Chapter 202, Seventy-Third Cycle (32)

March 20

Suitable: None

Taboo: Do ​​not use for important matters.

After checking today's calendar, Ai Orikasa couldn't help but ask again, "Are you sure you want to go cherry blossom viewing today?"

The members of the Junior Detective League nodded in agreement.

Professor Agasa knew that he always checked the calendar before going out, so he couldn't help but laugh and reassure him: "It's okay. Even on the best days, there are always places and people in the world experiencing terrible things, so you don't need to worry too much, hahaha."

"Yes, yes, Orikasa-nii is a believer in science, but he's also quite superstitious," the three children from the Junior Detective Club said with a laugh.

Ai Haibara smiled and said, "You really do stay at home for too long. You should go out more often to exercise and relax."

Needless to say, Conan Edogawa had important business to attend to while he went out to admire the cherry blossoms.

Ai Orikasa knew what he was going to do and hadn't originally planned to participate in the storyline, but she couldn't resist their persuasion and good intentions, so she went out with them anyway.

Now that it's past mid-March and approaching April, cherry blossoms are in full bloom in many places.

The sun was shining brightly today, and the shrine, surrounded by pink cherry blossoms, was bustling with people coming and going, mostly with family and friends to enjoy the cherry blossoms and draw fortune slips.

Therefore, it's not surprising that you'd run into Ms. Judy, who used to teach at Teitan High School and was actually an FBI agent, here, right?

Ai Haibara said "Oh," and crossed her arms, "I see. So you two wanted to have a secret talk, which is why you called the teacher here, right?"

Conan Edogawa and Jodie froze.

Ai Haibara looked at them with her crescent-shaped eyes: "Indeed, I've heard that parks and shrines are often used by spies to exchange information. But for that reason, they're also easy targets for the Public Security Police, so you'd better be careful."

Conan Edogawa and Jodie: "..."

As Ai Haibara, with a knowing and teasing smile, led the Detective Boys and Professor Agasa away, the two left behind couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Judy smiled helplessly, "That child is really perceptive."

Conan Edogawa chuckled dryly twice.

Cough cough, he felt a little guilty after being told that. But he was talking to the FBI about the Black Organization, not being a spy, so even if he ran into the police... it should be fine, right?

After all, he didn't have any connections with the police. There was no one he could trust there, so he could only turn to the FBI, whom he already knew, right?

Conan Edogawa quickly composed himself, and with a serious expression, he pulled Jodie toward a less crowded area, intending to have a proper talk with her about the organization, Bourbon, and Mr. Akai.

But on the way, Judy was bumped by a man wearing a mask.

Coincidentally, the man with the hoarse voice and a slight cough and cold was the same person who had been tied up next to Judy during the bank robbery. His name was Benzaki Kirihei, and he even mentioned the scarred Akai.

Even after the man left, Jodie's mind was still on Shuichi Akai, and she couldn't help but repeatedly recall the events surrounding her ex-boyfriend's death.

"Teacher Jodie, Teacher Jodie." Conan Edogawa tugged at her sleeve to bring her back to attention. Once she bent down, he asked in a low voice, "When you met that scarred Mr. Akai, didn't you pull at his face to see if he was disguised?"

“…No, the situation was urgent, and I was interrupted by the kidnappers before I could do anything.” Judy’s expression was not good. “Besides, I was also quite confused at the time. He had injuries on his face and seemed to have lost his voice and memory, so I didn’t dare to touch his face directly.”

Conan Edogawa paused slightly, inwardly admiring the excellent disguise of Scar Akai.

Adding scars to his face would not only perfectly replace the possibility of Shuichi Akai surviving the explosion, but also make Shuichi Akai's family and lover feel sorry for him and dare not touch his "scars" directly. Once they recover, he will disappear again.

Conan Edogawa sighed and said solemnly to the blonde woman who had fallen into sorrow again, "Teacher Jodie, what you saw back then was not Mr. Akai, but Bourbon disguised as Mr. Akai, a codenamed member of the Black Organization."

Judy: "Huh?"

Conan Edogawa: "They were lingering around Mr. Akai's acquaintances to test your reactions in order to confirm whether Mr. Akai was really dead."

Judy: "What?!"

"...So, Xiu is really dead?" The blonde, blue-eyed woman's eyes glistened with tears and sorrow, but she quickly regained her composure and clenched her fists, saying through gritted teeth, "Fine, now that I know the person impersonating Xiu is a member of the organization, if he ever swaggers in front of me again, I'm going to give him a good beating!"

“Bourbon, right? I’ll remember that!” Judy gritted her teeth. “I did hear him mention that name a few years ago when we were undercover. He’s a very cunning and dangerous man, but I still don’t know what he looks like…”

Conan Edogawa took out his phone and showed her a photo: "I already know Bourbon's identity. He's currently working at the Poirot Cafe downstairs from the Mouri Detective Agency under the name Amuro Tooru. He's also apprenticed under Uncle Kogoro Mouri and is learning how to be a detective from him. Uncle Mouri often takes him to crime scenes for practice."

Judy: "Huh???"

The photo was taken very clearly, showing a blond, dark-skinned young man in a cozy café, wearing a soft white turtleneck sweater and a black apron with a Poirot logo. The sunlight made him look even more dazzling.

This person was tall and handsome, with a gentle and sunny temperament. He didn't look like a waiter; he looked more like a shining star on the big movie screen.

Judy was bewildered and shocked: "This is... Bourbon?"

This image is completely different from the mysterious intelligence expert, cunning, ruthless and cruel person she had imagined.

And how did she already clash with Bourbon several times and even know his identity? How much of her life did she miss out on?

*

"You planted a bug on that blond kitten?" Vermouth, disguised as a heavily pregnant woman, walked up to Bourbon with an umbrella, the slightly tilted umbrella blocking the view of others.

"Did you hear any interesting information?" she asked.

Of course, the point is not Jodie's secret, but that Conan Edogawa didn't say anything that would arouse Bourbon's suspicion.

“I have indeed heard some interesting things,” Bourbon chuckled. “I will tell you once I have confirmed everything.”

Vermouth: "..."

Vermouth sighed. "Well, I hope you didn't end up wasting your time."

Even though they were both mystics, Vermouth often found herself speechless and frustrated by Bourbon's mystique.

She probably knew that Bourbon was investigating Shuichi Akai, but she felt it was completely unnecessary.

Her only worry was that Bourbon would notice something was off about Conan Edogawa during their daily interactions.

If it concerns her angels, even if Bourbon discovers something, she will make sure he's wasted his time.

To prevent this possibility, Vermouth stayed close to Bourbon, observing his reaction.

Oh no, Bourbon has been caught up in a hit-and-run incident and is now a suspect! Hahaha, so funny!

Tsk, the FBI is still as arrogant as ever, especially in Japan, where they directly command the police to handle cases.

Bourbon's gaze towards that FBI kitten was rather cold. Bourbon really dislikes the FBI, is it because of Shuichi Akai?

Hmm, very good. That child already knows the truth, and is still just as capable.

Oh? The man who stopped the perpetrator from turning the murder case into an attempted murder and assault case was a police officer on leave. He looks familiar; isn't he one of the three police officers Bourbon approached? Is his name Kenji Hagiwara?

However, the police were ultimately useless, and it was the child who solved the case in the end.

Vermouth was in a good mood after seeing the whole thing, and praised the silver bullet a few times.

She walked out as Conan Edogawa keenly began to investigate Bourbon, pretended to fall, retrieved the listening device from Jodie, and left with Bourbon.

"You seem to be in a good mood?" Vermouth asked softly, leaning on his shoulder.

"Yes, this time it's a big haul," Bourbon chuckled softly.

Well done, Takagi Wataru. As expected of someone trained by the squad leader, those words you just said about the FBI were really good. When something like this happens, you should point it out directly, otherwise those arrogant FBI agents will never realize their mistakes.

“Okay, go wait for me in the car. I’ll return the wallet to the owner of this identity and then come right away,” he said.

Vermouth looked up at him in surprise: "?"

"Are you in such a good mood? You even went out of your way to return the wallet?" she asked.

“Because it would be troublesome if he called the police, right? Besides, there are ATM cards and driver's licenses inside.” Bourbon shrugged.

Vermouth thought about it and agreed: "Alright, but can't you really tell me right now where you've gotten to?"

Bourbon looked at her for two seconds, then pulled down his mask and opened his mouth: "Secrets make men more—"

"Stop!" Vermouth interrupted him immediately, turned around and left. "I know, I know, just shut up."

Bourbon behind him burst out laughing.

*

Poirot Cafe is really popular lately, and it even attracted an interview and extensive coverage from a famous food magazine.

Among them, a photo of the beautiful shop assistant, Azusa Enomoto, holding an adorable calico cat also appeared in the magazine.

Another popular and handsome shop assistant, Tooru Amuro, was absent that day due to feeling unwell and was unable to be photographed for the magazine.

Conan Edogawa fell silent after hearing this: "..."

Is Toru Amuro frail and sickly?

Amuro Tooru is determined to use this as an excuse to slip away whenever something inconvenient happens, right?

However, this time it was not surprising at all. After all, he was Bourbon of the Black Organization. How could he possibly let his photo appear in a magazine?

Back when he was still a popular figure, he didn't leave behind a single clear photo.

Moreover, Mr. Akai had been an undercover agent in the organization for several years and had been teammates with Bourbon for a long time, yet he still failed to obtain a single photo to send back to the FBI.

This also shows how incredibly photogenic Bourbon is; I doubt anyone could get a clear picture of him if he didn't want to…

Conan Edogawa's body suddenly froze.

The child's blue eyes widened instantly, his pupils trembled violently, and his breathing became unsteady.

He suddenly turned his head to look at the blond youth who was squatting down to talk to the Junior Detective League with a gentle and harmless expression.

He wondered, how did I manage to take his picture so easily back then?

Did Bourbon really not realize he was taking pictures secretly?

Conan Edogawa frantically pulled out his phone, his heart pounding, and found the photo, carefully examining the blond youth in it.

He didn't even need to look to confirm it; it was indeed his negligence. Bourbon couldn't possibly have failed to notice him taking pictures.

Did Bourbon intentionally allow himself to be photographed?

But why?

It couldn't possibly be so he could go find Ms. Judy to show her the photos, hahaha...

Conan Edogawa gripped his phone tightly, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

No, that's probably impossible.

But why exactly? If, he meant if, even this was part of Bourbon's calculations, then to what extent had Bourbon investigated their side?

The Junior Detective League and Kogoro Mouri are focused on solving the case of three people who claim to be the owners of a calico cat because they were attracted by a magazine photo, while Tooru Amuro is also seriously trying to figure out who the cat's real owner is.

Conan Edogawa, however, was completely unable to spare even the slightest attention for this incident.

He felt cold all over, his palms were sweating, and his mind was racing.

He had deduced from the information he got from Takagi that the people who tested him and Jodie at the shrine were actually Bourbon and Vermouth. This meant that Bourbon at least knew about several things that were wrong with Mr. Akai during the Rena Mizunashi incident.

Furthermore, Bourbon specifically mentioned Mr. Akai, which suggests that the reason he remained there was likely because he suspected that Mr. Akai was not actually dead.

When asked, Mr. Akai himself admitted that he did have some issues with Bourbon, but there was no need to worry.

“Given Bourbon’s personality, he won’t tell anyone before he’s investigated things thoroughly, and he should come to me alone after he’s done investigating.” Shuichi Akai, still wearing the Subaru Okiya disguise, remained calm and said confidently, “I also have something to talk to him about then.”

At that time, Conan Edogawa even began to doubt again that Bourbon was actually not an enemy because of his answer and attitude.

However, Shuichi Akai refused to continue, only telling him not to worry too much.

But how could he not be worried?!

Bourbon's behavior throughout this series hardly makes him seem like a good person!

His every move is aimed at proving that Mr. Akai is still alive so he can kill him again, right?!

Perhaps he could determine that Bourbon was unlikely to be an enemy for reasons he didn't know, but what if he was?! He simply couldn't risk everyone's safety for this uncertain and unpredictable possibility!

The most important and terrifying thing right now is that they have no idea how far Bourbon has gone in his investigation, nor do they know what he is going to do.

Did Bourbon already know that Mr. Akai faked his death? Did he know that Subaru Okiya was Mr. Akai? Did he already know that Haibara was Sherry who faked her death? Did he also discover that she was Shinichi Kudo? Had he already passed the information back to the organization? Could he even have already begun planning to kill all those who knew the truth to silence them?

Mr. Akai was acting mysteriously and cryptically, which made Conan Edogawa feel that he was a bit unreliable when it came to matters related to Bourbon, so he went to the FBI again.

He told Ms. Judy about it, and also expressed his creepy feeling that he had been constantly being watched and followed lately.

Conan Edogawa suspects that Bourbon is following and observing him, but he can't find any evidence.

Even if FBI agents Judy and Mr. Carmel secretly tried to follow Bourbon, they would quickly lose him and disappear in the blink of an eye, without finding any trace of anyone following him.

Conan Edogawa hasn't been able to sleep at all these past few nights, and even when he finally does fall asleep, he has nightmares.

In the nightmare, Amuro Tooru, dressed in black, tore off all the beautiful and gentle masks and stood in front of him as Bourbon, grabbing his wrist as he raised the tranquilizer dart.

The blond, dark-skinned youth wore a dangerous smile and exuded a terrifying aura. His purplish-gray eyes were filled with cold, dark malice and murderous intent. He curled his lips and said to him, "You lost, Shinichi Kudo," before raising his gun and killing everyone around him.

Conan Edogawa was jolted awake in a cold sweat.

He had finally managed to calm himself down and face the blond young man Amuro Tooru normally, but the discovery of the photo just now sent his heart racing again, cold sweat pouring down his face, and a chill spreading from the soles of his feet throughout his body.

"What do you think, Conan-kun?" Amuro Tooru suddenly leaned closer to him, his voice low and chuckled. "Conan-kun always manages to discover crucial clues that are hard for ordinary people to notice."

Conan Edogawa, who was suddenly called out, froze.

He looked up and met the gaze of the blond youth with innocent, droopy eyes. In the end, he suppressed all his thoughts for the time being, revealing a cute smile like that of an innocent child, and tried his best to face the case in a normal state.

But when the incident was successfully resolved and they watched the calico cat leave with its real owner, Amuro Tooru suddenly sighed.

"It's terrifying to hide your claws behind an innocent smile." After saying that, he glanced at Conan Edogawa next to him, his smile meaningful.

Conan Edogawa froze again: "..."

However!

You're no different!

How dare you say that about me?!

"Ah, I was talking about cats, hahaha." Amuro Tooru looked completely innocent.

Conan Edogawa could hardly breathe; his eyes, lowered, were filled with seriousness and vigilance.

Is this guy good or bad? Is he an enemy or an ally?

I completely don't understand!

*

Rei Furuya is indeed tracking and observing Conan Edogawa.

That's how he found out in his past life that Sherry was still alive and that she was Ai Haibara.

However, his task for today is to investigate the people near Professor Agasa's house and extract information about Professor Agasa's inventions from them.

Because of this, no one stayed at the Matsuda residence.

It was already dark, and most people had gone home to have dinner, rest, and relax. You could knock on the door and ask anyone, and they would answer immediately.

Having just asked two households, Furuya Rei prepared to bypass the Matsuda residence, Professor Agasa's residence, and the Kudo residence, and head to the other side to continue asking.

So far, everything is going as expected.

As he passed the alley next to the Matsuda residence, a cell phone suddenly fell from the sky and smashed directly on his head.

However, Furuya Rei was incredibly perceptive, dodging the falling object in an instant while simultaneously looking up warily.

"Thud!" The phone fell heavily to the ground, still lit up, but the screen was cracked with a long fissure.

Rei Furuya frowned, looked down at the black phone, took two steps back, and then looked up at the buildings on both sides.

This phone... it looks like it was thrown from the rooftop of the Matsuda residence?

But there's no one at the Matsuda residence!

Rei Furuya frowned, took another step back, and took out his phone to type a question in the Sakura group.

However, his movements suddenly froze the moment he took out his phone.

The blond youth's gaze darted back and forth between the still-glowing phone on the ground and the phone in his hand, his expression gradually turning cold and filled with suspicion.

While it's normal to have identical phones, Rei Furuya made some subtle and incomprehensible markings on his phone that were enough to distinguish it from other people's phones.

The fingers that had paused continued typing, sending the situation here to everyone in the Sakura group, and immediately received their replies.

No one was inside the Matsuda residence.

So who exactly threw this phone, which looked exactly like his, from the rooftop of the Matsuda residence into the alley?

Under the pitch-black night sky, in the dimly lit alley, a cell phone with a shattered screen quietly emitted an eerie glow.

With a sense of dread, as if a bomb might be dropped at any moment, Rei Furuya approached and picked up the phone.

That was indeed his phone; even the minor scratches from use were the same, except for a few extra marks and it looked a bit old.

The screen that is lit up is in lock mode, and the wallpaper is a cherry blossom.

Rei Furuya pursed his lips and pressed his finger down.

Fingerprint unlock successful.

After unlocking the screen, a chat interface appears with several messages displayed.

[Cherry Blossom: In two days, you'll see a time-travel romance novel called "The Cellphone, the Sea, and Me."]

[Sakura: The female protagonist of this novel finds a cell phone from the future on a beach. It's a phone sent to her by someone in a time machine. The story follows her as she learns about the future through the phone, discovers a major catastrophe that will strike the world in a few years, and gradually strives to change that future.]

[Sakura: Now you should understand, right?]

Rei Furuya was silent for a moment, then typed and sent: 【A cherry blossom.】

Cherry blossoms: five petals.

The other party almost immediately recognized the code.

The next sentence immediately followed.

[Cherry Blossom: I am Matsuda Jinpei from ten years in the future.]