Why Do I Feel Like I'm Being Ignored?

On the way home from Teitan Elementary School.

Fujino drove off with Ai Haibara, then picked up the rest of the Junior Detective League while he was at it.

As everyone knew, the Junior Detective League was also known as the Death Detective League.

Wherever they went, a murder was bound to happen.

By picking them up, Fujino had probably saved the Metropolitan Police Department some work.

His good deed for the day, you could say.

On the way back to Fifth District, Fujino reached over and ruffled Ai Haibara's hair. "Ai, you look a little pale. Are you feeling sick?"

"No..."

The pat on her head made Ai Haibara feel much better. There was something gently affectionate about it. She shook her head slightly and explained, "I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"Stayed up late again, didn't you?"

Fujino kept stroking her hair. "You're probably run-down. I'll buy you some pork ribs later to build your strength back up."

"I'll go with you."

"Go home and get some proper rest first. Don't let yourself catch a chill."

"Okay..."

Ai Haibara nodded, warmth spreading through her chest. But she wasn't unwell in the way he thought, and her gaze dropped with a pang of loneliness.

Maybe everything would be easier if I told him everything about the Organization and myself. It wasn't the first time Ai Haibara had thought that.

Yet whenever she did, she worried that once she told him, he might stop treating her the way he did now.

More than anything, she didn't want to drag him into the Organization's mess.

But if I'm right about who that presence belonged to...

The image of a blonde woman's back flashed through Ai Haibara's mind. She swallowed and didn't dare follow the thought any further.

Pulling herself