Chapter 279: Little Black, You’ve Shown Your Claws, Haven’t You?

The next morning was a Sunday, a scorching summer day. 

Sunlight streamed through the window, quietly raising the room's temperature.

Fujino woke up early, sitting on the edge of his bed, feeling the heat around him with a deadpan stare. 

He could've sworn it was winter not too long ago. 

In the blink of an eye, it was summer again… 

In a way, that was the charm of *Conan* logic. 

A week could feel like a whole year.

After getting up, Fujino stretched lazily, checked his email for any job requests—none today—then took a shower, made breakfast, and got ready to drive to Teitan High. 

Today was the last day of the school festival, and Class 2-B was putting on a performance. 

Sure, he'd seen it a million times during rehearsals—enough to make him sick of it—but since it was his class, starring and written by his two good friends, he had to show up and support them. 

Plus, if he remembered right, there'd be a murder case at this festival. 

Yep, another chance to pocket a cool one or two million yen.

"Fujino, my man!" 

Just as Fujino pulled his car out of the underground garage, Mouri Kogoro stepped out too. His mustache looked freshly trimmed, his suit neatly pressed, and he waved at Fujino with enthusiasm. 

Next to him was the pint-sized Grim Reaper, decked out in his usual getup, complete with a mask—though he seemed a tad taller than usual. 

"Mouri, my brother." 

Fujino glanced at the road, pulled up beside them, and greeted them before turning to Conan with a curious look. "Hey, little Conan, when'd you get out of the hospital?" 

"This kid got discharged yesterday," Mouri Kogoro said, shooting Conan a mildly annoyed glance. "Honestly, he's still not fully recovered. I wasn't gonna bring him—told him to rest at home—but he threw a fit about seeing Ran's performance…" 

"Well, he's just a kid, after all." 

Fujino chuckled, shifting his gaze to Conan. 

The little Grim Reaper didn't look much different from usual. 

But with Fujino's sharp senses, he spotted something off right away. 

Take the smell, for instance. 

Normally, Conan reeked of death—a walking corpse vibe. 

But today? He smelled oddly… nice. 

And he was a smidge taller too. 

Putting two and two together, Fujino's memory kicked in, and he figured it out. 

*The Conan in front of him? Definitely Haibara Ai in disguise!* 

Meanwhile, Haibara Ai could feel Fujino sizing her up. 

That piercing stare made her squirm. 

Snapping out of it, she coughed lightly, mimicking Conan's tone with a raspy voice. "Hey… throat's sore. Don't really wanna talk." 

Fujino, of course, saw through it but played along, inviting them both to ride with him to Teitan High's festival. 

Haibara let out a quiet breath of relief. 

Her biggest worry with this disguise was Fujino—he knew her too well. 

But if *he* didn't call her out, then surely no one else would either… 

*Certified by Human Radar Ai.*

On the way to Teitan High, Fujino couldn't shake a weird feeling. 

He *knew* this "Conan" was Haibara Ai. 

But being stared at by that familiar face… 

It gave him the creeps.

---

It was the final day of the school festival. 

Being a weekend, Teitan High's event was livelier than ever. 

A stage was set up on the school field. 

A young guy who looked suspiciously like Tatsuya Kimura was rocking out up there—hard. 

Fujino could tell he'd been practicing for at least two and a half years. 

Rock music blasted through the air as groups of young guys and girls wandered around. 

The hot summer breeze carried a youthful, hormonal energy. 

Fujino parked in the lot and walked with the big-and-small duo to the gym where the performance was happening. 

"Fujino-kun! Uncle Mouri!" 

Just as they were about to enter, a cute, fluent Osaka accent cut through the crowd noise. 

Fujino turned and saw Toyama Kazuha jogging over—ponytail bouncing, orange off-shoulder top, khaki shorts. 

"Miss Toyama…" 

Fujino relaxed a bit seeing her. 

That adorable Kansai accent—someone unfamiliar might think a rich lady had flown in from Kyoto by helicopter. 

The Kansai dialect was wild, super distinctive. 

To Fujino, it was like the Northeast accent back in China—sometimes contagious. 

But for someone whose subconscious native tongue wasn't Japanese, it just came off as charming. 

"Hm?" 

Mouri Kogoro turned around, scanning the area. Not seeing the usual shadow trailing her, he asked, "Hey, where's that charcoal kid who's always glued to you?" 

"Eh? You mean Heiji?" 

Kazuha paused, her tone turning a little sulky. "He didn't come… Said he had stuff to deal with, that he'd just cause trouble if he showed up." 

"He's a detective, after all. Always tied up with something." 

Fujino didn't dwell on it. 

He quickly pieced together why Hattori wasn't there. 

*Probably masquerading as Kudo Shinichi, right?* 

"Yeah… fair point." 

Mouri glanced at himself, then at Fujino. 

Somehow, it felt like that comment implied detectives should always be swamped with cases.

---

The group entered the gym. 

It was packed—standing room only, with a line just to get in. 

Luckily, Fujino was a student—and a well-known one at Teitan High. 

A quick flash of his face got them in smooth. 

No AC in the gym, though. In this blazing heat, it was stifling. 

Add the crowd, and it was a sauna… 

"Why are there *so* many people?!" 

Ran, in a tracksuit jacket, peeked out from backstage through a gap in the red curtain. The sea of faces below threw her into a mild panic. "Our performance is up next…" 

"Of course there are!" 

Sonoko popped her head out beside her. "We hyped this play up big time—said it's a romantic masterpiece that outdoes *Romeo and Juliet*!" 

Thanks to the Suzuki heiress's expert PR, the play had been billed as a timeless classic rivalling *Romeo and Juliet*. 

With Ran as the lead, the hype was through the roof. 

"Fujino, my man." 

Passing by backstage, Mouri Kogoro leaned in close and whispered, "Who's that gorgeous lady over there?" 

"Huh? Gorgeous lady?" 

Fujino blinked, following Mouri's gaze to a figure in black. 

*…Wait, you don't mean Hiratsuka Shizuka, do you?* 

*The Iron Fist Saintess?* 

"She's our class's literature teacher and advisor, Hiratsuka Shizuka," Fujino explained after a beat. 

"Oh, a teacher!" 

Mouri chuckled awkwardly. "She's so young, though. A beauty like that…" 

Before he could finish, a loud, fiery shout cut him off. 

"All right, people! Get your heads in the game!" 

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood front and center, radiating energy. "The school festival performance is a precious part of your youth! That's right, us young folks…" 

Mouri Kogoro: "…" 

Fujino: "…" 

Yep, same old her. 

But in a way, compared to Uncle Mouri, she *was* pretty young. 

Probably a decade younger than him. 

Still in her twenties, at least. 

Maybe. 

*Latest novels at 69 Book Bar!* 

Fujino couldn't exactly pin down her real age. 

"Ran!" 

Kazuha spotted Ran first and darted over. 

"Hey, Kazuha, you made it!" 

The two besties exchanged greetings. 

After a brief pause, Fujino and the others caught up. 

Ran's eyes settled on Conan. She crouched down, her gentle gaze tinged with something complex. "Conan, you came too… How's the cold? Feeling better?" 

"Uh…" 

Haibara, through the voice changer, gave a short grunt. 

"Ran, can you come here for a sec?" 

Shinde Tomoaki stepped over with the script in hand. "There's a little issue with the last line we need to tweak." 

"Sure!" 

Ran grabbed her script and started running lines with him. 

"That's the male lead this time?" 

Kazuha tilted her head toward Shinde Tomoaki. "He's got a real manly vibe." 

"Right?" 

Sonoko nodded enthusiastically. "They're a perfect match." 

Unlike their playful teasing, Haibara Ai froze on the spot. 

Her heart started pounding uncontrollably. 

A deep, instinctual fear surged up, her back already soaked in cold sweat. 

She looked up at Shinde Tomoaki, her limbs stiffening. 

There was something familiar about him. 

That terrifying aura—she'd never forget it… 

*The Organization!* 

"Well, in that case, we'll head to the audience seats and wait." 

Fujino thought for a moment, then waved to Ran and Sonoko. "You guys keep rehearsing—we won't bug you anymore…" 

"Don't get too nervous later!" 

Uncle Mouri threw in some encouragement for Ran. 

The group headed to the audience section and grabbed some random seats. 

Once seated, Haibara felt a bit better. 

But that earlier sensation still left her rattled. 

*Who was that? Who am I? Who's he, really?* 

A swarm of questions buzzed in her head. 

She couldn't wrap her mind around why she'd sensed the Organization on that guy. 

Instinctively, she reached for Fujino—then stopped herself. 

She was posing as Edogawa Conan right now. 

Reaching out would be… kinda gross. 

Fujino glanced at the flustered Radar Ai. 

He'd clocked her reaction, of course. 

Looked like Radar Ai had pinged something… 

The current Shinde Tomoaki was Belmod in disguise, hijacking his body. 

Haibara picking up the Organization vibe off her wasn't surprising. 

With that in mind, Fujino reached out and gently touched her forehead. "Conan, you running a fever?" 

Haibara flinched as his hand landed, caught off guard. 

Coming to, she rasped in Conan's voice, "No…" 

"Good to know." 

Fujino nodded. "If anything feels off, just say so." 

"Mm…" 

Haibara nodded back, relief washing over her, easing most of her fear. 

*Buzz!* 

A low hum sounded as the gym lights dimmed—the play was starting. 

"Your Highness! I've been waiting forever!" 

Mouri Kogoro leapt up from his seat, shouting. Noticing the weird looks around him, he scratched his head and laughed. "Oh, uh, the princess up there's my daughter…" 

Kazuha buried her face in her hands, blushing like a shy little girl. 

Then, halfway through the play, when Ran's princess had her carriage ambushed by bandits about to kidnap her, Kazuha jumped up again, hollering in her Kansai accent, "Ran! Use your karate and take those jerks out!" 

Fujino: "…" 

*Why do I feel so out of place?* 

*Should I yell something too?* 

He shook his head, sighing softly. 

Should've known better than to sit next to these two social tornadoes… 

Just then, black feathers fluttered down onto the stage. 

A spotlight snapped on, and a dark figure dropped from above, saving the princess from danger. 

Right as the scene hit its peak— 

A guy in a cap, black shirt, and jeans plopped down next to Haibara. 

Already on edge, Haibara jolted and looked up at the newcomer. 

That expression, that face… 

He kinda looked like Kudo Shinichi. 

"Hm?" 

Fujino noticed the little shadow too. "Hattori Heiji?" 

"Huh?" 

Hattori Heiji froze, turning to Fujino with his thick Kansai accent. "Whoa, buddy, you got the wrong guy…" 

"…" 

Fujino stared, unimpressed. *Dude, your disguise game is trash. Still rocking that Osaka twang…* 

Leaning in, he whispered, "You missed a spot on your hand—it's not whitened." 

"No way!" 

Hattori lost his cool, checking his hand. Then, still in Kansai mode, "I whitened my hands, man!" 

"Guess I saw it wrong then." 

Fujino played dumb, a sly grin creeping up. "So, little black, you've shown your claws, huh? Still gonna deny you're Hattori Heiji?" 

Hattori Heiji: "???" 

*What the— You set me up!* 

"Didn't Kazuha just say you had stuff to deal with?" Fujino pressed, smirking darkly. "So why'd you dress up as Kudo Shinichi to show up here…?" 

"Uh, well…" 

Hattori blanked. 

He'd been so confident in his disguise—no one was supposed to figure it out. 

He hadn't prepped any excuses for getting caught. 

*Oh crap, I'm toast!*

*(Chapter End)*