"Which research institute are you exchanging with?"
Natsuyu asked Alhaitham, her curiosity evident.
"White Dove Pharmaceuticals."
"…Huh?"
Natsuyu blinked. "If I remember correctly, isn't that institute connected to the Black Organization? Won't you be in danger?"
She said it aloud, but truthfully, she wasn't overly worried. She knew Alhaitham well enough—calm, rational, and never someone who acted without confidence or preparation.
"It's fine," Alhaitham replied evenly. "Just a standard academic exchange."
Sensing how steady his emotional state was, Natsuyu didn't press further. Although a part of her consciousness resided within him, Alhaitham was still, in many ways, an independent individual—fully capable of judging situations and protecting himself.
Still, she added a reminder,
"If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to say so."
Alhaitham nodded.
After their conversation, Natsuyu prepared to summon Lisa as well.
Lisa appeared wearing a short purple dress, her brown hair loosely tied to the side of her shoulder. Her Electro Vision hung at her neck like a pendant, glowing faintly.
Natsuyu separated a strand of her consciousness and entered Lisa's body. Moments later, Lisa opened her green eyes, lightly organizing the memories that flowed in—then smiled warmly at Natsuyu.
"My, my~ little cutie, long time no see."
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Hmm… no, that's not quite right. We just met in the mirror earlier. But seeing you from this angle for the first time—how intriguing~ Hehe."
Being teased by such a beautiful older woman for the first time—even if that woman was technically herself—made Natsuyu flush slightly.
Lisa noticed immediately and leaned closer.
"Oh? Little cutie, are you blushing?"
Natsuyu turned her head away and quickly changed the subject.
"Cough—Lisa, what identity did you get?"
Seeing how flustered she was, Lisa mercifully followed along.
"Let's see… Ah, your big sister just applied to be a librarian at Beika Library. I start work next week."
Natsuyu noticed it again—another identity tied closely to the Detective Conan storyline. It seemed future characters would inevitably be woven into the plot as well. Perhaps, eventually, every one of them would appear before Conan at least once.
Both Alhaitham and Lisa already had their own places to stay, so Natsuyu didn't keep them any longer. If anything came up, they could always communicate directly through the system.
Right on cue, Paimon informed her of the day's Daily Commissions, so Natsuyu headed out to complete tasks and earn Primogems.
After two busy days, she had saved up enough for roughly three pulls—still a fair distance from the coveted ten-pull.
Through daily commissions and the occasional side quest, Natsuyu realized that this world wasn't much different from Teyvat. Either she was helping someone find a lost cat, delivering items, or filling in as a temporary worker at short notice. The rewards weren't impressive—certainly nowhere near what World Quests offered.
What she truly hoped for now was the refresh of more World Quests. With only three members—including herself—this so-called organization was still painfully understaffed.
And while Natsuyu continued striving for Primogems, Alhaitham finally迎 arrived at the day of his formal exchange with White Dove Pharmaceuticals.
He arrived precisely at the appointed time. The research institute's representative was already waiting at the entrance.
Upon seeing Alhaitham, the representative quickly stepped forward to greet him.
After a brief exchange, the representative noticed Alhaitham's apparent lack of interest in pleasantries and refrained from further small talk, moving straight to academic discussion with the research staff.
Throughout the exchange, Alhaitham spoke very little. Yet every concise comment he offered proved highly enlightening, providing substantial inspiration for the researchers' experiments.
The more they listened, the more impressed they became. Eventually, they even invited Alhaitham to tour portions of the laboratory showcasing semi-finished research成果—naturally, only the parts deemed suitable for outsiders—in hopes of receiving improvement suggestions.
During the tour, Alhaitham sensed a faint gaze upon him.
His eyes casually swept over a hidden surveillance camera tucked into a corner of the lab. His expression remained unchanged.
Everything he did was being watched.
Behind the monitors sat Gin and Vodka of the Black Organization.
This institute was under the organization's control. With outsiders visiting, surveillance was a necessity—to ensure nothing improper was seen, and nothing improper taken.
Gin had been placed in charge of this facility. He'd initially assumed it would be nothing more than routine monitoring—boring, but not something to be careless about. As he observed Alhaitham's behavior more closely, however, his interest sharpened.
"…Interesting."
Noticing the change in Gin's mood, Vodka spoke up immediately.
"Boss, is this outsider pulling something? Want me to take care of him?"
Gin stopped Vodka from standing with a glance.
"No. He simply noticed the cameras."
"Huh? They were hidden that well—how did he spot them?"
Vodka was genuinely surprised, though he never doubted Gin's judgment. If Gin said he noticed, then he had noticed. What puzzled him was how a visiting scholar could be that perceptive.
"Heh."
Gin smirked.
"Send a few operatives to probe him."
"Understood, boss."
Gin's eyes remained locked on Alhaitham's face on the monitor, his smile slowly widening.
You'd better not be a rat sent by another organization…
Because watching that calm, rational expression twist into terror—stained red with blood—would be rather exhilarating.
During a break in the tour, Alhaitham went to the restroom.
On his way back to the laboratory, he walked steadily while observing his surroundings.
Suddenly, a girl appeared in front of him.
She had short brown hair, wore a white lab coat, and held a cup in her hand—apparently on her way to wash it.
Comparing her appearance to his memories of the anime, Alhaitham quickly identified her.
Miyano Shiho.
Still part of the Black Organization.
Miyano Shiho stiffened upon seeing an unfamiliar man. Her gaze sharpened with caution.
"Who are you? You're not from this institute."
"Alhaitham," he replied calmly. "A scholar invited for today's exchange."
She vaguely remembered hearing about an upcoming academic visit but hadn't paid much attention. So it's today, she realized. Once she confirmed he wasn't affiliated with the organization, her guard lowered.
Seeing that she had no further questions, Alhaitham didn't intend to linger. He stepped past her, preparing to leave.
"Wait."
Miyano Shiho hesitated, then spoke. The visiting scholar looked no older than a university student—barely in his twenties.
Alhaitham turned back.
"If you don't have important business here," she said quietly, "it'd be better for you to leave as soon as possible."
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away.
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow slightly at her warning. His expression remained composed as he continued down the corridor.