Chapter 99: Going to Find Fireflies Together
The tinny, overly enthusiastic voice of the lead instructor crackled through the portable park radio, echoing across the sun-drenched grass.
"Radio calisthenics, ready position..."
"One, two, three, four... five, six, seven, eight!"
Natsume mirrored the rhythmic arm swings with all the enthusiasm of a wilted vegetable. She stifled a yawn, her eyes half-closed as she dragged her limbs through the slow, agonizingly dull stretching routine.
'I could have cleared four Adventurer Guild commissions by now,'she grumbled inwardly.'Why am I out here waving my arms like a windmill?'
She cast a deeply resentful sideways glance at the sole reason for her current suffering. Right beside her, the tiny Dendro Archon, Nahida, was following the instructor's counts with bright-eyed earnestness, perfectly synchronized with the surrounding children of the Detective Boys.
The kids clearly hadn't forgotten their new friend. Knowing Nahida was still in town, they had eagerly dragged her into their morning summer vacation routine. And Nahida, ever curious about human customs, had accepted the invitation without a second thought—and mercilessly hauled Natsume along for the ride.
"The Traveler needs to rest occasionally," Nahida had told her earlier, her tone gentle but leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Too much stress is like a fragile branch weighed down by heavy winter snow. If it cannot support the burden, it might suddenly snap. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
Defeated by the tiny archon's flawless logic, Natsume had surrendered. Now, she was stuck in a park at the crack of dawn, treating the tedious stretches as a very, very boring vacation.
A few paces away, Conan Edogawa mirrored Natsume's exact posture. His arms flopped lazily through the motions, his half-lidded eyes staring blankly at the dirt.
'What the hell am I doing?'he complained in his mind.'I am a seventeen-year-old high school detective. I should be enjoying a normal summer break, not doing baby stretches in a park...'
His thoughts darkened. It was all because of those Men in Black.
The memory of the chaotic confrontation at the harbor over a week ago surfaced in his mind. His jaw tightened. Despite the terrifying surprises that night, he had managed to walk away with a massive clue. Through a planted eavesdropping device, he had successfully recorded the keypad tones of the Black Organization boss's email address.
But the mystery only deepened. Who exactly was that man?
Conan's expression grew heavy. He recalled the enigmatic figure who had suddenly intervened at the Twilight Mansion and later at the harbor. The man possessed a terrifying level of competence, easily outmaneuvering even seasoned FBI agents.
Worse, Conan was absolutely certain the man had noticed his unnatural deductive abilities and had seen right through Haibara's disguise. Yet, much like Vermouth, this dangerous individual had kept his mouth shut. He hadn't reported Haibara's true identity to the rest of the Organization.
Why? Did Vermouth say something to him? Or did they have some sort of secret deal?
Whatever the reason, Conan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The secret was safe for now. He had only told Haibara that Vermouth promised to stop hunting her; he had deliberately omitted any mention of the mysterious man. If Vermouth was confident enough to make that guarantee, it meant she had a leash on that man's silence as well.
"Hey, Conan!" Genta's loud, dissatisfied shout shattered his train of thought. "You have to take this seriously! Look at your arms, they're all floppy!"
Ayumi turned around, her hands on her hips. "He is right! Morning calisthenics are a super important memory of summer vacation!"
A short distance away, Haibara Ai didn't even look at them. Her icy blue eyes were fixed entirely on the sweating, panting form of Dr. Agasa.
"They are entirely correct, Doctor," Haibara remarked, her voice dripping with cool authority. "If you do not exercise properly now, it will be far too late when you are older. High blood pressure, high blood lipids, and high blood sugar are already waiting to knock on your front door."
"I know, I know, Ai-kun!" Dr. Agasa stammered, his face pale as he frantically sped up his jumping jacks in a sheer panic.
Natsume watched the exchange from the corner of her eye, a dry smile tugging at her lips. She stretched her arms upward, feeling the boundless energy of her otherworldly constitution. High blood pressure and high blood sugar? A Traveler's body would never succumb to such mundane human ailments. This really was just a waste of time.
Wait. Natsume blinked, scanning the small group of children. Someone was missing.
"Ayumi," Natsume called out, dropping her arms. "Does Mitsuhiko have something else to do today? Why didn't he come with you guys?"
Ayumi paused her stretches, a puzzled look crossing her face. "I don't know. We haven't seen him all morning."
The calisthenics session ended shortly after. Driven by a shared sense of concern, the group decided to take a detour to the Tsuburaya residence to check on their missing friend.
When they arrived, Mitsuhiko's older sister opened the door, looking just as surprised to see them.
"Mitsuhiko? He left the house incredibly early today," she explained, ushering the group inside. "He told me he was going camping with all of you right after the morning exercises. He even packed a huge batch of bamboo-leaf onigiri for the trip."
The children exchanged bewildered glances. Camping?
"Come on up to his room," his sister offered warmly. "Mitsuhiko has a strict habit of leaving notes when his plans change. Maybe he left one on his desk."
The group crowded into the neat, organized bedroom. His sister pulled open drawers and checked the corkboard, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"That is very strange. There is no note this time," she muttered, closing the final drawer. "And his wallet is missing from his nightstand."
Genta gasped, his eyes widening in horror. "No way... Did Mitsuhiko run away from home?!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Conan muttered, though his eyes darted around the room, searching for clues.
After finding a few scattered items, Mitsuhiko's sister sighed, a knowing smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Actually, I bet I know what happened. He probably went to the seaside with that pretty girl from the flower shop."
"Why the seaside?"
Nahida's soft, melodic voice cut through the room. The tiny archon stepped forward, her green eyes bright with quiet certainty. "I believe he went to the forest."
Conan looked down at her, his detective instincts flaring. "Nahida? What makes you say the forest?"
Instead of answering the young detective directly, Nahida turned her gaze toward Haibara and Ayumi. A warm, knowing smile graced her lips.
"Haibara, Ayumi," Nahida said gently. "Do you remember the conversation we had on the night we all watched the fireworks together?"
Haibara blinked, her stoic expression faltering for a second as she searched her memory. Ayumi tilted her head, tapping her chin.
"The fireworks..." Ayumi murmured. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Oh! We were talking about bugs! Haibara and I said we really wished we could see real fireflies with our own eyes!"
Nahida nodded approvingly. During her time staying with Natsume, the Detective Boys had visited frequently. She had been sitting right beside them during the fireworks festival. While everyone else was looking up at the sky, Nahida had noticed the way Mitsuhiko's eyes had locked onto Ayumi and Haibara when they made their wish.
More than that, as the God of Wisdom with a deep connection to dreams, she had literally felt the boy's lingering thoughts. For nights afterward, Mitsuhiko's dreams had been filled with glowing green lights and the smiles of his friends.
"He wanted to make your wish come true," Nahida explained softly. "I just did not expect him to be quite so active. Venturing into the forest alone to catch them is not safe. Besides, an experience like that only holds true meaning when shared with friends."
Conan's eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. He looked at Nahida, a grin forming on his face.
"The bamboo-leaf onigiri," Conan said, his voice laced with realization. "Bamboo leaves retain moisture perfectly. They are the ideal temporary habitat for keeping fireflies alive. You are saying Mitsuhiko went into the forest today to catch fireflies for Ayumi and Haibara?"
"Exactly," Nahida confirmed with a small nod. "I noticed his reaction that night was quite intense, but I never imagined he would attempt it all by himself."
She tilted her head, her white hair swaying gently as she looked around at the group of children.
"So, what do you say?" Nahida asked, her smile widening into something bright and adventurous. "Shall we go catch up with Mitsuhiko and find those fireflies together?"
"Of course!" Genta roared, his fist shooting into the air. "We cannot let him do all the cool stuff by himself!"
"Yeah! Mitsuhiko went all the way to the forest just for us. We definitely have to go find him!" Ayumi cheered, while Haibara offered a small, rare smile of agreement.
Conan let out a long, helpless sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets. But despite his earlier complaints about wanting a normal, lazy summer break, a genuine smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He looked at Nahida and Natsume, then back to his friends.
"Alright," Conan said. "Let's go find him."
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