Suzuki Sonoko froze, then lowered her head to glare at the talkative brat. Facing Kazawa's curious gaze, she said, "Ah, that's right… I'm accompanying my sister Ayako to meet her fiancé. Um, she'll be here soon..."
After hearing this, Kazawa nodded in sudden realization.
He wasn't remembering Sonoko's travel schedule, but recalling the case details.
This was one of the classic stories—Suzuki Ayako and her haunted house. What made it more special was that the deceased in this case was the father of Ayako's fiancé.
You said you were going to meet your fiancé's family—why would you bring Conan along instead of a proper gift? Kazawa shook his head sympathetically.
This was the ultimate version of "sending warmth"—bringing Conan to your in-laws to shoot an episode. What a sin...
Recalling the overall case, Kazawa quickly came up with an idea.
"You guys came here to eat?" Kazawa narrowed his eyes and smiled at Sonoko. "Want to try surfing with us? I saw a rental place on the beach..."
Suzuki Sonoko's eyes nearly turned into pink bubbles. She nodded eagerly without even paying attention to what Kazawa said.
Kazawa took the lead and walked toward the beach. As he walked, he picked up his phone and quickly sent a message to Xingchuan Hui:
[Start the alternate world navigation and search for a name: Tetsuji Tozawa.]
Seconds later, a reply came:
[No response.]
[Got it. Can you check where the subway is in Izu City?]
———
While Kazawa was busy with phantom thief business, Amuro Toru, dressed as a courier, was walking through the streets of 2-chome.
"22..." After confirming the house number, Amuro Toru pulled down his cap and rang the doorbell at the front gate.
After pressing the intercom button, he smiled in a business-like way at the camera and said, "Hello, is this Dr. Agasa? There's a package for you."
A few seconds later, the electric gate slid open on both sides. He walked along the wet garden path—still damp from the rain—and reached the door.
"Please sign here." Like a professional courier, Amuro Toru handed the waybill to Dr. Agasa, who had just opened the door.
"Oh, okay. Thanks for your help." Dr. Agasa took the package and stamped his name on the form, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.
Dr. Agasa was an unknown inventor, whose role was roughly equal to Conan's Doraemon. He had created many high-tech gadgets for Conan.
He often bought materials for experiments in small quantities through mail, so much so that he couldn't even keep track of how many parcels he received.
Still in good spirits, Dr. Agasa returned to the living room and began unpacking the package, muttering, "Could be the circuit board I ordered earlier... judging by the size, maybe it's a new reagent. Let's see what this is... Hm? Ai? What's wrong with you?"
Haibara Ai was curled up in a corner of the sofa, wearing loose pajamas. She trembled, hugged her shoulders tightly, buried her head in her arms, and didn't dare to move.
"Are you having a fever again?" Although Dr. Agasa had been wary at first because of her identity, he quickly switched into his role as a doting elder. Seeing her in discomfort, he walked around the table to her side. "Wait a moment, I'll find you a blanket..."
The old man, who was usually relaxed and casual, set the package down on the table and headed toward the bedroom while muttering to himself.
Haibara Ai, finally managing to calm down a bit from her fear and chills, fixed her eyes on the package he had casually placed.
"Is it... 'their breath'?" she whispered to herself, looking at the now-closed door.
Who was that man just now? Could he be from the organization? Were they trying to find out where she had gone?
Or was it the package...
Haibara Ai looked at the parcel hesitantly. Eventually, she picked it up, hesitated for a few seconds, and then began to open the outer seal.
It was standard brown kraft paper packaging, nothing suspicious.
Inside, there was a row of test tubes, condensers, and other lab equipment, all wrapped in inflatable padding. Still, nothing unusual.
Haibara Ai had been worried that opening it might trigger a time bomb. Seeing nothing dangerous, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
She was about to return the mail to where it was when her palm touched something hard stuck to the bottom of the box.
Something rigid was stuck to the inside of the paper bag...
She used a bit of force, and soon, a black flyer that had been taped to the bottom was torn off.
Just one glance—and Haibara Ai's pupils shrank.
It was an ad for a newly opened liquor store.
As if trying to highlight their product range, the flyer featured several unusual liquors in large print.
The first bottle shown was a crystal-clear liqueur with a black label.
"Kummel..." Haibara Ai gritted her teeth as she read the name on the label.
Goro Akechi's smiling face, Hayato Tunkouchi's blank stare behind his instruments, and Akira Karasawa's unfamiliar smiling photo...
Just this one word was enough to bring back many memories. Haibara Ai covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly.
Was this a coincidence? Or a warning from Kumail?
If he was seeking revenge, she had nothing to say. No matter what, she had been one of the sources of his long-term pain.
She was the one who had injected the drug. She had no right to act like it was out of her hands, or that she had her own hardships...
Even if she were to die at Kumail's hands, it would be fate—a kind of retribution.
But... Dr. Agasa, Kudo Shinichi—if they discovered she had shrunk... If the true effects of APTX4869 were found out...
"Ai, are you still shaking? Hmm? What's this? Oh, just an ad stuck to the parcel. Looks like a liquor shop in 4-chome. Seems to have partnered with a courier company lately. They often attach flyers like this... What's wrong? Ai? Ai?"
———
[Package delivered. What's going on? Why suddenly ask me to deliver something to 2-chome? Is there something happening with Hoshikawa Teru?]
[Thanks for the help. Nothing wrong with Xingchuan Hui. I just needed someone to run a test for me. Don't worry, I'll tell you in advance if something comes up!]
[You better be serious.]
After reading Amuro Toru's slightly annoyed reply, Kazawa suppressed a laugh and exited the email.
Kazawa already knew those promotional flyers were being attached to packages lately.
Although he was a poor soul who bought a villa but had to sleep in the attic, that villa was still one of his main bases. Kazawa often visited.
He had personally visited that liquor store and bought a bottle of Kummel.
It was the bottle he had secretly brought to Asami Uchida's birthday party—the one placed on the table to lure Conan into drinking.
So, after hearing that Amuro Toru had returned to Tokyo, Karasawa asked him to deliver a package to 2-chome.
Haibara Ai's radar was very sharp. She could sense the breath of organization members, and now she had seen the liquor name. She was probably trembling with fear, torn between wanting to run away and fearing that the organization didn't actually know where she was—that they were just testing her. If she ran now, she might fall into a trap...
Now, she should become more cautious when revealing information about the organization. Haibara Ai is a mystery-type character, so for now there's no need to worry about her spilling everything the moment he returns to Tokyo.
After casting a silencing spell from a distance on his misfortunate little sister, Kazawa put away his phone and happily stepped out of the car.
"I really don't know where you got this information from." Miyano Akemi, who was in the passenger seat, stepped out holding a large-caliber shotgun. She looked at the distorted, multicolored space in front of them. "I didn't see you enter the cognitive world... Where did you hear the name 'Tozawa Tetsuji'?"
"Guess he's just too unlucky." Kazawa stretched his body. A dark cloak and a grim bone mask appeared from the void and floated behind him. "I'm just such a kind person—I can't stand seeing these... twenty faces!"