Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Inside the bar, Bourbon sat alone in the corner of the bar.

"The organization has identified a suspicious high school student."

He frowned slightly.

This news came too suddenly.

This information came from an outsider he had bribed, who was ordered by Gin to closely monitor a high school student.

Gin had been investigating for a while, and now it seems he has locked onto his target.

But this is too much of a coincidence.

Bourbon downed the last of the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"What are you thinking about, so engrossed?" A languid female voice came from beside me.

Bourbon didn't turn around, but glanced sideways and caught a familiar black figure out of the corner of his eye.

Vermouth had somehow ended up sitting next to him, a slender cigarette between her fingers, looking at him with a half-smile.

“Nothing,” Bourbon said calmly. “I just feel that the wine tonight doesn’t taste quite right.”

"Is that so?" Vermouth chuckled, a cigarette between her fingers as she slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"It's because the taste is wrong. I bought it from Zheng Yi, so it must have been diluted with water."

"Forehead."

Bourbon was taken aback. He took a small sip and found the flavor was indeed a bit bland.

"Is this how he always does business?" Bourbon was speechless.

Vermouth shook her head: "No, this is a special edition for the organization."

Bourbon remained silent.

Fortunately, Zheng Yi only harmed his organization members and did not intend to harm consumers.

Bourbon suddenly realized that this was not the first time Vermouth had appeared beside him.

He began, "Don't you have any missions lately? We seem to be seeing each other quite a lot lately."

Is she spying on me?
“Really?” Vermouth raised an eyebrow.

“Vermouth,” Bourbon began, his voice extremely low, “you seem to have a lot of free time lately.”

"Free?" She flicked the ash into the ashtray. "Just right. You're being a bit too suspicious."

"Really? I hope I'm just being paranoid," Bourbon said softly.

Bourbon glanced at Vermouth.

Gin even handed her over to monitor me, could it be that he really found that high school student?

A hint of tension flashed in Vermouth's eyes.

A male high school student whose identity cannot be verified...

Vermouth's red lips curved slightly, but there was no hint of a smile in her eyes.

She knows Gin too well.

Gin never makes a big fuss without a reason. The fact that he released this news means that he must have found something.

While Bourbon went to the restroom, Vermouth's fingers lightly caressed the rim of her wine glass, and her heart sank suddenly.

"Could that high school student be Shinichi Kudo?"

Sherry is a useless thing; the antidote she developed has too many problems, causing people to revert back to their original form every now and then.

This greatly increases the likelihood that Gin will discover Shinichi's anomaly.

If Gin really does find Shinichi Kudo...

"No, it can't be." Vermouth closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

She needs to confirm this before Gin finds out the truth.

Vermouth glanced at the location of the toilet.

Gin sent her to monitor Bourbon. Does Bourbon have some kind of relationship with that high school student?
Bourbon and Shinichi…

Meanwhile, in a ward at Beika Central Hospital.

Rena Mizunashi was lying in her hospital bed, looking out at the gloomy sky.

Just then, her spare phone, hidden under her pillow, vibrated very slightly.

Rena Mizunashi glanced quickly at the content on the screen.

Rena Mizunashi's pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Yingyou...has he been discovered?"

The image of her younger brother, Hondo Eisuke, with his perpetually bewildered and innocent face, instantly flashed into her mind.

News has just come in that Gin has found the high school student.

No, it's impossible.

Zheng Yi said he would protect Ying You, but the organization is still very powerful, and Zheng Yi may not be able to completely cover up the news.

……

Rena Mizunashi wrapped her trench coat tighter and, under the cover of night, quietly left the hospital.

She secretly came to Zheng's house.

He climbed through the window and saw Zheng Yi pinning down a little girl and feeding her medicine.

Seeing her come in, the little girl calmly got up from the ground and dusted herself off, as if nothing had happened.

Zheng Yi said in a low voice, "There's nothing I can do if the child doesn't like to take medicine."

"Uh~"

Rena Mizunashi nodded, indicating that she understood.

"Just say what's on your mind," Zheng Yi said.

Rena Mizunashi glanced at Ai and asked, "Has Gin found out about Eisuke? How is he now?"

“Don’t worry,” Zheng Yi said casually, “Gin hasn’t found anyone, he hasn’t even caught a glimpse of him.”

Rena Mizunashi paused for a moment, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly, but her brows remained furrowed: "Didn't find it? Then I..."

“He’s fishing,” Zheng Yi said, shrugging.

Rena Mizunashi was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

She was too impatient.

If Yingyou is indeed found, the news probably won't reach her.

She was just being too concerned.

Zheng Yi said, "Gin is currently preoccupied with who Bourbon met on March 21st. He's setting up a trap for Bourbon."

"Setting up a trap for Bourbon?"

Rena Mizunashi looked at Shoichi with a puzzled expression, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Setting up a trap for Bourbon?" She repeated the sentence, her mind still a little confused. "If there were to be a trap, it would be for me, so how did it become a trap for Bourbon?"

Seeing her bewildered expression, Zheng Yi told her what he had done.

Rena Mizunashi was stunned after hearing this.

She opened her mouth, but after a long pause, she managed to utter, "You're amazing."

She was truly convinced.

"Better to sacrifice your friend than yourself"—this tactic is used with unparalleled skill.

It was clearly a crisis for her brother, but Zheng Yi not only resolved it with ease, but also conveniently shifted the blame onto Bo himself.

Anyway, Bourbon is also a member of the organization.

Rena Mizunashi took a deep breath. Internal strife among organization members could be considered a good thing.

As long as Gin's attention isn't on Eisuke, it's fine.

The night was as dark as ink, and the Porsche 356A was quietly parked at the entrance of a secluded alley.

“Brother,” Vodka said in a low voice from the passenger seat, “the message has been sent out as you instructed.”

Chianti and Cohen have already set up checkpoints at several major intersections in Beika Town, and several lower-level members are conducting a dragnet search on the outskirts.

"If that high school student dares to show his face, he'll have no chance of escaping."

The actions were obviously fake.

Gin had no idea who the high school student who met with Bourbon was.

This action was not fake.

The goal is to lure the snake out of its hole; if someone comes to rescue them, they can be captured immediately.

"What about Bourbon?" Gin asked.

"The message has reached him. We'll know soon enough whether he's alright," Vodka said. Gin's lips curled into a cold smile.

If Bourbon really had nothing to do with that high school student, he could have lived his life as usual.

“Keep Vermouth watching.” Gin stubbed out his cigarette. “I want to see how long he can keep up this act.”

the next day.

In an apartment building across from Poirot Cafe, Vermouth stood behind a gap in the curtains, holding a pair of high-powered binoculars, quietly watching the busy figure inside the cafe.

She has been here for several hours.

Bourbon wipes the table, washes the cups, and takes orders from customers—every movement is natural.

That sunny and handsome face always wore a perfectly gentle smile.

After staring at it for a while, Vermouth felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.

Does Bourbon know that Gin is going to arrest that high school student?
He wasn't worried at all about whether this guy had any connection with 'high school students', and he didn't even have the slightest thought of taking any action.

If he wanted to do something, Vermouth had already figured out how to create an alibi for him, but he did nothing.

Amuro Tooru stood behind the bar, holding a clean rag in his hand, wiping the wooden countertop.

He raised his head slightly, saw the reflection in the glass, and then lowered his head again.

Just minutes ago, he learned through his channels about Gin's next move.

The organization has mobilized Chianti, Cohen, and others to lay a trap at several major intersections in Beika Town, just waiting for the "suspicious high school student" to show up.

Amuro Tooru stopped what he was doing and casually draped the rag over the bar.

To go or not to go?

Gin was staring at him.

If they take any action, the chances of being discovered are too high.

"I can't go." Amuro Tooru took a deep breath.

To be on the safe side, we shouldn't go out.

Vermouth put down her binoculars and turned to walk to the table.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Bourbon could wait, but she didn't have the patience.

If Gin really traces it back to Shinichi, that would be troublesome.

I don't know if Zheng Yi is reliable or not, or if he will protect Xin Yi.

She needs to be there in person to feel at ease.

Abandoned factory area in Beito-cho.

On the abandoned water tower, thirty meters above the ground, Chianti lay prone on the metal frame, her eyes fixed on every possible intersection below through the scope of her sniper rifle.

"Damn it..." Chianti gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

She lay there for almost two hours and didn't see a single ghost.

"..."

Cohen, who was lying not far from her, also remained silent.

It's a bit cold today, and he's not wearing enough clothes.

Meanwhile, in the dark alleys around the factory area, behind abandoned containers, and even at the entrances to the sewers, a dozen or so members of the organization dressed in black were lying in ambush, holding their breath.

The Porsche 356A was parked in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras two blocks away.

“Brother,” Vodka said in a low voice, “Chianti said there’s nothing unusual in the target area.”

"Ah."

Wearing a black bodysuit, Vermouth silently entered the edge of the factory area into an abandoned residential building.

She stood behind a broken window on the third floor, looking down at the entire ambush area.

Chianti's sniping position, Cohen's cover position, the deployment route of the men in black on the perimeter...

Even the location where Gin's Porsche 356A was parked was completely visible.

Will anyone actually come?

Just as Chianti's crosshair shifted away out of boredom, a high school student wearing a dark hoodie and a black mask walked out from the east side without warning.

Gin sneered; the show was about to begin.

"Big brother..." Vodka's eyes widened suddenly: "This...this person isn't the bait we arranged!"

Gin's cigarette, which he had been holding between his fingers, stopped in mid-air.

A rare look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"It wasn't arranged by us?"

coincidence?

Could it be that they actually caught someone?
"Make your move," Gin ordered after a brief hesitation.

Now that we've arrived, let's get started.

"Roger that!"

After the high school student arrived, he shouted to the surroundings, "I'm here! Let my friend go!!"

That voice, that tone, even the slightly rising intonation at the end...

He looks a bit like Shinichi Kudo.

As Gin gave the order, the men in black began to move toward the high school student.

That high school boy was quite skilled; he took down two men in black in quick succession.

The man in black seemed to be holding something back, as he didn't draw his gun and only wanted to capture the man alive.

But after all, two fists can't fight four hands, and just when the high school student was about to be defeated.

"boom!"

Just at this critical moment, a muffled gunshot pierced the night sky.

The black-clad member at the forefront didn't even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground, blood gushing from his shoulder.

"Who fired that shot?!" Chianti quickly searched for the person's location through the sniper scope.

Gin, inside the Porsche, also became excited after hearing the gunshot.

So they finally made their move?

In an abandoned residential building on the edge of the factory area, Vermouth slowly lowered the gun she was holding, which was fitted with a silencer.

She looked down at the chaotic ambush below, where the organization's members were clearly thrown into disarray by the gunshot and began searching for cover.

The high school student then went into hiding.

"That person really looks like Shinichi."

Vermouth bit her red lips and shouted for her friend to be released.

Did the organization arrest Xiaolan?

Vermouth was in a state of utter confusion.

"Forget about that brat! Find the person who fired the shot! I want him alive!"

"Roger that!"

Vermouth was preparing to move to a new location under the cover of night when she saw that everyone in the organization was rushing towards her, while the high school student was ignored.

Through the window, she even saw the high school student helping the guy who had been shot.

We've fallen for their trap!
Vermouth felt a little dizzy.

In just one second, she realized that the high school student was suspicious and that Gin was trying to use him to lure someone else.

It seems the person he was trying to hook wasn't himself, but Bourbon; he just happened to walk right into it.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down; she had to run now.

Although it's unclear why Gin was testing Bourbon this time.

But if Gin catches me, it will be really hard to explain.

Outside the window, Chianti's bullets had already grazed the window frame and entered, shards of glass scattering everywhere.

The man in black burst in, and Vermouth threw a smoke bomb on the spot.

"Cough cough cough~"

When the smoke cleared, there was no one inside.

Chianti, who was on the iron frame, quickly spotted the escaped Vermouth.

"At three o'clock, do you want me to shoot him?"

"No need." (End of Chapter)