Chapter 197: Tutoring Anya is Urgent!
Early in the morning, Natsukawa went to Professor Agasa's house to pick up Ai Haibara.
He was supposed to come get her last night, but because of Teiji Moriya's situation, it got delayed.
Speaking of which, Natsukawa secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Last night was just a false alarm—the people killed in the explosion weren't police officers, and Jodie was unharmed.
The deceased were likely scapegoats hired by the police, specifically sent to their deaths.
Natsukawa took several photos of the deceased and had Franky investigate. All of them were Japanese political prisoners sentenced to at least twenty years in prison, and even after twenty years, they might not be released.
Japan claims to have abolished the death penalty, with a maximum sentence of twenty years, but that refers to ordinary criminal cases prosecuted by the courts.
There's another category of prisoner in Japan who doesn't fall under this umbrella.
A small number of political prisoners arrested by Public Security don't go through the normal court and prosecution process. These people are either executed or sentenced to life imprisonment.
They're detained awaiting sentencing without defense lawyers—legal protection mechanisms don't apply to them.
Those killed in the bombing at Shirakage Pharmaceuticals yesterday all fell into this category, and Franky had gone to great lengths to obtain their information.
Natsukawa wasn't surprised that Japanese Public Security would resort to such methods to prevent information leaks.
Special cases require special handling. These departments only care about national interests and claim to be willing to sacrifice a small group for the sake of the country—standard operating procedure.
Amuro Tooru seemed to have expressed similar views in the original timeline.
People who love their country have only the nation in their hearts. Ordinary citizens fall within their acceptable sacrifice range, including themselves.
What a noble ideal.
Natsukawa could even imagine how Public Security had sold it to these political prisoners: "If you complete this mission, your sentences can be shortened to a few years, or you can be paroled directly."
"Ai, let's go. I'll take you to Teitan Elementary School to officially become classmates with Conan and Anya."
Natsukawa greeted Professor Agasa and prepared to take Ai Haibara with him, but after scanning the living room, he couldn't find her anywhere.
Wasn't she supposed to go to school? It was time—where was she?
"Doctor, where did Ai go?" Natsukawa found Professor Agasa, who was wearing welding goggles in his lab, and asked about the situation.
"She seems to still be in her room. I don't know why—she was fine when she woke up this morning, but after watching the morning news, she seemed a bit off. I don't know if she ate something bad last night.
I told her she shouldn't drink cola with coffee, but she insisted on doing it anyway.
You'll have to keep a close eye on her when she gets home. This can't continue."
Professor Agasa muttered. Although she had the mind of an eighteen-year-old, her current body was that of a seven-year-old. Her fever had subsided, but she still had a slight cold, and iced cola with hot coffee was definitely not a good combination.
"I'll go upstairs and check on her." Natsukawa nodded and walked up the spiral staircase.
She was like this after watching the morning news—she must have seen the report about the explosion at Shirakage Pharmaceuticals.
Seeing Gin raze Shirakage Pharmaceuticals to the ground, and knowing it was because of her, would terrify anyone.
"Ai, can I come in?" Natsukawa knocked twice on the door, but Ai Haibara didn't answer after he waited for a while.
After another moment, Natsukawa turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The guest room was clean. Since it was only a two-day stay, Ai Haibara hadn't decorated much—just a simple bed, table, and chair.
Ai Haibara sat blankly in the chair, just like when Natsukawa had seen her at the research facility last time, scribbling on a piece of white paper with a pen.
There was nothing special about it, just simple circles—the only noteworthy thing being that the circles were perfectly round.
"Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"
Natsukawa placed a hand on Ai Haibara's shoulder, trying to wake her from her daze.
He'd been standing there for a while, and she was still spacing out. It had been the same last time. He wondered what was wrong with her.
"Ah!?" Ai Haibara was startled, her shoulders instantly dropping as her whole body instinctively slid down, trying to hide under the table.
"It's me." Natsukawa's voice softened, not wanting to further provoke Ai Haibara. He waited quietly for her to come to her senses.
Pale-faced, Ai Haibara huddled under the table for a long time. Realizing the hand on her shoulder hadn't moved, she snapped out of it, looked up, and saw it was Natsukawa. Her racing heart began to slow.
"Uncle Natsukawa—"
Natsukawa smiled, shaking his right index finger. "From now on, you're my adopted daughter, so shouldn't you...?"
He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ai with a beaming smile.
"Call me Papa!"
Ai Haibara, infected by his smile, felt much better, but she didn't respond to that. Getting up from under the table, blushing, she changed the subject. "I was just spacing out. I didn't realize it was you. I thought it was an earthquake, so I instinctively hid under the table."
Calling him Papa was too soon. Perhaps it was shyness, perhaps she just wasn't used to it—in any case, Ai Haibara couldn't bring herself to say it.
The explanation was weak, but Ai Haibara didn't care. After all, she was just a child now. Whatever she said was reasonable and wouldn't be questioned, right?
Natsukawa stayed with Ai Haibara in the room for a while. Sensing she was in a better mood, he finally explained his purpose. "I've already arranged your enrollment. Go to school today to meet your teacher, then go straight to class."
Tutoring Anya was urgent!
Natsukawa slung the small backpack he'd brought over Ai Haibara's shoulder, took her hand, and walked downstairs.
Ai Haibara was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at their joined hands.
The large hand was cool, but there was a faint warmth emanating from the palm. She felt like no one but her sister had ever held her hand like this, and she felt an unexpected sense of peace.
It was a strange feeling.
Lost in thought, she barely registered Professor Agasa's greeting.
When she came to her senses, she was already in a GTR.
The acceleration brought her back to reality. Turning her head to look at her "adoptive father" beside her, Sherry let out a long sigh of relief.
Two days had passed—it was probably impossible for Gin to find her now, unless she went to him herself, which was unlikely.
Now she could finally relax and enjoy a peaceful life while waiting for Tequila to appear.
She wasn't in a hurry to tell Conan about Tequila. His background was unknown, and he didn't seem like a good person. She didn't dare say anything before confirming his identity, fearing her sister might be harmed.
In the principal's office, Ms. Kobayashi looked at Natsukawa with a strange expression. His daughter was already enrolled at school, so why was he bringing another little girl today?
Unlike Anya, who had pink hair, this girl—whose name sounded unusual—was named Ai Haibara and had brown hair.
"Is this also Mr. Natsukawa's daughter?" Ms. Kobayashi hesitated before finally asking out of curiosity.
A blond father and a pink-haired daughter was already suspicious, though she hadn't said anything before. Maybe Anya's mother had pink hair. Now there was another daughter with brown hair.
If it wasn't dyed, then Natsukawa had children with different women.
Seeing the elegant and handsome Natsukawa secretly maintaining multiple relationships made the rather conservative Ms. Kobayashi a little angry.
It wasn't her place to say anything since it wasn't her family's business, but her impression of Natsukawa worsened. It was one thing for him not to discipline Anya properly, but he was also messing around outside. These two children were truly pitiful, having such a father.
Anya's grades were so bad—this girl named Ai Haibara probably wasn't much better. It seemed she was going to be quite busy from now on.
"Yes, we were abroad before and just came to Japan recently. I thought it would be more suitable for the two sisters to be in the same class, so I suggested it to the principal. It's really kind of you, Ms. Kobayashi."
The principal chuckled. "It's no problem. Ms. Kobayashi is our best homeroom teacher for first grade—there won't be any issues. Not to mention one more student, even a few more wouldn't be a problem. Don't you think so, Ms. Kobayashi?"
"Y-yes!" Ms. Kobayashi secretly rolled her eyes.
Someone like Conan would be fine, but someone like Anya... forget it.
There wasn't even an entrance exam this time. She didn't know what they were thinking.
This principal really doesn't understand the hardships of teaching. Other kids are okay, but someone like Anya is a real headache.
It's one thing that her homework is often incomplete, but when she does turn it in, her handwriting is messy. Every time she grades Anya's homework, Kobayashi Sumiko feels her nearsightedness getting worse.
Natsukawa was very satisfied with the principal's performance—the money was well spent.
As for Ms. Kobayashi's inner thoughts, Natsukawa naturally didn't know, and even if he did, he would just chuckle.
No pain, no gain.
He was testing Ms. Kobayashi.
As the heir to the Shiratori conglomerate, Shiratori Ninzaburo's wife would undoubtedly have to withstand pressure from all sides. This was a way of training her mental fortitude.
He remembered that Shiratori was involved in the Moriya Teiji case. Speaking of which, he thought he could get to know Shiratori and introduce Ms. Kobayashi to him.
This would not only repay Ms. Kobayashi's kindness, but Shiratori would also owe him a huge favor. The same applied to Takagi.
A win-win-win situation!
The three exchanged a few more words, with Ai Haibara remaining expressionless, silent, and motionless—as quiet as a statue.
This made the already uneasy Ms. Kobayashi even more certain of her suspicions.
This child named Ai Haibara was likely even more difficult to deal with than Anya. Besides poor grades, she might also be difficult to communicate with.
Thinking of this, a hint of curiosity arose within her.
Ai Haibara and Anya—these two names had nothing to do with Natsukawa's surname.
So did they take their mother's surnames?
Anya mentioned that Natsukawa has a girlfriend. Should she invite Natsukawa's girlfriend to the next parent-teacher conference? She could secretly inform her that this man might have quite the track record.
Otherwise, she was afraid that in three or five years, Natsukawa would send another troublesome kid her way.
"Ms. Kobayashi, I have to go now. Could you please take Ai to her classroom?"
Natsukawa glanced at his watch, greeted the two of them, then knelt down to straighten Ai Haibara's collar. He gave her a few instructions, told her to go home with Anya, and then hurriedly left.
Gin had called, inquiring about the details of tonight's transaction.
The explosion made Gin feel like he'd slapped Japanese Public Security hard, and he wasn't as cold as before. Perhaps it was because he trusted Natsukawa—in any case, when Natsukawa said he'd be late today, Gin didn't object.
Teitan Elementary School, Grade 1, Class B.
The bell rang for third period, and the children rushed back to the classroom, including the five members of the Detective Boys.
Three boys and two girls were scattered around, chatting idly.
Ayumi's gaze occasionally fell on Anya.
Anya looked dazed, with extremely dark circles under her eyes and slumped shoulders, as if she hadn't slept the night before.
And it was probably true—she'd been preoccupied with how to defend against the "external enemy" for the past two days, resulting in serious sleep deprivation.
Suddenly, Anya tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her face.
"Anya, what's wrong with you today?"
Ayumi rushed forward to help her up, asking with concern. "Did something happen? Tell us—we can solve it together. You've been acting a little strange these past two days."
Mitsuhiko nodded, resting his chin on his hand. "We're the Detective Boys. There's nothing we can't solve."
Mitsuhiko's tone was full of confidence.
Conan sneered, wanting to refute Mitsuhiko's self-aggrandizing behavior.
But glancing at Genta beside him, he decided against it. Being an unsung hero was fine too.
"Just treat me to eel rice after you solve this," Genta quietly added.
Everyone rolled their eyes.
Anya shook her head, ignoring the group's antics and the slight redness on her face from her fall. She went straight to her seat and sat down.
"Conan, you live across from Anya's house. Do you know what's going on with her?"
Ayumi asked worriedly.
"I don't know either—"
Conan shrugged, then plopped down in his seat, preparing to close his eyes and rest.
He'd also seen the news about Shirakage Pharmaceuticals and was very concerned.
He'd originally planned to investigate Shirakage Pharmaceuticals after Ai Haibara got settled, but this explosion had happened unexpectedly.
Besides that, there was something else bothering him.
The munitions depot had been robbed!
A large amount of explosives was missing—nearly half of the stored explosives had been taken. It was enough to launch a terrorist attack.
Combining this with the explosion at Shirakage Pharmaceuticals, Conan suspected a connection between the two incidents.
However, he had no evidence.
He'd heard from the morning news that the two incidents occurred around the same time.
It was unlikely that the Black Organization had stolen the explosives and then immediately detonated them at Shirakage Pharmaceuticals—the timing didn't work out.
But as a detective, his sixth sense told him there should be a connection between the two.
Unfortunately, intuition couldn't be used as evidence, and feelings wouldn't solve the case.
Speaking of which, the door to the storage room at the munitions depot had supposedly been opened with a combination lock.
The code that was later revealed intrigued him greatly—Momotaro.
That's right, the password was simply "Momotaro."
The famous folk tale hero.
What kind of architect would use such a simple, culturally significant password for a munitions depot?
(End of Chapter)
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