Detective Conan : We Still Continue

Chapter 2: The Return

At the airport, after they got their luggage they started to look around to find professor Agasa who had told them that he would come and pick them up. They were wondering around until when they heard someone shouting at them from afar.

"OOOiiiii Shinichiiii! Aaaaiiii-kun! OOOiiii! Over here!" He was professor Agasa who ran to catch up with them.

"ah... ah... ah... ffffoooouuuuu... Finally! Do you know how fast you walk?" he asked out of breath. Both teens looked at each other and giggled. 

" Sorry professor! The force of habit you see!'' Shinichi winked at him cheerfully.

"I am an old-man now! Please think about it!" professor Agasa hissed but the teens just smiled at him. The old man looked at them defeated and asked them to follow him to his car. They walked a few meters until Shinichi realized that Haibara was left behind. 

"Oi! Haibara! We're leaving! Ooooiiiii!"

"I heard you alright!" she said angrily as she approached them with her luggage.

They entered the infamous yellow scarab and went to his house. Once they arrived and opened the door, three young children, 11 years old each now, appeared before them.

"Welcome!" they shouted all together. Shinichi was stunned. Those three kids were very good friends of Conan not his. He get nervous as he didn't know how they will react to his return and to Conan's disappearance.

''Hello... How are you?''

"Fine! Ayumi answered first. "Um... Mr. Shinichi who is this lovely lady!?" Ayumi pointing at the adult Ai who was standing behind Shinichi. Shinichi looked at Ai and back to Ayumi. He couldn't think.

"I am a good friend of his, who is going to leave now! Okay?" she saved Shinichi's ass gently.

"Yes yes!!'' the boy agreed with her and turned to her hear whispering.

''Why? Where are you going?''

"The antidote I got was one of the old ones I made! Soon it will be over and I got to go now." she whispered to her friend annoyed. Shinichi was left with an open mouth.

'So this was the secret! She never meant to go back to her old self! So we must not say anything to these three for Haibara... but I wonder if the professor said anything for me to them?' he thought looking at Ai first then at the children and finally at his much older friend. Agasa just smiled at him. Shinichi was now left helpless with three kids staring at him silently. After a long time Ayumi finally asked him shyly. "Are you Conan-kun? Our Conan-kun?"

Hearing her asking him such a thing, Shinichi felt cold water run on his body. Ai, who was still in her adult form,started to walk towards the basement trying to not be noticed. She completely ignored Ayumi's question. It wasn't her case anymore... not anymore. She smiled and said softly "Good luck Kudo-kun" before she disappears completely.

Shinichi looked at the professor, like asking for help, but Agasa simply urged him to answer. 'Shit! How fucked am I right now? Well I can't do anything else.' though the detective and sat on the couch behind him. After a few more minutes of silence he finally found the courage to answer to them honestly. "Yes, I am. And honestly I am very sorry for not telling you anything all this time. Especially to you Ayumi-chan... I know how much you loved him." the older boy finished bowing his head.

Ayumi then went and hugged him as much as she could because now he was bigger than her and she told him that everything was okay and that she forgave him since her "boyfriend" was still there, just some years older. Shinichi was amazed by her actions and her strength. But he knew that this little girl, who was now in front of him smiling, had cried a lot. She could not accept it easily and he doubted the fact that she had already accepted it. And this time he was the culprit. But that was for the best. Because this way she could easily forget Conan, continue her life and make new friends.