After finishing their shopping in Ginza, Shimizu Koji had originally planned to head straight home.
But halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, turned around, and went to a nearby shopping street instead.
Looking up at the bold sign that read "Ladies' Underwear Specialty Store," he lifted his chin, walked in confidently, and didn't even change his expression.
"Hello. I'd like to buy underwear for an elementary school girl."
…?
The saleswoman, who had already found it strange that a lone man had entered the shop, froze on the spot. Thankfully, she didn't jump to any serious misunderstandings and quickly recovered thanks to her professional training.
"Ah—are you buying them for your younger sister?"
"Yes."
"Heehee~ With such a thoughtful older brother looking after her, your little sister must be very happy," the clerk said with a smile as she led Shimizu Koji further into the store.
Shimizu Koji glanced at the shopping bags in his hand—worth a total of 190,000 yen—and nodded calmly. "Mm."
The clerk noticed the bags too. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes, and the last trace of doubt vanished.
"How about these? They're all classic children's styles."
Looking at the three small, cute items the clerk laid out, even with Shimizu Koji's dull, straight-guy aesthetic, he had to admit—they looked pretty good.
A classic pair with a little bear print, a cool blue-and-white striped one, and the most common plain white style.
All cotton. He could tell without even touching them.
"I'll take them."
"All three?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Please wait at the counter—I'll bring you brand-new ones."
Buying underwear went smoothly. On the way back, Shimizu Koji even stopped by a sushi shop and picked up two boxes to take home.
The night air was chilly. Neon lights flickered as they always did, and if not for the puddles still on the ground, it would've been hard to imagine the torrential rain from just a few hours earlier.
—
The next day.
In Shimizu Koji's bedroom, dappled sunlight swayed gently across the thick curtains. The little girl on the bed was already awake, lying quietly as if deliberately lingering under the covers.
Shimizu Koji wasn't there, of course. He had cleaned up another bedroom and given his warm, comfortable room to the insecure little girl for the night.
Haibara Ai was wearing an oversized shirt—clearly not her size.
That's right. It was Shimizu Koji's.
The clothes he'd bought her the night before weren't suitable for sleeping, and there was only one set. Haibara Ai had wanted to ask about it, but when she learned that Shimizu Koji had spent all his remaining cash on her clothes, she couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.
He'd forgotten to buy pajamas. Lacking any experience taking care of someone, the fact that he'd remembered underwear at all already counted as impressive. In the end, Haibara Ai had no choice but to use one of his thin shirts as sleepwear.
The shirt was huge on her, nearly covering her thighs. She didn't have pajama bottoms, but she did have underwear.
So technically, she was decently dressed under the blankets.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. Haibara Ai let out a quiet little "mm," and with a click, the door opened.
"Hm? Still not up? Didn't we agree to look for your family today?"
Haibara Ai rolled her eyes inwardly. That was exactly why she didn't want to get up.
But when Shimizu Koji approached the bed, she quickly adjusted her expression, switching to a weak, listless look.
Going to the police box, wandering all over town, even taking her old clothes to hospitals or research facilities to ask around—she'd have to be crazy to get out of bed for that.
At the same time, she was worried Shimizu Koji might go looking on his own, so she'd insisted last night that he bring her along.
And so—
Now she was sick.
Very sick.
The kind of sickness that mysteriously vanished as long as she didn't go outside.
"Ai-chan, I even took the day off for this."
"I—I—cough, cough—I think I'm sick. I'm sorry, Koji-niisan…"
Hearing that, Shimizu Koji frowned and reached out to touch her forehead.
Not hot—but icy cold.
After all, for maximum effect, Haibara Ai had taken two or three cold showers early that morning.
If Shimizu Koji had come any later, she might've actually gotten sick for real.
"…That's strange. Did you catch a chill?"
Looking at the pale, weak-looking Haibara Ai on the bed, Shimizu Koji didn't mention finding her family again.
Just as Haibara Ai thought she'd gotten away with it, Shimizu Koji suddenly reached out and grabbed her small arm.
"I'll check your pulse."
"Eh—cough—Koji-niisan, you can read pulses too?!"
"A little. I'm no expert, though."
Haibara Ai panicked instantly.
What is wrong with this guy?!
How do you know that too?!
Aren't you just a first-year high schooler?!
Her small hand squirmed restlessly, but Shimizu Koji didn't even need to use force—she couldn't move at all.
With no other choice, Haibara Ai closed her eyes and held her breath, trying to mess with his amateur diagnosis.
The next moment, she felt her nose get pinched.
"Breathe."
"I—I have a stuffy nose."
She argued stubbornly.
Shimizu Koji raised an eyebrow. You were fine just now—are you kidding me?
This troublesome kid…
A few seconds later, he let go of her arm. He'd already more or less confirmed that she wasn't sick.
Now he wanted to know why she was pretending. Had she recovered more memories?
He recalled her behavior since waking up. Wait—was this some spoiled rich girl refusing to go home kind of scenario?
His eyes sharpened immediately. That wouldn't do. His 190,000 yen still needed rescuing.
While his thoughts raced, he didn't forget that Haibara Ai was still waiting for a diagnosis.
"Hmm. Looks like you really did catch a chill."
"Cough—yeah… Koji-niisan, then what should I do? Are we… still going today?"
Sitting so close, Haibara Ai didn't dare move, even though she was already internally scoffing at his pulse-reading.
"Do you want to go?" Shimizu Koji suddenly decided to tease her a bit.
"Uh… I do… but—cough—I don't want to trouble you, Koji-niisan…"
"Is that so? What a good, considerate child you are~. In that case, Koji-niisan will show his true skills today and cure you completely."
…???
Haibara Ai's eyes widened in shock. Before she could ask anything, Shimizu Koji suddenly lifted the blanket at her feet.
"Eek!?"
A very energetic yelp escaped her.
She immediately snapped back to her senses, clamped her mouth shut, and froze, letting Shimizu Koji's warm hands "play" with her small feet.
If Shimizu Koji hadn't behaved like a true gentleman the day before, she would never have accepted this—though she didn't have the strength to resist anyway.
"K-Koji-niisan… what are you doing?"
Feeling the warmth and kneading on her soles, Haibara Ai gritted her teeth and asked, cheeks burning.
Her feet were pale, soft, and slightly cool. Her ten toes were neatly lined up like delicate white jade beads.
Now that yesterday's mud was gone, Shimizu Koji didn't feel much resistance toward them either.
Hearing her question, he replied casually, "Giving you a massage. You know, Ai—I'm actually pretty good at it."
"Instant cure."
After enduring it for three agonizing, red-faced minutes, she saw no sign of him stopping. He even started massaging both feet at once, and seemed to sneak in a few ticklish touches.
"I—I'm better! Koji-niisan! I feel way better now!"
"See? Told you. Instant cure."
Shimizu Koji smiled and tucked her feet back under the blanket.
When it came to handling troublesome kids, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Liars have to swallow a thousand needles~.