Chapter 210, Seventy-Threeth Cycle (40)

Jianggu Ling: "?"

Rei Furuya looked at the dark blue bracelet on Kenji Hagiwara's hand and a question mark slowly appeared above his head: "Isn't this for kids?"

Moreover, even young children don't wear these health monitoring bracelets all the time.

He took a step back: "I'm not suited to wear this. It's too strange, and other people will be suspicious."

“It’s alright. Nobody else knows what this bracelet is really for. If they ask, just say it’s a wristband.” Date Hang blocked his escape route.

"No, no way. In this world where everyone's a detective, it's not strange that they've discovered the function of this bracelet." Furuya Rei's face was full of resistance.

"Stop talking nonsense and put it on for me!" Matsuda Jinpei immediately began to suppress him, sneering, "In this respect, you're even worse than a child."

With Matsuda Jinpei in front and Date Wataru behind, the two of them together suppressed even Furuya Rei, making it difficult for him to escape.

And so Kenji Hagiwara smiled and put the bracelet on him.

Jianggu Ling: "..."

Rei Furuya wasn't really refusing; he was just seizing the rare opportunity to have some fun.

Although he really didn't want to wear the bracelet.

The blond, dark-skinned youth pursed his lips and tugged at the almost black, dark blue bracelet on his wrist, feeling regretful that he would no longer be able to freely test the limits of tolerance in the world lines.

Never mind, let's not worry everyone too much.

"How is it? Can you see the data now?" Matsuda Jinpei let go of Furuya Rei's hand and reached for his phone.

The members of the Sakura team can all see the monitoring bracelet display on their phones, so they can react instantly if anything happens to Furuya Rei.

"You have to wait three minutes after you put it on," Kenji Hagiwara said. "After all, there are many things that can be monitored inside, such as heart rate, body temperature, and blood flow rate."

Date patted Furuya Rei on the shoulder: "If you get injured again now, we'll all know."

Jianggu Ling: "..."

Rei Furuya sighed helplessly, but a smile played on his lips.

"Okay, okay, I understand. I'll listen to you and won't do anything reckless."

He took out his phone and entered the Sakura chat group to check the health data being uploaded. While typing, he explained, "Besides, I never intended to do anything reckless. Please trust me this once. I noticed something was wrong this afternoon and immediately continued with the original storyline, right? So in the end, nothing happened. I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, I'm really fine now, in great health."

In less than three minutes, all the data stabilized.

The final results showed a normal heartbeat and blood flow, but a slightly low body temperature and a slight hormonal imbalance, suggesting a possible short-term stressor. It was recommended to replenish energy immediately and get plenty of rest.

Jianggu Ling: "..."

No way, this tiny bracelet can do this much?!

Hiroki and Professor Agasa, have you come up with yet another terrifying piece of black technology?!

“Zero.” Date Wataru turned around and called his name seriously.

Rei Furuya looked up: "If I said my low body temperature was because of the cold weather..."

"Heh." Matsuda Jinpei sneered. "Say that again?"

Kenji Hagiwara sighed: "Furuya, have you forgotten how you almost became a human hand warmer in winter?"

Rei Furuya is in good health and has a consistently high body temperature. He likes to sleep naked in the summer and doesn't need to wear many clothes in the winter, just like his blond hair and bronze skin, which are full of warmth.

Therefore, when such a decline in the zero-scale development shows a weakened appearance, the impact is even greater.

"You even want to hide it!" Matsuda Jinpei wanted nothing more than to go up and knock him on the head.

Kenji Hagiwara immediately complained and told everyone about it in the Sakura group chat.

Then, a call was made directly to Rei Furuya's cell phone.

Jianggu Ling: "..."

He looked down and saw that it was indeed Hiro calling, and sighed inwardly.

Ever since they found that phone from ten years in the future, everyone has become even more worried about his safety.

This is clearly not a big deal. I've had much more serious injuries before and nothing happened to me. There's never a peaceful life for an undercover cop.

"What are you thinking? Why do you look so defiant?" Date Wataru's tone gradually became dangerous.

"No, I just remembered the FBI," Furuya Rei immediately shifted the blame.

*

"Achoo—" Judy sneezed.

Carmel, who had almost sneezed herself, seemed oblivious and asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"

"Probably not?" Judy wasn't too sure either, after all, her emotions had been so turbulent during this trip, and with the freezing weather in Hokkaido, it wouldn't be surprising if she caught a cold.

However, just in case, she still bought some medicine and dissolved it in hot water to drink.

“Let’s go back,” Judy, who was deep in thought while holding her cup, suddenly said.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Carmel was a little surprised. Her friend hadn't even been discharged from the hospital yet, and she was already leaving? Had something happened?

“Bourbon and Conan’s reactions are strange.” The FBI investigator with short blond hair had sharp eyes. “That kid is definitely hiding something important from us. I’ve carefully thought back on everything that’s happened recently, and now I have a new guess in mind. I need to go back and investigate to confirm it.”

Carmel exclaimed "Ah!" and asked blankly, "What? What is it? Why is Conan keeping it from us?"

Yes, why not tell them?

Although she asked this question with such resentment in her heart, Judy actually knew why.

“Because Bourbon and Vermouth have their eyes on us, they’ve been pretending to be the Show to test our reactions, which is why they’re keeping the truth about the Show from us,” the blonde woman said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I see.” Carmel was still angry, remembering how Bourbon and Vermouth had taken turns testing him, then suddenly realized what was happening and his eyes widened instantly: “Wait, what? You mean Mr. Akai…”

He was so excited that he couldn't even organize his thoughts properly.

Judy finished her drink in one gulp, put the cup on the table, and nodded, saying, "Probably so. Now that I think about what happened with Rena Mizunashi, all those subtle oddities have a new explanation."

She took a deep breath: "Xiu is very likely still alive. We have to go back and double-check."

“Okay! I’ll go get someone right away!” Cameron stood up excitedly.

“No, we can’t tell anyone else,” Judy stopped him. “The organization is also suspicious of this now. We have to continue to pretend that we don’t know anything and go back to investigate by ourselves.”

*

Shuichi Akai confirmed that Camel had gone back to his room to sleep instead of driving away before closing the window and sitting back on the sofa.

“Uncle Kudo and the others will probably arrive around noon today. Then, Aunt Yukiko will help them with the disguise and they will immediately take a plane back to participate in the Oscars as Uncle Kudo, while Uncle Kudo will deal with Mr. Amuro as you.”

Shuichi Akai grunted in agreement, took out a bunch of surveillance and listening devices from his bag, and began installing them one by one in the room.

So Conan Edogawa briefly changed the subject: "Won't Bourbon notice if we install so many?"

“Yes,” Shuichi Akai said. “He can roughly figure out all the locations at a glance, but it doesn’t matter. Just make up an excuse and he won’t pursue it further.”

Conan Edogawa came up with a few reasons, then returned to the previous topic: "Mr. Carmel and Miss Judy will definitely be going back tomorrow, which might disrupt our plans. What should we do?"

“It’s a bit surprising that they realized the truth so quickly.” Shuichi Akai put a camera into the hairdryer and pointed the hairdryer at the room. “But it’s not a big problem, it can be solved. In a place like this, a little trickery can slow them down without arousing suspicion.”

Their main battleground is in Hokkaido, and they cannot allow Judy and Cameron to return to Tokyo.

Otherwise, if something happens, Shuichi Akai won't be able to provide immediate support.

The best course of action would be for them to immediately return to the Kudo residence to deal with Bourbon's probing, but they are currently in the snowy and icy region where transportation is somewhat difficult. If they were to return together, even if they could find a suitable reason, it would arouse Bourbon's suspicion and cause their plan to be exposed.

They had no choice but to play along, setting a trap before the other side realized what was happening to disrupt Bourbon's judgment and protect Subaru Okiya's identity.

He has other uses for this identity, so it's best not to let Bourbon find out.

“And those three policemen.” Shuichi Akai finished installing all the surveillance cameras and listening devices, clapped his hands, sat back on the sofa, picked up his coffee and took a sip. “Their relationship with Bourbon is unusual. They are very likely to work together to help, which is why we kept it from you before.”

Thinking of Matsuda Jinpei and the others, Conan Edogawa's brow twitched, and he almost dropped his phone.

He suddenly remembered something.

Matsuda Jinpei and the others knew that he was actually Shinichi Kudo, and they were clearly on the side of their friend and contemporary, Rei Furuya, which is why they kept changing the subject when he was investigating Rei Furuya's identity.

In other words, Rei Furuya may now also know his true identity!

This is something even Shuichi Akai didn't know!

"What's wrong?" Akai Hideaki looked at the child who was gritting his teeth.

"No, nothing, I just remembered something that made me really angry." Conan Edogawa gritted his teeth and secretly punched the three police officers' avatars on the head, then returned to the original topic, pondering, "Mr. Matsuda and the others shouldn't get involved, right? After all, if Mr. Amuro brings his Public Security colleagues, it would be hard to explain the three of them being ordinary police officers, wouldn't it?"

“No, that’s not right either. If they were just ordinary police officers, they wouldn’t have any way of knowing about Mr. Amuro’s mission.” Conan Edogawa frowned. “That level of undercover mission should be at the highest level of secrecy, not even known to family members. How could they know so much and even get involved?”

Shuichi Akai thought for a moment and said rather bluntly, "Given Bourbon's personality, he probably wouldn't follow these superficial rules too closely. He's not the kind of person who's bound by these rules. Doesn't he seem like a very obedient person? Besides, the way the Public Security Bureau operates is often criticized. They've done plenty of illegal things. As long as they can better complete their missions and protect the public interest, that's fine."

Conan Edogawa shook his head and said, "I still don't think that's right. Although Mr. Amuro can be quite scary at times, he wouldn't casually involve unrelated friends. There must be other reasons behind it. If we knew those reasons, we could determine whether they would actually get involved."

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "They might also be police assistants in secret. That would explain why they are so capable, but they usually keep a low profile and provide clues indirectly instead of actively solving cases."

“Then let’s think about the plan based on the premise that they will get involved.” Shuichi Akai said without hesitation.

Conan Edogawa hummed in agreement, then asked, "So, Mr. Akai, is it possible that Scotland will get involved again?"

Shuichi Akai denied it without hesitation this time: "Impossible."

“Since Bourbon is bringing his police comrades along, he will definitely try to prevent Scotland from getting involved.” He said with certainty, “That man values ​​his comrades very much and will not put them in danger because of his own actions.”

Conan Edogawa glanced sideways: "Scotland, who exactly is he? And what is his relationship with Mr. Amuro?"

Shuichi Akai remained silent.

Shuichi Akai looked away: "We can ignore him for now and focus on dealing with Bourbon."

Things about Scotland don't seem like the right thing to talk about with children.

*

【Sakura Team】

[zero: Hasn't the information from ten years later been updated yet?]

Noah's Ark: Yes, the timeline hasn't jumped yet.

Originally, ten years after losing Rei Furuya, no one would have been able to detect the change in the world line.

But now that we have a mobile phone that can communicate with people from ten years ago, things are different.

If things change ten years from now, they may not realize it themselves, but as soon as they communicate, the people from ten years ago will immediately realize that something is wrong.

Unfortunately, the world ten years later seems to be a little different. Their timeline changes do not take effect immediately, but only when an event ends and the dust settles.

It can be likened to a case in a storyline; the events during the case will not lead to changes ten years later, but the changes will occur instantly at the moment the case ends.

Just like the Shibuya Natsuko incident before.

Because the past was altered prematurely, this is a completely unfamiliar event for people ten years from now. They can only understand what happened by observing the reactions of people from ten years ago.

Then, just after the Shibuya Natsuko incident ended, the future suddenly changed ten years later, and their memories were replaced with the altered events.

However, the world line only shifted slightly, and Rei Furuya's death remained unchanged.

In the future development, Matsuda Jinpei, Hagiwara Kenji, and Date Wataru did successfully participate in this incident, but fearing that too much change would cause Furuya Rei to die suddenly, they pretended to be unaccustomed to the icy roads and let Akai Shuichi take Judy Cameron away.

They didn't drastically change the plot right now, but they successfully added Matsuda Jinpei and the other two to the main storyline, which did have many benefits for later developments.

But that's not enough.

Morofushi Kagemitsu carefully cleaned and polished the parts of the sniper rifle, skillfully reassembled it, set it aside, and picked up his phone from the table to start typing.

[Hiro: Well then, I'll give it a try this time too.]

[Hiro: Of course, in disguise.]

[Hiro: I won't do anything, I'll just threaten Akai as a sniper. It won't directly change the plot or make Zero uncomfortable.]

We have now basically determined which aspects of the storyline the world consciousness is concerned with, and we know which parts of the storyline are subject to change and which parts are certain to be important developments.

They made many changes this time, but Furuya Rei only received two warnings.

One instance was when Rei Furuya wanted to prevent Conan Edogawa from knowing his nickname "Zero," and the other was when Rei Furuya didn't want to bluntly say, "FBI, get out of my country."

Clearly, the focus of Rei Furuya's storyline now is on Conan Edogawa, the protagonist, gradually deducing his true identity.

What follows will likely be a period of exploration and cooperation.

Among them, the tug-of-war with Shuichi Akai should also be a key point.

But is the outcome truly unchangeable?

That's not necessarily true.

They are comrades, and the focus of the plot is on their struggles. The ultimate goal is to work together to destroy the organization, rather than to win against each other.

If we had to say something, it would only be a victory for the protagonist, Conan Edogawa.

So all we need to do is make Conan Edogawa more inclined to side with the police in his own country rather than the FBI in the United States.

*

The Hokkaido Snow Festival is almost over, and there should be more people coming to the hot spring resorts to relax and enjoy the hot springs.

However, due to the bombing incident the day before yesterday, the commotion frightened many people, especially the dogs participating in the dog sledding, causing many tourists to go home directly, resulting in very few people today.

But strangely enough, there were even more people in the hotel.

People started checking into the hotel yesterday afternoon.

They rarely show up; it seems they're just there to soak in the hot springs, and only in single-person hot springs at that.

Kogoro Mouri and the others were unaware of these things; they were simply enjoying the largest and most famous natural hot spring in the back mountain.

Having seen all sorts of cases, this kind of thing didn't scare them at all. In order not to waste their hard-earned tickets, they decided to stay in Hokkaido and continue their trip.

Of course, we should have a blast during these seven days!

Those kids just didn't know how to enjoy themselves; they preferred playing in the cold snow to the hot springs, so in the end, only Kogoro Mouri went to soak in the hot springs.

He had a little wine and, slightly tipsy, was slowly walking over in his yukata when he happened to run into Amuro Tooru.

The man was dressed neatly, as if he were going to visit someone.

However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that he had just returned from outside, still carrying the scent of ice and snow, which made his expressionless face appear somewhat chilling.

After all, he was his only disciple, so Kogoro Mouri raised his hand in greeting: "Amuro-kun, want to go to the hot springs together?"

The blond youth, who usually wouldn't refuse his requests, declined this time, smiling and saying, "No, you guys go have fun, Mr. Mori. I still have some follow-up work to do on this request."

"Well, since it's work, there's nothing we can do about it." Kogoro Mouri sighed, then patted his shoulder and said with a sigh, "But work is work after all. It's more important to enjoy life. Be good to yourself and don't put the cart before the horse and ruin your life and health because of work."

He still remembered that his disciple was not in good health but always took on various part-time jobs. He didn't know why this guy was working so hard, but as a senior and teacher, he would still give him some pointers if he could.

"Um, thank you for your concern, Mr. Mori." The blond youth smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, then said, "Actually, I don't try to push myself too hard. It's just that I'm still young, and there's so much to learn, so I can't help but..."

Kogoro Mouri laughed upon hearing this: "That's true, after all, he's young."

"But, Mr. Mori, have you been drinking?" Amuro Tooru's expression was a little serious. "It's best not to soak in a hot spring if you've been drinking, it could be very dangerous."

"I only drank a little bit..." Kogoro Mouri's eyes darted around guiltily, and finally he clicked his tongue and said, "Okay, okay, then I'll go soak my feet, alright?"

Amuro Tooru then smiled and nodded in relief, before glancing behind him: "Where's Conan? Didn't he go to the hot spring with you?"

"Oh, that kid," Kogoro Mouri said casually. "Who knows where he went to play? He's probably nearby, probably playing with ice sculptures with Ran and the others."

“I see.” Amuro Tooru nodded. “However, the weather seems to be not very good today. It gets dark very early. It would be best to ask them to come back early.”

Kogoro Mouri only realized after being reminded that it was almost completely dark outside, even though it was only six o'clock.

"Indeed, I'll call those kids right now." He was a little worried too.

Amuro Tooru nodded and then left.

Conan Edogawa, who witnessed this scene through the corridor surveillance camera, breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to meet Subaru Okiya's gaze.

However, the current Subaru Okiya is not Shuichi Akai, but Yusaku Kudo, who should be receiving an award at the Oscars in the United States.

"Dad, I'll leave the rest to you." Conan Edogawa said with a serious face, "Just do as we agreed. Don't suddenly improvise and add lines on the spot. Mr. Amuro is really sharp and scary."

"Don't worry, don't worry, nothing will happen." Kudo Yusaku said with a relaxed smile, then glanced at the surveillance footage again with curiosity.

He watched the blond, dark-skinned youth enter his room and disappear before turning his gaze away. Curious, he leaned closer to his son, who had turned into an elementary school student, and said, "After this is all over, tell me all about Amuro Tooru. I'm a little curious about his experiences."

Conan Edogawa, with his deadpan expression: "No way? Are you planning to write a novel based on Mr. Amuro next?"

"Well, it's not certain yet, hahaha." Kudo Yusaku laughed heartily.

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Under his death stare, Yusaku Kudo spread his hands and said, "Think about it, a public security police officer who holds high positions in both the underworld and the legitimate world, and is currently undercover, also has the identity of a gentle and kind coffee shop waiter. Doesn't that sound interesting? It's full of mystery that makes people curious and want to explore it. Plus, he has a strange relationship with Akai, the protagonist of my previous book, that is both an enemy and a friend..."

"Alright, alright, I got it. We'll talk about that later." Conan Edogawa interrupted the world-renowned author's endless stream of inspiration speechlessly. "But I advise you not to get your hopes up too high. I feel that Mr. Amuro is not the type to let others know about his affairs. He wouldn't want a novel based on himself to be known all over the world by a famous author like you."

“I understand, I understand. After all, he’s an undercover public security police officer, and a mystic at that,” Yusaku Kudo said, but the expression on his face clearly showed that he hadn’t given up on the idea.

"I'm really looking forward to his performance tonight."

Conan Edogawa was speechless and simply kicked the person out.

Even if it's confirmed that Amuro Tooru isn't an enemy and there's no need for too much tension, he's not an ally yet. The secrets and responsibilities he carries are numerous and immense; he might not share any intelligence with them, nor will they cooperate directly…

"Didn't Yukiko say that Shinichi is more fun when he shrinks?" Yusaku Kudo muttered to himself as they walked. "He's not cute at all."

However, after turning the corner and meeting someone, he immediately and perfectly transformed into Subaru Okiya, calmly smiling and greeting the innkeeper.

When he returned to the room that belonged to Subaru Okiya, it was already completely dark outside.

Just as he finished checking and confirming that the surveillance and listening devices in the room were in good working order, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" He opened the door.

"Mr. Subaru Okiya, hello." The blond, dark-skinned man standing outside the door was handsome but had a terrifying aura. He was smiling at him with a smirk. "I am Tooru Amuro. I heard from the boss that you were back, so I came to talk to you about FBI-related matters. I wonder if you have time now?"

"Of course, please come in." Kudo Yusaku completely ignored the other person's dangerous aura and happily welcomed him in.

He hoped the conversation could end before the Oscars were presented; he wanted to see how Yukiko, dressed as him, would perform.

The hotel at the hot spring resort is very luxurious, with large rooms and a large TV screen in the middle of the living room.

The channel was also constantly tuned to the Oscars ceremony.

"Now, please welcome Ms. Chris Vineyard, the winner of the Best Actress award, to come up and accept her award!"

Amidst applause and cheers from the television, Yusaku Kudo placed two bottles of coffee on the table, sat on the sofa, and smiled apologetically, saying, "This is all I have here. I hope you won't mind."

"Thank you." Amuro Tooru thanked him politely, then rudely looked at him with a provocative, cold, and nasty gaze, tapping the can of coffee lightly with his fingertips, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, I also know a man who really likes to drink this kind of canned coffee, and what's more, he's an FBI agent."

"Really? Are you friends?" Kudo Yusaku naturally followed up.

Then he saw the blond youth's face contort for a moment, before he forced a smile and said, "How could that be? Never. He was a really annoying guy, and he's already dead."

"Ah, I'm so sorry." Kudo Yusaku quickly considered the relationship between the two.

"Subaru Okiya also hates the FBI, right?" Tooru Amuro suddenly asked.

"More or less," Yusaku Kudo said, his expression unchanged. "But it depends on who it is; not all FBI agents are annoying."

“Then you’ve most likely been deceived by the treacherous FBI.” Amuro Tooru said in a serious tone, “Like that bastard FBI agent I know, he’s not only highly addicted to smoking and drinking, polluting the air and affecting others, but he also deceives women’s feelings for the sake of his missions. Now, in order to escape being hunted down, he’s faked his death without caring about the sadness of his relatives and friends. I don’t know where he’s hiding to harm other people.”

In the back seat of a speeding car, beneath the distant snow-capped mountains, Shuichi Akai, who was lying quietly, heard these words in his earpiece and his eyebrows twitched violently.

The next second, amidst his complicated feelings, his attention was drawn to a fleeting, subtle reflection outside the window.

The keen senses of a top-tier sniper made Shuichi Akai's expression instantly turn serious.

Meanwhile, on television, the Oscars had progressed to the Best Screenplay award.

Having just listened to Amuro Tooru's reasoning, and hearing a story from him that was full of subjective will but could not be called wrong and actually happened, belonging to Akai Shuichi, Kudo Yusaku couldn't help but feel a little strange.

It's a really weird feeling, and I even feel like laughing a little.

"Congratulations to Mr. Yusaku Kudo for winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with his first screenplay!" the host announced excitedly into the microphone. "The winning work is titled 'The Scarlet Investigator,' which tells a thrilling story of a brave FBI investigator fighting against terrifying dark forces..."

Yusaku Kudo: "..."

Yusaku Kudo could no longer laugh.

Yusaku Kudo fell silent as he watched Tooru Amuro give a cold smile to the television.

Hmm, he thinks he needs to think about it seriously.

If Amuro Tooru learns the whole story later, will he still be willing to talk to him properly and agree to become the protagonist of his next work?