Chapter 258 Seventy-Threeth Cycle (88)
"Finally, it's over." Ai Haibara breathed a sigh of relief. "Seriously, why does it always have to be such a dramatic and urgent call for help? It's one thing for us, but I was so nervous when the kids were operating the drone to bomb the Swan."
Hiroki Sawada was still typing on his computer keyboard: "There's no way around it, this drone is just too special. Others wouldn't be familiar with operating it, and kids who play with these every day are more suitable. As long as they don't know what important thing they're doing, they won't be nervous. See, isn't it done very well?"
Although the children were a bit mischievous, they were still very capable.
Even if problems do arise, with him and Noah's Ark watching over things, they can be rectified in time.
The others have more important work to do, so he and Noah's Ark can take care of things here.
Ai Haibara shrugged and could only smile helplessly. She looked at the carefree children and said, "When they grow up, we'll tell them what they did. Their expressions will be very interesting then."
“Yes, definitely.” Hiroki Sawada put away his laptop, looked at the children, and smiled, “The world ahead… I really can’t wait to see it.”
Ai Haibara: "?"
She instinctively felt that the boy's words carried a strange tone, and when she turned to look, he had already reached the door.
"Officer Matsuda and the others know about the drone explosion on our side, so we need to talk to them about it. Leave it to me," Hiroki Sawada said.
Ai Haibara originally wanted to ask a few more questions, and even wanted to go and see her sister, but she was pestered by the children to ask about Conan's situation, so she decided to give up for the time being.
Conan Edogawa returned shortly after, but his expression was very serious, and he answered the children's questions perfunctorily, seemingly deep in thought.
After having Professor Agasa take the children home, Ai Haibara prepared to go and ask Conan Edogawa a good question. However, as she approached, she heard him muttering something about a "blue Mazda."
Ai Haibara: "?"
Ai Haibara sat down next to him and said, "You ran into Scotland?"
Conan Edogawa suddenly turned his head: "What?! How did you know I ran into Scotland???"
Ai Haibara was startled and blinked, saying, "The blue Mazda you're talking about, aren't you referring to Scottish cars? Scottish cars are blue Mazdas."
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Why didn't you say so sooner if you had this clue?
Conan Edogawa swallowed those words hard and pressed on, "Why does Scotland drive a blue Mazda? Is it related to Mr. Amuro's white Mazda? Is it related to the different colored Mazdas driven by Inspectors Matsuda, Hagiwara, Date, and Sato?"
Ai Haibara was taken aback by his question: "Are there that many Mazdas? Are Mazdas popular among police officers these days?"
Conan Edogawa said, "All I know is that they all drive Mazdas. Officer Sato has a red Mazda, Officer Matsuda has a black Mazda, Officer Hagiwara has a purple Mazda, and Officer Date has a yellow Mazda."
It's not surprising that Officer Matsuda and his friends were classmates from the same police academy, so it's not surprising that they agreed to buy a Mazda together. Officer Sato's decision might have been a coincidence, but Scotland... it's impossible that he was also a police officer or even a classmate of Mr. Amuro from the same police academy, right?
“I don’t know about others, but Scotland buying a blue Mazda is definitely because of Bourbon,” Ai Haibara said.
Conan Edogawa stared intently at her, holding his breath as he awaited her final explanation, though he already had a guess in mind.
Ai Haibara's expression shifted slightly before she spoke, "I heard... I only heard about it. I'd forgotten about it before, but now that you've mentioned it, I remember."
Conan Edogawa's expression grew increasingly serious.
“I heard that Scottish’s original car wasn’t a Mazda; I forgot what it was. Later, in order to drive the same car as Bourbon, he deliberately caused a car accident and wrecked his original car, then used that as an excuse to buy a blue Mazda,” Ai Haibara said.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Conan Edogawa: "?"
Ai Haibara turned her head: "Anyway, it was done by that madman from Scotland, so it's not surprising. But this kind of behavior is indeed a bit outrageous, so people remember Gin's black Porsche as if his arrival meant the coming of the Grim Reaper. Some people also remember that Scotland's car is a blue Mazda. Since they only mentioned the car model in secret and didn't directly pass on their license plate number, they probably didn't care."
Conan Edogawa fell silent.
So, does the fact that Scotland drives a blue Mazda simply mean that Bourbon drives a white Mazda?
Indeed, his previous guess was impossible. I don't know how he came up with that idea; it was just too outrageous.
How can two police academy classmates, who are also undercover agents, end up together and create so many outrageous rumors?
*
The next day, news reports about the Internet of Things attack were everywhere.
The police have also released a list of corrupt officials arrested in this incident. Several of them are high-ranking figures in the Metropolitan Police Department, the National Police Agency, and the Prosecutor's Office, which has caused a great social uproar and attracted nationwide attention, with some praising and others condemning them.
Conan Edogawa paid special attention to this, and it turned out that the main people arrested this time were the police, but none of the police officers who were rumored to have suffered heavy casualties were injured.
When he deliberately wandered around the vicinity of the police station, he happened to see Yuya Kazami.
Kazami Yuya removed all the bandages from his face and hands, leaving no visible wounds underneath, clearly indicating that he had been faking it all along.
"Mr. Kazami."
Kazami Yu was startled by the child who suddenly appeared from the corner: "It's you?"
He would remember for the rest of his life the fact that Conan Edogawa had planted a listening device on him and that Mr. Furuya had taught him a lesson. He was determined not to make the same mistake again, and when he saw the child again, he immediately became wary.
When he remarked that Mr. Furuya was terrifying, Mr. Furuya said that there were two people in his heart who were even more terrifying than him, and one of them was even just a child.
Kazami Yuya's first thought was that of Edogawa Conan, and based on subsequent observations and analysis, he was pretty much certain that it really was that child.
—Mr. Furuya wouldn't have taken the other person on this adventure if he wasn't certain they had that kind of strength.
—Mr. Furuya wouldn't even take him along when doing dangerous things!!!
Kazami Yuya recalled the exploding Swan train and the dilapidated white Mazda under repair, as well as the police's responsibility to delete related surveillance footage and their instructions to anyone who saw the white Mazda speeding recklessly on the train or that road not to talk about it online. He felt that Edogawa Conan sitting in the car was also quite terrifying.
And now, right in front of him, that terrifying child was crouching in a deserted corner, blocking his way, his eyes sharp as he said, "Tachibana Kagami is actually Mr. Kazami's assistant, isn't he?"
Kazami Yuya was startled, then said expressionlessly, "What? Who is that? I don't know who you're talking about. You've mistaken me for someone else."
However, Conan Edogawa had already gotten the answer from his expression.
That's great. It's much easier to probe through Mr. Kazami than by asking Mr. Amuro.
"So this scheme was set up a year ago? Mr. Amuro has been preparing to catch the undercover agent for a year?" Conan Edogawa exclaimed.
Kazami Yuya: "!!!"
How does he even know this?!
Conan Edogawa said, "Haba Fumiichi was an assistant to Prosecutor Kusakabe Makoto. A year ago, Fumiichi took on Kusakabe Makoto's mission to secretly infiltrate the game company frequented by the culprit in order to solve the case. He was mistakenly arrested for theft and information hacking. At that time, Mr. Amuro, as a member of the Public Security Bureau, interrogated him and cooperated with him during the conversation, allowing him to fake his death and assume a new identity to investigate the undercover operation. Initially, Mr. Amuro probably kept it a secret from Tachibana Kyoko and Kusakabe Makoto. Therefore, the spies in the Prosecutor's Bureau, based on their behavior, assumed they were dissatisfied with the Public Security Bureau and decided to make them their comrades by contacting them. Then, Mr. Amuro had Fumiichi appear to explain, and together they set up this year-long trap, which was finally closed yesterday, right?"
Kazami Yuya: "..."
Kazami Yuya pushed up his glasses, his hand a little stiff.
You might not believe it, but I only found out the details of this last night. I was one of those people who were deceived by appearances, sob sob—
"How did you know?" he asked.
It couldn't possibly be what Mr. Furuya said, could it?
"I figured it out myself through investigation and deduction," the black-haired, blue-eyed child said, tilting his head back with a proud and radiant smile.
"Who...who are you?" Kazami Yuya was questioning his existence. Are elementary school students these days so amazing?
“Edogawa Conan is a detective,” the boy in the blue suit simply replied.
*
Two days later.
Poirot Cafe.
"Mr. Amuro, are you alright?" Conan Edogawa asked.
The blonde waitress glanced back at him, then walked around in front of the worried-looking child with her plate, tilting her head and saying, "I'm fine, why do you ask?"
If you're asking about the wound, then I'll definitely only dare to come to work after the wound has healed. Otherwise, Hiro could have just stormed over from the sushi restaurant next door.
Besides, Miss Zi had already explained when she was worried that he hadn't fully recovered from his fall while he was on leave. You could hear that, right?
Conan Edogawa tugged at his sleeve, covered his mouth with his other hand, and whispered, "Are you sure your operation to catch the parasites is alright? Has the organization suspected you?"
He was still bothered by the phone call the blond youth made to the organization's boss in front of him that night.
He was extremely anxious during the two days that Mr. Amuro was not at work, fearing that the other party would be captured and tortured by the organization when he was not paying attention.
"Ah, this." The blond youth smiled gently, which made him feel at ease, and said, "It's okay, don't worry. I was prepared before I did this. Even if they are angry, they won't be able to find anything about me."
Conan Edogawa breathed a sigh of relief and put his hand down: "That's good, then I can rest assured."
Amuro Tooru made his way around, settled the other guests, and then returned to sit next to the black-haired child who was lost in thought. He asked, "What's wrong? You look troubled."
Conan Edogawa sighed wistfully.
Since his disguise was practically exposed, he directly voiced his worries: "The school trip is starting soon, and I really want to go! I made plans with Ran..."
He kept turning the cup, itching with desire, but suddenly his hand stopped, and he stared at the cup without moving.
On the mirror-like surface of the cup, one can see the slightly distorted face of the blond youth beside him.
However, that degree of distortion did not affect Conan Edogawa's judgment, so he could clearly observe the dazed look on the blond youth's face, an expression he would almost never see on the other person.
"So it's time for the school trip already...?"
The blond youth even took out his phone and glanced at it.
Conan Edogawa launched a surprise attack, peeking out to take a look, only to find that he hadn't even unlocked the screen; he was just staring at the lock screen waiting to be unlocked.
The phone is gray, and the lock screen shows a picture of the Poirot Cafe; there's nothing else on it except the date.
date……?
Is there anything strange about September 1st? Is today a special day for Mr. Amuro?
The blond youth wasn't angry at his sneak attack. He simply put away his phone, propped his chin on one hand, tilted his head to look at him, and sighed, "Time flies. It's been almost half a year since I came to Poirot."
Conan Edogawa was taken aback upon hearing this, and his first thought was—has time really been passing so slowly? He had experienced so much since being fed APTX4869 by Gin and becoming Conan Edogawa, yet only half a year had passed?
He exclaimed in surprise, "It's only been half a year? It feels like ages have passed!"
“Right?” Amuro Tooru sighed. “But it was only May a couple of days ago, and today it’s already September. Time really flies.”
“Indeed.” Conan Edogawa nodded. “But it’s autumn now, perfect for a trip to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The red maple leaves are especially beautiful at this time of year.”
“Hmm…” Amuro Tooru smiled as well.
The golden sunlight outside shone on his light blonde short hair and honey-colored dark skin, making his smile seem even more dreamlike, so beautiful as to be unreal, just as Amuro Tooru and that smiling face were completely free of any darkness, as if he had completely let go of something at this moment.
After regaining his senses, Conan Edogawa's expression hardened slightly, and he asked, "Mr. Amuro, is it really true that nothing happened?"
Why does he always seem a little uneasy?
"No, I'm fine. You should worry more about how you're going to go on the school trip." Amuro Tooru stood up and smiled.
Conan Edogawa was a little surprised: "Mr. Amuro, don't you think what I'm doing is a bit risky?"
He thought that Mr. Amuro would be as strict as Haibara in preventing him from appearing in the public eye as Shinichi Kudo and participating in his final school trip with his classmates.
The blond youth shook his head slightly: "One more dangerous thing won't make a difference. If you want to do it, then do it."
Since it was already destined to happen anyway, and it was such an important moment for Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri to confirm their relationship, why should he stop the boys and girls from having such wonderful memories of their most important high school trip?
Rather than that, he should first consider how to deal with the consequences of Shinichi Kudo being exposed.
Their deviation from the timeline has now reached a rather dangerous and delicate level. Even the main love story might encounter unexpected events, which could lead to a butterfly effect on the detective and reasoning organization.
However, this also has its advantages.
If the plan goes smoothly, they will be able to control and arrange all the important plot points that follow at will.
"Have a pleasant trip," the blond young man said with a gentle smile.
Conan Edogawa regained his confidence and courage, and decided to rush back to ask Ai Haibara for the antidote again.
However, he stopped abruptly halfway through his journey.
Wait, did he mention Haibara and the antidote to Mr. Amuro? Why did their conversation go so smoothly?
Conan Edogawa stood frozen in the crowd, turning into a stone statue.
Because he was angry that Mr. Matsuda and the others had lied to him for so long, and because Haibara was overly nervous and vigilant, he didn't even explain Haibara and the antidote to Officer Matsuda and the others in detail.
If we had to say, aside from Haibara herself maintaining contact with Mr. Amuro, the only other person who might have told Mr. Amuro about this is Hiroki, who knew everything from the beginning.
Just two days ago, he confirmed that Hiroki was actually Amuro's accomplice. It was Amuro who helped him fake his death and move into Professor Agasa's house under the identity of Ai Orikasa. So, Amuro actually knew from the beginning that he was Shinichi Kudo?!
Forget about his identity being exposed, he never even had a disguise in the first place?
...Wait a minute, so what role did Professor Agasa play in all of this? How much did Professor Agasa know about Hiroki's situation? Did Professor Agasa know Mr. Amuro?
...Wait a minute, Professor Agasa seems to have mentioned before that he was friends with the legendary hacker Sakura, but he didn't pay attention to it at the time because he didn't know anything about Sakura.
Conan Edogawa stood there dumbfounded, feeling like an idiot for the first time.
*
September 6th.
"Mr. Amuro, did you see the news online?" Enomoto Azusa excitedly ran over to show him her phone. "The internet says they saw Shinichi Kudo at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto! He even solved a case! It turns out all those rumors online about Shinichi Kudo being killed were just nonsense!"
"Really? Let me see. I've been here for so long and I still haven't seen Shinichi Kudo." The blond youth also took out his phone.
"Shinichi Kudo is truly an incredibly talented detective, even known as the 'Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei Era' and the 'Savior of the Police'!" Enomoto Azusa's eyes sparkled as she pointed upstairs to the Mouri Detective Agency, winking and saying with a smile, "And, he's also Ran's boyfriend!"
"The Heisei era...?" Rei Furuya slowly raised his head.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Enomoto Azusa tilted her head.
Rei Furuya sighed: "It's the Reiwa era now, isn't it?"
Enomoto Azusa sighed, "Yes, time flies. The Heisei era has been over for so long."
Yes, times have changed, but only half a year has passed in this cycle.
This really is... just a fleeting dream.
Enomoto Azusa had already turned to leave, but suddenly turned back and said, "Speaking of which, Mr. Amuro, do you have any plans for Christmas?"
Rei Furuya blinked: "Ah... everything's fine right now, what's wrong?"
Which Christmas?
He really couldn't understand those recurring holidays, especially Valentine's Day, which he celebrated more than a dozen times in less than a year. There was always something going on every time. He really should be forgiven.
Enomoto Azusa nodded and scribbled in her notebook: "Then I'll schedule your work as usual. The store manager told me that we need to start scheduling December shifts."
Polo Coffee Shop Duty Roster
December 25th, Christmas Day
Duty personnel: Enomoto Azusa, Amuro Toru
Rei Furuya watched as she wrote her name, momentarily stunned.
This sentence, along with the Christmas that the store manager arranged, seems to be the Christmas that will ultimately end everything?
So, actually, his time is running out.
If that's the case, should we ask for leave now? He definitely won't be able to come to work that day, which will cause trouble for Ms. Zi and the store manager.
My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.
Jianggu Ling was stunned.
If I remember correctly, the next part is... but...
He turned around and took out the vibrating phone. It was a black phone, and when he opened it, he saw a new email pop up.
Send me information about Shinichi Kudo, you know, Bourbon.
——BOSS
Received, but I need to investigate and confirm it. Please wait a few more days.
——Bourbon】
Hurry up, time is life!
——BOSS
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