Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

An afternoon in Beika Town.

Chianti pulled his black baseball cap down low, holding a photocopy he had just gotten from the city hall archives, his eyes fixed on the name "Shinichi Kudo".

“Missing person… presumed dead…” she muttered irritably, scratching her hair.

"That bastard Zheng Yi insisted on saying 'that detective is still alive,' making me confirm such a boring thing. That high school student should have turned to ashes long ago."

Chianti had no choice but to obey the order given to him.

Because anyone who knows Zheng Yi knows that he is notoriously petty and vindictive.

At best, they'll kill you; at worst, they'll kill your entire family.

She turned into a deserted back alley, and was about to light a cigarette to relieve her restlessness when a feeling of being watched suddenly crept up her spine.

Chianti turned around abruptly, snapping the cigarette in her hand.

In the shadows at the alley entrance, a golden figure leaned against the wall.

Vermouth, dressed in a black trench coat and wearing sunglasses, was looking at her with a half-smile.

"It's you?" Chianti asked, looking at her. "What are you doing here? Following me?"

"Oh, don't be so nervous, Chianti." Vermouth raised her coffee cup to her and said lazily.
“I was just passing by. You know, there’s a boutique I really like nearby.”

"Just passing by?" Chianti sneered, not believing the woman's nonsense at all.

"Ever since I left the archives, you've been following me closely, though not too closely. What, are you also interested in Shinichi Kudo? Or did Shoichi send you here?"

As she spoke, Chianti quietly took a step back.

If Zheng Yi sent her here, then Vermouth definitely doesn't have good intentions, so it's best to stay away from her.

"How could that be?" Vermouth threw the coffee cup into the trash can and slowly walked closer in her high heels.

Chianti frowned. She noticed that Vermouth's gaze wasn't on the documents in her hand or her face, but rather—it was fixed on her legs.

That look in his eyes was strange.

Why are you looking at my legs?

Chianti instinctively pressed her knees together tightly, even squeezing them together, trying to gain a sense of security by reducing the exposed area.

“It’s nothing, it’s just that your legs look very strong,” Vermouth suddenly said. “Do you exercise regularly?”

Chianti frowned, a strange chill creeping into her heart.

Is not this nonsensical?

If you don't exercise regularly, you might die during one of your missions.

Considering that Vermouth is a Hollywood star, and that place is known for its 'freedom'.

"What's wrong with you?" Chianti glared at her fiercely. "Don't look at me like that. You think I won't cut a hole in your leg right now?"

"Hehe, don't be so irritable." Vermouth stopped three steps away from her.

"Judging by how strong your legs are, they shouldn't break easily, right?"

"Are you threatening me?" Chianti's voice turned low and filled with a dangerous aura.

"Don't think I won't touch you just because you're that man's man. If it weren't for Zheng Yi's sake, I'd send you on your way right now."

Vermouth paused for a moment.

What, now even the boss can't compare to Zheng Yi's prestige?
It seems that since the boss hasn't shown up yet, these organization members don't even have the same level of awe for him as Zheng Yi.

The future ownership of this organization is indeed a big problem.

“Threat? No, it’s concern.” Vermouth raised her hand, seemingly wanting to touch Chianti’s face, but stopped a second before Chianti drew her gun.

"After all, the situation is complicated right now. Some rats are hiding very well, and I want to remind you to be careful."

"Do you want to fight me?" Chianti said irritably.

Vermouth shook her head.

People come and go at the alley entrance; any noise here can be heard outside.

"Don't get so agitated. If you don't want to see me, then just leave."

After saying that, Vermouth turned and left.

"Damn woman!" Chianti spat angrily as he watched her retreating figure.

She looked down at her legs; the chill still lingered.

There was definitely something wrong with Vermouth's gaze just now.

Chianti crumpled the documents in her hand into a ball in frustration and threw them into the trash can.

"Could Vermouth really like women?" Chianti muttered to herself. "Even if she does, why would she be targeting me?"

She glanced at her own attire.

She seemed neither like a woman nor a man, and suddenly paused for a moment.

Was it because his outfit was novel to Vermouth that she became interested?

Chianti shook his head, dismissing those unrealistic ideas.

……

The rain in Beika Town always comes without warning.

Chianti folded up her still-dripping black umbrella and pushed open the door to the safe house, her face even more somber than the sky outside.

Soaked to the bone, I was extremely agitated.

When she walked into the living room, she saw a woman sitting on the sofa, elegantly applying lipstick.

"Oh my, isn't this Chianti?"

Upon seeing Vermouth, Chianti's temple throbbed. She disgustedly shook the water off her umbrella, strode to the refrigerator, grabbed a can of beer, and didn't even bother to glance at Vermouth.

Anyone who has worked hard all day and then sees someone with connections leisurely sitting on the sofa applying lipstick wouldn't be in a good mood.

“What are you doing here?” Chianti asked.

"Don't get so worked up," Vermouth said. "I was just passing through and wanted to find somewhere to take shelter from the rain. I'm a member of the organization too, so I should be able to get into a safe house, right?"

"Just passing by?" Chianti sneered, pulled the tab, and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of wine.

"Passing through Beika-cho to Beika-cho? Your route planning is quite 'precise'."

This is the third time this week.

It's only Monday!
Vermouth didn't refute, she just shrugged slightly.

Her gaze slowly moved down, past Chianti's soaked top, and finally settled on Chianti's lower body.

Chianti wore a pair of tight-fitting tactical pants today. Because of the rain, the fabric clung tightly to her legs, outlining their lines.

Vermouth's gaze didn't have that blatant lewdness, but it still made Chianti extremely uncomfortable.

"Your leg……"

Chianti's fingers tightened suddenly around the beer can, causing the aluminum can to make a slight squeaking sound.

"What are you going to do?" She stared at Vermouth warily, her body tensing instinctively.

This wasn't the first time she had looked at her legs.

"It's nothing." Vermouth stood up and walked towards Chianti with cat-like steps.

Chianti felt a chill run down her spine.

As Vermouth drew closer, Chianti quickly reached out to stop her.

She took a step back and bumped into the refrigerator door. She steadied herself and glared fiercely at the other person.

“Speak plainly, Vermouth. Stop staring at me like a rat in the gutter. What do you want?”

“How can you say I was watching you?” Vermouth spread her hands, looking completely innocent.

Her hand reached behind her.

"squeak~"

The door to the safe house opened, and Cohen walked in, looked at Chianti, then at Vermouth, before turning and leaving.

"You?" Chianti tried to stop Cohen.

"Oh dear." Vermouth looked out the window and said, "It seems the rain has stopped. I should go."

After Vermouth left, Chianti straightened her collar, then took out her phone and called Zheng Yi.

"Hey?"

"I'd like to ask, are you aware of Vermouth's sexual orientation?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

This question really stumped Zheng Yi.

"I don't know," Zheng Yi said. "But he probably doesn't like men."

After all, if Vermouth doesn't even like someone as charming as herself, it's unlikely she'd like another man.

Upon hearing Zheng Yi's answer, Chianti thought to himself, "Oh no."

She had never heard of the rumors that Vermouth liked women before.

Does she only like my type?

Zheng Yi asked, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Chianti took a deep breath and said to Zheng Yi, "Vermouth is harassing me."

Zheng Yi was silenced again.

"This...this...this..."

Zheng Yi hesitated for a long time, still unable to organize his thoughts.

After a long while, he said to Chianti, "Take care of yourself and try not to be alone with Vermouth."

Hearing Zheng Yi's words, Chianti felt even more disgusted.

She realized that Vermouth seemed to be genuinely looking for an environment where they could be alone together. This time, when Cohen suddenly came in at the safe house, Vermouth seemed quite disappointed, as if she had missed an opportunity.

Chianti took a deep breath.

She really felt that the organization had changed a lot.

Gin, who had always held sway within the organization, has stepped down. Many of his former comrades-in-arms have either died or been infiltrated.

Now I'm even being harassed by women!
Chianti said in a low voice, "I'm going back to investigating that Shinichi Kudo. Could you try to get Vermouth somewhere else for me?"

"I'll try my best." Zheng Yi looked on with envy.

He had never been harassed before in his life, but Chianti got to enjoy it.

Upon receiving Chianti's report, Zheng Yi immediately went to Vermouth.

He looked at Vermouth, who had a perfectly normal expression, and clicked his tongue in amazement. He never expected this.

Vermouth felt uncomfortable under Masahiro's gaze, and she frowned, asking, "What did you call me here for?"

“I received a report from Chianti saying that you are harassing her.”

"What!?"

Vermouth wondered if she had misheard. She rubbed her ears, but there was nothing wrong with them.

With his arms crossed, he looked at Vermouth and said, "I never expected you to be this kind of person, Vermouth. You said you would break Chianti's legs for Conan."

But what he was really thinking was, "Finally, I have a legitimate reason to harass Chianti. You don't actually want to play with her legs, do you?"

Vermouth understood what Zheng Yi meant, but still couldn't quite grasp it.

Chianti's self-esteem is so high that it's causing him to have such a misconception.

She couldn't help but say, "Is Chianti mentally ill?"

“What a coincidence, she also thinks you’re crazy,” Zheng Yi said.

Vermouth's lips twitched slightly.

Suppressing her anger, she said, "Go tell Chianti that I have no interest in her, and tell her to rest assured."

"You're really not interested in her?" Zheng Yi asked curiously.

Vermouth glared at him and shrank back slightly.

That's so fierce.

Zheng Yi said, "So what exactly did you do to make Chianti think you were harassing her?"

“I didn’t do anything,” Vermouth said in a low voice.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it." Zheng Yi shook his head.

He looked at Vermouth and said, "I'll try my best to suppress this news and prevent it from spreading, but I can't guarantee what will happen to Chianti."

Vermouth's eyes widened.

Upon hearing Zheng Yi's words, she knew she was doomed. That bastard Zheng Yi was definitely going to start spreading rumors about her.

……

"Chianti, I heard Vermouth is harassing you, is that true?"

Tequila, Cohen, and Vodka, three simpletons, stood together, looking at Chianti with curiosity.

"Nonsense!" Chianti said angrily. "Absolutely not! Don't believe those ridiculous rumors!"

The three simpletons exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

Chianti snorted coldly: "I have a mission. Get out of my way."

She pushed the three of them away and left without looking back.

After she left, Tequila and Vodka turned their attention to Cohen.

Cohen said, "Knowing Chianti as I do, she was definitely lying just now. Vermouth must have really harassed her."

"How could that be?"

"Incredible."

Tequila and vodka exchanged a glance, unable to hide their shock.

When this 'rumor' first started spreading within the organization, they knew that the person spreading it was Zheng Yi.

Besides him, no one else dared to spread rumors about the two codenamed members.

Now that they knew it was the original story, everyone naturally assumed it was fake and just listened for fun.

But to everyone's surprise, Chianti revealed that this 'rumor' was not actually a rumor.

Upon hearing this earth-shattering secret, Vodka bid farewell to the two and eagerly went to find Gin.

"Brother, I've heard a big secret!"

Vodka told Gin the whole story of Vermouth and Chianti's love-hate relationship.

Is this true?

“Of course.” Vodka nodded repeatedly. “I confirmed it with Chianti.”

Gin nodded, a complex expression flashing across his face.

Does that old woman Vermouth actually like women? Especially women like Chianti.

Her taste is really terrible.

"There's no need to tell me such trivial things," Gin said coldly.

After saying that, he turned to walk out the door.

Vodka asked, "Brother, what are you going to do?"

"fishing."

"What!?"

Vodka watched in shock as his older brother walked away.

fishing?

He blinked, clearly trying to lure in those spies hidden within the organization.

As he stepped forward to await his elder brother's orders, intending to capture all the undercover agents in one fell swoop, he saw his beloved brother actually put a fishing rod into the trunk of the car. (End of Chapter)