"So, why were you at the victim's house at this hour, Kuroki-sa-

"Eh? That's not my name", lavender eyes blinked innocently at him, to which Shinichi blinked back,

"But you just told me-

"That was a lie~ I can't believe you fell for that. Who even has a boring name like Kuroki Karuha? My name is Saiki Shion" Shinichi frowned, but remained patient.

"Then… Saiki-sa -

"That's also a lie, y'know… You don't learn, do you?" The short guy in front of him had the audacity to sigh in boredom, then his eyes immediately lit up seconds after that, "Oh, I know~ I'll answer your questions after you find out my true name. How about that, - The guy paused, looking at the detective's ID card, -Kudo-chan?"

He had simply struck the last nerve. Cheeky. Uncooperative. Arrogant. In conclusion, an absolute little shit, Shinichi's mind supplied none too generously, probably due to the lack of caffeine and otherwise a good sleep.

"Hey~ Kudo-chan… Don't just ignore me~~ I can help you find the culprit, you know… You need my testimony, don't you?" He chased after Shinichi, arms flailing, grinning as if he hadn't had so much fun in days.

…Not anymore, I don't, groggily, Shinichi thought. He refrained from saying that out loud, nonetheless.

He seriously deserved none of this. After two lengthy theses and endless mathematical equations, Shinichi decided it was enough and went for a peaceful stroll. Safe to say, it wasn't as 'peaceful' as he'd like it to be. Two steps into the adjacent neighborhood and what did he hear? A scream. Typical. He had sincerely hoped that someone just dropped their laundry from the 15th floor. However, as Fate would have it, it was a dead body. He'd like to say he was surprised but, sadly, he was not.

…So, there he was, tired down to his bones, legs threatening to give out in any minute, eyelids heavy, throat dry, going through the crime scene and piecing the puzzles together. Meticulous. Determined. Driven.

To say the very least, things just had to be against him with the three suspects. Shinichi supposed he was lucky to have arrived and caught the three of them in the room. Weirdly enough, they were all wearing very surprised expressions to see each other. The detective, of course, didn't let that slide. He could already see a connection among them: they all secretly chose this day to infiltrate the property with different motives in mind, if the fidgety and on-edged behaviors of the two suspects were any indication.

The third one was… Shinichi mused as he turned around. The annoying little gremlin was there alright, all smiley and at ease, his eyes unreadable. He, to put it as eloquently as possible, didn't really fit in the picture of this murder. The Heisei Holmes really wanted to say this checkered-scarf shorty was the culprit, but unluckily, that didn't seem likely.

"Did you figure out my name, Kudo-chan?" Noticing his attention, bright lavender eyes immediately batted at him

He didn't bother to answer, ignoring the whining of the shorter male.

Shinichi's prayers seemed to have been answered as the police finally made it, and as reluctantly as he was, the mischievous purple head answered some of the questions earnestly. Some. The rest was sprinkled with easily-spotted half-truths, half-lies and wide accusations towards the other two suspects.

Ironically enough, through their reactions to the roller-coaster of an interrogation, Shinichi was able to determine the conclusive evidence which pointed to the killer.

When the culprit was cuffed, certain to be behind bars, Shinichi decided that he learned a few things that day…

1. He was better off cooped up in his room with a cup of coffee to relax rather than taking a walk

2. He had problems with people with purple shades associated with them. Ran, his ex-love interest. Kaito, the charming, gorgeous, all around wonderful best friend that he was having a crush on (he was moping on this, still). And the little cheeky bastard just now, who shared some resemblance to Kaito (he hated that he could see it) and was a downright disaster of a human being.

3. Oh… The little annoyance's name was Ouma Kokichi, and Shinichi hoped he would never have to hear that name ever again.

So, I figured, I finally have some HAPPY THOUGHTS and not angsty ones so, why not commemorate it with a fic? There will be romance, eventually~~

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this!

-Crystalette