Chapter 53

"Well, now that my job for Karasuno is over, what to do?" Hiroyuki muttered inwardly right after he left the camp.

"Today is also Alice's last day to work at the Den. Maybe, a day far from the kitchen would do good for her. That will also help Megumi-san and Kiyoko to relax after a week of stress." He muttered as he walked straight to the Den.

But what Hiroyuki didn't expect is the presence of Conan Edogawa, Ai Haibara, and the old man with the glasses that Hiroyuki knows as professor Agasa in the Den, waiting for him.

"Well, today will also be a long day, huh?" He sighed.

"Hiro-kun! Haibara-chan said she wants to meet you today." Megumi-san who saw Hiroyuki in front of the Den speak. Hiroyuki raised his eyebrow slightly.

"Only Haibara-chan? I can see the glassed kid and one old man are also waiting at the same table." He replied in a not-so-subtle manner, leaving the two kids and the professor laughing awkwardly.

"I am sorry about that. My name is Hiroshi Agasha, and I am Haibara-chan's guardian. You have met the two kids yesterday, but I will still introduce them again. The boy is Conan Edogawa, and the girl is Ai Haibara. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you!" The kids bowed their heads as professor Agasa introduced them.

"Aaaaw!!! Look at how cute the kids are! Who are they?" Alice's voice suddenly could be heard from the kitchen. When Hiroyuki turned around, he could see the gleam in Alice's eyes as she looked at Haibara and Conan as if they are candies to eat. Haibara and Conan who saw the stare from Alice gulped nervously and took a step back to avoid her.

"Alice, you scare the children!" Megumi scolded the blonde girl. "They are the children who helped solve the case yesterday. The girl, Haibara-chan, said that she wants to talk to Hiroyuki, so they come here today."

Hearing what Megumi said, Alice stares at Haibara intently. The later sweated a bit in nervousness, wondering what would Alice do. After a minute of staring at each other, to Hiroyuki and the other's surprise, Alice hugged the girl softly.

"You poor girl. Look at the bags under your eyes! You are also a bit too paled. Did your friend tease you? Are you getting bullied? It must be hard being a half here, right?"

"A half?" Professor Agasa asked confusedly. However, it is Hiroyuki who answered the question.

"It is a person who has a non-Japanese parent. And looking at Haibara's auburn hair, one of her parents is probably a British. But by the look of your eyes, it is not your question, right? You probably ask how did Alice know just by one look?" Professor Agasa nodded.

"Well, maybe it is because Alice is also the one. In fact, Megumi is also a half, so I bet they share the same sentiment about getting teased for being a half. As to their origins, care to take a guess, kid?"

Hiroyuki smirked as he saw Conan let out an awkward laugh to cover his nervousness.

"W-Why do you ask me, Hori-niisan? I am just a kid, after all?" Hiroyuki snorted.

"Kid, you might be a good detective, but you are a bad liar. I don't know how nobody could figure out your identity." Hiroyuki smirked as he gained both the professor's and Conan's attention.

"How about we leave the women and grab a seat?" Seeing as Haibara is still getting coddled by Alice and Megumi, Conan nodded and followed Hiroyuki to a table.

"So, he really knows about our secret.." Conan muttered as he took a seat beside the professor.

"Just like I said earlier, I am surprised that nobody realized your identity. Your name could be linked with almost every case that the sleeping Kogoro handled right after the disappearance of Shinichi Kudo. So I just connect the dots and reach the conclusion. The only thing I am not sure of is why are you still seeking fame even with this little body?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Conan asked with a confused face, forgetting about the fact that he was just getting exposed as Shinichi Kudo.

"Just like what I said to your little friend yesterday if you still haven't spoken to anyone about your real identity, that means you are involved in something dangerous that if the information about you being Shinichi Kudo leaked out, the closest people in your life would be in danger. I know Kogoro Mouri is not that good as a detective. But looking at his sudden popularity rise right after Conan Edogawa arrived, I thought you are trying to use him in the hope that someday you will meet with someone that has a connection to whoever responsible for your condition.

But what I don't really understand is, why is it that you are seeking fame as Conan Edogawa. Almost all the cases that your little detective group solved are basically you looking for trouble, not the other way. Hell, if that is not enough, the media also gave you the name 'Kaito Kid's Killer' or something like that. It is like you are trying to let everyone know about Conan's existence, which nullified your purpose of being under the radar. That is why I don't know what is it that you really want?"

Seeing Conan and Professor Agasa just look at him with their mouth agape, Hiroyuki decided to add a little bit more.

"I know that there are still several holes in my analysis. But seeing your reaction is enough for me to confirm what I said. I know for a fact that if you really want to remain anonymous from the beginning, you could avoid half of the cases you solved and just let the police do their work. Hell, even with all the drama with Kaito Kid, you don't even have to be involved in the first place. So, why did you take the unnecessary risk like that?"

"It is because he is an idiot detective." A snarl could be heard from behind Hiroyuki, answering his question.

"Haibara!" Conan whined to the girl who is the source of the voice.

"What? Do you want to say you are not just an idiot detective? You want to deny that when you meet a case, you cannot help but get involved until you solve it without thinking about the consequences?" Hiroyuki has to admit that the glare and the sarcastic remark from Haibara could make everyone whimper in fear.

"Where are Megumi-san and Alice-chan, by the way?" Hiroyuki decided to ask, saving Conan from Haibara.

"They are in the Kitchen right now. When I say I wanted to talk to you, they are a bit disappointed, but still letting me go." Haibara replied as she sat beside Hiroyuki.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"It should be my question. What do you want?"

The question from Haibara took aback not only Hiroyuki but also professor Agasa.

"What do you mean?" Hiroyuki could not help but be curious.

"You have already known our identity and even revealed it to me yesterday. I doubt it is not just to let us know we are not as smart and subtle as we thought. So, what do you want?"

'Ah, she thought I would blackmail them.' Hiroyuki muttered in realization.

"What do you think I want something from you?" This time, it is he who caught Haibara and Conan off guard.

"I don't believe you. There is no chance for you to just reveal our big secret without wanting anything from us." Hiroyuki snorted.

"Girl, I am sorry to say this, but despite what you think, the world is not revolving around you. I have known of your identity since a long time ago and I haven't told anyone yet, what do you think I will do that now? Honestly, if not for the last case, I would prefer to stay out of your reach as the glasses kid there is a corpse magnet."

Conan and professor Agasa sweatdropped at Hiroyuki's rude accusation while Haibara nodded in acknowledgment.

"Besides, Alice-chan and Megumi-san have already taken a liking to you. If I dare to do anything dangerous to you, they would probably flay me alive." He shuddered at the thought of them getting angry. While he has only known Alice for a week, he could see the fiery temper she hides behind her playful smile. He didn't dare to push Alice far enough and crack her mask.

Looking back at the unsure face of Haibara, Hiroyuki sighed before he spoke,

"Look, Haibara-chan. I don't know what you are worrying about. Sure, I know that you are a shrunken adult. But in all honestly, I don't know what is your real identity. For all I know, your name is not as famous as Shinichi Kudo. It is this Holmes from the east who needs to be more careful." He pointed at Conan with a mocking tone.

"If you want to remain under the radar of your enemies, you need to control him better. Don't let him wander around, as it is a recipe for disaster. Curb his ego that always felt the need to solve every case in the world and his tendency to poke into other's business. Just, don't let his curiosity drag you to the pit. After all, curiosity killed the cat, right?"

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Author note:

You can also read:

- Transmigrated Into Anime World as Kiyoko Shimizu's Older Brother up to chapter 63

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