96: Chapter 96: The Fish-Fearing Boy of Ekoda

The next morning, Fujino residence, bathroom.

Fujino stood before the bathtub, observing the cyan seed within the pristine white porcelain. He murmured to himself,

"It grew five percent in just one night?"

On the system interface displayed before him, the Soul Lotus growth progress clearly showed:

He then looked closely at the Soul Lotus itself.

Yesterday, the seed in the clear bathwater was only about the size of his thumb.

After a night of growth, it had expanded to the size of his palm.

Moreover, its appearance had changed considerably.

The originally smooth seed casing had gradually developed limbs and a face. Though rough, it distinctly resembled a small doll.

The sight reminded Fujino of the high-tech 2060s cell phone from a certain domestic sci-fi transmigration movie from his past life.

Except, that 'Shǎ Niū' was transparent, while this Soul Lotus doll was cyan-green.

Atop the Soul Lotus's head, the single sprout from yesterday had thickened into a small, verdant stalk.

Extending from the stalk's base, the tip formed an unopened lotus bud.

Flanking the stalk with the lotus bud were two or three small lotus leaves.

These leaves hadn't fully grown yet, just tiny, emerald-green sprouts unfurling slightly.

Observing the Soul Lotus in the tub, Fujino stroked his chin.

For a fleeting moment, he felt like he was playing a pet-raising simulation game.

Shaking off the thought, he removed the band-aid from his right ring finger, peeling off the thin scab that had formed.

Holding his hand over the tub, he applied pressure with his middle and pinky fingers. A drop of crimson blood slowly welled up and fell into the bathwater.

The clear water turned faintly pink where the blood drop landed.

Then, tiny particles of light condensed within the pinkish water and slowly flowed into the Soul Lotus.

Having absorbed its daily blood ration, the Soul Lotus seemed to become slightly more lively and cheerful.

Fujino casually retrieved a band-aid from his pocket dimension.

After re-bandaging his ring finger, he looked at the Soul Lotus absorbing his blood, frowning slightly.

He pulled the seed from the gacha, and now he was feeding it his own blood.

Good grief, feels like I'm both its mom and dad.

When Soul Lotus Akemi grows up, is she going to call me...?

Time skipped to the afternoon.

Rain fell steadily over Shibuya, pedestrians sheltering under umbrellas.

Fujino stood at a traffic light with two lovely young ladies.

Raindrops drummed rhythmically on the umbrella fabric.

The air was thick with the distinct smell of rain.

Actually, the smell wasn't that strong.

It was just Fujino's enhanced senses making him more sensitive.

Seems like heightened senses can be a nuisance sometimes.

Beside him, Suzuki Sonoko chattered non-stop, a constant stream of words.

Ran stood beside her, listening patiently as Sonoko jumped from one topic to another.

Watching the two, Fujino wore his signature deadpan expression.

The reason he was here... it all started this morning...

Speaking of which, it's been quite some time.

How come Sonoko's affections haven't shifted to someone else yet?

Normally, she'd have found a new crush by now, right?

"Hey hey, have you guys heard about Phantom Thief 1412?"

As Fujino pondered, Sonoko suddenly spun around excitedly.

"That Phantom Thief 1412?"

Ran looked puzzled, not understanding why Sonoko suddenly brought him up.

"You mean Kaito Kid, right?"

Fujino, snapping back to reality, interjected.

"Kaito Kid?"

"Phantom Thief 1412 is Kaito Kid's international crime code,"

Fujino explained, seeing Ran's continued confusion.

"And 'Kaito Kid' came about because some novelist scribbled '1412', and it was misread as 'KID'. The nickname stuck, and Phantom Thief 1412 became known as Kaito Kid."

"Oh, I see."

Understanding dawned on Ran's face.

"Speaking of which, Fujino-senpai, do you know a lot about Kaito Kid?"

"Know a lot? Not really. I just read the newspapers often."

Fujino shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Know him? He even knew Kaito Kid's true identity.

If he wanted, he could go to Ekoda High School anytime and corner a certain fish-fearing boy.

And say something like: 'Young man, you wouldn't want your little secret of dressing up in a white cape and committing crimes at night to get out, would you...'

Just then, the pedestrian signal turned green.

The group slowly crossed the crosswalk to the other side.

"But speaking of which, Ran, as a detective's daughter, how can you not even know about Kaito Kid?"

Sonoko asked, puzzled.

"Besides, Kaito Kid is super popular among young girls right now."

"Give me a break, I'm not interested in solving cases,"

Ran replied with a hint of exasperation.

"Just because my dad's a detective doesn't mean I am too. How would I know about things like that?"

"Ran, you really don't act like a typical young girl sometimes,"

Sonoko couldn't help but comment.

Fujino silently nodded in agreement beside them.

Great minds think alike. In his opinion, Ran didn't really resemble a vibrant high school girl; she was more like a young housewife who'd been married for years.

Thinking about it, given Ran's circumstances, she really didn't have the time or energy to be a typical high school girl.

She had a troublesome father at home and a childhood friend with practically zero self-care skills.

Looking after those two burdens all day, who would have time for anything else?

Remember, before Kudo Shinichi became Conan, Ran often made breakfast for him.

As for Kudo Shinichi himself... he couldn't cook to save his life.

He'd probably turn slicing a cucumber into a nine-linked-ring puzzle.

Speaking of which, most childhood friend pairs in the Conan world seemed to be like that, right?

One exceptionally talented in some area, the other a master of domestic chores.

Seriously, what goes on in Mr. Aoyama's head?

"Thump!"

The sound of an umbrella dropping interrupted his thoughts.

Followed by two female shouts.

"Shinichi!"

"Ran, it's still a red light! It's dangerous!"

Fujino snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. Sonoko was desperately holding onto Ran's arm.

Ran seemed to have seen something and was frantically trying to dash across the street against the light.

"What happened?"

Fujino asked, confused.

"Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now... I saw Shinichi... with another girl..."

Ran stared intently across the crosswalk, her face etched with sadness.

Her umbrella lay forgotten on the ground, the heavy rain soaking her completely.

Fujino followed Ran's gaze.

He didn't see anyone at first glance, but with his enhanced observation, he quickly spotted a boy who looked remarkably like Kudo Shinichi.

The boy wore a white jacket and khaki shorts, carrying himself with a cool, slightly arrogant air.

Beside him stood a girl who resembled Ran.

She wore a light blue casual jacket and a plaid skirt. Judging by her demeanor, she seemed like a lively high school girl, completely different from Ran.

Kuroba Kaito?

Fujino recognized him instantly.

Handing his own umbrella to Ran, he went after them.

"Hey! Spiky-haired kid over there!"

Kuroba Kaito: "?"

Hearing someone shout "spiky-haired kid," Kaito immediately turned around.

And saw a man in a black suit, looking easily over twenty, standing behind him.

Kaito blinked.

"Mister, you are...?"

Fujino: "..."

After a moment of silence, Fujino took a deep breath.

"My name is Fujino Douji. I'm a detective."

"A detective?"

"You're that high school detective, Fujino Douji, right?"

Before Kaito could finish, the Ran-lookalike beside him interrupted excitedly.

"High school detective Fujino..."

Fujino rubbed his nose.

"That should be me."

High school detectives, besides Kaito Kid, were a favorite topic of discussion among teenage girls.

Seeing the famous detective she'd only heard about in person, Aoko was naturally thrilled.

Now she'd have something to brag about the next time she chatted with her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠best friends.

Kaito, however, wore an utterly bewildered expression.

This guy is a high school student?

I'd believe you if you told me he was a corporate drone!

Mentally roasting the detective's appearance, he turned to Aoko.

"Aoko, you know this guy?"

"Of course, I do!"

Aoko nodded, then looked back at Kaito puzzledly.

"Kaito, don't you know the high school detective Fujino?"

"How would I know about stuff like that..."

Kaito scratched the back of his head, then asked Fujino, his tone slightly annoyed,

"So, Mr. Detective, what do you want with me?"

His annoyance stemmed partly from the inherent detective-vs-thief rivalry.

And partly from the adoring look his childhood friend was giving the detective.

"Nothing much,"

Fujino chuckled lightly.

"I just mistook you for a long-lost classmate."

"Shinichi! Where have you been all this time?!"

Just then, Ran caught up to them.

Seeing Aoko beside Kaito, she frowned.

"Who is this girl?"

"My name is Kuroba Kaito! Not Shinichi!"

Kaito corrected her, his face grim.

"Not Shinichi?"

Ran eyed Kaito suspiciously.

After a moment, she realized she had indeed mistaken him.

They looked alike, yes.

But Kudo Shinichi would never have this kind of spiky hairstyle.

"Shinichi... You mean Kudo Shinichi?"

Aoko suddenly interjected.

"You know him?"

Ran nodded.

"We're childhood friends."

"Of course, I know him! He's called the 'Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei Era',"

Aoko's admiration grew even stronger. She then asked Ran,

"Does Kudo Shinichi really look that much like Kaito?"