Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Takagi Wataru pov.]

Sato-san, or, well, Miwako is leading the clean up in all her glory, ushering both Wataru and Conan to watch and finally have their lunch. Luckily they had made their purchases right before someone toppled over on the dairy island. Wataru sits beside Conan on the sideline, unwrapping his onigiri and watches as Tome-san and other forensics wrapping up and cleaning another crime scene that has finished in under half an hour thanks to Conan's help.

Wataru is the only officer that responded to Conan’s speed dial, earning him the title of Division One’s babysitter for always dropping everything for Conan and Agasa-hakase’s phone call (in representative of the other children). His colleagues usually avoid handling children in their cases, finding them an obstacle at least and a nuisance at most. They also mock Wataru for trying to take baby level cases to solve. They didn’t mock Miwako for doing so, even going against their superior’s order on their way to Tokyo Tower. Especially after it led them to solving Matsumoto-kanrinkan's case (At the cost of his hospitalization, which Wataru will do again for another kiss).

Those men need something against Wataru that wouldn’t anger Miwako after they are officially dating. And to be honest? Wataru has never once felt bothered or burdened by these brilliant children. Listening to their words always leads to an actual case and solutions that cut their investigation time by almost half. The children are frightfully clever and more efficient than most officers, picking up a lot of details that led to their solutions.

More specifically, one Conan Edogawa.

Wataru would be ashamed to admit that he, too, at first tried to keep Conan and shounen tantei-dan out from the crime scene. He should be ashamed to admit that he now let Conan lead the crime scene most of the time. It’s confusing. It’s supposed to be alarming that Wataru finds a child in the middle of an active crime scene comforting, but he does, at least to this specific child.

The boy is well and unhurt, even chewing on a convenient store sandwich that Wataru gave him. He couldn’t help staring at Conan, sitting on top of a mailbox swinging his legs like it’s just another Saturday. He had learnt to let go of his pride after being saved far too many times by the kid. To a large extent, his opinion on Conan solidified after what happened in Tokyo Tower.

“What are you?”

”I will tell you,” Conan's tone deepened far from the childish form the boy used, this time it's deep and haunted. “From the other side.”

At that moment, Wataru didn't feel like talking to a now almost seven years old child. It felt like watching a senior officer with years of experience. How did the boy do it? He always walked through so many traumatizing incidents like a seasoned veteran who had seen and known too much. He could almost saw another figure behind Conan.

Now, Wataru is proud to follow the kid’s order and even eager to learn more from and about the boy. At this point, he believes that Conan-kun is secretly Division One’s babysitter after seeing the boy hold them by the hands through cases multiple times.

“Conan-kun?“ Wataru asks, already finishing his onigiri in a few bites.

“Hm?” Conan-kun looks up to him, the boy has to hold the sandwich with both hands and not even eat half of it yet.

Cute.

Wataru decided to enjoy the small wonders of how tiny the boy is. Conan reminds him of a kitten. Conan is still one the smartest people Wataru knows. Let him focus on the things that made Conan look like a normal kid, for the sake of his sanity.

“Takagi-keiji?” The boy tilts his head in confusion, there are bread crumbs on his cheek. The boy's nose is red and his cheeks pink from the cold, despite all the jacket his caretaker has buried him in.

“Well, I tried watching Kamen Yaiba like you offered.” Wataru admits, rubbing the back of his neck. The boy has a large variety of knowledge that he gains from watching TV. To Wataru’s surprise, Conan’s answer to his favorite TV show was Kamen Yaiba. Hoping to be a better officer, Wataru asks for Takano keibu-ho's collection (the man keeps the entire series recorded for his child and for his own hobby).

“I have reached season 3,” Wataru sighs, he even kept a note, ready to tackle the series like a case. “But I haven't learned anything from it.” He was binge watching them for an entire week, much to Miwako's teasing. On the bright side, he has gained Takano keibu-ho's respect and he has more conversation topic with Chiba.

In his laments, Wataru misses the way the boy almost drops his sandwich.

“Y-You watched ALL of them?” The boy stutters, not an excited look like the one Takao keibu-ho had when he asked for season 4. His big doe eyes went wide and mouth agape before the boy ease down to a similar look of pity.

To be fair, Kamen Yaiba is quite entertaining, it's nice to turn off his brain after a gruesome day. But it seems like it went against his earlier goal.

“Yeah, it's relaxing to watch sometimes.” Conan blurts out, apparently Wataru has said his thoughts out loud.

Then Conan's face went red after he realized his own words. “Don't tell the kids!” Like he's not a kid himself.

“Ah-Um-" Conan continues, "Sorry! I lied, Takagi-keiji” Conan quickly adds, eyes looking down as he bowed a little.

“A-Ah, it's alright Conan-kun, I didn't tell you why I asked.” Wataru should have told the boy exactly why he asked for his favorite TV shows.

“But, Really? All 75 episodes in a week?” Conan asks again, although it seems that the boy only mumbles it to himself. Conan seems to be deep in though for a while before nodding to himself.

“But, uh,” He looks around before waving his hand for Wataru to give his ear. Of course, Takagi crouches to Conan's level.

“In truth, Shinichi-niisan teaches me.” The boy whispers.

============

[A week later. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Division One.]

“Haaahhh” Wataru stretches from his desk, twisting his arm behind his neck then to the side until his back pops.

During Winter, the day always passes so quickly. The sun had set a long time ago, leaving the sky dark with only the city lights decorating his window. The floor is quite empty other than a few other officers still chatting or working on their desks. Monday is an oddly peaceful day in the precinct. Well, at least for division one, almost half of them had taken a day off after a stressful weekend solving another serial attack at a music venue just after the year start. The only one who comes to the office is busy with their reports and other paperworks.

He could see Megure-keibu talking to other officers at the end of their floor, right in front of the meeting room, near their pantry. Miwako is currently printing some documents next to the water dispenser while waiting for their coffee to brew.

Wataru himself only had some mindless daily reports left to do and sign. Thinking of the energy he still had left, he pulls out an old voice recorder. Conan had lent him the voice recorder a few days ago in another case, the one Wataru just finished writing.

It’s a DDR-5300 Diasonic digital voice recorder, an older type that still needs batteries to function. The device itself is small enough for Conan to hold with one hand. The data are all kept in a 2GB micro SD slot that could fit 6 to 20 hours of recording. The buttons are similar enough to a flip phone, could be easily used by even Megure-keibu, with a small screen showing the menu. The only way someone can connect the recorder to their advice through an USB port.

Wataru sets aside another small note beside his keyboard, he could take key notes from the recording while listening to Shinichi kun’s words. For now, Kudo-kun only described a woman through Sherlock Holmes’s perspective. With how many complements the woman had, this is probably Sherlock’s girlfriend or wife? He scribbles his thoughts before typing away on his keyboard.

============

[Recording Continues.]

”What are you doing?” A faint voice asked into his ear, followed by a scream.

[Recording Pauses.]

============

“What are you listening to, Takagi-kun?” Miwako yanks the cable off from its plug, letting go of the voice he is listening to on the entire floor. He didn’t notice her, too busy managing his notes and his report. He was caught like a kid sneaking in his homework during class.

“-aaAAH-” Wataru was able to hit pause, but not before Shinichi-kun screams gained everyone’s attention.

“Is that Shinichi-kun’s voice?” Megure-keibu asks, irritation quickly replaced by genuine concern. The man quickly stomps over to Wataru's desk.

“Ah, well, it’s a recording.” Wataru tried to explain, but that answer only made the room tense.

Ah, crap. As a police officers, Wataru should've think on the implication of his words. "No, No, Kudo-kun is fine, I think?" His hesitation only made Megure-keibu tensed even further. Miwako also follows, hands on her hips, ready to yell at him too.

"You THINK?" The man slamps his desk. "Play the tape, Takagi-kun!"

============

[Recording continues.]

There are sounds of things topped over and hitting the ground right at the same time as a creak of a door.

“Ah, Ha- Conan!” Kudo-kun chirped after he settled his breathing.

Footsteps could be heard followed by soft whispers of “What’s wrong?” A relief sigh and a chuckle. “Couldn’t sleep? Come here then.” The footstep grows louder and finished by a soft sound of hand patting fabric.

There were swooshing sounds of fabric before Kudo-kun continued.

“Irene Adler. A singer. Born in 1858. Live in London-”

[Recording Pauses.]

============

"How do you get this on tape, Takagi-kun?" Now Megure-keibu is staring at him. HARD.

"No, NO! This is completely legal, you see, I-" Wataru couldn’t help explaining the Megure-keibu and Miwako that he had asked Conan on the TV shows that the boy claimed he gained all of his knowledge from. He concluded to them that Conan had learned some from Kudo-kun, recorded and could be replayed to study. Both boys had agreed on lending him the voice recorder.

That’s the thing he’s currently listening to.

“So, he’s testing you with Kamen Yaiba?” Miwako guffaws, she sees him trying to catch up to the show every night.

“You are too gullible Takagi-kun.” Megure-keibu comments. The tension quickly slips away from the man's shoulder, although there is a nervous tick Takagi notices lingering on his boss.

“Well, I passed the test, right?” Wataru grins.

“How do you get Conan to give you the recording?” Miwako squints her eyes, already judging him for bribing a kid.

“Hah! I think the kid just takes pity on him.” Megure-keibu pats his back.

============

[A few days ago.]

“There you go, Shinichi-niisan's tutorial.” The boy tosses him the device, in another blush like it's a secret he didn't want to share. Is he that embarrassed for exchanging said recordings with Kamen Yaiba Season 4? It’s not that weird for a kid to watch Kamen Yaiba, unless he still goes with the theory that Conan is NOT a kid. But again, both Chiba and Takao keibu-ho follows the series, so it's not that embarrasing for an adult to watch it anymore.

“Shinichi-niisan said it's okay since it’s old,” Conan shrugs, “I supposed Division One is fine, although I would like to know who would you like to share this with.” The boy pulled the voice recorder back right before Wataru could take it.

“All right.” Wataru gulps, feeling the weight of responsibility and trust Conan just gives him. He needs to make sure he doesn’t break it.

“Promise me,” Blue eyes stare right into his soul.

“Only listen straight from the recorder. No copying it to your computer or your phone. Watch out for anyone you don’t trust. If possible, away from other active advice, like computers or phones.“ Ah, there it is again. It feels like he's being interrogated in a dark room, not behind his car in a parking lot. In moments like this, Conan-kun’s presence feels heavier than the Superintendent himself.

“Can I trust you, Takagi-keiji?” The words uttered in utmost seriousness, struck a chord. So Wataru also mentions the rules Conan laid for them if they want to listen to said recordings. They both nod. Megure-keibu drags an empty seat near Wataru. Miwako leaves only to return with some store-bought bento and drinks for her and Megure-keibu. She sits on Chiba's desk and opens her dinner.

Wataru takes more notes of the woman. Irene Adler. A singer. Born in 1858. Live in London. before pressing play again.

“Wait. Kudo-kun uses Sherlock Holmes as Conan’s bedtime stories?” Miwako asks, baffled.

“It’s his favorite book,” Megure-keibu states with a huff, not a smidge of surprise in his face. “I bet Shinichi-kun could even dictate the book verbatim at this point.” The man shakes his head, a rare fond look in his eyes.

============

[Recording continues.]

“-Did you marry her?” Kudo-kun continued dictating the novel. If Wataru concentrates, he could hear the sound of pen scribbling on paper. So Wataru follows suit, making a simple mind map of Sherlock’s clients.

King ←- Fiance.

“We were both in the photograph.”

“They what?!” Megure-keibu almost dropped his katsu.

King → Irene (+photos, why?)

“Oh dear, That was a mistake, your majesty.”

They all nod along Sherlock’s opinion. This will be a PR nightmare for any important people even in real life. They had several cases when it easily escalated into threats, blackmails, and even murder. Then the king further explains his failed attempts at retrieving said picture until he’s desperate enough to ask for Sherlock’s help, no matter how much it will cost him.

Wataru circles the photos and adds another note ‘goal’.

“What can I do?” Holmes laughed.

Wataru adds ‘even Sherlock needs money’.

[Recording pauses.]

============

“Do you hear that? Shinichi probably dictates the novel while working on something else.” Megure-keibu mentioned the loud pen scratches.

“Are you sure Kudo-kun’s not tricking you into this, Takagi-kun?” The older man huffs, chewing on rice and egg roll.

“Maybe he’s using this recording like one using an old case to study?” Miwako answers, half done with her meal and joining Wataru in adding little notes to a sheet of paper. Is that Chiba-kun’s report?

Still, they played the recording again.

============

[Recording continues.]

Kudo-kun stops reading the book to give his opinions of the chapter. Now that the teen is talking as himself, Wataru has just realized how good Kudo-kun was at acting, he almost forgot that those are all Kudo-kun’s voices. Kudo-kun had played the act really well.

A flustered king, All of his dialogues were played as he slowly lost his elegance. tearing at the seams, desperate to find a solution to his affair. In contrast, Sherlock asks his question like one mentions the weather, deep, calm, and collected. While the doctor just sounds amusing all the time, his voice sounds lighter and bouncing. All the characters even have different accents and weigh to them.

“You see, but you do not observe” Kudo-kun said and in the moment Wataru had returned to the elevator, looking up at the small figure on the shaft’s opening.

“Do you see how much detail is written for the character described by Doyle-sensei? That's how you observe the situation and around you. Height, weight, clothes, posture, speech and other things people usually missed. Do you see how much details Watson missed in his description? See the difference between Watson and Sherlock? Don’t you want to know how Sherlock was able to find out about their client’s identity from the start-”

Shinichi realized the yawn was coming out of Conan’s mouth and stopped his short review.

“Ah..sorry.” Conan mumbles, letting his childlike voice echo through the room, the boy couldn’t help it that his four, five years old (?) body needs eleven hours of sleep.

“Ah, it’s 10:15, way past children’s bedtime,” The teen said to Conan, losing his cold and aloof demeanor.

“I’ll continue the story later.” Shinichi chuckles, “We should go people-watching over ice cream sometimes.” along with the sound of fabric shifting. Maybe he’s tucking his little cousin in?

“Good night.” He sounds really soft, answered with a really cute small humm from Conan.

[Recording pauses.]

============

[00:41:33 | 23:12 | Jan 20th 2011.]

The first recording lasted for 40 minutes, dated around three years ago. That means Shinichi was 13-14 and Conan 3-4 years old. Shinichi himself is just a teenager, something he forgets a lot. They are both so young.

“That’s nice.” Miwako’s eyes soften, still lingering on the recording on Wataru’s desk. “To think of how close those two are.” Her smile is mesmerizing.

“Hm, I think... I know why Shinichi-kun made those rules.” Megure-keibu clears his throat before meeting his eyes with Miwako and him.

“Yeah.” Wataru agrees.

It feels like he’s intruding on something private. It’s a simple moment, just sharing their favorite novel as a bedtime story to a younger family member. Something Conan probably listened to multiple times if the boy could even gain all of his knowledge from them.

“The media would fight over this recording like vultures. So make sure to keep this private, Takagi-kun, Sato-kun.”

“Yes sir!” They both salute as Megure-keibu takes his jacket and leaves.

Wataru’s thumb linger on the replay button. He will need to listen again to the story again, this time paying attention to the things that Kudo-kun had described at the end of the recording. He supposed his eyes are like Watson, while Kudo-kun is like Sherlock’s. If he could find the differences and remembers the things he has to pay attention in observing someone else-

Eh? Miwako had taken Chiba’s seat next to him, leaning on the paper she had taken, pen ready. Even this late, she is still brimming with energy and Wataru realized that everyone else had left the precinct.

“Aren’t you going home, Sato-san?” They had agreed to keep calling each other professionally even after they started dating. He hasn’t asked if it’s fine if they are alone.

“Come on, Takagi-kun! There's no way i'm skipping out after that hint.” She pouts

Chapter Text

[Morning. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Division One.]

[Wataru Takagi POV.]

Miwako and he had compiled their notes together of the things Sherlock paid attention to during his investigation from the first part of ‘A Scandal in Bohemia.’ Name, gender, age, occupation, hobby, Body Language, Hand, Skin (scars, tan lines, etc.), Legs. Clothing, and so many more things to look out for or to observe on a person. He never realized how much information you could gain from simply observing the person in front of you.

Their combined notes on detailed description had piled up, enough to cover an entire corkboard in his apartment. The amount of information was a bit overwhelming for Wataru. He could feel his head throbbing even today, like a nasty hangover that refused to leave him.

“Is that a ring, Takagi-san?” Wataru could hear someone grumbling by his ear and he could feel the room temperature drop significantly. Ah, his palm probably covered the note, only revealing the ring for the officers to see.

“I’m just asking Takagi here to make it for a case we are working on.” Miwako snatches the note from his palm and shows the entire room, holding the binder they thought was a ring accessory. She is loud enough to be heard by their entire division. Everyone suddenly loses interest in anything related to their actual work and leaves them alone.

“Woah, you made this yourself, Takagi-kun?” She flips the small paper in her hand, smaller than her palm, easily bound together with the ring binder.

“Ah, hai, well, I used to make them for school?” How to explain it? It feels like he’s going back to his school years, cramming up for an exam. So he went back to the method he used to ace said exam, keywords. He keeps one word reminder for the things Kudo-kun had mentioned that would be important to pay attention to.

“Oh! That’s not yours, here, I–” Wataru procures another one from his pocket, it’s bound together with a red ring, the same color as Miwako’s car. “You can add more pages as we go.” He pulls out some stack of paper and extra rings. “Since, uh, I think Kudo-kun still has more in store for us.”

“Sato-san?” He puts his full attention on Miwako again who has been silent.

“Hair. A bit wet and ruffled.”

Huh?

“Eyes. Little red around the sclera, shadows underneath them.” She peeks through her like cue cards. Their eyes meet and Wataru panics, his cheeks flushed quickly, he’s never been able to stay calm under her full concentration.

“Shoulder. There are water spots, but the back is dry.” She flips the pages, a little smirk on her lips, the red lipstick makes it even more tantalizing.

“Posture. Slouched and strained.”

“Wrist. No watch but there is a tan mark on your left wrist.” Miwako uses the tone for cornering criminals, so Wataru stays still like said criminal.

“Hands. Band aids on index finger and thumb.”

“Mud tracks on shoes and pants.”

“And my deduction is,” She shakes her head, a simple laugh that makes his heart skip a beat. “You made this the entire night and overslept in the morning. Because of it, you didn’t get any parking spot so you ran through the rain from our furthest lot that’s still made of dirt and not asphalt, Takagi-kun?” Now she loses her cool composure and laughs. “And you also forget your watch in a hurry.”

Wataru didn’t move from the spot, he almost forgets to breathe from the sight. Unlike him, Miwako is the epitome of confidence. She wears light make-up today, something that makes Wataru worried over the light blush covering the dark shade under her eyes. But her eyes crinkle with mirth, clear and ready for the day. The corner of her lips tugs itself upward, a bit red, not from lipstick, but probably from those spicy onigiri she likes to buy. She smells like orange, the perfume of her car. Her suit jacket ironed to perfection without any wrinkle, with an undershirt made of cotton, comfortable for any weather. The tips of her sleeves are a bit wet, probably from the time gap between opening her car door and her umbrella. Unlike the usual heels and skirt, she is wearing boots and a quarter length pants today, perfect for field work in rainy weather.

Conclusion. Miwako is beautiful in her element.

“Eh, that’s cruel, Sato-san!” He is finally out of the dazed state he was in. “Don’t use it on me!” Wataru tries scrambling for the note that Miwako easily dodges and trips him over.

“See, This one works fine, I'll take this one.” She laughs and Wataru feels like he had eight hours of sleep last night.

===============

The book ring Takagi made:

Chapter Text

[Juzo Megure pov.]

[After work hours. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Division One.]

Juuzo opens the bento box his wife had sent for him. She makes two every Wednesday, knowing that he’s going to work overtime. He does, after that whole chaos with food poisoning at Haido Central hospital followed with a bomb at a nearby river, he has so many reports to write.

Despite what the people from upper-management told him, Juuzo still kept Shinichi’s missing case file, sitting in his drawer. It's almost December, in a couple of days, it will be a full year since Shinichi’s disappearance. Their latest lead had burned in flames, literally, and the only thing reassuring him is Conan. Everytime Conan happily declared that he had called Shinichi nii-chan for a case, Juuzo let out a burden that Shinichi was alive for another day.

On Wednesday, Shinichi used to visit and clean up any cold cases they have. They used to keep an empty desk for Shinichi to use everytime the boy visited, the desk at the back of the room, the nearest to the archive room, in an odd corner with an extra shelf. Back then, they just put any file they wanted Shinichi to take a look at on the shelf, now it’s piling to the brim.

Juuzo sighs at the pile of paperwork and cold cases on the abandoned desk. Is this why Shinichi didn’t come for their help? Instead hiding to solve his own case? He never realized how much he had relied on the teenager until his disappearance. It’s ironic how incompetent they had become.

A knock startled Juuzo from his depressing thoughts. It’s Sato-kun.

“Sumimasen, Keibu. We are going to listen to another recording, care to join us?” The woman asks.

Sato and Takagi had been staying overtime at least one to two days every week to listen to Shinichi and Conan’s recording, eager to learn to be better. It’s only been two weeks and he could see improvement in their work. Takagi has been more confident in himself and Sato has more patience.

He sits at the chair Takagi had provided him. Their computer has been turned off, Takagi has already scribbled some notes on his book – not his police journal – while Sato only uses the backside of an old paper.

Tonight’s recording is about Sherlock Holmes’s The Red-Headed League.

===================

[Recording Continues.]

”How in the name of good fortune, did you know all that, Mr.Holmes” he asked. "How did you know, for example, that I did manual labor? It's as true as gospel, for I began as a ship's carpenter." Shinichi sounded baffled, with a little gasp and weight to his voice.

"Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size larger than your left. You have worked with it and the muscles are more developed." Ah, Juuzo recognizes that Shinichi is playing as Sherlock right away.

"Well, the snuff, then, and the Freemasonry?"

”Nee, Shinichi nii-chan, what is a snuff? What is Freemasonry?” Conan’s innocent voice cut him off before Shinichi could continue. Ah, a child's curiosity, something Juuzo thought annoying until the boy notices so many important leads to their cases.

”Snuff is a type of smokeless tobacco, it’s like a cigarette, but you chew it like a gum.” Shinichi explained.

”A cigarette-tasting gum? Blergh” It’s weird how many cigarettes he smoked a day when he was younger. Now Juuzo doesn’t want to imagine that taste as gum either.

Shinichi didn’t seem to be bothered by Conan’s reaction. “Freemasonry is a symbol consisting of a square, compasses, and a letter G.” His explanation is followed by a sound of pencil on paper, he’s probably making a rough sketch as he goes.

”Ohhh. Okay, continue.” Conan ordered.

"I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as, rather against the strict rules of your order, you use an arc and compass breastpin." Honestly, Sherlock and Shinichi sounded the same, the analytical method of their speech, sharp and concise, with a pause between important points. He always thought that Shinichi is doing it for a dramatic flare, but Sherlock is doing it to make sure Watson could listen to his words better.

"Ah, of course, I forgot that. But the writing?"

"What else can be indicated by that right cuff so very shiny for five inches, and the left one with the smooth patch near the elbow where you rest it upon the desk."

"Well, but China?"

"The fish which you have tattooed immediately above your wrist could only have been done in China. I have made a small study of tattoo marks, and have even contributed to the literature of the subject. That trick of staining the fishes' scales of a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When, in addition, I see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch chain, the matter becomes even more simple."

Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. "Well, I never!" Said he. "I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see that there was nothing in it after all."

"I begin to think, Watson," said Holmes, "that I make a mistake in explaining. 'Omne ignotom pro magnifico,' you know, and my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer a shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?"

Just a few minutes in and Juuzo once again feels intimidated by Shinichi’s intelligence, the way Sherlock described everything down to the tiny details exactly follows Shinichi’s deduction. Well, he supposed, Shinichi has been following Sherlock Holmes’s way of thinking all this time.

“What’s that? Omne, Om..” Takagi pauses the recording at his question when it’s clear that Shinichi didn’t explain it to Conan after twenty minutes pass.

===================

[Recording Pause.]

“Omne. Ignotom. Pro. Magnifico” Sato repeats word by word, eyes on Takagi who pulls out his phone to type in the words.

“Ah, please wait, the signal is terrible all of the sudden.” He pulls his thumb down multiple times, but Juuzo could only see a spinning wheel on his white screen.

“Really?” Sato also pulls out her phone, typing the same thing on her phone. “Urgh, no bar, did someone turn off the wifi?” She clicks her tongue. “Let me use my own- Nope, still no bar.”

Takagi quickly runs out of the room to the thing that sits on Shiratori’s desk. Division one had requested that device to make the signal stronger or something, Juuzo doesn’t understand it, but he approved of it after Shiratori explained that it would make their computer and phone work faster.

“The router is all green.” He shakes his head, “Oh! Here, my phone finally stopped loading. It's a Latin quotation that explains our habit of exaggerating the importance or difficulty of the unknown.”

“Hmm..the signal is always terrible after hours recently.” Sato ponders, but she pulls back quickly. “Ah well just continue, Takagi-kun.”

===================

[Recording Continues.]

Its disappearance, however, was but momentary. With a rending, tearing sound, one of the broad white stones turned over on its side, and left a square, gaping hole, through which streamed the light of a lantern. Over the edge there peeped a clean-cut, boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder-high and waist-high, until one knee rested upon the edge. In another instant he stood at the side of the hole, and was hauling after him a companion, lithe and small like himself, with a pale face and a shock of very red hair. Conan gasps after Shinichi's word, even Juuzo couldn't help following the boy's reaction. He has no idea how something as bizarre as a community (?) for red-haired people could be connected to a burglary.

"It's all clear," he whispered. "Have you the chisel and the bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I'll swing for it!"

Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes's hunting crop came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor.

Oh, this story quickly reminds Juuzo of all of those times, Shinichi called him out of the blue to report a serious crime over a small thing the teenagers noticed. Still, even after he replayed these recordings, he doesn’t think he could ever catch up to the Kudo’s magnificent speed. How many times has he delayed their response over some trivial things? He had learnt first hand from Conan and his little group of friends near-misses.

”Shinichi-nii, this one kinda sucks.” Conan asked after the story ended.

”Heh, those are my exact thoughts the first time I read it.” The teenager chuckles to everyone’s confusion. “As baffling as it sounds, these things really happen in real life." Ironic, with how many times the cases Agasa-hakase has called them for the children ending up in the exact same case. He almost mumbles, a soft tap tap could be heard before Shinichi continues again. ”In writing, these points are called miss-directions or red-herrings. They are the opposite of foreshadowing that works like evidence leading us to the conclusion of a mystery.”

”Oh, like a magician?” Conan quips, smart and perspective as always.

”Yep, they direct their target’s focus away from their main trick with another act.”

Something in Juzo’s head clicks at Shinichi’s words. That’s exactly what happened with Juuzo’s investigation. Another case, multiple cases, piling up and distracting him away from Shinichi’s disappearance. They always happened in badly timed coincidences. Or is it just a miss-direction? The culprits are hiding behind the shadow of what seemed like a bigger case, a case that attracted the media’s attention like moths to a fire.

[Recording Pause.]

The idea snaps him out of his chair and Juuzo dashes back to his office, pulling out Shinichi’s file.

A folder dated [December 2nd, 2013] is thinner than any other case folders he had encountered. It’s only filled with Ran’s picture of the two of them by the theme park’s castle, Ran’s testimony, some CCTVs footage of them until the Mystery Coaster case.

Later on, he was able to fill in the folder with more evidence that still led him nowhere. Shinichi’s phone with it’s data completely erased, his shoes, and bloody jacket. They had retrieved Shinichi’s DNA and prints from his house (they also found anxiety and sleeping pills). Kogoro found the lead pipe with blood and the luminol test had shown blood pattern – the only proof that the victim that got attacked that night, didn’t die on the spot – leading towards the nearest koban, but nobody saw the teen, only Conan.

Miss-directions and red herrings.

Four cases in one night.

Shinichi’s disappearance, Conan’s appearance, the Mystery Coaster case, and the kidnapped CEO’s daughter case.

Juuzo marks the kidnapping as red herrings.

Shinichi’s disappearance hit the news almost two weeks after his actual disappearance because the roller coaster case filled the front page. Juuzo opens the folder with the coaster’s automatic photo as solid evidence, everyone was positioned as what Shinichi described. That’s the only photo they had, as the CCTV around the coaster was also broken. He had investigated the connection between the two cases, but everyone who rode the coaster was taken into police custody for their statements, except four people: Shinichi, Ran, and two mysterious men.

He makes a physical copy of the photo just in case.

Juuzo marks the coaster case as misdirection (?).

Juuzo proceeds to recall all of those ‘secret’ phone calls from Shinichi. He has so many things to investigate, but it’s something compared to the dead end he has been stuck on for months.