The President Only Wants to Live in Peace

Chapter 5 Rumor

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No, but I'm sure I'm not the only one in the class who knows. It's such big news after all."

It was good that Fujiwara had not told anyone, but it was bad that he was not the only one in the class who knew about it. Asagi felt agitated.

"Fujiwara, don't tell anyone else about this," he warned. He was aware of how dangerous it could be if Kudo's enemy, the black organization, found out the news about him from this school. It would not end well for such an unimportant character like him. Definitely would not. "Don't. Ever. Tell. Anyone. Else. Got it?"

"Why?"

"If he's really on a case, we have to suppress any news about him until he really comes back."

"Why? I mean, he's been solving crimes for ages and we don't have to hide anything about him—well, the police did ask us to hide his involvement in the murder at the festival, but this is a different case, so it should be alright if we talk about it, right?"

"No—listen, he hasn't appeared at all in the media after he got involved in that mysterious case. Even the case during the school festival has to be kept secret," Asagi answered as he recalled the famous case in the manga during Teitan High school festival, the case when Kudo Shinichi made an appearance in his school. If there was already news about Ran being confessed by Shinichi, it should be safe for him to mention that festival case because the confession was supposed to happen long after the school festival. Added with the fact that just now Fujiwara also mentioned that case, there was no doubt the festival murder had already happened. "It's obvious he doesn't want attention right now. That's why we can't let any news about him leak outside."

"But the case on the school festival is being kept secret only because the murderer is our alumnus, right? It's not because Kudo solved it. I thought we have to keep his involvement secret because the case itself should be kept secret."

Asagi shook his head. "Wrong. Do you know who's the one who suggested that we have to keep that case a secret?"

"Kudo's friend from another school?"

"Yes, but his friend isn't an ordinary person. He's Hattori Heiji," Asagi told him. "Do you know who is Hattori Heiji?"

"Yeah, he's... the high school detective from Osaka." Fujiwara gulped nervously. "Wait, you mean..."

"Yes, he might have some ideas about Kudo's big case. That's why he took the initiative to tell us to conceal this case from the public. Even the police agreed with him. There's no doubt Kudo's involvement must be kept secret too."

"That's..." Fujiwara looked confused. "I'm not sure if I understand what you said, but do you mean we have to hide Kudo until he returns permanently? We have to hide his involvement not just in that murder during the festival, but also in other cases?"

Asagi nodded.

"Then when the teacher and the police called you specifically that time... I remember you told us that they asked you to keep Kudo and the murder from your family who weren't watching the play that time," he mumbled. "Did they also tell you all that? To keep quiet about Kudo until he's back permanently?"

"Yeah." Asagi did not remember at all if the teacher and the police really had asked him to hide the murder and Shinichi's involvement from his family, but he agreed with their decision that time. "You know my dad is a journalist. If he knows about Kudo and the murder, he probably won't be able to keep quiet about it. Apparently, Kudo also asked the police to hide his involvement in other cases, so they told me to shut up," he added a logical explanation to convince Fujiwara.