the door.
It was Kazuha and her father. She also looked very sad. Heiji, who was wearing a black shirt, greeted them in a low, sad tone. The two sat down on the third lowest step of the stairs. Both were silent the whole time until it was time to leave.
Heiji and Kazuha got up and walked side by side to the car. When everyone got in, the vehicle started moving. During the entire journey not a word was exchanged. The oppressive mood was clearly noticeable. Heiji fell various events such as B. Include the birthdays of his father's colleagues where he was taken to celebrations with Kazuha when he was still a child.Midori and Yumi were also often present at the three different occasions. He had often played with them in the past. He had only seen Shouta once as a baby ...


After the funeral, they drove home.
Like the outward journey, the return journey was also quiet.
Heiji reviewed the past few days. He remembered the carefree days of her childhood. How often had they played together? Heiji didn't know. He hadn't had much to do with them lately, but it had been different before. It felt weird knowing they were dead. He would never again meet them at parties and talk to them, let alone argue and argue with them.
He remembered yesterday. He remembered the little body of a child being carried into the car and his father's face ...
Conan's words forced their way back into his consciousness and suppressed the thoughts that had been there before.
Heiji felt miserable. Sadly, he leaned his head against the window.

Kazuha was no different. She too had taken this position.
Heiji glanced over at her and studied her.
Kazuha had long since wiped away her tears. But it was clear to see that she had been crying. Sadness and horror were reflected in her gaze. Heiji could only imagine too well how she must feel. He would have liked to comfort her. However, he was unable to do so. He actually needs someone himself to comfort him. But Heiji couldn't confide in anyone. He had finally promised Kudo. The fate of the three victims made him painfully aware of his own helplessness and the dangerous situation in which they all found themselves.


The car stopped at the front door.
Everyone got out.
Heiji was the last. At first he hadn't noticed that he was already home. Only at the request of his mother did he follow the others inside.
While the adults sat down in the living room, Heiji slowly moved towards the stairs. He briefly considered going to his room, but he had the feeling that he couldn't go a meter further. So he sat down on the third step, dejected. He put his arms on his legs. He rested his head on top and his feet rested on the first step.

Kazuha, who was also in the living room at first, entered the hallway after a short time when she noticed that Heiji was not coming. The high school girl saw him sitting on the stairs. Timidly she approached and sat down next to him.
He showed no reaction, just stared at some distant point. Kazuha looked at him sideways. He looked more than unhappy on her.
The high school student hesitated for a moment, then made a courageous attempt to address him: "Heiji?"
He ignored her.
She said his name again. A little more energetic this time.
A quiet, surprised: "Yes?" was the answer.
Kazuha's haunting voice had seemingly ripped him out of his trance. "Heiji. What has'u?"
He looked at her and tried to sound as convincing as possible: "Nothing."But without success. Kazuha didn't believe him: "But something has'u. You've been so weird all the time."
The detective was silent and looked at the floor.

"Heiji. Please tell me.", Kazuha asked him sadly.
"I'm sorry, Kazuha, but you can't do that."
“Why not?” She sounded very hurt.
"Because ... because ..." he began: "Because I can't!"
"And why can't you?", Now she sounded angry, which hurt Heiji.
"I'm sorry: But that's exclusively my business and none of your business!", Heiji yelled at her and disappeared upstairs.
Kazuha, who had also got up, heard the door of his room slam shut with a loud rumble: "Well then! I just wanted to help you!", She had just screamed after him when her father looked at her questioningly.
Angry, Kazuha left the house.
Mr. Tōyama said goodbye and also left.

"Maybe he's in a good mood at the moment ...", Heiji's father annoyed.
His son had thrown himself angrily on his bed and hit his innocent pillow with all his might. Heiji was so maddened beyond words.

Since he didn't seem to be doing well the next day, his mother decided to get him out of school today. He had locked himself in his room. Around noon, however, his hunger drove him down.
His mother gave him a bowl without a word, which he took with a weary smile. With that he sat down at the table with his father, who was having lunch.

Shortly afterwards Shizuka joined in: "Heiji?"
"Yes?"
"We respect that you don't want to talk to us about it, but if you do, we are always there for you, yes?"
The high school student nodded gratefully at his mother.
Shortly afterwards his father rose. He was just about to turn to leave when Heiji said, "Can I come with you?" Heizo looked at his wife, who answered him with a calm nod.
"All right. Come on then." With these words, Heiji's father left the house. His son followed him.
Together they drove to the praesidium to Tōyama and Otaki.
Where the two of them were already walking towards them in the corridor. They carried all the files related to this case with them.
"The boy's autopsy report has also arrived," the inspector explained.
The four investigators sat down together in the chief inspector's office and
studied all the reports.

"Heiji", his father addressed him seriously after a while.
This one looked up from his report.
"Now I want you to go home and stay there!" He heard his father's decisive request.
"But ...", the student detective wanted to contradict, but his father immediately smacked his mouth: "No! Don't argue! You go home straight away and stay there!"
Angry, Shinichi's friend got up, pulled on his jacket, which he had placed over his chair, and paused at the door. He heard his father talking to Otaki: "Bring him home to me!"

On the way home, Otaki tried to calm Heiji, who angrily leaned his head on his hand. The elbow was on the edge of the window inlet of the passenger seat: "Your father only means well.He just doesn't want anything to happen to you. You know how he is. ", he tried. The detective didn’t give back more than one evil look.
When the inspector dropped him off at home, he spoke briefly to his mother. Meanwhile, Heiji rudely took off his jacket and shoes and disappeared upstairs.

In the evening the phone suddenly rang. Heiji had jumped up to answer the question. But his mother had been faster.
"Hello, Mr. Tōyama.", She greeted Kazuha's father. Heiji was about to go back upstairs when he suddenly turned halfway through the words: "No. I'm sorry. Kazuha is not here ...".
As fast as he could he grabbed the receiver from his mother's hand and yelled at Kazuha's father on the other end of the line: "You don't know where Kazuha is?"
"No. That's why I'm calling. I want to put her under police protection. But I just got a call that she couldn't be found."
"I'm going to look for her!"
Tōyama wanted to reply, but the young detective had already hung up.
In a hurry, he laced up his shoes and ran out of the house. His mother ran to the door and called him a worried: "Heiji!" to.
"Don't worry about me," he shouted, turning again in her direction, and ran on.

As fast as he could, he stormed Kazuha's home. There was no one there. He desperately tried to reach her on his cell phone, but he only got hold of her answering machine. He said hastily: "Kazuha? If you hear that, then contact me immediately! Understood ?!"
The detective then rushed to all possible places he could think of, where she could be, rang her friends' doorbells.
The whole time he kept trying to reach her. But it was always the same. She didn't answer.
Kazuha? Where are you? Shinichi's friend was desperate.
Desperate like never before in his life.
Where in the world can it be? it kept going through his head.
The more time he spent looking for her, the worse the terrible, unbearable fear for her grew.
Heiji had to pause, panting. He dropped onto a sidewalk, completely out of breath.
Where can she be? Oh please, let her be fine.
The detective of Western Japan forced himself to calm down and tried to think.
Ran! it suddenly occurred to him.
As fast as his fingers could type, he selected the keys. The short time he had to do until he was finally taken off seemed to go by infinitely slowly for him
Bloody hell! Now finally take it off! Please!

Then finally ... after endless waiting Conan answered ... finally: "Good evening. Detective agency Mori?"
Now there was no stopping Heiji: "Is Kazuha with you?" He literally gushed out of him.
Hattori prayed inwardly for a miracle.
"Heiji?"
"Yes! Please tell me that Kazuha is with you.", The detective from Osaka shouted in the ear of the one from Tokyo.
"No. It isn't. Why?", Conan didn't understand the excitement.
"Is Ran there?" Hattori wanted to know pleadingly.
"No. She is with a friend.""Do you know which one?"
"No."
"Why don't you know?", Hattori was beside himself.
"Sorry, but Ran is a free person. What do I have to do with who she's dating?" Conan replied dryly.
"Then just give me your number!"
“Wait a moment.” Conan gave him her number.
"Thanks!"
"But what do you actually have?"
With a hasty: "I'll explain that to you later!" Heiji hung up.
To his horror, Ran didn't answer either. He folded his arms over his head. He was finished. He didn't know what to do anymore. He just felt like crying.

Suddenly the detective startled. His cell phone rang. He answered quickly. Heiji was already being shouted