Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Kaito nor Detective Conan. But I do own a red guitar that doesn't work.

Author's Notes: This is the sequel to Afternoon Chat. Setting is after the fall of BO and Shinichi has returned to his true form and everybody is friends! Yey! This is the second fic included in the Daytime Series. The third one will be called Early Morning Rumors.

Okay, people have been asking me what the rose (from Afternoon Chat) meant. It's a metaphor for beauty amidst a chaotic world. And the breaking plate symbolizes death.

I hope you enjoy this continuation. Oh yeah, I have decided to post the stories in this series separately because I want each story to stand on their own, although they are all connected together. Just one of my experiments! Hehe! Oh, and please don't kill me if it doesn't suit your taste. It's just something that I thought would be funny…

Reviews are welcome. ;p

o o o

Midnight Phone Calls

(Hakuba Saguru's Discovery)

It was almost 10 at night when the phone rang.

"Moshi, moshi! Mouri Detective Agency!" answered Mouri Ran, who just came out of the bath.

"Ran, it's Sonoko. I heard from Kazuha that – "

"Dare? Sonoko! Why didn't you call me on my mobile instead?"

Ran heard heavy breathing at the other end of the phone. "A-ano, I think I lost it somewhere. Maa, I didn't call you to talk about that! As I was saying, I heard from Kazuha that Shinichi, Heiji, Saguru and Kaito went to a café this afternoon. Looks like your secret engagement is out!"

"SECRET ENGAGEMENT?! But I said NO! If Shinichi told them about – but I thought – and he said – and I thought – " Ran could feel herself blushing, and for all the wrong reasons.

"Kazuha said that the boys are off to make you reconsider. I don't know what they're planning but you better be careful." Said Suzuki Sonoko. "If you want, we can organize the girls to protect you from whatever their plan is. So, there's me, Kazuha, Aoko and we can even invite Akako! You know her, ne? She's that girl who thinks she's a witch! Maybe she can scare off the boys!"

Ran laughed. The idea was preposterous but she saw the hint of concern in that suggestion. "Sonoko, no need for that. Whatever the boys' plan is, I bet my Karate would be enough to protect myself!"

She heard Sonoko sigh. "Ran, you're such a martyr. Sometimes you think you can carry the burden of the whole world but you just can't…"

"Whole world? Oi, oi, we're just talking about an engagement here. And I think engagement is not even the right term because I declined the offer."

There was a brief pause before a very uncertain Sonoko thrust all her courage to her question. "Ran, I know you've answered this before, but really, why didn't you accept the offer? I mean, you loved Shinichi and you two are perfect! He's rich (just like me) and he's famous. And fine, he's not so bad-looking."

"You caught me, Sonoko. You aren't my best friend for nothing, after all. Maa, I'm not sure why I declined. It wasn't because it was sudden – god knows I've been waiting for the proposal but I think it's because… Ano, it's not right."

"Not right?! What do you mean?"

"If a man proposes to a woman, it's because he loves her, ne? That he wants to be with her forever, ne? And – "

"You think Shinichi doesn't love you – or you think Shinichi doesn't believe in forever? I'm confused, Ran. Make some sense."

Ran frowned. "If you wouldn't have interrupted, I would have. Besides – "

"Declining the proposal is nonsensical in the first place. Seriously, why did you do it? Why did you decline?"

"I know that you think I'm crazy for refusing, okay?!" Ran spat, frustration and confusing welling inside her. "It's just that… I think… I'm not sure, but I think…"

"Hai?"

"I think… that… Shinichi is… I think he's in love with someone else!"

Ran heard a thud from the other end of the line. She deduced that Sonoko must have fallen out of her seat.

"Sonoko, are you all right?"

"Yeah, just fell of the chair. I'm shocked. And who may that be?"

Ran jeered. "Seriously? You haven't noticed? Every time he's around, Shinichi's eyes just light up. Like he's more than alive, you know? I think he gave Shinichi the love for life that Shinichi is lacking."

"He? Ran, are you crazy? You think Shinichi is in love with a boy? Hey, are you on drugs? I heard those hallucinogens are in right now. You're not the type who'll take it but – "

"Of course I'm not on drugs. It's just that whenever Kaito;s around, I feel like I need to compete for Shinichi's attention and – "

There was a louder thud at the end of the line.

"You fell off again?" asked Ran, blushing, that she finally told her suspicions to her best friend.

"Yeah… Kaito?! Are you serious? Ran are you sure – "

Ran's mobile phone, which was on top of the coffee table, started to ring.

"Just a sec, Sonoko. I think someone's calling me in my mobile. I'll tell whoever that is to just call me back later."

Ran rushed to the coffee table, picked up her phone and answered. "Moshi, moshi. Oh, it's you Kazuha! I'm actually talking to – "

"Ran, have you heard? The boys are scheming to make you reconsider the proposal! Sonoko just told me." Said Kazuha.

"Nani? Sonoko? But she said that you're the one who told her! I'm actually talking to her now in the other pho – "

There was a loud grunt from the other line. "You're delirious, Ran. First you refuse the proposal of Kudou and now, hallucination."

"Can people stop saying that I'm hallucinating!"

"Then how come you're imagining talking to Sonoko? She's here beside me and she's definitely not talking to anyone on the phone. We're both here at the spa of the hotel Heiji and I are staying at. You want me to hand Sonoko the phone to prove it?"

"But – "

Sonoko's infuriated voice followed. "RAN! Kazuha and I are in the spa! Do you miss me that much to you have an imaginary Sonoko?"

"But – I thought…" started Ran. Then, a most embarrassing possibility hit her. Accidentally, she dropped her mobile and ran to the other phone.

"HEY – K-" she started screaming but the dial tone answered her.

o o o

Around 11 at night, Kuroba Kaito's mobile phone started ringing. Scratching his head, he got up from bed, walked to his table and searched among the pile of magic props, for his mobile phone.

He was surprised to see that Mouri Ran was calling her.

"Ran, I know that Shinichi and I have similar voices but if he's asleep now and you just miss hearing his voice, please don't call me… I may be famous for my job at night, but I need my sleep too…" said Kaito then yawned.

"KAIIITOOOOOOOOO!!! DON'T TRICK ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU JERK! DISGUISING AS SOMEBODY ISN'T THE BEST WAY TO LEAK INFORMATION! EVEN IF IT'S OVER THE PHONE!"

Kaito smirked. "Oh but, disguise is one of my talents and I beg to differ when you say that disguises aren't meant to be used to obtain information. Even the famous – " Kaito stopped, realizing that there was something wrong with the accusation. "Maa, I haven't been tricking anyone to get any info! At least for today."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WEREN'T YOU PRETENDING TO BE SONOKO JUST A WHILE AGO? YOU CALLED ME AND PRETENDED TO BE SONOKO – ADMIT IT!"

Kaito raised a brow. "Sonoko? Why would I pretend to be her? Besides, I won't do something as low as that. If I were to portray the young miss, I'd visit you as her, in the flesh. I won't do it over the phone! And just so you know, before you called, I was sleeping."

"STOP LYING, KAITO! I KNOW IT WAS YOU!"

Then the girl put down the phone on him.

"Odd…" muttered Kaito as he closed his phone. Yawning, he plunged back into bed. But before he drifted back into sleep, an eerie possibility came to him.

"It can't be!" he said, then went back to the table to get his phone, then started dialing a number.

o o o

Half before twelve, Heiji heard the phone in his hotel room ring. Glancing at the clock before he answered it, he wondered if Kazuha has told him the truth – that she and Sonoko were treating themselves to the hotel's spa.

"Spa? This time?" he said, before picking up the receiver. "Moshi, moshi? Kuroba? You know what time it is?"

"Gomen, Heiji-kun. Did I wake you?"

"Not really. Kazuha hasn't been back and I was waiting for her." Said Heiji as he sat down the bed.

Heiji heard a mocking laugh at the other end. "So you're sharing a room? I wonder if – "

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Heiji blushed. "There are two beds! We're saving money, okay? And it's just for two nights. Tomorrow, we'll be staying at Kudou's. You'll be staying over too, ne? And Hakuba?"

"Hai. About staying over at Shinichi's, last time all of us were together, remember that I taught you how to change your voice?"

"What about it?"

"Ano, Ran called me just a minute ago and she started accusing me that I tricked her into leaking out some info. She said that I posed as Sonoko and that I called her. So I was wondering if – "

"If I was the one who posed as that annoying girl? So you're trying to put the blame on me?" asked Heiji hotly. "You taught Hakuba and Kudou as well! Why aren't you accusing them?"

"Cool down, Heiji. Maa, I already called them but both their landlines and mobile phones are busy. Shinichi is the one most likely to do it. It's easy to deduce that the info Ran was talking about is regarding why she declined the proposal. Maybe Shinichi wants to know the real reason why – "

"Yeah and he could also use that bow-tie thingy." Supposed Heiji then he noticed something strange. "Hey, why didn't you call me on my mobile instead? Why call my hotel's landline?"

"I've tried calling you on the mobile, of course. But it's busy as well."

"Really?" Heiji grabbed the phone from under his pillow and saw on his mobile phone's screen that someone has been calling him. "Hey, Hakuba is calling me."

"Oh. That's why his mobile has been busy." Said Kaito.

"Hang on a bit, I have to answer him." Said Heiji then answered his other phone. "Oi, Hakuba! You're calling too?"

"Hattori-kun, I have to tell you something…" said Hakuba Saguru and it was evident in his voice that he was gasping for air.

"Ano Hakuba, did you just finish a race or something? Why are you – "

"It's… about... Kudou-kun and… Kuroba-kun." Said the other detective in between loud inhales of breath.

"Oh guess what? I'm talking to Kuroba-kun in our hotel room's landline! He was asking if we used – "

"HANG UP!"

"Hakuba-kun? Hang up? Doshite?"

"Tell him that you'll call him in the morning. I found out something. I – "

Only curiosity made Heiji agree to Hakuba's demand. It wasn't like Hakuba Saguru to panic. He was always so cool, annoyingly confident, and like Kudou, effortlessly eloquent. It would take a big amount of shock for him to lose his poise.

Without batting an eye, Heiji spoke to the thief again and gave a quick goodbye. Before hanging up, the thief told him to send him a message if ever the great detective of the west figures out who's been abusing his lessons.

"There. He hang up. He also told me to send him a message if I find out who's been misapplying the voice change technique he taught us a few months ago…"

"Oh. What happened?"

"Apparently, either you or Kudou called Ran, pretended to be her friend and leaked out info. Kaito reckons it's about the engagement."

"Engagement? It can't be an engagement if she didn't say yes. And I personally think she made the right decision. About someone pretending to be Sonoko while ago – "

"AHA! So it was you? I never said Sonoko called her! I just said it was a friend and it could be Kazuha or Nakamouri-kun for all we know!"

"Fine! I don't deny making that call! But I do regret it! What I have discovered is just too – horrendous!"

"What horror movie were you watching, Hakuba? Spill before I put you on my start-avoiding list. You're acting too weird…"

And Hakuba began narrating his conversation with Ran. When he was done, Heiji couldn't help feeling that he has eaten expired Sukiyaki.

"And you know what?" Hakuba added. "I've known Kuroba-kun since high school and it's just now that I've realized that…"

"My ears are bleeding but do continue."

"I think, based on the way he acts, that he has something for Kudou too. And…"

"There's more?!" asked Heiji, struggling to keep up with the overload of secrets.

"And… I think that… I wouldn't be acting this way if I wasn't jealous…"

Heiji fainted and slid down the bed.

"Heiji! Are you still there? Oi, Heiji! I know it's kind of sudden and I have only discovered it now. It's just that I think I have always been hard on Kaito because… oh, you know. And pursuing him as a detective all this time… and when I finally confirmed that he's KID… it's confusing and lately, when we've been friends and we've been spending a lot of time together…"

And Hakuba Saguru continued pouring his heart out, unaware that Hattori Heiji, who was at the other end, has fainted and won't be coming back to his senses anytime soon.

o o o

It was half past twelve when Kuroba Kaito's mobile phone rang again.

Annoyed, he answered. "Let me sleep! Have pity and mercy! Please let me sleep!"

"I've been trying to call you, Kaito. I have… something to tell you…"

"Shinichi? Oi, oi, why do you sound so serious? Oh yeah, Ran called, accusing me of – "

"I know. Hakuba called. He called me a while ago to confirm the information he leaked out."

"So it was Hakuba. And it's about the engagement, ne? Why Ran declined. So, have you found out? You have a plan now?"

"I know where you went after you left the café, Kaito. I also finally understood what the rose meant."

"Oh, that. Maa, I thought – Hey, we're talking about Ran just now, ne? Why change the topic?"

"I'm not changing it. You see, the reason why Ran declined was she thought I was in love with somebody else…"

"You? In love with somebody else? That's – "

"Kaito, I …"

o o o

It was almost two in the morning and Mouri Ran couldn't sleep a wink. Thankfully, her mobile phone started ringing and she was glad that it distracted her from her thoughts.

"Sonoko! It's really you, ne?"

"Yeah. I'm in Heiji and Kazuha's hotel room. Heiji's here too but maa, he's not mentally here. He fainted. Kazuha is trying to wake him. He was holding the phone and it seems like he was talking to Saguru. And guess what? There were messages in his phone as well."

"Is it necessary that I have to hear this?"

"Hai. Okay, here's the first one. It's from Kaito and it says, 'Do you know who it is? I've been waiting for your answer…' that's a bit suggestive but, anyways, here's the second one. It's from Saguru and it says 'let's make this our secret, okay?' and the last one is from Shinichi and it says, 'meet me tomorrow. Have something to tell.'… Ran, what do you make out of this?"

Ran yawned. "I don't really know. Right now, I just want to sleep. It looks like there are other people who have more difficulty sleeping..."

"But Ran – "

"Oyasuminasai, Sonoko. Go home already. Let's deal with this in the morning, ne?"

"Hai. Oyasuminasai, Ran."

o o o