"Are You Kidding !?"
2-22, Beika-cho — Agasa's Residence
"How can I understand you—a person who invented a deadly poison?!"
Conan's voice rose sharply.
Standing in the entryway, his eyes burned with fury as he glared at the cool, expressionless girl before him—Haibara Ai.
She had just finished narrating her past as if it were a detached tale, calmly saying, "Since you and I are in the sa situation, perhaps you can understand what I went through."
But her composure only inflad him further.
"Have you really thought it through? Do you know how many people have suffered because of the drug you invented?!"
His words struck her like a slap.
Haibara's calm mask cracked slightly, her expression wavering.
It was then that she truly realized that sharing the sa fate did not an sharing the sa guilt. What Kudo Shinichi said was right.
As a developer of APTX4869, she was complicit—a collaborator of the Black Organization, her hands taphorically stained with the blood of strangers.
Ran had once told her they might understand each other. She had believed it.
But that had been arrogant—naive.
Her gaze fell, dark and remorseful.
Seeing the tension, Dr. Agasa stepped forward to defuse the situation.
"Okay, okay, Shinichi. She was forced to research that drug... Besides, she's left the Organization now. And think about it—if she's the one who created it, isn't she also the most likely to develop an antidote?"
"That kind of thing—!"
Haibara began to respond, but just then—
Ding-ling~~
The doorbell rang.
The sudden sound broke the charged silence, cooling Conan's rage in an instant. He looked at the door, nerves flaring: Could soone from the Organization have co for them?
He didn't have ti to stop the unsuspecting Professor Agasa, who went to answer it.
As the door opened—
"Mr. Hayashi?" Dr. Agasa blinked in surprise. "Why are you here so late?"
"Sorry for the hour, Professor," said Hayashi Yoshiki, flashing a courteous smile. "Work kept late at the office, but I still wanted to check in."
"You really go the extra mile!"
"Would it be alright if I spoke to her?"
"Of course!"
Agasa stepped aside and looked back.
"Ai, Mr. Hayashi is here to see you."
Haibara rose quietly from the sofa and approached.
Yoshiki's gaze passed over Conan, who stood in stunned silence.
"Oh? Conan's here too?" he said, feigning mild surprise.
"Ah! I ca to play the newest ga with the professor, Yoshiki-nii!"
Haibara almost laughed.
Just monts ago, Conan had been exploding with righteous fury—and now he looked like the picture of innocence, pretending to be just a cheerful child.
Even she had to admire his ability to shift gears.
As Hayashi Yoshiki chatted amiably with Haibara by the door, Conan pulled Dr. Agasa aside.
"What's going on?"
"Hmm? Didn't Ai tell you?" Agasa blinked. "When she escaped the Organization, she had a high fever. Mr. Hayashi found her and brought her to —using the excuse that she was my relative."
"Then... your reaction must've been really surprising, right?"
"Oh yes," Agasa said, rubbing his head sheepishly.
Conan frowned.
His eyes fixed on Hayashi, who now gently ruffled Haibara's hair as he spoke to her.
A troubling thought crept into his mind.
Hadn't Hattori warned that Hayashi Yoshiki might have figured out who I really am...?
And then there was Dr. Agasa—hardly soone good at hiding emotion. If a random kid suddenly claid to be his relative, wouldn't his face give it away imdiately?
Wouldn't Hayashi Yoshiki have noticed?
But if so... why did he never question it?
And that suit... that cold, dark suit.
Conan's mind raced. Could it be... were Hayashi Yoshiki and Haibara Ai actually in league with the Organization?
He quickly shook the thought away.
No—Yoshiki-san is kind and gentle. He even risked his life to save before.
Understanding and Reassurance
"Why aren't you smiling?" Hayashi Yoshiki asked softly. "If you keep a stern face, people will get suspicious."
"...I can't laugh."
He ruffled her hair gently.
Her hair was soft and well-kept—like a house cat's. She didn't resist his touch.
But sothing about her was tense, he could tell.
"Did soone upset you?"
"No," she replied flatly. (Do you really think I'm a child?)
"You don't have to say it. I can guess—it was sothing Edogawa Conan said, wasn't it?"
His tone remained warm, and kind.
"Don't take it to heart. You didn't an to harm anyone. Just like a bullet's evil isn't born from the factory that forged it."
She froze.
It was the first ti she'd ever seen him smile this way.
His refined face looked... almost luminous. His dark eyes held warmth. His lips curved gently, with a sincere, thoughtful light.
Is this... an act? she wondered.
But no—it didn't feel like that.
The warmth from his hand, still resting on her head, was real.
"I heard there was a disk containing drug data that was accidentally sent to your sister's university professor, right?"
"...How do you know that?"
"We'll talk to Conan about it tomorrow night. Not today."
He didn't elaborate.
Hayashi looked over to Conan and Agasa with a pleasant expression.
"Has this girl always been like this, Professor?"
"Ah, ah! Yes, yes... Ai isn't the type to be outwardly affectionate, hahaha."
"As long as she's doing alright, that's all that matters." He turned to Agasa again. "By the way, Professor, can I ask you sothing?"
"Of course."
"Is there a kind of coating or chemical that could make paper more fire-resistant—without interfering with how it's normally used?"
"Hmm... a fla-retardant for paper?"
Agasa frowned, rubbing his chin.
"That's a tough one. I'd need ti to think it through."
"That's fine. Let know when you have sothing."
Hayashi smiled again.
Using invisible ink on the Death Note was incredibly effective.
But there was one issue: the paper itself wasn't fireproof. It could burn too easily.
That's why Hayashi Yoshiki always carefully hovered it above the fla, using heat to reveal hidden writing instead of risking direct contact.
But that wasn't enough.
He needed to improve his thods—refine the craft.
Because the stakes were only going to get higher.
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