*Unfortunately we didn't reach the goal of 50 Power Stones this week, however now with VOL 2, the story is gonna pick up and hopefully the support. This week, we will end up competing for top 200 in novels release between 31 days and 90 days before for the same reward of 10 BONUS Chapters.*
Jiangxia Tongzhi confirmed that all the snipers had cleared out, and sent a message to Haibara Ai telling her she could leave the basement—it was safe now.
After that, Jiangxia returned to his usual hobby: patiently waiting for murder cases to fall into his lap.
A few days later, he remembered what Hattori had given and decided to send a bottle of it to Haibara Ai so she'd have something to do—not from himself, of course. Knowing too much wasn't the kind of thing you attached your real name to. Better to blame it on a vest.
Paikaru wasn't exactly popular around here. Jiangxia scoured several stores before finally tracking it down in a specialty shop. But its rarity worried him. If he bought it in person and the shop owner was as uptight as that one bartender who had asked for a certificate, Jiangxia might leave too much of an impression.
Not a big deal on its own.
But in this world full of flags, if something like that came out later, it might lead people to connect the dots: his main body linked to the Anonymous organization? That'd ruin his peaceful life of ghost-picking…
So, Jiangxia made a decision: use a vest to buy the booze.
Xiaobai was immediately ruled out.
Sure, Jiangxia's main body could just barely get away with buying wine, but Xiaobai? Not unless the shopkeeper was keen on getting invited for tea with the police.
That left him with two possible puppets: Miyano Akemi and the Fog Tengu. Both options made him hesitate.
Akemi's puppet had that eye-catching tattoo right on her face. Plus, she was a heroic beauty who once leapt over a car rigged with explosives. The media adored her, and she was constantly being rehashed and meme-fried. Way too much exposure—especially considering the specialty store was just across the street from the news agency.
The Fog Tengu, by comparison, was much more low-key. His tattoo was on his back—easily hidden.
Also, while the soul behind the puppet was technically a monk, hair was just an accessory. Once created, a puppet's hairstyle could be customized like their outfit. As long as he had enough shikigami, Jiangxia could style a snazzy haircut without worrying about any bald-spot reflections.
But the wings…
In all fairness, Akemi's puppet was just more suited to modern society.
Still, Jiangxia really wanted a vest that looked like a normal adult man.
He holed up at home and experimented with various methods of hiding the wings—wrapping cloth around them, pretending he had a cello case on his back… But they were so symmetrical and massive that it ended up looking more like he was lugging a coffin around. He had a 200% return rate on stares.
An hour of struggle later, he gave up with a long, defeated sigh in front of the mirror and reluctantly sent Akemi's puppet out to buy the wine.
He slapped a pair of oversized sunglasses on her face. It still drew some looks, but in the end, she got the goods.
Afterward, Jiangxia ducked into a quiet alley, switched the puppet to Xiaobai, and made off with the Paikaru like a low-key spy.
Haibara Ai, up late as usual, stretched and wandered into the kitchen for a midnight snack.
Just as her hand reached the fridge door, there was a knock knock at the window.
She froze and looked over. Through the glass, she spotted a familiar figure and instinctively yanked the curtain shut.
A couple of seconds passed. Then she realized it looked like Xiaobai—that same weirdly pretty kid who'd pulled her out from under a rain tarp the day she ran from the Organization.
The knocking resumed—louder this time, like someone was getting annoyed.
Haibara Ai stared at the curtain, her head aching.
Life had been pretty comfy lately. She'd almost managed to forget the whole "anonymous organization" thing. Now, seeing one of their creepy mini-couriers pop up out of nowhere? Yeah, that was alarming.
But visual impact was a powerful thing. She'd always liked kids, and Xiaobai had a ridiculously cute face—not to mention he'd helped her. When she pictured him, the fear fizzled out, replaced by a weird craving for coffee candy.
Still a little dazed, Haibara Ai walked over and pulled the curtain open again—if Xiaobai kept knocking like that, he'd wake up the professor. And besides, he was just a kid. If he got fed up and started acting like a proper bear child, he might chuck a rock through the window. Better to let him in now.
So she opened the window, too.
Jiangxia was still a little salty about her slamming the curtain in his face. But now, seeing Haibara Ai open the window on her own, his mood lifted slightly. Clearly, his puppet still carried some psychological threat. That curtain slam must've just been a reflex.
The windowsill at Agasa's place was a bit high. Jiangxia handed the fragile bottle of Paikaru through first, asking Haibara Ai to hold it while he climbed inside.
Haibara reached out and took it, curious. She was about to lend a hand when her eyes caught the label on the bottle—pretty high alcohol content.
Her brows furrowed.
She peeked outside. No one else. Xiaobai seemed to be alone.
That reckless anonymous organization had actually sent a kid to run errands alone in the dead of night. Unbelievable. Haibara Ai's impression of them dropped even further.
Then again… this presented a golden opportunity. She looked at Xiaobai, thought about her own current state, and something shifted in her eyes.
Last time, she'd been caught off guard by Xiaobai. She'd just turned into a kid, her defense instincts weren't fully developed.
Now, they were both kids. Their strength should be about even.
So… yeah. Confiscated.
While Jiangxia had his back turned, closing the window and pulling the curtains, Haibara Ai quietly opened a cabinet, stashed the Paikaru inside, and returned to her original spot.
Jiangxia turned back, ready to get to the point—only to see Haibara Ai standing there empty-handed.
"…Where's my wine?" he asked, stunned.
Haibara Ai walked over to the fridge. "You're a little young to be drinking that. I'll get you a glass of milk instead if you're thirsty."
Jiangxia: "…"
Okay, hold up. Forget the whole anonymous organization angle for a second… Wasn't Haibara Ai supposed to be pale and shaking when she encountered their members?
Didn't his puppet reek of "organization" energy? The last time he'd shown up as Xiaobai, she'd clearly panicked...
Jiangxia puzzled over it, but came up blank. He remembered a spoiler, though—something about an undercover agent who could switch their "organization scent" on and off at will. Maybe he could too, and he just hadn't figured out how to control it yet.
In any case, that bottle of Paikaru didn't vanish into thin air.
Jiangxia looked toward where Haibara Ai had been standing, opened the nearest cabinet—and sure enough, there it was.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 7/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:1/10*