𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒

file 031 | not as dead as they thought

episodes 258—259 — the man from chicago

Suzume adjusted her dark blue peacoat as she and Hikaru listened to the kids gush over the animal show they had just witnessed. She had her arm looped through his at his insistence, easily winning her over with one of his award-winning smiles that often made her deadpan at him.

"Boy, what a terrific show!" Genta said.

"The animals were so cute," Ayumi gushed, clasping her hands together with a smile.

Mitsuhiko looked at her. "That white lion's act was especially good!"

"Well, that lion is the star of the show," Hikaru mused.

"Look!" Ayumi held up the strap she had gotten. "That lion's also on this strap."

"I really like that!" Mitsuhiko complimented.

"Cute, isn't it? Before the show started, Suzume-nee took Haibara-san and I to the souvenir shop when we saw it, so she got us both one."

Hikaru gave Suzume a curious look as she nodded.

"Yes," Ai agreed.

"I wasn't aware you like those kinds of things," Hikaru said.

Ai smirked up at him, holding up her strap with the white tiger charm. "Well, I think it's a whole lot healthier than someone who reads through the same three files over and over again. Don't you think?"

He looked away from her, and Suzume could see his ears turning red. She chuckled in amusement.

Despite Ai's initial reluctance to be around Hikaru, it seemed to have slowly gone away little by little the more he proved that he wasn't going to harm her. He would often respectfully keep his distance for her and tried not to push her boundaries. So, when Agasa was unavailable to take them to the animal show, Ai had actually been the one to suggest Hikaru, much to his shock.

As for the files... Suzume was only aware of the contents of two of them. Moroboshi Dai / Rye and Amuro Tooru / Bourbon. He would often read through them when he couldn't sleep to remember the good times of when he was with them as the Whiskey Trio as he put it. The third file, no one but Hiromitsu knew what the contents of it were. He was always adamant on Suzume or anyone else ever reading through it, always getting this frosty look in his eyes. Suzume respected his wishes and never pushed him, though always let him know that he could talk to her if he needed to.

The small group came to a stop when they saw a large crowd of reporters and cameramen circled around an older man with a mustache, who looked beyond uncomfortable with the attention on him.

"Who's that guy surrounded by all those people?" Genta asked.

Hikaru furrowed his brows together. "He kind of looks like Randy Hawk, the guy who sponsors the show." He smiled at the curious looks the kids gave him. "Randy Hawk is from the United States, Oklahoma to be exact, which is a southern state. He got rich in oil and began collecting animals as a hobby, but his son Paul and daughter Annie also became interested in animals, and they take this show all over the world now."

Ayumi pulled out her show guide to look for a picture of Randy Hawk.

"You should be able to find his picture on the last page," Suzume informed the girl. "That's where they usually put the pictures of sponsors and such."

Hikaru hummed. "His current hobby is traveling with the show around the world and visiting zoos in each country they go to. This is a quote, 'We've been cowboys for generations. We protect it ourselves.'" He tilted his head. "It's why he doesn't travel with bodyguards."