"Oh, so it turns out it was Conan who wanted to chase the criminal, and that's why he asked this gentleman to help drive!"
"That's right, Officer Takagi, Officer Sato. I was just telling Shimizu-nii that we should return the car to the police station first."
Conan scratched his head and laughed awkwardly as he explained.
He hadn't expected that Shimizu Koji had actually taken the car—and that it belonged to Officer Sato. But ever since he'd turned into a child, lying had practically become second nature. In an instant, he made up a story so convincing that even he almost believed it himself.
Sato Miwako rubbed her wrist.
Being caught off guard and subdued by Shimizu Koji had left her in a rather sour mood. She glanced at Conan, then shifted her gaze to Shimizu Koji, who had already taken his suitcase out of the car. Her eyebrow twitched upward.
"So let me get this straight," she said coolly."You're returning my car to the police station… and bringing luggage with you?"
If Conan hadn't vouched for him, she wouldn't have believed it even once.
She'd gone to buy a cup of coffee and her car was gone.Then the guy who took it says he's returning it—with a suitcase.
Her eyes sharpened. She stepped up to Shimizu Koji and held out her hand.
"ID. Or driver's license."
Crap.
Conan's heart skipped a beat. The relief he'd just felt vanished instantly.
Shimizu Koji met Sato Miwako's narrowed, scrutinizing gaze. He placed the suitcase on the ground, hesitated for a moment, then reached into the top pocket—
—and pulled out his student ID.
Officer Takagi froze.
Sato Miwako's eyes widened as she took the card, opened it, and compared it carefully.
"Y-You're a student?! A first-year high schooler?!"
After the shock passed, her expression became complicated. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down as she looked at Shimizu Koji's composed face.
"You're not about to tell me you're a minor, so you're not afraid of me… are you?"
For a brief instant, that had crossed Shimizu Koji's mind.
But there was no way he could admit that now.
"No. I just… didn't bring any other ID."
"More like you don't have any," Sato muttered irritably.
She glanced at Conan, who was watching her nervously, snorted softly, then handed the student ID back.
"Minors are not allowed to drive under any circumstances. Just this once—don't let it happen again. And chasing criminals is the police's job."
She paused, then added,"So—where are you going after returning the car?"
"Takagi, it's fine. I've found my car. Thanks for helping me search all afternoon. You should head back to the MPD—it's almost the end of your shift."
She turned to Takagi as she spoke.
"O-Oh! Understood! But it was my duty too, Officer Sato!"
Takagi snapped to attention, saluted, and turned to leave.
Sato blinked, smiled faintly, said nothing, and then turned back to the two—one tall, one small.
"Well? Have you decided?"
"Beika Town, Second District."
"Get in."
Sato Miwako opened the car door and got into the driver's seat. Shimizu Koji glanced at the suitcase, then at Conan.
"Uh… Officer Sato is just like that," Conan whispered.
"Didn't expect you to be so familiar with the police," Shimizu Koji replied.
"Haha… well, I've been learning detective work from Uncle Mouri for a long time."
The car soon reached Second District. Since Shimizu Koji's old apartment was in Fourth District, the distance wasn't far.
Along the way, Sato chatted with them quite a bit. The two conspirators responded smoothly, weaving lies with practiced ease, and the conversation went surprisingly well.
At least, when Sato noticed the fuel gauge had dropped by half, she only sighed and said nothing.
"We're here."
She parked at the street corner and turned back toward them.
"Thank you, Officer Sato."
"Thanks."
Just as Shimizu Koji reached for his suitcase to get out, Sato spoke again.
"Wait. Take this."
She handed him a business card.
Shimizu Koji accepted it, puzzled.
Sato Miwako looked at him seriously."Your skills are impressive. And from what Conan said, it's clear you have a strong sense of justice."
"But next time something like this happens, call me. Let professionals handle professional matters—that's our responsibility as police."
Shimizu Koji hadn't expected Sato to actually believe the entire story Conan had made up along the way.
Meeting her firm gaze, he nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. I will, Officer Sato."
Standing by the roadside, watching her car disappear into the distance, only Shimizu Koji and Conan remained—bathed in pale moonlight.
Shimizu Koji surveyed the surroundings.
Then he frowned slightly.
If he wasn't mistaken—
"This is… a villa district?"
"Let's go, Shimizu-nii," Conan said, already heading forward.
Shimizu Koji followed behind, watching the boy's small figure.
"Conan… what kind of person is your cousin, Kudo Shinichi?"
"Huh?" Conan hadn't expected the question and was momentarily surprised—but it made sense.
So he answered as truthfully as possible.
"Kudo Shinichi-nii is my idol! He's Japan's number-one high school detective, known as the Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era—the savior of the Japanese police! He's solved countless cases that even—"
"Stop," Shimizu Koji interrupted."I meant… what about his family situation?"
Conan's eyes widened.
Why was he asking that?
"Uh… his father is Kudo Yusaku, a world-famous mystery novelist, and his mother is Fujimine Yukiko—a former top-tier actress."
Shimizu Koji nodded thoughtfully.
"So… that means he's not short on money."
"Huh? Money? Haha… yeah, I guess not."
Only then did Conan realize where this was going.
He glanced at Shimizu Koji's clothes—burn marks and holes from the fire still clearly visible. The brand tag showed it was nothing fancy, just something you'd find in an ordinary department store.
Conan blinked, then grinned.
"Don't worry, Shimizu-nii. Kudo Shinichi won't ask you for rent."
Shimizu Koji didn't respond.
They had already arrived at No. 21, Second District, standing in front of a gate marked with the name Kudo.
A classical European-style villa stood before them. Beyond the gate lay a spacious front yard, with a tree on each side and a lawn stretching out into the darkness, giving the place a slightly eerie nighttime atmosphere.
The rest was just grass.
A bit of a waste, Shimizu Koji thought.Would be perfect for growing vegetables.
The thought flashed through his mind inexplicably. He had no idea why—he didn't even cook—but didn't bother dwelling on it.
"Wait a second."
Conan suddenly squatted down and reached behind the wall next to the iron gate. He struggled a bit, but eventually triumphantly pulled out a key.
There were far too many things to comment on.
Shimizu Koji chose to ignore all of them.
After opening the gate, a gray-white marble-tiled path led inward, splitting into two directions midway and winding deeper into the garden.
Three steps led up to the front door.
Just the entrance hall alone seemed to be nearly half the size of Shimizu Koji's old apartment.
As Conan pulled keys from yet another suspicious hiding place to open the door, Shimizu Koji recalled what he'd said earlier.
No rent.
He'd only planned to stay temporarily.
After all, a "police savior" and "high school detective" sounded like endless trouble.
But now—
Between the luxurious houseand the magic words no rent—
Shimizu Koji found himself genuinely tempted.
For someone as broke as he was,that was the final straw.