At night, Kazawa sat on the edge of his bed, flipping through a notebook filled with names. When he crossed out "Edogawa Conan," he suddenly felt like a hitman ticking off targets on a kill list.
So weird… but kind of thrilling. Kazawa struck a few dramatic poses with the notebook before finally stashing it into his inventory.
This thing is filled with spoilers—definitely can't leave it lying around. If Amuro Tooru found it and opened it—bam! Bourbon! That'd be impossible to explain.
"The second one's been cooped. No idea why Conan sneakily gave me a 'stealth' skill, though." Kazawa wrapped himself in his blanket, muttering, "Still better than nothing. This skill might be useful for speedrunning the Hall of Fame. Not bad."
Snugly bundled up, Kazawa shut his eyes and quickly drifted into sleep—only to wake up in that familiar, glowing-blue bar.
"Welcome," Leon said, as usual, from behind the counter while wiping a glass. He seemed slightly more welcoming today—at least he gave Kazawa a nod and a faint smile.
Once they got familiar with each other, Leon usually adopted an aloof, sarcastic attitude—not nearly as courteous as on the first day.
"You're in a good mood today. Something good happen?" Kazawa asked as he took his usual seat. His gaze landed on something new. "Huh? New stock?"
Behind Leon, the shelf that used to carry just a few endless bottles of bourbon whiskey now had several new bottles on the top row. Kazawa didn't even need to read the labels to know what they were.
Rye whiskey!
Had to be. Though they hadn't had a proper face-to-face, Kazawa had glimpsed Shuichi Akai from afar earlier today. To think even that was enough to unlock an achievement—it genuinely surprised him.
"So just seeing someone is enough? Even if you don't actually meet them?" Kazawa took a sip of the rye whiskey Leon poured for him. "Not bad at all..."
Unlike the rich and mellow bourbon, the pungent kick of rye whiskey made Kazawa feel surprisingly refreshed. He wondered if Leon could mix cocktails once more types of liquor were added...
If the "Brewery Menu" achievements were this easy to unlock, he was starting to get ideas! After all, a lot of the code-named members in the organization died fast—he wouldn't have much time to check them all off.
"If an Easter egg's too hard to find, it loses the fun," Leon said with a shrug as he poured himself a drink.
"That guy I saw today really was Shuichi Akai… and he's rye whiskey. That means the story's taken a few turns." Kazawa swirled his glass, thoughts drifting. "Wonder what ability Shuichi Akai will unlock..."
Man, if he just straight-up gives me a sniping skill, that'd be kinda awkward!
Kazawa grinned as he began plotting a new strategy. Seriously, dreams have everything!
The next day, Kazawa woke up with a smile on his face.
Good thing Amuro Tooru hadn't planted any hidden cameras in his room. Just the way Kazawa woke up today—flushed cheeks, a weird grin—would've been enough to get him dragged off to therapy. Total creep vibes.
Following his well-practiced morning routine, Kazawa grabbed his phone and checked the calendar.
Nice. Rest day.
This alternating-school-day schedule of his? The neighborhood kids were probably crying with jealousy.
He lazily hugged his blanket and rolled over, planning to sleep in some more.
Logically, he knew his consciousness was active in the bar while his physical body got proper rest. But mentally, there was still this lingering fatigue, like he hadn't slept at all. He figured he needed a good, real nap to reset.
Just as he closed his eyes, a string of chiming alerts came from his phone. New mail.
"Hm?" Kazawa opened one eye and glanced at his phone, a bit confused by the unfamiliar sound.
Ever since coming to Tokyo, all his contacts were people he saw daily—barely anyone messaged him. He picked up the phone from beside his pillow and lit up the screen.
"Help!!! Come quick!!!" The subject line alone made Kazawa's eyes hurt with all the exclamation marks. He checked the sender. "Edogawa Conan."
"Oh my god…" Kazawa covered his face with one hand, feeling a strange sense of loss.
Didn't they just make a deal yesterday? No build-up, no warning—and now he was being put to work the very next day? Not a single skill came free...
Still grumbling internally, Kazawa got up and started getting dressed.
Since there was no address listed, it obviously meant Conan was referring to the detective agency upstairs. And there was no way anything serious was happening inside the office itself—it must be a call for help to cover for something.
Resigned, Kazawa took out the golden fan he'd gotten from Maruden Jirou, packed it neatly into its box, and used it as a prop to tell Enomoto Azusa he was heading upstairs to deliver a thank-you gift. Then he left the café and climbed up to the second floor.
The Mouri Detective Agency was on the second floor, with Mouri father and daughter—and Conan—living on the third. It was still early, so the agency hadn't opened yet. On the stairwell, a cute-looking girl stood nervously with her bag, hesitating in front of the agency's door.
Kazawa looked up the staircase and saw Conan crouched halfway between the second and third floors, clinging to the railing and peeking down with one eye. His expression was tense and frozen. But when he saw Kazawa appear, he visibly relaxed and scurried down the stairs.
"Please think of something to get her out of here," Conan whispered urgently, the panic in his voice practically screaming "save my life." "Mouri-san's going to come down and open the door in ten minutes!"
Then Conan flashed a big, innocent grin at the girl and said in a cheerful, childlike voice, "Big sis, this is the guy I told you about! He's amazing—just as amazing as Shinichi-oniichan! They're really good friends too! I'm sure he knows where you can find him!"
The girl, who'd been unsure about whether to go in, immediately lit up when she heard that. She rushed down the stairs, pulled a photo from her bag, and handed it to Kazawa. "This is the person I'm looking for. Kudo Shinichi… You know him, right?"
"Yes, we're classmates. May I ask why you're looking for Kudo?" Kazawa took the photo. In it, Kudo Shinichi was wearing his Teitan High uniform, walking among a crowd after school. His face looked a little surprised, like he'd just noticed someone snapping a picture of him.
Kazawa raised an eyebrow. Something clicked in his memory. He was pretty sure he knew which case this was… As he thought about it, he caught a glimpse of Conan's tense expression, watching the girl like she was a bomb about to go off. Kazawa suddenly understood why Conan had asked for help.
"I'm looking for him. He suddenly disappeared, and I can't get in touch with him. He hasn't shown up at school either. I don't know what to do…" The girl nervously fidgeted with the hem of her pleated skirt, eyes downcast. "I just want to see him… I–I'm his girlfriend!"