It was a late night in Tokyo, with heavy rain pouring down.
Thick, dark clouds suffocated the moon, and the torrential rain, finally unrestrained, lashed against the ground, splashing icy water everywhere.
Under the dim light, a small figure stumbled forward.
Sherry, or rather, Miyano Shiho, whose body had transformed into that of a seven or eight-year-old, was wearing an ill-fitting and soaking wet thin white lab coat, heading towards Kudo Shinichi's house.
Rainwater streamed down her brown short hair, mixing with tears.
"Sister…"
Miyano Shiho murmured, her heart twisting with pangs of pain.
Before this, her sister, who would meet her regularly, had suddenly gone silent.
"Miyano Akemi? That traitor has met her deserved end. Sherry, you'd best recognize your place."
This was the only reply she received after confronting Gin.
After learning of her sister's death, Miyano Shiho lost all will to continue her research—and the Organization quickly imprisoned her.
In despair, she chose to swallow the poison APTX4869, which she had personally helped develop.
Miraculously, she did not die after taking the poison.
Instead, like the lab mice that, with an extremely low probability, would transform into infant mice, her body reverted to that of a child.
Immediately after, she used her shrunken body to escape through a narrow ventilation shaft.
But what good was escaping the Organization?
Miyano Shiho realized with a sense of helplessness.
Her sister was gone, and in this vast world, there was no place for her to belong.
The only person she could think of now was Kudo Shinichi, a fellow victim whose body had also shrunk.
"Sister…"
Miyano Shiho stopped walking, not because she didn't want to, but because the relentless rain was steadily draining her remaining body heat.
She was now suffering from a severe cold, her vision blurring intermittently, and each step felt like treading on cotton, making further progress impossible.
In a daze, she felt like the Little Match Girl, and hallucinations appeared before her eyes.
Her deceased sister suddenly appeared, reaching out a hand to her.
"Ugh…"
A wave of dizziness struck, and Miyano Shiho's small body could no longer support her. She collapsed softly toward the ground.
Just before her consciousness completely sank into darkness, she felt herself not falling onto the hard ground, but into a warm, somewhat fluffy embrace.
A familiar voice, tinged with a sob, gently fell upon her ear: "Shiho… my Shiho…"
Was it her sister's voice? Was it a hallucination before death?
Miyano Shiho could no longer distinguish and completely lost consciousness…
When Miyano Shiho woke up again.
Her severe cold had completely healed, and the headaches and heavy feeling caused by the high fever had all disappeared.
Though her body was weak, she felt a long-lost sense of comfort and ease.
She slowly opened her heavy eyelids, and a strange ceiling came into view.
Miyano Shiho found herself lying on a soft, clean bed, covered by a fluffy, warm blanket.
Even more surprising was that her soaked white lab coat was gone, replaced by a brand new, soft cartoon children's pajama set.
The clothes fit perfectly, as if tailor-made for her.
"Where is this…"
She struggled to sit up, looking around. The room was not large, filled with various peculiar mechanical parts and half-finished inventions.
"Ah, you're awake?" a kindly voice asked.
A plump, white-haired old man with round glasses walked in upon hearing her, a benevolent smile on his face, holding a steaming cup of milk.
"How do you feel? I have a cup of hot milk here, drink it quickly."
Miyano Shiho watched him warily, her body instinctively tensing.
Her long-term life in the Organization had made her wary of strangers.
"Who are you? Where is this? Was it you… who saved me?" Her voice carried a childlike innocence, yet it held a calmness that belied her appearance.
"Heh heh, I am Dr. Agasa, an inventor."
The old man placed the milk on the bedside table, rubbing his hands and looking a bit embarrassed,
"The person who saved you? Hmm… strictly speaking, I just found you."
He pointed towards the direction of the room's doorway,
"It was probably in the latter half of last night, when the rain was heaviest, I heard a strange noise at the door, like something hitting it. I thought it was the wind knocking something over, so I put on some clothes and went out to check. When I opened the door, I saw a rather large waterproof cardboard box sitting there."
Dr. Agasa recalled, a hint of confusion on his face:
"There was nothing written on the box. I curiously opened it, and oh! It gave me quite a fright! Inside was you. You were half-asleep at the time, constantly calling out for your sister. I felt sorry for you, so I quickly carried you in and put you on the bed."
A cardboard box? Left at the door?
According to the doctor's description, someone must have changed her clothes and given her cold medicine.
Who could it be?
Miyano Shiho grew even more puzzled.
She remembered her sister's call before she fainted… Was that not a hallucination?
"Dr. Agasa, did you see who put me there?" she pressed, her heart slightly racing.
Dr. Agasa shook his head: "No, the rain was too heavy, and it was pitch black outside. There wasn't a soul to be seen. When I opened the door, I only saw the empty street and that box. It's really strange… But, it's good that you're alright!"
He gave a simple, honest laugh.
Miyano Shiho fell silent.
It seemed the person who saved her did not want to reveal their identity. Could it be her sister? Was her sister still alive?
"Oh, right, this is my house."
Dr. Agasa, seeing her not speak, thought she was scared of the unfamiliar environment, and quickly added,
"The address is 2 Chome, 22 Beika Town. Don't be afraid, rest here peacefully. Give me your guardian's phone number, and I'll call them to pick you up."
Beika Town… 2 Chome… 22… Miyano Shiho's pupils widened.
This address was all too familiar to her!
As the person in the Organization responsible for handling the aftermath of Kudo Shinichi's supposed death, she had been to Kudo Shinichi's house, which was right next door—2 Chome, 21 Beika Town!
She suddenly looked up at Dr. Agasa, this seemingly harmless inventor. He lived next door to the Kudo family, he was their neighbor.
Could he be in the know?
Was it a coincidence that the mysterious person sent her here, or was it intentional?
Miyano Shiho took a deep breath, deciding to confess her true identity to Dr. Agasa.
"Dr. Agasa, about Kudo Shinichi's body shrinking… you're aware of it, aren't you?"
She fiddled with her brown short hair, uttering words that made Dr. Agasa's scalp tingle.