Chapter Text
Whether it was the loud chirping of the birds above them or the girl beside him, he couldn't tell. Kudou Shinichi could only sigh, a loud and heavy sigh.
"Shinichi! Are you even listening?" the girl put her hands on her hips, he could clearly see the expression of disapproval there from the corner of his eye.
"Yes, Yes..." Loud and Clear. To his absolute displeasure. He couldn’t ignore it—
"Then why don't you stop skipping classes already?? The cultural festivals are starting next week!" he physically had to distance his ear from the girl.
—even if he wanted to.
You already said it thrice. He pointed out, in the privacy of his mind only, figuring it unwise to voice it aloud. The consequences of that he decided, he had no intention of finding out.
"Ran. I know that already. I said I would play the violin for you guys, didn't I?" he grumbled, head turned away from his left side pointedly, more interested in the sight of that one particular pebble on the street. This had been like that since morning and he didn't know how much patience he had for it. Hence he decided to do what he does best, ignore it.
"But you need to practice that too!" Ran Mouri, his childhood friend and classmate, and currently the girl he was absolutely trying to avoid—
"I do, at home." He felt his eye twitch.
—and failing.
Why couldn't she leave him alone?
But he didn’t notice the way she glanced at his way, eyes softened for a moment. It's like this again...
"Come on! What's so good about that case anyway? You have been at it for weeks... You should stop that and focus on your studies more. Mysteries aren't that important!"
That made him look at her pretty quickly, because excuse him? That was offending. Mystery, by all means, are very important, and he wouldn't stay quiet about that part. When he met her gaze however, he had found, just as he had expected, that displeased look.
"Mysteries are important too!" he defended. Then, because he couldn't help adding, "You know, Holmes once said 'A mystery is only as captivating as the mind that seeks to solve it'. You will understand once you solve one!"
It wasn’t there.
No matter how much one scrutinized The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes.
He would know.
For someone who had read every single one of those cases enough times to be considered unhealthy by the conventional standards, Shinichi would definitely know.
The dry stare he got in turn was easily ignored. After all, he had done that for years. "No thanks. I don't want to turn into a mystery geek too," the girl turned away with a huff.
"Shinichi always does that... He only cares about this case and that case... and he always forgets about me."
His breath hitched at that.
"...Are they really that important?" it was said quietly, quieter than she had been all morning.
His lips parted, skimming for a response, only to realize that the girl had turned away, clutching her school bag in front of her very quietly.
"O-Oi... Ran... That's not—"
He trailed off, trying to scramble for some excuse, hoping his ears weren’t as red as he felt them in the moment.
Hesitantly, he glanced to his left again, and the sight made his heart jump, almost beating out of his ribcage.
Her shoulders were trembling as she brought a hand to her face, pressing it over her mouth.
“R-Ran!” Pushed by a frantic sense of urgency, he attempted to catch her gaze but she stubbornly hid it away. “I-I didn’t mean it like that okay? I am sorry! Cases are important but not—”
A small sound escaped her.
He froze.
Then felt his right eyebrow twitching as his mouth pressed into a straight line. “...Seriously?”
“ppffffftt—!!”
She was giggling.
He stared at her with the driest look he could muster, which still clearly didn’t affect the girl. If anything, she doubled over, which only served to make Shinichi tremble in embarrassment.
She had totally played him.
“You are so easy!” she declared with a bright smile.
He snapped his head away. “Tch. You wouldn’t get mysteries anyway!”
“No way! I can too!"
"Yeah? Like what?"
"Like I already solved the case you were stuck on for two weeks!” she declared proudly.
“Oh? Did you?” he rolled his eyes, “then let us hear your deduction, Detective Ran.”
“So mean… See when I solve it!” he pointedly ignored the pout directed his way. “So, the truth is, that there is something supernatural at play! Like you know, clairvoyance? Being able to see everything! I bet that’s what happened!”
I knew it. Shinichi felt a sudden and strong urge to slam his head on the nearest pole. Then decided against it, settling for a sigh instead. She’s still at it?
“Now the case is solved!"
Yeah, not even gonna comment on it.
"So... you don’t need to go anymore right?”, the bright smile she gave him made his steps slow.
For a moment, all he could do was stare.
It wasn’t just the smile, there was something like hope.
“I…” he trailed off, realizing there was nothing he could say to that. Instead he huffed, turning to stare at the trees passing by as if they were the cause of this sudden weird feeling, “I told you already, that is impossible. Clairvoyance isn’t a thing.”
“It is! How else can someone see through things?”
“That’s exactly what I have been trying to figure out for the past few weeks, you know?”
“There’s no way you can figure it out! It's magic”, she affirmed, absolutely convinced about the theory.
“Ano ne, Ran. If magic was real, we detectives would be out of business!”, he turned away from her, instead glaring at the stones of the sidewalks. “...How childish can you be?”, he muttered under his breath.
“It’s not childish! It was clairvoyance, just accept it you idiot detective!”
“Hah? You are the stubborn one! It wasn’t clairvoyance.”
“Was too!”
“Wasn’t.”
“Baka Shinichi!”
“...” Glaring at each other with matching intensity for a moment, both of them finally turned away with huffs. I will show her when I solve it.
The walk from sidewalks to the school had been nothing except silence and occasional peeks.
***
Ran couldn’t help glance at him somewhere along the way, only to find that look. Those indigo eyes seemed to look somewhere far away, distant.
Shinichi…
The sound of synced melody chorused through the room, bouncing off the walls. And one particular girl with short brown hair made sure to not let her energy slip in, lest she want to risk ruining the tune.
Sonoko had never minded the music lessons. If anything she enjoyed itーhowever the reason wasn't one anyone would imagine it to be.
They were far better than the other, far more complex subjects.
But It's not that she loved music or anything like that, although she had no problem with it. It's because Suzuki Sonoko loved bothering her best friend and the arrogant detective wanna-be since childhood.
Because that said boy sucks at music, what can be more funny than seeing that arrogant guy getting scolded by Sayuri-sensei?
That being said, today, luck was not on her side. Her source of entertainment seems to keep disappearing from first half of classes for past few weeks.
When she peeked behind herself, all she could do was hold back a squeal. She had to, or else her teacher wouldn't be very kind.
Her surprise soon turned to a stare, blank as a paper. There goes my entertainment.
The cause of her disbelief was currently on all fours, sneakily weaving through the sea of legs to the hallway.
"Oi Ran," she whispered to her best friend, "Your husband is running away!"
"Eh??", the said girl looked back quickly to confirm exactly what she'd been told. Then snapped her head to front with a nonchalant huff. "Whatever. Who cares about that deduction maniac anyway?"
Sonoko would gasp and tease her, if she couldn't clearly see the flute crack in her best friend's terrifying grip.
She chuckled sheepishly. ...You obviously do.
Then a sudden realization hit her, one hand quickly came up to muffle the loud gasp that would have otherwise been her doom.
"Ran. Its happening. Its finally happening. You didn't say no! You finally accepted that Shinichi-kun is your husband!", she was visibly vibrating.
"S-Sonoko!", the red that quickly tinted her friend's cheeks was delightful. "He's not!"
"Hehh you say it butー"
"Suzuki-san."
The girl straightened instantly at the strict tone of her music teacher. "Y-Yes, Sensei!!", then proceeded to sniffle dramatically at the flute in her hands.
Why do I always get caught up in their marital spat!?
"Sorry for the delay, Kudou-kun," said the man, his chest heaving. This man is currently the one he's helping, who is, ironicallyー
"No No, it's quite alright."
ーalso the suspect of the current case.
"Right...," the man responded quietly, trailing off. Still writing clean characters over the small notebook in his hands, he noted the man fixing the collar of his tie from the corner of his eye.
His attention strayed from the small nervous movement to the way he seemed to check his watch. A clean white shirt, walnut coloured suit atop of it and a leather bag in his right hand caught his eye. A formal dressing.
I see.
The distinct prick of two sharp gazes on his back, which he had come to ignore now, still didn't fail to cause his eyebrow to twitch.
The police never give him a break, do they? But he couldn't really blame them, it's their job, after all.
"Then, Koichi-san, let us go over the facts once more."
The man nodded in agreement. However, Koichi couldn't help his shoulders straighten at the tone. It was a wonder to him that a teenager could sound…
"On Thursday morning two weeks ago, your grandmother, Ms. Akimoto was found murdered in her house," the older among the two nodded at that, "and you, who had plans to visit her that same morning, became a suspect."
… this professional.
"That's right," confirmed the man, "But the night before that, I went out to drink with my friends. I was very tired and hungover so I decided to cancel my visit the next day."
"And you..." His voice trailed off, the kanji characters in his pocket diary seemed to blur.
His steps staggered.
"..Kudou-kun, are you okay?"
He looked up abruptly, breath caught for a moment, before he slowly released it.
"K-Kudou-kun, that's a very scary expression you have there," the man offered a sheepish look.
"AhーNo. Don't worry about it", he stated at last, regaining his footing. "I'm fine now."
"..Are you sure?"
"Yes.”
"Well then, where were we?" by this time, his spine had straightened.
"I decided to cancel my visit to my grandmother," he re-stated.
"And you ended up here instead till morning," he picked up right after, gesturing to the grass patch in front of them, "In this park. And naturally they questioned you since you had plans to meet her."
"But when the police asked me about my location that morning, I was still pretty disoriented... so I told them I was at my apartment."
"ーwhich they verified and found to be untrue. That's how you ended up on the suspect list."
"I know it will sound weird but..." he tried, getting the younger's attention successfully, "You are really fifteen, right?" something in his voice told the teen that he didn't quite believe it.
"Of course," he chuckled sheepishly, "Unless you suspect me of secretly being thirty."
"No no, that's not it!", the man waved hands in front of himself frantically, making the detective chuckle.
"The morning your grandmother died, it was around 10..." murmured the teen, one hand coming over to his chin. "Around that same time, you heard a dog bark in the park and saw a woman walking her dog," at the affirmation from the other, he turned opposite to the grass patch, eyes taking a grim look. "However..."
"The woman was walking on the *other* side of that wall."
"...Uhm…Kudou-kun.”
“Yes?”
“You have classes right now, right?" the man finally voiced what he had already expected, "I think we should stop. You should be going to your school... And I have taken off a lot of days already, I won't be able to take any more," he sounded guilty, as if he regretted wasting his time.
"It's fine, go to your work. I'll continue on my own," he responded, lips upturning faintly, "You haven't really wasted my time. Consider these as my studies too!"
"..." The older man's eyes widened, before a grateful smile formed on his face, "...Thank you. Truly."
Shinichi simply nodded in response.
Afterwards, he watched the man leave. Being a businessman didn't grant him freedom to hang out with teenagers in a park, after all. He concluded, before turning away.
Now then…
He shifted his attention to the wall in front of him, tall and imposing, with no visible cracks.
The indigo eyes narrowed with a sharpness that didn't belong on that young face.
I have a suspicion but…
One look over the wall told him all he needed to know. And, on closer inspection, he wasn't surprised to find the lack of cracks or holes. But then again, he already expected that to be the case.
Which again brought him to the same question:
How can anyone see through a wall?
It made no sense, really.
'It's magic!' A certain girl's voice echoed in his head, making his eye twitch. Yeah right. And I'm the king of Vespania.
Rolling his eyes, he slipped his hands in his pocket. There was definitely an explanation. And it was far more convincing than that outrageous 'clairvoyance' idiocy, that much he would safely bet on.
Hmm...
Deciding that wall was no longer worthy of his time, he turned to the parkway. Closing onto the short brick wall that separated the way from the planting strip.
Crouching in front of it, he estimated it to be about two feet. So must have been the least height of the dog. Otherwise there was no way Koichi could have ever seen it while he was lying down.
Lying down, huh… His gaze strayed to the grass suspiciously. There's no way... right?
Okay there's no way in heck.
Staring at the wall was completely fruitlessー a stupid whim, if one would.
He lets out a long sigh, a bored expression taking hold of his face. ...How can you possibly see a woman walking her dog from the other side of a wall?
There had to be something.
There's always only one truth.
And the truth of this case is logic.
That absurd clueー of course, wasn't his sole lead. Koichi had also heard kids that day, marching through the park with two nursery teachers. Just yesterday they had confirmed it— it had been the kids from the Teitan nursery.
In fact, three of them had seen the man. But his luck clearly wasn't with him because only those three year olds had seen him. And their statements, unfortunately, weren't a reliable alibi.
His mind shifted through more possibilities, discarding one after another. It wasn't a hole in the wall. It wasn't a hallucination, because they confirmed that a dog did bark that day and was on a walk with his ownerー just in a really inconvenient spot.
The owner had insisted strongly that her dog disliked that park so she never walked him inside it, even by mistake. That leaves the possibility that there was another woman with another dog walking inside the park. A coincidence.
Now it's been two weeks but that ‘another woman’ is just nowhere in sight.
His lips thinned into a straight line.
What a wonderful month to disappear completely, supposing there was another woman.
The teenager shifted a little, stretching his elbows lazily, before settling more comfortably in the grass, just watching the clouds drift by.
These clouds have it good. He knew it was stupid but he almost felt jealous of them. No classes, No murders, No tragedies, just peacefully drifting wherever they want.
Peace & Freedom huh...
A few years ago, he would have found it to be an obvious thing. An easily attainable goal. But now, he couldn't help snort.
So childish.
An almost chillingly cold look passed in his icy indigo eyes.
Such a delusion.
That faint scent of dust and the vanilla scent of papers was a familiar comfort he welcomed. Polished wood, the lamp that sat atop of it, and the orange light that warmed his skin, all of it was a constant he'd gotten used to.
Wherever his attention would stray, he'd be met with a similar sightー rows and rows on end, a long sequence of texts that spoke of history and endless knowledge.
Silence was filled in every space of the large library, and he enjoyed that peace and quiet. It was so familiar that, more often than not, he couldn't help wondering why people would find the sight to be surprising?
It's just a lot of books… He listlessly commented in his head then leaned back. The faint leather scent hit him instantly, shoulders relaxing faintly.
Although, if he had to estimate, it would be around how much? Forty thousand... fifty... no, even more than that.
Okay... Maybe it is a bit too much. But dad has read them all right? Can't be that bad.
Until his eye caught the culprit he'd ceased to pay attention to at some point.
His pocket diaryー currently a jagged mess of clues, scattered all across the page. Right. The wall....What am I doing, counting the books in my house?
Joining his fingertips together, he recalled the facts from the depths of his memory. The clue of the nursery kidsー already a dead end. The woman walking a dog; still a mystery he hasn't solved. Should he rely on his luck here? That would be an option but not a reliable one.
He sighed, Not an option a detective would take.
Hoping to eventually run into the actual woman that was walking her dog in the park, especially when he hadn't run into them for two weeksー sounds less like a plan and more like a delusion.
He groaned and dropped his forehead onto the table. It's no good…
"Ah! There you are!"
Yeah no, it just got worse. He didn't look up at the sound of a familiar woman, pointedly ignoring her existence until he could see the blue clearly from the corner of his eye.
It surprised him that he hadn't even seen her reach all the way in.
But then again, of course he didn't, he'd been busy avoiding exactly that.
"Shin-chan!" her singsong tone never changed it seemed. Resigning himself to his fate, he sat back straight, a blank look plastered to his face.
"Oh? You don't look very good, Shinichi."
The comment from the other person he hadn't noticed until now, made him look back at him in surprise. "You're here too?" Instead of answering, the person reached for the bookshelf behind Shinichi.
"Yuu-chan! My Shin-chan looks fine!" the woman protested.
"The party I was invited to get rescheduled for tomorrow," said the man in question.
He couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed. Come to think of it, if his father had gone, his mom wouldn't be here either.
"Are you two ignoring me?"
That tone made both the males flinch, shoulders straightening instantly. "Not at all Yukiko, why would we?", his father was the first to recover.
Shinichi only laughed sheepishly then promptly let his shoulder drop, wiping off the sweat on his temple from the back of his hand. Survived by a millimeter...
"Anyways! How's that case going, Shin-chan?" his mother questioned, visibly vibrating with curiosity. Cheerful as she may be, she can be extremely scary. She wasn't an actor for nothing.
"It's fine," his eyebrow twitched at his father's raised eyebrow, "Fine fine, I haven't solved it yet!"
"Ehh? But didn't you say you found a lead? Something about the man having heard the sound of children?"
"I did Mom, but it turned out to be just three 3-year-old nursery kidsー now we can't really use *them* as alibi, can we?"
"Ohh, too bad!"
Give me a break, you are obviously enjoying it.
"What about the dog? You said he heard the bark of a dog, yes? And he had also seen a woman walk it."
"Except they were on the other side of the wall," pointed out the teen.
"Hm... that's very troublesome huh?"
Shinichi was glaring at the polished wooden surface in front of him as though it had been the cause of his frustration. That was, until something black made to the corner of his vision.
He glanced beside him only to see his father holding a large black case. "It helps you concentrate right?" before he knew it, the case was in his own hands.
That's...
"Yes Yes! It's been so long since I heard my Shin-chan play a violin!", the woman beamed in anticipation.
His own eyes widened, filled with surprise.
...So this is it.
"Shin-chan?"
He looked up to find a smile on his father's face, it was amused and, to his annoyance, very knowing.
"When did you realize? You never visited the park..." His father always seems to know more than he let on, after all. "...did you?"
"We novelists have more than a few advantages in cases like this."
"Yuu-chan?", the woman looked between her husband and son in confusion. "What? What are you two talking about?"
Instead of responding, Shinichi hastily placed the case on the table, rushing past the door. "Dad will tell you! Ask him! If he doesn't then maybe he is hiding something huh?"
"What? Shinichi! Where are you going? It's evening!"
The sole response was the distant sound of the front door closing.
***
"....Yuu-chan."
Yusaku stepped back faintly, giving her a sheepish smile. That was dirty even for you, Shinichi.
The man could see his doom in sight.
"Ehh? You want what now?"
"We are on duty young man. We don't have time to play your detective games," said the larger man, crossing his arms.
"I'm aware."
"K-Kudou-kun!"
"Trust me just one more time. I'm about to prove Koichi-san innocent," he didn't flinch away from the imposing presence of the inspector.
"And us doing *this* will prove it?", the older man's heavy voice didn't bother hiding the incredulity laced in it.
With a quick flick of his wrist, he glanced at the hour hand. "You'll know that soon."
***
"Like this?"
"Ah, Yes, like that."
"...Kudou-kun, Are you sure this is okay..?"
"Don't worry about it, Koichi-san."
"Inspector, should we really go with it? I mean, he is surprisingly good for a kid but he's still just a teen.." whispered the police detective to his senior.
"It's fine," responded the said inspector, a heavy gaze never leaving the standing young figure a few feet away. *Let me see the source of that confidence, Young man.*
"Alright," said the teen, satisfied with the current arrangement, "Now I need you three to close your eyes."
"E-Eh? We aren't here for a nap!"
"Just do it," the inspector's attention then shifted back to the teen, "This better not be a joke."
The young detective provided no response to that. Following that, the three men closed their eyes, the sight of blue that endlessly stretched beyond them giving into a void. One of them shifted, rustling the grass beneath.
Shinichi slipped his hand in his pocket, watching the hour hand nearing ten intently.
Untilー
"Now," causing the men's shoulders to tense.
ーthe bark reached their ears, causing their eyes to snap open in unison.
"T-That's the sound!" cried the suspect, looking forward from his lying position despite his straining neck.
A woman wearing a white hat, passing by, met their eyes. A black labrador, large enough to be seen clearly over the short parting wall even at their angle was at her side.
"That's exactly what I saw!"
He shot up eagerly, the two police officers beside him also sat up in toe. The vision was a momentary blur. That straining angle and their previous lying down position had them blinking for a while.
When the vision cleared however, Koichi's breath caught at the sight.
"T-Thatー"
"ーthe true identity of the Labrador you had seen that Thursday morning," stated the teen.
"A...violin case...?"
"A-Are you kidding me??", the police detective clearly had a harder time believing it, "We definitely heard and saw a dog! What's this nonsense?!"
"Explain it, kid."
"As you said, you did hear the bark; that's a fact. But the dog was outside the parkー on the other side of that wall with its owner. What you saw, however, was a different story. It was this violin case."
"B-But...how?" Koichi questioned.
"It's the sound. Hearing a dog bark, your brain naturally expected to see a dog," the inspector's eyes widened, "So when you saw the woman with the violin case pass by, your brain simply assumed that case to be a dog, causing it to hallucinate."
"B-But, we would knowー"
"You saw for yourself just now. At your lying position, you couldn't see two feets because it's blocked by that short wall, and that angle is straining. You can't see the empty space between the case and ground."
"Then..." Koichi said, realization filled his eyes as he hastily stood up, followed by the police.
"Excuse me." The three men realized that the woman in white hat had, in fact, not left throughout the explanation. "Can you repeat what you told me before?" questioned the teenager.
She nodded in response.
"That gentleman over there," Shinichi gestured to Koichi, whose shoulder straightened instantly. "Have you seen him in this park two weeks ago?"
"Yes, two weeks ago when I was passing from this park around ten, I saw him in the grass," explained the woman.
Koichi's shoulders became weightless instantly, all the nervousness gave into relief.
The police detective was watching with awe and obviously not doing his job, to the inspector's dismay.
"What are you doing? Stop gaping and write that down!"
"Ah, H-Hai!", the man almost jumped, clumsily taking out his detective notebook to note the statement.
The woman bowed once before taking her leave. Soon after, it turns out that the case had been solved and the actual killerー a house robber had been apprehended. Well, it all worked out for the best he supposed.
Now it's my turn to slip awayー
"Thank you so much, Kudou-kun!"
ーOr not.
"Ah no that..." he trailed off once he turned to face the said man.
Shinichi would have chuckled sheepishly already, had he not noticed the gratitude that shone in his eyes. It seemed... very genuine. Instead, he found his breath stuck. Being thanked because you helped someone, that feels... not so bad, he decided.
"Not really," he settled for a simple shake of his head instead, "I didn't solve it, my dad did. I just delivered it."
"That's not true."
"Eh?"
"I saw it, it was you who had been investigating these past two weeks. If you hadn't been so determined, it wouldn't have been solved."
"Oh… then, you are welcome,” he gave a sheepish smile.
As Shinichi saw Koichi nod once before leaving for work, he decided to slip away too. The best he can do right now is sneak back into his classes andー
"Wait."
ーOf course not.
His eyebrow twitched but he tried not to make it too obvious, turning to face the police far older inspector. "I have been wondering this whole time, Kudou Shinichi-kun, have we met before?"
"Huh?", the teen blinked. What is he saying all of a sudden? "You guys are police from Kanagawa prefecture right?"
"Hm."
"Then I don't think I do. I have gone there a few times but..."
The inspector's eyes narrowed so faintly, had Shinichi been any distracted, he would have never caught it. "I see. Then I'll ask properly. Who are you?"
You just said my name!
Shinichi stared at the man like he had grown a second head when he wasn't looking. They had been watching him and Koichi for two weeks, no way they didn't hear the introduction right on the first day so it wasn't surprising the Kanagawa police knew his name.
But, the question is, what is he even asking?
...Is it his name? Orー
Oh, wait, I get it.
He couldn't help chuckle, an amused and arrogant voice that didn't fit his fifteen year old frame.
"Kudou Shinichi, Detective.”
The sound of chalk hitting the green board was louder than it had any right to be, another sound was the quiet but distinct hiss of pens writing over paper. And a certain teen could only sigh in his spot.
He couldn’t say he didn’t expect himself to be here— the case had ended after all. That was to be expected. And yet, he was bored. Incredibly bored. It's not that he thinks studies aren’t important; they are, just, not as exciting as a case.
Well, he could give some credit to the equations seated on his notebook though. Mathematics, at the very least, wasn’t as uninteresting as the rest of their subjects.
And there was that too—
“Pssst, Ran.”
“....”
“Oi, Can I have your notes?” Because I obviously don’t have mine.
A very annoying albeit familiar snicker reached him. He slowly glanced at the seat behind the girl who clearly had no intention talking to him, to her evil best friend who seemed to be having a field trip. If glares could kill, Shinichi was sure she would be air by now.
Clearly it didn’t affect the short brown haired girl since she only gave him that grin.
That damn Sonoko…
Another look at the long haired girl and her distinctly visible frown, he knew he wasn’t getting those notes. Or her mere acknowledgement of his existence, by extent.
“Damn it…” he grumbled as his cheek met the cold surface of a page. Turning his notebook into a makeshift pillow was the least of his concerns.
“Shinichi-kun, is this boring?”
He straightened his spine quicker than the woman's words had echoed in the classroom, so fast, he was surprised his backbone was intact. “Not at all, Sensei,” he said with the best smile he could muster, hoping it didn’t look as strained and annoyed as he felt.
The moment his teacher turned away, shoulders dropped like they were made of lead. He didn’t look to his left again though. I will never understand girls.
The transition from classroom to their walk back home had been nothing but a particularly quiet girl and a teen, whom, if asked for his current mood, would simply stare so sourly, the person questioning him would regret every life decision that led to the moment.
Shinichi made a point not to look at his side—if it could be called occupied anyway. Not with the girl’s quick strides as if she’s trying to escape him to another country. Shinichi made no attempt to match her speed, figuring it to be a useless attempt.
That’s until something landed right over his nose. Aa. He blinked at it, it looked suspiciously pink, and it became more evident once he took it in his fingers. A sakura petal? He glanced around at the road they were on, both sides led down to rivers. Here?
From where—
That’s when his breath hitched, eyes widening imperceptibly.
A melody made to his ears.
Steps slowed, eyes searched his surroundings, until the source made itself visible, a very distant source. Beyond the grass that stretched downwards from the road, a sole figure stood by the river down below. The long hair flowed by the wind.
A woman. His mind supplied.
She was singing a melody.
While he had no way to describe it, he felt his shoulders drop all the tension. A knot in his stomach he didn’t know had been there to begin with loosened. For once, it felt almost… peaceful.
He hadn’t even realized when he had already stopped walking, and so had the girl beside him until her voice reached him.
“It's beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah." When he glanced at her at last, he found that smile, and then only realized he had a similar expression on his own face.
That was until another petal landed on his shoulder. Looking back, he realized with surprise that there were, in fact, Sakura trees at the sides of the road. I can't believe I didn't notice.
They stood there afterwards for what felt like a few minutes, until Ran's voice broke the spell.
“Shinichi, let’s go,” If you looked at this girl right now, you’d never guess she had been angry at all. Well, Shinichi was grateful for it either way.
“So… how was the case?"
“It was a violin case. ”
“A violin case? I was asking about the dog! It was magic right?" if he had any snark remark to add, it died the moment he met her smile.
He squinted at her, which he was sure came off as a bored look.
“What?? I'm sure of it!”
Too bright…. “I give up.”
***
“Ehh really?? It was a violin case? I was so sure it was magic though!”
“Magic is for comic books.”
“You can’t speak when you are busy reading one…”
“I-Its an adaptation of a mystery novel!” He quickly shoved the said book back to its previous position, glaring at the rows and columns filled with stacks of books.
Hearing a page turn, he glanced beside himself, suspiciously eyeing the girl's excited form.
Subtly he inched closer, catching a glimpse of the words written before they were hidden away.
"Don't peek!", Ran pouted, her cheeks reddening.
"What are you reading anyways…”
“It's a romantic novel that came out last week, everyone is talking about in school, you know? It's from my favorite writer!”
…Right. That “everyone” being just you girls. He rolled his eyes, until their focus shifted onto the wooden shelves.
They were everywhere.
Well...Since we are here...
It wasn't long before he'd found himself another volume of Sherlock Holmes special edition. Not so bad.
The splotches of their steps, loud as they may be, were easily drowned by something far noisier around them.
I take it back. Whatever did they mean by a “Sunny day”? Does this look sunny to them? Because if yes, Yeah. Nothing screams sunshine day like water droplets pouring down on you like gunfire.
“When did it start raining so hard??”
“How would I know!?” He didn't let his grasp loosen, weaving quickly from the edge of the street, trying in vain to save themselves from the mercilessly pouring droplets. Does Ran think I am a weather forecast or something!?
By the time they reached the fifth district of Beika city, all hopes to escape unscathed were down the drain. Shinichi glared at the ground, feeling his clothes weigh on him like they were concrete, sticking to him uncomfortably.
“Now we are all wet..,” the girl lamented a few stairs above.
Right, thanks. I didn't notice. If anything was a tell of how badly soaked they were, the water puddle that was forming on the previous dry stairs beneath him was definitely it.
“Shinichi! What are you doing down there? You'll catch a cold! I'll get you a change, come on in!” at some point, she'd already reached the landing of the stairs.
“Coming.” That rain definitely got to my head..
He couldn't say he wasn't grateful for finally having the baggage off. It was a relief more than anything, the feeling of being in warm clothes.
The only strange thing was the peace in the living room. Specifically because it is this living room. This detective agency is never peaceful. Where's her father? he wondered briefly. The only person capable of answering that had yet to return to the living room.
Jeez, She bought me a change twenty minutes ago. What's taking her so long? He stared dryly at her closed door.
Before he'd think of calling her to check in, a sudden vibration interrupted it.
Looking back once, he realized it's his school bag. Hurriedly he fished his hand inside for the object in question, only to be unable to. Tch, these books… He finally managed to retrieve it, only for the vibration to die. Great. All for nothing.
“Who's calling anyway?” huffing, he clicked it open, only to freeze at the name displayed on the screen. Okay never mind, I'm dead. He called back quicker than he would admit, tapping the wood beneath his fingers restlessly.
“Shinichi! Where are you!? I called you four times! Why won't you pick it up??”
“Ah… mom Iー"
“It's already past seven too!”
He clicked his mouth shut. When she's like this, he knows he'd not having a word. Somewhere in the background, he could hear the faint sound of his father saying ‘calm down’.
So they are together.
“It is raining so badly! Did you drop Ran-chan home?”
“Yeah… actually I'm still here. She insisted I change.”
“I am so glad Ran-chan is so dependable," she seemed to have calmed down. That should be good.
Instead, Shinichi's eyebrow twitched.
“I can take care of myself…”
“Ara, are you saying you will make dinner tonight, Shinichi?”
He almost jumped up from the cushion. “N-No, Iー”
“Say the words~”
He glared daggers into the table in front of him. “...Please take care of me,” even he could hear the venom that was practically dripping from his voice.
“Then I will make my Shin-chan coffee when we reach home!”
“Wait, you are outside?”
“Ah! Look at the time!” Of course. “Before I go!” he flinched, he knew that cheerful tone. Was absolutely certain it meant nothing good because it never did. “Tell me all about your time with Ran-chan~!”
“W-Whaー”
“Bye bye Shin-chan, Mom loves you!”
His brain promptly short circuited, the words refusing to make senseー
“Shinichi, who was that?”
ーuntil they did.
He jumped away from her like she's a live wire. “R-Ran!”
“...Your face is red,” she tilted her head, then her eyes widened as if a realization had hit her—whatever it was. “Aa! Did you get a fever??”
Inaccurate. Yup. He slipped further away from her worried form, hands in front of himself almost defensively, becauseー because. “I'm fine..”
Thump.
Her face that had been so clear until everything turned into a blur of colours. Steps, so sure before, now staggered.
“Shinichi!”, he only felt the sharp pain in his back when she spoke, realizing he'd hit the wall. He tried to find his balance but it's like everything was an echo.
A sharp pang ran through his skull.
Who…
…
“ーchi..”
A white noise rang through his skull.
“ーnichi…”
Something...
“Shinichi!!”
His head snapped up, only to find Ran's terrified face, the corner of her eyes glossy. Tears. “Mou, why won't you answer me!? Don't stare into space like that! Idiot!”
“Ran..” He carefully regained his footing only to feel the girl tense, seemingly ready to support him if he fell. “I'm fine,” he clarified as he straightened.
“That's what you always say!”
“And it's true,” slipping his hands in his pocket, he raised an eyebrow at her, like she was the one acting strange, “What are you so worried for?”
“N-Nothing! Who's worried about a deduction maniac?!” she turned away, wiping her face quietly.
Looking to his side nonchalantly, he extended his hand. “Here.”
***
She looked up, blinking through the veil of her wet and unfocused eyes. Then looked down at the small piece of cloth, neatly folded, offered to her. She reached out and took the object; his handkerchief, from his hand quietly.
Once she'd composed herself enough, she finally mustered. “Thank you…"
“It stopped raining,” commented the boy while glancing at the window.
“Ah, it's true!”
“Yeah. My mom called, I think I'll go now,” he rolled his eyes, he seemed annoyed but his cheeks looked weirdly red. “Or she'll make more stupid conclusions…”
“Eh? What conclusions?”
“Nothing!” He said very quickly, “...You know. My mom is dramatic.”
“Really?” she wasn't convinced. Silence was her only response, however. “Fine, if you say so…”
She felt a sudden sense of urgency when he picked up his bag from the tatami mat, making his way to the door.
“Ran.”
Before she realized, she had already caught his wrist.
“Shinichi…”
“...”
“You should really tell someone…I..”
“Ran, I need to go.”
“I'm scared! Don't you get it? It's notー” she trailed off as warmth covered her hand entirely, looking up, all she found were unreadable indigo eyes.
“I'll be fine Ran, trust me.”
She didn't even realize her grasp was loosening until his hand had gently slipped away from hers.
The door closed behind him and all she could do was watch.
A click sound echoed behind himself, the heat inside immediately hit him. That would be the heater. One glance at the genkan confirmed what he already knew. They are home.
“Shin-chan~”
A nerve threatened to pop at his temple, but instead he settled for an annoyed stare.
“Ara, is that Kogoro-chan's clothes?” Shinichi glanced down at the clothes on himself, they weren't his size and he knew that too. Then because she’s Kudō Yukiko, she clapped her hands together like a brilliant idea had popped into her head, “Ah! I'll have you try Yu-chan's too!”
“...I'm not a mannequin”
Instead of responding to that, she retreated towards the living room, a dry glare following her movements, of course.
“Shinichi! Here, Here,” she urged him inside. Taking his shoes off beside his father's, he followed in after her, strides bored and uninterested in whatever she had in store for him. The first thing that awaited inside the living room was the sound of page turning.
“Yuu-chan! He's here.”
“Welcome back, Shinichi,” finally, his father looked up, meeting his eyes in amusement. “I can't say I'm against the idea.”
“...You too?" he stared at the man in disbelief, only to remember his little stunt yesterday. What's that? Revenge? The idea itself that the world renowned novelist would take revenge on his son for getting him in trouble is laughable. But here we are.
Still, Shinichi had no intention of letting his mother play barbie dress up on him. Not happening.
That was until something caught his eye.
Something suspiciously...small.
… You can't be serious..
A tiny lump was on the couch. And on closer look, it rose and fell. Breathing.
....No way.
He decided he hated that conclusion his brain was reaching. Even as it was the only one.
“Dad.”
“Yes, Shinichi?”
“Why is there a kid in our living room?”