Detective Conan: The Road To Hell

Black as Devils

black as devils: as bad as devils
( ゜- ゜)ﾉ彡☆ (つ･･)つ¤=[]::::::>

Jii thought he'd set down the glass of ice cold water quietly, but still the young detective jumped at the sound. Heiji looked at the glass, then at Jii. With a yawn like he'd been napping, Heiji asked, "How long have I been at it?"

Jii smiled. "Just under an hour, Hattori-kun. You seemed like you were nearly done."

Heiji wiped the tired tears from his eyes. "I am. I figured out how her demon thing works with the city's map, so all I gotta do is call Oyaji an' get him ta go there. I'm not positive 'bout the location, though, so I'm tryin' ta work out the kinks. Her body count's up ta five, now, ya know." He took a long drink of water. "Thanks for this, Jii-san."

"It's no problem. I'm happy to help, and your presence here makes this place feel a little less lonely during the day."

"I wish it wasn't always for a case, Jii-san, but it's been the only reason I've been comin' here." Heiji looked down at his drink. "Is there any way I can make it up ta ya?"

"You don't owe me anything," Jii promised. If anything, your presence helps keep botchama on his toes.

Glancing down at Heiji, a black speck on his hat caught Jii's eye. "Hattori-kun, there's a fly on your-" He snatched it off Heiji's hat, and in the next seco hind three very interesting things occurred. One: the fly did not move. Two: Jii caught the fly. Three: the fly was not a fly at all. In fact, it was a listening device.

Upon instinct, Jii crushed the bug beneath his fingers. It crackled and the short-circuiting wires burned his fingers. A little hiss of pain, and Heiji looked up. "Jii-san?"

"It was a bug, not a fly." He grimaced, blew on his burning fingertips.

Heiji tilted his head. "But aren't those the same thing?"

"A bug. A listening device. A tap." Heiji's eyes grew wide as Jii elaborated. "Someone was listening to you while you worked."

A few colorful words escaped Heiji's mouth. He whipped out his phone, scooted out from the bench, and grabbed his crutch. "Thanks, Jii-san. I gotta go. Whoever that was mighta figured out where Hayashi is if they're good 'nough ta bug me."

"Good luck, then, Hattori-kun." Jii ran ahead of Heiji and held open the door. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble."

Heiji nodded as he speed-dialed his dad. "Will do. See ya, Jii-san."

"Hattori-kun." Jii put his hand on Heiji's shoulder. Heiji stopped, his phone halfway to his face, and gave Jii a curious look. "If you need anything, just let me know. Anytime you're in trouble, just come in and ask me for a drink."

Heiji blinked. "I'm still underage--"

"I know. But I've heard about what kind of things you high-school detectives get yourselves into. That Kudou-kun has gone missing, and Hakuba-kun gets himself into all sorts of trouble. I know you're no different when it comes to danger." Heiji shrugged in defeat, and Jii gave him a stern look. "While you may have brains, that doesn't mean you're invincible. Rely on an adult now and again."

Heiji fell silent for three beats, not quite meeting Jii's eyes. "I'll try," he conceded quietly. "I'll see ya later, Jii-san."