As Luca stared in disbelief, the shimmering bubble of light rapidly condensed into a solid form.
It took the shape of a person, appearing right before his eyes.
"Is this... Haibara Ai??"
Luca's exclamation caught the figure's attention.
The auburn-haired girl looked at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly.
"Haibara Ai? Who is that?"
"Uh, no, I mean... Miyano Shiho?"
Yes, the girl standing in front of him was none other than Miyano Shiho, the one Luca had met in the final moments of the illusory dream world.
Specifically, the 17-year-old Miyano Shiho, not the shrunken child version known as Haibara Ai.
Hearing Luca call her by that name, a flicker of recognition crossed her eyes, but she shook her head coldly.
"I don't think I can be considered Miyano Shiho..."
Hearing this, Luca's confusion deepened.
Huh? I literally just saw your face in the dream. You trying to fool me? My brain is upgraded now, I'm sharp as a tack!
The girl ignored his skepticism and continued, her voice detached.
"I suppose I'm more like a... projection. A replica."
A trace of bitterness appeared on her cool, delicate face.
"A replica?"
Luca immediately thought back to how the illusory bubble had condensed into her form.
But looking at her—her appearance, her voice, her mannerisms—she seemed identical to the original Miyano Shiho.
"Why do you think you're a, uh, replica?"
The girl rubbed her fingertips together, looking lost. Her voice was halting.
"It's just a feeling. I know I possess all of Miyano Shiho's memories and knowledge. My body and mind are identical to hers. But... I can't empathize with any of her experiences. It's like watching a movie of someone else's life..."
She rolled up her sleeve slightly, revealing a faint, almost invisible scar.
"I remember clearly getting this scar while playing in my parents' lab as a child. But right now, I can't feel the pain or the joy of that memory. Even the longing for my parents... it feels distant. Hollow."
"And more importantly..."
She looked at Luca directly.
"There is a voice in my mind telling me that I cannot disobey your orders."
Luca fell silent.
It seemed she really was a virtual entity projected by the Golden Finger's power.
Well, absolute obedience sounds convenient for me. But... it feels kind of pitiful for her.
He hesitated, then tried to offer some comfort. Words were cheap, after all.
"Actually, if your memories, mind, and body are the same, you can consider yourself Miyano Shiho. Have you heard of parallel universes? I know two people who look exactly alike but have different memories, yet they are both 'Gwen.' In this world, there is no Miyano Shiho. You don't need to worry about being a replica. You are unique here."
He thought that was a pretty solid pep talk.
But the girl shook her head firmly again.
"No. I am not Miyano Shiho. Miyano Shiho's childhood was too bitter. I don't want that identity."
"..."
So I wasted my breath. You just don't WANT to be her.
Luca rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
"You said you can't disobey my orders?"
"..."
"You said it, not me. So if I tell you to... hmm, actually, never mind. Do a backflip for me."
"..."
Miyano Shiho stared at him, question marks practically floating above her head. But due to the mysterious compulsion, she had to comply.
However, she was a lab-rat researcher who had spent her entire life indoors. Asking her to do gymnastics was a tall order.
She tried to throw herself backward. It didn't go well.
She flopped onto the floor, kicking her legs and arching her back, trying desperately to flip over.
It looked less like a backflip and more like a carp flopping on dry land, struggling to breathe.
Luca hurriedly waved his hands.
"Okay, okay! I believe you! Stop, please stop..."
Hearing the new command, Shiho stopped flailing and sat up, disheveled.
Her cool, detached facade was gone. She was panting, her face flushed, shooting daggers at Luca with her eyes.
Strangely, the existential dread of being a "replica" seemed to have vanished from her expression.
"Uh, actually, I just wanted to test if my command worked like a Command Seal from Fate/Stay Night. You know, forcing your body to perform feats beyond its physical limits... Yep! That's totally why!"
"You know what a Command Seal is, right?"
Seeing her eyes roll so far back they were practically looking at her own brain, Luca wisely dropped the subject.
"Since you say you aren't Miyano Shiho, what about her abilities?"
"I know everything she knows. Our capabilities are identical."
This was excellent news for Luca.
In the Detective Conan universe, Miyano Shiho was a top-tier bio-pharmaceutical scientist despite her young age.
Even at 17 or 18, the Black Organization trusted her to lead the research on APTX-4869, a drug capable of de-aging cells (and accidentally turning people into kids). That spoke volumes about her terrifying talent.
And Luca just happened to have built a bio-lab for Baymax.
If he added Miyano Shiho to the team...
I could upgrade the lab into a full-blown pharmaceutical subsidiary. Hmm, might be too expensive for now. Let's start by having her help Baymax speed up the targeted drug research.
Thinking about the potential profits, Luca looked at Shiho with burning intensity.
Shiho shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
"So, the first step is to get you a legal identity."
With the resources of Aurantius Industries, forging an ID was child's play.
However...
He looked at her auburn hair. Then he looked in a mirror at his own hair. The color and style were oddly similar.
Will people misunderstand our relationship?
He shook the thought away and coughed.
"About the name. Still Miyano Shiho?"
"No," she said firmly. "I want my new name to be... Sherry!"