Chapter Text
The first file: New world, new life
Sub-file one: Awakening
He woke up in the middle of nowhere. Sitting on a bus stop, with a duffel bag next to him on the bench. Before him, a young man was crouched down, inspecting his face. The man had narrow but kind-looking green eyes and long pale hair falling down his back and just barely held together by a loose hairband. The streetlights caught onto the hair, making the exact shade unclear. He had a black cap on his head and was wearing a black windbreaker with dark jeans. From the partially open zipper of the jacket, a jade-green shirt could be seen. Some sort of black car was parked behind him at the bus stop.
“Awake now?” The man – no, he was more like a teenager – asked.
“Where…?” The question was abruptly stopped. This wasn’t his voice. This wasn’t his language. This environment was not familiar.
“Outskirts of Tokyo, near highway to Chiba.” The teen replied. “I got a message from your kaasan to pick you up here.”
“…” This was confusing. Tokyo? In Japan? On the other side of the globe? And mother had done what? How and why? With what resources? She was just a teacher!
“Who are you?”
“Kurosawa Yamato… Well, hopefully soon I’ll be shedding that name. I prefer Ishikawa myself.”
Ishikawa… Yamato… that name was familiar. And now that he took a chance to scrutinize the teen before him more, he could recognize him. Ishikawa Yamato was a creation of his sister’s. An original character that she had created for fic writing purposes when she was at her most intensive phase of fangirling about Detective Conan. Yamato was the younger brother of Gin, one of the main antagonists. He was originally part of the ‘Black Organization’ and introduced two of his friends, Midorikawa Shuugo and Tsubiyama Renkon, to it as well. But then those friends died and Yamato escaped. Or something like that. This version of Yamato looked too young to have escaped yet. Still had long hair to mimic his brother.
“Why did mama call you?” He asked instead of many other questions that burned on his tongue but had no way of asking without exposing his own lack of knowledge.
“Tsubasa-san said you and Hisui-chan need to be raised separately.” Yamato frowned. “I’m not sure of the reasoning but I owe her. I’ve already done some arrangements and all that was left, was to collect you from the drop-off point: here.”
Hisui… a word that meant jade. So could it be that she would be Jade then?
“What about papa?”
“I’ve never met him. But apparently Midorikawa-san is not involved in raising you.”
“Midorikawa…”
“Ah, did she drug you or something?” Yamato took a hold of his chin and turned his head to different directions, inspecting his pupils and possible clamminess of skin. “You certainly seem disoriented.”
No shit, Sherlock. Apparently, he was not only dropped in Tokyo but into the skin of some little kid. His feet definitely didn’t reach the ground while sitting on the bench.
“Your father’s name is Midorikawa Daiki. Your parents were not married so it was just an arrangement to get an heir for the Kagemiya family.” Yamato explained then.
“Ah… Alright.”
“Come on. Let’s get going. I don’t want you to get sick while sitting in this chill, Shuugo-kun.”
Shuugo… Midorikawa Shuugo again… Or would it be Kagemiya Shuugo? The boy slid down from the bench while Yamato picked the duffel bag. The young man led the boy towards the black car Shuugo had noted earlier. A Toyota RAV4. Once the both of them were inside and the seatbelts buckled, Shuugo glanced at the young man. There was something he needed to clarify in order for future living to be tolerable. Considering his current appearance and estimated age (or rather his stature since he didn’t know exactly what he looked like), he would be treated like a child… but Shuugo wanted then there to be at least one place – home – for him to be his mental age without hiding and putting up an act.
“I think this is either a case of transmigration, or reincarnation where I received the memories of my past life just now.”
“Where has a kid like you picked such words from?” Yamato frowned at him while turning the key in ignition.
“From fantasy novels that Hisui-neesan read.” Close enough to truth.
“Um… Hisui-chan is two years younger than you, Shuugo-kun. She is five to your seven.”
“…” Ah, complication. But at least Shuugo knew now his expected age. “The last I remember; she was eighteen to my sixteen. And we were…”
Boarding a bus. On the way to north to slalom. It had been snowing heavily. The bus skidded… and there was only whiteness.
“We presumably died.” Shuugo decided to state. “And now I woke up at that bench. I assume Jade is Hisui but I have naturally no idea when she will wake up remembering our previous life… if she will at all.”
“I’m sceptical over what you’ve just stated but I do admit your dictation is well above your age-level.” Yamato decided to say after a pondering pause.
“Your brother, Kurosawa Jin, is part of a criminal organization and codenamed Gin.” Better drop this bomb and thus get Yamato on the same page with him.
The car swerved dangerously.
“Did… Did Tsubasa-san tell that to you?”
“No. And even if she did, I don’t remember anything of the life in this world right now. Maybe I will eventually or maybe it won’t matter since this body is so young.”
“How would you know then about him?”
“This world… I read about it in a manga. I’m not entirely sure where on the timeline we are right now but given your young age, I wager at least 5-10 years before the start of the story… The organization is the main antagonist with its merited members codenamed after contents of a liquor cabinet. On the protagonist’s side we have a slew of high school detectives and intelligence agencies working to take the organization down. It was my sister’s favourite manga and I got drawn to read it as well. Our parents liked watching British whodunnits with us, so reading of them in a manga was a natural step.” Shuugo paused. “Never thought I’d end up in the story… and in the presence of a character my sister created.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ishikawa Yamato, Tsubiyama Renkon, Midorikawa Shuugo, Shuyako, Daiki and Hoshi… Those were all my sister’s creations for this world. Only existed in her drawings and short ramblings she shared only with me. Yet here you are. And so are the names of two other characters, though not in the context she initially used them.”
“…I remember them. I remember Renkon and Shuugo but they never existed here.” Yamato let out a slow sigh. “I thought I was just imagining things to fill the emptiness I felt. Training and working for the organization can be quite… isolating if you don’t share the same mindset than others.”
“Midorikawa Shuugo cannot exist because that is my name now.”
“True. Alright, I believe you. What does this mean for us then?”
“Interesting how you automatically give the reins to me.”
“You obviously have more knowledge of this world and its future. It is only natural.” The young man shrugged. “We have a long drive ahead so there is plenty of time to hash out some basics now. And I keep my car clean of bugs so it is safe to discuss… even some treasonous matters.”
That detail would’ve been nice to know before Shuugo opened his mouth. Though considering how Yamato had been openly talking about Tsubasa, maybe he had automatically dismissed the possibility of listening devices being hidden in the car.
“…I need to write down what I remember of the timeline first in order to plan properly. But before that… I’d like to know about the background of the life I now have. If Tsubasa-san contacted you to look after me, you surely have information about my life as well.”
“So quick to drop the title of mother from her?” Yamato chuckled.
“I have no memory of her. And this arrangement feels highly suspect. Why would she want me out of my home and raised by a stranger? Especially a stranger who is still affiliated with the organization and only owes her a favour.” Shuugo crossed his arms on his chest. The more he thought about the situation, the more it bothered him.
“You are right. It is suspicious but I’m not in the position to question her.” Yamato sighed. “Your mother, Kagemiya Tsubasa, is an Interpol agent. She mainly works abroad which is why the raising of you and your sister has fallen on her parents. Kagemiya Ki’ichi-sama and Tsubaki-sama thankfully are not alone in that and instead have the help of Tsubasa-san’s siblings: Tsubame and Tsukasa. Officially Tsukasa-san is the heir of the family but it is increasingly likely that he will step down in favour of Tsubame-san. Tsubasa-san is not in the running even though she is the eldest. But she felt obligated to provide off-spring for the family, back-up heirs so to say, thus you and Hisui-chan.”
“Tsubasa-san… she is really not equipped to be a mother, is she?”
“No. In my understanding she barely bore to stay home for the duration of the maternity leave before going out to the field again. And Hisui-chan was an accident.”
“How can she be an accident if Tsubasa-san had an arrangement with Midorikawa Daiki?”
“That… I do not know. But I suspect that Midorikawa-san is not Hisui-chan’s father despite what her birth certificate says.”
Strange. Something to save for later.
“Alright. Continue.”
“Kagemiya family is stationed in Kyoto and part of an alliance of prominent families that spans across Japan. The heart of Alliance is in Kyoto though and I don’t know enough of them to explain more. About myself and my connection though, I can naturally elaborate.”
“Please do so.” More information Shuugo got, the better.
“For a reason I still do not know, our parents were killed by the organization. Jin-nii and I managed to initially escape but they tracked us down and forced to comply. We were separated. We were trained and threats to the other were used to keep us in check. Jin-nii probably wanted to get revenge for our parents and thus began to climb ranks… while I just wanted to survive and thus did my best in what I was assigned to do and kept my head down. I guess at some point Jin-nii’s desire for revenge narrowed down to the people who came to deal with our parents and not the rest of the organization. Either way, he gained the codename Gin and had a partner – Vodka – assigned to work with him.” Yamato sighed once the first part of the story was out. He visibly wanted to just get it out and done quickly. Shuugo remained silent and let him collect his thoughts.
“Last year, I made a blunder during a mission and was caught by the Interpol. The agents who got me were Kagemiya Tsubasa and her partner Marius Hendersson. Due my young age and the information they had, we made a deal. I would give information for Hendersson to infiltrate the organization while in exchange they’d let me go and Tsubasa-san would ensure that once I got out of the organization, I’d have necessary funds to get on my feet and no criminal record to hinder my identity.”
“But then she contacted you about me and you had no choice but to comply. Not to mention it put you on a time limit to get out before the organization finds out about me and thus tries to get you to bring me in.” Shuugo concluded.
“Yes. It is March now. If I place you in a local elementary school, it will keep you out of their radar for longer as you won’t be underfoot and now with the knowledge of you not being a normal child, I won’t need to alter my schedule like I would need to in order to accommodate an actual elementary school student. Even better if you can befriend some kids and thus get invitations to sleepovers and visitations.”
“How much time will that buy you?”
“A year, give or take. But once I’m out, we need to leave Tokyo. Depending what I do, it might be really abrupt move. You may be able to return time to time and keep contact with your friends but I would need to be more careful.”
“Were there any other instructions Tsubasa-san left you with?”
“To stay away from Kyoto. And keep contact with the Kagemiya to minimum.” Yamato grimaced when he told that. It made Shuugo frown. Why would Tsubasa want to keep Shuugo out of Kyoto? Why separate him and Hisui? Why put him in the hands of Yamato no matter how the young man owed her?
The car pulled to a parking lot of a three-storey building. The doors of the apartments opened all to open corridor on one side of the building, with the staircase at one end of it.
“Living in Japan… this ought to be interesting.” Shuugo mused while taking in the view. The architecture was interesting and quite different from what he was used to.
“… You are saying this like you aren’t Japanese.” Yamato noted. The seatbelts were unlatched and the duffel bag lifted from the backseat.
“Well… I used to live in northern Europe before. And let’s leave it at that.” The details of that life were not important anymore, only how the skills he had would translate to this world.
“If you say so. But I won’t say no to learning more about you.” Yamato locked the car behind them and led the way to the stairs. “Second floor, corner apartment.”
The apartment wasn’t that big. A 1DK apartment that was just the right size for one person to live in but adding a second one – even if Shuugo was child-sized – would be a challenge. It would be cramped and yes, Shuugo definitely was looking forward to seeing where else he could spend time after school.
But he could endure it. Just one year and then they’d see about alternatives. Shuugo and Yamato would have their plates full with adjusting to this situation before that. Life with each other. Life as a child and his minder. And for Shuugo life in different culture than what he was used to, with no knowledge of what happened to his sister and no way to contact her.
It would be a challenge.
Shuugo spread the contents of the duffel bag before him. Clothing would go to the closet where Yamato had made space on one of the shelves. There was a child-sized futon already prepared next to the man’s own. Other items in the bag were some books and… a laptop? Actually, this laptop really resembled the one Shuugo had in his previous life. And… now that he looked at the clothing put away, the colours and style was reminiscent of what he had packed for the skiing trip.
“Did my bag come with me or has my taste and interests just been the same in this world as well?” Shuugo frowned. But there was no way to get an answer to that question. Not unless he consulted some medium… which really didn’t appeal to him.
“I’m whipping up some breakfast for us. Any wishes?” Yamato asked from the doorway.
“Something easy on the stomach, toast or porridge or something. While I know I need to adjust to the Japanese food eventually… I rather not do it today.” Shuugo replied. He felt suddenly really tired. Not just because it had been some time after midnight that Yamato had found him. But because of all the surprises and mental adjustments he had needed to do on the go. Last thing he wanted was more adjusting even if it was for something as simple as food.
“I’ll whip up some okayu then. It is a rice porridge with an egg. Perfect comfort food when you are sick or upset.”
“Sounds good.” And after that he’d probably take a nap.
A meal and a nap later, Shuugo felt more refreshed. He took his laptop to the low table in the dining area – a kotatsu actually and it even had the blanket on still – and set up to see what files he had with him and thus also start writing out what he remembered to the timeline. Naturally he didn’t remember all the filler cases but the broad strokes the main plot, the movie plots in the case they’d take place in this world… and of course Magic Kaito as well.
Currently he was an unknown number of years in the past. Yamato had offered during the meal to investigate on his behalf but Shuugo had declined. He was in no hurry and once he started at school, he could see where the protagonists were and thus use them as a measuring stick. Yes, he would go to Teitan Elementary next month. And technically he was in no hurry yet. Hisui was safe in Kyoto. It was only when she regained memories and perspective as Jade that she would most likely attempt to come to Tokyo. She would not be able to resist meeting her favourite characters. Or maybe not even meeting but watching from afar and having internal fangirling moment.
“The last case I read… was before the turn of year. And the next case was announced to start a week after our trip.” The boy mused while the computer was starting. “Late 800’s…”
He opened the files where he’d downloaded the translated chapters on a whim. Not something to endorse usually but he had a habit of reading without internet connection. Which now had turned out to be a good move considering he was now apparently in completely different world… and without internet connection. Moreover, the technology level was… questionable at best. The original manga had begun in 1994 but some of the flashback cases that later were added, had the phones and other items of the same level than the modern day… which naturally had developed in accordance of real-world technology. But that’s what you got when you had almost 20 years of being in print.
“I think… the time I should be most concerned of… would be the Clash of Red and Black. As volume 58 was the one properly lure Jade to read the manga and move past the traumatizing cases in the beginning of the series… And she is an Akai fan. Which was why she had picked up the volume in the first place, Conan dressed as him in the cover…” But in the meanwhile, nothing prevented Shuugo from making connections with other characters.
Maybe eventually he’d even enjoy his life here.