Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Page 167

So, Ai Haibara got out of bed, preparing to find a chance to leave.

only……

Ai Haibara looked down at the oversized short-sleeved shirt she was wearing, which resembled a dress. She had probably changed into it after the male high school student picked her up.

...Even though I know that my body has shrunk, and as a researcher who also studies biomedicine, I shouldn't be paying attention to these details from any perspective, it still feels a bit strange.

When Ai Haibara looked up again, she found a man and two women staring at her from the doorway, and she couldn't help but blink.

"Hmm, what an adorable little girl, is she mixed race?"

Sonoko Suzuki exclaimed in surprise, "Is this your relative's child, senpai?"

"No."

"...Um, we know each other..."

"do not know."

"...Could it be that I've gotten lost again, right at the entrance..."

"Not at all."

Sonoko Suzuki fell silent, and she and Ran Mouri stared at Ai Haibara for a long time.

The outfit that Ai Haibara was wearing, which didn't fit her body well and would normally just look cute, suddenly became glaringly jarring.

The two of them simultaneously and shakily pulled out their phones, fumbling for the 110 keypad.

"Be serious."

Sano, expressionless, slapped each of the two best friends on the back of the head.

A few minutes later, Ai Haibara, looking completely innocent and helpless, was surrounded by Sonoko Suzuki and Ran Mouri.

"Oh... so this time it was found on the road."

"How pitiful, getting lost and getting soaked in the rain for so long."

"Yes, she even has a fever. It's really kind of you to take care of someone who can't even take care of himself."

...Wouldn't the last sentence be unnecessary?

Sano, who had been watching the two best friends playfully pinching Ai Haibara's cheek from time to time, finally spoke up: "Alright, stop playing around, it's time to send her away."

Sonoko Suzuki looked at Sano: "Senpai, do you know where her parents are?"

"I don't know, so I'm going to take it to the police station."

Sano answered while glancing at Ai Haibara out of the corner of his eye.

According to Ai Haibara's "explanation" to Ran Mouri and her brother, she came to Tokyo with her parents to visit relatives, but accidentally got lost.

Then Sano picked him up.

Sano knew perfectly well that the other party was lying, simply trying to fool the two people in front of him and himself so he could make a quick getaway. Therefore, if Sano were to suggest taking Ai Haibara to the police station now, the other party's reaction would most likely be—

"no!"

Ai Haibara's instinctive rebuttal made the two best friends look at her in confusion.

"why?"

"because……"

Ai Haibara's brain raced, and she came up with an excuse: "Because I remember where the relative that Mom said she was going to visit lives, there's no need to bother the police officer, right?"

"So you still remember the address, that's clever."

Listening to Sonoko Suzuki's words of coaxing a three-year-old, Sano secretly curled his lip—because Ai Haibara had clearly been rambling on just now, saying that she had even forgotten her own name.

...It's unclear whether it was because the situation was too urgent and she couldn't think of a fake name in time, or because of some kind of "special power" that prevented Ai Haibara from having another name.

"Where does that relative you were originally going to visit live? Shall Sonoko and I take you there?"

Ran Mouri asked softly.

Ai Haibara blinked, realizing that in her current state, it was almost impossible for her to shake off the "good person" in front of her and leave on her own, so she simply revealed her original destination.

This left both Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki momentarily stunned.

"Isn't this... Shinichi's address?"

Hearing Sonoko Suzuki's somewhat surprised words, Ai Haibara also raised an eyebrow in surprise.

What's going on? Does the other person know Shinichi Kudo?

"...But, no one's home at Shinichi's house either."

Before the two sides could even exchange any further messages after their radio waves overlapped, Sano spoke up to clarify the situation: "In that case, why don't you just take him there? Hurry up and go, I have something to do."

"Hey……"

Sano pushed the three adults and one child out of the room, locked the door, and then waved goodbye before leaving.

"Oh, and don't forget to wear a diaper tonight."

After eagerly handing the burden over to her two best friends, Sano didn't forget to remind Ai Haibara.

Ran Mouri and the other two never expected that Sano would... kick them out of the house like this.

Especially Sano's last sentence, apart from Ai Haibara, whose face darkened slightly, the other two were completely unable to understand what it meant.

"...You didn't wet the bed in your senior's bed, did you?"

After thinking for a moment, Sonoko Suzuki looked at Ai Haibara with a strange expression, muttering, "She looks about seven or eight years old, that shouldn't be the case..."

Upon hearing this, Ai Haibara's face darkened even further.

After considering the "story" behind the words of that neurotic high school student, Ai Haibara could only choose to remain silent... or rather, acquiesce.

After all, Ai Haibara can't exactly say that she's actually a shrunken person, that her true identity is a core member of a criminal organization who escaped, and that she was so nervous while being hunted that she mistook a lighter for a real gun and "shot" her savior, only to be ridiculed in the process, right?

Even if those two high school girls actually believed such an outrageous story, Ai Haibara wouldn't tell them.

Because it's too embarrassing.

Although bedwetting is embarrassing, it's not like Shiho Miyano is embarrassing herself; she's just an ordinary child. So what's there to care about?

If she tells the truth, it's Shiho Miyano who will lose face!

After comforting herself for a while, Ai Haibara followed her two best friends and headed to Shinichi Kudo's house.

……

After walking a short distance outside, Sano quickly switched to a different online alias and hailed a taxi.

...Sano wasn't just talking nonsense because he was afraid of trouble; he really had something to do.

Although it wasn't particularly important, Sano would definitely choose the latter over continuing to waste time listening to the three of them.

Half an hour later, Sano got out of the car and walked a few hundred meters to the underground training ground in the game—no, it should be called the underground training ground—that he hadn't been to for a while.

Before Sano could even enter the basement, he saw Gin in the living room, holding a cell phone and looking gloomy.

Upon seeing Sano, Gin paused for a moment, then put his phone back in his pocket and asked, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"Ok?"

Sano blinked: "It shut down because of a dead battery."

"Pay attention to battery level in the future and always stay contactable, otherwise you'll be the one who suffers if you miss important instructions."

Hearing Gin's cold advice, Sano simply said "Oh".

"So, is there something you need when you call me?"

When the matter was brought up, Gin's expression darkened further: "Sherry has escaped, and the research institute is in the process of destroying her. I'd like to ask your people to keep an eye out and see if they can bring her back."

"Oh."

Sano nodded without any surprise: "I'll mention it to them later."

However, when the topic of Ai Haibara came up, Sano remembered his previous question and casually asked, "Doesn't the research institute have so many surveillance cameras? How could she have escaped?"

Especially since Ai Haibara has shrunk, but Gin didn't mention that in his words just now—could it be that Gin doesn't know that she can change size at will?

As Sano expected, after a few seconds of silence, Gin replied, "Those surveillance cameras weren't turned on; they were just for fooling outsiders."

Sano: "?"

Gin's reasoning, while seemingly reasonable at first glance, becomes more complex upon closer examination...

It's for fooling outsiders.

But he himself didn't know it.

Does that mean he, Sano, is an outsider?

Seemingly realizing that his words had been somewhat ambiguous, Gin added, "After all, you're not a permanent member of the research institute, so it's normal that you don't know."

Sano pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Belated affection is worth less than grass!

Having finished discussing the important matters, Sano opened the basement door as planned and proceeded downwards.

Gin followed for some reason: "The motorcycle I bought for Sherry before is no longer needed. I'll change the license plate and you can take it back and use it."

locomotive?

Sano raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't realized that Ai Haibara was actually a racing enthusiast.

...But given the state of the other party's main body within the organization, what use is this thing?

Are you just going to drive around inside the research institute?

Of course, it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal, after all, a motorcycle is quite expensive, and even if you don't ride it, you can still sell it for a couple of bucks.

So Sano agreed.

Let's just consider this compensation for Gin saying he's an outsider.

Before they could finish speaking, the two had already entered the underground training ground.

It was only then that Sano discovered that, in addition to Gin, his henchman Vodka and the Cohen-Chianti duo were also there.

Aside from Vodka, who was watching the show, the sniper duo were lying on the ground, with a lake simulated by a projection device in front of them.