The thud of a travel bag hitting the floor echoed through Agasa's living room. "[excited]Ahh, the invention conference is always so stimulating. Some new young faces presented incredible ideas." His face slightly flushed, the professor set a box of manjuu on the table, calling it a souvenir. Edogawa Conan, seated on the sofa, kept his eyes on his case notes and answered curtly. "[serious]Good for you." Miyano Shiho poked her head out from the kitchen, but the moment her eyes met the professor's, she retreated back to preparing tea. The professor tilted his head slightly. Both of them were quieter than usual. "[gentle]What's the matter, you two? Did something happen while I was away?" "[cold]Nothing. Same as always." Shiho answered without turning around. The professor asked no further, and headed up the stairs to his room. The creaking of the stairs faded away. Conan glanced at Shiho. She was staring intently at the steam rising from the teapot. "Hey, that notebook—" Just as he began to speak, a faint creak came from the direction of the hidden door leading to the basement. Both of them held their breath at the same moment. —The door was open. Conan stood up and approached the hidden door without a sound. White fluorescent light leaked up from the lab below the stairs. And then, what they heard—was the dry rustle of pages turning. ———— The next day, Tuesday, Shiho returned to the Agasa residence as soon as school ended. As Conan removed his shoes at the entrance, he caught the professor's voice coming from the living room. It was an eerily calm tone, one he had never heard before. "[serious]Ai-kun. You've been shutting yourself in the lab until late at night recently, haven't you." Conan held his breath and stood against the wall. "[cold]I just got caught up in my research. It's nothing strange." "[gentle]I've never seen your workbench so messy before. You're usually so meticulous. And besides—" A beat of silence. "[serious]It was written in your notebook. 'Remnants: movement confirmation required. Bay Area: Verna.'" A chill shot through Conan's chest. So he had seen it. "[cold]...Snooping around. What a charming hobby." "[serious]I didn't look because I wanted to. It was an accident. But that's not something you can laugh off. It's about the people chasing you, isn't it?" Shiho didn't answer. The professor continued, his voice as gentle as if handling something fragile. "[gentle]Ai-kun. I know you feel you can't rely on anyone. But I am on your side. Please, don't hide this from me." A long silence stretched between them. "[cold]It's fine." Shiho's voice was perfectly composed. "[cold]You're just letting your imagination run wild over some old notes. Professor, aren't you tired? Why don't you go unpack from your trip?" Footsteps approached. Conan quickly jumped back from the entrance. Shiho crossed the hallway expressionlessly and disappeared into her room. A moment later, the professor emerged from the living room with heavy steps. In his hand, he clutched a tissue wrapped around something. "[serious]...Shavings." At Conan's murmur, the professor nodded quietly. "[serious]They were on the lab floor. From the Baikal prototype. She must have tried to use it repeatedly, to wear it down this much." "[serious]...The side effects?" "[serious]Risk of heart attack. In a normal mental state, it's not something anyone could use." The two fell silent. "[serious]Conan-kun. Ai-kun has always been a child who struggles to rely on others. But the person closest to her... that's you, isn't it." The professor's eyes, behind his glasses, pierced straight through Conan. "[serious]Please, tell me what happened." Conan felt his throat tighten. —He couldn't say a word. Shiho had been deleting Ran's messages. The two of them had crossed a line. Neither of those things could ever be told to this kind old man. "[serious]...It's fine. I'll keep an eye on her." Another lie. His stomach twisted with a sharp, grinding pain. The professor stared at Conan for a moment. Then, with a slightly lonely look, he nodded. "[gentle]I see. But don't push her too hard." After the professor went upstairs, Conan pulled out his phone. Three missed calls. All from Mouri Ran. The last notification was three hours ago. *'Conan-kun, there's something I want to talk about. Can you call me back?'* His thumb hovered over the call button. (What am I supposed to say?) In the end, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. ———— Wednesday, after school. When he returned to the classroom after finishing cleaning duty, a small piece of origami sat on his desk. He opened it. *'The usual place.'* Neat, precise handwriting. The passage behind the science lab was filled with the same sharp, chemical smell as always. Shiho was waiting, leaning against the wall. "[gentle]You came." "[serious]Did you tell the professor?" At Conan's question, Shiho shook her head. "[cold]As if I could. Not about us, and not about the remnants." She walked slowly toward him and pressed her forehead against his chest. The scent of black tea, and a faint trace of disinfectant. "[whispers]This feels like the safest place right now." Her voice trembled, ever so slightly. Conan's chest tightened. "[serious]You're sensing something, aren't you. For real." Shiho looked up. Their eyes met. "[gentle]I am. That's why—" She stretched up on her toes and placed a hand on Conan's cheek. And then, she pressed her lips to his. A small kiss, just a touch. "[whispers]For now... this is enough." As she pulled away, Shiho put on her usual sardonic smile. But her eyes weren't laughing. She walked back into the school building without looking back. Conan watched her retreating figure. —She was trembling. That single fact just kept repeating in his head, over and over. ———— Thursday, after school. In front of the school gate, Genta of the Detective Boys waved his hand. "[excited]See ya, Conan! Tomorrow!" The moment Conan waved back— A black sedan slid silently to the curb. The passenger door opened. A tall man stepped out and approached Shiho with unwavering strides. "—!" The man's large hand seized Shiho's arm. She made no sound. Her mouth only formed the shape of a word. *Run.* Conan realized instantly: if she screamed, the children still in the schoolyard would be dragged into this. She had judged that in a split second. "Sherry will be coming with us." Another man, stepping out from the back seat, declared it in a low voice. Shiho was shoved into the rear seat. "[cold]If you try to follow, the name Mouri Ran will come up." The door slammed shut. The sound of tires biting into asphalt. Conan had already deployed his turbo skateboard on reflex. He cut through the wind. The traffic light turned yellow. A car gunned its accelerator. On a child's legs, he couldn't make it across the intersection. —Screech. The skateboard came to a sudden halt. Conan dropped to his knees on the road. He slammed his fist against the asphalt. The skin split, blood seeping through. "Damn it... damn it!!" There was no one around. Only the traffic light continued its mechanical, indifferent blinking. ———— The front door of the Agasa residence burst open violently. "Conan-kun!?" The professor rushed over. Conan slammed his fist against the wall. "[angry]I couldn't protect anything again!!" "[scared]What happened!? Where's Ai-kun!?" Conan shook off the professor's hand and collapsed onto the living room floor. His breathing was ragged. "[angry]The Organization... remnants took Shiho." "[scared]Th-then we have to call the police—" "[angry]NO!!" Conan shouted. "[angry]The Organization has people in the police. And if my identity gets exposed... Ran will be in danger too." The leader's words echoed in his head. *'The name Mouri Ran will come up.'* It had been a double trap. To protect Ran, he couldn't rely on anyone. The professor was at a loss for words. He just crouched down beside Conan. Bzzzt. His phone vibrated. The screen read *'Mouri Ran.'* Conan stared at the screen. The ringtone kept echoing through the room. He couldn't answer. Eventually, the sound stopped, and the screen went dark. Conan placed the phone face-down on the floor. The professor started to say something, then closed his mouth. Between the two of them, only the second hand of the living room clock kept moving forward. Late night. After the professor had fallen asleep, Conan opened the hidden door to the basement lab alone. He put on his power-enhancing kick shoes and pulled out his turbo skateboard. He opened his phone and pulled up the map data for the Tokyo Bay area. Verna. The place Shiho had scribbled in her notebook seemed to flash red on the map. Conan gripped the map tightly and muttered to himself in the dark lab. "[serious]Wait for me, Shiho. I'm definitely bringing you back." He turned off the lab light. In the darkness, only the light of his phone continued to shine, as if possessed by its own will.