Day 37: Arts and Crafts Room
Honey was relieved when breakfast was over. Even though there'd been plenty of sticky-sweet french toast to be had, the company left him feeling a little inadequate. Usually girls fawned all over him, but Callisto had been downright mean. Had he done something wrong? What kind of girl wanted to fight rather than play? It'd only been a few days
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That wasn't to say he wasn't nervous about Kudou's presence, however. He still had the nagging feeling that the previously pint-sized brat would take one look at him and just know he was Kid. Since Hattori already knew that Kid was around, he couldn't have his presence as Kid on the board complete ignore Kudou's presence, but... it could wait a little while.
Today was critical to establish the identity of "Kuroba Kaito" in Kudou's mind as a separate entity from the phantom thief. If he played his cards right, maybe Kudou wouldn't connect the dots... Hattori hadn't yet, and that was an encouraging sign.
Of course, if Hakuba were to show up, all his work at establishing himself as being distinct from Kid could get shot to hell in some precise, measured amount of time. Or maybe if Hakuba showed up to connect a few dots, the picture wouldn't look right to the pair of detectives that were already here. But playing with the newest detective was a risk he had to take by now, and maybe his work would pay off.
Kaito passed through the sun room, making a quick detour to the bulletin board before he would let his nurse finish escorting him to arts and crafts. The room was still pretty empty, so it was easy to spot Kudou.
Show time.
He crossed the room to where the detective was. "Hey, you've gotta be Kudou, right?" he said, loudly enough to get the boy's attention.
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He didn't look up until a...bizarrely familiar voice called his name. "What--oh, yeah, I am." This had to be Kuroba, the guy Hattori had originally mistaken Shinichi for at breakfast. Except for the hair and a few other minor details, they could have been twins. It was a little disturbing, actually. Kuroba looked like him, even kind of sounded like him.
It was...strange.
Shinichi cleared his throat and gave the other boy a polite smile. "Kudou Shinichi, detective. Nice to meet you."
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He flopped into a seat at Kudou's table, and then leaned forward, making a show of studying Kudou's face. "Man, I can really see now why Hattori thought I was you when I met him," he commented. "We do look kind of similar."
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Shinichi grinned, scooting his seat over a little bit to make room. "He though you were me?" He laughed. "Just now, he thought I was you. Oh, and," he cleared his throat, "apparently he told you I'm dead. I'm...not." It was probably a good idea to get that out of the way at the beginning.
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He reached for the paper and safety scissors on the table. Maybe he could make some paper flowers; the overall lack of props for magic tricks was really starting to wear on his nerves...
"Yeah, Hattori told me you were dead. He cleared that up a few days ago, though. Said you were working on some kind of big case and that I shouldn't say anything about you to anyone."
Kaito fiddled with the scissors, trying to cut the paper. "These things really don't cut much of anything, do they?"
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"Oh yeah, I am. Or I was. I guess I'm not working on it here, am I?" It was good that Hattori had cleared it up, at least, but he wasn't very fond of the idea of being killed off in the first place. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't. It's a big case and I don't want to put anyone in danger." Even random friends of friends that he didn't entirely trust.
"No, they really don't. I feel like I'm in first grade again." Oh, if only Kaito knew.
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Kaito gave up on the scissors, resorting to folding the paper and tearing carefully along the creases. "Yeah, I guess you're not… Hattori's got a couple of cases here that he's been looking into, though. Maybe you could help him out?" Kaito's hands paused in their work, and he looked at Kudou with a blatantly concerned expression. "He's seemed pretty frustrated lately. If you guys could solve a case, it could cheer him up..."
And as for the first grade... Oh, how Kaito knew. Maybe he could solve a little mystery of his own now that Kudou was here: why the detective was in the first grade lately. He hadn't had too much interest in the 'why' before, but now that Kudou was his taller self once more… "For how they treat us during the day, we might as well be first-graders," Kaito said, his expression turning to boredom. "I mean, first grade is okay when you're a kid, but now? Having to go back would be torture."
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A case? Now Shinichi's interest was piqued. Hattori hadn't mentioned anything like that when they talked this morning, aside from the whole 'we were kidnapped by a demonic mental hospital' thing. "What kind of case? The radio announcements, or something else?" He'd seen some posts on the bulletin board about how someone had died here last night. Maybe Hattori was looking into it. But why would Kuroba know about it if it had just happened last night? Had to be something else, then.
Raising an eyebrow, the detective forced a laugh. "Great. Just what I always wanted--a repeat of elementary school. I couldn't imagine what it would be like learning what 1+1 equals again. It would be a very bland hell."
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He set aside the paper he was working on momentarily, considering Kudou's question. The last thing he remembered was hearing the little detective's voice above him during his heist, but that wasn't exactly something he could tell Kudou. Kid's heists were still obvious events that he could use to answer. The question, however, was which one to use...
The job to steal Purple Nail would be the honest answer, but maybe he should pretend that he came from a point in time earlier than that? It increased the risk of slipping up and saying the wrong thing, but it also allowed for what would possibly be a more believable gap between the memories of "Kuroba Kaito" and "Kaitou Kid." Between Kaito and Kid, Kid was the one who needed to have the most information. Kudou was going to learn Kid was around one way or another, and he couldn't let a lack of information be used against him. If one of his identities was going to be more in the dark than the other, that would have to be "Kaito."
He had never really thought to ask Hattori when he'd come from; after all, when they'd met, Kaito hadn't yet known about the way the Institute could kidnap people from different points in time. But Hattori hadn't asked him about it, either, so he was free to come up with almost any answer he so desired. He'd mentioned Suzuki Jirokichi in passing, but there were a few jobs between Suzuki's first challenge and unresolved second that he could use as the point of reference, some more famous than others.
He could use the time when he'd been framed for murder, with those paintings… That had generated a lot of press, but the little detective had really been the only one to see Kid then. Or maybe when "Nightmare" had blackmailed him, but he couldn't be sure that Kudou knew about that job… He needed to use something big, that would be in the papers, but that wouldn't be controversial like that painter's setup. One of the matches with Suzuki, then.
Claiming that last Kid case he remembered was when he was challenged to steal Blue Wonder could be too long ago, though. It made the likelihood of a misstep far more likely… But if he was going to be truthful as Kid, he couldn't as Kaito. He needed that lapse as part of his alibi. Maybe he could still use the challenge to steal Purple Nail, but claim that Kaito had come from before it and Kid after? But if Kudou knew how things had ended then (assuming they had), he couldn't play at having that same knowledge quite as easily. The fact that he hadn't shouted accusations about Kaito being Kid was a good sign, though. It meant his identity (probably) hadn't been compromised...
So it was Suzuki's challenges: Blue Wonder or Purple Nail. Take the risk of slipping up at the benefit of providing additional distinction between himself and Kid, or take the risk of appearing too similar to Kid... Or maybe he could keep it vague, and see what assumptions the detective made before he committed to any one timeframe...
"The last thing I remember?" he echoed. He had to make a decision. "Well, the latest Kaitou Kid heist was headlining all the papers, but I'm not sure if there was anything else major going on..."
Things had been so much simpler when it had just been Hattori. Hattori didn't know Kid the way tantei-kun did.
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He considered mentioning the specifics that he did know. He knew that one of Hattori's cases was about Kid. Hattori knew that he knew. If Kudou asked Hattori about cases and found out that Kaito had known about the Kid case and hadn't said anything...
No. It was too early to bring up Kid's presence in the Institute. He hadn't been able to resist baiting the detective about being in the first grade, and in light of that, he couldn't let him know that Kid was there until time had passed and the memory of talking to Kaito had faded...
"A bland hell, indeed," he agreed, nodding slightly as he picked up the paper he'd been using again. "School's dull enough without having to learn the basics for a second time."
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He tapped on, outwardly oblivious to Kaito's inner monologue, but inwardly studying the other boy's reaction. Kid's last heist, huh? "Oh, Purple Nail Pair?" he asked pleasantly. The name was well enough known by now, and Shinichi was supposedly in close contact with Conan anyway. It worked well enough, and it would give him a basis for establishing a timeline. He didn't exactly suspect Kuroba of being Kid--not totally--but the thought was there. They had the same height, the same build, similar voices. There was just enough evidence that he could be Kid, but not enough to start compiling a case. Shinichi himself fit those descriptors, plus a few others. Athletic and intelligent, for example. Kaito didn't really look like he had enough muscle on him to do some of the stunts that Shinichi had seen Kid do.
Still, it was something to keep in mind.
"Thanks, I'll make sure I do that. Hattori didn't mention anything, but he could be going the stoic samurai route." He laughed. "He seems to think that one of the guys here is Okita Souji. You know, from the Shinsengumi?" It was a little far-fetched, but maybe Kuroba had some information on who the person Heiji was currently fanboying really was.
Time to steer the conversation away from the first grade. "Speaking of school, what year are you?" Kaito couldn't have been older than Shinichi and Heiji were, so he had to be in 11th grade or thereabouts.
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He had to make a decision about when he came from, and quick. Even though he'd decided that his identity as "Kid" needed to remain the one with the most information, it was difficult to decide to put his knowledge as "Kaito" too far behind. He wondered if the Purple Nail job was really the most recent one for Kudou, or if he was from further in the future and playing at the same game that he was...
Another possibility was that he could tell the truth about when he'd come from, and avoid giving any information about Kid's timeline. As Kid, he had no real obligation to give the detectives any information that he didn't want to; the benefit in sharing any information was solely to create a further distinction between "Kaito" and "Kid."
Of course, if Hakuba showed up next, any distinction he tried to create was going to get shot to hell as soon as he fired off his accusations... But that detective wasn't here, and Kaito had other detectives to deal with. It all came down to whether or not having a gap between the memories of Kaito and Kid was actually going to be convincing enough evidence.
"Purple what?" he asked, making his decision. "No, no, his target was called 'Ocean's Miracle.' Some guy challenged him to steal it, and this little kid stopped him. Edogawa..." He trailed off there, his brow furrowed as though in thought. Then, with a frustrated tone, he groaned, "Aah, Hattori told me the kid's name last week. Something about parents that were real Conan Doyle nuts... Edogawa Doyle? No, that's not right... Arthur? Conan? Yeah, that's it: Edogawa Conan!"
He finished tearing up his paper, and started trying to wrap it into flower-like shapes. "Hattori may've just had a lot on his mind, with you showing up and all. I wouldn't wish this place on anyone, and especially not on friends." He fiddled with the paper; it wasn't working the way he'd hoped because of the weight. "But he told you about Okita-san, did he? Hijikata-san was here, too, but I'm not sure if he is any more... I haven't seen him around lately."
Frustrated, he tossed the paper aside. Maybe he could find something more lightweight for his flowers... "I'm in the second year of high school, same as you and Hattori, I assume," he answered. "You're seventeen, aren't you?"
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"Ocean's Miracle? When Kaitou Kid walked in midair?" That was...the first time they'd met Suzuki Jirokichi, wasn't it? The golden statue holding the bright blue jewel, the one that had once been the figurehead on the prow of a pirate ship. It was also months ago. The detective was...distantly disappointed, in a way. Kaito came from even earlier than Hattori did. Still, he dutifully marked it off on his sheet of paper. Yeah, it was a little depressing to have months worth of memories that the others didn't, but he couldn't ignore his calling as a detective. He had to find the truth behind this place and get all these people--and himself--back to where they should be. "Yeah, Edogawa Conan. Weird kid. Bit of a brat, but smart. He's the distant relative of a friend of mine, and one of my other friends and her father are taking care of him while his parents are abroad." Good. Stick to the story, add in a deprecating comment about the child. Maybe a little bit complementary as well.
"...Hijikata too?" Who was next, Saitou? Kondou, maybe? Why not the whole Shinsengumi, with the Ishin Shishi thrown in for good measure? It did confirm one point, though--Kaito had met this man who claimed to be Okita. At least he existed beyond a random name on the bulletin board.
Shinichi watched Kuroba try to fold flowers for little while, but the other boy didn't seem to be having much success. "Yeah, my birthday was in the spring."
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He prevented himself from laughing, or even just smirking at Kudou's description of Edogawa. Nice, Kudou, but you forgot the part where he's you. Somehow. "He's related to you? Hattori told me that he had died, too, but I kind of get the feeling he was lying about that. He said it when he said that you were dead, after all, so in light of you being alive..."
Kaito riffled through a nearby stack of paper, making a sound of triumph when he located some brightly-colored tissue paper. He set to work again, nodding. "Yeah, Hijikata too. I don't really know him all that well; he's pretty stoic. Okita-san is much more friendly." And had a nice mischievous streak in him.
"Ah, when the in spring?" he asked; maybe furthering the line of small talk would help to cement himself as someone that was not Kaitou Kid. "Mine's in the summer."
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...Hattori had told Kuroba that Conan was dead, too? "What the hell? Really?" Shinichi couldn't help the look of utter disbelief that registered on his face, but he figured that it would look more like confusion than anything else. "I can understand killing me off to...protect me, but why Conan? He's just a little kid who likes playing detective and is actually kind of good at it." Stick to the story.
"May 4th. So I guess I'm a little older, then."
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That was good... very good. The reminder that the little detective's voice was the last thing he remembered before waking up here had been agitating him, but now that he had a reasonable amount of proof that he hadn't gotten caught then, he could relax a little.
"That's what I want to know," Kaito said, frowning. "He implied that Edogawa was murdered, for getting too close to something. To close to Kaitou Kid, maybe; Hattori said something about the police thinking he was killed because he kept getting in Kid's way, but that doesn't make much sense if you ask me. Kid doesn't kill, and who'd want to kill someone for stopping a phantom thief?"
Truthfully Kaito knew enough people who might've gotten antsy over someone getting too close to Kid, but he shrugged anyway. "But like I said: now that you're here safe and sound, I think Hattori was just making it up to protect the kid. He seemed pretty worried about the wrong people hearing about either of you."
And then came the small talk. Despite his intentions of sharing mundane information in an attempt to seem more open (and decidedly not suspicious), he couldn't resist a tiny jibe at the timing of Kudou's birthday... "The day before Children's Day, huh?" he said. It was such a shame it wasn't one day later... "I'm June 21st, myself, so there's not too much difference between our ages... It would've been something if we'd happened to have the same birthday, given our looks."
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