Chapter Text
All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream. ——Edgar Allan Poe
Thump—thump—thump—every beat of the heart felt as heavy as a lead chain. His body felt like a butterfly pressed hard between the pages of a book then turned into a thin specimen bookmark, forcibly compressed and folded, imprisoned in a suffocating cocoon that made it impossible to breathe.
The pain and the feverish waves Kudo Shinichi was experiencing at this moment seemed to be the necessary torture and destruction process before rebirth—only after such an ordeal could he rise from the ashes and live a new life——and finally, breaking out of the cocoon—he rushed out the bedroom door, Haibara Ai shook her head as a gust of wind accompanied a blurring shadow flashing past through the hallway. Kudo was gone, gone to see his girlfriend.
Finally! Finally! He was finally back to his old self!
Kudo Shinichi changed into his Teitan High School uniform as fast as a whirlwind. It was still early, as he dashed toward the Mouri Detective Agency. His mind was filled with the image of Ran’s face lighting up with joy. How surprised and delighted would she be to see his unannounced return? Although this time, like every other time, was destined to be a brief encounter, he believed with certainty that like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, a single meeting a year was enough to keep their affection undiminished.
"Ran!" Shinichi burst up the stairs and through the door. He had run so fast and so hard that his usually meticulous hairstyle had become a literal bird's nest. Mouri Kogoro stared at him with wide eyes, seemingly failing to recognize who he was for a moment.
After a long pause, Mouri twisted his mouth, stuck out his pinky to pick his ear, and looked utterly annoyed by this early morning intruder. "Oi——Shut up——shut up! You damn brat, do you have to let the whole family know you're back? Geez! You're making it impossible for me to focus on my horse racing. Are you trying to let me run out of luck? Well!? Honestly! Move it, move it, you're blocking my TV."
"Shinichi? Shinichi! Why didn't you give me a heads-up that you were coming back?!" Ran’s voice, accompanied by a series of clattering footsteps, came rushing down from upstairs. Mouri Kogoro rolled his eyes. "Turning the whole house upside down at the crack of dawn... I really don't get what Ran sees in this kid...geez."
Ran’s graceful figure was unexpectedly light. Ignoring the fact that she had just put on her neat, clean school skirt, she leapt down from the steps and landed perfectly in Kudo Shinichi’s arms. She locked her hands tightly around his shoulders, half-muttering, "So, you finally remembered me? Shinichi! ...But... but it doesn't matter, it's just so good to have you back!"
"I'm sorry, Ran. I've just been so tied up with cases, I barely managed to squeeze out some time... Eh?"
Shinichi’s words were cut short by Ran’s embrace. He dodged her swirling blue eyes and swallowed hard. He didn't know if it was because they had been apart for so long, but the lovely girl in his arms seemed even more tender than in his memories. At this moment, her eyes were like polished ink and her gaze like autumn ripples, satiny smooth and beautiful; her every smile and frown set his heart racing——Shinichi tried to find an excuse to break free, he was having the mix emotions of nervous and excitement, but Ran wrapped her arms around his chest, she didn’t let him go.
Ran…His heart beat like a drum. Of course, he wished he could find the antidote and return to his old self sooner so they could move to the next stage of their relationship. But now that Ran was taking the initiative, he became bashful. "Ran... Ran... what's come over you? Wh—what is going on?"
"Shinichi——have you been away so long that you forgot something—— We’re dating now! It's not right for you to give me the cold shoulder like this, is it?" Ran pouted her lips with a hurt expression, gently interlacing her fingers with his palm. "Since you’re heading back to Teitan High today, why don't we just tell our classmates that we’re officially together?"
"Is that really necessary... Well, I guess it’s okay... wait...! Ran! Slow down!"
In the end, Shinichi couldn't say no to Ran’s request, he could never stand to see her fragile or sad smile, and her unusual behavior made him feel a secret pang of guilt——he owed her that much. Perhaps he had been away for too long—so long that this time Ran had discarded her usual reserve and gone on the offensive. She clung to him as if they were stuck together with a layer of honey between them, eager to announce to the world that she and Kudo Shinichi were the perfect match.
At first, Shinichi was worried, wary of how others might see them, but it wasn't long before he began to feel a secret thrill——they should've done this a while ago.
A dense crowd had gathered at the Teitan school gates. Kudo Shinichi asked casually, "Ran, is there some event at school today? I don't recall there being this many people at this hour."
"Of course..."
Shinichi felt his hand being gripped even tighter. He asked suspiciously, "I thought the schedule said this week was midterms. Did I get it wrong? Is it an inter-school event? Ran... take it easy... my arm... Ran... could you let go of me for a second? Um…Ran, can you loosen up a bit? I mean just a second ... .because my arm——I’m losing sensation in my arm."
"Is that so? It's better if you don't have any sensation..."
Shinichi suddenly looked up, only to find the smile completely gone from Ran’s face, replaced by a pair of piercing eyes glaring at him. Only then did he realize something was wrong.
"It’s better if you're numb! I specifically grabbed you so you wouldn't run away! Kaitou KID! I won't let you pretend to be Kudo Shinichi and use his identity to steal intel whenever you feel like it anymore! I saw through your real identity long ago, didn't you expect that?"
"What?! Ran, wait—you don't actually think..." Shinichi stood frozen in place, stunned. Ran wore a triumphant look of a plan coming together. At that moment, the high schoolers surrounding the school gate suddenly gave a loud shout and simultaneously tore off their school uniform disguises. A troop of armed officers surrounded them in perfect formation, their eyes fixed on Shinichi like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves that hadn't eaten in months, ready to tear him limb from limb at any second.
A drop of cold sweat slid down the back of Kudo Shinichi’s neck. "Hey, hey—Ran! This is... Inspector Nakamori?! Listen, Ran, I’m not Kaitou KID! I’m really Kudo Shinichi! Kudo Shinichi! If you don't believe me, just come and pull on my face."
Ran brushed Shinichi’s hand away unceremoniously. "Oh? Do you think that I am a foolish girl? That I’m gonna just be tricked by you? Maybe you look just like Shinichi at the very beginning! Even if I can't pull off a mask, it doesn't prove you're him! Shinichi clearly said he would be in America all month handling a serial murder case. There's no way he could come back to see me. Your showing up at the Mouri Detective Agency first thing this morning proves you're Kaitou KID! So then I secretly contacted the Inspector from the Second Division and cooperated with Nakamori-keibu’s plan to lure you here so these waiting officers could capture you! Ha! You’re not getting away this time!"
Oh damn it….
"Ran! Listen to me explain first...!" Shinichi took a step back, only to have Ran grab his wrist and twist it behind his back, blocking his path. Nakamori Ginzo stepped out from the crowd, holding a loudspeaker, looking super satisfied.
"Mouri-san, please make sure to hold onto him tight, don't let go under any circumstances! KID! Save your breath. If you have any explanation, save it to the police ! Everyone! Now! Move in! Arrest hime!"
"W—wait!" Shinichi’s eyes widened in horror. He opened his mouth to argue in vain, but facing a wall of officers pressing in, his strength was non-existent; he was the very definition of "feeble and puny."
After the chaos, Kudo Shinichi could hardly believe that he had actually ended up as a prisoner of the police. He raised his hands, shackled by three pairs of handcuffs, and slammed them against the car window. Despite being repeatedly stopped by the officers beside him, Shinichi wouldn't give up, trying to send one last word to Ran.
"Ran! I'm not that damn bastard! Wait! Ran! I have something to tell you! Don't leave yet, let me finish—please! I just came all the way back here just please let me finish my words ok? Ran! Let me explain!"
Ran narrowed her eyes coldly and put her hands on her hips. She kicked the car door and sneered, "The next time you dare to impersonate Shinichi, I won't call the police—I'll deal with you myself."
The surprise he had planned for Ran had gone up in smoke__ totally ruined. Kudo Shinichi had never felt more frustrated. Not only that, he was now handcuffed in an interrogation room, explaining over and over again that he was not Kaitou KID.
"Inspector, I really am Kudo Shinichi! Nakamori-keibu! Just think about it——this didn’t make any sense. If I were Kaitou KID, why wouldn't I have found a moment to break free and escape during the chaos? I should have the ability to do that ,right? Why wouldn't I have picked these handcuffs and disguised myself as someone else to slip away? Why would I go to all the trouble of finding Mouri Ran? Please… None of that makes any sense to me."
Shinichi slammed both elbows onto the iron table, leaving a sharp metallic ring. Nakamori Ginzo had been wearing a grin since the moment he stepped out of Teitan High, and the corners of his mouth hadn't dropped since. To him, Shinichi’s words were nothing but quibbles.
"Stop with the excuses, KID! Why did you sneak into the Mouri Detective Agency—isn't the reason obvious enough? Maybe you wanted to scout the agency for info, or maybe you wanted to drop off a heist notice while you were at it. Regardless, I don't care about your motive for sneaking in. You say you're Kudo Shinichi? But according to Ran, you're supposed to be flying back from America. If that's the case, you should have come straight from the airport. However, we've reviewed the surveillance footage from today and yesterday, and neither Haneda nor Narita Airport has your image, let alone any record of your entry. Or perhaps, you can produce the stub from your flight so we can verify it and release you immediately?"
"I... I am because... no, I..." Kudo Shinichi was left speechless. He never imagined that the Inspector, who usually acted on a rush, would be so sharp today. Yet, at this moment, he could not speak the truth to defend himself.
Nakamori Ginzo was seeing such a delightful scene for the first time. He said smugly, "How about it? Speechless now, yeah? Aren't you, KID! I admit you are a magician of the highest level, but even you can't conjure a passport or a plane ticket for Kudo Shinichi out of thin air, can you? Hahaha, just accept your fate! No matter what you say, I won't believe a single word. With Mouri Ran's testimony, you're a bird in a cage! —Hahahahaha!"
Shinichi forced his mind to cool down and think of the next move. Since persuading the Inspector was a dead end and he lacked KID’s superb tricks, the only option left was to call for reinforcements.
"Inspector, allow me to call a witness: Hattori Heiji, the son of the Senior Commissioner of Osaka Police Department——Hattori Heizo. If you let me speak to him, he can certainly prove my identity!"
Nakamori raised an eyebrow, he wasn't in a hurry, and he might just well watch KID suffer, this was pretty satisfying. "Hattori Heiji? What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?"
Kudo Shinichi explained, "I, Kudo Shinichi, and Hattori Heiji are close friends. Like bros.There are things only the two of us know. Please, help me make this call to him."
As expected, Hattori Heiji answered the phone quickly. "Hello, who is this?"
Nakamori Ginzo narrowed his eyes, pinning Shinichi with his gaze, and said: "This is the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Second Investigation Division. I am Inspector Nakamori Ginzo. Would it be convenient to borrow a bit of your time, Hattori-kun?"
"Huh? Sure, but what is this about? I have class in a few minutes. If it’s about a case, I’m afraid I won't be much help."
"Hattori! It's me! I... mmmph..." The officers on either side covered Kudo's mouth to silence him. Nakamori Ginzo took over: "It’s like this. Thanks to a righteous report from Mouri Ran, we captured a man claiming to be Kudo Shinichi at the gates of Teitan High today. This man claims to be a close acquaintance of yours, but we highly suspect that he is none other than Kaitou KID."
"Kudo Shinichi?!" Hattori questioned loudly. "What are you all talking about! How could that be Kudo Shinichi! You've got the wrong guy, definitely the wrong guy."
"Dammit! Hattori!" Kudo finally broke free from the police's grip and immediately seized the chance to shout, "You confessed to Toyama Kazuha in the Hakura building! I can recite exactly what you said to Toyama Kazuha right now!"
From the moment he stepped out of the Agasa's house, it seemed today was destined to go south. Even Hattori didn't intend to stand by him; his voice jumped a full octave, sounding desperate: "You bastard! How did you——You must be KID! I knew it! And how the hell do you know about me and Kazuha? I only told Kudo Shinichi and…and…Did you wiretap my calls with Kudo again? Or were you stalking us… you totally a jerk! Anyway, Inspector, Kudo mentioned a while ago that he needed to keep a low profile and decided to stay abroad for a deep-cover investigation. So this man is absolutely not Kudo Shinichi! You must not believe this imposter!"
A cold interrogation room, cold handcuffs, a steel chair, and before him, a two-way mirror that clearly reflected the dozen guards behind him—Kudo Shinichi buried his hands in his dark hair in defeat. He pressed his burning forehead against the tabletop, which was as cold as an ice cellar, attempting to calm his racing thoughts. However, tranquility was hard to find; a chest full of helplessness and futile rage found no outlet. He didn't even know whether to blame this on Hattori or Kaitou KID.
"Great... I finally got a temporary antidote, only to waste time here with the police... Dammit... Dammit! Why won't Ran believe me? Why won't anyone listen to my explanation?"
BANG—However, this loud sound wasn't the result of him striking the table in despair. Someone had pushed the door open. It was several burly officers and the familiar Superintendent Kuroda, followed by two more acquaintances—Furuya Rei and Kazami Yuya.
This meant this wasn't an ordinary case for the Second Division; this involved Public Security.
Shinichi naively thought Public Security would spend a few minutes listening to his self-defense, but their methods were far more ruthless and efficient.
A stack of documents was slammed onto the table, the force sending papers fluttering out of the folder. The friendly and easy-going smile was long gone from Furuya Rei’s face, replaced by a smile that hid sharp blades. He braced one hand on the iron table and pressed the other onto Kudo Shinichi’s shoulder. His slow smile and his threat were in chilling discord, "We all hope today passes smoothly and that everything can be resolved perfectly, right? So, only if you cooperate can we leave as soon as possible. Are you willing to cooperate with us now?"
"Wait—I'm not..." Shinichi tried to communicate again, only to be cut off swiftly by Superintendent Kuroda.
No one was willing to listen to him today.
"Who you think you are is not important; it's not important to me. But believe me, when I say we need your cooperation, it means you definitely do not want us to stay for long."
"Kaitou Corbeau—you crossed paths with him in Tokyo a month ago, remember?" Superintendent Kuroda was strictly business when serious, making even Shinichi sit up straight.
Kaitou Corbeau?
While Kudo Shinichi was still dredging his memory for information on Corbeau, Furuya Rei’s hand dropped. It seemed to rest lightly on his shoulder blade, but it was applying an invisible pressure that made Kudo Shinichi knit his brows in pain. "Mr. Public Security, by Kaitou Corbeau, do you mean... the phantom thief who appeared in Las Vegas a few months ago? The one active in Europe and America wearing an all-black suit..."
"Correct. I need you to tell us everything you know about Kaitou Corbeau. When you clashed last time, did you speak? What was said? I need you to tell us every single detail."
Shinichi replied, "I just did that, don't you understand, Officer? I said I am not Kaitou KID. What I know about Kaitou Corbeau is exactly what I just told you—information I happened to see on the news. I wish I could help you sincerely, but forgive me, most of the cases I handle are homicides for the First Division. I am not particularly keen on international heists."
"Young man... there’s no need to play these little mind games with me. You have to understand, the things you, KID, do are minor at best. Compared to murder, arson, drug trafficking, or smuggling, they are trifles. But if you don't cooperate with our investigation, the police will have no choice but to list you as a suspect in this case, suspecting you have some murky relationship with the Organization. By then, your charges won't be so easy to settle..."
"Wait! Did you say 'the Organization'?" Hearing those words, Shinichi’s eyes lit up, and he immediately pressed,
"You mean Kaitou Corbeau… wait——Do the police suspect Kaitou Corbeau has a connection to the Black Organization? Is he an involved party? Do you already have physical evidence?"
"We’re counting on you to tell us more... After all, you’re tangled up in this too. Or perhaps you could try to explain the totem on your monocle charm—that clover."
"The clover? Isn't it just a symbol of good luck? I mean—— Given that Kaitou KID’s actions are no different from walking on a knife's edge, it shouldn't be surprising that he uses that as a protection charm, even though I think he isn't really the kind of person who believes in those theories. But I don't see how it relates to the Organization. Besides, Kaitou KID has no intersection with them. He isn't a member of the Black Organization. Not even once..."
Shinichi couldn't explain why he was defending KID at this moment. Even though it was KID’s frequent impersonations that put him into this miserable state, Kudo Shinichi could not bear to see Kaitou KID bear a crime that didn't belong to him.
Furuya Rei’s grip grew tighter and tighter, his nails nearly piercing the skin and stabbing into the bone. Kudo Shinichi, in pain, tried to break free from the restraint, but he was unexpectedly pinned against the table. He scrambled to regain his freedom, but cold, invisible hands began to crawl up, clutching his throat and robbing him of his senses—the next instant, everything turned pitch black. He could see nothing, and not a sound could escape him. An ethereal song began to echo in his ears, over and over:
烏 なぜ啼くの
烏は山に
可愛七つの
子があるからよ
"Did you know, Kudo-kun... that the very pitch-black crow once had pure white feathers. And who knows if a body of black is hidden beneath that suit of white?"
可愛 可愛と
烏は啼くの
可愛 可愛と
啼くんだよ
山の古巣へ
行って見て御覧
丸い眼をした
いい子だよ
"In that case, how can you be so certain that what you chased to the edge of the sky was a white dove, and not a crow draped in white?"
＊
"Conan!!! Conan! Don't scare me, Conan! Wake up! Wake up!"
Conan sat up abruptly, rubbing his aching, heavy eyelids, trying to adjust to his vision shifting from a blur to clarity. He reached behind him—the bedsheets and the back of his pajamas were soaked in his own sweat.
"What kind of nightmare were you having? Conan, get up and change, or you will catch a cold. I’ll find you some clean clothes to wear, wait here. into—honestly, I told you not to watch anime or read detective novels before bed. See? Now you’re having nightmares. I don't know what to do with you, Conan, you are really scaring me. I’d better call Shinichi and tell him to stop recommending those things to you. You need a good night’s sleep to go to school tomorrow, don't you?"
Ran nagged as she got up and walked upstairs. Conan finally dragged himself into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face several times, staring blankly at his reflection.
A nightmare... so it was all just a dream.
Thank goodness it was only a nightmare.
"Just a nightmare? But judging by your tone, you haven't simply dismissed it as a dream to be forgotten. Interesting—Edogawa-kun, in your dream, your role was swapped with KID’s... No, you were still yourself, yet you were mistaken for the Phantom Thief. You experienced the nightmare that should belong to him—— no wonder it’s hard to shake off."
In the art class at Teitan Elementary, Haibara Ai was using a fine-tipped watercolor brush to sketch the silhouette of a bird perched atop a utility pole. Beside her, Conan was irritably and repeatedly soaking a brush that should have been cleaned long ago.
"Hmph—that guy used my identity for so many stunts before. Hakuba Saguru only recently exposed KID as a fake Kudo Shinichi at the Bell Tree Tower [2]. I doubt he’d dare to use my identity again anytime soon. However, once I restore my body to Kudo Shinichi, it’s not impossible for things to devolve into the scenario from my dream if I don't prepare cautiously."
"You mean the trust issues between you and Mouri-san?" Haibara Ai pointed out, her brush dipped in black pigment to add a round, bead-like eye to the bird.
"Uh...no, I’m not worried about that. It was probably just a random dream." Conan chose to avoid the subject.
"...Perhaps these dreams aren't born without reason, but have a fundamental cause. From a neuroscientific perspective, dreams are a byproduct of memory consolidation and synaptic pruning during sleep. This means dreams reflect information in your subconscious. Sometimes, dreams act as a virtual reality training system within your brain, simulating fear and the plight over and over in a safe environment—— in bed——to sharpen an individual's reaction in case bad things really happen in reality. You should be grateful that nightmares make you remember these unpleasant experiences, they are a gift of human evolution, allowing you to rehearse survival scripts while you sleep." Haibara Ai pulled her brush from the water bucket and picked several bright pigments to squeeze onto her palette. Conan extended his brush to Haibara's palette to borrow some emerald green, then mixed various shades of green, from light to dark, on his own.
Conan sighed. "I know, I know, Haibara. I’m not confused or over-interpreting my dream, if that was what you were talking about. I understand why I’d dream of returning to being Kudo Shinichi—well, that part needs no explanation. I thought this too many times in a day, didn’t I? As for Kaitou Corbeau, I’ve picked up some bits of info from the news while Mom was watching lately. And regarding the clover—ever since Wakasa Rumi threw away the one Ayumi gave her, it’s stayed on my mind. If it was just because she already had a Shogi piece as a charm, there was no need to discard it with such a sinister expression afterward. She could have just passed it to someone else, like the culprit that day who politely declined Ayumi's charm, instead of—”[3]
"Maybe you’re just overthinking it, Edogawa. Besides, the four-leaf clover has a hidden language in flowers—revenge," Haibara said faintly.
"That interpretation does exist—as for KID, he hasn't appeared for quite a while. Lately, he’s been like a phantom... Haibara, why are you looking at me like that?"
Haibara Ai gave a soft laugh and turned away, seemingly avoiding the weight of the topic. "Nothing... as expected of the Meitantei Kudo Shinichi, even in your dreams you’re managing both love and career. Quite efficient."
"Hey, hey—catching Kaitou KID is a vow I’ve staked my reputation as a detective on; it’s a matter of honor, not even a 'career.' As for Ran—it's been a while since I've gone to see her... What about you? What would you dream of?"
Haibara Ai took a deep breath and hesitated to answer. Conan set down his work and leaned in curiously. "Oi-oi——What are you drawing... a white dove? You are not a fan of KID, aren’t you? Because that would be pretty weird for me."
Haibara Ai turned her back to Kudo Shinichi, her voice low but falling as light as a feather. "Aside from reliving the escape from the Organization over and over—dying and being reborn like a recurring nightmare—I also dream of my parents. It’s ridiculous, isn't it? They died shortly after I was born. Logically, I have no memory of them, yet... armed only with a few photographs, I try to piece together a time I never possessed."
Conan knit his brows slightly in disagreement. "Haibara, that isn't ridiculous or shameful. It’s the last remaining connection your parents left for you in this world. But... Why did you choose to draw a white dove?"
"I remember telling you once that the pharmaceutical company my parents ran together was called Shirohato (Japanese for 'White Dove'). Before it was merged by Karasuma, the 'White Dove' was still pure and spotless.”[4]
Conan paused. Haibara shot him a glance and asked, "Edogawa-kun? Did that remind you of something?"
"Uh... not much, really. It’s just that there was a similar dialogue in my dream last night, though not exactly the same..." Conan's final brushstroke stopped just before the crow’s beak.
"Superitendent Kuroda in my dream told me at the end... Um... not the same words but sort of like——that the pitch-black crow once had pure white feathers. Who knows if the white dove flying in the sky might just be a crow draped in a disguise. Haibara, it was just a dream. Don't read too much into it…My dream has nothing to do with your parents."Conan added quickly, seeing Haibara’s expression darken further.
"Edogawa-kun... have you ever heard the myth of Apollo and the Crow?"