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The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the small apartment. Miyano Shiho—now known as Haibara Ai—sat quietly in bed, her thoughts swirling like storm clouds. Her life had taken an unexpected turn, and now she found herself at the mercy of Fujiwara Tei, a man whose motives were as inscrutable as they were unsettling.
Fujiwara leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "You'll need to think about your future. It's time for you to adopt a new identity. No one knows you've shrunk, and no one will believe it if you tell them. That's your biggest advantage. Even if the organization finds out you're alive, they won't suspect a child."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing. "I'll forge a fake identity for you. You can pose as my cousin—or better yet, my little sister—and live with me under that guise."
Haibara raised an eyebrow. "Little sister?"
Fujiwara shrugged nonchalantly. "Doesn't suit you? Fine. I could make you my daughter instead. Though, at my age, having a daughter your size might raise eyebrows, legally changing our identities wouldn't be too difficult for someone with my resources."
Haibara shivered involuntarily. The playful glint in Fujiwara's eyes made her feel uneasy. "Daughter is out of the question," she said quickly. "Little sister works just fine."
"Good choice," Fujiwara replied with a satisfied nod. "Now, one last thing—you'll need a new name. Feel free to pick one yourself. Do you want to take the surname Fujiwara?"
"No," Haibara answered firmly. "Different surnames would make more sense."
"I see." Fujiwara tapped his chin thoughtfully. "How about… 'Haibara'? And for the first name, let's go with 'Ai.'"
"Haibara Ai?" Fujiwara repeated, testing the sound of it. He chuckled softly. "Fitting, isn't it? In this day and age, detective games are all the rage. I figured it'd be clever."
Haibara tilted her head slightly. "Gray from 'gray,' and Ai meaning sorrow. An interesting choice."
"Exactly," Fujiwara grinned. "From now on, I'll call you A-chan."
Haibara frowned but didn't protest. She knew arguing over nicknames was futile. Instead, she focused on what mattered most—survival.
Later that afternoon, Haibara stood awkwardly outside the bathroom door, clutching a towel. Two days without bathing had left her skin grimy and sticky, a condition unbearable for someone who valued cleanliness as much as she did.
"I'm going to take a shower!" she announced abruptly, unable to endure any longer.
Fujiwara glanced up from his phone, raising an eyebrow. "Still not ideal given your condition, but a quick rinse should be fine."
Haibara shot him a glare. "Are you leaving?"
"This is my house," he replied casually. "And you're just a temporary guest. Where else am I supposed to go?"
"In Amerika, child exploitation is considered a serious crime," Haibara remarked coolly, hoping to remind him of the consequences.
"But we're in Japan," Fujiwara countered with a shrug. "People here tend to look the other way. Shall I show you around Akihabara? They sell all sorts of interesting things there."
Haibara sighed inwardly. This man was impossible. "Fine. Forget it. Do you have any children's clothes? Or do you expect me to keep wearing oversized shirts or walk around naked?"
Fujiwara rose from his seat and retrieved a sealed plastic bag containing a set of adorable children's clothing. "I prepared these for you earlier."
Haibara eyed the frilly dress adorned with cartoon prints and suppressed a groan. Still, considering her current appearance, such attire wasn't entirely inappropriate. With a resigned sigh, she snatched the outfit from his hands and retreated into the bathroom.
The warm water cascaded down her body, washing away layers of sweat and dirt accumulated over the past two days. As the murky water swirled down the drain, Haibara felt a rare moment of relief. Bathing truly was a simple pleasure.
However, reality soon intruded. Standing on tiptoes, she realized she couldn't reach the shampoo or body wash placed high on a shelf designed for adults.
"Fujiwara!" she called out impatiently. "Get in here!"
Moments later, Fujiwara appeared, leaning against the doorway with an amused expression. "What is it?"
"Help me get the shampoo and body wash. I can't reach them."
Chuckling, Fujiwara retrieved the items for her. Once done, he promptly exited, leaving her alone once again.
As steam filled the room, Haibara allowed herself a brief moment of vulnerability. Being in such close quarters with a man—even one as infuriatingly unpredictable as Fujiwara—was unsettling. But she reminded herself that she had no choice. For now, staying by his side offered her the best chance at survival.
Meanwhile, Fujiwara sat outside, scrolling through messages on his phone. One caught his attention—a concerned message from Yukinoshita Yanagi, a senior at Tokyo University.
*[Yukinoshita Yanagi]:*
Fujiwara-kun, you haven't attended karate club activities recently, nor have you responded to my messages. I checked with your classmates, and apparently, you haven't been coming to school either. Is everything okay?
Fujiwara typed out a response:
*[Fujiwara Tei]:*
Sorry, Yanagi-senpai. My younger sister fell ill after arriving from Amerika. I've been taking care of her, which is why I haven't been checking my phone.
*[Yukinoshita Yanagi]:*
Younger sister? I didn't know you had a sibling. From Amerika?
*[Fujiwara Tei]:*
She's staying with me temporarily. She just started elementary school, but unfortunately, she got sick shortly after arriving. Don't worry; her fever has subsided, and I plan to return to school tomorrow.
*[Yukinoshita Yanagi]:*
I'm glad to hear that. Let me know if you need anything. Oh, and don't forget about the upcoming karate club activities!
Fujiwara smirked as he sent off the reply. Yukinoshita Yanagi was sharp, but even she wouldn't suspect anything amiss. After all, crafting convincing lies was second nature to someone like him.
Back inside the bathroom, Haibara emerged wrapped in a towel, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders. She looked at Fujiwara with thinly veiled irritation. "At your age, hormones must dominate your brain. Don't let base instincts cloud your judgment—it's merely a chemical reaction caused by hormonal fluctuations."
Fujiwara held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. Spare me the lecture on human biology. Let's talk about your next move instead."
Haibara dried her hair absently, deep in thought. "I suppose I should focus on continuing my research. Without proper equipment, progress will be slow, but I can still analyze existing data."
"What about school?" Fujiwara asked curiously.
"School?" Haibara scoffed. "Skipping grades would draw too much attention. Besides, I have no interest in wasting time attending elementary school when I could be working on my research here."
Fujiwara nodded approvingly. "Fair enough. Speaking of which, there's something else I wanted to discuss. Shinichi Kudo—or rather, Conan Edogawa—is another subject affected by APTX-4869. If you need samples for your experiments, I can arrange it."
Haibara's eyes narrowed. "No drastic measures. He's useful to me alive—for now. When the time comes for human trials, he'll serve as the perfect test subject."
Fujiwara clapped his hands together. "Impressive, Haibara. Truly cold-blooded."
Haibara glared at him. "Don't call me that. And don't patronize me either. Remember, I'm not doing this for fun. Every decision I make is calculated."
As evening fell, Fujiwara returned to campus, where concerned classmates greeted him warmly. Meanwhile, Haibara settled into her makeshift role as his "little sister," navigating their precarious arrangement with equal parts caution and determination.
For both of them, the road ahead promised challenges—but also opportunities.