The next morning, after breakfast, Ren Kuroda headed to the Mouri Detective Agency.
Just as he arrived, Kogoro Mouri was stepping out the door.
"Hey, Ren! Sorry, kid, but you came for nothing today." Kogoro scratched the back of his head with an apologetic grin. "Can't join you for drinks. Something big happened last night—someone actually broke into the Metropolitan Police Department!"
Ren raised a brow. "Broke into the police headquarters?"
"Yeah. Bastard got in, snatched a prisoner right out from under their noses, and injured half a dozen officers doing it," Kogoro said grimly. "Some of 'em are old buddies of mine, so I'm heading over to the hospital to check on them."
Ren's curiosity immediately sharpened. "That serious, huh? Then I'm coming with you. I wanna see what went down."
Kogoro groaned. "You're such a gossip, you know that?" But he didn't say no.
Just then, Ran Mouri came up the stairs, overhearing the conversation. "Wait! I'm coming too!"
Ren blinked. "Didn't you say you were visiting Shinichi today?"
Ran sighed. "I was, but he left early this morning. Said the police called him in to consult on some case."
She pouted. "And he didn't even tell me in advance! I went all the way to his house for nothing!"
Kogoro's face darkened instantly. "See, that's what I've been saying! That brat doesn't care about you at all, and you still chase after him like a lovesick fool!"
"Dad!" Ran protested, her cheeks puffing out. "That's not true! Shinichi just forgot, that's all!"
As father and daughter started bickering again, Ren sighed, slipped past them, and hailed a taxi downstairs.
At the hospital, Kogoro wasted no time visiting his old colleagues.
"Hey, Hirano! Thought you said your right hand was broken. How are you smoking?"
The officer gave a lazy shrug. "What can I say? If I don't exaggerate a little, I'll never get time off."
Kogoro's eyebrow twitched. "And you, Honda? You said you were concussed."
"My spirit's shattered," Honda replied dramatically. "You have no idea what I've been through. Haven't had a proper break in six months!"
Ren couldn't help but chuckle. Masters of creative sick leave, he thought. Beika's finest indeed.
After checking that everyone was fine, Kogoro finally asked, "So, what exactly happened last night?"
"You didn't hear?" Hirano lowered his voice. "That infamous criminal everyone's been talking about—the one called Azu. He's the one who stormed HQ!"
"He blew up the power system, plunged the building into darkness, knocked out Inspector Megure, and broke that Italian robber right out of interrogation. Walked straight through the chaos like it was nothing."
Kogoro's jaw dropped. "You've gotta be kidding me. That's insane! He's out of his mind!"
"No kidding," Hirano said with a grim nod. "To raid the Metropolitan Police Department itself? The guy's got a death wish."
Ran crossed her arms, eyes blazing with indignation. "That's terrible! How can someone do something so reckless?"
Before anyone could reply, a familiar voice spoke up from behind them.
"Actually, he showed surprising restraint. He didn't use a gun the entire time."
Ran turned in surprise. "Shinichi! You're here?"
Shinichi Kudo stepped into the room, hands in his pockets, his usual calm smirk on his face. "Yeah, I came straight from the police HQ. Didn't expect to run into you here, Ran."
He gave polite nods to Kogoro and Ren. "Good to see you both."
Kogoro grunted. "You find anything useful, boy genius?"
Shinichi sighed, rubbing his temple. "Not much. I reviewed the surveillance footage—the guy wore gloves the whole time. No fingerprints anywhere."
Ran tilted her head. "But… didn't he only wear a red mask, not a full hood? Couldn't they use hair samples to identify him?"
"In theory, yes," Shinichi admitted. "But think about it. The Metropolitan Police Department is full of people. With all that stray hair everywhere, there's no way to know which strand belongs to him."
"Oh… right," Ran said, deflating a little. "That makes sense."
Shinichi continued, his tone darkening. "About an hour after the incident, someone found the Italian robber's body. A single bullet to the back—clean through the chest."
"Brutal," Kogoro muttered, stroking his chin. "Let me guess—he got his hands on the maple-leaf gold coins, then killed the guy to shut him up."
Ren stood silently nearby, listening to them analyze the scene he himself had orchestrated. No one suspected him. The lack of evidence had worked perfectly.
He relaxed, expression unreadable behind calm eyes.
By noon, they finished their hospital visits and decided to grab lunch nearby.
"Ahh, now that's what I call a meal," Kogoro said afterward, stretching and yawning. "Time for a nap."
Ran frowned. "Dad! It's still early. You can sleep at home anytime. What a waste of a weekend!"
"Then what do you want to do?" he asked lazily.
Ran's face lit up. "I heard there's a medieval suit of armor at the Beika Art Museum that walks around on its own! Let's go check it out!"
Kogoro snorted. "What nonsense. That's obviously a publicity stunt to draw visitors. You're too gullible."
Surprisingly, Shinichi agreed. "Yeah, Ran, that's just a rumor to scare kids."
Ran puffed out her cheeks again. "You two are impossible."
Before she could sulk further, Ren smiled lightly. "If they're not interested, I'll go with you."
Ran brightened instantly. "Really? Then it's just the two of us!"
That got Shinichi's attention immediately. "Wait—on second thought, I don't have any plans today. I'll come too."
Ren caught the subtle tension in his eyes and smirked inwardly.
Ah, there it is. Human nature in a nutshell.People only fight to keep what they fear they're about to lose.
But he didn't mind.
"Fine by me," he said casually. "The more, the merrier."
Kogoro waved them off. "You kids go have fun. I'm heading home." With that, he strolled away, hands in his pockets.
Ran, meanwhile, couldn't hide her excitement—or the tiny spark of satisfaction blooming in her chest. She'd noticed Shinichi's jealous tone, and for reasons she couldn't quite explain, it made her heart flutter.
"Let's go, then!" she said brightly, already leading the way toward Beika Art Museum.
Ren followed with his usual calm smile. Shinichi, looking slightly annoyed, trailed behind.
The "walking armor" mystery awaited them—and for Ren, it would be yet another night where the boundary between the supernatural and the criminal blurred once again.