Hattori Heizo had a new parenting strategy: forced growth through mental trauma.
According to Kazuha's feedback, his son had been acting a little timid and evasive lately, especially when it came to solving cases around Jiangxia.
Unacceptable.
This was the perfect time to not coddle him. On the contrary—let them hang out more, stir up some healthy rivalry. Maybe with enough direct exposure, Heiji would bounce back from his failures, learn a thing or two from Jiangxia, and level up both mentally and as a detective.
So while Hattori Heiji was busy combing through rooms, Hattori Heizo casually sidled up to Chairman Nagato and dropped an enthusiastic Amway plug for Jiangxia Tongzhi.
The mansion was huge. If they really wanted to catch the little thief who'd been scouting the place, they'd need more people.
Which led to Jiangxia getting that mysterious phone call.
…
Technically, this job was just about catching a petty thief. But for Hattori Heiji, it was already a mental drain.
He checked the final room, then glanced out the window, bored—
And immediately froze.
Familiar silhouettes were approaching.
He blinked hard, trying to convince himself it was a hallucination.
Nope. Still there. Jiangxia Tongzhi, Ran Mouri, and Conan Edogawa. Walking side by side like a murder-chasing squad on a heist.
Hattori Heiji: "…"
Why was Jiangxia here?
His face tensed. Something felt off.
He squinted at the housekeeper walking alongside Jiangxia, who was gesturing politely as he led him along.
Yep. That was the Nagato family's butler.
So Jiangxia had been invited.
Earlier, before the old class reunion, Heiji had overheard his dad saying he'd introduce a detective to Chairman Nagato…
Hattori Heiji's expression turned an elegant shade of "bitter betrayal."
…It was probably Jiangxia his dad had recommended.
Even though part of him didn't want to believe his own father had sold him out like that, his rational brain told him it was the only logical conclusion.
Hattori Heiji stood frozen for a second.
Then, face unreadable, he spun around and headed straight for the back door of the mansion.
Time to vanish quietly from the crime scene before the psychic shows up.
Sure, part of it was his usual inferiority complex when it came to Jiangxia's absurd case-solving speed. But mostly… Jiangxia just messed up his whole life vibe.
Every time Jiangxia showed up, Heiji felt like the universe rewrote its rules.
Even Kazuha started acting strangely. His dad became ten times more proactive. Everything spun off-axis.
Was it really that hard to avoid a single cursed detective?!
Heiji clomped down the stairs, fully committed to his escape.
But at the foot of the stairs, a familiar squint-eyed silhouette blocked his way.
"Where are you going?" asked Hattori Heizo, sternly.
He scanned his son's face. The reaction confirmed everything: his boy was 100% dodging Jiangxia.
Which, from Heizo's perspective, only proved how wise it had been to call in the Tokyo detective. If Heiji was going to grow, he had to stop hiding from ghosts—incidentally both literal and emotional.
And if the son lacked motivation… then the father would manufacture it.
…
Meanwhile, Jiangxia stepped into the mansion, trailed by the housekeeper.
At the stairwell, he spotted two familiar figures: Hattori Heizo standing calmly, and Hattori Heiji radiating Why are you like this, Father energy from every pore.
Jiangxia gave them a cheerful little nod.
Heizo nodded back like a benevolent boss evaluating a prized employee.
Heiji's scowl deepened by a solid ten degrees.
The housekeeper, blissfully unaware of the psychological warfare unfolding behind him, led Jiangxia down the hallway toward Chairman Nagato's bedroom to "receive the commission."
As they walked, Jiangxia's eyes narrowed.
The three ghosts riding along with him had suddenly stirred.
He tilted his head, listening.
The ghosts were murmuring.
Their whispers confirmed it—there was a ghostly presence inside this mansion.
...
They reached the bedroom.
Inside were two people: the elderly Chairman Nagato, reclining weakly on his bed, and a young female secretary standing nearby.
Jiangxia scanned the scene.
His eyes drifted past the old man and landed on the secretary.
Beneath her feet… an odd spectral shape.
From this distance, it looked like two ghosts tangled together in a tight embrace.
Or maybe… just one?
The boundary wasn't clear.
As Jiangxia entered the room, the chairman politely invited him to sit. He started describing the case.
Jiangxia, with his naturally boosted psychic memory, was more than capable of processing what was said.
But frankly, his attention was locked on the weird ghost clinging to the floor.
The old chairman didn't spare him a glance, speaking from his half-reclined position.
The secretary stood quietly, walking about and pretending not to notice anything. All of which gave Jiangxia plenty of room to mentally wander.
He subtly gave a hand signal.
Tengu glided silently across the room to hover near the strange ghost. Xiaobai and Miyano Akemi followed.
The three shikigami circled the new spirit, observing the eerie figure trembling in place.
Then they turned to Jiangxia.
He nodded.
The ghosts reached out and gingerly tugged at the spectral form.
It stretched like a supernatural gummy bear, warped into spaghetti-thin strands—then snapped right back into shape when released.
Yup. That confirmed it.
This wasn't two ghosts. It was one.
Two people had died. But their obsessions, their lingering spirits, had fused—melding into a singular, strange new ghost.
It was rare.
But it happened.
A double death, reborn as a single entity.
A ghost born of codependency.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 15/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*
Glossary:
Amway – slangy term in Chinese fandom for "enthusiastically recommending someone," often with ulterior motives.