Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

These past two days, Zheng Yi and the others have still not left Hachijo Island and are still vacationing there.

But Ai always felt that Momiji's gaze towards her was strange.

That strange look in her eyes, seemingly both angry and scornful, both sad and hurtful, was hard to describe, which made Ai always wary of Momiji.

In the last two days, she has been more wary of Hongye than Zhengyi.

Sure enough, not long after, Momiji burst into her room carrying a huge stack of brand-new comic books and piled them up on Ai's bedside table with a bright smile.

"This is..." Ai looked at the rickety mountain of books, her face blank.

"Why did you suddenly buy so much? I can't possibly see it all."

"Look around, take your time. If you're not satisfied, I'll go buy more." Hongye waved her hand, displaying an air of wealth and extreme indulgence.

Xiao Ai looked at her suspiciously, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

That's strange, so very strange.

This wasn't the first time she'd felt that Hongye was acting strangely. Before, Hongye had gone to great lengths to please her by gifting her all sorts of limited-edition bags.

Not only did they give me bags, they also took me to various bag launch events.

She's only just started to show a little interest in comics, and she's already spending so much money on them.

This is definitely not a simple friendship; Hongye must have some "bad intentions" towards me.

"Why did you buy me so many?" Ai asked.

“I’ll show you,” Hongye said.

Ai's eyes were full of vigilance.

Why are you being so nice to me?
Is it just because I'm cute?

Or perhaps I've misunderstood Hongye, and that Hongye's ulterior motives aren't Zhengyi's, but rather mine?
Ai instinctively shrank her neck and gripped the bed sheet even tighter.

I don't think so.
But if it weren't for this, would Hongye have needed to be so attentive to me?
With a hint of wariness, Ai casually pulled a book from the pile and opened it.

A few minutes later, she pulled out another book and opened it again.

As the pages turned, Ai's expression grew increasingly strange.

Although these comics have different art styles, their plots are almost identical:
They were childhood sweethearts who went through hardships to finally become a couple, while the blond-haired boy who suddenly appeared in the corner regretted it for the rest of his life and wept bitterly.

"Don't you know how to buy things?" Ai said expressionlessly. "I get tired of reading the same type of comic after two or three volumes. There are so many that I can't finish reading them all."

"is it?"

Hongye stroked her chin and said, "I asked someone else to buy these for me. I don't know what the plots are. It seems that guy doesn't care at all."

But since I bought them, I might as well watch them. It would be a waste not to, as many of them are personally signed copies, and the plots seem pretty good to me.

Ai closed the comic book in her hand, looked up, and her lips twitched.

Hongye, your hints are way too obvious!
Is this still an implication?

This is practically an explicit statement, isn't it?

When I tease you, I first pique your interest, then put the comic on the bed, waiting for you to come and steal it yourself.

Compared to me, your methods are still too crude.

Ai said helplessly, "Fine, I..."

"Ai!"

Zheng Yi barged in recklessly: "What are you doing here? My employees are about to run away, aren't you going to help me keep them here?"

"Huh? Why do you have so many comics here?"

Zheng Yi casually picked up a book, flipped through it, and then quickly threw it on the bed.

Romance comics without cows aren't authentic enough.

It's too bland. It should be that childhood sweethearts suffer a lot, the boy is taken away by a stranger, and the girl is heartbroken and wants to die. The boy can't bear to see her die, so they are forced to have a happy ending.

If the plot has no twists and turns, how can it attract readers?

Shoichi looked at Ai and said, "You like watching this kind of thing?"

"No, these were all given to me by Hongye," Ai said.

Zheng Yi then looked at Hong Ye: "You actually like this kind of thing?"

“No,” Hongye said. “I thought Ai would like it, so I bought it for her to see.”

Zheng Yi shook his head and pulled Xiao Ai to help him keep the people.

He also gave Ai various instructions.

You can use the kindness you showed her when she was a child to morally blackmail her.

Xiao Ai remained silent.

You're such an immoral person, trying to morally blackmail others. That's awful.

Ai Haibara went to Naomi's lounge and, as instructed by Shoichi, began a persuasive attempt to convince her to surrender by appealing to her reason and emotions.

“Naomi,” Ai tried to make her tone sound sincere, and unconsciously her tone became somewhat similar to Shoichi’s.

"You should be aware of your current situation. That terrorist organization has your eye on you, and you were easily captured by them. Interpol's security system is utterly ineffective against them."

So come back with me. Only Zheng Yi can truly protect your safety, and he desperately needs your talent. You can come work for his company directly.”

Ai sighed silently in her heart.

Hey~
Why did I come here to act as a persuader for Zheng Yi?

"Shiho,"

"Call me Ai Haibara," Ai said.

"Ok."

Naomi nodded as she looked at the tiny Shiho.

She looked at her with an extremely strange expression.

Naomi sat on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest, tilting her head slightly: "Um... Ai, do you think I don't know anything?"

Ai was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Naomi sighed and poked Ai's cheek: "You and that Shoichi are in cahoots with that terrorist organization, aren't you? You don't think I'm still completely in the dark, do you?"

"what?"

Naomi shrugged helplessly.

“After we escaped, you never talked on the phone about things behind my back.”

I not only know that you're in cahoots, but I also know that Zheng Yi holds a very high position.

Ai Haibara fell completely silent.

is it?

So I wasn't hiding from Naomi when I made the call.

"Since you already know," Ai said, "then just go along with Masakazu. Masakazu isn't a good person. If you don't listen to him, you'll be in big trouble."

Naomi's lips twitched slightly when she heard such direct words.

She asked Ai, "Are you like this too?"

Ai nodded heavily.

Yes, yes, that's exactly me.

I've tried to run it many times, but I haven't been able to.

Well, that's not quite right either. I did have thoughts of running away, but I never actually did it.

Ai said, "Anyway, his ending was really terrible. You must have heard a lot about him when you went to Japan." Naomi nodded.

If you haven't heard of the terrifying legends of Shoichi, what's the difference between you and someone who hasn't been to Japan?

“But I think Shoichi treats you quite well,” Naomi said. “Those people on the submarine are so loud they’re afraid of scaring you. Were you really threatened by Shoichi to stay?”

“Definitely,” Ai said.

Would I lie to you?

Naomi's expression was strange; she didn't quite believe Ai's words.

Despite Naomi's skepticism, Ai continued to persuade her, "In short, Naomi, the situation is really complicated right now. Interpol is a mixed bag, and they might not be able to protect you completely."

Those who rejected Zheng Yi all met a terrible end.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud "BOOM!!!" came from outside the window.

The entire building trembled slightly, the glass windows emitted a buzzing resonance, and then a few sporadic cracking sounds seemed to come from afar.

Naomi shuddered in fright. She stared wide-eyed at Ai, who also flinched and blinked at Naomi.

Naomi asked, "This...this shouldn't be a threat, right? If I don't agree, will this place be the next one to explode?"

Ai shook her head.

She didn't know, and Zheng Yi didn't tell her about this threatening aspect.

Ai's lips twitched violently a few times, and she quickly waved her hands to explain, "No! You misunderstood! This...this should be setting off firecrackers! Yes, the kind of celebratory firecrackers!"

"Who would use a cannon of this magnitude for a celebration?!" Naomi exclaimed incredulously.

Something must have exploded.

Ai had cursed Masahiro a thousand times in her heart.

What the hell is this bastard up to?

I was supposed to talk to him and persuade him, but he's still making a scene outside!
Is it because I'm too slow in persuading her, and you want to scare Naomi to death so you can save yourself the trouble of trying to persuade her?

hateful!

Zhihao is someone I know well, how could you be so inconsiderate as to resort to violence?

She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure, and said with a dry laugh, "Well, you don't live in Japan, so you don't know that festivals here are quite lively and unrestrained."

Don't worry, it's definitely not targeting you. So, would you like to reconsider the part-time job?

Naomi sighed as she watched Ai's forced explanation: "Are you really not targeting me? But you just said that Shoichi is ruthless, and then there was an explosion outside."

This timing is too perfect; how can I believe it's not targeting me?

She looked at Ai with a complicated expression and asked, "If I don't agree, will I never be able to leave here?"

“Of course not.” Ai said seriously, “I promise, if you want to leave, I will definitely not make things difficult for you.”

“But,” Naomi said softly, “weren’t you forcibly kept here by Shoichi? You were also a prisoner of Shoichi, right? Does your word carry any weight?”

Ai's lips twitched.

What prisoner? That's a really harsh way to put it. She wasn't captured; she was rescued.

“It’s different,” Ai said. “What I say still carries some weight.”

"Yes, yes, yes." Naomi nodded.

She had met Shoichi before, and Shoichi hugged and cuddled Ai Haibara quite naturally, so Ai Haibara's words certainly carried weight.

"But I already promised Interpol."

"It's okay," Ai said. "Just report me missing, then change your name and start over."

Naomi's lips twitched.

You make it sound so casual. I have no idea how many people you've managed to snatch up using this method.

"Can I think about it some more?" Naomi said.

“No problem.” Ai didn’t force her to agree immediately.

……

After persuading Naomi, Ai walked out of the hotel and saw Shoichi watching the scene from the side, with a pungent smell of burning in the air.

She spotted Zheng Yi immediately and questioned him irritably, "What were you doing just now? Didn't you agree that I would go and persuade her? Why are you scaring her?"

Zheng Yi, hands in his pockets, turned his head innocently: "Hey, don't pin all the blame on me. I really didn't do it this time. I've been waiting for you here the whole time, and I haven't moved an inch."

"If it's not you, then what is it?" Xiao Ai looked at him suspiciously.

"Look over there." Zheng Yi pointed to the roadside not far away.

"Look, it was a black car that suddenly exploded. That loud bang came from there. It has nothing to do with me."

Ai looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a black sedan, completely wrecked, lying overturned on the side of the road, its wreckage still crackling and sparking.

Ai blinked.

Zhengyi is being far too extravagant.

To scare Naomi, they actually blew up a car, and it seemed to be a Porsche.

Wait a minute, would someone as stingy as Masakazu really scare Naomi with such an expensive car?
That's not right either. If it were someone else's car, then it would be something they would be willing to part with.

Zheng Yi squinted and stared at the wrecked car for a long time, his brows furrowing slightly as he muttered to himself, "But... what brand is that car? Why does it look so familiar?"

As he spoke, he thoughtfully stroked his chin, as if trying to recall something:
"Those retro lines, and that iconic body silhouette... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before. Could it be some classic old car?"

Following his gaze, Ai also carefully examined the pile of scrap metal.

"It looks like a Porsche, but I can't tell which model it is." Ai looked at Masakazu: "Really not you?"

"Am I crazy? If it were me, I'd blow up Naomi's room. It's just a noise, nothing serious, what's the point?" Zheng Yi said.

Ai nodded.

Yes, this might really be a coincidence.

Zheng Yi asked, "So, did she agree?"

“She probably agreed,” Ai said. “She said she needed to think about it, but judging from her expression, she already agreed.”

Zheng Yi stretched.

That's good.

Ai looked up, puzzled, and asked, "What do you want Naomi for? What's her purpose?"

“If I don’t take in such a talent, am I supposed to leave him for the organization?” Zheng Yi said.

Ai's lips twitched.

Are you just a simple collector?
"What does the organization want her for? It can't be to arrest me, can it?" Ai asked again.

"You're overthinking it. You're not that important to me."

"Snapped!"

Ai patted Seiichi once.

Although it's a good thing that she's not important to the organization, she doesn't like Zheng Yi's tone.

Zheng Yi rubbed the spot where he had just been hit and said with dissatisfaction, "How should I know? It was Rum who was arresting people this time. Who knows what his purpose is?"

Zheng Yi made an irresponsible guess: "Maybe the boss wants to take a spontaneous trip and abandon the organization. Rum is frantic and wants to use this system to find the boss."

"Heh," Ai said with a cold laugh, "You think you're the boss?"

With so much work to do, how can I just leave?

Zheng Yi muttered under his breath, "Maybe." (End of Chapter)