BONUS CHAPTER #9
"Kudou" is a surname. A completely gender-neutral surname.
So when Toyama Kazuha saw the three people Hattori Heiji picked up at the station, she naturally assumed that the girl among them—Ran Mouri—was "Kudou."
Cue immediate, blazing jealousy. She started tailing Hattori and the others.
But then, during this pursuit, Kazuha noticed something strange. There seemed to be someone else tailing the same group—namely, Jiangxia Tongzhi.
Now, Jiangxia wasn't exactly creeping around, but Kazuha had spotted him at multiple scenic spots today. And now, here he was again—right outside the very restaurant where Heiji was eating.
Kazuha, daughter of a cop, had been absorbing detective vibes since childhood. She had a solid sense for fishy behavior.
She locked eyes with Jiangxia across the street. After a moment, she took the initiative to walk up and asked in a quiet, suspicious tone, "Are you following that guy in the baseball cap?" She pointed at Hattori.
Jiangxia had also noticed Kazuha pacing the same route as him.
Caught off guard by the sudden interrogation, he calmly replied, "The person with Hattori is my classmate… I was going to say hi, but I'm not sure they'd welcome me, so I'm hesitating a bit."
Kazuha froze.
She'd spent the entire morning in full "Catch the Cheater" mode. And now, hearing Jiangxia say that, her imagination took off like a rocket.
In her mind, the picture instantly snapped into place—Jiangxia must be the wronged boyfriend of that shameless woman "Kudou." And Heiji?! He'd stooped so low he was now the other guy?!
And that woman—what a two-timing, scum-gathering yinbi! With a boyfriend like this, she still ran around flirting? Unbelievable! And with such a pure, innocent-looking face too. Tui!
Kazuha's brain filled in the drama in one second flat. And in the next, she silently formed an unbreakable "Alliance of the Betrayed" with Jiangxia.
She clapped him on the shoulder solemnly. "Don't worry. I'll help you win her back." And save my poor Heiji from that hussy.
This street wasn't all that wide.
Inside the restaurant, Hattori Heiji was quietly chatting with Conan when he suddenly heard a familiar voice outside.
Suspicious, he stood up and peeked through the window—
And saw Jiangxia and Kazuha standing together.
Face to face. Kazuha had her hand on Jiangxia's shoulder, her expression emotional and determined. Honestly, if she kissed him in the next second, it wouldn't have even seemed weird.
Hattori Heiji: "...!!!!"
He exploded out of his seat like black lightning.
Who the hell does this guy think he is?! First he steals Kudo from me, and now he's coming for Kazuha too?!
Conan and the others watched, dumbfounded, as Heiji vanished out the door.
As he stormed outside, Heiji's brain buzzed with half-formed memories and bizarre theories.
Wait a minute… could Jiangxia have found out that I only invited Kudo… and now he's taking revenge by seducing Kazuha?! And Kazuha actually fell for it?!
…But hold on. Why did that sound familiar?
Mid-sprint, Heiji had a flashback to the Sherlock Holmes tour.
Back then, he hadn't known that Kudo Shinichi was actually Conan. So when he saw Jiangxia bringing Mouri Ran along, he assumed Jiangxia was using her as bait to lure Kudo.
But later, after realizing "Shinichi = Conan," he understood the truth: Ran hadn't come with Jiangxia at all. It was Conan who got invited.
In other words, Jiangxia wasn't in the habit of luring detectives with innocent girls…
So what the hell was going on now with him and Kazuha?!
Heiji slowed, momentarily lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Kazuha noticed Heiji approaching and immediately stepped in front of Jiangxia protectively. In her mind, Heiji was the one at fault—hitting on someone else's girlfriend, taking her out on dates, playing tourist together...
From her POV, Jiangxia was the victim here.
Heiji came to a screeching mental halt.
And before he could say a word, Kazuha glared at him and said, dripping with sarcasm, "You do realize you're the homewrecker now, right?"
Heiji: "…?"
Conan and the others, catching up behind him: "??!"
Jiangxia blinked. Then slowly, it clicked.
And he realized... he was the only one here who actually understood what was going on.
…
Ten minutes later.
Jiangxia had successfully merged with the main cast, was seated comfortably inside the restaurant, and was enjoying his okonomiyaki while the other four frantically untangled their messy, imagined love triangle.
Eventually, the misunderstanding was cleared up, and everyone introduced themselves properly.
Hattori Heiji and Conan, now free from the metaphorical green cloud above their heads, suddenly noticed Jiangxia sitting quietly beside them.
They both froze.
Their food suddenly tasted… divine.
——Because this time, neither of them had worn earmuffs.
Conan had long since noticed that Jiangxia had an uncanny ability to show up everywhere. But this time, he'd relaxed. After all, he thought, this is Osaka. It's hundreds of kilometers away. No way Jiangxia would show up here.
Ha. Ha ha.
The two detectives exchanged long-suffering looks and sighed.
But at this point, kicking Jiangxia out would just be too cruel.
Conan tried to console himself: It's fine. It's just a casual day trip. Jiangxia doesn't talk much. Actually, he's a pretty chill travel buddy.
Heiji, still slightly bitter over the earlier vinegar spill, told himself to be nice. Jiangxia was, after all, a guest from Tokyo.
He also remembered Conan's words: As long as there's no murder, Jiangxia is just an ordinary high schooler. Totally normal.
So Heiji munched on flavorless okonomiyaki and prayed silently for a peaceful day.
The universe: lol no.
Just as they stepped out of the restaurant, a corpse fell from the sky, landing with a perfect thunk onto the hood of their car.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 3/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*