The soft click of the sliding door closing seemed like a signal. The air in the Tea Room instantly became even more stagnant, as if even the candle flames had stopped flickering.
Hattori Shizuka's straightened back carried a desperate resolve. She stared fixedly at Kanjuro. The fear, grievances, and anger suppressed for eighteen years, along with that deep-seated, indelible infatuation buried in her heart, were like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
"Kanjuro! What exactly do you want?!" Her voice trembled slightly from the effort of suppression, carrying a blade-like sharpness. "It's been eighteen years! Why did you have to come back?! Why provoke Heiji and Kazuha?! Haven't you harmed me enough?!"
She thought she would see Kanjuro's mockery or a cold denial.
However, Kanjuro's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.
He didn't answer any of her questions. Instead, he moved like a ghost, closing the distance in an instant. Before Hattori Shizuka could react, he had extended his arms and pulled her tightly into his embrace with an irresistible force!
"—!"
Hattori Shizuka's whole body shook violently, and her mind went blank. The familiar, cold scent of a man's body instantly enveloped her—it was the most forbidden scent from the depths of her dusty memories! Her expensive Light Purple Kimono was crumpled by him, and his warm body temperature was transmitted through the thin fabric, sending a wave of numbness through her entire body.
She subconsciously wanted to struggle, her hands pressing against his solid chest, but she felt weak all over, unable to muster any strength. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, the redness spreading all the way to her ears. Eighteen years of deliberate forgetting collapsed under this hug, leaving only the sound of her heart pounding wildly.
"You... let me go!" Her protest was weak and feeble, sounding more like a shy reproach.
Kanjuro looked down, watching the woman in his arms transform from a fierce leopardess into a bewildered prey in an instant. A satisfied glint flickered in his eyes. He didn't let go; instead, he tightened his arms, resting his chin gently on the top of her faintly scented head.
He ignored all her previous questions and instead, in a deep voice like a cello, asked a question that had been circling in his mind for a long time, concerning the continuation of his bloodline:
"Shizuka... abandoned then, why didn't you get pregnant?"
This question was like ice water, instantly dousing the slight confusion that had just risen in Hattori Shizuka's heart. Her body stiffened, and some of her strength to struggle returned.
She turned her face away, avoiding his overly burning gaze, her voice carrying a trace of embarrassing hoarseness and deeply hidden pain: "I... although I... uncontrollably... love you deeply... I would never... never bear a child for you!"
Her voice gradually became firm, carrying a sort of tragic resolve: "I cannot... let a child with such an... uncontrollable bloodline as yours be born into this world! I cannot let him repeat my pain, or... become another you!"
This answer made Kanjuro's brow furrow imperceptibly. He felt an unexpected loss of control. He had originally thought that with the power and charm he had displayed at the time, any woman who had contact with him would, like Eri Kisaki and Toyama Ayame, long to leave his offspring behind.
"I didn't expect..." He snorted softly, his tone unreadable as to whether it was praise or mockery, "You are quite... a chaste woman."
He paused, as if thinking of something, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness: "So, you chose Hattori Heizo? Using his child to fill your emptiness?"
"No!" Hattori Shizuka suddenly looked up, explaining urgently as if afraid he would misunderstand something, "Heizo... he is my cousin! We are only husband and wife in name! Heiji... Heiji is the child of a woman he had on the outside! He has no blood relation to me! I... I have never let another man touch me!"
She blurted it out, revealing this secret hidden for eighteen years just to prove her "purity" of body and soul to him.
Kanjuro's deep eyes gazed at her, and in the depths of his pupils, it seemed as if dark whirlpools were turning—it was the Eye of Truth bestowed upon him by the dark bible operating silently. He perceived her heartbeat, the flow rate of her blood, and every subtle change in her soul's fluctuations.
A moment later, the glint in his eyes faded. He confirmed that she was not lying.
This realization caused some cold calculation in his heart to loosen for a moment, but it was immediately covered by a deeper desire for control. A woman who had kept herself pure for him for eighteen years, a soul that still loved him deeply despite her fear... This seemed to be a more interesting "collection piece" than a simple vessel that had nurtured his descendants.
The playful expression on his face vanished, replaced by a deep gaze carrying absolute dominance. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing her burning cheek, his voice low and full of seductive power, like a demon whispering in her ear:
"Shizuka, let go of those pointless insistences and fears."
"Tell me, now, at this moment, do you still want... to be with me?"
Hattori Shizuka trembled all over at the touch of his fingertips and looked up into those black eyes that seemed capable of devouring everything. There was no longer the greenness and confusion of eighteen years ago, only the extreme depth and coldness after years of accumulation, yet carrying a fatal attraction.
All her reason, all her fear, all her moral constraints, in the face of this soul-piercing question, melted away like snow under the sun.
Her gaze gradually became blurred, as if all her strength had been drained away. She leaned softly in his arms, her red lips slightly parted, and like a sleepwalker, she uncontrollably revealed the truest and most dangerous desire deep in her heart:
"Yes... I do... I want to be with you..."
But a final trace of conscience made her issue a faint, mosquito-like plea before completely sinking:
"But... Kanjuro... I beg of you... don't do bad things anymore... don't... hurt others anymore... especially Heiji and Kazuha..."
Her eyes were full of obsession and painful struggle, as if looking up at her deity, yet praying that the deity would not bring down disaster.
Seeing her completely fallen state, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth finally curled into an imperceptible, cold arc. He made no promise, nor did he deny anything.
He just tightened his embrace, holding this woman who had been conflicted over him for half her life and had finally completely shed her disguise even deeper in his arms.
(See, no matter how many years pass, no matter what kind of stubborn exterior hides what kind of fear and persistence, in the end... they cannot escape the pull of this fate.)
(Hattori Shizuka... you are, after all, mine.)
Kanjuro's words were like a magical comfort, yet they also carried an unquestionable control. He gently stroked Hattori Shizuka's back, feeling the slight trembling of her body.
"It's okay," his voice was low and full of temptation, "I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I only want you... to be willing."
He pulled back slightly, cupping her face in his hands, forcing her to look directly into his eyes that seemed able to perceive everything.
"But, Shizuka," his tone became subtle, "Heiji Hattori now sees me as an enemy. He, and even his father, Hattori Heizo, could become obstacles to us being together. I don't want to have a direct conflict with them; that would make things difficult for you."
He paused and threw out his true purpose, his voice as light as a feather yet as heavy as a thousand pounds:
"I hope... you can help me. Stay by their side and keep an eye on their movements for me. If they have any plans that are unfavorable to me... tell me."
Hattori Shizuka's pupils contracted sharply, and her body instantly stiffened. To have her monitor her (step)son and (nominal) husband? This... this was simply... "No... I can't..." she subconsciously refused, her eyes full of struggle.
Kanjuro didn't get angry; instead, he showed a nearly pitying smile. He leaned down and asked back in her ear like a demon's whisper:
"Shizuka, look at me. Tell me, in your heart, compared to Heiji Hattori and Hattori Heizo... who is more important, me, Kanjuro?"
This question was like a sharp knife, cutting open the disguise Hattori Shizuka had used to deceive herself for many years. Eighteen years of longing, eighteen years of deep love that could not be spoken to others, eighteen years of various sacrifices and choices made because of this love... all the emotions surged out at this moment, breaking through the dam of reason.
She looked at this face that had haunted her dreams for half her life, felt the aura on him that made her fearful yet unable to resist, and tears fell silently. She closed her eyes, as if using all her strength, trembling yet clearly uttering the answer already carved into her soul:
"It's you... it's always been you... I love you deeply, Kanjuro..."
As these words left her mouth, it felt as if some kind of shackle had been broken.
Kanjuro's lips curled up in satisfaction; he lowered his head and gently kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Hattori Shizuka curled up in Kanjuro's arms. Her blurred eyes held a hint of post-coital daze and a deeper sense of attachment. Kanjuro's hand idly stroked her hair, but his gaze remained clear and profound.
"Remember my words, Shizuka," his deep voice resonated in the silence, carrying an unquestionable command. "Help me keep an eye on them."
Hattori Shizuka's body trembled imperceptibly; this time, she did not refuse again.
Everything that had just happened was like the most effective branding, binding her even deeper to Kanjuro's war chariot.
She nodded gently and buried her face deeper, as if doing so could help her escape the immense guilt in her heart.
As the night deepened, the candle in the tea room burned to its end, flickering a few times before finally going out, swallowing everything in darkness. Only the silently reached agreement, like a dormant venomous snake, began to flick its tongue quietly in the shadows of the Hattori family.
The night was deep, and the Hattori Mansion seemed like a crouching beast, with uneasy undercurrents hidden in the silence. Shortly after Kanjuro left with Kazuha, Heiji Hattori and Conan Edogawa also returned home one after another, carrying a sense of exhaustion and solemnity.
Heiji walked straight to his room, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. Conan followed closely behind with his short legs, gently closing the door behind them to shut out the outside world.
"Damn it!" As soon as they entered, Heiji Hattori punched the wall hard, making a dull thud, and the back of his hand instantly became red and swollen. His chest heaved violently, his eyes filled with irrepressible anger and frustration. "That Kanjuro! What kind of spell has he cast on Kazuha?! And my mom... she acted very strange today too!"
Conan didn't reply immediately. He walked to the window and pulled open a crack, letting the cool night breeze dissipate the stifling air in the room. His small figure looked exceptionally solemn under the moonlight.
"Heiji, anger won't solve anything." Conan turned around, his gaze sharp and calm behind his glasses. "We are not facing an ordinary criminal. Kanjuro... the abilities he possesses likely exceed our current scope of understanding."
Heiji Hattori suddenly looked at him. "Are you referring to... the situation like the Head Priest of Kiyomizu Temple, whose memories were tampered with?"
"More than that." Conan shook his head, his tone heavy. "Officer Toyama's 'death from overwork' happened at a time that was too coincidental, and the process was too 'perfect,' with no evidence of homicide. The Suzuki Family's massacre remains unsolved to this day, executed so cleanly it doesn't seem like the work of a human. Add to that how easily he can influence people like Kazuha and Ran, and possibly even... Kazuha's mother might have already been mentally controlled by Kanjuro."
With every sentence he spoke, Heiji Hattori's face grew a shade paler. These clues linked together, pointing toward a chilling conclusion.
"This guy... could he really know some kind of sorcery or dark arts?!" Heiji Hattori's voice carried a hint of trembling that he hadn't even noticed himself.
"Whether it's sorcery or dark arts is still uncertain," Conan pushed up his glasses, which reflected a cold light. "But it's certain that he possesses some kind of extremely dangerous ability or technology that we cannot understand. Conventional investigation methods—tailing, wiretapping, or even direct confrontation—are likely not only ineffective but might also alert the enemy, putting us in an even more dangerous situation."
He walked up to Heiji Hattori and looked up, his expression incredibly serious. "We know he's the killer, we know he might have ill intentions toward Kazuha and Ran, and he might even be planning more conspiracies. But we can't find any evidence; the law can't touch him. And with his bizarre abilities, the two of us... our strength is too weak."
Heiji Hattori scratched his hair in frustration. "Then what should we do? Just watch helplessly?"
"No!" Conan said resolutely. "Precisely because his abilities are extraordinary, we need to seek out even greater power! Just the two of us high schoolers and one elementary student are not enough to oppose him!"
His gaze burned as he looked at Heiji Hattori and proposed the most crucial suggestion:
"Heiji, the fastest and most effective way to mobilize official resources right now is through your father—Chief Superintendent Hattori Heizo!"
Heiji Hattori's pupils contracted.
Conan continued his analysis, his speech quickening. "The Superintendent-General of the Osaka Prefectural Police—this position holds immense authority! He can access all classified files, including Officer Toyama's detailed autopsy report and the original files of the Suzuki Family case. He can even use technical resources to conduct the most discreet investigation and surveillance on Kanjuro! Only through your father can we possibly find evidence of his unconventional methods or discover flaws in his plans before he notices!"
He stared intently into Heiji Hattori's eyes. "I know it's difficult; getting your father to believe these almost 'fantastical' things will require immense courage and persuasion. But, Heiji, this is currently the only and fastest breakthrough! For Kazuha, for Ran, and for everyone else he might harm, we must try!"
Heiji Hattori fell silent. He certainly knew his father's power, but he also knew his father's rigor and his rejection of anything involving the'supernatural.' Reporting an almost 'demonic' existence like Kanjuro to his father, who was known for his rationality, would be incredibly difficult.
However, images of Kazuha leaning in Kanjuro's arms flashed through his mind, along with his mother's abnormal expression today and Kanjuro's bottomless eyes that seemed to control everything... An immense sense of crisis and responsibility overwhelmed all his hesitation.
He suddenly looked up, the flames of determination reigniting in his eyes, and he nodded heavily:
"I understand! Kudo! You're right! We can't do this alone!"
He took a deep breath, as if he had made a final decision:
"Tomorrow! I'll go to my dad tomorrow! I'll tell him everything, including our suspicions and the abnormality of the Head Priest of Kiyomizu Temple! No matter what, I must make him take this seriously!"
Seeing Heiji Hattori pull himself together, Conan breathed a small sigh of relief, though his heart remained heavy. Bringing Hattori Heizo into this unequal war was a risky move, but one they had to make. They were facing a bottomless darkness, and now, they were finally attempting to light the first searchlight of order and power.
However, could this light penetrate the layers of mist laid by Kanjuro? And would Hattori Heizo, after learning part of the truth, become the key to breaking the deadlock, or... would he also be dragged into that endless dark vortex?
The night was thick, and a storm was coming. The beauty of the uniform.
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