i am just a student? in Conan world

Fujino felt that Hattori Heiji was a bit born in the wrong era. 

If this were the internet age, with his skills, he could've made a name for himself on sites like the top web forums. 

"You really didn't find anything?" 

Hattori Heiji couldn't help but glance at Fujino. 

He still had faith in Fujino's abilities. 

"Well, it's not exactly nothing," Fujino said, shifting his gaze to Hattori. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Let's just say the info we got isn't exactly useful. Like, completely useless." 

"Not a single clue?" 

Hattori blinked, surprised. "A kidnapping in broad daylight? There's gotta be something. Like, the suspect's appearance, some defining trait. There should be eyewitnesses, right?" 

He frowned slightly. "Unless… the guy covered his face and wore baggy clothes or something?" 

"Nah, it's not that," Fujino replied, leaning on the railing and rubbing his chin. "He didn't bother with any disguise. Eyewitnesses saw his face… and he's Black." 

"Black?" 

Hattori paused, not quite following. "Like, an African foreigner or something?" 

"Not necessarily," Fujino shook his head. "We don't know if he's foreign. Just that his skin is dark—really dark, to the point where you can't even make out his features. Add in all-black clothes and operating at night, and the eyewitnesses' descriptions are pretty much useless. All they could say was 'black.'" 

"Couldn't even see his face?" 

Hattori looked stunned. "Just how dark are we talking?" 

"Hmm, hard to say. For example…" Fujino turned, sizing up Hattori with a serious look. "Darker than you." 

Hattori: "…" 

Why's he dragging me into this?! 

"Even darker than Nii-san?!" 

Conan, standing nearby, perked up with curiosity, muttering, "Just how dark is that…?" 

Hattori: "…" 

You too, Conan?! 

What's wrong with being dark?! It's not like he chose it! 

Hattori let out a long, resigned sigh, calming himself. 

Thinking about it, using him as an example was pretty vivid. Darker than him… to the point of being unrecognizable. No wonder they couldn't gather any leads. 

Back when he got up at night, his family mistook him for a ghost and freaked out. 

"Could it be the guy who answered Nii-san's phone was that person?" Conan suddenly piped up, deep in thought. 

"Yeah, probably," Hattori nodded, then frowned. "Did the kidnapper mention any demands? It's a kidnapping, so they've gotta want something, right?" 

"Nothing so far," Fujino said. "After the kidnapping, the guy just vanished. No contact with the police, no conditions, nothing." 

"How's that possible?" 

Hattori looked puzzled, then hesitated. "If it was that guy who answered my phone, and it's been this long with no demands… Saori Monkyo might already be in serious trouble… Damn it, if I'd noticed sooner…" 

Conan nodded, his expression grim, clenching his fists. 

"Not necessarily dead," Fujino interjected. "The police haven't found Monkyo Saori's body yet, so we can't confirm she's gone…" 

Monkyo Saori was indeed still alive—Fujino, being the kidnapper, knew that better than anyone. 

He hadn't killed her. Just broke her leg and left her on the roof of an abandoned building. 

Whether she'd survive… that he couldn't say. 

But with his methods, she wouldn't die from her injuries. Starvation or being found? That was out of his hands. 

"I think Fujino-senpai's right," Ran said, nodding after listening to the conversation. "Maybe Monkyo-san is still alive." 

Conan and Hattori, unaware that Fujino was the "dark guy," innocently thought he was just trying to comfort them. 

Deep down, they thought: Fujino can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he's actually a good guy. 

"But if Monkyo Saori's not on this island anymore, why are we even here?" 

Mouri Kogoro lit another cigarette, glancing at the island in the distance. 

To him, Monkyo Saori was just a stranger, not his client. He didn't care much either way. He was only here to keep an eye on Hattori. 

"We have to!" 

Hattori perked up, determined. "Even if Monkyo Saori was kidnapped off the island, she said she was going to be killed by a mermaid before that. She must've had a premonition. Plus, even if she's gone, I need to return the commission fee to her family." 

"Yeah, Nii-san's right," Conan agreed. "If we investigate on the island, we might figure out why she was kidnapped." 

"Exactly," Fujino nodded, looking at the island. "We might just uncover why Monkyo Saori was taken." 

The ferry docked at noon. 

Since no one had slept well the previous night, they decided to head to a hotel to rest before planning their next move. 

Hitoe Island was small, so the lodging options were limited. The group checked into a quaint, aging wooden inn. 

"Mr. Hattori Heiji?" 

The inn's receptionist, an elderly woman in a kimono who looked to be in her sixties, handed over keys to three rooms after Hattori gave his name. 

The plan was for Mouri and Conan to share a room, Ran and Kazuha to share another, and Hattori to have his own. 

But Hattori hadn't expected Fujino to tag along. He grinned awkwardly. "Guess you're bunking with me tonight, huh?" 

"Uh…" 

Fujino shot Hattori a look of pure disdain. 

Hattori: "…" 

What's with that face?! 

Fujino promptly booked a separate room, refusing to "spend the night" with Hattori. 

That afternoon, in the inn's room, Hattori sat on the bed, turning to Conan, who'd just walked in. "What's your take on this case?" 

"If Monkyo Saori's letter really said she'd be killed by a mermaid, we might find some clues on the island," Conan said, sitting on a chair, deep in thought. "Anything else weird about that letter?" 

"There was something," Hattori said, frowning. "The letter was addressed to you, Kudo Shinichi, but sent to my house. I was pissed, thinking about tearing it up. My place isn't your personal mailbox! But I figured I should tell you anyway. Too bad you didn't take it seriously." 

"A mermaid out of nowhere? Who'd believe that?" Conan groaned. "If someone randomly said, 'Let's go find a mermaid,' would you buy it?" 

"Fujino would," Hattori said, dead serious. "Didn't Monkyo Saori ask him to find a mermaid before, and he agreed?" 

"Uh…" 

Conan faltered. 

"Anyway, we'll figure it out soon," Hattori said, changing the subject. "By the way, when my mom was testing you guys earlier, why didn't you call her out? Don't tell me you didn't notice?" 

"There wasn't a chance," Conan said, straightening up. "I noticed something off about her and caught her lie, but there wasn't time to act." 

Hattori raised an eyebrow, thinking of Conan's usual tactics. "Couldn't you just… you know, shoot Mouri-san with a tranquilizer like you always do?" 

"With Fujino right there? No way I could pull that off," Conan sighed, shaking his head. "And even if I had the chance, there was no point. If she's lying, she's hiding something. Forcing her to spill when she hasn't broken any laws? That's just cruel. No need to rip open someone's wounds unless it's necessary." 

"Huh?" 

Hattori studied Conan, squinting. "Hey, you sure you're not possessed or something?" 

Conan's face fell. "What?" 

"Just doesn't sound like you," Hattori mused. "That sounds like something Fujino would say. You've been hanging out with him too much, haven't you? You're starting to turn into him! I'm warning you, if you become Fujino, we're done." 

"Hey!" Conan snapped. "What's that supposed to mean? I turn into Fujino, and you ditch me?" 

"Well…" Hattori hesitated. "Fujino's got this sneaky vibe, but he's got a solid personality. Kinda charming in his own way. If you turned into him, though? It'd be… bad." 

"Uh… you're not wrong about him," Conan admitted, raising an eyebrow. "But why would I be bad?" 

"Yo, Heiji! You two ready?" Kazuha's voice called from outside the door. 

"Got it!" Hattori replied, turning to Conan. "Let's drop this and figure out what Monkyo Saori meant by 'being killed by a mermaid' first." 

The group left the inn and headed straight to the village office to ask about Monkyo Saori. But with a local festival in full swing, the staff only pointed them to the gift shop where she worked before rushing off. 

Inside the gift shop, Ran and Kazuha stood by a shelf, eyeing the merchandise. "Mermaid talismans, mermaid belts, dugong manjuu…" Ran said, curious. "This island's really into mermaids." 

"Hey, Heiji," Kazuha turned to Hattori. "What's a dugong, anyway?" 

"Some creature that looks kinda human, I guess," Hattori said, thinking. "Back in the day, in southern Nihon, they said dugongs could be used to make immortality potions. Since they looked human-like in the sea, people called them mermaids." 

"Hey, oba-san!" 

Conan, spotting the woman at the counter, piped up. "Do you know someone named Monkyo Saori?" 

"Saori?" 

The woman, a middle-aged shop manager in a purple sweater and apron, frowned at them. "What do you want with her?" 

"A few days ago, we got a commission letter from Monkyo Saori," Hattori stepped forward. "We checked with the village assistant, and they said she worked here. We just want to know more." 

"Saori hired detectives?" 

The manager eyed the group skeptically, noting their casual, family-like vibe. She'd been running the shop herself since Saori's kidnapping, as Saori was their main clerk. Detectives were trustworthy in this world, but she hesitated, especially since she'd heard Saori was taken by a "dark-skinned" person, and the island wasn't too fond of "dark-skinned" folks lately. 

"We're detectives from Tokyo, investigating Monkyo Saori's kidnapping," Fujino said, pulling out his ID. "I'm Fujino, criminal consultant for the Keishicho." 

"Criminal consultant?" 

The manager inspected his ID, then looked at Fujino's clean-cut appearance, relaxing a bit. "Saori did work here… but about four days ago, after she left, she was kidnapped…" 

Hattori, glancing at Fujino's ID, narrowed his eyes. 

Why does flashing a fancy title work when saying 'detective' doesn't? Criminal consultant? Since when? 

Sure, he'd heard Fujino got cozy with the Keishicho, but he didn't realize it came with perks. 

Maybe he'd ask his dad for a title like that someday. 

Snapping back, Hattori turned to the manager. "Did Monkyo-san act strange before she disappeared? Like, anything about mermaids?"