Now that the whole situation had been sorted out, it was clear that Haibara Ai's irresponsible parents couldn't escape the blame.
Shimizu Koji had no doubt at all that her pretending to be sick that morning was probably because her parents treated her poorly and she didn't want to go home.
And at the time, she hadn't yet remembered that she was actually trying to seek refuge with Professor Agasa.
Yes. The chain of clues was clear. That had to be it.
"Ahaha… Koji, that's a bit harsh. Actually, Ai's parents, uh—"
Professor Agasa knew he should push back a little at this point, but he simply couldn't make the story work.
Turning his head, he noticed that after hearing Shimizu Koji's words, Haibara Ai had lowered her head and fallen silent. It was obvious that what Koji had said had affected her.
Shimizu Koji noticed her unusual reaction as well. Although it might've been inappropriate, he felt his words had probably hit close to home.
"Alright, I won't say any more. Then you can stay here with Professor Agasa. As for the clothes you were wearing before—"
"Burn them. And my parents treated me very well."
Shimizu Koji hadn't expected that response. He took the first half as emotional venting; as for the second half, it was clearly not very convincing.
Her face was downcast, so low that her eyes were almost hidden. She looked every bit like a pitiful little girl.
"Looks like your memories have recovered. In that case, staying here with the professor is perfect."
"What I said earlier might've been wrong. Don't think too much about it."
Now that he believed she was Professor Agasa's relative, Shimizu Koji naturally treated Haibara Ai as "one of his own."
Even his tone softened as he took her feelings into account—something rare for him.
In Shimizu Koji's eyes, her family situation seemed unfortunate. She was, by all appearances, a classic problem child.
But the moment he softened his stance, the girl sitting opposite him suddenly had two clear streams of tears fall down her cheeks.
Shimizu Koji froze, completely caught off guard. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Professor Agasa panicked and kept signaling frantically with his eyes.
Left with no choice, Shimizu Koji swallowed whatever comfort he'd planned to offer and stood up from the sofa.
"Uh… Ai, sorry. I didn't mean to speak badly about your parents."
"I'll go buy you some daily necessities and clothes. Calm down for now."
Under Professor Agasa's sweaty, desperate hints, Shimizu Koji finally left.
Professor Agasa felt a little helpless, but he knew this wasn't really Shimizu Koji's fault.
After all, if Haibara Ai really were just a normal child and their story had been true, Koji's words wouldn't have been wrong—if anything, they'd been restrained.
The problem was that Haibara Ai wasn't an ordinary little girl at all. In fact, the truth was likely the exact opposite.
—
What Professor Agasa didn't expect was that the moment Shimizu Koji left, just as he was worrying about how to communicate with this girl who claimed she'd been shrunk like Shinichi—
Haibara Ai lifted her head the instant she heard the door close.
She casually wiped away the tear marks with one hand, and in the blink of an eye, she was calm again—almost commanding.
"Uh… (⊙o⊙)…"
"Don't worry. I'm fine. I just wanted that guy to leave as soon as possible."
Haibara Ai's expression was flat. Whether that was true or not, only she knew.
After saying that, she instinctively hopped off the sofa.
Once on her feet, she paused briefly, then walked around the house as if nothing had happened, surveying her surroundings.
Professor Agasa hesitated again and again, but intimidated by the powerful presence she'd briefly shown, he could only follow silently behind her.
"That Kudo Shinichi—no, Edogawa Conan—he's an elementary school student now, right?"
"Uh… Ai—no, Miss Haibara. Could you tell me who you are first?"
Walking ahead, Haibara Ai opened the door to Professor Agasa's kitchenette, glanced inside, frowned slightly, and replied without turning back:
"You've probably already guessed. I'm a former member of the organization that shrank Kudo Shinichi."
"And I was the one who developed that drug."
"What?!"
"But I'm a former member. Right now, I'm one of their targets."
Professor Agasa let out a long breath.
"I'll call Shinichi over right now."
"Wait. There's no need yet."
Stopped in his tracks, Professor Agasa turned back, confused.
Haibara Ai had already moved near his workbench. As she casually examined it, she explained quietly:
"I'll tell him myself when the time is right."
Professor Agasa nodded. "I understand. So… you escaped from that organization?"
"Yes. That's right."
Having stood up earlier to hide her emotions, Haibara Ai had naturally taken the opportunity to look around the house.
There were a few shortcomings, but overall, she found it acceptable.
After completing a full circuit, she returned to the sofa. Once seated, she looked at the professor seriously.
"I can cooperate with you."
"You'll need to discuss that with Shinichi," Professor Agasa said, shaking his head instead of agreeing outright.
That response was within Haibara Ai's expectations. She didn't push the issue, instead shifting to another question.
"At present, are you the only one who knows Kudo Shinichi's true identity?"
"No. His parents know as well."
The answer itself seemed reasonable. But remembering how Shimizu Koji had contacted Kudo Shinichi so casually, something still felt off.
"What is the relationship between Shimizu Koji and Kudo Shinichi?"
"Uh… Koji doesn't know any of this. As for his relationship with Shinichi… I guess you could say they're friends."
"I see."
Haibara murmured to herself, momentarily lost in thought. After a short pause, she stood up from the sofa again.
Facing Professor Agasa properly, she clasped her hands in front of her and bowed slightly.
"I'll be troubling you for a while."
"Huh? Ah—no problem, no problem at all."
Professor Agasa hadn't expected such a formal gesture from the normally cool little girl. His impression of her instantly improved.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask for your help with. Given my current situation, I can't stay shut inside the house forever. I'd like you to help me transfer schools."
"Transfer schools?"
Professor Agasa froze for a moment—then immediately thought of Conan and understood.
"Yes. I'll be counting on you for that as well."
"Haha, no problem. Leave it to me."
Scratching his head, Professor Agasa laughed. Facing such a serious Ai, he oddly felt at a loss—but still agreed without hesitation.
He didn't yet fully understand the details of her defection, but seeing that she was still just a child made it hard for him to maintain strong suspicion.
Besides, she had once been part of that organization. If she truly meant them harm, none of this would have been necessary.