Kaiya POV
"Hmm? Do I know a Kusuda Rikumichi?" Amuro asked me one day as I was walking Haro. "I don't think so... who is he?" I feigned surprise. "Should I know him?" I could feel Amuro observe my body language carefully.
"Don't worry about it... he's just a friend of mine who was at Haido Hospital when you and Conan-kun visited there." Amuro replied. "I asked Conan-kun about it when I bumped into him with Ran-san and Kogoro-san earlier, and he didn't know who Kusuda was either."
"Oh no! Is there a reason why Conan-kun and the others were at the hospital earlier?" I asked worriedly.
"Ran-san said her mother underwent surgery for appendicitis." Amuro answered.
"I should give her a get well soon present then." I replied as I pet Haro.
**********
Amuro POV
"Bourbon, are you sure you want to execute this plan?" Vermouth asked doubtfully. "Didn't I show you the video from Kir when she killed Akai? She was very thorough, and I'm certain he's dead."
"As far as I know... Shuichi Akai is dead, but a man of his caliber won't be defeated so easily. I still need one more piece of the puzzle... about what happened to Kusuda Rikumichi." I explained.
"What about Rikumichi?" she asked. "Reports say that Akai killed him."
"Don't you find his death strange?. Think about where his bullet wound is located." I reminded her. "If I were to commit suicide, I would shoot myself in the temple, just like Rikumichi did."
"Alright, but I need pictures of FBI agent Jodie if I am to disguise as her." Vermouth conceded.
"Don't worry. Her friend Natsuko Shibuya, an elementary school teacher, hired me as her bodyguard. I borrowed her phone last night and texted Jodie to meet up for a drink. That will get Jodie to come to the school that her friend works at." I told Vermouth.
**********
Kaiya POV
"Jodie-sensei's car is outside!" Ran noticed after school.
"Jodie-sensei! Long time no see!" Sonoko ran up to her car. "I thought you went back to America!"
'Ahh haha yeah." Jodie smiled sheepishly. "I'm staying in Japan for a little longer."
"Is it because... of the FBI?" Ran asked carefully. Sometimes Ran can be quite observant... probably since she always hangs around Shinichi/Conan hehe...
"Oh no no!" Jodie brushed it off. "I just enjoy this country a lot and asked for an extended vacation."
"I was just going out for coffee with Jodie-sensei today." I played along with Jodie as I got into the car.
"Is there a reason Cool Kid wants to meet up today?" Jodie asked me as we drove to Teitan Elementary school.
"Not sure either...I guess we'll find out soon." I replied when Conan entered the car.
**********
"Kusuda Rikumichi?" Jodie echoed what Conan asked her. "Wasn't he the organization spy who infiltrated the hospital?"
Conan nodded. "Tell the FBI to keep it a secret. Because I think Amuro-san is investigating..."
"I thought we were careful enough." I replied, my voice laced with concern.
Before anyone could reply, Jodie's phone rang. "Sorry, I'll have to pull over to take this." Jodie said.
"What?! Natsuko fell down the stairs? I'll be there right away." Jodie said on the phone. "My friend Natsuko Shibuya, an elementary school teacher, fell down the stairs at the school, and they want me to visit the crime scene." Jodie told us after she hung up. "But I'm still worried about Natsuko."
"Would you like me to wait at the hospital and give you updates?" I offered.
"Oh yes, I would appreciate that." Jodie replied. "Cool Kid, do you want to tag along with me then?"
Conan nodded.
I borrowed Yukiko's motorcycle and drove to the hospital.
**********
"Jodie-sensei? Conan-kun?" I looked up in surprise as they ran into the hospital room later that night while I was handing Natsuko some tea.
"T-the hospital said that you were in critical condition!" Jodie said to Natsuko.
"I'm alright now Jodie. The doctors said my surgery went well." Natsuko smiled from her hospital bed.
"Oh that's right. Did you find the culprit yet?" I asked Conan.
"The culprit was a parent, Fumiyuki Kandachi." Jodie explained. "He misunderstood the way Natsuko-san was grading the tests, and got enraged."
"Oh dear! I didn't think my style of grading could do that to him!" Natsuko replied, shocked.
"Jodie-sensei, I saw Amuro-san's car leaving the hospital!" Conan exclaimed.
"Sorry, Natsuko, I'll visit you another time." Jodie said before we ran out of the hospital room.
**********
"Is everything alright?" Jodie asked Camel. "We saw Amuro-san's car leaving the hospital... he's a member of the Organization." Jodie said.
"He didn't sweet talk any secrets out of you, did he?" Conan asked.
"N-no... didn't you just say that? You said that same thing a minute ago." Camel said to Jodie.
"What are you talking about? We just came from Natsuko's room." Jodie replied.
"Then the Jodie-sensei you met earlier was Vermouth!" I exclaimed.
Conan explained Bourbon and Vermouth's plan in order to get information from Jodie and Camel. "They needed Natsuko-san to get injured outside somehow, so that they could take pictures of Jodie-sensei and disguise as her. Then they called you to say that Natsuko-san's condition took a turn for the worse so that they could separate you from Camel-san and get information out of him."
"Conan-kun, when did you notice?" Jodie asked.
"You're only allowed to let relatives know about a patient's condition." Conan replied.
"More importantly... what did Vermouth ask you, Camel-san?"
"About Kusuda Rikumichi. I told them that he shot himself in the car." Camel replied.
I looked at Conan and paled.
"But isn't that a good thing? Their agent captured by the FBI is dead and can't reveal any secrets." Camel mused.
"Conan-kun? Kaiya-chan? Is everything alright?" Jodie asked.
"Uh-uh yeah." I stuttered. "Umm I've got to get going..." I said and Conan followed me to my motorcycle.
"Kudo-kun... they know!" I said in a panic.
"We've got to alert Akai-san." Conan said.
**********
Amuro POV
"You're late." I told Vermouth as she got into the car.
"Sorry... I had trouble finding a scarf like hers." Vermouth replied as she took off her disguise.
"So, how did it go?" I asked.
"You were right. He shot himself inside his own car." Vermouth smirked.
"So that's what happened..." I mused. "He switched his body with Kusuda Rikimichi's before the car exploded at Raiha Pass."
"So you know where to find his ghost?" Vermouth asked.
"No not yet. But once I get a lead it will take me less than a day to find him." I replied.
**********
Kaiya POV
"Huh? You want to know if the name Zero means anything to me?" I asked Conan.
"You hang out with Amuro-san a lot, so I thought you might know. When I went to the hospital with Ran and Uncle Kogoro to visit Kisaki-san who had gotten a surgery due to appendicitis, we met Amuro-san. He got startled when a kid shouted zero in front of an elevator." Conan said. "Zero is his nickname."
"I had long suspected that he was also a NOC." Shuichi said. "The PSB..."
"That's... a good guess..." I said, unsure of how to respond.
"How do you know that?" Conan asked me.
"I accidentally stumbled onto his apartment once when his dog jumped on me one day. At his apartment I saw some papers hastily tucked away that looked like secret service reports." I replied. Well I also knew it from the anime as well...
"That makes a lot of sense..." Conan and Shuichi agreed.
***********
"Alright, is everyone familiar with the plan?" Shuichi asked.
I nodded. "Yusaku-san will disguise as Subaru Okiya, and Conan-kun will monitor the house from upstairs if Amuro-san breaks in. Yukiko-san will disguise as Yusaku-san for the Macademy Awards. And Akai-san and I will follow Jodie-sensei and Camel-san if they visit Raiha Pass."
***********
"Jodie-sensei? You want me to accompany you and Camel-san to visit Raiha pass?" I asked as she came to the Kudos house. As expected...
"You were with Shuu that night." Jodie reasoned. "I'm beginning to think he faked his death. I think we'll find something there." Jodie's eyes were pleading.
"No way!" I feigned surprise. "I-I want to tag along then!" I said and I headed towards the back seat. I discreetly let Shuichi sneak into the back trunk.
***********
Amuro POV
"Furuya-san, matters have become complicated. Kaiya is in the FBI agents' car that is heading towards Raiha Pass." Kazami called me.
I sighed. I had hoped Kaiya would stay out of it.
"Pursue them still." I ordered. "But tell the PSB agents I want them alive and unharmed."
I hung up and walked towards the Kudos' house.
***********
Kaiya POV
"It would make sense that Shuu is still alive..." Jodie tried to deduce how Shuichi faked his death by switching the bodies and matching the fingerprints on Conan's phone. "And lastly that expression you and that boy made earlier when I mentioned Kusuda Rikumichi... why?" she asked me.
"Umm well... he was a scary man! He shot me in the arm, remember?" I tried to find an excuse. "Anyways... now's not the time to ask questions, there's a car following us!"
"They're barricading the road with cars!" Jodie realized. I screamed as Camel turned the car sideways and got past the blockade.
"Way to go Camel!" Jodie said.
"Who the hell were those guys?" Camel asked.
"Now that they know Shuu is still alive, they are trying to capture us as bait!" Jodie realized.
"You mean, I messed up Akai-san's plan since I let it slip that Kusuda shot himself?" Camel asked.
"Now's not the time for remorse." Jodie turned to Camel. "Focus on getting them off our trail."
"This isn't good, the steering wheel only turns to the right. I must have damaged the tire and bent the rim when I went over that rock. Air's leaking out of the tire." Camel exclaimed.
"At this rate, they'll catch us!" Jodie exclaimed.
"There's nothing I can do! They're right behind us!" Camel grit his teeth. "I'm sure Akai-san could have managed something though."
"Shuu why didn't you tell us?" Jodie said to herself with a forlorn expression.
I looked at our pursuers in alarm. They were catching up to us really quickly. Even though I knew the events from the anime, I was genuinely scared right now. Miraculously I remembered to loosen the backseat so that Shuichi could slip into the car from the back trunk.
"Open it Camel." Shuichi said.
"Yes sir." Camel replied and lowered the roof of the car since it was a convertible. Within moments, Shuichi appeared on the backseat.
"Shuu!" Jodie exclaimed.
"A-Akai-san!" Camel exclaimed.
"Five seconds. Up ahead there's a 200 meter stretch of straight road. Once we're there, keep the car steady for five seconds. We'll end this chase." Shuichi ordered.
"Where have you been? Why are you in the car now?" Jodie asked Shuichi, tears forming in her eyes. Then she turned to me. "Kaiya... don't tell me you're onto this as well?"
I gave her a guilty look.
"It's all going well according to the boy's plan." Shuichi replied. "They knew you'd come to Raiha pass since you were beginning to doubt my death." Jodie looked at him in shock.
"Kaiya, do you have it with you?" Shuichi turned to me. I nodded and unwrapped a handkerchief that carried the gun that Kusuda Rikumichi shot himself with. Shuichi took the gun and aimed at the cars behind us. "We're coming up on that turn now. Keep the car steady."
"This is crazy! The car's shaking because the tire's losing air. You can't possibly aim a gun." Jodie exclaimed.
"No problem." Shuichi reassured her. "I can account for regular movement. Kaiya, hold on tight."
"Y-yes." I stuttered and braced myself. Shuichi took a careful aim at the pursuing car's tire, causing it to crash into the other cars and stall them.
"Circle back, Camel." Shuichi ordered.
"What?!" Jodie and Camel exclaimed in surprise, but they listened to Shuichi and headed back to the other cars. I hid behind Shuichi since the PSB agents still had their weapons trained on us.
"Are you guys okay? Don't blame me for what I did. You guys were the ones pursuing us." Shuichi told the PSB agents. "If I hadn't done that, people would have died. But I have a proposal." Shuichi continued. "Will you trade me that phone for the gun I just fired?"
The shocked PSB agents handed the phone to Shuichi. "It's been a while, Bourbon." he said. "No wait, you're Tooru Amuro now, right? To make up for ruining your friends' cars, I have a gift for you. It's the gun Kusuda Rikumichi used to shoot himself. If you investigate how he acquired it, you might find something. This is Japan. You're better suited to it than the FBI."
"You know who I am?" Amuro asked over the phone.
"I suspected you since you were part of the Organization. But letting it slip to the kid that "Zero" was your nickname was a mistake, Rei Furuya. You probably meant to turn me over to them, raise your prestige, and get closer to the heart of the organization. But let me tell you something. Don't get distracted by what's in front of you and pursue the wrong prey. I'd rather not have you for an enemy. Also, I still feel bad for what happened to him..." Shuichi then hung up and gave the phone back to the PSB agents.
***********
"Will it be alright... that you revealed yourself to Amuro-san?" I said to Shuichi in the car.
"I trust he will keep the secret." Shuichi turned to me.
"Speaking of secrets...don't do that yourself... keeping that secret from Amuro-san." I referred to the incident of Scotch. "Eventually it will hurt both you and him."
"How do you know about that...you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge." Shuichi declared.
"You know I'm right though." I told him.
"What secret?" Jodie turned to us.
"A sad one..." I trailed off.
**********
Shuichi POV
(the next morning)
"Morning" I greeted Kaiya as she walked into the kitchen sleepily.
"I'm exhausted. Last night was crazy." she yawned as I handed her a cup of coffee. She nodded thanks.
"Talk about crazy, my feet were dying in those shoes last night." Yukiko whined.
"Ah that's right, I believe congratulations are in order since you won the Macademy Awards again." I told Yusaku.
Sudden texts interrupted us.
Kaiya nearly dropped her cup of coffee when she happened to glance at her phone. I also glanced at the text that I received on my phone.
"Kaiya? Akai-kun? What's wrong?" Yukiko and Yusaku asked.
"It's a text from Mizunashi Rena." I showed the message on the phone. It had only three letters, RUM, but I knew that danger was coming soon.
"Rum..." Yusaku studied the message.
"Do you know who Rum is, Kaiya?" I looked at her frightened expression.
"He's second in command of the Organization." she replied, still quite pale.
"Yes, that's what I heard when I infiltrated the Organization." I affirmed. How does Kaiya know this though... she's always been so secretive about her background. And why is she so scared of Rum?
I called Jodie.
"Shuu?" Jodie picked up the phone.
"Ah yes, can you and Camel come over to the address I'll send over later? And make sure that no one is following you." I instructed.
**********
Kaiya POV
Rum did scare me, but not as much as the other text that Rena sent me. "Particle accelerator found, Project Overworld active".
What is Project Overworld??? I'm doomed if anyone discovers I wasn't from this world.
*************
(later that afternoon)
"And this voice changer from Professor Agasa alters my voice." Shuichi explained how his disguise worked.
"But... did James-san know about this too?" Jodie asked.
"He did... he found out when he felt the glue on my hands." Shuichi explained.
"But why?" Jodie pressed.
"In order to fool your enemies, you must fool your friends first. They investigated you to see if I was truly dead." Shuichi explained. "Yukiko-san, don't you have a plane to catch by the way?" he reminded her.
"Oh no!" she glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. Bye Shin-Conan-kun! Bye Kaiya!" she quickly left.
"Shin-Conan-kun?" Jodie questioned.
Before we could continue our conversion, the doorbell rang.
"Conan-kun! What are you doing here?" the detective boys asked when they saw Conan.
"Well, I think we could ask you guys that same question." I opened the door to let them in.
"We have a quiz that we want you and Subaru-san to solve!" Ayumi chirped.
"By the way, do you still have some of that curry left over?" Genta asked Subaru.
"I can heat some up for you." Subaru said. Genta cheered and joined the detective boys at the sofa.
"Shuu you can cook?" Jodie and Camel looked at him in surprise.
"Well, it's more efficient that way.... Yukiko-san taught me." Subaru explained.
"Yeah...his curry is pretty decent but we have it way too often." I chuckled and heated up the curry for Genta.
"Just decent?" Subaru arched an eyebrow at me.
I gave him a closed eye smile. "Aww don't be like that. I do enjoy your cooking."
************
(in the living room)
"First, the Professor poured four cups of hot tea, and on three out of four coasters, he drew skulls with a black ball point pen. Then he turned the coasters over and placed a cup of tea with lemon on the coaster without a skull. On the other coasters, he placed vinegar in the tea." Ayumi said.
"Then the Professor said he gained psychic powers, and he'd find the cup without vinegar without smelling any of them. He picked up a cup and happily gulped it down. When we looked at the coaster, it didn't have a skull on it." Genta continued.
"Did you shuffle the cups?" Conan asked.
"Yes, along with their coasters when the Professor had his back turned." Mitsuhiko said.
"And he really put vinegar in them?" Subaru asked.
"Yeah, we tried the other cups!" Ayumi confirmed.
"But they were so disgusting we nearly puked." Mitsuhiko added.
"Was the pen the kind that you can erase?" Conan asked.
Mitsuhiko nodded.
"But he didn't do anything to them except draw the skulls on the bottom of the cup." Ayumi said.
Conan, Subaru, and I grinned. Ohhh that's why Agasa borrowed one of my pens in the morning.
"Let's ask the FBI agents to solve this mystery." Subaru turned to Jodie and Camel.
"I think that's a great idea!" I agreed.
"What?!" Jodie and Camel reacted with shock.
***********
"Conan-kun, Kaiya-neechan, did you figure out the trick yet?" Ayumi asked.
"Oh yeah, the trick is in the pens." Conan said. "Heat makes the ink of these erasable pens disappear."
"So no matter which cup the professor chose, the heat from the tea would make the skulls disappear." I explained.
"But the remaining cups of tea tasted weird." Mitsuhiko commented.
"Yeah, he put vinegar in all of them." Conan replied.
"He just pretended his tasted good." I chuckled. I inwardly laughed at Agasa for drinking the vinegar.
"But... isn't that cheating?" the detective boys pouted.
"Once you know how a trick works, it does seem like cheating." Conan agreed.
"And he had better return my pen." I sighed and went into the kitchen to get water.
**********
"So, did Akai-san explain the trick to you?" I looked at Jodie and Camel's expressions.
"It seems like cheating." Jodie pouted.
"Yeah, that's what everyone else said too." I laughed.
"But more importantly, what was the reason you asked us to meet here?" Jodie asked Shuichi.
"I received a text from Kir this morning." Shuichi said. "It's a three letter word, the name of a drink you're all familiar with. RUM."
"Rum?" Jodie and Camel asked.
"I've heard of him during my time in the organization." Shuichi explained.
"A close advisor?" Jodie suggested.
"He's the second in command. Since she sent only one word, she must have been in a rush. Tell James that someone big is on the move. Someone bigger than Gin." Shuichi declared.