Chapter 84: Let's defect together.
Akai Shuuichi's identity was exposed, but his kinship with the Miyano sisters was not revealed. However, as Miyano Akemi's boyfriend, Rye's influence on the sisters was ultimately undeniable.
This also means that Bourbon has to be under a lot of scrutiny during this period – especially since he and Scotch had just partnered with Rye recently, and they themselves have been subject to suspicion.
Fortunately, they had grown up in the organization since childhood, so the suspicion they faced did not have a significant impact.
The only problem for him was that he couldn't contact the Miyano sisters directly for the time being.
At Miyano Shiho's request, Miyano Akemi was not locked up separately, but she was being watched by other members of the organization and would likely not have any contact with others for some time.
But this is the opportunity that Morofushi Sora'aki can take advantage of.
Miyano Akemi was selecting groceries for the day while carrying a supermarket basket, but she could sense that someone was staring at her.
The reason she was released was partly due to her sister's relationship with the organization, but also because they hoped to use her to lure out Rye.
Miyano Akemi wore a faint smile. It was clear these people didn't understand Dai-kun at all. That man was unaffected by emotions; he was always frighteningly rational.
Just as Miyano Akemi was bending over to pick out vegetables, a little boy with black hair rushed over and bumped into her without any regard for her safety.
Miyano Akemi instinctively caught the little boy who was about to fall, asking, "Are you alright?"
She also sensed the tense movements of the organization members watching her, as if they wanted to approach. After confirming the little boy was steady, she immediately kept her distance, crouched down, and asked, "Are you alright?"
But when she saw the little boy's face, Miyano Akemi almost couldn't control her expression.
This is not...
The boy with cat-like eyes blinked and said to Miyano Akemi, "Thank you, sister."
Just then, a voice came from behind: "Nozaki! You're not a child anymore, don't run around in the supermarket!"
A little boy wearing glasses ran over. After Miyano Akemi confirmed that Morofushi Sora'aki was alright, she left first to avoid drawing attention to him.
After Miyano Akemi had walked away, Edogawa Conan looked at him suspiciously: "Is there something wrong with that woman?"
"I thought she looked like my brother's friend, so I wanted to get a closer look." said Morofushi Sora'aki in a serious tone.
Edogawa Conan immediately gave up on asking further questions, revealing his half-moon eyes: "What kind of excuse is that... And why did you come all the way to the supermarket today? Ran will definitely be worried if she finds out."
Edogawa Conan clearly noticed something was wrong, but out of trust for his companion, he ultimately didn't press the matter.
It wasn't until Miyano Akemi returned home with the supermarket bags and confirmed that there were no listening devices or anything else around that she pulled a small recorder out of her sleeve.
This was the slight weight she felt when she supported Morofushi Sora'aki just now.
Miyano Akemi took a deep breath and turned on the tape recorder.
Then she heard a sound that brought tears to her eyes.
"Hmm? Has it already started? Sora'aki-kun."
"Hmm." Morofushi Sora'aki said, holding the recorder, "I recorded something for Akemi-nee's birthday before, so Shiho got jealous, so I have to—"
"Shut up! When did I say I was jealous!" Miyano Shiho stood to the side, arms crossed and chin raised, her tone rather unpleasant. "Besides, if it was a birthday present for me, why did you let Mom record it in front of me? That ruined the surprise!"
Morofushi Sora'aki blinked: "Then you can leave the room now."
"Haha, Shiho and Sora'aki-kun are really good friends." Miyano Akemi remarked.
Morofushi Sora'aki turned off the recorder: "Because of the obstruction of a certain Miyano Shiho-san who wishes to remain anonymous, your birthday present will have to be changed."
Miyano Shiho: "..."
Miyano Shiho turned her face away: "Who's expecting that?"
Miyano Akemi covered her mouth with her hand and placed her hand on Miyano Shiho's shoulder, who was sulking. "Okay, Shiho, let's go out. There are still 12 months until your birthday. Listening to Mom's recording again in 12 months might be interesting?"
Miyano Shiho was pushed out of the room by her sister, while Morofushi Sora'aki readjusted the tape recorder. "Can we do it again?"
"Of course." Miyano Elena smiled, her eyes incredibly gentle, then said, "Has it already started? Let me think..."
"Actually, when Shiho was just born, I also prepared a cassette tape for her, and Akemi had one too, too? I gave it to her on her 18th birthday."
"Akemi is still keeping this secret, wanting her younger sister to receive the same surprise on her 18th birthday."
"So when Sora'aki-kun wanted to record audio, I was quite surprised, because it was the same idea I had in the past." Miyano Elena said with a smile. "Back then, technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, and audio recording was already a great way to record things. But now we record video more often, haha."
"When Akemi was born, it was the first time for both Atsushi and me to become parents. We were flustered and overwhelmed. Even though we are both doctors and scientists and we understand what a child represents, during that time we were just like an ordinary couple, looking forward to the arrival of this child."
"When Shiho was born, we were already experienced and could handle the child more safely and skillfully, but we were also more nervous."
"...Sorry, did I go off-topic? I was supposed to be sending my blessings to Shiho."
"It's alright, Shiho won't mind, because she really likes her older sister." Morofushi Sora'aki replied.
"That's good. When Shiho was born, all my expectations were contained in that cassette tape, but as she grew up, only one thought remained in my heart."
"Whatever you do, whether it's Shiho or Akemi."
"I just hope that everything they do is something they like and that they won't regret."
"While you're young—even if you're not—it's okay to do whatever you want, even if it's impulsive. Whether you succeed or fail, don't worry or be afraid."
"Because your parents will always be there to protect you."
Miyano Akemi clutched the recording, tears streaming down her face, her beautiful eyes red and swollen. She murmured, "But...Mom, what should I do now?"
"How should I protect Shiho...?"
"She doesn't like the current research, she doesn't like flowers that are not free... Shiho, she is very smart and very gentle."
"She shouldn't be confined to a small research lab. She should be like any other ordinary girl, talking about cosmetics and her crush on campus, with her biggest worry being unfinished homework... But if it's Shiho, she definitely won't have to worry about that..."
Miyano Akemi simply held onto the recording, as if she had gained immense courage.
"I want to leave the organization with my younger sister."
"The matter of Dai-kun is right before our eyes. If we were to defect, the organization would absolutely not let us off the hook."
"Shiho possesses the intelligence and research capabilities that the organization needs. Although I don't know her well, judging from the organization's attitude towards her, she is definitely the most important person in this research."
"...So even if we fail, Shiho won't be in any danger."
"So even if I die, I hope my sister can enjoy the youth she deserves—even if it's research, it can't be forced, it has to be something she likes."
"Mom, Dad, you'll bless us, right?" Miyano Akemi closed her eyes. "If we suggested running away, Rei-kun would definitely be furious..."
"If we tell Rei-kun, will he stop us? But if we don't tell him, won't the organization become suspicious of him, since he's always taken such good care of us?"
"Because, just like you said, Mom, Rei-kun is very kind, really kind." Miyano Akemi lowered her eyes. "How can I leave with my sister without causing him any trouble?"
"Why don't we just run away with Furuya Rei?" The sudden voice startled Miyano Akemi.
She looked around nervously, only to find that the sound was coming from the tape recorder in her hand.
The voice continued, "Excuse me, were you startled? Don't worry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I just thought that based on my understanding of you, you would have such thoughts at this time."
"Miyano Shiho doesn't like the organization, and neither do you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have hidden this recording, and you would have caught me when I handed it to you."
"Do you think Furuya Rei likes it? Don't you know why Furuya Rei joined the organization?"
"If you're going to run away, why not take him with you? Don't think you're using him. Furuya Rei is willing to be used by you because you are Miyano Elena's children, the younger sisters he has taken care of until now."
"Furuya Rei rarely speaks his mind directly; it's awkward and troublesome. After all this time, do you really think he's only taking such good care of you because you're 'Elena-sensei's child'?"
"Relationships between people require time and interaction. Furuya Rei genuinely considers me... and you all as family."
"Otherwise, Miyano Shiho wouldn't have gotten close to him and let him take care of her, right? It's because she considers him family that she treats him this way."
"Since defecting will definitely affect him anyway, why not just go all the way, right?"
"Having lived this long, what's wrong with being impulsive once in a while? Isn't the chaos caused by Moroboshi's defection just what we can exploit?"
After saying that, the recording really stopped.
Miyano Akemi wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "...I really don't know where you get your understanding of me and Rei-kun from."
"But your eyes... the way you look at me, once, is very similar to the way Shiho looks at me."
It wasn't the same, but it felt very close, as if they had known each other for a long time. Looking into those eyes, Miyano Akemi found it hard to feel wary.
"So, it's okay for me to act impulsively this once, to trust you this once, right?" Miyano Akemi said softly, "Borrowing the comic artist's name... 'Unknown Friend'?"