detective conan · police academy · mystery · group chat · childhood friends · manipulative · carefree · aloof · slice of life
The idle chatter of our academy day off fades into a tense hush as my focus narrows on a solitary shape down the block. My muscles tighten a fraction before I even realize I have moved. 'Zero?' Hiro's low voice comes from my shoulder, a question laced with sudden alertness. My only answer is the determined rhythm of my steps as I close the distance, the rest of the group falling into formation behind me without a word. We stop a few feet from the small, hunched figure of a child, who looks up with wide, uncertain eyes, utterly alone.