Afternoon sunlight stretched across the quiet streets of Beika City.
Children's laughter echoed as students poured out of Teitan Elementary School.
Among them walked four children who would unknowingly form one of the strangest investigation teams in Tokyo.
Ayumi Yoshida skipped happily along the sidewalk.
Beside her walked Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully.
Behind them, Genta Kojima carried a bag of snacks.
And slightly behind them…
Walked Conan Edogawa.
A high school detective trapped in a child's body.
Genta suddenly stopped dramatically.
"I've decided!"
Ayumi blinked.
"Decided what?"
Genta puffed out his chest.
"We're starting a detective team!"
Ayumi's eyes sparkled.
"A detective team?!"
Mitsuhiko nodded enthusiastically.
"That sounds exciting!"
Conan sighed internally.
"Here we go…"
Genta raised his fist.
"We'll solve mysteries!"
Ayumi clapped.
"Yes! Let's do it!"
Mitsuhiko thought carefully.
"We should have a name."
Genta grinned proudly.
"Detective Boys!"
Ayumi giggled.
"I love it!"
Conan rubbed his forehead.
"I went from solving murder cases… to joining a kids' club."
But at that exact moment—
Ayumi pointed across the street.
"Oh!"
Everyone turned.
A familiar figure walked past a bookstore.
Tall.
Calm.
Glasses reflecting sunlight.
Haruki Akizawa.
Conan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Again?"
It was the third time their paths had crossed in just a few days.
Too frequent to ignore.
Ayumi waved happily.
"Hello mister!"
Haruki looked over.
Then recognized them.
He approached calmly.
"Good afternoon."
Genta grinned.
"Hey! You're the guy from the detective agency!"
Mitsuhiko nodded.
"You helped solve that case!"
Ayumi smiled brightly.
"We just started a detective team!"
Haruki raised an eyebrow slightly.
"A detective team?"
Genta crossed his arms proudly.
"Yep! We're the Detective Boys!"
Haruki glanced briefly toward Conan.
The small detective looked unimpressed.
Haruki almost smiled.
Almost.
Then suddenly—
Ayumi pointed toward a nearby alley.
"Wait… what's that?"
Everyone turned.
A bicycle lay on the ground.
Its front wheel was still slowly spinning.
Mitsuhiko frowned.
"Someone must have dropped it."
Genta scratched his head.
"But there's nobody here."
Conan walked closer.
Something immediately felt wrong.
The bicycle was expensive.
Too expensive for a child.
And there was a bag attached to the back seat.
Ayumi whispered.
"Maybe someone stole it?"
Haruki crouched beside the bike.
His eyes scanned the area.
Then—
Micro Expression Analysis activated as a man suddenly appeared at the alley entrance.
He looked around nervously.
Sweating.
Eyes darting.
Haruki observed carefully.
Subtle facial movements.
Fear.
Guilt.
Urgency.
The man forced a smile.
"Ah! That's my bike."
He walked toward them.
But Conan noticed something.
The man's shoes were muddy.
Fresh mud.
Yet the alley was dry.
Conan's eyes sharpened.
"Suspicious."
Haruki stood up calmly.
"You dropped it?"
The man nodded quickly.
"Yeah! Thanks for watching it."
But Micro Expression Analysis told a different story.
His smile twitched.
His pupils contracted.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Lie.
Conan noticed too.
Two detectives.
Two silent conclusions.
The man grabbed the bike quickly.
"Alright, I'll be going—"
"Wait."
Haruki spoke calmly.
The man froze.
Haruki pointed at the bicycle seat.
"You forgot something."
The man looked confused.
"Forgot what?"
Haruki gently lifted the bag from the back.
Then opened it.
Inside—
Bundles of cash.
Stacks of money.
Everyone gasped.
Genta shouted.
"Whoa!"
Ayumi covered her mouth.
"That's a lot!"
The man's face instantly went pale.
Then he ran.
"HEY!" Genta yelled.
But the man sprinted down the street.
Conan immediately chased after him.
"Stop!"
Haruki followed calmly but quickly.
The man turned the corner—
And collided with a police officer.
Perfect timing.
The officer grabbed him instantly.
"What's going on here?!"
Minutes later.
Police cars arrived.
The man confessed quickly.
He had stolen the money from a nearby store.
The bicycle belonged to the store owner.
He panicked when he saw children near it.
After the police left—
Ayumi clapped excitedly.
"We solved a case!"
Genta laughed.
"Yeah!"
Mitsuhiko nodded proudly.
"The Detective Boys' first success!"
Conan sighed quietly.
Barely.
But he glanced at Haruki.
Once again—
They had both reached the same conclusion.
Haruki returned the bag to the police.
Then prepared to leave.
But before walking away—
DING
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Mission Completed
Mission: The Silent Test
Result: Success
Watcher Identified
Reward Acquired:
Skill — Danger Prediction (Level 1)
Another screen appeared.
[ SKILL ACQUIRED ]
Danger Prediction (Level 1)
Ability:
Instinctively sense potential threats.
Effects:
• Detect hostile intent nearby
• Increased situational awareness
• Early warning in dangerous environments
Limitations:
• Does not identify the exact source
• Accuracy improves with experience
Haruki closed the interface.
Then noticed Conan staring at him.
Again.
Conan finally spoke.
"You figured it out fast."
Haruki shrugged slightly.
"So did you."
Conan froze.
For a brief moment—
Neither spoke.
Then Haruki turned and began walking away.
Leaving the children behind.
Conan watched him go.
His mind spun with questions.
"Who are you, Haruki Akizawa?"
Across the street.
Inside a parked black car.
Two men watched everything.
Through binoculars.
Vodka lowered the binoculars.
"Boss…"
Beside him sat Gin.
Gin exhaled cigarette smoke slowly.
"He noticed."
Vodka frowned.
"What do we do?"
Gin stared out the window calmly.
"Nothing."
Smoke drifted through the car.
"For now."
As Haruki disappeared into the crowd of Beika City…
Three different minds continued thinking about him.
Conan.
Gin.
And Haruki himself.
And none of them yet realized—
That their paths were slowly being pulled toward the same inevitable collision.
End of Chapter 10