances. And to make things worse, it sounded like they had hung out with him a few other times after their first meeting.
Conan wanted to huff, he wanted to scream at him, to ask him what in the world was his thinking. Yet unlike these children, that one house, that one place he remembered oh-so-fondly, was out of his reach for good.
"There's a nice girl that often visits him, we've met a couple of times," Ayumi explained. "She brought that notice the other day."
Genta nodded twice. "She was kinda mad, wasn't she?" he commented. "She told the Professor to give it to 'that mystery freak' if he ever has the guts to show his face around."
Conan grimaced inwardly. That's Ran, all right, and not just any kind of Ran, it was the thoroughly pissed-off Ran, the one who would probably break his spine if he so much as breathed close to her ─ either in the wrong or the right way.
He made a mental note to bring an armor for his future, grand return to Beika, though he wasn't too confident that it would be enough ─ that last thought effectively stole a shiver out of him. Better to take his mind away from that, he decided, by losing himself on the note in his hands once again.
Far too mystified about their new friend's antics, the three children exchanged a look. Mitsuhiko was the first one to react, managing a chuckle as the other two were going for their next round of staring.
"I don't think you're getting that note back, Ayumi-chan," Mitsuhiko commented. "He seems… surprisingly passionate about this kind of thing."
"Yeah." Genta crossed his arms behind his head and raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't he the only one who was against this, though? Our detective club, I mean."
Ayumi watched the boy a little while longer, taking on the concentrated frown that grew stronger with each line his eyes scanned, and could not help but to giggle, for some reason her two friends couldn't seem to be able to put together.
"They're more alike than it seems," she told them, unable to hide her amusement from her voice. "Conan-kun and Anya-chan."
Genta squinted his eyes at Conan. The intensity of his scrutiny was such that it surprised Ayumi that Conan did not notice a single thing. "You think so?"
Mitsuhiko, on the other hand, hummed as he considered her words for a while. Eventually, something seemed to click, seeing as how he nodded his head.
"It's unfortunate she didn't tag along this time," he said. "She'd probably love this as much as him."
"Yeah… And it's too bad that she couldn't hang out either," Ayumi said in a dejected sigh. "I was dying to introduce our new member to both Anya-chan and Conan-kun…"
"It couldn't be helped, she said she'd be busy for a while. We'll get to it later."
Ayumi's words were abruptly stolen out of her before she could even make a sound, her attention brisked away from their casual conversation to the boy who had been walking a few steps in front of them, quiet and buried in his many thoughts. For he had, out of the blue, stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face them.
Saying no word at all, just staring with those inexpressive, half-lidded blue eyes of his.
"Conan-kun?" Mitsuhiko tried. Ayumi knew he hadn't imagined the anxious trembling in his voice. "Is something-?"
"Why don't we all have an actual sleepover?"
And with the question came the silence ─ their every thought carried over with the wind as the boy simply stood there, patiently awaiting a response they didn't know if they could give him.
There had been a time in Shinichi's life when he thought there was nothing that could surprise him anymore.
Given his life history, the several thousand cases where he had been faced with the most hideous, disturbingly creative side of humanity, he had genuinely believed that he had seen everything this world had to offer. But then came the shrinking, and he had been forced to admit that this was it ─ that now he had seen everything, that he had effectively lost his capacity to feel anything remotely similar to bewilderment, no matter what life threw at him.
Then, he had been adopted, and from then on, his every day afterwards was less than an easy yet comfy routine and more of what he'd describe as a Pandora's box. For, in between spies, housewives with Ran-esque fighting abilities, children, and… animal stampedes in school interviews, Conan had eventually realized that he could not deduce what the future had in store for him. Not until he gathered up courage and, hoping for the best, opened the damn thing and saw for himself.
This time had not been any different, but instead of a box, it was a door. And behind it awaited him such a scene that he had failed to predict upon returning to the apartment he, in some other unpredictable twist of events, had wound up living at.
There, in the middle of the living room, were Yor and Anya. Which wouldn't be the strangest thing because, like, they literally lived there, but for starters, they were both wearing gym clothes.
And, quite accordingly, Yor's stance was not unlike how he had seen his childhood friend stand before, seconds before breaking someone's nose through a powerful karate chop that, thankfully, had never been aimed for him ─ or he'd have long been dead. Fortunately, the girl usually reserved that sort of thing for dangerous criminals that Shinichi might have poked at with his deductions.
Her gaze narrowed dangerously and promptly punched the air. He watched as Anya clumsily copied her movements and wondered if it would be too late to undo his arrival somehow.
"Oh, welcome home, Conan-san!" Unfortunately, Yor noticed him just as he was taking his first step backwards and was now grinning brightly at him. "Would you like to train with us?"
"No, thanks," he replied immediately, mostly by instinct rather than as a result of a proper reasoning process. "I'm good."
He decided not to ask, for the sake of his own mental health. Which Yor accepted surprisingly well, her smile untouched as she returned to… whatever they were doing, he just didn't know any more.
"Ayumi-chan invited me to a sleepover party," he said, disappearing into the hallway. "She told me to ask Anya if she wants to come, too."
"Oh, I see," he heard the woman say, all the way from his own bedroom. "That's so nice of her."
Conan offered nothing but a quiet hum, too focused on rummaging through his things for any further interaction. Which weren't a lot, but admittedly, it was more than necessary in order to survive. And for Conan, it was perfectly fine.
If he remembered correctly, it was the day after they were taken in, or maybe the one afterward, that Loid had decided to take them shopping ─ bought just enough clothes to sell the idea that they hadn't been just adopted in a whim, like, a few days ago, along with some essentials to ensure nobody would call Child Services on him.
And then, when it was about time to go, he had deeply regretted taking them along. Namely Anya, who kept on pointing and begging for him to get her whatever cute stuffed toy her big sparkly eyes had caught with, all but dragging the attention from other customers and sort of forcing the spy to comply. Rinse and repeat just enough times to make Conan doubt it was unintentional to begin with.
The boy recalled being quiet the entire day. Unlike his fake twin sister's loud antics, he had simply walked up to Loid with a plain and boring little blue backpack between his hands. He didn't think the spy had truly got it, but had not asked many questions either ─ probably waved it off as a little kid's fixation on the most random things and bought it for him without as much exchanging a word.
Conan scanned his surroundings, and only after he made sure no pink-haired little menace had snuck into his room without him knowing, he carefully pulled down the zipper. He stuck his hand inside that hidden pocket in the back, and could have sighed in relief at the scratchy feel of bills against his fingers.
Suddenly, the boy was glad that he had brought some cash with him to Tropical Land that day. It wasn't a lot, just enough to treat Ran with something on their way back home, but more than enough for those fireworks. I'll get the cheapest batch I can get.
That pesky phantom thief doesn't deserve anything more sophisticated.
Back in the living room, Anya staggered forward, missing her punch.
After Mitsuhiko brings the map I asked for, I'll know for sure. He stretched his hand, his fingers splayed out in front of him, and traced his pinky and middle finger ─ a perfect forty-five degree angle, or at least, good enough for a future check without raising suspicion from any of those kids.
The Black Star's initials are BS, short for Broadcast Satellite, he told himself, trying to put his many thoughts in order.
Once having figured that out, the rest was pretty simple actually ─ a direct conclusion to draw and to amaze about how clear it had been, as though this thief had explicitly written it out in big, capital letters.
Anya peered over her shoulder, in the general direction where her brother's bedroom resided, and stilled. She held her head up in anticipation, as if such a subtle sound would ruin everything and force her to live forever in ignorance.
Closing her eyes, and fighting against the excited smile that kept on pushing at her lips, she focused on his inner voice.
The 'two' in 'when the moon splits the two' must refer to the satellite and the sun. So, if the splitting refers to the moon creating an eclipse between them, then that means he'll show between 12:30 and 4:00 AM, when the BS broadcast is down…
If the 'waves' refer to a satellite signal, then he'll be coming from the direction of the BS signal. The BS signal is sent from south to west at a 45-degree angle, and from 42.3 degrees above the horizon… I'll have to check this later, but if it's actually that one building, it should fit. If I remember correctly its height is… And if I apply basic math, I'll get…
"Anya-san, are you okay?" Yor's concerned voice broke through. "You're a bit pale."
Anya breathed out, wiping the sweat collecting at her brow with a whine. "Anya's getting a little dizzy…"
The woman's hands went to her mouth to cover a gasp. Did I push her too far?! she mentally screamed. I thought that we could start with a little warm up, but did I overdo it?!
Poor Anya-san ─ I should've known she was barely keeping up!
That had the girl snapping out of her stupor, and her head towards her rapidly palling mother. She opened her mouth, but having failed so horribly to put together a response, Anya was forced to keep it shut.
By that time, Conan had finished his last-minute check, and zipped the bag closed. I'll have to check when I get to the map, but I'm pretty sure I know where it is.
He finally put it on, letting his bare essentials bounce inside as he adjusted his grip on it.
The plan is a simple one. I'll wait until the kids are asleep and then sneak out from Ayumi-chan's balcony. A fool-proof escape route that he had practiced for quite a few times already.
Because of her apartment's position, it was much easier to reach the fire escape than from his toilet's window. Considering that, and that Loid wouldn't be under the same roof he was in, Conan felt pretty confident.
Stepping into the hallway, the shrunken detective could barely keep his smirk from growing stronger; the man in his memories, clad in a pristine white suit and a cape that danced alongside the wind, smiled as well, his gaze twinkling in a silent promise for some challenge.
That one time, he had told him to come to one of his heists ─ had promised to deliver a performance that would leave him asking for more.
We'll see about that, Conan thought. What you're truly made of, Kaito KID-
A flash of green had the boy halting on his step, and slowly, turning his gaze towards the living room. There, he found that again ─ a sparkly emerald gaze and a bright confident grin. For some reason, Anya, practically vibrating in place, was clutching at the handles of her yellow little bag, and Conan could not help but stare. Hard.
"Anya's ready!" she announced at his silent question. "For the sleepover!"
Conan raised a single eyebrow. "In your gym clothes?"
"Anya-san," Yor walked forward, holding her index finger up to emphasize whatever she was about to tell her. "You must know, it is very important to take a quick shower after exercising. Or you could get sick."
She spun back to her immediately, the smile completely eradicated from existence.
And Conan took his opportunity to make it to the door. "I'll go ahead," he called, hastily.
Without even waiting for a response, the boy closed it behind his back, and now that he was alone, he was free to deflate against the door and sigh heavily.
I thought Anya would be too excited with her… training session to even consider a normal and utterly boring sleepover. That had been close, he realized, closer than he had counted on.
But fortunately, all of that was in the past now. If he hurried up, he should be able to run his own errands and get to Ayumi's before Anya could ring her doorbell.
So, he took a deep breath in. You can do this, he told himself one last time before taking off running.
With almost an entire minute to spare, the bright crescent moon welcomed the miniature detective into the roof of the Haido City Hotel. Rapidly scanning his surroundings, he made sure there were no capes or ridiculous top hats in sight before he allowed himself to sigh.
Somehow I made it in time, he thought. With how excited those kids were, getting them to sleep was a nightmare.
Truthfully, he'd thought he wouldn't get a chance. That was why, when he had finally been able to slip from his futon without resorting to yet another useless trip to the toilet in order to assuage Ayumi's groggy suspicion, he couldn't really believe it had happened.
For the rest, it went smoothly afterwards. For an extremely luxurious and well-known hotel, you'd have thought security was a little more… competent. But in a way, Conan thought he ought to be glad for their extremely valuable labor, note the sarcasm, or everything would've been for naught.
But still, he supposed they could have tried harder. His most admirable opponent had been an 'employees only' sign he'd pretty much pretend he had yet to learn how to read if necessary, though he'd prefer not to ─ for he was supposed to be physically six, sure, but his trip to the tailor shop and the sympathetic smiles had drilled it into his brain that he might be a tiny six-year-old. Even Anya, who was confirmed to be as old as his fabricated child identity, certainly looked a little younger, too, and she was taller.
If needed, he could pretty much pass as a toddler. What a scary thought.
Settling his bag onto the floor, Conan peered down and hummed absently at the fifty-something-floor fall that would await him if he pretty much took a wrong step.
That guy called himself a renowned international thief. But there's not a single police car in sight…
There were, however, quite a few helicopters as far as his eye could see, swarming the area and furiously searching for him, so he supposed he hadn't been lying there.
That's nice and all, sure, but why are they gathered at… He squinted his eyes. Beika Town Hall?
Shinichi had to admit, he was pretty impressed. Their starting point had practically been the same, the code that the phantom thief Kaito KID had sent out, yet not even with his experience as a detective could he deduce how they even got to such a conclusion.
"I give up!" He wondered if the police had, too, sounded like that at some point. Like Genta had whined back at their sleepover at Ayumi's house, after a few good hours of staring at the code. "This doesn't make sense at all!"
Seriously, the boy had looked as though he would've torn his hair away from his scalp out of frustration, but couldn't even do that right because his head was practically shaved.
Conan had not given it a second worth of thought, instead reaching for the map that was splayed in the middle of the little circle they had formed.
He had slapped an innocent hand over it, secretly measuring distances while minding the map's scale, and suddenly had felt incredibly lucky that the thief had chosen Haido City Hotel of all places, because he actually remembered looking up its height at some point ─ not that he remembered why he had needed that information, but he was positive it had to be some random case he had solved a long time ago.
Applying the Pythagorean theorem Loid had tortured him with for what felt like years, he had been able to confirm his suspicions. The designated place had been, indeed, the roof of the Haido City Hotel.
"Yeah," He had sat back and thrown his head backwards. "It's like he just jotted down a bunch of nonsense and called it a day."
He remembered Anya had stared at him blankly, just as he finished his words. Mentally, he had thrown his many recurrent questions into an abyss, and never ever heard about their answers.
"Hey, that's it!" Genta had suddenly exclaimed, his eyes wide as two plates. "Maybe he doesn't want it to be solved."
Mitsuhiko had looked so confused that Conan had thought he wouldn't get to articulate. But he had managed, "Why would he do that?"
"In order not to get caught, duh!"
"You just don't get Kaito KID," Ayumi had said, a smile playing on her lips. "Well, I don't blame you. I didn't get it either when Dad talked about him so excitedly, but then I saw him in person and…" It had been followed by a giggle, and a sparkle in her gaze that reminded him of his own fake sister, currently sitting beside her. "He was so cool!"
"Your dad?" Anya's question had been followed by a nod.
"He used to go to each and every single of his heists. Mom didn't like it, they almost broke up once because of that."
"She must have been worried sick about him," Mitsuhiko had suggested. "Even then, he did return what he stole, but the police still did not like him a lot. I heard it used to be prohibited, even dangerous, to attend any of his heists eight years ago."
Conan recalled being brought out his own musings to blink up at his group.
"Kaito KID was an actual kid?" he had mumbled before he could recognize it was his own voice speaking, far too distracted by the first impression he had gotten of him ─ KID was already young just a few weeks ago, likely still in his teens if he wasn't mistaken.
Unless he was a bit up in years and had somehow found a way to retain his youth, which was a theory that Shinichi would have discarded in a heartbeat but, well.
Soon, he had been forced to recognize that, indeed, he had spoken up. For their plain, collective gaze had pierced through his very soul, certainly not for the first time today, as though they were questioning their very existence without uttering a single word.
"I thought you said you were a fan," Ayumi had said, her eyebrows raising to correctly portray her judgment.
"A… casual fan."
Tilting his head back, Conan finished up the last droplets of the iced coffee he had snatched earlier ─ because it would be dumb to lose such an extremely rare chance ─ and wished that this heavenly bitter taste in his tongue would prevail for a little longer than he was counting on.
Maybe I could convince Yor-san to sneak some coffee in my cocoa next time, he considered. I could work with mocha, or even slightly caffeinated cocoa. Anything it's fine, I could work with that…
God, I'm sounding like an addict at this point.
The can clanked as he set it down, and a sigh left his lips as he carefully tucked the firework rocket inside. He should be good to go, and KID shouldn't take much longer to make his glorious entrance. Any moment now.
"You said he was around eight years ago, right?" Conan remembered asking, as much as he recalled Mitsuhiko shaking his head.
"It's been eight years since he disappeared," he had informed him, to his great surprise. "Apparently, a police officer shot him in one of his heists and was not heard nor seen again."
"Until he returned about a month ago," Ayumi had added, beaming. "But they don't restrict access any longer, it's like an attraction where everyone can have a lot of fun!"
"If they figure out where the heist is taking place, that is."
If you asked him, to Conan, everything made perfect sense. Unlike the government, it did not sound like KID was disliked by the Ostanian citizens, or at least by a large part of them. Which in this overly patriotic country he had been born in was extremely rare, practically unheard of.
Either accidentally or deliberately, he was taken down by an unknown officer eight years ago. Because KID, while undoubtedly still a criminal, did not sound like a threat big enough to warrant death, the government must have been heavily criticized by their violent methods of apprehension. And with the East being just a hair away from a full-blown war against the West, Conan could imagine that a fragmented, discontent, society was the least they needed right now.
Looking at it that way, the detective supposed he could see why they would change their stance so radically when KID returned from the grave nearly a decade later. Even if it meant looking like a bunch of fools being played by an insufferable thief that was bored enough to skip around under the moon.
This generation's KID is one lucky guy, huh?
From one moment to another, something in the air seemed to shift ─ nothing too perceptible, like a whisper of the wind that alerted him that he was not alone, not anymore. And whirl around he did, and easily enough the boy found that one crescent moon-like grin beaming down at him.
As though not to disturb the stillness of the night, he landed quietly in front of him. Conan chose a sheepish smile, before he promptly turned back around and crouched, his hand sliding into his pocket.
Kaito KID leisurely approached, his steps muffled with practice.
"Hey, kid," he greeted, his voice from much closer than Conan had expected. "We meet again."
"On a rooftop, surprisingly," Conan said, impressively sarcastic through his adorably high-pitched tone.
With a click, a weak little flame sparkled into life, dancing on the top of his lighter for his innocent blue, reddish tinted gaze to stare at.
"It's only the second time we meet, and you're getting a little repetitive already, KID-san."
And then the sky exploded with a loud bang. For a moment, Conan contented himself to watch as colorful sparks faded over to become one with the stars, leaving way to the few helicopters that, alerted by the dazzling yet unusual show, hurried to check on them.
But KID did not look worried at all. A chuckle bubbled up his throat instead, his gaze drifting back down and to this naïve-looking child that just stood there, peering up at him with wide curious eyes, as though he was expecting something.
Whatever it had been, whether it had been fake or not, the thief would never know. But somehow, there was something that made him want to laugh.
"Seems I wasn't wrong about you," the thief said, amusement tinting his voice. "You're no ordinary boy, are you?"
A smirk dispelled all of that childish innocence from his face, and KID could not get over the impression that this was the most genuine he'd seen the boy in the entire night.
"Conan Forger. A detective."
KID lit up like a Christmas tree at his response, but it wasn't until that reaction that it really fell on Conan what he had said. Smirk vanishing into thin air, he belatedly wondered why had said that, of all things.
Shinichi Kudo was a detective, while Conan Forger was not. He could be one thing or another, they weren't interchangeable by any means ─ so what was he doing, mixing everything up in front of a measly criminal? What am I-?
A gloved hand moved, snapping Conan back into reality. His body tensed, watching him as he slid his fingers inside his suit, as if to pick something up, and readied himself for whatever he might-
KID jumped back, his perfect posture forgotten in an instant. Conan blinked, and blinked once more for good measure, but surprisingly enough, the blur of pink stayed back ─ an extremely familiar blur of pink, that was, with those weird, little horn-like clips and everything, holding into the thief's arm with all the strength her little arms could manage.
"A-Anya?!"
At the scream he hadn't been able to contain, the thief paused to stare at him. He held his arm out, leaving Anya's little feet to sway limply as she hung in there with her eyes scrunched closed.
"An acquaintance of yours?"
"Twin sister."
"Oh." KID eyed the little girl from a moment further. "I think I kinda see the resemblance."
Where? Conan could've asked, was he to be allowed to be properly mystified about the commentary.
They weren't actual twins, to begin with, and if even Genta could see that they were as similar as day and night, he supposed it was pretty obvious at first sight. Sometimes, he found himself wondering how Twilight had managed to sell this story so well for so long, and would often find himself drawing a blank and developing a faint sense of admiration for his ridiculously superb lying skills.
But now, seeing the girl holding onto the thief so determinedly, unbudging from her place even though she was probably aware of how pointless her fight was…
Still can't see the resemblance.
"Oh, well done, Anya!"
"You got this, Anya-chan!"
"Help is on its way, please hold on a little longer!"
Being absolutely honest, Conan was tempted to pretend that he had heard nothing at all. That there was absolutely not a soul in sight, and that the voices he could hear, cheering on his little sister's futile attempts to apprehend a guy that was about ten years her age and almost twice as tall as she was, were nothing but the wind playing tricks on his mind.
Those three were not just standing there, atop this Haido City Hotel, jumping in joy as though their favorite soccer team had scored a goal with less than a minute of game remaining.
KID was observing them, though. Too carefully for him to pretend they were a mere delusion of his.
"How many acquaintances do you have?" KID asked, amused. "Or are they also-?"
"Don't even joke about that."
Though he wanted to pretend his snappy response had taken him aback, the brilliant grin that grew in that thief's features made it impossible. Once again, this insufferable criminal had gotten in his way to self delusion and the boy was by no means pleased with it.
Yet, he found that there was little he could do about it. Besides, that was, watching in amazement as the helicopter he'd summoned through his poor firework show, together with the other two, hovered over their heads and cast the light over them.
KID remained quiet and his expression unshifted, as though this was going exactly according to his plan. He regarded the little girl still clinging to him for a moment, then with an extreme amount of care Conan wouldn't attribute with a criminal, gathered her into his arms.
Anya only gawked up at him with those big, forever glimmering eyes of hers. Unlike her, Conan felt his every muscle tensing up.
The door burst open suddenly, and in an instant, the place was swarming with people ─ police officers, detectives, and even Inspector Nakamori were there, all surrounding the current threat in an attempt to keep him from escaping.
Despite everything, Conan could've sworn his blood had frozen in his veins. Because he was certain he had heard that soft click he would recognize anywhere at his point.
Did they seriously bring a gun?! he mentally screamed, his eyes darting all over the crowd, but failing horrendously in finding such a thing. Who's the idiot-?!
From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Anya grasping KID's pristine suit. Though initially startled, the thief draped one arm over her and rested a gloved hand on her shoulder ─ as if he wanted to soothe, or even physically shield this unfamiliar tiny child from the dangers out there.
"If you excuse me, Inspector Nakamori," he said, tightening his grip around Anya. "You know, scaring that little lady like this is in terrible taste."
Given his bemused expression, Inspector Nakamori clearly did not understand it at first. But everything it took was a disapproving look and a gloved finger gun for him to gasp.
"Who's the idiot who brought a gun here?!"
As the inspector whirled around, Conan noticed KID turning back to Anya. His lips didn't move, but from the muffled yet incoherent whispering that reached his ear let him know that some sort of message was exchanged. Whatever it was, he'd probably never know ─ not would he ever figure out why the girl had suddenly pressed her face against his shoulder.
Normally, a child should be terrified by criminals and feel safe around the police. Eyeing the inspector as he yelled his lungs out, however, Conan didn't find it within himself to defy her often faulted logic.
"There's a freaking child hostage, you blind bunch of-!"
"Language, Inspector." KID said, absently rubbing Anya's back. "Remember the children."
"Don't give me that!" he screamed, his anger easily redirected at the thief in white. "Forget about the pearl! You have nowhere to run."
"I'm only here to observe you tonight. I don't plan to steal anything." Their confusion only served to amuse him further. "Oh? But I clearly wrote so at the start of the notice."
He pushed a button, and then his cape had taken the shape of a hang glider.
"April Fools. It was a lie!"
Anya pressed her face further into him, if possible. Conan gasped and took off running towards them, but suddenly there was light.
He covered his face with his arms, eyes tightly shut. Had that idiot seriously thrown a flash grenade to his face?!
"Did you know, little boy?" he heard him say, the smirk audible through his voice alone. "A phantom thief is a creative artist who skillfully steals his prey, but a detective is nothing more than a critic who finds fault in what is left behind."
"W-What?!"
But just like that, and a poof of smoke, everything died down. The light faded away, the silence rose anew as the smoke parted ways to reveal a white silk top hat.
A hat, and two little hands that pushed it enough to peer from beneath. To see, with her own two eyes, as the boy hesitantly approached to stare at her in bewilderment.
Only Anya remained there, wearing KID's hat as the sole evidence of his whimsical, fleeting existence.
Even as the rest of the children rushed over, Conan's brain did not stop running, seeking a plausible explanation of what his eyes had seen. People do not just disappear like that.
"That was incredible, Anya-chan!"
"You got to see him from so close! Man, I'm so jealous!"
"And he even let you keep… Huh? What's that you have over there?"
How did he do it? There must be a trick, but… But how-?!
"Niichan!"
Anya brought him back to the present, and the frown that decorated her features rooted him to this reality. She didn't say much, just silently passed him the top hat she had seemingly gotten to keep as a souvenir.
Tempting as it was, Conan decided against setting it on fire with the lighter he still conveniently carried around. Mostly, because he had turned it over, to discover there was a piece of paper stuck to its brim.
He held his breath as he read it over.
Five days from this fine night,
I will appear on the Queen Selizabeth,
leaving from Yokohama Port,
to steal the real Black Star.
─ Kaito KID.