Tokyo, Beika Town.
Early April, cherry blossoms in full bloom. Pink petals drifted through the streets, carried by a gentle breeze.
Amid this dreamlike cherry blossom shower, three teenagers raced down the sidewalk, bickering loudly.
"Shuichi, it's the first day of school, and you've already made us late!"
"Eri, don't pin this on me! Kogoro's the one who forgot to set his alarm!"
"Hey, I didn't mean to forget it!" Kogoro shot back. "Besides, didn't you forget yours too, Shuichi?"
The trio, all clad in Teitan High School uniforms, continued their noisy sprint.
The girl, Eri Kisaki, was striking with her large glasses and brown hair tied in a high ponytail.
Of the two boys, Kogoro Mouri sported a slicked-back hairstyle with a stray tuft dangling over his forehead, his prominent cheekbones and wide jaw giving him a slightly unreliable air.
Hayashi Shuichi, the other boy, had short hair, sharp features, and bright, piercing eyes. Yet his lazy expression lent him an air of indifference.
All three were first-year students at Teitan High School, embarking on a new chapter together.
Time flies… high school already, Shuichi thought, glancing at his two friends as they ran.
Transmigrating into the world of Detective Conan was one thing, but landing over thirty years in the past? That was a twist he hadn't expected. If he hadn't met Eri Kisaki and Kogoro Mouri in kindergarten a decade ago, Shuichi might've thought he'd simply woken up in modern Tokyo.
Since their kindergarten days, Shuichi had deliberately nurtured their friendship, and the three had been inseparable through elementary and middle school. Now, they were starting high school together.
"I knew it! I shouldn't have waited for you two!" Eri panted, exasperated. "We're going to make a terrible impression on the teacher…"
"You and Shuichi have stellar grades," Kogoro groaned. "Even if you're late, the teachers won't care. I'm the one they'll peg as a delinquent for the next three years!"
"Enough whining!" Shuichi said with a grin. "Follow me—I know a shortcut. We might still make it."
"A shortcut?" Kogoro raised an eyebrow. "How come I've never heard of it?"
"Idiot, if Shuichi says it's there, it's there!" Eri snapped. "Would he lie to us? Move!"
Following Shuichi's lead, the trio veered off their path, passing the Beika Swimming Center and ducking into a narrow, shadowy alley.
"Don't take this route normally," Shuichi warned. "The pinball parlor's nearby, and some thugs who lose big like to lurk here and rob people."
"How do you know that?" Eri asked, curious.
Before Shuichi could answer, Kogoro let out a yelp and faceplanted onto the ground.
"Kogoro, you okay?" Shuichi and Eri stopped, turning back.
"Today's just cursed," Kogoro muttered, scrambling up. "Something tripped me, and the ground's all slippery… wait, what is this?"
His voice spiked with panic. Shuichi and Eri hurried over, only for Eri to scream at the sight beside Kogoro's leg.
A male corpse lay sprawled in the alley, blood pooling beneath it.
"…Well," Shuichi sighed, "looks like we're not just late for our first day of high school—we might miss it entirely. Stay here, don't touch anything. I'll find a payphone to call the police."
"I-I'm coming with you!" Eri grabbed Shuichi's arm, her voice trembling.
"Me too—" Kogoro started.
Shuichi cut him off with a mischievous smirk. "Planning to join the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Division someday, right? Here's your chance to get used to corpses. Build some courage."
Kogoro glanced at his blood-stained hands, panic rising. But thinking of his dream, he swallowed hard and nodded.
Shuichi and Eri dashed off to call the police, leaving Kogoro alone in the dim alley with the bleeding corpse.
"It's just a body… nothing to fear," Kogoro muttered, steeling himself. He glanced down, only to lock eyes with the corpse's unblinking, lifeless stare. His knees buckled, and he spun around, refusing to look again. "Shuichi, Eri, hurry back…"
Half an hour later, Shuichi and Eri returned with the police in tow.
"You… okay?" Shuichi asked, eyeing Kogoro's pale face and sweat-drenched forehead.
Is young Kogoro really this squeamish?
"I-I'm fine," Kogoro stammered, stumbling toward the alley's entrance. "Just… need some air."
"Don't wander far," a young, square-faced officer called after him. "We'll need your statement."
"Begin the investigation!" barked an officer with distinctive forked eyebrows, issuing orders with calm authority. "Matsumoto, you and forensics examine the body!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Morimura, canvass the area. Check if anyone besides these kids saw the body!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Inspector Megure, take the informants' statements."
"Yes, Inspector Samezaki!" the square-faced officer replied, flustered.
"Relax, Megure, it's just a murder," Inspector Samezaki, head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Division, said with a chuckle, patting the younger officer's shoulder. "Cases like this pop up every few days in Tokyo. But you, kid," he added, glancing at Kogoro, "talk about bad luck—stumbling on a corpse your first day of school."
Inspector Megure gave a nervous laugh and pulled out his notebook, approaching Shuichi and Eri. Noticing Shuichi's calm demeanor and Eri's visible nerves as she avoided looking at the body, he decided to start with the boy.
"Name?"
"Hayashi Shuichi. Is your last name Megure, Officer?"
"Uh, age?"
"Sixteen. By the way, what's your full name, Officer?"
"Inspector Megure!" the officer snapped, flustered. "I'm asking the questions here… uh, where was I?"
"My age," Shuichi said, smiling. "Next, you'll want my address and when we found the body."
"Right, your address…" Megure trailed off, realizing he'd lost his rhythm. "Just… stop interrupting!"