Chapter 39 Justice League

Regarding the laboratory, Jingguang considered the following:

Ai is a child now, so if she were to run around in a white coat, it would definitely arouse suspicion.

Therefore, there must be a sufficiently secluded and large place, managed by someone who can be trusted.

Adhering to the principle that the fewer people who know the secret, the better, the best solution is to select from those who already know the secret.

Only Jing and Ling from the police force know about this matter; Ling has not yet reported Sherry's situation to Kuroda.

As for the FBI, Kagemitsu also warned Ai not to tell Akemi about this, saying "don't let your sister worry," so Akai and the others didn't know either.

On Conan's side, those who know the truth include Professor Agasa and the Kudo couple.

For some reason, Conan didn't do anything about the listening device in the alarm clock box after he learned about it.

"Maybe it's because no one lives in the house anymore!"

Therefore, the police easily learned that the Kudo couple had just returned to Japan in the last two days.

After investigating Kudo Yusaku's background, Jingguang concluded that the Kudo family was an ideal experimental base, so he paid them a visit.

After explaining his purpose, Yusaku quickly showed trust in Mr. Hino, and Kagemitsu did not even reveal his identity as a public security officer.

However, when he made the request for the laboratory, Yusaku looked hesitant.

“Mr. Hino, thank you very much for taking care of Shinichi, along with your companions. But we don’t plan to stay long this time; we’ll be leaving soon. Besides, I’ve already promised Shinichi I wouldn’t interfere in this matter anymore, consider it a learning experience for him. So it’s probably not appropriate for that little girl to stay here.” Yusaku then changed the subject, “However, Professor Agasa and I have been friends and neighbors for many years, and he has always been very kind to Shinichi. If you’d like, you can stay at the professor’s house. I think he’ll agree.”

This brief encounter with Yusaku made Kagemitsu understand the meaning of "like father, like son".

I understand even more clearly the root of Conan's reckless behavior: it's clearly a case of letting him grow wild and unchecked!

The son has gone back to first grade, but the parents don't seem too worried. Instead, they see it as a learning experience.

The Kudo couple's open-minded attitude broadened Kagemitsu's horizons and relieved him of his last bit of psychological burden regarding having Conan act as a public security assistant.

The next day, Hino brought Ai to the professor's house.

The Kudo couple had already left by then, but Yusaku had already spoken to the professor earlier.

Hino helped Ai pick out a white trench coat, her hair was carefully styled, and she exuded an intellectual air with a touch of girlish charm.

Hino silently admired Hagiwara's excellent taste in clothes!

The doctor took an immediate liking to the little girl who spoke in a melodious voice and had an elegant and graceful demeanor.

Ai seems to like this kind, chubby old man quite a bit.

To facilitate subsequent experimental work, both parties agreed that Ai would move into the doctor's house.

Overjoyed that things were going so smoothly, Hino went to the kitchen to cut the cake.

He specially made a low-sugar, low-fat fruit pudding cake for the PhD student. However, just as he stepped into the kitchen, the doorbell rang:

Conan has arrived.

Helpless, Hino could only hide in the kitchen, lamenting to himself why it always happened so coincidentally.

Conan recognized the little girl with brown hair as soon as he entered the room and asked in surprise, "Are you Sherry?"

This left Ai and Hino completely bewildered.

Conan hurriedly explained, "Have you forgotten? You saved me from Vodka three months ago, and I was wearing sunglasses then..."

Ai then realized that the hip-hop boy from back then was Shinichi Kudo!

Hino, who was eavesdropping in the kitchen, couldn't help but sigh: How many more surprises does Conan have that I don't know about?

"Hello Edogawa, my current name is Ai Haibara."

"Haibara, why have you become like this too? Are you one of your accomplices?"

"Yes, but I escaped. I know you've had the same experience as me, so I came here."

"Are you alone?" Conan asked with a hint of doubt. "Escaped from those people, that can't be easy, can it?"

"Yes, it was my benefactor who brought me here."

"Where is that benefactor?" Conan asked hurriedly.

Ai and Dr. Agasa both instinctively looked towards the kitchen, and Conan immediately understood, rushing towards the kitchen.

Hino sighed inwardly: I told Ai that it's best not to mention my name to outsiders, but she seems to have misunderstood?

What he didn't know was that from then on, in Ai's dictionary, the word "Hino Akira" was replaced with "benefactor" with a single click.

Hino had nowhere to retreat, and given the current situation, he couldn't resort to the same old trick of using anesthetic drugs again.

So he tried his best to put on the gentlest and kindest smile, squatted down, and bent over to say to the little boy, "Hello, Conan-kun, I'm Hino Ryo. Would you like some cake?"

Conan was completely bewildered when he saw the unfamiliar man: He wasn't someone he knew?!

He looked left and right but couldn't see anything amiss. He only felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity about the other person and asked, "Big brother, do you know Amuro Tooru?"

"Huh?" Hino's mind raced as he tried to figure out where he had given himself away. But Conan's next words left him with a wry smile.

"I think you two are very similar."

"They look very similar?" Hino was shocked, thinking that even if you were lying through your teeth, you couldn't be this bad.

"It's not just in appearance, but in other ways. Hmm, I can't quite put my finger on it, it's like, it's..." Conan fell silent, the images of two other people surfacing in his mind.

"Just like Inspector Matsuda and Inspector Hagiwara."

"Haibara said that Hino-nii is her benefactor? How did you save her?" Conan asked warily.

"I was asked by Ms. Akemi to rescue Ai. I had other plans in mind, but luckily Ai escaped from the prison by turning into a child."

"Miss Akemi is still alive?!" Conan's eyes lit up, then he asked uncertainly, "She... Ai Haibara is... my sister?"

"Yes, Ms. Akemi was injured and is still recovering. Thank you, Conan-kun."

"Huh? Why are you thanking me?" Conan looked unusually bewildered.

"Because if it weren't for you, Miss Akemi might have been taken away by those bad guys on that day at the Beika Hotel, and might even have died. So I want to thank you, thank you for your generous help, and thank you for never giving up."

"Have you known Hino-nii for a long time?"

“I knew you existed when you were still Kudo. But for various reasons, I couldn’t show myself, so I could only watch you silently. I’m very encouraged to have a companion like you!” Hino affectionately ruffled the little boy’s hair, and Conan obediently did not refuse.

Is Hino-nii an enemy of bad people?

"Yes, we have a common goal!"

This sentence greatly excited Conan, who exclaimed, "Big brother, can you cooperate with me from now on? With Dr. Agasa and Ai Haibara joining forces, we can definitely thwart their conspiracy!"

"It is my honor to be Conan's partner in justice." Hino held the small but strong hand tightly, feeling the little detective's enthusiasm and confidence soaring.

"So, in that case, we're friends, right?"

"Of course!" the little detective nodded emphatically. "Brother Hino, where do you live? How can I contact you?"

"Ai knows my address, but I still suggest we contact each other online. Because I'm probably dead now, just like Shinichi Kudo."

"Okay, I understand!"

Hino distributed cakes to everyone, then pulled Ai aside to give her a few words of advice before leaving.

"Please take good care of Ai-chan," Hino said, bowing.

"Don't worry, Hino-nii! I'm very experienced in dealing with those guys, Haibara will definitely be fine here."

Hino's smile deepened upon hearing this, and he said, "Then I'll leave it to Conan-kun! But you must also be careful!"

Back in the car, Jingguang received a call from his partner.

Zero heard the entire conversation clearly.

The only difference is that when Jingguang is on a mission, Zero only needs to listen; there's no need to put headphones on the other person and teach them what to do.

This is tacit understanding, and also trust.

However, Zero was somewhat dissatisfied with his partner's performance this time: "Jing, what are you doing? Why did you tell him about Mingmei's situation? Aren't you afraid he'll go looking for someone?"

“Zero, compared to this hidden danger, I think there’s a more important problem that needs to be solved.” Jingguang paused and said, “I don’t want Conan to bear that kind of guilt, being so close yet still failing to save the person he wanted to save. Whether he’s 7 or 17, that kind of guilt is too heavy. Our little detective has done very well this time, hasn’t he? I think this is the reward he deserves!”

Zero fell silent on the other end of the phone.

For more than 20 years, the two childhood friends had rarely disagreed, but this time it was indeed due to his oversight.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think of that. But I didn't expect that Jing would gain Conan's trust so easily! How about we let this kid be your assistant from now on?"

"I think it's better for Zero to personally mentor Conan! Think about it, Conan has more contact with you and understands you better! Conan has only met me once, but he has met Zero many times!"

Zero sensed the hidden meaning in the other person's words and retorted angrily, "Jing, don't mention that pajama to me again!"

"Why? Didn't Zero say that there are no secrets between us? But you won't even let me see you in your pajamas! Conan and Akemi have both seen them..." Jingguang sounded very aggrieved.

But no matter how her childhood friend tried to coax her, Zero resolutely refused to wear it!

To change the subject, Zero asked again, "Jing, what if the antidote goes very smoothly and Conan goes back to his original form and causes trouble?"

“Don’t worry, I’ve already told Ai not to tell Conan about the antidote. She should let me know about any progress first. If Conan asks, just say that we’re researching a drug to treat complications. With a weakened immune system, you might catch colds and fevers more often, so it should be easy to fool him with that excuse,” Jingguang explained. “Besides, Ai promised to keep an eye on Conan for me, so his every move is under surveillance now.”

"He's so thoughtful, as expected of Jing! But I feel like his immunity hasn't decreased at all since he became Conan, he's actually more energetic!" Zero remarked.

"Perhaps this is an innate talent?"

Zero couldn't help but sigh softly, "I remember after I first met Kudo, Supervisor Kuroda told me that this young detective was a gift from heaven. At the time, I thought that was an exaggeration, but now it seems that it might be true. Kei, Pisco said he is very interested in Conan and wants me to help him investigate secretly, and he emphasized that we should avoid Rum."

"Oh? Were you seen at the Beika Hotel? What are you planning to do about it?"

"Of course, it's as he wishes! How could I let such a good opportunity slip by? If I don't investigate, someone else will. I plan to find another part-time job near the detective agency, so it will be more convenient in the future."

When is the second phase of the plan scheduled to begin?

"Let's wait a bit longer. The organization sent Gin to find Sherry. I need to observe the situation for a while."

"What about Conan? Are we just going to leave things as they are? Aren't you going to tell him your identity?"

"Now that Jing has joined the Justice League, it's only a matter of time before he discovers my identity. I'd like to find another opportunity to observe him further."

However, Zero did not expect that he would not need to deliberately look for an opportunity to examine Conan.

Because there is never a shortage of cases.