Dr. Agasa looked at their melancholic faces and forced a smile: "Haha, you don't have to be so serious. These are just childhood promises. So many years have passed, Fusae might have already gotten married, with children and grandchildren, and forgotten all about it. How many people remember what they said in elementary school when they're 50?"
Although Dr. Agasa said that, he clutched the postcard in his hand even tighter.
"Dr. Agasa! Don't give up!"
Ayumi clenched her small fists, "You haven't forgotten Fusae-san, so how could Fusae-san forget you? She might have been waiting for you for 40 years, and she might still be waiting for you at the promised place today!"
"That's right, Dr. Agasa, our Detective Boys will definitely help you decipher the code!" Mitsuhiko immediately pulled out his notebook and pen, looking ready to crack the code.
"Exactly! Leave it to us! That number, watch me!" Genta patted his chest, although he had no clue, his momentum couldn't be lost.
Conan also pushed up his glasses and began to seriously examine the string of numbers.
"This string of numbers really doesn't seem to have any clues. It doesn't look like a simple date or house number.
Dr. Agasa, try to recall carefully, did Fusae-san have any favorite numbers? Or did you two have any secret codes that only you two knew?"
Dr. Agasa tried hard to remember, his brows tightly furrowed. "No... Fusae... she doesn't seem to have mentioned anything related to numbers... and no secret codes either, too much time has passed, I can't remember clearly."
Rin watched from the side, complaining wildly in her heart.
This Beika Town is really toxic! If you really want to meet, just say the location directly! What's with the number code!
Do they really want to meet or not? Is playing a riddler like this fun? This has delayed them for forty years!
She felt extremely annoyed by the regret caused by this behavior.
But complaints aside, seeing Dr. Agasa's pitiful look, she decided to help.
She couldn't remember the original plot of deciphering the code.
She only remembered that this code was particularly complex, even Conan couldn't figure it out, and in the end, it was only barely deciphered by a sudden flash of inspiration.
After deciphering the code, Dr. Agasa finally reunited with Fusae under a giant ginkgo tree.
Fusae, as infatuated as Dr. Agasa, had also remained single and founded an international luxury brand named Fusae, and the brand's logo was a golden ginkgo leaf.
Because when Dr. Agasa was a child, he had praised her golden hair, saying it was as beautiful and moving as autumn ginkgo leaves.
However, this reunion in the original story ended in a huge misunderstanding.
Dr. Agasa mistakenly took a male assistant by Fusae's side for her husband, and Fusae mistook the children of the Detective Boys for Dr. Agasa's grandchildren.
Both thought the other was already married with children and had a happy family. In order not to disturb each other's lives, they suppressed their heartache, just exchanged a few pleasantries, and then parted again with deep regret.
'The most infuriating thing is!'
Rin's gaze turned to Conan, who was engrossed in studying the code, and a surge of inexplicable anger rose.
'This kid Conan! He clearly discovered this mutual misunderstanding in the end! But he chose to remain silent!
He even said, "Some things... are more beautiful left unsaid"?!
Like, are you kidding me!? This is the something they've waited for half a century!
Is it beautiful or not for a little brat like you to decide? Dr. Agasa helped you so much, invented gadgets for you, helped you cover up, and this is how you repay him?!'
Thinking of this, Rin really couldn't hold back.
She walked a few steps to Conan's side. While Conan was completely unprepared and fully focused on thinking about the code, she raised her hand—
Dong!
A crisp rap, mercilessly hitting Conan on the head.
"Ouch!" Conan cried out in pain, covering his head, looking bewildered and angry as he looked up at Rin, "Hey! Why did you hit me?!"
"Nothing," Rin shook her hand, expressionless, but her tone was not very friendly, "I saw a mosquito on your head, helped you swat it. No need to thank me."
She couldn't possibly say, "I hit you because of a stupid thing you haven't done yet, and you think it's very romantic," right?
Conan: "???"
He looked at Rin suspiciously, always feeling something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just felt her hand was quite strong.
"Alright, alright, everyone, stop messing around, quickly help Dr. Agasa with the code!" Ayumi quickly played peacemaker.
Next, just like in the original plot, Conan led everyone scrambling around.
Even as the sun was about to set, the correct code had still not been deciphered.
Dr. Agasa's eyes slowly dimmed from anticipation.
"Still no clue...?"
Dr. Agasa's voice was full of exhaustion. He looked at his watch, there wasn't much time left today.
"Never mind... children, let's go back. Perhaps, this is fate! The fourth decade, I'm going to miss it again..."
He slumped his head, as if he had already seen Fusae's disappointed retreating figure.
"Dr. Agasa! Don't give up!" Ayumi cried out anxiously, still holding the postcard, hoping to find more clues on it.
Just then, a gust of evening wind suddenly swept up, whistling by with a chill.
"Ah!" Ayumi exclaimed. The strong wind blew the postcard out of her hand.
The yellowed postcard fluttered like a moth, spinning in the air, drifting towards the sidewalk.
"The postcard!" Ayumi rushed to chase it.
Dr. Agasa's gaze subconsciously followed the wind-blown postcard, watching Ayumi try hard to stand on her tiptoes to catch it... Buzz—
A fragment of memory, sealed for nearly half a century, suddenly crashed into Dr. Agasa's mind.
It was a late autumn afternoon, on the way home from school, a mischievous wind blew, knocking off the small hat Fusae always wore to cover her golden hair.
Her golden hair was exposed to the sunlight, like ginkgo leaves.
Fusae was afraid that Dr. Agasa also wouldn't like the color of her hair, and desperately tried to cover it with her hands.
But young Dr. Agasa blurted out. "Fusae, your hair is so beautiful! Like ginkgo leaves, golden and sparkling, it's the most beautiful color I've ever seen!"
Fusae's face turned red then, she shyly lowered her head and whispered, "Does Agasa-kun really think so? Don't you think... it's strange?"
"Of course not! I love it the most!" Little Dr. Agasa patted his chest, guaranteeing... Ginkgo leaves!
The place full of memories isn't the intersection where they first met! It's not the entrance to her house!
It's that big ginkgo tree by the school playground, which every autumn is covered with golden leaves!
That was the first time he mustered the courage to praise her hair! And it was also the first place Fusae truly smiled happily because of him!
"I remember now!!"
Dr. Agasa suddenly looked up, his excitement barely concealed,
"It's the school! It's that big ginkgo tree by our elementary school playground! 'The place full of memories' is there! It must be there!"
He no longer hesitated, not even waiting for the children, he quickened his not-so-fast pace, running with all his might towards Teitan Elementary School.
The hem of his white coat flapped in the wind, and Dr. Agasa ran quickly, showing no sign of his previous fatigue.
"Dr. Agasa! Wait for us!" The Detective Boys and Ling also reacted immediately and quickly chased after him.
Teitan Elementary School was on holiday, and the campus was quiet.
By the playground, the giant ginkgo tree was still conspicuous in the late autumn night, its leaves blown to the ground like scattered gold.
Under the tree, a person stood quietly.