Haibara already knew what she would look like ten years from now. Shiho's face couldn't be revealed to everyone, so she wore an indifferent expression, let out a yawn, and said,
"Onizawa-san should try it himself. I'm not interested—huh?!"
"Haibara, just go take a look!"
"We're all curious about what you'll look like in the future~~"
Before she could refuse, the Detective Boys shoved Haibara onto the machine.
As she tried to get back down, a helmet was lowered onto her head, and the crisp sound of a camera shutter made her blink instinctively.
Click!
The photograph should have slowly come out of the machine. Instead, the display suddenly lit up bright red, showing a single message:
-System Error-
Conan couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. Leaning toward Haibara, he whispered,
"Looks like we got lucky."
Haibara wasn't comforted in the slightest. She snorted.
"Maybe this machine is telling Onizawa-san and me that ten years from now, neither of us will exist in this world."
Hearing those words, Ritsu raised an eyebrow.
Given his current identity and the path he intended to walk, one wrong step and he really might disappear from this world.
Conan rolled his eyes helplessly. An optimist by nature, he had always been the exact opposite of Haibara's pessimism. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he said,
"Idiot. Sensei's way too capable for anything to happen to him. Besides, if something ever does happen, Sensei and I will be standing in front of you first. So don't worry."
Haibara pursed her lips without replying.
Perhaps because the Organization had ruined her entire life, it seemed overwhelmingly vast and powerful in her eyes. Simply surviving under its control was already incredibly difficult.
Destroying it... was almost unimaginable.
"Oh, right. What exactly is it that you've been hiding from me? Kudo, you know, don't you?"
Conan glanced at Onizawa, who had quietly walked away, then lowered his voice.
"Actually... Sensei is the Augier you mentioned before. His real identity is—"
"What?!"
Haibara's expression changed drastically.
Realizing she had reacted too strongly and noticing everyone looking at her, she immediately put her acting skills to use.
"Onizawa-nii really said he'd give us limited-edition Kamen Yaiba cards?!"
"Huh?"
Conan blinked in surprise before awkwardly playing along.
"Y-Yeah! Onizawa-nii, you did say that, right? You're not going to go back on your word, are you?"
Ritsu had never imagined that revealing his identity would end up costing him money.
Limited-edition Kamen Yaiba cards were incredibly expensive. Buying one for each of them would basically mean working an entire month at the MPD for free.
Even though his wallet ached, he could only force a smile and admit it.
"That's right. Consider it a gift for helping the police solve that case last time."
Seeing that everyone's attention had shifted away, Haibara stared intently at the figure with his back turned toward her.
'So Onizawa is Augier... A Public Security officer who infiltrated the Organization... I can hardly believe it.'
Remembering how Augier had treated her inside the Organization, Haibara couldn't help walking over and stomping hard on his polished leather shoe with her little foot.
Having failed to pull his foot back in time, Ritsu wore a pained expression.
'Even after shrinking, Shiho still likes using this move... That really hurts.'
Ritsu crouched down, putting on an obedient expression as he looked at Haibara.
"Cut me some slack. No matter what, I'm still your elder."
"You seemed to enjoy playing the villain when you were in front of me. Are we even that close? Why did you have to deceive me?"
Haibara's pretty face remained icy.
Deep down, however, she had already forgiven Onizawa for everything he'd done. If it hadn't been for him, she would still be trapped in that laboratory, forced by the Organization to continue making drugs.
The words reached Ritsu's lips, but he swallowed them back down. Now wasn't the right time to explain everything.
Besides, there were far too many people around.
After finishing a phone call, Sawaguchi walked over with a smile.
"Everyone, please follow me to the banquet hall on the seventy-fifth floor. The elevators are this way."
The VIP elevators were located along the outermost side of the building, the so-called sightseeing elevators.
With both hands in his pockets, Ritsu gazed at the scenery outside.
To his surprise, he could clearly see the Organization's abandoned training facility several kilometers away, as well as the former research institute that had already been demolished.
Thinking about the disaster that was soon to strike the Twin Tower Building, he couldn't help looking resigned.
Only a handful of people knew about this operation. If he revealed any useful information, his undercover identity would be exposed.
'Let's hope Pisco is sharp enough not to leave any loose ends.'
His gaze shifted to Conan and Haibara standing in front of him.
'If necessary... I should keep the two of them away from anyone connected to the Organization.'
He silently estimated the elevator's travel time.
As expected of a major corporation, the elevator reached the seventy-fifth floor in less than fifty seconds. Even if an accident occurred, escaping by elevator might still be possible.
The doors slowly slid open.
Performing her duties, Sawaguchi began introducing the area.
"The banquet is still being prepared, so things are a little hectic at the moment. Please come this way."
Hearing the commotion, a woman with short chestnut-colored hair wearing a crimson business suit turned around.
The moment she saw Kogoro, she immediately broke into a warm smile, walked over, and shook his hand.
"Mouri-senpai, I'm terribly sorry you had to come all this way."
Seeing them shake hands, and remembering Sonoko mentioning that "Tokiwa-san is still single", Ran hurried forward and bowed politely.
"Hello. I'm his daughter, Ran. My mother asked me to pass along her regards."
Ran then introduced everyone one by one.
When they finally reached Ritsu at the very end of the group, Mio stepped forward enthusiastically before Ran could even speak.
"Welcome, Onizawa-san. But where is your wife today?"
Ritsu hadn't expected Mio to greet him so warmly, especially when she extended her hand. Out of courtesy, he lightly shook it and replied,
"Hello, Tokiwa-san. My wife caught a cold, so it wasn't convenient for her to attend an event like this."
"I see. Then let me introduce these three. This is my art teacher, Hosui Kisaragi. This gentleman is Nishitama City's councilman, Iwamatsu Oki. And lastly, the architect who designed this building, Hidehiko Kazama."
Ritsu wrinkled his nose.
The councilman, Iwamatsu, had clearly been drinking far too much. His entire body reeked of alcohol.
Without changing his expression, Ritsu quietly shifted a step away so he wouldn't have to smell the stench.
Of course, changing position also allowed him to observe the man more closely.
After all, Iwamatsu was a puppet councilman elevated to his position by the Organization. Recently, he had been pocketing all of the Twin Tower Building's profits for his own benefit.
That also made him one of the new assassination targets.
"I actually have a bit of a connection with both Kogoro-san and Onizawa-san."
Kazama interrupted Ritsu's thoughts with a mischievous grin.
"I'm Teiji Moriya's disciple."
'Teiji Moriya... That mentally unstable architect.'
Noticing the horrified expression on Kogoro's face, Kazama hurriedly waved his hands.
"Don't worry! I'm not going to blow this building up like Moriya did."
The corner of Ritsu's mouth twitched.
If Kazama really were as crazy as his master, Ritsu could call Gin right now and tell him Pisco wouldn't need to make the trip.
After all, the Twin Tower Building's two towers were intentionally built to different heights. If Kazama shared his teacher's obsession, he'd definitely want to blow the whole place up.
"Wow! Chocolate!"
Yoshiaki smiled as he crouched down beside the three children.
"Oh no, you've caught me. Here, have some."
"Yay! Awesome! Thank you, mister!"
Ritsu couldn't help glancing over.
It was obvious that Yoshiaki genuinely cared for children. His kindness wasn't an act.
And he had also been forced into joining the Organization. Someone as good as him really didn't deserve to die like this.
'But with the means I have now, how am I supposed to quietly spirit away a living person without anyone noticing?'
Then, he felt someone tug twice on the hem of his pants. Looking down, he saw Conan.
Conan crooked a finger at Onizawa and quietly asked,
"Sensei... is something bothering you?"