Chapter 37: Now He Had Truly Bolted Out the Door

"I'm not going."

"Why not! Karasawa, please, help me out!"

"How many times has this been?" Karasawa shifted his phone to the other side, pinning it between his shoulder and ear as he picked up his textbook again. "Who was it that caused me to only get two lines of homework written down?"

"Ahahaha..." A sheepish, childish laugh echoed from the receiver.

Teitan High School wasn't a typical cram school, so the workload was actually manageable. However, it didn't help that yesterday, just as Karasawa had barely started his work, the Kudo family had shown up to cause trouble. He had bolted out the door without even clearing his desk, leading to a flurry of calls from his two store clerks asking what was going on.

"Besides, aren't you becoming a bit too dependent on me?" Karasawa spun his pen, narrowing his eyes. "How come I get the feeling you aren't the type to bring friends along on your missions? You wouldn't happen to be using this as a way to stake your claim, would you..."

The two times Conan had proactively sought Karasawa’s help were both after his secret identity had been exposed, specifically during situations that could threaten the relationship between Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo.

One had to remember that Conan was a notorious hothead. If he weren't so reckless—constantly running off to stir up trouble on his own—this manga wouldn't even have a chance to begin. It was highly abnormal for him to seek Karasawa’s assistance so frequently.

Karasawa deduced that this was partly motivated by the idea that "one does not covet a friend's wife." After all, Karasawa was now both Ran's neighbor and her classmate—the most handsome guy she was likely to encounter in the near future. But if Karasawa were conscious of the bond between his friend and Ran, the possibility of their relationship souring would naturally be eliminated.

"How could that be! You're overthinking it!" Conan was grateful they were on the phone; otherwise, given Karasawa’s sharp eyes, his guilty conscience would have been exposed in a second. "It’s just that you’re nearby, and it’s convenient, right..."

Karasawa wasn't about to let him keep freeloading. He made a decisive counteroffer: "How about this: you do two of my assignments, and I'll go tail them for you."

Conan was taken aback by the absurdity of the request, unable to stop himself from exclaiming, "Huh? You want me, an elementary school student, to do your high school homework?!"

"You only shrunk in size, not in brainpower. This would have been your homework anyway, wouldn't it? Suddenly emphasizing that you're an elementary student now? What business does an elementary student have interfering with a high schooler's date?" Karasawa didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed, adding, "And who was it that caused me to only be able to pick up my pen today, only to be interrupted again?"

"My own homework isn't finished either..."

"Then I can do yours for you, too." Karasawa felt no psychological burden at all.

Could the volume of high school and elementary school homework even be compared? Imagining the scene of a high schooler and an elementary student swapping assignments made Conan’s temples throb—it was too bizarre.

But he had no leverage; this was a complete seller's market.

"...I'm not doing the English." He made his final stand.

"Fine, the English is already done," Karasawa said airily, gathering the books on his desk. "Wait at the intersection. I'm coming."

***

"Mouri-san is dressed quite formally today." Following behind Ran from a distance with Conan in tow, Karasawa offered his assessment.

Ran had gone out of her way to wear a complete skirt set and a coat, giving her an elegant, mature air that was vastly different from her usual style.

Conan nodded solemnly. "She even said she was 'going to meet Shinichi.' Hmph, she never dresses up like that when she goes out with me."

Karasawa patted Conan on the shoulder, offering some insincere comfort: "Investigating cheating and third parties is an essential skill for any private detective. Just consider this practice for your trade."

"Who wants to practice something like that!" Conan swatted his hand away. "I—I'm just worried she might run into someone unreliable, okay!"

Karasawa didn't bother to call his bluff, chuckling with schadenfreude.

After hearing the call, Karasawa knew exactly which arc this was. Ran had said she was meeting "someone very important" and told Conan she was going on a date with Shinichi Kudo. The shrunken Shinichi had been struck like lightning and insisted on tagging along.

In truth, Ran was going to meet her mother, Eri Kisaki. But because Kogoro Mouri and Eri had been separated for so long, Ran couldn't say it outright and had made up an excuse to sneak out of the house.

However, that didn't stop Karasawa from enjoying the show at Conan's expense.

"If Ran finds out later, just say you wanted to get coffee. Don't let anything slip," Conan muttered, laying out his battle plan. "It would be best if you could help me plant a bug at her table..."

"Are the detective gadgets Professor Agasa gave you meant to be used for invading privacy in places like this?" Karasawa started to object, but under Conan’s glare, he surrendered and raised his hands. "Fine, fine, I'll plant it for you."

Just like Ran, who would lose her composure at the sight of a "Shinichi’s girlfriend," Conan, with his rival-in-love radar triggered, was completely unreasonable. Karasawa didn't want to waste his breath on the jealous lot; if he said it was so, then it was so.

Karasawa and Conan waited a moment before entering the cafe. While Ran was looking down at the menu, they walked past her table. With a flick of his wrist, Karasawa discreetly dropped a bug into the decorative flowers on the table. He then pulled Conan to a diagonal table, making it easy to observe both Ran and the entrance.

Conan’s radar was at full capacity. He scanned the surroundings vigilantly, turning his head to observe every time the door opened and the bell rang.

A clumsy-looking young man? A slob? Ran would never fall for someone like that.

A scruffy middle-aged man? Impossible. Skip.

That long-haired young man looked decent, but he was too greasy and seemed quite frivolous. Oh, he was walking toward Ran! Could it be...! Oh, it seemed he was just hitting on her. No, hitting on her was not allowed either!

Invisible flames burned behind Conan. Karasawa ordered a latte, having no interest in the romantic troubles of an elementary schooler. Remembering that this incident usually came with a murder, he stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom. Good luck."

***

Conan’s attention was entirely elsewhere; he probably didn't even hear him, his head not turning once as he continued to monitor Ran’s movements.

The restroom in this shop was a single, fully enclosed stall; there was no gender separation.

Karasawa still had an impression of the killer's method in this case. The victim had been stabbed outside, then shoved through the gap between the door and the ceiling into the stall.

So, as long as the murder hadn't been committed yet, he could linger in the outer area, and no crime would occur.

Karasawa entered and saw no blood seeping out from under any of the doors. He felt a bit more at ease.

Then he reconsidered—that didn't seem foolproof. It would take time for blood to flow out. He decided to push the doors of the stalls one by one.

When he reached the third door, he noticed the lock indicator wasn't showing that it was occupied, yet the door wouldn't budge, as if blocked by something heavy from behind. He couldn't help but sigh.

The "Grim Reaper" aura seemed to have strengthened, or perhaps the mysterious dignity of a deductive manga meant it wouldn't allow its murder cases to be interrupted by Karasawa time and time again. He felt he had arrived fast enough, yet the person inside was already stone-cold...

Forget it. He would go through the motions of pushing the door first. If he called the police without any blood flowing out, he’d be treated like a lunatic.

"Is anyone in there?" Karasawa asked with polite formality, gripped the handle, and gave it a polite, firm push and pull.

As it turned out, whether it was because his strength had skyrocketed and he hadn't controlled his force, or because the door was just about to fall apart and couldn't withstand any more abuse, the hinges of the stall door snapped directly off the frame after that single push and pull.

Consequently, a female corpse with wide, terrified eyes tumbled out of the stall, crashing directly onto Karasawa’s shins.

Inside the stall, the walls were splattered with blood. The victim's blood, still oozing, hadn't yet coagulated, and with the force of the fall, droplets splashed onto Karasawa’s chin. A small, blood-stained dagger also fell at his feet.

Karasawa, holding the entire door in his hands: "..."

"Ahhh—!!" Before Karasawa could react, a shrill scream erupted from the entrance. The long-haired man who had come in to use the restroom was so terrified by the bloody scene that he collapsed to the floor, his legs trembling. "Murder! Murder!!!"

Karasawa looked at the door he was holding, then at the corpse resting against his legs in a very unpeaceful manner.

What was this? Did he really have to be the suspect again?