Chapter 195: Want a Child? Have One with Yor!
Natsukawa's lips twitched. He glanced back at Professor Agasa, silently demanding an explanation.
Aside from his confusion, he was secretly pleased.
Ai Haibara hadn't even had to ask—she'd come to him begging to be adopted. That was excellent.
What was going on today?
Gin had delivered himself asking for explosives, and Sherry had also delivered herself asking to be taken in.
Today felt like his lucky day.
No, wait—Gin hadn't delivered himself. He'd come to collect the package, door and all.
The deal was done, but Natsukawa wouldn't get a single penny from it.
Having just made nine billion yen and still so stingy—not only a workaholic but a damn cheapskate.
"Ai probably has fever-induced amnesia, which is why she forgot where she lives.
This type of amnesia is quite unusual. The recovery time is unpredictable. She might recover soon, or it might take a year or two.
And she can't be homeless during this time, so I wanted to take her in."
Professor Agasa suddenly sighed and shook his head. "You know, once I start my research, I become completely absorbed and can't properly care for Ai.
So Ai might need your help looking after her for a while, Natsukawa.
But it's alright. I've already asked my friends at the Metropolitan Police Department for help. As soon as they find Ai's parents, they'll send her back immediately."
Professor Agasa felt his explanation was reasonable and shouldn't be too abrupt.
Natsukawa was the one who found her, and now that the child couldn't find her parents, it shouldn't be a problem for her rescuer to take her in.
Besides, Natsukawa had Anya at home. If Ai went back with him, she could keep Anya company.
Playing with Bond every day wasn't a solution—Anya's intelligence was almost at the point of syncing with the dog's.
Uh...
Natsukawa rolled his eyes. Fever-induced amnesia? What a lame excuse Professor Agasa had come up with.
He wasn't a doctor, but it sounded absurd. The excuse was too half-hearted, and Natsukawa didn't believe it for a second.
However, he didn't call him out on it and continued, "Ai, so you still remember your name, right?"
Natsukawa didn't answer directly. Now it wasn't him taking in Haibara Ai, but rather she was asking him to take her in, so he could naturally maintain his composure.
He couldn't let her enter his home too easily. After all, something hard-earned should be cherished.
"No, this is a name I just gave myself." Haibara composed herself, returning to normal.
As long as she didn't encounter the Black Organization, her self-control over her expressions was usually fine.
"So what's your full name?"
"Ai Haibara." Conan answered before Haibara could, then added enthusiastically, "I just noticed that Haibara seems really smart. I gave her a first-grade workbook, and she finished it quickly.
She even tackled some second- and third-grade questions, and she answered them perfectly. If Uncle Natsukawa adopted her, maybe she could even help improve Anya's grades.
Uncle Natsukawa probably knows how Anya's doing in school right now. If there's a top student around, even a struggling student will definitely improve."
Anya: Thank you so much!!!
This was exactly what Natsukawa wanted to hear. He'd initially thought the same thing—having Haibara under his watchful eye would be much more convenient.
However, these three acting in concert made it feel like they were setting a trap for him.
He hadn't revealed anything, but he felt that Conan and Haibara's gazes toward him were a little strange.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"That's a good idea. Ai Haibara, right? That name's as weird as Conan's," Natsukawa remarked, then added, "However, we already have Anya at home."
Hearing this, the three tensed up, sensing Natsukawa was about to refuse.
If he refused, they'd have to resort to Plan B, and the ever-cautious Conan had already prepared a countermeasure.
As for what method... well, a child would naturally throw a tantrum and demand comfort.
Meanwhile, Ai Haibara blushed at the thought of doing something so embarrassing.
She hoped Kudo hadn't lied to her—that Natsukawa really was as capable as he'd claimed.
Indeed, infiltrating the Natsukawa household was a decision made after the three had laid their cards on the table.
Conan had long coveted Natsukawa's strength and wealth.
And Yor was also very powerful. Once Haibara entered the Natsukawa family and confirmed his identity, he'd gain two powerful allies.
This was something he'd always dreamed of.
Although he felt a little guilty toward Anya—involving her father and Aunt Yor in such a dangerous situation—there was no other way. Someone had to step forward.
Besides, someone as cautious as him wouldn't easily let Natsukawa and Yor take unnecessary risks.
That Organization was extremely dangerous. Without sufficient combat strength, Conan feared he, a mere child, wouldn't be able to handle it. Adding Haibara... well, encountering Gin would at most just result in another corpse.
Moreover, after most of the day's conversation, he'd discovered that Haibara's fear of Gin was extreme—to the point where she turned pale at the mere mention of his name.
However, to get Natsukawa's help, he first needed to discover Natsukawa's identity. He'd asked several times, but Natsukawa always gave vague answers, clearly having a special identity he wasn't revealing.
Although he didn't know what it was, it shouldn't be anything evil. At least, Natsukawa's recent impression was that of someone on the side of justice.
This was what made him consider this plan.
Now Haibara would become his spy planted in Natsukawa's house, specifically to investigate Natsukawa's identity, which also served as a way to find Haibara a good adoptive family.
Although it was a single-parent household, it shouldn't remain that way for long.
As for Professor Agasa—forget it. That old man even forgot to eat, let alone pick up children from school or cook meals.
Back at school, he'd eaten Anya's bento. Natsukawa's cooking was top-notch, and he still remembered it fondly.
After that, he was waiting for Sherry to confirm Natsukawa's identity before he would reveal his and Ai's true identities.
But now, seeing that Natsukawa seemed reluctant, Conan quickly gave Ai a wink, indicating they should use Plan B.
Ai looked away, avoiding eye contact with Conan.
This was so embarrassing. She'd only been a little girl for less than twenty-four hours—she wouldn't do something so humiliating.
Conan's eye twitched in annoyance, and he sighed speechlessly.
Then he pursed his lips and mouthed something silently, as if lip-reading.
Ai Haibara caught a glimpse of Conan's lips out of the corner of her eye and understood his meaning.
She glanced at the Milan Fashion Week runway show playing on TV, then at Natsukawa.
Conan had mentioned that her savior was a wealthy man. If he adopted her, wouldn't all those luxury items she'd been eyeing be within reach?
Tutoring his daughter would also ease her savior's burden. Surely he could afford to pay for some luxury goods?
Back in the Organization, she'd researched expensive bags and clothes in her spare time—a form of stress relief.
Therefore, one of her obsessions after escaping was buying bags and clothes, second only to meeting her sister.
Seeing the three's tense expressions, Natsukawa didn't point it out. After pondering for a while, making them anxious, he finally set aside his concerns, smiled, and nodded.
"It's possible, but Ai, you have to tutor Anya well. Since you can complete first-grade homework and even understand higher-grade questions, and you've earned Conan's approval, your intelligence is definitely not in question. I hope Anya can improve under your guidance.
Is there anything you like? As long as Anya's grades improve, I'll buy you whatever you want!"
Natsukawa waved his hand generously.
He'd seen the two's little interaction just now.
He hadn't expected Sherry, this scientific genius, to like luxury goods like designer handbags.
In his memory, he only remembered that she liked a soccer player named Higo something—a complete background character whose name he couldn't recall.
Anya really needed Haibara Ai's tutoring, or she'd just become a female version of a certain blonde—no, pink-haired—airhead, which wasn't what Natsukawa wanted to see.
A young person who doesn't work hard will regret it when they're older. He hoped Anya could understand his good intentions.
"Great!" The adults and two children raised their hands happily at the same time.
Professor Agasa was delighted he wouldn't have to care for another person and could focus all his energy on research and eating.
Conan was happy he'd finally planted a spy in Natsukawa's house. He'd considered bribing Anya before, but she wasn't very smart and would easily be exposed, so he'd given up on the idea. Haibara's appearance made him reconsider. After all, she was a scientist—her IQ was definitely high, so he wasn't worried about any problems.
Haibara Ai was happy she'd not only have a place to live but also receive countless bags and designer clothes. Taking care of a child was nothing. She had no experience, but her maturity was a huge advantage, and she'd definitely handle it easily.
As for being a spy for Kudo... well, she wouldn't specifically investigate Natsukawa. He was her savior. She could only say it depended on fate—neither actively seeking nor refusing.
Mainly, she felt indebted to Kudo. After all, APTX was the result of her and her parents' research, and now that the victim had made a request, it was hard to refuse.
After entering her new family, she'd be more cautious and hide from anyone from the Organization, hoping only to find her sister.
Speaking of her sister, she still needed to find a way to contact Tequila.
However, she didn't have Tequila's phone number.
Previously, all contact had been through the research facility's landline, and Tequila's number was just in the phone book—she hadn't specifically memorized it.
Now things were a bit tricky.
Since she'd escaped, given Gin's temperament, Shirakage Pharmaceuticals would definitely cease to exist. It might be shut down any day now.
As for Tequila, she could only wait for him to contact her.
Knowing that her drug could shrink people, Tequila would definitely know of Kudo's existence.
As long as she was patient, Tequila would surely come looking for her, and then she could ask to see her sister.
However, thinking of the mysterious Tequila, Ai Haibara's mood sank considerably. It seemed she was destined to be inextricably linked to APTX for the rest of her life.
Tequila would likely, like Gin, use her sister to force her to develop the drug.
She didn't want to, but with her sister in Tequila's hands, she had no choice.
"However, if Ai wants to stay at my house, it might take a day. It's too late now, and we don't have any extra bedding."
Natsukawa thought for a moment and decided to go to the Beika Department Store tomorrow to buy a bunk bed so the two kids could sleep in one room, allowing him to supervise Anya 24/7.
Meanwhile, Anya, who had just been soothed to sleep by Yor, suddenly opened her eyes and looked around the room in confusion.
It was a bit cold, but the windows were closed. Where did this strange chill come from to get under her blanket?
"What's wrong, Anya?" Yor was sitting on the edge of the bed checking Anya's homework when she noticed Anya suddenly sit up and asked curiously, "You wouldn't have a nightmare so soon after falling asleep, would you?"
"N-no, I just suddenly feel a bit cold."
Yor frowned. "Could it be that you've caught a cold?"
Ignoring Anya's sixth sense, Natsukawa made arrangements with the three of them and then immediately went to a corner to contact Franky.
Last night, he'd gone directly to find Sherry without even notifying Franky, and he didn't know if Franky was still monitoring the street in front of his house.
"Yo, finally done with work?"
Franky's voice on the phone was full of sarcasm. "Is that little girl in the white coat the reason you asked me to monitor 2-chome?"
"Yeah." Natsukawa laughed. "How about we adopt a daughter? This girl can't find her parents right now."
Franky almost knocked over his water glass, making rustling sounds for a while, before hurriedly saying, "Natsukawa, don't mess with me. I just got a girlfriend. If people mistakenly think I'm divorced with a child, this relationship might fall apart.
You don't want me getting fired so soon after getting my tax investigator job, do you?"
Natsukawa rolled his eyes, but it seemed he'd been worrying for nothing. This guy had probably seen his car yesterday and knew he'd achieved his goal, so he probably hadn't continued monitoring.
Otherwise, given Franky's personality, if he called him now, Franky wouldn't be joking but complaining.
After so many years of friendship, he knew Franky's personality inside and out.
Actually, the reason he'd called Franky this time wasn't out of concern for him, but mainly because there were two things that needed to be resolved.
First, he needed to find out if Moriya Teiji's surveillance had captured anything, and ideally confirm the timing of Moriya's actions.
Second, now that Haibara Ai had become his adopted daughter, he needed to arrange for her to attend Teitan Elementary School.
Franky had handled that before, and this time would be no exception.
"Are you planning to set up a shelter for little girls?" Franky quipped, somewhat bewildered by Natsukawa.
A spy, a spy! Was he preparing successors? Opening a spy academy?
"Can't I be compassionate?"
"Did you tell Yor about this? She's your girlfriend, after all. If you keep adopting like this, won't she end up raising all the children?"
Franky was already worried for Yor.
Natsukawa's actions were incomprehensible to anyone. If he wanted children, he should have them with Yor. What was the point of adopting kids everywhere?
"That's true." Natsukawa suddenly realized he now had a girlfriend.
Since he was aiming for marriage, he definitely needed to inform her.
(End of Chapter)
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