𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒

file 016 | casual conversations

episodes 176—178 — reunion with the black organization

A small meow made Haibara lose her focus and flinch slightly, looking at the floor to see a black cat with green eyes staring up at her. She stared at it with a nervous frown as the cat's tail flicked back and forth, never looking away from the shrunken girl once.

"Ah, Kuro!" Suzume said, walking over and picking up the cat in her arms. She gave Haibara a guilty smile. "Sorry about that, Haibara-san. Kuro here likes to observe people he's not too familiar with."

Haibara blinked. "You have a cat?"

Suzume nodded. "Yep. He's more of an outdoors cat and the police know to leave him alone if they see him wandering around." She frowned as she remembered something. "Though, Kuro is a little overly friendly with that bomb squad guy..." She shook her head. "Never mind that. I came over to ask if you want to get out from behind the computer and take a walk with me."

"A walk?" Haibara echoed, confused. "Why?"

Suzume shrugged. "Just feeling a little restless. Happens when I get cooped up in my house for too long."

Haibara looked away at that. After revealing that her sister was the one who died in Suzume's arms, the teenager locked herself in her house for the next two days. Hiro had to drag her around the house to get her to freshen up and eat. Yeah, Suzume doesn't cope with grief all that well...

At least Hiro knows her well enough to know what to do. It was freaky just how easily he could read her. Whenever she asked about it, he would just get a secretive smile and refuse to answer, usually just by shaking his head and not saying anything. Suzume has just learned to drop it when he does this.

"Okay," Haibara agreed quickly. She didn't regret her decision when she saw the Kudo physically brighten up.

~ — — — ~

Suzume frowned when she saw Haibara look uneasy at the falling snow. "You okay?" she asked quietly, stopping to let the shrunken girl catch up.

Haibara nodded hesitantly. "Just a nightmare I had," she said.

"About them?" Suzume asked, though she already knew the answer from Haibara's demeanor. "I won't let them get to you, okay? I'd shoot myself before that ever happens."

Haibara gave her a strange look at that but was slightly reassured by the Kudo's support. It was one of the better qualities that all Kudo Skies possess—their undying loyalty to their friends and family. Haibara felt flattered that they were close enough to be included in that group.

Suzume let out a hum as they continued walking, fiddling with the gloves on her hands as she kept her attention on their surroundings and Haibara. She may have been the scientist Sherry of the Organization, but to Suzume, she was a girl grieving the loss of her older sister who needed someone looking out for her, and that's what she planned on doing.

"Why didn't we find your cat?" Haibara asked out of nowhere.

Suzume blinked before grinning. "Oh. Kuro loves hide-and-seek, especially with people whom he's unfamiliar with. Expect him to be stalking you around the professor's place for the next week or so."

"Wonderful," Haibara muttered sarcastically, though was curious about what the cat was going to do. "So that's normal?"

"Yep. Did it to me when I adopted him a while ago," Suzume said. "Scared the crap out of my parents a few times, too!" She laughed at the memories. "That cat is very creative in his hiding spots. He somehow hid himself in Papa's desk drawer! The scream he let out was heard from a few houses down!"