In the case of ghosts, disguises are actually pretty hard to see through. You really have to get up close and inspect them to be sure.
That said, Jiangxia Tongzhi figured that even if Vermouth's killing intent wasn't as sharp as Gin's, it couldn't be that far off. That, at least, was a decent benchmark for recognizing her in the future.
For now, all he had were photos to work with. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
The reason the parent ghosts clung to his leg whenever Vermouth appeared was because some spiritualists have a unique kind of aura. Some attract spirits and make them feel comfortable; others repel them, like they've rubbed themselves in garlic.
According to Jiangxia's observations, his aura definitely leaned toward the "friendly neighborhood exorcist" type. Vermouth, for whatever reason, seemed especially susceptible to it.
Normally, if Jiangxia didn't actively dial it up, his aura wouldn't do much—maybe win him a free drink here and there. But if he chose to amplify it, the results were… noticeable.
Even better, the parent ghosts, being freakishly magical, amplified his aura like a stereo turned to eleven.
Jiangxia wasn't exactly fond of running his aura full-time, but when it came to Vermouth, this accidental "non-skill" might just come in handy—especially if it could stop her from sneak-attacking him out of nowhere.
…
In Jiangxia's mind, there were about three main ways to handle Vermouth.
Option one: threaten her using Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo.
Those two classmates were clearly her weak points. And Jiangxia had way easier access to them than Vermouth ever would.
But threatening someone's weakness was always a gamble. Even normal people, when cornered, might start planning elaborate murders. Vermouth, as a professional killer in heels, would probably skip straight to the murder part.
And besides, villains ought to act like proper villains. Jiangxia had no plans to hurt the classmates—he'd even rescue them, if push came to shove. If Vermouth ever figured that out, his "hostage tactic" would become… embarrassingly ineffective.
So, better to convert her into a friendly murder-supplier.
After all, when it came to Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri, his objectives didn't really clash with the so-called Thousand-Faced Witch's. In fact, they kind of aligned.
…
Now, if the above strategies didn't work—and Vermouth decided Jiangxia was a threat to the Organization who absolutely must be taken out…
Well, then he'd just pick up another Vermouth ghost.
Simple as that.
In any case, the fact that he had options meant the situation wasn't that dire.
Plus, everyone dies eventually. If Vermouth had ghost fetus potential, then she'd become a Jiangxia ghost sooner or later.
That said, ghostification was a one-way trip. And besides, she might not even become a ghost fetus. Also, Jiangxia wasn't exactly short on ghost girls at the moment...
So might as well keep Vermouth alive for as long as possible. That way he could continue farming her killing intent, while also providing the case-magnetic classmates with a free, murder-y Distillery bodyguard.
Win-win.
…
Once the parent ghosts had memorized Vermouth's face, Jiangxia stopped worrying and went back to flipping through the agency appointment book he'd brought home, hunting for any familiar names.
…
After reading the news about Vermouth's retirement from the big screen, Jiangxia waited for a few days. But to his disappointment, life didn't change.
He guessed it was either because Vermouth had nothing to do with his current assignments… or she hadn't even arrived in Japan yet.
It wasn't until a week later—when Jiangxia had been invited to a design firm for a little chat and happened to incidentally solve a case on the side—that he received a message from Gin:
[Day after tomorrow, 11:30 AM, Beika General Building North Gate]
Jiangxia, standing behind a police officer at the time, discreetly checked his phone and sent a "received" reply.
Then he started to wonder: was this a new mission, or Vermouth-related? Technically, Ouzo (his Organization identity) and Vermouth had no connection. But if she'd seen the whole "Shinichi Kudo's ghost sighting" news and figured out Jiangxia = Ouzo, maybe she would try to meet him.
…
After finishing his statement at the police station and stepping outside, Jiangxia had just hopped on his motorcycle when his other phone—the normal, civilian one—vibrated.
He checked it. A message from Sonoko Suzuki:
[Are you free the day after tomorrow? I got tickets to the TWO-MIX concert!]
Jiangxia: "…"
Was it too late to tell Gin he had plans?
He hesitated. In the end, he chose not to bail on the Organization.
He remembered the keywords "TWO-MIX concert" from his case archive. No one died in that one, so he probably wouldn't be picking up any ghosts. Maybe just harvesting a bit of ambient killing intent.
And if it was killing intent he was after… Gin had plenty. And Vermouth might show up too. Her killing intent was probably high-grade, premium spiritual fertilizer. Jiangxia was definitely curious how much he could collect.
He spaced out for a second, then replied to Sonoko:
[Sorry, I've got a commission that day. Not sure about the details or how long it'll run.]
He didn't give a firm no—if Gin just wanted a status update and tossed him a few generic assassination names like last time, he'd be done in no time. Jiangxia could totally swing by the Organization meetup, then race off to the concert and absorb a second helping of killing intent.
Time was tight, sure. But with more ghosts came greater killing intent consumption. He had to hustle if he wanted to support all his ghosts and ascend the ranks of spiritualisthood…
…
The Beika General Building mentioned in Gin's message wasn't far from the concert venue where Sonoko and the others were going.
Which meant Conan might show up nearby.
Jiangxia, not wanting to blow his cover with the Red Team, especially not in front of Conan, took precautions. The last thing he needed was to be seen stepping into a black Porsche with a silver-haired man at the wheel.
So he changed into clothes he rarely wore, added a cap with an extra-long brim, and even wrapped a scarf around his face. With this much effort, even the neighbors probably wouldn't recognize him at first glance.
The south side of the Beika General Building was bustling—smack in the middle of the commercial district. But the north gate, where he was supposed to meet Gin, was much quieter.
Since he was meeting his "boss," Jiangxia showed up a little early.
He defaulted to waiting at the corner of the street. But with Conan possibly prowling nearby, he retreated into the shadow of a tree, found a low-key little nook, and settled in to play on his phone while waiting for the car.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 60/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*