Chapter 485
Just as Mary Akai was horrified by her new discovery, something even more terrifying happened.
Those thin green eyes looked straight at Akai Mary without warning, their sharp gaze seemingly able to pierce through a small keyhole and see directly into Akai Mary's face.
Unable to confirm whether this was merely a subconscious, cautious investigation or something that had actually been discovered, Mary Akai instinctively cut off her sight.
Some people are indeed very sensitive to the gaze of others, feeling like they are being watched even from hundreds of meters away, making it difficult to snipe or assassinate such people. Mary Akai suspects that Potts is such a person.
Influenced by her eldest son's cryptic attitude and recalling their unbelievable first meeting, Mary Akai's fear of Potnis reached its peak, even to the point of being somewhat overwhelmed.
"Usoba-nii?" Noticing that Usoba Saiki had slowed down a few steps, Ran Mouri turned her head in confusion. "There are no slippers to change into here, you can just come in, okay?"
Sera Masumi, who had been silently observing Usaku Saiki, was extremely nervous.
She noticed, of course, that Usui Saiki was looking into the door of her mother's room.
Last time, when Usaku Saiki arrived at the door, he turned around and left. Sera Masumi was startled, thinking that Usaku Saiki had discovered something through the wall. However, it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Usaku Saiki had simply gone to do something heroic. Sera Masumi was relieved.
And now it's happening again!!! And with such a clear target!!! She can't think of any other reason...
Could it be that her mother turned on the light inside, causing her shadow to be noticed?
That shouldn't be! Her mother is an MI6 agent, after all; such a basic mistake...
But then Sera Masumi thought again that Usaku Saiki probably already knew everything about her background, so even if her mother was discovered, she had nothing to be afraid of.
Besides, Ran and the others are here now. Since Bo Yezaki is going to pretend to be an ordinary person, he probably won't choose to do anything at this time...
Sera Masumi successfully regained her composure by throwing caution to the wind, and even said quite naturally, "That's my bedroom over there. Do you want to see my underwear that I haven't put away yet?"
Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki blushed instantly.
Bo Yezaki calmly withdrew his gaze: "No, I was just wondering if you might be hiding someone here as well."
Sonoko Suzuki thought Saiki Usaba was joking, and found it amusing: "Sera-kun, do you want us to be alibis so you can kill someone?"
Ran Mouri laughed too: "How could Sera-kun possibly hide anyone?"
Shiliang Zhenjun: "…………"
I'm sorry, but I really did hide someone.
Conan Edogawa's gaze fell intently on Sera Masumi, whose expression was inexplicably stiff.
Not to mention Bo Ye, he also suspected that Sera Masumi was hiding someone. Otherwise, how could he explain the photo he saw of Sera Masumi with a strange little girl?
Especially considering the timing of when he saw the photo, it was clear that Sera Masumi had deliberately shown it to him, making Conan Edogawa very puzzled about what Sera Masumi was trying to do.
But his habit is to think things through on his own when faced with a situation, so he doesn't plan to ask directly.
We could discuss it with Brother Bo Ye, who seems to have discovered something as well.
After uttering that suggestive remark, Usaku Saiki did not press his advantage. Instead, he easily let Sera Masumi and Akai Mary go and walked towards the sofa in the living room.
"Just kidding... To be honest, I was originally thinking of ordering room service from the hotel, like that novelist did, but do you guys still have an appetite now?"
Ran Mouri paused for a moment: "...I don't think so."
Usoya Saiki: "It's alright, I have an appetite. I'll have some. It's afternoon tea time, let me see what desserts are available."
Conan Edogawa: "…………"
So you just want dessert, right?! Then why did you even bother asking that question?!
You're happy when everyone else is unhappy, right?
What's wrong with Bo Ye Ge's temper!
Mary Akai had recovered and, hearing the people outside discussing the case she had just encountered, finally understood why Potts had turned and left.
He's a member of the organization, yet he went to save complete strangers...
Mary Akai didn't know how to evaluate him, she could only recall her eldest son's description of him in a heartbroken tone: "He's someone who would be normal no matter what you do."
Indeed, let alone strangers, Potts even tipped off her eldest son, who was an undercover agent, demonstrating her unwavering loyalty to the organization. Unfortunately, her eldest son escaped once but couldn't escape a second time, and he died at the hands of the organization this year.
Unaware that her eldest son was faking his death, Mary Akai clenched her fists and secretly vowed that as long as she lived, she would never let go of the organization that had devoured her husband and son.
The young people's gathering outside had nothing to do with Mary Akai. After everyone else left, Mary Akai quietly came out of the bedroom, calmly checked the area, found a bugging device, and crushed it.
Only after confirming that the listening device was disabled and that no other eavesdroppers had escaped did Mary Akai speak.
Who put this here?
“…Conan, look at this shape, it’s the front of his glasses…” Sera Masumi sighed, “Besides, if Potts wanted to know something, I don’t think he would use such roundabout methods… Eavesdropping all the time is clearly Conan’s habit.”
Mary Akai looked at her daughter with a complicated expression: "You have a pretty high opinion of Potts."
Sera Masumi gave a dry laugh: "Because in fact, after knowing Potts for so long, he really hasn't done anything... Look, he seems to know you were in the bedroom today, but he didn't say anything... Mom, how did you get exposed?"
Mary Akai remained silent.
"...Mom? You're not really showing your shadow, are you?"
"No, he must be sensitive to eye contact... or he probably already knew I was here."
Sera Masumi keenly sensed that Akai Mary's attitude was a bit too heavy, and couldn't help but feel puzzled: "Since he has investigated and found out that my brother is an FBI agent, and knows that I am my brother's sister, and knows that you are my mother, it's not strange that you are staying here with me, right? Why are you acting like the sky has fallen?"
Mary Akai: "...Because none of what you said is the problem."
"Then what is it?" Sera Masumi pressed. "Don't always hide so many things from me. I've really grown up."
Mary Akai sat on the sofa, coughing several times due to her emotional turmoil, before finally managing to compose herself and speak normally.
“I’ve met Potts before.”
Sera Masumi was silent for a moment: "...When?"
At this point, Sera Masumi's guess was nothing more than that her mother had brushed past Potts on the street, but at the time she had no idea who was who.
But Mary Akai gave a different answer.
"The day I shrank, he was the one who gave me the clothes."
Sera Masumi was utterly shocked: "Huh!? Wait!? It's him?! Why is it Potts?!"
Mary Akai was already shocked, so she was able to remain calm at this moment.
But she also understood the shock that Sera Masumi felt at this moment, because she had been so shocked that her mind went blank not long ago.
After all, if it is confirmed that the person she encountered when she climbed out of the river was Potness, things would become very unsettling.
First of all, judging from the woman in that organization who gave her the drug, it must have been poison. The fact that she survived must have been an accident.
Based on this, it became even more unpredictable how far she drifted in the river and where she planned to climb ashore—her body might just drift all the way into the sea!
Despite all these unpredictable factors, Potts miraculously appeared precisely at the spot where she landed and provided her with the clothes she needed most at that moment, clothes that fit her shrunken figure…
Because the probability was so low as to be practically zero, she saw that Potts' appearance matched the hair and eye color her eldest son had described. Even when she was suspicious that someone happened to be in such a remote location, she still thought it was just a coincidence and that the other person was probably just a passerby.
Now that the passerby has been identified as Potts, the theory of coincidence has been instantly refuted.
This made Mary Akai fall into self-doubt—was choosing where to go ashore really her own decision? Was she not influenced by Potts?
This feeling of having one's own will controlled was enough to make even the resolute Mary Akai waver.
She suddenly understood why her eldest son treated Potts that way.
Not to mention her eldest son's psychological trauma and his inability to resist the Pontenne conspiracy theory, she also has this tendency!
Mary Akai repeatedly recalled that she had never seen Potts before that, not to mention that she didn't think much after falling into the water. Her survival instinct made her only think about sneaking ashore without the organization's knowledge. She acted entirely on instinct, and the place where she reached the shore could not have been influenced by anyone...
But if that's the case, then Potts is even more terrifying.
He actually managed to bring clothes that fit her perfectly and wait for her in a place she never even knew she would appear!
The scariest horror movies she'd ever seen didn't instill as much fear in her as this conjecture.
Sera Masumi noticed that Akai Mary was sweating, so she quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe it off: "Mom? Calm down."
Mary Akai took a deep breath: "I... am calm."
She had actually calmed down for half a day, but thinking about how terrifying Potts was, she still couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
However, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
Potts knew why she wouldn't die, and she had a guess: perhaps Potts and the person who gave her the drug had traveled to England together to carry out the mission of killing her.
Did Potnis switch the medication?
This way, she won't die, and the only aftereffect will be that she shrinks...
But if that were the case, it would mean that the organization has developed a drug that can reliably shrink people, which is impossible because the organization's behavior pattern has not changed. If a drug of this level were reliably developed, regardless of whether they intend to sell it to the public, the organization should have undergone some changes.
The drug's effects are probably still unstable... So Potts is gambling? Gambling that she'll be the one to survive?
Mary Akai thinks this speculation is acceptable.
And in either case, Potts saved her life.
Mary Akai should have trusted Potts more. In fact, given that the other party already knew everything about her, she didn't need to hide anymore. It would have been more efficient to directly propose cooperation or test the waters.
But at this moment, all Akai Mary wanted to do was escape.
Potnis was so perplexing that the enigma was beyond her comprehension, to the point that it terrified her and even made her doubt whether he was still a normal human being.
Sera Masumi had also realized what it meant that Akai Mary had met Bornets earlier, and her face was equally pale: "Mom... what do we do?"
Mary Akai, pale-faced, said, "Let's maintain the status quo for now."
Six months later, Mary Akai finally understood her eldest son's overly indecisive attitude.
—Shuichi, you're right, Potts... really doesn't seem like a human!
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