"What...?"

A dream...? About his family? Those sweet, sweet kids, with their faces contorted in misery and fear or twisted with malice that was so alien to them, forced onto them before Gaillard had had a chance to protect them...

It had felt so real. The pain had felt so real. And before he knew it, there were tears prickling at the corners of his eyes and threatening to fall as he stared hard at the blanket, his hands gripping at it tightly. 

“Excuse me miss. What’s that in your eye? Oh, it’s a sparkle. That’s something special!”

So it appeared the third riddle was released! Oh jolly. It was only natural that Shinichi showed a bright interest, he was a detective and a lover of mystery after all. But as he read the riddle pieces he received, from previous mysteries, one by one; something hit him slowly. It wasn't that hard to take in, but the poor boy just wasn't used to any different when he thought about things. And what hit him? That was simple;

This game allowed no solo play.

Well, of course, if you put in a lot of effort; you probably could solve a mystery just by using one piece... but hey! What was the fun of that? As much as Shinichi was used to venturing alone, he had the wonderful idea that perhaps he should play along a little with the Mayor and his game. It wasn't like anyone was kidnapped or something, after all!

So the young detective had decided to visit his neighbours, hoping that the residence next door, by the name of Clover Apt. Room 3, currently hid one of his new friends there. Or well, new... but they certainly had some sort of 'first' meeting quite recently, that was for sure. It as bound to be exciting either way.

And thus he knocked on the door, grinning slowly to himself. Doing this made him feel like an elementary school student (do not comment on that) picking up a friend to play outside with. Well, that was alright, though. Anything is worth it if you can go out and solve a mystery together.

"Kudou-kun, can I ask you something? Do you love me?"

You, you damn tall foreigner.

✉ 2 AM text

To: HakubaTitle: Why

[ Why are you texting me this late? Do I sound like a nocturnal animal to you? Get me coffee and then we'll talk. ]

✘ Unsent text

To: HakubaTitle: [No Title]

[ Stop stealing my Holmes cosplay. ]

☠ Threatening text

To: HakubaTitle: Coffee

[ Stop. Touching. It. Or Else. At least ask. ]

♥ Lusty/loving/affectionate message

To: HakubaTitle: Coffee?

[ You bought me coffee? Thank you. Let's drink some together next time we talk about Holmes. When are you free? ]

♣ Drunk message

To: HakubaTitle: Youuuuu