The Bomber from Three Years Ago
Conan feigned interest in the red bead hanging from Klee's backpack and pointed at it. "Hey Klee, what's this bead on your bag? It's really pretty — I'd love to buy one myself. Do you know where they sell them?"
Ayumi leaned in and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It really is pretty! So red, just like a gemstone!"
Klee turned her head to see what Conan and the others were pointing at, then said, "That's a Vision! You can't buy those anywhere, you know."
"Eh? So how did you get yours, Klee?"
So that's what those glass beads were called. A Vision, though? An eye of a god? Some kind of religious terminology?
"It just appeared right in front of Klee one day!" Klee said brightly. "It's Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, recognizing Klee's power!"
Barbatos? One of the seventy-two demons of Solomon — so it really was connected to religion?
"Ehh, that sounds so cool!" Genta said. "I wish the Detective Boys had some kind of proof like that too."
"Genta, we already have detective badges, don't we?" Mitsuhiko pointed out. "Isn't that our emblem?"
"That's right!" Ayumi agreed. "And the professor made the badges just for the Detective Boys. Doesn't that mean he believes in us too?"
Genta scratched his head and grinned. "Huh, I guess so."
"Klee, I noticed Kaeya has a Vision too," Conan said. "Do you know how he got his?"
Klee shook her head. "Klee doesn't know that. But Klee knows that Kaeya's Vision must have appeared in front of him suddenly too!"
"What about Nahida, then? Does she have a Vision?"
Conan still found it strange that Nahida didn't seem to have one. Going by the pattern, she should have.
"Klee doesn't know," Klee said. "Klee only just met Nahida today. But Klee knows Nahida is really, really smart! She knows lots and lots of things that Klee doesn't."
Conan was a little disappointed. Apparently Klee didn't know all that much either. Well, that was fair — adults rarely told children anything important.
After that, Conan could only watch as Klee and Ayumi and the others chatted their way into fast friends — before long, they'd even made plans to go fishing together next time.
In the gondola next to theirs, two other people were hitting it off just as well. Except it wasn't Xiaxi doing the talking — it was Nahida and Haibara. At first Xiaxi could vaguely follow what they were saying, but the further the conversation went, the more it turned into white noise, and eventually she gave up on eavesdropping and just enjoyed the view.
Another lap came and went before she knew it. This time Klee was finally satisfied — no need to queue up and ride the Ferris wheel again.
Seeing how much Klee loved heights and knowing it was still early, Xiaxi decided to take her to see Tokyo Tower. With that, they parted ways with the Detective Boys.
Haibara drifted over to Conan's side. "So? Did you learn anything?"
"Not much. Just that that bead is called a Vision, and some Anemo Archon named Barbatos supposedly gave it to Klee. That's it. What about you? What did you talk about with Xiaxi-neesan? Or did you just sit there in silence?"
"Why are you so hung up on that bead, anyway?" Haibara said flatly. "For all you know it's just some trinket for pacifying children. As for me, I had a pleasant chat, actually. Nahida really isn't an ordinary child. She knows a great deal — especially about virtual reality."
Conan's eyes widened slightly, his earlier suspicion resurfacing. "Then do you think she might be like us—"
Haibara shot him a sidelong glance. "Unlikely. While Nahida and I were talking, I made a point of watching Xiaxi-neesan's expression. She showed no surprise or nervousness about what we were discussing — which means that in her eyes, Nahida knowing all that is perfectly normal. Maybe the girl is simply a genius. You should know by now — this world isn't exactly short on geniuses."
Conan was at a loss for words. "Heh. Is that so."
He couldn't shake the feeling that Haibara's remark had been a pointed hint that he wasn't clever enough.
Before Conan's group had gone far, they ran into Officer Sato, who offered to treat the Detective Boys to a meal as thanks for their help earlier. To their surprise, the encounter also brought them face to face with Officers Shiratori and Takagi, who were in the middle of investigating a bomb threat.
In the course of the conversation, everyone learned something astonishing: Officer Sato and Officer Matsuda had once dated, three years ago — though the relationship hadn't lasted long.
Conan and the others had seen Matsuda around a few times lately, and it was hard to believe Sato had once fallen for a guy that cocky. He was nothing like Takagi at all. Judging from that, Takagi's road to romance looked decidedly rocky.
"I'll admit, Matsuda is sharp and quick on his feet," Sato said. "But his personality can be so stubborn. A short while was fine, but the longer it went on, the more I honestly couldn't stand it sometimes." Her mood darkened as she went on. "And I know he's never really let go of what happened seven years ago. The truth is, neither have I. He came so close to dying back then."
Seeing the children's curious faces, Sato gave them a brief account of the two bombing incidents — one seven years ago, and one exactly three years ago, on this very day.
"I had no idea Officer Matsuda had been through something like that," Conan said. "So how did he manage to escape back then, in that situation?"
"Call it a miracle, I suppose. Matsuda fell from the Ferris wheel, and somehow walked away with only minor injuries. He claimed someone saved him, but the scene showed no trace of a second person — so it was probably just his imagination."
"So there's a good chance the bomber will strike again today — is that it?"
Sato sighed. "I can't say for sure. But Matsuda's been camped out in front of the fax machine again today. Every year on this date, ever since that day three years ago."
Before long, however, the unexpected happened.
A bomb had been planted in Officer Shiratori's car. Shiratori was injured in the explosion, though fortunately he was rushed to the hospital in time and escaped without serious harm.
Before they took him away, he pressed a scrap of paper he had torn from the car into Sato's hand.
She unfolded it — and found these words written there:
"I am the major leagues' star slugger..."
The realization hit her instantly. It was him — the same bomber from three years ago.
At the same moment, a fax bearing an identical message came through at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.
Matsuda, who had been waiting by the machine all day for exactly this, glanced at the transmission, and his first reaction was a single phrase: "Beika Station."
Meanwhile, not long after parting with Conan and the others, Xiaxi brought Klee to Tokyo Tower. It was her first time visiting the landmark herself, and it seemed like the perfect place to wander a while longer with Klee and Nahida.
"Wow! A big red tower! It's sooo tall!" Klee shielded her eyes with one hand, gazing up, and let out an excited cry.
The three of them made their way into Tokyo Tower, spent a good long while exploring the observation decks, and took plenty of photos — and only then, still reluctant for it to end, did they head for the elevator down.