Chapter 264: The Mall Bombing Incident
Several sharp honks from a car behind him suddenly cut through the ambient noise of the street.
Toru Amuro turned his head toward the sound.
He saw a familiar vehicle, and from the driver's seat, Cointreau was waving at him, gesturing for him to get in.
"What a coincidence to run into you," Cointreau's voice carried over. "Get in, I'll give you a lift."
Hearing that voice, Amuro paused. His gaze settled on Cointreau, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes. He frowned, a subtle hesitation in his posture, but ultimately turned, walked to the passenger side, and opened the door.
Once Amuro was settled inside, Cointreau restarted the car, and it pulled smoothly away from the curb.
Within the confines of the vehicle, Amuro's gaze was searching, his eyes fixed on Cointreau with a thinly veiled layer of vigilance. After a moment of charged silence, he finally spoke, his tone carefully neutral. "How did you recognize me? And... is it really a coincidence that we met today?"
Cointreau offered a faint smile, his attention remaining on the road ahead. "Vermouth mentioned your plan to me briefly," he answered calmly.
He then cast a sidelong glance at Amuro, the corners of his lips twitching upward. "Why? Do you think I was tailing you just to orchestrate a 'chance encounter'?" His voice was low and smooth, colored with an amusement that seemed to find Bourbon's suspicious nature quaint.
At the mention of Vermouth, Amuro's lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze instantly sharpening. "So, is it also my imagination that you've been keeping an eye on me lately?" He stared intently at the man beside him, searching for any crack in his composed facade.
However, the faint, unreadable smile remained etched on Cointreau's face.
"That's not an illusion," Cointreau admitted without missing a beat. "However, it was merely normal curiosity. I was interested to see if a colleague could truly uncover any suspicious points regarding the death of that 'silver bullet'."
"Is that so?" Bourbon's intense gaze gradually softened, returning to a state of calm as if he had accepted the explanation. "Then I hope there will be fewer 'coincidences' like today's in the future."
Cointreau nodded, his smile unchanging. "I hope it goes as you wish."
A few days later, at the Beika Shopping Mall.
Natsume was leisurely browsing the brightly lit stores with Charlotte, her companion for the day.
"Natsume, are you saying that your brother was the one who told you to come here today?" Charlotte asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah." Natsume nodded, pulling Charlotte along toward another boutique. "According to him, Bourbon plans to get close to Kogoro Mouri, which means he'll inevitably see what I look like. When that happens, he'll definitely connect me to the organization's Cointreau. In that case, it's better to take the initiative and choose an advantageous moment for him to find out."
"Oh, I see," Charlotte said, a look of realization dawning on her face. She then put her hands on her hips. "Then why did you call me here? This has nothing to do with me."
"Oh, come on," Natsume replied with a lighthearted smile, continuing to guide her friend forward. "I just thought it would be too weird to wander the mall all by myself, so I called you. Besides, there's always more news to report; you need to relax once in a while."
Just then, a commotion erupted from the crowd ahead, punctuated by terrified screams.
"A bomb! There's a bomb!"
"Let me go! I don't want to stay here anymore!"
Fortunately, someone at the front of the crowd seemed to be taking charge, and the initial wave of panic was quickly brought under control.
Natsume and Charlotte exchanged a knowing look.
Charlotte was the first to speak. "So, today really is the day of the Red T-shirt code incident. Gin must be waiting outside like a predator, watching for Scarred Akai to appear."
Natsume nodded grimly.
She recalled the details of this particular case. It was a self-staged plot by a man who had strapped a bomb to himself, claimed to be a victim, and was now threatening Kogoro Mouri to find the person who had couriered him a series of red T-shirts. The culprit used the bomb to seal off an entire floor of the mall, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
This lockdown would inevitably result in Toru Amuro, disguised as Scarred Akai, and Okiya Subaru being trapped on the same floor together.
Charlotte considered the implications. "Gin knows Scarred Akai is in this mall and is waiting outside," she said, a note of concern in her voice. "Then why did your brother ask you to come here today? Won't it be trouble if Gin sees you, Natsume?"
"It's fine," Natsume reassured her. "I just need to stay inside the mall until Gin leaves. My brother will notify me when it's safe to go."
After saying this, Natsume slipped her phone, which had just buzzed with a message, back into her pocket. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, and sure enough, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd—the one she had seen a few times before, now marked with a distinctive scar.
Her gaze swept the area near him, and without much effort, she also spotted the back of a man in a high-collared sweater. Okiya Subaru.
Judging by the direction Mr. Okiya was facing, it was clear he, too, had seen the man sporting his original appearance.
Then, for reasons Natsume could only guess, he turned and walked away from the spot.
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