Chapter 24 (Exclusive to Jinjiang Literature City)
Chuuya Nakahara had no idea how he left Kagemoto's room. In any case, when he came to his senses, all he saw was Osamu Dazai's face, magnified because he was too close to him.
"What are you doing?" Nakahara Chuuya was startled and instinctively took a step back.
Dazai Osamu straightened up, looked his partner up and down with his free eye, and said sullenly, "Nothing, I just feel like your soul has been stolen."
"Huh?" Chuuya Nakahara was confused, but that didn't stop him from knowing that Osamu Dazai was looking down on him again, so he clenched his fist, intending to give him a good punch.
Dazai Osamu pulled out his phone and sent a text message to someone, then asked without looking up, "What did you two talk about?"
"He didn't say much." When the conversation turned to business, Chuuya Nakahara's expression became serious. "He inquired about the current situation in Yokohama, but that was about it."
Chuuya Nakahara believed that he had not revealed any information that should not have been revealed.
"As expected of a simple-minded little slug," Dazai Osamu said sarcastically. "But whatever, I didn't expect you to get any information out of that man anyway."
Dazai Osamu put his phone back in his pocket and walked out without looking back.
Chuuya Nakahara quickly followed up: "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
"Guess~" Dazai Osamu said mischievously, "Anyway, I'd be very happy if Chuuya died."
Several veins bulged on Nakahara Chuuya's forehead. He couldn't hold back any longer and kicked out.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Dazai Osamu skillfully dodged Nakahara Chuuya's attack with a simple sidestep.
"A dwarf in a fit of impotent rage."
"A mackerel that reeks of stench!"
The two boys bickered as they disappeared into the night.
The next morning.
Jing Yuan had just finished washing up when he heard someone knocking on the door.
Strange, the waiter has already delivered his food, so why is he knocking on the door again?
Despite his doubts, Jingyuan opened the door.
A waiter and an old acquaintance were standing at the door.
"What's wrong?" Jingyuan asked, puzzled. "Why is Inspector Megure here?"
He remembered that this police officer was in charge of handling homicide cases. Could it be that another murder had occurred near him?
"So it's Mr. Jingyuan." Inspector Megure was quite surprised to see who opened the door.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jingyuan learned from Inspector Megure that a murder had indeed occurred upstairs, followed by routine questioning.
"Excuse me for asking, what were you doing at three in the morning?"
“She’s sleeping,” Jing Yuan said.
He slept very soundly, even though he had drunk quite a bit of alcohol the night before because he was so happy.
"Did you hear any strange noises coming from upstairs?" Inspector Megure continued to ask.
Jing Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
After asking a few more questions and finally confirming that the murder was unrelated to Jingyuan, Inspector Megure said apologetically, "Sorry to have disturbed your rest."
"nothing."
After seeing Inspector Megure off, Jingyuan scratched his head, sighing inwardly at his own incredible luck. He had only been in Japan for a short time, yet he had already encountered one murder case after another.
According to Inspector Megure, a murder occurred at 3 a.m. today in the apartment above Kagemoto's. The victim was someone Kagemoto knew—the woman named Miko whom he had met at the library before.
Although Jingyuan felt that this matter was not simple, solving cases was the job of the police, and at the very least, there were detectives, so Jingyuan did not take it to heart until his door was knocked on again.
The person who came to see him this time was Gojo Satoru.
"Hey, good morning~" Gojo Satoru greeted him with a smile.
As he ushered the child in, Jing Yuan casually asked, "Tea or juice?"
Sitting on the sofa, Gojo Satoru raised his hand like a kindergarten child and said, "I want orange juice!"
Jing Yuan poured him a glass of orange juice, then sat down opposite him and asked, "Is there something you need from me?"
“You should already know about the murder upstairs, right? That’s why I came here,” Gojo Satoru said bluntly.
"What? This matter has gotten involved with the world of sorcery?" Jing Yuan found it rather strange.
Gojo Satoru nodded and said, "The culprit should be a special-grade cursed spirit that has not been registered."
Seeing that Jingyuan seemed to be deep in thought, Gojo Satoru stopped talking and silently drank his juice.
After a long pause, Jing Yuan finally spoke, asking, "Professional matters should be left to professionals. If the murderer is a top-tier cursed spirit, then this should be handled by you sorcerers. Why have you come to me?"
“It’s simple. I just want to confirm whether your abilities can also work on cursed spirits.” Gojo Satoru never bothered with excuses or beating around the bush; he told Jingyuan bluntly, “Cursed spirits maintain a delicate balance with sorcerers. In recent years, it was only broken once, when I was born, so the power of cursed spirits is much stronger now than it was twenty years ago…”
"So, you suspect that the special-grade cursed spirit was born because of me?" Jing Yuan asked.
“It’s just speculation at the moment,” Gojo Satoru said. “After all, I haven’t seen any other cursed spirits being enhanced.”
Jing Yuan nodded: "I see."
Gojo Satoru lowered his head slightly, letting his sunglasses slide down his nose to reveal his beautiful eyes, which were as bright as the sky.
"You don't seem angry at all."
Jing Yuan found his words a bit strange, so he smiled and asked, "Why would I be angry?"
"Because what I'm doing now is implying that you've brought disaster to Japan." Gojo Satoru leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs. "Wouldn't most people get angry if they heard that?"
"What are you going to do if I get angry?" Jing Yuan asked with interest.
Gojo Satoru tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Hmm... I'll treat you to cake?"
Anyway, he eats desserts when he's in a bad mood, and it makes him feel much better.
Jingyuan was amused by his slightly childish statement.
Jing Yuan placed his teacup back on the table and asked, "How do you intend to determine whether I have affected the balance of the sorcery world?"
"It's simple, just help me investigate this murder case," Gojo Satoru said with a smile. "If you can really solve the cursed spirit, there will be a very generous reward~"
“I don’t lack money.” Jing Yuan indicated that this reason alone was not enough to persuade him.
Undeterred, Gojo Satoru came up with a clever idea: "Well, then I'll let you play with the giant panda."
"Giant panda?" Jing Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Isn't that the national treasure of the Flower Kingdom? How come Gojo Satoru has a giant panda in his hand?
"It's called a giant panda, but it's really just a cursed corpse." Gojo Satoru scrolled through his phone's photo album, found a picture of a panda as a cub, and pointed to the adorable panda in the photo, saying to Jingyuan, "But it feels just as good as a real giant panda~"
As a plush toy lover, Jingyuan was instantly captivated by the adorable panda cubs in the photos.
"Please help me out, and I'll ask the principal to make one for you too, so you can touch the furry thing anytime!" Gojo Satoru tempted.
Gojo Satoru's move was brilliant. Kagemoto simply couldn't resist such an adorable, fluffy creature, so he readily agreed: "No problem."
Having achieved his goal, Gojo Satoru smiled smugly: "Then, let's set off now!"
"No, wait a minute." Jing Yuan stopped him from leaving.
Still in that ridiculous pose, as if about to walk out, Gojo Satoru turned around and asked him, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"
Jingyuan took a picture of himself finishing his breakfast with the jade tablet and then posted it to a group called "Shence Family".
After seeing Fu Xuan and the others reply "OK", Jing Yuan said to Wu Tiao Wu, "Alright, let's go."
Gojo Satoru took in all of this and couldn't help but remark, "Are you a kindergarten kid? You have to report your meal situation to your mom every day."
"There's nothing I can do, I really can't go against Fu Qing's wishes."
Although it sounded like a complaint, Gojo Satoru clearly saw that Kagemoto was actually enjoying himself.
Gojo Satoru was also unable to understand Kagemoto, because he was also very happy when he received the concern from Ieiri Shoko and Yagami Masamichi.
If... if Xia Youjie were here too, that would be even better.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
When Conan Edogawa heard Ai Haibara say that the silver-haired man from that day was Gin, he couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.
He was so close to being exposed; thankfully, he didn't use an anesthetic to put Kogoro Mouri to sleep that day.
Recalling his clumsy attempt to test Jingyuan, Conan Edogawa almost couldn't breathe.
Seeing his face turn deathly pale, Ai Haibara hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Kudo! What's wrong?"
It took Conan Edogawa a while to calm down, though his fingers were still trembling slightly.
“It’s nothing, Haibara.” The boy forced a smile that looked like he was about to cry. “I just think I should move out of Ran’s house.”
Ai Haibara's pupils instantly contracted to needle size.
"What do you mean by that?" the girl asked, her voice trembling.
"I think I might have been exposed."
Conan Edogawa tells Ai Haibara about his two encounters with Kagemoto and his various attempts to test him.
"You're insane!" Ai Haibara roared in a low voice. "How many times have I told you not to get close to the Black Organization? They all say they're a bunch of lunatics, but you just won't listen!"
Having grown up within the organization, Ai Haibara is well aware that once Conan Edogawa's true identity as Shinichi Kudo is exposed, all those involved will be assassinated by the organization.
"Calm down, Ai Haibara," Conan Edogawa quickly reassured the girl. "I was just saying we might have been exposed. Don't scare yourself."
“Even if that person is Gin, it doesn’t mean that Jingyuan is a member of the Black Organization,” Conan Edogawa said. “Think about Mr. Amuro, didn’t we initially think he was a member of the organization? And Mr. Akai too.”
"Stop lying to yourself." Ai Haibara brushed Conan Edogawa's hand off her shoulder. "How could someone who's so close to Gin not be a member of the organization?"
As the organization's loyal dog, Gin is sensitive and suspicious. When dealing with undercover agents, he always believes in the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
How could Jing Yuan, whom he treated with such gentleness, not be a member of the organization?
Conan Edogawa knew that Ai Haibara was right, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that Kagemoto didn't seem like someone from the organization.
If I had to pinpoint a reason, it would be intuition. The intuition of a detective.
But no matter what, the most urgent thing is to move out of Kogoro Mouri's house as soon as possible.
He must have lost his mind. Knowing full well that the organization he had messed with was so terrifying, he still dared to live in Ran Mouri's house. Wasn't he just pushing Ran Mouri's family into a fire pit?
“However, you made the right decision to move out of the Mori family.” After calming down, Ai Haibara’s thinking became much sharper. “They are just ordinary people, and they have virtually no power to resist the Black Organization. But what reason do you plan to use? Besides, you previously made Kogoro Mori a famous detective, and now that you’re leaving, what will he do?”
"...Anyway, let's keep our distance from Ran and Uncle for now." Conan Edogawa didn't have a foolproof plan, so he could only take it one step at a time.
“If you haven’t come up with a foolproof plan, I suggest you stay at the Mori’s house for now,” Ai Haibara said.
"Why?" Conan Edogawa looked at her with some confusion.
“Just like you said, Jingyuan might not even be a member of the organization, right?” Ai Haibara said.
"Stop joking, Ai Haibara." Conan Edogawa frowned.
“I’m not joking,” Ai Haibara said seriously. “I was also scared by Gin just now. Now that I think about it, Kagemoto might not actually be a member of the organization.”
Seeing Conan Edogawa's confusion, Ai Haibara continued to explain, "I'm not a detective, and I don't have your keen intuition. I just know more about Gin."
Her fear of GIN stemmed from her understanding of him.
“If Jingyuan is really a member of the organization, then Gin definitely wouldn’t pretend when he meets him,” Ai Haibara said.
In fact, she had never seen GIN like the one in the surveillance video—so gentle that it was nothing like GIN at all.
Long silver hair, a striking black trench coat and hat—these have practically become GIN's trademarks. Add to that his vintage car, and everyone in the Underworld knows what he represents.
GIN is the Black Organization's trademark, representing the organization's most violent side.
It is precisely because of this that GIN dared to fire on the Tokyo Tower and commit various insane acts that horrified many international terrorist organizations.
And yet, when facing Jing Yuan, this very person not only took off his black trench coat but also put on glasses and braided his long silver hair into a scorpion braid, which gently draped down his chest.
If GIN hadn't been her guardian, and Ai Haibara hadn't been so familiar with that face, she wouldn't have believed that this man was GIN.
“But if Jingyuan really isn’t a member of the organization, then what is his relationship with Gin?” Conan Edogawa murmured, recalling Jingyuan’s appearance. “Could they be brothers? No, Jingyuan doesn’t look like he has European ancestry.”
“There’s too little information about Jingyuan,” Ai Haibara said. “We should hold back for now.”
Since GIN is involved, this matter must be handled with utmost care.
Conan Edogawa nodded: "I'll be careful. Don't go to the school yet. I'll ask Mr. Akai and Mr. Amuro first."
One of them is a member of the Japanese Public Security Bureau, and the other is an FBI agent from the United States. Both of them are quite knowledgeable about the organization, so Conan Edogawa thinks that they might have information about Kagemoto.
Even if they didn't, the things they investigated would have been far more than what he had found out.
"Okay," Ai Haibara said. "I'll leave those three children to you."
Even Conan Edogawa couldn't help but feel a headache when he thought about those three troublesome little guys.
"I understand." Finally, Conan Edogawa couldn't help but ask, "Haibara, how do you usually appease them?"
Want to know?
Seeing Conan Edogawa nod, the girl gave a mischievous smile.
"Then beg me."
"Hello!"
After seeing Conan Edogawa off, Ai Haibara's smile slowly faded.
She looked at GIN in the surveillance video, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
This man had always been her nightmare; she couldn't help but feel terrified whenever she saw his eyes or even heard his voice.
How could such a terrifying person, someone with blood on their hands, show such a gentle smile?
Ai Haibara suddenly felt a chill, so she tightened the coat she was wearing over her shoulders, and then she heard a few muffled claps of thunder outside the window.
It's going to rain.
She instinctively went to close the window, but her gaze unexpectedly fell on the snow in the yard that hadn't completely melted.
Strange, why is there snow in summer?
But before she could think further, she heard Professor Agasa calling her.
"Ai, have you seen my glasses?"
"Isn't it just on the bedside table?" Ai Haibara closed the window and walked towards Professor Agasa's room.
Handing the glasses to Professor Agasa, Ai Haibara habitually reminded him, "Don't run around if you can't find your glasses. What if you bump into something?"
"Oh dear, it's not like I can't see anything at all," Professor Agasa explained quietly. "Was that thunder just now?"
"Yes, summer weather is always so changeable."
"What were you talking about with Shinichi just now?"
"It's nothing, I just asked him to ask for leave for me," Ai Haibara said. "I remembered some experimental data, so I wanted to organize it."
"I see."
The two chatted back and forth, unaware that a monster resembling a gecko was quietly perched on the window she had closed.
The monster's eyes were fixed on the room, and saliva kept dripping from the corners of its mouth.
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