*TL NOTE: I've reduced and stopped adding glossary to chapters now as the terms used are covered multiple times in previous chapters so as to not add unnecessary bulk to the chapters. If there are newer/unfamiliar terms, I'll keep adding them when required.*
After dinner, Jiangxia helped Haibara Ai carry the dishes into the kitchen.
Haibara Ai glanced back at the living room. Conan and Dr. Agasa had picked up their skateboards and headed off to the lab for some last-minute adjustments.
Seizing the rare moment of privacy, Haibara leaned in and quietly asked, "Is it over?"
…Although Jiangxia hadn't shared many details, everything he had said made her pretty sure that "Teacher Ogata" had been Vermouth in disguise.
Jiangxia turned on the faucet, paused for a second, then replied over the sound of rushing water, "It's just beginning."
Haibara Ai's face stiffened slightly.
Miyano Akemi's ghost drifted silently over, resting her head against her sister's. She sighed, full of helpless compassion—as if mourning the misfortunes of the living.
"Don't stress too much. It'll blow over in a few days." Jiangxia's tone was casual. He figured that once Pisco—who'd seen Haibara as a kid—was taken out by Gin, Haibara could finally go out in public like a normal person.
As for Vermouth... Before Jiangxia came home earlier, he'd swung by school to dig up some dirt.
Apparently, "Teacher Ogata" had recently won the lottery, gotten rich overnight, and now planned to quit and study abroad in the U.S. Teitan High had already received several new resumes for her replacement—including one from a certain "Jodie Starling," an American hoping to become the new English teacher.
If memory served, Jodie was part of the FBI, one of the people tailing Vermouth around Japan.
Jiangxia figured that if he occasionally leaked little tidbits about Vermouth to Jodie, that would keep the two factions busy balancing each other out—and stop Vermouth from having the free time to mess with him.
Haibara Ai nodded slowly, her anxiety easing.
For some reason, Jiangxia was always on point when it came to info gathering. It was like he had some insider channel no one else knew about. But... what was he, really?
She shook the thought away—no good would come from digging too deep. Jiangxia had said he was just a peripheral member of the organization. That was good enough. Better not to pry.
Anyway, since he said there was no need to panic, she figured she'd just lie low at home for a few more days.
Which actually wasn't so bad—she could skip school with a clean conscience. Although the kids at school were adorable, being trapped in a classroom full of bear children was exhausting. A short break sounded great.
With that, she grabbed the dishes from Jiangxia's hands and busied herself at the sink, eyes shining with legitimate truancy.
…
In the days leading up to the memorial service, Jiangxia faced a moral dilemma: if a commission came in from out of town, should he ignore Gin's order to "stay in Tokyo" and sneak off to catch ghosts anyway? Or should he behave and patiently wait for Pisco's box to open?
In the end, he was overthinking it.
For once, not only did no out-of-town commissions show up, but not even a single murder happened in Tokyo.
The only one who stayed active was Kaito Kid, who sent out two notice letters. Jiangxia snuck out at night in disguise and managed to collect two energy cores—finally something to show for the week.
The day before the memorial service, Jiangxia received an email from Gin.
They met at a familiar sushi restaurant, where Gin outlined the plan for the assassination.
It was surprisingly simple.
At Director Sakamaki's banquet, there would be a slideshow tribute. The lights in the hall would dim, and the area away from the projector would go completely dark.
At that moment, they'd lure Councillor Nomiguchi to stand directly under a chandelier. Pisco, hiding in the shadows, would use a gun with a Conan-style silencer to shoot the chandelier chain—coated in fluorescent paint—causing it to fall and crush the councillor.
From the outside, it would look like a tragic accident. And since the venue would be packed with celebrities, the police would face tons of pressure and restrictions during the investigation. Eventually, they'd be forced to chalk it up to bad luck and move on.
Naturally, to make sure it went off smoothly, Gin spent far more time lecturing Ouzo about "not going rogue and hunting innocent lambs at the banquet" than explaining the actual assassination plan.
Because if anyone else happened to mysteriously die at the same time, the cops would definitely stick around longer. That would mean deeper investigations, more scrutiny, and a much higher chance they'd uncover that the "accident" wasn't an accident at all.
…Jiangxia had no idea what counted as "too many accidents" in this world, so he could only promise vaguely to behave. If things did go sideways, he'd just insist it was totally unrelated to Ouzo and hope for the best.
Also, he didn't see Pisco during the meeting—Gin had likely arranged their schedules so they wouldn't overlap.
Jiangxia was a little disappointed. He wanted to examine this particular blind box before game day.
But at least the memorial service was tomorrow.
…
On the day of the memorial, Jiangxia put on a black suit and headed to Beika City Hotel as the invitation instructed.
He showed his invite at the door, gave his name to the staff, and was handed a commemorative gift before entering the hall.
It was a fancy printed booklet detailing Director Sakamaki's life and works. On top of that, the staff placed a folded purple handkerchief on the book. It was made of high-quality fabric, embroidered with the words "Director Sakamaki Memorial Service" in the upper corner.
Purple...
Jiangxia stashed the keepsake and glanced around. The other guests were also receiving rainbow-colored handkerchiefs—each one in a different hue.
Apparently, this was a nod to Director Sakamaki's most famous film, The Rainbow Handkerchief.
But purple ones? Seemed like there were very few of those.
Jiangxia rummaged through his internal spoiler database and remembered: the organizers were planning to invite guests with specific handkerchief colors to share their memories at the end of the banquet.
In the original storyline, both Pisco and Vermouth—who were here for the assassination—had purple handkerchiefs.
So… did that mean every organization member automatically got a purple one? What kind of rigged gacha was this?
He tucked the handkerchief away and scanned the hall.
There was still time before things kicked off. Pisco had already arrived, posted up in a low-profile corner, pretending to admire the chandelier. Reconnaissance mode: engaged.
But there was no sign of Vermouth.
Jiangxia glanced at the ghosts floating nearby. They were all locked in on Pisco, faces tense from the concentrated killing intent leaking off him.
He instantly understood: Vermouth wasn't here. Not in disguise, not in the area, not even hiding in the shadows.
Pisco's killing aura was intense, sure—but it was still normal-grade. If someone like Vermouth were lurking nearby with her premium Emperor-level aura, the ghosts would be twitching like crazy.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 23/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:3/10*