𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒

file 001 | prelude to the chaos

On this day, the sun decided that it would shine its rays upon the earth after three long days of pouring rain, which the residents of Beika were grateful for as they all milled about through the ward. One such person was five-year-old Kudo Suzume, a bright-eyed child of the ward's resident mystery writer Kudo Yusaku and actress Kudo Yukiko.

The residents of Beika knew Suzume well as she liked to make such wild accusations towards people about their lives. It was baffling at first, but now it was just amusing, though sometimes terrifying when she got something completely right.

(She's also accidentally revealed some affairs, but no one talks about that.)

The police get annoyed with her sometimes, but for the most part, they were eager to welcome the up and coming detective to their ranks, something Yusaku was not entirely too thrilled about. It was slightly his fault, Yukiko often argued, since he was a mystery writer and often helped the police with their cases himself, even taking Suzume with him on the rare occasion.

At this moment of time, Suzume was walking down the sidewalk with her hand holding onto the hand of her best friend for an entire year, Mouri Ran. Even if they knew each other for just a year, they were already thick as thieves like they've known each other from birth. Their parents were thrilled when they found out about their friendship and there were no arguments that both homes were home to the two of them.

Suzume was a smart girl, Ran noticed on the first day of elementary school. Sure, they were originally sitting on opposite sides of the room, but by the end of the day, she had managed to worm her way into Suzume's heart and their friendship was sealed for the rest of their lives.

"Suzu-chan, where are we going?" Ran asked as she let the Kudo girl drag her to wherever she was going. The only reason she wasn't pulling away from her was because she absolutely trusted Suzume and her intentions. "We've been walking for a while."

Suzume looked over her shoulder and gave Ran a blinding smile. "It's a secret!" she teased with a wink.

Ran's cheeks flushed as she pouted. "Suzu-chan!"

"Ran-chan, you'll know when we get there, promise!"

Huffing, Ran decided to trust Suzume's words and continued to let herself be dragged.

As they walked, the various people they passed watched them in amusement and cooed at how adorable the two of them were. Both girls had different reactions to the comments: Suzume took them in with a smile and Ran's cheeks flushed a deep red. None of the stranger's words deterred Suzume from her goal, though, and she kept moving with Ran's hand tightly grasped in hers to ensure she didn't get lost in the crowds they walked through.

Now, the only reason they were on their own without their parents was because they trusted their children and knew that they would be able to take care of themselves if something happened. Suzume even had her phone in her small backpack in case she needed to call anyone for help. Yukiko had been the one to insist on getting Suzume her own phone after the girl had gotten herself lost for two days. It had been two days of panicking for the Kudos, with the Mouri family not far behind them. Mouri Kogoro had been the one to find Suzume, who had hidden in the sports shed at Teitan High School, dried tear tracks down her cheeks and frightened to death. She didn't leave the house for two entire weeks until Ran managed to convince her to play some soccer at the park with their parents supervising the playdate.

"We're here!" Suzume cheered as she and Ran came to a stop, staring up at the store in front of them with shining eyes. "What do you think?"

Ran looked at the shop sign and gasped at the name. "You brought me to Sugimoto's Toys and Trinkets?!" she asked, beaming.