Chapter 87: Kaeya!
"Let's get one thing straight," Conan muttered, his voice barely a whisper in the quiet apartment hallway. "We are only here to scout the place today. Don't do anything unnecessary."
Heiji Hattori leaned against the wall next to Jodie's door, arms crossed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He paused, a frown creeping onto his face. "But what excuse are we actually going to use when she opens the door?"
Conan's head snapped around, his eyes wide behind his oversized glasses. "Hey! You didn't think of one?!"
They bickered in hushed, frantic tones, debating whether they should just cut their losses and leave since they had absolutely no valid reason to be there. Just as Heiji raised a hand to push himself off the wall, the heavy wooden door in front of them clicked and swung inward.
"Conan? Heiji?" A familiar, calm voice drifted out. "What are you two arguing about out here?"
Conan froze. Standing in the doorway wasn't the blonde English teacher they had expected.
"Sister Natsume?!" Conan blurted out, his jaw dropping. "Why are you here?!"
He never expected to run into Natsume while sneaking around Jodie's apartment. Was there some hidden connection between the two of them?
Natsume leaned casually against the doorframe, looking entirely too relaxed. "I met Miss Jodie during the bus hijacking incident," she explained, her tone light and conversational. "We happened to run into each other tonight while I was out handling a commission. She was a bit curious about my... skill set from back then. Since she lives nearby, she invited me up for a chat."
She tilted her head, her golden eyes sweeping over the two shrinking detectives. "So, what about you two? Why are you sneaking around her door at this hour?"
A cold sweat broke out on the back of Conan's neck. His mind raced. "Ah, haha! We just... came to play with Miss Jodie!" he lied, flashing a painfully awkward, childish grin.
Heiji mirrored the stiff smile, nodding vigorously.
Natsume's gaze lingered on their strained expressions. She clearly didn't buy a single word of it, but she merely stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.
"Wow! I really didn't expect such a young child to know so much!"
As the boys stepped into the living room, they found Jodie sitting on the sofa, her blue eyes wide with genuine admiration as she looked at the small, white-haired girl sitting across from her. Nahida sat perfectly straight, a serene, knowing smile gracing her lips as she accepted the endless praise.
Hearing the footsteps, Jodie turned her head. Her gaze flickered slightly as she saw the two boys trailing behind Natsume.
"Oh, wow!" Jodie clapped her hands together, her bubbly accent returning in full force. "I didn't expect your hearing to be so sharp, Natsume! I didn't hear a single peep from the hallway."
Just moments prior, while the two women had been deep in conversation, Natsume had suddenly paused and mentioned that someone was waiting outside. Jodie had assumed it was a mistake—her apartment's soundproofing was excellent. To think Natsume had actually heard two teenagers whispering through a solid door.
"It's nothing," Natsume replied smoothly, taking her seat beside Nahida. "They were just making quite a racket out there."
Conan stepped further into the room, his eyes locking onto the small Dendro Archon. "Nahida? You're here too?"
"Hello," Nahida greeted, giving them a gentle, polite nod.
Heiji leaned down, bringing his face close to Conan's ear. "Hey, Kudo," he hissed under his breath. "Who is this kid?"
Heiji remembered meeting Natsume during the Teitan High School festival, but this little girl was a complete mystery. His luck today was absolutely rotten. He had come to investigate a highly suspicious foreigner, only to run into two outsiders—one of whom was a literal toddler!
"This is Nahida," Conan whispered back, keeping his eyes forward. "She's the child of one of Sister Natsume's friends. Natsume is looking after her temporarily."
"Oh." Heiji straightened up, instantly losing interest.
"So, cool guy," Jodie chimed in, leaning forward with a bright smile. "What brings you and your friend to my door?"
Conan forced a laugh, repeating his flimsy excuse about wanting to visit and play.
"Is that so? Then make yourselves comfortable! I'll go pour you some water." Jodie stood up, smoothing her skirt as she walked toward the open kitchen. Just before stepping out of sight, she paused and threw a wink over her shoulder. "But I have to say, cool guy... I always thought you were incredibly smart, but this little girl right here? She might just give you a run for your money."
Heiji's brow twitched. "What the heck, Kudo?" he muttered, thoroughly annoyed. "What's the deal with this kid? Did she really just say she's as smart as you?"
Conan's eyes narrowed into half-moons. "Haibara said Nahida is very likely a genius..."
"A genius?" Heiji scratched the back of his head, eyeing Nahida's calm demeanor. He had never actually seen a real child genius before.
Conan turned his attention back to Natsume, noticing an absence. "Speaking of which, Sister Natsume, where is Klee? I saw her with you just a few days ago."
"Ah," Natsume smiled softly. "Kaeya had some business to attend to, so he asked me to watch over Klee for a few days. Once he finished his work, I sent her back to Kaeya—"
Crash.
The sharp, violent sound of shattering glass ripped through the quiet apartment.
Everyone in the living room whipped their heads toward the kitchen. Jodie stood frozen by the counter, staring down at the jagged remains of a glass cup scattered across the floor tiles. Water pooled around her shoes.
"Ah," Jodie blinked, her bubbly facade snapping back into place a second too late. "I'm so sorry! It just slipped right out of my hand. Don't worry, I'll clean it up in a jiffy!"
Conan and Heiji exchanged a sharp, silent glance.
Neither of them bought that excuse for a second. Jodie's reaction hadn't been a simple slip of the fingers. It was a physical jolt of pure shock.
But why? Natsume hadn't said anything threatening. She had only mentioned a name.
Kaeya.
The gears in Conan's mind spun wildly. There was only one logical conclusion: Jodie knew who Kaeya was. But she clearly hadn't known that Natsume was connected to him. Hearing that unexpected name drop so casually in her own kitchen had completely shattered her composure.
Could Jodie truly be connected to the Black Organization?
Kaeya!
Jodie knelt to pick up the broken glass, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Hearing that specific name fall from Natsume's lips had caught her completely off guard. Shuichi Akai had warned her about that name. She never expected to hear it from this enigmatic girl—a girl who was currently being watched by Vermouth.
Worse, Natsume spoke of him with casual familiarity. They were close enough that she was babysitting for him.
Did that mean Natsume was part of Kaeya's mysterious faction? Was that why Vermouth had taken such an intense interest in her? Why was Vermouth calling her a 'hard-won princess'? And what about the boy, Conan? How did he fit into Vermouth's twisted web?
Questions swirled in Jodie's mind like a tempest, but years of FBI training anchored her. She carefully swept up the glass, wiped the floor, and poured two fresh glasses of water.
When she returned to the living room, her smile was flawless. She set the glasses down in front of Heiji and Conan as if nothing had happened.
No one mentioned the shattered glass. The conversation shifted back to mundane, polite chatter, though an invisible tension now hung in the air.
After a few minutes of idle talk, Heiji leaned over, his voice barely a breath against Conan's ear. "Hey, Kudo. I think I get why Jodie said that earlier. Tell me the truth—did that Nahida kid take the same medicine as you?"
Conan shot him a deadpan glare, his eyes dropping into flat half-moons. "I already told you, she might just be a genius. And do you honestly think I didn't suspect that myself? I already had the Professor run a background check on Nahida's entry records. The fact that he found legitimate documents means her identity is clean. Stop letting your imagination run wild every time you see a smart kid!"
Heiji's mouth twitched.
Heh, this guy, Heiji thought, rolling his eyes. He tells me I'm imagining things, but he was paranoid enough to run a background check on a toddler!
With Natsume and Nahida present, Conan knew he wouldn't be able to pry any useful information out of Jodie tonight. The element of surprise was gone, and the waters were too muddy.
Glancing at the clock, Conan decided to cut their losses. He and Heiji stood up, politely announcing their departure.
Seeing that it was getting late, Natsume also rose from the sofa, taking Nahida's small hand in hers. Together, the four of them bid Jodie goodnight and stepped out into the cool evening air.
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