Chapter 63: The Organization Enters
A blanket of white snow draped Tokyo in pristine garments. The wind howled as doors and windows of every house were tightly shut.
Nightlife had diminished due to the heavy snowfall, with most people staying indoors to enjoy the warmth of heating and fireplaces.
Frank's villa was brightly lit, its roof and grounds covered in a thick layer of snow.
The armored van acquired from their Agency contacts pulled up in front of the door. After confirming the cargo area was cleared out, Frank, bundled up like a snowman, stepped out.
With his emergence, a wisp of warm air billowed from the van, instantly transforming into white mist in the freezing exterior.
Frank tugged at his collar. "So cold."
He quickly rushed inside to warm up. Upon entering, he found Natsukawa still on the phone.
"Miss Yor, I'll leave Anya in your care for now."
"No problem. I just bought groceries today and am planning to cook. It'll be a good opportunity for Anya to try my cooking. My younger brother absolutely loves my food."
"Really? That's wonderful! Miss Yor is so talented. If I weren't busy right now, I'd love to try it myself."
"Uh, is that so? If, if Mr. Natsukawa wants to try, I, I can make something. Another day..."
"Then it's settled." Natsukawa readily agreed.
Miss Yor is beautiful and kind-hearted. Her cooking must be delicious.
After the call ended, Natsukawa examined himself in the mirror, scrutinizing Tequila's face.
"Is all this really necessary? Didn't we already find a way to notify the FBI? What do we even need to do there? Besides, you alone would be enough. Why drag me along?" Frank complained, smacking his lips. He hated going out on snowy days—it was too cold.
"Of course it's necessary. Don't you want to see the goddess Yukiko Kudo in person?" Natsukawa smiled and gestured invitingly.
"You win." Frank raised his hands in surrender. ┗(∧｀)┛
Nothing could stop him from meeting his idol, not even heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures.
"What's the situation around the location?"
Natsukawa asked about the suburban cabin where Conan had been taken by the Kudo couple.
"Several suspicious vehicles have passed by multiple times. The FBI should be in position and surveying the area now."
Natsukawa's plan was relatively straightforward: use the Kudo family's prank to lure out Akai Shuichi and antagonize him.
As for the reason? It was, of course, the Agency's request. Getting paid to annoy someone made perfect sense.
Natsukawa also arranged for the Organization to make an appearance. Providing Akai Shuichi's location would help Tequila gain more influence within the Organization. Gin already despised Akai Shuichi to his core. If he could irritate Akai while simultaneously increasing Gin's favorable opinion of Tequila, he might learn more about the Organization's inner workings.
As his thoughts raced, Natsukawa's phone rang.
He glanced at the number.
Vodka.
The Organization seems to have taken the bait.
"Tequila, are you certain you've found traces of Akai Shuichi?" Vodka's voice was cold—whether from the temperature or his hatred for Akai was unclear.
The latter was more likely. It seemed Akai Shuichi had deceived Vodka considerably during his time in the Organization.
"Of course I'm telling the truth. Do you think I wouldn't recognize Akai Shuichi's face?"
Natsukawa appeared calm, but he was actually bluffing Vodka. He didn't know if Tequila had met Akai Shuichi, but since Akai had infiltrated the Organization for years under the codename Rye, it was highly probable they had crossed paths.
"Alright, the Boss has approved tonight's operation. But if you dare lie to us, betray the Organization—you know the consequences."
"Don't worry, I won't risk my life to deceive you. I don't want to be hunted by Gin."
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Vodka was probably communicating with others simultaneously, rustling sounds audible.
"Okay, where are you? I'll pick you up now."
After providing an address, Natsukawa had Frank drive him to the agreed location.
"Wait nearby. As soon as you hear gunshots, go retrieve Conan and the Kudo couple. You'll definitely get their autographs!"
After issuing instructions, Natsukawa added, "Oh, and remember to wear your mask. Concealing your identity is the top priority."
The show had to proceed, but Conan and the Kudo couple couldn't be allowed to get hurt. He felt that even without Frank's intervention, the three wouldn't die, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After all, Shinichi Kudo's face had several lookalikes throughout the Detective Conan world. Who knew if the narrative might temporarily change protagonists? They all looked pretty much the same anyway.
Frank was filled with confusion and uncertainty. Only now did he learn from Natsukawa that Conan was the Kudo couple's son. His stunned expression clearly showed disbelief.
His goddess already had a child, while he was still perpetually single.
Moreover, this couple was so peculiar—actually pretending to be kidnappers to terrify their own son. Novelists' imaginations definitely weren't normal.
But how does Natsukawa know all this?
He must have other intelligence sources!
Time and again, Frank felt his emotions being trampled, but with the situation urgent, he didn't have time to question these details. He drove toward the location indicated by the Detective Badge.
The speed was somewhat slow, and the driving was shaky.
But there was no alternative. Frank had only learned to drive recently under Natsukawa's pressure.
It was already quite remarkable that he could drive at all, thanks entirely to the automatic transmission that didn't require a clutch.
Fortunately, few cars were on the road tonight, greatly reducing accident risk.
The Organization Arrives
About ten minutes after Frank departed, a black Porsche 356A arrived, its tires crunching through snow, white exhaust billowing, coming to a steady stop before Natsukawa.
Natsukawa opened the passenger door and entered.
With Gin still in Hokkaido, Natsukawa happily claimed this reserved seat.
It wasn't that he specifically wanted to sit up front—there were already passengers in the back.
"Cohen, Chianti, you're here too." Natsukawa, wearing Tequila's face, turned to acknowledge the two Organization snipers.
"Tequila, you haven't betrayed us, have you? How could you possibly have discovered Akai Shuichi's whereabouts?"
Cohen sneered from the back seat as the car drove through the snow.
He didn't believe Akai Shuichi could have been discovered by Tequila through mere chance—not even a fool would believe that.
As he spoke, a pistol was cocked, the dark muzzle pressed against Natsukawa's forehead in the passenger seat, the cold metal unmistakably real.
Natsukawa simply smiled and pulled several photographs from his pocket, placing them before the group.
"That's definitely Akai Shuichi!" Vodka glanced at them and was absolutely certain—he could never forget that face.
Chianti and Cohen also examined them briefly, then exchanged strange glances.
After confirming it was Akai Shuichi, both felt somewhat embarrassed.
They'd both suffered defeats at Akai's hands, and compared to him, they seemed inferior to Tequila.
"I was also surprised when I first spotted him today. I followed him all afternoon and finally located the FBI's hideout."
"You actually dared to tail Akai Shuichi? With his counter-surveillance abilities, how could you not have been detected?"
Chianti's voice was full of skepticism, reflecting not only underestimation of Tequila's abilities but also deep-seated fear of Akai Shuichi.
"The FBI isn't just Akai Shuichi. If we can't follow him, we can follow others."
Natsukawa wasn't specifically referring to Camel—he was simply placating the three operatives.
Tequila's confidence silenced the two in the back seat. Sensing that Tequila, who had previously been their equal, was now poised to rise in status, they dared not speak further.
However, these photographs were actually staged shots taken that afternoon by Natsukawa disguised as Akai Shuichi. The disguise was masterful, and the shooting angles so clever, it was natural that these three muscle-brained operatives couldn't detect it.
If Gin were in Tokyo, Natsukawa wouldn't have dragged the Organization into this operation. Although Natsukawa didn't know Gin intimately, he maintained proper respect. After over a thousand episodes and numerous films, Gin's observational skills were exceptionally sharp.
However, disregarding Gin, dealing with just these three operatives was more than manageable.
The Porsche cut through the snowy night, heading toward the suburban cabin where the real game was about to begin.
(End of Chapter 63)
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