What would happen next? Wouldn't a big-nosed PE teacher jump out and start taunting him?
"Kazawa!" As Kazawa stood silently in front of the classroom door, observing the people in the corridor and wondering if the delayed plot was going to give him a little P5 shock, Suzuki Sonoko's shout came from the classroom behind him.
Kazawa tightened his commuter bag on his shoulder and turned around helplessly. "Suzuki-san..."
Suzuki Sonoko pulled Mori Ran and caught up with Kazawa in two steps. She breathed heavily through her nose and hooked Kazawa's arm.
Without any intention of avoiding other people's gazes, Sonoko took the lead, holding one person in each hand, and walked through the corridor in front of the classroom door with her head held high.
Kazawa was pulled by her and followed her step by step forward, thinking to himself:
I'm afraid I can't let Xingchuan play for me recently, as the environment is probably not very friendly.
Silent gazes were cast over—some from people standing on both sides of the corridor, and some from inside the classrooms.
In such a dark and dense gaze, Suzuki Sonoko walked forward quickly with indomitable fighting spirit.
"Let's go to the café," Suzuki Sonoko said. "I have to tell your guardian about this. They've gone too far. And ask Uncle Mori to help investigate. I have to catch this despicable guy!"
———
"The Junior Detective Team?" Ai Haibara opened the shoe cabinet, curious about the words the children were saying. "You mean, you guys?"
"Yes!" Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko puffed out his chest and declared proudly, "As long as someone asks us, we will go out no matter if it's day or night!"
"Haibara-san, do you want to join us?" Yoshida Ayumi looked at her expectantly, her hands clenched into fists. "Being a detective is really fun!"
"Detective Team, then, is Edogawa-san also one of them?" After changing her shoes, Haibara Ai glanced at Conan, who was still at the end of the group.
"Of course he is! Although he doesn't look like it, he is also a member of the group," Kojima Genta reached back and tried to pull the slow Conan to his side.
His hands came up empty.
"Ah? What?" Conan had stopped in front of the window and didn't follow at all. He picked up the phone with a shocked expression. "You said Kazawa... brother, was bullied?"
Suddenly, three pairs of bright eyes turned toward Conan.
Haibara Ai's expression suddenly darkened.
So soon, are we going to face that guy head-on?
"Kazawa..." She repeated the name, tightened her fingers, and clasped her hands tightly behind her back.
Calm down. You must calm down first.
Kudo Shinichi has become like this and has been jumping around in front of him for so long—he probably doesn't know the special features of Drug A.
Don't panic. Kumail is a sharp hunting dog, and you can't show weakness in front of him.
Perhaps meeting him now would be an opportunity to observe and evaluate him from behind the scenes...
"Okay, I'll be right back!" After hanging up the phone from Suzuki Sonoko, Conan didn't care about the other kids trying to connect with their new classmate and hurried to his shoe cabinet. "Well, I'll be right back..."
"Wait a minute!" Yoshida Ayumi opened her arms and blocked his way. "You just said that Brother Kazawa was bullied, right?"
"Yeah, isn't this the perfect time for the Junior Detective League to take action?" Kojima Genta clenched his fists, put his hands on his hips, and shouted excitedly, "Upholding justice and helping others—that's what being a detective is all about!"
"Haibara-san, why don't you come too?" Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, still thinking about the pretty new girl, quickly turned around and invited, "Come and give it a try. Being a detective is fun."
Go help Kumail who was bullied... huh...
Just saying it made her want to laugh.
Haibara Ai curled the corners of her lips and repeated the sentence twice in her heart, feeling an indescribable sense of absurdity.
"...Okay." She brushed the strands of hair from her ears to her temples, and with her hands behind her back, touched the iron box in her bag, as if trying to draw strength from it. "Then let's go and take a look."
"Okay, let's go!" Excitedly, Kojima Genta and Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko grabbed Conan from the left and right and pulled him out.
"Hey!" Conan struggled and shouted, "Wait a minute! I haven't changed my shoes yet!"
———
"...Anyway, that's it." Suzuki Sonoko slammed her hand on the table, looking like she was in command of the situation. "Now, because of this forged notice, Kazawa's reputation in school has been severely tarnished. We must find out who did it as soon as possible!"
"Hmm..." Mori Kogoro studied the preview letter, then took out the Phantom Thieves' preview letters he had collected before and said uncertainly, "First of all, are you sure this is fake? It looks quite real..."
"How is that possible!" Suzuki Sonoko and Conan retorted loudly in unison.
"Kazawa is definitely not a bad person. This is a complete slander. The 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' would not do such a thing!" Suzuki Sonoko defended the reputations of both her friend and the new idol.
That's right! Conan agreed with the first half in his heart, and secretly added: What's more, Joker would never attack Kazawa. He completely regards himself as a protector. How could he regard Kazawa as a target?
But what he said was: "This letter is also very different from the wording of Joker in the past. Their preview letters usually add lines like 'Your twisted desires, we accept'... Anyway, it's very similar to the tone of real thieves who steal things. This letter doesn't look like it came from their hands at all. Kazawa... brother, what do you think?"
Kazawa lowered his head as if lost in thought, but his eyes passed through the gaps between his fingers and fell on the little girl who was hiding behind several classmates and secretly staring at him.
His cousin looked really nervous.
Haibara Ai's two little hands tightly grasped Ayumi's schoolbag, and she curled up into a small ball, trying her best to reduce her presence.
"Kazawa?" Seeing that Kazawa kept his head down and remained silent, as if he didn't hear the questions around him, Mori Ran reached out and touched Kazawa's shoulder.
"Hmm?" Kazawa came back to his senses, raised his face from his crossed fingers, thought about the topic just now, and replied, "But most of the content in that letter is true."
"The truth?" Mori Ran was stunned and cast her eyes again on the paper in Mori Kogoro's hand. "You mean..."
"Well, he's right." Kazawa lowered his hand from blocking his face, gathered his emotions, and said in a very calm tone, "I am indeed a juvenile delinquent with a criminal record."