Chapter Nine: Girlfriend

Ran's POV

Winds are kissing my skin as I walked through the dead streets of the town. It was too early in the morning to walk but I didn't care. My head is still remembering all what Shinichi said to me in the past three weeks.

I made the most right decision in my life. I broke up my engagement with Araide-sensei. I put him behind bars for making me suffer on his hands. He will be rotten in jail forever. The only problem was to take Shinichi back again.

I stopped and looked up to see the huge mansion of Shinichi's family. I smiled sadly.

The light is blinding my sight. The glass windows are glistening as the trees waved hello to me as it danced with the wind. It is so quiet.

I looked at the gate. I'm surprised that it was open. The wind is pushing it back and forth ever so slightly.

I walked towards it and was about to close the door when I felt a presence behind me. I moved around and kick back without any hesitation but I was stilled when I felt the hand of that someone stopped my force kick with one hand.

My eyes widened as I saw that someone looking at me while holding a box in one hand. I hurriedly put my feet back on the ground.

I felt my cheeks reddened in so much embarrassment. I looked down. "I'm sorry!" I bowed down, feeling too much embarrassment to not know that it was him

I heard a chuckle. "No need to apologize, Ran. You just have fast reflexes and good antenna if someone's near you," he said. I looked up and was amazed to see him smiling brightly at me. "Good morning, Ran."

"G-Good morning," I greeted back.

"Why are you here anyway? Taking a walk?" he said as he passed the gate and put the box in one place. He looked at me while putting one of his hand to his waist.

I nodded. "I just took a fresh air to breathe, I guess," I said.

"Guess?" He chuckled. "It's not a guess. You'd probably taking a fresh air to breath because of what I said to you last time."

"H-How did you know?"

He winked. "Can't call me detective for nothing," he said boastfully.

I shook my head while holding a smile on my lips. I, then looked at him seriously. "Why did you act up like you didn't know me back then?"

"I really don't know you," he said as he stopped opening the box and galnced at me. "You're a complete stranger to me."

I felt something sting on my chest when I heard that from him. It really hurts that I became a stranger to him.

"But I know you're my childhood friend." He smiled. "I don't know why but there's something in you that made me feel something weird."

My eyes widened as my mouth wide in awe. "S-Something weird? F-Feel?"

He laughed. "Yeah. I feel something weird," he sang. He continued on opening the box and look at the things in there, rummaging all of the random in there. "Anyways, I need to work. Our house is still not completed. There are a lots of boxes coming here and there from the America that needs to organize inside." He looked at me. "Would you like to come inside?"

I smiled. That was the first time he invited me with no memory of me in his head. "Sure," I agreed.

I followed him inside the house. My eyes walked through the whole place. It became more modern than usual and it is clean too.

"Sit," Shinichi ordered as we stopped in front of the living room. "I'm just going to my room to put this box there." I nodded.

Shinichi left me in the living room alone. I was engulfed with pure silence until I heard someone opened the main door. I looked to see who is it when I heard the unpleasant noise from the distance.

"Oh my gosh! Ran-chan! You're here!" The woman with the red dress and hair suddenly hugged me so tight.

"Y-Yukiko-san.... Can't breathe..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said and pulled off. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahm... I just--"

"Auntie!" someone called. I and Yukiko-san looked and saw a beautiful lady walking towards our direction from the main door.

Her blonde hair flows with the wind as her eyes are shining bright like dirty diamonds. She hugged Yukiko-san, not noticing my presence at all.

"Where's Jimmy?" she asked. She's from America. Her accent was different.

"Hmm... Maybe upstairs?" Yukiko-san answered. "Oh!" She suddenly pulled me by her side. "I would like you to meet Mouri Ran, Shinichi's childhood friend."

I caught a glance of the sudden slit of her eyes before smiling sweetly at me. "Oh, hello," she said in an English accent and lend her hand on me. "I'm Hayley Ford, Jimmy's boyfriend."

I frowned. I understand what she said. Jimmy is the English name for Shinichi. I hold her hand and shake it. "Mouri Ran," I introudced. "Rachel Moore in English."

"Oh! You seem good in English," she exclaimed as she keeps her smile on her lips. It is quite irritating because she is more like grinning than smiling genuinely.

I smiled back with the same input as hers. "Nice to meet you." I tightened my grip on her hand, making her face twitched in pain. "I'm an educated international lawyer if you don't know me."

She pulled her hand away from my grasp. Oh, that's bad. I wanna actually crashed her hand's bones.

Her, being Shinichi's girlfriend, was actually frustrates me. It's making my blood boiled. He is the one I love! And that made me curious even more more.

What did really happened to you in America before, Shinichi?

"Oh, really? I didn't hear an international lawyer named Rachel Moore. Maybe I'm late to the news. I'll call my parents for update later." She suddenly looked to the side and her eyes went shining. I followed the direction where her head turned. She is looking at Shinichi whose descending to the stairs. "Jimmy!" she called joyfully and waved her hand in the air.

I rolled my eyes. She ran to him and suddenly wrapped her arms around Shinichi's neck. I saw a glimpse of disgust in Shinichi's eyes when she kissed him on the cheeks. He dragged his face away when Hayley tried to kiss him on the lips.

I shook my head and a smile formed in my lips. "You seemed happy on what you are seeing, Ran-chan," I heard Yukiko-san said. She stopped walking next to me. "Sorry for the trouble. I know you're curious why Shinichi got a girlfriend from America."

"It's fine, Yukiko-san."

She shook her head. "Ran-chan, I want to tell you this because you waited for so long for Shin-chan." She sighed. "He can't remember you because he had an accident in America with a gunshot involved."

"What?!"

She sighed heavily. "He got a gunshot in his head. We are the witness. We are in our car that time to do his check up for his upcoming therapies because the chemical in his body became abnormal due to a car accident. He can't also walk that time so we need to drive ti the hospital via public transportation. Suddenlt, there's a gunshot and I'm jsut shocked to see his head bleeding. We immediately went ti the hospital as fast as we can and told his doctor the condition his in. He undergo operation and the bullet removed from his head quickly. Luckily, he survived the operation but fragments of his memory loss due to the head shot."

I sighed. "That's why he can't remember me."

"But look, I think he still remember you, not in his brain though. Here." She pointed down to my chest. "What the brain forgets is what the heart remembers."

I smiled. "You're right, Yukiko-san." I looked at Hayley and Shinichi. They're bickering to each other now. Someone will say they are really like a couple but I know there's reasons behind their so much bickering to each other. "His heart still remembered me. He still remembered me." I looked back at her and smiled. "Yukiko-san, can I ask a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you tell Shinichi to meet me in Tropical Land tonight? Tell him it's urgent."

She frowned. Confusion filled her eyes. "Why?" She stared at me for seconds and her eyes slowly opened wide before a teasing smile crept on her lips. "Oh~ I see what you're trying to do. You want hin to make all his memories back?"

I nodded. "I guess I will take the Shounen Tantei too. I'll bring the news to them," I said.

"Oh. Inform them. I'm sure they'll be glad to cooperate once they know Shin-chan's situation." She looked at me softly. "Thank you, Ran-chan. I really appreciate your effort in trying."

I smiled. "No need to thank me, Yukiko-san. I'm doing my job as the childhood friend of Shinichi."

"And also his love," she teased as she wiggled her eyebrows.

I chuckled. "Yes, and also his love." I looked at my wristwatch. "I think I should get going now. Tell Shinichi, alright?"

"Sure!"

I waved at her. "Bye." I looked at Shinichi and smiled when I saw hin frowned, confusion on his eyes. "Get going now," I mouthed at him before turning my back at him and left to the main door.

I walked miles away from the Kudo Family's house before calling someone to make some important job for me.

"Moshi moshi?" the person on the other line greeted as soon as it picked up.

"Hattori-kun, I have something for you," I said.

Yes. The one and only Detective of the West, Hattori Heiji-kun.

"What is it?" He knows already what I am talking about.

"It is about Shinichi," I answered. "I want you to investigate what happened to him in America. I also wanted you to investigate his girlfriend, Hayley Ford."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" I heard a girl's voice screamed in the other line. "A girlfriend?! Kudo-kun has a girlfriend?"

I sighed. "Yes. He has one from America," I answered. "But don't worry, Kazuha-chan, my heart is not aching."

"But still, how?!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up, Kazuha!" I heard Hattori-kun said. "Why do I need to investigate Kudo's girlfriend?"

"There's off with her when I met her. I could feel it."

"A lawyer's gut really has no lies. You're really good at feeling weird things, Ran-kun," he said.

I smiled. "Thanks. I really need your cooperation."

"I'll do the investigation, Ran-kun, but promise me one thing."

He seemed serious. "What is it?" I asked.

"Bring Kudo's memories back to him. Let him feel what he really feels. Let him remember you, Ran-kun. Let him remember all the thing he had forgotten including us."

"Ran-chan, I'm worried but I'm trusting you," Kazuha-chan said. "Please, bring his memories back."

I smiled. Even my friends are supporting me. "I will," I said. "I'm getting him back. I'll not going to let him walk to this world without his memories back. In a matter of time, I will make sure to bring back his memories."

"Okay. Me and Heiji will put our trust on you," she said.

"I'll end the call now, Ran-kun. Have a good day and make sure that your plan will succeed. Bye," Hattori-kun said before ending the call.

I stared at my phone and smiled as I remembered all what Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun. I gripped my phone tightly.

I'll take you back, Shinichi. I'll make you remember every single bit of our memories together. Every single memories, Shinichi. Every single memories.