Chapter 8 Date with Ayumi

My eyes fluttered wide open when I felt the cool breeze brushing against my skin. My eyes darted around and my face turned red when I noticed Ayumi was hugging me like her stuffed pink unicorn. Her soft body felt warm and comforting, with her arms gently rubbing against mine. Her arms were tightly coiled around my neck, and her hair had a rosy aromatic scent. I gently smiled her innocent figure. Ayumi wore a pink-flowered pattern pajamas set. I took a glance at myself and found that I wore an airplane-patterned pajamas set. I almost gave a nosebleed with the thought of any Yoshida Family members bathing and changing clothes for me, especially Ayumi. Most probably Mr. Yoshida was the one who dressed for me, I thought to myself. Putting the thoughts aside, I glanced at the clock. 6:00AM. “Oh, you’re awake, John,” a sleepy voice said beside me. “Gomene, Ayumi, did I wake you up?” I asked. Ayumi shook her head and squeezed me tighter. “It’s so comfortable hugging you,” she muttered, and she soon fell back asleep.

            “You were lucky last time, but not this time,” a voice spoke behind me. The man with long silver hair wearing a black hat with matching black trench coat, and green turtleneck sweater appeared behind me. “Gin!” I exclaim in horror. “Say goodbye to your little sweetheart, Johnathan Smith,” smirked Gin. On his right hand, he held up Ayumi by her collar, and on his left hand, he held Ayumi at gunpoint. “John, save me!” yelled Ayumi, and Gin took the shot. “Ayumi!” I yelled back, and bolted up straight. Ayumi was sitting up, staring at me. “Are you ok, John? You were shouting my name,” frowned Ayumi. “I guess it’s just a nightmare,” I replied. “It’s about that big case, right?” asked Ayumi. “Yeah, but the bad people have already been put to jail,” I sighed. “Daijoke, Ayumi is always here with you,” she kissed my cheek. “Arigatou, Ayumi,” I whispered. “Oh yeah, how did you like your pajamas?” she grinned. “I like it. Who dressed for me?” I asked. “Ayumi did,” beamed Ayumi. My nostrils shot out blood like rockets. “Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding,” noted Ayumi. “I-I’m fine. I-It’s just the hot weather,” I said. “Hot weather? It’s cold in here,” said Ayumi.

            A voice chuckled by the door, and we both turned our heads to see Mrs. Yoshida standing, with her hands on her hips. “O-Okasan!” Ayumi gave three shades of red. “Gomene, Ayumi, I can’t help to see how sweet you both are to each other,” Mrs. Yoshida continued to chuckle. “Nevermind her. Today’s our date ––” I began, then I gasped in horror. I haven’t asked Shinichi where he’ll be having his date! “What’s wrong?” asked Ayumi. “Let me make a quick phone call to Shinichi-niichan,” I said. I phoned Shinichi and Shinichi answered the call. “Ah, Shinichi, about that time, I wanted to ask you where you would be having your date with Ran,” I explained. “Let’s have a double date at Haido Town Shopping Mall, the largest Ferris wheel, and my mom will be giving you both a ride at 12PM,” suggested Shinichi. “Sure, I’m at Ayumi’s and see you later!” I ended the call. “Haido Town Shopping Mall,” I told Ayumi. “Shopping Mall?” asked Ayumi. “Oh, it’s actually a Ferris wheel,” I explained. “Sure! I can’t wait!” piped Ayumi. “He’s giving us a ride there as well at 12PM,” I continued. “I can’t wait more!” exclaimed Ayumi.

            Shinichi kept his word. At 12PM, a silver Series 2 Jaguar E-Type car came to a halt in front of Ayumi’s black gate. I opened the car door for Ayumi, who gave a slight blush, to enter the car first, and I entered after her. “Thank you for giving us a ride, oba-oneesan,” I altered the address to Yukiko, after noticing her death glare. Ran was sitting at the front passenger seat while Shinichi was sitting at the far left at the back. The Series 2 Jaguar E-Type was a manual-driven car with a brown, old-fashioned steering wheel with a grey gear. “I heard from Shin-chan that you’re the American boy who infiltrated the American branch of the Organisation,” began Yukiko. “Yes, but I was caught red-handed but barely managed to escape, or Shinichi would have been together with Ran long ago,” I explained. “John,” Ayumi quavered. “I’m scared… of falling to the front.” I took a glance at the speedometer: the meter was gradually shifting to the right. Yukiko is speeding as usual, I sighed. “Oneesan,” I began. “Nani?” replied Yukiko. “I-I’m getting car sickness,” I pretend to quaver. “Daijoke, we’ll be there soon,” smiled Yukiko. “Ba-rou, he’s asking you to watch your speedometer,” said Shinichi, with his arms crossed. A traffic officer signaled us to stop the car and knocked on the window. Yukiko rolled down her car window and apologized, “Gomenesai, I’ll drive slower next time.” “I’ll let you off for now,” said the traffic officer. Yukiko thanked him, but he ripped his disguise off to reveal Vermouth. “Vermouth!” Shinichi and I exclaimed in unison. “You know her?” Ayumi whispered to me. However, before I could reply, “Vermouth” interrupted me, “Got you! Vermouth is no longer running around,” “she” said, while ripping off "her" second disguise to reveal Shinichi’s lookalike. “My name is Kuroba Kaito, and thank you for helping me solving that case, John-kun and Shinichi-kun,” said Kaito. “Don’t tell me,” I began. “You’re the real identity of Kaito Kid?!” exclaimed Shinichi. “As expected from the two detectives,” bowed Kaito. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Can’t I take my girlfriend out for a date as well?” he frowned. “Bakaito! What takes you so long?” a voice called out, which belonged to Ran’s lookalike. “Ahoko! It seems we’re not the only ones out on a date,” explained Kaito. “You two pairs of couples go first, while I find a parking spot,” suggested Yukiko. “Sugoi! It’s my first time meeting Kid’s real identity –– and his girlfriend!” exclaimed Ayumi. “Kid?!” gasped Aoko. “You’re Kid?! WAIT, KID HAS BEEN WITH ME THIS WHOLE TIME?!” “Yes, I’m Kaito Kid, and it’s a long story, Aoko,” sighed Kaito. “I know how you feel, Aoko-san. I didn’t know Shinichi has been with me this whole time as well before he confessed,” chuckled Ran. “Ayumi-chan, you too, right?” Ran turned to Ayumi and Ayumi looked down. “Yes, I like John very much when I first met him, and I didn’t know he was an adult until Shinichi-niichan confessed to the Detective Boys,” sighed Ayumi. Kaito, Shinichi and I hung our heads in regret, but the girls held our hands tightly, “It’s ok,” began Aoko. “We understand,” Ran said next. “We forgive you,” finished Ayumi. “Arigatou gozaimas,” we thanked our girlfriends. “Let’s go have fun!” cheered the three girlfriends. We nodded our heads in agreement and boarded the Ferris wheel.

            “Look at the scenery!” Ran began. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” finished Ayumi. Ran nodded her head. Suddenly, Shinichi’s cell phone rang. “Moshi moshi?” he answered. “Kudo Shinichi,” said the voice. “Find me if you want your mother to live. I will give you clues. Good luck.” The other end ended the call. Shinichi held a hatred expression. “What happened?” asked Ran. “My mother is being kidnapped,” said Shinichi, and we all gave a loud gasp. “The abductor said he’ll give us clues,” continued Shinichi. With that said, Shinichi received the first message and read it aloud, “First clue: I hate the setting sun.” “He could be hiding in any of the shades,” Ran said thoughtfully. “The first clue asked us to follow where the shadow is leading to. If you hate someone, you would have your back facing someone,” explained Shinichi. We had our backs facing the setting sun and we found that our shadows were pointing towards the forest. Shinichi’s phone beeped as we approached the forest. “Next hint: London Bridge Is Falling Down,” he said out loud. “Huh? London Bridge Is Falling Down? What’s got to do with the clue?” puzzled Ran. “Oh, it’s the children’s game, where children at the side held their arms high to let other children pass through the middle,” I explained. “There it is! It’s talking about the arching trees!” I pointed to the arching trees beside us. We then walked through the arching trees. Suddenly, I felt a hand pushing the back of my head forward and the other hand pressing a cloth towards my nose. Before I could warn the others, I blacked out.

            A cover was yanked off my head and I saw Shinichi and the others were abducted as well. Our hands and legs were tied behind our wooden chairs. “Shin-chan, you’re here as well,” a familiar voice whispered. “Okasan! Are you hurt?” gasped Shinichi. A figure came into view revealed to be a man in his forties. “Before I release you boys, I want you to find out something for me,” he said in a low voice. “What is it?” asked Shinichi. “Find out my wife’s murderer,” he replied. His subordinates released Shinichi, Kaito and I from the wooden chairs but held us with them. We followed the man to his room, where his wife was murdered. The room had a 30-feet high window and there was a black swivel chair by a large desk with six drawers, three drawers on each side. There was a dried splatter near the top left of the chair, with a bullet hole in the middle of the splatter. One of the subordinates then handed Shinichi a large, black cordless phone. “If you have any questions, you can ask me via this phone. If you tried to flee or contact the police, your girlfriends will all die,” warned the man. “First, there are two people I suspect: Daigo Hisamoto and Hidetada Hisateru. Daigo Hisamoto lived the first building from the northwest of this building, and Hidetada Hisateru lived the first building from the northeast of this building. You may begin now,” with that, the man left us alone.

            “I remembered solving a murder case similar to this,” I began. “It involved strings attached to the pole and tension.” “But the ceiling is 30-feet high,” noted Kaito. “What’s this?” announced Shinichi. Kaito and I joined him, and I noticed that there was a small hole in the wall, about three degrees to the right. “There is no way someone can shoot from that angle,” I said. “Unless the murderer is left handed,” noted Shinichi. “We’ll investigate Daigo-kun first,” he suggested.

            Daigo lived one kilometer northwest of the building. It was a single-storey building with a large grey gate of 10 feet wide and behind the gate was a black Mini Cooper 1.3i Mark VII. Shinichi rang the button-shaped doorbell, and a man of forties with a scissor cut hairstyle appeared at the doorway. “Can you please open the gate for us? We’re here on an investigation,” Shinichi called out. “Hai. Chotto matte kudasai,” he replied. He slipped back in, and one moment later, he appeared again and pressed a button on the remote control with his left hand. “Nevermind, arigatou!” Shinichi called out again. “What’s that for?” asked Kaito. “He’s definitely not the culprit,” replied Shinichi.

            Hidetada lived one kilometer northeast of the building. It was a double-storey building with a large blue gate of 10 feet wide and behind the gate was a red Mini Cooper 1.3i Mark VII. Shinichi rang the triangular-shaped doorbell, and a man of forties with a slick black hair appeared at the doorway. “Can you please open the gate for us? We’re here on an investigation,” Shinichi called out. “Hai. Chotto matte kudasai,” he replied. He slipped back in, and one moment later, he appeared again and pressed a button on the remote control with his left hand. “Nevermind, arigatou!” Shinichi called out again. “Again?” asked Kaito. “He’s definitely not the culprit either,” replied Shinichi.

            “I’ve figured out who the culprit is, and meeting Daigo-san and Hidetada-san confirmed my deduction,” smirked Shinichi, and we went back to the captive building. The man’s two subordinates led us to him, and Shinichi announced that he had figured out who the culprit was. “My right-hand staff, Arisa Michiko?” the man puzzled. The man’s right-hand staff Arisa Michiko was called before him. “Yes. First, there was a hole in the wall, three degrees from where your wife was murdered, which threw us off thinking that your wife was shot from the outside by a left-handed murderer. Next, the outline of the corpse showed that it is pointing to the right, and that was dying message,” began Shinichi. “Third, both Daigo-san and Hidetada were left-handed, which could explain the suspicions. If one of them had shot your wife, they would shoot it from the left side. However, the bullet hole was on the top right, which means the murderer was right-handed. Fourth, ‘Michiko’ sounded similar to ‘Migite’, so the murderer was your right-hand staff, Arisa Michiko,” deduced Kaito. “Arisa-san first poisoned your wife and then shot her in the right side of the chest,” declared Shinichi. “What an interesting story! Where’s your proof?” she sneered. “The cup most probably still has your fingerprints on it!” I declared. Arisa gasped and sank to her knees, “That woman –– she doesn’t deserve to be the Boss’s wife! She’s useless! She doesn’t know or could even do anything! She doesn’t even deserve to live!” The man ordered his subordinates to take Arisa away. “Thank you so much for solving this mystery,” he said. “In return, I return your girlfriends back to you.” Ayumi, Ran and Aoko appeared from the spotlight behind us. “Ayumi, thank goodness you’re safe!” I exclaimed. “You’re not hurt, are you?” asked Shinichi. “No one gets hurt, including you, Aoko,” said Kaito. “Of course, because I know you will always protect me,” smiled Ayumi. “Of course I’m not hurt, Shinichi. They only kept an eye on us,” explained Ran. “Bakaito, make sure you use your motto on yourself as well,” teased Aoko. “You all are so romantic. I wish Yusaku is here as well,” chuckled Yukiko.

            Shinichi, Kaito and I held our girlfriends hands until we, including Yukiko, were all out of the captive building and stared at the evening sky. “I love you… forever and ever,” Shinichi, Kaito and I said to our girlfriends. They smiled and we gave our girlfriends a deep kiss in the lips.

PREVIEW: “Congratulations on solving that case, chibi meitantei.” Haibara whispered to me with a smirk, when I got back to school. “Yeah, it was noth ––“ I said, but was interrupted when Haibara gave me a kiss in the cheek, and Ayumi saw the kiss… Next time on Ayumi’s New Crush: Haibara vs Ayumi!

Chapter 7 Yoshida Family

            Ayumi led me to her house. It was a two-storey building with a large black gate of 10 feet wide. “Sugoi, Ayumi. You have a big, beautiful house!” I exclaimed. “Arigatou, John,” she grinned. A woman in her thirties came out and greeted us. “Konnichiwa, Ayumi okasan!” I greeted her. “Konnichiwa, boya. Oh, Ayumi, you brought a boy to live with us,” she smiled. “Yes, he’s my boyfriend,” blushed Ayumi. “Oh, how nice. Congratulations, Ayumi, even though it’s not the right time now, but I guess I’ll make this an exception,” congratulated Ayumi’s mother. “Come in, and Ayumi will show you around,” she opened the gate for us to enter. “Arigatou gozaimas, obasan,” I said.

            The kitchen is on the left, immediately after the entrance. The fridge was decorated with pink ribbon fridge magnets and full of Ayumi’s photos with her mother. A stainless steel pot was next to the kitchen sink, with a pink stool underneath. A white, circular dining table was on the right, with three chairs tidily pushed in. “John, this way,” Ayumi called out and I followed after her. The wooden tiled floors were clean as new. There were two rooms at the end of the stairs and Ayumi’s room was unmistakably the second room, which had a tiny pink label stated “Yoshida Ayumi’s Room”. “There are two rooms, and… you’re going to share your room with me?” I blushed slightly. “Yes, and it’s going to be fun, right?” beamed Ayumi. Ayumi opened the door of her room and I was stunned at the mess. “Wait, let me clean up my room,” she rushed in and closed the door behind her. I brought a boy into my house and my room is in a mess, Ayumi’s face was red with embarrassment. Kitchen and dining area are tidy, but her room is in a mess. What an irony, I thought.

            Ayumi was tidying her room for what seemed like hours. “Sorry to make you wait for so long,” she apologized. “I-It’s fine,” I managed, still stunned at the sight of the mess. “We will be sleeping on the same bed as well?” I asked. “Of course! It’s nice, don’t you think?” Ayumi replied sweetly. My face turned as red as tomato. “John, why is your face so red? Are you having a fever?” She felt my forehead with the back of her hand. “I-I’m fine. I-It’s just the hot weather,” I blushed further. I entered her room and placed my bag beside the bed. “Sugoi! Your room is beautiful, Ayumi!” I exclaimed. “Arigatou, John,” she had three shades of red.

            “Lunch is ready!” a voice announced. “Hai~!” Ayumi and I both replied at the same time and went down for lunch. “Itadakimas!” Ayumi, her parents and I announced at the same time. “John-kun, I’ve heard about you,” Mrs. Yoshida began. I could feel adrenaline rushing in my veins. Oh no, I thought. They’ll know that I’m not an elementary school student. “Ayumi told me that you’re a genius and you always solved alongside with Conan-kun. I hope you will protect her as her boyfriend,” finished Mrs. Yoshida. I silently breathed out a sigh of relief. “Sure thing, Mrs. Yoshida!” I promised her. “BOYFRIEND?!” Mr. Yoshida almost choked on his food. “AYUMI YOSHIDA, IT’S TOO YOUNG FOR YOU TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND NOW!” her father bellowed. Ayumi suddenly broke into tears and ran away. “Ayumi!” I called after her. John-kun didn’t use honorifics. Way to go, Ayumi! Mrs. Yoshida silently cheered while trying to calm Mr. Yoshida down.

            Ayumi was sobbing uncontrollably in her room and I gently knocked on her door. “Leave me alone!” she yelled through the door. “Ayumi, it’s me, John,” I calmly called back. “Ok, come in,” she said. I entered her room and gently closed the door behind me. “May be we shouldn’t be dating after all,” Ayumi began. I sat beside her and pulled her close to me, causing her to gasp in surprise. Ayumi finally understood and wrap her arms around me, “Arigatou, John.” “Don’t worry about your father –– your mother will calm him down. Meanwhile, let’s do homework,” I smiled. We both got our homework out and I finished my homework in a flash as usual. I stared at Ayumi’s adorable face while she was doing her homework. Ayumi took notice and blushed hard, “J-John, stop looking at me! I-I can’t focus!” “Ah, gomene, Ayumi. I guess I’ll see if I can give any help to your mother,” I chuckled. “Ah, chotto,” Ayumi began. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “I-I don’t know how to do this question,” she pointed at her question while blushing. What is the probability of rolling an even number from a single die? It read. “A die has 6 sides. It has 3 sides that are odd and 3 sides that are even,” I began. “Oh, you would get 3 even sides out of 6 sides, which is ½!” concluded Ayumi. I nodded. “You won’t forget tomorrow’s date, right?” she reminded me. Oh no, I nearly forgot about tomorrow’s date! I sweatdropped. “O-Of course I didn’t,” I gave a weak smile and went down the stairs.

            Mr. Yoshida was venting about his company’s recent losses. “The total cost for our product is 10,000yen, we have 1,000 packages with 10yen each, and we’re still not making any profit!” he grumbled. “Of course you’re not making any profit –– you only made sure that the company isn’t at loss. However, in business, if a company doesn’t make profit, it’s still at loss,” I began. Two pairs of eyes turned towards me. “According to the Demand and Supply Curve, you’re at equilibrium right now. To get more demands, you would have to increase your supplies, and you would have to decrease your price in order to attract more customers. Therefore, the number of packages has to be more than 10,000,” I suggested. Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida stared at me at amazement. “But don’t have that much materials to increase the amount of packages,” said Mr. Yoshida. “Did you try lowering the price?” I asked. Mr. Yoshida’s eyes lit up. “Well, our price is at its lowest, but I could try lowering the price further. Arigatou, boya!” he said thoughtfully. “Ah, I-I learned it from Kogoro-ojisan,” I chuckled.

“Otousan, can we go watch movie now?” Ayumi’s asked sweetly behind me. “Have you done all your homework?” asked Mr. Yoshida. Ayumi nodded her head. “Alright, let’s go watch Kamen Yaiba,” grinned Mr. Yoshida. I sighed silently, Kamen Yaiba again. Mr. Yoshida’s car was a small, light-grey coated Toyota. “Gomene, John, I forgot that you don’t like Kamen Yaiba,” Ayumi whispered beside me while we were on the way to Haido Town Shopping Mall. “Daijoke daiyo, as long as Ayumi loves to watch it, I’m fine with it,” I reassured her. “Really? Arigatou!” Ayumi grinned from ear to ear. Finally, we arrived at AEON Lake Town, which was a large building with white walls and many large windows. It was decorated with large, hanging colorful balls. “The balls are beautiful, aren’t they, John?” Ayumi’s eyes sparkled. “Of course they are! They looked like soccer balls, and I wish I could buy them for Shinichi-niichan,” I smiled. “Demo, they looked like cotton candy to me,” Ayumi said thoughtfully, causing me to sweatdrop. Yoshida Family and I rode the escalator to the top floor, where the cinema was located. “Hi, how can I help you?” a lady behind the counter greeted us. “Kamen Yaiba, 3:30PM, two adults and two children,” Mr. Yoshida told the ticket lady. “Alright, the total price is 4,800yen,” the ticket lady told him. Mr. Yoshida paid the price and we left the ticket counter. “Otousan, I want to check out that toy store,” Ayumi pointed at the toy store in front of us. “Sure, 15 minutes left. Okasan and I will be waiting for you right here,” Mr. Yoshida said, while taking a seat behind him. “Daijoke, ojisan, I’ll keep an eye on her,” I smiled. Mr. Yoshida smiled and nodded his head. “Come, let’s go!” piped Ayumi.

The toy store was full of stuffed pink unicorns and Barbie dolls as well as playhouse sets. I followed after Ayumi while she explored the store. “John, come here, what do you think of this? It’s so fun cuddling it, don’t you think?” she held up a stuffed pink unicorn and hugged it tightly. “It suits you,” I smiled at her. “But I didn’t bring money with me.” Ayumi scowled at me. “Daijoke, I’ll pay for you,” a feminine voice behind me said. We turned towards the feminine voice, which belonged to a woman in her thirties. She wore a red neck scarf with matching red kimono and had a black curly hair with rainbow-colored nail polish. “Arigatou gozaimas, obasan!” Ayumi thanked her. We left the toy store and returned to Ayumi’s parents, with Ayumi hugging the stuffed pink unicorn tightly. “Why do you have this pink unicorn?” puzzled Mr. Yoshida. “That kind lady over there paid for me,” Ayumi beamed while pointing to the black-haired lady. Mr. Yoshida rushed towards the black-haired lady. “Sumimasen!” he called out, and the black-haired lady turned her head to see a man in his thirties catching up to her, accompanied by the two children she saw earlier. “Thank you for paying for my daughter, ma’am. How much was it?” Mr. Yoshida reached for his wallet. “Oh, no, don’t worry about it,” the black-haired lady smiled. “Arigatou gozaimas. I think we’d better hurry. We have a movie at 3:30PM,” Mr. Yoshida said hurriedly. “Oh, what movie?” asked the black-haired lady. “Kamen Yaiba,” answered Mr. Yoshida. “What a coincidence. I’m watching Kamen Yaiba too!” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry to ask, but why are you watching it too?” asked Mr. Yoshida. “Oh, I’m not watching it by myself –– I’m watching with two other friends. We want to know why the kids love Kamen Yaiba,” the black-haired lady chuckled.

            Yoshida Family, the black-haired lady and I entered the cinema hall after passing through the checkpoint counter and we sat accordingly. The black-haired lady sat at the far end with two other people and the lights dimmed. Suddenly, a figure collapsed forward halfway during the movie and a scream echoed the hall. The movie was stopped and the light went back on. “Someone call the police!” a male voice commanded. Soon, Inspector Meguire and Takagi came into the crime scene while everyone was escorted out of the room. “John-kun, you again!” Inspector Meguire exclaimed when he saw me. “Inspector Meguire,” I greeted him. “The victim is Akiko Amane, age 38, cause of death: silver nitrate poisoning by ingestion,” reported Takagi. “Silver nitrate?” Inspector Meguire raised his eyebrows. Ayumi gasped when she recognized the corpse, “She is the same woman who paid for my stuffed unicorn!” “Oh, you recognized her, Ayumi-chan? When was the last time you saw her?” inquired Inspector Meguire. “Just now, before the movie started,” she answered. “Arigatou, Ayumi-chan,” Inspector Meguire thanked her. The two friends who were with the victim were Aki Fuyuko and Akina Hanae, and they both were called for questioning. “What are your relationships with Akiko-san?” asked Inspector Meguire. “We were best friends since high school,” answered Aki, who wore sparkly pink clothes and applied the same nail polish pattern as Akiko. “Akiko-san said she wanted to know why kids love Kamen Yaiba, so we accompanied her to watch this movie,” explained Akina, who wore green shirt with a matching green mini skirt and a pair of brown leather boots. I left the movie hall and headed towards the snack station. Ayumi caught up with me, “Have you found anything?” “The suspect may be the worker at the snack counter, and they’re somehow related,” I explained. I sneaked into the snack counter area and one of them spotted me, “Boya, you’re not allowed to come in here!” I ignored their protests and rummaged through the huge pile of trash. I smirked when I found a small glass bottle with brown fluid inside. I glanced behind me and noticed that one of the staffs had a brown stain on his index finger. “You’re one of Akiko-san’s friends, right?” I asked innocently. “Yes, she’s not only my friend –– she was my high school crush as well, but not anymore,” he smiled. I smirked as I figured out who the culprit is.

            I phoned Uncle Kogoro to come forward to the crime scene, and I phoned Inspector Meguire using Kogoro’s voice via voice-changing function of my wristwatch that I solved the case. When Kogoro appeared at the end of the escalator, Inspector Meguire rushed to meet him, “REALLY, MOURI-KUN? YOU KNOW WHO THE MURDERER IS?” “Huh? I do?” puzzle Kogoro. The moment he stood away from the escalator, I tranquilized him with my stun-gun wristwatch. “Oh, Sleeping Kogoro!” exclaimed Inspector Meguire. “Sorry, I needed a moment to recall my deduction,” I spoke through Kogoro using the voice-changing function of the wristwatch. “Knowing that Akiko-san always eat ice, the culprit injects silver nitrate into the ice. Silver nitrate appears clear in the beginning of time, but gradually turns brown. The culprit is one of the snack counter staffs named Azuma Haruto, and he’s one of Akiko-san’s friends as well,” I continued. “That is a very nice story, but where is the evidence?” smirked Azuma. “You have a brown stain of silver nitrate on your left index finger. You thought you have washed it away, but since it appears clear at the beginning, you couldn’t have known that the stain is still on your finger until 30 minutes later,” I explained. Azuma sank to his knees, “Akiko-san was my high school crush, but she severely broke my heart by saying that I’m not good enough for her. Yesterday, I met Akiko-san in her house to convince her that I’m the only one for her, as I know she is getting married soon, and she said that I would be the last person she would marry. So I killed her –– and I will be the only one with her!” With that said, he ran towards the railing. “Even if you commit suicide, Akiko-san will not want to be with you!” I yelled through Kogoro, interrupting his suicidal attempt. “There are so many beautiful women out there, why must you force yourself to be with this particular woman? Why don’t you take a step back and open your eyes?” I continued. Akina appeared with tears in her eyes. “Azuma-san, please… stop pursuing Akiko-san… I gave you so many hints that I’m single and have feelings for you,” Akina sobbed, and Azuma’s eyes widened. “Akina-san... you… have feelings for me?” Azuma’s voice dropped to a whisper. Akina walked and hugged Azuma’s arm tightly and Azuma finally realized her feelings for him. “I’ll see you again after you’re released from prison,” whispered Akina.

            Inspector Meguire shook Kogoro hard just as Kogoro became awake, “Mouri-kun, I never knew you know chemistry!” Kogoro paused for a moment to process what Inspector Meguire meant. “Oh, of course! I’m the Great Detective Mouri Kogoro! There is nothing I don’t know! Hahaha!” laughed Kogoro. “Ayumi, do you still want to continue watching Kamen Yaiba?” I yawned. “Ayumi doesn’t mind if Kamen Yaiba is not finished watching,” Ayumi smiled while watching me dozed off. He looks so adorable when he’s sleeping, Ayumi silently chuckled to herself.

Chapter 6 Fall of The Black Organisation

            “Chotto matte!” a girl’s voice called out. Haibara was closely following behind us. She handed Conan his Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes. “Follow me! I know the path!” urged Haibara. Conan, Sato, and the police force and I quietly made our ways to the Boss’s room and I quickly slipped on my Power-Enhancing Fingerless Gloves. However, the path was nearly impossible as the alarm sounded, alerting all of the members of the Black Organisation. Soon, the police force and the rest of the Black Organisation members were having gunfights while Conan, Sato I continued to make our ways. Ran suddenly appeared from behind and knocked down the first Black Organisation member. “Ran-neechan!” Conan and I exclaimed in unison. The four of us fought our way to the Boss’s room: Conan kicked using soccer balls, I punched, Sato shot and Ran punched and kicked. Finally, arrived at the outside of the Boss’s room. “This is it!” panted Haibara. Ran broke down the door. “Police! You’re under arrest!” Sato declared, with her pistol aimed at the Boss. The Boss of the Black Organisation was a middle-aged man in his thirties. His room was painted in gold and he wore a black sunglasses and a golden ring. He swung his chair around and smirked, “Do you think I come unprepared?” He pressed a red button from the control on his chair, and the floor below us gave way. Conan, Sato and I grabbed on the platform just in time while Ran fell. “Ran!” yelled Conan. Sato released her grip on the platform, grabbed Ran’s hands and swung her upwards. Ran caught the platform, but Sato fell into the darkness. “Sato-san!” cried Ran. Conan, Ran and I climbed back onto the platform. “One down,” smirked Karasuma Renya. He pressed a blue button and multiple missiles exploded in front of us. “Ah!” Ran screeched in pain. When the smoke cleared, she was heavily injured. “Ran!” cried Conan. “Two down,” Karasuma smirked again. Conan and I gritted our teeth. Suddenly, Karasuma got to his feet and destroyed Conan’s Power-Enhancing Kick Shoe’s right dial with such accuracy using a pistol. Conan flipped his shirt up, prepared to launch a soccer ball, however, Karasuma beat him to it as well by destroying the belt. He then shot Conan in the temple and rendered him unconscious.

In frustration, I charged towards Karasuma, swerving left and right to avoid his shots. Upon reaching within an arm’s length, I knocked away his pistol with my right palm and gave him a strong upper cut with my left fist. Then I dropped to my knees and tackled him with my right foot. As I attempted to launch myself towards him with a final blow, he kicked me hard in the gut with both feet. Karasuma jumped on top of my and gave my cheeks multiple punches until they were swollen. I pulled his shirt and head-butted him in the forehead. I ended the fight by giving him a strong punch in the gut with my right hand. I slowly retrieved my fist and he collapsed, while pressing against his gut. Finally, I transquilized Karasuma with my stun-gun wristwatch. Case closed, I sighed. Once and for all. The battle has been won.

            I watched as the newly came police officers dragged the Black Organisation members, including Karasuma, out of the their headquarters and into the police van. The next day, a memorial was prepared to honor Sato’s self-sacrifice to save Ran at the Tokyo Police Headquarters. Takagi was sobbing uncontrollably until Sato suddenly showed up, worn out and heavily injured. Takagi was overwhelmed by her survival. He aided Sato into the headquarters and let her slump onto an office chair. “Someone call the medical team! Hurry!” he commanded. He turned to Sato, “We thought you were dead. But how?” Sato gave him a weak smile, “I wouldn’t be a first division police officer if I can’t survive, would I? I was able to survive through these injuries… because of you…” Takagi’s eyes widened. “Takagi Wataru, I love you,” she whispered. “Sato, I love you too,” he whispered back. They both went in for a French kiss.

            Meanwhile, Conan, Ran and I were in hospitalized. The Detective Boys came to visit us. “John-kun…” Ayumi began, with tears began flowing in her eyes. “Don’t cry, Ayumi-chan, I’m fine,” I smiled weakly at her. “I like you, Ayumi-chan. Can we go on a date when I’m discharged from hospital?” Ayumi’s eyes widened. “A-a date?!” she gasped, with six shades of red. “Ok! Ayumi is always waiting for you!” she piped. Ayumi gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving, and caused Mitsuhiko and Genta to give me death glares. I-I guess I’ll find a way to calm these two down, I grimaced. Conan-kun was weakling chuckling beside me and he turned to Ran, who was beside him. “Ran, now that the case is finally closed, I can finally reveal myself to you. I’m not Conan Edogawa or elementary school student –– I am the Great Detective Kudo Shinichi. I’m sorry to make you wait for so long,” confessed Conan. Ran was crying uncontrollably upon hearing this confession, “Idiot, why didn’t you let me help? I was always there for you! I was worried for your things, and yet you’re always in front of me!” “Gomene, Ran. I was trying to protect you. You saw how dangerous those people were! You saw it yourself!” protested Conan. “Daijoke, Shinichi. I forgive you,” she smiled weakly. “Arigatou, Ran,” whispered Conan.

            One week later, Conan, Ran and I were discharged from the hospital and we met with the Detective Boys to reveal them the truth. “WHAT?! WE HAVE BEEN WITH THE GREAT DETECTIVE KUDO SHINICHI ALL THESE TIMES?!” exclaimed Mitsuhiko. “And these are?” “I prefer you to still call me Haibara-san,” sighed Haibara. “I’m Johnathan Smith, a minor detective, just finished working as an undercover on the American branch of the Organisation,” I beamed. Ayumi broke into tears, “You’re actually an adult? You should have told me!” With that said, she ran away. “Ayumi!” I called after her. “Good luck explaining yourself to her, Smith-kun,” smirked Haibara. “This is –– ” I gritted my teeth, but I changed my expression to remorse. “You’re right. In fact, I should thank you, Haibara. If not for this pois-medicine, I would have never met her, a girl who truly has feelings for me. I guess I’ll see you later,” I ran towards Ayumi’s direction. “H-Haibara-san?” began Mitsuhiko. “Yes, Tsuburaya-kun?” Haibara turned towards him. “Y-You’re also an adult, right?” Mitsuhiko looked into her eyes, hoping that she would say no, but she said yes. “Tsuburaya-kun, the three of us are actually adults, demo daijoke, I’m sure Smith-kun and I would rather stay in a child state and grow up like everyone else,” comforted Haibara.

            “Ayumi-chan!” I called out. “Where are you?” “Leave me alone!” a little girl’s voice called from above. Ayumi was sobbing hard up in the tree. I climbed up to join her. “Ayumi-chan, I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. It was too dangerous, and I wanted you to be safe,” I comforted her. “I promise,” I embraced her. “I won’t let you be unhappy ever again.” Ayumi shyly looked up, “You pinky promise?” “Yes, I pinky promise,” I smiled at her. Ayumi smiled back and rested her head on my chest. “Johnathan-kun, I love you,” she whispered. “I love you too. I prefer John and forget about honorifics,” I whispered back. For the whole morning, Ayumi slept on my chest and I gently smiled at her innocent figure while caressing her soft hair.

            It was afternoon when Ayumi had finally woke up from her nap on my chest. Her whole face turned red when she realised what she just did. “Gomenesai, John-kun, I mean John! I-It was really comfortable and ––” she trailed off. “Daijoke, Ayumi. We’ve been up in this tree this whole morning,” I chuckled. “That long?” she gasped. “Anyway, let’s go down,” I suggested. Ayumi nodded her head and I slipped down from the tree branch. I held out my arms and she jumped into them. I carried her in a bridal style, until she blushed hard, “J-John let me down!” I allowed her to slip down my arms so that her short legs gently touched the soft ground. “J-John?” Ayumi began shyly, staring at the grass below, “Yes?” I smiled at her. “C-Can we g-go on a date tomorrow?” she managed. “Sure. Where?” I asked. “Tropical Land?” suggested Ayumi. My eyes widened with horror, not Tropical Land! “It’s a good place, don’t you think?” she continued. “I-I was thinking of s-some other places,” I stammered. “M-May be we could go to the same place with Shinichi-niichan. I’m sure he w-wants to have a p-proper date with Ran-neechan.” “That is a good idea! I want to meet Ran-neechan as well! I want to learn karate from her,” she piped. I wiped off an imaginary sweat from my forehead. That was a close call to revisit my nightmare, I sighed silently. “Alright, let me ask Shinichi-niichan where he will be having his date. Let’s go home,” I suggested. Ayumi nodded her head in agreement. She could not contain her excitement. I’m going a on a date with John tomorrow! She thought excitedly.

            I phoned Shinichi while walking back home with Ayumi. “Moshi moshi?” a deep male voice answered. “Ah, Shinichi-kun?” I began. “Oh Jonathan-kun!” the voice exclaimed. “Ayumi-chan and I are planning to go on a date tomorrow. Where will you be going on your date?” I asked. Before he could answer, a piercing scream shot through the restaurant in front of me. “You death magnet,” teased Shinichi. I heard another piercing scream from his side as well. “You’re also a death magnet yourself,” I smirked. We both ended the call and rushed to the crime scene. Ayumi hung her head. Why do I always end up dating a death magnet? She sighed.

            I entered the crime scene and Inspector Meguire noticed me, “John-kun!” “Inspector Meguire,” I greeted back. “The victim is Aina Akane, age 40, cause of death: piercing through the back of the neck by a 4-inch steel needle,” reported Takagi. “However, there are no sign of struggle. Akari Kimiko and Mariko Kaori were both sitting beside the victim, and one of them could be the murderer.” “It seems like we’re dealing with a ghost murder,” concluded Inspector Meguire. Akari wore a white Polo shirt with matching white short pants, while Mariko wore a navy blue shirt with brown long pants. I noticed that there were tiny dents in the footrests of the two wooden stools beside the victim’s stool. Directly behind the victim’s stool was a strand of wire that passed through a small bow.

I looked around and silently groaned when I realised that there was no one I could use as a mouthpiece. Ayumi noticed this and whispered, “You need a mouthpiece, right? You could use me.” “It’s no different than speaking it myself. Oh well, I guess I’ll just use the voice-changing function––,” I suddenly gasped. “That’s right! I could use Kogoro-ojisan!” I whispered excitedly. Ayumi frowned. Using Kogoro-ojisan as a mouthpiece again? “You already know who the culprit is, right?” Ayumi asked excitedly. “Of course,” I smirked.

            I phoned Uncle Kogoro to come forward to the crime scene, and the moment he stood away from the door, I tranquilized him with my stun-gun wristwatch. “Sleeping Kogoro is back!” gasped Takagi. “Yes, I’m glad I’m very much welcomed. John had told me everything, and I know who the culprit is,” I spoke through Kogoro using the voice-changing function of the wristwatch. “The culprits are both Akari-san and Mariko-san. They saw the needle flying towards Aina-san, and acted innocent by pulling Aina-san to the other side at the same time, and by doing this, the tension from the strings at the footstools increased, causing the string passing through the bow to straighten, which then caused the 4-inch steel needle to shoot out. If they were to save Aina-san, one of them would be pulling one side and the other would be pushing the other side.”

            Akari and Mariko both sank down to their knees. “Aina-san used to be our best friend, and we even supported her when she got a boyfriend, who was a wealthy man,” began Akari. “However, ever since she dated that wealthy man, she looked down upon us and criticized about how poor we were,” continued Mariko. “She even said that she was glad that she was no longer our best friend because we were not wealthy enough to be her friends. After she’s gone, Mariko and I are no longer depressed about not being wealthy enough,” concluded Akari. Mariko and Akari both gave hysterical laugh and then sobbed. Ayumi sobbed as well, “I can’t believe how Aina-neechan treated her best friends so badly just because she’s wealthy.” She then turned towards me, “You won’t treat Mitsuhiko-kun and Genta-kun the same way, right?” I pulled her closer towards me, “Of course not, my beloved Ayumi.” Ayumi gave 6 shades of red at my reply. Suddenly, Ayumi thought of something, “That’s right! Where will you be staying now? Shinichi-niichan used to stay at Ran-neechan’s place to get information about the case, right? Now that the case is closed, Shinichi-niichan goes back to his own house.” “You’re right! I guess I’ll live at your house and I hope you don’t mind about it,” I suggested. “Ayumi doesn’t mind!” piped Ayumi. “Alright, let me get my clothes from Ran-neechan’s place first,” I called out to her while running towards Mouri Detective Agency. “I’m coming with you!” She ran after me.

            I knocked at the door of Mouri Detective Agency and Shinichi opened the door. “Johnathan-kun!” greeted Shinichi. “Johnathan?” Ran’s head popped behind Shinichi’s. “Oh hi, Johnathan-kun!” “Ran-neechan, Shinichi-niichan!” greeted Ayumi. “Ayumi-chan!” greeted Ran. “Chotto matte, Johnathan-kun, you didn’t go back to your original body?” I shook my head. “I stayed as a child state so that I can be with Ayumi-chan,” I explained. Ran clasped her hands together, “How sweet!” “Oh, come in, both of you, I’m sorry to keep you both waiting outside,” apologized Ran. “It’s fine, Ran-neechan, I’m coming back just to pick up my clothes,” I said. Shinichi noticed that the tiny microphone from my watch is still up. “I knew you’d be needing it anytime,” he smirked. “Right, as a child, no one believes me. So I didn’t have a choice but to use Kogoro-ojisan as my mouthpiece,” I glanced at my watch and chuckled while putting down the mini microphone. “Now you know why I wanted to go back to my original body so desperately, and also to be with Ran as well,” beamed Shinichi. Ran came out of the room with my packed bag. “Arigatou gozaimas, Ran-neechan,” I said. Ran and Shinichi both chuckled that I still had to call Ran “Ran-neechan” even though we were around the same age

            “Stay safe, and don’t run into anymore murders!” Shinichi called out, as Ayumi and I were walking down the stairs, with Ran chuckling beside him. “You’re the one to say yourself, Shinichi!” Ran smirked, as she went back into the Agency. “Well, excuse me for being a death magnet,” Shinichi glared at Ran.  Kogoro finally came back from the crime scene, clueless of what had happened, "Huh? Did something happen here?" "Otousan, John-kun is no longer staying with us," explained Ran. "YES! NO MORE FREELOADER!" exclaimed Kogoro. He then turned to Shinichi, "You have a lot of explaining to do, Detective Brat."

Chapter 5 Black Organisation Abduction

            That night, after John and Conan had gone off to bed, Ran sighed at her Biology homework. Gene regulation in prokaryotes, she thought. I don’t understand a single thing, and I wish I could call Shinichi, but he’s on his case right now. I guess I’ll have a clearer mind tomorrow morning. With that thought, she immediately fell asleep.

            “Ohaiyo gozaimas!” I announced, while walking out of the room yawning. I looked around, “Ran-neechan isn’t awake yet? That isn’t like her. I think I’ll go wake her up.” Conan nodded his head. I knocked on the door and a voice replied, “Come in!” I entered and I saw her trying to figure out her homework. “Ran-neechan? We’re hungry,” I reminded her. “Oh, gomenesai, John-kun. I got caught up with my homework,” she apologized. “May I see?” I asked. “Sure, but this is too –– ” Ran suddenly stopped in her track. She remembered how I was able to do high school math. “Ran-neechan, daijobu?” I asked. “Ah, nothing. Sure, you can have a look at it,” she smiled. Gene regulation in prokaryotes, it read. “Oh, the lac operon!” I exclaimed. “You know about the lac operon?” gasped Ran. “W-well, y-yeah, I h-heard about it on TV,” I stammered. “The substrate, which is the lactose, first binds to the repressor’s allosteric site, causing the repressor to change shape and leave the lac operon. Then, the RNA polymerase binds to the promoter and began transcription of the gene. LacZ encodes for ß-galactosidase, which splits lactose to glucose and galactose, so that glucose can be used for cellular respiration. LacY encodes for lactose permease, which makes the prokaryote membrane more permeable to lactose. Finally, lacA encodes for transacetylase enzyme that transfers an acetyl group from acetyle CoA to ß-galactosidase,” I explained. Suddenly, Ran reached out and touched my cheek. “Elementary school student, right?” she confirmed. “Yeah,” I ensured. “No, you’re not,” she smirked. “What do you ––” I began. Before I could finish, she grabbed the right side of her chin and pulled her latex mask off, revealing a blonde woman with beryl green eyes. “Vermouth!” I gasped. I tried running away but she grabbed my ear. I yelped in pain. “Conan-kun! Help!” I yelled. Hands in the air, Conan entered the room as well, but accompanied by a man with long silver hair wearing a black hat with matching black trench coat, and green turtleneck sweater. “Gin!” I gasped. Gin darted his eyes towards me. “So this is the spy in the Organisation from the American branch?” He glared at me. I could feel the shiver running down my spine. Gin shoved Conan towards me with such force that he bumped into me. I felt a soft and flexible object slipping down my left pocket. I realised that Conan was not wearing his usual glasses. Gin pointed his gun at Conan and commanded Vermouth to tie my hands behind my back, which made it easy, as Conan was not wearing his Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes. Powerless to fight back, Conan obediently allowed Vermouth to tie his hands behind his back as well. We left Mouri Detective Agency and entered Gin’s Black Porsche 356A.

            In Agasa’s Residence, Ran was exploring Conan’s glasses. “Conan-kun,” she sobbed. “Mouri-san, have a ––” Haibara froze when she saw Conan’s glasses. The tray fell onto the floor. The teapots and teacups broke. “No no no no!” Haibara rushed towards Ran and snatched the glasses away. “No! It can’t be!” gasped Haibara. Ran sank to her knees. “He must be alive! He must be somewhere!” Haibara put the glasses on and activated the tracking feature of the glasses. Her eyes widened as she saw two dots moving away. “I’ve found them! Hurry! Call the police as well! Hakase, let’s go!” commanded Haibara. Conan-kun, John-kun, we’re coming. Ran was clutching her phone tightly and frowning at the same time during the undetected chase on the Black Organisation. Haibara’s warning suddenly interrupted her thoughts, “Mouri-san, I hope you understand that what you are about to face is a very dangerous situation. These criminals are unlike the culprits you had fought before –– they won’t hesitate to open fire.” With that said, Ran’s eyes widened, and tears began to flow in her eyes. Conan-kun, John-kun, hang in there.

            Meanwhile, Conan and I were bound in shackles. “Guess I’m not so lucky this time. I escaped the American branch, but I’m caught in the main branch,” I sighed. “Nope. I think it’s a mistake to be solving murder cases. This had their attention, and not to mention that the Detective Boys had become well known for solving cases as well,” Conan sighed back. “Well, at least you gave them a good experience of how a real detective works,” I smirked. I glanced at his feet. He was still barefooted –– Gin and Vermouth didn't give him time to wear his Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes. “I slipped Power-Enhancing Fingerless Gloves that Hakase made for you into your pocket, since you said you only know hand-to-hand combat,” explained Conan. We heard footsteps and Gin came into sight, “Oh, you can talk. Very well. Tell me. Where is Sherry?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied Conan. Gin then turned to me and asked the same question. “I’ve never heard of someone named Sherry,” I replied. “How about Shiho Miyano?” probed Gin. “Who is Shiho Miyano?” I asked. “Fine then. Looks like we’ll go the hard way,” sighed Gin. He then tortured Conan by punching and kneeing him into Conan’s gut up to the point that Conan spat blood. “Let me repeat. Where is Sherry?” Gin probed again. “I still have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Conan. Gin suddenly pointed his gun at me. “Tell me. I’ll shoot him if you don’t,” commanded Gin. “S-She is –– ” Conan began. Before he could finish, an army of police officers came barging in, including Sato and Takagi. “Freeze! Police!” commanded Sato. Ran came running after them, while Haibara calmly entered the scene. “Ran-neechan!” Conan and I exclaimed in unison. “Conan-kun! John-kun! Don’t worry! I’ll get you both to safety soon! Hang it there!” Ran called out. We both nodded our heads. “Our Detective Badge,” smirked Conan. Takagi and Sato freed us from the shackles while the rest of the police force surrounded Gin. “Sato, Takagi-keiji, arigatou. We’ll leave him to you,” we thanked them. “Takagi, you take care of him, and the rest of us follow the boys!” ordered Sato. “Hai! You can count on me!” saluted Takagi.

Chapter 4 Blue Jewel Kid Heist

            Ran was suspicious about the American boy, so she phoned Shinichi, on the way back to Detective Mouri Agency, to see if he knows anything about Jonathan, “Ah, Shinichi? Do you happen to know this person named Jonathan?” “Oh yes, of course! Remember the time when we were in New York, and I was searching for your handkerchief? I met him there. That was how I came to know him,” Conan, who was in Mouri Detective Agency, explained using his voice-changing bowtie. “No wonder you went off for so long,” groaned Ran.

            I turned on the TV and there was a news headline about Kaito Kid’s heist. What is KID up to this time? I sighed. I will steal the blue jewel when the time is right was written in the news headline. “Oh, it will be a very late heist,” I chuckled. Well, not too long from now: it’s 8:30pm right now. I thought excitedly. I got a call from Conan saying that Jirokichi invited him to the defense area and I was invited as well. “Well? What do you make of the message?” asked Conan. “Of course, a checkmark, which means 10:10pm,” I replied. Looking at my watch that showed 9pm. 1 hour 10 minutes left. I could not contain my excitement –– I have heard about the famous phantom thief Kaito Kid, and I was there, attempting to capture Kid along with Conan. I can hear him smile over the phone, “You’re learning fast.” “I-It’s nothing! Hahaha!” I laughed. “Hakase! There is a Kid Heist tonight!” I called out to Agasa. “Coming!” He called back. Haibara appeared from the basement. “Good luck catching Kid with Kudo-kun, Smith-kun,” she smirked. Haibara and I rode in Agasa’s yellow Beetle to the heist scene.

“Ah, there you are, Conan-kun!” beamed Jirokichi. “And I heard there is an American boy living with you. Is he coming?” Conan gave him an innocent smile, “Of course he’s coming! Look, they’re here!” I stepped out of the car and approached towards Conan. “He really has a great determination to capture Kid for an old man,” I chuckled. “Who says an old man is ineligible to capture Kid?” He chuckled back. “Ah, you must be the American boy who lives with Conan-kun!” He greeted me. “I’m Jirokichi and ––” I interrupted him my innocent smile, “Of course! The wealthiest man in Japan! My pleasure to meet you!” “Oh! It’s my pleasure to be well known! Hahaha!” He laughed. “How long have the police officers been standing here?” I wondered aloud. “Since this afternoon at 12pm,” he replied. I glanced at my watch and attempt to sound empathetic, “Ojisan, are you sure you don’t want them to rest for a while? It’s 1 hour later.” “No way! I’m not letting my guard down this time! You must be Kid!” He pulled my cheeks to make sure I’m not Kid. “Ojisan, Kid and I have never even met. I couldn’t possibly be Kid! Moreover, I’m not famous like Shinichi-niichan.” Then his face broke into a huge grin, “Alright, I believe you.” “Ojisan, the heist will be at 10:10. It’s when the needles on the clock looks like checkmark. That was why I suggested your police officers to take a break after standing for 10 hours.” Conan snickered beside me. Jirokichi brought us passed the long hallway to the dark room where the blue jewel was kept. He switched on the light to reveal armed guards wearing night vision goggles, and demonstrated the capturing mechanism to us: when the jewel is being touched, a cuff would lash out onto the wrist held back by a strong metallic chain in less than 1 second. After the demonstration, we left the jewel room and joined the crowd upon waiting for Kaito Kid’s sudden appearance.

            I glanced at my watch. 10PM. 10 minutes left, I thought. “Let’s go,” Conan whispered with a tense voice beside me. “I can feel his presence nearby.” Conan and I left the crowd and entered the bright hallway. Suddenly, green vapour escaped from one of the rooms. “Sleeping gas!” gasped Conan. We hurried towards the escaping green vapour. “One! Two! Three! Hold your breath!” commanded Conan. We held our breaths and swung the door open and released the rest of the sleeping gas towards the hallway. Within the mist, there was a shadowy figure holding a shiny object. “Kid! I won’t let you get away!” yelled Conan, who was kneeling. He rolled the dial on the side of his right shoe, which turned rainbow-colored, and then pressed a button on his belt. A soccer ball was instantly dispensed from the large opening of the belt. He shot the soccer ball with his laces towards the figure, but the figure dodged the shot and the ball made a large hole in the wall of the room. The figure then slipped through the large hole and I ran after it, leaving the alarm wailing behind us. A thought suddenly hit me. It’s a diversion! He plans to separate us! I sensed the presence of a figure behind me. Before I could turn to see what it was, the figure knocked me out at the back of my head. “John-kun!” Conan called out. “I’m fine!” a voice called back. However, Conan knew better than trusting the voice.

            Kid cautiously dragged John along the grass and hid him in the nearby bathroom. He stripped John naked and left him only with his underwear and his big watch. This is going to be easier than expected, he thought, while slipping the blue jewel into his, or rather John’s, side pocket. In the shadows, Conan was closely watching John being dragged away into the nearby bathroom, which was 36 feet forward. A moment later, the rest of Detective Nakamori’s police officers barged into the room. “Kid escaped again!” Nakamori gritted his teeth. “Conan-kun, where’s that American boy who was with you a moment ago?” “I’m right here!” a voice called out. All of the heads turned towards the boy stood by the door, and he looked fresh. “I was chasing Kid just now, but I lost him,” explained John. “It’s alright. Good work, boya,” Detective Nakamori patted John’s head and they all left the room, leaving only John and Conan alone in the room. “I never knew you really disguised yourself as a boy ––” smirked Conan. “Kid.” John stammered, “H-How did you know?!” “If you were chasing down Kid, you would be breathing hard, but you weren’t breathing hard when you appeared at entrance,” explained Conan. “Checkmate,” Conan smirked again. “John” gasped and realised what he meant when he turned his head to look behind him. Breathing hard and naked, I aimed my watch at him while smirking; ready to transquilise him at any moment. “Alright, you got me!” He held his hand up in surrender, but he suddenly threw down a smoke bomb. After the smoke cleared, Kid was gone, and what remained were my clothes.

            Conan and I joined Jirokichi and Detective Nakamori. “Did you both manage to catch Kid?” Jirokichi asked both Conan and me, enthusiastically. “Well, we trapped him, but he disappeared. However, it seemed like he failed to steal the blue jewel,” I explained, fishing out the blue jewel from my pocket and handed it to him. Jirokichi rubbed our heads. “It’s alright, boys. Good work!”

            I stared at my big watch, which showed 11:00. “Glad the stun-gun part of the watch came in handy,” I smiled without looking up. “Yeah, as if you’ve got other skills,” Conan taunted, with his hands behind his head. “Hey, at least I know hand-to-hand combat!” I shot back. “Oyasuminasai!” We both announced as we arrived at the Mouri Detective Agency and immediately went to bed. I dozed off as soon as my head touched the pillow.