The Suzuki family acted quickly.
Shimizu Koji had barely driven the car out of the factory and pulled over by the roadside when a small convoy arrived—an ambulance surrounded by escort vehicles.
Leaving the unconscious Conan inside Akemi's car and locking the doors, Shimizu Koji followed Akemi into the ambulance.
It wasn't until they reached the hospital—until he saw Akemi wheeled into the operating room and listened to the doctors explain her condition—that he finally let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Sitting on a chair outside the operating room, he truly felt the benefits of the Suzuki family's private hospital.
VIP.VIP.VVIP.
In short, aside from passing medical staff, he was the only person in the entire corridor.
A gunshot wound was no small matter. If she had been sent to a public hospital, the complications would have been endless—and there was a very real chance it would expose the fact that Akemi was still alive.
Yes. Miyano Akemi had survived.
Thankfully, the bullet had deviated slightly. It hadn't struck her heart, only passed through her lung.
But there was bad news as well.
Because the factory was so remote—and because of the time lost earlier—the doctors warned him that Akemi might suffer from cerebral hypoxia.
In the best-case scenario, she would need one to two weeks to wake from her coma.
That was the best outcome.
If it took longer, memory loss—or even permanent unconsciousness—was possible.
More than two hours later, the doors to the operating room finally opened.
A female doctor in a white coat emerged, sweat on her forehead. Spotting Shimizu Koji waiting on the chair, she quickly walked over and explained the situation.
"The surgery went relatively smoothly. The bullet has been removed, and the patient is no longer in immediate danger. However… as mentioned earlier—"
"I understand," Shimizu Koji said, nodding calmly.
Under his watchful gaze, Miyano Akemi was transferred into a special intensive care treatment ward.
After everything was arranged, Shimizu Koji left the hospital and, escorted by two people assigned by the Suzuki family, returned to the factory.
He had to admit—the professionalism of a major conglomerate's staff was impressive.
From beginning to end, they asked no unnecessary questions and made no unnecessary remarks. After delivering him safely, they even bowed politely before leaving.
Thanks to that young lady.
Suzuki Sonoko had wanted to come visit, but Shimizu Koji had stopped her.
This entire process had been pure utilization—without a trace of emotion.
Well… maybe not entirely.
There was plenty of gratitude.
Conan was still unconscious in the car. Seeing the boy's pained sleeping expression, Shimizu Koji couldn't help but worry whether he had hit him too hard in the heat of the moment.
After all, he didn't want a child like Conan discovering that Miyano Akemi was still alive.
Those two men in black were clearly trained and organized.
Until he understood the situation fully, Shimizu Koji had no intention of letting anyone know Akemi had survived.
As for the Suzuki family's bodyguards and private hospital doctors—they only knew that his "sister" had suffered a gunshot wound.
Given their professionalism, they would keep such a trivial matter confidential… unless the Suzuki family was somehow connected to that organization.
The possibility was both slim and terrifying.
After a moment's thought, he forced it from his mind.
That aside—
This kid.
Shimizu Koji looked at Conan and fell into thought.
Success or failure today—it all came down to him.
The fact that this kid had managed to catch up on nothing but a skateboard was completely unscientific.
And how had he discovered the whole situation in the first place?
If Conan was involved, then where was that so-called famous detective, Kogoro Mouri? Why hadn't he shown up?
Once Shimizu Koji calmed down, he realized there were far too many inconsistencies surrounding Conan.
Could this kid really have figured everything out on his own and deliberately involved himself?
Thinking back to how Conan had left Akemi's apartment… it didn't seem impossible.
Akemi's car was unusable now, and there was nothing of value left inside. Shimizu Koji lifted Conan out and carried him all the way back to the red Mazda he had "borrowed."
He turned the key, started the engine, and drove away from the factory.
Half an hour later, they returned to the apartment.
By then, Conan had finally woken up. In the chaos of the flames, he had no idea Shimizu Koji had been the one to knock him out.
"Looks like someone's already been here," Conan said seriously as he stared at Miyano Akemi's door.
When he turned and met Shimizu Koji's calm gaze, he snapped back to himself, suddenly looking awkward.
"It doesn't matter. Yami-nee is dead anyway."
Shimizu Koji's voice was completely flat.
Hearing that, Conan lowered his head. The lenses of his glasses flashed white, concealing his expression.
On the way back, Shimizu Koji had already helped Conan "fill in" the story—especially the most important detail:
Miyano Akemi's body had perished in the flames.
"Those people… who were they?" Conan asked.
"I don't know," Shimizu Koji replied casually. "But from the looks of it, I probably won't be able to live here peacefully anymore."
He spoke as he walked to his own door and twisted the handle.
As expected, his apartment had been searched as well.
In such a short amount of time, those people's reach was far greater than he had anticipated.
Conan followed him inside. After a moment of silence, he nodded.
"That makes sense. You fought those men in black. If they come again, with how they operate, your life would be in danger."
"So," Shimizu Koji asked calmly,"who exactly are you?"
"Edogawa Conan. A detective."
Shimizu Koji raised an eyebrow but said nothing, continuing to pack his belongings.
He didn't have much—just a few sets of clothes and a bamboo sword.
Honestly, he could even do without those.
But if he left this apartment, his finances wouldn't allow him to be reckless.
"Where are you planning to go, Shimizu-niisan?" Conan asked.
"Find a hotel for now."
Conan watched him pack, opened his mouth to speak—then remembered how Shimizu Koji had fought Gin toe-to-toe.
Finally, he made up his mind.
"Then come stay at my place—ah, no! I mean—my cousin's place!"
"Your cousin?"
"Haha… yeah! A distant cousin! I was staying at his place originally, but he went on a trip abroad. Since I'm too young to live alone, I had to stay with Uncle Mouri."
"So it just so happens that his place is empty right now."
Conan was about to keep rambling when Shimizu Koji interrupted him.
"You can make that decision for your cousin?"
"Uh—yeah! He'd definitely agree! My cousin is Kudo Shinichi! If he knew you fought criminals so bravely to save someone, he'd absolutely praise you!"
That did tempt Shimizu Koji.
Still, the name Kudo Shinichi felt strangely familiar.
Not just from when he'd looked up Kogoro Mouri a few days ago—he was sure he'd heard it elsewhere too.
"Huh? Shimizu-niisan, are you a student at Teitan High?" Conan asked suddenly.
Shimizu Koji had just taken out his school uniform.
"Is that a problem?"
"N-No! It's just… my cousin Kudo Shinichi is also a second-year student at Teitan High."
Seeing the uniform, Conan was genuinely surprised—and then another thought surfaced in his mind.
Shimizu Koji had shown no reaction to hearing the name Kudo Shinichi.
Tch… I've been gone too long. Even people from the same school don't recognize me anymore.
If Conan knew Shimizu Koji's personality, he probably wouldn't be so upset.
After some discussion, Shimizu Koji ultimately accepted the elementary schooler's offer.
Simply put—he was broke.
Details like rent could be discussed later. At the very least, checking out the place tonight posed no issue. If the place was bad, there'd be no need to talk about rent at all.
Conan also realized why he had never heard of Shimizu Koji before.
He was a first-year.
Thinking about how he'd turned into an elementary schooler just days after starting high school, Conan could only feel helpless.
They placed the luggage in the back seat. Conan obediently climbed into the passenger seat, ready to act as navigator.
Standing by the car door, Shimizu Koji looked at the keys in his hand.
He hadn't forgotten that the car was borrowed in an emergency.
Returning it would have to wait until tomorrow.
"Hey! Don't you dare run!"
A furious shout rang out behind him.
Shimizu Koji turned around to see a short-haired woman in a tight skirt sprinting toward him.
"You've got some nerve coming back here!"
As soon as she closed the distance, Sato Miwako launched a sharp grab, determined to take him down.
"Damn it! Prepare to go to jail—bastard!"
"W-Wait!"
Shimizu Koji instantly realized—this was the owner of the car who had kindly let him borrow it.
He sidestepped her capture attempt and tried to explain, but Sato Miwako had no intention of listening.
An entire afternoon.
An entire afternoon of frantic searching in an era where surveillance cameras were still limited. Even as a police officer, she had been on the verge of giving up.
No clues. No leads.
If not for her reputation, she might have become the laughingstock of the Metropolitan Police.
And just as despair set in—she returned to the area one last time.
Only to see her car.
And the thief.
The moment she saw Shimizu Koji reaching for the door handle, her fury exploded.
Comparable to watching someone open the door to your spouse's bedroom.
At this moment, his tall stature and handsome face were no longer advantages.
If he'd been shorter, his youthful face might have earned him some leniency.
But now, all Sato Miwako saw was a decent-looking delinquent.
"Bastard! Surrender now!"
After dodging two or three fierce attacks and realizing she had no intention of stopping, Shimizu Koji sighed helplessly.
He caught her right fist and spun smoothly into a swift counter, pinning the stunned Sato Miwako against her own car.
"I'm sorry—please calm down first! I—"
"Sato! Stop!"
"Officer Takagi! Officer Sato!"
Thankfully, before the misunderstanding escalated further, Conan finally jumped out of the car in a panic, stopping Takagi Wataru just as he rushed over, ready to charge in and get himself knocked out.
"C-Conan? Why are you—"
Seeing Conan climb out of the passenger seat, Sato Miwako froze in confusion.
Her impression of Conan had always been good.
Takagi also halted immediately.
Seeing this, Shimizu Koji—who had never intended to restrain her seriously—released his grip.
Inside, however, his mind raced.
How do I explain this so they believe I borrowed the car… and didn't steal it?
This was unavoidable.
If anything, he should be grateful to Sato Miwako for lending him the car.
Otherwise, he might have had to stage a public carjacking.
As for the law?
Shimizu Koji had never taken it too seriously.
After all—
He was going to die sooner or later anyway.