## Chapter 97: 江古田's Fish-Fearing Boy

The next morning, in Fujino's bathroom.

Fujino stood before the bathtub, inspecting the green seed inside, muttering to himself, "It's grown five percent in just one night?"

Displayed on his system interface was a status report: [Current Soul Lotus Growth Progress: 5％]

He shifted his gaze back to the soul lotus.

The small green seed that was only the size of a thumb yesterday had grown to the size of a palm after a night. Its appearance had changed significantly. The smooth seed coat had begun to morph into limbs and a face. Though still rough, it was taking the shape of a small doll.

The sight reminded Fujino of a high-tech phone from a certain domestic fantasy crossover movie in the 2060s. However, unlike the transparent puppet, this soul lotus doll was green.

On top of the soul lotus, the tender shoot from yesterday had thickened into a small green branch. From the base of the branch, a lotus bud that had yet to bloom had formed. Adjacent to the branch, three or four small green leaves were beginning to sprout.

Fujino rubbed his chin as he observed the soul lotus in the bathtub.

For a moment, he felt like he was playing a pet nurturing game.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he removed the bandage from his right ring finger, peeling off a thin layer of congealed blood.

He extended his hand over the bathtub, and using his middle and little fingers, squeezed a drop of bright red blood from his ring finger into the water.

The clear water in the bathtub was tinted crimson by the blood, with tiny particles of light gradually converging and melding into the soul lotus.

As the soul lotus absorbed the blood, it seemed to become livelier.

Fujino took out another bandage from his portable space and wrapped his ring finger again. He then turned his attention back to the soul lotus, which was absorbing his blood, and furrowed his brows.

He had drawn the seed and provided the blood to nurture the soul lotus. It felt like he was both the father and mother of this thing. When the soul lotus Akemi matured, wouldn't it call him...?

Time flew, and it was now afternoon.

Shibuya's streets were rainy, and pedestrians were walking with umbrellas. Fujino stood at a crosswalk with two young girls.

Raindrops pattered on the umbrella, creating a rhythmic sound, and the air was filled with a strong smell of rain.

The scent wasn't particularly strong, but Fujino's heightened senses made him more sensitive.

It seemed that having heightened senses could sometimes be a bother.

Next to him, Sonoko Suzuki was chattering non-stop, while Ran Mouri stood by, listening to Sonoko's endless string of new topics.

Observing the two, Fujino displayed a deadpan expression.

He was here because of what happened in the morning...

But seriously, how long had it been? Why hadn't Sonoko's attention shifted to someone else yet? Normally, she'd have moved on by now.

"Hey, have you heard about that thief, 1412?" Sonoko suddenly turned to the others.

"Thief 1412?" Ran looked puzzled, not understanding Sonoko's sudden mention.

"It should be Kaitou Kid, right?" Fujino chimed in.

"Kaitou Kid?"

"Thief 1412 is the international crime code for Kaitou Kid," Fujino explained. "And the name Kaitou Kid came from a novelist who misread 1412 as 'KID.' This misreading became popular, and Thief 1412 became known as Kaitou Kid (KID)."

"I see." Ran nodded, enlightened. "But, Fujino-senpai, do you know a lot about Kaitou Kid?"

"Not really," Fujino smiled, shaking his head. "I just read the papers a lot."

In fact, he knew more than just a lot—he knew Kaitou Kid's true identity. If he wanted to, he could go to Ekoda High School and confront a certain fish-fearing boy.

Then, he could say: "Boy, you don't want your night-time escapades as a caped criminal to be exposed, do you...?"

The crosswalk light turned green, and they walked across the street.

"But seriously, Ran, how come you don't know about Kaitou Kid?" Sonoko wondered. "He's really popular among young girls."

"Come on, I'm not into crime-solving," Ran replied with a bitter smile. "Just because my dad's a detective doesn't mean I am. How would I know about that stuff?"

"Ran, you really don't act like a typical young girl," Sonoko teased.

Fujino nodded in agreement. To him, Ran seemed more like a young housewife than a high school girl.

Given her situation, it made sense. With a troublesome dad at home and a childhood friend who couldn't take care of himself, who had the time to be a typical high school girl?

Ran did most of the household chores before Shinichi turned into Conan.

And as for Shinichi... he'd be lucky to cut a cucumber properly.

Thinking about it, childhood friends in the Detective Conan world often had this dynamic: one excelling in a particular field and the other being a household expert.

One wonders what Aoyama Gosho was thinking...

"Plop!"

The sound of a dropped umbrella broke Fujino's train of thought, followed by two girls' shouts.

"Shinichi!"

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

Fujino looked up to see Sonoko trying to hold Ran back. Ran seemed to have seen something and was about to rush across the street.

"What's going on?" Fujino asked, puzzled.

"I saw Shinichi with another girl..." Ran's face fell as she stared at the other side of the crosswalk.

The rain poured down on her as she stood there, her umbrella forgotten on the ground.

Fujino looked in the direction Ran was staring. Though he didn't see anyone at first, his enhanced observational skills soon spotted a boy who looked like Shinichi.

The boy wore a white jacket and khaki shorts, with an air of arrogance.

Beside him was a girl who looked like Ran but had a different aura. She wore a light blue jacket and a plaid skirt, giving off a lively vibe, unlike Ran.

Kaito Kuroba?

Fujino recognized the boy immediately. He handed his umbrella to Ran and chased after them.

"Hey, you with the spiky hair!"

Kaito Kuroba: "?"

Kaito turned around to see a man in a black suit, looking much older than a high school student.

"Who are you, old man?"

Fujino: "..."

After a moment of silence, Fujino took a deep breath. "I'm Fujino Touji, a detective."

"Detective?"

"You're that high school detective, Fujino Touji?" The girl beside Kaito interrupted, looking excited.

"High school detective..." Fujino scratched his nose. "That would be me."

High school detectives were a hot topic among girls, second only to Kaitou Kid.

Seeing a real detective made Aoko Nakamori quite excited, as she'd have something to brag about to her friends.

Kaito, on the other hand, wore a puzzled expression.

This guy's a high school student? He looks more like a salaryman!

"Do you know this guy?" Kaito asked Aoko, a bit annoyed.

"Of course I do!" Aoko nodded, then looked at Kaito in confusion. "You don't know Fujino?"

"How would I know that?" Kaito scratched his head, then asked Fujino, "So, detective, what do you want with me?"

His annoyance stemmed from the natural enmity between detectives and thieves, and the admiration Aoko showed for Fujino.

"Nothing much," Fujino smiled. "I just mistook you for a long-lost classmate."

"Shinichi, where have you been all this time!"

Ran rushed over, her eyes fixed on Kaito and Aoko. "Who's this girl?"

"I'm Kaito Kuroba, not Shinichi!"

Kaito corrected her, looking frustrated.

"Not Shinichi?" Ran scrutinized Kaito, finally realizing her mistake.

Though they looked alike, Shinichi wouldn't have that spiky hair.

"Shinichi... you mean Kudo Shinichi?" Aoko chimed in.

"You know him?" Ran asked, surprised.

"Of course! He's called the 'Holmes of the Heisei era,'" Aoko replied with admiration, then asked, "Does Kudo really look like Kaito?"

(End of chapter)