The conversation ended before it got too late—only seven in the evening. Outside, the rain had already eased up quite a bit.
Shimizu Koji looked at Haibara Ai, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. The clothes she was wearing technically fit—but only just.
The poor little girl had to tug at her collar now and then, pull down her sleeves, and if she stood up, she'd probably have to hike up her pants too.
This couldn't go on. Not only would it make him look heartless, but she wouldn't even be able to walk out of his house like this.
Shimizu Koji suddenly thought of his still-rather-healthy savings. He had no intention of directly returning the money from Sonoko—that counted as a favor, something to be repaid with another favor someday.
That meant he still had a fair amount of disposable cash. Even without counting the bag of gold coins, he had over 200,000 yen. That was why he could firmly say "no" in his heart.
Time to show a bit of mercy—like a benevolent old landlord from the past.
"By the way, Ai," he said, "what kind of clothes do you like? I'm heading out later, so I can buy you a couple of outfits."
Haibara Ai raised an eyebrow slightly. Being called "Ai" felt a bit strange to her, but she understood—he was only calling her that because she looked like a little girl.
Thinking back to their brief first meeting at the lab some time ago, his expression back then had been just as cold as Gin's.
She looked up at Shimizu Koji, pretended to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly reached up to touch her forehead, putting on a troubled, slightly pained expression.
"Um… Koji-niisan, I think I've remembered something."
"Hm?" Shimizu Koji sat back down on the stool, meeting her gaze. "Go on."
"I remember that before I fainted, I saw the name of this house. It was 'Kudo,' wasn't it? I feel like… maybe I knew this family before."
"Is that so?"
Shimizu Koji's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't doubt her—instead, he immediately took out his phone.
As he dialed, Haibara Ai watched him closely and suddenly asked, "Koji-niisan, do you know the owner of this house?"
Even though she'd only just turned into a child, she played the role effortlessly. At least, Shimizu Koji didn't notice anything odd.
And honestly, no normal person would overthink it—certainly not jump to anything that defied common sense.
"Yeah. He's my senior from school. He lent me this house for a while. I'll give him a call now—just wait quietly, okay?"
"Mm."
Haibara Ai nodded obediently, though her thoughts were racing.
Just as she'd expected, Shimizu Koji really did have a connection to the Kudo family. As for why he'd appeared at the lab—that might have just been a coincidence. She wasn't sure.
Still, the fact that he could contact Kudo Shinichi directly was unexpected.
Shouldn't Kudo Shinichi know better than to let news of his being alive get out so easily?
Haibara Ai frowned. That sense of "we're both fallen from grace" suddenly didn't feel quite as strong.
Humans were social creatures. Her world had been turned upside down overnight, and she desperately wanted to find someone like herself—to feel safe again.
But now… the other party didn't seem all that smart.
Three minutes later.
Shimizu Koji stared at the two disconnected calls on his phone, frowning in silence.
Haibara Ai sat quietly on the bed, sensing the awkwardness and not pressing him with questions.
"He's probably busy," Shimizu Koji said casually. He didn't think much of it.
What he didn't know was that those two calls had nearly fried Conan's brain on the other end, right in the middle of solving a case.
"I'll try calling Conan."
Turning back to see Haibara Ai blinking her wide eyes at him, Shimizu Koji thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again.
"Conan?"
"Oh—Edogawa Conan. He's Kudo Shinichi's distant cousin. They're very close. That kid's sharp, too. He was actually the one who brought me to this house in the first place."
As Shimizu Koji dialed, he didn't notice the rapid changes in Haibara Ai's expression.
Distant cousin. Very close. That kid.
As expected, the call was hung up again.
On the other end, Conan—having been interrupted three times in a row—finally snapped and turned both phones off entirely.
Seeing Shimizu Koji's slightly frustrated expression after yet another disconnected call, Haibara Ai couldn't help but let a small smile curve at the corner of her lips, though she quickly hid it.
Now that she was certain Shimizu Koji was harmless, her mood noticeably improved, and the tension she'd been holding onto slowly eased.
She swung her dangling feet lightly, her gaze shifting as she casually brushed her hair back behind her ear. Subtly, her entire demeanor changed.
"I think I remembered something else."
"Hm?"
Shimizu Koji smiled gently at the suddenly different Haibara. "Then it looks like you'll recover completely soon."
"What did you remember this time?"
"The brands and styles of clothes I like."
…Huh?
Shimizu Koji's knowledge of women's clothing stopped at vague categories like "dress" or "skirt," so he was caught completely off guard.
But soon enough, Haibara Ai began rattling off brand names and styles without hesitation, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube. She even mentioned fashion magazines and specific runway shows from certain years.
Shimizu Koji gradually fell silent.
"Oh, and there's also Prada's new fall trench coat this year. I remember they have a kids' version too—that one would be nice. I think that's about it. Shimizu-niisan, did you remember everything I said?"
"…Yeah."
Shimizu Koji hesitated.
At that moment, Haibara Ai looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, staring expectantly.
For some reason, even though she didn't say a word, Shimizu Koji could clearly read the unspoken messages.
I want it~ (cute)
You'll buy it for me, right, Shimizu-niisan? (hopeful)
You won't go back on your word, will you? (pitiful)
(Bleed your wallet dry, you guy who dared to bathe a little girl without permission!)
—
"That'll be 191,300 yen. We'll round it down—190,000 yen even."
Shimizu Koji silently laid nineteen ten-thousand-yen bills on the counter.
After the receipt was issued, he picked up the shopping bags and left the store amid the clerk's polite send-off.
The trench coat was the most expensive at 110,000 yen. The inner shirt and a pair of regular pants came to a bit over 80,000 yen total.
For children's clothing, if it hadn't been during a sale, it might've been even more expensive than the adult versions.
Shimizu Koji had heard of luxury brands before, but even so, he hadn't expected prices like this.
But… he was already there.
Besides, before they left, Haibara Ai had promised—or maybe pleaded—in that innocent yet serious childlike voice of hers…
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
She claimed she always wore clothes like these at home, and that once her family was found, they would definitely pay Shimizu Koji back.
Add in those big, watery eyes, plus a bit of compensation for a young girl's pride, and Shimizu Koji had simply paid without further thought.
As for Haibara Ai lying to him? Impossible.
A first-grader probably didn't even know how to write the word "lie." More importantly, she clearly knew these brands inside and out.
And besides, he wasn't short on money at the moment.
Those gold coins had ultimately been bought by Conan—no, by Kudo Shinichi. In a few days, Conan would bring him the check.
All told, it came to a full 1.8 million yen. For someone with very little desire to spend money, that almost felt like a waste of resources.
Shimizu Koji:I really let my guard down… but if you're out in the world long enough, you always end up paying your dues!