SCIAW: Chapter 346/347

Chapter 346: I Want to Pay Attention Next Weekend

The weekend felt short and special for Nagi.

She had arrived on Friday and was already leaving by Sunday.

After all, school resumed on Monday, and since Nagi hadn't brought her school uniform with her, she had to go home after the weekend.

Downstairs in the residential complex, a high-end stretch car was parked, and a charming, professional-looking maid stood beside it.

"Good evening, Miss Maria."

Ren approached Maria, suitcase in one hand and Nagi's hand in the other.

"Good evening, Mr. Amamiya."

Maria glanced at Nagi, who wasn't looking at her, and noticed the hand she continued to hold with Ren. She smiled slightly. This was probably the best way to maintain their bond.

Her previous concerns now seemed completely unnecessary.

"Thank you for taking care of Nagi these past two days."

"Not at all. It was a good experience. I just didn't expect to run into something like that in Shinjuku."

Maria was already aware of the bombing incident. Her expression showed a trace of helplessness.

"Yeah, no one could have imagined a bomber would suddenly act in Shinjuku. And of all places, the site happened to be near Master Wataru Tachibana's video store."

It was quite the misfortune.

Maria had looked into the damage afterward. Fortunately, it wasn't serious. Only the glass at the entrance had shattered.

Still, such a major incident could only worsen the already struggling business of Master Wataru Tachibana.

His luck this year was just bad.

First, Isumi and Nagi transferred schools together. The girl he secretly loved left his world—worse yet, seemingly because of another boy. If he ever found out, it would be easy to imagine how crushed he would be.

Well… better not tell him. Maria made a silent decision.

"Miss Maria has a lot of faith in Nagi."

"Yes, I truly believe that the safest place for her right now is by Mr. Amamiya's side."

That wasn't flattery. Maria genuinely meant it.

She knew that as of now, the only obvious danger Ren had faced was the escape on Tsukikage Island, and only Miss Isumi had witnessed that. But even so, she still believed that Nagi was safest with him.

"Alright, you two have had enough."

Nagi couldn't stand their back-and-forth. She gently pinched Ren's hand, let go, then took the suitcase he had been pulling and walked to the car.

"See you on Monday."

Though her gaze showed some reluctance, she wasn't being clingy or dramatic. She didn't mean this was their last meeting.

"Yeah. See you Monday."

Ren smiled and waved to her.

Maria glanced at Nagi, bowed slightly, then opened the car door and helped her inside before walking around to the other side to get in.

The car started smoothly and quickly disappeared beyond the community gates.

Watching the figures outside the car window gradually fade from view, Nagi slowly withdrew her gaze.

She turned and saw Maria's amused expression.

Nagi frowned and glared at her.

"Maria, what's with that face?"

"Ah~ whatever could you mean?"

Maria smiled sweetly.

"I don't know who it was that, before arriving here, said she definitely wouldn't be able to adapt… So why does she look so reluctant to leave now?"

"I'm not reluctant!"

Nagi tried to refute her, but her blushing face betrayed her denial.

"I just suddenly realized that… maybe I can adapt."

Maria smiled and didn't press the issue.

"So, how was your weekend with Mr. Amamiya?"

"How was it? Pretty much as I expected. He's not bad in terms of personality. He prefers to watch from the sidelines and doesn't interfere too much. But he's also not completely indifferent..."

Nagi remembered how Ren had changed his mind because of her words and decided to act.

It seemed like letting Ren stay with her over the weekend wasn't such a bad idea after all… Maria watched Nagi's subtle shift in attitude and knew she had made the right call.

"Also, Maria… I think I made some progress."

"...Progress?"

Maria was stunned for a moment, but then quickly understood.

"!?"

There was only one kind of "progress" Nagi could be referring to—collecting the seven Dragon Balls to get a wish and resurrect Miss Shiko.

So that's it. Maria finally pieced everything together.

The massive explosion yesterday… she had already read about it in Ren's diary. She also knew it was resolved with Ren's help.

But what she hadn't expected was that Nagi had managed to benefit from that incident.

If collecting all seven Dragon Balls really allowed her to bring back Miss Yukariko… even the old master would probably have a heart attack if he knew.

Maria was certain the old man had never witnessed anything this absurd before.

In that case, I really should tag along with Mr. Amamiya more often in the future… Maria thought to herself. I need to start paying more attention to what we do on weekends.

If we could encounter more major events during outings, that would be ideal.

But there was still one thing to consider. Some things required Nagi's direct participation. Without her involvement, something like a Dragon Ball wouldn't appear.

The diary grants rewards based on what the host desires most. It was only because Nagi held such a strong longing for Miss Yukariko that she was able to receive something as extraordinary as a Dragon Ball.

"Nagi, it seems I'll need to arrange more weekend activities from now on."

"...That's still up to Ren. I always feel like whenever he plans something, strange things happen."

"...True."

Thinking about recent events, Maria found herself unable to argue.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 347: First Meeting

That evening, Hattori Heiji received a small guest at his temporary rental.

"Long time no see, kid."

Hattori Heiji didn't treat the child in front of him like a child. As someone in the know, the boy clearly understood a lot—and was directly tied to Kudo.

"Long time no see, Hattori-nii."

Edogawa Conan looked up at Heiji's expression. He could tell that Heiji had likely discovered something based on the hints he'd been giving over the past two days.

"Did you investigate the matter at Tropical Land?"

"Yeah, I got a pretty clear picture. Two months ago, there was a murder on the roller coaster. That area's surveillance footage wasn't deleted and is still intact. But the footage in other parts of the park is beyond my reach."

When it came to gathering information, it was often possible to get something by paying the right people—especially for cases that weren't considered top priority.

Because the roller coaster was involved in a murder case, its footage had been preserved for a longer period. The other areas didn't have the same treatment.

Tropical Land's surveillance was retained for months—that was notably longer than the average storage duration. Edogawa Conan had noticed this detail before.

It was no surprise that the other areas lacked surveillance records.

"Those two men in black are probably connected to Kudo's death, right? The ones sitting in the row behind the victim."

"And you—you have a close relationship with Kudo, don't you?"

Edogawa Conan didn't answer directly but responded with another question.

"What makes you think it was those two, Hattori-san?"

Hattori Heiji sneered.

"No matter how composed someone is, when a headless corpse suddenly appears right in front of them, anyone would be shaken—especially ordinary people. Only those with real experience dealing with corpses can stay calm, or even indifferent."

"Even veteran officers who've worked countless homicide scenes need composure. It's the same with forensic experts. Detectives or coroners who frequently see corpses. But those two? They weren't like that."

"Also, when Kudo was solving the case, he turned back four times. Each time, his eyes locked on those two. He's not someone who gets distracted easily. If he paid that much attention, he must've found something unusual about them."

That's true… Conan's expression shifted subtly. He clearly remembered the silver-haired man's cold eyes—as if human life and death meant nothing.

It was that look that had triggered Conan's alarm bells, making him realize these people weren't normal.

But everything that happened that day, and his current state, all stemmed from one impulsive moment.

Conan felt regret, but there was no one to blame. He had lost control in his pursuit of the truth.

"You're right, Hattori. Shinichi really got into something big. He was poisoned to death in a small alley near Dorobiga Park two months ago—killed by an almost untraceable poison."

"The two men in black are definitely not ordinary."

"But beyond that, we don't have any solid leads. We only know there's a massive organization behind them. They're just small pieces of that group."

As expected… Hattori Heiji wasn't surprised.

As a high school detective, they were often under the public spotlight. Regular criminals wouldn't go after someone like Kudo without cause. Only those with grudges or an agenda would do so.

Yet Kudo Shinichi—who regularly appeared in media—had suddenly disappeared without a trace. It was obvious something was off.

Conan looked up and met Heiji's gaze.

"Hattori, I shouldn't be telling you this. The truth behind Shinichi's death is something that should be buried. If you keep investigating it, that organization might target you next."

"Heh~"

Heiji grinned. Of course he understood the risk.

The organization that could kill Kudo wasn't ordinary. Even his father had reacted strongly—when all he did was retrieve some surveillance tapes. That told Heiji his father already knew who those two were.

Maybe… his father even knew what kind of organization was behind them.

But he had said nothing.

That silence said everything—the organization was more dangerous, far-reaching, and terrifying than he had imagined.

Heiji understood that by getting involved, he'd be drawing their attention.

Even so, his eyes were firm.

"Kid, some things can't just be seen and forgotten. If I know what kind of danger Kudo was in and still choose to back down, then what happened to him will stay buried forever."

"My strength might not mean much… but I still want to help investigate the group that took him out."

"To find the truth hidden in the dark, it's the detective's job to shine a light—even if it gets us destroyed in the process."

"Even if that means being shattered to pieces?"

Conan couldn't help but interrupt.

Heiji nodded slightly.

"Even if that's the end… I'm okay with it."

Conan lowered his head, a faint, relieved expression appearing on his face.

Yeah… that's what being a detective is really about.

Not showing off your brilliance, but standing up for those who can't speak—like Sherlock Holmes did.

Now that everything had happened… he regretted things. Deeply. Conan sighed.

After taking a hard hit from reality, he now understood the price of recklessness—especially when it involved organizations like that.

"So even if I get shattered, huh… I regret it a little now, Hattori."

"!"

Heiji blinked in surprise, then looked at the child again.

But the voice wasn't childlike anymore. It had taken on a mature, adult tone.

"Nice to meet you."

Conan bowed slightly.

"My name now is Edogawa Conan. Also, I'm the only son of my parents."

"!?"

Heiji looked at him in shock, as if struck by lightning.

So that's how it is… That's why…

Kudo Shinichi died two months ago.

At last, Hattori Heiji understood everything.

(To be continued.)