Detective Conan: A fan's fantasy

Chapter Four: Presenting Noemi

“Shin-chan?!” A shriveled voice called from the entrance of the Beika Tea Shop making everybody jump.

“Ah! There she is! Noemi-san!” Ran called her new friend.

“No way! Shin-chan! When did you get yourself tanned?!” Noemi grabbed Heiji’s arm making him unable to eat his parfait.

“Shin-chan?! I’m not Shin-chan!” Heiji answered, make that, shouted.

“Eh?! Don’t make me laugh, Shin-chan. How could I make a mistake? You’re definitely Shin-chan!”

“I’m not!” Heiji was now really pissed as the stranger is like mocking his dark skin color.

“What’s with the accent? Kansai?”

“Of course! I’m from Osaka! A proud citizen of Osaka from since I was born! So I should speak with this accent!”

“Osaka? You mean you’re not, Shin-chan?” She finally understood what the irritated teenager said. “I—I’m so sorry!! I thought you were Shin-chan!!” She bowed and flushed from embarrassment.

“I—It’s alright.”

“Noemi-san, do Heiji really look like Shin-chan?”

“Hmn… More or less. I remember Shin-chan’s photo is like. He looks like him but he’s white.”

“Photo? You have a photo of him?”

“Eh? I—I do!!” She gasped suddenly reminding that she has the photo of who she’s looking for. “Oh my! Stupid me!!!” She stuck his tongue out. “I forgot that I received a photo of Shin-chan from Auntie!”

“Then it would be much easier to look for him now.”

“Right!” Noemi chuckled as she rummaged from her bag.

“Oi, Kudo… Could it be that…?” Heiji trailed off, waiting for his little rival to reject his guess. When he felt that Conan is not answering, he continued. “Then who’s she’s searching for is just breathes away.” He grinned.

“I know.” Conan answered in a bored tone.

“What’s up?”

“I have a feeling that she’s coming. I never knew that it would be this soon.”

“Hahaha…” Heiji laughed and patted Conan. “Girls are just so unpredictable.”

“Ah!!” Noemi shrieked with excitement. “I finally found it!” She exclaimed after rummaging and taking everything out from her bag.

She held the photo of Shin-chan.

“Ta~da!! Presenting Shin-chan!” She excitedly showed Ran and Kazuha the photo only to be answered by two loud gasps.

“What’s wrong?”

“S—Shinichi!!”

“So that’s why I thought I heard Shin-chan. Yukiko-Obaa-san used that to call Shinichi, Shin-chan all the time.”

“That’s right! It’s Kudo-kun!!” Kazuha agreed with Ran.

“I knew it.” Conan mumbled in his mind. Heiji released a low chuckle for he was expecting the scene as well.

“Heh? So you do know him!”

“Uhm. But he’s not coming back for a while now. But he occasionally visits.”

“Really? It makes me really happy! I was really getting annoyed since he’s not been answering any of my Sherlock Holmes’ based letters!” She began moping remembering what he had done. She began scoping and gulping large amounts of parfait.

“Sherlock Holmes’ based letters?”

“Yup! Since Shin-chan is a Mystery Freak that I thought he would’ve guessed who those letters came from. Since the last one is where I put my name on it!!”

“Ah… That letter. So you’re the Nami in the letter!?” Kazuha realized.

“But aren’t you Noemi-san?”

“They’re both me! Noemi is how everybody knew me but I think Nami is a more Japanese name, right? Anyways, how did you know about the letter and me?!”

“Well, we haven’t got a clue at first but then Conan-kun got it.”

“Conan…-kun…?”

“The little kid with me. This one.” Heiji pointed to Conan who’s drinking a glass of fresh orange juice. Noemi followed where Heiji is pointing.

“Shin-chan-chibi!!” She blurted out after seeing the little boy.

“Chibi?!” They all gasped while Conan spurted out the orange juice that he’s drinking.

He began coughing, too startled to react of what he heard.

“Oh my God!” Noemi said in English. “He looked like Shin-chan when he’s just a kid!! Who’s he?!”

“Ah… He’s the Professor’s relative and a distant relative of Shinichi’s mother.” Ran said as he wiped Conan’s mess. “Does he look like Shinichi? I think he looks smarter, don’t you think?” Ran giggled to Conan’s disgust and Heiji’s amusement.

“N—No way! I have never seen him! Well, I am only his cousin and he’s closer to Professor Agasa than me. I moved to America when Shin-chan’s entering Middle School though.”

“I have to act fast! A diversion! A diversion!!” Conan screamed mentally. Heiji upon seeing his little friend in a pinch immediately stepped in.

“Ah… Then you must’ve heard that Kudo’s working on a case now and he’s away, right?”

“A case? No way! Every day in LA, I had my daily dose of Japanese newspaper and cut all of his case-clippings there but recently it stopped. But a case like that is never mentioned in any of it.”

“It was all of a sudden. We never expected it. But it’s a very big case so he’s always busy.”

“Oh… I see. That must be why I never heard of Prof’s relative!” She gasped. “I’m sorry, little boy!” She bowed and smiled. “My name is Noemi Tanaka. I am your Shinichi-nii-chan’s cousin. Her mother, Aunt Yukiko and my mother, Yume, are sisters.”

“N—Nice to meet you, Noemi-nee-chan!”

“I knew it. She changed over the years but that clumsy attitude surely is Noemi. Hehe…” Conan began to remember his cousin.

“Let’s go, Ku—Ayayaya!! I mean, Conan! Let’s wash that stain.” Heiji said while lifting the little boy and tuck him under his arms. “We’ll be back. I’m sorry.” He bowed low and hurried to the men’s room.

He has so much to ask to Kudo.