Chapter 52 Preventing Children from Ingesting Accidentally

"Are you also asking about the lady who played Truth or Dare?"

Kuroba Kaito didn't expect to hear this answer from the salesperson: "Also? Has anyone asked her about this before?"

Salesperson: "Yes, after that lady left yesterday, two groups of people came to ask about her. They said they were her friends. They also lost at Truth or Dare and wanted to come to this store to buy the same postcards she bought. They were all handsome men! And some even looked like foreigners."

This time, Kuroba Kaito, disguised as a young woman, simply followed up on the salesperson's question, asking, "Really? How handsome is he?"

Salesperson: "The one who came earlier is a pink, squinty-eyed handsome guy wearing glasses. He also brought his brother. The other one is a handsome blond guy with darker skin."

The combination of the former description and the latter's appearance description...why do they look so familiar?

Kuroba Kaito gestured. "Is that little boy about this tall, wearing these big black-framed glasses, and wearing soccer shoes?"

Salesperson: "Yes, you two do know each other."

Kuroba Kaito: "...I know him."

That's so familiar, he even knew that the kid was actually Kudo Shinichi.

Some time ago, when Kaito Kid was "working", he met that kid on the train. At that time, he asked Kuroba Kaito to disguise himself as another woman and fake his death... Kuroba Kaito was even pointed at by a blond and dark-skinned man with a gun!

Afterwards, the train car exploded into a fireworks display that was unique to Beika Town. Kuroba Kaito, who escaped from the thick smoke in a hang glider, would never forget the huge investment behind the "Daytime Fireworks" that day.

How could I forget this person called Kuroba Kaito?

Kuroba Kaito had reason to suspect that the blond, dark-skinned man who pointed a gun at him was the same person the salesperson saw.

This skin color and hair color is not common in Japan, and the age descriptions of these two people also match. How can there be so many coincidences in the world? They are clearly the same person!

After the store closed, Kuroba Kaito walked into the store and wanted to copy a surveillance video, but found that the surveillance video of that time period had been deleted.

But sometimes, the absence of intelligence is itself intelligence.

Since even Kudo Shinichi and the member of the illegal organization who pointed a gun at him last time came to inquire about it, and copied and deleted the relevant surveillance footage, the identity of the woman who found out the true identity of Kaito Kid must be no simple one.

......

When Kuroba Kaito received the postcard and was preparing to rush to Beika Town, Edogawa Conan was already going crazy in Beika Town.

The reason was that a Black Organization warehouse that they were originally tracking and was about to conduct a transaction suddenly canceled the transaction.

CIA undercover agent Rena Mizunashi reported: "The team members who went to the scene found signs of intrusion in the warehouse and canceled the transaction. The subsequent investigation concluded that it was an ordinary citizen who accidentally entered."

"Post-incident investigation?" Akai Shuichi noticed something was amiss. "Given the organization's rigorous approach and Gin's unwavering willingness to kill the wrong person, how could they have found out it was an ordinary citizen within an hour of the incident?"

Could it be that during this time Gin had already found this residence, investigated it, and even silenced the witness?

Mizunashi Reina: "I'm not sure about that. I just know that the higher-ups and Gin came to this conclusion after checking the surrounding surveillance footage, and they sent me to completely delete it offline."

Akai Shuichi: "I understand. We will export the surveillance footage before you arrive. Do you know what the citizen who strayed in looks like?"

Could it be a child?

But Reina Mizunashi said, "It's a young Asian woman wearing black, probably in her early twenties. She has no obvious features, so it's hard to describe. You can watch the surveillance footage yourself. I'm hanging up now."

Akai Shuichi put away his phone: "Conan-kun, what do you think?"

Conan Edogawa, who was squatting next to him, said, "Mr. Akai and I agree. Something's not right about this. Putting aside the part you just mentioned about it not being in line with the organization's way of doing things, the warehouse used as a trading place is very remote. How on earth did an ordinary citizen get lost there? And the warehouse, the people who got lost, the canceled transactions... don't you think this description is a little familiar?"

Akai Shuichi: "Yeah, that time we suffered heavy losses."

When Shuichi Akai was still lurking in the organization as "Rye Whiskey" under the name "Dai Moroboshi", he had encountered a similar scene. At that time, their goal was to capture the organization's second-in-command "Rum".

They also knew in advance that the organization was going to conduct the transaction in the warehouse, they also staked out the area in advance, and they also discovered that "innocent citizens" had mistakenly entered the warehouse before the transaction began.

FBI agent Cameron, who was on duty at the time, was worried that innocent citizens would be put in danger, so he stepped forward to persuade the hunchbacked old man with a cane to leave, but then they found out that the deal had been canceled.

Because the old man who was considered an "innocent citizen" was the member of the organization responsible for the transaction, not only did the plan to capture "Rum" fail, but even the undercover identity of "Rye Whiskey" was exposed. Therefore, Shuichi Akai ended his undercover life early and returned to the FBI, and his years of hard work came to nothing.

The repetition of this plot is now enough to cause PTSD among some FBI members, especially Cameron, who was driving someone to copy the surveillance footage. Under the psychological shadow of the last disaster, he almost stepped on the accelerator.

With the driver's help, the FBI and Conan quickly obtained first-hand surveillance footage. When they successfully saw the true face of the "innocent citizen", everyone stopped being silent.

The woman on the screen, dressed in black, who walked straight into the warehouse and left through the back door, was none other than Miss "Meikawa Kuko" whose identity was in doubt, whom they had just met yesterday!

If the first time is considered a coincidence, then what about the second time? Is it considered the second bloom of the plum blossom?

In the subsequent investigation, Umekawa Kuko's actions became increasingly suspicious.

After coming out of the back door of the warehouse, she started wandering around Beika-cho. During her time there, she went to a restaurant for dinner, and then went to the gift shop next door. When she came out, there was an envelope in her hand. She put the envelope into the mailbox three hundred meters away and then seemed to be strolling around the gift shop.

Just when the FBI was about to go out and track down Kuko Umekawa, Kuko Umekawa, who was wandering on the street, suddenly tripped and got on a tram full of office workers and students who were off work.

The best place to hide a tree is in a forest. This tram passes through several transfer stations. It is the time when people are getting off work and after school, and the flow of people is so huge that the conductor even needs to push people onto the bus. Meichuan Kuzi just disappeared in the sea of ​​people.

It was impossible to trace the letters sent by Kuko Umekawa, because shortly after she put the letter into the mailbox, the mail truck came and took away all the letters.

Even if we don't mention that the FBI is in a different place and can't directly ask the Japanese postal system to investigate for them in such a short time, the letter must have been mixed in with thousands of other normal letters, and may even have leaked out and been delivered to someone else in the process.

As for that restaurant... before they had time to investigate, news came from Amuro Toru that they should be careful of Umekawa Kuko, because that restaurant was where he and his colleague Vermouth were lurking and observing, and the meal ordered by Umekawa Kuko was served by Vermouth in disguise as a waiter.

Just five minutes after Kuko Umekawa left the restaurant, the organization received an order that the transaction location had been exposed and the transaction had been terminated.

Once the two parties exchanged information, the criminal identity of "Meikawa Kuzi" was basically confirmed.

Shuichi Akai and Conan immediately went to the gift shop in Beika Town, hoping to get some clues from the salesperson that day.

......

"Two strands of this world's causal threads have suddenly become entangled with you," said 233. "One is from Ekoda, the other from Beika Town. They're incredibly strong, strong enough to keep us locked in this timeline. With the barriers between worlds so fragile now, it's nearly impossible to forcibly escape without damaging ourselves and our own world."

Cheng Xiaoyu: [No wonder that high-dimensional being number two wasn't worried at all about us running away or slacking off. It turns out this death-proof golden medal also grants permanent residency.]

Cheng Xiaoyu and No. 233 did not react much to the fact that they were suddenly given temporary residence.

This is essentially insurance to prevent the other party from breaching the contract. It has the same function as a devil's contract or a labor contract. There will be no problems if you follow the rules and regulations agreed upon by both parties.

What No. 233 was more concerned about was: [How on earth could such a large causal chain be formed in such a short period of time through such simple actions? How on earth did that high-dimensional being No. 2 use these few points to give you a "role" that could shake the rules of the world?]

It's not like Cheng Xiaoyu was asked to go to Edogawa Conan and say "I know you are Kudo Shinichi", nor was it asked to tell Kaito Kidd II "Actually, your father Kuroba Toichi is not dead."

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't understand either: [Maybe this is also the wonderful magic of higher-dimensional creatures.]

......

Megumi Fushiguro: "Do you think Yuji can survive?"

As soon as he returned to Tokyo Jujutsu High School, the unconscious Yuji Itadori was taken away by Gojo Satoru, who said that he would be locked up in an underground sealing room to await the judgment from above.

From that moment on, Fushiguro Megumi was in a state of deep depression. While Ieiri Naoko was bandaging the wound, she briefly explained what had happened. Then, she remained silent with her head down. During this time, Cheng Xiaoyu was chatting privately with the 233rd window. Ieiri Naoko was not sure what to say, so she just focused on the bandaging. The three of them looked solemn enough to attend a funeral.

The entire medical room was clearly filled with living people, but the atmosphere was deader than that of a morgue.

It was not until the bandaging was completed that Megumi Fushiguro asked that question.

Ieiri Shoko felt her newly-quit smoking habit coming back. "Since Gojo has come forward to vouch for her, you definitely don't have to worry. Wasn't second-year Otsutsuki Yuuta also sentenced to death by the higher-ups last year, but Gojo bailed him out? Yuji Itadori has been guaranteed a suspended death sentence at the very least."

Megumi Fushiguro: "But Itadori is different. Sukuna awakened in him, and it was because of me... He shouldn't have been involved."

Cheng Xiaoyu consoled him, "How can this be your fault? It's clearly Sukuna's fault. He's such a grown-up, yet he still litters everywhere, without even putting a sign to prevent children from accidentally eating it. He has no sense of public morality."

...Most people wouldn't think of eating that!