impossibility | discontinued

[5.4]

"Hakase? Where did Shin go?"

It was an hour later when Ouji-kun and I came back to the study room, only to find hakase and no Shin. "Ran-kun came and I thought it would be better if Shinichi lived with someone else. That way, the people who did this to them wouldn't immediately link Conan-kun to being Kudo Shinichi."

I was about to ask a more serious question when Ouji-kun chirped in. "Conan-kun? Where did he get that name?" Barely hiding my laughter, I ruffled Ouji-kun's now blond hair. It was a wig I found from deep within my closet. I used it before in a school play. We would have to bleach his hair later. "He probably got it from his favorite author, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle."

I let that sink in before I glanced at hakase. "Would it be possible for you to take in Ouji-kun? Yūjin and him can't live in the same house so I'm having the marmoset live with me." There was a visible pout on my best friend's lips, childishly crossing his arms. Hakase agreed with a smile. "I don't mind, Shinobu-kun but..."

Hakase sent Ouji-kun a shaky smile before looking at me. "I don't think he agrees."

I... facepalmed at the face he was making. He suddenly latched onto me with his teary-eyed expression, my face exploding in varying shades of red. Holy cheesecakes, what're you doing?! "But I want to live with Shino-neechan, too!" I didn't know if it was possible but I think my face burned an even brighter red at his cuteness...

... what the cheesecake was he doing?! His face... His face is so close to my—

"... fine."

I didn't notice nor hear hakase chuckling at us with amused eyes. I also didn't notice how Ouji-kun smirked in victory because I was too focused on calming down my racing heart. Cheesecakes, Ouji-kun is gonna be the death of me someday.

"I'm... I'm gonna pick up Yūjin from the vet. Hakase, please show Ouji-kun the guest room nearest to mine. Thank you."

"A-Ah, Shino-chan! Wait—!"

I quickly picked up my coat and left the mansion. I was sure my face was still red, not from the cold but from embarrassment. Ouji-kun was so close... I looked at the night sky, then at my wrist watch.

It was only seven and the vet closes at nine. I might as well buy dinner while I'm out. My worry from earlier completely left my mind. I was no longer in a frenzy. My heart was calm and my mind was finally collected. My thoughts were finally running in a steady flow.

Things were going to get even more difficult at this rate. Additionally, I don't know what I was going to do once Kotei-san finds out what happened to Ouji-kun. I faintly remember him mentioning how... he stalked us. I felt a shudder run down my spine at the reminder.

I was near the vet when someone suddely wrapped an arm around my shoulders. My reaction was instant. I grabbed the stranger's arm and using their own weight against them, I flipped them over me and onto the ground. The people around us stopped to look at us but I was pretty sure when they saw me, they went back to their own business.

I managed to hold back a facepalm at their reaction. "That was kinda harsh, Shinobu-chan." I felt goosebumps all over my body at his voice. Who would have thought that he would pop up when I just thought of him?
"What are you doing, Kotei-san? You startled me." He rubbed his lower back as he smiled at me. I flushed red at his expression. There was no trace of that malicious expression on his face.

That startled me more than anything else, to be honest. "You're heading to a bar without Noir. Did you get into a fight?" I blinked at his words before I glanced at the vet. Well, what I thought was the vet.