Chapter 200, Seventy-Threeth Cycle (30)
Conan Edogawa had been tense about Bourbon's identity for a long time, but now that the truth has finally come out and things have come to an end, he happily and relaxedly went to play tennis with Ran Mouri and the others.
But after playing tennis, he came back with a bandage wrapped around his head.
Ai Haibara: "..."
Haibara sighed, turning her computer chair around to face the detective who looked like she had something to say: "What case happened this time? And how did you get injured? Were you hit by a tennis ball?"
Conan Edogawa nodded: "The case is solved. It wasn't the tennis ball that hit me, it was the tennis racket. But when the racket came flying at me, Amuro Tooru managed to knock it away with the tennis ball. However, in my panicked retreat, I accidentally tripped and hit my head..."
"No! The point is I actually saw Bourbon on the tennis court!!!" He realized what he was seeing and immediately raised his voice.
Ai Haibara paused for a moment: "He went to play tennis?"
Conan Edogawa nodded, subconsciously recalling the question: "Yes, he's the tennis coach Sonoko hired, and he even won the national championship in junior high. I think his serve is incredibly powerful, comparable to a professional player, but he claimed that he couldn't serve much due to a shoulder injury, so he only played a few points and was just coaching from the sidelines. However, I think he was just lying to avoid attracting attention; everyone in the stadium was drawn over to take pictures and scream... No! That's not the point!"
Ai Orikasa handed him a glass of warm water: "It's okay, don't rush, tell me slowly, does your head still hurt a little?"
Conan Edogawa said thank you while holding his water glass, then froze, realizing that their nervousness had been completely dispelled.
"..." He slowly took a sip of water, sat down in the chair, observed the expressions of the two of them, and said, "You two don't seem nervous at all?"
Professor Agasa, who was standing next to him, adjusted his glasses and chuckled, "Perhaps it's because you just said Bourbon saved you?"
Ai Haibara and Ai Orikasa nodded.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
After a long pause, Conan Edogawa finally said, "Indeed."
From the very beginning, when they helped him fly away from the tennis racket that almost hit his head, to the perfect first aid and bandaging when he fainted, their actions truly saved him and took excellent care of him.
Although his pupils dilated in shock, he sensed no malice whatsoever.
Moreover, now that he knows that the person who shot and saved him from the bank robbers during the robbery was also Bourbon, and that Bourbon was actually disguised as Shuichi Akai and testing the FBI, his feelings became even more complicated.
If you didn't already know he was Bourbon from the Black Organization, anyone would be charmed by his gentle and considerate care. Plus, he has such a face that makes people feel no sense of vigilance. No wonder so many people around him soften their attitude towards him and even trust and like him.
“But he might have done that because he didn’t know I already knew his identity and was planning to disguise himself and infiltrate our ranks.” Conan Edogawa said, a chill running down his spine. “I have a feeling he’s already noticed me. He even noticed me when I used the tranquilizer dart and came over to look at my watch and ask me what I was doing. I’m not sure if he suspects me.”
He stroked his chin again, his expression serious as he pondered, "Why would he dare come back? Sherry is dead, why would he come back? I asked, and he said he only took a few days off because he wasn't feeling well, and he'll be back to work at Poirot's Cafe soon. What exactly does he want? Who is his target? Is he connected to Vermouth?"
Ai Haibara wasn't really clear either; she didn't know much, and most of what she understood came from subtle hints from her older sister.
However, she knew very well that Bourbon was not in danger, and that they were preparing to do something big. Since they wouldn't tell her, she would just wait and see and not make any rash moves that would disrupt their plans.
Ai Orikasa knew that he and Noah's Ark were involved in the entire plan, but of course he couldn't spoil it for the protagonist, Conan.
Currently, only those who were originally destined to die are being told about the plot.
All the members of Sakura Squad are "dead people." They survived by manipulating the world line, and they try their best not to participate in the main storyline directly in their own identities. They also have a close relationship with Furuya Rei, so they can be considered to have transcended a part of the world's rules.
Conan Edogawa was mainly staring at Ai Haibara: "He's inexplicably back again, and he might be living with us from now on. Besides, I already know his identity. Aren't you going to tell me about Bourbon?"
Ai Haibara crossed her arms, looking at him calmly: "I already said, I don't know anything about him either."
Conan Edogawa didn't believe it, his blue eyes firm and sharp: "Although Bourbon's position is equivalent to the organization's second-in-command, that also means he's not really the organization's second-in-command. Could it be that his level of danger is the same as the organization's BOSS? Is he also a Pandora's box that I can't open yet?"
Ai Haibara paused for a moment.
Conan Edogawa continued, "When I deduced the organization's boss's email address before, you stopped me from investigating it, calling it an unopenable Pandora's box. I originally thought it was just a simple adjective, but this time, after exchanging contact information with Kid and discussing the two organizations we're both investigating, I discovered something was off."
Ai Haibara remained silent. She had heard Conan Edogawa mention the killer organization codenamed "Animal" and the Pandora Gem that Kaito Kid had talked about yesterday.
Conan Edogawa met her gaze: "The organization is also looking for the Pandora's Jewel? What's the connection between the Pandora's Box you mentioned and the Pandora's Jewel that Kaito Kid is tracking? What's the relationship between these two organizations? Are they enemies or partners?"
Ai Orikasa and Professor Agasa remained silent, watching the two quietly.
Ai Haibara lowered her head in thought, her fingers tracing over the mouse for a moment before looking up and saying, "The lab I was in at the time had two projects: one was aptX4869, and the other was Pandora."
Conan Edogawa's pupils contracted: "The Black Organization is conducting Pandora's Experiment?!"
Ai Haibara nodded: "I wasn't the main person in charge of the Pandora experiment, but I do know a bit about it. It was indeed research related to gems, and it should be the same thing that Kaito Kid was talking about. The organization and that assassin mercenary organization should be enemies. They often stole gems from them and brought them back for research, but they didn't come up with any results before I left."
After saying that, she sighed: "Fortunately, Phantom Thief Kid is high-profile enough, and there are countless thieves around the world who target gems, so it's not surprising that he always steals gems. Otherwise, it would be terrible if the organization found out that his target was also Pandora."
Unlike that disorganized assassin mercenary group, the organization is a highly managed and incredibly wealthy transnational criminal organization involved in various fields. Once targeted, there is nowhere to escape.
Unless one successfully fakes their death and disguises themselves, or ingests aptx4869 to become a child, they can temporarily escape the organization's notice and survive.
But how difficult are these two conditions? It is difficult to fake death in front of the organization, it is difficult to have a disguise, and it is even more difficult to survive after consuming aptx4869.
After processing the news, Conan Edogawa asked, "Who is the main person in charge of the Pandora Experiment within the organization?"
After considering it carefully, Ai Haibara answered softly.
“It’s Bourbon,” she said.
*
Shuichi Akai stood behind the curtains and saw through the gaps that a black-haired child with a white bandage wrapped around his head came out of Professor Agasa's house and then turned and went to the Matsuda house next door.
He didn't draw the curtains. While listening to Ai Haibara and Ai Orikasa chatting through the bug in his ear, he turned around, walked to the table, poured bourbon into a glass, and then walked back to the window to take a slow sip.
As expected, not long after, Conan Edogawa came out of the Matsuda residence and ran straight towards him again without stopping.
Shuichi Akai drew the curtains, removed the listening device from his ear, pretended to know nothing, carried the wine downstairs, and then opened the door to welcome the child in.
"Mr. Akai, why do you think Bourbon came back again? What else does he plan to do here?" Conan Edogawa asked with a serious expression.
Shuichi Akai asked dismissively, "Well, why do you think that is?"
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Conan Edogawa took a deep breath and briefly explained what had happened after Kaito Kid joined the group. Then he said seriously, "I think it's possible that he discovered something was wrong with our plan and wanted to investigate it again. It's also possible that he stayed behind temporarily to investigate Kaito Kid and the Pandora Jewel, or even to get close to Sonoko Suzuki to obtain information about Kid."
Shuichi Akai nodded: "That is indeed possible."
Then he stopped talking and even leisurely took a sip of his drink.
Conan Edogawa's eyes darted around, and he noticed that the bottle next to him even had "Bourbon" written on it.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
These people are absolutely outrageous!!!
Whether they were former members of the organization, or local police officers and the FBI, they all seemed completely unhurried!
Damn it! Is he the only one who's nervously worried about what Bourbon is going to do?!
Why?
*
The mascot of Poirot's Café is back.
Especially after school, the coffee shop is bustling with activity, as people of all ages and genders who have finished get off work or school like to come and sit for a while.
Sera Masumi went in alone this time. She ordered another sandwich and savored it very slowly.
During this time, the short-haired girl kept observing Amuro Tooru.
The tall, blond, dark-skinned young man wore a black apron over his white shirt, and a gentle, bright smile graced his handsome face as he greeted each enthusiastic customer.
Sera Masumi looked at him with a serious expression as she pondered, her eyebrows gradually furrowing, her green eyes filled with confusion, bewilderment, and a hint of surprise.
Her expression was as if she had encountered some kind of ancient mystery.
And I'm starting to question the meaning of life.
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