Chapter Text
Chapter 01 – Friday, June
“I’d bring my school uniform. I thought I’d suddenly turn up at school and surprise everyone!” Conan beamed, showing Haibara his uniform.
“That’s foolish,” she stated, while putting her cup back on it’s saucer, “After doing that, what will you do if people get wind of it?”
Conan had been fighting a cold for a few days, which provided the perfect opportunity to take the antidote and finally meet Ran again. He’d been longing to see her; they hadn't had a moment together in what felt like an eternity. Although it had only been a year since he got drugged by that imprisoned in a child’s body, it felt much longer. With all the events constantly evolving around him and all the cases he had solved, it seemed more like five years in total.
“Alright, let’s get to it now!”, Conan urged Haibara without answering her question. She was used to his behaviour and let it slide. Conan was hot-headed—both literally and figuratively—and she had already agreed in a weak moment to give him the pill once he caught a cold. There was no point in starting this discussion again.
“First – a temperature check”, she insisted nevertheless, handing over a thermometer. Perhaps science would help her out, and Conan’s condition wouldn’t meet the antidote’s requirements.
“38.7 degree Celsius”, she read aloud from the thermometer, Conan had given back to her, “That’s markedly high…”
“I just ran all the way here!”, explained Conan. He was hyped, she could tell. He would find an excuse for all the doubts she’d have.
“Are you sure this is alright?”, Haibara asked with deep concern, but knowing already, he wouldn’t step back. He never did. “With such high fever, I mean.”
“There is no need to worry! Come on!”, he urged further, smiling.
She could tell he desperately wanted to see Ran. They had been close since kindergarten and were now in a relationship. Shinichi was obsessed with Ran, but in a way far different from the male's obsession Haibara had known. While a part of her wanted to dismiss Shinichi’s request, another part had grown stronger in the last few months. Wasn't it her fault that these two lovers were separated in the first place, thanks to her APTX? Did she really want to ruin his life even more than she already had?
“The antidote’s effect, like the previous one, should last approximately 24 hours. That said, it’s designed for a quick reaction. So you’ll change immediately upon ingesting it. Same for the re-transformation, so you better track your time. Take the first pill in 20 minutes, that’ll be 3:00pm.”
At first, Haibara’s voice remained calm as she discussed the scientific background necessary for both his and her safety. Yet, she couldn't shake off the unsettling sensation brewing in her stomach, gradually rising to her throat and constricting it.
She found solace in science; it provided a shield behind which one could hide amidst the complexities of data. Science, though not simplistic, was inherently honest. It operated on rationality and dependency. One could rely on data, without getting caught up in emotions. However, these feelings she was confronted with in relation to Shinichi were peculiar, defying easy explanation and control. Despite her attempts to suppress them, there were moments when they surfaced, frustrating her further, as they were despite her better judgement.
“Further I have conditions… three conditions”, she continued.
“Con-conditions… again?”, echoed Conan.
“Yes. First, don’t take the next dose immediately when the medicine wears off”, she stated while lifting her index finger, “You have to wait eight hours.”
She could already imagine them: holding hands, laughing, perhaps even kissing…
“Second”, she continued, raising a second finger, “Come up with a plan, so people around you won’t notice when you turn into a child.”
Judging by his expression, he was imagining the same… envisioning what Ran would wear and perhaps not wear. It was something he would never imagine on her, especially considering Haibara's current childlike appearance, she realised with bitterness. But she knew the struggle herself. Yet, it was Conan's mind and his wit she adored. However, Ran wouldn't be with Conan; she would be with Shinichi.
“Don’t draw attention to yourself when you’re Kudo Shinichi”, she added while lowering her hand, remembering his dramatic appearances of the past, his tendency to exaggerate and even show off – oh, he is his mother’s child!
“And…”, she started, but hesitated, “… tell her…”
"Tell her what?" questioned Conan, still counting the number of conditions. There had been three already, hadn't there?
Haibara averted her gaze from his face, looking downwards to conceal her expressions. Her shoulders sagged under the weight of the emotion tightening her throat.
“You should tell her… the truth.”
Conan’s eyes widened, he gasped. “Wha-what you mean?”
Just for a second, she hadn’t controlled her feelings, had let her guard down, and immediately regretted it. She shouldn’t have said it. There it was, the anger—strong and raging – followed by her frustration. But more importantly: Why was he acting as if he didn’t know what she was talking about!?
“Just forget it!”, she snapped.