Chapter 55: Reunion in the Clouds: A Limited Edition Even More Rare Than the APTX Antidote...
Thirty-fifth floor, above the clouds of Manhattan, a luxurious cage.
From here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Central Park. In the ultra-luxurious penthouse suite, precious Persian hand-woven carpets quietly swallow up the sound of footsteps.
Nineteen-year-old biologist and genius girl Miyano Shiho stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, and her slender fingertips gently lifted a corner of the dark blue velvet curtains.
Cold, the cloth replied.
The only sound is the heartbeat, which is the unbridled noise in this silent space.
Under my feet is the familiar night scene of Roppongi, Tokyo, like a slowly unfolding Ukiyo-e scroll.
Neon lights, shadows, and the bustling cities of East Asia often appear indifferent.
Have the lights of the myriad homes in the great city of Kanto ever reflected the unpredictable fate of an eighteen-year-old girl?
Last year tonight, with the same Manhattan skyscrapers and the same view of Central Park, she and that man stood side by side under the romantic moonlight.
Vermouth's gentle whisper, tinged with alcohol, is still ringing in my ears.
The bed was as smooth as silk, and there was still some champagne on the table, washed again by tonight's moonlight.
"Ding ding!" In the empty apartment, the electronic lock at the front door made a sound to indicate the door was opening.
Miyano Shiho's back stiffened, and her body seemed to be under a spell, unable to move.
One second, two seconds, time, stretched by invisible hands, dances on the brass hour hand.
She sighed softly and turned around, her face a carefully controlled calmness that had exhausted all the acting skills of an eighteen-year-old scientist.
She was leaning against the door.
Vermouth.
The moonlight, transformed into a skilled painter, uses its scattered silver light to carefully depict the charming outline of this Hollywood actress.
The waterfall-like golden hair burned wildly in the dark night and draped over the shoulders ostentatiously.
The red-soled high heels tapped on the floor, making a "da...da..." sound.
Miyano Shiho looked at her, silent, just standing alone by the window.
The Tokyo Tower behind me is dazzling red.
As a Japanese who must change into slippers when entering the house and even has special slippers in the bathroom, I really want to complain loudly about the American woman's habit of not changing shoes when entering the house.
Even though this Hollywood enchantress may be wearing charming red-soled high heels that have minimal contact with dust on the ground.
But after all, Shiho has lived in the United States for a long time and has developed a strong resistance to it, so she doesn't have much energy to complain.
After all, the local classmates in her school were the kind of people who not only went into the house without changing their clothes, but also went to bed and chatted in their sneakers.
So, when she just shrunk and came to Beihua, she told Conan that she had no friends in the United States, was extremely lonely, and was very pitiful. Most of the reasons were not because she was followed by bodyguards from the Black Organization, but because she... had a little bit of mysophobia.
After all, the bodyguards of the Black Organization are just newcomers who have just joined the industry. They can only protect her, the organization's talented scientists, but have no right to interfere.
Shiho sighed, shook off the fragments of complaints about Vermouth in her mind, and looked at her.
The air seemed frozen. Only the scent of roses, so familiar it made her feel startled, permeated Shiho's nose bit by bit, wisp by wisp.
This breath, like an "anchor" engraved with the magic of turning back time, forcefully pulls back every detail of Shiho's memories that she has tried to bury.
"Hi." Vermouth spoke like this, using a tone that was neither English nor Japanese. Her voice was low, but it was filled with the captivating magnetism that is unique to Wynyard female stars.
Shiho's body tensed instantly, and she arched her back like a frightened animal being stared at by a cheetah on the grassland.
She lowered her eyelashes to hide the surging thoughts in her eyes. When she raised her head again, her face had regained its usual coldness, comparable to that of a polar glacier.
Surface: A flower from the high mountains that is as cold as ice.
My inner thoughts: Oh my god, why is that American enchantress who doesn’t change her slippers here again?!
His face was stern, like a killer without any emotion, but in reality, his mind had already been playing out three hundred rounds of waist hugs and earlobe bites. (Big mistake, at least the person involved would never admit it.)
Snowflakes gently fall over Tokyo, each one carrying fragments of memories from different eras and cities.
The fishing lights on the banks of the Edogawa River, the neon lights on the streets of Tokyo, and the fishing line in the secret room of rice flower.
"What brings you here?" She narrowed her eyes, her voice was cold, but the ending tone had a slight swirl, betraying the turbulent emotions in her heart.
Vermouth didn't answer, but took graceful steps and stopped three steps away from her. This distance was so precise that it seemed as if it had been measured with a ruler.
The movement skills of Hollywood actresses are at their best.
She has charming eyes with slanted corners, as if she is smiling.
The beautifully shaped lips, slightly raised in an arc that makes countless fans of the Wynyard actress scream.
This arc brings back the memories that are buried deep in the heart of 19-year-old Miyano Shiho, frame by frame, so vivid that it seems as if they happened yesterday.
"Three fatal steps: If sister comes a little closer, the baby will fall into the pink trap"
"Sherry, you still remember me." Vermouth laughed. Her eyes were as blue as the icy abyss of the North Atlantic.
This look reminds people of a cheetah walking gracefully on the grassland, looking at its prey that has fallen into a trap and has nowhere to escape.
Shiho just stared back at her silently, his eyes still cold.
Vermouth smiled, her gaze slowly moving around the room and finally stopping.
In the ice bucket, a pair of champagne glasses were leaning against each other, with a thin layer of frost condensing on the walls of the glasses. The remaining wine in the glasses had long lost its coolness, and instead seemed to retain the warmth after the passage of time.
"You... still kept these wines." Vermouth's tone seemed casual, but when you listened carefully, you could see a little surprise.
A year ago, in the snow and wind of Manhattan, an aperitif for two.
From Champagne to Margaux.
Shiho remained silent, and there was still a frost between her brows, isolating people from her thousands of miles away.
Their faces are filled with the indifference of "Don't get close to me", but deep down they may be secretly longing for "Sister, step on me". (Fog)
She knew very well that every move, every word, and even every moment of silence of the woman in front of her was a carefully woven net that lured her deeper and deeper into it.
"You've been pretty busy lately." Vermouth changed the subject lightly, "Are you still playing Detective Goko (playing house) with that cool boy?"
The tone was exactly like that of the queen checking on him.
Shiho raised her eyes and said in a cold voice, "What happened between you and me is just a passing illusion. Let's not talk about the past anymore."
However, Vermouth's mind-reading ability has already been activated: Oh, you little thing who says one thing but means another.jpg
"Oh?" Vermouth raised her red lips and smiled playfully.
She walked slowly forward, the distance between them suddenly shortened, and her voice made one's heart beat faster, "Or... my dear Shiho, are you becoming more and more... arrogant now?"
The four words "look down on others" sound like they contain hidden meanings, as if asking: "Besides me, who else in this world can you look up to?"
Queen with hands on hips.jpg
Vermouth raised her slender, powerful hand, which might have just been used to control a sniper rifle during the day, and her fingertips lightly brushed Shiho's hair.
The movements were so gentle, just like an elegant Persian cat using its soft pink paw pads to gently stroke the unfaded cherry blossom petals on Kyoto's Philosopher's Path after the rain.
His slender fingers slid gently down along the smoothness of her hair, to the back of her neck, and finally stopped slowly.
He didn't use much strength, but he was like an experienced hunter, keeping his prey firmly under control.
The background music of "Animal World" suddenly sounded: The rainy season has arrived, and the hunter begins to brand her prey with her own unique and beautiful mark...
"Tell me..." Vermouth breathed softly, "Have you ever thought about taking another path?"
Oh my, the "road" my sister was talking about, could it be a "shortcut" leading to her bed or something (big mistake).
At this moment, if you could see the barrage, you would definitely be overwhelmed by the "orange orange" vibe.
Shiho didn't answer immediately.
She knew in her heart that this wouldn't be the first time she'd been asked such a heart-piercing question.
Change the route?
Shiho saw that Vermouth's slender fingers were gently turning the edge of the teacup, circle after circle, just like she did in the evening in the restaurant of Dr. Agasa's house.
Chazhan: Why do I still have to be a part of your lesbian play in my dreams? Falling. I am an antique. An antique.
Miyano Shiho naturally couldn't hear Chazhan's inner roar. Her attention was completely focused on the dangerous woman in front of her.
She knew she had to calm down now.
"You know, there's no going back."
Vermouth stared at her with unfathomable eyes, as if... she was a person who traveled back from many years later, admiring her future partner, and the proud, final struggle when the two were still in the stage of love and hate.
Was that look of pity, or something more complex? Shiho couldn't tell.
"Really? Oh, my dear Shirley, you know best that following that little detective around in Rice Flower Town, rummaging through trash cans looking for fishing line in a three-choice murder case, is not in line with your nature."
Vermouth, the truth is out.
Ai Huibara's interest is not in solving cases, no matter how complicated, interesting, or intelligent the cases are.
Unless a member of the detective team is kidnapped, especially Ayumi-chan who has a strong hostage physique. Or it involves cute kittens and puppies or something.
"Ah, you say that as if you know me very well, but unfortunately... we are not familiar with each other." Miyano Shiho said coldly.
I still have to keep my tsundere mask on. How can I surrender so quickly?
"Really? But I seem to know that Shiho-chan's true nature is that she truly looks forward to crazy adventures."
As soon as she finished speaking, she loosened her fingers. The pressure on her neck suddenly disappeared, and Shiho's body trembled slightly.
Outside the window, the neon lights in the distance flickered, and the light and shadow were painted freely on the huge canvas of the rice flower night.
A solitary lamp made Vermouth's beautiful profile even more beautiful.
Her elegant silhouette is soft, even graceful, yet illusory like a mirage.
I wonder if Shiho couldn't see through her outline, by "Bubble".
Vermouth didn't say anything, but just raised the corners of her moist lips and smiled.
This smile, tsk, maybe it should be labeled as "Hollywood high-level dangerous goods".
"Isn't it, Shiho-chan? What you like is the thrill of having your life hanging by a thread, right?"
He packages self-destructive tendencies as romance, making him worthy of being the organization's gold medal rhetorician.
If Huiyuan really was in love, why would she stay in the doctor's house all day to develop an antidote?
However, a certain actress with a thousand faces, even when she disguised herself as Dr. Shinde to complete the mission, she still had to seduce Xiaolan at Teitan High School to make Kudo jealous.
But at this moment, her voice was calm and bewitching, just like the fox demon that transformed into human form in ancient legends.
"Dancing on the edge of a knife is both terrifying and addictive. It's like the most gripping scene in a Noh play. Isn't that the feeling of being on the edge of an abyss, on thin ice, what you enjoy?"
The lines in this stage play style are so exaggerated.
The Black Organization’s year-end assessment may really need to include a scoring item for “ambiguous tension.”
But this ice dancing part is so unnatural, it sounds like lines from Shakespeare. Could it be that the actress Wynyard memorized it from one of her movies?
Although being an actor means you're always recognized and have little privacy, it does have one advantage: you can easily deliver romantic lines when you're in love.
Shiho's fingers loosened and the curtains fell.
The curtains are innocent. He's well aware of the "Scientific Theory of Relativity"—whenever a character's emotions fluctuate, curtains, glasses, or bows are inevitably damaged.
Vermouth, with eyes as blue as a lake, secretly hit the forbidden area in Miyano Shiho's heart, called "Pandora's Box".
In Haibara Ai's "Pandora's Box", there is the antidote formula for APTX4869, a complete set of limited-edition peripheral products of player Higo (one day, the possessive actress replaced it with her own portfolio and private posters), and the recently archived "Collection of Vermouth's Dangerous Remarks" (the actress hummed to express her satisfaction).
Scientists and star-chasing girls are two sides of the same coin.
"clang……"
The melodious sound of a bell drifted faintly from the distance, one after another, a full eleven times. Each one was like a hammer, hammering some confusing emotion into the boundless night.
Shiho wanted to push Vermouth away, but her limbs seemed to be entangled by faint spider silk, and she could not move. She could only struggle in vain.
Spider silk or something? Perhaps it’s the web that Vermouth has woven over thirty years with her consummate acting skills.
This web is both a web of love and a web of time. If Shirley wants to break out of it, she must first solve the mystery of the "eternal youth" of this Hollywood enchantress.
It seems that during the day, Huiyuan's study of "Anti-Fox Techniques, From Beginner to Expertise" must be more important than the antidote, and its priority is increased by one.
Also included is a special edition of the Young Detectives "When You Meet a Beautiful Sister, Ask Ayumi to Come and See Me".
At this moment, Shiho's consciousness broke free from reality and floated back to the realm of memory condensed by the cold wind.
In New York, the night is long, the wind is as cold as a knife, and the neon lights are like blazing flames.
At that time, Vermouth was standing alone in front of the window, her charming figure reflected on the glass, hazy.
Every reflection in the mirror reflects a different personality.
At that time, there was a smile on the corner of her lips, but behind the smile, there was a sharp edge that cut Shiho's entire night into pieces.
He peeled off her guard like a butcher butchering an ox, unraveling the layers until his true naked self shivered in the cold wind.
At that moment, her kiss fell, lightly, but more like the last arrow shot by a hunter, announcing the end of the hunt.
The game between the genius scientist and the Thousand Faces Movie Queen ended in a verbal battle.
Shiho thought that trust and betrayal were often only separated by a thin layer of gauze.
Just like everything in the world, everything has its yin and yang sides. Darkness and brightness, light and shadow, inside and outside, interact and counteract each other in a cycle that never ends.
At this moment, Miyano Shiho was suddenly possessed by philosophical thoughts.
These symptoms often occur after being electrocuted by a mysterious beauty for 30 seconds.
There are two solutions: first, take the APTX4869 antidote quickly to calm your mind; second, seal the conversation with your lips to find out the truth.
The first one does not apply, because she is now Miyano Shiho, not Haibara Ai (although her aura is still 1.8 meters tall and with her arms extended.jpg).
So, what about the second one? ...
Under the influence of drug A, the gears of fate had already meshed and were turning slowly. No one could escape.
"Shirley, is it business again for you in New York? I think you should know that what I hate most is those... unfinished things." Vermouth said leisurely.
Between the lines, is it hatred for unfinished business, or longing for an unfinished kiss?
But, does that look like Tokyo outside the window? Did the actress from Wynyard misremember her lines?
Shiho unconsciously took a half step back, like a frightened kitten, trying to escape from this invisible hunting ground.
"I don't have anything here worth your worry." Shiho said in a cold voice.
Simple translation: "APTX4869 samples have been destroyed, the antidote formula does not exist, and Kudo Shinichi has nothing to do with me." - Miyano Shiho, the tsundere master, denied three times in a row, late but late.
But is it just business?
"Hmm..." Vermouth said softly, and it was impossible to tell her emotion.
"But isn't this what makes this game so... tempting?"
Vermouth tells the story in a voice that has dubbed the final boss of many Hollywood animated blockbusters. Her voice is frivolous and charming, and naturally blends with her captivating demeanor.
In her confident view, the end of this "cat and mouse game" is nothing more than falling into someone's lips and teeth, chasing and playing, and finally turning into an inseparable lingering affection.
"Ah, you've been relying on your narcissistic shell to maintain the false halo of an entertainment celebrity for decades, Miss Wynyard."
Miyano Shiho spoke coldly, using the word "you" in Japanese, which means "贵様", which is contemptuous and provocative.
The sharp tongue and the skill of complaining that can’t be thrown away even in dreams.
After hearing this, Vermouth smiled slightly, as if she had heard some terrible joke.
She didn't rush to refute, but slowly picked up the goblet, stroking the wall of the goblet with her slender fingers, while her eyes were fixed on Shiho.
The most dangerous person in the Black Organization has never been APTX4869, but the peach blossom eyes of this actress with a thousand faces.
"Oh my? Little scientist, you have a really powerful mouth." Vermouth's voice was very low, but with a soft and charming tone, rubbing against Shiho's ear.
"Don't, don't be so self-indulgent." Miyano Shiho tried hard to keep her voice steady, but the ending tone somehow revealed the hesitation in her heart.
Rie Kugimiya's tsundere vibrato, combined with Hanazawa Kana's panicked breathing, achieves the achievement of a "textbook loser".
It's like an invitation to the best actress.
"Do you think that playing hard to get tricks like this can shake me? Miss Wynyard, what era are these old sayings from? They are too outdated." Shiho was so weak at this moment that her only skill was her sharp tongue.
Tucaoji's factory settings have not been lost.
Little did they know that in player Wynyard's bag of tricks, there were also SSR-level killer moves such as "Battle-Damaged Beauty" and "Drunken Coquettishness" that were specifically designed to counter younger scientists.
Ms. Wynyard, who is very proficient in delivering lines, might quickly follow up with the next sentence: "Oh, if you think my joke just now is too classic, how about trying the newly developed... brand new... 21st century trick?" Is she going to sail now?
As expected, Vermouth's smile widened after hearing this. She raised her hand and frivolously lifted Miyano Shiho's chin with her fingertips, gently, yet forcefully.
"So, what about Shirley-chan? Aren't you on 'our' ship? Don't you want to change this messed-up world and create a better, more equal one? Don't tell me you're on the side of those sanctimonious Neon hereditary people?"
Vermouth's dialogue is of Hollywood professional level, perfectly interpreting what is "PUA rhetoric wrapped in idealism". She can apply for a patent for the best villain love words of the year.
only……
Neon Hereditary.
Four words, and many people were shot.
Three names are randomly drawn: Suzuki Sonoko, Hattori Heiji, and Toyama Kazuha.
Sonoko: Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Hawaii, just got off a private plane. Are the hereditary chaebols eating your rice? (pulling out a 24K gold Ah Zhen figurine) I'm a billionaire.
"Stop trying to sow discord. I'm not interested in playing this crazy game with you."
On How to Say the Most Cowardly Lines in the Most Arrogant Tone
It is recommended that Haibara Ai carry with her the manual "Five Years of Scientific Research and Three Years of Singleness", with the inscription on the title page: "A wise man does not fall in love, except Vermouth."
Vermouth just raised her eyebrows and chuckled, her eyes extremely ambiguous and dangerous.
"Crazy...game?" She lowered her voice, her warm breath tickling my ears. "But why, it seems to me that you're really into this?"
The "Distillery Recruitment Training Manual" highlights: If recruitment fails, switch to an ambiguous distance attack. The organization's true secret weapon is an excessive concentration of Mary Sues.
Miyano Shiho slapped her hand away and took two steps back.
I finally remembered that I still had healthy hands to use.
"Observation Report on the Ice Beauty Who Feigned Composure Even After Her Heart Rate Went Up a Turbulence." This wasn't just a step back; it was clearly a continuous retreat within the realm of absolute control of her beloved.
Miyano Shiho's defeat record +1.
So why do scientists have to compete with Hollywood actresses in acting? This wave is a full-level boss slaughtering the novice village.
"That's enough." Shiho emphasized her tone, as if to cover up something. "Don't think you can play with other people's feelings at will, Vermouth. I'm not your little toy."
Although he said no with his mouth, his body honestly trembled under the scent of the other person's pheromones (crossed out). Is this the legendary "mouth says one thing, body says another"?
It’s just… a “little toy” or something, oh my, a scientist with an IQ of 180, did he… self-destruct?
This could be called Shirley's Strange Metaphor: When scientists start referring to themselves as "toys," this is a reverse confession. I suggest renaming it "About the Time I Gave Myself as a Gift to the Villain's Charming Sister."
And, if you think about it, this isn't a rejection at all; it's clearly "I command you to continue playing with me right now, right now." Page 88 of "The Complete Winery Riddler Translation" clearly states that "toy" equals lifetime VIP membership in the Lily Club. (Heavy fog)
Vermouth didn't press on, but simply stood there, watching her quietly. The smile on that exquisite face, one that could hold its own in a Hollywood close-up, slowly faded, and unexpectedly, a look almost of pity emerged.
This is probably the calm before the storm. When the queen starts to take off her disguise, it often means that she is about to make a big move.
"Toy?" she repeated in a low voice, sighing. "My dear little scientist, in your heart, I am just a toy to you?"
A straight ball.
Shiho was stunned. She had never seen Vermouth like this before. It seemed as if she had shed her usual fake smiles and disguises, revealing a little bit of genuine emotion.
At least that's what it seems like.
You know, "True Feelings" is a limited edition skin of Vermouth that is even scarcer than the APTX antidote.
At this moment, all is silent, but it speaks louder than a thousand words.
Countless lily hormone molecules have already been floating in the air.
On the contrary, this "chill of the Fusang winter" may have become a perfect assist.
After all, when it’s cold, people want to hug each other to keep warm. Even a tsundere can’t do anything about this simple law of physics, right?
Shiho raised her eyes and met those blue glass eyes.
Article 2333 of the "Guide to High-Risk Behaviors in the Science Universe": Staring at a female member of the winery for more than three seconds will trigger forced flirting mode.
"So, maybe... you and I should make good use of this time... to be together." Vermouth tilted her head and smiled.
"Time Management Master's Invitation" Warning: Given the chaotic timeline in the Conan world, this "period of time" is likely equivalent to approximately 300 Valentine's Days + 700 summer vacations.
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