[ Discontinued ] Crossroad 『Detective Conan』

Chapter 65 - Reconciliation

   Jinpei walked boredly over to the coffee machine. Sato had avoided him again. Was she that angry with him?
   He had to go and talk to her, as he had promised. It wasn't going to be easy.

   When he reached the coffee machine, he was surprised. Fate had decided to give them a moment to talk. Or almost, anyway.
   Sato was there, with Yumi, chatting quietly. The two women turned around, the short-haired one immediately making a face. The second felt the tension a little, which didn't put her completely at ease.
   -How much longer are you going to pout at me? Sighed the man.
   -I'm not sulking. Replied the woman.

   She started to walk away, throwing her empty cup into the bin. Then she walked behind her colleague, who pressed a button on the machine.
   -Sorry about that...
   In surprise, the policewoman stopped and looked at Jinpei, who was scratching the back of his head.
   -That's what you wanted to hear, isn't it?
   His tone sounded a little dry and annoyed, but it still sounded honest.
   -I won't explain what happened, but nothing ended badly, so I think you can forget about it... Besides, it makes the kid feel bad that we argued, so it's better if we make up...

   The machine beeped, indicating that the coffee was ready. The man grabbed the cup and began to stir the contents while Sato looked at him.
   -I'll leave you two together. Yumi announced, patting the two policemen on the back.
   Jinpei, surprised, almost dropped his cup while his colleague looked annoyed at her friend.
   -Yumi...
   With a smile, she disappeared into the corridor.

   The man contented himself with drinking his coffee, bored by what Yumi had just done. As for Sato, she sighed.
   -Does Yoko-chan know we had a fight? She asked.
   Leaning back against the machine, the policeman sighed.
   -Yeah, but she doesn't know exactly why... She blames herself and refuses to believe it's not the case.
   He shrugged before continuing to drink.
   -Well, I promised her I'd make an effort to reconcile with you, so it's up to you whether you accept my apology or not, I've done my part.

   Once his cup was empty, he threw it in the bin and put his hands in his pockets, starting to walk away.
   -It would be better if I apologised for forcing you to talk... even if you didn't... Sato said with a smile.
   -Mhf... I'm not doing it because I can't, that's all...
   With that, the man walked off down the corridors, leaving the woman alone.

   Yoko was more or less following the lesson. Not because she already knew, but rather because she was worried. At lunchtime, she had tried to ask Conan if he had had time to think about her request, but he had simply avoided the question.
   -Maybe he hadn't had time to think about it... She sighed.
   She leaned her head against her hand, sighing. With her other hand, she began to scribble things down on a sheet of paper. She would have liked to have an answer quickly, but she was going to have to be patient.

  But if Conan refused, what was she going to do? She didn't mind trusting the police, but it was important that it didn't put them all in danger.

   -Tomura-san...

   But she still wanted to make herself useful by managing to get some information...

   -Tomura-san.

   Thinking of the police, had Jinpei and Sato reconciled? She hoped so, that her guardian had made the effort he had told her he would... But she was going to have to wait yet again. She couldn't afford to pick up the phone to ask him anyway...

    -Tomura-san!
   Kobayashi's voice startled the young girl. She hadn't heard the first two calls, lost in thought.
   She blinked several times before looking up at the teacher who was staring at her.
   -Eh?
   -Can you resume reading where we left off? asked the woman.
   -Ah...

   The brunette looked down at her closed book, under her sheet. She picked it up, looking for the page she had to read, not knowing which one, as the rest of the class looked on.
   -Er... What's the... What's the page number?
   Several students laughed, including Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko. Yoko grabbed her book and hid behind it in embarrassment. Maybe she shouldn't have thought so hard.

   Once the class had calmed down, Kobayashi spoke up.
   -Try to pay more attention, Tomura-san. We were on page seventeen.
   -Right, then... Sorry...
   She found the page before anyone pointed out the line. She stood up to read, blushing embarrassedly.

   Ai turned her head towards Conan as her friend read aloud.
   -Your silence seems to be bothering her. You'd better tell her you refuse. She said.
   -I know. sighed the boy concerned.
   He still hadn't had time to do what he wanted. It had been too short, one evening. And at the agency, it had been a bit hectic.
   -Anyway, she'll understand... added the boy.

   Finally, the end of the day arrived. It had been a long day, and not the most pleasant.
   The young girl had not hung out with her classmates. She just said "See ya" before going home. This meant she didn't have to go back over her lack of concentration during the day, which Kobayashi had told her about after class, and wondered if her pupil was all right.
   She had to refocus on school, even if her marks were good. She couldn't even say that she was thinking about what had happened to her recently, because she had passed herself off as ill to her establishment.

   Yoko was walking home alone from school for the first time in a while. She was on her guard at all times, afraid of feeling watched or followed again. But she was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case.
   Perhaps she could relax a little, after these last few weeks of constant pressure...