Stay away from Conan.

In Vermouth's view, Shinichi Kudo's ability to return to his original form would never have happened without the prompting of Takato and Sherry. This action, which allowed Shinichi Kudo to appear in his true form at this moment, combined with the current situation, Vermouth could see that this was a risky move.

Therefore, since all of this is just part of Gao Yuan's plan, Kudo Shinichi's actions must have been seen by Gao Yuan. It's not difficult for Gao Yuan, who just told him about the fire earlier today, to guess what he was going to do today and happen to run into Kudo Shinichi.

Vermouth responded with a cold laugh to Gao Yuan.

Faced with Vermouth's attitude, Gao Yuan ignored it and instead continued the conversation as if guessing:
"So, you should have met most of the people involved in this matter by now, right? In that case, figuring out who the murderer is and getting the memory card back should be a piece of cake for you, right?"

Therefore, although Gao Yuan knew very well that Vermouth had obtained the memory card, he still wanted to make it clear in his words that it was all just his speculation.

Upon hearing Gao Yuan's logical analysis, Vermouth offered no rebuttal, simply responding calmly:
"so what?"

"Now that the memory card has been found, the organization's mission is considered complete, so..."

"Next, how do you plan to handle the Irish issue?"

Therefore, Gao Yuan didn't waste any more words and directly pointed out the problem—

After all, Ireland's existence will inevitably lead to the organization discovering that Conan's true identity as Shinichi Kudo at some point.

Hearing Gao Yuan's question, Vermouth was well aware of the consequences of Ireland's continued existence. Even though Shinichi Kudo's appearance was a risky move, and Vermouth could roughly guess the impact it would have, it would only make Ireland temporarily wary. However, after he had directly impersonated Gin to test them, Ireland would not give up so easily and would not stop until they had a clear understanding of the situation.

Therefore, thinking of this and connecting it to Gao Yuan's call at this moment, Vermouth knew that Gao Yuan must have something he needed her to do, so she casually replied:
"Just tell me, what do you want me to do?"

—Although I might not listen to or follow Gao Yuan's ideas, given the current situation, and considering that I wouldn't have been able to get that memory card back without his help, I'll reluctantly listen to him.

Therefore, Vermouth's reaction was within Gao Yuan's expectations, and Gao Yuan immediately said:

"The first thing is to tell me about the safety of Supervisor Matsumoto and where he is being held!"
"The second thing is to borrow your 'Thousand-Faced Witch's' ever-changing voice to impersonate someone and make a phone call to someone..."

……

"So, could you repeat what Mr. Mizutani told you on the phone?"

As evening fell, the police began their investigation into the Kyoto fire and eventually came to Kazuki Honjo. Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru, who were present, listened to what Honjo had said and realized that the content of the phone conversation between Kosuke Mizutani and him was very important. So, just to be on the safe side, Sato Miwako asked Honjo to repeat it.

And Honjo and Shu didn't refuse, but repeated it again:
“Mizutani told me on the phone, ‘There are eight unforgivable people, and we are still missing two more.’... That’s roughly it.”

Upon hearing this, Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru exchanged a glance, seemingly confirming something, before Sato Miwako continued to press for answers:
"Are you sure... this call came from last night? What number did it use?"

“I received it last night. As for the number… it should be a phone booth number. I think I have it written down…” As he said this, Honjou Kazuki took out his notebook and started flipping through it, then handed it to Sato Miwako.

Just as Sato Miwako took the notebook to look at the number written on it, Takagi Wataru took out his phone from his pocket, answered the call, and turned around to talk to the person on the other end.

As a result, after a short while, Takagi Wataru put away his phone and whispered anxiously into Sato Miwako's ear:

"It's terrible, Officer Sato! We just received news that the body of the missing painter has been found at Ayase Sports Park in Kanagawa Prefecture!"

Thus, although the words were spoken softly, Motoi Kazuki, who was standing right in front of Sato Miwako, clearly heard what Takagi Wataru said. His expression changed slightly, and he then asked Sato Miwako and the others:
"By the way, could you tell me what happened to Mizutani? Earlier, the high school detective Shinichi Kudo also asked me the same question!"

"We can't disclose details about the case, but regarding Mizutani Kosuke, if he contacts you again, please notify the police immediately..."

With a serious expression, Sato Miwako naturally wouldn't reveal any details when pressed by Honjou Kazuki. However, regarding the part about "Kudo Shinichi" that Honjou Kazuki mentioned at the end, Sato Miwako couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Um...you mean Shinichi Kudo? Was he here today too?"

……

"So, we can be pretty sure that Mizutani Kosuke is very suspicious, and according to him, there should indeed be eight real targets, which perfectly matches Mr. Akechi's deduction of eight locations!"

"Also, I heard that Shinichi Kudo personally visited several friends and relatives related to Kosuke Mizutani today to inquire about the fire and Kosuke Mizutani's situation."

Inside the Metropolitan Police Department's command center, Inspector Megure listened to Miwako Sato's report over the phone, his brow furrowing as he said:

"I see."

Then, the call ended.

Faced with this situation, Ayami Ogino couldn't help but say to "Kiyonaga Matsumoto":
"Judging from this, this Mizutani Kosuke is very likely the culprit in this case."

In response, Matsumoto Kiyonaga pondered for a moment before analyzing:
"Yes, but if that's the case, with a total of eight people, who will be the last target?"

After a moment's thought, Matsumoto Kiyonaga gave the order:

"In short, finding Mizutani Kosuke is the key now. If his initial goal was to commit this crime in connection with the Tanabata fire, then Tanabata might be the day he committed his final crime. We must find him before then!"

After arranging all this, Matsumoto Kiyonaga seemed to be deep in thought, and then he instructed Inspector Megure, saying:

"By the way, since that's the case, why not consult those two detectives for their opinions, and also, isn't that high school detective also investigating?" (End of Chapter)