Professor Agasa's house looked large, but it was mostly small laboratories. There were only two real bedrooms.
One was his, and the other was Ai's.
Inside Ai's room.
"Ai, I can just make do on the couch for a night."
"No. There's nowhere to sleep out there."
"There's no room in here either. Unless... you want me to sleep with you?"
"You'll sleep on the floor tonight," Ai said coolly.
"..."
Heiji was helpless. He had wanted to sleep on the sofa, but Ai wouldn't let him for some reason.
That night, "Haibara Mi" (Ame) waited for the mysterious man to arrive, but she waited all night for nothing.
The next morning, Heiji and Ai opened their eyes at the same time.
"I'm going to go brush my teeth."
Ai walked out, wearing a nightgown.
Heiji picked up his phone. "Hello, Heiji Hattori speaking."
"Hattori, we watched all the news reports from yesterday. We are incredibly sorry. We never expected an officer to leak information to the media for money, allowing the culprit to get away."
Inspector Megure's apologetic voice came through the phone.
"Inspector, you should just be glad that the officer leaked the news after the bomb was defused. If it had been before, a tragedy would have occurred."
Heiji's words stunned Megure. A cold sweat soaked his back as he realized the terrifying possibility.
"Hattori, don't scare me like that."
If that had happened, losing his job would be the least of his worries. A hospital is a crowded place; an explosion could have injured hundreds. They would all be sinners.
Heiji's expression was calm. "Inspector, you called me this early. Is something wrong?"
A simple apology wouldn't require a 7 AM phone call. It was an impolite time to call unless it was an emergency.
"You really see through everything, Hattori. That bomber sent another fax yesterday."
Megure's voice turned serious.
"Another bomb threat?"
Heiji frowned. The special B-rank mission still had one day left, and this bomber wasn't finished.
"That's right. It's just like yesterday's note, full of coded text."
"And you want me to help crack it?"
"Yes. This is your strong suit, after all. This area has 12 million people; any place could become a disaster zone with severe casualties. Therefore, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Department, I must ask for your help, Hattori."
Over the phone, Megure's tone was extremely serious and sincere.
Heiji fell silent. He had planned to just keep Ai at home for the day.
But he hadn't expected a formal invitation from the Inspector himself.
If he refused, it would go against his identity as a detective. It would also reflect poorly on his status as the Superintendent's son.
The resulting scrutiny, both open and secret, would do more harm than good.
"Don't worry, Inspector. It's my duty to help with such things. Please send the fax to Professor Agasa's house. I'll look at it after I get cleaned up."
"Ah, haha! Thank you, Hattori! We're counting on you."
Inspector Megure sighed in relief.
After hanging up, Heiji stood up.
"Brother-in-law, here are your toothbrush and towel."
Ai walked over holding a clean white towel and a new toothbrush, her cool eyes watching him.
"Thanks, Ai."
Heiji took them and walked to the bathroom.
Ai stood in the room, staring blankly at the futon where Heiji had slept. After a moment, she began to fold it up, storing it carefully in the closet.
After washing up, Heiji went to the living room.
"Good morning, Heiji." Professor Agasa was already up.
"Good morning, Professor Agasa."
"A fax just came in. I assume it's for you."
Professor Agasa handed a sheet of paper covered in text to Heiji.
"A four-legged giant rises from the ground, its silent roar spreading for miles."
"When the distance from head to toe on the ground and in the sky is the same, boundless blood will drench its body, igniting its inner fury."
"With a roar, it will destroy this uneven world."
"A foolish wise man wants to pacify the giant, letting go not of a heavy burden, but of clusters of crimson flowers, which in their most beautiful season, vanish into the blood-red sky."
"Is that another warning letter?"
Ai had appeared at his side at some point, her brow furrowed as she read the text.
"Yes. This is a premeditated serial bombing. And the culprit loves to provoke the police."
Heiji tore the paper to pieces and tossed it in the trash.
"You memorized it all?" Ai looked at him.
"Yeah, I've got it. But I don't have any leads just yet." Heiji stood up. "Let's go."
"Professor Agasa, I won't be eating here today," Ai called out as she hurried after him.
"Strange. Why is Ai listening to Heiji so readily?"
Professor Agasa watched them leave, completely puzzled.
"What? Haibara left with Hattori?"
Conan ran in just moments after they had gone.
"Yes. But Ai seemed to be following everything Heiji said. Shinichi, do you know what's going on?"
Professor Agasa voiced his confusion.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be here! Haibara and Hattori definitely have some kind of connection. I have to find out what it is."
Conan was nervous. Haibara knows my true identity. If Hattori finds out, I'll be in even more danger, and so will everyone around me.
"Professor, where did they go?"
"I don't know. Heiji took a fax and left with Ai."
"A fax? What fax?" Conan asked, frowning.
"I didn't really look at it. But I heard Ai mention something about a warning letter," Professor Agasa recalled, tapping his chin.
"A warning letter?" Conan's expression changed. He scanned the room and quickly spotted the pieces of paper in the trash can.
Heiji hadn't torn them very small, so Conan was able to piece the message back together easily.
Staring at the strange riddle, he was just as lost.
"Shinichi, did you figure something out?" Professor Agasa asked.
"No. But this must be the second warning from yesterday's bomber. There's going to be another explosion somewhere today," Conan said grimly.
Meanwhile, Heiji had taken Ai to a restaurant, where they were eating breakfast.
"Brother-in-law, aren't you nervous?"
A bomb was out there somewhere, threatening people's lives. Yet Heiji, a participant in the case, was completely relaxed. Ai couldn't understand it.
"Being anxious won't help. Eat your breakfast."
In truth, Heiji was already working on the deduction in his mind.
This second note is clearly like the first. This "giant" must symbolize a specific building. If I can figure out which one, the case is solved.
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There are 130 advanced chapters on Patreon, which I'm currently rewriting and polishing for a better reading experience. Thank you for your support and patience.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396