Chapter 364: The Pitch-Black Bell Tree Express 6
Car No. 6, Room B.
Ai Haibara sat rigidly in the plush seat of the train compartment, her small hands clenched tightly in her lap. The rhythmic clatter of the Bell Tree Express rolling over the tracks did nothing to soothe the icy dread pooling in her stomach. Her mind kept flashing back to the corridor outside Car No. 8, Room B. The metallic, suffocating scent of the Black Organization had washed over her there, thick and heavy. She had not seen Morikawa Shiro this time. Instead, her wide eyes had caught a glimpse of a chillingly familiar silhouette—the man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Rye.
The mere memory of that dark, looming figure made her chest tighten, as if an invisible, skeletal hand were squeezing her heart. Her breath hitched, growing shallow and erratic. Right at the peak of her mounting panic, her phone buzzed against her leg. It was a single, brief vibration, yet to her hyper-aware senses, it felt like a deafening alarm. Haibara flinched, slowly pulling the device from her pocket. She unlocked the screen, her gaze dropping to the inbox. A new, unread email sat there, sent from a blocked address. When her eyes flicked to the signature at the bottom of the preview, a violent shudder wracked her small frame.
"Are you ready? — Vermouth"
Those few simple words bled absolute terror into her veins, carrying a lethal, venomous threat that pierced straight through her retinas. Haibara stared blankly at the glowing screen, her mind spiraling into a chaotic vortex. Why would Vermouth send this now? Was the nightmare she had been dreading finally unfolding? Did the Organization already know she was trapped inside this moving steel cage? The intersecting threads of logic and pure, primal fear drained every ounce of color from her face, leaving her complexion a sickly, ashen gray.
She slowly turned her head, looking at the children chattering happily beside her. Their innocent faces were flushed with excitement and carefree joy, completely oblivious to the shadow of death looming over the train. Swallowing the bitter taste of terror in her throat, Haibara forced her trembling legs to move. She slipped off the seat and headed for the sliding door. When Dr. Agasa and Ran paused their conversation to look at her with gentle concern, she kept her head down, muttering a flimsy excuse about needing to use the restroom.
Ran immediately stood up, offering to accompany her, but Haibara quickly waved her off, slipping into the narrow corridor before the older girl could insist. She hurried down the carpeted walkway, ducking around a quiet corner out of sight. Leaning against the cool wooden paneling, she took a long, shaky breath, desperately trying to stabilize her racing pulse. With trembling fingers, she reached into her pocket and retrieved a small, unassuming pillbox. She popped the lid open, tipping the temporary antidote for the APTX4869 into her palm.
She stared at the tiny red and white capsule. Her resolve hardened. If she was going to be hunted down and killed by the Black Organization today, she absolutely refused to be captured in the body of a helpless child. She would face them as Shiho Miyano.
Just as she raised her hand to her mouth, a sharp creak shattered the silence. The compartment door directly in front of her slid open.
Subaru stepped out from the shadows of the doorway. The overhead lights caught the lenses of his glasses, turning them into opaque, glowing white screens that completely hid his eyes. He loomed over her, radiating an immense, crushing pressure that pinned her in place.
"You two truly are sisters," Subaru said, his voice smooth, low, and laced with a chilling certainty. "Predicting your actions is simply effortless."
Hot tears instantly welled up in Haibara's widened eyes. Her entire body went rigid, paralyzed like prey caught in the gaze of a predator. She stared up at the tall man blocking her path. In that split second, her brilliant mind snapped to a horrifying conclusion: Subaru was a sleeper agent, a hound sent by the Organization to infiltrate their daily lives and wait for the perfect moment to strike. Worse still, his cryptic comment about her sister meant he already knew exactly who she was. He knew she was Sherry. And if he knew that, Conan's true identity was undoubtedly compromised as well.
"Sir, are you bullying little sister Haibara?"
A light, almost musical voice drifted down the corridor, shattering the freezing tension like glass.
Haibara flinched, her head snapping toward the sound. Stepping casually around the corner was Heizou. He was supposed to be in Car No. 8, investigating the murder alongside Conan and Natsume, yet here he stood, his posture relaxed and his expression pleasantly curious.
Driven by pure survival instinct, Haibara darted forward. She slipped behind Heizou, her small hands tightly gripping the fabric of his jacket, using his lithe frame to completely block herself from Subaru's terrifying line of sight. It was an irrational move. She knew this young detective was far from ordinary, and given the chaotic web of factions on this train, he could very well be an enemy himself. Yet, perhaps because he was a companion brought along by Natsume—someone who had always offered her a strange, comforting warmth—Haibara found herself instinctively trusting him in this moment of crisis.
Feeling the desperate tug on his clothes, Heizou paused. He glanced over his shoulder, raising a single, amused eyebrow at the trembling girl using him as a human shield. Without missing a beat, he shifted his stance, subtly adjusting his footing to completely obscure Haibara from the tall man in the doorway.
Heizou turned his attention back to the stranger, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Sir, who are you? You haven't answered my question yet."
Subaru made no move to stop the girl from fleeing. He simply stood there, his gaze resting calmly on the few strands of auburn hair peeking out from behind the young detective's waist. Reaching up, he adjusted his glasses with a slender finger, the opaque glare fading to reveal a polite, thoroughly unthreatening smile.
"My name is Subaru," he replied smoothly. "Subaru Okiya. I happen to be Dr. Agasa's neighbor, and I have met little Haibara on a few occasions. I noticed her wandering the corridors alone just now, so I merely wished to escort her back and ensure she didn't get lost."
"Is that so?" Heizou hummed, his tone light and breezy, making absolutely no effort to dissect the obvious lie. "Well, I just bumped into Ran down the hall. She is quite worried about our little runaway here. Since you are perfectly fine, Mr. Okiya, I will take over escort duties and bring Haibara back myself." Heizou deliberately dragged out the syllables of the surname, letting it hang in the air with a subtle, knowing edge.
Without waiting for a response, Heizou pivoted gracefully on his heel. He gently took Haibara's cold, trembling hand in his own, leading her around the corner and vanishing entirely from Subaru's line of sight.
Subaru remained in the doorway, his hands tucked casually into his pockets as he stared at the empty corner. He pondered the brief interaction for a moment, making no move to pursue them. Based on his careful observations over the past few days, this young detective named Heizou did not seem to share any direct, obvious connections with Kaeya or the other shadowy figures lurking about. Yet, his instincts told him the girl would be perfectly secure in his care. In fact, given the volatile situation on the Bell Tree Express, if they were to cross paths with the Black Organization's strike team, keeping her in the proximity of someone affiliated with the enigmatic Teyvat Organization might actually be the safest play on the board.
Further down the train, Heizou maintained a slow, steady pace, his grip on Haibara's hand firm but gentle. He guided her back toward Car No. 6, Room B, keeping his voice soft and reassuring as they walked through the swaying corridor.
"Don't worry, little one," Heizou murmured, glancing back to ensure the hallway was empty. "That strange man didn't follow us. You can relax. You are perfectly safe now..."
Right as they approached the door to her compartment, Heizou suddenly stopped walking. He turned to face her, his expression shifting into a bright, impossibly sunny smile that somehow failed to reach his sharp, calculating eyes. He looked down at the pale, exhausted little girl.
"...Sherry."
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