Lisa Is Leaving Too
Kir knew nothing of Gin's suspicion about the operation, or of the string of measures he had taken in response. She had left Raiha Pass a full step behind him, and it was only now that she finally returned to the organization's base.
And it was obvious that for the time being she would not be allowed to leave. She would have to keep living at the base itself—convenient, no doubt, for certain people who wanted to keep a close eye on her.
Then, by pure chance, she discovered that besides her, there was one other person who had also been living at the base.
He did so because he was a minor, and couldn't be allowed to live alone on the outside. Letting a boy that young live by himself would draw attention, and his personality was a problem in its own right—so rather than risk any of that, it was simpler to just keep him under the organization's roof.
But that was an insignificant matter, and a story for another time.
The next day, Jodie went to the police. By checking the fingerprints lifted from Conan's cell phone—a phone that Akai Shuichi had once handled—against the prints on the body recovered from Raiha Pass, they confirmed a match. The nameless corpse they had mourned was, beyond all doubt, Akai Shuichi.
Having received her answer, Jodie's composure held perfectly. Not a flicker of anything wrong crossed her face. But the moment she left the station and got back into her car, she broke down and wept without restraint.
All of it was seen by the organization member shadowing her nearby, and duly reported to Gin.
That day after school, when Conan and Mitsuhiko and the others stopped by the bookstore to browse, they happened to run into Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, and Hondo Eisuke, who had only just gotten out themselves.
"My, my—if it isn't little Ran and Sonoko. Oh, and, hmm... the various detectives of the Detective Boys. How lucky of me to run into you all today." A melodious, lilting voice drifted over from a short distance away.
"It's big sister Lisa!" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta cried out in perfect unison.
"Who's this?" Hondo Eisuke asked, puzzling over how familiar everyone seemed with her. He leaned in close to Ran and whispered the question.
Conan caught the whole exchange, and felt an uncomfortable twinge in his chest.
"Lisa is one of the administrators at Beika Library..." Ran gave Eisuke a brief introduction.
Lisa noticed the unfamiliar high schooler among the group and, smiling, strolled over to Ran's side, drifting unhurriedly closer to Eisuke before blinking at him. "I didn't even notice at first—so there was such an adorable boy hiding in this crowd. Little brother, what might your name be?"
Eisuke, who had never in his life been this close to a grown woman he didn't know, flushed scarlet and stammered out a reply. "I... I'm... Hondo Eisuke. I'm in the same class... as Ran and Sonoko."
Even as he spoke, his eyes kept darting to Ran, silently begging for rescue.
"Oh my~" Lisa took in his behavior and covered her slightly parted mouth with one hand, feigning astonishment. "It would appear, Eisuke dear, that you're rather taken with our little Ran."
"I'm not!" Eisuke's face burned even redder as he protested at the top of his voice, then promptly fumbled the explanation. "N-no, that's not—um... what I mean is, uh, 'taken'..."
Before he could untangle himself, Sonoko clapped him hard on the shoulder and roared with laughter. "Well, well—who knew you had such good taste, huh?"
Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko crowded curiously around Eisuke as well.
Leaving Conan all alone, watching the two of them laughing and chatting together, unable to squeeze out even the ghost of a smile.
"It seems a certain great detective just outplayed someone's beloved sister," Haibara's voice drawled at his ear, dripping with gloating amusement, "only to turn around and find his girlfriend about to be stolen right out from under him." It succeeded in souring Conan's mood even further.
"Not a chance. That is not going to happen." Conan's answer was absolute.
With that he charged forward and wedged himself bodily into the gap between Ran and Eisuke, forcing a distance between them.
He had barely planted his feet when he heard Ran ask Lisa, puzzled, "Lisa, shouldn't you be at the library right now? What brings you to a bookstore?"
"Oh, I handed in my resignation just now," Lisa answered with a smile. "I'll be leaving Japan soon, so I came to pick up a few books to pass the time when I get bored."
"Leaving Japan?!" Sonoko gasped. "That's so sudden!"
"Did something happen?" Ran asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"Nothing of the sort. There are simply some things I must go and do." Lisa's expression turned tender. "Thank you for your concern, Sonoko dear, and little Ran. Besides, I'm only leaving for a while—it's not as if I'm never coming back. And you're both welcome to contact me any time, you know."
Conan looked up at her, a thoughtful shadow passing over his face.
Lisa, like Kaeya, was leaving Japan soon?
Conan remembered that the borders of their Visions were identical. Which meant the odds were they knew each other—quite possibly very closely.
Which meant they were very likely leaving Japan together, headed for the very same place.
At that thought, Conan gave the hem of Lisa's clothes a little tug, and when she bent down to look at him, he asked, "Lisa, big brother Kaeya is leaving Japan soon too. What a coincidence—are you two going to the same place?"
Lisa blinked, taken aback for a moment, then nodded in affirmation.
Conan's eyes went wide at once, and in his best imitation of childish curiosity he pressed on. "Then Lisa, could you tell me where you're going? I'm reeeally curious."
"Hmm..." Lisa deliberated for a moment, then burst out laughing at the sight of him straining with impatience. "Nope—I can't tell you, Conan. That's a secret." She raised a finger and waggled it before his face in playful refusal.
"But... ow!" Conan was still unwilling to give up—even if he couldn't learn the exact destination, just knowing the country would be something. Unfortunately, the words never made it out, cut short by Sonoko's knuckles rapping him on the back of the head.
"What did I just say? Can't you see she doesn't want to tell you?"
Even Ran chided him for being rude.
"Oh-kay——" Conan sighed the word out long and low in grudging surrender.
Then, to give Lisa a proper send-off—and to celebrate Eisuke's recovery and return to school—Sonoko proposed they all go sing karaoke together.
In the end, Ayumi and the others had to head home the other way, and Haibara slipped off partway there, so the party that actually arrived at the karaoke box consisted of Ran, Sonoko, Lisa, Eisuke, and Conan the small child.
Just before they entered their room, Lisa's eyes flicked briefly toward the space behind them.
She had sensed someone tailing them for quite some time now—someone who had been following ever since they left the bookstore, all the way up to this very moment.