Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Yukina..."

Breathe. Breathe.

"Yukina," 

What? What do you want?

"Yukina..."

TIG, TIG, TIG!

The sound of someone digging the ground. 

"Yukina..."

Then the sound of a liquid gushing from somewhere. Water?

"Yukina..."

Huh? This voice... isn't this..?

"Yukina" 

Stop it. 

"Yukina!"

I said stop it!

"Yukina Miyazaki!" The booming voice yelled at the top of their voice. The chair creaked and the young girl who was 12 immediately stood up with her uniform ruffled along with her long black hair that reached her upper thighs. Her eyes were unusually blue, possibly from her mom who was a foreigner when he met her dad in Japan.

"Yes!" The girl replied, quickly brushing her hair in a hurry and fixing her wrinkled skirt. She watched as the other students giggled and laughed at her, as the teacher in front seethed while holding her black textbook titled 'Japanese Literature'. Crap! It's the literature class already?

"Meet me after class!" The teacher hissed as the bell rang in the background. As the students' laughter and excitement to go home filled the room, the teacher slammed the door behind her, regardless. 

"Whoa, she is angry!" Keiko commented while holding her case, ready to go home. "Maybe she is in a very bad mood today, and you were her last bursting point. I mean, have you ever seen her slam the door so badly?"

"Hmm, yeah. You're right. Maybe I should apologize." Yukina mumbled. She placed her 'Mathematics' book inside her bag, which was the subject that she previously had before falling asleep to wake up in her next. 

"Are you alright? Ever since that incident a week ago..." Keiko asked with a concerned frown. She carefully placed her bag alongside Yukina's, and tilted her head to check whether her friend was feeling under the weather again. 

"I'm fine, Keiko. Thank you." Yukina replied, still packing her bag. "You should return home. I don't think our teacher will let me go that easily." 

"Huh... I guess you're right. But..."

"Keiko," Yukina placed her hand on Keiko's shoulder, and smiled. "I can handle it myself. You know that well right?"

Keiko looked a little surprised, but forced out a smile. "I know Yuki-chan, but I'm just worried since you haven't been yourself lately."

"Oh dear! I didn't know I would worry you so much!" Yukina chuckled while Keiko smacked her lips in annoyance. 

"Fine! But don't come blabbering to me about how weak your body is!" Keiko said, took her bag and closed the classroom door behind her after giving her one last glance. 

Yukina began to continue packing her bags. She noticed how there was not a single student who kept her company in that class room. Did me and Keiko talk for too long?

As thoughts spiraled inside her head, Yukina finally closed her bag and swung it at her shoulder. As she closed the classroom door, she noticed the class room leader walking towards the class with a mop. 

"Makabe-kun? Are you in-charge of cleaning the classroom today?" Yukina questioned and Makabe kept his mop to lean on the wall, all while he smiled cheekily. 

"Yeah... along with Ichirou as well." He said and scratched his nape awkwardly. Sensing the tension, Yukina smiled before she stepped back, her bag hitting her knees at the action. 

"Ah, well. Take care, Makabe-kun." 

"W-Wait, Yukina!" Makabe called out to Yukina. "I... Are you alright?"

"Hmm, why would I not be?" Yukina asked, having the same smile etched on her face. 

"I'm sorry, Yukina. I wasn't trying to be rude, I..." Makabe hesitated before stepping closer to Yukina. "You switched back to being formal with me. Did I do something wrong?" 

Makabe stood on his ground, watching Yukina intensely to know his answer. Yukina, in response, stared at Makabe with a blank look. Makabe felt that he was being rude and emotional, so took a step back after a few seconds and blushed furiously in embarrassment. He turned to take the mop that he made to lean, and opened the class room door, when-

"Pfft!" 

Makabe froze on his spot and turned to Yukina who had her mouth covered with her hands, trying to control a laugh that threatened to escape. However, in a second, she failed and began to laugh while holding her tummy. Makabe watched her, confused about what was happening. 

"Shigeo, you are so mean!" Yukina replied, after wiping her tears and putting on a serious pouting face. Her words were totally contradicting her previous laughter, making Shigeo Makabe to be even more confused. "Me and Keiko made a bet, you see. We simply made a bet to see if you would notice me giving you the silent treatment."

"Huh?" Shigeo finally gave an expression. "You guys made a bet?"

"Yeah! But boooo-" Yukina held out her tongue. "You are so mean, Shigeo. You didn't talk to me for a week!"

Shigeo quietly watched Yukina complain. Then he chuckled and opened the class room to get inside with his mop. 

"I see... so that was it!" He mumbled. Yukina couldn't see his face but only his back. She tried to get inside the classroom to tease the boy even more, when he suddenly turned and gave Yukina a cheeky smile. "Then does that mean you will go back to being informal with me?"

Yukina was surprised and stared at Shigeo's earnest eyes. He held a type of confidence that Yukina couldn't put a name on. She finally smiled and chuckled.

"Of course!" 

Yukina bid goodbye to Shigeo and walked to the teachers' lounge. She prayed that Shigeo wouldn't see the way she held the handle of her bag a little tighter when she closed the classroom door. However, she should have stayed outside the classroom for a while before leaving.

"Idiot." Shigeo mumbled to himself inside the empty classroom. He grabbed the mop and kept leaning on the wall before grabbing the duster to clean the blackboard. "A bet? You hate bets, you idiot." 

"Miyazaki-san, is everything alright?"

The teacher asked her, quite evidently concerned. The lounge was almost empty, with some of her other subject teachers having coffee while packing their bags to leave for the day. There were multiple sets of papers that laid around, most probably the class tests that Yukina and her classmates wrote the previous day. She could see a fellow classmate's test paper that was being corrected before she greeted her teacher. Most of them were wrong, to which she pitied the boy for a little while before she drifted her thoughts to how she used to score even worse during her school days. 

"Miyazaki-san?" The teacher called out again. Yukina straightened her posture and smiled with her lips forming a thin line. 

"I'm fine, sensei. I'm simply... it's just that I've felt myself growing up a little fast." Yukina muttered. She bit her lips in annoyance of how many times she would have to hear the same concerned questions again and again for the rest of her time there. 

The teacher who watched her intensively suddenly broke down into loud laughter, surprising most teachers as well as Yukina.

"Oh, of course. How could I forget? Of course. You must be confused and a little lost about everything, right?"

'Oh, not really.' Yukina thought, but still nodded with a bit of hesitation. 

"I understand. But take it easy alright? Nobody here has a plan, and no one knows what the future beholds. So, spend your rest of the time here with much enjoyment, since you are already the top student of the class."

After talking for a while, Yukina was finally dismissed. She bid her teacher goodbye while her teacher immediately started to correct the tons of paper in front of her.

"She became mature. Very. For a 12 year old. " A colleague of the teacher commented while sipping his coffee.

"I don't understand." The homeroom teacher said, which made her colleague stop drinking his coffee. "A month back, she was the notorious troublemaker in town, with all her silly pranks with the teachers. But still, she was a girl that lightened everyone with her smile. Everyone loved her, you know."

"Maybe she just matured. It's not a new thing for students to hit puberty early and gain consciousness about themselves, you know?" Her coworker replied, while she arranged all the scattered test papers on the desk. 

"Yeah, that's what I hope it is... I must hope that everything that is going on inside her family isn't messy..." 

"Oh come on! You're clearly thinking too much. If something happens, I'm sure she'll let us know. We all know how morally good she is!" 

"... Yep. You're right." The homeroom teacher finally reached her conclusion. "Now that's settled, how about we have a karaoke night? You can bring your wife as well, Mr. Fushigo."

"Oh, great! It's your treat!"

However, none of the teachers realized the silhouette of a student listening to their conversation outside the room.

"Puberty, huh?" Yukina mumbled, walking to her home in the late evening. 

The day was exhausting in itself. She felt like an alien in her own world. Someone who clearly didn't belong. And just when she felt herself get loose with responsibility, she found herself to be in the shackles of the idea of 'Yukina Miyazaki'. A nobody. 

As she passed by, Yukina found a puddle filled with water. It must have been because of the recent rain that took place two days ago. She stared at the still water, before kicking a stone into the puddle which rippled, ruining the reflection. Her own self felt foreign to her. The looks and beauty she received were far from being rewardful, and she greatly missed her original form, even when she wasn't particularly known for her looks. 

Yes... my original form...

Before she found herself in the hospital room of Utashinai, a city in Hokkaido, Japan, she was busy writing her college assignment that was due before 12 am. She knew she was getting tired, but she couldn't help but grab a pen and paper to continue writing a love letter about her favorite series. A 1000 chaptered manga series which no one from her friends were willing to read, 28 movies that no one was willing to try, and a 1000 episode series that nobody bothered to acknowledge. She was growing tired from trying to persuade her friends to at least give the series a try. The series was popular in Japan, with one of its movies surpassing The Titanic and Avengers End-Game. 

And when she was finally getting to the last passage, she felt an intense shot of pain in her head. She woke herself up from her drowsiness to march towards the door to get her family awake, however she hit the hard marble floor before she could get up. The pain had worsened and she couldn't find her voice amidst the pain she received. Soon, she gave into her instinct and closed her eyes, believing foolishly that it would soothe her pain.

Once she woke up, she found her hands, foreign hands, being attached to an IV. She was breathing heavily and felt her lungs weren't big enough to take in oxygen. It was only then that she found out she was in a different world; the nurse who attended to her was talking Japanese. And the weird fact is, she understood it perfectly! 

Yukina's parents were rather an average pair on the outside. Her father was a history professor in a local university, and her mother was a retired writer. They weren't rich nor were they poor to make any sort of difference. And... it seemed only ordinary on the outside. The couple seemed to be very normal on the outside with Yukina, with frequent outings, and financial support for her studies. But within closed doors, Yukina noticed how there were many screams and shouts when she came early from her school. What she felt weird was the sort of looks she had received when she once barged into the room while they were arguing. Yukina's mother had a terrified look while she was wearing an apron, while her father raised his hand and had stopped midway when Yukina entered. The kettle was whistling loud and the food was set hot on the dining table. It was only later on that she had discovered that Yukina's father really detested the taste of garlic, and that garlic was the main dish that evening. 

I've also found cheating records of letters inside the wife's private drawers. Pretty cruel that she had kept them amidst her writing works. A messed up family, huh? Well, not like I care. I don't think I will live long with them anyway.

Now, coming back, if it hadn't been for the map. 

Yes, Keiko brought a map one day to plan a trip to Osaka with Yukina. They were looking at the possible train routes, and that was when she had noticed an odd situation. Beika, the place where Kudo Shinichi and the other main characters reside, was listed in the map. She pointed it out like it was an error, and even chuckled at it. Because, Detective Conan was the most popular in Japan, even during her time. 

However, Keiko looked at her like she was crazy. 

“What? You forgot about Beika all of a sudden? Have you been paying attention to geography classes all right?”

“... You are telling me that Beika actually exists?” 

“Yeah, of course! It’s in Tokyo, so it’s kinda near if we take the bullet train. Though I heard it’s expensive.” 

Yukina, then, proceeded to fall out of the conversation and her mind drifted somewhere else. And all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. She sat on one of the chairs, with Keiko constantly asking her what was wrong, and the positive mindset she had that she could survive was falling apart. 

It’s kinda cruel how they expect me to stay here at Hokkaido, where I could simply go and take a 4 hour ride to the city where my favorite character is. 

If Yukina had read it correctly, Kudo Shinichi was born in 1977, May 4th. This was, of course, not explicitly mentioned in any timelines, but was Yukina’s calculation on her own. Since the current year was 1987, Shinichi must have turned ten, along with Ran Mouri. 

Yukina Miyazaki herself was born in 1975, June 14th. However, Yukina’s real body was 19 years old, born in 2006 and the year that she came back from was 2025. So, it felt tiring to pretend to be a 12 year old and learn all the stuff that she had learned seven years ago. 

I think I might be worse than Shinichi turning into a six year old kid, when I turned into a twelve year old, when my mental age is 19…

It’s currently August 25th…

There was another major thing that bothered Yukina the most. 

November 7th. The day that man dies. 

“I’m home.” 

Yukina closed the door behind her and removed her shoes. The silence inside the house was loud, and her own ruffles of her bag made sufficient sound for her mind to remain calm. While she kept her bag on top of the dining table, she noticed a piece of paper attached. 

“Yukina,

Mom and dad will be going outside. Lock the doors and heat the food I kept in the fridge.

- Mom."

Yukina chuckled and crumbled the paper before she threw it in the bin. 

They must’ve had a nasty fight if they didn’t even want to see their 12 year old daughter, who nearly killed herself just a week ago. 

Well, whatever. 

Yukina’s bedroom was kept neat and organized, something that she found that the previous owner of the body never did. As she locked the door behind her, she walked towards her bed, and lifted the sheets. She pulled out the scarlet box, which was lined up with gold finishings at the corners of the cover. 

It wasn’t the fact that Yukina was bad at hiding things, but her parents never dared to walk inside her room, due to the guilt they felt towards their daughter. It looked like the previous Yukina was always the one to change the sheets and clean her room. And even if they did come inside, they knew that Yukina had a habit of locking her phone inside one of the drawers of the study table near the bedroom door. So, if they ever were suspicious of their daughter, it would be easy for them to simply open the drawers and look at her phone. It seemed like the previous Yukina never knew the fact that her parents had spare keys for her drawer when they had bought it for her. 

However, this guilt will only last for a few months before they start acting like whatever they are doing is not wrong at all. So, I better look for a new place to hide my stuff. 

When she had come to this world, she was awoken by the beeping sounds of the heart monitor. The previous Yukina drowned herself, possibly after seeing her mother’s private letters to her lover when she had visited her study, and her father’s abuse towards his wife. Yukina must have taken great pride in her parents because she had lots of her family photos in her album. It wasn’t a surprise if she never accidentally fell into the lake and drowned herself, but on her own accord and wishes. 

And the disturbing fact is, both the parents knew that their daughter tried to kill herself. With her mother finding out when her letters weren’t arranged in the same order, and when the father noticed how the door was left ajar after slapping his wife. She… 

“What a joke, honestly.” Yukina muttered to herself before she placed the box at her desk. It was locked with a number padlock. It was a four pin related passcode, and Yukina chuckled as she entered the ridiculous combination of the passcode. 

Haha, if Shinichi was here, he would be angry at me for not only choosing an easier passcode, but also stealing that loser’s passcode as well.

She opened her box and saw a few of her stuff inside. A journal, some money, and another thing. 

When she was laying down on the hospital bed after hearing about where Yukina was, she noticed that she was laying down on a hard but small surface. After her parents and friends finished visiting her, she lifted herself and found something underneath. 

Her phone. 

It was a Samsung modelled phone, and there was no way that someone from 1985 had a phone which was released in 2022. Touch screen with that. When she switched on the phone, she found basically all her files from her previous life. There were tons of things that were installed and added in her files. However, there was a problem. Internet connection. 

“Ahh, damn it. Where in hell would I find an internet connection in 1987?” Yukina mumbled while running her fingers through her hair. 

I heard the first internet connection was used for academic research and was founded only 3 years ago in Japan. The first use of public internet was introduced in 1988 and then became popular only around 1993. 

I have to wait 6 years now? 

The only other strange thing was the battery of the phone. It never went out. It was stuck at 100 percent, and Yukina has no idea why. 

Yukina had multiple files in her phone, including some screenshots and downloads of certain cases in Detective Conan. 

Ah well, they mostly consist of ShinRan screenshots so there is no hope. Haha…

The house’s bell rang and a young voice of a girl called out. 

“Yukina! It’s me Keiko!” 

“Keiko..? What is she doing here? Didn’t I tell her to go home already?” 

Yukina was quick to shut off the phone and lock her box. However, instead of ever hiding it under the bed, she locked it inside her wardrobe, in case Keiko ever had the chance to look under the bed. 

Opening the door, Yukina was ready to confront her friend about why she was there so late, when Keiko flashed a map in front of Yukina’s face. 

“Ta-dah! I have brought the map!” 

“...You still want to go to Tokyo, Keiko?” Yukina grumbled. It was not like she wasn’t busy. She has to prepare a plan to return to her world somehow. But, there was something bothering her from taking the next action, which she cannot pinpoint exactly. A week had already passed, with no progress towards her goal, and it was the perfect time to plan a strategy when both of her parents weren’t at home. 

“Oh come on, Yuki-chan. I know our teacher scolded you a little too much, right? Let’s brighten up and talk about our plan to travel across the world!” Saying this, Keiko brushed past Yukina and began to remove her shoes. 

Oh, you mean your delusional plan of travelling all the seven seas? Come on, give me a break. We’re twelve for goodness’ sake…

“Well, I heard that Tokyo is extremely hot right now, so how about we plan to go in September?” Keiko asked, setting the large country map on the kitchen table. Yukina sighed and opened the refrigerator door to look for any food or desert for her friend. She saw a piece of vanilla cake. There were some cupcakes as well, but Yukina decided that a cake was enough, since it looked like Keiko had no plans of leaving her house after 30 minutes and such. 

“September when exactly? Next year?” Yukina snapped, bitterly. The annoyance of the situation was suddenly hitting her like a train after she got herself included into one of her friend’s fantasies. How great, indeed. 

Keiko, oblivious to her friend’s sudden bitterness, smiled and shook her head. 

“We can leave right away, Yukina! Can you imagine that?” Keiko laughed dreamily and clasped her hands as she sighed. Yukina shook her head and took a closer look at the map. 

She saw Beiko in bold letters inside Tokyo, and thought about the various cases inside Detective Conan, as well as the Osaka cases with Heiji Hattori. 

Ah, he must be 10, too. Yukina sighed, quite sadly. Why does this have to happen to me? 

By the time Shinichi turned 17, Yukina would be 19, with her mental age as 26… 26?!

“Oh my goodness!” Yukina yelled and had her hands on her head. Desperately, she leaned on the wall with a grief-striken look. 

“What? What is it, Yuki-chan?” Keiko, who was busy looking for the possible routes to Tokyo, questioned the sad Yukina.

Yukina could only shake her head. She excused herself some time to spend in her room as if she was feeling under the weather. Keiko was concerned, but still let her go without talking back any further of the already startled Yukina. 

Having her back on her bedroom door, which she had locked, Yukina sighed again. She ran to her box case inside the wardrobe and opened it in a hurry. She did not know why she was behaving like this. She had rummaged through all of her offline files, checked multiple times whether the browsers could still work without any internet connection, but all ended in vain with some files deemed useful while most of it were insignificant. So, what of it felt important? Was it Yukina’s sense of comfort that was looking desperately for the phone? 

She took out the phone and rapidly switched it on. She was running quite breathless and her face was flushed. The thought of growing old in a world where no one cared about her, doomed her mind and flooded her rationality. 

“Argh, why is it not switching on? Is it hanged?” Yukina complained, tapping her fingers across the screen aggressively. 

Then, a flash of light beamed on the screen. A word was displayed in bold letters, in English, and Yukina’s mind went quite blank. 

Purpose.

It was only after a minute did the phone properly operate as before. 

But, Yukina was sure that the word she had seen was the motive and her goal. To serve her purpose. And the fact she came inside a book where there were fictional characters, the purpose might be to interact with them at one point. 

Then that means that Yukina might have to do the inevitable a little earlier than before. Go to the characters and see what to do with her purpose. Perhaps, if the job was completed, she would go back to her own world, and live the life as she did previously. 

Yukina stomped to the kitchen where Keiko was sitting on the kitchen chair to eat the dessert Yukina provided her. Keiko, startled by the stomping footsteps of her once grumpy friend, almost choked on her dessert. 

“What? What is it, Yukina?” 

“Hey, Keiko. Is your brother free on September 6th evening?” Yukina asked as she took a railway magazine on one of her father’s stands. 

Keiko pondered for a while, and nodded. “My brother ought to have finished his extra classes by that time, too. Why?”

“Ah, well. We need a guardian, don’t we?” 

“For what exactly?” 

“To go to Tokyo, of course.” Yukina smiled at Keiko. “On the bullet train, too.” 

Keiko blinked and sat up at once. “What do you mean? Aren’t we too young for that? Besides, do you think that yours and my parents will agree to such a thing, even if my brother accompanies us both?” 

“Oh, dear.” Yukina smacked her lips and flipped the pages of the magazine. She smirked when she saw the perfect train for her plan to arrive in Tokyo. “Convincing both parents is easy. Leave it to me.” 

Yukina had no idea what she would be planning to do in a major city of Japan, with such a short amount of time as well. However, one thing she knew for sure. Her heart was beating very loud, and she feared that she kind of looked forward to going to Tokyo to meet her favorite characters. 

Chapter Text

“What did you just say?” Yukina’s father asked before he threw the newspaper he was reading on the table. The idea itself was so ridiculous to one’s ears, that even Yukina’s mother stopped cleaning the utensils and closed the faucet. 

The kitchen was engulfed in silence at once, with only the droplets of water dripping on the sink being the only source of noise at the moment. 

Yukina could only smile and nod, while the couple in front of her panicked. They began to whisper to each other in anxiousness. They were talking about whether they should simply lie to their daughter and bring her to some nearby theme park instead. I could hear you, you fools. 

“Ahem,” Yukina’s father coughed. “What about your doctor visits?”

“Huh?” Yukina feigned innocence. “I thought you looked at my medical records, right? The doctor said that I’m cured. Both mentally and physically.” 

Yukina’s father coughed even louder. “Right… how could I forget that?” 

Of course, you forgot. You even threw the records on top of the wardrobe and no one has touched it still. But Yukina gave a bright smile to that of a 12 year old. 

“But honey,” Yukina’s mother started. “You still have your school right? A week is a bit…”

“I understand, that is why, my teachers all collectively agreed to give me a week off with my medical record. They thought I could use a break, and they gave me the permission to go for a vacation with at least one guardian.” Yukina replied, and both the parents gave a cough at the medical record comment. It wasn’t supposed to be any secret that the teachers at Yukina’s school should not know what happened last week, but the parents deliberately avoided telling them to control any kind of nasty rumours.

Thinking about the conversation Yukina had with her oblivious teacher who did not have any idea about her incident, made her blood boil. She had this urge to run away from that house and never look back. 

“Then, shouldn’t we accompany you? Why do you want to go to Tokyo alone?” Yukina’s father questioned once again. 

“Oh, I won’t be going alone. I would be going with Keiko and her brother.” 

“That is what I mean. Urgh…” He mumbled to himself, which simply made Yukina angry once again. 

“Well… the teachers did ask about who I was going with.” The couple perked up, and Yukina gritted her teeth at how she hated these narcissists. “I told them that I was going with my parents.” 

“So-” 

“However,” Yukina began. “I know you both are busy. I mean, dad is busy with university, and mom, you have to take your new book to the publishing office, right?” 

The couple pondered for a long moment. Both didn’t dare to look at their daughter’s or their spouse’s eyes. Taking this moment into advantage, Yukina started again. 

“That was why I wanted you to have a short break. A time for yourself, is what they call it, right? I will have fun with my friend!” 

Yukina was careful not to bring up their couple's time, since if any of them revoked guilt, it would stop her plan of going to Tokyo. Maintaining them both daily was hard enough on her. She will definitely not allow them to come to Tokyo and ruin her happy mood.

Though… Yukina looked at her mother. I’m worried about her the most…

If Yukina’s mother was cunning, she would simply create a lie that she was going to stay at her editor’s house for the publication of her book, but truthfully to be said, would stay with her lover in a hotel outside Utashinai. If she was truly cunning, or her lover was, that is. 

I really don’t want to commit adultery… But Yukina herself knew that living with an abusive man is death itself. Especially since Yukina was the one who was preventing her dad from being too abusive towards her mother. That would also mean that he has too much pent up anger, which would only lead to a worst case scenario if she left the house. 

“You can go.” 

It was Yukina’s mother who fell for the bait first. Good. That means she plans to leave the house and go to stay with her lover. 

“Really?” Yukina beamed, and looked at her father, putting pressure on the man’s guilt. “Dad?”

However, her father just looked at his wife. His stare was long, and it made Yukina uncomfortable. She felt a chill down her spine when he finally looked at his daughter. He calmed himself down and even smiled, a thing he only did when he was angry beyond repair. 

“You can go, Yukina. But, promise me, you will stay away from that brother of your friend throughout your trip.” 

“Well, yes, of course! We will stay in different rooms!” Yukina chirped as she got up from the chair. However, she halted herself when she saw the hand of Yukina’s father grip her mother’s thighs in a tight grasp, enough for her to stiffen and freeze. 

“... Mother,” Yukina began once again, “will you help me pack?” 

“Now?” Yukina’s father snapped before he tightened his hand more than before. 

“Yes.” Yukina’s answer was grim and betrayed the over-joyed expression she had before. “Now.”

Yukina’s father stared long at her daughter, which he thought would make her shrink and take back her words. However, those made an opposite effect, and she could only stare back while her mother remained silent throughout. Eventually, her father gave in with a nervous sigh. 

“Alright, I will leave for work then.” He said and took his case as he bid us goodbye. 

After he was gone, Yukina’s mother turned towards her daughter and grinned brightly. 

“Shall we go and pack, dear? There is still time for your school.” Yukina’s mother asked, while she arranged all the breakfast plates into the sink. 

“No need.” Yukina replied and took her bag. She never looked back to see her mother’s expression, but instead slammed the kitchen door to leave for her school. 

You think I’m on your side? 

Yukina gritted her teeth at how selfish both her parents were. Though it was not the best of her ideas, how could the parents of a 12 year old, send their daughter to another city which is 4 hours away, with her friend, and their brother who they never met! Whom they don’t have any idea about!

The conversation they had was an unusual manual on how Yukina should treat her parents from then on. Her mother was timid and barely spoke about any matters, but was focused on her own self. Her father was definitely controlling and not an easy target. Yukina prepared multiple scenarios in case her father denied it straight on, but his guilt made his brain waiver and eventually he agreed on a simple but nonchalant condition. But… 

But the look in his eyes!

Indeed! The look in his eyes was different. He was an abusive man, yes. However, his eyes showed that he was more than that understated title. God knows what that man would do next! 

With another shiver down her spine, she walked faster towards Keiko’s house. 

Yukina rang the bell of Keiko’s house, and there were some loud thumps inside the house. In a moment, the door swung open and there stood Mrs. Teruya, Keiko’s mother, with her apron still tied to her hips. She had a sweet smile on her face when Yukina greeted her, and she was immediately invited inside to have some breakfast, to which Yukina politely declined and said she already had hers before coming there. 

Keiko was still in her sleepy wear, and Mrs. Teruya began scolding her, when Keiko suddenly stood up from her chair and marched upstairs, dragging Yukina with her. Yukina could only muster up a formal goodbye to Keiko’s parents before she disappeared into her friend’s room. 

“Well,” Yukina sighed and adjusted her blazer. “What is it?” 

“You asked me to ask permission from my parents for going to Tokyo, and see if the train we had marked in that magazine was available, right?” Keiko questioned as she took out the map from one of her drawers. 

“Yes,” Yukina answered, and her heart thumped in excitement. “Well? Did you ask them?” 

“Oh, that, I never asked.” Keiko said, bluntly. Yukina had a blank look on her face, and the excitement died.

“Then, what-” 

“I’ve found that the train is available and, as a bonus, I also found out that my brother is free that whole week!” Keiko chirped, jumping up and down with her heels. Yukina crossed her arms with a tired expression. 

You were supposed to find that out after your parents agreed on the trip.

“When are you going to ask them, Keiko?” 

“Eh…” Keiko pondered with nervousness. “Perhaps, when they are in a good mood?” 

“It can’t be helped, then.” Yukina took hold of Keiko’s arm and opened the bedroom door. “Your entire family is downstairs having breakfast, right?” 

“Eh, yes. Why-” Yukina did not let her finish, and dragged her to the kitchen at once. 

There, she saw both of her friend’s parents and her brother eating their breakfast and chatting lively. 

“Ah, Yukina-chan, want to have some apples I’ve cut?” Mrs. Teruya asked and got up from her seat before Yukina could respond. 

“Then, could Keiko-chan join me as well?” 

“Ah well, I’m sorry Yukina, but she hasn’t even brushed her teeth yet!” 

Yukina looked at the embarrassed Keiko, and pushed her to the bathroom to which her friend reluctantly went. She could hear the soft snicker from her brother, and it seemed Keiko heard it too, and glared at him on her way. 

“Then, thank you.” While she made herself comfortable in her chair, Mrs. Teruya handed her the bowl of apple slices, with a small spoon. Yukina took it gladly and ate them in peace. 

She could see that the family viewed her pleasantly, which simply brought her to the next step. 

“Ah, Keiko-chan always mentioned how her father is busy and is dedicated to his job, but I never got to know what he does. What do you do, uncle?” Yukina could see the gears running behind the rest of the family members’ heads. However, Keiko’s father seemed pleased to have been asked that question. 

“Oh, it’s nothing that surprising. I work at a company, and act as their advocate. So, it is true that I’m rarely at the house and Keiko has no idea what I do.” Mr. Teruya explained, and Yukina could see that his eyes gleamed in excitement. 

“Oh my! Isn’t that quite a tedious work, uncle? I’ve heard that it is one of the most stressful jobs nowadays. With increasing corporate crimes too.” Yukina commented. Mrs. Teruya was starting to place all the plates on the sink, with the help of her son. 

“Hahaha! Well, it quite is! You know quite well about the job, huh?”

“Er, well, yes. I’m quite interested in all sorts of fields!” 

“My, that is quite interesting. You knew about the job market too, right? You knew the fact that being an advocate is one of the most competitive jobs nowadays as well.” Mrs. Teruya commented, taking the bowl of apples which Yukina had already finished eating. 

“Um, yeah. Now, you see-”

“Isn’t it absurd?” Keiko’s brother asked, irritated for a reason that Yukina could not pinpoint. “How could you, a 12 year old girl, know about such things? Maybe, you stole some knowledge from your father and now you're acting like it’s yours.”

“Takumi!” Mrs. Teruya scolded. However, Takumi simply whistled and shoved his hands inside his pockets while carrying a cheeky grin. 

“Knowledge cannot be stolen.” Yukina remarked. At once, the table paid attention to her. “Because isn’t knowledge lent to you by others? If others never gave you their words, would anyone be a genius as they are today? That is why it can never be stolen, but instead, borrowed and lent.”

The table was silent for a whole minute, and no one dared to make a comment. Takumi was the first one to break the silence, by chuckling and ruffling Yukina’s hair. Yukina nearly gasped, startled, but nevertheless kind of pleased that she managed to make a friend out of Takumi for their trip’s sake. 

“You are quite intelligent for your age.” 

That’s only because I’m actually 19. 

“Say,” Takumi began. “You must’ve come here for a reason, right?” 

“What nonsense are you blabbering, Takumi?” Mrs. Teruya smacked the back of Takumi’s head, and smiled sheepishly at Yukina. “Don’t mind him, dear.”

“Actually,” Yukina began, quite nervously. “I do have something of a favor to ask.”

The couple stared at her, puzzled, while Takumi had a knowing grin on his face. 

Keiko yawned as she stepped outside the bathroom. She dressed herself up in the uniform, and found her family laughing loudly in the dining room. The couple were lively talking with Yukina, holding a pretty good conversation with her, as if Yukina fit through the adult conversations pretty easily. In the background, Takumi was washing the utensils, and rarely responded to whatever they were talking about. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Keiko rubbed her eyes before she stepped inside the room. The family were mostly delighted to invite her to have a seat at the table, which made her quite surprised and confused. 

“Keiko, I will be leaving for school since I have morning duty.” Yukina informed and got up from her seat. What surprised Keiko was that her parents got up from theirs too. 

“Ah, we’ll see you off, Yukina-chan.” 

“Oh, there is no need, ma’am, I can’t bother you too much.” 

“Nonsense! I would love it if you could stay here longer. Too bad my daughter woke up too late to accompany you to school.” Mrs. Teruya gave a side glare to Keiko who grumbled. 

“So you did come here for only one goal, huh?” Takumi teased, making Yukina glare at him. 

After sending off Yukina, Keiko sat at the table and munched on the toast in front of her. 

“So?” Keiko started. “What did you guys talk about?” 

“Oh, nothing much, just some work stuff.” Keiko’s father commented as he grinned while reading the newspaper. However, Keiko was surprised at him.

“Work? Yukina talked to you about work?” She asked, which Takumi was the one to answer this time. 

“Yep. She was clever and evaded almost all of my cheeky questions.”

Keiko stared at him, but then stomped on his leg. Takumi winced and hit the leg of the chair Keiko was sitting on. He gave a questioning glare towards his sister, who simply smacked her lips in annoyance.

“Hey, she is taken, okay?” 

“Huh? She is? By who?” Takumi inquired. Keiko nodded and flipped her hair. 

“Me.”

The family got quiet and Takumi was the only one who held his tummy and muffled his laugh with his hands. Keiko got up embarrassed, but Takumi quickly stopped her to ruffle her hair. 

“By the way,” he began. “You can go on that trip. I’ll come with you.” 

“Wait, really?!” Keiko choked a bit on the milk she was drinking, and grabbed Takumi’s hand in gratitude. But, a question lingered in her mind. “Wait, how did you know?” 

“Yukina-san brought up the topic herself, you know. She asked our permission. Mom and dad agreed in a heartbeat, but I was in a dilemma as to whether or not to allow you guys. However, she had this confidence in herself that she would absolutely keep you safe. So, finally I agreed.” 

“Eh? Yukina did that?” Keiko was pleasantly surprised as well. She was scared to talk to her parents about it, since she was not exactly a bright person in academics, and that might be their condition to not let her go. So then how did she convince them?

“By the way,” Takumi resumed back to his dishes. “I don’t like her, nor do I want to hit on her. She’s 12, for heaven’s sake, Keiko. She just simply doesn’t seem her age.”

“She gets that a lot, I believe.” Keiko replied, only natural because Yukina had a very mature face, that could easily pass as a 16 year old. 

“I’m not talking about her appearance, Keiko.” Takumi argued, but sighed in the end. Keiko didn’t push it either, since her mind was now filled with Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo!

‘Attention passengers, the train to Tokyo will be leaving in five minutes. Please, board towards your right-’

The train’s environment was chaotic enough, with passengers leaving and departing from the trains simultaneously. If they had been even a minute late, they would have been stuck in the checking area, and missed the train. 

“It’s a good thing we made it in time right, Yukina?” Keiko breathed a sign of relief as she placed her suitcase at the top compartment. Takumi excused himself to go to the restroom, and the two girls sat together and chatted about their plans. Keiko had a catalogue ready for that and about different locations she was going to visit. Yukina could only look at her, guilty, because her plan was much different compared to her friend’s. 

Looking outside the window, she could see all the people who cross each other with ease and urgency. But, still, they were disciplined to line up and wait for their designated train. 

Their carriage itself was a non-smoking coach, and theirs had four seats; two sets of seats opposite to each other. There would only be another additional person to their coach, with Takumi sharing a seat with that person so that both Yukina and Keiko could sit together. 

“Now, tell me, how did you convince my parents, Yukina?” Keiko asked, and her eyes twinkled with curiosity and expectations. Yukina could sigh and only wished that Takumi would come fast and keep both of them occupied with his cheekiness. Since only Keiko knows about Yukina’s real personality, it would be a hassle if she began to suspect her due to the ways in which she made her parents approve of their trip. 

“Well-”

“Excuse me,” A man who had a pleasant face came into our view. He was wearing a suit and tie, but his overall likeness gave a more matured presence. “That is my seat.”

He pointed over to Yukina and looked at his ticket once again. He seemed quite confident and rather even bold, which made him quite attractive, if Yukina had to say. 

Keiko stood up at once, followed by Yukina. Takumi only pointed to their coach, and never told them what seats they were supposed to occupy. So, it must be their mistake in the end. 

“We are very sorry, sir!” Keiko apologized, but the man smiled and shook his head. He didn’t say anything otherwise, but began to take off his blazer and hang it up in the designated small hanger by the window side. Yukina and Keiko both stared at what he was doing, but he never bothered to give the girls a single glance. In fact, Yukina would say that he took great pride in whatever he was working on. It was only when the man took his briefcase in his arms, did we realize that we forgot to bring our bags to our side of the compartment. 

“Oh, sorry! We forgot to get them to our side!” Keiko blushed profusely, and immediately got on to passing the bags to Yukina to keep them above their seats. The man was patient, and did not console nor get angry at them. 

A very confident man, huh? He knows he’s charming.

“Ah… the suitcase!” The suitcase was pushed right to the end of the man’s compartment area. It was a herculean task for both the girls to even lift the suitcase. But, if they have to take it back and lift it again… 

“Why did you even bring a big suitcase for a week’s trip anyway?” Yukina complained, but Keiko was flustered to even give a coherent excuse. 

The man who quietly observed the banter between the girls, got hold of the suitcase with his left hand, and pushed it towards the girls’ side in no time. Yukina and Keiko were fairly surprised and stopped arguing all together. It was Yukina who stepped up and talked to the nonchalant man who was arranging his briefcases. 

“We’re very sorry, sir. You must be tired after finishing your case.” Yukina said, making Keiko confused. The man stared at Yukina, and opened his mouth at last. 

“No, I’m rather fine. However, how did you know that I had a case before I came here?” The man inquired, quite intrigued. Yukina smiled and for the first time Keiko saw her after the incident, Yukina’s eyes shone in elation. 

“Because of your attire, sir. You’re a police officer, aren’t you? Although it seems you’ve removed your tie and your badges, the buttons on the blazer are quite big and bright. It gives more of a uniform feel. The uniform is different compared to the Hokkaido police uniform so… It was still a hunch, so I’m not sure if I’m correct.” Yukina replied, and Keiko had a feeling of recognition in her face. 

“That’s right! The Nagano police! They visited our school a week ago. Perhaps, that was also why I was kind of intimidated…” But she stopped herself, when she met the officer’s eyes and hurried to correct herself, but the officer smiled.

Well, a week ago, I was here, and I’m sure they arrived at our school on friday, the day where the original Yukina drowned… 

“Yes, I am a police officer. However, how do you know I handle cases?” The man asked, and the train doors were beginning to close. It was time for the departure. 

“Ah, well. It was quite simple, but it is my hunch as well. Your demeanor gave it away, along with your attire again. As soon as I found out that the blazer is from a police uniform, I looked at your shirt under the blazer. Patrolling officers are known nationwide to wear a blue shirt and a blazer, if necessary. However, most tired corporate men take off their ties if they really are tired. Though, I’m not sure if you took off your badge because your case is finally over and tomorrow is your day off; that would explain how you were lethargic to catch the train, which was leaving in five minutes, 

So, if you are really tired, there is no way you would change clothes, like your shirt. The crime division don’t wear a blue shirt, but instead, a formal one, and wear the blazer which you are wearing if any higher-ups like the superintendent were to attend, which would most likely be the last questioning of the case you handled before coming here!” 

The coach was silent, and she could feel other passengers’ eyes on her as well. The man was gentle and gave a chuckle. Keiko was impressed as well, going on to express her amazement in exclamations. 

“What an accurate deduction,” The man smiled, and Yukina chuckled with pride. “However, you forgot one thing. I did take off my badge, but not because of the reason you told me right now.”

“Eh?”

“You see, I’m not a highly respected police officer yet, but I was still very welcome by the Nagano police for my skills in crime, so I had to wear this jacket to prove to them that I’m still at a lower position. Though, it is my day off tomorrow, by your logic, you are saying that I took my badge off because I was too tired from the weight of my job, right?” 

“Yes…”

“Well, that only applies to men that dislike their jobs.” The man stated. “I take great pride in my work as a police officer that no sort of tiring work would make me remove my badge.”

“So? Did you lose it?” It was Keiko who asked the question. 

“Of course not, I would never allow it.” The man stated again, which made both of the teens give an annoyed stare at the police man. 

“Was it because you met someone else before coming here?” Yukina inquired, and the man made a satisfied smile. 

“Bingo!” 

“But, I don’t understand.” Yukina replied. “Why would you meet someone in your tired state? If it is a prideful man like you, shouldn’t you have held your badge with the pride you have right now?” 

“Ah, I just didn’t want that person to talk to me like it was in an interrogation room.” He retorted back. 

Interrogation room?

“A colleague? Or a family member?” Yukina questioned, feeling a bit more anxious than usual. 

“That is for you to find out, Ms. Detective.” He replied instead, and Yukina felt her blood boil with his cheekiness.

“And how is she supposed to know about the person you’ve met before coming here?” Keiko questioned, since none of that made sense of why he would tease Yukina when the impact of him hiding the badge remained the same. The reason why he took it off shouldn’t matter, right? 

“Ah, well. That’s what detectives are for, right?” He said that and winked towards the teens. He was clearly teasing them and kind of made the situation very annoying. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Takumi returned back, wiping his hands in a tissue. He looked at the grown man a little skeptical and stepped forward to block the man’s gaze of the two girls. The man shrugged and excused himself to the toilet. 

Takumi was quick to ask the girls for what that man asked them, to which only Keiko replied while Yukina looked outside of the window the entire time, even when the man had returned. Even though Takumi was glaring at him the entire time, the man spared no glance at us at all throughout the ride, as if the exciting deduction show they had earlier was nothing special of any sort. 

And somehow, that left a bitter taste on Yukina’s tongue.

“Oi,” The voice of a man was heard on the public phone. The policeman had finally reached Tokyo, and now he was calling his colleague. He pressed the receiver closer to his ears and grinned while looking outside the phone booth. 

“I’ve finally arrived in Tokyo, so I hope you will survive without me, Kan-chan!” The police man teased and his colleague seethed on the other side. 

“Oh, one day I’m gonna get 'er for the ridiculous nickname she gave me.” His colleague commented. “Take care, Morofushi. I’ll see ya later.” 

“Yes, of course.” Morofushi Taakaki answered back. “Take care, Yamato.”