Half-awake, he heard Conan calling out his name—

"Ishikawa Kaito? Ishikawa-kun!"

"Edogawa..." Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up groggily. "What is it—have we arrived at school? What time is it... Why is it so dark outside?"

In that instant, Kaito was fully awake. He lunged toward the window, pressing his face against the glass. "Damn it—Edogawa-kun, what time is it? We're not at school yet!"

"There was an incident midway, and I was rescued by Haibara Ai. After that, we went to find a teacher and the police for help," Conan explained. "Our departure was delayed, and with rush hour traffic, everything's backed up. It's almost 7 p.m. now."

Kaito cursed inwardly. Narrowing his eyes, he was relieved to see from the signs that they weren't far from their destination—they'd definitely be home safe before nine. And all of this, Conan silently took in.

"Ishikawa-kun... Are you in a hurry tonight? You seem awfully concerned about the time. The rest of the class is asleep."

Indeed, the only voices on the tour bus belonged to two small boys.

"I have to be home before eight, or my grandpa will worry. And there's a TV show I want to watch at eight-thirty." As he spoke, Kaito rummaged through his backpack. Conan gave a small nod.

"Actually, I just realized—Ishikawa-kun, you're not the kind of person I imagined. You're braver than I thought. At least according to Genta and the others, back at the haunted house, you were the one who protected them, who walked in front, and in the end, when things got dangerous..."

"Edogawa-kun, did the police catch the bad guy?" Kaito interrupted him. "He was terrifying! He... he kept spouting all sorts of weird stuff, and— and he asked a bunch of creepy questions. Edogawa-kun... what if he's hiding on this bus? What if he tries to attack us again?"

"I thought you weren't afraid."

The Kaito in front of Conan was shaking like a leaf. His tiny face had gone pale as paper, and he kept anxiously chewing his nails—not an act. Conan paused.

"Could it be..."

Could it be that even his fear took a little longer to catch up to him?

"Just thinking about it is terrifying!" Kaito suddenly reached out and clutched Conan's elbow tightly, nearly burying his face in his chest. He grabbed onto Conan's collar and wouldn't let go, eyes darting about nervously.

"That bad guy was like one of those science-fiction monsters on TV! What if he comes back for us?"

"No need to worry... Ishikawa-kun... please let go... you're choking me..." Conan tried to push Kaito back, but the boy clung to his arm like a koala, just as he had at the aquarium. "Ughhh... you don't know how scary it was. I thought I'd never see my mom again. But I didn't cry."

"..." Conan tried to peel his arm free while asking, "Why?"

"Because I believed a hero or a superman would come save us!"

Kaito said it loudly and with conviction. Conan blinked in surprise. The red-eyed boy in front of him looked straight at him with such sincerity, as if he had spoken a universal truth.

Conan tugged at the corner of his mouth—perhaps he had over thought things.

"There's no such thing as supermen... that stuff's fake, made-up stories for kids." Ayumi mumbled drowsily, awakened by Kaito's outburst, then promptly drifted back into sleep.

But Kaito blinked, and in the most innocent voice, he said something that made Conan's eyes widen without warning:

"But I waited—and when Edogawa-kun kicked that soccer ball over... that was so cool... Like a hero falling from the sky, saving us from the villain. A real hero to me."

—

Hero... was that it?

"Hero..." Conan murmured with a complicated and helpless smile. Deep down, he knew: so-called heroes—they weren't the ones going to war or making selfless sacrifices. Heroes simply fulfilled the unspoken human craving for moral elevation and idealized selfhood. They were projections of our aspirations. But what Kaito had said—that stirred something strange within him, something quietly taking root.

"Conan, he's here." Amuro reminded him. Conan nodded knowingly. Behind the one-way glass of the interrogation room sat the suspect arrested the day before—Kishida Saburo.

The moment he was brought in, Kishida sprawled out as if the interrogation room were his living room, legs spread wide, propping up his chin with blatant arrogance. His boots swung idly as he completely ignored Officer Sato sitting across from him.

"Because of his ties to the organization, I can't reveal myself," Amuro crossed his arms. "Even though I'd love to land a punch right on his jaw. The police searched the entire zoo overnight. Besides the hideout beneath the haunted house, they found several underground labs—even one up in the mountains. They were all used for various experiments. If we'd been careless, one explosion could have taken out dozens, maybe hundreds of visitors and children. What a heartless bastard."

"Found any concrete evidence?" Conan asked.

"Not yet, but he can't explain the massive funding he's received. The police also uncovered transaction records on the dark web. With time, we'll be closer to the organization. Akai dumped this guy on us yesterday and vanished without a trace—guess he wants us to clean up his mess?"

Conan gave a dry chuckle, trying to speak on Akai's behalf. "Akai-san said he had a university conference this morning—he's headed to Okinawa."

"Tch..." Amuro scoffed. "He's addicted to playing as a grad student or what? Can't believe he used that as an excuse."

Just then, Officer Sato's voice erupted from the interrogation room, sharp with fury:

"Do you realize one misstep with your explosives could've cost hundreds of lives—children's lives!"

"Hahahahaha! So what? Like I said—I hate kids more than anything," Kishida sneered, baring his teeth. "Always ruining my art! My creations! Those beautiful masterpieces—destroyed by a bunch of brats!"

"What kind of logic is that? You were already making bombs before Conan and the others found your hideout! Don't try to pin it on a few kids to cover up your crimes."

"Sato, don't lose your temper." Inspector Megure placed a calming hand on Sato's shoulder and shook his head, "Tell us about the buyer. Who's your biggest client? With the kind of equipment you're carrying, it must've cost tens of millions of yen. And judging by your volume of transactions, someone's backing you, aren't they?"

"Oh? Good guess." Kishida yawned, speaking as if casually recounting a tale. "I don't mind telling you. A few months back, I sold some homemade explosives on the dark web to an anonymous buyer. Normally, the transactions stay anonymous. A deal, nothing more. But one day, that buyer showed up in person."

"Buyer? You met face to face?" Sato asked.

"Yeah. He came here, don't ask me how. No one should've known who I really am. But somehow, he found my server's IP and figured out my identity. He came to the haunted house and found me working there. Said he wanted to partner up."

"How much of his story do you think is true?" Conan asked.

Amuro Tooru smiled faintly. "I think he's telling the truth. Kishida's explosives are practically flawless, and he's got serious knowledge of structural design. That underground lab? He built it himself. The guy's no idiot. And he's being this frank because he knows we can't really touch him. We can only charge him, but never get the answer from the Organization."

"Exactly," Conan mused. "He figured his ignorance could keep him alive, so he focused solely on perfecting his explosives. Didn't bother prying into who this buyer really was."

"But here's the issue... the police suspect Kishida still owes the organization a debt." Amuro folded his hands behind his back, pacing. "Now that the organization knows he's in custody, they've done nothing. No cleanup crew, no assassins, no rescue plan."

In the interrogation room, Inspector Megure pressed on. "Who was it?"

Kishida shrugged. "Who knows? If I did, do you think I'd still be sitting here unharmed?"

He claimed ignorance, yet spoke easily on everything else. An hour passed, and Megure and Officer Sato emerged from the room, visibly drained. Conan slipped inside.

Kishida Saburou raised an eyebrow and flashed a smirk. "You again, brat. Didn't die after all. You're like a damn cockroach."

"Sorry to disappoint," Conan said, pushing up his glasses. "Tell me—who did you meet? The one who contacted you?"

"And why would I tell you?" Kishida rocked his leg nonchalantly. "What could you possibly offer me in return?"

"I know you're connected to the organization, so drop the act. But you should know—some of the officers present here today, the ones who know your identity, are Public Security. They're chasing the Black Organization."

"You call that a polite question, brat?" Kishida stroked the goat-like beard on his chin, baring a row of sharp teeth. "You know, you remind me of another little punk from back then. Equally annoying. What was his name... those brats called him... K?" His expression darkened. "Is everyone called that a pain in the ass?"

Conan frowned. "How exactly did your contact find you? And why the zoo? Was it you who mixed the bomb materials into the animal feed, shipping it along with hundreds of kilos of other supplies every day?"

Kishida didn't answer. He only smiled and slowly rubbed the skin on the back of his left hand. When he propped his head on that same hand and yawned again, Conan noticed something: a scar. A long, thin burn mark, coiled around his forearm like a centipede. But with someone like Kishida, it wasn't unusual. He had plenty more from explosive tests.

When it was clear Kishida wouldn't answer, Conan decided to wait for Akai and Amuro to find further clues. Then the rest would follow. He hopped down from the metal chair to leave—only to hear a final remark.

"Those brats... they're your friends, right?"

"Of course," Conan replied coldly. "And you tried to kill them—no, that was just for show. That's why I came today. If you meant to kill me, you'd have beaten me to death back at the room. Same with them. You played along for a bit."

His sapphire eyes flickered, asked again. "Why? Why didn't you kill us?"

"Smart kid... Tch, if you didn't look so much like him, I'd have smashed your skull in long ago. Too bad... I should have killed you. All of you."

On the side Conan couldn't see, Kishida opened his eyes once more. But now, they weren't normal. They reflected fire—blazing, explosive, like his life's pride and madness. Like the instant of detonation.

"It's been years in a blink. Wonder how that brat's doing now..."

As Conan left, he heard Kishida Saburou humming a strange tune. Haunting. Unlike anything he'd heard before.

When the top of the five poisons roams by night...

I'll let you bleed, falling down a hundred feet.

Blood and Flesh, turn into ashes.

Let those years come again, let it all regain...

Saturday morning, Conan invited the Detective Boys over to Agasa's house to play cards. They had plans to make pizza for lunch, but when they opened the fridge, it was bare.

"How about a Costco run for supplies?" Agasa poked his head from inside the fridge. Genta's eyes lit up. "Yay~ I want that big cake from last time!"

"Hey Conan, why didn't you ask Ishikawa Kaito to come? Isn't he part of our group now?" Mitsuhiko asked. Ayumi nodded in agreement.

Conan had indeed been suspicious of Ishikawa Kaito—but it was Kaito who declined. Said he had things at home, then hung up. Haibara Ai stood on the driveway, arms akimbo. "Don't come back with a bunch of junk food."

She glanced at Okiya Subaru in the passenger seat, then dropped her smile and shook her head. He nodded politely.

"So you're saying Kishida Saburo never truly meant to kill you guys?"

After swiping the membership card, Agasa pushed the cart ahead while Conan and Akai walked behind. Akai Shuichi asked, and Conan replied thoughtfully: "It's not just a hunch anymore... But I don't think Kishida is one of those villains who waste time monologuing in movies. If he meant business..."

"If he meant business, he'd have pulled a gun like Gin and shot first." Akai chuckled knowingly. "So what did he say to you all back then?"

"Said nothing. Tight-lipped."

Conan and the others had made their way through the clothing section and stopped at the television display area. Akai glanced at a TV screen and said, "Nothing? I doubt Kishida truly knows much about the Organization. But speaking of him—do you know what's the most distinctive trait of his explosives?"

"Trait? So your trip to Hokkaido this time was to..."

"Investigate a series of explosions over the past decade. For someone like Kishida, who treats weapon-making as a form of artistic expression, there are always subtle signatures—details that reveal themselves if you look closely enough."

Conan understood what Akai meant,"Like how certain art forgers leave behind personal marks in their work—as a kind of calling card, a criminal flourish. You mean... these bombs also bear a signature?" Conan asked.

"Exactly. But not on the surface—it's in the components. I've seen the forensic reports. The chemical compounds used caught my attention. They match the kind found in bombings I investigated with other agents back in the States. A series of deadly explosions occurred there ten years ago, and the explosives used then were eerily similar to the ones crafted by Kishida. They both shared a remarkable trait."

"What kind of trait?" Conan asked, dropping bags of strawberry and vanilla chocolate bars into the shopping cart.

Akai raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you liked those."

"No... they're not for me," Conan replied. Ahead of them, Genta was sweeping bags of chips and wafer cookies off the shelves into the cart. Akai casually tossed in a bag of Karamucho hot chili chips.

"Fire. Infernos. Blue flames, indigo, aqua, crimson tongues of fire licking up the skyline."

A blazing inferno. Shattered ruins.

"So... Kishida was cooperating with the Organization from early on? That contradicts what he said," Conan noted, deliberately keeping a distance from the kids while speaking with Akai.

" I can only be sure that he is working on those bombs most of his life, but whether or not involved in the Organization that long ago? I can't tell you.

"When you told me that a member of the Organization had recently been seen entering and exiting the Beika Zoo, you were talking about Kishida, weren't you? Did you catch him meeting with anyone?"Conan asked.

"No. It wasn't him." Akai adjusted his glasses.

"He was a high-ranking member of the Organization... Sazerac. But he's dead now. I believe you've seen him before."

Conan blinked. He'd never heard of anyone named Sazerac. But when he saw the photo of the deceased, he shook his head in shock.

"No... Is that him?"

It was the man who died at the Poirot Café that day!

"Exactly. I believe Bourbon also recognized him as Sazerac... I didn't know him back when I was investigating the Organization. But in recent years, several informants have mentioned him. Said he'd worked in Europe for years and rarely returned to Japan. Then, half a year ago, he came back—and disappeared. The few recent sightings of him came from security cameras at the Beika Zoo. Still... What business did he have at the Poirot Café? Why did he die after that?"

"Could've been a coincidence? I was there that day. Amuro-san's expression when he saw the body looked genuinely surprised—not the face of someone who knew him. Or maybe he recognized the man as a member of the Organization but wasn't personally acquainted," Conan replied.

"The autopsy showed nothing unusual. Police ruled it natural causes. The family rushed the cremation request. But what's strange... is the timing. Our intel barely scratched the surface—Sazerac was elusive. His role involved negotiations and deal-making, working as a kind of intermediary between the Organization and outside contacts."

Conan said, "You mentioned timing—did you know that staff Azusa asked him if he needed help, and he turned her down? The police believe he overlooked signs of a heart attack, overworked himself through the night and collapsed from exhaustion. But Akai-san, you've seen the footage too. Doesn't something feel off about the whole thing?"

"Not just off," Akai corrected him. "Too smooth. So smooth it's eerie. It wraps itself into a neat explanation all too easily."

Conan's expression darkened. "Don't tell me... he was waiting for someone. Waiting for Bourbon... or maybe..."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Conan," Akai said firmly. He refused to speculate recklessly without enough leads. "Don't assume he came to watch Mouri Kogoro or you—or deny it either. Until more evidence surfaces, it's all just conjecture."

They gradually closed the gap between themselves and the rest of the group. Conan and Akai exchanged a look and, by silent agreement, dropped the topic of the Organization.

"So... have you all decided on the pizza toppings yet?" Akai asked loudly, using his Okiya Subaru voice.

"Beef slices!"
"Squid! And sausage!"

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko immediately turned their heads to respond. The kids, like unleashed wild things, roamed the aisles with laughter echoing through the store. The Professor, panting as he chased them, apologized to bewildered shoppers.

"Hey! Wait for me! Genta! You're going too fast... ah, that's the freezer section!"

Conan sighed. "Say, Akai—is this really okay? You're out playing with kids. Doesn't this interfere with your investigation?"

"It's a rare Saturday. Even I need a break sometimes. Besides... sharing a meal with friends and children isn't the worst way to spend a day."

Okiya Subaru wasn't just the man investigating the shadowy Organization anymore. He was no longer the long-haired, chain-smoking figure from rainy days past. The olive green eyes behind his soft blue contact lenses now held warmth. Humanity.

"And after what the kids went through this week, they could use a little cheering up," Akai added, quickening his pace. The shopping cart wheels clattered along the tiles. The kids had vanished with a cart full of drinks, and Akai and Conan made their way to the freezer section, picking out cheese and shredded mozzarella.

"Pick out a cake for them, would you? Let's hope this field trip doesn't turn into a nightmare in their memories."

As they approached the bakery, the scent of sugar, butter, and spice grew stronger. Fresh cinnamon rolls, croissants, and muffins were being placed on the racks by staff. Conan passed the chilled cakes—his eyes briefly scanning whipped cream, tiramisu.

"Look! Chocolate lava cupcakes!" a voice squealed.

Conan set down the tiramisu and instinctively looked over. A thought flashed in his mind—that guy sure loves chocolate cupcakes.

He squeezed into the crowd, only to find the newly stocked cupcakes completely wiped out. All but one lonely box, sitting by the croissants, clearly abandoned by a hesitant shopper.

As his fingers reached for it—

"Hey! Don't touch my chocolate cupcake!"

Conan turned around, box in hand—only to see the flushed, fuming face of Ishikawa Kaito.

"Ishikawa... what are you doing here?"

"Give it back!" Kaito lunged forward, trying to snatch it away. Edogawa Conan instinctively tightened his grip, stepping back. "You let go first."

"You let go first!" Kaito saw Conan had no intention of releasing it and snapped, "Didn't your mom ever teach you that grabbing other people's stuff without asking is called stealing?!"

Strangely, that remark made Conan loosen his grip, almost reflexively. Kaito swiftly reached out and caught the box, as if he were rescuing a beloved teddy bear from a villain's grasp. He patted the plastic box affectionately. Conan was momentarily stunned by the sight.

"Ishikawa-kun... didn't you say you had to go back to your family home in Tottori today, so you couldn't come?"

"Huh?" Kaito admitted immediately, "I lied ofcourse."

"........................"

The usually sharp-tongued Conan was completely speechless. He glanced up at Akai Shuichi, who was holding a roast chicken. Suddenly, it dawned on him that maybe, in Kaito's eyes, he himself was the real villain.

"Well if it isn't Kaito. What a coincidence, bumping into you at Costco." Akai, noticing Kaito trying to sneak off with the cake, smiled and invited, "I made too much dough this morning. How about coming back with us and making pizza together?"

"No, thanks." Kaito winked, pointing toward a distant crowd. "My grandpa's still looking for me. Gotta go." But before he got far, Conan grabbed the hood of his shirt.

"It's too dangerous. There's a crowd over there, and people are carrying hot food and bulky items. What if you get hurt?"

"We'll come with you to find your grandfather." Akai's words were not a suggestion, but a flat declaration. As Kaito walked ahead with the cake in his arms, Conan asked,"Why did you lie to me, Ishikawa-kun?"

"Huh? Because it's rare for Grandpa to be home. I can see classmates anytime. No need to meet every day, right?"

Kaito didn't seem the least bit sorry. He had that "lying to you is just making a lot of sense" look on his face.

"Didn't you say you live with your grandpa?" Conan pressed. Kaito shot him a glance.

"You sure ask a lot of questions, Edogawa-kun. But my grandpa runs a bar. He's out from night until morning. On weekends when I don't have school, of course I want to hang out with him."

Hearing that, Conan began to feel maybe he had misjudged Kaito.

About five minutes later, they found the old man in the fresh foods section.

Seeing Kaito, Conan, and a university student walk up to him, Grandpa Jii-chan was so startled he dropped a frozen beef block from his hands.

"Kaito-sama!?"

Conan frowned. "That's your grandpa? Why did he call you "Kaito-sama"?"

Kaito froze for a beat but recovered quickly. "He was asking if I wanted salmon. 'Kaito, salmon'?"

Conan looked skeptically at Kaito's forced smile. "But I thought you hated fish?"

Jii-chan hastily interrupted the unraveling conversation. "You must be Kaito's friend? And you are...?"

"Hello. My name is Edogawa Conan. And the man behind us is my friend." Conan politely greeted him. "We were wondering if Kaito could come over to our place. We're making pizza for lunch, and since we ran into each other, we thought, why not..."

"Of course he can!" Jii-chan answered without hesitation. Kaito's pupils shrank, glaring hard at his grandfather.

Jii-chan continued, "Oh, our Kaito finally made a friend at his new school! That's wonderful! You should go out and have fun instead of always staying in reading comics and playing games."

Kaito stepped closer, tugged on his grandfather's sleeve, and hissed through clenched teeth: "Are you trying to get me killed? That's the damn Tantei-san! And that weird disguised guy from before!"

His 'grandfather' shook his head. "No, Kaito-sama. Didn't you want to allay the detective's suspicions? Keeping your distance only makes you look more suspicious. Isn't this your best chance? You can search the web all day for information on the organization and get nowhere. Or___you can poke around. Why not... try a different way?"

________________________________________

Ever since Okiya Subaru used Agasa's kitchen, and Agasa put some weird clay into the oven (which ended up blowing a hole in the room), the oven had been out of commission. So everyone moved the ingredients to the Kudo residence. Genta and Mitsuhiko excitedly prepped the food, chopping mozzarella into cubes. Ayumi was at the sink washing basil and beef tomatoes. Akai rolled up his sleeves and stood beside Haibara Ai, kneading the proofed dough.

Meanwhile, Conan, carrying diced meat and shredded cheese to the dining table, caught Ishikawa Kaito trying to sneak a cupcake.

"Ishikawa-kun, put the cupcake down. We haven't had lunch yet—"

"Mm."

Instead, Kaito looked straight at Conan, slowly peeled the wrapper off, and, staring directly at him, took a big bite. His cheeks puffed out as he chewed in exaggerated slow motion, eyes wide with mock innocence.

"It's really good. Want a bite?"

"......................."

Inside those two little boys' bodies were two seventeen-year-olds:

Kuroba Kaito: Damn Meitantei, you dragged me all the way here and now you want to tell me when I can eat cake? Keep dreaming!

Kudo Shinichi: Brat... . Were you born just to piss me off?!

"Want to help with the pizza?" Conan sighed and gave up arguing.

Kaito took another bite. "I'm eating here..."

He then opened all ten fingers, now smeared in chocolate, and reached toward Conan like he was about to wipe them on him.

Conan smiled faintly and stepped back. "Fine. Just sit here and don't move. When you finish, wash your hands before you help. If you don't want to help, you can watch TV in the living room. Just don't wander off."

But if you tell Kaito not to do something, don't expect him to do what you say.

Kaito narrowed his eyes and crept upstairs, eating cake as he walked slowly down the hallway.

Sure, this carried a certain level of risk. But it was already the second week he had been switching between the bodies of Ishikawa Kaito and Kuroba Kaito. He had to find a way to reverse it. At the very least, he needed to know what Meitantei already knew.

A risk worth taking. And he was willing.

His steps halted before a certain door. If the mental blueprint he'd constructed along the way was accurate, this room was second only in size to the master bedroom—surely, it must be Kudo Shinichi's.

"Just a peek..."

The second floor was eerily quiet, with no one else present except for Kaito. The hallway lights seemed swallowed by fog, casting only a faint, narrow ribbon of light on the floor. The door to Kudo Shinichi's room swayed slightly, as if someone had deliberately left it ajar—an unspoken invitation.

"The door's not locked?" Kaito whispered. He brushed his fingers along the edge of the frame, checking for alarms or pressure-sensitive triggers. Only after confirming it was safe did he slowly push the door open.

A single lamp remained lit on the desk, its amber glow spilling softly across the floor, bathing the bedroom in a hushed, silvery calm.

"Strange... Isn't Meitantei supposed to be living at Mouri-san's place with Ran? Why is there still so much furniture here?"

Being an uninvited guest, Kaito moved with caution. He first tested the ground with his toes for any traps, then carefully shifted his weight forward. His fingers traced the walls, confirming no hidden mechanisms, before proceeding further.

He stopped before a deep brown desk by the window—tidy to the point of sterility. Kaito gently slipped out a sheet of paper.

"Letter of recommendation for a graduate advisor... Could it be..."

He wasn't terribly surprised. If Meitantei had aided Okiya Subaru, he likely would see it through to the end—putting this long-abandoned house to some use.

"Okiya Subaru, huh?" Kaito bent closer, inspecting the pen pressure and page indentations in the notebook, then scanned the calendar on the shelf. The dates circled in red were long past, suggesting the owner hadn't returned home recently—or had simply forgotten.

"Heh..." Kaito smirked. "No notes on thesis deadlines or academic symposiums... but a whole bunch of food streamer live shows marked down? Who's he trying to fool? ha...... "

The more you peek into someone's life, the deeper your curiosity grows... until you open a drawer and find a "Red Comet" album sitting on top.

A gun.

Bang—

Kaito whipped around on instinct. The door had slammed open, hitting the wall. A man's shadow stretched slowly across the floor.

"Hey kid, what're you doing here?"

Hakuba Saguru had come to the Nakamori residence with the express purpose of visiting, only to be greeted with an unexpected piece of news.

"What did you say?"

Startled, he set down his gift box and questioned Aoko further. "Kuroba Kaito's moved away?"

"Mm... sort of? But how come you didn't tell me you were coming back? If I'd told Kaito, he might've stuck around a few more days."

Hakuba knew Kuroba all too well. "No... if you'd told him ahead of time, that would've only made him leave faster. Did he say where he was going? What school?"

"No." Aoko shook her head. She lingered at the entryway, unsure whether to invite Hakuba in. He didn't seem inclined to enter either. The fact that only she was home made things feel slightly awkward. After all, their bond was nowhere near what she shared with Kaito. And besides, Hakuba clearly wasn't here to see her.

Hakuba glanced at the dark, empty house next door—the Kuroba residence.

"When did he move out?"

"Week before last? So it's been a while now."

Aoko's reply deepened Hakuba's confusion. After all, the last known appearance of KID had taken place after Kuroba Kaito was supposedly out of the country. Hakuba couldn't quite make sense of it—why had Kuroba Kaito vanished so suddenly, yet KID remained as flamboyant and active as ever?

As if the link between them were beginning to fade.

"Koruba-kun... what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

Kuroba Kaito stunned.

"I... I got lost... um... where's the bathroom?"

Steadying the churn of panic in his gut, Kaito wasn't just blessed with a cherubic face—he had mastered the art of bluffing, with expressions and tones polished to perfection. And he hadn't forgotten the pressure this man once exuded without saying a word.

Telling lies came as naturally to him as breathing. But the question was—would the man in front of him actually buy it?

"Oh?" Akai took a few slow steps forward, leaned down, and pulled open the same drawer Kaito had dared to open. Inside lay the gun passed down to him by a fallen comrade.

"You saw it? What else did you see here?"

His tone was gentle—not threatening in the least. And yet, that made Kaito's nerves stretch taut as piano wire.

"Hmm... lots of weird stuff. Onii-san's room has a bunch of things it shouldn't... and is missing a lot of things it should have..."

Akai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

"..................."

Kaito tilted his head upward and suddenly realized just how small he seemed in front of Okiya Subaru, who stood well over 185 centimeters tall.

"Onii-san, are you a bad guy?"

The bluntness of the question pulled a light smile from Akai Shuichi's lips. "Why would you ask that?"

Kaito tilted his head in thought. "Well... my dad used to say there are two kinds of people in this world who carry guns. One is the villains—the truly bad guys who want to take lives, anytime, anywhere. The other kind... are people who have too many things they want to protect. People who see it as their duty to defend others, who carry the burden of protecting the world. So, Onii-san... are you a villain—or a hero?"

"...............Hahaha."

Akai extended a gloved hand, taking from Kaito the CD case he held.

"Kid... you'll learn as you grow up. In this world, there are no eternal heroes—and no everlasting villains."

Long, long time ago, Kuroba Toichi had told Kaito the same thing. The world wasn't simply black or white. There was no such thing as absolute justice or pure evil. No forever enemies, no forever allies. No forever heroes—no forever villains.

The only thing one could be eternally loyal to was their own belief.

Ten years later, when Kaito uncovered his father's deepest secret, the words returned to him with striking clarity: the world is neither black nor white, and morality is not absolute. Everything depends on how the heart defines it, and how the mind interprets it.

Kaito glanced toward the kitchen. Okiya Subaru handed the disc to Conan. He could guess that beneath the packaging, it wasn't just any ordinary CD case.

If there are no forever rivals .. then maybe, just maybe, this time—he, Ishikawa Kaito, could try becoming friends with the great detective, Edogawa Conan.

__

By the time the group of kids was sent home, it was already past eight.

Conan checked the time and made a quick call to Ran, telling her not to wait up. Only after hanging up did he realize Haibara Ai had been standing silently behind him the entire time.

"Don't do that—you're going to scare me, Haibara. At least make a sound... What's wrong?"

Haibara Ai slowly walked down the stairs with an impassive expression. With a flick of her hand, Conan instinctively reached up, catching the CD case as it sailed through the living room air and landed neatly in his palm.

"You okay?"

"Kudo, now you can rest easy, can't you? And be sure to tell that paranoid FBI agent at the Kudo house..." Haibara said coldly. "Aside from your fingerprints and Akai's, there was no third set. Meaning—no one from the Organization has touched or even searched for this album left at Kudo's entrance in the past few days. Can I then safely assume the Organization hasn't shifted suspicion to Kudo Shinichi yet? If someone wanted to open it, they'd have to remove their gloves, and even if they wiped off the fingerprints on the outer case, they wouldn't be able to erase the ones I tagged with a special compound inside."

Conan nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. Thanks, Haibara."

"But knowing Kudo, he'll probably never fully let his guard down. With that mindset, you'll never live a normal life. Good night. Don't bother seeing me off."

Even as she glimpsed the sleeping bag still laid out in the living room, Haibara said that.

"Wait a second................." Conan suddenly called after her. "Are you saying... that there were only my and Akai's prints on that disc?"

"Who else would there be? Didn't you say Akai placed the item in the bedroom before those kids even arrived? It definitely wasn't any of them."

Haibara furrowed her brow. "Kudo, what's going on?"

"No... there was a third person...... who didn't leave his fingerprints.............." Conan's face froze.

It's you again...... Ishikawa Kaito.