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Conan smiled. Agasa had finished the update he'd requested and brought him a change of clothes for when he'd shrunk. He regretted that he couldn't visit Ran, but given the circumstances he knew much more was at stake. "Thanks." Agasa nodded, replying, "It's no problem, Shinichi. All I had to do was adjust them and the frequency will trace that button anywhere." The professor sighed, "I have to go back home. Ai-chan and the Detective Boys are helping me do some tinkering with old inventions, and if I leave for too long, I'm afraid my house will be gone when I return." Conan laughed. "I understand... You haven't told her where I'm going, have you?" "Who, Ai-chan?" With a nod, Conan added, "Don't let her know. I don't want her involved. She'll do something dangerous." Agasa frowned, watching him as he exited the yellow beetle. "Be careful Shinichi," he called. With a smile and a wave the shrunken detective turned and raced down the sidewalk, following the signal from his modified tracking glasses that led to the tracer he'd planted on Amontillado. "This is my thanks to you, Subaru-san... I won't let anything happen to her." Ten miles away, Amontillado entered her boss' favorite hideout, a second floor apartment with a front office he used to hold meetings. She took a deep breath, gripping the spare button on her jacket. Erru attributed it to nerves that she didn't remember having the spare before and left it at that. "Boss... You said this morning that you needed to see me?" From the shadows a figure appeared, striding to a chair and sitting grandly. Tall and lean, the boss towered over her even from his seat, beckoning for her to sit. Of course he's wearing his stupid mask, Amontillado thought, rolling her eyes as she took a seat parallel to his. Every time they'd met, he was wearing his childish mask and using a voice-changer, making Amontillado believe he was afraid to have his identity known, scared that someone would find out. "Amontillado, you've been in my employ for about three years, and now that you have your codename, are you content?" "What?" She tried to keep her voice level and blank, hoping she wouldn't betray her confusion. The boss' ever present smile remained frozen in place on the mask that had become his face as he responded to her inquiry. "Is this what you wanted when you joined us? Are you happy with things as they are, with you as a full member, with everything as it is?" How much did he know? This time, she couldn't keep her voice from cracking. "Why do you ask?" The boss shrugged, the shadows over his mask warping the plastered smile into a malicious grin. "I just thought," he began, taking something from his pocket, "That you might want to be yourself, if only for a short while, Erru." Between his thumb and forefinger he held a red and white capsule. "You..." "Of course I know who you are. I figured it out quite some time ago, when I learned of that detective brat's condition. You were so familiar, it didn't take me long to realize that you were that brat from ten years ago, Kinzie's precious daughter... When I remembered that Sherry's mother was the one Gin asked to dispose of you that day, everything became clear. You were given the second prototype of Apotoxin 4869. That's why you appear to be the same as you were then. You spent another childhood observing us and joined when you were once again of age to infiltrate our little syndicate, Erru." His free hand went to his chin in an attempt at appearing thoughtful, but rather than childish, he now looked sinister. "What a scenario... I may have to use it in a story," he mumbled with a laugh. She glanced back at the door, where Gin was now standing, blocking her way and glaring coldly in her direction. "Now, I'm going to tell you exactly the circumstances before you make your decision. I am going to kill you. There's no way around that. But here's the catch: I'll let you decide how." Erru clenched her fists at her sides, watching the unmoving, mocking grin as one undoubtedly appeared behind it. "Option one," he began, holding up a finger, "You give in right now and take this capsule. It contains an antidote that will return you to yourself, as well as a time-released portion of potassium cyanide. You will become your true age within minutes and die soon after. Of course, we'll also have you bound, so you can't try anything" At Erru's icy stare he chuckled, "You were never one for surrender... no, I don't think you'll go for that option..." She fiddled with the tassle on her jacket, working over escape plans in her mind. There's no way to get out now, she thought as panic rose in her like bile from her core. Gin's armed, and there's no way I'd get past him and the boss without being shot or taken down... I'll have to play his game. At least until I figure out a plan. As her heart raced, her expression retained its neutrality, and she managed to enunciate properly in her reply. "So what's option two?" The boss' right hand disappeared into his pocket as he dropped the poison capsule back into it. "It's quite simple," he explained, "You lead that detective brat here by any means you wish. Once we have him, you will be bound and left here with him to rot. That is the only painless death I can offer an FBI rat like yourself, no matter how loyal you have pretended to be." Erru shook her head, snapping, "I would never bring you another victim. Kudou Shinichi is under my protection as of today!" The boss laughed, "His little guardian angel? A fallen angel with broken wings. Fitting, Amontillado. Just like your mother. Would you like me to tell you what she told me just before I killed her, Erru? "She said that she would never give up the targets we were after, because she wanted her daughter to believe in justice at all self-cost." Erru's eyes teared up, and her fists shook. "Of course, I told her that nonsense would be the end of both of you, but she didn't believe me. And what do you know? My pistol went off, right in my hands. The bullet pierced her heart, Erru. That heart that bled with pity for every poor lost soul, bleeding out because of the one she pitied most." "Shut up!" Erru bolted up, grabbing her boss' shoulders, and glared straight through his mask. "Don't you DARE talk about my mother!" A ceaseless laugh picked up, and she released him as he shook with laughter, a hand over the false mouth that still grinned at her. "You really don't know, do you, Erru? After I left your mother, I found someone much more suitable, continuing to do my true work in secret. "My wife never questions me, never wonders why I spend so long away, alone on business, because she does the same. Kinzie knew too much from the day we married, and I've regretted it every day since." "My mother would NEVER marry someone like you!" Erru shouted, shaking her head. "She wouldn't! Besides, my dad was the only man in mom's life, and he died a star detective, not a murderous bastard who hid behind a mask!" "Oh, can't I be both? Besides, what I really regretted was the birth of our daughter. A son to take my place, that's what I wanted from my relationship with Kinzie, but no, we had you instead... You, with your attachment to 'justice' and your useless emotions! The day you were born I refused to name you, and when you joined us I knew the name you'd choose regardless. Poe's alcohol, and Poe's detective?! Your mother brandished his works like a .357, always asking whether I'd encountered a case similar... Needless to say I'd initiated a few myself!" "You're not my father," Erru insisted. "You're insane! My father was famous detective Natake Yu-" "Wrong, Erru! Natake was your mother's maiden name. Because of my high profile work, I asked that she not change her name. She thought I was being chivalrous..." He spat the word chivalrous as though it left a bad taste in his mouth, then grabbed Erru by the collar of her jacket, bringing his mask close to her face in a threatening gesture of control. "No more distractions, Erru... Option three," he hissed, "Is my favorite." He took a small firearm from his pocket, handling it surprisingly safely as he showed it off to her. "If you do not bring Shinichi here, I take the pistol that ended your mother's life." He snapped his wrist toward her. "Press it against your fragile little heart." Anokata tapped his index finger against the trigger guard. "And pull the trigger." Erru was frozen. There was no way the boss was-! If he wasn't, how did he know so much?! She sighed in regretful resignation, knowing there was no way out. "My mother died staring into your eyes. I think I deserve the same right... otou-san." The boss, her father, let go of her collar and took a step back. "So it's option three, then? How fitting... Like mother, like daughter." He clicked off the safety on his pistol, leveling the firearm at her chest. "You're forgetting something..." Erru crossed her arms, and Anokata sighed in annoyance. "Now I have to readjust my aim..." Amontillado frowned, spitting, "Take off the mask, dad!" The man who called himself her father obliged, grabbing the bottom of the mask and pulling it away from his face just as the door caved in. A soccer ball rolled in to land harmlessly beside Erru's feet, and she turned to see Gin lying stunned on the floor, the dented door having hit him from behind. In the doorway stood a child's silhouette, stepping forward from the shadows. "Hello again, Erru." "Kudou-kun?!" Dropping his mask, Anokata wrapped his arm around Erru, pressing his forearm against her throat as she struggled against him. The cold barrel of his pistol resting against her temple, he snapped, "Don't take another step, Shinichi!" The shrunken detective in the doorway stood frozen. He couldn't have moved to react if Erru wasn't Anokata's hostage. His body shaking, he rasped, "Otou-san?"

Hattori yawned as he turned a corner and turned his baseball cap. "I try an' warn Kudou that his life's in danger, an' he goes an' turns his phone off... Terrible detective work..." He took another step, pausing in mid-stride as an odd feeling struck him. Those guys aren't here, are they? He stopped walking and glanced around discreetly, giving a sigh of relief. No one was following. But less than thirty seconds after he'd began walking again, a transmission was sent through to the cell phone of an elderly-looking man in the restroom of an okonomiyaki shop. "Another rat... do we take care of it now, or let him be the bait?" Shinichi face-palmed and shook his head. "Does EVERYONE know about the Black Organization now?! Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Natake shook her head and put her finger to her lips. "Look, all I'm gonna say is that Kiichiro's real name is Tooru, and he is NOT in a good mood." Shinichi took a sip of his soda as the okonomiyaki was set on the table. "How am I supposed to believe that from someone I've never met? You could just as likely be Bourbon." Natake glared at him, replying, "I have solid proof that I'm a girl, but there's no way in hell I'm showin' anyone. Besides, I found this tracer in your sleeve." "Okay, okay, I believe you, sheesh." Shinichi picked up the tracer... If that's Bourbon, his assignment must be to interfere and find out the same thing as me... So let's give him a red herring." As he stood, Shinichi paid the bill and asked the employee not to tell 'Kiichiro' where they went. Natake insisted on packing her Okonomiyaki and taking it along. "I will not waste the food this man made us, and neither will you!" And so five minutes later, Shinichi and Natake were jogging along a backroad, carry-out boxes in their arms, as Shinichi looked for a likely place to leave the tracer. "Hold this." Shinichi stumbled back as a box was shoved into his arms. Natake snatched the tracer from his pocket and ran out into the street, jerking her head in a signal to follow. In a few moments Shinichi had figured out the plan, and he smiled as he said, "Good idea... Motion and a crowd." Natake took a deep breath before drawing her arm back and throwing the button with exact aim toward the bullet train that was just passing them. It stuck somewhere near the lower end of the outer doors and Natake nodded once. "Okay..." She then grabbed her box of food and ran off, calling, "C'mon, Kudou! We've still gotta outrun him if he's as smart as he thinks he is!" Shinichi followed at a sprint. "But why are you helping me? You aren't involved in this... You can go do what you were before," he reasoned. Natake shrugged. "Why not? Even if you are a famous detective, you've got to have others to help you, or else you'd never make it this far. Everyone needs help sometimes..." She trailed off, watching the crowd in the street as they passed. "Even that guy." She pointed out a teen sitting alone at a cafe table, reading over a menu and glancing around surreptitiously. "Oi, where're you-?" Natake sighed and followed Shinichi to the table as he sat down, "What's going on, Hattori? Your cap's switched...A case?" Hattori stared at Shinichi. "Y- Yer alright... that's good... I heard about this case thing, an' it's really dangerous for you ta do this... Those guys activated a new member, Amontillado, and they sent him after you. And they know everything..." Natake cringed at Hattori's mention of 'Amontillado', then broke into the conversation. As though she didn't already know, she asked, "Who's this, Kudou-kun?" Shinichi froze, then bade her sit. "Ah, Hattori, this is Natake...?" "Just Natake..." Shinichi blinked. "Ah, okay... Natake, this is Hattori Heiji, a friend and fellow detective." Hattori nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet ya." Natake bowed, effectively hiding the beginnings of a smile. "Likewise." She then sat and remained silent while the detectives conversed. After both sides had been explained, Hattori sighed, "Kudou, ya can't take this case... That person is involved. This time it won't be enough that they avoid capture. They want you dead..." Shinichi shook his head. "They can't know. If they did, Ran and Oji-san wouldn't be safe." Concern darkened Hattori's expression as he asked, "Are they?" Shinichi nodded quickly. "I spoke to Ran before I left, and she's fine. Wouldn't there be a more discreet way to get rid of me if they knew that I..." he froze, glancing at Natake. "Uh, how much DO you know about this?" She shrugged, replying, "Everything I could find out from news articles on deaths and bombings in Tokyo, info dredged up from outside sources that shall remain nameless... I don't know what those guys want with you, though... They play the big time. Unless you're important to something bigger, I can't see them taking time to deal with you." Shinichi's mouth twitched at 'Taking time', and he glared at Hattori, who quickly stifled his amused chuckle. "I witnessed a blackmail deal a while back, and one of the guys tried to kill me." Natake raised an eyebrow suspiciously, inquiring, "How exactly did you survive an attempt on your life by those guys?" He froze at the question, and Hattori jumped in. "Ya see, he got to the hospital in time to save his life, but then he was put into a witness protection program, 'cause the guys who did it weren't caught..." Natake shrugged, replying, "You don't have to be so defensive... It's not like they're... Dammit, Kudou! Bourbon's still looking for you, you idiot! How could you sidetrack us like this?" She stood quickly and dragged Shinichi up by the arm, pulling him along as she sprinted through the pedestrians. "Feel free to come along, Bakkatori..." Heiji grumbled, "It's Hattori, Hattori..." but followed nonetheless. Within five minutes the three out-of-breath teens had reached a back road alley that stretched for what seemed like miles, and Natake finally seemed satisfied that they'd lost Bourbon. "You can slacken the pace if you'd like, Kudou-kun." Hattori glared at her. Oh, so ya get HIS name right? She turned and gave him a blank glance, turning back without a word, and he twitched a bit, feeling like she'd read his mind. Good thing this girl's on our side... Shinichi slowed down a bit, asking, "So, Natake-san... That's your surname, right?" She nodded coldly as he added, "It sounds familiar... I just can't place it. Can you tell me your name?" She turned away sharply, staring at the wall of the alley. "You don't have to, it would just help... sorry." Natake sighed, glancing at the others, and then sped up a little, walking on ahead. "Ah, we're slowing for a bit, Natake-san..." She said nothing and headed off as neither of the others made a move to follow. "I think ya upset the kid..." After several minutes of awkward silence and walking, the detectives caught up with the girl, who had stopped just outside the alley and was leaning against the wall, reading. As they approached she neither looked up nor acknowledged them, but she did read a line aloud. "He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics..." She closed the book and tucked it into her backpack, adding, "Someone I knew was like that..." Her gaze never left the ground, and she started walking again silently. After a moment she added, "Come on, Kudou, Bakkatori..." Shinichi and Heiji followed, the latter grumbling about the butchering of his name yet again, as she led the way through crowded streets and abandoned roads to a decrepit building that looked like it had once been a storehouse. She motioned for them to follow as she entered a window unabashedly and plunked herself down beside a pallet. "Make yourselves at home. We may have to wait it out here. Third floor's got a restroom that works plumbing-wise on Tuesdays." Hattori grimaced, asking, "D'you LIVE here?" Natake's face lost all expression, and she dead-panned, "Do I LOOK like I live here? This is just a hideout spot for when things get tight during a case..." "So you're a detective, too?" Natake frowned, replying, "Sort of... I guess." Hattori risked another question. "How safe is this place?" The girl shrugged again. "If somebody wanted to get in, nothing'd stop 'em, but there's not a good chance they'd be looking here to find anybody." She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "Wake me up if anything happens..." After twenty minutes trying to also get some rest Heiji sighed and turned to Shinichi. "Look Kudou, I don't trust this place to be a good hideout for long. Bourbon's pretty good at getting information, no matter how well you hide it. He'll have people looking for ya, and odds are for her an' me too... If he gets a lead, we're as good as found, an' I'm pretty sure he's got more up his sleeve than acting like an old guy..." The boards on the door shook as a boot struck against them three times, and Bourbon's voice sounded from the other side. "I told you, this is it." "Dammit..." Shinichi stood, shaking Natake's shoulder. "Get up! They're here." Hattori grabbed a piece of plywood, holding it before him like a kendo blade as the girl stirred and looked around. She hopped up as the voice sounded again. "No... Amontillado ran off again as well. Odds are they're here..." Natake grabbed one of Shinichi's arms and one of Hattori's, dragging them to the stairs. "Go up to the fourth floor, quickly. There's a way out under the fifth floor stairwell that leads to the East exit. Go to the police station and get help. Hurry it up, Kudou!" Shinichi frowned. "Aren't you coming?" She shook her head, shoving them forward. "Just give this to someone at HQ." She shoved a crumpled paper into Hattori's hand and turned around as the first board was pulled free. "Leave now," she whispered, walking to the door. She put a pair of earbuds in, pressing a button on the mp3 player she'd snatched from the table and picking up the fallen plywood. Shinichi looked to Hattori, who nodded, and the two raced up the stairs as silently as they could, headed up to floor four. The sound of boards breaking and a voice carried up to them as they sped up. "Don't worry, they're he-" The sound was cut off by a loud thump, followed by a softer one. "What are you doing?!" Shinichi bit his lip and ran faster, resisting the urge to race down the stairs and face Gin, who had just spoken. That sound must have been Bourbon running into something, or... He remembered the board Natake had been holding. She might have struck him, but... There's no way she would have been allowed to do that, but there hadn't been another sound after Bourbon had fallen. He could hear the next voice loud and clear over the transmitter that accompanied the note Hattori held. "Sorry, Gin-sama... I thought he was a burglar... I was listening to some Poe, so I didn't hear you announce yourselves. I'm sorry you had to take the door down... Was there something you needed?" "An explanation as to why you ran off with the target and tried to shake Bourbon would be appreciated," Gin replied coldly. Shinichi recoiled as Hattori grabbed his arm and pulled him to the opening in the stairwell. "I left on my own to pursue him when he ran off... Then I decided to leave it to the guy assigned this petty job and take a nap before my meeting with the boss..." As they closed the makeshift door behind them, Gin spoke three words that left him frozen, addressing Natake with a familiar tone. "Thank you, Amontillado..."

Posts fixed Hi! I dug around the Internet to see if I could get a full list of interviews Gosho has ever given so far, and this is the fruit of my work. (Lol you can see that Gosho usually gives interviews around April, probably for hyping up the movies.) Of these, I have the raws for Conan Drill, Detective Conan & Kindaichi Case Files, and the Monkey Punch & Aoyama Gosho talk from Endless Youth & Co. I'm thinking about translating them, but I want to make sure they're not translated already - so, I'm wondering if these three interviews are translated already or not? Interviews from other people EDIT: Copy & pasting some older posts I've made:

here is the HD/HQ Version My link

So far I have not found any recording or whatever in Japanese, but the Chinese fan who attended the meeting on 2013.1.3 and originally reported the news above have translated many of Gosho's answers in one of his/her Weibo (微博) blog entries. He/she saved everything written as a very long image file rather than typing it out (possibly because there's a character limit). And since this is based on this person's memory only, he/she said that not every detail can be correct. And of course it means that not every Q&A can be remembered here. User/poster: Y大蟹酥Y Original link to the Weibo blog: http://weibo.com/u/1986450982 UNFORTUNATELY, to be able to gain access to Weibo, you must have an account, which I don't think anyone here does. The image and my crappy English translation can be viewed in the spoiler boxes below (I cropped it into 7 parts). DISCLAIMER: I don't own this image. Image source is on the bottom right corner of the last part. And just so you know, I don't even think I have the permission to post this thing, even though it seems to be meant for public view -__-"" ...

Amontillado stirred, wincing at the sharp headache that left her reeling for a minute. When she could focus enough to see her surroundings, she noticed that she was in the front room of her hideout. "... what?!" She bolted up and ran to the window. I left. I went to find Kudou-kun and Bakkatori... what happened!? She watched as Bourbon smiled and gave her a cocky wave from where he sat in the parking lot in front of the building. Vermouth, she thought, remembering the woman she'd seen just before she'd lost consciousness. She used chloroform on me! That chick's NOT on my good side. She sighed and sat down, then glanced around quickly. "They took my bag, and my book?! that's it..." After taking a deep breath Amontillado grabbed the small table that furnished her room, hefting it over her shoulder. She took the nails out of the recently reattached boards on the door one by one and dropped them to the ground, removing the planks and breaking off the doorknob. "Looks like I'll be finding a new place..." She stepped outside, carrying the table over her shoulder, and called to Bourbon. "Oi, Amuro-chan! I'm heading to my meeting with the boss. If you try to stop me you'll get this table shoved down your throat, so I suggest you put your pistol down and let me pass..." Subaru and Hattori sat across from one another in the meeting room of the police station. The former was staring at the table as Hattori asked, "Are you sure it's okay to let Kudou do this on his own like that?" Okiya nodded. "That's the only way. If we join him we'll only put more people in danger, and working from here we can protect Mouri-san's family and the Tooyamas as well..." "Yeah, but what about Amontillado?" Subaru looked at Hattori and sighed. "I suppose you can know the full story," he replied, crossing his arms. "Eleven years ago the daughter of one of our top agents was admitted into our program. That was Natake Erru, the daughter of Kinzie. That's been explained. Her father had died when she was a child, so she got along immediately with Jodie. I suppose you could say they bonded in tragedy. Because she was only sixteen at the time, I left her at HQ with Sera every once in a while. They got along well, and eventually I had her babysit two to three times a week payed in cash... We couldn't allow her to do the dangerous cases, but she always wanted to help, to protect. That was kind of our way of protecting her... "But just after her seventeenth birthday her mother was killed in a confrontation with the Black Organization, and she decided to do something drastic. She ran off on her own and got involved in one of their cases, and we recieved notice that she'd been killed... Ten years after her funeral there was no sign of her, so this all comes as a slight shock..." Subaru trailed off as Hattori let the story sink in, watching the younger detective work through the information. "So she's twenty-seven now?" Okiya nodded, adding, "As long as it's really her, yes." Hattori shook his head. "She didn't look anywhere near that..." Okiya shrugged. "I don't understand that, and I won't until I see her." "So you're planning on getting involved?" Subaru looked at Hattori, his eyes cold behind the glint of his glasses. "That kid was my responsibility, and a friend to myself and my sister. Of course I am." Shinichi crossed the street and ducked around a corner, watching for any movement from the car he was trying to tail down the crowded streets. Gin sat talking on his phone with someone as he drove, Vodka offering commentary from the passenger's seat, and Shinichi smiled to himself, lifting his transciever button to his mouth. "Agasa-hakase, can you do me a favor?" Bourbon dialed the boss' number frantically, more annoyed by the sound of the keys and the melody of the song than usual. When the reciever was picked up, he said quickly, "Sir, Amontillado's heading your way..." What is she doing?! I can't get involved! "I understand," said the voice that had summoned Shinichi into the case. "Miyano-san was unable to deal with her those years ago. She'll make this game an easy check mate." "Miyano? You mean, you-" "Of course I know who she is, Bourbon. I've known since she joined us... Take care of Rye and leave Kudo and Erru to me. She'll make this game an easy checkmate."

Now sitting in the conference room of the Osaka Police Station, Shinichi and Hattori listened to Subaru as he explained the plan of action. "We should wait here for the person who gave you this..." He blinked and frowned. "Do you know who wrote this?" Shinichi nodded. "Natake did... well, apparently she's actually Amontillado, so I guess we can't trust her..." Subaru shook his head. "If that's true, and she's going by Amontillado and Natake, there's a high chance it's her. Not many know her name and her desired Organization name, so unless a member found out and is faking it, that girl is Natake Erru, and she's still alive..." He stared at the table contemplatively, not glancing up as Shinichi asked, "Then she's FBI?" "She was FBI. As I said, we were under the impression that she had died ten years ago. This feels impossible. Dead agents don't just pop up from the organization and announce that they're still alive..." Hattori asked, "What about the information on those guys you've been getting?" Subaru sighed, replying, "Those messages were between Kir and Jodie. The updates after my 'death' had to be handled discreetly, so we began using a coded system." Shinichi frowned, saying quickly, "So what do you think this means, Subaru-san?" "I don't know what to think..." There was a tap on the door, and a figure in a black hoodie and sweatpants slipped in, sitting silently at the table before removing the hood and addressing Shinichi and Heiji. "See, Kudou-kun, Hattori-kun? Told you I'd be fine..." Something about the greeting bothered him, but Shinichi nodded, replying, "Yeah, Natake-san..." Hattori broke in, "So what's all this about you being Amontillado, huh?! We trust you and you lead us to a 'safe' place that's as dangerous as it gets!" Natake sighed and responded with a frown, "You're the one who's staying in the most obvious place for Gin to look for you!" Subaru frowned, watching them. "Are you alright then, Amontillado?" "Fine. I just had to-" She looked up at Subaru. "Uh, who's this, you guys?" Okiya blinked. Of course she doesn't know me... She might not even know that I'm supposed to be dead as well. "Ah, this is Sh-" "Subaru... Subaru Okiya. I'm living in Kudou-kun's house while he's away on cases. I came for a testimony on a case I was involved in, and the three of us met up." He didn't know why he was lying, but something about the setup seemed off. Even if it was Erru, a possible ten years working for the black organization and being promoted to a named member could have changed her alignment... Natake took the ratty book from her bag and opened it, flattening the spine and covers against the desk for easier reading, and scanned a page. "So, you two, why're you hanging out here instead of finishing the case?" Hattori was the first to respond. "Ah, this isn't a simple open and shut murder case... If we reveal the person responsible for leaking the information, they're likely to become a threat to the Black Organization, and we risk putting them in danger." Natake shook her head. "And if you DON'T, there's no telling what the boss will pull! He hasn't even told Gin or Vodka what this 'prize' he's dangling in front of you and Masumi is, and frankly I don't want to find out! I may be technically one of them, but my spirit's allied with the police..." "Who are you?" Natake looked up, confused by Subaru's question. When she said nothing, he added, "You haven't outrightly told us your name... just let us assume your identity is the one we believe... Is that because you're being careful, or because you don't know who you're supposed to be?" Natake sighed and folded her hands under her chin. "Alright, alright... It's me, Erru... I'm wearin' this disguise so they won't know my age, and I gotta be brief, since I need to head back before Amuro-san realizes I'm gone... I survived an encounter with the Black Organization ten years ago, got away from the group, and waited it out to let the FBI think I wasn't coming back. I figured that was the only way to get the Organization to believe it. Then I did up this disguise, introduced myself under a fake name, and joined up... Happy now, Subaru-san?" Subaru nodded. "Quite. So tell me again, who are you?" Natake recoiled. "What do you mean?! I'm-!" Hattori jumped in with a quick interjection. "You called me by my actual name! Natake's been callin' me Bakkatori all day, ya know." "And that book... Natake would never damage her favorite book like that," Shinichi added. "She opened it just enough to read!" Subaru finished with a sigh, "She was also allergic to most makeups, even irritated by contacts, and would never be able to wear a latex mask like the one you've got on. Also, she'd be only five foot three at the most, and you're easily two inches taller without high heels... so, who are you?" Natake stood. "You guys are good," she said in a voice that wasn't her own. "Although I know more about the little lamb than you do, cool guy." Shinichi blinked as Vermouth removed her mask. "I guess you guys win this round, but you know, it might be better if you forget about Amontillado. The boss would appreciate not having to spill any blood, especially that of an FBI lamb, so soon after her initiation~" Subaru stood and grabbed Vermouth's shoulder. "Where is she?!" The woman gave a well-lipsticked smile and pressed her .357 magnum against his shirt, leaning in to whisper to him in English, "That's a secret, Rye..." He released her arm in shock as she turned to go, concealing her loaded weapon and waving as though to friends. "We'll meet later, Cool Guy~"

Gin frowned, watching as Bourbon picked himself up and rubbed his left temple. "You didn't have to hit me so hard, Amontillado." The girl frowned and nodded, replying, "If you were breaking in, I wouldn't want you to stand back up. You're lucky the boss hasn't given me a gun yet." Bourbon shuddered and gave a sigh. "So the kid isn't here, then?" Amontillado shook her head. " I lost track of him in a crowd, and then the case got boring, so I came here to do some reading and re-interest myself in something." Bourbon crossed his arms. "Then why are there two okonomiyaki on the table?" Amontillado rolled her eyes. "Do you know what a waste it would have been to leave that detective brat's food to get thrown out? Would you like to tell me if you saved yours?" she snapped. Bourbon frowned, glancing suspiciously at the food before sighing, "Fine... Sorry Gin. Thought they were here." Gin turned and left without another word, and Bourbon followed closely. Once out of earshot he whispered, "I know the boss' record says Amontillado's name is Dapono Agosta, but today she went by Natake..." Gin glanced back at Bourbon. "Natake?" He spoke the name with a bitter edge, and Bourbon snickered, knowing he'd hit a nerve. "Yes. Doesn't she remind you of Kinzie?" Gin glared at nothing, spitting, "Yes. She has the same irritating love of the 'mystery' of a job... and the same taunting blue eyes... But Kinzie's daughter would be at least twenty-five or twenty-six by now... If she was still alive. " Bourbon nodded, annoyed. "Yes, if... but Kinzie was almost as good with disguises as I am. It could be worth looking into, and then we might have our informant as well." If everything went according to plan, Gin and Vermouth at least would want to look into Amontillado's background and find out who she really was. And once they did, Amuro would know the truth. The only problem was what would happen to the girl if Anokata found out before his preparations were finished. A rat in a trap can still bite...If he gets to her first, Kinzie, there will be nothing I can do. Gin nodded coldly, replying, "Yeah. Those FBI rats tried to pull something like what they did with Rye... but unless they got another one in while he was active, or pulled a switch on one of our faithfuls..." He gave Bourbon a firm frown as he got into his Porsche. "Bourbon, the game is over. The players will have to be dealt with another time.Look into Amontillado's records. She is not to be out of your sight." His eyes fixed on the road, Gin drove North, headed to the meeting place for his rendezvous with Anokata. "That woman's dangerous... but I guess if she is still alive, we'll be meeting again. And you won't be able to save even yourself this time, Erru..." Shinichi stopped only once he was holding the crumpled paper out to the first person he ran into at the police station. Doubled over and panting he proffered the message. Subaru glanced at Hattori and Shinichi. He took the paper slowly, mumbling, "Not sure what this is for, but okay..." Shinichi stood and blinked. "Ah, no, that was supposed to be- for..." Okiya had already opened and read the paper, and he frowned, shaking his head. "That's... impossible." Hattori, who had caught his breath, asked, "What is?" Subaru gave a start, then sighed, "I guess there can be no secrets this close to the end... Kudou-kun, Hattori-san, you know who I'm associated with... Ten years ago we had a new recruit, the daughter of the agent Kinzie Natake. This girl witnessed her mother's death at the hands of the Organization, and asked to be placed there to put the killers to justice... But she was killed those ten years ago... Now, this note says..." He held out the paper, and Shinichi scanned it blankly. He had no clue what it meant. "tell RED that L lives..." Hattori shook his head. "I'm good at English and I don't know what that means." Subaru smiled, explaining, "Take a look at it, and pull out only what is in capitals. you have RED and L. What is 'red' in Japanese?" Shinichi smiled, replying, "Akai." Subaru nodded. "You came to the right place. It says 'tell Akai that L lives.'" Hattori blinked. "But who's 'L'?" With another slight smile Subaru replied, "Again, the Japanese." Heiji asked, "The pronunciation of the english letter L?" Okiya nodded. "Erru..." Again he nodded. "Exactly." "But who's Erru? This isn't any clearer, old man." Subaru chuckled at Hattori, adding, "Despite your inherent cluelessness, I assume you're a good detective... Erru Natake, the daughter of Kinzie Natake, is who the note refers to. Apparently she IS alive, which gives us a good advantage over Koibito-san." "What advantage is that?" "So many questions, Hattori Heiji-kun... WE have an ally that no one else knows exists." Back at her hideout, Amontillado finished her Okonomiyaki, putting Shinichi's in a paper bag which she folded and stuffed in her backpack after taking out her gps, transmitter, and tracers. "They don't need to know where I am... Besides, I'm just delivering some leftovers... and news." With a smile she walked quietly up the steps to the fourth floor, aware that Bourbon had been left outside to watch the front exits. "Too bad he doesn't know about this one~" Amontillado closed the exit behind herself and stood up, glancing around. Sure that no one had seen her, she headed down the back alley she had come through back toward the police station. After a few insecure minutes she emerged into a seething crowd and took shelter in the mass of bodies on the move. She replaced the headphones in her ears and hit 'play' on her mp3 player. "The mental features discoursed of as the analytical

Sera walked down the sidewalk across the street from where Shinichi had boarded the trolley, her eyes fixed on the figure in front of her. Her target walked with a short, preoccupied stride. The detective looked around cautiously before slipping a piece of paper into the man's closed umbrella and turning to walk in the other direction. "I hope they can figure this out," she sighed, turning into an alley and disappearing through the back door of a restaurant. After she had snuck the paper to him, the man turned left and crossed the street, headed for an apartment building. He pressed the call button carefully and glanced to either side, checking to ensure that he wasn't being followed. The man walked up the stairs and entered the room he was seeking as the door was opened. He sat at a table, joined by the person he was meeting with. "So, ya tell me Kudou's gotten involved with a pretty tough case? I guess ya guys want me ta solve it?" Subaru tugged down the scarf that had covered half of his face, replying, "Hattori Heiji, you are known as the best teen detective in Osaka... The FBI would like you to join Kudou Shinichi on his investigation... Will you do it?" Hattori scoffed, "Of course! There's no way I'd turn down a chance ta show up a detective from Tokyo, especially Kudou~" Subaru nodded. "Good." He fished the paper from his umbrella silently, sliding it across the table to the Osakan detective. He pushed up his glasses, saying, "This message is from other detective called into the case." Hattori raised an eyebrow as he flipped the paper over. "Ah- those guys..." Subaru frowned. "Is something the matter?" "Yeah, there is," Hattori replied, "Kudou's in danger." Shinichi sneezed, blinking. "Must be getting a cold..." The elderly man with the brochure said, "Gezundheit." Shinichi nodded. "Thank you." He smiled. "Or someone's talking about you," Natake muttered. She didn't look up from her book as Shinichi mumbled, "That's just superstition..." The old man nodded, adding, "There's power in superstition, though." Shinichi shrugged, watching the scenery pass. "I guess there's power in anything that is believed..." The trolley stopped fifteen minutes later at a large plaza, and Shinichi climbed down the stairs. The two passengers he'd been talking to did the same, joining him on the sidewalk. "Why don't we take a walking tour together?" the man suggested. Shinichi grinned. "That sounds great!" It would give him a chance to scope out the area and look for clues. Natake frowned and continued reading her book. "I'll... go too." The three of them walked for about ten minutes, the man sharing facts from his brochure and Shinichi adding in bits of history he'd learned from hanging out with Hattori. Then the old man, whose name was Kiichiro, headed into the building they had stopped at, saying that he needed to use the restroom. The girl just stood there, reading. She looked up as Shinichi asked, "Are you going to just stand in the middle of the sidewalk?" Natake nodded. "I was planning on it... why?" "You're in the way," Shinichi sighed, "People can't get through with you standing there..." She closed the book, taking a step to the right. "There..." Shinichi frowned, replying, "That's not what I meant..." Natake glanced at the entrance of the building as the old man emerged, mumbling something under her breath. "What?" She turned to him quickly. "Nothing, Kudou..." As Kiichiro rejoined them, Natake went back to reading. 'What a weird person...' Twenty minutes later the group stopped at a shop that served Okonomiyaki. Kiichiro ordered one with mushrooms and cheese, and Shinichi asked for one with shrimp. Natake closed her book again and set it aside. "I'll eat whatever the cook wants to make..." Shinichi shook his head. "What if he puts in something you don't like, Natake-san?" She glanced at him, replying, "It's a risk I'll take if he enjoys making it... It's something I enjoy, whether I like the ingredients or not..." She frowned, her expression blank. "Anyway, you ordered shrimp... those are worse than whatever he may put in my okonomiyaki." "Excuse me, you two. I'm afraid I have to use the restroom again..." Kiichiro walked off, smiling, and Natake watched him. When he had disappeared from sight, she grabbed Shinichi's arm, studying his clothes and frowning. "What the heck-?" She shushed him. "I'm checking you for listening devices, you idiot..." Natake dug through his pocket, taking out his phone and coin bag and putting them back. "Um... why?" Natake looked at him blankly. "Because that old guy's Bourbon, you moron."

A girl wearing headphones and an indifferent expression slipped into the bathroom at Kansai Hotel, tugging a change of clothes from her duffel bag. She exchanged her collared shirt and tie for a tee shirt displaying a popular band and a jacket, covering her dark red hair with a black baseball cap turned around backward. She threw out the brown contacts that had been left for her, but set a pair of thick-framed glasses at the bridge of her nose. The mp3 player from her pocket was dropped in the bag, swapped for a paperback book titled, "Best Collected Horror Stories." After depositing the duffel bag behind the baggage claim counter, she opened the book to the most worn, dog-eared page within its covers and began to read as she walked. 'The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.' Shinichi read over the letter twice, his hands shaking. The black organization had introduced another member. Amontillado... Someone was following him around, or had planted a tracer on him. He glanced around quickly, but didn't see any familiar faces. With a relieved sigh, he headed outside, following the flow of traffic down the sidewalk and letting his mind wrap around the case. The caller who had forced him to participate in the 'deduction contest,'... presumably that person... wanted him to find the "Pigeon Among the Cats..." He knew that The Cat Among the Pigeons was an Agatha Christie mystery, and the metaphor and hint led him to believe that he was being called upon to do someone else's recon work. There was a mole in the Black Organization; someone aside from Akai Shuuichi and Hondou Hidemi was leaking information to the police or another enemy of the Organization... When he found out who it was, Shinichi knew the Organization wouldn't just let him be... The informant would most likely be killed, used as an example to discourage others from thinking twice about their alignment. I can't let that happen... but- what about the prize he was so keen to tell me existed? What is it that he holds which could compel me to throw another human being's life away? Shinichi was convinced that there was nothing, but a sense of dread gnawed at his resolve... Impulsively he drew the cell phone from his pocket, dialing the number he needed with shaking fingers. His heart beat louder with each second, the ringing driving blind hope into his heart. 'Please, please pick up...' After five eternally drawn out seconds, the call connected. "Shinichi?!" He almost couldn't find the words, but he managed to whisper, "Ran? Where are you? Are you safe?" A laugh, then a heartfelt reply assured him that she was in no danger. "Shinichi, I'm fine. Dad hasn't been on a dangerous case in weeks, and you know he'd never let me get involved... is something wrong?" Shinichi sighed, then replied, "No, nothing at all... I just met the kid with glasses at the train station, and we decided to play some soccer together." That would explain his absence, and the call... "Train station...? Are you able to come to Beika?" Shinichi let out a mirthless breath. "I don't know... I have a short break right now, but not enough to take the train to the city..." He paused, thinking of what he meant to use the emergency antidote for, and added, "But if I solve this case within twenty-four hours, I promise, I'll come see you." Ran was quiet for a moment, then she responded to the words she had hoped to hear for months, a smile countering the tears in her eyes. "Okay... I'll hold you to that, Shinichi." With a grin, Shinichi said, "I've got to get back to work now so I can get that case finished, okay? I'll just bring Conan with me, since it's nothing dangerous." Just as he was about to hang up, Ran asked, "Will you bring Conan-kun with you when you come? I'd rather he didn't take the train back by himself." Cornered and with no excuses, he grasped at straws, trying to come up with a lie that wouldn't hurt anything. "Ah, well... we finished soccer a little while ago. He said he was actually here to visit Hattori on a surprise visit, so he'll be coming back in a day or two..." He didn't add 'as soon as I get out of your sight and change back.' Ran seemed satisfied with the reply, though her response wasn't exactly happy. "Conan-kun's always running off without telling us. Tell him to call me, okay?" "Alright..." Shinichi smiled, adding, "Bye, Ran." After hanging up he realized he was standing still in the middle of the sidewalk, and immediately began walking. At the intersection and to his right was a trolley, ferrying tourists about Osaka on a sightseeing venture. On a whim he jogged up beside it and scanned the vehicle. The old man from the train was sitting at the back, studying the brochure he still held. With a smile, Shinichi climbed the short stair to the cab. "It's nice to see you again, sir," he said. The man looked up from his booklet, then returned the smile and the greeting. "Hello. Are you enjoying the city?" With a nod, Shinichi replied, "Yeah, it's a great place-" The trolley pulled away from the corner, turning just as a teen in a grey jacket and baseball cap was boarding, which threw her across the laps of a couple of passengers. Shinichi was knocked over as well, and he told himself to remember that trolley floors were really uncomfortable to land on. "Oi, watch it!" the girl called, picking herself up and jamming the cap back down on her head. She glared at the driver as she fixed her glasses. The man turned his head slightly. "Sorry, I didn't see you..." With a frown, the girl picked up her book from the floor, situating herself beside Shinichi, who had managed to stand back up. "Sorry 'bout that," she sighed, dusting off her pants. "My fault I almost missed it." She held out a hand. "I'm Natake," she said. "Ah, Kudou," he replied. Then he froze. Great, I just told my name on a crowded trolley... If somebody is watching, I'm a wide open target now... "Kudou-kun, huh? Nice to meet you." She returned to her book without another word, and Shinichi sighed in relief at the dumb luck that for once, someone hadn't recognized his name. Natake, meanwhile, smiled as she finished the story she'd been reading. 'And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.'

Thanks Araide-sempai. ^^ I'll try to write chapter 2 this saturday. No school next week, so I may get this story done then~

There was recently a Q&A event with Gosho called 青山剛昌先生と話そうDAY (Let's talk with Aoyama Gosho-sensei day) on January 3rd, 2012 at Tottori. You can see a brief video here, and some pictures can be found on this blog. According to this blog, these are some of the answers Gosho gave - also, she says that she left out some answers that she thinks Conan fans should already know. She also apologizes for possibly forgetting some answers. So far, this is the only blog I can find that reported on what Gosho said in the Q&A, so here they are! The emphasis is mine. The rest of the list is about the movie - if you want me to translate, let me know, since I'm too lazy right now, ha ha. ^^; EDIT: Oh! This topic is pinned! I never noticed. Cool! :3

Interview in Conan Drill from 2003 translated! No spoiler on the plot here, though there are a lot of interesting tidbits. Note: I took a lot of liberty with the English this time, since I wanted to focus more on making the English sound natural and readable. I usually try to translate as directly as possible, but I realize that the weird English probably turns off a lot of people – let me know if I've taken too much liberty, though. Also, Gosho says a lot of things here that he mentions in future interviews, like how he was told to change Conan's name to Doyle since there was a work called Future Boy Conan, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. You kinda realize that interviewers keep asking the same questions, maybe because they don't bother looking over past interviews, ha ha. Highlights: The plot for conan was planned in two weeks Gosho is not "high-strung / neurotic" - he seems pretty laid back Apparently, in File 125~, the dude pays the gal to be his lover Gosho has an editor who is from Kansai, and looks at DC's Kansai-ben – this makes sense, I've read people on 2chan talk about how young Kansai people these days don't say "ame-chan" (Files 778-780), but since Gosho gets coached on Kansai-ben by an older guy, the Kansai-ben in DC is rather dated. Gosho has two younger brothers, one who's an engineer and another who's a doctor. The engineer helps Gosho with tricks related to cars, and the doctor helps Gosho with medicine-related topics, like APTX. The doctor is also an anime otaku who advices Gosho about which voice actor should voice whom. Gosho also seems to have connections who are former police detectives, people working at banks, CSIs, etc. Gosho decided when he started that Conan won't cry Gosho only draws characters with names, leave backgrounds and characters without names to assistants - does that mean that the forensics dude who wasn't Tomo-san in File 756-758 will become important someday?! Lol I dunno. Maybe you guys knew this already, but apparently Paikaru/Baiganer isn't a real brand of alcohol – the name comes from a character in Lupin III.

Well, I do hope that some of us will care. ^^; I think that the interviews are interesting, since you can see what Gosho prioritizes when he draws the manga - you also see the business side of drawing manga, which I think is valuable information. Besides, I think that the lack of info on Gosho's interviews over here is a serious problem. We can see the movies, the anime, the manga, and a lot of other things, but you can't really find the interviews anywhere. We keep hearing about spoilers about what the manga will be like in the future, but we can never get any evidence anywhere. I get frustrated with that, at the least. EDIT: Aaaand another one . . . The Kindaichi & Conan creators interview. That's all the raws that I have, aside from Conan Drill. This interview shows Japanese culture well, I think, as well as the priorities Gosho has when it comes to drawing manga. No real plot spoilers in this one, but it's a good read, I think. I've taken much more liberty with the translation this time around, in order to make the English a little more readable. Let me know if I've taken too much liberty, or if I've blatantly mistranslated, or something . . .