T.A series Volume 7: Feathers of Fury

Chapter 16 - Several Days Earlier

There are many things 6-year-old Kudo Shinichi could not have predicted in life.

One of which is when Ranran finally recovered healthily enough to be discharged from the hospital. A lot of rehabs and painkillers later, he is already on the smartphone being fussy over his mentor, who is on her way to the main HQ of Tantei Association, located right next to Majima Michio's mother's boutique shop.

"You shouldn't have headed to the main HQ yourself! You have just completed your rehab on making full use of your right arm! Let me handle it!" Shinichi told his mentor over the phone.

"I can't, Shinichi," The little red lip detective girl replied, "You had to head to the police station and meet up with Sergeant Genzo to check that Mouri Ran's report once more didn't have any mistakes in regards to the events of 'The Last Laugh' case. Otherwise, Felix the killer would simply walk free and never be charged with the murder of his mother, on and off lover, as well as his half-sister."

Shinichi sighed, knowing that Ranran had a point. The "Last Laugh" case was one of their most intricate and challenging cases to date. It involved a convoluted web of family secrets, betrayals, and a series of murders that had left everyone baffled. Felix, the main suspect, was a cunning and manipulative individual who always seemed to be one step ahead of the law.

Although the solid evidence is enough to throw away Felix's key to freedom forever, even more so when the Japanese government got word of his attempts to kill Shinichi's 6-year-old mentor resulted in a live sentence, Shinichi knew he couldn't let Felix slip through their fingers. He had to make sure Felix can never find a single loophole to slip past the cracks of justice.

Call him paranoid, but after the attempt to blow Ranran up with explosives in that burning mansion incident thanks to the malicious Felix, Shinichi isn't going to take any chances.

With determination in his eyes, Shinichi assured his mentor, "Don't worry, Ranran. I'll handle the police station and make sure everything is in order. But promise me, you'll take it easy and not overexert yourself at the main HQ."

Ranran chuckled softly, "I promise, Shinichi. I'll be careful. You take care too, alright? Wait, what the - bloody idiot." Ranran half whispered half yelled into the receiver.

"Eh? Ranran, is everything alright?"

"Our back door to our association is left open ajar! I could've sworn...I am going to kill Takuma for forgetting to lock it again. Luckily our files are stored elsewhere."

"You can't blame him, Michio did mention that the door needed fixing for a long time." Shinichi sighed over the phone.

As Ranran continued to grumble about the forgetful Takuma, Shinichi couldn't help but pinch his nose bridge at Takuma's familiar antics. Don't get the apprentice wrong, Takuma is a responsible 6-year-old boy most of the time, but the door itself had issues, and all of the members were notified about this. Is it that difficult for the athlete to simply triple check the door is properly locked before leaving?

The Tantei Association back door when one enters the office is in the shape of a bookshelf. Before Ranran had the furniture moved into the said HQ, the previous bookshelf door was so well-hidden and perfectly blended with the other shelves that it was almost impossible to notice. It was a brilliant concealment tactic to keep the headquarters discreet and secure.

In the beginning, everyone was fine with the door. But when Michio revealed that the door is surpassed its expiry date, he decided to have it replaced with a new one. However, the new bookshelf door was not as subtle as the old one, making it more prone to being noticed and potentially exploited by intruders.