That's wrong, he thought. He remembered everything from yesterday perfectly in his head, yet the Shiho he saw in the morning light seemed like a completely different person. The smell of toasting bread filled the kitchen of the Agasa residence. It was Sunday morning. Soft sunlight streamed through the window, and the distant chirping of birds could be heard. Coffee cup in hand, Shinichi gazed at Shiho's profile from across the counter. She wore a light blue cardigan, and her long silver-gray hair was tied back low today. She looked the same as always. But something was off. Her smile was artificial. Nibbling on her toast, Shiho looked out the window and smiled. "[gentle] It's lovely weather, isn't it?" "……Yeah." As he answered, a sharp pain tightened deep in his chest. Yesterday, she had been crying. When that call from Ran came in, her face had been so full of anguish. And yet now, she was smiling as if none of it had ever happened. *(She's trying to shoulder it all alone again.)* Shiho wrapped both hands around her coffee cup and gazed out the window once more. Her profile was beautiful, but there was a dark shadow lurking deep in her eyes. The sound of the sobbing he'd heard outside her room last night clung to his ears and wouldn't let go. Shinichi set down the mug in his hand. "[serious] Shiho." "[surprised] ……What is it?" "Let's talk about yesterday. Properly." Shiho's shoulders trembled faintly. But immediately, she put on that artificial smile again. "[gentle] I'm sorry about yesterday. I got a little emotional. But I'm fine now. Please don't worry about it." "'Don't worry about it' — that's impossible." Shinichi's voice came out stronger than he'd intended. "[serious] After seeing a face like that, there's no way I can just pretend it didn't happen." Shiho said nothing, staring down at her coffee cup. The black liquid trembled faintly. That was when it happened. From the direction of the front door came the loud sound of it banging open. "[excited] Hey there! I want you to take a look at how my new invention's working!" The professor, who had apparently emerged from his lab, appeared in the living room holding some small device in his hands. His eyes behind his round glasses blinked rapidly as he took in the two of them in the kitchen. Shinichi and Shiho, side by side, wiping dishes. The professor froze for a moment, then his mouth curled into a grin. "[laughing] ……Ho ho ho, so that's how it is." "What's with that laugh?" Shiho's cheeks flushed slightly as she carried the toast plate to the sink. The professor, seemingly unbothered, plopped down heavily on the sofa and began tinkering with the device in his hands. "[laughing] This here is a sort of automatic translator. Would come in handy when traveling abroad, wouldn't it?" Watching the professor clatter away at the small parts out of the corner of his eye, Shinichi headed to the kitchen to brew another cup of coffee. Then, the professor suddenly stood up and pulled Shinichi by the arm. "[whispers] Come here for a moment." The corner of the kitchen. Hidden behind the refrigerator, the professor lowered his voice. "[serious] Shinichi-kun. That Shiho, she's been saying for a long time now that you, and only you, are special to her. Back when she was Haibara, and even now." It was a short statement. And yet, it resonated heavily deep within his chest. Having said only that, the professor returned to the sofa and resumed fiddling with his invention. Shinichi stood rooted in front of the refrigerator for a while. *(Since a long time ago, only me.)* Shiho's tears from last night. Her trembling voice. *"You were the only one I ever loved."* Each of those words fell into his heart, heavy with meaning. Shinichi looked at Shiho's back as she washed her hands at the sink. Her slender shoulders. How much loneliness and pain had those shoulders carried? He couldn't pretend not to see it anymore. Taking advantage of the professor's absorption in his invention, Shinichi gently grasped Shiho's wrist. "[whispers] Come with me. To my place." "[surprised] ……Huh?" Shiho's pale blue eyes widened in surprise. Without answering, Shinichi pulled her by the hand and out the front door. They crossed the garden of the Agasa residence and opened the door to the neighboring Kudou house. ──── The study in the Kudou residence was lined wall-to-wall with tightly packed books. Mystery novels and history books his old man had collected from all over the world. Midday light slanted through the window, turning the room's dust into golden specks. No one else was here. It was just the two of them. Shinichi stood Shiho in front of the bookshelf. She still looked like she didn't quite grasp the situation, her eyes blinking. "[serious] I'm going to tell you how I feel. Properly." Shiho's shoulders trembled again. "[scared] ……Shinichi-san, as I said just a moment ago, I'm fine now. You don't need to worry—" "[angry] I'm telling you, 'not worrying' is what's impossible." Shinichi squeezed both of Shiho's hands tightly. Her fingers were cold and slender. "[serious] I love you. It wasn't just last night. I think it's been that way for a long time." Putting it into words made everything click into place. That day back when he was Conan, behind the science room, when they talked about the Organization. The feeling of having slipped through the line of death together. Terrifying, agonizing, but just having her beside him brought him peace. The feelings he'd kept turning a blind eye to for so long now took on a name and settled into his heart. Shiho's eyes wavered. Her pale blue eyes grew moist, and her lips trembled faintly. "[crying] ……You idiot." Her softly murmured voice was a mixture of tears, anger, and a faint hint of joy. "[crying] Do you even understand what you're saying? Ran-san is right there, so why would you… something like this…" He didn't let her finish. Shinichi pulled Shiho's shoulders close and pressed his lips to hers. Soft, faintly trembling, but different from last night. If last night was a storm, today was like a patch of sunlight — a gentle, certain kiss. The scent of books hung in the air. The light streaming through the window enveloped them both. As he slowly pulled his face away, a single tear spilled from Shiho's eye. "[whispers] ……That's not fair. You're always like this." "[gentle] I know." Wiping Shiho's tear away with his thumb, Shinichi said it once more. "[gentle] I'm choosing you, by my own will. That's all there is to it." Shiho stared intently at Shinichi's face for a moment. Then, as if resigning herself, she let the tension drain from her body. "[whispers] ……You really are an impossible person." This time, the corners of her mouth formed a genuine smile. Not the artificial smile from last night. It was a smile she showed for the first time — heartfelt, tinged with just a little vulnerability. Shinichi held her close once more. ──── By the time dusk dyed the study orange. The two of them sat on the floor, gazing at the sky outside the window. Shiho rested her head against Shinichi's chest, her eyes closed. Her left hand was intertwined with his right, each of her slender fingers held as if to confirm they were really there. "[whispers] Shinichi." "What is it?" "[whispers] Can I be selfish… just one more time?" Shiho's voice was very small. Instead of answering, Shinichi pulled her shoulders close in a tight embrace. "[whispers] Sure. Say anything." "[whispers] ……Stay with me. Today." Her voice trembled, but it was different from her crying last night. It was a voice that, though afraid, was properly reaching out her hand to him. Shinichi gently kissed Shiho's forehead. "[gentle] Of course. Don't shoulder it all alone anymore." "[whispers] ……Okay." That single word was the first honest "okay" to ever leave her lips. The first from the girl who had always closed herself off, who had been afraid to ask for anything. That small "okay" sounded to Shinichi like the most precious thing in the world. In the orange light, the two of them nestled softly together. A quiet, passionate time flowed between them. Different from the impulsive heat of last night, a willful tenderness enveloped the entire room. The shadows of the bookshelves stretched long, and soon the world outside the window had gone completely dark. ──── Late at night. In Shinichi's arms, Shiho breathed quietly in her sleep. No stars were visible outside the window; only a deep darkness spread out. That was when it happened. *Bzzzt.* A small vibration sounded in the room. It was Shiho's smartphone. Still connected to its charging cable, it glowed on the wooden floor. Shiho was still asleep. Shinichi quietly reached out and picked up the phone. Displayed on the screen was an SMS from an unknown number. The sender was unidentified. The message was just a single line. *'Receive the traitor's due punishment.'* His heart lurched violently. Just then, he felt Shiho stir in his arms. "……Shinichi?" It was a sleepy voice. But the moment she saw the smartphone in Shinichi's hand, Shiho's body went rigid as stone. With trembling hands, she clutched the phone. Her pale blue eyes were wide open, drawn irresistibly to the screen. "[scared] ……It's here." Her softly murmured voice was cold, as if all the warmth of the day had been snuffed out. "Who's it from? Do you have any idea?" Shinichi immediately questioned her, but Shiho silently shook her head. The message contained no information that could identify the sender; only the cold, mechanical letters glowed on the screen. "[scared] Remnants of the Organization… or perhaps, someone who holds a grudge against me." Shiho's fingers gripped the smartphone ever tighter. Her fingertips turned white. Shinichi immediately grabbed her shoulders. "[serious] I won't let anyone lay a single finger on you." His voice was powerful. So full of conviction it surprised even himself. But. Shiho's eyes were distant, as if looking at something else entirely. The same color of resignation she'd worn that day behind the science room, when they talked about the Organization, surfaced in them. "[sad] ……I knew it. You shouldn't have come to me." "What are you saying—" "[sad] I'll just drag you into danger again." Shiho's voice was quiet. But within that quietness seeped her old habit — the one that tried to erase all the warmth of the day, to shoulder everything alone and disappear on her own. The smartphone screen had already gone dark. But the shadow left by that single line of text had, in an instant, turned the warm air in the room ice cold. Shinichi held Shiho's shoulders tightly, embracing her. "[serious] I'll say it again. I won't let anyone touch you. Absolutely not." Shiho didn't answer. She simply stared into the distance. With eyes that looked as if she had already resolved herself to something. The darkness outside the window deepened. Their shadows stretched across the wooden floor, as if facing in completely separate directions.