In his dejection, Okiya Subaru momentarily forgot to hide himself.
By the side door, the Magician restrained himself from rushing out to greet them. Instead, he gave himself one last look in the glass door's reflection, checking his appearance.
With that glance, however, he suddenly noticed someone behind him.
The Magician turned to look at Okiya Subaru and suddenly realized that this part-time worker was actually rather handsome upon closer inspection. Frowning, he prepared to chase him away. "What are you standing around here for? Go do your work."
Okiya Subaru came back to his senses, turned, and left, his feet seemingly fitted with rollers.
Yet a second later, the troublesome Magician called him back. "Hey, wait, come back first. I still need you for something!"
Okiya Subaru: ...No!
He had wanted to shout that in reply, then quickly hide somewhere no one could see him.
But after that brief delay, the people outside had already drawn near. Since the Magician was looking in Okiya Subaru's direction, Jiang Xia and the others followed his gaze.
Okiya Subaru froze, then silently glanced back toward the entrance, realizing that it was already too late to disappear.
Their eyes met. Okiya Subaru found Jiang Xia manageable enough—he merely looked somewhat surprised. Though the young Detective's eyes held a trace of inquiry, his questioning retained the courtesy between adults of not digging too deeply.
But the bespectacled little boy beside Jiang Xia was completely different. His gaze sharpened the instant he looked at Okiya Subaru.
Just being stared at by Conan was enough to give Okiya Subaru a headache, as though he could already see a future where he was surrounded by countless question marks.
The Magician knew nothing of a certain fake intern's predicament.
Seemingly casually, he adjusted his hair and checked his