Chapter 397: Okiya Subaru's Chill
Toru Amuro gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning a faint white against the leather. He certainly had not expected Shuichi Akai's hiding place to be so incredibly close to their usual stomping grounds. But why the Kudo Residence? Did Yusaku and Yukiko Kudo harbor some secret alliance with the FBI?
No, it definitely was not just a matter of friendly relations. Someone residing within those walls had to be directly involved in orchestrating Akai's elaborate fake death.
A dark, intrigued smile tugged at the corner of Amuro's lips. Through his previous probing, he was absolutely certain that not even Akai's own FBI colleagues knew the truth about his survival. Yet the Kudo household, a place that should have been entirely disconnected from the underworld, was somehow entangled in the deception.
Speaking of which, Vermouth harbored an unusual, almost obsessive interest in the Kudo family's only son, Shinichi, and his childhood friend, Ran Mouri. She had even been willing to strike a desperate deal with him just to guarantee Ran's safety. That family possessed far too many invisible threads tying them to the Organization.
Perhaps it was time to focus a bit more attention on the elusive high school detective. Shinichi had supposedly vanished without a trace while out investigating a case. Amuro's sharp intuition whispered that this mysterious disappearance was inextricably linked to the Organization's shadowy dealings.
Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, Amuro refocused on the phone pressed against his ear. "Cointreau," he said, his voice dropping to a smooth, inquisitive murmur. "You knew who the other party was all along. Why didn't you say anything?"
On the other end of the line, Cointreau's tone remained as flat and indifferent as stagnant water. "Why should I? Okiya Subaru is most likely a stray dog the FBI sent over to help. Even if he actually is Shuichi Akai, it doesn't affect my bottom line. I wasn't the one who drafted the execution plan to kill him back then anyway." A faint rustle of clothing echoed through the receiver as Cointreau shifted. "If Akai were still breathing, the fallout would land squarely on Gin's shoulders... no, on Kir's. After all, his survival would definitively confirm her betrayal."
Amuro narrowed his eyes, analyzing the response. He had always been somewhat uncertain about Cointreau's true stance regarding the Organization. According to Vermouth, the man was a fiercely loyal asset; his mission success rate was flawless. Yet here he was, deliberately withholding crucial intelligence. Well, perhaps not outright hiding it, but certainly omitting insignificant details from his official reports.
Did finding his long-lost sister shift his worldview? Did it fracture his loyalty to the crows?
Amuro filed that dangerous variable away in his mind. He exchanged a few more casual pleasantries with Cointreau before ending the call.
Tossing his phone onto the passenger seat, Amuro let out a slow breath. Now that he had a prime suspect for Akai's current identity, the next logical step was to verify it in person. He was already eighty percent certain that the pink-haired graduate student was the FBI ace in disguise. Still, there remained a twenty percent margin of error that Subaru could just be another capable agent sent to run interference. Then again, the list of FBI dogs capable of going toe-to-toe with a monster like Cointreau was exceedingly short.
Miles away, Cointreau lowered his own phone. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the screen as he drafted a quick, encrypted message to Natsume. He informed her that Amuro had already deduced Akai's survival and had locked his sights firmly onto Subaru.
Hitting send, Cointreau tossed the device onto the table and leaned back. A genuinely intrigued smile finally broke through his usual icy facade. The stage was set for a spectacular show. He couldn't wait to see exactly how Bourbon planned to corner his prey.
"Achoo!"
Inside the quiet, dimly lit study of the Kudo Residence, Subaru suddenly sneezed violently. He lowered his book, rubbing the bridge of his nose behind his wire-rimmed glasses. "Strange," he murmured, his voice dropping into its natural, deeper cadence. "Why did the temperature suddenly drop? I have a rather unpleasant premonition..."
Meanwhile, Conan had just departed from the floating marvel of the Jade Chamber alongside Kogoro and the rest of the group. However, instead of returning to the mundane confines of the Mouri Detective Agency, he slipped away. using his practiced, childish charm, he claimed he was heading over to the professor's house to test out a brand-new video game. In reality, his sneakers hit the pavement at a brisk jog until he reached Dr. Agasa's front door.
The moment Conan stepped into the living room, Ai Haibara looked up from her fashion magazine. Her icy blue eyes swept over him. "Well, well, great detective," she drawled, her voice dripping with cool sarcasm. "Didn't you boldly declare yesterday that you were going to the Jade Chamber to investigate a grand case? Why are you back so soon? Oh... don't tell me. Did Miss Ningguang finally get tired of you making a nuisance of yourself and toss you out?"
Conan's mouth twitched, and he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly stuck to the ceiling. "Couldn't it just be that I already caught the culprit, so I got to leave early?"
Haibara studied his defensive posture for a long moment. Finally, she shrugged, flipping a page of her magazine. "If that's the case, it definitely wasn't your credit alone. If you were the only one unearthing clues, you would have stalled for time just to find an excuse to linger in the Jade Chamber a bit longer."
Conan choked on his retort. 'She is absolutely right.' He really had not wanted to leave the magnificent floating palace so quickly. He hadn't even gotten the chance to properly explore its hidden mechanisms!
But the mention of the person who had actually helped him corner the murderer brought a serious edge back to his demeanor. Conan cautiously monitored Haibara's expression, choosing his next words with deliberate care. "Um... someone else did help catch the culprit. And you happen to know this person too. It's... Bourbon."
He needed to rip the bandage off now. If Haibara wasn't mentally prepared, she might completely freeze up or react poorly if she bumped into the blonde spy on the streets later.
"What did you say?" Haibara's breath hitched. The magazine slipped from her fingers, her pupils constricting into tiny pinpricks of pure terror. "Shouldn't he have left the city by now?"
"I don't know either. Believe me, I was just as startled when he suddenly strolled into the Jade Chamber." Conan let out a heavy, helpless sigh, crossing his arms behind his head. "And judging by his attitude, he probably won't be leaving anytime soon."
Before the oppressive dread could fully settle over the room, Conan's expression brightened, his sharp eyes glinting with a different kind of intensity. "However, the main reason I came over today isn't primarily about him."
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