"Sonoko ... you can't ask me that," put in Ran. Suddenly she turned a little redder in the face and looked at her friend.
"Now tell me, did you fall in love with the man?", Sonoko pestered her friend. She was curious, very curious, and wanted to know everything about Ran. It should be accurate, very accurate, and she wouldn't let the girl fob her off just like that.
"I'm not in love with him, I just think about the man from time to time," said Ran and looked at Sonoko. How could she make it clear to her that she was not in love with the stranger?
"Are you sure? I don't think so," the girl interjected.
"I'm sure. I only love one and that is ...", she became even redder at the thought and hadn't said it. She couldn't pronounce it.
"Your little detective friend, you know when I mean ...", Sonoko grinned up to both cheeks. "Shinichi, he's your great love."
"Sonoko", Ran called. It was all too uncomfortable for her and she didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"What is it? I'm just telling the truth," interjected Sonoko.
"I don't even know if I have a chance with Shinichi. He hasn't been there in so long, maybe he doesn't like me anymore," she sighed.
"Oh, why shouldn't he like you? He's sure to be crazy about you, just like you are crazy about him," said Sonoko.
"And if not? He hardly answers any more," said Ran sadly.
"That doesn't have to mean anything, he just has a lot to do. But now back to the subject. What about the stranger you keep thinking about?" She wanted to know.
"I'm not in love with him. It's just ... oh Sonoko, it's hard to talk about. I have the feeling that I'm somehow connected to him, but I don't know what it all means," she said long haired.
"Sometimes you are really a bad case," put in Sonoko and looked at her."You shouldn't worry too much about who he is. Maybe you will never see him again. It was all a coincidence," she said.
"Do you really think so?" Asked Ran. She still believed in coincidences, but mostly there were just too many.
Maybe it was no longer a coincidence, maybe everything should be like that.
"Of course," nodded Sonoko and looked at her. "And now don't worry too much, go home and call Shinichi," the girl grinned. "And then you tell him what you think of everything."
"But Sonoko, I can't do that," said Ran softly. She didn't dare to do something like that at all, and certainly not if she wanted to tell Shinichi what she felt for him and how she felt at the moment.
"No buts, you do that now and don't argue," the girl threw in with a grin and pushed Ran in the direction of the detective agency. "And tomorrow I want to know everything exactly. Do you understand me?"
"Yes", Ran called after her. "I'll tell you everything then." Now she had gotten herself into something. She had to call Shinichi and start talking.

Shuichi Akai grumbled a little annoyed. He was a handsome man, 29 years old, relatively athletic, tall and grumbling when something didn't go according to his plan. His green eyes were piercing, almost completely poison green, which was particularly noticeable to his classics. If he had any, they weren't there long because he made sure that they received their correct punishment. The FBI agent, who was trying to get it right and was the trump card against the organization, had also had a bad habit. This came about because he worked in the organization for some time. His partner had been a gin, and the long time the two spent together made him used to smoking. Still, it hadn't had any disadvantages for him. He was still a fast runner and he wasn't running out of breath as quickly as you'd think.But Shuichi was not like normal people, he was different.
He always wore his black knitted hat on his head, his trademark, which he never put away. For many it was just inconceivable that he would wear them himself in summer and still not sweat under them.
He had not been to Japan for a long time, the whole time his work was limited to the states, then Japan again, and then the states followed again for two years. He had only recently been flown here, but still made sure that his beloved car, his black Chevrolet, is also transported to Japan. Without his car he couldn’t carry out an observation and somehow he needed a wheelchair if he had to change location.

But today had been a day as always, he was in the cemetery, visiting his girlfriend's grave because it was her birthday, and otherwise, not much else had been going on. Shuichi wasn't a man who liked to be quiet, he needed something to do and when he didn't have it, he didn't feel well either. And he couldn't and didn't want to spend the whole day at her grave, it would only make him sad and worry that, if something happened today, he was no longer up to speed to do his job. Thoughtfully, he continued on his way. It had been peaceful and calm, which he didn't like. It would be better if the going gets tough. And the weather, this too, was going crazy. The day before it was still raining and today it was sunny again.
With a cigarette in his mouth he kept walking down the street, quite normally, as he did every day when he was on his way to observation. There was a small transmitter attached to his ear, an earpiece, the cord of which led to the inside of his jacket pocket. To ordinary people it looked like he had a small mini radio in place to keep up with everything, but it was actually his direct connection to the FBI and his manager who would contact him in difficult situations .A small sigh escaped his throat as he continued on his way and heard nothing exciting. He would have loved to go back or visit the organization, but then James would reprimand him again for going it alone. Even if he didn't care, he knew that his boss could see that the assignment was withdrawn from him and one thing was certain, he didn't want that. He had already done so much and risked so much that he couldn't let go of the last few meters.
He hardly paid any attention to the people passing by, normally he had been very attentive, but not this time, this time his instinct told him not to worry.

Ran wasn't in such a good mood either. She was sorry, she kept waiting for Shinichi and he didn't get in touch with her. She didn't know what to do next and to make matters worse, Sonoko encouraged her to call him. Ran wasn't sure if she shouldn't.
Lost in thought, she looked at the street. Everything had been completely normal, people were thronging the streets, trying to move forward quickly. But then, when she looked to the right, she saw him. Again the man with the black knitted hat. She immediately remembered what Sonoko said it was just a coincidence and it wasn't going to happen again, but now she met him.
The girl stopped, she was rooted, at least you could think so. Who is he? the girl wondered, and she couldn't find an answer to this question. Her mind raced and she couldn't help but stare at him.

Shuichi walked on without a word, he also noticed Ran and especially her gaze, which remained on him. He stopped in front of her for a moment and looked her over. As she had been then, she was rigid with fear. "Whenever I see you, you're stiff. Is it me or have you always been like that?" He almost breathed.His voice was piercing and deep, it matched, to be honest, the color of his eyes. Then he passed her again without a word, just as he had back then. Then he just left.
"Wait," Ran called after him. She turned back to him. His gaze had literally pierced her earlier and she just couldn't comment on it. After a few minutes of silence, she ran after him. "Who are you?" She hoped so much for an answer, a right one, so that she could better understand who he was.
Conan had told her at the time that he might have worked for the FBI, but he wasn't wearing a jacket like that and he didn't look like an agent even if he had a gun with him. Ran had been unsure and she didn't want to say anything wrong or think.
Shuichi stopped and looked at Ran. Should he really tell her who he was? But why? He saw no reason for it and she no longer seemed to know how the two knew each other from. "Get out of here," he said finally. A sentence that he said at the time, just in a different form. She wasn't alone then and he wanted her to disappear from the alley in any case. He hadn't made it. The girl wanted to stay and he withdrew, together with his men.
His two words didn't ignore Ran, they settled inside her and she looked at Akai. "The FBI ... in New York. You work for her, right?" She wanted to know. She hoped so much that he would answer her, but the way he gave himself to her, she didn't believe it.
"You really are a smart girl," Shu said ironically. It had taken her a long time to realize this, but now she had it. Now Shuichi looked down at her and wondered what she would do with this information.
Ran swallowed and backed away. His look, he literally pierced her and frightened her, but she didn't want to back down again.She didn't want to show fear. "I ...", she didn't know what to say and just managed to sigh.
"You don't seem pleased to see me here again," he said. He remembered what he was saying to her. She was a foolish woman and that only because she was crying. Shuichi's voice had been monotonous and without any feeling. Then he pulled the cigarette filter out of his mouth and kicked it out on the floor. He wanted to light a second one, but after smoking he was neither addicted nor needed. Smoking was just a habit and he didn't need it often. Once in a few hours nobody could blame him for that, even if his blonde and lively partner was always upset about it. But whenever she said something, he smoked even more. He quickly realized that the girl was petrified and didn't know what to say or do. He recognized such behavior patterns quickly and they made sure that he knew what kind of person it was. The girl, she was someone who could be afraid, but maybe also, should it ever come to the