Conan's Corpse Picker

Double Chapter

Jiangxia listened to Dr. Agasa's voice and grew a little worried that the next line out of the professor's mouth would be something like, "I want to come back early and play with the kids!"

…Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

Dr. Agasa just regretfully counted on his fingers and said,

"The conference has another couple of days left. After that, I'm planning to visit an old friend in Kyushu, so I probably won't be back until next week... The kids are in your hands for now—oh, right! I actually called to ask if you're free this weekend?"

"I am," Jiangxia replied without hesitation.

Better to agree now and adjust later. As of now, his weekend schedule was clear. If a case popped up or the organization had something, he could reshuffle things as needed.

Dr. Agasa twirled his mustache, sounding pleased. Truthfully, he just wanted Jiangxia to take the kids out this weekend.

He was glad to see Jiangxia getting along with the energetic bunch. It was good for everyone. And besides, the kids probably had more in common with Jiangxia than with an old man like himself:

"Here's the thing—I ran into an old classmate at the conference. We got to talking about the kids, and he mentioned that his brother's movie series is wrapping up. They're currently filming the final installment.

He invited me to visit the set, so I thought, why not send you and the children instead? It's a rare opportunity—limited and probably won't happen again."

Movie series, filming visit, out-of-print…

These words swirled in Jiangxia's head and swiftly triggered memories from the depths of his spoiler database.

He asked cautiously, "The movie series you're talking about…"

"It's Gomera! The kids' favorite!"

Agasa's voice practically came with a "Ding ding ding—" sound effect.

"I've already talked to Director Mikami. I'll send you the address and the scheduled time later. You can take the kids to the set—it'll be way more memorable than a rewatchable movie. And more fun too. Even you won't be bored."

Jiangxia absolutely wouldn't be bored.

Because if his memory served him right… a murder was scheduled to occur there.

He agreed cheerfully. "Alright."

With that, the call quickly wrapped up.

Jiangxia stared at the still-lit phone screen, thinking that Dr. Agasa really was a five-star neighbor for a spiritualist… Though honestly, Kudo-kun wasn't too bad either.

Meanwhile, Conan had been shamelessly eavesdropping with his ears pricked up.

Then Jiangxia suddenly turned to look at him.

Conan blinked, realizing Jiangxia seemed noticeably more cheerful than when he'd dropped off the kids earlier.

"What did the professor say?" he asked curiously.

"We're taking the kids to the Gomera filming set this weekend." Jiangxia casually patted Conan's head, smoothing down a lingering wisp of murderous aura that Vermouth had accidentally left behind. "Let them know at school tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay." Conan nodded—then paused.

Wait… Jiangxia's into Gomera?

For a high schooler? Interesting…

Conan reflexively felt sleepy just thinking about Gomera. He'd memorized every plot point in childhood. And now, tragically re-miniaturized, he was stuck rewatching it with the Detective Boys every few months.

But now that he thought about it… Jiangxia's parents had always been busy when he was a child. Probably never took him to a movie.

He'd mostly grown up with a nanny. And even then, only for a while.

Yeah… the nanny probably didn't think to take him to Gomera.

And after that, Jiangxia didn't even have a nanny.

Conan's thoughts clicked together with the efficiency of a skilled expert assembling IKEA furniture.

He'd always wondered why Jiangxia was so eager to help Agasa with the kids. But maybe it wasn't just being helpful.

Maybe Jiangxia liked Gomera, but was too embarrassed to go alone—this was his excuse.

Also, Jiangxia often hung out with the Detective Boys and seemed to genuinely enjoy it. Maybe he saw fragments of his lost childhood in them?

The more Conan thought about it, the more it all made sense.

Suddenly, some of Jiangxia's slightly abrupt actions now seemed… understandable. Conan felt satisfied, like he'd just solved a cryptic crossword.

Fueled by the warmth of his own overanalysis, the ever-sincere Kudo-kun decided: he should help Jiangxia get more opportunities to spend time with the Detective Boys.

The kids had just misunderstood him a bit. With more interaction, they'd realize Jiangxia was actually a great guy. Soon, they'd be playing with him willingly. It would be a virtuous cycle of bonding and personal growth.

…

With that noble mission in mind—

The next day, when Conan went to school, he didn't immediately tell the kids about the "Gomera set visit with Jiangxia."

Instead, he just said, "Hey, we don't need to go watch that movie with Jiangxia tonight."

The children, overjoyed, exchanged high-fives.

Then, Conan struck while the moment was soft and unaware. "Want to hang out this weekend instead?"

The time he suggested, of course, was the exact same one Jiangxia had already arranged for the filming visit.

After all, weekends were flexible. People could easily bail if they felt like it. Jiangxia really seemed to want to go see the filming with them… and this was the safest way to guarantee they'd actually show up.

…Anyway, it didn't count as tricking them. Jiangxia wasn't some terrifying violent cadre; he'd even saved these kids a few times.

He was just a little too decisive when dealing with criminals, which gave the kids the wrong idea.

This outing might help clear the air.

The three true children of the Detective Boys were, of course, blissfully unaware of any of these adult mental gymnastics.

But Haibara Ai, lazily flipping through her elementary school reading textbook, turned to look at Conan.

And instantly noticed that he had a familiar, sneaky glint in his eye.

Haibara narrowed her gaze and asked in a dry whisper, "What are you plotting now?"

Conan hesitated for half a beat, then quietly explained the whole plan to her while the three kids giggled in the background.

Haibara blinked. Then, with a rare smirk, replied, "You actually came up with a decent idea for once."

Feeling validated, Conan's guilt evaporated.

See? Nothing devious about it—this was just adult social finesse.

…

By the weekend, the three innocent, unsuspecting children arrived early at the park, waiting for Conan. They were ready for the promised playdate.

A little past the agreed time, Conan appeared at the park entrance.

Ayumi, sharp-eyed as always, immediately jumped off the bench and cleared her throat, ready to scold him for being late—

Only to suddenly freeze.

Two more figures were walking up behind Conan.

One was their quiet but familiar classmate, Haibara Ai.

And the other was…

"Brother Jiangxia?!"

The three children froze at the same time.

A second later, just as Jiangxia was casually looking around the park, they grabbed Conan by the shoulder, yanked him aside, and began whisper-shouting with righteous fury:

"Didn't you say we didn't have to watch a movie with Brother Jiangxia?! Why did you bring him here?!"

Conan laughed awkwardly. "Well..."

"What are you talking about?" came Jiangxia's calm voice from right behind them. His shadow, stretched long by the morning sun, fell over them like a curtain of doom.

The three children stiffened. Slowly, robotically, they released Conan and turned their heads toward Jiangxia.

A heavy silence settled over the group.

After a long pause, Mitsuhiko was the first to recover. "We were just saying... the weather's great today! Perfect for a movie, haha… ha..."

Jiangxia nodded lightly. "We're not watching a movie today."

"..."

The kids blinked. "Wait—really?!"

"Really."

"Then you'll just—"

"We're visiting a movie set today," Jiangxia cut them off mid-goodbye, his tone gentle yet immovable. "The Gomera series. Your favorite."

"..."

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta stared at each other.

Visiting the filming of a Gomera movie…

That meant they could see a real-life, building-sized Gomera up close?!

They wanted to go.

But… they didn't want to go with Brother Jiangxia.

Because going with Brother Jiangxia meant behaving. It meant no chaotic running, no ninja stunts, no slapping vending machines for free snacks. All the fun stuff would be shut down immediately.

However…

They glanced up at Jiangxia, who was watching them with his usual serene expression. Then their eyes drifted to his usual baton-pocket, and a sense of powerlessness washed over them.

Beika City was small. If they refused now, what if they bumped into him at a murder scene someday… and he "accidentally" mistook them for culprits mid-baton swing?

"Wow! A Gomera set visit?! What a surprise!"

Their will to live kicked in hard, and the three kids put on matching cheerful expressions.

After thinking it over, they realized… this was a rare chance to see Gomera in action. Since resistance was futile, they might as well enjoy it.

…

Half an hour later, the group arrived at their destination: an old building that looked nothing like a monster-sized filming ground.

It was more than five stories tall, the exterior slightly worn from years of weathering. At the top, a large round logo of "Dabao" clung to the wall—this was the studio behind Gomera: Dabao Film City.

The three children stared up at the weathered facade, faces identical in confusion.

Gomera lives here?

In this cramped little building?

Wouldn't it break all its bones squeezing through the doors? Wait… are Brother Jiangxia's friends ABUSING Gomera?!

This… this is birds of a feather flocking together! Their pupils trembled.

Haibara Ai followed behind, watching them with mild confusion.

She assumed the kids were just starstruck otaku, amazed to be standing in Gomera's birthplace. She offered a gentle nudge: "Let's go in. You won't see anything standing around outside."

"...!"

Ai-chan's been corrupted by the terrifying adults too?! The kids silently screamed.

She used to be one of them. Now she wanted to visit the poor, imprisoned Gomera?!

With heavy hearts, the three small, helpless children trudged toward the entrance, quietly debating whether they could risk a baton blow to stage a rescue operation.

Jiangxia noticed their strange behavior, but didn't think much of it.

Kids are just like Conan—always overthinking everything. As long as they're willing to come inside and see the set, that's good enough.

…

Pushing open the studio doors revealed… a very normal lobby.

No oversized lizard curled into a corner. No bones or monster shackles in sight.

The three kids looked around, deflated and confused, and silently followed Jiangxia to the stairwell, climbing all the way up.

Eventually, they reached the top floor.

Jiangxia checked his phone to confirm the floor number against the address Agasa had sent. Yep, this was it.

He reached for the doorknob.

But before he could push it open, Haibara Ai suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed it down firmly—as if behind that door lay something far more terrifying than Gomera.

Jiangxia paused, startled. He looked down at her in surprise.

At the same moment, he noticed that the ghosts around him, previously sluggish under the morning sun, had perked up. They all leaned forward toward the door, eyes gleaming. The greedier ones had even started subtly wiping their mouths.

...Organization members?

Jiangxia's expression didn't change, but his thoughts sharpened.

The aura beyond that door wasn't just ominous—it was hungry.

And judging by Ai's reaction, it was definitely someone from the organization. Probably someone dangerous.

He glanced at Ai again, then at the ghosts. Is Haibara too strong… or are the ghosts just this weak? He patted Ai's head sympathetically.

Then, pretending not to notice anything, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Ai quickly scanned the room. The three kids stood nearby, oblivious. Conan was looking twitchy as always.

She couldn't explain the situation outright.

After all, in Conan's understanding, Jiangxia didn't know about the organization. If she said something now, Jiangxia might be forced to reveal his identity. That would be… messy.

So she went pale and clutched her stomach.

"I shouldn't have eaten that bowl of ice cream this morning… I'm going to grab some hot tea from the convenience store downstairs."

And with that, she bolted.

Two floors down, away from the oppressive aura, Ai finally relaxed a little.

Then she frowned.

Why would a member of the organization be here, of all places?

Could this somehow be related to Jiangxia?

…No. That didn't add up. This outing was Agasa's idea. Jiangxia hadn't picked the location—it was the professor who'd made all the arrangements. In fact, Agasa had called her too, asking her to keep an eye on Jiangxia and the kids during the outing.

So from Jiangxia's reaction just now, this seemed like a complete coincidence.

There was no way he had lured her here on purpose.

He simply doesn't need to go that far. She shook her head.

While walking down the block, Ai took out her phone and typed a short email to Jiangxia:

[I sensed them just now. I'm heading out first. Be careful.]

She couldn't risk staying.

If her identity as Sherry were exposed… it would be catastrophic for everyone involved.

*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.

Progress: 30/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS

Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.

Progress:3/10*