Chapter Text
"The culprit is you!"
Conan's lips twitched. Leave it to Kogoro to suspect someone who was on the opposite side of the room from the body.
"Ah?" the brown-haired man that Kogoro was pointing to stuttered in response as he pointed at himself in disbelief. "Me? I'm not-wah!"
In his hurry to stand up, the man tripped on what could only be air, falling flat on his face in a grand display. A dull thud echoed in the room.
The stranger clearly couldn't coordinate for the life of him, Conan lamented in his head. To start, the man had been targeted by Kogoro just now because he'd accidentally shattered his plate on the ground and disturbed the detectives' investigation.
The ever-so-unreliable detective had then determined that to be his attempt to destroy evidence.
Conan himself had been suspicious at the start, but seeing this display now, it was clearly just the man's lack of athletic ability. Still, something about the man was nagging at his brain.
"…anyways, it's not me," the man said, slightly embarrassed, as he stood up and brushed off the dust on his suit, seemingly having put the whole incident behind.
'So that's what it is.'
Conan's glasses caught the light as he smiled.
"Wow!" the shrunken detective began as he ran over and tugged on the corner of the man's sleeve, "Your suit looks so handsome, big brother!"
The man blinked before he smiled and bent down to meet at Conan's eye level, "Well, thank you for the compliment, little brother, it's a gift from a friend."
A gentle person, one who should be used to dealing with children.
Conan made a quick judgment.
Still, the doubts have to be answered. "But why is big brother dressing up so nicely to eat alone?" Conan asked with a bright, clueless smile as he prepared to slip away should the man try to take him hostage.
Conan's words caught the attention of Inspector Megure, who frowned as he turned to the waiter, "Did anyone leave the room since the victim arrived?"
The waiter froze, his eyes shifting frantically as he stammered, "W-well..." Eventually his gaze landed on the brown-haired man, "Sawada-san, I.…" he called out weakly.
The brown-haired man, Sawada, shook his head at the waiter, "It's fine, follow the police's order, I'll explain the situation to Kyoya."
As if he'd received the greatest pardon possible, the waiter deeply bowed before scurrying off, "Yes! I'll go get the chairman now!"
'Chairman?'
Conan noted down the term of address used by the waiter.
"What happened?" A lazy voice asked from behind, accompanied by the sound of wooden geta clapping against the floor.
Conan noted briefly the way Sawada's shoulders slumped in relaxation before his view was blocked by the back of a black yukata.
Instinctive fear ran down his spine as the shrunken detective stiffened.
Was it someone from that organization?
"You are…the boss of this restaurant?" Inspector Megure coughed as he tried to smooth over the heavy atmosphere the new arrival had brought with him.
The man, Kyoya, as Sawada had called him, didn't respond to the inspector's question. Instead, he turned to scan the other occupants of the room.
Conan felt as if the fleeting glance that had lingered on him lasted an eternity.
"Sir," Inspector Megure tried again, "Please cooperate with the police investigation."
"No need," Kyoya said as he strode over to Sawada's side, "It's the man in green."
Stunned silence passed through the room before the man in question exploded, "Hey! What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?! How could I possibly kill Chi-"
A glance into Kyoya's piercing grey eyes caused the words to suffocate in the man in green's throat.
Conan swallowed. The underlying power conveyed through the man's actions was no joke. He was definitely not a simple figure.
Why was a man like that here? Was he from the organization? Why-
"Breath, Edogawa-san."
A warm hand landed on his shoulder. Conan looked up to meet Sawada's worried gaze.
"…big brother," Conan called out as he finally sorted out the jumble of thoughts in his mind.
"It's okay, Edogawa-san, Kyoya just looks scary. He…he actually has a soft spot for children and small animals," Sawada said with an awkward smile.
Conan's eye twitched.
What kind of child-coaxing empty speech was this?
'Just act along for now.'
"Oh, wow! I see!"
Conan nodded his head crazily, his eyes dull.
"Exactly!" Sawada's expression brightened, almost to the point of tearing up as he spoke, "You really get it, Edogawa-san! You have no idea how much people usually call me insane for saying that Kyoya just looks cold on the outside!"
'You are insane!'
"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Kyoya called out as he tucked his hands into the sleeves of his yukata.
The Decimo coughed and looked at the ground.
"Cold on the outside, soft spot for children and small animals?" Kyoya's voice was cold with a sneer laced within.
Tsuna slowly backed away, "Wait, listen, Kyoya, I was just trying to help you out! It's not good for us to be invited to the police station for making children cry, right?"
A glimmer of silver flashed by as Tsuna ducked down, his intuition screaming at him to run.
"I'll bite you to death!"
"Wai-wait! Kyoya! Ow!"